Recommended terminology for aerobiological studies

Recent concerns over the possible use of airborne biological particles as weapons of mass destruction have significantly increased the attention that researchers are giving to this threat. The size of these particles, ranging from a fraction of a micrometer to several tens of micrometers, allows them to travel over long distances before settling out of the airstreams carrying these particles. Furthermore, the odd shapes of many of these particles along with uncertainties about their light scattering characteristics make detection and tracking quite a challenge. In the present paper, results are reported on the visualization of airborne biological particles using two-dimensional particle image velocimetry (PIV). These initial results show the utility of PIV in illuminating and tracking airborne biological particles. A compressed air nebulizer is used to aerosolize the biological particles inside a Plexiglas test section. The biological particles prepared for the nebulizer are first inoculated and cultured onto agar media, gypsum board, and acoustic ceiling tile to achieve an abundant growth of spores. A colloidal suspension of biological particles is then made using sterilized, de-ionized water and a mild surfactant to de-agglomerate the biological particles in the suspension. The concentration of biological particles in the colloidal suspension is determined using a hemacytometer. In the visualization experiments, images are captured for polystyrene latex (PSL) test particles, liquid water droplets, and spores of the fungal species Aspergillus versicolor. During the PIV system operation, two successive images are captured with a time delay of 50 μm to develop flow field velocities of the PSL test particles, liquid water droplets, and the A. versicolor spores.

Airborne particles (pollens and fungal spores) are recognized as important causes of allergies and many other pathologies whose main symptoms are usually associated with respiratory problems. In addition, these particles seem to be responsible for clinical symptoms of oculorhinitis and bronchial asthma. Many authors showed how pollen and spore concentrations are critically linked to meteorological conditions, while other studies investigated the possibility to estimate these concentrations through meteorological parameters. So, many different approaches have been proposed, and one of the most sophisticated is based on the use of a complex artificial neural network architecture. Once the neural device is calibrated using simultaneous time series of observed meteorological parameters and airborne biological particles, it is straightforward to use the Neural Network to predict spore concentrations using operational Limited Area Meteorological Model. In a previous work, it has been shown that the MM5 meteorological model developed by National Center for Atmospheric Research and Pennsylvania State University can be coupled with the above-cited neural predictor to provide a good prediction of Alternaria and Pleospora spore in the location of L’Aquila (Central Italy). Following the same approach, this work aims to provide the mapping of spore concentration over a wide area covered by high-resolution meteorological prediction in Central Italy. The complex patterns of fungal spore concentrations in selected areas will be described, and the high temporal variability of such fields will be discussed as well. The possibility to infer useful information from the predicted pattern of spore concentrations is discussed, as an example it appears that for people suffering from allergy to fungal spores is more comfortable to spend summertime close to the east coast of Italian Peninsula respect to the west coast. A further step of this work may easily lead to an operational use of the model for supporting the clinical management of allergies and for establishing a preventive strategy in agriculture to avoid unsafe and useless pollution of atmosphere, crops and fields.

Air is filled with numerous tiny organisms, with sizes ranging from 50 nm to 10 μm. These organisms are called airborne biological particles or bioaerosols. In the human history of investigating the origin of life and fighting against contagious diseases, the recognition of bioaerosols and the development of control methods against them have played crucial roles. The pandemic outbreak of flu due to the influenza A H1N1 virus in 2009 and the bio-terror incidents in 2001 have alerted us to the importance of bioaerosol research. Here, control methods against bioaerosols are briefly reviewed, and suggestions are offered for future research on airborne biological particles.

The ability of two different flow cytometers, the Microcyte (Optoflow) and the PAS-III (Partec), to differentiate sporangia of the late-blight pathogen Phytophthora infestans from other potential airborne particles was compared. With the PAS-III, light scatter and intrinsic fluorescence parameters could be used to differentiate sporangia from conidia of Alternaria or Botrytis spp., rust urediniospores, and pollen of grasses and plantain. Differentiation between P. infestans sporangia and powdery mildew conidia was not possible by these two methods but, when combined with analytical rules evolved by genetic programming methods, could be achieved after staining with the fluorescent brightener Calcofluor white M2R. The potential application of these techniques to the prediction of late-blight epiphytotics in the field is discussed.

Summary form only given. Airborne biological particles are minor but important component of Earth's atmosphere. They can cause disease in humans, animals, and plants. Therefore, the rapid real-time measurements of fluorescence spectra of airborne particles for the discrimination and characterization among biological aerosols would be useful. In this paper a new method for real-time measurement of reproducible, high signal-to-noise ratio, single-shot UV laser excited fluorescence spectra of various flowing individual biological aerosols is described.

Although the need for the implementation of a quality management concept for the German emergency medical system (EMS) has been discussed for more than 10 years, such a concept has not been realised on a broad scale. Standardised national data sheets were developed many years ago. They are used by many local agencies, but a data-gathering system on a state or national basis is still lacking. In times of reduced funds for health care expenditures, quality management could be a reliable way to ensure that the EMS provides safe services to the patient based on the current state of medical science in an efficient manner. Based on clear definitions, structure, process, and outcome quality can be analysed, and the results provide the basis for continuous quality-improvement strategies. As not all aspects of the system can be analysed continuously, one has to select areas of special importance. External and internal quality control are equally important. Quality control works on the basis that all EMS team members are motivated to perform on a professional level to ensure that each patient is treated adequately. It evaluates the system to create circumstances that enhance the achievement of this goal. Quality management is not only concerned with mishaps, because areas with documented good performance also provide important information.

Our comprehensive cancer centre adopted the WHO recommendation literally in the cancer care guidelines to implement the early integration (EI) of palliative care (PC). Evaluation of the first 2 years of this approach revealed that this guideline was too vague to trigger EI. As a consequence, an interdisciplinary working group was set up to propose and implement a more effective concept. An interdisciplinary (PC, oncology, radiotherapy, etc.) working group identified the need to (a) specify the timing of EI and (b) specify PC assignments by (c) providing more clear cut semantic and clinical definitions. As a result of repeated discussion in the different interdisciplinary working groups in charge of developing and consenting a once-yearly update of treatment guidelines [standard operating procedure (SOP)] for each malignancy, the need for disease-specific EI SOPs was identified. SOPs were developed for 19 malignancies (a) to identify a disease-specific point in each disease trajectory to initiate EI ("green flags") and to provide (b) a clear delineation and semantic differentiation of PC assignments ["palliative care" vs. "supportive" or "palliative therapies" ("green" vs. "red flags")]. To date, ASCO and WHO recommendations for EI lack detailed information about timing and infrastructure. The guidelines presented here aim to provide the missing information by reporting our developed and consented interdisciplinary guidelines for EI. With this concept, the authors provide a framework for realizing EI and hope to initiate a discussion about specific recommendations for EI.

Response to Dr Fried & Dr Kievit, and Dr Malhi et al.

Most multicentre studies demonstrate that the outcome of diabetes therapy falls below the targets set up in recent guidelines. Applying quality control methodology may provide one means better to achieve such targets. Before setting up a quality circle, objective, standardized documentation of relevant quality indicators is necessary. Based on internal (for example longitudinal changes over time) and external quality control (comparison with other institutions), both favourable and unfavourable results achieved by each institution are identified. Such data provide the basis for intensive discussion among the members of diabetes care teams on how to remedy such deficits. In Germany, the working group on paediatric diabetology set up a system for external quality assessment in 1995: For 6 continuous years, quality indicators are compared twice yearly, and regional quality circles for more open discussions have been established, in addition to yearly nationwide meetings among all participants.

The excessive consumption of certain vitamins and minerals could have deleterious consequences on health and development of individuals and populations. Simultaneous micronutrient-delivery interventions could be challenging in terms of safety as the target populations may overlap, posing a risk of excessive intake of certain micronutrients. The Evidence and Programme Guidance Unit of the Department of Nutrition for Health and Development of the World Health Organization convened a technical consultation on the risk of excessive intake of vitamins and minerals delivered through public health interventions in October 2017. The technical consultation's working groups identified important and emerging technical issues, lessons learned, and research priorities related to (1) planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating nutrition programs for the detection and control of the risk of excessive intakes; (2) safety, quality control, and assurance considerations; (3) coordination between public health nutrition interventions and other interventions and sectors; and (4) the legislative framework and policy coherence needed for simultaneous nutrition interventions. This paper provides the background and rationale of the technical consultation, synopsizes the presentations, and provides a summary of the main considerations proposed by the working groups.

Purpose. This article is devoted to the analysis of the issues of using digital technologies in foreign language classes in higher educational institutions. The relevance of the paper is explained by the fact that the issue of digitalization of the educational environment attracts the attention of researchers. Therefore, in 2019, the federal project “Digital Educational Environment” was developed, which proposed a plan of measures until 2024 aimed at “creating and implementing a digital educational environment in educational organizations, as well as ensuring the implementation of the digital transformation of the education system”.Materials and methods. New technologies require new approaches to learning, reworking of learning content and development of new principles. Despite the abundance of scientific papers written on this issue, the authors of the article contribute by making a critical review of the existing literature, as well as describing their experience of teaching a foreign language in the era of digitalization, answering the following research questions:1. What digital learning tools are best used in foreign language classes at a university?2. How can a teacher communicate with students in a digital network?3. How to carry out quality control and assessment of knowledge? Research results. The issues stated and solved by the authors are the problems of academic deceit, loss of concentration, adequate assessment of students’ work on digital platforms. Online classes cause difficulties of both organizational and methodological nature. The most common challenges faced by teachers are reduced student involvement in the learning process, increased temptation to academic cheating, and the difficulty of organizing pair and group work. The article provides a thorough analysis of the most popular digital learning tools, identifying their advantages and disadvantages. Also, an algorithm is proposed aimed at solving the main difficulties: methods for increasing students’ interest when working with digital technologies are described, the speech value of educational material is considered, methods for updating typical tasks, correcting each other, responding, and holding attention. This analysis was carried out on the basis of the principles formulated by E. Passov, namely: the speech value of the material, individualization of tasks and novelty. The above solutions allow the teacher to diversify the activities in the classroom and increase the motivation of students without the involvement of special additional means of education.Conclusion. The article also proposes additional platforms and applications that allow you to diversify the types of activities in the classroom and conduct knowledge control. A separate section of the article is devoted to the control of students’ knowledge in the digital environment. Recommendations are presented on how to use additional resources and applications that allow you to create tests and interactive tasks, as well as ways to exercise control without using additional applications.

