91 research outputs found
Més enllà de la programació i la robòtica educativa : el pensament computacional en l'ensenyament STEAM a infantil i primària
El pensament computacional està guanyant cada vegada més rellevància en el món edu-catiu. Més enllà de l'interès que pot tenir desenvolupar aquesta forma de pensar i resoldre problemes en un context cada cop més informatitzat, el desenvolupament del pensament computacional pot recolzar l'aprenentatge de totes les disciplines que conformen l'STEAM (Science, Technolgoy, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics). El present article, realitzat en el marc del projecte PECOFIM (Pensament Computacional en la Formació Inicial de Mes-tres), ofereix un breu resum de les definicions existents a la literatura sobre pensament computacional, proposant uns indicadors que poden ajudar a identificar-lo i promoure'l a l'escola. Alhora, es presenten exemples reals per tal de treballar el pensament computaci-onal a les etapes d'educació infantil i primària, utilitzant-se els indicadors proposats per tal d'analitzar-les.Computational thinking is gaining increasing relevance in education. Beyond the interest that developing this way of thinking and problem-solving problems may have in an increas-ingly computerized context, the development of computational thinking can support the learning of all STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) disci-plines. In the framework of the PECOFIM project (Computational Thinking in Pre-Service Teacher Training), this paper offers a brief summary of the existing definitions in the litera-ture about computational thinking and proposes indicators that can help to identify it and to promote it in school. At the same time, it introduces real examples for dealing with compu-tational thinking in early childhood and primary education, using the proposed indicators to analyse them
The Human African Trypanosomiasis Specimen Biobank: A Necessary Tool to Support Research of New Diagnostics
Breeze influence on waves and vertical current profile in the coastal area based on EOF analysis (Vilanova i la Geltrú, Barcelona)
This article presents some preliminary results on the breeze influence on waves and vertical current profiles during eleven
months of data recorded by an Acoustic Wave and Current Profiler installed in the OBSEA platform in the coast of Vilanova i la Geltrú
(NW Mediterranean). The collected data has been analyzed using Empirical Orthogonal Functions and spectral analysisPostprint (published version
Response from Savioli and Colleagues from the Department of Neglected Tropical Diseases, World Health Organization
Incorporating scale dependence in disease burden estimates:the case of human African trypanosomiasis in Uganda
The WHO has established the disability-adjusted life year (DALY) as a metric for measuring the burden of human disease and injury globally. However, most DALY estimates have been calculated as national totals. We mapped spatial variation in the burden of human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) in Uganda for the years 2000-2009. This represents the first geographically delimited estimation of HAT disease burden at the sub-country scale.Disability-adjusted life-year (DALY) totals for HAT were estimated based on modelled age and mortality distributions, mapped using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software, and summarised by parish and district. While the national total burden of HAT is low relative to other conditions, high-impact districts in Uganda had DALY rates comparable to the national burden rates for major infectious diseases. The calculated average national DALY rate for 2000-2009 was 486.3 DALYs/100 000 persons/year, whereas three districts afflicted by rhodesiense HAT in southeastern Uganda had burden rates above 5000 DALYs/100 000 persons/year, comparable to national GBD 2004 average burden rates for malaria and HIV/AIDS.These results provide updated and improved estimates of HAT burden across Uganda, taking into account sensitivity to under-reporting. Our results highlight the critical importance of spatial scale in disease burden analyses. National aggregations of disease burden have resulted in an implied bias against highly focal diseases for which geographically targeted interventions may be feasible and cost-effective. This has significant implications for the use of DALY estimates to prioritize disease interventions and inform cost-benefit analyses
Human African trypanosomiasis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: disease distribution and risk
The Atlas of human African trypanosomiasis: a contribution to global mapping of neglected tropical diseases
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Following World Health Assembly resolutions 50.36 in 1997 and 56.7 in 2003, the World Health Organization (WHO) committed itself to supporting human African trypanosomiasis (HAT)-endemic countries in their efforts to remove the disease as a public health problem. Mapping the distribution of HAT in time and space has a pivotal role to play if this objective is to be met. For this reason WHO launched the HAT Atlas initiative, jointly implemented with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, in the framework of the Programme Against African Trypanosomosis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The distribution of HAT is presented for 23 out of 25 sub-Saharan countries having reported on the status of sleeping sickness in the period 2000 - 2009. For the two remaining countries, i.e. Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, data processing is ongoing. Reports by National Sleeping Sickness Control Programmes (NSSCPs), Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Research Institutes were collated and the relevant epidemiological data were entered in a database, thus incorporating (i) the results of active screening of over 2.2 million people, and (ii) cases detected in health care facilities engaged in passive surveillance. A total of over 42 000 cases of HAT and 6 000 different localities were included in the database. Various sources of geographic coordinates were used to locate the villages of epidemiological interest. The resulting average mapping accuracy is estimated at 900 m.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Full involvement of NSSCPs, NGOs and Research Institutes in building the Atlas of HAT contributes to the efficiency of the mapping process and it assures both the quality of the collated information and the accuracy of the outputs. Although efforts are still needed to reduce the number of undetected and unreported cases, the comprehensive, village-level mapping of HAT control activities over a ten-year period ensures a detailed and reliable representation of the known geographic distribution of the disease. Not only does the Atlas serve research and advocacy, but, more importantly, it provides crucial evidence and a valuable tool for making informed decisions to plan and monitor the control of sleeping sickness.</p
Effectiveness of a 10-Day Melarsoprol Schedule for the Treatment of Late-Stage Human African Trypanosomiasis: Confirmation from a Multinational Study (Impamel II)
BackgroundTreatment of late-stage human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) with melarsoprol can be improved by shortening the regimen. A previous trial demonstrated the safety and efficacy of a 10-day treatment schedule. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this schedule in a noncontrolled, multinational drug-utilization study MethodsA total of 2020 patients with late-stage HAT were treated with the 10-day melarsoprol schedule in 16 centers in 7 African countries. We assessed outcome on the basis of major adverse events and the cure rate after treatment and during 2 years of follow-up ResultsThe cure rate 24 h after treatment was 93.9%; 2 years later, it was 86.2%. However, 49.3% of patients were lost to follow-up. The overall fatality rate was 5.9%. Of treated patients, 8.7% had an encephalopathic syndrome that was fatal 45.5% of the time. The rate of severe bullous and maculopapular eruptions was 0.8% and 6.8%, respectively ConclusionsThe 10-day treatment schedule was well implemented in the field and was effective. It reduces treatment duration, drug amount, and hospitalization costs per patient, and it increases treatment-center capacity. The shorter protocol has been recommended by the International Scientific Council for Trypanosomiasis Research and Control for the treatment of late-stage HAT caused by Trypanosoma brucei gambiens
History of the Spanish demersal fishery in the Atlantic and Mediterranean Seas
Long fisheries time series allow the review of baselines and inform our knowledge of past events that have conditioned the recent history of
the stocks. In this study, we investigated trends in fisheries landings data for the most representative Atlantic and Mediterranean demersal
fisheries off the Spanish Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands (1933–1986). The aim was to analyse the evolution of demersal species exploitation and detect changes in landings and fishing tactics. Ten species were selected, which included teleosts, crustaceans, and cephalopods. Results indicated a decrease in Landings Per Unit of Capacity (LPUC) in six of the species examined. While in the Atlantic the process of
substitution or incorporation of new species to the fisheries occurs progressively, in the Mediterranean this incorporation occurs simultaneously for many of the species. Four main fishing tactics (landing pattern obtained from the classification analysis of landings per species)
were identified. Geographically nearby and connected regions developed similar fishing tactics to each other, and also changed over time.
While the fleets from isolated regions were more specialized, and only carrying out one fishing tactic during the study period. Improvements
in LPUC with the implementation of new technology and legislative and management measures were not observed.Postprint2,27
New WHO guidelines for treatment of gambiense human African trypanosomiasis including fexinidazole: substantial changes for clinical practice
Human African trypanosomiasis caused by Trypanosoma brucei gambiense is a parasitic infection that usually progresses to coma and death unless treated. WHO has updated its guidelines for the treatment of this infection on the basis of independent literature reviews and using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation methodology. The first-line treatment options, pentamidine and nifurtimox-eflornithine combination therapy, have been expanded to include fexinidazole, an oral monotherapy given a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency. Fexinidazole is recommended for individuals who are aged 6 years and older with a bodyweight of 20 kg or more, who have first-stage or second-stage gambiense human African trypanosomiasis and a cerebrospinal fluid leucocyte count less than 100 per μL. Nifurtimox-eflornithine combination therapy remains recommended for patients with 100 leucocytes per μL or more. Without clinical suspicion of severe second-stage disease, lumbar puncture can be avoided and fexinidazole can be given. Fexinidazole should only be administered under supervision of trained health staff. Because these recommendations are expected to change clinical practice considerably, health professionals should consult the detailed WHO guidelines. These guidelines will be updated as evidence accrues
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