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AbstractThe study discusses the impact of a nationwide deployment of Wi-Fi technology in some Senior High Technical Vocational Schools (SHTVs) in Ghana, using the first four levels of Guskey’s framework. A stratified sampling approach was used to select 119 teachers as participants in the study. An embedded mixed method research design was employed to collect data using a questionnaire with both close-ended and open-ended items. The findings revealed that the deployment of Wi-Fi technology impacted positively on the teachers’ learning experiences and was positively perceived by the teachers in facilitating teaching and learning practices. However, the study also revealed some deficits in reliability, trust, and connectivity associated with the Wi-Fi technology, highlighting the need to explore factors that maximize the output of technological initiatives. The study identifies the school’s organization and the teachers’ learning experiences as two key predictors in maximizing the use of Wi-Fi technology in educational establishments. The study recommends equipping teachers with the requisite competencies in the use of Wi-Fi technologies through professional development programs, training, and the enactment of ICT curriculum-based policies in schools. These policies and support will promote and enhance the effective utility of Wi-Fi technology among teachers, enabling them to shift from traditional to more technologically inclined student-centred learning.

O transplante cardíaco (TxC) é opção terapêutica considerada em pacientes com insuficiência cardíaca (IC) avançada e refratária ao tratamento otimizado, de acordo com diretrizes nacionais e internacionais. A IC é uma doença progressiva que afeta milhões de pessoas. O paciente com IC avançada frequentemente desenvolve hipertensão arterial pulmonar (HAP). A HAP é definida como uma condição em que a pressão média da artéria pulmonar é superior a 20 mmHg. Em relação à HAP, reconhece-se que a inflamação é um aspecto importante no seu desenvolvimento. Objetivo: Neste contexto, o objetivo desse trabalho foi avaliar a relação entre o processo inflamatório e o desenvolvimento de hipertensão arterial pulmonar em pacientes submetido ao TxC. Métodos: Os níveis das interleucinas IL-6, IL-1β e TNF-α foram obtidos por ELISA, associados das contagens de CD68 e de neutrófilos CD66b pela técnica de imunofluorescência, em fragmentos das artérias pulmonares de pacientes portadores de cardiomiopatia chagásica ou não submetidos ao TxC. Resultados: O estudo revelou que não existe diferença estatisticamente significativa (p ≥ 0,05) entre os pacientes receptores chagásicos e os receptores não-chagásicos no que diz respeito às variáveis clínicas, ecocardiográficas, manométricas e aos marcadores inflamatórios. Conclusão: Esses dados sugerem a presença de um perfil pró-inflamatório nos pacientes transplantados cardíaco independente dos níveis aferidos de pressão na artéria pulmonar.

In this paper, we present the application of a special soil resistivity model, the Exponentially Graded Multilayered Soil model, to the interpretation of Borehole Resistivity Logging surveys. The model, which was recently introduced by the authors, offers an alternative to the interpretation provided by constant resistivity layer models. The model is applied to synthetic soil surveys as well as to a real survey that is not satisfactorily interpreted using conventional models. This model aids in the design and calculation of grounding systems in electrical engineering, providing an alternative to calculations performed by traditional layered models.

The measurement of the grounding resistance of grounding grids in large installations as well as grounding electrodes in urban areas is addressed in this article. The resistance value is obtained using a three-pin array by measuring the fall-of-potential on the ground surface. The resistance measured by this method is adjusted to its true value using a correction factor that aligns the measured resistance with the actual value. The proposed measurement method obtains correct values of the grounding resistance even when the auxiliary and potential electrodes of the tree-pin array are close to the electrode to be measured. Thus, it can be applied to large electrodes as well as electrodes in urban areas. Several simulated examples are used to illustrate the method, and some real cases with field measurements are presented for a final validation of the method.

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), especially those on dialysis or who have received a kidney transplant (KT), are considered more vulnerable to severe COVID-19. This susceptibility is attributed to advanced age, a higher frequency of comorbidities, and the chronic immunosuppressed state, which may exacerbate their susceptibility to severe outcomes. Therefore, our study aimed to compare the clinical characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 in KT patients with those on chronic dialysis and non-CKD patients in a propensity score-matched cohort study. This multicentric retrospective cohort included adult COVID-19 laboratory-confirmed patients admitted from March/2020 to July/2022, from 43 Brazilian hospitals. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Propensity score analysis matched KT recipients with controls - patients on chronic dialysis and those without CKD (within 0.25 standard deviations of the logit of the propensity score) - according to age, sex, number of comorbidities, and admission year. This study included 555 patients: 163 KT, 146 on chronic dialysis, and 249 non-CKD patients (median age 57 years, 55.2% women). With regards to clinical outcomes, chronic dialysis patients had a higher prevalence of acute heart failure, compared to KT recipients, furthermore, both groups presented high in-hospital mortality, 34.0 and 28.1%, for KT and chronic dialysis patients, respectively. When comparing KT and non-CKD patients, the first group had a higher incidence of in-hospital dialysis (26.4% vs. 8.8%, p

