361 research outputs found
Implementation of a Lean Manufacturing and SLP-based system for a footwear company
Paper aims: This research article addresses an innovative solution to face one of the main problems in the footwear industry, namely the high order non-fulfillment rate. Originality: This research offers companies in the footwear industry the possibility of implementing Andon through a structured and planned process that allows expediting problem solving. The advantage of this system is the ability to signal the status of workstations through rapid visual identification. Moreover, in this way social distancing is also secured, in line with World Health Organization guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Research method: The article presents four phases through which the case study was addressed. Planning (determination of objectives), Restructuring of the Operations Area, Improvement of the Production Line and Continuous Improvement. Main findings: An Arena simulation system was used to establish a new scenario where the defective product indicator decreases by 3.13% and productivity improves by about 38%. In turn, the resulting increase in the number of orders enhances company sales and profits, as well as the ability to meet the customer demand in a timely manner. Implications for theory and practice: The case study suggests that the main causes of this issue (high order non-fulfillment rate) are the increasing rate of defective goods, delays in the production process, and excessive time consumption in the movement of staff and materials. This research serves as the basis for future lines of research, as well as for other organizations with similar characteristics to implement the proposal
The impact of content knowledge on the adoption of a critical curriculum model by history teachers-in-training
This work analyses the impact of disciplinary training on future Primary and Secondary School teachersâ decision to adopt a critical approach for teaching history. To do this, we will use a two-phase mixed methodological approach (quantitative and qualitative) to analyse the relationship between their previous training and the use of epistemological and psycho-pedagogical objectives and paradigms as outlined in a critical curriculum model. As regards data collection in the first phase, a closed questionnaire was created and validated, using a Likert-style (1â5) evaluation scale. The data was codified using the statistical package SPSS v.26.0 for subsequent analysis. The selected sample included 215 students from a Spanish university on the following courses: Degree in Primary Education (nâ=â145) and Masterâs Degree in Secondary School Teaching specialised in history and geography (nâ=â70). They were all in the last stage of their initial training. In the second phase, we selected some of the students to participate in discussion groups, where they were able to go into more depth with their answers. In this way, we could better understand the link between their disciplinary training and the adoption of a determined model of history education. To do this, we separated them into three groups with different profiles: students taking the Degree in Primary Education unrelated with History (nâ=â8), students taking the Degree in Primary Education specialised in arts and humanities (nâ=â8) and students taking the Masterâs Degree in Secondary School Teaching specialised in history and geography (nâ=â8). The data was gathered using an open coding procedure, based on several categories, which allowed us to compare the different questionnaires. The results reveal significant differences between the different groups. As such, we can conclude as to the importance of mastering epistemological disciplinary knowledge to break with certain traditions which impede innovation and make the adoption of a critical educational model more difficult
Reverse Hierarchy of Alkane Adsorption in MetalâOrganic Frameworks (MOFs) Revealed by Immersion Calorimetry
Immersion calorimetry into liquids of different dimensions is a powerful tool to learn about the pore size and shape in nanoporous solids. In general, in the absence of specific interactions with the solid surface, the accessibility of the liquid probe molecule to the inner porosity and the associated enthalpy value decreases with an increase in its kinetic diameter (bulkier molecules have lower accessibility and packing density). Although this is true for the majority of solids (e.g., activated carbons and zeolites), this study anticipates that this is not straightforward in the specific case of metalâorganic frameworks (MOFs). The evaluation of different hydrocarbons and their derivatives reveals the presence of reverse selectivity for C6 isomers (2,2-dimethylbutane > 2-methylpentane > n-hexane) in UiO-66 and HKUST-1, whereas size exclusion effects take place in ZIF-8. The immersion calorimetric findings have been compared with vapor adsorption isotherms and computational studies. Monte Carlo simulations suggest that the reverse selectivity in UiO-66 is attributed to the strong confinement of the dibranched hydrocarbons in the small tetragonal cages, whereas the presence of strong interactions with the open metal sites accounts for the preferential adsorption in HKUST-1. These results open the gate toward the application of immersion calorimetry for the prescreening of MOFs to identify in an easy, fast and reliable way interesting characteristics and/or properties such as separation ability, reversed hierarchy, pore-window size, presence of unsaturated metal sites, molecular accessibility, and so on.Authors would like to acknowledge financial support from MINECO (MAT2016-80285-p), Generalitat Valenciana (PROMETEOII/2014/004) and H2020 (MSCA-RISE-2016/NanoMed Project). P.Z.M. is grateful for start-up funds from the University of Sheffield
Molecular analysis of a multistep lung cancer model induced by chronic inflammation reveals epigenetic regulation of p16 and activation of the DNA damage response pathway
The molecular hallmarks of inflammation-mediated lung carcinogenesis have not been fully clarified, mainly due to the scarcity of appropriate animal models. We have used a silica-induced multistep lung carcinogenesis model driven by chronic inflammation to study the evolution of molecular markers and genetic alterations. We analyzed markers of DNA damage response (DDR), proliferative stress, and telomeric stress: gamma-H2AX, p16, p53, and TERT. Lung cancer-related epigenetic and genetic alterations, including promoter hypermethylation status of p16(CDKN2A), APC, CDH13, Rassf1, and Nore1A, as well as mutations of Tp53, epidermal growth factor receptor, K-ras, N-ras, and c-H-ras, have been also studied. Our results showed DDR pathway activation in preneoplastic lesions, in association with inducible nitric oxide synthase and p53 induction. p16 was also induced in early tumorigenic progression and was inactivated in bronchiolar dysplasias and tumors. Remarkably, lack of mutations of Ras and epidermal growth factor receptor, and a very low frequency of Tp53 mutations suggest that they are not required for tumorigenesis in this model. In contrast, epigenetic alterations in p16(CDKN2A), CDH13, and APC, but not in Rassf1 and Nore1A, were clearly observed. These data suggest the existence of a specific molecular signature of inflammation-driven lung carcinogenesis that shares some, but not all, of the molecular landmarks of chemically induced lung cancer
Agencia Pizca
El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo conocer y profundizar en el pĂșblico objetivo de Matchcota y realizar una campaña con los hallazgos de esta investigaciĂłn. Iniciamos la investigaciĂłn con un pedido de la marca Matchcota, una plataforma virtual de adopciĂłn que busca aumentar la cantidad de adopciones mensuales. Para ello necesitaban ampliar su alcance mediante una campaña atractiva, potente, creativa y sobre todo que se ajuste al presupuesto que la marca proporciona. En la investigaciĂłn
se utilizaron herramientas cuantitativas, como encuestas y Facebook Audience Insights, y herramientas cualitativas, como focus groups, entrevistas y netnografĂa. De esta manera la investigaciĂłn empezĂł con un anĂĄlisis de la informaciĂłn que proporcionaba Facebook sobre el pĂșblico y con una encuesta para aproximarnos a la informaciĂłn demogrĂĄfica del pĂșblico. Posteriormente realizamos dos focus groups
para profundizar en la relaciĂłn del pĂșblico con sus mascotas y su opiniĂłn sobre la adopciĂłn. Finalmente, realizamos entrevistas para profundizar aĂșn mĂĄs en nuestro pĂșblico. Posteriormente utilizamos herramientas para ordenar la informaciĂłn y los hallazgos encontrados, lo cual nos servirĂa para establecer una estrategia creativa y de medios. Entre los hallazgos mĂĄs importantes encontramos que el pĂșblico principal son mujeres, tambiĂ©n encontramos que consideran a la mascota como un miembro
mĂĄs de la familia y que una mascota les permite descubrirse a sĂ mismos, se generan emociones y comportamientos nuevo
Parasites of the Reintroduced Iberian Lynx (Lynx pardinus) and Sympatric Mesocarnivores in Extremadura, Spain.
