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The prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has reached epidemic proportions in South Africa, coinciding with high levels of sedentary behaviour, urbanisation and stress. The nexus between stress, physical inactivity and non-communicable diseases may be regulated, in part, by changes in the autonomic nervous system (ANS). ANS function may be measured using a proxy of heart rate variability (HRV). Regular physical activity, controlled breathing and stress reduction have been shown to alter HRV. This paper presents preliminary data from a community-based biokinetics physical activity and mindfulness intervention (Sweet Hearts) on HRV. The study’s findings demonstrated favourable changes in measures of heart rate variability (HRV) – specifically in the low frequency (LF) spectrum that is associated with baroreflex function. The implications of these changes, in terms of health outcomes, along with efforts at addressing scalability and sustainability of community-based health promotion interventions may be important targets for future study.

The Imitation Game is a new method and, as such, it is important to show that its results are plausible and replicable. We tested this by conducting Imitation Games on religion in a range of European countries, returning approximately 12 months later to repeat the research. The idea was that non-Christian members of strongly Christian countries would find it easy to pass as members of the practicing majority because Christian beliefs and practices would be ubiquitous. In more secular countries, the expectation was that non-Christians would find it harder to pass as Christian because religious practices are less visible. We show that, despite some anomalous results, the data are consistent with expectations derived from survey data and that the claim to have replicated the results can be supported. We also suggest that our experiences show that questions of replication in the social sciences cannot be resolved by statistical meta-analysis alone.

Measurements of local density fluctuations are crucial to characterizing the interfacial properties of equilibrium fluids. A specific case that has been well-explored involves the heightened compressibility of water near hydrophobic entities. Commonly, a spatial profile of local fluctuation strength is constructed from the measurements of the mean and variance of solvent particle number fluctuations in a set of contiguous subvolumes of the system adjacent to the solvo-/hydrophobe. An alternative measure proposed by Evans and Stewart [J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 27, 194111 (2015)] defines a local compressibility profile in terms of the chemical potential derivative of the spatial number density profile. Using Grand canonical Monte Carlo simulation, we compare and contrast the efficacy of these two approaches for a Lennard-Jones solvent at spherical and planar solvophobic interfaces and SPC/E water at a hydrophobic spherical solute. Our principal findings are as follows: (i) the local compressibility profile χ(r) of Evans and Stewart is considerably more sensitive to variations in the strength of local density fluctuations than the spatial fluctuation profile F (r) and can resolve much more detailed structure; and (ii) while the local compressibility profile is essentially independent of the choice of spatial discretization used to construct the profile, the spatial fluctuation profile exhibits a strong systematic dependence on the size of the subvolumes on which the profile is defined. We clarify the origin and nature of this finite-size effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a European project about formative assessment, Local Working Groups (LWGs) from six participating countries made use of a format for teacher-researcher collaboration. The activities in each LWG involved discussions and reflections about implementation of four assessment formats. A key aim was close collaboration between teachers and researchers to develop teachers' formative assessment practices, which were partially evidenced with changes in attributes of self-efficacy. The research question was: to what extent do working with formative assessment strategies in collaboration with researchers and other teachers differentially affect individual self-efficacy beliefs of practicing teachers across different educational contexts? A 12-item teacher questionnaire, with items selected from a commonly used international instrument for science teaching self-efficacy, was distributed to the participating teachers before and after their work in the LWGs. A novel method of analysis using networks where participants from different LWGs were linked based on the similarities of their answers, revealed differences between empirically identified groups and larger super groups of participants. These analyses showed, for example, that one group of teachers perceived themselves to have knowledge about using formative assessment but did not have the skills to use it effectively. It is suggested that future research and development projects may use this new methodology to pinpoint groups, which seem to respond differently to interventions and modify guidance or instruction accordingly.

Recent research and reform efforts in science education have consistently stressed the importance of coherent science instruction, in which learning opportunities are connected and contextualized by meaningful phenomena, focus on a small set of core ideas over time, and generate a need-to-know about new ideas through a set of connected lessons. Yet, this type of instruction remains uncommon in schools. We argue that science teacher education has the potential to play a powerful role in promoting coherent science instruction in schools, but to reach this potential, science teacher education programs themselves must be coherent. Based on existing literature and our work in an international collaboration focused on effective practices in science teacher education, we identify key features of coherent science teacher education programs and present a new model that we refer to as the Science Teacher Education Programmatic Coherence (STEP-C) model. The STEP-C model illustrates how key elements of science teacher education are situated relative to each other, potentially serving as a powerful tool for program design.

