Faculty Training Transfer in Karnataka, India

Faculty development programmes should guarantee the successful transfer of knowledge, skills, and attitudes from the training to educational practice to ensure sustainable development of teaching and learning practices. Based on the concepts of training transfer, the pPredicting tTransfer model, recent advances in faculty training transfer and , specifically, the measurement of transfer, we will analyze the effectiveness of faculty training by determining its transfer and explore alternative approaches to improve faculty training in the State of Karnataka (India). We will perform two studies. First, we will evaluate the transfer of training of the Assistant Professors orientation training. Data will be gathered after the training. The questionnaire of efficacy (CdE) , the multidimensional scale of transfer and personal transfer scale will be administered. Second, we will undertake a transfer evaluation study that will create and assess a predicting transfer model for faculty in Karnataka. This model will include factors that influence transfer. To test the instrument, we will evaluate a one-year training program that will be offered to Assistant Professors. In addition to previously mentioned questionnaires, the factors predicting transfer questionnaire will be applied. Implications for HRD and adult education will be extracted, providing evidence for theory building on transfer in the context of India. The findings could be used, from the lens of a National2021-2

Validation of predicting transfer instruments in Spain

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to validate two scales, the factors predicting transfer (FPT) and the effectiveness questionnaire (CdE), in the Spanish Public Administration (SPA). Design/methodology/approach: The FPT was administered at the end of the training, and the CdE four months after training. Participants had attended one of the 62 trainings offered by the SPA. With 1,457 participants, exploratory factor analysis (EFA; n = 728) and confirmatory factory analysis (CFA) (n = 729), randomly assigned, were performed on the FPT, and CFA (n = 726) was applied to the CdE. Findings: A 30-item and four-factor solution emerged for the FPT through the EFA, which was confirmed by a good model fit through the CFA. A seven-item single-factor solution was confirmed for the CdE. Measurement invariance for the mode of instruction and gender was accepted for both instruments. Research limitations/implications: Further research should be done in a more heterogenous sample that includes private organizations, different sectors and sizes. In the human resource development (HRD) field, these results suggest, in line with previous research, the existence of underlying constructs of factors of transfer that migrate across cultures. Practical implications: The potential use of the FPT is the diagnosis of factors of transfer, and for the CdE, evaluation of the transfer of interventions at the behavioral level. The instruments are suitable for research and practice that compares online and in-class training. Originality/value: The study performs the first rigorous analysis of measurement instruments to evaluate factors that predict transfer in Spain.2019-2

β-Phase Morphology in Ordered Poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene) Nanopillars by Template Wetting Method

An efficient method based in template wetting is applied for fabrication of ordered Poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene) (PFO) nanopillars with β-phase morphology. In this process, nanoporous alumina obtained by anodization process is used as template. PFO nanostructures are prepared under ambient conditions via infiltration of the polymeric solution into the pores of the alumina with an average pore diameter of 225 nm and a pore depth of 500 nm. The geometric features of the resulting structures are characterized with environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM), luminescence fluorimeter (PL) and micro μ-X-ray diffractometer (μ-XRD). The characterization demonstrates the β-phase of the PFO in the nanopillars fabricated. Furthermore, the PFO nanopillars are characterized by Raman spectroscopy to study the polymer conformation. These ordered nanostructures can be used in optoelectronic applications such as polymer light-emitting diodes, sensors and organic solar cells

Development and validation of a model to predict ceiling of care in COVID-19 hospitalized patients

Background: Therapeutic ceiling of care is the maximum level of care deemed appropiate to offer to a patient based on their clinical profile and therefore their potential to derive benefit, within the context of the availability of resources. To our knowledge, there are no models to predict ceiling of care decisions in COVID-19 patients or other acute illnesses. We aimed to develop and validate a clinical prediction model to predict ceiling of care decisions using information readily available at the point of hospital admission. Methods: We studied a cohort of adult COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized in 5 centres of Catalonia between 2020 and 2021. All patients had microbiologically proven SARS-CoV-2 infection at the time of hospitalization. Their therapeutic ceiling of care was assessed at hospital admission. Comorbidities collected at hospital admission, age and sex were considered as potential factors for predicting ceiling of care. A logistic regression model was used to predict the ceiling of care. The final model was validated internally and externally using a cohort obtained from the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. The TRIPOD Checklist for Prediction Model Development and Validation from the EQUATOR Network has been followed to report the model. Results: A total of 5813 patients were included in the development cohort, of whom 31.5% were assigned a ceiling of care at the point of hospital admission. A model including age, COVID-19 wave, chronic kidney disease, dementia, dyslipidaemia, heart failure, metastasis, peripheral vascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and stroke or transient ischaemic attack had excellent discrimination and calibration. Subgroup analysis by sex, age group, and relevant comorbidities showed excellent figures for calibration and discrimination. External validation on the Leeds Teaching Hospitals cohort also showed good performance. Conclusions: Ceiling of care can be predicted with great accuracy from a patient's clinical information available at the point of hospital admission. Cohorts without information on ceiling of care could use our model to estimate the probability of ceiling of care. In future pandemics, during emergency situations or when dealing with frail patients, where time-sensitive decisions about the use of life-prolonging treatments are required, this model, combined with clinical expertise, could be valuable. However, future work is needed to evaluate the use of this prediction tool outside COVID-19

CMS physics technical design report : Addendum on high density QCD with heavy ions

Peer reviewe

Real-Life Use of Ceftolozane/Tazobactam for the Treatment of Bloodstream Infection Due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Neutropenic Hematologic Patients: a Matched Control Study (ZENITH Study)

