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Despite growing interest in evaluating the social and emotional learning of students and the development of standardized assessment tools for this purpose, there remains a dearth of validated instruments for evaluating teachers' social and emotional skills. We set out to address this knowledge gap by investigating the psychometric characteristics of the Social-Emotional Competence Teacher Rating Scale (SECTRS) questionnaire, an instrument originally developed and validated in North America. Participants were 572 teachers from Italy (n=324), Latvia (n=139), and Portugal (n=109) ranging from 40 to 59 years of age. We performed confirmatory factor analysis procedures to validate a four-factor model measuring Teacher-student relationships, Emotion regulation, Social awareness, and Interpersonal relationships. The data supported this factorial structure, with a total of 14 items included in the final model. The outcomes of a multi-group comparison indicated that the model exhibited partial invariance, up to and including metric invariance, across the three cultural settings. We discuss these findings in relation to selecting appropriate instruments for assessing the social and emotional skills of teachers in different cultural contexts.

The Direct Method, a pedagogical approach for teaching additional languages through immersion, emphasizes oral interaction and everyday language usage to facilitate language acquisition. This method discourages reliance on translation and minimizes emphasis on grammatical rules. However, a fundamental question arises about the effectiveness of TESOL programmes in non-English dominant countries in equipping prospective teachers to adopt a monolingual approach. This paper explores the results of a case study aimed at understanding the experiences of two TESOL degree candidates from a university in Northern Brazil. They participated in an outreach project employing the Direct Method to teach English to Year 1 students on the outskirts of Santarém-PA. Data, gathered through proficiency assessments, interviews, and video recordings, were analysed using Content Analysis and video analysis principles in qualitative research. The results revealed challenges faced by the participants due to limited pedagogical knowledge but also unveiled adaptive strategies, collaborative work practices, introspection, and an acknowledgment of the importance of integrating elements from students' physical and social contexts into lessons. Despite challenges, the study underscores the beneficial potential and viability of the Direct Method in non-English dominant contexts, advocating for its critical consideration and adaptation within TESOL programmes.

As highlighted in the literature, one of the main difficulties in mathematics is the management of different semiotic representations. This difficulty occurs in verticals throughout schooling and is often an obstacle to the proper learning process of mathematics. The present study aims to investigate the different facets of these difficulties with regard to mathematical tasks in secondary school. In particular, questions from Italian large-scale mathematics assessments are analyzed and interpreted through the theoretical lens of Duval's (1993) theory. Statistical analyses on a robust national sample allow a framing of the main difficulties and provide valuable information in this field.

Introduction: Standard emergency medicine practice includes tetanus vaccine administration as part of wound care management for patients who are not fully immunized. Since there have been no available studies in the United States reaffirming the prevalence of Clostridium tetani (C tetani) since 1926, we sought to identify its prevalence in a major urban county in the US.Methods: We sampled soil, rusted metal, concrete, and dog feces to determine the prevalence of C tetani in a single metropolitan county in the United States. Soil samples and swabs were collected from four locations: the soil of a public park and an elementary school; dog feces from a single public dog park; and rusted surfaces (metal and concrete) in common student areas of a university campus. The presence of C tetani in each sample was determined using a quantitative polymerase chain reaction.Results: In total, 200 samples were collected, of which 37 (18.5%) tested positive for C tetani DNA. Among the 140 samples taken from the soil, just one (0.7%) tested positive for C tetani DNA. Of the 40 samples of rusted metal and concrete surfaces, 30 (75%) tested positive for C tetani, and six (30%) of the 20 samples from dog feces tested positive for C tetani.Conclusion: We found that C tetani is frequently present on rusted metal and concrete surfaces but rarely in soil samples. Minor wounds contaminated with soil may be considered low risk for tetanus. However, future studies should assess the burden of C tetani in other similar urban, suburban, and rural environments to help determine the threat of C tetani more exactly.

