Educating Boys in Jamaica: In Search of a New Lens

The need for innovative solutions to enhance educational outcomes for Jamaican high school male students is evident. For over two decades, national exam results demonstrate that these students have consistently underachieved. Using aqualitative research design, this study explores the possibility of scaling up a student leadership educational model, developed by one U.S. school that has proven successful in educating an inner city minority male student population, to a similarly placed Jamaican high school. Focus groups and interviews were conducted with stakeholders at an all male Jamaican school and with administrators at the Ministry of Education, to understand their perceptions regarding the benefits, challenges and feasibility of the U.S. model for Jamaican high school male students. While participants’ attraction to the model was very strong, the possibility of transferring it was perceived to be low. Although Jamaican educators found aspects of the model helpful, they felt the need to construct their own model of education to respond to their contextual and cultural needs. This study offers two levels of analysis. First, it contributes on a macro level to the larger body of literature on scaling up educational reform, demonstrating the need to take into account the structural, cultural and agentive factors that co-construct and define the importance of context. This study shows that successful scaling up requires a high level of alignment with the educational goals, aspirations, beliefs, values and practices of the target school context. Second, this study contributes on a micro level to a greater understanding of the specificity of the Jamaican educational context. By examining the potential transferability of a student leadership educational model to help address high school male students’ academic underperformance, this study highlights how Jamaican educators’ deeply ingrained historical values, beliefs and practices, shape opportunities to reform education. In order to bring about meaningful change, successful transferability relies on sensitivity to school culture, as well as attending to stakeholders’ beliefs and practices regarding the education of male students

Topical clobetasol for the treatment of toxic epidermal necrolysis: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BackgroundToxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) is a rare systemic allergic drug eruption with high patient mortality. Currently, no established treatments have been shown to be effective for TEN beyond supportive care. Prior studies of systemic corticosteroids have yielded conflicting data, with some showing a possible benefit and others reporting in increased mortality. However, topical steroids have shown promise for treatment of ocular sequelae of TEN, such as scarring and vision loss. We have designed a randomized controlled trial to evaluate topical clobetasol for treatment of the epidermal manifestations of TEN. In addition, we propose genetic studies to characterize the TEN transcriptome and alterations in cutaneous gene expression that might occur following topical steroid treatment.Methods/designThis split-body randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase IIa proof-of-concept trial will evaluate the safety and efficacy of once-daily topical clobetasol applied to the skin of patients with TEN. This multicenter trial will recruit a total of 15 patients between the ages of 12 and 85 from the University of California Davis Medical Center and Shriners Hospital for Children inpatient burn units. Designated treatment areas on opposite sides of the body will be treated with blinded clobetasol 0.05% ointment or control petrolatum ointment daily for 14 days. On day 3 of therapy, a biopsy will be taken from the treated area for genetic studies. The primary study aims will be to establish the safety of topical clobetasol treatment and determine the time to cessation of skin detachment for the control and clobetasol-treated areas. Secondary endpoints will evaluate efficacy using parameters such as time to 90% re-epithelialization and percentage of affected skin at 0, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 days. Genomic DNA and RNA will be obtained from biopsy samples, to characterize the TEN transcriptome and identify changes in gene expression after topical steroid treatment.DiscussionTopical steroids have shown promise for treating ocular complications of TEN, but to date have not been evaluated for cutaneous manifestations of the disease. This trial will investigate clinical and molecular outcomes of topical clobetasol application and hopefully provide insight into the disease pathophysiology.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT02319616. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02351037

Molecular Networks Created by Charge-Assisted Hydrogen Bonds Between Bis(aminidinium) Cations and Carboxylates, Sulfonates, Phosphonates and Phosphates

