Conclausa

Este libro de recortes, cuaderno de bitácora o Decamerón para nuestros tiempos, recoge, como el relato del florentino, un conjunto de creaciones artísticas que suponen una fotografía fija de estos días de confinamiento e incertidumbre. Presentamos en estas páginas un foro en el que nos hemos podido reunir en la distancia, un documento que sirva de lección para el futuro desde el arte, que nos ayude a comprender al volver la vista atrás qué sucedió en esta senda que nunca hemos de volver a pisar, un recuerdo que se bifurca entre el pasado y el futuro en el presente continuo del día a día conclausurado. Se dice que esta pandemia, como tantos otros eventos que la anteceden, lo cambiará todo para que nada cambie. A lo que respondemos: eppur si muove. A su vez, este monográfico recoge los textos ganadores del Concurso de Microrrelatos organizado por la Universidad de Extremadura, así como los accésits de este y dos menciones especiales.This scrapbook, logbook or Decameron for our times, collects, like the Florentine's story, a set of artistic creations that are a still photograph of these days of confinement and uncertainty. In these pages we present a forum in which we have been able to meet from a distance, a document that serves as a lesson for the future from the point of view of art, that helps us to understand when we look back what happened on this path that we will never tread again, a memory that forks between the past and the future in the continuous present of the day to day that is concomitant. It is said that this pandemic, like so many other events before it, will change everything so that nothing will change. To which we respond: eppur si muove. At the same time, this monograph collects the winning texts of the Microstory Contest organised by the University of Extremadura, as well as the runner-ups of this and two special mentions

Globalization and accountability policies: the perspectives of teachers in the context of the AEE in Portugal

Este trabalho é financiado por fundos nacionais através da FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., no âmbito do projeto PTDC/CED-EDG/30410/2017 e dos projetos UID/CED/1661/2013 e UID/CED/1661/2016 CIEd - Centro de Investigação em Educação, Instituto de Educação, Universidade do Minho.Este trabalho está integrado no projeto Mecanismos de Mudança nas Escolas e na Inspeção. Um estudo sobre o 3º ciclo de Avaliação Externa das Escolas do ensino não superior, em Portugal e é fruto de uma investigação realizada durante o mestrado em ciências da educação, área de especialização em desenvolvimento curricular e avaliação, da Universidade do Minho. A discussão parte do conceito de qualidade para problematizar os referenciais de avaliação institucional de escolas do ensino não superior, especificamente o caso português da Avaliação Externa das Escolas (AEE), no contexto das teorias de globalização e políticas de accountability. As questões de investigação são: Quais são as perspetivas dos professores em relação aos efeitos que a AEE pode causar nas suas práticas de inovação curricular? De que modo os professores estão envolvidos/alheados no processo de AEE? Do quadro teórico-conceptual são problematizadas relações entre políticas transnacionais e nacionais e processos de AEE e seu impacto nas práticas de inovação curricular e no envolvimento/alheamento dos professores. Através de metodologia de natureza qualitativa são realizados os seguintes estudos empíricos: qualitativo, baseado na análise documental, tendo como corpus documental o 3º ciclo de AEE; qualitativo, com uma amostra de professores para o levantamento de questões sobre as suas perceções acerca do impacto e efeitos da AEE nas práticas de inovação curricular e no envolvimento/alheamento neste processo. Como é uma investigação em curso, os dados empíricos apresentados são provisórios e refletem as perspetivas de docentes sobre o 3º ciclo da AEE, bem como a caracterização desse referencial.This work is integrated in the project Mechanisms of Change in Schools and in the Inspection. A study about the 3rd cycle of External Evaluation of Schools of non-higher education, in Portugaland is the result of an investigation realized during the master of education sciences, area of specialization in curriculum development and evaluation, University of Minho. The discussion starts from the concept of quality to problematize the institutional evaluation frameworks of non-higher schools, specifically the portuguese case of the External Evaluation of Schools (ESE), in the context of globalization theories and accountabilitypolicies. The investigation questions are: What are the teachers' perspectives on the effects that ESEcan have on their curricular innovation practices? How are teachers involved in the ESEprocess? The theoretical-conceptual framework problematizes the relations between transnational and national policies and the ESEprocesses and their impact on the practices of curricular innovation and inthe involvement / “alienation” of teachers. Through a methodology of qualitative nature are realized the empirical studies: qualitative, based on documentary analysis, having as documentary corpusthe 3rd cycle of ESE; qualitative, with some teachers to raise questions about their perceptions about the impact and effects of ESEin the practices of curricular innovation and in the involvement / “alienation” in this process. Since it is an ongoing investigation, the empirical data presented are provisional and reflect the perspectives of teachers about the 3rd cycle of ESE, as well as the characterization of this referentialProjeto de Investigação da FCT (PTDC/CED-EDG/30410/2017) Mecanismos de mudança nas escolas e na inspeção. Um estudo sobre o 3º ciclo de Avaliação Externa de Escolas no Ensino não Superior, em Portugal. (MAEE