Despite efforts to understand breast cancer biology, metastatic disease remains a clinical challenge. Identifying suppressors of breast cancer progression and mechanisms of transition to more invasive phenotypes could provide game changing therapeutic opportunities. Transcriptional deregulation is central to all malignancies, highlighted by the extensive reprogramming of regulatory elements that underlie oncogenic programs. Among these, super-enhancers (SEs) stand out due to their enrichment in genes controlling cancer hallmarks. To reveal novel breast cancer dependencies, we integrated the analysis of the SE landscape with master regulator activity inference for a series of breast cancer cell lines. As a result, we identified T - h elper-inducing Poxviruses and Zinc-finger ( PO Z)/ K rüppel-like factor (ThPOK, ZBTB7B ), a CD4 + cell lineage commitment factor, as a breast cancer master regulator that is recurrently associated with a SE. ThPOK expression is highest in luminal breast cancer but is significantly reduced in the basal subtype. Manipulation of ThPOK levels in cell lines shows that its repressive function restricts breast cancer cells to an epithelial phenotype by suppressing the expression of genes involved in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), WNT/β-catenin target genes, and the pro-metastatic TGFβ pathway. Our study reveals ThPOK as a master transcription factor that restricts the acquisition of metastatic features in breast cancer cells.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a growing epidemic and a risk factor for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study investigated the long-term outcomes of liver resection (LR) for HCC in patients with MS. Rates, timing, patterns, and treatment of recurrences were investigated, and cancer-specific survivals were assessed. METHODS: Between 2001 and 2021, data from 24 clinical centers were collected. Overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and cancer-specific survival were analyzed as well as recurrence patterns and treatment. The analysis was conducted using a competing-risk framework. The trajectory of the risk of recurrence over time was applied to a competing risk analysis. For post-recurrence survival, death resulting from tumor progression was the primary endpoint, whereas deaths with recurrence relating to other causes were considered as competing events. RESULTS: In total, 813 patients were included in the study. Median OS was 81.4 months (range 28.1-157.0 months), and recurrence occurred in 48.3% of patients, with a median RFS of 39.8 months (range 15.7-174.7 months). Cause-specific hazard of recurrence showed a first peak 6 months (0.027), and a second peak 24 months (0.021) after surgery. The later the recurrence, the higher the chance of receiving curative intent approaches (p = 0.001). Size >5 cm, multiple tumors, microvascular invasion, and cirrhosis were independent predictors of recurrence showing a cause-specific hazard over time. RFS was associated with death for recurrence (hazard ratio: 0.985, 95% CI: 0.977-0.995; p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with MS undergoing LR for HCC have good long-term survival. Recurrence occurs in 48% of patients with a double-peak incidence and time-specific hazards depending on tumor-related factors and underlying disease. The timing of recurrence significantly impacts survival. Surveillance after resection should be adjusted over time depending on risk factors. IMPACT AND IMPLICATIONS: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a growing epidemic and a significant risk factor for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The present study demonstrated that patients who undergo surgical resection for HCC on MS have a good long-term survival and that recurrence occurs in almost half of the cases with a double peak incidence and time-specific hazards depending on tumor-related factors and underlying liver disease. Also, the timing of recurrence significantly impacts survival. Clinicians should therefore adjust follow-up after surgery accordingly, considering timing of recurrence and specific risk factors. Also, the results of the present study might help design future trials on the use of adjuvant therapy following resection.

This study investigates the rain-initiated mixing and variability in the mixing ratio of selected trace gases in the atmosphere over the central Amazon rain forest. It builds on comprehensive data from the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO), spanning from 2013 to 2020 and comprising the greenhouse gases (GHGs) carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4); the reactive trace gases carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), nitric oxide (NO), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2); and selected volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Based on more than 1000 analyzed rainfall events, the study resolves the trace gas mixing ratio patterns before, during, and after the rain events, along with vertical mixing ratio gradients across the forest canopy. The assessment of the rainfall events was conducted independently for daytime and nighttime periods, which allows us to elucidate the influence of solar radiation. The mixing ratios of CO2, CO, and CH4 clearly declined during rainfall, which can be attributed to the downdraft-related entrainment of pristine air from higher altitudes into the boundary layer, a reduction of the photosynthetic activity under increased cloud cover, and changes in the surface fluxes. Notably, CO showed a faster reduction than CO2, and the vertical gradient of CO2 and CO is steeper than for CH4. Conversely, the O3 mixing ratio increased across all measurement heights in the course of the rain-related downdrafts. Following the O3 enhancement by up to a factor of 2, NO, NO2, and isoprene mixing ratios decreased. The temporal and vertical variability of the trace gases is intricately linked to the diverse sink and source processes, surface fluxes, and free-troposphere transport. Within the canopy, several interactions unfold among soil, atmosphere, and plants, shaping the overall dynamics. Also, the mixing ratio of biogenic VOCs (BVOCs) clearly varied with rainfall, driven by factors such as light, temperature, physical transport, and soil processes. Our results disentangle the patterns in the trace gas mixing ratio in the course of sudden and vigorous atmospheric mixing during rainfall events. By selectively uncovering processes that are not clearly detectable under undisturbed conditions, our results contribute to a better understanding of the trace gas life cycle and its interplay with meteorology, cloud dynamics, and rainfall in the Amazon.

