Use of Mathematical Tasks of Teaching and the Corresponding LMT Meaures in the Malawi Context

We discuss the adaptation and piloting of the previously developed U.S.-specific measures of mathematical knowledge for teaching to the Malawi context. The purpose is to produce measures that can be used to evaluate changes in mathematical knowledge for teaching gained through primary teacher education, thus informing teacher educators on the most effective evidence-based practices. By interviewing 14 teachers, we first examine whether the 16 recurrent mathematical tasks of teaching tasks identified in the U.S. are applicable to the Malawi context. This is followed by the discussion of the adaptability of the U.S. developed number concept and operations LMT measures. Next, we report on the item psychometric properties estimated from a pilot study in which 351 preservice primary school teachers participated at the end of their coursework. Our findings suggest that all the 16 tasks of teaching mathematics are applicable to the Malawi context, albeit to varying degrees, and should be complemented by additional tasks suggested by the Malawi teachers. For the LMT measures, we found that the majority of the LMT items psychometrically function well in the Malawi context and that item difficulty estimated in Malawi was strongly correlated with that reported in the U.S. We thus argue that there is some generality to the mathematics teaching tasks across the two contexts, as well as some specificity to Malawi, and that the adapted LMT measures can be used in a Malawi context

Advances in the genetics of endometriosis

Endometriosis is a gynecological disease characterized by implantation of endometrial tissue outside of the uterus. Early familial aggregation and twin studies noted a higher risk of endometriosis among relatives. Studies on the roles of the environment, genetics and aberrant regulation in the endometrium and endometriotic lesions of women with endometriosis suggest that endometriosis arises from the interplay between genetic variants and environmental factors. Elucidating the hereditary component has proven difficult because multiple genes seem to produce a susceptibility to developing endometriosis. Molecular techniques, including linkage and genome-wide analysis, have identified candidate genes located near known loci related to development and regulation of the female reproductive tract. As new candidate genes are discovered and hereditary pathways identified using technologies such as genome-wide analysis, the possibility of prevention and treatment becomes more tangible for millions of women affected by endometriosis. Here, we discuss the advances of genetic research in endometriosis and describe technologies that have contributed to the current understanding of the genetic variability in endometriosis, variability that includes regulatory polymorphisms in key genes

Hierarchy of exchange interactions in the triangular-lattice spin-liquid YbMgGaO4_{4}

The spin-1/2 triangular lattice antiferromagnet YbMgGaO$_{4}$ has attracted recent attention as a quantum spin-liquid candidate with the possible presence of off-diagonal anisotropic exchange interactions induced by spin-orbit coupling. Whether a quantum spin-liquid is stabilized or not depends on the interplay of various exchange interactions with chemical disorder that is inherent to the layered structure of the compound. We combine time-domain terahertz spectroscopy and inelastic neutron scattering measurements in the field polarized state of YbMgGaO$_{4}$ to obtain better microscopic insights on its exchange interactions. Terahertz spectroscopy in this fashion functions as high-field electron spin resonance and probes the spin-wave excitations at the Brillouin zone center, ideally complementing neutron scattering. A global spin-wave fit to all our spectroscopic data at fields over 4T, informed by the analysis of the terahertz spectroscopy linewidths, yields stringent constraints on $g$-factors and exchange interactions. Our results paint YbMgGaO$_{4}$ as an easy-plane XXZ antiferromagnet with the combined and necessary presence of sub-leading next-nearest neighbor and weak anisotropic off-diagonal nearest-neighbor interactions. Moreover, the obtained $g$-factors are substantially different from previous reports. This works establishes the hierarchy of exchange interactions in YbMgGaO$_{4}$ from high-field data alone and thus strongly constrains possible mechanisms responsible for the observed spin-liquid phenomenology

The undervalued potential of positional therapy in position-dependent snoring and obstructive sleep apnea—a review of the literature

PURPOSE: Research during the past 10–20 years shows that positional therapy (PT) has a significant influence on the apnea–hypopnea index. These studies are predominantly performed as case series on a comparably small number of patients. Still, results have not found their way into the daily diagnostic and treatment routine. An average of 56 % of patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have position-dependent OSA (POSA), commonly defined as a difference of 50 % or more in apnea index between supine and non-supine positions. A great deal could be gained in treating patients with POSA with PT. The aim of this paper was to perform a thorough review of the literature on positional sleep apnea and its therapy. METHODS: A broad search strategy was run electronically in the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases using synonyms for position and sleep apnea. RESULTS: Sixteen studies were found which examined the effect of PT on OSA. In this literature review, we discuss the various techniques, results, and compliance rates. CONCLUSION: Long-term compliance for PT remains an issue, and although remarkable results have been shown using innovative treatment concepts for PT, there is room for both technical improvement of the devices and for further research

