Common Core Research Articles

Clinicopathological Features of Pakistani Patients with Anti Aquaporin-4 (Aqp-4) Antibody Positive Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD): A Comparison with Local, Regional and International StudiesOPTICA SPECTRUM DISORDER(NMOSD)-A COMPARISON WITH LOCAL, REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

Objective: To characterize clinicopathological characteristics of patients with anti AQP-4 antibody positive Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder in local population in order to facilitate clinicians in timely diagnosis and treatment of this rare debilitating illness. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Immunology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Jun 2021 to Dec 2022. Methodology: The study included 369 individuals presenting at Armed Forces Institute of Pathology for serum anti AQP-4 antibody testing by indirect immunofluorescence. Commercial Anti Aquaporin-4 Indirect Immunofluorescence Test Slides along with control serum (EUROIMMUN Medizinische Labordiagnostika AG, Lubeck, Germany) were used and immune-fluorescence was observed using immunofluorescent microscope BA-310. Results: Out of 369 patients who were tested for Anti Aquaporin-4 antibody, 168(45.5%) were females and 201(54.5%) were males. Total 9(2.43%) patients tested positive including 5(55.5%) females and 4(44.4%) males (p=0.947). Most prevalent core clinical characteristics among patients with Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder were optic neuritis 7(77.8%), acute myelitis 7(77.8%) and area postrema syndrome 6(66.6%). Common presenting core clinical characteristics were area postrema syndrome 4(44.4%) and acute myelitis 4(44.4%). Average diagnostic delay in our study was 2.7±3.2 years. Conclusion: By keeping high index of suspicion for presenting core clinical characteristics (area postrema syndrome and acute myelitis) clinicians may be able to diagnose and treat this rare disease timely hence decrease average diagnostic delay and prevent associated morbidity and mortality.

OS EMPRESÁRIOS DO MOVIMENTO PELA BASE NACIONAL COMUM E SUAS AÇÕES PARA IMPLEMENTAÇÃO DE UM SISTEMA ÚNICO DE EDUCAÇÃO BRASILEIRA

The aim of this article is to reflect on and criticize the influence of businesspeople in the education sector. In particular, it discusses the actions of the Todos pela Base (All for the Base) Movement as a member of the Todos pela Educação (All for Education) movement, seeking to continue the project of spreading and implementing neoliberal logic in Brazilian basic education. This group acted strongly to ensure that the National Common Core Curriculum was approved and then complied with in all schools in Brazil, through a system of monitoring and follow-up. Mandatory in nature, the Base has been making all basic education in Brazil adapt, implement and comply with a common reference for curricula so that it is the same for everyone. The aim is thus to expose the new strategies used by these organizations, how they have acted, what their real objectives are and whether they are being achieved. This will lead to an analysis of the consequences for Brazilian education and who is affected and perhaps harmed by this model of education, as well as the position and role of the state in relation to these new demands.

Bacterial communities forming yellow biofilms in different cave types share a common core.

The walls of different types of caves under diverse geological settings (limestone, gypsum and volcanic) are colonized by biofilms of different colors: white, yellow, pink, grey, green to dark brown, but only a few colored biofilms such as the white, yellow and grey ones have been extensively studied. However, an assessment among the microbial communities originating these biofilms in different lithologies is lacking. Here we compare the yellow biofilms from two caves, Covadura and C3, in the Gypsum Karst of Sorbas in Spain, with those from two Spanish limestone caves (Pindal and Santian), and four volcanic caves in Spain and Italy (Viento, Honda del Bejenado, Grotta del Santo, Grotta di Monte Corruccio). The structure of yellow biofilms in gypsum caves closely resembles that found in other Spanish and European limestone caves. However, volcanic cave biofilms exhibit greater variability in their microbial community structure and morphologies. Biofilms from gypsum, limestone and volcanic caves were characterized by the abundance of the genera Crossiella and the gammaproteobacterial wb1-P19. The uncultured Euzebyaceae were abundant in gypsum and Spanish volcanic caves, while in the limestone and Italian volcanic caves, they were rare or absent. Nitrospira was also abundant in limestone and volcanic caves, but not in gypsum caves. Due to the abundances of Crossiella, gammaproteobacterial wb1-P19, and uncultured Euzebyaceae, in many different ecosystems, not only in caves, as recently reported, understanding the functional diversity in which these lineages are involved seems critical. Although we have studied a limited number of yellow biofilms from caves in Spain and Italy, data from other caves in USA and Russia also point out the existence of a similarity among the most abundant members composing the structure of yellow biofilms, suggesting that they share a common core.