The menstrual cycle is a loop involving the interplay of different organs and hormones, with the capacity to impact numerous physiological processes, including body temperature and heart rate, which in turn display menstrual rhythms. The advent of wearable devices that can continuously track physiological data opens the possibility of using these prolonged time series of skin temperature data to noninvasively detect the temperature variations that occur in ovulatory menstrual cycles. Here, we show that the menstrual skin temperature variation is better represented by a model of oscillation, the cosinor, than by a biphasic square wave model. We describe how applying a cosinor model to a menstrual cycle of distal skin temperature data can be used to assess whether the data oscillate or not, and in cases of oscillation, rhythm metrics for the cycle, including mesor, amplitude, and acrophase, can be obtained. We apply the method to wearable temperature data collected at a minute resolution each day from 120 female individuals over a menstrual cycle to illustrate how the method can be used to derive and present menstrual cycle characteristics, which can be used in other analyses examining indicators of female health. The cosinor method, frequently used in circadian rhythms studies, can be employed in research to facilitate the assessment of menstrual cycle effects on physiological parameters, and in clinical settings to use the characteristics of the menstrual cycles as health markers or to facilitate menstrual chronotherapy.

High ventilation breathwork with retention (HVBR) has been growing in popularity over the past decade and might be beneficial for mental and physical health. However, little research has explored the potential therapeutic effects of brief, remotely delivered HVBR and the tolerability profile of this technique. Accordingly, we investigated the effects of a fully-automated HVBR protocol, along with its tolerability, when delivered remotely in a brief format. This study (NCT06064474) was the largest blinded randomised-controlled trial on HVBR to date in which 200 young, healthy adults balanced for gender were randomly allocated in blocks of 2 by remote software to 3 weeks of 20 min daily HVBR (fast breathing with long breath holds) or a placebo HVBR comparator (15 breaths/min with short breath holds). The trial was concealed as a fast breathwork study wherein both intervention and comparator were masked, and only ~ 40% guessed their group assignment with no difference in accuracy between groups. Both groups reported analogous credibility and expectancy of benefit, subjective adherence, positive sentiment, along with short- and long-term tolerability. At post-intervention (primary timepoint) for stress level (primary outcome), we found no significant group × time interaction, F(1,180) = 1.98, p = 0.16, ηp2 = 0.01, d = 0.21), nor main effect of group, (F = 0.35, p = 0.55, ηp2

The spread of multidrug-resistant strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the etiologic agent of gonorrhea, represents a global health emergency. Therefore, the development of a safe and effective vaccine against gonorrhea is urgently needed. In previous studies, murine monoclonal antibody (mAb) 2C7 was raised against gonococcal lipooligosaccharide (LOS). mAb 2C7 elicits complement-dependent bactericidal activity against gonococci, and its glycan epitope is expressed by almost every clinical isolate. Furthermore, we identified a peptide, cyclic peptide 2 (CP2) that mimicked the 2C7 LOS epitope, elicited bactericidal antibodies in mice, and actively protected in a mouse vaginal colonization model. In this study, we performed structural analyses of mAb 2C7 and its complex with the CP2 peptide by X-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The crystal structure of Fab 2C7 bound to CP2 showed that the peptide adopted a beta-hairpin conformation and bound the Fab primarily through hydrophobic interactions. We employed NMR spectroscopy and MD simulations to map the 2C7 epitope and identify the bioactive conformation of CP2. We also used small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and native mass spectrometry to obtain further information about the shape and assembly state of the complex. Collectively, our new structural information suggests strategies for humanizing mAb 2C7 as a therapeutic against gonococcal infection and for optimizing peptide CP2 as a vaccine antigen.

