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Education for a sustainable future includes, not only qualitative basic education (Goals 4 and 4.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)) but also reorientating and transforming educational institutions such as Teacher Training Institutions (TTI) to address sustainable development and learning in a global context.TTIs have the potential to bring knowledge, skills, values and develop action competences and social learning for future generations and give hope for creating a more sustainable future. This article focuses on a cross-national partnership in TTI education, and discussions from a case study lead to an awareness of what is called three-layered cultural challenge on micro, mezzo and macro level when establishing international partnerships in education.

Obesity and type 2 diabetes are important drivers for the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) . Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP1RAs) are efficacious for these conditions, but their potential as treatments for NAFLD remains unclear. As serum ALT concentration is routinely measured in clinical care, we evaluated the impact of the GLP1RA, semaglutide, on ALT in those at risk of NAFLD. Methods: Data submitted to the ABCD semaglutide audit (launched in 2019) were analysed. Change in ALT from baseline was assessed and corrected for change in covariates and concomitant medications using a multiple linear regression in Stata 16 . Baseline ALT levels were used to perform a stratified analysis as follows: normal (ALT 0-29U/L) , mildly elevated (30-59 U/L) and significantly elevated (≥60U/L) . Missing data were multiply imputed. Results: Data for 1,623 individuals (50.2% men) were included with baseline (mean±SD) : age 58.9±11.0 years, HbA1c9.4±1.7%, weight 104.6±2.8kg, BMI 37.1±7.4kg/m2 and median (IQR) diabetes duration 10.9 years (6-15.4) and ALT 26U/L (19-36) . Median (IQR) follow-up was 8.2 months (5-12) . At follow-up, changes in HbA1c and weight were -1.2% (95%CI -1.0, -1.3; p Conclusion: Among patients with significantly raised ALT, semaglutide was associated with ALT reduction, but this finding may result from regression to the mean. Measurement in parallel of further biomarkers of liver fibrosis will be required to assess the potential of semaglutide as a NAFLD therapy. Disclosure T.S.J. Crabtree: Other Relationship; Abbott Diabetes, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi. D.K. Sennik: Speaker's Bureau; AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, Eli Lilly and Company, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi. D. Barnes: None. S. Sivappriyan: None. K. Adamson: None. S.M. Phillips: None. A. Evans: None. N. Larsen: None. A. Panesar: None. I.W. Gallen: None. I.R. Idris: None. R.E. Ryder: None. Funding The ABCD audit is support by an unrestricted grant from NovoNordisk

The field of genetics and genomics continues to expand at an unprecedented pace. As scientific knowledge is translated to clinical practice, genomic information is routinely being used in preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic decision-making across a variety of clinical practice areas. As adoption of genomic medicine further evolves, health professionals will be required to stay abreast of new genetic discoveries and technologies and implementation of these advances within their scope of practice will be indicated.The Association of Professors of Human and Medical Genetics previously developed medical school genetics core competencies, last updated in 2013. The competencies were reviewed and updated through a structured approach incorporating a modified Delphi method.The updated Association of Professors of Human and Medical Genetics core competencies are presented. Current revisions include competencies that are concise, specific, and assessable. In addition, they incorporate recent advances in clinical practice and promote equity and inclusion in clinical care.The 2022 competencies will serve as a guide for medical school leadership and educators involved in curriculum development, implementation, and assessment. Use of these competencies across the undergraduate medical curricula will foster knowledge, skills, and behaviors required in medical practice across a wide range of specialties.

BACKGROUND: Non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU) is a common syndrome in men. NGU may have several causes, but many cases are caused by sexually transmitted infections that may also cause complications in their female partners. Chlamydia trachomatis and Mycoplasma genitalium are the most common causes of NGU, but in up to 35% of the cases, none of the known viral or bacterial causes are found. Traditionally, pathogens have been detected using various culture techniques that may not identify all species present in the urethra. To address this, we used culture-independent methods for analysis of the male urethral microbiota.METHODS: This case-control study analysed first void urine samples, collected at STD clinics in Stockholm, Sweden from men with idiopathic urethritis (IU), i.e. negative for Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, Mycoplasma genitalium, Ureaplasma urealyticum, Trichomonas vaginalis, adenovirus, and herpes simplex virus type 1 and -2 together with samples from men without urethritis. Forty-six controls and 39 idiopathic urethritis patients were analysed.RESULTS: The microbiota was highly diverse: None of the 302 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) found in negative controls and IU patients were found in all of the samples or even in all of the samples in one group. More than 50% of the OTUs were only found in one or two of the total of 85 samples. Still the most dominant 1/6 of the genera constituted 79% of the sequences. Hierarchical clustering in a heatmap showed no specific clustering of patients or controls. A number of IU patient samples were dominated by a single genus previously related to urethritis (Gardnerella, Haemophilus, Ureaplasma).CONCLUSION: The male urethra contain a very diverse composition of bacteria, even in healthy controls. NGU may be caused by a number of different bacteria but more studies including a higher number of samples are needed for elucidation of the role of each species.

