Technology Transfer and Integrated Social Development: International Issues and Possibilities for Social Work

Technology transfer and integrated social development are closely linked aspects of social work practice that deserve more serious attention than they have received to date. Social workers need to play more knowledgeable and active roles in utilizing a broad-scale partnership model that will help communities and societies screen and adapt technologies so that they can be appropriately integrated with people\u27s values, culture, concerns and aspirations. Everyone should ultimately benefit if the poor and disempowered peoples of the world in particular become the primary focus and the beneficiaries of less arrogant and more inclusive strategies of technology transfer. The aim of the paper is to examine models for screening and transferring technology and reviewing practice principles and prospects for achieving a concerted social work approach to technology transfer and integrated social development

The Role of Perceived Barriers to Maternal Communication in Risky Sexual Behavior Among Mexican Adolescents

This study examined gender differences in perceived barriers to communication about sex between mothers and adolescents (ages 12 to 19) in Mexico. We also explored associations between 3 risky sexual behaviors (contraception use, age of first coitus, and sexual experience) and these barriers separate by gender. A total of 1,436 participants (47% female) completed surveys measuring risky sexual behaviors and 3 barriers to communication (lack of confidence or knowledge about sex, talk perceived as encouraging sex, and talk perceived as unnecessary). Findings revealed that boys were likely to perceive more barriers to communication than were girls. Talk perceived as encouraging sex was associated with vaginal sex among all adolescents. Female adolescents who perceived their mother as having less knowledge and confidence about sex were also more likely to have had sexual intercourse and less likely to have used contraception. Boys who perceived talk as unnecessary were more likely to have had sexual intercourse. These findings amplify our understanding of both barriers to communication about sex and risky sexual behaviors among adolescents in Mexico

Using a continuum model to predict closure time of gaps in intestinal epithelial cell layers

A two-dimensional continuum model of collective cell migration is used to predict the closure of gaps in intestinal epithelial cell layers. The model assumes that cell migration is governed by lamellipodia formation, cell-cell adhesion, and cell-substrate adhesion. Model predictions of the gap edge position and complete gap closure time are compared with experimental measures from cell layer scratch assays (also called scratch wound assays). The goal of the study is to combine experimental observations with mathematical descriptions of cell motion to identify effects of gap shape and area on closure time and to propose a method that uses a simple measure (e.g., area) to predict overall gap closure time early in the closure process. Gap closure time is shown to increase linearly with increasing gap area; however, gaps of equal areas but different aspect ratios differ greatly in healing time. Previous methods that calculate overall healing time according to the absolute or percent change in gap area assume that the gap area changes at a constant rate and typically underestimate gap closure time. In this study, data from scratch assays suggest that the rate of change of area is proportional to the first power or square root power of area

Osteomalacia tumoral

La osteomalacia tumoral (OT) es un síndrome paraneoplásico en el cual el paciente presenta dolor óseo, fracturas y debilidad muscular. Es producido principalmente por una elevación de los niveles en sangre del factor de crecimiento fibroblástico 23 (FGF-23). En la OT, el FGF-23 es secretado por tumores mesenquimales, los cuales se caracterizan por ser de tamaño pequeño y de lento crecimiento. El FGF-23 actúa a nivel de los túbulos renales afectando la reabsorción de fósforo, lo cual conduce a hipofosfatemia y a bajos niveles de 1,25-dihidroxivitamina D [1,25(OH)2 D]. El tratamiento de la OT es la resección del tumor. Debido a las características de estos tumores muchas veces no pueden ser localizados o son quirúrgicamente irresecables y requieren tratamiento médico a largo plazo, consistente en sales de fósforo y calcitriol. La adherencia al tratamiento muchas veces resulta difícil debido a las reacciones secundarias, así como también a las complicaciones asociadas.Tumor-induced osteomalacia (TIO) is a paraneoplastic syndrome in which patients present with bone pain, fractures and muscle weakness. The cause is excess production of fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23). In TIO, FGF- 23 is secreted by mesenchymal tumors, which are small and grow slowly. FGF-23 acts at the renal tubule and impairs phosphate reabsorption, leading to hypophosphatemia and low levels of 1,25-dihidroxivitamin D [1,25(OH)2 D]. The treatment of TIO is surgical resection of the causative tumor. For tumors that cannot be located or surgically resected, medical treatment with oral phosphate supplements and calcitriol is usually successful. However, adherence in some cases is difficult due to secondary reactions or treatment complications.Fil: Mastaglia, Silvina Rosana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Inmunología, Genética y Metabolismo. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Inmunología, Genética y Metabolismo; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Hospital de Clínicas General San Martín; ArgentinaFil: Somoza, Julia Isabel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Inmunología, Genética y Metabolismo. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Inmunología, Genética y Metabolismo; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Hospital de Clínicas General San Martín; ArgentinaFil: González, Diana C.. Centro de Osteopatías Médicas; ArgentinaFil: Oliveri, Maria Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Inmunología, Genética y Metabolismo. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Inmunología, Genética y Metabolismo; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Hospital de Clínicas General San Martín; Argentin

