Waste prevention and education in five european countries

Artigo desenvolvido no âmbito de uma Unidade Curricular que funcionou em rede entre várias Universidades Europeias. Este artigo foi desenvolvido num trabalho em rede desenvolvido entre estudantes de diversas universidade e que avaliaram a implementação da diretiva quadro de resíduos em diversos países da União Europeia e apresentarem um conjunto de recomendações para se uniformizar e melhorar a gestão de resíduos na Europa com a aplicação da hierarquia dos resíduos.This research assessed the different goals of the EU Waste Framework Directive (2008) concerning waste prevention in five countries of the EU. The countries under research are the home countries of the EVS group members: Austria, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands and Portugal. The research about the status quo of waste prevention revealed that waste preven-tion has not reached yet. All the countries have high recycling rates and low dumping rate, ex-cept Portugal. Although decoupling trends start to appear and the countries are climbing up the waste hierarchy, waste prevention is still a mountain too far. The EVS group also checked if education was included in the waste prevention programmes and education plays a very im-portant role. The group looked for good examples of waste prevention and analyzed them with SWOT. The examples are a success in the home countries and can be implemented in other EU or even worldwide countries.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Abstracts

Tradução, para a língua inglesa, dos resumos dos artigos publicados nesta edição

Granulocyte-monocyte colony-stimulating factor upregulates HIV-1 replication in monocyte-derived macrophages cultured at low density

The effects that granulocyte-monocyte colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) has on HIV-1 replication in monocyte-derived macrophage are controversial. We noted that groups reporting that GM-CSF inhibits HIV-1 replication performed their experiments at relatively high cell densities. To address this issue, we performed experiments at different macrophage densities. In cultures seeded at low cell densities, we find that adding GM-CSF during the first week of culture (ie, before infection, during maturation) increased viral replication compared with that in untreated controls in 10 of 11 donors with quantifiable HIV-1 replication. (No effects were observed if GM-CSF was added after the first week of culture.) In cultures seeded at the higher cell densities representative of those in some previous studies, adding GM-CSF during the first week reduced subsequent viral replication in 8 of 12 donors. In all cases in which GM-CSF reduced viral replication, however, the pH in the wells containing GM-CSF-treated cells dropped dramatically. Macrophages in these acidified cultures had numerous dark granules, suggesting that they were under stress. We conclude, contrary to previous reports, that GM-CSF usually enhances viral replication when cells are grown at low densities in which excessive medium acidification can be prevented. Our results illustrate the dramatic effects that in vitro tissue culture conditions can have when studying the effect of cytokines on HIV-1 replicatio

The Lived Experiences of Consumers on Security Threats of E-commerce

This research tackles the lived experiences of consumers on the Security Threats of E-commerce. Previous studies have already focused on the e-retailer\u27s experiences (Pabian et al., 2020; Baaso and Gidisu 2019) and current and proposed practices on security risk management (Affia et al., 2020; Hassan et al., 2020). This paper intends to tackle the various cyber security threats that consumers encounter in the realm of e-commerce. In addition, the study aims to identify and assess the lived experiences of consumers to the various threats in e-commerce, particularly those connected to online shopping. Furthermore, this research may enable e-commerce marketers and corporate policymakers to devise offensive and defensive measures to lower unfavorable views or raise risk tolerance. As a phenomenological research study, a qualitative research method was used and participants were recruited via social media platforms using a purposive sampling technique. The results highlighted that most consumers of E-commerce remain victims of various security threats such as phishing, credit card fraud, hacking, and scamming, even though modern security innovations were added to online shops and retailers (OTPs and verification codes). Moreover, various factors of security threats, such as psychological, emotional, or mental aspects affect their likelihood of using e-commerce

Calcineurin-mediated IL-2 production by CD11chighMHCII+ myeloid cells is crucial for intestinal immune homeostasis

10.1038/s41467-018-03495-3Nature Communications91110

Integrative review of the development of a multi-object tracker from a dual camera system in an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)

In the modern age, unmanned aerial vehicles are used in industries for a variety of reasons ranging from surveillance uses to product deliveries. They are also used by people for recreational purposes such as aerial photography or drone racing. However, the capabilities of these UAVs are limited to merely recording and storing the videos. This paper introduces the development of a quadcopter capable of multi-object detection. It also explores the possibility of using a dual camera system for extended range. © 2017 IEEE

