Suchergebnisse

Ch. 1 The Gap in Adopting ICT among Developing, Newly Developed, and Developed Countries: In the Case of Thailand, South Korea and the US / Jae Kyung Kim -- ch. 2 South Korea's Demographic Dilemma / Ben Brown -- ch. 3 U.S.-South Korea Relations / Mary Beth Nikitin -- ch. 4 The Kaesong North-South Korean Industrial Complex / Dick K. Nanto.

Abstract This article presents the results of the Latin American Observatory of eVAluation Indicators (OLIVA, its Spanish acronym) which aims to contribute to the visibility of indexed scientific output in Latin America and the Caribbean and enhance its value in evaluation systems. This study addresses the production published in open access by journals indexed in SciELO and Redalyc, based on a single database of a total of 1,720 journals (from 15 countries), 908,982 documents and 2,591,704 authors. It also highlights its disciplinary diversity, and trends in national and international research collaboration. Finally, only for the case of Brazil and SciELO, intranational collaboration is analyzed. The study concludes that there is a predominance of diamond journals, of university publishing institutions and of multiscalar forms of circulation. These characteristics, even with linguistic and disciplinary diversity, can contribute very effectively to the current needs of science communication in times of open science.

Resumen Este artículo presenta los resultados del Observatorio Latinoamericano de Indicadores de eVAluación (OLIVA), que buscar visibilizar y promover la valoración de la producción científica indexada en América Latina y el Caribe. Se aborda la producción publicada en acceso abierto e indexada en SciELO y Redalyc, a partir de la construcción de una base de datos consolidada y que incluye información de 1.720 revistas (de 15 países), 908.982 documentos y 2.591.704 autores/as. Se analiza la diversidad disciplinar de esta producción, así como las tendencias de la colaboración nacional, regional e internacional. También, sólo para el caso de Brasil y de SciELO, se analiza la colaboración intra-nacional. Los resultados arrojan un predominio de revistas diamante, de instituciones editoras universitarias y de formas de circulación multiescalar. Estos rasgos, así como la diversidad lingüística y disciplinar, pueden contribuir de modo eficaz a las necesidades de la comunicación científica en tiempos de ciencia abierta.

This paper presents the results obtained using a qualitative assessment approach to characterise the geological heritage of Tundavala (Huila, Angola), needed in order to support a future classification proposal for the territory to ensure its preservation, as well as to promote geotourism, thus contributing towards sustainable local development. In order to characterise the geological heritage of Tundavala a set of various types of data for the different contents displaying heritage value was collected and processed. It was analysed in an integrated manner, taking into consideration data on the meanings attributed to Tundavala by scientific communities (degree of relevance), and public perceptions of such meanings (abstract perceptiveness). The results allow us to recognise in Tundavala, an object displaying heritage value, more than one type of content – documental, symbolic and scenic – which provides it with a degree of regional relevance and enhances its value as an element that incorporates the geological heritage of the earth. The methodologies used to characterise the geological heritage of Tundavala are independent of any national, regional and/or local legislation on geoconservation, whether they exist or not, and thus represents a useful tool for evaluating geological heritage in any place on earth, particularly in countries and/or regions where local geological knowledge is sparse and/or there is little public awareness of geoconservation.

There is substantial evidence of rising prevalence of overweight and obesity and its co-morbidities among children in western-high income developed countries. In the European Union, the prevalence of overweight and obesity is increasing fastest among Polish children. Yet, there is paucity of evidence on the relationship of behavioral factors with body weight status of children in Poland. This study examined the association of obesity with physical fitness, physical activity, sedentary behavior and diet among Polish children. A total of 641 children (10–15 years) recruited from the Lower Silesia region of Poland participated in this cross-sectional study. Participants' anthropometrics, physical fitness, physical activity, sedentary behavior and dietary intake were assessed. Outcome variables were weight categories (according to body mass index [BMI], waist-to-hip ratio [WHR], and percentage body fat [% BF]). The strongest negative correlation was found between VO2max and (r = −0.39, p <0.05). Significant negative correlation was also found between VO2max and weight categories (r = −0.15). Results of the multinomial logit analysis showed that VO2max increased in groups of overweight, normal weight and underweight children by 13%, 26% and 19%, respectively as compared to the group of obese children. VO2max and weight and obesity indices were strongly correlated in both gender and age groups. Education and intervention programs to increase physical fitness (VO2max) through aerobic training are recommended for Physical Education teachers, parents and children in order to reduce the rate of overweight and obesity among children in the Lower Silesia region of Poland

