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Earning industry certifications helps people prepare for jobs in a range of careers. Doing so in high school may help students prepare for college as well. Using administrative data on two cohorts of first-time 9th graders in Florida, we examined whether earning a certification was associated with postsecondary enrollment and degree attainment and whether the timing of the certification influenced that relationship. Earning a certification in high school prepared students for success in both 2-year and 4-year colleges. However, the patterns of certifications and college enrollment and degree attainment differed based on when students earned the certification. For early earners the certification was more closely associated with enrollment and attainment at 4-year colleges; for later earners, the certification was closely associated with enrollment and attainment in 2-year colleges.

Abstract Highway shoulder rocks are exposed to continuous erosion force due to extreme rainfall that could be caused by global warming to some extent. However, the logical design method for erosion-resistant highway shoulder is not well-researched yet. This study utilized a large-scale UNLETB (University of Nebraska Lincoln–Erosion Testing Bed) with a 7.6 cm nozzle width and a 4000 cm3/sec flow rate to study the erosion characteristics of highway shoulder rocks. Test results showed that different shoulder materials currently used had vastly diverse erosion resistance. However, the clear criteria between the erosion-resistant gradation and other gradation could not be determined easily. Then, this study trained ANN (Artificial Neural Network) with test results to conveniently distinguish the erosion resistance of rocks from other rocks. The ANN predicted the acceptable/non-acceptable erosion characteristics of shoulder rocks with close to 99% accuracy based on the three gradation parameters (D10, D30, and D60).

Early colleges are a model of schooling that combines the high school and college experiences, providing students the opportunity to simultaneously earn a high school diploma and an associate degree or 2 years of college credit. This article updates findings from a 17-year longitudinal experimental study of the model, examining the impact of the model on postsecondary performance and completion. The study found positive impacts on overall degree completion, with very large impacts on associate degree completion. There were also positive impacts on bachelor’s degree completion for low-income students and first-generation college-goers. For students who enrolled in a public 4-year institution, the study found positive impacts on advanced coursetaking. There was no difference between treatment and comparison students on final college GPA or on the percentage of students who double-majored. Treatment students who earned a bachelor’s degree did so more quickly than comparison students.

Palmoplantar keratoderma (PPK) is a multi-faceted skin disorder characterized by the thickening of the epidermis and abrasions on the palms and soles of the feet. Among the genetic causes, biallelic pathogenic variants in the FAM83G gene have been associated with PPK in dogs and humans. Here, a novel homozygous variant (c.794G>C, p.Arg265Pro) in the FAM83G gene, identified by whole exome sequencing in a 60-year-old female patient with PPK, is reported. The patient exhibited alterations in the skin of both hands and feet, dystrophic nails, thin, curly and sparse hair, long upper eyelid eyelashes, and poor dental enamel. FAM83G activates WNT signalling through association with ser/thr protein kinase CK1α. When expressed in FAM83G−/− DLD1 colorectal cancer cells, the FAM83GR265P variant displayed poor stability, a loss of interaction with CK1α and attenuated WNT signalling response. These defects persisted in skin fibroblast cells derived from the patient. Our findings imply that the loss of FAM83G-CK1α interaction and subsequent attenuation of WNT signalling underlie the pathogenesis of PPK caused by the FAM83GR265P variant.

Early colleges are a new model of schooling in which the high school and college experiences are merged, shortening the total amount of time a student spends in school. This study uses a lottery-based experimental design to examine the impact of the model on longer term outcomes, including attainment of a postsecondary credential and academic performance in 4-year institutions. Results show that a significantly higher proportion of early college students were attaining postsecondary credentials. The results also show that early college students were completing their degrees more rapidly but that their performance in 4-year institutions was still comparable with the control students. [For the corresponding grantee submission, see ED604350.]

Jobs that pay livable wages increasingly call for educational attainment beyond a high school diploma, but many of these jobs do not need a bachelor's degree. By earning industry certifications in high school, students may be better prepared for life after graduation. In 2007, Florida enacted the Career and Professional Education (CAPE) Act, through which schools receive support to give students the opportunity to earn industry certifications while in high school. Once the state enacted this policy, the number of students earning certifications increased dramatically. Using data from the Florida Department of Education's Education Data Warehouse, we compared college enrollment and degree attainment for certification earners to non-earners. Then, we compared outcomes for earners within each career cluster (such as Architecture & Construction) to the combined results for earners in all other career clusters. Relative to non-earners, certification earners had higher rates of immediate enrollment at 2-year colleges, and higher rates of earning an associate degree. Among certification earners, few career clusters had positive associations with postsecondary outcomes relative to other career clusters.

