Complete Instructions Research Articles

November 2022 Placement Ads

November 2022 Placement Ads

Exploring South African preschool teachers’ roles and responsibilities with executive functions

Background: South African studies based on school readiness found that most children who commence formal schooling (from Grade 1) lack the basic skills needed to adapt within the learning environment – these include having challenges to follow instructions, work autonomously or focus on a task.Aim: The national guideline for teaching children between birth to 9 years does not specify how early childhood education programmes can facilitate or strengthen executive function (EF) skills through structured play. Structured play, can be understood as play activities that require guidance and instructions for completion. During the activities, the participants have to follow instructions in order to attain the outcome. Hence, there is a need to explore how EF skills can be developed through structured play. From our understanding, EF is an individual’s cognitive ability to regulate thoughts and actions needed to complete a task. Executive function skills assist learners to adjust and work effectively later (Grade 1) in a formal learning environment to perform academically.Setting: The study was conducted at preschool sites that follow different educational approaches. They are Montessori, National Curriculum Framework (NCF), Reggio Emilia and Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa (ISASA) preschools. The preschools are situated in affluent suburbs of Pretoria, Gauteng. In this article, learners refer to children aged 4 years in the Grade RRR class.Methods: A qualitative multiple case study design was utilised. We interacted with two teachers from four schools who followed different educational approaches. The data collection techniques included individual semi-structured interviews, lesson observation and document analysis, whilst photographs and field notes were taken when the teacher-participants interacted with learners during a planned learning experience. The generated data sets were inductively analysed and interpreted using the theoretical frameworks of sociocultural theory and metacognition.Results: The interpreted data sets revealed that the preschool teacher-participants can facilitate EF using games, songs, movement exercises or racing competitions. The participants explained that indoor, outdoor and learning experiences facilitated EF skills such as self-regulation, working memory and cognitive flexibility during structured play.Conclusion: There is a need for preschool teachers to identify EF in the curriculum and know how to link and intentionally include the skills in daily learning experiences. This will ensure learners acquire EF and apply it in formal learning environments. The contribution to the body of scholarship is the development of guidelines for teachers to intentionally and explicitly develop EF skills using structured play. We confer that teachers play a role in enabling fun, engaging and hands-on activities that promote the acquisition of EF in the early years.

A Prospective Study on Assessment of Microbial Contamination of Toothbrushes and Methods of Their Decontamination

Toothbrushes may get contaminated by the oral cavity, environment, hands, storage containers, or aerosol contamination. The present study was conducted to assess the microbial contamination of toothbrushes and methods of their decontamination. The current study included 160 subjects of both genders. All the subjects were provided with a toothbrush and paste with complete hygiene instructions for the oral cavity. After one month, all the brushes were collected. The samples were categorized into four groups of 40 each. GroupI was treated with 0.2% chlorhexidine gluconate, group II with Listerine, group III with Dettol, and group IV with tap water. Finally, these toothbrushes were placed in 5 mL of neutralizer broth and then evaluated to study the efficacy of four disinfectants. All the data were analyzed using the statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 23 software (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA). For all analyses, p < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant Results: Aerobic bacterial growth before disinfection in Groups I, II, III, and IV was 91.6%, 75.84%, 75%, 81.67%, respectively (p = 0.01). After disinfecting the brushes aerobic bacterial growth was reduced to 34.17%, 30.84%, 24.17% & 74.17% in Groups I, II, III, and IV, respectively (p = 0.002). Klebsiella, Micrococci and Escherichia coli survived the most even after disinfection was done. Most effective agent for the disinfection of toothbrushes was Dettol followed by Listerine and 0.2% chlorhexidine gluconate. Tap water was found to be ineffective in the decontamination of toothbrushes.

Application of virtual simulation situational model in Russian spatial preposition teaching.

The purpose is to improve the teaching quality of Russian spatial prepositions in colleges. This work takes teaching Russian spatial prepositions as an example to study the key technologies in 3D Virtual Simulation (VS) teaching. 3D VS situational teaching is a high-end visual teaching technology. VS situation construction focuses on Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) to explore and present a realistic language teaching scene. Here, the Steady State Visual Evoked Potential (SSVEP) is used to control Brain-Computer Interface (BCI). An SSVEP-BCI system is constructed through the Hybrid Frequency-Phase Modulation (HFPM). The acquisition system can obtain the current SSVEP from the user's brain to know which module the user is watching to complete instructions encoded by the module. Experiments show that the recognition accuracy of the proposed SSVEP-BCI system based on HFPM increases with data length. When the data length is 0.6-s, the Information Transfer Rate (ITR) reaches the highest: 242.21 ± 46.88 bits/min. Therefore, a high-speed BCI character input system based on SSVEP is designed using HFPM. The main contribution of this work is to build a SSVEP-BCI system based on joint frequency phase modulation. It is better than the currently-known brain computer interface character input system, and is of great value to optimize the performance of the virtual simulation situation system for Russian spatial preposition teaching.

