A vision about lifelong learning and its barriers

Around 25 years ago, some researchers argued for moving towards innovative learning models characterized by being more personalized and where the students would have a more active role in deciding what to learn, when to learn and how to learn. Nowadays, there is a need for a flexible, efficient, universal and lifelong education. Lifelong learning is fully integrated into our society and, from the student point of view, it is very different from regular learning. Among these differences there is the maturity of students, the fact that the domains of interest are much broader, the way how learning occurs at different depths, the fact that the topics to study may be related both to work, family and leisure, and that students have little availability due to their necessity to conciliate home, work, leisure and learning. Lifelong learning requires personalized models that adapt to students'' needs and constraints, but lifelong learners keep suffering from models that are neither adapted to their necessities, nor to the needs of society. This paper reflects on the actual situation of lifelong learning, analyses some of the relevant literature and discusses the challenges to conceptualize, from a transdisciplinary point of view, innovative e-learning models that promote self-determination of students

EFFECT OF FEEDING DINNING ROOM AND KITCHEN WASTE ON GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF GROWING PIGS

This research used 41 growing backyard piglets (11.47 ± 1.2 kg BW) fed for 22 d and assigned at random to three treatment (T) groups, respectively (T1 to T3) with three repetitions. The proportion of commercial concentrate (CC) to kitchen waste (DW) was: T1, 100:0; T2, 50:50 and T3, 0:100. Diets contained: T1, 17.3, 13.6 and 16.3% CP and 3,321, 3,526 and 4,011 McCall/kg of ME, respectively. Weight gain, carcass characteristics, minerals and metabolites in blood serum were evaluated. The weight gain, slaughter weight, hot and cold carcass weight, hot and cold carcass yield, rib eye area and back fat thickness were not affected by DW (P> 0.05). The cuts of leg shoulder and rib were not affected by treatment (P> 0.05) for dry matter, ash and crude protein content. The increase in DW reduced ether extract content of leg and rib (P <0.05) but not in shoulder (P> 0.05). The concentration of Ca decreased with DW inclusion (P <0.05). No treatment effect was observed in blood metabolites (P> 0.05). It is concluded that feeding with DW the backyard growing pig do not affect growth performance or quality of meat

TRIB3 suppresses tumorigenesis by controlling mTORC2/AKT/FOXO signaling.

In a recent article, we found that Tribbles pseudokinase 3 (TRIB3) plays a tumor suppressor role and that this effect relies on the dysregulation of the phosphorylation of v-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog (AKT) by the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2 complex), and the subsequent hyperphosphorylation and inactivation of the transcription factor Forkhead box O3 (FOXO3)

EXTL3 mutations cause skeletal dysplasia, immune deficiency, and developmental delay.

We studied three patients with severe skeletal dysplasia, T cell immunodeficiency, and developmental delay. Whole-exome sequencing revealed homozygous missense mutations affecting exostosin-like 3 (EXTL3), a glycosyltransferase involved in heparan sulfate (HS) biosynthesis. Patient-derived fibroblasts showed abnormal HS composition and altered fibroblast growth factor 2 signaling, which was rescued by overexpression of wild-type EXTL3 cDNA. Interleukin-2-mediated STAT5 phosphorylation in patients' lymphocytes was markedly reduced. Interbreeding of the extl3-mutant zebrafish (box) with Tg(rag2:green fluorescent protein) transgenic zebrafish revealed defective thymopoiesis, which was rescued by injection of wild-type human EXTL3 RNA. Targeted differentiation of patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells showed a reduced expansion of lymphohematopoietic progenitor cells and defects of thymic epithelial progenitor cell differentiation. These data identify EXTL3 mutations as a novel cause of severe immune deficiency with skeletal dysplasia and developmental delay and underline a crucial role of HS in thymopoiesis and skeletal and brain development

Study of large hemispherical photomultiplier tubes for the ANTARES neutrino telescope

The ANTARES neutrino telescope, to be immersed depth in the Mediterranean Sea, will consist of a 3 dimensional matrix of 900 large area photomultiplier tubes housed in pressure resistant glass spheres. The selection of the optimal photomultiplier was a critical step for the project and required an intensive phase of tests and developments carried out in close collaboration with the main manufacturers worldwide. This paper provides an overview of the tests performed by the collaboration and describes in detail the features of the PMT chosen for ANTARES

Effects of begging on growth rates of nestling chicks

We investigated whether an increase in begging levels delays growth of chicks. In experiment 1, we hand-reared nine pairs of ring dove squabs, divided into a control and a begging group. All squabs received similar amounts of food, but those in the begging group had to beg for a prolonged period in order to be fed, while squabs in the control group received food without begging. Squabs stopped responding to the treatment after 10 days and, at that time, there was no effect of induced begging on their body mass. In experiment 2, we hand-reared 27 pairs of magpie chicks for 3 days. The design of experiment 2 was similar to that of experiment 1. Daily food intake and begging affected growth rates. On average, chicks in the begging group grew 0.8 g/day less than control chicks, which represents a decrease of 8.15% in growth rate. Because growth is usually positively associated with expected fitness, this demonstrates that begging is a costly behavior, an assumption routinely made in models of begging behavior. [KEYWORDS: cost of signaling, handicap principle, magpies, Pica pica, ring doves, signaling of need, Streptopelia risoria]

Phase transition sequence in ferroelectric Aurivillius compounds investigated by single crystal X-ray diffraction

International audienceThe investigation of the phase transition sequence in SrBi2Ta2O9 (SBT) and SrBi2Nb2O9 (SBN) is reported using single-crystal X-ray diffraction. By monitoring specific reflections as a function of temperature, sensitive either to the superstructure formation or to polar displacements, it was possible to check the existence or not of an intermediate phase. This latter was confirmed in SBT, but within experimental accuracy could not be detected in SBN

Phase transition sequence in ferroelectric Aurivillius compounds investigated by single crystal X-ray diffraction

International audienceThe investigation of the phase transition sequence in SrBi2Ta2O9 (SBT) and SrBi2Nb2O9 (SBN) is reported using single-crystal X-ray diffraction. By monitoring specific reflections as a function of temperature, sensitive either to the superstructure formation or to polar displacements, it was possible to check the existence or not of an intermediate phase. This latter was confirmed in SBT, but within experimental accuracy could not be detected in SBN