L'objectif de cette étude est d'apprendre à créer de nouveaux matériaux moléculaires par design. À l'heure actuelle, il n'existe aucune méthode générale pour la prédiction des structures et des propriétés, mais des progrès importants ont été accomplis, en particulier dans la fabrication de matériaux moléculaires ordonnés tels que des cristaux. En ces matériaux, l'organisation peut être contrôlée efficacement par la stratégie de la tectonique moléculaire. Cette approche utilise des molécules appelées “tectons”, qui peuvent s’associer de manière dirigée par des interactions non covalentes prévisibles. De cette façon, la position de chaque molécule par rapport à ses voisins peut être programmée avec un degré élevé de fiabilité pour créer des cristaux et d'autres matériaux organisés avec des caractéristiques et des propriétés structurelles souhaitables. Le travail que nous allons décrire est axé sur l'utilisation de l'association des cations bis(aminidinium) avec des carboxylates, sulfonates, phosphonates et phosphates, afin de créer des réseaux moléculaires prévisibles. Ces réseaux promettent d'être particulièrement robuste, car ils sont maintenus ensemble par de multiples liaisons hydrogène assistées par des interactions électrostatiques.The goal of this study is to learn how to create new molecular materials by design. At present, there is no general method for predicting structures and properties, but significant progress is being made, particularly in making ordered molecular materials such as crystals. In such materials, organization can be controlled effectively by the strategy of molecular tectonics. This approach uses molecules called “tectons”, which can associate in ways directed by predictable non-covalent interactions. In this way, the position of each molecule relative to its neighbors can be programmed with a high degree of reliability to create crystals and other ordered materials with desirable structural features and properties. The work that we will describe focuses on using the association of bis(aminidinium) cations with carboxylates, sulfonates, and phosphates to create predictable molecular networks. Such networks promise to be unusually robust because they are held together by multiple charge-assisted hydrogen bonds

Genetic diversity and evolution of human metapneumovirus fusion protein over twenty years

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is an important cause of acute respiratory illness in children. We examined the diversity and molecular evolution of HMPV using 85 full-length F (fusion) gene sequences collected over a 20-year period.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The F gene sequences fell into two major groups, each with two subgroups, which exhibited a mean of 96% identity by predicted amino acid sequences. Amino acid identity within and between subgroups was higher than nucleotide identity, suggesting structural or functional constraints on F protein diversity. There was minimal progressive drift over time, and the genetic lineages were stable over the 20-year period. Several canonical amino acid differences discriminated between major subgroups, and polymorphic variations tended to cluster in discrete regions. The estimated rate of mutation was 7.12 × 10^-4substitutions/site/year and the estimated time to most recent common HMPV ancestor was 97 years (95% likelihood range 66-194 years). Analysis suggested that HMPV diverged from avian metapneumovirus type C (AMPV-C) 269 years ago (95% likelihood range 106-382 years).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>HMPV F protein remains conserved over decades. HMPV appears to have diverged from AMPV-C fairly recently.</p

Papua New Guinea: a potential refuge for threatened Indo–Pacific river sharks and sawfishes

The conservation of threatened elasmobranchs in tropical regions is challenging due to high local reliance on aquatic and marine resources. Due primarily to fishing pressure, river sharks (Glyphis) and sawfishes (Pristidae) have experienced large population declines in the Indo-Pacific. Papua New Guinea (PNG) may offer a refuge for these species, as human population density is low, and river shark and sawfish populations are thought to persist. However, few data are available on these species in PNG, and risk posed by small-scale fishers is poorly understood. This study observed elasmobranch catches in small-scale fisheries in riverine and coastal environments in the East Sepik (northern region), Gulf, and Western Provinces (southern region) of PNG. Surveys were conducted over a period of weeks to months in each region, during the dry season across seven field trips from 2017 to 2020. We observed a total of 783 elasmobranchs encompassing 38 species from 10 families. River sharks made up 29.4% of observations in the southern region, while sawfishes made up 14.8 and 20.3% in the northern and southern regions, respectively. River sharks were commonly caught by small-scale fishers in lower riverine environments in southern PNG, while sawfishes were generally less common and mainly observed through dried rostra. The primary threat to river shark and sawfish populations is their capture by small-scale fishers targeting teleosts for swim bladder. Persisting populations of river sharks and sawfishes indicate that PNG is the second known nation with viable populations of multiple species in the Indo-Pacific. However, populations are declining or at high risk of decline, and fisheries management and conservation are required to realize the potential of PNG as a long-term refuge

Comprehensive linkage and linkage heterogeneity analysis of 4344 sibling pairs affected with hypertension from the Family Blood Pressure Program

