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What are the meanings and aims of social sciences in a global social environment marked by ever-growing processes of exchange, connection, inequality and conflict? How do we contend with the social sciences as the science of modernization? How do we account for the Western-centered biases ingrained in their proclamations? And in what ways are the social sciences useful to scholars and professionals in different societies? These questions figure at the heart of IDEAS (International Digital Exchange between Africa and Switzerland), a project that aimed to examine them across continents and generations. [This article was written by the IDEAS Collective. Note: The publication date (2023) shown on the PDF is incorrect. The correct publication date is 2024.]

RATIONALE & OBJECTIVE: Given the high burden of dementia in dialysis patients, the dialysis workforce needs to be prepared to provide high-quality, person-centered dementia care. We explored comfort with and knowledge of dementia among US dialysis care providers. STUDY DESIGN: Web-based survey. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: Emails were sent to National Kidney Foundation and National Association of Nephrology Technicians/Technologists membership listservs (September 26, 2022-October 22, 2022). In total, 1,121 respondents had complete data for analysis (57%, 35-49 years; 62% female; 62%/22% White/African American) including 81 physicians, 61 advanced practice providers, 230 nurse managers, 260 nurses, 202 social workers, 195 dietitians, and 86 dialysis patient care technicians. EXPOSURES: Provider role, age, tenure, self-reported gender, previous dementia training, and awareness of dementia guidance. OUTCOMES: Dementia Knowledge (assessed using Dementia Knowledge Assessment Scale [DKAS; score range, 0-25]). ANALYTIC APPROACH: Characteristics of respondents, comfort with dementia care, and dementia knowledge were summarized and tabulated overall and by role. Robust regression was used to obtain coefficients confidence intervals for the associations between characteristics and DKAS scores, adjusting for role and tenure. Free-text responses to an open-ended question about treating patients with dementia or cognitive impairment were analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Dementia knowledge among US dialysis providers may be limited (overall DKAS score = 17; range, 13-21 across roles), despite most reporting knowing when patients had dementia (97%) and receiving training in dementia care (62%). Further, training may be inadequate: those who reported receiving dementia training had lower DKAS scores than those who reported not receiving training (β, -3.9; 95% CI, -4.4 to -3.4). Thematic analysis of open-ended responses suggested that the impact of dementia on dialysis care and management and treatment beyond dialysis care are challenging for providers. LIMITATIONS: Data were self-reported and limited information was gathered about quality, content, and timing of dementia training received. CONCLUSION: Many US dialysis care providers had suboptimal dementia knowledge, despite reporting being comfortable with providing dementia care and reporting they received prior training. Qualitative findings indicate complexity among providers regarding comfort with and knowledge of treating patients with cognitive impairment. Targeted training for the dialysis workforce in dementia knowledge and best practices for person-centered dementia care is warranted.

This study examined the relationship between career interests and career decision-making of grade 12 learners in township secondary schools in South Africa. The correlational survey research design was adopted. The sample size comprised 204 grade 12 learners selected from six township secondary schools. The career interest and career decision-making scales were used to collect data from the learners. The inferential statistics such as Pearson correlation, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and regression analysis were used to analyse data. The results indicated that the correlation between enterprising career interest and career decision-making was established to be the strongest (r=0.535, n=204, p<0.001), followed by the relationship between adventurous career interest and career decision-making (r=0.465, n=204, p<0.001), but operational career interest had the least relationship with career decision-making, r (204)=0.284, p<0.001. The study concludes that the career interest model, F (9, 194)=17.403, p<0.01, is a significant predictor of career decision-making among the 12th grade learners. The study recommends that school psychologists should do early assessment of learners to ascertain their career interests.

