Conductive PANI fibres and determining factors for the electrospinning window

Polyaniline doped with CSA / PEO conductive nanofibres were produced by electrospinning. The electrospinning window was determined by using a three level, full factorial experimental design. The combined effects of the humidity, voltage and flow rate on the fibre morphology and diameter were examined demonstrating that the ambient humidity is the critical factor affecting the electrospinning process and determining the electrospinning window for a conductive polymer. Low humidity favors the formation of defect free fibres while high humidity either hinders fibre formation or causes the formation of defects on the fibres either due to jet discharge or due to water absorption and phase separation. High level of doping with CSA led to the formation of crystalline structures. Data fitting was used to explore the behavior of conductive polymers in electrospinning and very good agreement between experimental and theoretical predictions was obtained for only a limited range of experimental conditions, whereas deviation was observed for all other sets of conditions

THINK4JOBS TRAINING: Critical Thinking Training Packages for Higher Education Instructors and Labour Market Tutors

This Report presents the findings of the “Critical Thinking for Successful Jobs-Think4Jobs” Partnership regarding the development of Critical Thinking Training Packages for Higher Education Instructors and Labour Market Organisations Tutors, namely Intellectual Output II. Considering previous research findings, it is suggested that despite HE and LMO instructors’ willingness to promote CT, they both might lack conceptual as well as procedural knowledge regarding CT. In order to assume that a common understanding between HE and LMOs can be achieved to promote CT skills development effectively in future graduates, the aim of this project was to develop a training course for HE instructors as well as LMO tutors. More specifically, the project aims to strengthen University-Business Collaboration for the effective promotion, development, support and assessment of students’ CT through their transition into a professional context using apprenticeships as a privileged interface in order to “bridge the gap” between their skills and those needed by the labour market. The specific objective of the second Intellectual Output was to develop a training curriculum for Higher Education Instructors and Labour Market Organisations Tutors on how to promote, develop, support and assess students’ CT in apprenticeships curricula as well as on how to develop blended curricula using Moodle. The training aimed at reaching 30 participants from the Partnership (i.e., 15 from Higher Education and 15 from Labour Market Organisations). To reach the aforementioned objective for the delivery of the Output, five activities were originally designed: 1. Define the goals, outcomes and assessment criteria of the training packages. 2. Identify the training subjects and design the activities to be held. 3. Identify, select and/or create training resources, which will support the activities during the training packages. 4. Develop a transnational training course. 5. Delivery of the training course. University of Western Macedonia (UOWM) was the leading Organisation for the delivery of the second Intellectual Output. A Participatory Co-Design (PC-D Methodology was implemented to map the participants’ requirements and needs for the training. For the implementation of the training course, participants from both the Higher Education and the Labor Market Organisations from the five countries partake as Trainers providing various workshops focusing on experiential learning. More specifically, workshops concerned the deconstruction and reconstruction of previously held ideas regarding CT, the development of a working definition on CT