ABSTRACT Introduction: Lung diseases are common in patients with end stage kidney disease (ESKD), making differential diagnosis with COVID-19 a challenge. This study describes pulmonary chest tomography (CT) findings in hospitalized ESKD patients on renal replacement therapy (RRT) with clinical suspicion of COVID-19. Methods: ESKD individuals referred to emergency department older than 18 years with clinical suspicion of COVID-19 were recruited. Epidemiological baseline clinical information was extracted from electronic health records. Pulmonary CT was classified as typical, indeterminate, atypical or negative. We then compared the CT findings of positive and negative COVID-19 patients. Results: We recruited 109 patients (62.3% COVID-19-positive) between March and December 2020, mean age 60 ± 12.5 years, 43% female. The most common etiology of ESKD was diabetes. Median time on dialysis was 36 months, interquartile range = 12–84. The most common pulmonary lesion on CT was ground glass opacities. Typical CT pattern was more common in COVID-19 patients (40 (61%) vs 0 (0%) in non-COVID-19 patients, p < 0.001). Sensitivity was 60.61% (40/66) and specificity was 100% (40/40). Positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 100% and 62.3%, respectively. Atypical CT pattern was more frequent in COVID-19-negative patients (9 (14%) vs 24 (56%) in COVID-19-positive, p < 0.001), while the indeterminate pattern was similar in both groups (13 (20%) vs 6 (14%), p = 0.606), and negative pattern was more common in COVID-19-negative patients (4 (6%) vs 12 (28%), p = 0.002). Conclusions: In hospitalized ESKD patients on RRT, atypical chest CT pattern cannot adequately rule out the diagnosis of COVID-19.

Abstract Background Measles has high primary reproductive number, extremely infectious and ranked second to malaria in terms of disease burden in Ghana. Owing to the disease’s high infectious rate, making early diagnosis based on an accurate system can help limit the spread of the disease. Studies have been conducted to derive models to serve as preliminary tools for early detection. However, these derived models are based on traditional methods, which may be limited in terms of model sensitivity and prediction power. This study focuses on comparing the performance of five machine learning classification techniques with a traditional method for predicting measles patients in Ghana. The study was an analytical cross-sectional design of suspected measles cases in Ghana. Results The performance of six classifiers were compared and the random forest (RF) model demonstrated better performance among other models. The RF model achieved the highest sensitivity (0.88) specificity (0.96), ROC (0.92) and total accuracy (0.92). Conclusions Our findings showed that, despite all the six methods had good performance in classifying measles patients, the RF model outperformed all the other classifiers in terms of different criteria in prediction accuracy. Accordingly, this approach is an effective classifier for predicting measles in the early stage.

Background and aimsLatin American populations remain underrepresented in genetic studies of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). Most genetic association studies of IBD rely on Caucasian, African, and Asian individuals. These associations have yet to be evaluated in detail in the Andean region of South America. We explored the contribution of IBD-reported genetic risk variants to a Chilean cohort and the ancestry contribution to IBD in this cohort.MethodsA total of 192 Chilean IBD patients were genotyped using Illumina's Global Screening Array. Genotype data were combined with similar information from 3,147 Chilean controls. The proportions of Aymara, African, European, and Mapuche ancestries were estimated using the software ADMIXTURE. We calculated the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for gender, age, and ancestry proportions. We also explored associations with previously reported IBD-risk variants independently and in conjunction with genetic ancestry.ResultsThe first and third quartiles of the proportion of Mapuche ancestry in IBD patients were 24.7 and 34.2%, respectively, and the corresponding OR was 2.30 (95%CI 1.52–3.48) for the lowest vs. the highest group. Only one variant (rs7210086) of the 180 reported IBD-risk SNPs was associated with IBD risk in the Chilean cohort (adjusted P = 0.01). This variant is related to myeloid cells.ConclusionThe type and proportion of Native American ancestry in Chileans seem to be associated with IBD risk. Variants associated with IBD risk in this Andean region were related to myeloid cells and the innate immune response.

Since artificial intelligence (AI) is extensively used in the field of education, it presents various opportunities in teaching and learning. In education, AI is chiefly used to impart knowledge, stimulate comprehension, heighten intelligence, and is treasured as support in learning. It is also instrumental in empowering and inspiring students. The emergence of AI also has a positive impact on inclusive education. Because these technologies can potentially transform teaching and learning, it is important to understand how they can be used to further support inclusive education. This non-empirical research analyzed some advantages and challenges of incorporating AI in teaching and learning and highlighted how it influences inclusion. Based on the literature, some of the advantages of AI are improved performance of students, motivation, and encouragement of students. This review also identified some challenges associated with the use of AI for inclusive education, such as technological difficulties, poor connectivity, pedagogical issues, and limitations of the database. Some recommendations are proposed to address these challenges. This research can assist educators, parents, students, government officials, and policymakers in making proper decisions on the effective use of AI and inclusion.