Caracterización de tamaños de partícula: comparación entre difracción laser (ld) y microscopía electrónica de barrido (sem)

Two of the most significant properties of particles are size and shape; they often have direct influence on the materials behavior. Since the particulate systems are constituted by 3D particles of different size, the characterization of this property has to be given by a particle size distribution (PSD) . Among the most popular techniques for PSDs measurement, the image analysis (IA) presents some disadvantages: sampling errors, the analysis of only hundred or a few thousand particles to represent the whole population, the use a 2-D projected image of a 3-D particle and long analysis times. In contrast, the laser diffraction technique allows fast particulate systems characterization, processes a high number of particles per assay and provides highly reproducible results. However, LD provides no details about the particle morphology. Both techniques can be considered complementary, however several data interpretation problems appear whe n the results are compared. To do so, it is necessary to understand the meaning of the size descriptors given by each technique and under which conditions the comparison of results from different size analyzers can be done. In this sense, this work explores first the number of particles required to obtain reproducible PSDs by SEM. Then, it presents a comprehensive characterization of PVC particles by assessing a set of size and shape descriptors. The PSDs obtained by IA-SEM and LD were mathematically transformed to be compared. Finally, IA-SEM data was used to evaluate the convenience of using more than one size descriptor to represent the particles volume.Fil: Hegel, C.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Bahía Blanca. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química (i); ArgentinaFil: Jones, Carlos Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Bahia Blanca; ArgentinaFil: Cabrera, Fernanda Anabel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Bahía Blanca. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química (i); ArgentinaFil: Yañez, Maria Julia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Bahia Blanca; ArgentinaFil: Bucala, Veronica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Bahía Blanca. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química (i); Argentin

Understanding Parental Ethnotheories and Practices About Healthy Eating: Exploring the Developmental Niche of Preschoolers

Purpose: To understand parental ethnotheories (i.e., belief systems) and practices about preschoolers’ healthy eating guided by the developmental niche framework. Design: Qualitative hermeneutic phenomenology. Setting: Home. Participants: Participants were 20 parents of preschool-age children ages 3 to 5 years, recruited from a quantitative investigation. A majority of the participants were white, female, married, well educated, and working full time. Methods: Participants who completed the quantitative survey were asked to provide their contact information if they were willing to be interviewed. From the pool of participants who expressed their willingness to participate in the interviews, 20 participants were selected using a random number generator. In-person semistructured interviews were conducted until data saturation (n ¼ 20). Thematic analysis was performed. Results: Three themes and 6 subthemes emerged: theme 1—parental ethnotheories about healthy eating included subthemes of knowledge about healthy eating, motivations to promote healthy child development through healthy eating, and sources of knowledge about healthy eating (e.g., doctors, social media, government guidelines, positive family-of-origin experiences); theme 2—parental ethnotheories that supported organization of children’s physical and social settings included structured mealtime routines and food socialization influences (e.g., grandparents, siblings, and childcare programs); and theme 3—parental ethnotheories that supported children’s learning about healthy eating included parent–child engagement, communication, and encouragement in food-related activities (e.g., meal preparation, visiting farmer’s market, grocery shopping, gardening, cooking, baking). Conclusion: Findings advance the literature on parental practices about healthy eating. Parental ethnotheories (e.g., beliefs, motivations, knowledge, and skills) matter. Developmental niche of preschoolers (i.e., physical and social settings, childrearing practices, and parental ethnotheories) constitutes an interactive system in which ethnotheories serve as guides to parental practices. Fostering nutrition education and parent–child engagement, communication, and encouragement in food-related activities are recommended to promote children’s healthy eating in daily routines