Investigation of the poloidal magnetic flux at the PF-3 plasma focus within the framework of the program of laboratory simulation of astrophysical jets

Astrophysical jets are collimated plasma outflows observed in diverse astrophysical settings covering seven decades of spatial scale and twenty decades of power, which, nevertheless, share many common features. This similarity over wide range of scales indicates a common core of physics underlying this phenomenon, leading to considerable interest in observational, theoretical and numerical studies. Laboratory astrophysics experiments for simulating astrophysical jets are premised on this common core of physics responsible for multi-scale similarity of jets remaining valid down to laboratory spatial scales of millimeters. Jets formed after the disassembly of the non-cylindrical z-pinch formed in a plasma focus installation have recently been subjects of observational studies. They offer an important complementarity to the main lines of investigations in two respects. Firstly, the multi-faceted role of gravity, radiation, nuclear reactions and related astrophysics is eliminated retaining only a rapid implosion of a compact plasma object in a magnetohydrodynamic environment as a common feature. Secondly, observations can be made using techniques of laboratory plasma diagnostics. In this paper, we report preliminary results regarding presence of poloidal magnetic flux associated with the jets lasting long after the pinch disassembly. This is significant in the context of uncertainty regarding the origin of poloidal magnetic field postulated in several MHD models of astrophysical jet phenomena. Evidence indicating presence of a radial component of electric field suggests existence of plasma rotation as well. These results suggest that more refined experiments can provide insights into the astrophysical jetting phenomena not available from observational astronomy techniques.

Adaptive teaching: Latin and the use of digital parsing tools

Abstract The Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Common Core Framework (CCF) requires all teachers to adapt classroom teaching to support all students (Department for Education, 2024). While the Department for Education's previously-encouraged concept of ‘differentiation’ was well-intentioned, in that tasks were meant to be graded to support and develop all students' learning in a class where there were many different levels of prior attainment, it tended to mean that in practice in the classroom different tasks were often set to cater to the supposed different learning attributes of students. Differentiation has now been superseded by the concept of ‘adaptive teaching’. Adaptive teaching is characterised by teaching that takes account of the range in prior attainment of students and anticipates barriers to learning by providing resources or specific support so that they may all achieve the same intended outcomes. Classics teaching is often characterised by the reading of large amounts of text, both in the original languages of Latin or ancient Greek or in translation. Students in the Classics classroom contain a wide range of prior attainment, cultural experiences and may have barriers to learning, such as Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. This article presents findings of how the use of a blended language approach, involving the digital parsing tools in the Cambridge Latin Course and Suburani Latin course books, improved the quantity of translation of Latin achieved by students of mixed prior attainment and encouraged a more effective use of classroom time to develop deeper comprehension and understanding of the translated texts.

Genetics, age, and diet influence gut bacterial communities and performance of black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens)