Governments in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are expanding access to high school education, which is a perpetuation of the previous focus on basic education. This study applies qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) using data from seven countries from 2010 to 2020 to examine the potential conditions of fee-free policies at the high school level. Five potential conditions are analyzed. They include the regime type, electoral competition, ideological lineage, economic conditions, and social context. The findings indicate the significant influence of electoral competition and a high level of lower secondary school enrolment for the adoption of fee-free policies. The absence of electoral competition leads to a lack of fee-free policy. The paper explains how elections, one indicator of representative democracy, motivate political leaders to initiate social policies. Additionally, the study challenges the relevance of two important explanations for expansionary social policy in the literature—the partisan theory of policy outcomes, and the economy.

In recent decades, the potential benefits of introducing technologies into large-scale tests have been much discussed. Yet the path to effective technology use on large-scale testing has fallen short of expectations, especially when these tests have medium or high stakes for students. After a temporary cancelation of external assessment of learning due to the COVID19 pandemic, the Portuguese government is taking a step forward. With a gradual implementation until 2025, the reintroduction of external assessment of learning in the Portuguese education system foresees all national assessment tests and all national examinations in digital format with the implementation of the "External Assessment Dematerialization Project" (DAVE). However, assessment reforms, such as DAVE, raise concerns within school communities. To identify and analyze these concerns, we conducted 32 semi-structured interviews with head teachers from mainland Portugal. To understand to what extent these concerns were considered and covered in DAVE's design and implementation, a supplementary interview was conducted with the president of the Portuguese institute responsible for DAVE. In addition, a survey with 2 673 teachers was carried out to find out their degree of agreement with the implementation of DAVE. Results show that DAVE raises many concerns among head teachers, and it is not fully accepted by the teachers.

This work aims to analyze the cost projection of natural gas combined cycles (NGCC) with post-combustion carbon capture (PCC) technology for two promising power plant configurations, namely: conventional NGCC and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). A thermo-economic analysis was performed considering the second-law efficiency for the CO2 separation process (η2nd) and the CO2 avoided cost (CAC) as main indicators. Several critical variables influencing the overall cost of the plant were considered, such as the work required for solvent regeneration (Wregen), technology maturity, learning rate, carbon tax credit, and carbon capture level (85%, 90%, and 95%). A hybrid method combining engineering-economic and experience-curve approaches was used to estimate the costs of Nth-of-a-kind (NOAK) plants. The results showed that NOAK plants could potentially decrease the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) by 10%–11%, and the CAC by 21%–23%, compared with first-of-a-kind (FOAK) plants. EGR at 85% capture level showed the best economic performance among the study cases evaluated, with a CAC equal to $102.5/tCO2. At an 85% capture level, the CAC for the conventional NOAK NGCC plant is $104.1/tCO2; maintaining this same CAC value, the carbon capture rate could increase from 85% to 90.8% if EGR configuration is implemented. Finally, from the findings of this research, it is concluded that the CAC for NOAK plants is expected to be, in the best scenario, as low as $69/tCO2. Therefore, these plants might need at least a similar carbon tax value to ensure their operation during their useful life.

Although researchers have investigated the association between education and crime, few studies have studied Sub-Saharan Africa, which has the lowest rate of youth enrolled in high school. Notwithstanding, some countries are paying attention to high school education, whereby specific policies often termed “cost elimination” are designed to facilitate free education. At the micro-to-micro level, it is argued that enrolling and completing high school reduces the rate of criminal engagement. Against this backdrop, we investigate the effect of high school enrolment on the crime rate using macro-to-macro-level panel data about Sub-Saharan Africa countries from 2003 to 2018. Using theft and homicide rates as proxies for property and violent crime, respectively, our results show that an increase in enrolment has a significant negative effect on property crime. We find no evidence of a significant effect on violent crime. When addressing endogeneity bias using cost elimination as an instrument for enrolment, we find that the magnitude of the negative effect on the rate of theft is significantly greater and robust than the baseline estimates. These findings support the assumption that interventions that support access to education improve social structures and have the additional benefit of reducing the rate of theft, giving credence to social support theory. In a region where a majority of theft is committed by youth without a high school education, policymakers need to make concerted efforts to raise participation in high school as one of the means of reducing crime, rather than focusing exclusively on crime control.

This research analyzes competency-based management (CNM) in Brazilian electoral justice courts’ personnel management (PM). This qualitative study is based on the integrated multiple case study method using data collected from documents and interviews from six courts. It applies the thematic content analysis technique, resulting in five CBM and main PM-related practices in the courts studied. It contends that despite the norms and studies’ efforts to make CBM plausible in public organizations, its assimilation has been slow and fragmented. Thus, it evidences the need to expand research and actions in CBM evaluation programs in Public Administration that provide theoretical and practical recommendations for the strategic improvement of PM in the Judiciary System.

