Search

Sexual violence and sexual harassment (SVSH) are prevalent among college and university students; however, the experiences of ethnic minority students, especially Asians, are understudied. This study aimed to reduce this gap by exploring Asian students' perceptions of SVSH on three public university campuses in Southern California. We examined their perceptions about the campus environment related to SVSH, attitudes, and behaviors toward help seeking, and utilization of on-campus resources. A total of 23 in-depth interviews were conducted with Asian students enrolled at the three University of California campuses. Thematic coding was conducted to generate main themes and subthemes. Five main themes emerged: (a) SVSH is considered a "taboo" topic in Asian culture and family systems, and Asian student survivors are often reluctant to disclose incidents or seek support services. (b) Students did not feel their campus environments were tailored to understand or meet the sociocultural realities and needs of Asian student survivors. (c) Campus SVSH services and reporting processes were seen as non-transparent. (d) Peers were the major source of support and SVSH information, as opposed to official campus-based resources and training. (e) Survivors often conduct an internal cost-benefit analysis evaluating their decision about whether to report. This study highlights the lack of conversation surrounding SVSH in Asian families, and how the cultural stigma of sex and sexual violence prevented Asian students from receiving knowledge and resources about these topics in their families. Instead of relying on formal campus resources (e.g., Title IX and confidential advocacy services, mental health services), many students turn to their peers for support. Thus, facilitating peer support groups, training university students to support each other through SVSH incidents, and tailoring campus services to the diverse cultural backgrounds of students are key considerations to foster a safe campus environment and prevent SVSH.

Physics preparation for primary school teachers has received attention only in recent decades. Research on science education provides useful guidelines, often disregarded. Several interrelated research questions must be addressed by field research, namely, (a) which physics subjects to teach in primary school and its relationships with other sciences, technology, and mathematics; (b) how to prepare teachers to grasp the complexity of their tasks; and (c) how to bridge pre-service and in-service training. In this study, we describe innovative aspects of a course, based on the research and action research of our research group, that aims to overcome the limitations of a purely academic approach. Future teachers are dynamically involved in activities in informal and formal contexts and in the training of in-service teachers' activities. The idea of cognitive resonance and a phenomenological approach to the modeling process are the basis of the activities that integrate key concepts of physics with transversal ones to develop skills in physics, mathematics, technology, and language. Field research carried out with qualitative methods shows that the course, despite being demanding, is well received by students. Dozens of students are then involved in the activities of the group when they start a teaching career at school.

Background: Adoption of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in the “real world” has been poorly investigated. Aim of this study was to examine the rate of NACT in Italy, trends over time and determinants of therapeutic choices. Methods: Senonetwork, the recognized network of Breast Centers in Italy, has developed a voluntary national data warehouse with the aim to monitor and improve treatments quality. A retrospective analysis was conducted among 58,661 breast cancer (BC) patients treated between 2017 and 2022 by 24 high-volume Breast Centers participating in the project. Results: After subset exclusion, 37,215 primary BC patients were analysed, 32,933 underwent primary-breast-surgery and 4,282 underwent NACT. From 2017 to 2022, the overall NACT incidence increased particularly for HR-/HER2+, Triple-Negative, and HR+/HER2+ BC (p

Resumo A linguagem compreende aspectos ligados tanto à essência, quanto ao uso. O uso da palavra está associado ao seu significado e à sua adoção, ou seja, entende-se o significado de uma expressão quando é possível compreender as regras de seu uso. Os jogos de linguagem apresentam regras constituídas a partir de um uso coletivo, ou seja, da sua prática geral determinada por uma comunidade em que as palavras estão inseridas. O objetivo deste estudo é investigar que aspectos dos jogos de linguagem podem auxiliar na identificação de formas de representar o conhecimento na linguagem carcerária. A pesquisa foi desenvolvida na Penitenciária Masculina de Florianópolis, utilizando a técnica da observação in loco, e está caracterizada como descritiva, exploratória e bibliográfica. Os termos foram coletados por meio de entrevistas realizadas com 26 pessoas privadas de liberdade. A partir da análise aqui realizada, é possível afirmar que os jogos de linguagem estão presentes nas prisões e são formas manifestas de representação do conhecimento.

