Profiles of learner readers and their early literacy skills and environmental predictors: a large-scale longitudinal study from preschool to grade 1

As part of the French national cohort ELFE, a two-year longitudinal study was conducted and children’s literacy skills were assessed twice (N = 2,767), namely at the end of preschool (t1) and at the end of Grade 1 (t2). At t1, letter-name knowledge (LNK), phonological skills (PhoSk) and vocabulary were assessed and at t2, phonemic segmentation, word reading, listening and reading comprehension. Latent profile analyses conducted at t2 resulted in five profiles, ranging from good readers (48.8%), to average readers above the mean (16.2%), readers with very low phonological awareness skill (8.2%), poor readers with low reading comprehension skill (19.4%), and poor readers with general difficulties (7.4%). Two early literacy skills (LNK and PhoSk) and two environmental variables (parents’ educational level and household income) constituted good predictors of membership of a profile. However, home literacy practices also predicted membership of the good reader/poor reader profiles, albeit at a lower level

Interim Evaluation of the Direct Actions under the Euratom Research and Training Programme (2014 - 2018)

This report presents an interim evaluation of the direct actions of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission under the Euratom research and training programme (2014 - 2018), conducted halfway through the programme by a panel of high-level independent experts. The panel had extensive knowledge and experience in matters of Euratom research and the wider responsibilities of the European Commission related to nuclear safety and security in a European and an international context. During the reporting period the JRC has shown the ability to lead through coordination, bringing together its own research efforts with those in the Member States. The JRC concentrated its nuclear work in one directorate and more in general the JRC has given successful follow up to recommendations from previous evaluations. The European knowledge manager for nuclear safety and security; the European voice for nuclear; Responsible for the largest single nuclear research effort of the European Atomic Energy Community, the JRC shows its frontline position in this area in all modesty. As the European Commission’s science and knowledge service, the JRC has an excellent position to communicate reliable information on nuclear matters, not only to the nuclear organisations, but also to the other stakeholders, notably the politicians and the public. The positive conclusions and recommendations at the end of this report should help the JRC and the Commission preparing sound proposals for a Council regulation for the Euratom research and training programme 2019 - 2020 and for the next Euratom programme (2021 - 2025).JRC.ADV02-Adviser for Evaluation and Scientific Integrit

Wettability of partially suspended graphene

The dependence of the wettability of graphene on the nature of the underlying substrate remains only partially understood. Here, we systematically investigate the role of liquid-substrate interactions on the wettability of graphene by varying the area fraction of suspended graphene from 0 to 95% by means of nanotextured substrates. We find that completely suspended graphene exhibits the highest water contact angle (85° ± 5°) compared to partially suspended or supported graphene, regardless of the hydrophobicity (hydrophilicity) of the substrate. Further, 80% of the long-range water-substrate interactions are screened by the graphene monolayer, the wettability of which is primarily determined by short-range graphene-liquid interactions. By its well-defined chemical and geometrical properties, supported graphene therefore provides a model system to elucidate the relative contribution of short and long range interactions to the macroscopic contact angle