Colitis is characterized by an exacerbated intestinal immune response, but the genetic and other mechanisms regulating immune activation remain incompletely understood. In order to identify new pathways leading to colitis, we sought to identify genes with increased expression in the colons of patients that also are near loci identified by genome wide association studies (GWAS) associated with IBD risk. One such SNP, rs9557195 was of particular interest because it is within an intron of G-protein-coupled receptor (GPR) 183, known to be important for lymphocyte migration. Furthermore, this SNP is in close proximity to the gene encoding another G-protein coupled receptor, GPR18. Analyzing publicly available datasets, we found transcripts of GPR183 and GPR18 to be increased in colon biopsies from ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease patients, and GPR183 was even more increased in patients resistant to TNF treatment. Expression of both genes also was increased in mouse models of colitis. Therefore, our aim was to understand if increased expression of these GPRs in the intestine is related to disease severity in colitis models. Here we investigated the role of these receptors in the T cell transfer model and the dextran sulfate sodium model. In the T cell transfer model, GPR183 expression on donor T cells, as well as on other cell types in the Rag-/- recipients, was not essential for severe colitis induction. Furthermore, deficiency in Rag-/- mice for the enzyme that synthesizes a cholesterol metabolite that is a major ligand for GPR183 also did not affect disease. Similarly, lack of GPR18 expression in T cells or other cell types did not affect colitis pathogenesis in the T cell transfer or in the dextran sulfate sodium model. Therefore, despite increased expression of transcripts for these genes in the intestine during inflammation in humans and mice, they are not required for disease severity in mouse models of colitis induced by chemical injury or T cell cytokines, perhaps due to redundancy in mechanisms important for homing and survival of lymphocytes to the inflamed intestine.

Calculation expressions for the electric and magnetic fields produced by a horizontal cloud-to-cloud lightning channel, assuming a perfectly conducted ground, are proposed in this paper. These expressions depend on the current model traveling through the channel and serve as the starting point to calculate the induced fields and potentials at any point in space. The derived expressions for the fields are used to calculate the induced potentials by the channel on metallic structures such as vertically driven rods in the ground and aircraft in flight. The influence of soil with finite conductivity is discussed, and an estimation of the induced potentials in this situation is proposed.

Purpose: This study seeks to review the literature on contemporary science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education practices to frame approaches that can be used to prepare STEM pre-service teachers. Design/methodology: This study used a systematic literature review guided by PRISMA 2020 statement. Following some eligibility criteria 79 studies were selected for synthesis. Data were analysed qualitatively, and Excel spreadsheet was used for the quantitative aspects. Findings: This synthesis revealed diversity in the conceptualization of STEM education. Despite a lag in global STEM education research, countries such as South Africa and Tanzania have published research areas like STEM education practices, STEM teacher education, and technology adoption for STEM education. The synthesis also showed that aspects of policy, instruction, STEM-teacher professional development, STEM teacher education approaches, student activities, and the nature of support for STEM education are important considerations for developing effective models for framing pre-service teacher preparation. Originality/value: This study is the original work of the researchers. The study draws from global STEM education practices and assesses the geographical distribution of literature on STEM teacher education practices in African countries to frame a six-point approach that can be used to enhance effective STEM teacher education practices.

The educational crisis in Northeast Nigeria, deepened by conflict, economic challenges, and the COVID-19 pandemic, has significantly hindered access to quality education for millions of children. In response, EdTech solutions such as the Mavis Talking Books and Pens have shown potential in supporting education in conflict-affected and under-resourced areas. This study examines the implementation of the Mavis Talking Books and Pens within non-formal classrooms in Borno state, focusing on out-of-school children aged 9 to 16 who are part of an ongoing non-formal learning initiative. The research aimed to assess the effectiveness of the Mavis tools and identify the conditions necessary for their successful implementation and scalability using a mixed-methods approach involving surveys, focus groups, interviews, and observations with 70 learning facilitators and 350 students across 70 non-formal learning centers. The study found that the Mavis Talking Books and Pens were largely effectively implemented, which appears to lead to student progress, although some inconsistencies in student engagement and classroom management were noted. Challenges included the need for more frequent use, better student-to-pen ratios, and improvements in the learning environment. Facilitators also highlighted the importance of stronger community engagement and addressing external factors affecting student attendance. To overcome these challenges, the study suggests focusing on strengthening support systems, optimizing resource allocation, and enhancing community engagement. These findings offer important insights into how EdTech tools like Mavis Talking Books and Pens can be effectively integrated into non-formal education settings in crisis-affected regions, helping to improve educational outcomes for marginalized children in similar contexts.

