Free time and physical activities of students of pedagogical faculties

The goal of the research is: To examine to what extent and in what way students of pedagogical faculties practice physical activities in their free tim

Structural Modeling and DNA Binding Autoinhibition Analysis of Ergp55, a Critical Transcription Factor in Prostate Cancer

BACKGROUND: The Ergp55 protein belongs to Ets family of transcription factor. The Ets proteins are highly conserved in their DNA binding domain and involved in various development processes and regulation of cancer metabolism. To study the structure and DNA binding autoinhibition mechanism of Ergp55 protein, we have produced full length and smaller polypeptides of Ergp55 protein in E. coli and characterized using various biophysical techniques. RESULTS: The Ergp55 polypeptides contain large amount of α-helix and random coil structures as measured by circular dichorism spectroscopy. The full length Ergp55 forms a flexible and elongated molecule as revealed by molecular modeling, dynamics simulation and structural prediction algorithms. The binding analyses of Ergp55 polypeptides with target DNA sequences of E74 and cfos promoters indicate that longer fragments of Ergp55 (beyond the Ets domain) showed the evidence of auto-inhibition. This study also revealed the parts of Ergp55 protein that mediate auto-inhibition. SIGNIFICANCE: The current study will aid in designing the compounds that stabilize the inhibited form of Ergp55 and inhibit its binding to promoter DNA. It will contribute in the development of drugs targeting Ergp55 for the prostate cancer treatment

In Pursuit of Impact: How Psychological Contract Research Can Make the Work-World a Better Place

This paper is the result of the collective work undertaken by a group of Psychological Contract (PC) and Sustainability scholars from around the world, following the 2023 Bi-Annual PC Small Group Conference (Kedge Business School, Bordeaux, France). As part of the conference, scholars engaged in a workshop designed to generate expert guidance on how to aid the PC field to be better aligned with the needs of practice, and thus, impact the creation and maintenance of high-quality and sustainable exchange processes at work. In accordance with accreditation bodies for higher education, research impact is not limited to academic papers alone but also includes practitioners, policymakers, and students in its scope. This paper therefore incorporates elements from an impact measurement tool for higher education in management so as to explore how PC scholars can bolster the beneficial influence of PC knowledge on employment relationships through different stakeholders and means. Accordingly, our proposals for the pursuit of PC impact are organized in three parts: (1) research, (2) practice and society, and (3) students. Further, this paper contributes to the emerging debate on sustainable PCs by developing a construct definition and integrating PCs with an ‘ethics of care’ perspective

Les business models dans la littérature en systèmes d’information : état des lieux et perspectives de recherche

International audienceLarge-scale digitization has induced profound changes in the contemporary economy. In this context, the literature on information systems (IS) is proving invaluable to understand digital business models. Based on a mixed bibliometric analysis, this essay reveals the historical contribution of the IS business model literature, identifies current research trends, and proposes a three-pronged research agenda for IS scholars working on digital business models: a design science; a user-centered; and a data-oriented perspective.La digitalisation à grande échelle a bouleversé l’économie contemporaine et la littérature en systèmes d’information (SI) offre une perspective privilégiée pour analyser et comprendre l’évolution des business models. Construit sur une analyse bibliométrique mixte, cet article reconsidère la contribution historique de la littérature en SI sur les business models et identifie ses tendances actuelles. A partir de ce double diagnostic, nous proposons un programme de recherche à destination de la communauté scientifique en systèmes d’information décliné en trois volets : une perspective ancrée en design science; une perspective centrée sur l’utilisateur; et une perspective orientée données

The impact of COVID-19 on abortion access:insights from the European Union and the United Kingdom

Abstract Government policies on abortion are a longstanding topic of heated political debates. The COVID-19 pandemic shook health systems to the core adding further to the complexity of this topic, as imposed national lockdowns and movement restrictions affected access to timely abortion for millions of women across the globe. In this paper, we examine how countries within the European Union and the United Kingdom responded to challenges brought by the COVID-19 crisis in terms of access to abortion. By combining information from various sources, we have explored different responses according to two dimensions: changes in policy and protocols, and reported difficulties in access. Our analysis shows significant differences across the observed regions and salient debates around abortion. While some countries made efforts to maintain and facilitate abortion care during the pandemic through the introduction or expansion of use of telemedicine and early medical abortion, others attempted to restrict it further. The situation was also diverse in the countries where governments did not change policies or protocols. Based on our data analysis, we provide a framework that can help policy makers improve abortion access

Treatment Outcomes following Traumatic Optic Neuropathy.