ZusammenfassungAllergene Pollen sind natürliche, biologische luftgetragene Partikel und der Hauptauslöser allergischer Atemwegserkrankungen. Die Messung allergener Pollen ist Voraussetzung für die gesundheitliche Vorsorge und zeigt Veränderungen im Pollenspektrum an, wie sie z. B. im Rahmen des Klimawandels zu erwarten sind.Das in Deutschland einzige bundesweite Pollenmessnetz wird durch die Stiftung Deutscher Polleninformationsdienst betrieben. Fortbestand und Weiterentwicklung (u. a. Hybridsystem aus manuellen und automatischen Pollenfallen) dieses Messnetzes sind finanziell jedoch nicht gesichert. Im Sommer 2017 formierte sich daher der fachübergreifende Arbeitskreis „Bundesweites Pollenmonitoring“, um sich über diesbezügliche Perspektiven für Deutschland auszutauschen.Für den Austausch kam der Arbeitskreis zwischen November 2017 und Juni 2018 zu drei Gesprächstagen mit jeweils unterschiedlichen Themenschwerpunkten zusammen. Die internen Protokolle zu den Gesprächstagen bildeten anschließend die Grundlage für die Erstellung des vorliegenden Positionspapiers, mit dem der Arbeitskreis seine Arbeit abschließt.Aufgrund der Bedeutung allergener Pollen für die menschliche Gesundheit und allergischer Erkrankungen für das Gesundheitssystem spricht sich der Arbeitskreis dafür aus, das bundesweite Pollenmonitoring in den Katalog staatlicher Aufgaben aufzunehmen, die der grundlegenden Versorgung der Bevölkerung mit wesentlichen Gütern und Dienstleistungen dienen (öffentliche Daseinsvorsorge).Hinsichtlich möglicher Zuständigkeiten im Rahmen der öffentlichen Daseinsvorsorge wurden im Arbeitskreis mehrere Lösungsansätze diskutiert. Unabhängig von der zukünftigen Zuständigkeit kommt der Kooperation von messtechnischen, klinischen und wissenschaftlichen Einrichtungen eine grundsätzliche Bedeutung für die adäquate gesundheitliche Vorsorge zu.

Inter-group leadership focuses on improving inter-group outcomes, such as innovation, that requires the integration of knowledge from two or more distinct working groups. Leadership efforts that are effective in intra-group contexts, such as creating a common identity, are problematic in inter-group contexts due to deep-rooted disciplinary differences in training, education, and conceptual frameworks. We study the impact of inter-group leader background and behavior on the knowledge integration and innovative performance of newly formed interdisciplinary medical science teams composed of diverse members who hail from disparate areas of knowledge and practice. We examine how the intrapersonal heterogeneity of an inter-group leader directly and indirectly affects the innovativeness of a science team through its moderating influence on team disciplinary diversity. We then identify, through an inductive observational study, the communication practices that intergroup leaders use to foster the integration and generation of knowledge. We focus both on characteristics of the leader and the processes of facilitating exchange and integration of knowledge between group members who represent distinct work and knowledge communities. We find that the intrapersonal heterogeneity of experience of inter-group leaders moderates the effect of team diversity on integration and innovation. Further, we find that inter-group leaders who used specific communication structuring behaviors aimed at addressing inconsistent cognitive frames and facilitating new knowledge creation led teams to higher levels of integration and innovation. Our findings highlight the importance of inter-group leadership on facilitating performance in interdisciplinary teams that require two or more groups to work collaboratively to achieve a common aim.

To scientifically evaluate the import extent of quality of injury surveillance in hospital, and to provide baseline data and scientific evidence for the evaluation of quality of injury surveillance in hospital. Methods: The fuzzy complementary judgement matrix about the factor sets is gotten by questionnaire to decision making experts and 0.50-0.90 scale , and then the fuzzy ranking is given for influence factor of injury surveillance quality in hospital based on the modern group decision making theory. Results: The ranking of import extent of quality of injury surveillance in hospital is: Factor from the filling staff>Factor from the staff of collecting and checking>Factor from the process of importing>Factor from the staff of supervising and guidance>Factor from the group of surveillance work>Factor from the injury patients>Factor from quality control and managing. Conclusion: The ranking method is not only important in theory to evaluate injury surveillance quality in hospital, but it also directionless to injury surveillance sites operation.KeywordsInjury surveillance qualityScaleGroup decision makingFuzzy complementary judgement matrixRanking

Quality control in bio-monitoring networks, Spanish Aerobiology Network