This research focuses on how designing, implementing, and evaluating didactic strategies and activities based on scaffolding with visualization and the use of graphic organizers guide the process of reading comprehension in an eighth-grade public school course placed at A1 level. The research methodology was framed as action research with a mixed-method approach and a quasi-experimental design with no control group. There were 31 participants aged 12 to 18. The research design implied (1) a pretest, (2) a diagnostic analysis, (3) intervention, (4) a posttest, and (5) final analysis. After gathering information from the pretest initial diagnostic data, the pedagogical intervention with ten task-like scaffolding activities was applied and assessed with rubrics. Posttest data were collected and accounted for from the researcher's journal notes. Both reading comprehension tests, the pretest, and the posttest had 21 questions divided into literal, inferential, and evaluative levels. Results obtained using descriptive statistics exposed, from the posttest, some improvement in the literal and evaluative level questions but a slight decline in inferential level questions contrasted with the pretest results. Data demonstrated that some external factors like time, academic aids, and responsibility influenced the outcome positively or negatively.

Argumentation-based classroom interventions are a growing alternative for stimulating conceptual learning, thinking, and communicative skills. However, not all classroom argumentation is desired, nor does every argumentation design lead students to develop their abilities and understanding. In the educational literature, productive argumentation has been associated particularly with deliberation due to the design properties that deliberative practices demand from students, such as collaborating towards a goal, revising one's own opinion, listening to others, and changing their minds when it is necessary to arrive at a collective decision or problem resolution. We contend that what makes deliberation productive is not argumentation in itself, but how a certain type of design scaffolds students into virtuous-like behavior, which can be the enabling condition for productive argumentation in classroom activities. Through the exploration of three cases of classroom argumentation and discussion experiences, we hypothesize that virtuous-like behavior may serve as an enabling condition for each intervention. In particular, intellectually humble behaviors could be scaffolded within these interventions because all three create the proper environment for students to revise their own positions, listen carefully to others, and change their minds in light of appropriate reasoning or new evidence. Employing an intellectual virtues framework, advances our understanding of how to design classroom environments for productive argumentation. This paper thus presents a novel and pioneering approach to understanding argumentation in the classroom by incorporating the concept of intellectual virtues, bridging the gap between virtues and traditional research, and offering fresh perspectives on the field.

Research shows that videoconferencing tools can be used for delivering high-quality instruction in real-time to a large number of students simultaneously during and even in the aftermath of the pandemic. However, there is a lack of data on how favourable it is among students, particularly in the Philippine setting, in the field of Physical Education (PE). In this regard, this study aimed at inspecting exogenous factors linked to students' acceptance of a video-conferencing platform in learning knowledge- and skill-based concepts in Physical Education through the adaptation of the Technology Acceptance Model. After performing the Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modelling from a purposively selected sample of 250 teacher education students, the results showed that perceived ease of use (PEOU) positively affected perceived usefulness (PU). It was also found that PEOU and PU impacted behavioural intention. Lastly, behavioural intention (BI) positively leverages actual use of the Zoom platform. It can be inferred that students can benefit greatly from using the video-conferencing platform to learn various PE concepts. Moreover, another surprising discovery was that students could use the platform to efficiently learn, thus capitalising on the university's educational system, even in the New Normal.

This paper reports a mixed-methods study at a public university in Colombia. It describes the classroom assessment practices and challenges of 75 novice foreign language teachers. To gather the quantitative data, the participants completed an online survey. For the qualitative data, 11 key informants participated in one-on-one online interviews. Findings revealed that novice teachers predominantly used summative assessment in the classroom and aligned their assessment instruments to large-scale tests. Moreover, novice teachers faced many challenges with classroom assessment, including determining how to assess their students, developing assessment instruments, and interpreting and using assessment scores to inform teaching and learning. In conclusion, novice teachers need more knowledge, skills, and support to handle daily assessment-related tasks.

Background: The need to examine teachers' learning activities in reading literacy instruction arises from concerns about reading proficiency levels in the Namibian Junior Primary phase, where reading literacy is a fundamental skill crucial for academic success. Aim: The study examined the learning activities used for reading literacy instruction in selected Namibian Junior Primary (JP) schools focused on Grade 3 teachers. Setting: The study was conducted in selected Oshana region JP schools focused in three diverse classroom settings. Methods: The study used secondary qualitative data that were collected by the Oshana Regional Directorate of Education through interviews and classroom observations to examine the teaching practices Grade 3 teachers were using for reading literacy instruction. The study explores the reading literacy practices of teachers that they have adapted from continuous professional development programs and ministerial policies. Results: The findings indicate that the participants in this study were utilising a variety of learning activities to enhance reading literacy skills. These activities are phonological activities (phonics, phonological awareness activities, and the Jolly Phonics programme) and interactive activities (shared reading and reading corner activities) for reading literacy instruction. Conclusion: In conclusion, participants employed a range of methods to enhance reading instruction. They utilised phonological strategies like phonics and the Jolly Phonics programme to develop language skills, alongside interactive practices such as shared reading to improve fluency and foster a love for reading. Contribution: The findings can inform educational policies, curriculum development, and initial teacher education programmes, ultimately improving reading literacy outcomes for learners in Namibia and beyond.