Introduction: An association between facial trauma and blindness has long been recognized,1 but it was not until 1845 that Nuhn recognized that visual impairment was associated with optic nerve scarring. Traumatic optic neuropathy can be either direct or indirect. Direct traumatic optic neuropathy results from anatomical disruption of the optic nerve, whereas indirect traumatic optic neuropathy is caused by the transmission of forces from a site distant from the optic nerve.2 The occurrence of traumatic optic neuropathy is 0.4 to 2.5 percent in facial trauma,2–5 which has limited large-scale investigations. Nevertheless, a comprehensive understanding of orbital frac- ture patterns,1,6,7 load-bearing,8 and mechanistic skeletal impact studies9 has elucidated that the mechanistic processes leading to traumatic optic. Background: Traumatic optic neuropathy is characterized by sudden loss of vision following facial trauma leading to variable visual de cits. The purpose of this study was to evaluate recent institutional trends in the treatment of traumatic optic neuropathy, evaluate the outcomes of different treatment strat- egies, and identify factors associated with improved vision. Methods: Institutional review board approval was obtained to retrospectively review patients diagnosed with traumatic optic neuropathy at a high-volume trauma center from 2004 to 2012. Pretreatment and posttreatment visual acuity was compared using quantitative analysis of standard ophthalmologic conversion. Results: A total of 109 patients met inclusion criteria (74.3 percent male patients), with a mean age of 38.0 ± 17.5 years (range, 8 to 82 years). Man- agement of traumatic optic neuropathy involved intravenous corticosteroids alone in 8.3 percent of patients (n = 9), 56.9 percent (n = 62) underwent observation, 28.4 percent (n = 31) had surgical intervention, and 6.4 percent (n = 7) underwent surgery and corticosteroid administration. Only 19.3 per- cent of patients returned for follow-up. Vision improved in 47.6 percent of patients, with a mean follow-up of 12.9 weeks. Patients younger than 50 years had a trend toward higher rates of visual improvement, 60 percent versus 16.7 percent (p = 0.15). Conclusions: The majority of traumatic optic neuropathy patients are un- likely to return for a follow-up examination. Optic nerve decompression has fallen out of favor in the authors’ institution, and observation is the most common management strategy. Outcomes following corticosteroid admin- istration and observation are comparable. (Plast. Reconstr. Surg. 137: 231, 2016.

Health-related quality of life in elderly patients hospitalized with chronic heart failure

Predrag Erceg,1,2 Nebojsa Despotovic,1,2 Dragoslav P Milosevic,1,2 Ivan Soldatovic,3 Sanja Zdravkovic,2 Snezana Tomic,2 Ivana Markovic,2 Gordana Mihajlovic,2 Milan D Brajovic,4,5 Ognjen Bojovic,6 Bojana Potic,2 Mladen Davidovic1 1Department of Gerontology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, 2Clinical Department of Geriatrics, Zvezdara University Hospital, 3Institute of Medical Statistics and Informatics, Faculty of Medicine, 4Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Belgrade, 5Clinical Department of Cardiology, Zvezdara University Hospital, Belgrade, Serbia; 6Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway Background: Chronic heart failure is a very common condition in the elderly, characterized not only by high mortality rates, but also by a strong impact on health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Previous studies of HRQOL in elderly heart failure subjects have included mostly outpatients, and little is known about determinants of HRQOL in hospitalized elderly population, especially in Serbia. In this study, we tried to identify factors that influence HRQOL in elderly patients hospitalized with chronic heart failure in Serbia. Methods: The study population consisted of 136 patients aged 65 years or older hospitalized for chronic heart failure. HRQOL was assessed using the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure questionnaire. Predictors of HRQOL were identified by multiple linear regression analysis. Results: Univariate analysis showed that patients with lower income, a longer history of chronic heart failure, and longer length of hospital stay, as well as those receiving aldosterone antagonists and digoxin, taking multiple medications, in a higher NYHA class, and showing signs of depression and cognitive impairment had significantly worse HRQOL. Presence of depressive symptoms (P<0.001), higher NYHA class (P=0.021), lower income (P=0.029), and longer duration of heart failure (P=0.049) were independent predictors of poor HRQOL. Conclusion: Depressive symptoms, higher NYHA class, lower income, and longer duration of chronic heart failure are independent predictors of poor HRQOL in elderly patients hospitalized with chronic heart failure in Serbia. Further, there is an association between multiple medication usage and poor HRQOL, as well as a negative impact of cognitive impairment on HRQOL. Hence, measures should be implemented to identify such patients, especially those with depressive symptoms, and appropriate interventions undertaken in order to improve their HRQOL. Keywords: elderly, heart disease, self-perception of health, depressio