Sound Knowledge Research Articles

A reflexive exploration of transposing comparative paradigms into scholarly and practical approaches in teacher education

This article examines the place of comparative and international education (CIE) scholarship and practice in teacher education (T.Ed.). In this regard, CIE scholarship is instrumental in revealing the functioning, organization, importance and interconnectedness of teaching, as a profession, and teacher education, as the conduit to that profession, across national and cultural settings. As teacher education programs and teacher educators continue their work in imparting robust and sound pedagogical knowledge, they also need to acknowledge the enriching nature of a comparative perspective in the scholarship and practice on teacher education. Thus, including comparative methods in examining teacher education both within and across a program’s national borders offers teachers-to-be a window into an array of teaching practices in a global setting. Developing an awareness, interest and inclination toward a comparative perspective-taking in teacher education is paramount in forming the new generations of teachers and researchers on teacher education. At the same time, teacher education programs benefit from research collaborations across national and cultural settings, allowing them the possibility to co-learn what approaches may work in meaningfully adjusting their curricular organization to prepare teachers for an interconnected world in which their students truly become global citizens.

T-CHAT educational framework for teaching cyber-physical system engineering

ABSTRACT Cyber-physical systems (CPS) are increasingly used in manufacturing, transportation, health, and other industries. To develop these complex interdisciplinary systems, highly qualified CPS engineers are required who possess sound engineering knowledge and excellent transferable skills. Academic institutions offer a range of modules and curricula to teach CPS engineering. However, the literature reports a gap between expectations of industry and competencies of CPS graduates. To close this gap, this paper introduces and describes a holistic educational framework (T-CHAT) for teaching CPS engineering at the module level. To evaluate this framework, two use cases were analysed by conducting self-perception surveys and semi-structured interviews with students. Descriptive statistics and t-tests were calculated for the survey data. Interviews were coded and analysed using a General Inductive Approach. The analysis results were discussed by the comparison of the T-CHAT implementations in these two use cases.

Traders Perception and Awareness on Financial Derivatives in Indian Stock Market

The Government of India has introduced Economic Policy in 1991 to implement structural reforms for reduce the imbalances. In India, Traders want maximum gain with minimum risk, so is the case with derivatives. Derivatives are among the forefront of the innovations in the financial markets and aim to increase returns and reduce risk. A derivative is a financial product which has been derived from another financial product or commodity. The derivatives do not have independent existence without underlying product and market. Derivatives are contracts which are written between two parties for easily marketable assets. Derivatives are gaining importance due to increased volatility in capital and foreign currency markets. RBI finds ways for healthy development of market and takes steps to popularise the use of derivative instruments, but still awareness about the derivative instruments and its uses are quite low. Hence, it is necessary to find out the level of awareness among investing public and if found low, how to create adequate awareness to encourage the use of derivative products as hedge tools. This study can be used by the regulating authorities and broker houses to increase awareness among the traders about derivatives. One should invest in secured and risk-free investments rather than high-risk, highly profitable investments. Tracking the market environment better with sound knowledge about a particular stock would result in better returns. Since many of the entities in this study are independent of each other, there is need to analyse on a buying decision specifically for respective stocks. People with less experience can also be high profit makers when decisions are based on intricate fundamental and technical analyses.

New Genotypes and Genomic Regions for Resistance to Wheat Blast in South Asian Germplasm

Wheat blast (WB) disease, since its first identification in Bangladesh in 2016, is now an established serious threat to wheat production in South Asia. There is a need for sound knowledge about resistance sources and associated genomic regions to assist breeding programs. Hence, a panel of genotypes from India and Bangladesh was evaluated for wheat blast resistance and a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed. Disease evaluation was done during five crop seasons—at precision phenotyping platform (PPPs) for wheat blast disease at Jashore (2018–19), Quirusillas (2018–19 and 2019–20) and Okinawa (2019 and 2020). Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) across the genome were obtained using DArTseq genotyping-by-sequencing platform, and in total 5713 filtered markers were used. GWAS revealed 40 significant markers associated with WB resistance, of which 33 (82.5%) were in the 2NS/2AS chromosome segment and one each on seven chromosomes (3B, 3D, 4A, 5A, 5D, 6A and 6B). The 2NS markers contributed significantly in most of the environments, explaining an average of 33.4% of the phenotypic variation. Overall, 22.4% of the germplasm carried 2NS/2AS segment. So far, 2NS translocation is the only effective WB resistance source being used in the breeding programs of South Asia. Nevertheless, the identification of non-2NS/2AS genomic regions for WB resistance provides a hope to broaden and diversify resistance for this disease in years to come.

