MUVOT - Establishing an International Vocational Training Program on the Topic of Measurement Uncertainty

Measurement results represent important information, which are necessary for evaluating and improving the quality of manufactured products and to control manufacturing processes. Furthermore, they build the basis for numerous decisions in the field of quality management, process and production automation or product development and design. Knowledge about the acquisition, evaluation and interpretation of measurement data as well as an understanding of the relevant influences on those measurement results are essential for employees working in the field of manufacturing metrology. Measurement results are always afflicted with deviations, due to a variety of causes. It follows that in order to assign a value to the reliability and quality of a measurement result its uncertainty must be determined and considered. However, employees in the field of quality management or metrology are often not familiar with methods for determination and interpretation of measurement uncertainty, because appropriate opportunities for training are missing in current vocational education. This need has led to the creation of the European project MUVoT, which will create a course for advanced vocational training in determining measurement uncertainty. The training course is based on a blended learning concept, combining self-dependent learning via a web-based platform and face-to-face workshops. This allows the adaption of individual knowledge and skills by self-controlled learning of abstract contents whilst the exercises enable the practical application of typical methods, which are generally considered as quite complex by many employees, and thus assure correct understanding. The featured Blended Learning concept facilitates the integration of the training into a workplace setting, thus the idea of Lifelong Learning is promoted in new fields of application. The curriculum and training concept for this newly developed training program have been designed such that the course can be applied internationally. To facilitate this, a harmonized scheme for course structure and contents has been defined albeit with inherent flexibility, allowing the adaptation to specific constraints

Role of intrinsic antioxidant enzymes in renal oxidant injury

Role of intrinsic antioxidant enzymes in renal oxidant injury. To investigate the functional role of renal intrinsic antioxidant enzymes (AOEs), the levels of AOE activities in isolated glomeruli and the changes in renal function to oxidant insults were assessed in normal control rats (NC, N = 23) and rats subjected to 30-minutes of complete renal ischemia for three days (day-3, N = 20) or six days (day-6, N = 23) prior to study. When compared to NC, the activities of total and manganese (cyanide-insensitive) superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase were increased more than twofold in day-6 animals, on average, from 36 ± 4 U/mg protein, 9 ± 1 U/mg protein, 129 ± 21 U/mg protein and 1.32 ± 0.20 k/mg protein, respectively, to 80 ± 5, 27 ± 3, 283 ± 41 and 3.20 ± 0.20, respectively (P < 0.05 for all). There were no changes in AOE activities in day-3 animals. In day-6 animals, however, the activities of non-AOEs, LDH and fumarase were found to be unaffected. Separate groups of NC (N = 12), day-3 (N = 5) and day-6 (N = 12) rats were subjected to either 30 minutes of ischemia plus 60 minutes of reperfusion (I/R) or unilateral i.a. infusion of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2, 35 µmoles in 1 hr). The degree of reduction in inulin and para-amino hippurate clearance rates following I/R were significantly less in day-6 (-21 ± 3% and -12 ± 2, respectively) compared to NC (-69 ± 9% and -59 ± 11, respectively) or day-3 rats (-73 ± 1% and -62 ± 10, respectively). Likewise, whereas urine protein excretion rate increased markedly following H2O2 administration in NC (from 4 ± 1 µg/min to 309 ± 29), proteinuria did not develop in day-6 (from 5 ± 1 µg/min to 5 ± 3). These findings suggest that renal intrinsic AOE activities can be augmented by the insult of I/R, and the enhanced AOE activities provide kidneys with an effective defense system against ROS-mediated injuries. Thus, the prevailing AOE activity levels within the kidney appear to be an important determinant for renal dysfunction induced by ROS

Thrive: Success Strategies for the Modern-Day Faculty Member

The THRIVE collection is intended to help faculty thrive in their roles as educators, scholars, researchers, and clinicians. Each section contains a variety of thought-provoking topics that are designed to be easily digested, guide personal reflection, and put into action. Please use the THRIVE collection to help: Individuals study topics on their own, whenever and wherever they want Peer-mentoring or other learning communities study topics in small groups Leaders and planners strategically insert faculty development into existing meetings Faculty identify campus experts for additional learning, grand rounds, etc. If you have questions or want additional information on a topic, simply contact the article author or email [email protected]://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/facdev_books/1000/thumbnail.jp

Arundifungin, a novel antifungal compound produced by fungi: biological activity and taxonomy of the producing organisms

Echinocandins, the lipopeptide class of glucan synthase inhibitors, are an alternative to ergosterol-synthesis inhibitors to treat candidiasis and aspergillosis. Their oral absorption, however, is low and they can only be used parenterally. During a natural product screening program for novel types of glucan synthesis inhibitors with improved bioavailability, a fungal extract was found that inhibited the growth of both a wild-type Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain and the null mutant of the FKS1 gene (fks1::HIS). The mutant strain was more sensitive to growth inhibition, suggesting that the fungal extract could contain an inhibitor of glucan synthesis. A novel acidic steroid, named arundifungin, was purified from a fungal extract obtained from a liquid culture of Arthrinium arundinis collected in Costa Rica. Arundifungin caused the same pattern of hallmark morphological alterations in Aspergillus fumigatus hyphae as echinocandins, further supporting the idea that arundifungin belongs to a new class of glucan synthesis inhibitors. Moreover, its antifungal spectrum was comparable to those of echinocandins and papulacandins, preferentially inhibiting the growth of Candida and Aspergillus strains, with very poor activity against Cryptococcus. Arundifungin was also detected in nine other fungal isolates which were ecologically and taxonomically unrelated, as assessed by sequencing of the ITS1 region. Further, it was also found in two more Arthrinium spp from tropical and temperate regions, in five psychrotolerant conspecific isolates collected on Macquarie Island South Pacific) and belonging to the Leotiales, and in two endophytes collected in central Spain a sterile fungus belonging to the Leotiales and an undetermined coelomycete)