Aspectos astronómicos de la arquitectura maya en la costa nororiental de la península de Yucatán

An archaeoastronomical study recently accomplished in the Maya area revealed that the architecture on the northeast coast of the Yucatán peninsula is characterized by some peculiar orientation trends, which we have not been able to explain in a satisfactory manner. In order to acquire additional information, in November 2015 we measured the orientations of 34 structures at 21 archaeological sites. The book presents the results of this work, as well as some analyses based on all the available data from the northeast coast. Their distribution shows that the percentage of orientations related to the Sun is notably lower than in other parts of the Maya Lowlands.Arheoastronomska raziskava, ki smo jo nedavno opravili na območju kulture Majev, je v razporeditvi orientacij v arhitekturi severovzhodne obale polotoka Jukatana razkrila nekatere posebnosti, ki jih ni bilo mogoče zadovoljivo pojasniti. Da bi pridobili dodatne informacije, smo novembra leta 2015 izmerili usmeritve 34 stavb na 21 arheoloških najdiščih. Knjiga predstavlja rezultate tega dela in nekatere analize, ki temeljijo na vseh razpoložljivih podatkih za severovzhodno obalo. Najbolj izstopajo orientacije proti velikim Luninim ekstremom, gotovo zaradi pomena, ki ga je imel na tem območju kult boginje Ixchel, povezane z Luno. Drugo najbolj izstopajočo skupino predstavljajo solsticijske orientacije, ki so pogosto povezane z lunarnimi, kar kaže na opazovanje ekstremov polne Lune. Tretjo večjo skupino orientacij je mogoče povezati z nekaterimi zvezdami, toda hipotezo bo treba še preveriti. Usmeritve mnogih obalnih stavb se približno skladajo s potekom morskega obrežja, ker pa obenem pripadajo astronomsko signifikantnim skupinam, argumentiramo, da so bile strukture na obali pogosto zgrajene na izbranih mestih, ki so ustrezala tako astronomskim kot topografskim kriterijem

Indledning

Indledningen præsenterer og diskuterer dels begrebet 'sammenlignende fagdidaktik' og række en symposier, der har været holdt siden 2010, dels de artikler, der indgår i dette nr. af Sammenlignende Fagdidaktik.The introduction discusses the concept 'comparative disciplinary didactics' and the symposiums about comparative disciplinary didactics since 2011. The articles in this number of the journal are presented

Indledning

Indledningen præsenterer dette nummer af Sammenlignende Fagdidaktik, herunder de indgående artikler

RNA interference targeting survivin exerts antitumoral effects in vitro and in established glioma xenografts in vivo

Malignant glioma represents the most common primary adult brain tumor in Western industrialized countries. Despite aggressive treatment modalities, the median survival duration for patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the highest grade malignant glioma, has not improved significantly over past decades. One promising approach to deal with GBM is the inactivation of proteins essential for survival or progression of glioma cells by means of RNA interference (RNAi) techniques. A likely candidate for an RNAi therapy of gliomas is the inhibitor of apoptosis protein survivin. Survivin is involved in 2 main cellular processes–cell division and inhibition of apoptosis. We show here that stable RNAi of survivin induced polyploidy, apoptosis, and impaired proliferation of human U343-MG, U373-MG, H4, and U87-MG cells and of primary glioblastoma cells. Proteome profiler arrays using U373-MG cells identified a novel set of differentially expressed genes upon RNAi-mediated survivin knockdown. In particular, the death receptor TRAIL R2/DR5 was strongly upregulated in survivin-depleted glioma cells, inducing an enhanced cytotoxic response of allogeneic human NK cells. Moreover, an experimental in vivo therapy using polyethylenimine (PEI)/siRNA complexes for survivin knockdown efficiently blocked tumor growth of established subcutaneous U373-MG tumors and enhanced survival of NMRInu/nu mice orthopically transplanted with U87-MG cells. We conclude that survivin is functionally relevant in gliomas and that PEI-mediated exogenous delivery of siRNA targeting survivin is a promising strategy for glioblastoma therapy