An introduction to chemical peels for the body

This article has been written for medical practitioners who wish to incorporate chemical peels for the body within their daily practice. It will provide the reader with a sound knowledge of what a chemical peel is and why they are useful, and their key ingredients will be identified. Their clinical indications and contraindications will be discussed, as well as what the patient can expect post-procedure. The author concludes that a chemical peel on the body is ideal for combatting moderate problematic acne, reducing hyperpigmentation and treating keratosis. Used appropriately, skin peels can effectively treat these conditions. During the consultation process, the clinician can offer a broader range of treatments, rather than focusing exclusively on the face. In the long term, this will increase profit margins and build good practitioner/patient relationships.

Anatomical Variants of the Obturator Artery and Their Clinical Importance

Context: The obturator artery (OA) originates from the internal iliac artery (IIA), and it runs on the lateral pelvic wall to leave through the obturator canal. It can have a varied source of origin. A small pelvic space makes it susceptible to injury during repair of femoral and inguinal hernias and pelvic surgeries. Unexpected injury of an aberrant OA can be avoided only with a thorough knowledge of its anatomy. Aim: This study aims to estimate the prevalence and describe the course of aberrant obturator arteries. Settings and Design: A descriptive, cross-sectional, cadaveric study was conducted in the Department of Anatomy, Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, India. Materials and Methods: Sixty-four hemipelvices were dissected. Variations in the origin, course, and relations of the OA were observed and noted. Statistical Analysis Used: The results were tabulated, and the prevalence of each variation was calculated. Results: Variations were seen in 40.6% cases. OA originated from inferior epigastric artery (23.4%), external iliac artery (3.1%), posterior division of IIA and iliolumbar artery (1.5%), superior gluteal artery (6.2%), internal pudendal artery (1.5%), and inferior gluteal artery (3.1%) cases. Arterial corona mortis, a tortuous anastomotic channel connecting OA (originating from IIA) and inferior epigastric artery was seen along with venous connections in one specimen. Conclusions: Aberrant origins of OA pose a high risk for significant hemorrhage in trauma and various surgeries. Hence, a sound anatomical knowledge of its origin and course is vital while repairing fractures and hernias in this region.

Natural sciences teachers’ continuous professional development through a Community of Practice

Years of research on teacher quality indicate that the quality and effectiveness of teachers have a significant influence on learner achievements. The quality of teachers and their teaching practice is widely debated where quality may depend on the teacher having acquired sound and relevant knowledge and skills to ensure effective teaching. The continuous professional development of teachers is a key element in ensuring the required quality in teaching to enhance learners’ achievements. Utilising Wenger’s construct of a Community of Practice (CoP) as theoretical framework, with the investigation reported on here, we aimed to understand how natural sciences teachers, from a specific rural school district in the Western Cape province, South Africa, experienced a CoP as a continuing professional teacher development (CPTD) strategy. This investigation was informed by a naturalistic case study method where open-ended questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and observations were utilised for data generation during CoP sessions. Thematic data-analysis revealed themes (words/phrases) for interpretation and discussion. Preliminary findings highlighted some emerging characteristics that influenced the effective operation of a CoP and suggested that participants acknowledged the importance of a CoP, indicating that their natural sciences knowledge and skills had notably increased. We argue that emerging CoP characteristics can assist in the advancement of motivation, effectiveness and professional development of natural sciences teachers in rural areas, affording quality teachers and teaching practices.

