Expert system for problem solving in distance university education: The successful case of the subject “operations management”

Acquiring the skills needed to solve certain types of problems is one of the main challenges of distance university education, demanding extra motivation from students to tackle it. New technology should be one of our great allies in addressing these problems. This article proposes an expert system with a web‐based problem‐solving simulator for a multidevice environment in order to allow students to access an unlimited number of problems with their corresponding solutions, immediately, anytime and anywhere. The types of problems that can be used are those based on quantitative methods with a fixed methodology to be followed. A successful case study was carried out for the subject Operations Management at the Distance University of Madrid (UDIMA), with three different problem simulators having been developed. The results were very satisfactory compared with previous academic years in terms of motivation. A decrease in students that did not sit the final examination was observed, as was an increase in the number of visits to the Moodle classroom. Students also responded positively in their assessments of the initiative.     

Health status of the over 60 years of age population and its relationship with sociodemographic factors (ANCO Project)

OBJECTIVE: To describe the health status of a population over 60 years and to study their relationship with several socio-demographic variables. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study, population based. SETTINGS: A community. PARTICIPANTS: A randomized sample of 1,103 non institutionalized people over 60 years living in the city of Cordoba (Spain). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: By mean of a personal interview at home we used the OARS-MFAQ-VE questionnaire. Low self-rated health was associated with the age, to be female sex, a low cultural background, and a low income. Only 5.2% of the study people do not suffered any illness and 56% state that their health problems are major problems for doing their current activities. 4.9% declared to have some degree of physical incapacity. 3.7% of elderly population has an important cognitive deficit. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of elderly people has good health. Age is related with a poor health. Women have more health problems than men.     

Tumor-Stroma Ratio and Programmed Cell Death Ligand 1 Expression in Preoperative Biopsy and Matched Laryngeal Carcinoma Surgical Specimen

Programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) seems to rely on close relations between neoplastic and immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. Tumor to stroma ratio (TSR) has been associated with prognosis in different malignancies. The aims of this exploratory investigation were to analyze for the first time the: (i) association between TSR, PD-L1 expression and other clinical–pathological features in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) biopsies and paired surgical specimens; (ii) prognostic and predictive role of TSR and PD-L1. TSR, PD-L1 expression (in terms of combined positive score [CPS]), and other clinical–pathological features were analyzed in biopsies and surgical specimens of 43 consecutive LSCC cases. A CPS < 1 evaluated on surgical specimens was associated with a low TSR (stroma rich) on both biopsies and surgical specimens (p = 0.0143 and p = 0.0063). Low TSR showed a significant negative prognostic value when evaluated on both biopsies and surgical specimens (HR = 8.808, p = 0.0003 and HR = 11.207, p = 0.0002). CPS ≥ 1 appeared to be a favorable prognostic factor (HR = 0.100, p = 0.0265). The association between bioptic and surgical specimen TSR and PD-L1 expression should be further investigated for a potential impact on targeted treatments, also with regard to immunotherapeutic protocols.     

Composition and seasonal variation of fatty acids of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Diplodus vulgaris</Emphasis> L. from the Adriatic Sea

Muscle tissue from the common two-banded sea bream Diplodus vulgaris L. originating from the Adriatic Sea, Croatia, was analyzed. The FA composition of neutral (TAG) and polar (PE, PC, PI/PS) lipid classes was determined, as well as the lipid and water contents during winter and summer periods. Both the total lipid and water contents were higher in the winter period. We identified 16 different FA. The major constituents of the total FA in both seasons were saturates: palmitic (16∶0) and stearic acids (18∶0); monoenes: oleic (18∶1n−9) and palmitoleic acids (16∶1n−7); and polyunsaturates: arachidonic acid (20∶4n−6), EPA (20∶5n−3), and DHA (22∶6n−3), but their amounts and ratios differed significantly between the two seasons and between lipid fractions. The FA composition showed a noticeable pattern of seasonality that reflected fluctuations mainly in TAG. The diminution of the monounsaturated FA content in the summer was clearly followed by an increase in PUFA content. Diplodus vulgaris is a good source of natural n−3 PUFA and would therefore be suitable for inclusion in highly unsaturated low-fat diets.     

Anticancer Ruthenium(III) Complex KP1019 Interferes with ATP‐Dependent Ca2+ Translocation by Sarco‐Endoplasmic Reticulum Ca2+‐ATPase (SERCA)

Sarco‐endoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺‐ATPase (SERCA), a P‐type ATPase that sustains Ca²⁺ transport and plays a major role in intracellular Ca²⁺ homeostasis, represents a therapeutic target for cancer therapy. Here, we investigated whether ruthenium‐based anticancer drugs, namely KP1019 (indazolium [trans‐tetrachlorobis(1H‐indazole)ruthenate(III)]), NAMI‐A (imidazolium [trans‐tetrachloro(1H‐imidazole)(S‐dimethylsulfoxide)ruthenate(III)]) and RAPTA‐C ([Ru(η⁶‐p‐cymene)dichloro(1,3,5‐triaza‐7‐phosphaadamantane)]), and cisplatin (cis‐diammineplatinum(II) dichloride) might act as inhibitors of SERCA. Charge displacement by SERCA adsorbed on a solid‐supported membrane was measured after ATP or Ca²⁺ concentration jumps. Our results show that KP1019, in contrast to the other metal compounds, is able to interfere with ATP‐dependent translocation of Ca²⁺ ions. An IC₅₀ value of 1 μM was determined for inhibition of calcium translocation by KP1019. Conversely, it appears that KP1019 does not significantly affect Ca²⁺ binding to the ATPase from the cytoplasmic side. Inhibition of SERCA at pharmacologically relevant concentrations may represent a crucial aspect in the overall pharmacological and toxicological profile of KP1019.     

