USA educator perspectives regarding the nature and value of social and emotional learning

This paper discusses the US educator perspectives regarding the nature and value of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) skills. This research is part of a larger study being conducted by 33 career development investigators from 15 countries. SEL skills are becoming increasingly critical to helping youth develop the competencies needed to become employable within the emergent 4th Industrial Revolution. Today’s youth must articulate how their competencies align to multiple career opportunities. They need relationship skills and social awareness to interact with different managers and work environments. Youth need self-management skills to advance in the workplace and engage in lifelong learning. For this study, educators were asked to provide written responses to a series of open-ended questions about their understanding of SEL, their perspective on SEL’s relevance to their own effectiveness as educators, and whether and how they perceive SEL as relevant to teaching in classroom settings. This paper will report on the results of how U.S. educators perceive the value and relevance of SEL. Using a modified grounded theory approach, responses from 40 educators were analyzed and 123 SEL themes emerged. The results will be discussed in relation to existing SEL and career readiness frameworks.First author draf

Australian community pharmacists’ ability to identify the indications for dental prescriptions : A case vignette study

Acknowledgement The authors would like to acknowledge Dr Payne for his assistance in the proofreading of this manuscript. Funding A.T.P. is supported by an NHMRC Early Career Fellowship (1156892)Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The use of telehealth during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in oral and maxillofacial surgery : A qualitative analysis

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Australian dental students’ knowledge on antibiotics prophylaxis for dental procedures

Funding Information: The authors would like to acknowledge Australian Dental Students Association (ADSA) for their continued support. Amy Page is supported by an NHMRC Early Career Fellowship (1156892).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Refinement of the Retinogeniculate Synapse by Bouton Clustering

SummaryMammalian sensory circuits become refined over development in an activity-dependent manner. Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons from each eye first map to their target in the geniculate and then segregate into eye-specific layers by the removal and addition of axon branches. Once segregation is complete, robust functional remodeling continues as the number of afferent inputs to each geniculate neuron decreases from many to a few. It is widely assumed that large-scale axon retraction underlies this later phase of circuit refinement. On the contrary, RGC axons remain stable during functional pruning. Instead, presynaptic boutons grow in size and cluster during this process. Moreover, they exhibit dynamic spatial reorganization in response to sensory experience. Surprisingly, axon complexity decreases only after the completion of the thalamic critical period. Therefore, dynamic bouton redistribution along a broad axon backbone represents an unappreciated form of plasticity underlying developmental wiring and rewiring in the CNS

Inputs drive cell phenotype variability

What is the significance of the extensive variability observed in individual members of a single-cell phenotype? This question is particularly relevant to the highly differentiated organization of the brain. In this study, for the first time, we analyze the in vivo variability within a neuronal phenotype in terms of input type. We developed a large-scale gene-expression data set from several hundred single brainstem neurons selected on the basis of their specific synaptic input types. The results show a surprising organizational structure in which neuronal variability aligned with input type along a continuum of sub-phenotypes and corresponding gene regulatory modules. Correlations between these regulatory modules and specific cellular states were stratified by synaptic input type. Moreover, we found that the phenotype gradient and correlated regulatory modules were maintained across subjects. As these specific cellular states are a function of the inputs received, the stability of these states represents attractor -like states along a dynamic landscape that is influenced and shaped by inputs, enabling distinct state-dependent functional responses. We interpret the phenotype gradient as arising from analog tuning of underlying regulatory networks driven by distinct inputs to individual cells. Our results change the way we understand how a phenotypic population supports robust biological function by integrating the environmental experience of individual cells. Our results provide an explanation of the functional significance of the pervasive variability observed within a cell type and are broadly applicable to understanding the relationship between cellular input history and cell phenotype within all tissues

IOT INTEGRATED SMART STREET FURNITURE: A CASE STUDY OF UNIVERSITY, INDUSTRY AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT COLLABORATION

This article discusses the design process and pilot program of a suite of IoT-integrated street furniture aimed to improve use and amenity of municipality assets in public open spaces in Sydney, Australia. Networked sensors were embedded in the furniture and linked to a web-based dashboard application enabling a digital twin of the asset to monitor and analyze how and when the furniture was used. The prototype and modifications to existing furniture designs provided additional utility for the local community through lighting, free wi-fi access, power outlets, USB charging, water, a weather station and bench space. Outcomes of the street-furniture installation revealed innovative protocols for design-development teams and asset managers to review product performance and efficiency. This article presents a collaborative government/industry/university project that has been recognized by The World Bank for intelligent neighborhood design practices and by the Planning Institute of Australia for its novel approach to community social infrastructure