Best Qualities of Medical Facilitator, Students Perceptive View

Introduction: Medical education is blended day by day and there's a continuing need to assess the role of the facilitator in the field of medical education. A great medical facilitator is the one who clear the way within the making of our future clinicians. In this study we attempted to assess the qualities of best medical facilitator in basics and clinical sciences including all medical, surgical and their allied subjects from first year to final year MBBS Students Objective: To expedite the views of MBBS students at Azra Naheed Medical College about the best qualities of Medical facilitator Material and Methods Study design: quantitative cross sectional Settings: Azra Naheed Medical College Duration: Six months i.e. 1st January 2021 to 30th June 2021 Data Collection procedure: A well planned study was done at Azra Naheed medical college which includes all the MBBS students who participated after giving consent. The total numbers of participants in the study were 400. A validated questionnaire comprises of 12 leading statements regarding best qualities of medical facilitator was circulated. The collected data was analyzed by using SPSS version 23. Results: The total number of participants in the study is 400 in which 60% participants were females and 40% were males. The age group in the study is 18-24 years. In this study top five qualities of nest medical facilitator were highlighted. Conclusion: A great facilitator is somebody who is receptive, engaging and motivating, and who includes a sound knowledge of subject of what they are attempting to instruct. They too have the capacity to communicate well with students. Key words: Medical facilitator, Student, Medical, Qualities

Participatory mapping reveals biocultural and nature values in the shared landscape of a Nordic UNESCO Biosphere Reserve

Abstract Making the right decisions for sustainable development requires sound knowledge of the values and spatial distribution of the services co‐produced by ecosystems and people. UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere programme and associated Biosphere Reserves (BRs) are key learning sites or model regions for sustainable development providing key entry points for transdisciplinary work on sustainable development. However, there is limited research exploring spatial distribution of socio‐cultural Ecosystem Service (ES) values in BRs and how those values vary according to the BR zonation. We used a transdisciplinary approach to design and implement a public participation geographical information systems (PPGIS) survey in a recently designated BR to (a) asses the spatial distribution of ES values in the different zones, (b) identify hotspots of ES values, (c) identify spatial bundles of ES values and (d) assess the social‐ecological characteristics that determine the distribution of those values. We found that stakeholders identify high biocultural ES values, mapping predominantly places for outdoor recreation, biodiversity, agricultural products and cultural heritage. Buffer zones had high agricultural and cultural heritage values while extractive values were largely absent from cores zones. We identified five spatial ES‐value bundles highlighting distinct places important for ES values related to ‘multifunctional landscapes’ located close to settlements, ‘cultural landscapes’ associated with agricultural land, ‘wild animal resources’ along the coastlines, ‘outdoor recreation and biodiversity’ and ‘passive cultural values’ widely distributed in high and moderately populated areas. We found that accessibility was important for ES values and that people value nature close to where they live. We show the importance of biocultural values in the region, and agricultural landscapes were highly valued for multiple ES values beyond agricultural products alone. We show that BRs have become places that link cultural heritage, agricultural and biodiversity values in multifunctional landscapes. We put our findings into the local context and suggest how they can inform land‐use planning and management through policies aimed at maintaining key agricultural landscapes that provide social‐ecological resilience. Additionally, we discuss the value of our study for the wider BR network and how similar work can contribute to monitoring of BR implementation. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

Chamelea gallina reproductive biology and Minimum Conservation Reference Size: implications for fishery management in the Adriatic Sea

BackgroundThe striped venus clam Chamelea gallina is an economically important species in Adriatic Sea fisheries. The use of hydraulic dredging for its catch has a long history in Italy and its management faced several stages of development in the last 40 years. A great effort has been made in the past two decades to move from poorly or weakly managed fisheries to a well-structured co-management system to improve the sustainability of this fishery. However, a prerequisite for appropriate resource management is a sound knowledge of the biology and reproductive strategy of the species.ResultsWe investigated three major biological features– the gametogenic cycle, size at sexual maturity and partial fecundity – by microscopic, histological and video analysis techniques. We demonstrated that its breeding season is driven by rises in seawater temperature and chlorophyll-a concentration and that its spawning period lasted from March to September. Size at sexual maturity was reached very early in the life cycle. As regards partial fecundity – the number of mature oocytes potentially released by females with ripe gonads in a single release event – varied in relation to size. Nevertheless, the reduction on the Minimum Conservation Reference Size (MCRS) from 25 to 22 mm (Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/2237) lead to a 40% reduction in the number of emitted eggs.ConclusionsWe suggest that the ability of Adriatic clam stocks to withstand the strong fishing pressure of the past 40 years and the present one is due to their high reproductive potential and multiple spawning events combined with the effect of management measures (closed areas/seasons, quota, MCRS) and technical constraints on the gear and the sieve on board. Moreover, since the reduced MCRS for Venus shells is still larger than the size at maturity, it will probably not be detrimental to the reproductive capacity of the stock.