“Frances Burney's Legacy Duty Account” (1840)

“Frances Burney's Legacy Duty Account” (1840)

Elaboration and validation of the checklist of the production processes of pediatric diets in hospital lactaries.

This work aimed to draft and validate a checklist of the production processes of pediatric diets for use in hospital lactaries. A bibliographic search was carried out in order to draft the instrument. Content validation was performed with 5 experts, using the Delphi technique and the 5-point Likert scale. Appearance validation was performed by 3 nutritionists, in the same environment, day, and time. The instrument included a header, a guide to completion instructions, and 225 assessment items that obtained validated content. The minimum and maximum values for the content validity index (CVI) were 0.88 and 0.96, respectively. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Cronbach's alpha (α) was >0.80 in more than 90% of the items evaluated. The minimum and maximum values for the Appearance Validity Index (AVI) were, respectively, 0.73 and 0.93. The Kruskal Wallis test showed no significant difference during the evaluations (p-value>0.05) for the blocks of the routine version and the management version. The instrument versions presented in more than 80% of the α and ICC blocks > 0.80. Therefore, the instrument presented validated content and appearance, presenting reproducibility and reliability in terms of the feasibility of use in a nutritionist's practice.

Elaboração e validação de lista de verificação dos processos produtivos de dietas pediátricas em lactários hospitalares

Abstract This work aimed to draft and validate a checklist of the production processes of pediatric diets for use in hospital lactaries. A bibliographic search was carried out in order to draft the instrument. Content validation was performed with 5 experts, using the Delphi technique and the 5-point Likert scale. Appearance validation was performed by 3 nutritionists, in the same environment, day, and time. The instrument included a header, a guide to completion instructions, and 225 assessment items that obtained validated content. The minimum and maximum values for the content validity index (CVI) were 0.88 and 0.96, respectively. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Cronbach’s alpha (α) was &gt;0.80 in more than 90% of the items evaluated. The minimum and maximum values for the Appearance Validity Index (AVI) were, respectively, 0.73 and 0.93. The Kruskal Wallis test showed no significant difference during the evaluations (p-value&gt;0.05) for the blocks of the routine version and the management version. The instrument versions presented in more than 80% of the α and ICC blocks &gt; 0.80. Therefore, the instrument presented validated content and appearance, presenting reproducibility and reliability in terms of the feasibility of use in a nutritionist’s practice.

Trans_Proc

A reconfigurable transform processor is proposed and implemented here. Firstly, a brief study of processors implementing different transformations is presented. We have categorized the transform processor as the one which can implement a number of linear transforms using reconfigurability. The theoretical suitability regarding the architecture of the processor is proved by graph theory method. Then the complete architecture of the overall processor and the processing element is presented and implemented using VHDL. The complete instruction set suitable to the processor is designed. The instructions are mapped to the sequence of control signals. Generating sequence of control signals for every type of instructions would finally create a hardwired control unit for the processor which was also presented. Next the processor is fed with data to simulate it. A three-phase simulation is carried out to prove the correctness of the design. Finally the same processor with a data bus width of 32 to 512 is implemented and compared in terms of speed and size.

Analysis and Application of Selected Control Charts Suitable for Smart Manufacturing Processes

Nonparametric control charts (NPCC) have shown great potential for monitoring processes in conditions of smart manufacturing with complex structures, various monitored characteristics and the need to process big data. Practical applications of NPCCs are very rare. The main reasons for this situation are a deficiency in software support and a lack of simple but complete instructions for their application. The introduction of such manual, which is based on the authors’ own simulations of performance of wide spectrum of NPCCs in conditions of different violations of data prerequisites, leading to recommendations for the selection of the most effective NPCC in various practical situations, is the main goal of this paper. Compared to other similar studies, this approach covers a wider range of control charts, and it was applied to a wider spectrum of data assumption violations. As an integral part of these analyses, an examination of various control chart performance indicators such as ARL, MRL, x5 and x95 was performed using simulations to select the best of them. The designed methodology was verified using real data.

