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Feedback is among the most powerful influences on learning a new skill. Surprisingly, very little attention has been given to studying this issue in relation to interactions between school leaders and frontline teachers particularly during the adoption of educational changes. This qualitative study provides findings on feedback provided to teachers by school leaders in relation to the adoption of a new Tanzanian curriculum. The data were collected from teachers and leaders in three schools using document reviews and individual interviews, and were processed through thematic analysis. Findings revealed various technical issues with regard to feedback method, timing, and quality. Factors that influenced these and their likely influences on the professional growth of the teachers are discussed within the context of reviewed literature. Recommendations for policy and practice are provided.

This review aims to describe and compare porcine models of metabolic syndrome. This syndrome and its associated secondary comorbidities are set to become the greatest challenge to healthcare providers and policy makers in the coming century. However, an incomplete understanding of the pathogenesis has left significant knowledge gaps in terms of efficacious therapeutics. To further our comprehension and, in turn, management of metabolic syndrome, appropriate high-fidelity models of the disease complex are of great importance. In this context, our review aims to assess the most promising porcine models of metabolic syndrome currently available for their similarity to the human phenotype. In addition, we aim to highlight the strengths and shortcomings of each model in an attempt to identify the most appropriate application of each. Although no porcine model perfectly recapitulates the human metabolic syndrome, several pose satisfactory approximations. The Ossabaw miniature swine in particular represents a highly translatable model that develops each of the core parameters of the syndrome with many of the associated secondary comorbidities. Future high-fidelity porcine models of metabolic syndrome need to focus on secondary sequelae replication, which may require extended induction period to reveal.

The adoption of Additive Manufacturing (AM) is continuously growing due to its capability to produce complex shapes which leads to the dependence of manufacturers on AM to replace conventional manufacturing processes. One important focus of research now is on the accuracy of 3D printed products produced via the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM). These products have great potential to be applied to tooling and other rapid prototyping applications. The aim of this study is to assess the accuracy of 3D printed Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) through manual measurements of dimensions. Several sets of samples with cubic shapes were printed and measured using a digital micrometer to evaluate the dimensional accuracy of the 3d-printed parts. A 22 full factorial design was employed to investigate the effects of infill density and layer thickness on the dimensional accuracy of ABS parts.

This article discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on workers with disabilities. Given that most employment-related literature about COVID-19 does not include people with disabilities, an in-depth exploration of the impact of COVID-19 on this population is warranted. Additionally, this article discusses the unique issues this population is facing during the pandemic, including the intersectionality of disability, race, and economic disadvantage. Suggestions for supporting people with disabilities in counseling and career-related activities, both during the COVID-19 pandemic and postpandemic, are provided.

Collagen XIV is poorly characterized in the body, and the current knowledge of its function in the cornea is limited. The aim of the current study was to elucidate the role(s) of collagen XIV in regulating corneal stromal structure and function. Analysis of collagen XIV expression, temporal and spatial, was performed at different postnatal days (Ps) in wild-type C57BL/6 mouse corneal stromas and after injury. Conventional collagen XIV null mice were used to inquire the roles that collagen XIV plays in fibrillogenesis, fibril packing, and tissue mechanics. Fibril assembly and packing as well as stromal organization were evaluated using transmission electron microscopy and second harmonic generation microscopy. Atomic force microscopy was used to assess stromal stiffness. Col14a1 mRNA expression was present at P4 to P10 and decreased at P30. No immunoreactivity was noted at P150. Abnormal collagen fibril assembly with a shift toward larger-diameter fibrils and increased interfibrillar spacing in the absence of collagen XIV was found. Second harmonic generation microscopy showed impaired fibrillogenesis in the collagen XIV null stroma. Mechanical testing suggested that collagen XIV confers stiffness to stromal tissue. Expression of collagen XIV is up-regulated following injury. This study indicates that collagen XIV plays a regulatory role in corneal development and in the function of the adult cornea. The expression of collagen XIV is recapitulated during wound healing.

Anal fistulae are abnormal hollow connections between the wall of the anal canal and the perianal skin around the anus that have remained a burden on the medical sector for centuries. The complexity of this disease is attributed to a number of factors such as the degree of associated sphincter muscle, concomitant illnesses, existence of multiple fistulous tracts and the number of previous interventions. Persistence of a complex anal fistula can cause a decline in patient's physical quality of life as well as impact on the psychological status of patients who often suffer from anxiety and depression. Surgical intervention remains the gold standard for treatment, however; the risk of incontinence and high recurrence potential has led to interest into developing alternative treatment approaches such as the use of biologics, bioactives and biomaterials. One potential reason for these varied outcomes could be the multifactorial interplay between genetic, immune-related, environmental, and microbial persistence factors on tissue regeneration. Recent observations have proposed that adverse inflammatory mediators may contribute more than microbial factors. The moderate to high success rates of biotechnological advances (mesenchymal stem cells and biomaterial scaffolds) show promise as therapies for the amelioration of adverse persistent factors while facilitating a means to closing the fistula tract. The purpose of this review is to outline recent advances in biologics and combination therapies to treat persistent factors associated with complex anal fistula.