Advancing in key courses in ninth grade is an early, crucial step in preparing for college. Students who miss academic targets early in high school may not be ready to go to college 4 years later. In the United States, when students fail key courses in ninth grade, they may struggle to catch up to their peers who successfully took and passed these required courses. Even if they graduate high school with a good GPA, if they have not taken all required courses, they will not be eligible to attend college. This paper explores whether a comprehensive high school reform model--early college high schools--can mitigate poor ninth grade performance. Early colleges couple a rigorous academic experience with extensive student supports. This study examines whether early colleges are more effective in having students advance in key ninth grade courses, and when students do not advance, whether these schools are more effective in helping those students recover. These analyses are part of a statewide quasi-experimental study of early colleges in North Carolina. We find that some students did miss the college-readiness target by failing to advance in ninth grade English or mathematics courses. In early colleges students who missed their target in ninth grade were more likely to recover by advancing in college preparatory classes, graduate, and enroll in college.

Background. Thoracolumbar fractures are among the most common and unstable traumatic injuries to the spine. They require a rigid fixation. However, there are controversies in the choice of fixation types. This study aimed to compare long-segment posterior fixation (LSPF) bridging the injured vertebra and short-segment fixation with screws in the fractured vertebra (SSFFV). Methods. This was an analytical study of 22 patients admitted to the Kinshasa University Teaching Hospital from 2020 to 2023 with thoraco-lumbar fractures. Variables of interest included: sex, age, occupation, cause of fracture, ASIA score, injured vertebra, Magerl fracture types, Sagittal Cobb angle (SCA), and level of fixation. Data were analysed using SPSS 26 software. Results. Ten patients (45.4%) had SSFFV and 12 (54.6%) had LSPF. Overall, the sex ratio was 4.5 and, the mean age was 35.27±9.88 years. Road accidents accounted for 72.7% of causes, fracture of L1 (50%), ASIA A (41%) and Magerl B (54,5%). Pre-operative features did not show a difference between the two fixations. No difference was observed in function values before surgery (p=0.863) and at one year postoperatively (p=0.914). The mean SCA was 15.57 ± 5.90° before surgery, and 12.60±5.94° one year after surgery showing a significant correction of local kyphosis of 3° (P

The ATLAS sensor onboard the ICESat-2 satellite is a photon-counting lidar (PCL) with a primary mission to map Earth's ice sheets. A secondary goal of the mission is to provide vegetation and terrain elevations, which are essential for calculating the planet's biomass carbon reserves. A drawback of ATLAS is that the sensor does not provide reliable terrain height estimates in dense, high-closure forests because only a few photons reach the ground through the canopy and return to the detector. This low penetration translates into lower accuracy for the resultant terrain model. Tropical forest measurements with ATLAS have an additional problem estimating top of canopy because of frequent atmospheric phenomena such as fog and low clouds that can be misinterpreted as top of the canopy. To alleviate these issues, we propose using a ConvPoint neural network for 3D point clouds and high-density airborne lidar as training data to classify vegetation and terrain returns from ATLAS. The semantic segmentation network provides excellent results and could be used in parallel with the current ATL08 noise filtering algorithms, especially in areas with dense vegetation. We use high-density airborne lidar data acquired along ICESat-2 transects in Central American forests as a ground reference for training the neural network to distinguish between noise photons and photons lying between the terrain and the top of the canopy. Each photon event receives a label (noise or signal) in the test phase, providing automated noise-filtering of the ATL03 data. The terrain and top of canopy elevations are subsequently aggregated in 100 m segments using a series of iterative smoothing filters. We demonstrate improved estimates for both terrain and top of canopy elevations compared to the ATL08 100 m segment estimates. The neural network (NN) noise filtering reliably eliminated outlier top of canopy estimates caused by low clouds, and aggregated root mean square error (RMSE) decreased from 7.7 m for ATL08 to 3.7 m for NN prediction (18 test profiles aggregated). For terrain elevations, RMSE decreased from 5.2 m for ATL08 to 3.3 m for the NN prediction, compared to airborne lidar reference profiles.

Deforestation is an environmental stressor that dramatically threatens biodiversity while having adverse, deep-rooted, socioeconomic impacts. Interventions to address deforestation require considerable long-term investments; therefore, assessing their impact is crucial. The UN Convention on Biological Diversity encourages establishing protected areas (PAs) as a strategy to conserve biodiversity, secure ecosystem services, support local livelihoods, and reduce climate change impacts. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has supported the conservation and management of PAs, yet site accessibility and data availability present challenges in assessing PAs using traditional evaluation methods. We present a novel application of satellite Earth observations for evaluating the effectiveness and impact of PAs as a deforestation mitigation strategy. Geospatial analysis and ecological forecasting methodologies provide an efficient way to quantify land cover change, estimate above ground carbon stock, and evaluate ecosystem services provided by the PAs ex ante. We demonstrate the value of a geospatial approach through the evaluation of GEF-supported PAs in Kenya.