Background Percutaneous left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) has been suggested as an alternative to long‐term oral anticoagulation for nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, but comparative data remain scarce. We aimed to assess ischemic and bleeding outcomes of LAAC compared with vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) or direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) for the prevention of cardioembolic events in patients with atrial fibrillation. Methods and Results Embase and MEDLINE were searched for randomized trials comparing LAAC, VKAs, and DOACs. The primary efficacy end point was any stroke or systemic embolism. Treatment effects were calculated from a network meta‐analysis and ranked according to the surface under the cumulative ranking curve. Seven trials and 73 199 patients were included. The risk of the primary end point was not statistically different between LAAC versus VKAs (odds ratio [OR], 0.92 [95% CI, 0.62–1.50]) and LAAC versus DOACs (OR, 1.11 [95% CI, 0.71–1.73]). LAAC and DOACs resulted in similar risk of major or minor (OR, 0.93 [95% CI, 0.61–1.42]) and major bleeding (OR, 0.92 [95% CI, 0.58–1.46]); however, after exclusion of procedural bleeding, bleeding risk was significantly lower in those undergoing LAAC. Both LAAC and DOACs reduced the risk of all‐cause death compared with VKAs (LAAC versus VKAs: OR, 0.70 [95% CI, 0.53–0.91]; DOACs versus VKAs: OR, 0.90 [95% CI, 0.85–0.95], respectively). DOACs ranked as the best treatment for stroke or systemic embolism prevention (66.9%) and LAAC for reducing major bleeding (63.9%) and death (96.4%). Conclusions As a nonpharmacological alternative to oral anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation, LAAC showed similar efficacy and safety compared with VKAs or DOACs. Prospective confirmation from larger studies is warranted.

Campus-based sexual violence and sexual harassment (SVSH) are prevalent issues that impact students detrimentally. Guided by community-based participatory research, this qualitative study assessed undergraduate students' perceptions of available campus SVSH resources, gaps in services, and recommendations for solutions for SVSH at three universities in California via interviews and focus groups. Approximately half of participants were unaware of available SVSH services, while others had varying knowledge of service availability and experiences with services. Students want better-funded, trauma-informed, and survivor-centered services and providers who share their identities and lived experiences. We provide multi-level student-centered solutions to improve current campus-based SVSH prevention efforts.

Research has found associations between intercollegiate athletics and risk for sexual violence, and that sexual violence is more pervasive at colleges and universities with National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I athletic programs, relative to NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and no athletic programs. Simultaneously, sports involvement is linked with prosocial values and there are documented developmental benefits of sports participation. College athletic programs hold promise for fostering sexual violence prevention but there is limited knowledge about how student-athletes conceptualize sexual violence and how athletes, coaches, and administrators perceive available prevention and response programs. We conducted seven Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and 21 In-Depth Interviews (IDIs) with student-athletes, athletic directors, and coaches from public university Division I (n = 2) and Division II (n = 1) campuses. We assessed perceptions of sexual violence, knowledge and opinions of available prevention and response programs, and sought input on how to bridge gaps in campus sexual violence policies. Student-athletes associated sexual violence with alcohol in their relationships with peers and asymmetrical power dynamics in relationships with coaches and faculty. Athletes felt strong connections with teammates and sports programs but isolated from the larger campus. This created barriers to students' use of services and the likelihood of reporting sexual violence. Athletes felt the mandatory sexual violence prevention training, including additional NCAA components, were ineffective and offered to protect the university and its athletic programs from legal complications or cultural ridicule. Athletic staff were aware of policies and programs for reporting and referring sexual violence cases but their knowledge on how these served students was limited. Student-athletes were uncomfortable disclosing information regarding relationships and sexual violence to coaches and preferred peer-led prevention approaches.