Comparing Digital to Conventional Physical Therapy for Chronic Shoulder Pain: Randomized Controlled Trial

BackgroundChronic shoulder pain (CSP) is a common condition with various etiologies, including rotator cuff disorders, adhesive capsulitis, shoulder instability, and shoulder arthritis. It is associated with substantial disability and psychological distress, resulting in poor productivity and quality of life. Physical therapy constitutes the mainstay treatment for CSP, but several barriers exist in accessing care. In recent years, telerehabilitation has gained momentum as a potential solution to overcome such barriers. It has shown numerous benefits, including improving access and convenience, promoting patient adherence, and reducing costs. However, to date, no previous randomized controlled trial has compared fully remote digital physical therapy to in-person rehabilitation for nonoperative CSP. ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to compare clinical outcomes between digital physical therapy and conventional in-person physical therapy in patients with CSP. MethodsWe conducted a single-center, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial involving 82 patients with CSP referred for outpatient physical therapy. Participants were randomized into digital or conventional physical therapy (8-week interventions). The digital intervention consisted of home exercise, education, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), using a device with movement digitalization for biofeedback and asynchronous physical therapist monitoring through a cloud-based portal. The conventional group received in-person physical therapy, including exercises, manual therapy, education, and CBT. The primary outcome was the change (baseline to 8 weeks) in function and symptoms using the short-form of Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand questionnaire. Secondary outcome measures included self-reported pain, surgery intent, analgesic intake, mental health, engagement, and satisfaction. All questionnaires were delivered electronically. ResultsA total of 90 participants were randomized into digital or conventional physical therapy, with 82 receiving the allocated intervention. Both groups experienced significant improvements in function measured by the short-form of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand questionnaire, with no differences between groups (–1.8, 95% CI –13.5 to 9.8; P=.75). For secondary outcomes, no differences were observed in surgery intent, analgesic intake, and mental health or worst pain. Higher reductions were observed in average and least pain in the conventional group, which, given the small effect sizes (least pain 0.15 and average pain 0.16), are unlikely to be clinically meaningful. High adherence and satisfaction were observed in both groups, with no adverse events. ConclusionsThis study shows that fully remote digital programs can be viable care delivery models for CSP given their scalability and effectiveness, assessed through comparison with high-dosage in-person rehabilitation. Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04636528); https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT0463652

Estado do conhecimento sobre internacionalização da educação superior: conceitos e práticas The state of knowledge in the internationalization of higher education: concepts and practices

A partir da década de 90 a internacionalização da educação superior se fortifica no panorama mundial. Corrobora para isto a tendência de categorizar a educação como serviço, regulamentada pela OMC, paralelo ao predomínio da concepção de transnacionalização frente à da soberania do estado-nação. O trabalho objetiva identificar o estado de conhecimento sobre internacionalização universitária, conceitos e práticas (DALE, 2000), neste século, por meio do estudo de banco de dados de periódicos de educação, da Europa e da América do Norte. A metodologia segue os princípios de análise de conteúdo. Foram identificados o crescimento da produção sobre o tema e uma tendência à alteração de foco temático: do conceitual para a prática. A internacionalização da educação superior frente à expansão quase que desordenada do sistema e à complexidade instituída, necessita, urgentemente, de estudos e políticas públicas que freiem a perspectiva mercadológica e contribuam para a qualidade acadêmica social.<br>The internationalization of higher education assumes a leading role in the world scenario after the 1990s. This tendency is fortified with the classification of higher education as service, subject to the General Agreement of Trade in Services (GATS) of the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the prevailing notion of transnationalization over sovereignty of the nation-state. This paper intends to identify the state of knowledge about university internationalization, concepts and practices (DALE, 2000), in this century, from the analysis of data bases of European and North-American education periodicals. The methodology is guided by the principles of content analysis. The growth of scholarly writings on the topic has been identified, along with a tendency of altering the thematic focus: from conceptual to practical. The internationalization of higher education in the light of the expansion of the system and complexity urges for studies and public policies that reduce the market approach and contribute to the social-academic quality