Exploring Protein Structures of SARS‐CoV‐2 Variants of Concern within an Undergraduate Research Course

Lane College is a Historically Black College with a legacy of educating underserved minority students. As a primarily undergraduate teaching college, faculty and students have limited opportunities to engage in undergraduate research. To address this concern, the biology department created the undergraduate research course sequence (Undergraduate Research I and II) to provide course‐based undergraduate research experiences for students. During the Spring 2021 semester, to limit the spread of COVID‐19, the College began the first few weeks with complete online instruction before switching to hybrid or face‐to‐face modality. For the biology undergraduate research students, the projects were redesigned based on input from the students to explore the viral protein structural changes in newly emerging SARS‐CoV‐2 variants of concern (VOC). First, students explored the virology of SARS‐CoV‐2 and structures of key viral proteins using curriculum available from Rutgers University on the Protein Data Bank during the online instruction period. Then the students selected a variant of concern, B.1.1.7 (Alpha), B.1.351 (Beta), or P.1 (Gamma), and a specific viral protein containing at least one mutation for further study. During the hybrid instruction period, using open‐source bioinformatics tools, including NCBI SARS‐CoV‐2 genome sequences, PANGO Lineage VOC data, UCSC Genome Browser and SNAP Gene, the students mapped the location of the VOC mutation on their chosen protein’s known structure. They then modeled the effect of the mutation on the protein structure using Chimera or iCN3D, since Chimera is not compatible with Chromebooks. Students determined that the mutations found in nsp3 in Alpha variant and ORF8 in Gamma variant did not have a large impact on the overall structure of the proteins and predicted that there would not be significant effects on protein function. In contrast, several mutations found in Beta variant spike protein likely impact receptor binding domain interactions with angiotensin converting enzyme 2 receptor. The methods developed here will be useful for further investigations of protein structures from emerging variants of concern. This experience demonstrates the utility of bioinformatics research projects in online and hybrid courses and the importance of consideration of compatibility of various open‐source tools with student devices.

Understanding the support experiences of families of children with autism and sensory processing difficulties: A qualitative study.

BackgroundSupport, such as information, advice and therapies, can play a vital role in the lives of families of autistic children. However, little is known about the support experiences of UK parents and carers.AimTo explore experiences of and access to support for families of children with autism and sensory processing difficulties, from the perspective of parents and carers.MethodsSemi‐structured, timeline‐assisted interviews were conducted with parents/carers of 30 children aged 5–11, exploring experiences of support. Framework analysis was used to identify themes in the interview data.ResultsSupport varied widely and was not accessed equitably. Specialist autism support, together with support from other parents and voluntary organizations, was perceived as more useful than statutory and nonspecialist provision. Unmet support needs included an ongoing point of contact for information and advice for parents, and access to direct therapy and specialist mental health provision for children.ConclusionsFindings emphasize the need for a clear pathway of support following autism diagnosis, autism‐specific training for professional service providers and specialist provision tailored to the needs of autistic children.Patient or Public ContributionAn advisory group of four parents of children with autism provided feedback on study procedures and materials, including participant information sheets and timeline completion instructions.

Elementary Computational Thinking Instruction and Assessment: A Learning Trajectory Perspective

There is little empirical research related to how elementary students develop computational thinking (CT) and how they apply CT in problem-solving. To address this gap in knowledge, this study made use of learning trajectories (LTs; hypothesized learning goals, progressions, and activities) in CT concept areas such as sequence, repetition, conditionals, and decomposition to better understand students’ CT. This study implemented eight math-CT integrated lessons aligned to U.S. national mathematics education standards and the LTs with third- and fourth-grade students. This basic interpretive qualitative study aimed at gaining a deeper understanding of elementary students’ CT by having students express and articulate their CT in cognitive interviews. Participants’ (n= 22) CT articulation was examined usinga prioricodes translated verbatim from the learning goals in the LTs and was mapped to the learning goals in the LTs. Results revealed a range of students’ CT in problem-solving, such as using precise and complete problem-solving instructions, recognizing repeating patterns, and decomposing arithmetic problems. By collecting empirical data on how students expressed and articulated their CT, this study makes theoretical contributions by generating initial empirical evidence to support the hypothesized learning goals and progressions in the LTs. This article also discusses the implications for integrated CT instruction and assessments at the elementary level.