Nitrogen cycling in tropical grass-legume pastures managed under canopy light interception

Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems - In grass-legume pastures, grazing management strategies are an essential factor affecting nitrogen (N) cycling. This study assessed the impact of grazing...     

Impact of N on the atomic-scale Sb distribution in quaternary GaAsSbN-capped InAs quantum dots

The use of GaAsSbN capping layers on InAs/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) has recently been proposed for micro- and optoelectronic applications for their ability to independently tailor electron and hole confinement potentials. However, there is a lack of knowledge about the structural and compositional changes associated with the process of simultaneous Sb and N incorporation. In the present work, we have characterized using transmission electron microscopy techniques the effects of adding N in the GaAsSb/InAs/GaAs QD system. Firstly, strain maps of the regions away from the InAs QDs had revealed a huge reduction of the strain fields with the N incorporation but a higher inhomogeneity, which points to a composition modulation enhancement with the presence of Sb-rich and Sb-poor regions in the range of a few nanometers. On the other hand, the average strain in the QDs and surroundings is also similar in both cases. It could be explained by the accumulation of Sb above the QDs, compensating the tensile strain induced by the N incorporation together with an In-Ga intermixing inhibition. Indeed, compositional maps of column resolution from aberration-corrected Z-contrast images confirmed that the addition of N enhances the preferential deposition of Sb above the InAs QD, giving rise to an undulation of the growth front. As an outcome, the strong redshift in the photoluminescence spectrum of the GaAsSbN sample cannot be attributed only to the N-related reduction of the conduction band offset but also to an enhancement of the effect of Sb on the QD band structure.     

Melting behavior and crystallization kinetics of poly(butylene terephthalate‐co‐diethylene terephthalate) and poly(butylene terephthalate‐co‐triethylene terephthalate) copolyesters

The melting behavior of poly(butylene terephthalate‐co‐diethylene terephthalate) and poly(butylene terephthalate‐co‐triethylene terephthalate) copolymers was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry after isothermal crystallization from the melt. Multiple endotherms were found for all the samples, and attributed to the melting and recrystallization processes. By applying the Hoffman‐Weeks' method, the equilibrium melting temperatures of the copolymers under investigation were obtained. Two distinct peaks in the crystallization exothermic curve were observed for all the samples. Both of them appeared at higher times than that of PBT, indicating that the introduction of a comonomer decreased the crystallization rate. The observed dependence of this latter on composition was explained on the basis of the content of ether–oxygen atoms in diethylene and triethylene terephthalate units, and of the different sizes of these units. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 81: 3545–3551, 2001     

Melting behavior,crystallization kinetics and morphology of random copolyesters of poly(2‐hydroxyethoxybenzoate) with ε‐caprolactone

The melting behavior after isothermal crystallization and the crystallization kinetics of random poly(2‐hydroxyethoxybenzoate/ε‐caprolactone) copolymers rich in 2hydroxyethoxybenzoate units were investigated by means of differential scanning calorimetry and hot‐stage optical microscopy. The observed multiple endotherms, which are commonly displayed by polyesters, were found to be influenced both by crystallization temperature and composition. By applying the Hoffman‐Weeks method to the melting temperatures of isothermally crystallized samples, the equilibrium melting temperatures of the copolymers were obtained. Furthermore, isothemal crystallization kinetics was analyzed according to the Avrami treatment. Values of the exponent n close to 3 were obtained, independently of crystallization temperature and composition, in agreement with a crystallization process originating from predeterminated nuclei and characterized by three‐dimensional spherulitic growth. Space‐filling banded spherulites were observed by hot‐stage optical polarizing microscopy at all the crystallization temperatures explored, the band spacing being affected by both crystallization temperature and composition. As expected, the introduction of ε‐caprolactone comonomeric units in the polymer chain of PHEBA was found to decrease its crystallization rate.     

Up-Regulation of mRNA Ventricular PRNP Prion Protein Gene Expression in Air Pollution Highly Exposed Young Urbanites: Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress,Glucose Regulated Protein 78, and Nanosized Particles

Mexico City Metropolitan Area children and young adults exposed to high concentrations of air pollutants including fine and ultrafine particulate matter (PM) vs. clean air controls, exhibit myocardial inflammation and inflammasome activation with a differential right and left ventricular expression of key inflammatory genes and inflammasomes. We investigated the mRNA expression levels of the prion protein gene PRNP, which plays an important role in the protection against oxidative stress and metal toxicity, and the glucose regulated protein 78, a key protein in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress signaling, in ventricular autopsy samples from 30 children and young adults age 19.97 ± 6.8 years with a lifetime of low (n:4) vs. high (n:26) air pollution exposures. Light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy studies were carried out in human ventricles, and electron microscopy studies were also done in 5 young, highly exposed Mexico City dogs. There was significant left ventricular PRNP and bi-ventricular GRP78 mRNA up-regulation in Mexico City young urbanites vs. controls. PRNP up-regulation in the left ventricle was significantly different from the right, p < 0.0001, and there was a strong left ventricular PRNP and GRP78 correlation (p = 0.0005). Marked abnormalities in capillary endothelial cells, numerous nanosized particles in myocardial ER and in abnormal mitochondria characterized the highly exposed ventricles. Early and sustained cardiac ER stress could result in detrimental irreversible consequences in urban children, and while highly complex systems maintain myocardial homeostasis, failure to compensate for chronic myocardial inflammation, oxidative and ER stress, and particles damaging myocardial organelles may prime the development of pathophysiological cardiovascular states in young urbanites. Nanosized PM could play a key cardiac myocyte toxicity role.