We sought to assess the characteristics and outcomes of neutropenic hematologic patients with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) bloodstream infection (BSI) treated with ceftolozane-tazobactam (C/T). We conducted a multicenter, international, matched-cohort study of PA BSI episodes in neutropenic hematologic patients who received C/T. Controls were patients with PA BSI treated with other antibiotics. Risk factors for overall 7-day and 30-day case fatality rates were analyzed. We compared 44 cases with 88 controls. Overall, 91% of episodes were caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains. An endogenous source was the most frequent BSI origin (35.6%), followed by pneumonia (25.8%). There were no significant differences in patient characteristics between groups. C/T was given empirically in 11 patients and as definitive therapy in 41 patients. Treatment with C/T was associated with less need for mechanical ventilation (13.6% versus 33.3%; P = 0.021) and reduced 7-day (6.8% versus 34.1%; P = 0.001) and 30-day (22.7% versus 48.9%; P = 0.005) mortality. In the multivariate analysis, pneumonia, profound neutropenia, and persistent BSI were independent risk factors for 30-day mortality, whereas lower mortality was found among patients treated with C/T (adjusted OR [aOR] of 0.19; confidence interval [CI] 95% of 0.07 to 0.55; P = 0.002). Therapy with C/T was associated with less need for mechanical ventilation and reduced 7-day and 30-day case fatality rates compared to alternative agents in neutropenic hematologic patients with PA BSI. IMPORTANCE Ceftolozane-tazobactam (C/T) has been shown to be a safe and effective alternative for the treatment of difficult to treat infections due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) in the general nonimmunocompromised population. However, the experience of this agent in immunosuppressed neutropenic patients is very limited. Our study is unique because it is focused on extremely immunosuppressed hematological patients with neutropenia and bloodstream infection (BSI) due to PA (mainly multidrug resistant [MDR]), a scenario which is often associated with very high mortality rates. In our study, we found that the use of C/T for the treatment of MDR PA BSI in hematological neutropenic patients was significantly associated with improved outcomes, and, in addition, it was found to be an independent risk factor associated with increased survival. To date, this is the largest series involving neutropenic hematologic patients with PA BSI treated with C/T

The putative tumour suppressor protein Latexin is secreted by prostate luminal cells and is downregulated in malignancy

Loss of latexin (LXN) expression negatively correlates with the prognosis of several human cancers. Despite association with numerous processes including haematopoietic stem cell (HSC) fate, inflammation and tumour suppression, a clearly defined biological role for LXN is still lacking. Therefore, we sought to understand LXN expression and function in the normal and malignant prostate to assess its potential as a therapeutic target. Our data demonstrate that LXN is highly expressed in normal prostate luminal cells but downregulated in high Gleason grade cancers. LXN protein is both cytosolic and secreted by prostate cells and expression is directly and potently upregulated by all-trans retinoic acid (atRA). Whilst overexpression of LXN in prostate epithelial basal cells did not affect cell fate, LXN overexpression in the luminal cancer line LNCaP reduced plating efficiency. Transcriptome analysis revealed that LXN overexpression had no direct effects on gene expression but had significant indirect effects on important genes involved in both retinoid metabolism and IFN-associated inflammatory responses. These data highlight a potential role for LXN in retinoid signaling and inflammatory pathways. Investigating the effects of LXN on immune cell function in the tumour microenvironment (TME) may reveal how observed intratumoural loss of LXN affects the prognosis of many adenocarcinomas

Buoyancy effects on objects moving in a bubbling fluidized bed

The effect of buoyant forces on the motion of a large object immersed in a bubbling fluidized bed (BFB) was experimentally studied using digital image analysis. The experiments were performed in a 2 D bubbling fluidized bed with glass spheres as bed material and cylindrical objects with different densities and sizes. The object motion was measured using non intrusive tracking techniques. The effect of gas velocity was also analyzed. The circulation of an object in a BFB is defined by several parameters. The object might be able to circulate homogeneously throughout the bed or stay in preferred regions, such as the splash zone or the bottom zone. While circulating, the object moves back and forth between the surface of the bed and the inner regions, performing a series of cycles. Each cycle is composed by sinking and rising paths, which can be one or several, depending on whether a passing bubble is able to lift the object to the surface or the object is detached from it or its drift at an intermediate depth. Therefore, the number of rising paths or number of jumps that the object undergo in a cycle, interleaved with sinking paths, and the maximum attained depth characterize each cycle, together with the mean sinking and rising velocities of the object. In this work, experimental measurements of the probability distributions of the number of jumps and the maximum attained depth, the axial homogeneity of object motion and rising and sinking object velocities are presented for objects with different sizes and densities. The results show a coherent behavior, independent of density and size, for the probability distributions of the number of jumps. This is also true for the maximum attained depth, but only when a proper circulation throughout the bed is ensured. Such a proper circulation and axial homogeneity is, on the other hand, much affected by object density, size and gas velocity. Rising and sinking velocities are highly dependent on gas velocity, as established in well known models of bubble and dense phase velocities. Nevertheless, rising velocities are practically unaffected by object density or size, while sinking velocities show a low dependence on density and a steeper one on size. These results suggest that buoyant forces are relevant during the sinking process, and almost neutral during the rising pathThis work has been partially supported by the National Energy Program of the Spanish Department of Science and Education (ENE2006-01401), the Spanish Government (DPI2009-10518 MICINN) and the Madrid Community (CCG07-uc3m/amb-3412 and CCG08-uc3m/amb-4227)Publicad