Linkage analyses of complex, multifactorial traits and diseases, such as essential hypertension, have been difficult to interpret and reconcile. Many published studies provide evidence suggesting that different genes and genomic regions influence hypertension, but knowing which of these studies reflect true positive results is challenging. The reasons for this include the diversity of analytical methods used across these studies, the different samples and sample sizes in each study, and the complicated biological underpinnings of hypertension. We have undertaken a comprehensive linkage analysis of 371 autosomal microsatellite markers genotyped on 4,334 sibling pairs affected with hypertension from five ethnic groups sampled from 13 different field centers associated with the Family Blood Pressure Program (FBPP). We used a single analytical technique known to be robust to interpretive problems associated with a lack of completely informative markers to assess evidence for linkage to hypertension both within and across the ethnic groups and field centers. We find evidence for linkage to a number of genomic regions, with the most compelling evidence from analyses that combine data across field center and ethnic groups (e.g., chromosomes 2 and 9). We also pursued linkage analyses that accommodate locus heterogeneity, which is known to plague the identification of disease susceptibility loci in linkage studies of complex diseases. We find evidence for linkage heterogeneity on chromosomes 2 and 17. Ultimately our results suggest that evidence for linkage heterogeneity can only be detected with large sample sizes, such as the FBPP, which is consistent with theoretical sample size calculations. Genet. Epidemiol . 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/56011/1/20202_ftp.pd

A Unique Resource Mutualism between the Giant Bornean Pitcher Plant, Nepenthes rajah, and Members of a Small Mammal Community

The carnivorous pitcher plant genus Nepenthes grows in nutrient-deficient substrates and produce jug-shaped leaf organs (pitchers) that trap arthropods as a source of N and P. A number of Bornean Nepenthes demonstrate novel nutrient acquisition strategies. Notably, three giant montane species are engaged in a mutualistic association with the mountain treeshrew, Tupaia montana, in which the treeshrew defecates into the pitchers while visiting them to feed on nectar secretions on the pitchers' lids

2009 Focused Update Incorporated Into the ACC/AHA 2005 Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Heart Failure in Adults A Report of the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines Developed in Collaboration With the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation

Heart failure (HF) is a major and growing public health problem in the United States. Approximately 5 million patients in this country have HF, and over 550,000 patients are diagnosed with HF for the first time each year. The disorder is the primary reason for 12 to 15 million office visits and 6.5 million hospital days each year. From 1990 to 1999, the annual number of hospitalizations has increased from approximately 810,000 to over 1 million for HF as a primary diagnosis and from 2.4 to 3.6 million for HF as a primary or secondary diagnosis. In 2001, nearly 53 000 patients died of HF as a primary cause. The number of HF deaths has increased steadily despite advances in treatment, in part because of increasing numbers of patients with HF due to better treatment and “salvage” of patients with acute myocardial infarctions (MIs) earlier in life. Heart failure is primarily a condition of the elderly, and thus the widely recognized “aging of the population” also contributes to the increasing incidence of HF. The incidence of HF approaches 10 per 1000 population after age 65, and approximately 80% of patients hospitalized with HF are more than 65 years old. Heart failure is the most common Medicare diagnosis-related group (i.e., hospital discharge diagnosis), and more Medicare dollars are spent for the diagnosis and treatment of HF than for any other diagnosis. The total estimated direct and indirect costs for HF in 2005 were approximately $27.9 billion. In the United States, approximately$2.9 billion annually is spent on drugs for the treatment of HF

Thermo-catalytic co-pyrolysis of palm kernel shell and plastic waste mixtures using bifunctional HZSM-5/limestone catalyst : Kinetic and thermodynamic insights

Kinetic and thermodynamic parameters of catalytic co-pyrolysis of palm kernel shell (PKS) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) with three different catalysts (zeolite HZSM-5, limestone (LS) and bifunctional HZSM-5/LS) using thermogravimetric analyser via nitrogen environment were studied. The experiments were carried out at different heating rates ranging from 10 to 100 K/min within temperature range of 50–900 °C. Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO), Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS) and modified Distributed Activation Energy Model (DAEM) methods were employed in this current study. The average Ea for PKS, HDPE, PKS/HDPE (2:8) – HZSM-5, PKS/HDPE (2:8) – LS, PKS/HDPE (2:8) – HZSM-5/LS, PKS/HDPE (5:5) – HZSM-5/LS, PKS/HDPE (8:2) – HZSM-5/LS are 137.26–145.49, 247.73–250.45, 168.97–172.50, 149.74–152.79, 115.30–120.39, 124.36–129.41, 151.03–154.47 and 152.67–157.31 kJ mol−1, respectively. Among the different catalysts used, LS demonstrated the lowest average Ea (151.30–120.39 kJ mol−1) and ΔH (109.65–114.74 kJ mol−1). Positive values for ΔH and ΔG were found for the catalytic co-pyrolysis of PKS/HDPE mixtures which indicates the process is in endothermic reaction and possess non-spontaneous nature. The kinetic and thermodynamic analyses revealed the potential of PKS and HDPE as a potential feedstock for clean bioenergy production