Knowledge of people in the East London District of South Africa about Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2: an online survey

Introduction: World Health Organization declared Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 a pandemic after two months of its propagation in China. The lack of coordination among people about the new Coronavirus threat is evident mainly due to the dearth of knowledge. Objective: To assess the knowledge of people in the East London district of South Africa about Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Methods: The study was anchored on a quantitative method approach and adopted a descriptive research design. The sample consisted of 160 adults. Using the virtual snowball sampling technique, people who were 18 years and above of age and can read English were selected for the online survey. The data were collected using a 3-point Likert scale questionnaire which was uploaded in Google Form. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The majority of the participants knew the myths and facts about the news. They were aware that wearing a face mask prevents Coronavirus transmission, drinking liquor and using hand dryers would not kill the virus. Some people were not sure whether eating garlic or rinsing the nose regularly with saline water would help to prevent from being affected by Coronavirus. The findings also showed that there was a significant difference (p<0.05) among different age groups of people on their knowledge about the Coronavirus. Conclusion: By comparing the overall findings with the facts issued by World Health Organization, people in the East London district of South Africa had sound knowledge about Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 on its transmission and what preventive measures should be taken.

Ayurveda approaches to COVID-19 in 2 wave: Lessons learned from practice

Ayurveda is a live traditional system of medicine with an unbreakable practice since 3000 years. Its principles and its approaches including oral administration of preventive drugs, herbs, formulae, decoction, indoor herbal medicine for fumigation, etc. were recommended for effective prevention and treatment whenever the emergent of new diseases. This paper highlights the patho-physiology of Corona as per Ayurveda, Clinical staging, preventive and curative approaches as learned time to time. and Anu taila nasya have excellent practice evidences for prevention of Covid-19 in 1 wave of corona. Sajeevani app developed by AYUSH to study the AYUSH practices. AYUSH -64 is an evidence-based treatment to cure mild to moderate COVID infection developed by Central Council for Research in Ayurveda Sciences. The second wave of COVID-19 is more tragedy than 1 wave and its impact on health care systems of our nation is devastating and unprecedented. National campaign for AYUSH-64 started and it is recommended in National Clinical Management Protocol based on Ayurveda and Yoga which is vetted by National Task Force on COVID management for COVID-19 Patients in Home Isolation. All Institute of Ayurveda released list of medicines for management of various symptoms of Covid. General public have more trusted upon Ayurveda practitioners as controversies of addition and deletion of steroid and antiviral in modern treatment protocol. The horror of Black (Mucormycosis) and white (Candiditis) fungus infection due to irrational use of immunosuppressive drugs confused the general people. More numbers of Covid patients received AYUSH-64 in 2 wave. Ayurveda Practice requires sound knowledge of Yukti Pramana(Logic and self judgement) by discerning clinical for better outcome irrespective of evidences and guidelines. We all are learning the pathogenesis of different mutants of Covid. Ayurveda approaches reduced the complication and progression of disease. This review will provide basic understanding Ayurveda for covid care.

Lymphocyte Counts and Multiple Sclerosis Therapeutics: Between Mechanisms of Action and Treatment-Limiting Side Effects

Although the detailed pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS) is not completely understood, a broad range of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) are available. A common side effect of nearly every MS therapeutic agent is lymphopenia, which can be both beneficial and, in some cases, treatment-limiting. A sound knowledge of the underlying mechanism of action of the selected agent is required in order to understand treatment-associated changes in white blood cell counts, as well as monitoring consequences. This review is a comprehensive summary of the currently available DMTs with regard to their effects on lymphocyte count. In the first part, we describe important general information about the role of lymphocytes in the course of MS and the essentials of lymphopenic states. In the second part, we introduce the different DMTs according to their underlying mechanism of action, summarizing recommendations for lymphocyte monitoring and definitions of lymphocyte thresholds for different therapeutic regimens.