BackgroundThe gut microbiota of black soldier fly larvae (BSFL, Hermetia illucens) play a crucial role in recycling various organic waste streams. This capability is linked to the presence of a potential common core microbiota in BSFL. However, subjective thresholds for defining core taxa and the difficulty of separating genetic and environmental influences have prevented a clear consensus in the literature. We analysed the gut bacterial communities of two genetically distinct BSF lines (wild type (WT) and lab-adapted line (LD)) raised on ten different diets based on common agricultural by-products and food waste in Southeast Asia.ResultsHigh-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that gut bacterial communities were significantly influenced by genetics (p = 0.001), diet (plant/meat-dominated; p = 0.001), larval age (p = 0.001), and the interactions between all three (p = 0.002). This led us to investigate both common core taxa and lineage-specific core taxa. At a strict > 97% prevalence threshold, four core taxa were identified: Providencia_A_732258, an unclassified genus within the family Enterococcaceae, Morganella, and Enterococcus_H_360604. A relaxed threshold (> 80% prevalence) extended the core to include other potential common core taxa such as Klebsiella, Proteus, and Scrofimicrobium. Our data suggest that Proteus, Scrofimicrobium, Corynebacterium, Vagococcus_B, Lysinibacillus_304693 (all LD), and Paenibacillus_J_366884 (WT) are lineage-specific rather than members of a common core (> 90% prevalence in either LD or WT, with prevalence significantly different between lines (p ≤ 0.05)). Positive correlations were observed between several core genera and larval performance in LD, typical of a highly optimized lab-adapted line. Interestingly, only members of the genus Providencia appeared to play a crucial role in most aspects of larval performance in both genetic lineages.ConclusionOur study demonstrates that the gut microbiota of BSFL is influenced by genetic factors, diet composition, larval age, and their interactions. We identified a distinct lineage-specific core microbiota, emphasizing genetic background’s role. Future studies should apply a standardized high prevalence threshold of at least > 90% unless there is a valid reason for relaxation or sample exclusion. The consistent association of Providencia spp. with larval performance across both genetic lines highlights their crucial role in the BSFL gut ecosystem.

The concept of “intercultural competence” in educational and scientific discourses

This article attempts to analyse the definition and structure of the concept of "intercultural competence" in scientific research and normative documents at the Ukrainian and European levels, to identify commonalities and differences, to characterise positive changes and, based on the analysis, to formulate a definition of the concept that would reflect today's realities and take into account modern challenges in education (general, foreign language). Starting from the end of the 20th century, scientific works of English-speaking, German-speaking, and domestic scientists were studied, but the main focus was on research from the last 20 years due to significant changes in the structure of societies due to globalisation, migration processes, and the activation of contacts in the professional and private spheres of representatives of different linguistic and cultural communities. Attention is drawn to the fact that understanding the concept of "intercultural competence" acquired new meanings at different stages of its research. Among the reasons for reconsideration and clarification are primarily the challenges that appeared under the influence of social processes in the pan-European and world dimensions, taking into account the national characteristics of countries' development. In accordance with the shift in emphasis in the definition of the concept, its structure also changed; however, despite the selection of specific components by different authors, the structure of intercultural competence retained a common core and layered new components. In the educational discourse, there is a noticeable increase in attention to the concept in the context of social competence, the development of which is aimed, among other things, at conflict-free coexistence, successful communication, and the ability to adapt to a multilingual and multicultural society.

A generic framework for the semantic contextualization of indicators

Indicators are quantitative or qualitative measures used to gauge various aspects of society and assess change over time (such as monitoring the progress or effectiveness of a public policy). Ideally, indicators should be precisely defined and measured according to harmonized procedures that may not be feasible in practice, especially in domains such as health, where indicators are often derived from preexisting, heterogeneous datasets. Integrating such data has posed a persistent challenge, but semantic technologies offer advantages by enriching data in a relatively simple, linkable, and non-disruptive way. However, without harmonized frameworks, the difficulties associated with data integration are unlikely to be resolved. In this article, we propose a generic, domain-neutral indicator contextualization framework for structuring and linking distributed datasets with contextual metadata according to a standard model. The framework integrates the concepts of the International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) 11179 metadata registry standard with the common core ontologies (CCO) mid-level ontology suite, and incorporates other semantic technologies to make it adaptable and interoperable within and across domains. Application of the framework to an example indicator illustrates the versatility and adaptability of the approach in a federated data architecture. The contextual information can be dereferenced using standard query tools to provide data users a comprehensive understanding and overview of the indicator. The framework is amenable to deep learning applications via the principles of semantic data models, linked open data, and knowledge organization systems. The ideas are presented to stimulate further reflection and consolidation of standard data contextualization frameworks.

