Size-segregated mass distributions of aerosols over Eastern Mediterranean: seasonal variability and comparison with AERONET columnar size-distributions

International audienceThis work provides long-term (2004?2006) size segregated measurements of aerosol mass at a remote coastal station in the southern Europe, with the use of size-selective samplings (SDI impactor). Seven distinct modes were identified in the range 0?10 µm and the dominant were the "Accumulation 1" (0.25?0.55 µm) and the "Coarse 2" (3?7 µm) modes. The seasonal characteristics of each mode were thoroughly studied and different sources for submicron and supermicron particles were identified, the first being related to local/regional and transported pollution with maximum in summer and the latter to dust from deserted areas in Northern Africa maximizing in spring. On average, PM2.5 and PM1 accounted for 60% and 40% of PM10 mass, respectively.The representativity of the ground-based measurements for the total column was also investigated by comparing the measured aerosol mass distributions with the AERONET volume size distribution data. Similar seasonal patterns were revealed and AERONET was found adequate for the estimation of background levels of both fine and coarse particles near surface, with certain limitations in the case of pollution or dust abrupt episodes due to its low temporal coverage

Do (and say) as I say: Linguistic adaptation in human-computer dialogs

© Theodora Koulouri, Stanislao Lauria, and Robert D. Macredie. This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.There is strong research evidence showing that people naturally align to each other’s vocabulary, sentence structure, and acoustic features in dialog, yet little is known about how the alignment mechanism operates in the interaction between users and computer systems let alone how it may be exploited to improve the efficiency of the interaction. This article provides an account of lexical alignment in human–computer dialogs, based on empirical data collected in a simulated human–computer interaction scenario. The results indicate that alignment is present, resulting in the gradual reduction and stabilization of the vocabulary-in-use, and that it is also reciprocal. Further, the results suggest that when system and user errors occur, the development of alignment is temporarily disrupted and users tend to introduce novel words to the dialog. The results also indicate that alignment in human–computer interaction may have a strong strategic component and is used as a resource to compensate for less optimal (visually impoverished) interaction conditions. Moreover, lower alignment is associated with less successful interaction, as measured by user perceptions. The article distills the results of the study into design recommendations for human–computer dialog systems and uses them to outline a model of dialog management that supports and exploits alignment through mechanisms for in-use adaptation of the system’s grammar and lexicon

A novel IGSF1 mutation in a large Irish kindred highlights the need for familial screening in the IGSF1 deficiency syndrome

Objective: Loss-of-function mutations in IGSF1 result in X-linked central congenital hypothyroidism (CeCH), occurring in isolation or associated with additional pituitary hormone deficits. Intrafamilial penetrance is highly variable and a minority of heterozygous females are also affected. We identified and characterized a novel IGSF1 mutation and investigated its associated phenotypes in a large Irish kindred. Design, Patients and Measurements: A novel hemizygous IGSF1 mutation was identified by direct sequencing in two brothers with CeCH, and its functional consequences were characterized in vitro. Genotype-phenotype correlations were investigated in the wider kindred. Results: The mutant IGSF1 protein (c.2318T > C, p.L773P) exhibited decreased plasma membrane expression in vitro due to impaired trafficking from the endoplasmic reticulum. Ten hemizygous males and 11 heterozygous females exhibited characteristic endocrine deficits. Ireland operates a TSH-based CH screening programme, which does not detect CeCH; therefore, genetic ascertainment preceded biochemical diagnosis of moderate CH in five of seven boys as well as their 75-year-old grandfather. Clinical features potentially attributable to hypothyroidism were variable; normal free T3 (FT3) and low/low normal reverse T3 (rT3) concentrations suggested that preferential deiodination of FT4 to FT3 may help maintain tissue euthyroidism in some individuals. However, neonatal jaundice, delayed speech or growth, and obesity were observed in seven subjects in whom diagnosis was delayed. Conclusions: As observed with other IGSF1 mutations, p.L773P results in variably penetrant IGSF1 deficiency syndrome. Our observations emphasize the need for multi-generation genetic ascertainment in affected families, especially where TSH-based CH screening programmes may fail to detect CeCH at birth