Air Raid

Ġabra ta’ poeżiji u proża li tinkludi: Dwejjaq Missirijietna ta’ Rużar Briffa – Xemx ta’ Settembru ta’ Vic. Apap – God Save the King ta’ Ġużè Galea – It-8 ta’ Settembru Londra, 1942 ta’ A. V. Vassallo – Wenzu jsib lil Luċija f’Lazzarett ta’ Dun Pawl – MDLXV ta’ Albert M. Cassola – Innu lil San Duminku ta’ Gużman – Innu lill-Bambina – Il-Għanja tar-Rebħa! ta’ N. Biancardi – Air Raid ta’ E. Agius.N/

Electrochemical regeneration of a graphite adsorbent loaded with Acid Violet 17 in a spouted bed reactor

A novel spouted bed reactor is evaluated for water treatment by an adsorption and electrochemical regeneration process. The adsorbent is a bisulphate graphite intercalation compound with low specific surface area but high electrical conductivity, suitable for adsorption of contaminants and simultaneous electrochemical regeneration within a single unit. The effects of current density and liquid flow rate on Acid Violet 17 removal were investigated. The hydrodynamic behavior of the liquid spouted bed reactor was characterized by a flow regime map. A four-parameter model has been developed to describe the adsorption and electrochemical regeneration process in the liquid spouted bed reactor. It was found that the experimental data of dye removal agrees well with the modelled simulations

CrysFormer: Protein Structure Prediction via 3d Patterson Maps and Partial Structure Attention

Determining the structure of a protein has been a decades-long open question. A protein's three-dimensional structure often poses nontrivial computation costs, when classical simulation algorithms are utilized. Advances in the transformer neural network architecture -- such as AlphaFold2 -- achieve significant improvements for this problem, by learning from a large dataset of sequence information and corresponding protein structures. Yet, such methods only focus on sequence information; other available prior knowledge, such as protein crystallography and partial structure of amino acids, could be potentially utilized. To the best of our knowledge, we propose the first transformer-based model that directly utilizes protein crystallography and partial structure information to predict the electron density maps of proteins. Via two new datasets of peptide fragments (2-residue and 15-residue) , we demonstrate our method, dubbed \texttt{CrysFormer}, can achieve accurate predictions, based on a much smaller dataset size and with reduced computation costs

Mechanisms of tethering and cargo transfer during epididymosome-sperm interactions

Abstract Background The mammalian epididymis is responsible for the provision of a highly specialized environment in which spermatozoa acquire functional maturity and are subsequently stored in preparation for ejaculation. Making important contributions to both processes are epididymosomes, small extracellular vesicles released from the epididymal soma via an apocrine secretory pathway. While considerable effort has been focused on defining the cargo transferred between epididymosomes and spermatozoa, comparatively less is known about the mechanistic basis of these interactions. To investigate this phenomenon, we have utilized an in vitro co-culture system to track the transfer of biotinylated protein cargo between mouse epididymosomes and recipient spermatozoa isolated from the caput epididymis; an epididymal segment that is of critical importance for promoting sperm maturation. Results Our data indicate that epididymosome-sperm interactions are initiated via tethering of the epididymosome to receptors restricted to the post-acrosomal domain of the sperm head. Thereafter, epididymosomes mediate the transfer of protein cargo to spermatozoa via a process that is dependent on dynamin, a family of mechanoenzymes that direct intercellular vesicle trafficking. Notably, upon co-culture of sperm with epididymosomes, dynamin 1 undergoes a pronounced relocation between the peri- and post-acrosomal domains of the sperm head. This repositioning of dynamin 1 is potentially mediated via its association with membrane rafts and ideally locates the enzyme to facilitate the uptake of epididymosome-borne proteins. Accordingly, disruption of membrane raft integrity or pharmacological inhibition of dynamin both potently suppress the transfer of biotinylated epididymosome proteins to spermatozoa. Conclusion Together, these data provide new mechanistic insight into epididymosome-sperm interactions with potential implications extending to the manipulation of sperm maturation for the purpose of fertility regulation