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ICT technologies are an integral part of today’s digitized society. Therefore, it is important that children acquire ICT skills as part of 21st century skills education to prepare them for later life. Drawing on the literature, seven 21st century skills can profit from the addition of ICT skills, i.e., technical, information, communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creative, and problem-solving skills. While many efforts have been made to integrate ICT skills as part of 21st century skills education into primary and secondary school curricula, the implementation of these skills in early childhood education and care remains a challenge due to developmental concerns. This paper aims to uncover developmental antecedents for ICT 21st century skills in early childhood, mainly addressing children’s cognitive development, and propose ways to implement these skills in child-friendly ways. Drawing on the literature on developmental psychology, seven cognitive developmental antecedents were identified: inductive, deductive, abductive, causal, and scientific reasoning, executive functions, and computational thinking. Moreover, five additional developmental antecedents were identified: fine motor skills, language development, self-regulation, social-emotional development, and creativity. On the backdrop of these antecedents, ways of implementing ICT skills as part of 21st century skills education in early childhood classrooms are proposed that include digital games and learning apps, collaborative play or problem-solving activities with toy robots.

In the lesioned zebrafish retina, Müller glia produce multipotent retinal progenitors that generate all retinal neurons, replacing lost cell types. To study the molecular mechanisms linking Müller glia reactivity to progenitor production and neuronal differentiation, we used single-cell RNA sequencing of Müller glia, progenitors and regenerated progeny from uninjured and light-lesioned retinae. We discover an injury-induced Müller glia differentiation trajectory that leads into a cell population with a hybrid identity expressing marker genes of Müller glia and progenitors. A glial self-renewal and a neurogenic trajectory depart from the hybrid cell population. We further observe that neurogenic progenitors progressively differentiate to generate retinal ganglion cells first and bipolar cells last, similar to the events observed during retinal development. Our work provides a comprehensive description of Müller glia and progenitor transcriptional changes and fate decisions in the regenerating retina, which are key to tailor cell differentiation and replacement therapies for retinal dystrophies in humans.

While many studies have looked into the determinants of yields on externally issued sovereign bonds of emerging economies, analysis of domestically issued bonds has hitherto been limited, despite their growing relevance. This paper finds that the extent to which fiscal variables affect domestic bond yields in emerging economies depends on the level of global risk aversion. During tranquil times in global markets, fiscal variables do not seem to be a significant determinant of domestic bond yields in emerging economies. However, when market participants are on edge, they pay greater attention to country-specific fiscal fundamentals, revealing greater alertness about default risk.

Stress poses a major issue in our modern society, making restoration an important research focus. Restoration likelihood has mostly been observed in nature, which was compared with urban environments that have little restorative potential, eg, industrial areas. However, many people reside in and need to find restoration in cities. The main aim of this review is to summarize research that has focused on investigating restoration possibilities in urban environments and the environmental elements interacting with the restoration likelihood of an urban environment. This review focuses on studies addressing the topic of restoration possibilities in urban settings in built and human-made natural urban environments. The studies were searched via Google Scholar, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, and PSYNDEX. All studies concerned with restoration in urban environments were included. However, studies concerned with nonoriginal data, solely investigating effects of natural environments or treating urban environments as a control for restoration in nature, were excluded from the review. Overall, 39 studies corresponded to the criteria and were included. Natural elements in urban environments have a restorative potential and can increase the restorativeness of urban settings. Furthermore, built urban environments vary in their restorative potential, but promising results have been uncovered as well. Architectural elements, cultural, and leisure areas had a restorative value, whereas the findings on streets and residential areas differ. In sum, many urban locations can have restorative effects, but these effects may be influenced by factors such as cultural background, age, social components, and individual dispositions. Certain urban environments hold a restorative potential. However, the literature on restoration in urban environments is still quite scarce and therefore has been of little practical use. Even though applying the findings to real-life environments is desirable, it might prove difficult, considering the overall sparse evidence. More research on the predictors of restoration likelihood (eg, social factors), generational and cultural differences, and comparisons between natural and urban environments is recommended.

Inflammation can lead to persistent and irreversible loss of retinal neurons and photoreceptors in mammalian vertebrates. In contrast, in the adult zebrafish brain, acute neural inflammation is both necessary and sufficient to stimulate regeneration of neurons. Here, we report on the critical, positive role of the immune system to support retina regeneration in adult zebrafish. After sterile ablation of photoreceptors by phototoxicity, we find rapid response of immune cells, especially monocytes/microglia and neutrophils, which returns to homeostatic levels within 14 days post lesion. Pharmacological or genetic impairment of the immune system results in a reduced Müller glia stem cell response, seen as decreased reactive proliferation, and a strikingly reduced number of regenerated cells from them, including photoreceptors. Conversely, injection of the immune stimulators flagellin, zymosan, or M-CSF into the vitreous of the eye, leads to a robust proliferation response and the upregulation of regeneration-associated marker genes in Müller glia. Our results suggest that neuroinflammation is a necessary and sufficient driver for retinal regeneration in the adult zebrafish retina.