Developing modelling competencies in pre-service mathematics teachers through reflective thinking skills

Background: Ghana’s commitment to quality education has been reflected in its goal of providing equal access to high-quality education, leading to the reforms of the New Common Core Mathematics Curriculum for Basic Schools. The study explored the integration of mathematical modelling using reflective thinking skills, which are not currently core competencies in Ghanaian basic school curriculum.Aim: The study examined the modelling proficiency of pre-service mathematics teachers by assessing their reflective thinking abilities in a modelling laboratory context.Setting: The study focussed on pre-service mathematics teachers from two education colleges in Ghana.Methods: Using purposive sampling to select participants, a quasi-experimental design with pre- and post-test interventions was employed. Data were analysed through content and inferential analysis, supplemented by interviews.Findings: The findings indicated that the comparison group lacked prior knowledge of modelling problems and struggled with comprehension tasks. In contrast, the experimental group successfully translated real-world problems into mathematical models.Conclusion: Providing pre-service mathematics teachers access to a modelling laboratory and modelling-eliciting activities was essential for developing future modellers. This approach would enhance their effectiveness in teaching foundational mathematics in Ghanaian education.Contribution: This study advocated for re-orienting the mathematics curriculum at both Basic schools and Colleges of Education in Ghana to include mathematical modelling and reflective thinking skills as core components.

Domain swapping: a mathematical model for quantitative assessment of structural effects.

The domain-swapping mechanism involves the exchange of structural elements within a secondary or supersecondary structure between two (ormore) proteins. The present paper proposes to interpret the domain-swapping mechanism using a model that assesses the structure of proteins (and complexes) based on building the structure of a common hydrophobic core in a micelle-like arrangement (a central hydrophobic core with a polar shell in contact with polar water), which has a considerable impact on the stabilisation of the domain structure built by domain swapping. Domains with a hydrophobicity system that is incompatible with the micelle-like structure have also been identified. This incompatibility is the form of structural codes related to biological function.

Innovation bundles and platforms – a qualitative analysis of health system responses to the COVID-19 pandemic

BackgroundHealth systems underwent substantial changes to respond to COVID-19. Learning from the successes and failures of health system COVID-19 responses may help us understand how future health service responses can be designed to be both effective and sustainable. This study aims to identify the role that innovation played in crafting health service responses during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted online, exploring 19 health professionals’ experiences in responding to COVID-19 in a large State health system in Australia. The data were collected from April to September 2022 and analysed utilising constant comparative analysis. The degree of innovation in health service responses was assessed by comparing them to pre-pandemic services using 5 categories adopted from the IMPISCO (Investigators, Methods, Population, Intervention, Setting, Comparators and Outcomes) framework, which classifies interventional fidelity as: 1/ Identical: No differences are found between health services; 2/ Substitution with alternatives that perform the same function, 3/ In-class replacement with elements that delivers roughly the same functionality, 4/ Augmentation with new functions, 5/ Creation of new elements. Services were decomposed into bundles and fidelity labels were assigned to individual bundle elements.ResultsNew services were typically created by reconfiguring existing ones rather than being created de novo. The presence of pre-existing infrastructure (foundational technologies) was seen as critical in mounting fast health service responses. Absence of infrastructure was associated with delays and impaired system responses.ConclusionsThe need to reconfigure rapidly and use infrastructure to support this suggests we reconceive health services as a platform (a general-purpose service upon which other elements can be added for specific functions), where a common core service (such as a primary care practice) can be extended by adding specialised functions using mediators which facilitate the connection (such as virtual service capabilities). Innovation can be costly and time consuming in crises, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, innovations were typically patched together from pre-existing services. The notion of platforms seems a promising way to prepare the health system for future shocks.

The Impact of Narrow Reading on the Receptive Vocabulary Knowledge of Moroccan High School Students

Recent research on English as a foreign language (EFL) vocabulary instruction has surged due to its inherent importance and the challenge it poses, given the vast number of words in languages. Many studies explored how reading enhances EFL students’ vocabulary. However, empirical studies on how narrow reading aids beginners' vocabulary growth are lacking. Hence, this study purports to investigate the impact of narrow reading on the development of Moroccan EFL students’ receptive vocabulary knowledge. An experimental pretest post-test design is adopted. 75 10th grade (common core) beginner students belonging to three groups participated in the study. The first experimental group read 4 texts on the same theme and written by the same author. The second experimental group read 4 texts written by the same author. The control group read 4 texts written by different authors on different themes. Meara’s yes/no test was used to measure the participants’ receptive vocabulary knowledge before the treatment. The treatment lasted seven weeks.The vocabulary knowledge scale (VKS) was used to measure students’ receptive vocabulary gains. The results of a one-way ANOVA showed that the group which read texts on the same theme and by the same author outperformed the other groups. Informal discussion with the participants unveiled some factors that have eased vocabulary uptake.