for the Think4Jobs project, instructional approaches and teaching strategies that promote CT, blended learning and Moodle, the assessment of CT as well as the preparation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between HE and LMOs. Finally, a reflective session on the work carried out for the MoU and a session for the design and development of the CT blended apprenticeship curricula were scheduled. According to the registrations, on a daily basis, 35 participants engaged in the LTTA. Participants' knowledge on conceptual and procedural knowledge regarding CT, evaluation of CT, as well as blended learning, University-Business Collaboration and Moodle were evaluated in a pre-post measurement. In order to assess participants’ previous knowledge as well as the knowledge acquired during the LTTA, two online questionnaires were used. The first questionnaire (pre-measurement) was administered to participants at the beginning of the training course, while the second questionnaire (post-measurement) at the end of the LTTA (122 items for the pre-test, 130 items for the post-test, including questions about participants’ commitment during LTTA and their evaluation of the LTTA). The data collection tool consisted of seven distinct parts. The first part concerned demographic information, while the second part assessed participants’ level of perceived self-confidence in the issues addressed in the LTTA, the Moodle’s ease of use and perceived self-efficacy. Parts three to five of the tool explored participants’ conceptions regarding myths and facts about conceptual and procedural knowledge of CT, the evaluation of CT, blended learning and the University and Business Collaboration. Moreover, participants’ level of confidence about their answers was also assessed. Statistical analysis of data collected suggested that participants’ knowledge about CT, blended learning and the University and Business Collaboration increased after their participation in the LTTA. However, these results were not statistically significant. A statistically significant median increase elicited only in participants’ perceived self-confidence on the topics addressed during the LTTA, only for HE participants. Finally, the administrative and management of the implemented LTTA was evaluated highlighting that the event reached the predefined objectives and goals, met participants’ expectations and offered a high quality learning and training experience to the participants. Apart from the measurable data, a significant outcome of the LTTA was the development of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between each pair of HEIs and LMOs partner per country. The MoU set a specific framework on the expected collaboration between HE and LMOs for the design-development (IO3), implementation and evaluation (IO4) of the CT blended apprenticeships curricula. The development of MoUs suggest that a common understanding on the design and delivery of CT blended apprenticeships curricula has been achieved and that UBC has been tailored to each pair of contributors. Overall, the CT training course presented in the current report has contributed to the existing research and literature in numerous ways. First, it presented a course designed to address the specific needs of its participants, by employing a PC-D approach. Second, it presented a training course that can also be applied in the future, as an intensive program aiming to enhance CT in educational and LMO settings. Third, it actively engaged HE Instructors and LMOs in a common training course, trying to reach a common understanding. Finally, the current report contributes to the literature with the exploitation of a multiple-choice instrument incorporating a Certainty Response Index identifying not only participants’ alternative concepts but also their level of confidence on aspects of CT, blended learning and UBC