The automated pancreas: A review of technologies and clinical practice.

Insulin pumps and glucose sensors are effective in improving diabetes therapy and reducing acute complications. The combination of both devices using an algorithm-driven interoperable controller makes automated insulin delivery (AID) systems possible. Many AID systems have been tested in clinical trials and have proven safety and effectiveness. However, currently, none of these systems are available for routine use in children younger than 6 years in Europe. For continued use, both users and prescribers must have sound knowledge of the features of the individual AID systems. Presently, all systems require various user interactions (e.g. meal announcements) because fully automated systems are not yet developed. Open-source systems are non-regulated variants to circumvent existing regulatory conditions. There are risks here for both users and prescribers. To evaluate AID therapy, the metric data of the glucose sensors, 'time in target range' and 'glucose management index', are novel recognized and suitable parameters allowing a consultation based on real glucose and insulin pump download data from the daily life of people with diabetes. Read out via cloud-based software or automatic download of such individual treatment data provides the ideal technical basis for shared decision-making through telemedicine, which must be further evaluated for general use.

Menstrual health management: Practices, challenges and human rights violations.

Although it is a natural biological process, menstruation and associated menstrual practices still result in a number of social, cultural and religious restrictions in many countries which sometimes markedly interfere with the implementation of appropriate menstrual hygiene management. India has been chosen as a case in point, as there are approximately 355 million menstruating women and girls in the country, many of whom still face significant barriers to a comfortable and dignified experience with their menses including lack of access to appropriate clean water and washing facilities, and having appropriately priced sanitary products available. Social and religious stigmatisation may also be strict. It is suggested that illnesses related to a lack of clean water, basic sanitation and hygiene were responsible for the deaths of almost 800,000 females globally in a single year, making it the fifth largest killer of women. With increasing population movements, this may also be an issue encountered in migrant communities. There is a need to equip adolescent girls with sound knowledge regarding safe, hygienic menstrual practices to enable them to lead a healthy reproductive life. This human rights issue has significant medico-legal implications and has to be supported by both strong legislative and public health initiatives.

Machine learning in crop yield modelling: A powerful tool, but no surrogate for science

Provisioning a sufficient stable source of food requires sound knowledge about current and upcoming threats to agricultural production. To that end machine learning approaches were used to identify the prevailing climatic and soil hydrological drivers of spatial and temporal yield variability of four crops, comprising 40 years yield data each from 351 counties in Germany. Effects of progress in agricultural management and breeding were subtracted from the data prior the machine learning modelling by fitting smooth non-linear trends to the 95th percentiles of observed yield data. An extensive feature selection approach was followed then to identify the most relevant predictors out of a large set of candidate predictors, comprising various soil and meteorological data. Particular emphasis was placed on studying the uniqueness of identified key predictors. Random Forest and Support Vector Machine models yielded similar although not identical results, capturing between 50% and 70% of the spatial and temporal variance of silage maize, winter barley, winter rapeseed and winter wheat yield. Equally good performance could be achieved with different sets of predictors. Thus identification of the most reliable models could not be based on the outcome of the model study only but required expert's judgement. Relationships between drivers and response often exhibited optimum curves, especially for summer air temperature and precipitation. In contrast, soil moisture clearly proved less relevant compared to meteorological drivers. In view of the expected climate change both excess precipitation and the excess heat effect deserve more attention in breeding as well as in crop modelling.

Integration among Disciplines to Integration into Profession; A Case for Integrated Discipline-Aligned (IDiAl) Curriculum Model for Undergraduate Medical Education

<p>Integration implies meaningful connections that can be applied to disciplines, domains or linking education to real life practice. The essence of any integrated curriculum is a program that can improve patient care by graduating work ready professionals. Based on this approach an Integrated Discipline-Aligned (IDiAl) curriculum model is being proposed for undergraduate medical education in an effort to provide sound knowledge base with an explicit focus on clinical and professional skills so that doctors of tomorrow can meaningfully contribute to profession and society.</p>

