Suchergebnisse

Screening and early diagnosis are crucial to increase the success of cancer patients' treatments and improve the survival rate. To contribute to this success, distinct electrochemical immunosensing platforms were developed for the analysis of the ExtraCellular Domain of the Human Epidermal growth factor Receptor 2 (HER2‐ECD) through sandwich assays on nanomaterial‐modified screen‐printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs). The most promising platforms showed to be SPCEs modified with (i) gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and (ii) multiwalled carbon nanotubes combined with AuNPs. The antibody‐antigen interaction was detected using a secondary antibody labelled with alkaline phosphatase and 3‐indoxyl phosphate and silver ions as the enzymatic substrate. The electrochemical signal of the enzymatically generated metallic silver was recorded by linear sweep voltammetry. Under the optimized conditions, linear calibration plots were obtained between 7.5 and 50 ng/mL and the total assay time was 2 h 20 min, achieving LODs of 0.16 ng/mL (SPCE‐MWCNT/AuNP) and 8.5 ng/mL (SPCE‐AuNP), which are well below the established cut‐off value of 15 ng/mL for this cancer biomarker. ; Maria Freitas is grateful to FCT‐Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia for her PhD grant (SFRH/BD/111942/2015), financed by POPH‐QREN‐Tipologia 4.1‐Formação Avançada, subsidized by Fundo Social Europeu and Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior. This work received financial support from the European Union (FEDER funds through COMPETE) and National Funds (FCT) through project UID/QUI/50006/2013. ; info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

TEUN A. VAN DIJK Y LOS ESTUDIOS CRÍTICOS DEL DISCURSO (ECD)

This article interrogates early childhood development (ECD) provisioning in the province of the Eastern Cape, South Africa. It argues that while well-structured and integrated early childhood development ECD) programmes are at the epicentre of sustainable national human resource development (HRD) strategies, the Eastern Cape's infant mortality rate (IMR) of 61.2 per 1000 live births is the highest in South Africa. It reaches alarming rates of 99 deaths per 1000 live births in the eastern part of the province where poverty is rife. This scenario mirrors national trends in that while South Africa is rated as an upper middle-income country and a prominent economy that accounts for over 75% of the entire SADC's GDP, 40% of its young children grow up in abject poverty. It argues that in order for the Eastern Cape to be competitive and sustainable in the long term, the provincial government needs to invest heavily in the well-being of children through well-structured and sustainable ECD programs.

Early childhood development (ECD) programmes the world over have been found to be central in the successful holistic development and positive future socioeconomic outcomes for young children. In Africa in general and in Sub-Saharan Africa in particular, these programmes have been punctuated by overwhelming challenges related to poor funding and paucity of resources as well as vague policy models. The purpose of this study was to undertake a situation analysis of the ECD programme in rural primary schools in Zimbabwe. The study, which was premised on the positivist philosophy was therefore quantitative and utilized the descriptive survey design. A sample of 100 teachers was generated across 10 districts in 5 of the rural provinces of Zimbabwe using two stage sampling comprising purposive and randomization strategies in that order. A structured questionnaire was used to elicit data and was in certain instances, triangulated with observation. The study revealed that there was either constrained or total lack of funding of the ECD programme in rural schools in Zimbabwe, lack of government support and that the programme was not overly accessible to all children more so to those with disabilities. Meanwhile, policy guidelines were either unavailable in the rural primary schools or not religiously adhered to. The study then concluded that the ECD programme in rural primary schools in Zimbabwe was greatly compromised casting doubt on its quality and effectiveness. It was also concluded that the programme might have excluded many poor and disabled children in rural settings. On these bases the study recommended increased funding, resourcing and capacity building and advocated for policy review to ensure accommodation of the needs of children with disabilities and adoption of firmer enforcement procedures. In the ultimate, the study recommended further studies of national dimension, which should target mostly at rural settings.

The extracellular domain of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2-ECD) is a protein breast cancer biomarker. Its quantification in peripheral blood could provide an important contribution to diagnostics and patient follow-up. In this work an electrochemical molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) sensor for the quantification of HER2-ECD was developed. The MIP was electropolymerized by cyclic voltammetry using a solution containing phenol and HER2-ECD on a screen-printed gold electrode (AuSPE). The sensor was characterized by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The analysis of HER2-ECD was performed by differential pulse voltammetry using ([Fe(CN)6]3−/4−as redox probe. The linear range was established in the concentration interval from 10 to 70 ng/mL HER2-ECD, with a limit of detection of 1.6 ng/L and a limit of quantification of 5.2 ng/mL. Through the analysis of other protein biomarkers, the MIP sensor was found to be selective. Furthermore, these proteins did not interfere in the analysis of the selected biomarker. The developed sensor was used for the analysis of spiked human serum samples, providing adequate recovery values and precise results. The outcomes of this study indicate that the developed MIP sensor could be useful in the non-invasive analysis of HER2-ECD in breast cancer patients. ; Maria Freitas is grateful to FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia) for her PhD grant (SFRH/BD/111942/2015). Patrícia Rebelo is grateful to FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia) for her PhD grant (SFRH/BD/132384/2017). João Pacheco is grateful to FCT for his Postdoc. grant (SFRH/BPD/101419/2014), financed by POPH-QREN-Tipologia 4.1-Formação Avançada, subsidized by Fundo Social Europeu and Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior. This work received financial support from the European Union (FEDER funds through COMPETE) and National Funds (FCT) through project UID/QUI/50006/2013. ; info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

