Conceptual Advancement of Youth Apprenticeship Programs Using a Policy Delphi

Youth apprenticeship programs are a means of bridging the middle skills gap and rebuilding the workforce while combating youth underemployment and unemployment. Previous attempts to advance these programs were unsuccessful. The study identified concepts to include or modify in draft legislation and policy statements to increase the possibility of enactment and implementation. Twenty-three youth apprenticeship advocates participated as panelists in a four-round online policy Delphi to garner opinions on posited recommendations and panelists’ responses to openended prompts. A codifying committee of three educators/researchers was used to review, reduce, categorize, and code the qualitative data. The aggregated lists were used to develop a 5-point, 19- item Likert-type scale that was used to identify the level of importance of each concept. The panel approved or disapproved pre-posited concepts and provided responses to two-open ended prompts. The qualitative data were used to create a 19-item Likert-type scale to which the heterogeneous group of advocates rated the importance of the concepts presented by the codifying committee. The panel arrived at a strong agreement on 15 concepts for inclusion into draft legislation and policy statements. The findings provide advocates with information to share with legislators and other key stakeholders to boost the advancement of youth apprenticeship programs

From intensive care to rehabilitation: survey on the satisfaction with care received during prolonged hospitalization for COVID-19 at a northern Italian university hospital

Objective: Investigating the experiences perceived by COVID-19 inpatients is a fundamental research area that is starting to be explored. For this reason, our objective was to provide the first Italian survey on COVID-19 inpatients' satisfaction, obtained through a self-completed questionnaire previously used in a reference study in a UK cohort of COVID-19 patients. Subjects and methods: Hospitalized COVID-19 patients (>20 days) admitted to Ferrara University Hospital who underwent rehabilitation during their hospital stay were invited to complete an anonymous questionnaire. The survey's questions explored the patients' satisfaction with the health services received, and their completion took place approximately one year after hospitalization. Information on sex, number of wards, ICU stays, and hospital discharge dates was collected. Results: Sixty-two completed questionnaires were analyzed. The average overall satisfaction score obtained from the answers indicated by the participants in the tenth question was 4.7 out of 5.0. Very positive responses were observed for information about discharge plans, privacy, management of pain, sleep quality, and feeling of safety. The possibility of being consulted about medications and side effects received a very low satisfaction score. Considering overall satisfaction, no significant differences were noted for sex or ICU stay. The obtained results were almost superimposable to those reported in the cohort of COVID-19 patients of the reference study. Conclusions: This survey suggested that COVID-19 patients' healthcare satisfaction was high. Nevertheless, some areas must be improved, such as the communication and involvement of the patients in the decision-making of care and the discussion about medications or possible side effects

Tomato: a crop species amenable to improvement by cellular and molecular methods

Tomato is a crop plant with a relatively small DNA content per haploid genome and a well developed genetics. Plant regeneration from explants and protoplasts is feasable which led to the development of efficient transformation procedures. In view of the current data, the isolation of useful mutants at the cellular level probably will be of limited value in the genetic improvement of tomato. Protoplast fusion may lead to novel combinations of organelle and nuclear DNA (cybrids), whereas this technique also provides a means of introducing genetic information from alien species into tomato. Important developments have come from molecular approaches. Following the construction of an RFLP map, these RFLP markers can be used in tomato to tag quantitative traits bred in from related species. Both RFLP's and transposons are in the process of being used to clone desired genes for which no gene products are known. Cloned genes can be introduced and potentially improve specific properties of tomato especially those controlled by single genes. Recent results suggest that, in principle, phenotypic mutants can be created for cloned and characterized genes and will prove their value in further improving the cultivated tomato.

In vivo and in vitro synthesis of CM-proteins (A-hordeins) from barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

CM-proteins from barley endosperm (CMa, CMb, CMc, CMd), which are the main components of the A-hordein fraction, are synthesized most actively 10 to 30 d after anthesis (maximum at 15–20 d). They are synthesized by membranebound polysomes as precursors of higher apparent molecular weight (13,000–21,000) than the mature proteins (12,000–16,000). The largest in vitro product (21,000) is the putative precursor of protein CMd (16,000), as it is selected with anti-CMd monospecific IgG's, and is coded by an mRNA of greater sedimentation coefficient (9 S) than those encoding the other three proteins (7.5 S). CM-proteins always appear in the soluble fraction, following different homogenization and subcellular fractionation procedures, indicating that these proteins are transferred to the soluble fraction after processing

An everlasting pioneer: the story of Antirrhinum research

Despite the tremendous success of Arabidopsis thaliana, no single model can represent the vast range of form that is seen in the ~250,000 existing species of flowering plants (angiosperms). Here, we consider the history and future of an alternative angiosperm model — the snapdragon Antirrhinum majus. We ask what made Antirrhinum attractive to the earliest students of variation and inheritance, and how its use led to landmark advances in plant genetics and to our present understanding of plant development. Finally, we show how the wide diversity of Antirrhinum species, combined with classical and molecular genetics — the two traditional strengths of Antirrhinum — provide an opportunity for developmental, evolutionary and ecological approaches. These factors make A. majus an ideal comparative angiosperm

Autonomy and Fear of Synthetic Biology: How Can Patients' Autonomy Be Enhanced in the Field of Synthetic Biology? A Qualitative Study with Stable Patients

We analyzed stable patients' views regarding synthetic biology in general, the medical application of synthetic biology, and their potential participation in trials of synthetic biology in particular. The aim of the study was to find out whether patients' views and preferences change after receiving more detailed information about synthetic biology and its clinical applications. The qualitative study was carried out with a purposive sample of 36 stable patients, who suffered from diabetes or gout. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, translated and fully anonymized. Thematic analysis was applied in order to examine stable patients' attitudes towards synthetic biology, its medical application, and their participation in trials. When patients were asked about synthetic biology in general, most of them were anxious that something uncontrollable could be created. After a concrete example of possible future treatment options, patients started to see synthetic biology in a more positive way. Our study constitutes an important first empirical insight into stable patients' views on synthetic biology and into the kind of fears triggered by the term "synthetic biology." Our results show that clear and concrete information can change patients' initial negative feelings towards synthetic biology. Information should thus be transmitted with great accuracy and transparency in order to reduce irrational fears of patients and to minimize the risk that researchers present facts too positively for the purposes of persuading patients to participate in clinical trials. Potential participants need to be adequately informed in order to be able to autonomously decide whether to participate in human subject research involving synthetic biology