Polycystic ovary syndrome

The document attached has been archived with permission from the editor of the Medical Journal of Australia. An external link to the publisher’s copy is included.Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects 5-20% of women of reproductive age worldwide. The condition is characterized by hyperandrogenism, ovulatory dysfunction and polycystic ovarian morphology (PCOM) - with excessive androgen production by the ovaries being a key feature of PCOS. Metabolic dysfunction characterized by insulin resistance and compensatory hyperinsulinaemia is evident in the vast majority of affected individuals. PCOS increases the risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus, gestational diabetes and other pregnancy-related complications, venous thromboembolism, cerebrovascular and cardiovascular events and endometrial cancer. PCOS is a diagnosis of exclusion, based primarily on the presence of hyperandrogenism, ovulatory dysfunction and PCOM. Treatment should be tailored to the complaints and needs of the patient and involves targeting metabolic abnormalities through lifestyle changes, medication and potentially surgery for the prevention and management of excess weight, androgen suppression and/or blockade, endometrial protection, reproductive therapy and the detection and treatment of psychological features. This Primer summarizes the current state of knowledge regarding the epidemiology, mechanisms and pathophysiology, diagnosis, screening and prevention, management and future investigational directions of the disorder.Robert J Norman, Ruijin Wu and Marcin T Stankiewic

Literacia histórica e história transformativa

Resumo A Educação Histórica, como a própria história, é uma conquista precária; é vulnerável a agendas políticas e educacionais que procuram mesclá-la com outras partes do currículo ou reduzi-la a um veículo para a cidadania ou valores comuns patrióticos. Se tivermos a expectativa de nos engajarmos em uma discussão séria na Educação Histórica em face destes desafios, devemos evitar lemas polares como "tradicional versus progressista", "centrado na criança versus centrado na matéria" e "habilidades versus conteúdo", que têm produzido muita confusão na literatura. Em particular, deve-se evitar falar de competências, com a sua infeliz concessão de licenças a convenientes e tolos currículos genéricos. A história é uma forma pública de conhecimento e o desenvolvimento de uma tradição metacognitiva, com as suas próprias normas e critérios. Há evidências que sugerem que a história é contraintuitiva e que entendê-la envolve a alteração ou até mesmo o abandono de ideias cotidianas que tornam o conhecimento do passado impossível. Consequentemente o ensino de história envolve o desenvolvimento de um aparato conceitual de segunda ordem que permite que a história siga em frente, em vez de imobilizá-la e, ao fazê-lo, abre a perspectiva de mudança de uma visão cotidiana da natureza e do estado do conhecimento do passado para uma de conhecimento histórico. Isto nos permite dar conta do que significa saber um pouco de história - um provisório conceito de literacia histórica - como um aprendizado de uma compreensão disciplinar da história, como a aquisição das disposições que derivam e impulsionam essa compreensão histórica e como o desenvolvimento de uma imagem do passado, que permite que os alunos se orientem no tempo. Existem pesquisas para informar o debate sobre o primeiro componente, mas há pouco disponível para o segundo. Há um interesse atual considerável no terceiro componente, mas o debate centrou-se sobre a questão perene da "ignorância" das crianças, em vez de reconhecer que o problema é encontrar maneiras de permitir que os alunos adquiram passados ​históricos utilizáveis que não são histórias fixas. A obtenção de literacia histórica potencialmente transforma a visão de mundo de crianças (e de adultos) e permite ações até então - literalmente - inconcebíveis para eles. Entender a importância disto para o ensino da história significa abandonar hábitos de pensar com base em um presente instantâneo, em que uma forma de apartheid temporal separa o passado do presente e do futuro. Significa, também, desencaixotar as formas em que a história pode transformar como vemos o mundo. Tais transformações podem ser dramáticas em longas extensões ou mais localizadas e específicas. Elas podem mudar a forma como vemos oportunidades e constrangimentos políticos ou sociais, a nossa própria identidade ou dos outros, a nossa percepção das feridas e fardos que herdamos e a adequação das explicações das principais características do nosso mundo. Elas podem sugerir revisões constrangedoras do nosso entendimento e expectativas de como o mundo humano funciona. E elas podem nos ajudar a conhecer melhor o que não dizer. Literacia histórica envolve tratar o passado como uma ecologia temporal interconectada capaz de suportar uma gama indefinida de histórias, não apenas algo que usamos para contar a história que melhor se adapte aos nossos objetivos e desejos imediatos. Como outras formas públicas de conhecimento, a história é uma tradição metacognitiva que as pessoas têm lutado longa e duramente para desenvolver e ser capaz de praticar. É uma conquista frágil, a ser tratada com respeito e cuidado nas escolas

