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This study examines science teacher beliefs working in the conflict-affected zones of Jammu and Kashmir. Research in these areas indicates that teacher beliefs influence their classroom practices and student learning outcomes and that teacher beliefs are highly context sensitive. Using data collected from a questionnaire and focussed group discussions, this research elucidates science teachers' beliefs regarding how conflict affects classroom practices, conflict and teaching issues, the multifaceted role of teachers in conflict-affected zones, the role of science education in ameliorating conflict, and the changing role of teachers during three decades of active conflict in Jammu and Kashmir. A nuanced picture of teacher beliefs originated from this study suggesting that despite challenges teachers are committed to children's academic, cognitive, and psychosocial growth.

India has borrowed a colonial legacy of English language education from its British colonizers. Post-Independence, education policies pertaining to the language of instruction in school education have unequivocally been supporting multilingual education. However, the policy mandates have not been translated in the same way in classroom practices. This study, situated in the complex linguistic background of the country, examines the role of teacher orientations in executing policy directives in instructional practices in multilingual science classrooms where both teacher and students speak Hindi as their home language. Among the student population, almost two-thirds have chosen Hindi as their language of instruction, while others have opted for English. In a case study, it emerged that a teacher, owing to her academic and professional expertise in the English language, with no training in multilingual science education, coupled with firm faith in the political ascendancy of the English language, preferred to conduct science instruction in English. A need to engage in extensive professional development to equip teachers with multilingual science education teaching-learning strategies is recommended.

This study explored five Life Sciences teachers' practices of formative assessment when enacting an inquiry-based pedagogy. The ESRU cycle (teacher "Elicits" a response; the Student responds; the teacher "Recognises" the student's response; and then "Uses" the information collected to support student learning) was used as a coding system in the analysis of speaking turns involving exchanges between the teachers and learners. By tracking the strategies teachers used in terms of ESRU cycles, we were able to capture differences in assessment practices across the five teachers during inquiry science lessons. The findings of the analysis revealed patterns of teacher-learner interaction described as IRE (Initiation, Response, Evaluation) that are suggestive of 'incomplete' ESRU cycles. In the assessment conversations, there was absence of the crucial step of Using information about student learning in order to support students in the construction of knowledge. The findings of his study signal the need for professional development in supporting teachers in their formative assessment practices. This development can be in the form of workshops that focus on strategies for formative assessment such as those that are encapsulated in the ESRU framework. It is also recommended that best practices in formative assessment be modelled to teachers.

Situated in the context of teacher education reform which vehemently emphasises inquiry-based science education, this study examined the conceptualisations and enactment of inquiry-based science education by a group of four pre-service teachers enrolled in a teacher professional development programme in India, using mixed-method research design. This study elucidates the tapestry of PSTs growth as inquiry-oriented science teachers during the field internship period. Several factors that are teacher-related, student-related, and classroom-related were identified in influencing pre-service teachers' conceptualisation and enactment of scientific inquiry. It is advocated that to translate teacher education reform rhetoric to classroom practices, it is essential to develop a culture of inquiry in schools. Implications for pre-service teacher education programme are drawn.

Bacterial diseases of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract continue to be a major worldwide cause of human morbidity and mortality. Among various enteric pathogens, Shigella spp. are some of the most common and deadly bacterial pathogens. They are responsible for ~125 million worldwide cases of shigellosis, and ~14,000 deaths annually, the majority in children under the age of 5 and occurring in developing countries. Preventing and treating shigellosis with conventional drugs (e.g., vaccines and antibiotics) has proven to be very difficult. Here, we assessed the safety and tolerability of ShigActive™, a lytic bacteriophage preparation targeting Shigella spp., in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind Phase 1 clinical trial. Ten participants randomized 4:1 received ShigActive™ or placebo co-administered with sodium bicarbonate orally three times daily for 7 days. Solicited and unsolicited adverse events (AEs) were observed for 29 days. Fifty percent of the subjects receiving ShigActive™ reported mild GI-related symptoms, while one participant experienced moderate fatigue. No serious or medically attended AEs occurred through day 90. Additionally, no significant differences in GI-associated inflammatory mediators or fecal microbiome changes were observed between placebo- and ShigActive™-treated subjects, or from a participants' baseline value. The results of this first-in-human (FIH) randomized, controlled Phase 1 trial of ShigActive™ demonstrate that it is safe and well tolerated when orally administered with no significant differences compared to placebo controls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Formative assessment in science has long been reported to support students' scientific understanding. It involves teachers gathering assessment evidence, interpreting it in the light of learning goals and providing feedback to bridge the gap between students' current state of understanding and the desired educational goals. This study examines how problems in planning and implementation of an assessment task, in the context of a unit on asexual reproduction in secondary school science, may result in loss of its learning potential. It is suggested that beneath incorrect responses lie distinct cognitive rules used by students. It is crucial to pay attention to these rules and use this information to develop corrective instruction. A repertoire of skills to support teachers' interpretation of assessment evidence is identified.

