Aneurysmal bone cyst (ABC) is a benign but locally aggressive neoplasm, with a tendency for local recurrence. In contrast to other bone tumors with secondary cystic change, ABC is characterized by ...USP6 gene rearrangement. There is a growing list of known USP6 fusion partners, characterization of which has been enabled with the advent of next‐generation sequencing (NGS). The list of known fusion partners includes CDH11, CNBP, COL1A1, CTNNB1, EIF1, FOSL2, OMD, PAFAH1B1, RUNX2, SEC31A, SPARC, STAT3, THRAP3, and USP9X. Using NGS, we analyzed a series of 11 consecutive ABCs and identified USP6 fusions in all cases, providing further evidence that USP6 fusions are universally present in primary ABCs. We identified four novel fusion partners in five ABCs and confirmed them by RT‐PCR and Sanger sequencing, ASAP1, FAT1, SAR1A, and TNC (in two cases). Because of high sensitivity and specificity, detection of a USP6 fusion by NGS may assist in differentiating between ABC and its mimics, especially in small biopsy samples when a definite diagnosis cannot be achieved on morphological grounds alone. Further studies with a large number of cases and follow‐up are needed to determine whether different fusion partners are associated with specific clinical and pathologic features of ABCs.
Increasing awareness of the importance of effective communication of scientific results and concepts, and the need for more accurate mapping and increased feature visibility led to the development of ...novel approaches to visualization of high-resolution elevation data. While new approaches have routinely been adopted for land elevation data, this does not seem to be the case for the offshore and submerged terrestrial realms. We test the suitability of algorithms provided by the freely-available and user-friendly Relief Visualization Toolbox (RVT) software package for visualizing bathymetric data. We examine the algorithms optimal for visualizing the general bathymetry of a study area, as well as for highlighting specific morphological shapes that are common on the sea-, lake- and riverbed. We show that these algorithms surpass the more conventional analytical hillshading in providing visualizations of bathymetric data richer in details, and foremost, providing a better overview of the morphological features of the studied areas. We demonstrate that the algorithms are efficient regardless of the source data type, depth range, resolution, geographic, and geological setting. The summary of our results and observations can serve as a reference for future users of RVT for displaying bathymetric data.
The Kvarner fault divides the Microadria (Adria microplate, the Adria stable core) into the Po and Adria segments. The Istra block, which is sandwiched between the right-lateral Kvarner Fault and the ...left-lateral Sistiana Fault lies at the extreme eastern edge of the Po segment. Both faults run transversely to the Dinarides and reach their thrust boundary in the east. The Microadria has been moving towards the Dinarides since the Middle Miocene. The movement of the Istra block is exposed in relation to the neighbouring blocks, so an extensive pushed area (the Istra Pushed Area) was formed in the External Dinarides, which is bent towards the northeast. It is defined by two flexural zones, one lying in the extension of the Sistiana Fault and the other in the extension of the Kvarner Fault. The structure of the Dinaric thrust border on the north-eastern side of the Istra block is complex. Its prominent structural element is the Črni Kal Anomaly, due to which a zone of increased compression developed within the Istra Pushed Area and transversely to the Dinarides (Kraški rob – Hrušica Traverse), which lies between the Sistiana and Kvarner Flexural Zones. In terms of kinematics, it differs greatly from these two, and various geomorphologically responsive deformations have occurred within it. Mt. Vremščica (1027 m), which represents a transpressive anticline within the wider zone of the Raša Fault is the most prominent. In order to understand the genesis of the Classical Karst relief, it is important to know that the Mt. Vremščica ridge rose from the levelled karst surface.
Constant integration of digital technologies in economic and social life is rapidly and significantly shaping and changing our environment and ourselves. To function in such a world, even in daily ...routines, it is necessary to possess certain digital competencies.
This paper aims to examine how university and high-school students of economic orientations from selected European countries self-assess their digital competencies, and to analyse the identified differences. This will enable further understanding of university and high-school students’ digital competencies that can serve as guidance for improving teaching practices and curricula.
A survey was conducted to collect data that were analysed using non-parametric statistic tests (Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis H test) and Spearman Rank-Order Correlation coefficient.
University and high-school students consider to have below intermediate level of digital competencies. High-school students self-assessed digital competencies at a higher level than university students. University students of higher years of study self-assessed digital competencies at a higher level. There is no universal pattern among high-school students of different years of study. University students in the Accounting module and high-school students in the Tourism module assessed their digital competencies at the lowest level in several areas. There is a consistency in self-assessment of digital knowledge and digital skills. Conclusions: The identified below intermediate level of digital competencies and discovered discrepancies indicated the need for educational process improvements to provide university and high-school students with a higher degree of digital competencies. Programming is the most lagging behind in all the observed groups.
