The measurement and determinants of skill acquisition in young workers' first job

The article analyses participation in five types of training (formal on-site, formal off-site, informal co-worker training, learning by watching and learning by doing) and self-assessed skill acquisition in young Flemish workers' first job. A skill production function is estimated whereby the simultaneity of participation in the different types of training and skill acquisition is taken into account. The results clearly demonstrate the importance of informal training. Formal training participation is found to be only a fraction of total training participation. Moreover, the determinants of total training participation and skill acquisition differ from those of formal training participation. While some training types are complementary, others are clearly substitutes. Finally, most types of training generate additional skills. Nonetheless, learning by doing is found to be complementary to formal education in the production of both specific and general skills, whereas formal training serves as a substitute

TASTE ABATEMENT AND CHARACTERIZATION OF DISPERSIBLE TABLETS OF ARTEMETHER PREPARED BY HOT MELT EXTRUSION

Objective: The aim of this study was to formulate and evaluate a taste-masked formulation using hot melt extrusion approach for artemether.Methods: Taste masking of artemether was done by preparing solid dispersion with coating polymer kollicoatsmartseal 30D using hot melt extrusion. The prepared solid dispersion was subjected to taste masking evaluation like sensory evaluation parameters against five levels set for taste evaluation using artemether as control standard along with in vitro release studies in simulated salivery fluid. After taste evaluation of solid dispersion was subjected to the formulation of dispersible tablets by direct compression method. The final taste masking evaluation of dispersible tablets of solid dispersion containing artemether were done by a sensory evaluation panel of nine members along with in vitro release study in simulated salivary and gastric fluid.Results: The percent drug content was found 35.09±0.06 % in solid dispersion. The drug excipients compatibility studies performed with the help of FTIR instrument and DSC that indicates there were no interactions between drug and polymers. Solid dispersions (1:1, 1:2, 1:3 drug polymer ratio) of artemether were evaluated by sensory evaluation panel from which 1:3 drug: polymer solid dispersion was found more palatable. Release rate study in simulated salivary fluid shown no release but shows release of drug in simulated gastric fluids which indicates that the drug was taste masked. The optimized batch of dispersible tablets (F1) were subjected for evaluation parameters like dispersion time (70±1.90), wetting time (63±1.86), etc. Dissolution studies of optimized formulation indicated that the polymer does not allow drug to release in simulated salivery pH 6.8 but shows immediate release in simulated gastric pH which also confirms taste masking efficiency of polymer. Final optimized F1 batch evaluated for taste masking evaluation by sensory evaluation panel using pure drug as control standard found to be palatable.Conclusion: It may be concluded that kollicoatsmartseal 30D could mask the taste of the drug in salivary pH and shows drug release at gastric pH which confirms its efficiency for taste masking

3-Ethyl-2-methyl-5-methyl­ene-6,7-di­hydroindol-4(5H)-one

The title compound, C12H15NO, a degradation product of molindone hydro­chloride, was prepared by the reaction of molindone with methyl iodide and subsequent reaction of the resulting quaternary ammonium salt with 2N aqueous sodium hydroxide. The newly formed double bond is exocyclic in nature and the carbonyl group is conjugated with the π-electrons of the pyrrole ring. The six-membered ring is in the half-chair conformation. The H atom attached to the N atom is involved in an inter­molecular hydrogen bond with the O atom of a screw-related mol­ecule, thus forming a continuous chain

(2Z,3E)-2-{[1-(4-Chloro­benz­yl)-1H-indol-3-yl]methyl­idene}quinuclidin-3-one oxime

In the title compound, C23H22ClN3O, the benzene ring of the 4-chorobenzyl group makes a dihedral angle of 78.56 (6)° with the best plane of the indole ring. The double bond connecting the aza­bicyclic and indole groups adopts a Z geometry. The geometry adopted by the C=N bond with respect to the N—OH bond is trans. The absolute configuration of the compound was determined from refinement of the Flack parameter

Everything you Want to Know and Never Dared to ask:A Practical Approach to Employing Challenge-Based Learning in Engineering Ethics

Challenge-based learning (CBL) for engineering ethics tasks students with identifying ethical challenges in cooperation with an external partner, e.g., a technology company. As many best-practice parameters of such courses remain unclear, this contribution focuses on a teacher-centric introduction into deploying CBL for engineering ethics. Taking Goodlad's curriculum typology as a point of departure, we discuss practical issues in devising, maintaining and evaluating CBL courses for engineering ethics both in terms of the temporal dimension (before, during and after the course) as well as in terms of the people involved. We will discuss selecting learning objectives, forms of knowledge acquisition, supporting self-organization, and fostering discursive etiquette, as well as cooperative, yet critical attitudes. Additionally, we will delve into strategic matters, e.g., ways to approach potential external partners and maintain fruitful cooperations.</p

Association between mean platelet volume levels and inflammation in SLE patients presented with arthritis

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) may be characterized by periods of remissions and chronic or acute relapses. The complexity of clinical presentation of the SLE patients leads to incorrect evaluation of disease activity. Mean platelet volume (MPV) has been studied as a simple inflammatory marker in several diseases. There is no study in the literature about MPV levels in adult SLE patients with arthritis.Objectives: We aimed to investigate the MPV levels in the SLE population with arthritis during and between activations.Methods: The study consisted of 44 SLE patients with arthritis in activation period (Group 1), the same 44 SLE patients with arthritis in remission period (Group 2) and 44 healthy controls (Group 3). Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), creactive protein (CRP), white blood cell count, platelet count, and mean platelet volume (MPV) levels were retrospectively recorded from patient files.Results: The mean ages of the SLE subjects were 42 ± 16 years, while the mean ages of controls was 41 ± 17 years. MPV was significantly lower in Group 1(7.66±0.89fL) than in Group 2 (8.61±1.06 fL) and Group 3(8.62±1.11fL) (p&lt;0.0001). The differences between groups reached statistical significance.Conclusions: We suggest that MPV levels decrease in patients with arthritis of SLE activation when compared to the same patients in remission and healthy controls.Key words: Systemic lupus erythematosus, Arthritis, Mean platelet volum

Asymptotic adaptive methods for multi-scale problems in fluid mechanics

This paper reports on the results of a three-year research effort aimed at investigating and exploiting the role of physically motivated asymptotic analysis in the design of numerical methods for singular limit problems in fluid mechanics. Such problems naturally arise, among others, in combustion, magneto-hydrodynamics and geophysical fluid mechanics. Typically, they are characterized by multiple space and/or time scales and by the disturbing fact that standard computational techniques fail entirely, are unacceptably expensive, or both. The challenge here is to construct numerical methods which are robust, uniformly accurate, and efficient through different asymptotic regimes and over a wide range of relevant applications. Summaries of multiple scales asymptotic analyses for low Mach number flows, magnetohydrodynamics at small Mach and Alfv´en numbers, and of multiple scales atmospheric flows are provided. These reveal singular balances between selected terms in the respective governing equations within the considered flow regimes. These singularities give rise to problems of severe stiffness, stability, or to dynamic range issues in straightforward numerical discretizations. Aformal mathematical framework for the multiple scales asymptotics is then summarized using the example of multiple length scale – single time scale asymptotics for low Mach number flows. The remainder of the paper focuses on the construction of numerical discretizations for the respective full governing equation systems. These discretizations avoid the pitfalls of singular balances by exploiting the asymptotic results. Importantly, the asymptotics are not used here to derive simplified equation systems, which are then solved numerically. Rather, we aim at numerically integrating the full equation sets and at using the asymptotics only to construct discretizations that do not deteriorate as a singular limit is approached. One important ingredient of this strategy is the numerical identification of a singular limit regime given a set of discrete numerical state variables. This problem is addressed in an exemplary fashion for multiple length – single time scale low Mach number flows in one space dimension. The strategy allows a dynamic determination of an instantaneous relevant Mach number, and it can thus be used to drive the appropriate adjustment of the numerical discretizations when the singular limit regime is approached

Work environment, volume of activity and staffing in neonatal intensive care units in Italy: results of the SONAR-nurse study

Neonatal units' volume of activity, and other quantitative and qualitative variables, such as staffing, workload, work environment, care organization and geographical location, may influence the outcome of high risk newborns. Data about the distribution of these variables and their relationships among Italian neonatal units are lacking

rac-2-(2-Amino-4-oxo-4,5-dihydro-1,3-thia­zol-5-yl)-2-hydroxy­indane-1,3-dione

In the crystal of the title compound, C12H8N2O4S, mol­ecules are linked into chains by a series of inter­molecular O—H⋯O, N—H⋯O and N—H⋯N hydrogen bonds. The ninhydrin and amino­thia­zolidine units make a dihedral angle of 66.41 (3)°. The crystal structure indicates the presence of equimolar R and S enanti­omers in the crystal lattice, due to the presence of a chiral centre in the title compound