Abstract Background Videos have been used in many settings including medical simulation. Limited information currently exists on video-based assessment in surgical training. Effective assessment tools have substantial impact on the future of training. The objectives of this study were as follows: to evaluate the inter-rater reliability of video-based assessment of orthopedic surgery residents performing open cadaveric simulation procedures and to explore the benefits and limitations of video-based assessment. Methods A multi-method technique was used. In the quantitative portion, four residents participated in a Surgical Objective Structured Clinical Examination in 2017 at a quaternary care training center. A single camera bird’s-eye view was used to videotape the procedures. Five orthopedic surgeons evaluated the surgical videos using the Ottawa Surgical Competency Operating Room Evaluation. Interclass correlation coefficient was used to calculate inter-rater reliability. In the qualitative section, semi-structured interviews were used to explore the perceived strengths and limitations of video-based assessment. Results and discussion The scores using video-based assessment demonstrated good inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0.832, p = 0.014) in assessing open orthopedic procedures on cadavers. Qualitatively, the strengths of video-based assessment in this study are its ability to assess global performance and/or specific skills, ability to reassess missed points during live assessment, and potential use for less common procedures. It also allows for detailed constructive feedback, flexible assessment time, anonymous assessment, multiple assessors and serves as a good coaching tool. The main limitations of video-based assessment are poor audio–video quality, and questionable feasibility for assessing readiness for practice. Conclusion Video-based assessment is a potential adjunct to live assessment in orthopedic open procedures with good inter-rater reliability. Improving audio–video quality will enhance the quality of the assessment and improve the effectiveness of using this tool in surgical training.

Abstract Hidden Markov models (HMMs) and their extensions are attractive methods for analysing ecological data where noisy, multivariate measurements are made of a hidden, ecological process, and where this hidden process is represented by a sequence of discrete states. Yet, as these models become more complex and challenging to understand, it is important to consider what pitfalls these methods have and what opportunities there are for future research to address these pitfalls. In this paper, we review five lesser known pitfalls one can encounter when using HMMs or their extensions to solve ecological problems: (a) violation of the snapshot property in continuous‐time HMMs; (b) biased inference from hierarchical HMMs when applied to temporally misaligned processes; (c) sensitive inference from using random effects to partially pool across heterogeneous individuals; (d) computational burden when using HMMs to approximate models with continuous state spaces; and (e) difficulty linking the hidden process to space or environment. This review is for ecologists and ecological statisticians familiar with HMMs, but who may be less aware of the problems that arise in more specialised applications. We demonstrate how each pitfall arises, by simulation or example, and discuss why this pitfall is important to consider. Along with identifying the problems, we highlight potential research opportunities and offer ideas that may help alleviate these pitfalls. Each of the methods we review are solutions to current ecological research problems. We intend for this paper to heighten awareness of the pitfalls ecologists may encounter when applying these more advanced methods, but we also hope that by highlighting future research opportunities, we can inspire ecological statisticians to weaken these pitfalls and provide improved methods.

Abstract Introduction Many adults hospitalised with COVID-19 have persistent symptoms such as fatigue, breathlessness and brain fog that limit day-to-day activities. These symptoms can last over 2 years. Whilst there is limited controlled studies on interventions that can support those with ongoing symptoms, there has been some promise in rehabilitation interventions in improving function and symptoms either using face-to-face or digital methods, but evidence remains limited and these studies often lack a control group. Methods and analysis This is a nested single-blind, parallel group, randomised control trial with embedded qualitative evaluation comparing rehabilitation (face-to-face or digital) to usual care and conducted within the PHOSP-COVID study. The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of rehabilitation interventions on exercise capacity, quality of life and symptoms such as breathlessness and fatigue. The primary outcome is the Incremental Shuttle Walking Test following the eight week intervention phase. Secondary outcomes include measures of function, strength and subjective assessment of symptoms. Blood inflammatory markers and muscle biopsies are an exploratory outcome. The interventions last eight weeks and combine symptom-titrated exercise therapy, symptom management and education delivered either in a face-to-face setting or through a digital platform ( www.yourcovidrecovery.nhs.uk ). The proposed sample size is 159 participants, and data will be intention-to-treat analyses comparing rehabilitation (face-to-face or digital) to usual care. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval was gained as part of the PHOSP-COVID study by Yorkshire and the Humber Leeds West Research NHS Ethics Committee, and the study was prospectively registered on the ISRCTN trial registry (ISRCTN13293865). Results will be disseminated to stakeholders, including patients and members of the public, and published in appropriate journals. Article summary Strengths and limitations of this study • This protocol utilises two interventions to support those with ongoing symptoms of COVID-19 • This is a two-centre parallel-group randomised controlled trial • The protocol has been supported by patient and public involvement groups who identified treatments of symptoms and activity limitation as a top priority