Evaluation of microbial contamination of toothbrushes and their decontamination using various disinfectants: An in vitro study

Background: Toothbrush often gets contaminated with use and also during storage. Although many toothbrush disinfection methods are mentioned in the past literature. To date there no absolute consensus on the topic. Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the microbial contamination of toothbrushes and their decontamination using various disinfectants. Subjects and Methods: An in vitro study was carried out on 80 subjects with a gingival index (Loe and Silness, 1963) score of two or three received toothbrush and paste with complete oral hygiene instructions. After 1 month, toothbrushes were collected and checked for microbial contamination by aerobic culture. Toothbrushes were divided into four groups (n = 20) and treated with one of the following agents: Group A – 0.2% chlorhexidine gluconate, Group B – Listerine, Group C – Dettol, and Group D – tap water for 1 h. After an hour, the brushes were further cultured to evaluate the efficacy of each agent. Statistical procedures were performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 16 software. Inferential statistics were performed using Chi-square analysis. P < 0.05 was set as statistically significant. Results: All the sampled toothbrushes had significant (P < 0.001) bacterial growth after 1 month of use. Most of the brushes were contaminated with Escherichia coli (17.1%). All the tested disinfectants significantly (P < 0.001) reduced bacterial growth and Dettol showed maximum effectiveness (95.3%). Conclusions: Toothbrushes significantly get contaminated after use, which is reduced after disinfecting the brushes. Although not 100% effective, all the disinfectants significantly reduced the bacteria, and Dettol was found to be comparatively better than other agents.

In Vivo Imaging of Brown Adipose Tissue in Humans: FDG-PET/CT and Beyond.

Positron emission tomography (PET) combined with computed tomography (CT) is used to detect brown adipose tissue (BAT) in humans. Function can be measured using different tracers, most typically with glucose analog 18F-fluoro-deoxyglucose (FDG). CT provides an anatomical reference, but this tool can be utilized for other purposes as well, such as indirect estimate of triglyceride content of the BAT. PET/CT measurements require sophisticated and highly specified devices, and manufacturer-dependent differences exist between different scanners. Therefore, complete device-specific instructions are not given in this article, but rather general guidelines which are important when human BAT is imaged using PET/CT.

CRF Completion Guidelines

Case Report Forms (CRFs) are a common data collection mechanism in clinical studies and are sometimes the original recording of study data. CRF completion is one of the earliest opportunities to assure accurate and complete data and to decrease downstream work associated with identification and resolution of data discrepancies. This chapter covers development, maintenance, and implementation of instructions for CRF completion, also called CRF Completion Guidelines (CCGs). Recommendations in this chapter are based on the International Council for Harmonisation (ICH) E6 addendum,1 the MHRA GXP Data Integrity Guidance and Definitions, review of the literature, and writing group consensus.

PyCCE: A Python Package for Cluster Correlation Expansion Simulations of Spin Qubit Dynamics

AbstractPyCCE, an open‐source Python library for simulating the dynamics of spin qubits in a spin bath, is presented using the cluster‐correlation expansion (CCE) method. PyCCE includes modules to generate realistic spin baths, employing coupling parameters computed from first principles with electronic structure codes, and enables the user to run simulations with either the conventional or generalized CCE method. Three use cases of the Python library are illustrated: the calculation of the Hahn‐echo coherence time of the nitrogen‐vacancy in diamond; the calculation of the coherence time of the basal divacancy in silicon carbide at avoided crossings; and the calculation for magnetic field orientation‐dependent dynamics of a shallow donor in silicon. The complete documentation, downloadable tutorials, and installation instructions are available athttps://pycce.readthedocs.io/en/latest/.

A low-cost automized anaerobic chamber for long-term growth experiments and sample handling

The handling of oxygen sensitive samples and growth of obligate anaerobic organisms requires the stringent exclusion of oxygen, which is omnipresent in our normal atmospheric environment. Anaerobic workstations (aka. Glove boxes) enable the handling of oxygen sensitive samples during complex procedures, or the long-term incubation of anaerobic organisms. Depending on the application requirements, commercial workstations can cost up to 60.000 €. Here we present the complete build instructions for a highly adaptive, Arduino based, anaerobic workstation for microbial cultivation and sample handling, with features normally found only in high cost commercial solutions. This build can automatically regulate humidity, H2 levels (as oxygen reductant), log the environmental data and purge the airlock. It is built as compact as possible to allow it to fit into regular growth chambers for full environmental control. In our experiments, oxygen levels during the continuous growth of oxygen producing cyanobacteria, stayed under 0.03 % for 21 days without needing user intervention. The modular Arduino controller allows for the easy incorporation of additional regulation parameters, such as CO2 concentration or air pressure. This paper provides researchers with a low cost, entry level workstation for anaerobic sample handling with the flexibility to match their specific experimental needs.