People who nonmedically use drugs (PWUD) face intricate social issues that suppress self-actualization, communal integration, and overall health and wellness. Strengths-based approaches, an under-used pedagogy and practice in addiction medicine, underscore the significance of identifying and recognizing the inherent and acquired skills, attributes, and capacities of PWUD. A strengths-based approach engenders client affirmation and improves their capacity to reduce drug use-related harms by leveraging existing capabilities. Exploring this paradigm, we conducted and analyzed interviews with 46 PWUD who were clients at syringe services programs in New York City and rural southern Illinois, two areas with elevated rates of opioid-related morbidity and mortality, to assess respondents perceived strengths. We located two primary thematic modalities in which strengths-based ethos is expressed: individuals (1) being and advocate and resource for harm reduction knowledge and practices and (2) engaging in acts of continuous self-actualization. These dynamics demonstrate PWUD strengths populating and manifesting in complex ways that both affirm and challenge humanist and biomedical notions of individual agency, as PWUD refract enacted, anticipated, and perceived stigmas. In conclusion, programs that blend evidence-based, systems-level interventions on drug use stigma and disenfranchisement with meso and micro-level strengths-based interventions that affirm and leverage personal identity, decision-making capacity, and endemic knowledge may help disrupt health promotion cleavages among PWUD.

RATIONALE & OBJECTIVE: Technicians caring for patients receiving dialysis play a critical, frontline role in the care of patients receiving dialysis in the United States. We sought to provide a comprehensive description and identify correlates of US in-center hemodialysis facility patient care technician staffing patterns. STUDY DESIGN: This was an ecological study. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: US facilities providing hemodialysis and reporting patient care technician staffing, identified using the US Renal Data System. EXPOSURES: Geography, year, and facility characteristics, including aggregated patient characteristics. OUTCOMES: The study outcome was facility-reported patient-to-patient care technician ratio. ANALYTICAL APPROACH: We examined patient-to-patient care technician ratios by US state and over time and also estimated the differences in patient-to-patient care technician ratios associated with facility characteristics, using robust regression with adjustment for facility-level covariates. RESULTS: The median patient-to-patient care technician ratio among 6,862 US facilities in 2019 was 9.9 (25th-75th percentiles, 8.2-12.0). Median 2019 patient-to-patient care technician ratios varied substantially by US state and region. There was an overall decline (from 10.6 to 9.9) in median patient-to-patient care technician ratios from 2004 to 2019, whereas the percentage of positions that were unfilled increased (from 2.8% to 3.5%). After adjustment, large dialysis organization status (β, -0.42; 95% CI, -0.61 to -0.23) and larger facility size (β, -0.51; 95% CI, -0.68 to -0.33) were associated with lower patient-to-patient care technician ratios. Higher patient-to-registered nurse (β, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.65-0.94) and patient-to-social worker (β, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.37-0.70) ratios, presence of licensed vocational nurses or licensed practical nurses at the clinic (β, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.53-1.12), and location in a poverty area (β, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.13-0.44) were all associated with higher patient-to-patient care technician ratios. Aggregated patient characteristics of patients treated at the facilities were generally not associated with patient-to-patient care technician ratio after adjustment. LIMITATIONS: Limited causal inference and potential shifts in staffing after 2019. CONCLUSIONS: US dialysis facilities vary considerably in their patient care technician staffing by geography, over time, and by various facility characteristics. Further investigation of US patient care technician staffing is warranted and could lead to better, more stable dialysis staffing, improved staff and patient satisfaction, and higher quality of care.

