Community Content
A call for reform in pollinator pesticide risk assessment
Purpose of Risk Assessments Risk assessments have two important functions: (1) To evaluate the likelihood that pollinators might be exposed to pesticides and (2) To determine potential negative impacts on pollinator health. Methods used for such risk assessments should consider all possible routes of exposure, if a pesticide is systemic, how it is applied, its persistence and its toxicity […]
Reactive slow waves and state-dissociation in sleep underlie several NREM-sleep states and pathological conditions
Stimuli disturbing non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREM sleep; slow wave sleep) may increase the level of vigilance “arousing” the sleeper. A conventional arousal typically manifests as a fast and low-voltage EEG pattern (desynchronisation). Contrasting this “normal” expectation, EEG slow waves (sleep-like synchronised activity) may also develop in response to arousing stimulation during NREM sleep. These reactive slow waves carry […]
Stratum corneum: our skin’s protection and major challenge
How to deceive the skin barrier? The stratum corneum is the uppermost layer of the skin and acts as a barrier to keep out contaminants and to retain moisture. It is composed of the most hydrophobic (water-fearing) lipids in nature. The more relevant are ceramides and cholesterol, forming a truly solid-like lipid structure. The skin permeability barrier function is […]
Patient involvement in assessing consultation quality
  Patient enablement can be defined as the extent to which a patient is capable of understanding and coping with his or her health issues. This concept is linked to a number of health outcomes such as self-management of chronic diseases and quality of life. Dr Aelita Skarbaliene from Klaipeda University (Lithuania) together with colleagues from Lund University (Sweden) and […]
Some recent medical perspectives on the death of King Tutankhamen
The word “mummy” often conjures up before our mind’s eye the horror movies in which an embalmed body rises up to scare off intruders in a pyramid or a tomb who are in search of treasures or valuables. This, at least, is the plot structure of the 1999 horror-thriller film The Mummy . But it has to be borne […]
Benchmarking Design: multiplying the impact of technical assistance to MSMEs in design and product development
Applications of benchmarking in the Province of Buenos Aires In previous work, we surveyed and analysed various applications of benchmarking tools in the public sector through international, national, subnational and local organisations. In the provincial public sphere, different organisations are currently applying the technique of benchmarking for improvement and institutional development. In this sense, the policy applications of benchmarking […]
‘Intelligent’ lenses reshape to control astigmatism
In recent years, significant efforts have increasingly been focused on the development of optical lenses with electrically tuneable focal length. They are intended to replace conventional glass-made lenses moved by motors for focussing, in systems that are limited by the complexity, size, weight and response time of this typical approach. Examples include video cameras in a broad diversity of […]
Do protected areas conserve freshwater biodiversity?
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has an ambitious vision: “By 2050, biodiversity is valued, conserved, restored and wisely used, maintaining ecosystem services, sustaining a healthy planet and delivering benefits essential for all people”. To achieve this vision, the CBD set out 20 so-called Aichi Targets to be met by 2020. Yet, in 2020 biodiversity is still significantly declining […]
Learn from collaboration with fishers in marine research
Researchers from Wageningen University & Research and VisNed analysed 15 research collaboration projects, and looked at how fishers’ knowledge was used. These projects were carried out by Wageningen Marine Research together with the Dutch demersal North Sea fishery in the period 2002 to 2019. The research collaboration started in 2002, following a deep crisis in the relationship between the […]
Long Way Home: The Organisation Promoting Sustainable Building, Learning and Living in Rural Guatemala
San Juan Comalapa is a municipality in the indigenous west-central highlands of Guatemala. Comalapa exists in a state of relative poverty, with no formal recycling or waste-management system. Refuse material is often dumped in lakes or ravines – contaminating the water supply – or used to fuel stoves for cooking – contributing to the significant respiratory problems suffered by […]