In comparison to mammals, zebrafish are able to regenerate many organs and tissues, including the central nervous system (CNS). Within the CNS-derived neural retina, light lesions result in a loss of photoreceptors and the subsequent activation of Müller glia, the retinal stem cells. Müller glia-derived progenitors differentiate and eventually restore the anatomical tissue architecture within 4 weeks. However, little is known about how light lesions impair vision functionally, as well as how and to what extent visual function is restored during the course of regeneration, in particular in adult animals. Here, we applied quantitative behavioral assays to assess restoration of visual function during homeostasis and regeneration in adult zebrafish. We developed a novel vision-dependent social preference test, and show that vision is massively impaired early after lesion, but is restored to pre-lesion levels within 7 days after lesion. Furthermore, we employed a quantitative optokinetic response assay with different degrees of difficulty, similar to vision tests in humans. We found that vision for easy conditions with high contrast and low level of detail, as well as color vision, was restored around 7–10 days post lesion. Vision under more demanding conditions, with low contrast and high level of detail, was regained only later from 14 days post lesion onwards. Taken together, we conclude that vision based on contrast sensitivity, spatial resolution and the perception of colors is restored after light lesion in adult zebrafish in a gradual manner.

Fibroblast growth factors (Fgf) are secreted signaling molecules that have mitogenic, patterning, neurotrophic and angiogenic properties. Their importance during embryonic development in patterning and morphogenesis of the vertebrate eye is well known, but less is known about the role of Fgfs in the adult vertebrate retina. To address Fgf function in adult retina, we determined the spatial distribution of components of the Fgf signaling pathway in the adult zebrafish retina. We detected differential expression of Fgf receptors, ligands and downstream Fgf targets within specific retinal layers. Furthermore, we blocked Fgf signaling in the retina, by expressing a dominant negative variant of Fgf receptor 1 conditionally in transgenic animals. After blocking Fgf signaling we observe a fast and progressive photoreceptor degeneration and disorganization of retinal tissue, coupled with cell death in the outer nuclear layer. Following the degeneration of photoreceptors, a profound regeneration response is triggered that starts with proliferation in the inner nuclear layer. Ultimately, rod and cone photoreceptors are regenerated completely. Our study reveals the requirement of Fgf signaling to maintain photoreceptors and for proliferation during regeneration in the adult zebrafish retina.

Light-induced lesions are a powerful tool to study the amazing ability of photoreceptors to regenerate in the adult zebrafish retina. However, the specificity of the lesion towards photoreceptors or regional differences within the retina are still incompletely understood. We therefore characterized the process of degeneration and regeneration in an established paradigm, using intense white light from a fluorescence lamp on swimming fish (diffuse light lesion). We also designed a new light lesion paradigm where light is focused through a microscope onto the retina of an immobilized fish (focused light lesion). Focused light lesion has the advantage of creating a locally restricted area of damage, with the additional benefit of an untreated control eye in the same animal. In both paradigms, cell death is observed as an immediate early response, and proliferation is initiated around 2 days post lesion (dpl), peaking at 3 dpl. We furthermore find that two photoreceptor subtypes (UV and blue sensitive cones) are more susceptible towards intense white light than red/green double cones and rods. We also observed specific differences within light lesioned areas with respect to the process of photoreceptor degeneration: UV cone debris is removed later than any other type of photoreceptor in light lesions. Unspecific damage to retinal neurons occurs at the center of a focused light lesion territory, but not in the diffuse light lesion areas. We simulated the fish eye optical properties using software simulation, and show that the optical properties may explain the light lesion patterns that we observe. Furthermore, as a new tool to study retinal degeneration and regeneration in individual fish in vivo, we use spectral domain optical coherence tomography. Collectively, the light lesion and imaging assays described here represent powerful tools for studying degeneration and regeneration processes in the adult zebrafish retina.

The tomb of Ramesses III (KV 11) in the Valley of the Kings is one of the archaeological sites of ancient Egypt that has received very little attention from the scientific community. The tomb was open to the public for a long time and is in danger of quick deterioration. The site was closed from August 2016 until October 2017 for the installation of new walkways, glass panels, and an improved lighting system. The Ramesses III (KV 11) Publication and Conservation Project now aims to record, document, and preserve the entire tomb. This article is a first report on the planned publication and conservation of the tomb of Ramesses III (KV 11) in the Valley of the Kings. Like so many other tombs in the wadi, it presents the astonishing case of a tomb that has been known for a long time but was never thoroughly studied. In the following, we present the research aims of the newly formed Ramesses III (KV 11) Publication and Conservation Project as well as the preparatory work that has been undertaken by our team members. All observations and notes were made over the last six years during short campaigns, partly within the framework of a previous research project, which constitutes the basis of preliminary work in KV 11. The article focuses on the historical background of the tomb, its research history, including former investigators and concessions, supposed causes of destruction, suggestions for preservation, and procedures for research and documentation. We present the main problems we have to deal with at the outset of the project and describe the methods we propose to adopt. Further annual reports on the progress and first results of our work in order to preserve this important site of Egypt’s cultural heritage will follow in due course. لم تحظى مقبرة الملك رمسيس الثالث بوادي الملوك على الاهتمام الكافي في الوسط الاكاديمي. كانت المقبرة مفتوحة للزيارة لفترة طويلة مما عرضها للتدهور. وقد تم غلقها في الفترة من أغسطس 2016 إلى اكتوبر 2017 لعمل ممشى خشبي جديد للزيارة وتركيب الواح زجاجية امام الحوائط (KV وتطوير نظام الإضاءة داخل المقبرة. ويهدف مشروع نشر وترميم مقبرة الملك رمسيس الثالث 11) إلى تسجيل وتوثيق والحفاظ على المقبرة بأكملها ولذلك فقد حصل المشروع على تصريح عمل بالمقبرة من وزارة الآثار منذ ربيع عام 2017.