Denne forskningsrapport folger et kursusforlob – camp - i det nordlige Togo, Kara, hvor Bornefonden i samarbejde med konsulentfirmaet Implement gennemforte et fem dage langt forlob, for laerere ved de fagtekniske erhvervsuddannelser i september 2017. Ud over laererne deltog de seks skolers ledere og paedagogiske vejledere/supervisors.Kursusindholdet var inspireret af konsulentfirmaet Implement’s gode resultater med at fa drenge fra grundskolen i Danmark til at fa mere tro og selvtillid, sa de kan klare de faglige udfordringer indenfor forskellige fag: Lokkefondens Drengeakademi (herefter i resten af rapporten: Drengeakademiet).Naervaerende rapport er resultatet af et samarbejde mellem fem forskere fra uddannelsesafdelingen ved universitetet i Lome, L’Institut National des Sciences de l’Education, Lome (INSE) og to danske forskere fra DPU, der har fulgt processen og resultatet fra kurset i Togo.

LNA-containing DNA aptamers against CD73 (human ecto-5'-nucleotidase), a protein frequently overexpressed in solid tumours, were isolated by SELEX. A pre-defined stem-loop library, containing LNA in the forward primer region, was enriched with CD73 binding sequences through six rounds of SELEX with recombinant his-tagged CD73 immobilised on anti-his plates. Enriched pools isolated from rounds one, three and six were subjected to next-generation sequencing and analysed for enrichment using custom bioinformatics software. The software identified aptamer sequences via the primers and then performed several steps including sequence unification, clustering and alignment to identify enriched sequences. Three enriched sequences were synthesised for further analysis, two of which showed sequence similarities. These sequences exhibited binding to the recombinant CD73 with KD values of 10 nM and 3.5 nM when tested by surface plasmon resonance. Truncated variants of these aptamers and variants where the LNA nucleotides were substituted for the DNA equivalent also exhibited affinity for the recombinant CD73 in the low nanomolar range. In enzyme inhibition assays with recombinant CD73 the aptamer sequences were able to decrease the activity of the protein. However, the aptamers exhibited no binding to cellular CD73 by flow cytometry analysis likely since the epitope recognised by the aptamer was not available for binding on the cellular protein.

The report use ozone measurement data retrieved in the Arctic with balloon borne ozone sondes for the last 20-30 years. Four stations with the best data series have been selected. Using a Monte Carlo method the yearly period is subtracted from the data and the remains, the anomalies, are correlated towards the area of the Polar Front, the temperature rise of the Nortern Hemisphere and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and towards one another. It was found that the NAO correlates negatively with ozone anomalies for all four stations albeit the correlations are weak. Besides, the polar front area correlates weakly positive with the ozone anomalies for three out of the four stations. These results, together with the observation that the ozone-anomalies have a brief decorrelation time, indicate that most of the variability in the anomalies should be found in local conditions.

The objective of this study was to delineate the effects of different coffee processing residues on the anaerobic microbes and corresponding digestion performance. The results elucidated that mucilage-rich feed enhanced the accumulation of methanogens, which consequently led to better digestion performance of biogas production. Fifty percent more methane and up to 3 times more net energy (heat and electricity) output were achieved by the digestion of the mucilage-rich feed (M3). The microbial community and statistical analyses further elucidated that different residues in the feed had significant impact on microbial distribution and correspondingly influenced the digestion performance. U.S. Department of State West Hemisphere Affairs/[S-LMAQM-11-GR-075]//Estados Unidos Michigan AgBioResearch/[]//Estados Unidos UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Agroalimentarias::Centro de Investigaciones Agronómicas (CIA) UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Agroalimentarias::Estación Experimental Agrícola Fabio Baudrit Moreno (EEAFBM) UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Básicas::Centro de Investigación en Biología Celular y Molecular (CIBCM) UCR::Vicerrectoría de Docencia::Ingeniería::Facultad de Ingeniería::Escuela de Ingeniería de Biosistemas

