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Background: Despite South Africa's huge investment in professional development, there is not a lot of research that shows that teachers change their teaching practices by attending formal interventions. This article focuses on English as First Additional Language (EFAL) and explores how one Grade 2 teacher changed her practice of oral language teaching while enrolled for an Advanced Certificate in Teaching (ACT) programme. The programme was offered to Foundation Phase teachers to improve their teaching knowledge and ultimately change their teaching practices. Objectives: The article explores one teacher's oral language teaching and use of teacher resources in a township school. The purpose is to understand how her instructional practices changed or did not change during the 18 months while she was enrolled with the ACT programme. Method: Data were collected over 18 months by observing six video-recorded literacy lessons, corroborated with interviews and field notes. These were analysed using principles of teaching EFAL espoused in the programme's intended curriculum. Results: The two exemplars offered demonstrate a gradual shift in teaching of oral language and use of resources by the end of the programme. The teacher code-switched appropriately most of the time and adequately used various strategies. She created opportunities to develop learners' oral vocabulary; however, explicit sentence building was absent. Findings further revealed that the teacher's engagement with many collaborative professional development activities, school support, together with her goal-achieving character, contributed to instructional changes. Conclusion: This study highlights that there are a number of other factors, such as the school context, the teacher's motivation and other informal learning opportunities that support teacher learning from a formal professional development intervention. It also advocates for more robust studies on how a teacher's practices change as a result of formal professional development opportunities.

Background: Research on teacher professional learning which supports teaching of reading and writing at the foundation phase (FP) is limited in developing countries, including South Africa. Aim: This article examines the ways in which three Foundation Phase teachers changed their practice during 18 months of learning from a formal university programme, the Advanced Certificate in Teaching (ACT). Setting: The ACT was offered by the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. Methods: The principles of teaching English as a First Additional Language (EFAL) were used as an instrument for describing change in practice. Using nine principles of teaching EFAL, derived from the ACT literacy learning guide as indicators, six video-recorded lessons (per teacher) were analysed and corroborated with interviews and field notes. Results: The findings indicate a shift in teachers' practice in diverse ways. Two of the three teachers completed the programme having developed a deeper understanding of the natural approaches of acquiring EFAL according to Krashen's model. However, the third teacher did not change her practice. Conclusion: We argue that the findings support the research claim that teacher learning is influenced not only by the nature of the professional development activity but also by teachers' personal motivation to learn, and the school context in which they teach.

Age and sex may alter the cerebral blood flow (CBF) responses to acute isometric exercise, via associated elevations in mean arterial pressure (MAP) and sympathetic activation. Our aim was to determine the relationships between age, sex, and exercise intensity on cerebrovascular responses to isometric handgrip exercise. In 78 healthy adults (18–80 yr, n = 42 females), cerebrovascular responses were assessed during 2-min isometric exercise bouts at three intensities [15, 30, 45% maximal voluntary contraction (MVC)]. Intracranial responses of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and posterior cerebral artery (PCA) velocity (v) were measured using transcranial Doppler ultrasound. Extracranial responses of the internal carotid artery (ICA) and vertebral artery (VA) were assessed using Duplex ultrasound. Cardiopulmonary hemodynamic and neural parameters were measured throughout, including muscle sympathetic nerve activity, end-tidal carbon dioxide, and MAP. There were significant positive relationships between exercise intensity and the cerebral responses of the MCAv (P < 0.001) and PCAv (P = 0.005). There were no effects of intensity on ICA and VA responses (P > 0.05), despite intensity-dependent increases in MAP (P < 0.001). The increased MCAv response to exercise was blunted with advancing age (P = 0.01) with no influence of sex (P = 0.86). The present study provides data on age, sex, and intensity-specific relationships with intracranial and extracranial cerebrovascular responses to isometric exercise. Despite similar ICA, VA, and PCA responses, MCAv responses were attenuated with advancing age during handgrip exercise with no sex-dependent influence. Furthermore, intracranial responses were intensity dependent, whereas extracranial blood flow, shear-stress, and velocity responses were similarly increased at all intensities during handgrip exercise. NEW & NOTEWORTHY: The influence of aging and sex on cerebral blood flow responses to isometric exercise are unknown. We observed intensity-dependent increases in velocity of the intracranial arteries, whereas the extracranial artery responses were similarly increased at all intensities during handgrip exercise in young and older individuals. Furthermore, we observed a blunted middle cerebral artery velocity response to handgrip exercise with advancing age, whereas the posterior circulation and extracranial responses were preserved across the lifespan in healthy individuals in males and females alike. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic left countries to rapidly implement diverse and stringent public health measures without recourse to mitigate its effect on the sustenance of routine healthcare services. This study described routine health service disruption and restoration strategies at 6 months into the epidemic in Liberia. Methods Liberia, with 15 counties, has 839 health facilities, with one-third in Montserrado County. A cross-sectional study using a mixed approach - quantitative and qualitative research with concurrent triangulation was conducted using a structured guide for group discussions among key health workers at 42 secondary and most patronized health facilities in 14 counties and 7 Montserrado districts. Additionally, routine health data between January and June 2019 and 2020 were extracted from the source documents to the electronic checklist. We performed a descriptive analysis of quantitative data and plotted the line graph of the relative percentage change. Transcribed audio recording notes were synthesized using ATLAS ti for content analysis to identify the themes and subthemes in line with the study objectives and excerpts presented in the results. Results Liberia declared COVID-19 outbreak on March 16, 2020. From conducted interviews at 41 health facilities, 80% reported disruption in routine health services. From January to June 2020, scheduled routine immunization outreaches conducted decreased by 47%. Using a relative percentage change, outpatient attendance decreased by 32% in May, inpatient admission by 30% in April, malaria diagnosis and treatment by 40% in April, and routine antenatal obstetric care by 28% in April. The fear of contacting COVID-19 infection, redeployment of healthcare workers to COVID-19 response, restriction of movement due to lockdown, inadequate or lack of PPE for healthcare workers, lack of drugs and vaccine supplies for clients, and partial closure of routine healthcare services were common perceived reasons for disruptions. Massive community health education and strict compliance with COVID-19 nonpharmacological measures were some of the health facility recovery strategies. Conclusions The COVID-19 outbreak in Liberia caused a disruption in routine healthcare services, and strategies to redirect the restoration of routine healthcare services were implemented. During epidemics or global health emergencies, countries should sustain routine health services and plan for them.