This quantitative survey using a structured questionnaire with closed questions and a sample of 340 participants from 20 courses (bachelor's and master's degrees) at public higher education institutions in the Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro region of the Portuguese university (University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro) and polytechnic (Polytechnic Institute of Bragança) subsystem aims to list a group of proposals for reflection and future implementation that can fill or mitigate gaps and weaknesses identified in the disciplines of the curricula related to internships. The analysis of the data reveals indicators indicating the need for a (formal and conceptual) rethinking of inclusive intervention in the context of supervision in the field of teacher training. These indicators include problems with operating in a multifaceted educational setting, enhancing an interdisciplinary, integrated and inclusive approach, rearranging curriculum and reconsidering the functional profiles and competencies of teaching staff. Therefore, the construction of a professional culture that favors an integrative and inclusive approach through the assumption of a broad profile of professional competence capable of training the teacher in a multidimensional educational context is crucial. We evaluate the necessity of encouraging research of this type involving additional factors, populations and samples in order to enable the extrapolation of data and findings to a national level providing significance and technological foundations for decisions made within the context of public education policy.

ABSTRACT Introduction: perioperative risk assessment is essential to mitigate surgical complications, which suggests individual and collective interest since the number of surgical procedures in Brazil has been expanding steadily. The aim of this study was to summarize and detail the main calculators, indexes and scores regarding perioperative pulmonary, renal, hepatobiliary, hematological and surgical site infection risks for general non-cardiac surgeries, which are dispersed in the literature. Method: a narrative review was performed based on manuscripts in English and Portuguese found in the electronic databases Pubmed/MEDLINE and EMBASE. Results: the review included 11 tools related to the systems covered, for which the application method and its limitations are detailed. Conclusion: the non-cardiovascular perioperative risk estimation tools are beneficial when disturbances are identified in the preoperative clinical examination that justify a possible increased risk to the affected system, so the use of these tools provides palpable values to aid in the judgment of surgical risk and benefit as well as it identifies factors amenable to intervention to improve outcomes.

This paper examines how Extending Reality (XR) technologies, such as Virtual and Augmented Reality, can provide innovative solutions for preventing and addressing bullying. A search for relevant articles was conducted in five electronic databases (ACM, Emerald, Science Direct, Scopus, and Web of Science), resulting in the identification of 867 articles published between 2010-2023, from which 20 were selected for analysis. The selected articles provide insights into the potential applications of XR in addressing bullying, including immersive empathy training and virtual simulations of bullying scenarios. The paper concludes by highlighting the potential of XR technologies and providing recommendations for bullying recognition, prevention, and reduction to create safer communities in schools. The study results have implications for future research in designing and implementing XR technology in this field.

The objective of this paper is to establish comparisons between the Linear Algebra (LA) approach practiced in Engineering courses offered by Chilean and Brazilian Higher Education Institutions and, for that, teachers from both countries were interviewed. From a methodological point of view, the research consists of two case studies. For the analysis of the interviews, we used the precepts of Content Analysis. The data were qualitatively analyzed considering the MTSK theoretical model. In this analysis, we sought to identify what specialized knowledge these teachers have regarding AL and about its teaching and learning. The results have shown that, in relation to the Mathematical Knowledge (MK) domain, which refers to content knowledge, the Knowledge of Topics subdomain (KoT), linked to the way that teachers know the topics they teach, is the most present among interviewees. In the Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) domain, covering specific pedagogical knowledge linked to Mathematics, the Knowledge of Mathematics Teaching (KMT), regarding strategies, teaching theories, resources and materials, and Knowledge of Mathematics Learning Standards (KMLS) subdomains, concerning the curricular specifications and the moments in which the student must or can learn certain content and with what level of depth prevail.

We aim to examine similarities and differences in the developmental patterns of habitual (HRM) and situational reading motivation (SRM). We investigated the correlated change of SRM and two aspects of HRM: habitual reading enjoyment and habitual reading for interest. The sample comprised N = 1508 students with four waves of data collections spaced approximately every 18 months. Applying multivariate curve-of-factors models, first we found a decline in all three aspects of reading motivation from T1 to T3, and a stable trajectory from T3 to T4. Second, all three aspects of reading motivation correlated strongly regarding time-specific aspects, as well as level and trend factors. Third, the two HRM aspects showed higher correlations than did any aspect of HRM with SRM. Implications of the correlated declines of HRM and SRM, and for future research on reading motivation in general, are discussed.

Research has documented that socio-economically disadvantaged students (SEDSs) lag behind in reading when compared with their counterparts from privileged backgrounds. Although well-designed instructional interventions could improve students' reading achievement, what is still unknown is which pedagogical approach could improve the reading of SEDSs especially in the context of a developing nation. We compared the effects of two different approaches that contain metacognitive reading strategies with the conventional teaching method on the reading achievement (comprehension and vocabulary) of students with low socio-economic status. We adopted a non-randomized pretest-posttest control group design. One hundred and twenty-eight students from three community secondary schools participated in the study. Data were collected with a teacher-made reading achievement test. Using the mixed repeated-measures ANOVA, findings indicated no significant differences in their reading achievement across groups, though similar significant improvements were observed within groups. Gender also showed a significant main effect only on the comprehension achievement of the students showing that female students did better than their male counterparts in comprehension achievement. Results did not show a significant interaction effect between gender and method. It was concluded that the students' reading achievement could be improved in the three approaches.