Abstract Background This study investigated the adaptation mechanisms of Pigeons, Toads and Lizards during the rainy season in tropical savanna climates. Male Agama Lizards (Agama agama), Afep Pigeons (Columba unicincta) and Toads (Sclerophrys perreti) were captured at a location in Ibadan, Oyo state. Five (5) Lizards marked: L1 to L5, Afep Pigeons marked: B1 to B5 and Toads marked: T1 to T5. Each of the animals was manually constrained within six to eight hours of capture, and a 1.0-ml syringe was used to obtain blood from the heart or coccygeal vein. Blood samples were collected in an EDTA and plain bottle, respectively. Plasma and sera samples were separated by centrifugation at − 4 °C using a cold centrifuge and then analysed for creatinine, urea, glucose, Mg+, k+, Cl−, Na+, albumin, TP, ALP, ALT, AST, GGT, MDA, SOD, CAT, GSH and haematological parameters. Cervical dislocation was performed on the animals before organs such as kidneys and liver were collected from each of the animals. Each organ collected from each animal was placed in separate plain tubes (filled with phosphate buffer). Result The Pigeon had higher body temperature, urea, glucose, ALP, PCV, haemoglobin concentration, neutrophil and triglyceride compared to the Lizard and Toad, while the Toad had higher Na+, Mg+ and Cl−, basophil and monocytes compared to Pigeon and Lizard and the Lizard has higher creatinine, lymphocyte and cholesterol compared to the Pigeon and Toad. On the liver oxidative stress markers, the Pigeon has higher superoxide dismutase and reduced glutathione compared to the Lizard and Toad, while the Toad has higher MDA and catalase compared to the Pigeon and Lizard. On the kidney oxidative stress markers, the Pigeon has higher MDA compared to the Lizard and Toad, while the Toad has higher catalase than the Pigeon and Lizard. Conclusions From this study, the elevated level of lymphocytes in Lizard and eosinophil, basophil and monocytes in Toad suggests that Lizards and Toad are more vulnerable to inflammation. The high value of cholesterol in Lizard and triglyceride in Pigeon as observed in this study may relate to the degree of stress. Also, the activation of antioxidant systems under comparative study is a part of the survival strategy of animals like amphibians, reptiles and aves when facing environmental problems.

With the advent of smartphones, laptops, and other various portable devices, the ability to incorporate technology into the classroom has increased dramatically in the last few decades. This study evaluates the perceptions and attitudes of both students and teachers in relation to mobile apps that assist in classroom learning. The research used a mixed-methods approach that collected demographic information and conducted qualitative interviews to determine the perceptions of mobile apps to students and teachers. Cross-sectional data was collected from participants and analyzed for associations. 43 students and 6 teachers were recruited and interviewed. The participants were asked about their thoughts on mobile educational apps, and their interviews were audio recorded and transcribed. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. For students, themes were centered on barriers to educational app adoption, barriers to continued use of education apps, tracking progress, credibility, and goal setting/reminders. For teachers, themes identified that influenced mobile app use, and criteria used for mobile app selection was identified. Future research should aim to assess quantitative improvements in mobile educational app use within the classroom.

Abstract Drought stress significantly reduces crop yields at all stages of plant development. Barley, known for its abiotic-stress adaptation among cereals was used to examine the genetic basis of drought tolerance. A population of 164 spring barley lines was subjected to polyethylene glycol (PEG) induced drought stress during germination and seedling development. Six traits were measured, including germination percentage and rate, seedling length and weight, and root-to-shoot ratios. Seedling area, volume, and root and shoot diameter was acquired with a flatbed scanner. This population was also subjected to short-term drought during the heading stage in the greenhouse. Root and shoot weight and grain yield data were collected from well watered and droughted plants. Significant variation within traits were observed and several of them exhibited strong correlations with each other. In this population, two genotypes had 100% germination under PEG-induced drought and drought tolerance throughout the heading stage of plant development. A genome-wide association scan (GWAS) revealed 64 significant marker-trait associations across all seven barley chromosomes. Candidate genes related to abiotic stress and germination were identified within a 0.5Mbp interval around these SNPs. In silico analysis indicated a high frequency of differential expression of the candidate genes in response to stress. This study enabled identification of barley lines useful for drought tolerance breeding and pinpointed candidate genes for enhancing drought resiliency in barley.