THINK4JOBS TOOLKIT Ten work-based learning scenarios

The current report is the first Intellectual Output (Output 1) of the THINK4JOBS initiative, which aims at improving students’ CT skills and dispositions by promoting collaboration between Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and Labour Market Organizations (LMOs). This is the case since according to relevant research findings, LMOs seem to expect employees to acquire CT skills in order for them to successfully address the needs of their work positions. Under this rationale, partners of the two aforementioned fields have decided to redesign and ameliorate HEI curricula by blending both HEIs and LMOs’ experience, knowledge and recommendations, while instilling this evidence into students’ apprenticeships. Apprenticeships offering practice in professional skills can actively lead to students’ understanding of their working environment and simultaneously scaffold CT development with the employment of mentoring. For this reason, the THINK4JOBS initiative exploits apprenticeships as a means of CT exploration and learning through which bridging the gap between HEIs and LMOs can be attained. Therefore, it is considered that in this fashion, students will be acquainted with the concept of CT and also be in the position of transferring it into their work settings, when entering the workplace. It should be noted that partners of the THINK4JOBS project are representatives from five disciplines (teacher training, English as a foreign language – EFL, business economics, business informatics and veterinary medicine), who formed teams between HEI and LMOs for each of these disciplines in order for ideas to be pluralized and CT to be explored across a variety of domains. The current report has a twofold aim: · to trace and map the methods and/or techniques that CT is currently employed in HEIs and LMOs’ apprenticeships and apprenticeships focusing on any possible convergent or divergent points; · to thoroughly describe and suggest work-based, learning scenarios that could bridge the gap between HEIs and LMOs’ curricula and simultaneously attempt to safeguard the requirements for graduates’ CT development and improvement. Mapping the Gap Regarding the first aim of the report, three research methods (observation, focus groups and documentary analysis) were employed in combination with three instruments (observational matrix, focus group rubric and documentary analysis rubric). Each research instrument includes a set of variables, which are majorly organized in three categories: I. Pedagogical aspects of CT development (including class objectives, teaching strategies/methods, tools/materials and evaluation regarding CT) II. CT aspects (including the ways CT is nurtured, triggered and explicitly taught during instruction) III. Implementation of CT (including elements of CT presence in these disciplines) For each variable, a set of indicators, drawing on CT and pedagogical theory was also developed in order for the aforementioned research instruments to be constructed. Stakeholders (HEI students and instructors as well as LMO tutors, employers and employees) participated in the mapping process. Data were collected during the winter semester 2020-2021 and a total of 134 participants from all partner countries participated in the focus groups discussions. Regarding the other two research methods, observation was carried out in at least three apprenticeships or courses, with at least four observation sessions for each of them. As far as it concerns the documentary analysis, documents supporting the courses/apprenticeships, which were observed, were analyzed according to the relevant rubric. Findings from each research instrument were triangulated according to each discipline and are thoroughly described in the current report in separate sections. However, some general conclusions seem to derive from a holistic approach to data analysis. Initially, it was suggested that even though a definitive “gap” between HEIs and LMOs does not seem to exist, there is a different context in CT approach since universities usually employ different learning activities focusing more on career preparation with long-term goals while LMOs follow compact and short-term, learning and teaching strategies. Additionally, findings suggested that CT is a newly-added requirement for the workplace and that HEIs and LMOs do not opt for the same terminology when referring to the concept –meaning that HEIs usually select scientific terms. Another element, which is evident is that CT in HEIs is commonly expressed through a declarative manner, while in LMOs application to specific cases follows the procedural manner. Learning Scenarios Regarding the second aim of this report, each team of HEI and LMO constructed two learning scenarios according to the findings, the sets of recommendations and the already identified educational needs. From the ten work-based scenarios developed, one from every discipline was organized in a syllabus form so that it can be further utilized for the CT blended apprenticeship curricula. This information highlights the importance of the scenarios, since they will set the stage for introducing CT at programme and course levels by utilizing Intellectual Output 3 activities to design work-based curricula for each country and dynamically enhance collaboration between HEIs and LMOs. Under this rationale, this scenario includes descriptive information about the themes, concepts, aims and learning outcomes, the duration, the teaching approach, the learning environment and the evaluation regarding both domain specific and CT related elements. First Intellectual Output Impact The current report is of major importance for the continuation of the THINK4JOBS project since it sets the stage for a sequence of activities carried out during the Second and Third Intellectual Outputs aiming at the successful application of the blended apprenticeships curricula. Besides the report’s importance for the project continuation, it may also stand as a useful Toolkit for teachers, students and employers regarding the development of CT in the workplace. In general, according to research findings, HEIs and LMOs are differently goal-oriented regarding CT and the reason for this divergence lies in the very nature and general context of the two organizations. In other words, HEIs intend to prepare students for all jobs related to a domain, while LMOs aim at preparing an employee for a specific job in a specific organization. This conclusion seems to indicate a paradox: the two organizations work in parallel but they do not share common understanding. This is the reason why the First Intellectual Output may be an invaluable means in the exploration of CT through different perspectives; actively supporting HEI and LMO collaboration in the quest for common ground