This research investigates various purposes of teacher discourse moves essential to orchestrate dialogic discourse in secondary science classrooms. Data collected includes classroom observations and teacher interviews of two teachers teaching in an Indian school setting, whose classroom practices subscribed to a dialogic framework. A discursive move framework was developed, using a grounded, interpretative approach, to analyse teacher moves and their purposes at the utterance level. Iterative examination of the data led to the emergence of overarching goals being pursued for dialogic organisation of talk. These goals are conceptualised as three components of a schema characterising dialogic discourse in science classrooms: Foundation (F) aimed at developing a culture of discourse; Initiation (I) moves working towards sparking students' multiple perspectives; and Perpetuation (P) moves, which engage students in active exchange of ideas. Through axial coding, it emerged that teacher utterances, as detailed in the discursive framework, enabled the three components to come into play in dialogic classrooms. Specific tools used by the two teachers have been identified. A repertoire of tools facilitating teachers to position themselves as 'enablers of talk for thinking' [Chin, C. (2006). Classroom interaction in science: teacher questioning and feedback to students' responses. "International Journal of Science Education," 28(11), 1315-1346.] has been identified.

Context: Temporalis fascia and tragal perichondrium are the most commonly used graft materials in tympanoplasty, though contradictory reports are available in literature regarding their efficacy. Aims: To investigate the success rates and hearing outcomes of temporalis fascia and tragal perichondrium as grafts used for Type 1 tympanoplasty. Settings and Design: The present prospective study was carried out for a period of 18 months including 60 patients of either sex from 18 to 70 years of age. Subjects and Methods: This prospective study included 60 consecutive cases of chronic otitis media in a tertiary care center randomized in two groups of 30 patients each to be subjected to Type 1 tympanoplasty using either temporalis fascia graft (Group A) or tragal perichondrium (Group B). Graft uptake rates and subjective as well as objective hearing improvement at 1 and 3 months postoperative follow-up were compared. Statistical Analysis Used: IBM-compatible Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0. Results: The mean age of presentation in Group A was 31.30 years and in Group B was 30.67. In our study, the graft uptake after 3 months of surgery was 87% in the temporalis fascia graft group and 90% in the tragal perichondrium graft group. The mean pre- and postoperative PTA at 1 month and 3rd month postoperatively showed that there was significant improvement in hearing after 1 month in the temporalis fascia graft group compared to the tragal perichondrium graft group. Conclusions: Both temporalis fascia and tragal cartilage perichondrium are suitable graft materials for tympanoplasty. Graft uptake was superior with tragal perichondrium, while hearing improvement was better with temporalis fascia at 1 month postoperatively, although the results were not statistically significant at 3 months postoperative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is dearth of community based nationally representative data on Reproductive tract infections (RTI). Evidence suggests the stigma associated with the symptoms lead to poor health seeking behaviour among women. Objective: To estimate the prevalence and determinants of RTI symptoms among women of reproductive age (WRA) group in a selected rural and urban slum of district Faridabad, Haryana. Methodology: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 15-49 years age group ever married women residing in an urban slum and rural area of Faridabad. Minimum sample size was calculated to be 345. Systematic random sampling was used to interview eligible population using a predesigned structured questionnaire. Outcome variable of interest was at least one symptom of RTI. Prevalence ratio was calculated to identify the association between determinants and outcome. Results: Prevalence of at least one symptom of RTI among the women in urban area was 46.3% and 39.8% in rural area. Condom usage was higher among rural (20.4%) as compared to urban women (13.4%). Women in rural area reported higher proportion of abortions as compared to urban slum (10.2% vs 7.4%). The bivariable analysis revealed that use of sanitary pads, high parity, condom usage by partner and age at marriage as significant association with outcome. When subjected to generalized linear model non usage of condoms by partner (Adj PR (95%CI); 3.31 (1.14-9.57)) remained as an independent determinant of risk of RTI symptoms. Conclusion: Condom usage by partner in this study has emerged out be a protective factor for risk of RTI symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The occurrence of carbapenem-resistant (CR) strains of Acinetobacter baumannii is reported to contribute to the severity of several nosocomial infections, especially in critically ill patients in intensive care units. The present study aims to determine the antibiotic susceptibility, clonality, and genetic mechanism of carbapenem resistance in twenty-eight Acinetobacter baumannii isolates from four hospitals in Washington DC. The antibiotic susceptibility of the isolates was determined by VITEK 2 analyses, while PCR was used to examine the presence of antibiotic-resistant genes and mobile genetic elements. Trilocus multiplex-PCR was used along with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) for strain typing and for accessing clonal relationships among the isolates. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing indicated that 46% of the isolates were carbapenem-resistant and possessed MDR and XDR phenotypes. PFGE clustered the 28 isolates into seven clonal (C1–C7) complexes based on >75% similarity cut-off. Thirty-six percent of the isolates belonged to international clone II, while 29% were assigned to Group 4 by trilocus multiplex-PCR. Although the blaOXA-51-like gene was found in all the isolates, only 36% were positive for the blaOXA-23-like gene. PCR analysis also found a metallo-β-lactamase (MBL) gene (blaVIM) in 71% of the isolates. Of the 13 CR isolates, 8 were PCR positive for both blaVIM and blaOXA-23-like genes, while 5 harbored only blaVIM gene. This study revealed the emergence of VIM carbapenemase-producing A. baumannii isolates, which has not been previously reported in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacteria often exist in polymicrobial communities where they compete for limited resources. Intrinsic to this competition is the ability of some species to inhibit or kill their competitors. This phenomenon is pervasive throughout the human body where commensal bacteria block the colonization of incoming microorganisms. In this regard, molecular epidemiological and microbiota-based studies suggest that species-specific interactions play a critical role in the prevention of nasal colonization of the opportunistic pathogen Staphylococcus aureus. Despite this, S. aureus exists as part of the microbiota of ∼25% of the population, suggesting that the interplay between S. aureus and commensals can be complex. Microbiota studies indicate that several bacterial genera are negatively correlated with S. aureus colonization. While these studies paint a broad overview of bacterial presence, they often fail to identify individual species-specific interactions; a greater insight in this area could aid the development of novel antimicrobials. As a proof of concept study designed to identify individual bacterial species that possess anti -S. aureus activity, we screened a small collection of clinical isolates from the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for the ability to inhibit multiple S. aureus strains. We found that the majority of the isolates (82%) inhibited at least one S. aureus strain; 23% inhibited all S. aureus strains tested. In total, seven isolates mediated inhibitory activity that was independent of physical contact with S. aureus , and seven isolates mediated bactericidal activity. 16S rRNA based-sequencing revealed that the inhibitory isolates belonged to the Acinetobacter , Agromyces , Corynebacterium , Microbacteria , Mycobacterium , and Staphylococcus genera. Unexpectedly, these included seven distinct Acinetobacter baumannii isolates, all of which showed heterogeneous degrees of anti- S. aureus activity. Defined mechanistic studies on specific isolates revealed that the inhibitory activity was retained in conditioned cell free medium (CCFM) derived from the isolates. Furthermore, CCFM obtained from S. saprophyticus significantly decreased mortality of S. aureus -infected Galleria mellonella caterpillars. While future studies will seek to define the molecular mechanisms of the inhibitory activities, our current findings support the study of polymicrobial interactions as a strategy to understand bacterial competition and to identify novel therapeutics against S. aureus and other pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new strain of Lactobacillus parafarraginis was isolated from a sample of commercial yogurt and identified by phenotypic and molecular methods. Phenotypic characterization showed bacilli sizes ~ 0.75-2.75 μm x 0.25-0.75 μm, a generation time of ~3.04 h under anaerobic conditions, halotolerance, lactose fermentation, production of hydrogen sulfide gas from Kliger iron agar, and the presence of an unusual fatty-acid methyl ester, cis- 10-nonadecenoic acid. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing, the isolate was identified as Lactobacillus parafarraginis and given the GenBank accession number (KU495926). L. parafarraginis ((KU495926)) inhibited 14 multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) Gram-negative clinical isolates, as well as 11 other pathogens by spot-test and well-diffusion assays. The MDR/ESBL clinical isolates and other pathogens included Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii/haemolyticus, Enterobacter aerogenes, Proteus mirabilis and Klebsiella pneumonia, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli (O157:H7), Bacillus cereus, Yersinia enterocolitica, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Shigella sonnei, Streptococcus pyogenes and Enterococcus faecalis. Analyses of the semi-purified inhibitory fraction by SDS-PAGE, fast perfusion liquid chromatography (FPLC) inferred antimicrobial properties, characteristic of bacteriocins, with a protein band of ~75 kDa. Four bacteriocin structural genes which include sakT-β for sakacinT-β chain, sakT-α (sakacinT-α chain), acd T (acidocin), and plnc8A (plantaricin-α chain) were detected by PCR. The data suggest that L. parafarraginis (KU495926) may be a novel strain with potential therapeutic application. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the isolation of this strain from yogurt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Synthesis of Thiazolidinedione-pyrazole conjugates. • In vivo antidiabetic activity. • In vitro anti inflammatory activity. • In vitro anti oxidant activity. • Structure activity relationship established. • Molecular docking against PPAR-γ and alpha-amylase. A series of fourteen novel thiazolidine-2,4-dione derivatives clubbed with pyrazole moiety were synthesized via four step reaction procedure. Reactions were monitored by thin layer chromatography and were characterized by physicochemical and spectrophotometric (IR, Mass, 1HNMR and 13CNMR) analysis. The spectral data were in good agreement with their structures. The title compounds were docked against peroxisome proliferated activated receptors (PPAR-γ) and alpha-amylase and further evaluated for in vivo and in vitro antidiabetic, in vitro anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. Compound GB14 exhibited significant blood glucose lowering activity and was also found to be active inhibitor of alpha-amylase. Compound GB7 was found to be potent anti-inflammatory agent in terms of reducing inflammatory markers (TNF-α, IL-β, MDA) and also showed antioxidant activity to good extent. Therefore, these compounds may be considered as promising candidates for the development of new antidiabetic agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]