Understanding Parental Ethnotheories and Practices About Healthy Eating: Exploring the Developmental Niche of Preschoolers

Purpose: To understand parental ethnotheories (i.e., belief systems) and practices about preschoolers’ healthy eating guided by the developmental niche framework. Design: Qualitative hermeneutic phenomenology. Setting: Home. Participants: Participants were 20 parents of preschool-age children ages 3 to 5 years, recruited from a quantitative investigation. A majority of the participants were white, female, married, well educated, and working full time. Methods: Participants who completed the quantitative survey were asked to provide their contact information if they were willing to be interviewed. From the pool of participants who expressed their willingness to participate in the interviews, 20 participants were selected using a random number generator. In-person semistructured interviews were conducted until data saturation (n ¼ 20). Thematic analysis was performed. Results: Three themes and 6 subthemes emerged: theme 1—parental ethnotheories about healthy eating included subthemes of knowledge about healthy eating, motivations to promote healthy child development through healthy eating, and sources of knowledge about healthy eating (e.g., doctors, social media, government guidelines, positive family-of-origin experiences); theme 2—parental ethnotheories that supported organization of children’s physical and social settings included structured mealtime routines and food socialization influences (e.g., grandparents, siblings, and childcare programs); and theme 3—parental ethnotheories that supported children’s learning about healthy eating included parent–child engagement, communication, and encouragement in food-related activities (e.g., meal preparation, visiting farmer’s market, grocery shopping, gardening, cooking, baking). Conclusion: Findings advance the literature on parental practices about healthy eating. Parental ethnotheories (e.g., beliefs, motivations, knowledge, and skills) matter. Developmental niche of preschoolers (i.e., physical and social settings, childrearing practices, and parental ethnotheories) constitutes an interactive system in which ethnotheories serve as guides to parental practices. Fostering nutrition education and parent–child engagement, communication, and encouragement in food-related activities are recommended to promote children’s healthy eating in daily routines

Changes in invasive pneumococcal disease caused by streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 1 following introduction of pcv10 and pcv13 : Findings from the pserenade project