The behaviour of ischemia modified albumin during myocardial ischemia and necrosis

Μέχρι τώρα έχουν μελετηθεί πολλοί βιοχημικοί δείκτες για την διάγνωση ή τον αποκλεισμό της μυοκαρδιακής ισχαιμίας και νέκρωσης. Ιδιαίτερο ενδιαφέρον παρουσιάζει η ανάπτυξη δεικτών, οι οποίοι θα έχουν την ικανότητα να ανιχνεύουν μυοκαρδιακή ισχαιμία πριν την εμφάνιση της μη αναστρέψιμης μυοκαρδιακής νέκρωσης. Αυτή η διατριβή μελετά την τροποποιημένη από την ισχαιμία αλβουμίνη (ΤΙΑ), η οποία είναι ένας νέος ευαίσθητος δείκτης μυοκαρδιακής ισχαιμίας. Η ΤΙΑ έχει αποδειχθεί ότι αυξάνεται σε καταστάσεις μυοκαρδιακής ισχαιμίας παροχής, όπως στα οξέα στεφανιαία σύνδρομα ή μετά από αγγειοπλαστική και είναι ο μοναδικός δείκτης ισχαιμίας, ο οποίος έχει πάρει έγκριση για κλινική χρήση στον αποκλεισμό του οξέος στεφανιαίου συνδρόμου σε συνδυασμό με φυσιολογικό ηλεκτροκαρδιογράφημα και φυσιολογικές τιμές τροπονίνης. Ωστόσο, ο παθοφυσιολογικός μηχανισμός παραγωγής της ΤΙΑ δεν έχει ακόμα πλήρως αποσαφηνισθεί. Τα επίπεδα της ΤΙΑ βρέθηκε να μεταβάλλονται σημαντικά κατά την διάρκεια της φυσικής άσκησης και των φαρμακευτικών δοκιμασιών κόπωσης σε ασθενείς με στεφανιαία νόσο αλλά χωρίς να υπάρχει διαφορά μεταξύ των θετικών και αρνητικών για ισχαιμία δοκιμασιών. Αυτό το εύρημα σημαίνει ότι οι παρατηρούμενες μεταβολές μπορεί να μην αντανακλούν ισχαιμία του μυοκαρδίου αλλά να οφείλονται κυρίως σε φαινόμενα που εμπλέκονται στην μέθοδο μέτρησής της. Επομένως, η μέτρηση της ΤΙΑ με την συγκεκριμένη τουλάχιστον μέθοδο, δεν φαίνεται να βελτιώνει την διαγνωστική αξία των δοκιμασιών κόπωσης. Η χρήση της ΤΙΑ ως προγνωστικός δείκτης για μελλοντικά καρδιαγγειακά συμβάματα έχει, επίσης, πρόσφατα μελετηθεί. Η ΤΙΑ βρέθηκε ότι αυξάνει μετά από εγχείρηση αορτοστεφανιαίας παράκαμψης αντανακλώντας περιεγχειρητική και μετεγχειρητική μυοκαρδιακή ισχαιμία αλλά εάν αυτό το εύρημα έχει κάποια προγνωστική αξία χρήζει περαιτέρω διερεύνησης. Τελικά, η ΤΙΑ εκτιμήθηκε ως πιθανός δείκτης παροδικής μυοκαρδιακής ισχαιμίας σε διαφορετικούς τύπους μυοκαρδιακής βλάβης, Τα επίπεδα της ΤΙΑ δεν βρέθηκε να μεταβάλλονται σημαντικά μετά από κατάλυση με υψίσυχνο ρεύμα, σε αντίθεση με τα καρδιακά ένζυμα, υποδεικνύοντας ότι σε αυτή την παρέμβαση η νέκρωση του μυοκαρδίου πραγματοποιείται χωρίς να προηγηθεί ισχαιμία. Αντίθετα, η διαφλέβια εμφύτευση ηλεκτροδίων για την τοποθέτηση βηματοδοτών/απινιδωτών συνοδεύεται από παροδική ισχαιμία του μυοκαρδίου, η οποία όπως φαίνεται προηγείται της νέκρωσης. Συμπερασματικά, μελετήθηκαν οι μεταβολές της ΤΙΑ και οι πιθανοί εμπλεκόμενοι μηχανισμοί σε καταστάσεις ισχαιμίας και νέκρωσης του μυοκαρδίου

Biocompatibility Assessment of Conducting PANI/Chitosan Nanofibers for Wound Healing Applications

As electroactive polymers have recently presented potential in applications in the tissue engineering and biomedical field, this study is aiming at the fabrication of composite nanofibrous membranes containing conducting polyaniline and at the evaluation of their biocompatibility. For that purpose, conducting polyaniline–chitosan (PANI/CS) defect free nanofibres of different ratios (1:3; 3:5 and 1:1) were produced with the electrospinning method. They were characterized as for their morphology, hydrophilicity and electrical conductivity. The membranes were then evaluated for their cellular biocompatibility in terms of cell attachment, morphology and cell proliferation. The effect of the PANI content on the membrane properties is discussed. Increase in PANI content resulted in membranes with higher hydrophobicity and higher electrical conductivity. It was found that none of the membranes showed any toxic effects on osteoblasts and fibroblasts, and that they all supported cell attachment and growth, even to a greater extent than tissue culture plastic. The membrane with the PANI/CS ratio 1:3 supports better cell attachment and proliferation for both cell lines due to a synergistic effect of hydrophilicity retention due to the high chitosan content and the conductivity that PANI introduced to the membrane

Undergraduate Students’ Conceptualization of Critical Thinking and Their Ideas for Critical Thinking Acquisition

