Tertiary education in Latvia today and tomorrow

Tertiary education, scenarios, regional development., Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession, G32,

Ab initio calculations of CaZrO3 (011) surfaces: systematic trends in polar (011) surface calculations of ABO3 perovskites

Financial support via Latvian-Ukrainian Joint Research Project No. LV-UA/2018/2 for A. I. Popov, Latvian Council of Science Project No. 2018/2-0083 “Theoretical prediction of hybrid nanostructured photocatalytic materials for efficient water splitting” for R. I. Eglitis and J. Kleperis as well as ERAF project No. 1.1.1.1/18/A/073 for R. I. Eglitis and J. Purans is greatly acknowledged.By means of the CRYSTAL computer program package, first-principles calculations of polar ZrO-, Ca- and O-terminated CaZrO3 (011) surfaces were performed. Our calculation results for polar CaZrO3 (011) surfaces are compared with the previous ab initio calculation results for ABO3 perovskite (011) and (001) surfaces. From the results of our hybrid B3LYP calculations, all upper-layer atoms on the ZrO-, Ca- and O-terminated CaZrO3 (011) surfaces relax inwards. The only exception from this systematic trend is outward relaxation of the oxygen atom on the ZrO-terminated CaZrO3 (011) surface. Different ZrO, Ca and O terminations of the CaZrO3 (011) surface lead to a quite different surface energies of 3.46, 1.49, and 2.08 eV. Our calculations predict a considerable increase in the Zr–O chemical bond covalency near the CaZrO3 (011) surface, both in the directions perpendicular to the surface (0.240e) as well as in the plane (0.138e), as compared to the CaZrO3 (001) surface (0.102e) and to the bulk (0.086e). Such increase in the B–O chemical bond population from the bulk towards the (001) and especially (011) surfaces is a systematic trend in all our eight calculated ABO3 perovskites. This work is licensed under a CC BY license.Latvian-Ukrainian Joint Research Project No. LV-UA/2018/2; Latvian Council of Science Project No. 2018/2-0083; ERAF project No. 1.1.1.1/18/A/073; Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as the Center of Excellence has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART²

Clinicopathological Significance of Exosomal Proteins CD9 and CD63 and DNA Mismatch Repair Proteins in Prostate Adenocarcinoma and Benign Hyperplasia

Publisher Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Introduction. Recently, it has been shown that exosomal biomarkers and DNA mismatch repair proteins (MMR) could play an important role in cancer risk stratification and prognosis assessment. The gold standard for prostate carcinoma (PCa) diagnosis is biopsy and histopathological examination. Thus, the complex evaluation of exosomal and MMR proteins could be beneficial for prostate cancer risk stratification and diagnostics. The aim of the current study was to evaluate and compare the expression of exosomal proteins CD9 and CD63 and MMR proteins in the tissue of patients with prostate benign hyperplasia (BPH) and PCa. Methods. The study was retrospective. Altogether, 92 patients with PCa and 20 patients with BPH (control group) were enrolled in the study. Exosomal and MMR protein expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The follow-up for each PCa patient in our study lasted till disease progression and/or a maximum of 5 years. Results. Low-grade PCa was observed in 56 patients and high-grade PCa in 36 patients. CD63 expression was significantly higher in patients with high-grade PCa compared to those with low-grade PCa. CD9 expression was significantly downregulated in PCa patients compared to the control group. MMR protein expression deficiency was observed in 10 PCa patients. MMR proteins were maintained in all cases of BPH. The study found a negative correlation between MMR protein loss and PCa ISUP grade groups. Progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with MMR deficiency was significantly shorter than in patients with maintained MMR expression. Conclusions. CD9 protein expression was downregulated in PCa, compared to BPH, while CD63 protein expression was upregulated in high-grade PCa but downregulated in low-grade PCa. CD63 protein upregulation, CD9 downregulation, and loss of MMR protein characterized the shorter PFS of high-grade PCa patients. CD9, CD63, and MMR could be the routine immunohistochemical biomarkers for the diagnosis and risk stratification of PCa.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Water safety plan enhancements with improved drinking water quality detection techniques

Drinking water quality has been regulated in most European countries for nearly two decades by the drinking water directive 98/83/EC. The directive is now under revision with the goal of meeting stricter demands for safe water for all citizens, as safe water has been recognized as a human right by the United Nations. An important change to the directive is the implementation of a risk-based approach in all regulated water supplies. The European Union Framework Seventh Programme Aquavalens project has developed several new detection technologies for pathogens and indicators and tested them in water supplies in seven European countries. One of the tasks of the project was to evaluate the impact of these new techniques on water safety and on water safety management. Data were collected on risk factors to water safety for five large supplies in Denmark, Germany, Spain and the UK, and for fifteen small water supplies in Scotland, Portugal and Serbia, via a questionnaire aiming to ascertain risk factors and the stage of implementation of Water Safety Plans, and via site-specific surveys known as Sanitary Site Inspection. Samples were collected from the water supplies from all stages of water production to delivery. Pathogens were detected in around 23% of the 470 samples tested. Fecal contamination was high in raw water and even in treated water at the small supplies. Old infrastructure was considered a challenge at all the water supplies. The results showed that some of the technique, if implemented as part of the water safety management, can detect rapidly the most common waterborne pathogens and fecal pollution indicators and therefore have a great early warning potential; can improve water safety for the consumer; can validate whether mitigation methods are working as intended; and can confirm the quality of the water at source and at the tap

