Losing Identity or Regaining Confidence? A Collaborative Autoethnography on Teachers\u27 Self-Efficacy

This collaborative autoethnography analyzes the role of self-efficacy within our teacher identity crisis. As English teachers in training, we have experienced situations inside and outside the classroom that motivated a professional identity crisis and led us questioning our efficacy as teachers. Through this study we explore the intricacies of our very own selves as prospective English teachers. We blended storytelling and analysis through a set of data generation procedures that included collaborative witnessing, written personal narratives and semi-structured interviews, which allowed us to co-construct our stories. Our findings reveal three main themes that display the roles of self-efficacy within the teacher identity crisis, its shapers, and an internal discomfort because of the other two themes. We also put in evidence that these three aspects do not have their implications on the crisis as isolated matters, but they are intertwined complementing each other. With our study we concluded that there are internal and external factors that influence the teacher identity crisis, weakening it at the same time it is regulated

Lipoarabinomannan in urine during tuberculosis treatment: association with host and pathogen factors and mycobacteriuria

BACKGROUND: Detection of lipoarabinomannan (LAM), a Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) cell wall antigen, is a potentially attractive diagnostic. However, the LAM-ELISA assay has demonstrated variable sensitivity in diagnosing TB in diverse clinical populations. We therefore explored pathogen and host factors potentially impacting LAM detection. METHODS: LAM-ELISA assay testing, sputum smear and culture status, HIV status, CD4 cell count, proteinuria and TB outcomes were prospectively determined in adults diagnosed with TB and commencing TB treatment at a South African township TB clinic. Sputum TB isolates were characterised by IS61110-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and urines were tested for mycobacteriuria by Xpert® MTB/RIF assay. RESULTS: 32/199 (16.1%) of patients tested LAM-ELISA positive. Median optical density and proportion testing LAM positive remained unchanged during 2 weeks of treatment and then declined over 24 weeks. LAM was associated with positive sputum smear and culture status, HIV infection and low CD4 cell counts but not proteinuria, RFLP strain or TB treatment outcome. The sensitivity of LAM for TB in HIV-infected patients with CD4 counts of ≥ 200, 100-199, 50-99, and < 50 cells/μl, was 15.2%, 32%, 42.9%, and 69.2% respectively. Mycobacteriuria was found in 15/32 (46.9%) of LAM positive patients and in none of the LAM negative controls. CONCLUSIONS: Urinary LAM was related to host immune factors, was unrelated to Mtb strain and declined steadily after an initial 2 weeks of TB treatment. The strong association of urine LAM with mycobacteriuria is a new finding, indicating frequent TB involvement of the renal tract in advanced HIV infection

Supreme activity of gramicidin S against resistant, persistent and biofilm cells of staphylococci and enterococci.

Three promising antibacterial peptides were studied with regard to their ability to inhibit the growth and kill the cells of clinical strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium. The multifunctional gramicidin S (GS) was the most potent, compared to the membranotropic temporin L (TL), being more effective than the innate-defence regulator IDR-1018 (IDR). These activities, compared across 16 strains as minimal bactericidal and minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC), are independent of bacterial resistance pattern, phenotype variations and/or biofilm-forming potency. For S. aureus strains, complete killing is accomplished by all peptides at 5 × MIC. For E. faecalis strains, only GS exhibits a rapid bactericidal effect at 5 × MIC, while TL and IDR require higher concentrations. The biofilm-preventing activities of all peptides against the six strains with the largest biofilm biomass were compared. GS demonstrates the lowest minimal biofilm inhibiting concentrations, whereas TL and IDR are consistently less effective. In mature biofilms, only GS completely kills the cells of all studied strains. We compare the physicochemical properties, membranolytic activities, model pharmacokinetics and eukaryotic toxicities of the peptides and explain the bactericidal, antipersister and antibiofilm activities of GS by its elevated stability, pronounced cell-penetration ability and effective utilization of multiple modes of antibacterial action

Quantifying sources of variability in infancy research using the infant-directed-speech preference

Psychological scientists have become increasingly concerned with issues related to methodology and replicability, and infancy researchers in particular face specific challenges related to replicability: For example, high-powered studies are difficult to conduct, testing conditions vary across labs, and different labs have access to different infant populations. Addressing these concerns, we report on a large-scale, multisite study aimed at (a) assessing the overall replicability of a single theoretically important phenomenon and (b) examining methodological, cultural, and developmental moderators. We focus on infants’ preference for infant-directed speech (IDS) over adult-directed speech (ADS). Stimuli of mothers speaking to their infants and to an adult in North American English were created using seminaturalistic laboratory-based audio recordings. Infants’ relative preference for IDS and ADS was assessed across 67 laboratories in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia using the three common methods for measuring infants’ discrimination (head-turn preference, central fixation, and eye tracking). The overall meta-analytic effect size (Cohen’s d) was 0.35, 95% confidence interval = [0.29, 0.42], which was reliably above zero but smaller than the meta-analytic mean computed from previous literature (0.67). The IDS preference was significantly stronger in older children, in those children for whom the stimuli matched their native language and dialect, and in data from labs using the head-turn preference procedure. Together, these findings replicate the IDS preference but suggest that its magnitude is modulated by development, native-language experience, and testing procedure. (This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 798658.