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is the second most common cause of early-onset dementia after Alzheimer disease (AD). Efforts in the field mainly focus on familial forms of disease (fFTDs), while studies of the genetic etiology of sporadic FTD (sFTD) have been less common. In the current work, we analyzed 4,685 sFTD cases and 15,308 controls looking for common genetic determinants for sFTD. We found a cluster of variants at the MAPT (rs199443; p = 2.5 × 10-12, OR = 1.27) and APOE (rs6857; p = 1.31 × 10-12, OR = 1.27) loci and a candidate locus on chromosome 3 (rs1009966; p = 2.41 × 10-8, OR = 1.16) in the intergenic region between RPSA and MOBP, contributing to increased risk for sFTD through effects on expression and/or splicing in brain cortex of functionally relevant in-cis genes at the MAPT and RPSA-MOBP loci. The association with the MAPT (H1c clade) and RPSA-MOBP loci may suggest common genetic pleiotropy across FTD and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) (MAPT and RPSA-MOBP loci) and across FTD, AD, Parkinson disease (PD), and cortico-basal degeneration (CBD) (MAPT locus). Our data also suggest population specificity of the risk signals, with MAPT and APOE loci associations mainly driven by Central/Nordic and Mediterranean Europeans, respectively. This study lays the foundations for future work aimed at further characterizing population-specific features of potential FTD-discriminant APOE haplotype(s) and the functional involvement and contribution of the MAPT H1c haplotype and RPSA-MOBP loci to pathogenesis of sporadic forms of FTD in brain cortex.

BACKGROUND: Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) has revolutionized the treatment of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) due to large vessel occlusion (LVO), but its efficacy and safety in medium vessel occlusion (MeVO) remain less explored. This multicenter, retrospective study aims to investigate the incidence and clinical outcomes of vessel perforations (confirmed by extravasation during an angiographic series) during MT for AIS caused by MeVO. METHODS: Data were collected from 37 academic centers across North America, Asia, and Europe between September 2017 and July 2021. A total of 1373 AIS patients with MeVO underwent MT. Baseline characteristics, procedural details, and clinical outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: The incidence of vessel perforation was 4.8% (66/1373). Notably, our analysis indicates variations in perforation rates across different arterial segments: 8.9% in M3 segments, 4.3% in M2 segments, and 8.3% in A2 segments (p = 0.612). Patients with perforation had significantly worse outcomes, with lower rates of favorable angiographic outcomes (TICI 2c-3: 23% vs 58.9%, p

Understanding forest water limitation during droughts within a warming climate is essential for accurate predictions of forest-climate interactions. In hyperdiverse ecosystems like the Amazon forest, the mechanisms shaping hysteresis patterns in transpiration relative to environmental factors are not well understood. From this perspective, we investigated these dynamics by conducting in situ leaf-level measurements throughout and after the 2015 El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) drought. Our findings indicate a substantial increase in the hysteresis area (Harea) among transpiration (E), vapor pressure deficit (VPD), and stomatal conductance (gs) at canopy level during the ENSO peak, attributed to both temporal lag and differences in magnitude between gs and VPD peaks. Specifically, the canopy species Pouteria anomala exhibited an increased Harea, due to earlier maximum gs rates leading to a greater temporal lag with VPD compared to the post-drought period. Additionally, leaf water potential (ΨL) and canopy temperature (Tcanopy) showed larger Harea during the ENSO peak compared to post-drought conditions across all studied species, suggesting that stomatal closure, particularly during the afternoon, acts to minimize water loss and may explain the counterclockwise hysteresis observed between ΨL and Tcanopy. The pronounced Harea during the drought points to a potential imbalance between water supply and demand, underlining the role of stomatal behavior of isohydric species in response to drought.

This paper makes a strong connection between the need for innovation in second language pedagogy and the need for language teachers to develop a good understanding of how language develops in our minds/brains. The future for innovative language pedagogy requires that language teachers fully develop the following: (i) a working definition of the nature of language; (ii) a working definition of communication; and (iii) a good knowledge of how language acquisition happens. In the field of both language teaching and language research, there is a need for teachers and researchers to reconnect to second language acquisition theories to ensure that any decisions about language pedagogy are informed and evidence-based. The main question which must be addressed by the experts is: How do we make the knowledge outlined above, commonplace in language teaching?