An original phylogenetic approach identified mitochondrial haplogroup T1a1 as inversely associated with breast cancer risk in BRCA2 mutation carriers

Introduction: Individuals carrying pathogenic mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes have a high lifetime risk of breast cancer. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are involved in DNA double-strand break repair, DNA alterations that can be caused by exposure to reactive oxygen species, a main source of which are mitochondria. Mitochondrial genome variations affect electron transport chain efficiency and reactive oxygen species production. Individuals with different mitochondrial haplogroups differ in their metabolism and sensitivity to oxidative stress. Variability in mitochondrial genetic background can alter reactive oxygen species production, leading to cancer risk. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that mitochondrial haplogroups modify breast cancer risk in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers. Methods: We genotyped 22,214 (11,421 affected, 10,793 unaffected) mutation carriers belonging to the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2 for 129 mitochondrial polymorphisms using the iCOGS array. Haplogroup inference and association detection were performed using a phylogenetic approach. ALTree was applied to explore the reference mitochondrial evolutionary tree and detect subclades enriched in affected or unaffected individuals. Results: We discovered that subclade T1a1 was depleted in affected BRCA2 mutation carriers compared with the rest of clade T (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.55; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.34 to 0.88; P = 0.01). Compared with the most frequent haplogroup in the general population (that is, H and T clades), the T1a1 haplogroup has a HR of 0.62 (95% CI, 0.40 to 0.95; P = 0.03). We also identified three potential susceptibility loci, including G13708A/rs28359178, which has demonstrated an inverse association with familial breast cancer risk. Conclusions: This study illustrates how original approaches such as the phylogeny-based method we used can empower classical molecular epidemiological studies aimed at identifying association or risk modification effects.Peer reviewe

Izglitibas kvalitates nodrosinasanas regionalie un ekonomiskie aspekti

The thesis was accomplished in the Faculty of Economics, Latvia University of Agriculture, Jelgava, from 1999 till 2003. The following hypothesis was proposed: in the framework of administrative and territorial reform it is possible to establish rational network of upper secondary schools that would ensure the accessibility of qualitative general secondary education in all regions of Latvia. The work has two objectives: to draw recommendations for creating the upper secondary education quality assurance system of Latvia and to carry out the philosophical, economical and institutional basis for the perspective network of upper secondary schools. For achieving these objectives the qualitative and quantitative analyses of the corresponding elements of the system of education of Latvia was carried out, paying a special attention to upper secondary education. Chapter 1 contains the analyses of the influence of education on the development of the country and the region as well as the notion of the quality of education and probable ways of its assessment. In conclusion the framework of the upper secondary education quality assurance system of Latvia is described. In chapter 2 several topics are analysed: the aspects of upper secondary education in administrative and territorial reform, the probable models and ways of authority on upper secondary schools, the efficiency of the existing school networks. The probable models of the network and structure of upper secondary school are analysed in chapter 3. All the ideas are summed up in recommendations. The main conclusions: 1. In Latvia it is possible to create the total quality management system for general upper secondary education. 2. During administrative and territorial reform it is possible to establish more rational network of general upper secondary schools. The results of the research are innovative and can be applied to improve the state system of education as well as to plan the administrative territorial reform. The thesis consists of 136 pages; it contains 39 tables, 27 figures. There are 207 references.Abstracts in Latvian, English, Russian. Separate summary in Latvian and EnglishAvailable from Latvian Academic Library / LAL - Latvian Academic LibrarySIGLELVLatvi

Videjas izglitibas iestazu gala parbaudijumu saskana ar augstskolu iestajprasibam

Available from Latvian Academic Library / LAL - Latvian Academic LibrarySIGLEMinistry of Education and Science of the Republic of Latvia, Riga (Latvia)LVLatvi

Delays in diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer: a multinational analysis

BACKGROUND: Reducing treatment delay improves outcomes in breast cancer. The aim of this study was to determine factors influencing patient- and system-related delays in commencing breast cancer treatment in different countries. METHODS: A total of 6588 female breast cancer patients from 12 countries were surveyed. Total delay time was determined as the sum of the patient-related delay time (time between onset of the first symptoms and the first medical visit) and system-related delay time (time between the first medical visit and the start of therapy). RESULTS: The average patient-related delay time and total delay time were 4.7 (range: 3.4-6.2) weeks and 14.4 (range: 11.5-29.4) weeks, respectively. Longer patient-related delay times were associated with distrust and disregard, and shorter patient-related delay times were associated with fear of breast cancer, practicing self-examination, higher education level, being employed, having support from friends and family and living in big cities. The average system-related delay time was 11.1 (range: 8.3-24.7) weeks. Cancer diagnosis made by an oncologist versus another physician, higher education level, older age, family history of female cancers and having a breast lump as the first cancer sign were associated with shorter system-related delay times. Longer patient-related delay times and higher levels of distrust and disregard were predictors of longer system-related delay times. CONCLUSIONS: The delay in diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer remains a serious problem. Several psychological and behavioural patient attributes strongly determine both patient-related delay time and system-related delay time, but their strength is different in particular countries