Abstract In this paper, we have designed a low-overhead low-complexity carrier phase tracking scheme for OFDM-based superchannel transmission system enabled by optical frequency combs. In this scheme, taking advantage of the broadband phase coherence provided by optical frequency combs among the OFDM-bands, the carrier phase retrieved from pilot-subcarriers of the OFDM-band on the central wavelength channel is reused for the OFDM-bands on the other wavelength channels. In this case, the overall pilot-subcarrier overhead and DSP complexity is significantly reduced since the pilot-subcarriers occupy a small fraction of the overall OFDM bandwidth. The feasibility of this joint-carrier phase tracking scheme has been verified successfully via comprehensive simulation, where results show that the BER threshold for soft-decision FEC could be achieved for 50GHz-spaced 5-band 4-QAM, 8-QAM, 16-QAM and 32-QAM OFDM-based superchannel signals with zero guard-band and both laser and nonlinear phase noise effects after 7000km, 4000km, 3000km and 2000km SSMF transmission respectively. The simulation results show that there exist chromatic dispersion-induced differential phase offset among the OFDM-bands whose impact on joint-carrier phase tracking depends on the modulation format, channel count and fiber length. Finally, we demonstrate experimentally the feasibility performance of the designed master-slave carrier phase tracking technique for comb-based OFDM-based superchannels.

The advent of digital lending through mobile lending platforms has improved access to credit for small-scale enterprises. However, since mobile lending platforms are unregulated in Kenya, predatory lending is rampant and hence it is vital for small-scale enterprises to make informed choices when they are selecting mobile lending platforms. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of credit cost on the choice of mobile lending platforms among small and medium enterprises in Tharaka Nithi County in Kenya. This study applied a descriptive research design on a population of 745 small-scale enterprises in Tharaka Nithi County. A sample of 260 small-scale enterprises was selected and questionnaire were applied to collect data. The collected data was analysed using descriptive statistics and multi-linear regression. The presentation of the findings was through figures and tables. The study findings determined that credit cost had a significant and positive effect on choice of mobile lending platforms by small-scale enterprises in Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya.

Background: Despite South Africa’s huge investment in professional development, there is not a lot of research that shows that teachers change their teaching practices by attending formal interventions. This article focuses on English as First Additional Language (EFAL) and explores how one Grade 2 teacher changed her practice of oral language teaching while enrolled for an Advanced Certificate in Teaching (ACT) programme. The programme was offered to Foundation Phase teachers to improve their teaching knowledge and ultimately change their teaching practices. Objectives: The article explores one teacher’s oral language teaching and use of teacher resources in a township school. The purpose is to understand how her instructional practices changed or did not change during the 18 months while she was enrolled with the ACT programme. Method: Data were collected over 18 months by observing six video-recorded literacy lessons, corroborated with interviews and field notes. These were analysed using principles of teaching EFAL espoused in the programme’s intended curriculum. Results: The two exemplars offered demonstrate a gradual shift in teaching of oral language and use of resources by the end of the programme. The teacher code-switched appropriately most of the time and adequately used various strategies. She created opportunities to develop learners’ oral vocabulary; however, explicit sentence building was absent. Findings further revealed that the teacher’s engagement with many collaborative professional development activities, school support, together with her goal-achieving character, contributed to instructional changes. Conclusion: This study highlights that there are a number of other factors, such as the school context, the teacher’s motivation and other informal learning opportunities that support teacher learning from a formal professional development intervention. It also advocates for more robust studies on how a teacher’s practices change as a result of formal professional development opportunities.