Higher education institutions are responsible for preparing and equipping undergraduate students with the skills required by the labor market, such as critical thinking. However, academics should consider students’ pre-existing ideas before designing and implementing an instructional intervention regarding critical thinking. Drawing on the literature for conceptual change, the current study aimed to map students’ conceptualization of critical thinking and their ideas regarding the acquisition of critical thinking. In total, 243 first-year social sciences students participated in the study. To explore students’ ideas, the authors constructed an instrument with 20 scientific and non-scientific statements about critical thinking. The instrument was a two-tier questionnaire, and participants indicated their level of agreement with each statement using a 5-point Likert scale as well as their confidence in their answers. Students’ ideas were categorized into six groups depending on their endorsements for the statement and their level of confidence in their decision. Results revealed that students had insufficient conceptualization of critical thinking, and their ideas regarding how critical thinking might be acquired were not consistently aligned with those of academics. Implications for instruction are discussed considering students’ ideas on critical thinking

Biocompatibility assessment of conducting PANI/Chitosan nanofibers for wound healing applications

As electroactive polymers have recently presented potential in applications in the tissue engineering and biomedical field, this study is aiming at the fabrication of composite nanofibrous membranes containing conducting polyaniline and at the evaluation of their biocompatibility. For that purpose, conducting polyaniline–chitosan (PANI/CS) defect free nanofibres of different ratios (1:3; 3:5 and 1:1) were produced with the electrospinning method. They were characterized as for their morphology, hydrophilicity and electrical conductivity. The membranes were then evaluated for their cellular biocompatibility in terms of cell attachment, morphology and cell proliferation. The effect of the PANI content on the membrane properties is discussed. Increase in PANI content resulted in membranes with higher hydrophobicity and higher electrical conductivity. It was found that none of the membranes showed any toxic effects on osteoblasts and fibroblasts, and that they all supported cell attachment and growth, even to a greater extent than tissue culture plastic. The membrane with the PANI/CS ratio 1:3 supports better cell attachment and proliferation for both cell lines due to a synergistic effect of hydrophilicity retention due to the high chitosan content and the conductivity that PANI introduced to the membrane

Chitosan & conductive PANI/Chitosan composite nanofibers - Evaluation of antibacterial properties

Within the healthcare industry, including the treatment of chronic wounds, the challenge of antimicrobial resistance continues to grow. As such, there is a need to develop new treatments that can reduce the bioburden in wounds. The present study is focused on the development of conductive polyaniline (PANI) / chitosan (CH) nanofibrous electrospun membranes and evaluates their antibacterial properties. The blended fibre membranes combine the materials’ respective properties such as electrical conductivity, biocompatibility and antibacterial activity. To this end, experimental design was used to determine the electrospinning windows of both pure chitosan and PANI/CH blends of different ratios (1:3, 3:5, 1:1). The effect of key environmental and process parameters (relative humidity and applied voltage) was determined, as well as the effect of the PANI/CH ratio in the blend, and the molecular interactions between PANI and Chitosan that led to jet stability. The nanofibrous mats were evaluated regarding their morphology and antibacterial effect against gram positive and gram negative bacterial strains, namely B. subtilis and E. coli. High PANI content mats show increased bactericidal activity against both bacterial strains. This study suggests that electrospun PANI/CH membranes are promising candidates for healthcare applications such as wound dressings

Establishment of a rapid, inexpensive protocol for extraction of high quality RNA from small amounts of strawberry plant tissues and other recalcitrant fruit crops

Strawberry plant tissues and particularly fruit material are rich in polysaccharides and polyphenolic compounds, thus rendering the isolation of nucleic acids a difficult task. This work describes the successful modification of a total RNA extraction protocol, which enables the isolation of high quantity and quality of total RNA from small amounts of strawberry leaf, root and fruit tissues. Reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) amplification of GAPDH housekeeping gene from isolated RNA further supports the proposed protocol efficiency and its use for downstream molecular applications. This novel procedure was also successfully followed using other fruit tissues, such as olive and kiwifruit. In addition, optional treatment with RNase A following initial nucleic acid extraction can provide sufficient quality and quality of genomic DNA for subsequent PCR analyses, as evidenced from PCR amplification of housekeeping genes using extracted genomic DNA as template. Overall, this optimized protocol allows easy, rapid and economic isolation of high quality RNA from small amounts of an important fruit crop, such as strawberry, with extended applicability to other recalcitrant fruit crops