Funding Information: Funding: The PSERENADE project is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as part of the World Health Organization Pneumococcal Vaccines Technical Coordination Project, grant num‐ ber INV‐010429/OPP1189065. Funding Information: Conflicts of Interest: KH conducted the study and analyses while working at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health but is an employee at Pfizer, Inc. as of 26 October 2020. MDK reports grants from Merck, personal fees from Merck, and grants from Pfizer, outside the submitted work. JCB reports funding from Pfizer in the past year, unrelated to the submitted work. JAS reports grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Wellcome Trust, the UK MRC, National Institute of Health Research, outside the submitted work. MCB reports lectures fee from MSD outside from submitted work. AS reports grants and personal fees from Pfizer and personal fees from MSD and Sanofi Pasteur, outside the submitted work. ML has been a member of advisory boards and has received speakers honoraria from Pfizer and Merck. German pneumococcal surveillance has been supported by Pfizer and Merck. SD reports grant from Pfizer, outside the submitted work. KA re‐ ports a grant from Merck, outside the submitted work. AvG as received researching funding from Pfizer (last year 2017, Pfizer Investigator‐Initiated Research [IIR] Program IIR WI 194379); attended advisory board meetings for Pfizer and Merck. CMA reports grants and personal fees from Pfizer, Qiagen and BioMerieux and grants from Genomica SAU, outside the submitted work. AM‐research support to my institution from Pfizer and Merck; honoraria for advisory board membership from GlaxoSmithKline, Merck and Pfizer. SNL performs contract research for GSK, Pfizer, Sanofi Pasteur on behalf of St. George’s University of London, but receives no personal remuneration. IY stated she was a member of mRNA‐1273 study group and has received funding to her institution to conduct clinical research from BioFire, MedImmune, Regeneron, PaxVax, Pfizer, GSK, Merck, Novavax, Sanofi‐Pasteur, and Micron. RD has received grants/research support from Pfizer, Merck Sharp & Dohme and Medimmune; has been a scientific consultant for Pfizer, MeMed, Merck Sharp & Dohme, and Biondvax; had served on advisory boards of Pfizer, Merck Sharp & Dohme and Biondvax and has been a speaker for Pfizer. LLH reports research grants to her institution from GSK, Pfizer and Merck. JDK has received an unrestricted grant‐in‐aid from Pfizer Canada that sup‐ ports, in part, the CASPER invasive pneumococcal disease surveillance project. MH received an educational grant from Pfizer AG for partial support of this project. However, Pfizer AG had no role in the data analysis and content of the manuscript. MC has previously received a professional fee from Pfizer (Ireland), an unrestricted research grant from Pfizer Ireland (2007–2016) and an In‐ vestigator Initiated Reward from Pfizer Ireland in 2018 (W1243730). CLB, MD has intellectual prop‐ erty in BioFire Diagnostics and receives royalties through the University of Utah. CLB is an advisor to IDbyDNA. AK reports personal fees from Pfizer, outside the submitted work. MT reports grants from GlaxoSmithKline and grants from Pfizer Inc. to the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare for research projects outside the submitted work, in which she has been a co‐investigator. JCS re‐ ports had received assistance from Pfizer for attending to scientific meetings outside the submitted work. SCGA received travel grant from Pfizer. BL had two research grants from Pfizer on Strepto‐ coccus pneumoniae. EV reports grants from French public health agency, during the conduct of the study; grants from Pfizer, grants from Merck, outside the submitted work. NBZ has received inves‐ tigator‐initiated research grants from GlaxoSmithKline, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Merck and the Se‐ rum Institute of India, all unrelated to this research. CGS reports grant funding from Pfizer, Merck, and AstraZeneca in the past 3 years. NMvS reports grants and fee for service from Pfizer, fee for service from MSD and GSK, outside the submitted work; In addition, NMvS has a patent WO 2013/020090 A3 with royalties paid to University of California San Diego (inventors: Nina van Sorge/Victor Nizet). All other authors did not declare any conflicts of interest. The funders had no Publisher Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 1 (ST1) was an important cause of invasive pneumococ-cal disease (IPD) globally before the introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) con-taining ST1 antigen. The Pneumococcal Serotype Replacement and Distribution Estimation (PSERE‐ NADE) project gathered ST1 IPD surveillance data from sites globally and aimed to estimate PCV10/13 impact on ST1 IPD incidence. We estimated ST1 IPD incidence rate ratios (IRRs) compar-ing the pre‐PCV10/13 period to each post‐PCV10/13 year by site using a Bayesian multi‐level, mixed-effects Poisson regression and all‐site IRRs using a linear mixed‐effects regression (N = 45 sites). Following PCV10/13 introduction, the incidence rate (IR) of ST1 IPD declined among all ages. After six years of PCV10/13 use, the all‐site IRR was 0.05 (95% credibility interval 0.04–0.06) for all ages, 0.05 (0.04–0.05) for <5 years of age, 0.08 (0.06–0.09) for 5–17 years, 0.06 (0.05–0.08) for 18–49 years, 0.06 (0.05–0.07) for 50–64 years, and 0.05 (0.04–0.06) for ≥65 years. PCV10/13 use in infant immunization programs was followed by a 95% reduction in ST1 IPD in all ages after approximately 6 years. Limited data availability from the highest ST1 disease burden countries using a 3+0 schedule constrains generalizability and data from these settings are needed.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Biodegradable polymers on cementitious materials

PTDC/EPH-PAT/4684/2014 IF/01054/2014/CP1224/CT0005 UID/QUI/50006/2019 UID/Multi/04378/2019 POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007728Nowadays the sustainability and safety requirements of structures inspire the study of new self healing materials and preventive repair methods on cementitious elements. To achieve this undertaking, this research replaces widely employed synthetic polymers by biodegradable ones as consolidants and water-repellents, and assesses the protection and consolidation effect of biopolymers (obtained by using waste biomass of mixed microbial cultures from polyhydroxyalkanoates production processes) as eco-friendly healing agents by analysing the water absorption of two kind of materials. The first group of samples are cement mortar specimens whose external surface has been treated with biopolymer products and subsequently evaluated by water drop absorption test. The second group of samples are cement mortar specimens formulated with biopolymer products included in its mixing water and later the waterproofing efficiency is analysed by capillary water absorption tests. The water absorption behaviour of both kind of samples shows a potential improvement of cementitious elements durability, since water absorption results have decreased for treated samples in comparison with untreated ones.authorsversionpublishe