Quantifying Sources of Variability in Infancy Research Using the Infant-Directed-Speech Preference

Psychological scientists have become increasingly concerned with issues related to methodology and replicability, and infancy researchers in particular face specific challenges related to replicability: For example, high-powered studies are difficult to conduct, testing conditions vary across labs, and different labs have access to different infant populations. Addressing these concerns, we report on a large-scale, multisite study aimed at (a) assessing the overall replicability of a single theoretically important phenomenon and (b) examining methodological, cultural, and developmental moderators. We focus on infants’ preference for infant-directed speech (IDS) over adult-directed speech (ADS). Stimuli of mothers speaking to their infants and to an adult in North American English were created using seminaturalistic laboratory-based audio recordings. Infants’ relative preference for IDS and ADS was assessed across 67 laboratories in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia using the three common methods for measuring infants’ discrimination (head-turn preference, central fixation, and eye tracking). The overall meta-analytic effect size (Cohen’s d) was 0.35, 95% confidence interval = [0.29, 0.42], which was reliably above zero but smaller than the meta-analytic mean computed from previous literature (0.67). The IDS preference was significantly stronger in older children, in those children for whom the stimuli matched their native language and dialect, and in data from labs using the head-turn preference procedure. Together, these findings replicate the IDS preference but suggest that its magnitude is modulated by development, native-language experience, and testing procedure

Propuesta de implementación de la metodología del mantenimiento autónomo en una subestación eléctrica para aumentar la disponibilidad de la línea de transmisión L-123A en el año 2016

RESUMEN El presente proyecto se elaboró con el fin de encontrar los mecanismos que permitan a la empresa de estudio cumplir con los contratos pactados; por ser una empresa novel en la operación y mantenimiento de sistemas eléctricos carece de herramientas metodológicas originando que su proceso sea llevado de forma inadecuada, sin usar herramientas de gestión donde las fallas se contabilizan pero no se toman medidas para un control futuro. Por lo cual, se caen en incumplimientos y es alto riesgo de que apliquen penalizaciones a la empresa. Por ello se brindará una visión general de las concesionarias que operan en Perú, las responsabilidades que tienen frente al Estado, así también, un modelo de cómo está organizada y qué procesos cumple. Las empresas concesionarias de transmisión eléctrica están regidas bajo normas estatales. El encargado de emitir esta normativa y fiscalizar su funcionamiento es OSINERGMIN. En el desarrollo del trabajo se muestra el indicador principal de esta entidad, que fiscaliza la calidad de transmisión eléctrica, reflejado en los Indicadores de Performance, que nos servirán para medir la disponibilidad de una línea de transmisión. Posterior a lo mencionado se propone implementar el pilar más importante del Mantenimiento Productivo Total, que es el Mantenimiento Autónomo, sugiriendo la aplicación de las siete etapas de implementación, y de esta manera, mejorar considerablemente la disponibilidad de una línea de transmisión. Con la propuesta de la Implementación del Mantenimiento Autónomo se busca cambiar el pensamiento de los operadores, pues actualmente al encontrar un problema ellos indican: “Yo opero, tú reparas” y los problemas son trasladados al área de mantenimiento. Asimismo, con esta propuesta se busca que el operador cambie su pensamiento a: “Yo soy responsable de mis equipos”.ABSTRACT The present project was elaborated with the purpose of to find the mechanisms that allow the study company to comply with the agreed contracts, being a new company in the operation and maintenance of electrical systems, it lacks methodological tools, causing its process to be carried out in a way inadequate, without using management tools; where failures are accounted for but no measures are taken for future control, in that sense, they fall into defaults and therefore, high risk of applying penalties to the company. This will provide an overview of the concessionaires operating in Peru, the responsibilities they have with the state, as well as a model of how it is organized and which processes it fulfills. The concession companies of electric transmission are governed by state regulations. OSINERGMIN is responsible for issuing these regulations and supervising their operation. In the development of the work the main indicator of this entity, which controls the quality of electrical transmission, reflected in the Performance Indicators, is shown, which will be used to measure the availability of a transmission line. Subsequent to the above, it is proposed to implement the most important pillar of Total Productive Maintenance, which is the Autonomous Maintenance, suggesting the implementation of the seven stages of implementation, and thus the availability of a transmission line can be greatly improved. With the proposal of the Implementation of Autonomous Maintenance, the intention is to change the thinking of the operators, because currently when finding a problem they indicate: "I operate, you repair" and the problems are transferred to the maintenance area. Also, this proposal seeks to change the operator's thinking to: "I am responsible for my machines"

Violencia simbólica en enfermería: percepción de los estudiantes masculinos de un programa profesional. Cartagena, Colombia

Explorar la percepción de estudiantes masculinos del programa de enfermería de una universidad pública en la ciudad de Cartagena, sobre del fenómeno de violencia simbólica hacia la profesión. Metodología: Estudio cualitativo, de método Exploratorio-Hermenéutico. Los sujetos participantes del estudio son hombres en formación académica de enfermería de una universidad pública en Cartagena. La muestra es teórica y está referida a las narrativas, textos y datos de primer orden. El tamaño de la muestra se seleccionará a través del proceso de saturación. Los instrumentos a utilizar son la ficha sociodemográfica y familiar, entrevista a profundidad y relato oral. A los participantes se les solicitará la autorización a través del consentimiento informado. Los criterios de inclusión son: estar matriculado en un programa académico profesional de Enfermería y se excluirá a aquellos que no deseen participar. Resultados: La violencia simbólica, está presente en las situaciones cotidianas del quehacer del estudiante enfermero, condicionando el ejercicio de la profesión y evolución de la misma, todo esto a partir de las percepciones sociales y los estigmas arraigados al género. Conclusión: La actitud y una buena disposición deben ser consideradas las características principales a la hora de brindar un cuidado integral; sin importar la distinción de género. No obstante, el rechazo y la exclusión en algunas áreas hospitalarias ponen de manifiesto como la violencia simbólica podría afectar el desarrollo de la profesión.PregradoEnfermero(a