Abstract Background Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are an extensively used tool to assess and improve the quality of healthcare services. PROMs can be related to individual demographic and clinical characteristics in patients undergoing hip arthroplasty (HA). The aim of this study is to identify distinct subgroups of patients with unique trajectories of PROMS scores and to determine patients’ features associated with these subgroups. Methods We conducted a prospective, cohort study in which PROMs questionnaires (Euro Quality 5 Dimensions 3L, EQ-5D-3L, Euro-Quality-Visual-Analytic-Score, EQ-VAS, Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, HOOS-PS) were administered to patients undergoing elective HA pre-operatively, and at 6 and 12 months after surgery. For each measure, latent class growth analysis and growth mixture models were used to identify subgroups of patients with distinct trajectories of scores. Demografic and clinical predictors of the latent classes in growth mixture model were identified using a 3-step approach. Results We found three distinct trajectories for each PROM score. These trajectories indicated a response heterogeneity to the HA among the patients (n = 991). Patient’s gender, ASA score, and obesity were significantly associated with different PROMs trajectories. Conclusions We identified three distinct trajectories for each of the three PROMs indicators. Several demographic and clinical characteristics are associated with the different trajectories of PROMs at 6 and 12 months after HA and could be used to identify groups of patients with different outcomes following HA surgery. These findings underline the importance of patient-centered care, supporting the usefulness of integrating PROMs data alongside routinely collected healthcare records for guiding clinical care and maximizing patients’ positive outcomes. Trial registration: Protocol version (1.0) and trial registration data are available on the platform www.clinicaltrial.gov with the identifier NCT03790267, posted on December 31, 2018.

We conducted four focus group interviews with 24 high school youth to examine facilitators and barriers to African American high school students' expression of various self-determination skills (e.g., choice/decision making, self-advocacy, goal setting, and attainment etc.). The majority of our research participants were African American, with one student identifying as multiracial (African American and White). Key findings revealed that personal (e.g., desire to graduate from school) and contextual factors (e.g., school counselor and teacher support) influenced the participants' expression of multiple self-determination skills. We also found that some of the participants' motives for utilizing or not utilizing specific skills were influenced by what they perceived as racist, punitive, and restrictive school practices (e.g., teachers holding negative perceptions about African American students and school counselors restricting their access to advanced courses). Findings from this study support ongoing calls for educators to consider students' cultural backgrounds and lived experiences when promoting their expression of self-determination skills.

The present study examined African American high school students' perceptions of their development and use of self-determination skills (e.g., goal setting, choice/decision making, self-advocacy, etc.) in school. The term "development" refers to the cultivation of self-determination skills through various means (e.g., structured learning opportunities), and the term "use" refers to students actually employing the skills in school and other settings across time. We conducted four focus group interviews with a predominately African American female sample to examine (a) how various self-determination skills contributed to their success in school and (b) how they developed these skills through community-based support. Key findings indicate that the participants perceived their use of multiple self-determination skills as facilitating their success in school by helping them (a) be independent, (b) remain motivated in school, (c) prioritize their time, and (d) receive support from classroom teachers. Through their involvement in community-based programs, the participants developed the skills through hands-on activities, group discussions, field trips (e.g., college visits), and interacting with peers in their community organization. Findings from this research support calls for educators to promote African American students' self-determination while taking a culturally responsive approach by collaborating with local community-based organizations that were developed to support these students.

In 2020, the German architect Gottfried Böhm turned 100 years old. His sacred architecture has defined the German architectural landscape from the years of post-war reconstruction to today. The project for the new Cathedral of Neviges (1963) collects and amplifies the representativity of the religious rite with an evocative formal expression that characterizes urban space, weaving renewed relationships between the internal space of the church and its exterior. Translating both sacred and secular rites into physical actions, Böhm's work stands out as a solid reference for his capability of reinterpreting religious faith as a tool for building communities, incorporating its indispensable sense of sharing and civic sociality.

Fournier’s gangrene is a rare form of necrotizing fasciitis that affects the genital area up to the perineal region and sometimes the abdominal wall.

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) is a thermoplastic polyester that can be synthesised by many bacteria under unfavourable growth conditions. Among all its properties, biodegradability is the most attractive since it makes PHB a potential alternative to non-biodegradable plastics. However, the current market penetration of this polymer is limited by the high production costs, which accounts for approximately 40% of the total price, and the complexity in scaling-up the biological process. In this work, an innovative approach is presented, simulating the production of PHB through a double stage aerobic fermentation in which a Methylocystis strain grows and accumulates PHB granules. The effects of the reactor geometry on PHB yields were investigated in terms of aspect ratio (A), which was varied in the range 5-16 both at constant volume and variable volume: in the first case, the working volume was kept constant at 100 L and the diameter of the reactor was varied in the range 0.2-0.3 m; in the second case, the working volume was varied between 100 and 340L, keeping constant the diameter at 0.3 m. The effect of the geometry on transition parameters was evaluated as well. Results show that a maximum transition superficial gas velocity (Ut) of 0.05 ms-1 was obtained at A=16; while the productivity of PHB ranged between 0.12 and 0.25 kgm-3d-1.