Background: Deciding whether to discontinue antibiotics at early review is a cornerstone of hospital antimicrobial stewardship practice worldwide. In England, this approach is described in government guidance ('Start Smart then Focus'). However, Methods: We conducted an online choice experiment, a survey method to elicit preferences. Acute/general hospital prescribers in England were asked if they would continue or discontinue antibiotic treatment in 15 hypothetical scenarios. Scenarios were described according to six attributes, including patients' presenting symptoms and whether discontinuation would conflict with local prescribing guidelines. Respondents' choices were analysed using conditional logistic regression. Results: One hundred respondents completed the survey. Respondents were more likely to continue antibiotics when discontinuation would 'strongly conflict' with local guidelines (average marginal effect (AME) on the probability of continuing + 0.194 (p Conclusions: Guidelines that conflict with antibiotic discontinuation (e.g. pre-specify fixed durations) may discourage safe discontinuation at review. In contrast, guidelines conditional on patient factors/treatment response could help hospital prescribers discontinue antibiotics if diagnostic information suggesting they are no longer needed is available.

PubMed ID: 24186907 ; Background. Interleukin 12Rß1 (IL-12Rß1)-deficient patients are prone to clinical disease caused by mycobacteria, Salmonella, and other intramacrophagic pathogens, probably because of impaired interleukin 12-dependent interferon production. About 25% of patients also display mucocutaneous candidiasis, probably owing to impaired interleukin 23-dependent interleukin 17 immunity. The clinical features and outcome of candidiasis in these patients have not been described before, to our knowledge. We report here the clinical signs of candidiasis in 35 patients with IL-12Rß1 deficiency.Results. Most (n = 71) of the 76 episodes of candidiasis were mucocutaneous. Isolated oropharyngeal candidiasis (OPC) was the most common presentation (59 episodes, 34 patients) and was recurrent or persistent in 26 patients. Esophageal candidiasis (n = 7) was associated with proven OPC in 2 episodes, and cutaneous candidiasis (n = 2) with OPC in 1 patient, whereas isolated vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC; n = 3) was not. Five episodes of proven invasive candidiasis were documented in 4 patients; 1 of these episodes was community acquired in the absence of any other comorbid condition. The first episode of candidiasis occurred earlier in life (median age±standard deviation, 1.5 ± 7.87 years) than infections with environmental mycobacteria (4.29 ± 11.9 years), Mycobacterium tuberculosis (4 ± 3.12 years), or Salmonella species (4.58 ± 4.17 years) or other rare infections (3 ± 11.67 years). Candidiasis was the first documented infection in 19 of the 35 patients, despite the vaccination of 10 of these 19 patients with live bacille Calmette-Guérin.Conclusions. Patients who are deficient in IL-12Rß1 may have candidiasis, usually mucocutaneous, which is frequently recurrent or persistent. Candidiasis may be the first clinical manifestation in these patients. © The Author 2013. ; University of Chicago Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Health Services Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale Rockefeller University Ege Üniversitesi University College London Istanbul Üniversitesi City, University of London, City Comer Children's Hospital, University of Chicago Medicine St. Giles Foundation Université Paris Descartes Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad: PI10/01718, PI06/ 1031 National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences: 8UL1TR000043 Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale Fundación Canaria de Investigación y Salud, FUNCIS Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología, MICYT: 182817, 69992 European Social Fund, ESF Agence Nationale de la Recherche: GENCMCD 11-BSV3-005-01 Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Rockefeller University ANR-10-LABX-62-IBEID National Center for Research Resources European Research Council European Regional Development Fund INREDCAN 05/06 ; 1Pediatric Hematology-Immunology Unit, National Bone Marrow Transplantation Center, Tunis, 2Faculty of Medicine, University of Tunis El Manar, 3Laboratory of Cytoimmunology, Pasteur Institut of Tunis, and 4Department of Cardiology, Ariana Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia; 5Department of Pediatric Immunology and Allergy, Ankara University School of Medicine, 6Immunology Division, Hacettepe University Children's Hospital, 7Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Dr Sami Ulus Maternity and Children's Health and Diseases Training and Research Center, and 8Department of Pediatric Immunology, Dr Sami Ulus Children's Health and Diseases Training and Research Center, Ankara, 9Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Clinical Immunology, Istanbul University and Istanbul Medical Faculty, 10Department of Pediatric Immunology, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, and 11Department of Pediatric Immunology, Necmettin Erbakan University Meram Medical Faculty, Konya, Turkey; 12Department of Immunology, Gran Canaria Dr Negrín University Hospital, 13Department of Pediatrics and 14Department of Internal Medicine, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario Insular Materno Infantil, and 15Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain; 16Unit of Biochemistry and 17Laboratory of Microbiology, National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition Salvador Zubirán (INCMNSZ), and 18Department of Pediatric Pulmonology, Laboratory of Pulmonary Physiology, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, Mexico City; 19Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital, Maastricht, Netherlands; 20Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Immunology, Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge, and 21Department of Medicine, University College London, United Kingdom; 22Pediatric Department, Soroka Medical Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel; 23Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Comer Children's Hospital, University of Chicago Medicine, and 24Department of Pediatrics, University of Chicago Medical Center, Illinois; 25St Giles Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Rockefeller Branch, Rockefeller University, New York, New York; 26Department of Pediatrics, UFRJ–Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; 27Group of Primary Immunodeficiencies, University of Antioquia, Medellin, Colombia; 28Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Infectious Diseases Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran; 29Department of Pediatrics, Hospital Puerto Montt, Chile; 30Department of ?linical Immunology, Center for Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, Immunology, Moscow, Russia; 31Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Necker Branch, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, 32University Paris Descartes, Imagine Institute, 33Study Center for Primary Immunodeficiencies, Necker Hospital, AP-HP, and 34Pediatric Hematology-Immunology Unit, Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital, AP-HP, Paris, France -- Financial support. This work was supported by Fondo de Investiga-ciones Sanitarias, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (grants PI06/ 1031 and PI10/01718), the European Regional Development Fund–European Social Fund (FEDER-FSE), Fundación Canaria de Investigación y Salud (Canarian government; INREDCAN 05/06), Foundation Caja Rural de Cana-rias-Chil y Naranjo (research prize 2004), Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (fellowship to E. H. R), INSERM, University Paris Descartes, Rockefeller University, National Center for Research Resources and the National Center for Advancing Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (grant 8UL1TR000043), Laboratoire d'Excellence "Integrative Biology of Emerging Infectious Diseases" (grant ANR-10-LABX-62-IBEID), the European Research Council, Agence Nationale de la Recherche (grant GENCMCD 11-BSV3-005-01), the St Giles Foundation, the Candidoser Association, and Consejo Nacio-nal de Ciencia y Tecnología de Mexico (grants 69992 and 182817). Potential conflicts of interest. All authors: No reported conflicts. --