Brick Strex: a robust device built of LEGO bricks for mechanical manipulation of cells

Cellular forces, mechanics and other physical factors are important co-regulators of normal cell and tissue physiology. These cues are often misregulated in diseases such as cancer, where altered tissue mechanics contribute to the disease progression. Furthermore, intercellular tensile and compressive force-related signaling is highlighted in collective cell behavior during development. However, the mechanistic understanding on the role of physical forces in regulation of cellular physiology, including gene expression and signaling, is still lacking. This is partly because studies on the molecular mechanisms of force transmission require easily controllable experimental designs. These approaches should enable both easy mechanical manipulation of cells and, importantly, readouts ranging from microscopy imaging to biochemical assays. To achieve a robust solution for mechanical manipulation of cells, we developed devices built of LEGO bricks allowing manual, motorized and/or cyclic cell stretching and compression studies. By using these devices, we show that upbeta-catenin responds differentially to epithelial monolayer stretching and lateral compression, either localizing more to the cell nuclei or cell–cell junctions, respectively. In addition, we show that epithelial compression drives cytoplasmic retention and phosphorylation of transcription coregulator YAP1. We provide a complete part listing and video assembly instructions, allowing other researchers to build and use the devices in cellular mechanics-related studies.

Remote bed-level change and overwash observation with low-cost ultrasonic distance sensors

Few datasets exist of high-frequency, in situ measurements of storm overwash, an essential mechanism for the subaerial maintenance of barrier islands and spits. Here we describe a new sensor platform for measuring bed-level change and estimating overwash inundation depths. Our MeOw (Measuring Overwash) stations consist of two ultrasonic distance sensors, a microprocessor board, and a camera and are capable of withstanding the impacts of large storm events, can be left unattended to collect data for months to years, and are relatively inexpensive. With the exception of the camera, the MeOw stations are built with all open-source hardware and software. Herein we provide complete instructions for manufacturing the MeOw stations and present observations from a single MeOw station for a three-month (2019) deployment on a frequently overwashed section of Smith Island, VA. The MeOw stations captured three large storm events over the course of the deployment (Hurricane Dorian, Tropical Storm Melissa, and a November nor’easter), as well as several high-tide events. Based on our interpretation of the raw data, bed-level changes occurred throughout the deployment from both storm and non-storm overwash, but were particularly large during Tropical Storm Melissa where initial accretion of approximately 0.15 m was followed by 0.77 m of erosion over three days. The maximum overwash inundation depth occurred during the nor’easter and measured approximately 0.83 m. The variability in bed level over the course of our experiment highlights the importance of in situ high frequency bed-level measurements for constraining overwash inundation depths. MeOw stations are ideally suited for measuring storm overwash — or any process that necessitates tracking bed and water level elevations at high frequency during harsh conditions.

Evaluating adult forensic staff knowledge of olanzapine long-acting injection post injection syndrome: a service improvement project

AimsPost injection syndrome (PIS) is a serious complication that can occur after Olanzapine Long Acting Injection (LAI). It can occur without any derangement in physical observations. It is important that patients are monitored appropriately following administration of Olanzapine LAI to ensure that symptoms of PIS are appropriately identified and managed. This project aimed to evaluate the current level of knowledge about PIS in two staff groups within an Adult Forensic Service – in-patient nursing staff and junior doctors and advanced practitioners (APs) providing medical cover to inpatient wards.MethodElectronic surveys evaluating knowledge about the symptoms of PIS, monitoring requirements and management of possible PIS were circulated to inpatient nursing staff, junior doctors and APs working within an Adult Forensic Service in the North West of England.Result1) Nursing staff knowledge – 26 nursing staff completed the survey. 4.5% of nurses correctly identified all symptoms of PIS and 72.7% believed that tachycardia or hypotension occur in PIS. 22.7% of nurses identified the correct management plan if a patient feels unwell following Olanzapine LAI. 40.9% would only request a medical review if physical observations were abnormal. 2) Junior doctor and AP knowledge – 6 doctors and 6 advanced practitioners completed the survey. 17% of doctors and APs correctly identified all symptoms of PIS. 50% believed hypotension or tachycardia were symptoms of PIS. 25% of doctors and APs identified correct management of PIS and 16.7% believed that the patient should be managed on the psychiatric ward unless physical observations became abnormal.ConclusionLevels of knowledge about the symptoms and management of PIS are low within this Adult Forensic Service. Knowledge of PIS and management of suspected PIS needs to be improved in nursing staff, junior doctors and advanced practitioners to ensure correct identification and safe management. In response to these findings, a care plan for monitoring of patients after Olanzapine LAI was developed. This included a structured monitoring proforma for completion post depot administration and instructions for managing suspected PIS. This care plan is kept in the front of the drug chart of all patients prescribed Olanzapine LAI. One-page educational summaries on PIS were written and circulated to nursing staff, junior doctors and APs. Information on Olanzapine LAI use and PIS were included in junior doctor induction materials and on-call handbook, to improve trainee awareness and knowledge.