Ozone soundings from 9 Nordic stations have been homogenized and interpolated to standard pressure levels. The different stations have very different data coverage; the longest period with data is from the end of the 1980ies to 2014. At each pressure level the homogenized ozone time-series have been analyzed with a model which includes both low-frequency variability in form of a polynomial, an annual cycle with harmonics, the possibility for low-frequency variability in the annual amplitude and phasing, and either white noise or noise given by a first order autoregressive process. The fitting of the parameters is performed with a Bayesian approach not only giving the mean values but also confidence intervals. The results show that all stations agree on a well-defined annual cycle in the free troposphere with a relatively confined maximum in the early summer. Regarding the low-frequency variability it is found that Scoresbysund, Ny Aalesund, Sodankylae, Eureka, and Orland show similar, significant signals with a maximum near 2005 followed by a decrease. This change is characteristic for all pressure levels in the free troposphere. A significant change in the annual cycle was found for Ny Aalesund, Scoresbysund and Sodankylae. The changes at these stations are in agreement with the interpretation that the early summer maximum is appearing earlier in the year. The results are shown to be robust to the different settings of the model parameters such as the order of the polynomial, number of harmonics in the annual cycle, and the type of noise.

Microwave spectra of the vibrational ground state and several torsionally excited states were used to investigate the internal rotation potential and the structure of six fluorine substituted nitrobenzenes: 3-fluoro- and 4-fluoronitrobenzene were planar molecules just as nitrobenzene whereas 2-fluoro-, 2,4-difluoro- and 2,5-difluoronitrobenzene were found to be non-planar with a dihedral angle, γ 0 , between the benzene ring and the nitro group of 31.8°, 27.1°, and 30.0° respectively and 2,4,6-trifluoronitrobenzene was non-planar with γ 0 = 55.0°. The lower of the two barriers separating the potential minima in the non-planar molecules were 125.5, 74.9, 98.4 and 163 cm −1 respectively. Parameters for structural relaxation during the internal rotation were calculated by the B3LYP method using aug-cc-pVDZ basis and by the MP2(full) method using aug-cc-pVTZ basis. Using these relaxation parameters clearly improved the fit by the internal rotation model, SAF, to observed rotational constants as compared with fits without relaxation of structure. For 2-fluoro-, 2,4-difluoro- and 2,5-difluoronitrobenzene the coefficients V 2 , V 4 and V 6 in the Fourier expansion of the potential were determined. For the planar molecules and for 2,4,6-trifluoronitrobenzene V 2 and V 4 were determined using assumptions about V 6 based on the quantum chemical calculations. For all non-planar molecules tunnelling through the lower of the two barriers was observed as a splitting of the torsional energy levels.

The lifetimes of heterogeneous catalysts in many widely used industrial processes are determined by the loss of active surface area. In this context, the underlying physical sintering mechanism and quantitative information about the rate of sintering at industrial conditions are relevant. In this paper, particle migration and coalescence in nickel steam reforming catalysts is studied. Density functional theory calculations indicate that Ni-OH dominate nickel transport at nickel surfaces in the presence of steam and hydrogen as Ni-OH has the lowest combined energies of formation and diffusion compared to other potential nickel transport species. The relation between experimental catalyst sintering data and the effective mass diffusion constant for Ni-OH is established by numerical modelling of the particle migration and coalescence process. Using this relation, the effective mass diffusion constant as a function of temperature is determined from experimental data to DNi-OHKNi-OH = 7.7 × 10−6 m2 s−1 bar−0.5exp((− 137 kJ/mol)/RT). With this work we are able to bridge the gap between sintering in macroscopic catalysts and microscopic particle diffusion.

An influence of the intestinal microbiota in connection to first-feeding of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fry was demonstrated using Illumina HiSeq sequencing. The period from the end of yolk-sac feeding to seven weeks post first-feeding was examined after administration of either a marine- or plant based diet with or without the probiont Pediococcus acidilactici. Before first feeding the main part of the sequence reads grouped to the genus Sediminibacterium probably originating from the surrounding water. The microbial abundance and diversity increased after first-feeding and the microbiota then changed towards phylum Firmicutes dominance for plant based fed fish and towards dominance of phylum Proteobacteria for the marine fed fish. After first-feeding, there were significantly higher abundances of Streptococcus, Leuconostoc and Weissella in fish fed the plant-based diet. The microbiota clustered separately according to the diet type, but only minor effects were seen from the probiont when using PCA-analysis. The constitutive transcription level of most examined immune genes increased during the ontogenic shift, but the results could not explain the differences in the composition of the microbiota dependent on diet treatment after first-feeding. The results suggest that the intestine of rainbow trout is colonised at an early state, but is guided in new and different directions dependent on the diet type.

Plasminogen activation catalyzed by urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) plays an important role in normal and pathological tissue remodeling processes. Since its discovery in the mid-1980s, the cell membrane-anchored urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) has been believed to be central to the functions of uPA, as uPA-catalyzed plasminogen activation activity appeared to be confined to cell surfaces through the binding of uPA to uPAR. However, a functional uPAR has so far only been identified in mammals. We have now cloned, recombinantly produced, and characterized two zebrafish proteases, zfuPA-a and zfuPA-b, which by several criteria are the fish orthologs of mammalian uPA. Thus, both proteases catalyze the activation of fish plasminogen efficiently and both proteases are inhibited rapidly by plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1). But zfuPA-a differs from mammalian uPA by lacking the exon encoding the uPAR-binding epidermal growth factor-like domain; zfuPA-b differs from mammalian uPA by lacking two cysteines of the epidermal growth factor-like domain and a uPAR-binding sequence comparable with that found in mammalian uPA. Accordingly, no zfuPA-b binding activity could be found in fish white blood cells or fish cell lines. We therefore propose that the current consensus of uPA-catalyzed plasminogen activation taking place on cell surfaces, derived from observations with mammals, is too narrow. Fish uPAs appear incapable of receptor binding in the manner known from mammals and uPA-catalyzed plasminogen activation in fish may occur mainly in solution. Studies with nonmammalian vertebrate species are needed to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the mechanism of plasminogen activation.

Molecular dynamics simulations of crystallization in supercooled nanodroplets of binary Lennard-Jones mixtures with a solvent and a strong exothermic solute corresponding to a sulfuric acid aerosol...

Chemical ozone destruction occurs over both polar regions in local winter–spring. In the Antarctic, essentially complete removal of lower-stratospheric ozone currently results in an ozone hole every year, whereas in the Arctic, ozone loss is highly variable and has until now been much more limited. Here we demonstrate that chemical ozone destruction over the Arctic in early 2011 was—for the first time in the observational record—comparable to that in the Antarctic ozone hole. Unusually long-lasting cold conditions in the Arctic lower stratosphere led to persistent enhancement in ozone-destroying forms of chlorine and to unprecedented ozone loss, which exceeded 80 per cent over 18–20 kilometres altitude. Our results show that Arctic ozone holes are possible even with temperatures much milder than those in the Antarctic. We cannot at present predict when such severe Arctic ozone depletion may be matched or exceeded. Since its emergence in the 1980s, the Antarctic ozone hole, the near-complete loss of lower-stratospheric ozone, has occurred every year. The possibility that a similar effect might occur in the Northern Hemisphere has been debated, but despite considerable variation in ozone levels in the Arctic, they had not reached the extremes seen in the south. Until this year. Observations made in the late winter and early spring of 2011 reveal ozone loss far outside the range previously observed over the Northern Hemisphere, comparable to some Antarctic ozone holes. The formation of the hole was driven by an unusually long cold snap and a high level of ozone-destroying chlorine. Although this effect is dramatic, it is difficult to predict whether similar Arctic ozone holes will develop in future.

Rotational constants for the vibrational ground state and three torsionally excited states of nine nitrobenzene isotopologues were used to investigate the internal rotation potential and the structure of nitrobenzene. Relaxation parameters were calculated by the B3LYP and MP2(full) methods with the aug-cc-pVDZ and aug-cc-pVTZ basis sets. The four sets of relaxation parameters all led to a clear improvement in the fit to rotational constants as compared with fits without relaxation of structure. The improvement was different from set to set, with B3LYP/aug-cc-PVDZ as a surprising winner. However, letting three of the relaxation parameters vary freely, gave virtually identical results for the molecular structure and potential function in all cases. Assuming higher order potential coefficient to vanish, the resultant potential parameters were, with 1 σ uncertainties, V 2 = 1678 ± 19 cm −1 and V 4 = −207 ± 6 cm −1 . The barrier to internal rotation was estimated to 1575 ± 150 cm −1 . A small change in structure upon ortho deuteration was found.

Microwave spectra of two isotopologues of thiophenol, (C6H5–SH and C6H5–SD), and one of 4-fluorothiophenol (4-F–C6H5–SD) were investigated. As a consequence of the internal rotation the vibrational ground state consists of two torsional sub-states and the rotational transitions appear as doublets in the spectra. Rotational constants and centrifugal distortion constants for both sub-states and energy difference and a Coriolis type interaction parameter between the sub-states were determined. For thiophenol eleven parameters, including potential constants, structure parameters and parameters describing relaxation of structure during internal rotation, were adjusted to give an accurate global fit to microwave spectroscopic constants for the two isotopologues and far infrared data for the parent species. For 4-fluorothiophenol the microwave spectra were assigned for the SD-species only, good infrared data were not available, and only seven parameters could be determined. The barrier to internal rotation was determined to 277 cm−1 for thiophenol and 62.5 cm−1 for 4-fluorothiophenol. Both molecules were found to be planar in the equilibrium configuration. Ab initio calculations using B3LYP, MP2 and CCSD(T) were used not only to compare with the experimental parameters, but also in the choice of experimental parameters, in particular the relaxation parameters. Problems due to linear dependencies for larger basis sets are discussed.