We applied an interdisciplinary approach to analyze the late Quaternary activity of the Sava Fault in the Slovenian Southern Alps. The Sava Fault is an active strike-slip fault, and part of the ...Periadriatic Fault System that accommodated the convergence of Adria and Europe. It is one of the longest faults in the Southern Alps. Using high-resolution digital elevation models from lidar and photogrammetric surveys, we were able to overcome the challenges of assessing fault activity in a region with intense surface processes, dense vegetation, and relatively low fault slip rates. By integrating remote sensing analysis, geomorphological mapping, structural geological investigations, and near-surface geophysics (electrical resistivity tomography and ground penetrating radar), we were able to find subtle geomorphological indicators, detect near-surface deformation, and show distributed surface deformation and a complex fault pattern. Using optically stimulated luminescence dating, we tentatively estimated a slip rate of 1.8 ± 0.4 mm/a for the last 27 ka, which exceeds previous estimates and suggests temporal variability in fault behavior. Our study highlights the importance of modern high-resolution remote sensing techniques and interdisciplinary approaches in detecting tectonic deformation in relatively low-strain rate environments with intense surface processes. We show that slip rates can vary significantly depending on the studied time window. This is a critical piece of information since slip rates are a key input parameter for seismic hazard studies.
The evolution of alluvial megafans has mainly been investigated in unconfined settings; however, at the boundary of these large depositional systems, the development of fluvial channels can be ...affected by structural constraints with regional extent. Here we present the study of the eastern sector of the megafan of Isonzo River, in the Gulf of Trieste, where this system fed through the southern Alps is constrained by the Karst and Istria cliffs. Although this area is now submerged under the northern Adriatic Sea, stratigraphy from seismo-acoustic profiles, drill cores and multi-beam bathymetry allows us to reconstruct the paleochannel system of the Isonzo River in detail, which was likely active within the period of 21–17.5 ka cal BP, at the end of LGM. This was reconstructed for over 50 km and currently represents the longest abandoned fluvial channel in the Mediterranean seabed. The occurrence of the mountain fringe and competition with nearby alluvial systems forced the paleochannel to follow the present coastline and conditioned the slope of its thalweg to decrease almost to null, resulting the transformation from the megafan to the undifferentiated alluvial plain.
As cardio-vascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide, establishing measures to improve cardiovascular health is of crucial importance. Exercise plays an essential role in cardiac ...rehabilitation of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), in whom an evaluation of the cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is necessary. CRF of CAD patients could be assessed using 6-min walk test (6MWT), and the results interpreted by using Enright-Sherill prediction equation which has mainly been designed and evaluated for a healthy population. Hypothesizing that the Enright-Sherill prediction equation might not be best suited for CAD patients, our aim was to reevaluate this equation in CAD patients, and potentially establish a more accurate 6MWD prediction equation to be applied in these patients.
6MWD was measured in a cross-sectional study in 67 CAD patients (44 women) who were members of the Coronary club Ljubljana, Slovenia. In addition, the predicted 6MWD was calculated for men and women using Enright-Sherill gender specific regression equation. Multivariate regression analysis was used to obtain a new prediction equation, and the agreement between the measured and the predicted 6MWD analyzed using the repeated measures ANOVA.
Men achieved 451 ± 122 m and women 485 ± 69 m without significant differences between sexes (F = 0.022,
= 0.882) when adjusted for age, height, body mass, and waist circumference. When comparing the measured (473 ± 91 m) and the predicted (422 ± 57 m) values of 6MWD in CAD patients we found that the Enright-Sherill prediction equation significantly (F = 27.734,
< 0.001) underestimated the 6MWD by 52 ± 81 m. A significant regression equation was established F (3,63) = 44.663,
< 0.001, with a
of 0.680 where 6MWD equals 1,057 m-4.966 x age (years)-0.614 x WC (cm)-68.629 x NYHA class.
The results of this study stress the importance of regular and actual walking ability testing in patients with stable CAD to obtain their CRF, rather than simply predicting it from regression equations obtained from non-representative or non-comparable samples. Our developed prediction equation warrants additional validation and may represent a good substitute for currently used predictions obtained from a healthy population.
Like other regions located in tectonically active areas, the Adriatic, Alpine, Dinaric, and Pannonian regions have undergone numerous changes during the Quaternary ...
Understanding the factors that influence farmers’ decisions to participate in agri-environmental measures (AEMs) is crucial to meeting the environmental goals of agricultural policy. We investigated ...the factors of farmers’ involvement in AEM aimed at maintaining extensive grassland use by analysing data from a survey of 258 farms and 40 interviews with farmers in the Haloze region. Results show that, in addition to adequate payment, farmers’ attitudes towards grassland conservation and their self-identity are also important factors in increasing their willingness to join AEMs. A production-oriented view of farming prevailed among the interviewed farmers, with grassland conservation being important to them primarily in terms of maintaining a tidy landscape and achieving production and economic goals, while biodiversity conservation was often of negligible importance. The results indicate the educational and extension need in terms of farmers’ understanding of the relationship between agriculture and nature conservation. The latter can be encouraged by strengthening advisory support and the use of locally and practically oriented knowledge transfer approaches, as well as by introducing result-based AEMs.