Disentangling the shared and unique aspects of clinical and subclinical socially aversive traits relevant for interpersonal personality dysfunction.

Most socially and/or ethically aversive traits from clinical and broad personality research overlap to a large degree. For the latter, however, the association with interpersonal personality dysfunction (IPD) is understudied. Moreover, it is also unclear to what extent the associations of aversive traits with IPD are due to their shared versus unique aspects. We investigate these questions based on a theoretical framework that comprehensively describes the shared variance of all aversive traits. To this end, we concurrently measured 20 aversive traits from clinical and broad personality research together with their common core. Results from five studies (four of them preregistered, total N = 4,847) revealed that all aversive traits are associated with IPD and that most do so (only) due to their common core. Only three traits offered additional aspects beyond the common core relevant for IPD. The results inform debates about whether to include more traits in the Alternative Model for Personality Disorders. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

On the Prototypical Core of Ancient Greek grástis, Latin grāmen and Old English græs

Abstract The present work explores the relevance of prototype semantics in determining genetic relations in Indo-European linguistics. It argues that schematisation as a constitutive process of category formation can be used as a criterion of economy and analytical coherence, when it comes to corroborating assumed phonological correspondences. Thus, it takes the terms grástis, grāmen and græs in Ancient Greek, Latin and Old English, respectively, all roughly meaning “fodder, grass”, and examines the possibility of all three stemming from a common non-propositional prototypical core. The analysis proceeds in the following way: it first tries to reconstruct a schematic prototype for the series of all meanings related genetically to each of the terms, whereas in turn it compares this prototype for each series with that of the rest. It concludes that the image schema of vigorous internal growth is the prototypical core from which all senses emanate in a conceptual network with radial structure.

Semantics and Micro-Parametric Variation: The Simple Future in Ibero-Romance

Cross-linguistic variation in future-tense sentences has been extensively documented in the literature. Despite this diversity, there is a prevailing sense that a common core meaning exists and that the various interpretations in each language are connected. To account for both the similarities and the differences, Escandell-Vidal proposes that the meaning encoded by verbal tenses can be analysed into two components: i) core meaning; and ii) semantic micro-parameters (additional fine-grained constraints on specific categories of the core meaning that account for subtle differences between related languages or dialects). The purpose of this paper is twofold. On the descriptive side, it aims to refine the approach in terms of microparametric distinctions by suggesting some modifications. On the theoretical side, it seeks to offer a simpler and more powerful tool to account for interlinguistic variation by restricting its range to a limited set of predictable combinations.

Teacher Preparation in Statistics: Focusing on Variability Through Attending to Precision

The Common Core Standards for Mathematical Practice describe mathematical habits of mind foundational for mathematical thinking and understanding. The Statistical Education of Teachers (SET) report, commissioned by the American Statistical Association (ASA), interprets the Mathematical Practices through a statistical lens. In this article, we present tasks focused on variability that can be taught through the lens of Mathematical Practice 6: Attending to Precision (MP6). We show that teacher tasks that focus on variability and its quantification (by computing multiple different measures on different aspects of an entire dataset and constructing arguments), prompts teachers to attend to statistical precision. Additionally, we make the connection that ideas related to variability are present in all components of the statistical investigative process: posing questions that anticipate variability, anticipating variability in data collection, analyzing the variability present, and interpreting the variability to make quantitative statements about error and tasks that aim toward understanding variability require the employment of Statistical MP6.

Polyphosphoric Acid-Promoted Efficient Synthesis of Cinnamides via Aldol Condensation of Amide

Cinnamides are common core structures that exist in a great number of pharmaceuticals and natural products. The development of efficient methods for preparing cinnamides is in great need. We report herein an efficient polyphosphoric acid (PPA)-promoted direct aldol condensation of an amide for the convenient and straightforward preparation of cinnamides. A variety of cinnamides were obtained in moderate-to-excellent yields (65–89%). This strategy features the use of equivalent amides and a short reaction time.