We investigated the influence of caffeinated coffee consumption on cardiovascular responses and tolerance to central hypovolemia in individuals habituated to caffeine. Thirteen participants completed three trials, consuming caffeinated coffee, decaffeinated coffee or water before exposure to central hypovolemia via lower body negative pressure (LBNP) to pre syncope. Tolerance to central hypovolemia was quantified as cumulative stress index (CSI: LBNP level multiplied by time; mmHg × min). Prior to the consumption of caffeinated coffee, decaffeinated coffee, and water, heart rate (HR: 62 ± 10, 63 ± 9 and 61 ± 8 BPM, respectively), stroke volume (SV: 103 ± 23, 103 ± 17 and 102 ± 18 mL/beat, respectively), and total peripheral resistance (TPR: 14.2 ± 3.0, 14.0 ± 3.0, and 14.3 ± 2.7 mmHg/L/min, respectively), were not different between trials (all P > 0.05). Mean arterial pressure (MAP) increased following consumption of all drinks (Post Drink) (Caffeinated coffee: from 86 ± 8 to 97 ± 7; Decaffeinated coffee: from 88 ± 10 to 94 ± 7; and Water: from 87 ± 10 to 96 ± 6 mmHg; all P = 0.0001) but was not different between trials (P = 0.247). During LBNP, HR increased (P = 0.000) while SV decreased (P = 0.000) relative to post drink values and TPR as unchanged (P = 0.109). HR, SV, and TPR were not different between trials (all P > 0.05). MAP decreased at pre syncope in all trials (60 ± 5, 60 ± 7, and 61 ± 6 mmHg; P < 0.001). LBNP tolerance was greater following caffeinated coffee (914 ± 309 mmHg × min) relative to decaffeinated coffee and water (723 ± 336 and 769 ± 337 mmHg × min, respectively, both P < 0.05). Tolerance to central hypovolemia was greater following consumption of caffeinated coffee in habituated users.

Background: Research on teacher professional learning which supports teaching of reading and writing at the foundation phase (FP) is limited in developing countries, including South Africa. Aim: This article examines the ways in which three Foundation Phase teachers changed their practice during 18 months of learning from a formal university programme, the Advanced Certificate in Teaching (ACT). Setting: The ACT was offered by the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. Methods: The principles of teaching English as a First Additional Language (EFAL) were used as an instrument for describing change in practice. Using nine principles of teaching EFAL, derived from the ACT literacy learning guide as indicators, six video-recorded lessons (per teacher) were analysed and corroborated with interviews and field notes. Results: The findings indicate a shift in teachers’ practice in diverse ways. Two of the three teachers completed the programme having developed a deeper understanding of the natural approaches of acquiring EFAL according to Krashen’s model. However, the third teacher did not change her practice. Conclusion: We argue that the findings support the research claim that teacher learning is influenced not only by the nature of the professional development activity but also by teachers’ personal motivation to learn, and the school context in which they teach.

Many young children pass through a stage of gender appearance rigidity; girls insist on wearing dresses, often pink and frilly, whereas boys refuse to wear anything with a hint of femininity. In 2 studies, we investigated the prevalence of this apparent hallmark of early gender development and its relation to children's growing identification with a gender category. Study 1a examined the prevalence of this behavior and whether it would exhibit a developmental pattern of rigidity followed by flexibility, consistent with past research on identity-related cognitions. Interviews with 76 White, middle-class parents and their 3- to 6-year-old children revealed that about two thirds of parents of 3- and 4-year-old girls and almost half (44%) of parents of 5- and 6-year-old boys reported that their children had exhibited a period of rigidity in their gender-related appearance behavior. Appearance rigidity was not related to parents' preferences for their children's gender-typed clothing. Study 1b examined whether cognitive theories of identity development could shed light on gender appearance rigidity. The more important and positive children considered their gender and the more children understood that gender categories remain stable over time (gender stability), the more likely children were to wear gender-typed outfits. In Study 2, we extended this research to a more diverse population and found that gender appearance rigidity was also prevalent in 267 4-year-old children in the United States from African American, Chinese, Dominican, and Mexican immigrant low-income backgrounds. Results suggest that rigid gender-related appearance behavior can be seen among young children from different backgrounds and might reflect early developing cognitions about gender identity.