Purpose: Improving quality of life (QoL) is a major goal of rehabilitation following spinal cord injury (SCI). However, people with disabilities in resource constrained contexts have limited access to rehabilitation and poorer health outcomes, including QoL. There is a paucity of qualitative research on the experiences of persons with SCI involved in rehabilitation programmes in low-middle income countries. This study aimed to assess participants' perceptions of the benefits of a 24-week SCI rehabilitation programme delivered as part of a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) in South Africa. Materials and methods: Sixteen participants, with chronic motor-incomplete tetraplegia, were enrolled in a two-arm pilot RCT involving robotic locomotor training, a novel technology, and standard activity-based training (Pan African Clinical Trial Registry (PACTR201608001647143)). Data were collected via in-depth interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Participants described several improvements in QoL, including enhanced functional independence; reduced secondary complications; and improved psychosocial and emotional well-being. Conclusions: The holistic approach to rehabilitation calls for the involvement of individuals' views about what matters to them to inform clinical practice and to highlight the role that physical activity and the perceived successes play in shaping the lived experiences after SCI. Trial registration: Pan African Clinical Trial Registry (PACTR201608001647143), registration date (21st May 2016), study start date (30th Nov 2016) IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION: Rehabilitation plays an integral role in prompting and integrating positive experiences and changes in QoL for people with spinal cord injury (SCI), especially in a resource constrained context where there is limited opportunity to participate in rehabilitation interventions. Locomotor training and activity-based training can enhance perceived functional independence and psychosocial well-being following SCI. Rather than focus on traditional physiological outcomes, rehabilitation interventions can address quality of life outcomes in order to improve well-being in a way that is meaningful to people with SCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activity-based Training (ABT) represents the current standard of neurological rehabilitation. Robotic Locomotor Training (RLT), an innovative technique, aims to enhance rehabilitation outcomes. This study aimed to conduct a randomized pilot and feasibility trial of a locomotor training program within South Africa. Individuals with chronic traumatic motor incomplete tetraplegia (n = 16). Each intervention involved 60-minute sessions, 3x per week, for 24-weeks. Outcomes included feasibility measures and functional capacity. 17 out of 110 individuals initiated the program (recruitment rate = 15.4%) and 16 completed the program (drop-out rate = 5.8%) and attended sessions (attendance rate = 93.9%). Both groups showed a significant increase in upper extremity motor score (MS) and abdominal strength post intervention. Only the RLT group showed a significant change in lower extremity MS, with a mean increase of 3.00 [0.00; 16.5] points over time. Distance walked in the Functional Ambulatory Inventory (SCI-FAI) increased significantly (p = 0.02) over time only for the RLT group. Feasibility rates of the intervention and functional outcomes justify a subsequent powered RCT comparing RLT to ABT as an effective rehabilitation tool for potentially improving functional strength and walking capacity in people with incomplete SCI. Spinal cord injury causes severe limitations to functional capacity, independence, and quality of life. Robotic Locomotor Training is growing rehabilitation modality for people with spinal cord injury, but currently its effects on functional capacity are limited. In a relatively small sample, this study shows that large, randomized control trials are feasible within a low-income setting. The preliminary findings of this study show that 12 weeks of locomotor training can improve ambulatory function and functional strength in individuals with spinal cord injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simulations of water near extended hydrophobic spherical solutes have revealed the presence of a region of depleted density and accompanying enhanced density fluctuations. The physical origin of both phenomena has remained somewhat obscure. We investigate these effects employing a mesoscopic binding potential analysis, classical density functional theory (DFT) calculations for a simple Lennard-Jones solvent, and Grand Canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulations of a monatomic water (mw) model. We argue that the density depletion and enhanced fluctuations are near-critical phenomena. Specifically, we show that they can be viewed as remnants of the critical drying surface phase transition that occurs at bulk liquid–vapor coexistence in the macroscopic planar limit, i.e., as the solute radius Rs → ∞. Focusing on the radial density profile ρ(r) and a sensitive spatial measure of fluctuations, the local compressibility profile χ(r), our binding potential analysis provides explicit predictions for the manner in which the key features of ρ(r) and χ(r) scale with Rs, the strength of solute–water attraction ɛsf, and the deviation from liquid–vapor coexistence of the chemical potential, δμ. These scaling predictions are confirmed by our DFT calculations and GCMC simulations. As such, our theory provides a firm basis for understanding the physics of hydrophobic solvation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planning disputes are sites of contestation in which science-based regulations come into conflict with the place-based knowledge of local communities. The procedural and often technical nature of these regulations means that these controversies are marked by an asymmetry of resources that is often experienced by community groups as an asymmetry in credibility. In short, the expertise of developers is generally accepted as such, whilst the knowledge claimed by citizens is dismissed as 'anecdotal' or 'NIMBYism'. In this article, we make the argument that the asymmetries of expertise are less stark than the current system typically allows and that recognising and accommodating this would improve the planning system by enhancing the representation and inclusion of community voices. We explore this position by using a case study of the construction of a Energy-from-Biomass plant in South Wales. Drawing from 30 qualitative interviews, we maintain that the planning process has the potential to function as one of a network of 'trading zones' in which different communities enact their rights and have their claims to knowledge and expertise recognised. Crucial to this argument is understanding that the levels and kinds of expertise that different parties bring to the interactions are more than just matters of attribution: community groups can have genuine expertise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the proposal for a Consensus Rule in the legal system, which suggests that judges should evaluate scientific consensus instead of jurors. The authors present their own framework for improving the current system and suggest holding pre-trial hearings to determine consensus. They acknowledge the challenges and uncertainties involved but argue that scientific consensus is a reliable source of knowledge for legal processes. The article discusses the differences between lay jurors and judges in evaluating expert testimony and highlights the limitations of the current system. It also explores the role of consensus in determining the admissibility of expert testimony and proposes guidelines for judges to evaluate the reliability of informants on consensus. The article provides examples of how the Consensus Rule could be applied in different contexts and calls for further research on the advantages of relying on scientific consensus in legal cases. [Extracted from the article]