Rett syndrome (RTT) is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder associated with mutations in either MECP2, CDKL5 or FOXG1. The precise molecular mechanisms that lead to the pathogenesis of RTT have yet to be elucidated. We recently reported that expression of GluD1 (orphan glutamate receptor δ-1 subunit) is increased in iPSC-derived neurons obtained from patients with mutations in either MECP2 or CDKL5. GluD1 controls synaptic differentiation and shifts the balance between excitatory and inhibitory synapses toward the latter. Thus, an increase in GluD1 might be a critical factor in the etiology of RTT by affecting the excitatory/inhibitory balance in the developing brain. To test this hypothesis, we generated iPSC-derived neurons from FOXG1(+/-) patients. We analyzed mRNA and protein levels of GluD1 together with key markers of excitatory and inhibitory synapses in these iPSC-derived neurons and in Foxg1(+/-) mouse fetal (E11.5) and adult (P70) brains. We found strong correlation between iPSC-derived neurons and fetal mouse brains, where GluD1 and inhibitory synaptic markers (GAD67 and GABA AR-α1) were increased, whereas the levels of a number of excitatory synaptic markers (VGLUT1, GluA1, GluN1 and PSD-95) were decreased. In adult mice, GluD1 was decreased along with all GABAergic and glutamatergic markers. Our findings further the understanding of the etiology of RTT by introducing a new pathological event occurring in the brain of FOXG1(+/-) patients during embryonic development and its time-dependent shift toward a general decrease in brain synapses.

Fournier’s gangrene is a necrotizing soft tissue infection of the genital, perineal, and perirectal areas. A primary isolated involvement of the penis is rare, but it can be affected in some circumstances. The purpose of this case series is to present the findings of our thirteen years’ experience in the reconstruction of the penis in Fournier’s gangrene and our full-thickness grafting technique to cover the penis rod. We retrospectively reviewed patient data who underwent a penis reconstruction following Fournier’s gangrene in 2018. The data was analyzed to report the estimated percentage of complications, of patients with primary or secondary gangrene of the penis, the number of reinterventions, and finally the percentage of deaths or recovery. 23 patients underwent reconstruction with our technique of full-thickness skin graft. In all cases, the skin graft was harvested from the upper arm with an arrow shape mark. No further penile revision surgery was required, and neither patient complained about retraction, nor traction, or pain during erection. The donor site healed without any complications. We believe that the coverage of the penis using our grafting technique is safe, easily reproducible, and demonstrates excellent esthetic and functional results.

Rett syndrome is a monogenic disease due to de novo mutations in either MECP2 or CDKL5 genes. In spite of their involvement in the same disease, a functional interaction between the two genes has not been proven. MeCP2 is a transcriptional regulator; CDKL5 encodes for a kinase protein that might be involved in the regulation of gene expression. Therefore, we hypothesized that mutations affecting the two genes may lead to similar phenotypes by dysregulating the expression of common genes. To test this hypothesis we used induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells derived from fibroblasts of one Rett patient with a MECP2 mutation (p.Arg306Cys) and two patients with mutations in CDKL5 (p.Gln347Ter and p.Thr288Ile). Expression profiling was performed in CDKL5-mutated cells and genes of interest were confirmed by real-time RT-PCR in both CDKL5- and MECP2-mutated cells. The only major change in gene expression common to MECP2- and CDKL5-mutated cells was for GRID1, encoding for glutamate D1 receptor (GluD1), a member of the δ-family of ionotropic glutamate receptors. GluD1 does not form AMPA or NMDA glutamate receptors. It acts like an adhesion molecule by linking the postsynaptic and presynaptic compartments, preferentially inducing the inhibitory presynaptic differentiation of cortical neurons. Our results demonstrate that GRID1 expression is downregulated in both MECP2- and CDKL5-mutated iPS cells and upregulated in neuronal precursors and mature neurons. These data provide novel insights into disease pathophysiology and identify possible new targets for therapeutic treatment of Rett syndrome.