Heavy quark flavour dependence of multiparticle production in QCD jets

After inserting the heavy quark mass dependence into QCD partonic evolution equations, we determine the mean charged hadron multiplicity and second multiplicity correlators of jets produced in high energy collisions. We thereby extend the so-called dead cone effect to the phenomenology of multiparticle production in QCD jets and find that the average multiplicity of heavy-quark initiated jets decreases significantly as compared to the massless case, even taking into account the weak decay products of the leading primary quark. We emphasize the relevance of our study as a complementary check of $b$-tagging techniques at hadron colliders like the Tevatron and the LHC.Comment: Version revised, accepted for publication in JHEP, 21 pages and 7 figure

The Mycetoma Knowledge Gap: Identification of Research Priorities

Mycetoma is a tropical disease which is caused by a taxonomically diverse range of actinomycetes (actinomycetoma) and fungi (eumycetoma). The disease was only recently listed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a neglected tropical disease (NTD). This recognition is the direct result of a meeting held in Geneva on February 1, 2013, in which experts on the disease from around the world met to identify the key research priorities needed to combat mycetoma. The areas that need to be addressed are highlighted here. The initial priority is to establish the incidence and prevalence of the disease in regions where mycetoma is endemic, prior to determining the primary reservoirs of the predominant causal agents and their mode of transmission to susceptible individuals in order to establish novel interventions that will reduce the impact of the disease on individuals, families, and communities. Critically, economical, reliable, and effective methods are required to achieve early diagnosis of infections and consequential improved therapeutic outcomes. Molecular techniques and serological assays were considered the most promising in the development of novel diagnostic tools to be used in endemic settings. Improved strategies for treating eumycetoma and actinomycetoma are also considered

Mass Spectrometry as a Highly Sensitive Method for Specific Circulating Tumor DNA Analysis in NSCLC:A Comparison Study

Simple Summary We compared the UltraSEEK (TM) Lung Panel on the MassARRAY (R) System (Agena Bioscience) with the FDA-approved Cobas (R) EGFR Mutation Test v2 for the detection of EGFR mutations in liquid biopsies of NSCLC patients, accompanied with preanalytical sample assessment using the novel Liquid IQ (R) Panel. For the detection of relevant predictive mutations using the UltraSEEK (TM) Lung Panel, an input of over 10 ng showed 100% concordance with Cobas (R) EGFR Mutation Test v2 and detection of all tissue confirmed mutations. In case of lower ccfDNA input, the risk of missing clinically relevant mutations should be considered. The use of a preanalytical ccfDNA quality control assay such as the Liquid IQ (R) Panel is recommended to confidently interpret results, avoiding bias induced by non-specific genomic DNA and low input of specific tumoral ccfDNA fragments. Plasma-based tumor mutational profiling is arising as a reliable approach to detect primary and therapy-induced resistance mutations required for accurate treatment decision making. Here, we compared the FDA-approved Cobas (R) EGFR Mutation Test v2 with the UltraSEEK (TM) Lung Panel on the MassARRAY (R) System on detection of EGFR mutations, accompanied with preanalytical sample assessment using the novel Liquid IQ (R) Panel. 137 cancer patient-derived cell-free plasma samples were analyzed with the Cobas (R) and UltraSEEK (TM) tests. Liquid IQ (R) analysis was initially validated (n = 84) and used to determine ccfDNA input for all samples. Subsequently, Liquid IQ (R) results were applied to harmonize ccfDNA input for the Cobas (R) and UltraSEEK (TM) tests for 63 NSCLC patients. The overall concordance between the Cobas (R) and UltraSEEK (TM) tests was 86%. The Cobas (R) test detected more EGFR exon19 deletions and L858R mutations, while the UltraSEEK (TM) test detected more T790M mutations. A 100% concordance in both the clinical (n = 137) and harmonized (n = 63) cohorts was observed when >10 ng of ccfDNA was used as determined by the Liquid IQ (R) Panel. The Cobas (R) and UltraSEEK (TM) tests showed similar sensitivity in EGFR mutation detection, particularly when ccfDNA input was sufficient. It is recommended to preanalytically determine the ccfDNA concentration accurately to ensure sufficient input for reliable interpretation and treatment decision making

Detection and Monitoring of Tumor-Derived Mutations in Circulating Tumor DNA Using the UltraSEEK Lung Panel on the MassARRAY System in Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients

Analysis of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is a potential minimally invasive molecular tool to guide treatment decision-making and disease monitoring. A suitable diagnostic-grade platform is required for the detection of tumor-specific mutations with high sensitivity in the circulating cell-free DNA (ccfDNA) of cancer patients. In this multicenter study, the ccfDNA of 72 patients treated for advanced-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was evaluated using the UltraSEEK ® Lung Panel on the MassARRAY ® System, covering 73 hotspot mutations in EGFR, KRAS, BRAF, ERBB2, and PIK3CA against mutation-specific droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) and routine tumor tissue NGS. Variant detection accuracy at primary diagnosis and during disease progression, and ctDNA dynamics as a marker of treatment efficacy, were analyzed. A multicenter evaluation using reference material demonstrated an overall detection rate of over 90% for variant allele frequencies (VAFs) &gt; 0.5%, irrespective of ccfDNA input. A comparison of UltraSEEK ® and ddPCR analyses revealed a 90% concordance. An 80% concordance between therapeutically targetable mutations detected in tumor tissue NGS and ccfDNA UltraSEEK ® analysis at baseline was observed. Nine of 84 (11%) tumor tissue mutations were not covered by UltraSEEK ®. A decrease in ctDNA levels at 4-6 weeks after treatment initiation detected with UltraSEEK ® correlated with prolonged median PFS (46 vs. 6 weeks; p &lt; 0.05) and OS (145 vs. 30 weeks; p &lt; 0.01). Using plasma-derived ccfDNA, the UltraSEEK ® Lung Panel with a mid-density set of the most common predictive markers for NSCLC is an alternative tool to detect mutations both at diagnosis and during disease progression and to monitor treatment response. </p

Merits and pitfalls of currently used diagnostic tools in mycetoma

Treatment of mycetoma depends on the causative organism and since many organisms, both actinomycetes (actinomycetoma) and fungi (eumycetoma), are capable of producing mycetoma, an accurate diagnosis is crucial. Currently, multiple diagnostic tools are used to determine the extent of infections and to identify the causative agents of mycetoma. These include various imaging, cytological, histopathological, serological, and culture techniques; phenotypic characterisation; and molecular diagnostics. In this review, we summarize these techniques and identify their merits and pitfalls in the identification of the causative agents of mycetoma and the extent of the disease. We also emphasize the fact that there is no ideal diagnostic tool available to identify the causative agents and that future research should focus on the development of new and reliable diagnostic tools

Subwavelength slit acoustic metamaterial barrier

[EN] Reduction of noise in the transmission path is a very important environmental problem. The standard method to reduce this noise level is the use of acoustic barriers. In this paper, an acoustic metamaterial based on sound transmission through subwavelength slits, is tailored to be used as an acoustic barrier. This system consists of two rows of periodic repetition of vertical rigid pickets separated by a slit of subwavelength width, embedded in air. Here, both the experimental and the numerical analyses are presented. These analyses have facilitated the identification of the parameters that affect the insertion loss performance. The results demonstrated that the proposed barrier can be tuned to mitigate a band noise in a mechanical plant for buildings where openings for air flow are required as well as industrial noise, without excessive barrier thickness.This work was financially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through project MAT2010-16879.Rubio Michavila, C.; Candelas Valiente, P.; Belmar Ibáñez, F.; Gómez Lozano, V.; Uris Martínez, A. (2015). Subwavelength slit acoustic metamaterial barrier. Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics. 48(39):1-9. https://doi.org/10.1088/0022-3727/48/39/395501S19483

Variación de la Huella ecológica de los estudiantes de Ingeniería Ambiental de la Universidad Andina del Cusco durante la pandemia del COVID-19

The variation of the ecology footprint per capita (FP) of the students of the professional school of Environmental Engineering of the Universidad Andina del Cusco was determined in two different scenarios: before the pandemic and during the COVID-19 pandemic; For this, a questionnaire used internationally for the determination of the HE of university students was adapted, the quantification was carried out considering four sections: Food, transport, energy and forest resources. The results obtained show a decrease in the HE between the two scenarios of 0.207 hag, the most significant reduction was in the transport section 0.185 hag, followed by the food section 0.022 hag, in the forest section the reduction was minimal 0.002 hag and in the energy section obtained an increase in HE of 0.002 hag. The results of the present study demonstrate in terms of ecological footprint the variation in the consumption habits of university students due to the declaration of a health emergency faced by the country, a variation that translates into a more sustainable lifestyle.Se determinó la variación de la huella ecología (HE) per cápita de los estudiantes de la escuela profesional de Ingeniería Ambiental de la Universidad Andina del Cusco en dos escenarios diferentes: antes de la pandemia y durante la pandemia del COVID-19; para lo cual se adaptó un cuestionario utilizado internacionalmente para la determinación de la HE de estudiantes universitarios, la cuantificación se realizó considerando cuatro secciones: Alimentos, transporte, energía y recursos forestales. Los resultados obtenidos demuestran una disminución de la HE entre los dos escenarios de 0.207 hag, la reducción más significativa fue en la sección transportes 0.185 hag, seguida de la sección de alimentos 0.022 hag, en la sección forestal la reducción fue mínima 0.002 hag y en la sección energía se obtuvo un aumento de la HE de 0.002 hag. Los resultados del presente estudio demuestran en términos de huella ecológica la variación de los hábitos de consumo de los estudiantes universitarios por la declaratoria de emergencia sanitaria que afronta el país, variación que se traduce en un estilo de vida mas sostenible