Polytraits: A database on biological traits of marine polychaetes

The study of ecosystem functioning - the role which organisms play in an ecosystem - is becoming increasingly important in marine ecological research. The functional structure of a community can be represented by a set of functional traits assigned to behavioural, reproductive and morphological characteristics. The collection of these traits from the literature is however a laborious and time-consuming process, and gaps of knowledge and restricted availability of literature are a common problem. Trait data are not yet readily being shared by research communities, and even if they are, a lack of trait data repositories and standards for data formats leads to the publication of trait information in forms which cannot be processed by computers. This paper describes Polytraits (http:// polytraits.lifewatchgreece.eu), a database on biological traits of marine polychaetes (bristle worms, Polychaeta: Annelida). At present, the database contains almost 20,000 records on morphological, behavioural and reproductive characteristics of more than 1,000 marine polychaete species, all referenced by literature sources. All data can be freely accessed through the project website in different ways and formats, both human-readable and machine-readable, and have been submitted to the Encyclopedia of Life for archival and integration with trait information from other sources. © Faulwetter S et al

Impact of Christian Orthodox Church Fasting on Metabolic Syndrome Components in Adults Aged 18–49 Years

Objective: Studies regarding health effects of religious fasting have been increased during the last decade. Our aim was to investigate the effects of Christian Orthodox Church (COC) fasting on metabolic syndrome in young adults. Methods: Participants were 224 men and women, of whom 111 had been following the COC fasting regime and 113 were non-fasters, all aged 18 to 49 years (mean age 29.23 ± 8.78 years). Anthropometric measurements, including the Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis, were performed on individuals, and they also completed food intake questionnaires, and provided blood samples for biochemical analysis. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to criteria of the National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III and all variables were checked. Results: Fasters did not statistically differ in anthropometric measurements when comparing to non-fasters. Differences were found in terms of biochemical variables, and more specific in HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and total blood cholesterol, and in systemic and diastolic blood pressure, although non statistically significant. Statistically significant differences were only noticed in heart pulses and insulin levels, with fasters having lower heart pulses (69.44 ± 9.84 versus 72.63 ± 10.74) and greater mean values of insulin levels (4.16 ± 4.66 versus 3.12 ± 2.35). When analysis was carried to identify which variables were met for metabolic syndrome, it was found that fasters had statistically significant lower values of blood pressure when compared to non-fasters. In more details mean systolic blood pressure was 121.67 ± 12.21 versus 123.41 ± 11.73 for fasters and non-fasters respectively, and mean diastolic blood pressure was 75.77 ± 8.82 versus 78.27 ± 10.07 for fasters and non-fasters. Furthermore, the mean energy intake was higher in non-fasters (1698.25 ± 515.99 kcals) when compared to fasters (1590.24 ± 404.19 kcals) but not statistically significant different. Conclusions: Young adults aged 18 to 49 years who fast according to the COC fasting regimes do not have different metabolic syndrome prevalence when comparing to non-fasters, but there was a statistically significant difference in the prevalence of elevated blood pressure with fasters having lower values

Short-term effect of orlistat on dietary glycotoxins in healthy women and women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Exogenous advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs, known atherogenic molecules) abundant in everyday precooked, rich in fat, overheated meals can possibly contribute to the increased risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of a lipase inhibitor on absorbed food glycotoxins in healthy women and those with PCOS. A 2-day protocol was followed. In the first day, a meal rich in AGE was provided, which on the second day was followed by two 120-mg capsules of lipase inhibitor, orlistat. Serum AGE levels were evaluated at baseline (0 hours), and at 3 and 5 hours postmeal during the study. Thirty-six women were Studied, 15 controls (mean age, 28.80 +/- 5.47 years; body mass index, 25.85 +/- 6.73 kg/m(2)) and 21 with PCOS (mean age, 25.29 +/- 5.06 years; body mass index, 30.40 +/- 7.51 kg/m(2)) (University Hospital, Athens, Greece, institutional practice). Serum AGE levels, on day 1, were significantly increased both in the control group and in the PCOS group as compared with basal values (control group, 14.1%; PCOS group, 6.0%; P <.001). The corresponding rise was significantly lower on day 2 when the same meal was combined with orlistat (control group, 4.1%; PCOS group, 2.0%; P <.01). A limitation of the study is that it is a nonplacebo, nonrandomized therapeutic trial where each Subject is considered as its own control. In conclusion, this study demonstrated the beneficial effect of orlistat on the absorption of food glycotoxins. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved