Éducation à l‘environnement et efficacité : un outil de travail

Au fil des ans, l’éducation à l’environnement a acquis une grande expérience pratique et la qualité des offres est élevée. Avec la diminution des ressources, l’accent est désormais mis davantage sur l’efficacité. La brochure « Éducation à l‘environnement et efficacité » est conçue pour vous aider à identifier, améliorer et mesurer l’efficacité de vos offres de formation

Umweltbildung mit Wirkung : eine Arbeitshilfe

Umweltbildung hat über die Jahre viel Praxiserfahrung aufgebaut, die Qualität der Angebote ist hoch. Mit knapper werdenden Ressourcen rückt nun vermehrt die Wirkung der Umweltbildung ins Blickfeld. Mit einer Arbeitshilfe werden Anbietende dabei unterstützt, die Wirkung Ihrer Angebote benennen zu können, zu steigern und zu messen

Health Problems After Travel to Developing Countries

Travelers to developing countries participated in a follow-up study of the health risks associated with short (less than three months) visits to these nations. Travelers to the Greek or Canary Islands served as a control cohort. Participants completed a questionnaire to elicit information regarding pretravel vaccinations, malaria prophylaxis, and health problems during and after their journey. Relevant infections were confirmed by the respondent's personal physician. The questionnaire was completed by 10,524 travelers; the answer rate was 73.8%. After a visit to developing countries, 15% of the travelers reported health problems, 8% consulted a doctor, and 3% were unable to work for an average of 15 days. The incidence of infection per month abroad was as follows: giardiasis, 7/1,000; amebiasis, 4/1,000; hepatitis, 4/1,000; gonorrhea, 3/1,000; and malaria, helminthiases, or syphilis, <1/1,000. There were no cases of typhoid fever or choler

Health Problems After Travel to Developing Countries

Travelers to developing countries participated in a follow-up study of the health risks associated with short (less than three months) visits to these nations. Travelers to the Greek or Canary Islands served as a control cohort. Participants completed a questionnaire to elicit information regarding pretravel vaccinations, malaria prophylaxis, and health problems during and after their journey. Relevant infections were confirmed by the respondent's personal physician. The questionnaire was completed by 10,524 travelers; the answer rate was 73.8%. After a visit to developing countries, 15% of the travelers reported health problems, 8% consulted a doctor, and 3% were unable to work for an average of 15 days. The incidence of infection per month abroad was as follows: giardiasis, 7/1,000; amebiasis, 4/1,000; hepatitis, 4/1,000; gonorrhea, 3/1,000; and malaria, helminthiases, or syphilis, <1/1,000. There were no cases of typhoid fever or choler

Clinical impact of manual scoring of peripheral arterial tonometry in patients with sleep apnea.

PURPOSE The objective was to analyze the clinical implications of manual scoring of sleep studies using peripheral arterial tonometry (PAT) and to compare the manual and automated scoring algorithms. METHODS Patients with suspected sleep-disordered breathing underwent sleep studies using PAT. The recordings were analyzed using a validated automated computer-based scoring and a novel manual scoring algorithm. The two methods were compared regarding sleep stages and respiratory events. RESULTS Recordings of 130 patients were compared. The sleep stages and time were not significantly different between the scoring methods. PAT-derived apnea-hypopnea index (pAHI) was on average 8.4 events/h lower in the manually scored data (27.5±17.4/h vs.19.1±15.2/h, p<0.001). The OSA severity classification decreased in 66 (51%) of 130 recordings. A similar effect was found for the PAT-derived respiratory disturbance index with a reduction from 31.2±16.5/h to 21.7±14.4/h (p<0.001), for automated and manual scoring, respectively. A lower pAHI for manual scoring was found in all body positions and sleep stages and was independent of gender and body mass index. The absolute difference of pAHI increased with sleep apnea severity, while the relative difference decreased. Pearson's correlation coefficient between pAHI and oxygen desaturation index (ODI) significantly improved from 0.89 to 0.94 with manual scoring (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Manual scoring results in a lower pAHI while improving the correlation to ODI. With manual scoring, the OSA category decreases in a clinically relevant proportion of patients. Sleep stages and time do not change significantly with manual scoring. In the authors' opinion, manual oversight is recommended if clinical decisions are likely to change

Aquaponic in classrooms as a tool to promote system thinking

„System thinking with Aquaponic“ is an educational concept that aims to train students in system thinking by using a connected fish and plant culture system. System thinking is seen as a central skill in education for sustainability. Between October 2007 and January 2008, a teaching sequence took place with three classes of 7th grade students in the Zurich agglomeration, Switzerland. Several themes were introduced in the lessons by means of a classroom model: what is a system, relationship between system components, feedback loops and self-regulation and finally planning and construction of an Aquaponic classroom system. The students then also operated and monitored the system. The effect of the teaching sequence on system thinking competences was assessed at the beginning and at the end of the sequence. The ability of students to think in a systemic way instead of linear succession improved significantly in the posttest compared to the pretest. In addition, gender specific differences in relation to learning systemic thinking were compared. Female students showed slightly better results than male students; the reasons for this could not be pinpointed

Overnight Immune Regulation and Subjective Measures of Sleep: A Three Night Observational Study in Adolescent Track and Field Athletes

To ensure health maintenance of young athletes, immunological stress due to physical exercise has to be balanced for performance development and health maintenance. Sleep is an important influencing factor for immune regulation because of its regenerating effect. In an attempt to assess overnight immune regulation, this observational study aimed to examine associations between changes in capillary immunological blood markers and measures of sleep in adolescent athletes. Over a period of three nights, 12 male ( n = 6) and female ( n = 6) adolescent track and field athletes aged 16.4 ± 1.1 years were monitored for their sleep behavior (e.g., sleep duration, sleep depth) and immune regulation by using subjective (e.g., sleep) and objective (capillary blood markers) measurement tools. Over the 4 day (three nights), athletes followed their daily routines (school, homework, free time activities, and training). Training was performed for different disciplines (sprint, hurdles, and long-jump) following their daily training routines. Training included dynamic core stability training, coordination training, speed training, resistance training, and endurance training. Capillary blood samples were taken 30–45 min after the last training session (10:00–12:00 a.m. or 5:00–6:00 p.m.) and every morning between 7:00 and 10:00 a.m. Changes in capillary blood markers from post-training to the next morning and morning-to-morning fluctuations in capillary blood markers were analyzed over a three-night period using a generalized estimating equations (GEE) statistical approach. Associations of overnight changes with measures of sleep were analyzed using GEE. We found significant decreases in white blood cell count (WBC), granulocytes (GRAN), granulocytes% (GRAN%), monocytes (MID), and granulocyte-lymphocyte-ratio. In contrast, lymphocytes% (LYM%) increased significantly and systemic inflammation index showed no difference from post-training to the next morning. Furthermore, there was a significant decrease in WBC and GRAN between morning 1 and morning 3. At morning 4, values returned to baseline (morning 1), irrespective if athletes performed a training session or rested on day 3. Furthermore, sleep duration was significantly and negatively associated with changes in WBC (β z = −0.491) and lymphocytes (β z = −0.451). Our results indicate that overnight sleep duration is an important parameter of immunological overnight regulation for adolescent athletes

First detection of the atomic O18 isotope in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere of Earth

In the lower atmosphere of Earth, oxygen contains a higher fraction of the heavy O18 isotope than ocean water does (Dole effect). This isotopic enrichment is a signature of biological activity, set by the equilibrium between oxygenic photosynthesis and respiratory metabolisms in terrestrial and oceanic ecosystems. While the mixing between stratospheric and tropospheric oxygen leads to a slow isotopic homogenization, little is known about the isotopic oxygen enrichment in the mesosphere and thermosphere of Earth. In situ measurements from rocket-borne air samplers are limited to altitudes below the mesopause, while higher layers have only been accessible through the analysis of the oxidation of ancient cosmic spherules. Here we report the detection of the far-infrared fine-structure lines (3P1<-3P2 and 3P0<-3P1) of O18 in absorption against the Moon, and determine the O16/O18 ratio in atomic oxygen from the mesosphere and lower thermosphere in absorption. After correcting for isotopic exchange between atomic and molecular oxygen, our values for the bulk O16/O18 ratio of 468 and 382 in February and November 2021, respectively, fall significantly below that found in solar wind samples (530±2), and encompass, within uncertainties, the corresponding ratios pertaining to the Dole effect in the troposphere (487), and those found in stratospheric ozone (429 to 466). We show that with existing technology, future, more sensitive measurements will allow us to monitor deviations from isotopic homogeneity in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere of Earth by remote sensing. We demonstrate that the collisional excitation of the fine-structure levels of the P3 ground-state triplet of O18 may compete with isotopic exchange reactions, implying a deviation from the Boltzmann distribution that would be established under local thermodynamic equilibrium

Assessing anti-rabies baiting – what happens on the ground?

BACKGROUND: Rabies is one of the most hazardous zoonoses in the world. Oral mass vaccination has developed into the most effective management method to control fox rabies. The future need to control the disease in large countries (i.e. Eastern Europe and the Americas) forces cost-benefit discussions. The 'Increase bait density' option refers to the usual management assumption that more baits per km(2 )could compensate for high fox abundance and override the imperfect supply of bait pieces to the individual fox. METHODS: We use a spatial simulation, which combines explicitly fox space use (tessellation polygons) and aeroplane flight lines (straight lines). The number of baits actually falling into each polygon is measured. The manager's strategic options are converted into changes of the resulting bait distribution on the ground. The comparison enables the rating of the options with respect to the management aim (i.e. accessibility of baits). RESULTS: Above 5% (approx. 10%) of all fox groups without any bait (at most 5 baits) relate to the baiting strategy applied in the field (1 km spaced parallel flight lines, 20 baits per km(2 )distributed) under habitat conditions comparable to middle and western Europe (fox group home-range 1 km(2), 2.5 adults; reference strategy). Increasing the bait density on the same flight-line pattern neither reduces the number of under-baited fox group home-ranges, nor improves the management outcome and hence wastes resources. However, reducing the flight line distance provides a more even bait distribution and thus compensates for missed fox groups or extra high fox density. The reference strategy's bait density can be reduced when accounting for the missed fox groups. The management result with the proper strategy is likely the same but with reduced costs. CONCLUSION: There is no overall optimal strategy for the bait distribution in large areas. For major parts of the landscape, the reference strategy will be more competitive. In situations where set backs are attributed to non-homogeneous bait accessibility the distribution scheme has to be refined zone-based (i.e. increase of the flight line length per unit area). However, increase in bait density above the reference strategy appears inappropriate at least for non-urban abundance conditions of the red fox

PTX3 Polymorphisms and Invasive Mold Infections After Solid Organ Transplant

Donor PTX3 polymorphisms were shown to influence the risk of invasive aspergillosis among hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients. Here, we show that PTX3 polymorphisms are independent risk factors for invasive mold infections among 1101 solid organ transplant recipients, thereby strengthening their role in mold infection pathogenesis and patients' risk stratificatio