Effects of the oral endothelin-receptor antagonist bosentan on echocardiographic and doppler measures in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of bosentan (125 or 250 mg twice daily) on echocardiographic and Doppler variables in 85 patients with World Health Organization class III or IV pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). BACKGROUND Bosentan, an orally active dual endothelin-receptor antagonist, improves symptoms, exercise capacity, and hemodynamics in patients with PAH. METHODS Patients had primary pulmonary hypertension (84%) or PAH associated with connective tissue disease. Of these, 29 patients received placebo and 56 received bosentan (1:2 randomization). Six-minute walk tests and echocardiograms were performed at baseline and after 16 weeks of treatment. RESULTS Baseline characteristics were similar in the placebo and bosentan groups, and echocardiographic and Doppler findings were consistent with marked abnormalities of right ventricular (RV) and left ventricular (LV) structure and function that were due to PAH. The treatment effect on 6-min walking distance was 37 m in favor of bosentan (p = 0.036). Treatment effects of bosentan compared with placebo on other parameters were as follows: Doppler-derived cardiac index = + 0.4 l/min/m2(p = 0.007), LV early diastolic filling velocity = + 10.5 cm/s (p = 0.003), LV end-diastolic area = + 4.2 cm2(p = 0.003), LV systolic eccentricity index = -0.12 (p = 0.047), RV end-systolic area = -2.3 cm2(p = 0.057), RV:LV diastolic areas ratio = -0.64 (p = 0.007), Doppler RV index = -0.06 (p = 0.03), and percentage of patients with an improvement in pericardial effusion score = 17% (p = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Bosentan improves RV systolic function and LV early diastolic filling and leads to a decrease in RV dilation and an increase in LV size in patients with PAH

Effects of the oral endothelin-receptor antagonist bosentan on echocardiographic and doppler measures in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of bosentan (125 or 250 mg twice daily) on echocardiographic and Doppler variables in 85 patients with World Health Organization class III or IV pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). BACKGROUND Bosentan, an orally active dual endothelin-receptor antagonist, improves symptoms, exercise capacity, and hemodynamics in patients with PAH. METHODS Patients had primary pulmonary hypertension (84%) or PAH associated with connective tissue disease. Of these, 29 patients received placebo and 56 received bosentan (1:2 randomization). Six-minute walk tests and echocardiograms were performed at baseline and after 16 weeks of treatment. RESULTS Baseline characteristics were similar in the placebo and bosentan groups, and echocardiographic and Doppler findings were consistent with marked abnormalities of right ventricular (RV) and left ventricular (LV) structure and function that were due to PAH. The treatment effect on 6-min walking distance was 37 m in favor of bosentan (p = 0.036). Treatment effects of bosentan compared with placebo on other parameters were as follows: Doppler-derived cardiac index = + 0.4 l/min/m2(p = 0.007), LV early diastolic filling velocity = + 10.5 cm/s (p = 0.003), LV end-diastolic area = + 4.2 cm2(p = 0.003), LV systolic eccentricity index = -0.12 (p = 0.047), RV end-systolic area = -2.3 cm2(p = 0.057), RV:LV diastolic areas ratio = -0.64 (p = 0.007), Doppler RV index = -0.06 (p = 0.03), and percentage of patients with an improvement in pericardial effusion score = 17% (p = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Bosentan improves RV systolic function and LV early diastolic filling and leads to a decrease in RV dilation and an increase in LV size in patients with PAH

T. cruzi OligoC-TesT: A Simplified and Standardized Polymerase Chain Reaction Format for Diagnosis of Chagas Disease

Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis) is caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi and represents a major public health problem in Latin America. Furthermore, growing human population movements extend the disease distribution to regions outside the South American continent. Accurate diagnosis is crucial in patient care and in preventing transmission through blood transfusion, organ transplantation, or vertical transmission from mother to child. Routine diagnosis of Trypanosoma cruzi infection generally is based on detection of the host's antibodies against the parasite. However, antibody detection tests are liable to specificity problems and are of limited use in assessing treatment outcome and congenital infections. The introduction of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify specific DNA sequences opened promising diagnostic perspectives. Despite its reported high sensitivity and specificity, broad use of the PCR technique in diagnosis of Chagas disease is hampered by its complexity and the lack of any standardization. We here present the development and evaluation of the T. cruzi OligoC-TesT, a simple and standardized dipstick format for detection of PCR amplified T. cruzi DNA. The new tool is an important step towards simplified and standardized molecular diagnosis of Chagas disease

“Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Sex (but Were Afraid to Ask)” in Leishmania after Two Decades of Laboratory and Field Analyses

Leishmaniases remain a major public health problem today (350 million people at risk, 12 million infected, and 2 million new infections per year). Despite the considerable progress in cellular and molecular biology and in evolutionary genetics since 1990, the debate on the population structure and reproductive mode of Leishmania is far from being settled and therefore deserves further investigation. Two major hypotheses coexist: clonality versus sexuality. However, because of the lack of clear evidence (experimental or biological confirmation) of sexuality in Leishmania parasites, until today it has been suggested and even accepted that Leishmania species were mainly clonal with infrequent genetic recombination (see [1] for review). Two recent publications, one on Leishmania major (an in vitro experimental study) and one on Leishmania braziliensis (a population genetics analysis), once again have challenged the hypothesis of clonal reproduction. Indeed, the first study experimentally evidenced genetic recombination and proposed that Leishmania parasites are capable of having a sexual cycle consistent with meiotic processes inside the insect vector. The second investigation, based on population genetics studies, showed strong homozygosities, an observation that is incompatible with a predominantly clonal mode of reproduction at an ecological time scale (∼20–500 generations). These studies highlight the need to advance the knowledge of Leishmania biology. In this paper, we first review the reasons stimulating the continued debate and then detail the next essential steps to be taken to clarify the Leishmania reproduction model. Finally, we widen the discussion to other Trypanosomatidae and show that the progress in Leishmania biology can improve our knowledge of the evolutionary genetics of American and African trypanosomes

Omecamtiv mecarbil in chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, GALACTIC‐HF: baseline characteristics and comparison with contemporary clinical trials

Aims: The safety and efficacy of the novel selective cardiac myosin activator, omecamtiv mecarbil, in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is tested in the Global Approach to Lowering Adverse Cardiac outcomes Through Improving Contractility in Heart Failure (GALACTIC‐HF) trial. Here we describe the baseline characteristics of participants in GALACTIC‐HF and how these compare with other contemporary trials. Methods and Results: Adults with established HFrEF, New York Heart Association functional class (NYHA) ≥ II, EF ≤35%, elevated natriuretic peptides and either current hospitalization for HF or history of hospitalization/ emergency department visit for HF within a year were randomized to either placebo or omecamtiv mecarbil (pharmacokinetic‐guided dosing: 25, 37.5 or 50 mg bid). 8256 patients [male (79%), non‐white (22%), mean age 65 years] were enrolled with a mean EF 27%, ischemic etiology in 54%, NYHA II 53% and III/IV 47%, and median NT‐proBNP 1971 pg/mL. HF therapies at baseline were among the most effectively employed in contemporary HF trials. GALACTIC‐HF randomized patients representative of recent HF registries and trials with substantial numbers of patients also having characteristics understudied in previous trials including more from North America (n = 1386), enrolled as inpatients (n = 2084), systolic blood pressure < 100 mmHg (n = 1127), estimated glomerular filtration rate < 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 (n = 528), and treated with sacubitril‐valsartan at baseline (n = 1594). Conclusions: GALACTIC‐HF enrolled a well‐treated, high‐risk population from both inpatient and outpatient settings, which will provide a definitive evaluation of the efficacy and safety of this novel therapy, as well as informing its potential future implementation

Des ressources en uranium suffisamment abondantes ?

Les perspectives de croissance de la demande mondiale d’électricité sont bien connues et, quelle que soit l’origine des scénarios (AIE, CME, IIASA), des croissances de 2 à 3 % par an pendant plusieurs décades sont envisagées. De nombreux signaux indiquent que la production d’électricité d’origine nucléaire devrait participer significativement à la satisfaction de ces besoins croissants. La sécurité d’approvisionnement en énergie, la compétitivité économique, la stabilité des coûts de production à long terme et la réduction des émissions de gaz à effet de serre sont bien sûr les arguments les plus solides en faveur d’une expansion de la capacité nucléaire mondiale. Cette expansion ne sera néanmoins rendue possible que si les ressources en uranium correspondantes sont disponibles. Cet article fait le point sur cette question