Abstract This study assessed the impacts of climatic parameters (rainfall and temperature) and environmental variables (transparency, depth, chloride, TS, TSS, TOC) on the abundance of commercially important fish species in Esa-Odo. The research question was to find out if climatic and environmental factors influence the abundance of fish species in an afro-tropical reservoir. Fish species were collected on a monthly basis for two annual cycles covering both dry and rainy seasons. GIS-based climatic data was used to determine the relationship between climatic conditions and fish species abundance. Results showed that the highest abundance of fish was recorded during the rainy season, with Oreochromis niloticus being the most dominant species throughout the sampling period. Trend analysis revealed that variations in climate and environmental parameters influenced the abundance of different fish species in the reservoir. Mann-Kendal analysis indicated that an increase in rainfall led to an increase in reservoir depth, a decrease in transparency levels, and a reduction in temperature, with a Sen’s slope value of -38. Additionally, CCA and correlation matrix results demonstrated that climate and environmental parameters significantly influenced fish species abundance. The study emphasized the importance of climatic and environmental factors in the abundance of fish species in the reservoir, providing valuable information for future research on fishery resources. Governments and stakeholders were urged to prioritize the conservation and management of the reservoir’s fish population to prevent declines.

Abstract Bambara groundnut (BG) (Vigna subterranean L. verdc) is a highly nutritious underutilized leguminous crop of African origin with high economic importance. Its production rate (300,000 metric tonnes/year) does not meet the current demand (800,000 metric tonnes/year). Despite it’s useful properties, it has remained neglected, with poor market and low yields because research about improving BG has been neglected. rhizobia have proved to be useful in promoting the growth of legumes, yet, there is unavailable information about the role of indigenous BG-symbiont rhizobia inoculant (which are better affordable alternatives to chemical fertilizers) for increasing BG yield and this needs to be explored, hence this study. This experiment studied the role six rhizobial strains in improving the biomass and plant vigour of two selected varieties of BG (TVSU 1248, TVSU 631). These strains were applied as inoculant (at concentrations of > 0.85 × 1010 cfu/ml) on field compared alongside commercial USDA110 strains and Urea (rates of 60 kg/ha and 20 kg/ha) treated plants and analysed for biomass of shoot, root, shaft and seed, and moisture etc. Rhizobia significantly influenced the shoot biomass (≥ 19.26 g), (79.81 ± 1.81 g and 63.15 ± 3.21 g), root biomass (≥ 0.63 g), pod biomass (≥ 155.3 g), seed biomass (≥ 103.96 g), shaff biomass (≥ 52.29 g) and moisture content of the plants, with differences in varietal response. Indigenous BG-symbiotic strains are able to significantly influence plant vigour and biomass, promoting the growth and health of BG. Rhizobia, proved to be useful for enhancing the plant biomass, vigour and growth and should be recommended for improving the production of BG for higher yield and productivity.

Abstract Background The additive model of inheritance assumes that heterozygotes (Aa) are exactly intermediate in respect to homozygotes (AA and aa). While this model is commonly used in single-locus genetic association studies, significant deviations from additivity are well-documented and contribute to phenotypic variance across many traits and systems. This assumption can introduce type I and type II errors by overestimating or underestimating the effects of variants that deviate from additivity. Alternative genotype encoding strategies have been explored to account for different inheritance patterns, but they often incur significant computational or methodological costs. To address these challenges, we introduce PAGER (Phenotype Adjusted Genotype Encoding and Ranking), an efficient pre-processing method that encodes each genetic variant based on normalized mean phenotypic differences between diallelic genotype classes (AA, Aa, and aa). This approach more accurately reflects each variant’s true inheritance model, improving model precision while minimizing the costs associated with alternative encoding strategies. Results Through extensive benchmarking on SNPs simulated with both binary and continuous phenotypes, we demonstrate that PAGER accurately represents various inheritance patterns (including additive, dominant, recessive, and heterosis), achieves levels of statistical power that meet or exceed other encoding strategies, and attains computation speeds up to 55 times faster than a similar method, EDGE. We also apply PAGER to publicly available real-world data and identify a novel, relevant putative QTL associated with body mass index in rats (Rattus norvegicus) that is not detected with the additive model. Conclusions Overall, we show that PAGER is an efficient genotype encoding approach that can uncover sources of missing heritability and reveal novel insights in the study of complex traits while incurring minimal costs.