Inequalities in higher education in low‐ and middle‐income countries:A scoping review of the literature

Motivation:  Higher  education  is  regarded  as  a  key  instrument  to  enhance  socioeconomic  mobility  andreduce inequalities. Recent literature reviews have examined inequalities in the higher education systemsof  high-income  countries,  but  less  is  known  about  the  situation  in  low-  and  middle-income  countries,where higher education is expanding fast.Purpose:  The  article  reviews  the  academic  literature  on  higher  education  in  low-  and  middle-incomecountries using a research framework inspired by social justice and capability approaches. It considers the financial,  socio-cultural,  human,  and  political  resource  domains  on  which  people  draw,  and  how  they relate to access, participation, and outcomes in higher education.Methods: A literature search for studies explicitly discussing in-country  inequalities  in  higher  education revealed  22  publications. Substantial  knowledge  gaps remain,  especially  regarding  the  political  (and decision-making)  side  of  inequalities;  the  ideologies  and  philosophies  underpinning  higher  education systems; and the linkages between resource domains, both micro and macro.Findings:  The  review  highlights  key  elements  for  policy-makers  and  researchers:  (1)  the  financial  lens alone  is  insufficient  to  understand  and  tackle  inequalities,  since  these  are  also  shaped  by  human  and other non-financial factors; (2) socio-cultural constructs are central in explaining unequal outcomes; and (3) inequalities develop throughout one’s life and need to be considered during, but also before and afterhigher education.  The scope  of  inequalities  is  wide, and  the literature  offers a  few ideas  for short-term fixes such as part-time and online education.Policy implications: Inclusive policy frameworks for higher education should include explicit goals related to (in)equality,  which  are  best  measured in  terms  of  the  extent  to  which  certain  actions  or  choices are feasible for all. Policies in these frameworks, we argue, should go beyond providing financial support, and also address socio-cultural and human resource constraints and challenges in retention, performance, and labour market outcomes. Finally, they should consider relevant contextual determinants of inequalities.</p

Big issues for small feet : developmental, biomechanical and clinical narratives on children's footwear

The effects of footwear on the development of children's feet has been debated for many years and recent work from the developmental and biomechanical literature has challenged long-held views about footwear and the impact on foot development. This narrative review draws upon existing studies from developmental, biomechanical and clinical literature to explore the effects of footwear on the development of the foot. The emerging findings from this support the need for progress in [children's] footwear science and advance understanding of the interaction between the foot and shoe. Ensuring clear and credible messages inform practice requires a progressive evidence base but this remains big issue in children's footwear research

Brainstem auditory evoked potential abnormalities in myelomeningocoele in the older child.

Brainstem auditory evoked potentials and clinical findings were examined in 18 children over the age of 5 years who were born with myelomeningocoele which was closed at birth, and whose hydrocephalus was managed by long term shunting in most of them. The potentials were compared with age and sex matched normal subjects and with four patients with hydrocephalus only. All but one had an abnormal brainstem auditory evoked potential with 72% showing a delay in the II-V and I-V interpeak latencies of more than three standard deviations. It is proposed that the abnormalities are a reflection of brainstem dysgenesis which is part of an associated Arnold-Chiari malformation, though the malformation was clinically asymptomatic in all. The usefulness of the brainstem auditory evoked potential for assessing the course of hydrocephalus and for predicting symptomatic Arnold-Chiari malformation is questioned

A cerebral hemisphere influence on cutaneous vasomotor reflexes in humans.

Cutaneous vasomotor reflexes (CVR), the transient waves of cutaneous vasoconstriction after stimuli, such as a cough, were recorded from the digits of patients with unilateral frontoparietal lesions using a laser doppler flowmeter. Vasoconstriction was 6-15 times greater on the fingers contralateral to the lesions, an effect which was independent of the temperature difference between limbs. CVRs may be tonically inhibited under normal circumstances by control from the cerebral hemispheres

Renal infarction caused by paradoxical embolism

SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Unusual pattern of somatosensory and brain-stem auditory evoked potentials after cardio-respiratory arrest.

Two patients in coma after cardio-pulmonary arrest showed bilateral absence of all brain-stem auditory evoked potentials contrasting with normal brain-stem reflexes and normal somatosensory cortical evoked potentials. In both patients pre-existing dysfunction of peripheral auditory structures could be ruled out. Subsequent neuropathological analysis showed that the anoxic-ischaemic lesions were restricted to Sommer's sector and the Purkinje cells. These unusual data suggest the hypothesis that a severe hypoxic-ischaemic insult may impair cochlear function and interfere with the activation of the intact auditory pathways