The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) is one of the most endangered felid species in the world. Conservation efforts have increased its population size and distribution and reinforced their genetic diversity through captive breeding and reintroduction programmes. Among several threats that the Iberian lynx faces, infectious and parasitic diseases have underlined effects on the health of their newly reintroduced populations, being essential to identify the primary sources of these agents and assess populations health status. To achieve this, 79 fresh faecal samples from Iberian lynx and sympatric mesocarnivores were collected in the reintroduction area of Extremadura, Spain. Samples were submitted to copromicroscopic analyses to assess parasite diversity, prevalence, and mean intensity of parasite burden. Overall, 19 (24.1%, ±15.1-35.0) samples were positive for at least one enteric parasite species. Parasite diversity and prevalence were higher in the Iberian lynx (43.8%) compared with the others mesocarnivores under study (e.g., the red fox Vulpes vulpes and the Egyptian mongoose Herpestes ichneumon). Ancylostomatidae and Toxocara cati were the most prevalent (15.6%) parasites. Obtained results revealed that Iberian lynx role as predator control might have reduced parasite cross-transmission between this felid and mesocarnivores due to their decreasing abundances. Surveillance programs must include regular monitoring of this endangered felid, comprising mesocarnivores, but also domestic/feral and wild cat communities.This research was funded by the European Union through its LIFE project Life + IBERLINCE (LIFE + 10NAT/ES/570) âRecuperaciĂłn de la distribuciĂłn histĂłrica del lince ibĂ©rico (Lynx pardinus) en España y Portugalâ. R. T. Torres is funded by national funds (OE), through FCTâFundação para a CiĂȘncia e a Tecnologia, I.P., in the scope of the framework contract foreseen in the numbers 4, 5, and 6 of the article 23, of the Decree-Law 57/2016, of 29 August, changed by Law 57/2017, of 19 July. Thanks are due to FCT/MCTES for the financial support to CESAM (UIDP/50017/2020 + UIDB/50017/2020) and CIISA Project UIDB/00276/2020 through national funds.S
Clinical Relevance of Tumor Cells with Stem-Like Properties in Pediatric Brain Tumors
BACKGROUND: Primitive brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer-related death in children. Tumor cells with stem-like properties (TSCs), thought to account for tumorigenesis and therapeutic resistance, have been isolated from high-grade gliomas in adults. Whether TSCs are a common component of pediatric brain tumors and are of clinical relevance remains to be determined. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Tumor cells with self-renewal properties were isolated with cell biology techniques from a majority of 55 pediatric brain tumors samples, regardless of their histopathologies and grades of malignancy (57% of embryonal tumors, 57% of low-grade gliomas and neuro-glial tumors, 70% of ependymomas, 91% of high-grade gliomas). Most high-grade glioma-derived oncospheres (10/12) sustained long-term self-renewal akin to neural stem cells (>7 self-renewals), whereas cells with limited renewing abilities akin to neural progenitors dominated in all other tumors. Regardless of tumor entities, the young age group was associated with self-renewal properties akin to neural stem cells (Pâ=â0.05, chi-square test). Survival analysis of the cohort showed an association between isolation of cells with long-term self-renewal abilities and a higher patient mortality rate (Pâ=â0.013, log-rank test). Sampling of low- and high-grade glioma cultures showed that self-renewing cells forming oncospheres shared a molecular profile comprising embryonic and neural stem cell markers. Further characterization performed on subsets of high-grade gliomas and one low-grade glioma culture showed combination of this profile with mesenchymal markers, the radio-chemoresistance of the cells and the formation of aggressive tumors after intracerebral grafting. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: In brain tumors affecting adult patients, TSCs have been isolated only from high-grade gliomas. In contrast, our data show that tumor cells with stem cell-like or progenitor-like properties can be isolated from a wide range of histological sub-types and grades of pediatric brain tumors. They suggest that cellular mechanisms fueling tumor development differ between adult and pediatric brain tumors
Robust association between vascular habitats and patient prognosis in glioblastoma: an international retrospective multicenter study
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: del Mar Ălvarez-Torres, M., Juan-AlbarracĂn, J., Fuster-Garcia, E., BellvĂs-Bataller, F., Lorente, D., ReynĂ©s, G., Font de Mora, J., Aparici-Robles, F., Botella, C., Muñoz-Langa, J., Faubel, R., Asensio-Cuesta, S., GarcĂa-Ferrando, G.A., Chelebian, E., Auger, C., Pineda, J., Rovira, A., Oleaga, L., MollĂ -Olmos, E., Revert, A.J., Tshibanda, L., Crisi, G., Emblem, K.E., Martin, D., Due-TĂžnnessen, P., Meling, T.R., Filice, S., SĂĄez, C. and GarcĂa-GĂłmez, J.M. (2020), Robust association between vascular habitats and patient prognosis in glioblastoma: An international multicenter study. J Magn Reson Imaging, 51: 1478-1486, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/jmri.26958. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.