Abstract The cytokines controlling the development of human interleukin (IL) 17--producing T helper cells in vitro have been difficult to identify. We addressed the question of the development of human IL-17--producing T helper cells in vivo by quantifying the production and secretion of IL-17 by fresh T cells ex vivo, and by T cell blasts expanded in vitro from patients with particular genetic traits affecting transforming growth factor (TGF) beta, IL-1, IL-6, or IL-23 responses. Activating mutations in TGFB1, TGFBR1, and TGFBR2 (Camurati-Engelmann disease and Marfan-like syndromes) and loss-of-function mutations in IRAK4 and MYD88 (Mendelian predisposition to pyogenic bacterial infections) had no detectable impact. In contrast, dominant-negative mutations in STAT3 (autosomal-dominant hyperimmunoglobulin E syndrome) and, to a lesser extent, null mutations in IL12B and IL12RB1 (Mendelian susceptibility to mycobacterial diseases) impaired the development of IL-17--producing T cells. These data suggest that IL-12Rbeta1- and STAT-3--dependent signals play a key role in the differentiation and/or expansion of human IL-17-producing T cell populations in vivo. ; The Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases is supported by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche, the Programme Hospitalier de Recherche Clinique, the European Union (grant LHSP-CT-2005-018736), the BNP Paribas Foundation, the March of Dimes, the Dana Foundation, and the Candi'Oser Association. L. de Beaucoudrey is supported by the Fondation pour la Recherche Medicale as part of the PhD program of Pierre et Marie Curie University. J.L. Casanova is an International Scholar of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.