This report presents an analysis of the Early Childhood Development (ECD) subsector, including programs and policies that affect young children in the Republic of Kiribati. This was a collaborative effort between UNICEF and the World Bank Group; it combines the World Bank Group's Systems Approach for Better Education Results SABER-ECD framework, which includes analysis of early learningand child p, health, nutrition, and social rotection policies and interventions in Kiribati, along with regional and international comparisons, as well as the regionally developed UNICEF National Situational Analysis ECD, which takes a greater in-depth look at the following system components, which have been highlighted by the Pacific Region as priority components for quality Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) implementation: policy, legislation, and governance; human resources; curriculum, child assessment, and environment; performance monitoring and assessment; and community partnerships. In 2008, the Ministry of Education (MOE) drafted the Kiribati Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Policy, which was formally endorsed by Cabinet in 2010. The ECCE policy, targeting ages three to five, calls ECCE a "national responsibility" with a mission "to culturally nurture young children in a loving and caring environment to enhance through interactive play the fullest potential of their physical, intellectual, social, emotional and spiritual growth in line with trends and development". This country report presents a framework to benchmark Kiribati's ECD system; each of the nine policy levers and five system components are examined in detail, and policy options to strengthen ECD are offered. This report is intended to serve as a first step for decision making within the government of Kiribati to improve the ECD system. Now that some areas in need of policy attention have been identified, the country can move forward in prioritizing policy options to promote healthy and robust development for all children during their early years.

This report presents an analysis of the Early Childhood Development (ECD) subsector, including programs and policies that affect young children in the Solomon Islands. This was a collaborative effort between UNICEF and World Bank Group, as it combines World Bank Group's SABER-ECD framework, which includes analysis of early learning, health, nutrition, and social and child protection policies and interventions in the Solomon Islands, along with regional and international comparisons, as well as the regionally developed UNICEF National Situational Analysis-ECD, which takes a greater in-depth look at the following system components, which have been highlighted by the Pacific Region as priority components for quality Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) implementation: policy/legislation and governance; human resources; curriculum, child assessment, and environment; performance monitoring and assessment; and community partnerships. The government of the Solomon Islands (SIG) recognizes the importance of providing early learning opportunities for young children. In 2008 the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MEHRD) endorsed a National Early Childhood Education Policy Statement, targeting age's three to five, which states its commitment to develop a quality Early Childhood Education (ECE) sector. This commitment has been reflected in both the National Education Action Plan, 2013–2015, and the Education Strategic Framework, 2007–2015. However, the statement clearly identified 'in relation to quality practice, the payment and training of teachers, relevant curriculum, effective management, community awareness about the value of ECCE and children's access and participation in ECCE' as challenges to the implementation of ECCE services.

Policy for young children in South Africa is now receiving high-level government support through the ANC's renewed commitment to redress poverty and inequity and creating 'a better life for all' as promised before the 1994 election. In this article, I explore the power relations, knowledge hierarchies and discourses of childhood, family and society in National Curriculum Framework (NCF) as it relates to children's everyday contexts. I throw light on how the curriculum's discourses relate to the diverse South African settings, child rearing practices and world-views, and how they interact with normative discourses of South African policy and global early childhood frameworks. The NCF acknowledges indigenous and local knowledges and suggests that the content should be adapted to local contexts. I argue that the good intentions of these documents to address inequities are undermined by the uncritical acceptance of global taken-for-granted discourses, such as narrow notions of evidence, western child development, understanding of the child as a return of investment and referencing urban middle class community contexts and values. These global discourses make the poorest children and their families invisible, and silence other visions of childhood and good society, including the notion of 'convivial society' set out in the 1955 Freedom Charter. ; peerReviewed

A chapter in the challenges of the Eastern Cape education system. The chapter evaluates the many government interventions to manage the dysfuntional aspects of the province's education, and makes recommendations

Headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) with further quantification by gas chromatography and electron capture detector (GC/ECD) was used to analyze trihalomethanes (THMs) in water and air from indoor swimming pools (ISPs). High correlation coefficients were obtained for the calibration lines in water with detection limits of 0.2 µg/L for trichloromethane (TCM) and bromodichloromethane (BDCM), 0.1 µg/L for dibromochloromethane (DBCM) and 0.5 µg/L for tribromomethane (TBM). Coef-ficients of variation values were 5–10% for repeatability and 15–25% for reproducibility. In air analysis, high correlation coefficients were also obtained for the calibration lines with detection limits of 2.5 µg/m3 for TCM and BDCM and 1.25 µg/m3 for DBCM and TBM. Repeatability and reproducibility coefficients of variation were the same as in water analysis. Analytical results from a survey in four Portuguese ISPs showed that the mean concentration of total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) in water ranged from 22 ± 2to 577 ± 58 µg/L. In the lack of European specific regulation for THMs in water from ISPs and taking into consideration that ingestion is a form of exposure, TTHMs' values were compared with European drinking water maximum contamination level (100 µg/L, Directive 98/83/CE). From the reported TTHMs mean concentration values in ISPs' water, 40% exceeded that value. TTHMs values determined in the air (T = 30◦C) ranged from 98 ± 10 to 1225 ± 123 µg/m3 andfrom51± 5 µg/m3to 519 ± 52 µg/m3at 5 and 150 cm above the water surface, respectively. As expected, swimmers are more exposed to high concentrations of THMs than lifeguards. As there is no European specific regulation for THMs in ISPs' air, the highest TCM values were compared with maximum values reported in the literature for ISPs (1630 µg/m3) and with the inhalation exposure limit (10,000 µg/m3) established for TCM by European occupational legislation (Directive 2000/39/CE). ; info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion