The importance of test order in external and standardized test results: The case of PISA 2018.

Standardized tests intend to reduce information asymmetry by providing a common and objective measure of students' academic performance. The basic assumption underlying standardized testing is that differences in student performance on standardized tests should be attributed primarily to differences in the quality of education received by students. However, there is evidence that environmental factors can affect standardized test scores, which may result in anomalous observations or outliers that show a distortion of student performance.

A review on LED technology in water photodisinfection.

The increase in efficiency achieved by UV LED devices has led to a compelling increase in research reports on UV LED water treatment for consumption in the past few years. This paper presents an in-depth review based on recent studies on the suitability and performance of UV LED-driven processes for water disinfection. The effect of different UV wavelengths and their combinations was analysed for the inactivation of various microorganisms and the inhibition of repair mechanisms.

[Psychotherapeutic knowledge and skills: essential in working as a psychiatrist].

Psychotherapeutic skills are essential elements in the daily work of psychiatrists. This article aims to bring attention to the psychotherapeutic competences described in the new training program for psychiatrists in the Netherlands. To illustrate the competences, two clinical cases are presented in which the psychiatrist executes psychotherapeutic skills to be effective in diagnosis and treatment.

High-performance low-cost solar collectors for water treatment fabricated with recycled materials, open-source hardware and 3d-printing technologies.

Solar technologies constitute an excellent alternative for water treatment in low-income countries where the poverty of a large part of the population hinders their access to safe water. From a technical point of view, the use of compound parabolic collectors (CPC) has been consolidated in the last decades. However, the relatively high cost of tooling conventional manufacturing processes for these collectors makes them difficult to afford in the most impoverished regions.

[Plea for early recognition, diagnosis and treatment of comorbid personality disorder in treatment-resistant depression].

It is known that personality traits can disappear during recovery from depressive disorder. Three case descriptions show the opposite: depressive symptoms can disappear after psychotherapeutic treatment of the personality disorder. In the treatment of depression, early recognition and diagnosis of a comorbid personality disorder is essential for considering different treatment options.

Source apportionment and seasonal variation in particulate PAHs levels at a coastal site in Belgium.

In the present study, estimation of the atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was done in particulate samples collected from De Haan, Belgium, during different seasons. The sampling site was situated very close to the north sea and far from the influence of local or industrial activities. The levels of PAHs depicted a distinct seasonal trend, being highest during the spring season.

Correction: The use and helpfulness of self-management strategies for depression: The experiences of patients.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

The use and helpfulness of self-management strategies for depression: The experiences of patients.

Objective: To explore which of 50 self-management strategies are actually used and which are perceived as most helpful by patients in their day-to-day management of depression, in order to empower patients and promote active engagement in their own care.

Methods: Retrospective study using an online self-report survey to assess the use and perceived helpfulness of 50 previously identified self-management strategies in 193 participants who recently recovered from a major depressive episode.

Results: Forty-five of the 50 strategies were used by at least half of all participants and about one third of all participants perceived almost 50% of all strategies as (very) helpful.

[The patient's perspective on the self-management and professional treatment of depression].

More than two-thirds of all patients suffering from depression experience insufficient improvement despite treatment. Self-management strategies and treatment objectives should be more in line with what patients consider to be helpful. This would improve the treatment efficacy of domains relevant to patients and allow for self-management of depression where possible.

Electrochemical Enhancement of Photocatalytic Disinfection on Aligned TiO₂ and Nitrogen Doped TiO₂ Nanotubes.

TiO₂ photocatalysis is considered as an alternative to conventional disinfection processes for the inactivation of waterborne microorganisms. The efficiency of photocatalysis is limited by charge carrier recombination rates. When the photocatalyst is immobilized on an electrically conducting support, one may assist charge separation by the application of an external electrical bias.

Uneven distribution of inorganic pollutants in marine air originating from ocean-going ships.

The distribution of mass, water-soluble inorganic salts and mineral elements of size-segregated aerosols (PM, PM and PM), precursor gaseous pollutants, black carbon, and nanoparticles (10-300 nm size range) at the Southern Bight of the North Sea has been studied. The concentrations of air pollutants peaked over shipping lanes, open-water anchorage areas and frequently navigated waters, due to the presence of mobile emission sources. A considerable decrease in air pollutant levels was seen when diverting from these marine areas towards remote or coastal banks.

Helpful Factors in the Treatment of Depression from the Patient's, Carer's and Professional's Perspective: A Concept Map Study.

Objective: Depression research has resulted in knowledge about neurobiology, pharmacological strategies and short-term cost-effective treatments. However, more than two-thirds of all depressed patients experience insufficient improvement. Therefore, a better understanding of what patients, carers and professionals perceive as most helpful in the treatment of depression is needed.

Health implications of atmospheric aerosols from asbestos-bearing road pavements traditionally used in Southern Brazil.

Serpentine and amphibole asbestos occur naturally in certain geologic settings worldwide, most commonly in association with ultramafic rocks, along associated faults. Ultramafic rocks have been used in Piên County, Southern Brazil for decades for the purpose of road paving in rural and urban areas, but without the awareness of their adverse environmental and health impact. The aim of this study was the chemical characterization of aerosols re-suspended in two rural roads of Piên, paved with ultramafic rocks and to estimate the pulmonary deposition of asbestos aerosols.

Effect of Liquid Feed-Stock Composition on the Morphology of Titanium Dioxide Films Deposited by Thermal Plasma Spray.

Titanium dioxide coatings were deposited on the surface of titanium foils by Thermal Plasma Spray (TPS) process. Three different TiO2 coatings were prepared using the commercial TiO2-P25 nanopowder and titanium isopropoxide precursor solution as feed-stocks. Structure and morphology of the TiO2-P25 powder and the plasma sprayed coatings were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, UV-visible spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM).

Helpful self-management strategies to cope with enduring depression from the patients' point of view: a concept map study.

Background: Despite the development of various self-management programmes that attempt to ameliorate symptoms of patients with chronic major depressive disorder (MDD), little is known about what these patients perceive as helpful in their struggle during daily live. The present study aims to explore what patients believe they can do themselves to cope with enduring MDD besides professional treatment, and which self-management strategies patients perceive as being most helpful to cope with their MDD.

Methods: We used concept mapping, a method specifically designed for the conceptualisation of a specific subject, in this case patients' point of view (n = 25) on helpful self-management strategies in their coping with enduring MDD.

Indoor particulate matter in four Belgian heritage sites: case studies on the deposition of dark-colored and hygroscopic particles.

Atmospheric total suspended particulate (TSP) was passively sampled by means of deployed horizontal and vertical filters in various rooms of four Belgian cultural heritage buildings, installed with various heating/ventilation systems. Soiling/blackening and deposition of inorganic, water-soluble aerosol components were considered. The extent of soiling was determined by means of two independent methods: (1) in terms of the covering rate of the samplers by optical reflection microscopy and (2) the reduction in lightness of the samplers using the CIE L*a*b* color space by spectrophotometry.

Patients׳ perspectives on how treatment can impede their recovery from depression.

Background: More than 50% of all major depressive disorder (MDD) patients experience insufficient improvement from the available treatment options. There is emerging evidence that patients׳ beliefs and experiences about MDD treatment influence treatment outcomes. The aim was to explore patients׳ perspectives on impeding characteristics of professional treatment for the recovery of MDD.

Methods, fluxes and sources of gas phase alkyl nitrates in the coastal air.

The daily and seasonal atmospheric concentrations, deposition fluxes and emission sources of a few C3-C9 gaseous alkyl nitrates (ANs) at the Belgian coast (De Haan) on the Southern North Sea were determined. An adapted sampler design for low- and high-volume air-sampling, optimized sample extraction and clean-up, as well as identification and quantification of ANs in air samples by means of gas chromatography mass spectrometry, are reported. The total concentrations of ANs ranged from 0.

Composition of PM2.5 and PM1 on high and low pollution event days and its relation to indoor air quality in a home for the elderly.

Many studies probing the link between air quality and health have pointed towards associations between particulate matter (PM) exposure and decreased lung function, aggravation of respiratory diseases like asthma, premature death and increased hospitalisation admissions for the elderly and individuals with cardiopulmonary diseases. Of recent, it is believed that the chemical composition and physical properties of PM may contribute significantly to these adverse health effects. As part of a Belgian Science Policy project ("Health effects of particulate matter in relation to physical-chemical characteristics and meteorology"), the chemical composition (elemental and ionic compositions) and physical properties (PM mass concentrations) of PM were investigated, indoors and outdoors of old age homes in Antwerp.

Large-volume injection combined with gas chromatography/isotope ratio mass spectrometry for the analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Rationale: Compound-specific stable isotope analyses of carbon require relatively large amounts of sample for reliable analyses. Commonly applied injections of 1 μL may thus be insufficient for samples with low concentrations of pollutants (e.g.

Photoelectrocatalytic study and scaling up of titanium dioxide electrodes for wastewater treatment.

Different TiO2 photoelectrodes have been characterized and tested for the photoelectrocatalytic oxidation of methanol. Particulate electrodes (TiO2/Ti and TiO2/ITO) have been shown to notably favour charge-carrier transfer at the electrolyte interface while a thermal electrode (Ti) has been shown to favour charge-carrier separation when applying an electric potential bias according to cyclic voltammetry technique, as a consequence of differences in TiO2 surface between particulate and thermal electrodes. Particulate electrodes lead to a higher photoelectrocatalytic activity for methanol oxidation compared to that of the thermal electrode, probably due to the pure-rutile TiO2 phase composition of the latter and its lower surface area.

Precision and accuracy of ST-EDXRF performance for As determination comparing with ICP-MS and evaluation of As deviation in the soil media.

The present study was conducted to (i) determine the precision and accuracy of arsenic measurement in soil samples using ST-EDXRF by comparison with the results of ICP-MS analyses and (ii) identify the relationship of As concentration with soil characteristics. For the analysis of samples, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (EDXRF) were performed. According to the results found in the soil samples, the addition of HCl to HNO3, used for the digestion gave significant variations in the recovery of As.

Patients' perspective on self-management in the recovery from depression.

Background: Self-management appears to be a promising approach in the case of depression, which helps to stimulate patients' autonomy. However, a good and systematic description of the concept self-management from the patients' perspective, to our knowledge, has not yet been performed.

Objective: To determine: (i) what strategies patients think they can use themselves to recover from depression, (ii) which main themes of self-management strategies can be detected, and (iii) which of these strategies patients perceive as being most helpful.

Healthy environment--indoor air quality of Brazilian elementary schools nearby petrochemical industry.

The mitigation of pollution released to the environment originating from the industrial sector has been the aim of all policy-makers and its importance is evident if the adverse health effects on the world population are considered. Although this concern is controversial, petroleum refinery has been linked to some adverse health effects for people living nearby. Apart from home, school is the most important indoor environment for children and there is increasing concern about the school environment and its impact on health, also in developing countries where the prevalence of pollution is higher.

Stable carbon isotopic ratio measurement of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as a tool for source identification and apportionment--a review of analytical methodologies.

The measurement of the ratio of stable isotopes of carbon ((13)C/(12)C expressed as a δ(13)C) in the individual components of a sample may be used as a means to identify the origin of these components. This article reviews the approaches and reports on the successes and failures of source identification and apportionment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) with the use of compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA). One of the conditions for a precise and accurate analysis of isotope ratios with the use of GC-C-IRMS is the need for well separated peaks, with no co-elutions, and reduced unresolved complex mixture (UCM).