[EN] Background Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive primary brain tumor, characterized by a heterogeneous and abnormal vascularity. Subtypes of vascular habitats within the tumor and edema can be distinguished: high angiogenic tumor (HAT), low angiogenic tumor (LAT), infiltrated peripheral edema (IPE), and vasogenic peripheral edema (VPE). Purpose To validate the association between hemodynamic markers from vascular habitats and overall survival (OS) in glioblastoma patients, considering the intercenter variability of acquisition protocols. Study Type Multicenter retrospective study. Population In all, 184 glioblastoma patients from seven European centers participating in the NCT03439332 clinical study. Field Strength/Sequence 1.5T (for 54 patients) or 3.0T (for 130 patients). Pregadolinium and postgadolinium-based contrast agent-enhanced T-1-weighted MRI, T-2- and FLAIR T-2-weighted, and dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) T-2* perfusion. Assessment We analyzed preoperative MRIs to establish the association between the maximum relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV(max)) at each habitat with OS. Moreover, the stratification capabilities of the markers to divide patients into "vascular" groups were tested. The variability in the markers between individual centers was also assessed. Statistical Tests Uniparametric Cox regression; Kaplan-Meier test; Mann-Whitney test. Results The rCBV(max) derived from the HAT, LAT, and IPE habitats were significantly associated with patient OS (P < 0.05; hazard ratio [HR]: 1.05, 1.11, 1.28, respectively). Moreover, these markers can stratify patients into "moderate-" and "high-vascular" groups (P < 0.05). The Mann-Whitney test did not find significant differences among most of the centers in markers (HAT: P = 0.02-0.685; LAT: P = 0.010-0.769; IPE: P = 0.093-0.939; VPE: P = 0.016-1.000). Data Conclusion The rCBV(max) calculated in HAT, LAT, and IPE habitats have been validated as clinically relevant prognostic biomarkers for glioblastoma patients in the pretreatment stage. This study demonstrates the robustness of the hemodynamic tissue signature (HTS) habitats to assess the GBM vascular heterogeneity and their association with patient prognosis independently of intercenter variability. Technical Efficacy Stage: 2 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2019.This work was partially supported by: MTS4up project (National Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation 2013-2016, No. DPI2016-80054-R) (to J.M.G.G.); H2020-SC1-2016-CNECT Project (No. 727560) (to J.M.G.G.) and H2020-SC1-BHC-2018-2020 (No. 825750) (to J.M.G.G.); M.A.T was supported by DPI2016-80054-R (Programa Estatal de Promocion del Talento y su Empleabilidad en I + D + i). The data acquisition and curation of the Oslo University Hospital was supported by: the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 (Grant Agreement No. 758657), the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority Grants 2017073 and 2013069, and the Research Council of Norway Grants 261984 (to K.E.E.). We gratefully acknowledge the support of NVIDIA Corporation with the donation of the Titan V GPU used for this research. E.F.G. was supported by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 844646. Figure 1 was designed by the Science Artist Elena Poritskaya.Ălvarez-Torres, MDM.; Juan-AlbarracĂn, J.; Fuster GarcĂa, E.; BellvĂs-Bataller, F.; Lorente, D.; ReynĂ©s, G.; Font De Mora, J.... (2020). Robust association between vascular habitats and patient prognosis in glioblastoma: an international retrospective multicenter study. Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging. 51(5):1478-1486. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmri.2695814781486515Louis, D. N., Perry, A., Reifenberger, G., von Deimling, A., Figarella-Branger, D., Cavenee, W. K., ⊠Ellison, D. W. (2016). The 2016 World Health Organization Classification of Tumors of the Central Nervous System: a summary. Acta Neuropathologica, 131(6), 803-820. doi:10.1007/s00401-016-1545-1Gately, L., McLachlan, S., Dowling, A., & Philip, J. (2017). 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The AIM2 inflammasome exacerbates atherosclerosis in clonal haematopoiesis
Clonal haematopoiesis, which is highly prevalent in older individuals, arises from somatic mutations that endow a proliferative advantage to haematopoietic cells. Clonal haematopoiesis increases the risk of myocardial infarction and stroke independently of traditional risk factors(1). Among the common genetic variants that give rise to clonal haematopoiesis, the JAK2(V617F) (JAK2(VF)) mutation, which increases JAK-STAT signalling, occurs at a younger age and imparts the strongest risk of premature coronary heart disease(1,2). Here we show increased proliferation of macrophages and prominent formation of necrotic cores in atherosclerotic lesions in mice that express Jak2(VF) selectively in macrophages, and in chimeric mice that model clonal haematopoiesis. Deletion of the essential inflammasome components caspase 1 and 11, or of the pyroptosis executioner gasdermin D, reversed these adverse changes. Jak2(VF) lesions showed increased expression of AIM2, oxidative DNA damage and DNA replication stress, and Aim2 deficiency reduced atherosclerosis. Single-cell RNA sequencing analysis of Jak2(VF) lesions revealed a landscape that was enriched for inflammatory myeloid cells, which were suppressed by deletion of Gsdmd. Inhibition of the inflammasome product interleukin-1 beta reduced macrophage proliferation and necrotic formation while increasing the thickness of fibrous caps, indicating that it stabilized plaques. Our findings suggest that increased proliferation and glycolytic metabolism in Jak2(VF) macrophages lead to DNA replication stress and activation of the AIM2 inflammasome, thereby aggravating atherosclerosis. Precise application of therapies that target interleukin-1 beta or specific inflammasomes according to clonal haematopoiesis status could substantially reduce cardiovascular risk
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