"I Solemnly Swear": A Comparative Study of Codes of Professional Ethics amongst Pharmacists from Culturally Diverse European Countries.

Ethical practice is a universal concern for healthcare professionals, independent of their social, cultural, or religious background. This study aimed to assess and categorise statements published in codes of ethics for pharmacists from three diverse societies within the wider European area. The study followed a qualitative exploratory and triangular design, comparing the leading professional and ethical statements between three geographically apart countries (Portugal, Lithuania, and Turkey) and using the International Pharmaceutical Federation Code of Ethics proposal as a gold standard. Common core values such as honesty, integrity, and professional autonomy were identified across the countries' codes, suggesting that shared recognised core values underpin pharmacists' practice and policies in culturally diverse settings. None of the codes fully correspond to the framework the International Pharmaceutical Federation proposed. The analysis elicited significant inconsistencies between the codes for analogous practice models within the same continent. Further studies are needed to gain a more profound and comprehensive understanding of the underlying reasons for these discrepancies so that ethical weaknesses can be improved and harmonisation towards best-practice principles can benefit patients and healthcare systems.

IMRA/SRS Delphi consensus on international standards for common core components of robotic surgical training design

Robotic surgery has expanded internationally at pace. There are multiple local robotic training pathways but there is inconsistency in standardisation of core common components for curricula internationally. A framework is required to define key objectives that can be implemented across robotic training ecosystems. This Delphi consensus aimed to provide recommendations for core considerations in robotic training design across diverse training environments internationally. A literature search was performed and an international steering committee (AG, KL, JW, HM, TC) proposed key components for contemporary robotic training design and a modified Delphi approach was used to gather stakeholder opinion. The outcomes were then discussed at a face-to-face international expert consensus at the IMRA educational session at the Society of Robotic Surgery (SRS) meeting and final voting was conducted on outstanding items. Stakeholders included robotic surgeons, proctors, trainees and robotic surgical training providers. There was consensus achieved in 139 statements organised into 15 themes. There was 100% agreement that standardised themes in robotic curricula may improve patient safety. Key take-home messages include—training curricula should be multiplatform, non-technical skills are an important component of a robotic curriculum as well as console and bedside skills, clinically relevant performance metrics should be used for assessment where available, the reliance on cadaveric and live animal models should be reduced as high-fidelity synthetic models emerge, and stepwise component training is useful for advanced procedural training. These consensus recommendations are intended to guide design of fit for purpose contemporary robotic surgical curricula. Integration of these components into robotic training pathways internationally is recommended.

High-abundance serum glycoproteins as valuable resources for glycopeptide standards

High-abundance serum proteins, mostly modified by N-glycans, are usually depleted from human sera to achieve in-depth analyses of serum proteome and sub-proteomes. In this study, we show that these high-abundance glycoproteins (HAGPs) can be used as valuable standard glycopeptide resources, as long as the structural features of their glycans have been well defined at the glycosite-specific level. By directly analyzing intact glycopeptides enriched from serum, we identified 1322 unique glycopeptides at 48 N-glycosites from the top 12 HAGPs (19 subclasses). These HAGPs could be further classified into four major groups based on the structural features of their attached N-glycans. Immunoglobins including IGHG1/2/3/4, IGHA1/2 and IGHM were mostly modified by core fucosylated and bisected N-glycans with rarely sialic acids. Alpha-1-acid glycoproteins (ORM1/2) and haptoglobins (HP) were mainly modified by tri-and tetra-antennary (40 %) N-glycans with antenna-fucoses and sialic acids. Complement components C3 and C4A/B were highly modified by oligo-mannose glycans. The other HAGPs including SERPINA1, A2M, TF, FGB/G and APOB mainly contain bi-antennary complex glycans with the common core structure and (sialyl-) LacNAc branch structures. These HAGPs are easily detected by LC-MS analysis and therefore could be used as standard glycopeptides for glycoproteomic methodology studies as well as possible clinical utilities.