Understanding the fundamental role anatomy education plays in medical training and taking into consideration the nascence of online education in Nigeria, this study evaluated the perceptions of medical and allied-health students toward online anatomy education both during the COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria and for the future. For this study, Google Form questionnaires were distributed via different social and academic platforms to medical and allied-health students in Nigeria between September 28 and December 17, 2020. A total of 954 students participated in the study and 947 valid responses were recorded. The results showed that 77.6% of the students had reported computer/IT skills and 12.1% admitted that they had never attended an online class. Interestingly, 60% of the respondents disapproved of online learning approaches as effective tools for instructions in the anatomical sciences. Majority of the students (84%) agreed that their performance in anatomy would have been better if the classes were face-to-face, while 55% found the online anatomy classes uninteresting. Furthermore, 91.5% agreed that anatomy educators needed advanced skills for online education, while 94.2% agreed that anatomy online teaching needs more advanced technology to be implemented in Nigeria. This study revealed an overall negative perception about the suitability and effectiveness of online anatomy education in Nigerian medical/health training. This study recommends further investigations into the challenges that were presented during online anatomy education at the peak of the pandemic. This will help direct the development and implementation of a workable and sustainable online education model for anatomical sciences in Nigeria.

This article presents initiatives undertaken by the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine (GHSM) at King's College London (KCL), exploring avenues to decolonise higher education institutions (HEI). HEI must integrate anti-racism agendas, challenge the European-centric academic knowledge domination, and dismantle power asymmetries. During the academic year 2021, GHSM executed (1) a gap analysis of undergraduate modules, (2) a course on decolonising research methods taught by global scholars to 40 Global South and North university students who completed pre- and post-course surveys, and (3) semi-structured interviews with 11 academics, and a focus group with four students exploring decolonising HEI; findings were thematically analysed. (1) Gap analysis revealed a tokenistic use of Black and minority ethnic and women authors across modules' readings. (2) The post-course survey showed that 68% strongly agreed the course enhanced their decolonisation knowledge. (3) The thematic analysis identified themes: (1) Decolonisation is about challenging colonial legacies, racism, and knowledge production norms. (2) Decolonisation is about care, inclusivity, and compensation. (3) A decolonised curriculum should embed an anti-racism agenda, reflexive pedagogies, and life experiences involving students and communities. (4) HEI are colonial, exclusionary constructs that should shift to transformative and collaborative ways of thinking and knowing. (5) To decolonise research, we must rethink the hierarchy of knowledge production and dissemination and the politics of North-South research collaborations. Decolonising HEI must be placed within a human rights framework. HEI should integrate anti-racism agendas, give prominence to indigenous and marginalised histories and ways of knowing, and create a non-hierarchical educational environment, with students leading the decolonisation process.

Introduction: Different international guidelines indicate the need for improving educational procedures. This study aims to contribute to the professional development training program of higher education professors from a Physical Education Teacher Education degree in México. Methodology: This qualitative study used a participatory action research design through four cycles: (a) diagnosis; (b) elaboration of the action plan; (c) implementation and evaluation; and (d) feedback. The participants were the professor, six experts, and 17 students. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with students and the professor, the analysis of the class syllabus, and nonparticipatory observations. Findings: The importance of carrying out a diagnostic cycle allowed us to identify the specific needs of the class. Similarly, the model of development and evaluation of academic competencies (M-DECA) allowed the professor to develop specific pedagogical and disciplinary competencies from the training program. Conclusion: A continuous professional development training program for university professors in pedagogical and disciplinary strategies generates better learning results. The inclusion of innovative content in the class syllabus was also crucial.

Sexual and gender minoritized (SGM) adolescents negotiate their outness in various social contexts as they navigate a heteronormative system. For many SGM adolescents, outness is associated with peer victimization, while for others, it is associated with increased feelings of connectedness. To support SGM adolescents in their outness journey, researchers and practitioners often use various tools to measure outness. Specifically, the outness inventory (OI) is the oldest and most widely used outness measure to date. However, while the OI appears to be a vigorous inventory to measure outness among SGM adults, it has never been validated with an SGM adolescent population. This study tests the psychometric defensibility of the OI among an SGM adolescent population. Results provide evidence that a two-structure model of outness to family and world, represents the social contexts in which SGM adolescents negotiate outness.