The increasing dementia prevalence worldwide is driving the testing of novel therapeutic approaches, such as invasive brain technologies, despite limited clinical evidence and the risk of accelerating cognitive decline. Our manuscript (a) reviews the NIH Clinicaltrials.gov database for deep brain stimulation, stem cell implantation, and gene therapy trials on people with dementia; (b) discusses issues on beneficence, nonmaleficence, and autonomy associated with these trials; and (c) proposes nine recommendations that build on elements from the Declaration of Helsinki. We found 49 preregistered high-risk trials from nine countries planning to or involving 11,801 people with Alzheimer's or Lewy body dementia or dementia secondary to Parkinson's or Huntington's disease. Most of the people with Alzheimer's who are in these trials are from North America and East Asia. There is substantial heterogeneity in the enrolment criteria, even for trials recruiting only those with Alzheimer's disease. Although most trials enrol people in mild to moderate stages of Alzheimer's disease, trials in China enrol people who have severe Alzheimer's. Our findings highlight a pressing need to review and refine the enrolment criteria for invasive neural trials in people with dementia, considering risks, potential benefits, and capacity for informed consent. As a multidisciplinary team from Australia, the USA, Canada, and Germany with expertise in neurology, neuroscience, and ethics, we examine how it is essential to balance the risks of invasive neural research in a vulnerable population with limited capacity to provide informed consent to help advance the body of knowledge regarding a disease with limited therapeutic options.

West Nile virus (WNV) is the most significant mosquito-borne disease affecting humans in the United States. Eastern redcedar (ERC) is a native encroaching plant in the southern Great Plains that greatly alters abiotic conditions and bird and mosquito populations. This study tested the hypotheses that mosquito communities and their likelihood of WNV infection differ between ERC and other habitats in the southern Great Plains of the United States. We found support for our first hypothesis, with significantly more Culex tarsalis and Culex erraticus in ERC than deciduous and grass habitats. Mosquito communities in Central Oklahoma were more diverse (21 species) than western Oklahoma (11 species) but this difference was not associated with vegetation. Our second hypothesis was also supported, with significantly more WNV-infected Culex from ERC in both regions, as was our third hypothesis, with significantly more Culex tarsalis and Culex pipiens collected in ERC than other habitats in urban areas. The connection of mosquito-borne disease with invasive plants suggests that land management initiatives can affect human health and should be considered in light of public health impact. Evidence from other vector-borne disease suggests invasive plants, both in the Great Plains and globally, may facilitate the transmission of vector-borne pathogens.

With increasing knowledge on biomarkers that are associated with Alzheimer’s pathology and symptoms (Zetterberg and Bendlin 2021), Alzheimer’s disease (AD) can now be better distinguished from othe...

Metabolic syndrome (MetS), a global epidemic induced by poor dietary habits refers to a complex metabolic disorder that includes, among others, alterations in the gut microbiome. Because of high costs associated with long-term management of MetS, development of non-pharmacological approaches has attracted great attention from food companies. Generation of synbiotics is one promising strategy to ameliorate various aspects related to MetS. However, high-quality interventional clinical trials addressing the effects of synbiotics are still rare. In this review, we evaluate the most recent knowledge on the effects of synbiotics in human subjects with different metabolic manifestations of MetS.

This study aims at developing a purposeful approach for estimating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and its possible use to recreate alternative scenarios that might potentially facilitate the attainment of the material productivity (MP) ratio needed for achieving territorial sustainable development (SDGs) and circular economy goals on climate. The propounded method associates these two key concepts (GHG-MP) with the domestic material consumption (DMC) and international trade of materials, including product life cycle emissions in the overarching GHG total estimation. Developed utilizing the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and diverse data, linked to the suggested scheme, from the Basque Country (Spain), this work also relies its scientific foundation upon leading literature in this field to align territorial models of production and consumption with a more localized measurement of GHG emissions. According to its results, the emissions estimated allow advising more contextualized scenarios for the potential achievement of local MP target indicator, when expressed as the amount of economic output―based on gross domestic product (GDP)—generated per unit of materials consumed and traded―in terms of DMC. From a theoretical perspective, this work contributes to the local strategic management of circular economy research and 2030 Agenda, particularly on the subject of measuring progress in the achievement of territorial climate and circular economy goals. From a utilitarian perspective, the findings comprise promising implications for both multilevel policy makers and public/private organizations that further sustainable development and actions against climate change.

OBJECTIVE To demonstrate non-inferiority of endoscopic stapedotomy to microscopic stapedotomy for the treatment of otosclerosis. STUDY DESIGN Single-blinded randomized control trial. SETTING Tertiary, academic otology-neurotology practice. PATIENTS Adult subjects with a diagnosis of otosclerosis and a preoperative air-bone gap (ABG) more than or equal to 20 dB undergoing primary stapedotomy. INTERVENTION Endoscopic or microscopic stapedotomy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Primary audiometric outcome was postoperative ABG. Secondary audiometric outcomes included speech reception threshold (SRT), word recognition score (WRS), bone- and air-conduction pure tone averages (PTA), change in ABG, and ABG closure rates to less than or equal to 10 dB and less than or equal to 20 dB. RESULTS Twenty-two patients were recruited. Eleven patients underwent endoscopic stapedotomy and 11 underwent microscopic stapedotomy. The endoscopic group was non-inferior to the microscopic group in terms of postoperative audiometric outcomes (endoscope versus microscope, p-value): ABG (8.1 dB versus 8.1 dB