Preconception Care Between Pregnancies: The Content of Internatal Care

For more than two decades, prenatal care has been a cornerstone of our nation’s strategy for improving pregnancy outcomes. In recent years, however, a growing recognition of the limits of prenatal care and the importance of maternal health before pregnancy has drawn increasing attention to preconception and internatal care. Internatal care refers to a package of healthcare and ancillary services provided to a woman and her family from the birth of one child to the birth of her next child. For healthy mothers, internatal care offers an opportunity for wellness promotion between pregnancies. For high-risk mothers, internatal care provides strategies for risk reduction before their next pregnancy. In this paper we begin to define the contents of internatal care. The core components of internatal care consist of risk assessment, health promotion, clinical and psychosocial interventions. We identified several priority areas, such as FINDS (family violence, infections, nutrition, depression, and stress) for risk assessment or BBEEFF (breastfeeding, back-to-sleep, exercise, exposures, family planning and folate) for health promotion. Women with chronic health conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, or weight problems should receive on-going care per clinical guidelines for their evaluation, treatment, and follow-up during the internatal period. For women with prior adverse outcomes such as preterm delivery, we propose an internatal care model based on known etiologic pathways, with the goal of preventing recurrence by addressing these biobehavioral pathways prior to the next pregnancy. We suggest enhancing service integration for women and families, including possibly care coordination and home visitation for selected high-risk women. The primary aim of this paper is to start a dialogue on the content of internatal care

Towards reducing variations in infant mortality and morbidity : a population-based approach

Background: Our aims were (1) to improve understanding of regional variation in early-life mortality rates and the UK’s poor performance in international comparisons; and (2) to identify the extent to which late and moderately preterm (LMPT) birth contributes to early childhood mortality and morbidity. Objective: To undertake a programme of linked population-based research studies to work towards reducing variations in infant mortality and morbidity rates. Design: Two interlinked streams: (1) a detailed analysis of national and regional data sets and (2) establishment of cohorts of LMPT babies and term-born control babies. Setting: Cohorts were drawn from the geographically defined areas of Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire, and analyses were carried out at the University of Leicester. Data sources: For stream 1, national data were obtained from four sources: the Office for National Statistics, NHS Numbers for Babies, Centre for Maternal and Child Enquiries and East Midlands and South Yorkshire Congenital Anomalies Register. For stream 2, prospective data were collected for 1130 LMPT babies and 1255 term-born control babies. Main outcome measures: Detailed analysis of stillbirth and early childhood mortality rates with a particular focus on factors leading to biased or unfair comparison; review of clinical, health economic and developmental outcomes over the first 2 years of life for LMPT and term-born babies. Results: The deprivation gap in neonatal mortality has widened over time, despite government efforts to reduce it. Stillbirth rates are twice as high in the most deprived as in the least deprived decile. Approximately 70% of all infant deaths are the result of either preterm birth or a major congenital abnormality, and these are heavily influenced by mothers’ exposure to deprivation. Births at < 24 weeks’ gestation constitute only 1% of all births, but account for 20% of infant mortality. Classification of birth status for these babies varies widely across England. Risk of LMPT birth is greatest in the most deprived groups within society. Compared with term-born peers, LMPT babies are at an increased risk of neonatal morbidity, neonatal unit admission and poorer long-term health and developmental outcomes. Cognitive and socioemotional development problems confer the greatest long-term burden, with the risk being amplified by socioeconomic factors. During the first 24 months of life each child born LMPT generates approximately £3500 of additional health and societal costs. Conclusions: Health professionals should be cautious in reviewing unadjusted early-life mortality rates, particularly when these relate to individual trusts. When more sophisticated analysis is not possible, babies of < 24 weeks’ gestation should be excluded. Neonatal services should review the care they offer to babies born LMPT to ensure that it is appropriate to their needs. The risk of adverse outcome is low in LMPT children. However, the risk appears higher for some types of antenatal problems and when the mother is from a deprived background