Biological nitrogen fixation in soybean is enhanced when seed is treated with cobalt (Co) and molybdenum (Mo) prior to planting. In this study, our objective was to verify if Co and Mo application during the reproductive phase of the crop increases seed Co and Mo concentration without adverse effects on seed quality. Two experiments were conducted. First, we investigated foliar and soil Co and Mo application under greenhouse conditions. Next, we validated the results obtained in the first study. The treatments for both experiments consisted of Co doses combined with Mo, and a control without Co and Mo application. The foliar application was more efficient in producing enriched Co and Mo seed; meanwhile, as Co doses increased so did Co and Mo concentrations in the seed. There were no adverse effects on nutrition, development, quality, and yield of parent plants and seed when these micronutrients were applied. The seed showed higher germination, vigor, and uniformity for the development of soybean seedlings. We concluded that the application of 20 g ha−1 Co and 800 g ha−1 Mo via foliar application at the reproductive stage of soybean increased germination rate and achieved the best growth and vigor index of enriched seed.

Background: Experimental reports have demonstrated that florfenicol (FFC) exerts potent anti-inflammatory effects, improving survival in a murine endotoxemia model. Considering the anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties of pentoxifylline (PTX) as an adjuvant to enhance the efficacy of antibiotics, the anti-inflammatory effects of the interaction FFC/PTX over the E. coli Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute inflammatory response was evaluated in rabbits. Methods: Twenty-five clinically healthy New Zealand rabbits (3.8 ± 0.2 kg body weight: bw), were distributed into five experimental groups. Group 1 (control): treated with 1 mL/4 kg bw of 0.9% saline solution (SS) intravenously (IV). Group 2 (LPS): treated with an IV dose of 5 µg/kg of LPS. Group 3 (pentoxifylline (PTX) + LPS): treated with an oral dose of 30 mg/kg PTX, followed by an IV dose of 5 µg/kg of LPS 45 min after PTX. Group 4 (Florfenicol (FFC) + LPS): treated with an IM dose of 20 mg/kg of FFC, followed by an IV dose of 5 µg/kg of LPS 45 min after FFC administration. Group 5 (PTX + FFC + LPS): treated with an oral dose of 30 mg/kg of PTX, followed by an IM dose of 20 mg/kg of FFC, and, 45 min after an IV dose of 5 µg/kg of LPS was administered. The anti-inflammatory response was evaluated through changes in plasma levels of interleukins (TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), and body temperature. Results: It has been shown that each drug produced a partial inhibition over the LPS-induced increase in TNF-α, IL-1β, and CRP. When both drugs were co-administered, a synergistic inhibitory effect on the IL-1β and CRP plasma concentrations was observed, associated with a synergic antipyretic effect. However, the co-administration of PTX/FFC failed to modify the LPS-induced increase in the TNF-α plasma concentrations. Conclusions: We concluded that the combination of FFC and PTX in our LPS sepsis models demonstrates immunomodulatory effects. An apparent synergistic effect was observed for the IL-1β inhibition, which peaks at three hours and then decreases. At the same time, each drug alone was superior in reducing TNF-α levels, while the combination was inferior. However, the peak of TNF-α in this sepsis model was at 12 h. Therefore, in rabbits plasma IL-1β and TNF-α could be regulated independently, thus, further research is needed to explore the effects of this combination over a more prolonged period.

Abstract Objective The use of agarose in nucleic acid electrophoresis is the gold standard. However, agarose is very expensive and not readily available in resource limited developing countries like Ghana. Hence, finding a more affordable and readily available alternative to agarose will be a major boost to molecular research in developing countries. This study was aimed at investigating the use of corn starch as a potential substitute for agarose in DNA gel electrophoresis. Results Genomic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) extracted from Plasmodium falciparum and primers were obtained from the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens and amplified using polymerase chain reaction. The amplicon was run on agarose gel to ascertain the molecular weight (as a positive control). When visualized under both blue light and ultraviolet light, the DNA and ladder showed clear and clean bands with the expected molecular weight. Corn starch was then modified with sodium borate buffer, casted into a gel and used to run the same DNA sample. Our findings indicated that similar to agarose, the DNA sample and ladder migrated successfully through the modified starch gel but no bands were visible when visualized under blue and ultra-violet light.

ABSTRACT The number of surgical procedures in the world is large and in Brazil it has been expressing a growth trend higher than the population growth. In this context, perioperative risk assessment safeguards the optimization of the outcomes sought by the procedures. For this evaluation, anamnesis and physical examination constitute an irreplaceable initial stage which may or may not be followed by complementary exams, interventions for clinical stabilization and application of risk estimation tools. The use of these tools can be very useful in order to obtain objective data for decision making by weighing surgical risk and benefit. Global and cardiovascular risk assessments are of greatest interest in the preoperative period, however information about their methods is scattered in the literature. Some tools such as the American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status (ASA PS) and the Revised Cardiac Risk Index (RCRI) are more widely known, while others are less known but can provide valuable information. Here, the main indices, scores and calculators that address general and cardiovascular perioperative risk were detailed.