Pátraic surnames in the Fiants and Patent Rolls of Ireland Part 1: a method of approach to mega-data, and a Mac Caisín case study

The fiants and patent rolls of Ireland are an extraordinary and largely untapped source of information. This article taps into this valuable source with a focus on interrogating Pátraic-surnames, i.e., Patrick, Fitzpatrick, Kilpatrick, Mac Giolla Phádraig and Ó Maol Phádraig, which document grants, leases, and pardons, etc., issued under the Great Seal of Ireland. The extant records of fiants are for the period 1521-1603, and the patent rolls 1514-1575 and 1603-1633, i.e., much of the reign of Henry VIII of England to the eighth year of Charles I of England. Ireland's fiants and patent rolls provide mega-data on names, places, occupations, relationships, and more, and Pátraic-surname records uncover rich narratives from all over Éire. Yet, there is a tendency for the vastness of the records to overwhelm, so a systematic approach is required to extract the maximum value. This article provides a method for 'eating an elephant', and one key is having a secure temporal frame of reference via which associations, familial and otherwise, can be understood. By way of example, the surname Mac Caisín begins this series of articles on Pátraic surnames in the Fiants and Patent Rolls of Ireland. The choice of Mac Caisín may appear strange at first, since it is not obviously a Pátraic surname. However, this article argues the case study of Mac Caisín provides a clear example of how an interrogation of the fiants, and patents reveal many instances where members of Pátraic families are recorded by other names, such as Mac William, Mac Edmund, Mac Flynn and, maybe, Mac Caisín. Understanding such names in the fiants and patents requires a sound knowledge of context so they can be distinguished as surnames or patronymics. Still, even then, there is evidence that members of Pátraic families sometimes took other surnames due to, for example, fosterage or to 'mask' a clerical lineage. This article seeks to answer questions about the Mac Caisín of Osraí (Ossory), who were unquestionably the close associates of the Fitzpatrick barons of Upper Ossory. Were the Mac Caisín either a lineage from an individual called Caisín (a name meaning curly-haired) Mac Giolla Phádraig, or a line out of fosterage, or of a ‘surname-masked’ clerical lineage; or, was there even any kinship bond?

Comparison of the hard and soft tissue changes of bimaxillary protrusion patients treated with Begg and MBT techniques: a cephalometric study

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> The effective treatment of bimaxillary protrusion needs a sound knowledge of the mechanics and expertise to control the tooth movement and the unwanted side effects. To obtain a desired finish there is a need to study and compare the mechanics used for correction of bimaxillary protrusion. The aim of this study was to quantify and compare the skeletal, dentoalveolar and soft tissue effects of Begg and MBT mechanotherapies in the treatment of bimaxillary protrusion cases.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods: </strong>In the present study, cephalometric comparison of the two mechanotherapies, Begg and MBT appliances was done retrospectively. The subjects were selected on the basis of pretreatment characteristics. The sample consisted of 40 patients (20 in each group) with an age range of 12-24 years. Pre- and post-treatment cephalograms were taken and traced on 75μm lacquered polyester acetate tracing papers using a 0.05” lead pencil.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> The present study showed that Begg and the MBT appliances were equally effective in treating bimaxillary protrusion with first premolar extraction to satisfactory end results. Treatment with both the appliances resulted in significant amount of upper and lower anterior retraction and achievement of a pleasing facial appearance and profile.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Good torque control, if used in Begg mechanotherapy will result in achieving similar treatment outcome as obtained with MBT technique.</p>

A comparative analysis for selection of appropriate tannase assay method

An in-depth study of any enzyme and its applications require a steady and unerring approach. An infallible assay method ensuring high accuracy in quantifying enzyme activity determines the success of enzyme catalyzed reactions. A thorough understanding of assay requirements & a sound knowledge of calculation part along with its merits and demerits must be taken into consideration before selecting an assay method. Even though a number of tannase assay methods exist in literature; however, a great majority of them deal with certain shortcomings and limitations. This review portrays some of the most widely adopted methods of assaying tannase activity; both in qualitative and quantitative manner. The main highlights and methodological limitations of the assay methods have also been discussed so as to facilitate scientific communities worldwide to select the most suitable assay method as per their requirement.