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Balakrishnan R Nair, Conor Gilligan, Brian Jolly School of Medicine and Public Health, and Academy of Clinical Educators, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, AustraliaCorrespondence: Conor GilliganSchool of Medicine and Public Health, and Academy of Clinical Educators, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia, Tel +61240420553, Email Conor.Gilligan@newcastle.edu.auIntroduction: An Academy of Clinical Educators (ACE) was established at the University of Newcastle, to support and build capacity among existing and prospective medical educators. ACE established a Certificate of Clinical Teaching and Supervision (CCTS) program, the final assessment of which was a reflective piece on how the course has affected participants’ practice as clinical teachers or supervisors and how changes are expected to impact learner achievement. We conducted a qualitative evaluation of these to explore the impact of the CCTS on participants’ teaching.Methods: Thirty-one participants (of 90 completers to date) consented for their written reflections to undergo qualitative thematic analysis and completed a survey exploring their preparation for, and experience of the program, and application of skills learnt.Results: Most participants reported applying the skills gained through the CCTS to their teaching practice to a large (n=23; 72%) or very large (n=5; 16%) extent. Four themes emerged from the qualitative data, aligned with the topics of the CCTS: teaching structure; feedback; orientation; and assessment. Participants described application of more structured approaches to orientation, teaching and feedback, positive student responses, and self-reported satisfaction with adopted changes.Discussion: The CCTS has motivated change in the teaching practice of participants. Although evidence presented here is limited by the self-reported nature, descriptions of actual changes in practice were detailed and specific enough to suggest they could act as a proxy for objectively measured change in behaviour and outcome.Conclusion: A faculty development program delivered to clinicians with a range of teaching and education-related roles, from varied clinical disciplines and professions, can promote improved, structured teaching and feedback.Keywords: clinical education, faculty development, feedback, supervision, assessment

Learning collaboratives are seldomused outside of health care quality improvement.We describe a condensed, 10-week learning collaborative ("Telemedicine Hack") that facilitated telemedicine implementation for outpatient clinicians early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Live attendance averaged 1688 participants per session. Of 1005 baseline survey respondents, 57% were clinicians with one-third identifying as from a racial/ethnic minoritized group. Practice characteristics included primary care (71%), rural settings (51%), and community health centers (28%). Of three surveys, a high of 438 (81%) of 540 clinicians had billed ≥1 video-based telemedicine visit. Our learning collaborative "sprint" is a promisingmodel for scaling knowledge during emergencies and addressing health inequities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Cervical cancer remains a significant but preventable threat to women’s health throughout much of the developing world, including Uganda. Cervical cancer screening and timely treatment of pre-cancerous lesions is a cost-effective means of mitigating cervical cancer morbidity and mortality. However, only 5% of women in Uganda have ever been screened. Barriers to screening, such as social stigma and access to safe conditions, have been previously identified, but insights into the role of male spouses in encouraging or discouraging screening have been limited. To our knowledge, no studies have compared barriers and facilitators among women who had or had not yet been screened and male partners of screened and unscreened women. Methods To resolve this gap, we conducted 7 focus groups– 3 among women who had been screened, 3 among those who had not been screened, and 1 among men whose female partners had or had not been screened. We performed qualitative thematic analysis on the focus group data. Results We identified several important factors impacting screening and the decision to screen among women, ranging from stigma, availability of screening, false beliefs around the procedure and side effects, and the role of spousal support in screening promotion. Male spousal perspectives for screening ranged from full support to hesitancy around male-performed exams and possible prolonged periods without intercourse. Conclusion This exploratory work demonstrates the importance of dialogue both among women and their male partners in enhancing screening uptake. Efforts to address screening uptake are necessary given that it is an important means of mitigating the burden of cervical cancer. Interventions along these lines need to take these barriers and facilitators into account in order to drive up demand for screening.

Developing thermoelectric films without substrates—free-standing films—eliminates substrate-induced effects on performance and meets the flexibility requirements of emerging wearable thermoelectric applications. This study investigates Gallium-doped Zinc Oxide (GZO), composed of abundant and non-toxic elements, to fabricate a substrate-free GZO film via 3D printing and compares its structural, chemical, and thermoelectric properties with those of a substrate-constrained GZO film produced through chemical deposition. Both films exhibited uniform crystal structures and phase purity; however, the substrate-constrained film displayed additional diffraction peaks, suggesting potential substrate interactions. The 3D-printed free-standing film effectively eliminated the tensile stresses observed in the substrate-constrained film. FE-STEM analysis revealed nanostructures with homogeneous elemental distribution in both films, though the substrate-constrained film showed discontinuities, such as pores, likely caused by post-deposition annealing treatment. XPS analysis highlighted differences in chemical states and elemental compositions between the films, influenced by fabrication methods, substrate-induced stresses, and surface energy mismatches. The free-standing GZO film developed through 3D printing exhibited a more balanced incorporation of Zn and O, as it was not subject to substrate or post-deposition annealing constraints. Consequently, it demonstrated a 14 % increase in electrical conductivity and a 91 % improvement in the Seebeck coefficient compared to the substrate-constrained film, resulting in a higher room-temperature power factor of 261 nW/m·K2. These findings underscore the potential of 3D-printed free-standing GZO films to advance thermoelectric applications, offering a promising alternative to overcome the challenges of substrate-constrained films and further drive innovation in the field.

This systematic review seeks to improve the existing framework for developing students’ Computing Identity (CI) by integrating contemporary elements and identifying new dimensions. A meticulous selection of 31 articles followed the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) protocol, ensuring a comprehensive and systematic approach. The findings highlight factors that influence students’ CI and also the constructs defining the frameworks for developing students’ CI. The identified existing constructs are competence/performance, interest, sense of belonging, and recognition in computing, with competence/performance being the most explored and recognition the least. The review proposes a new framework for developing students’ CI that includes the “social context” as it interweaves with existing constructs to shape the multifaceted process of CI formation. The findings underscore a research gap concerning the inclusion of diverse perspectives, which is essential for a richer understanding of CI. Additionally, the study emphasizes the potential to incorporate new elements to enhance the existing frameworks for developing students’ CI, along with its validation in diverse contexts.

Euthynnus affinis, also known as Kawakawa, is a species of fish that is very significant to the fishing industry, particularly in the Indo-Pacific area. Regrettably, its stock structure and regional species’ management are poorly understood. This research aimed to employ a morphometric approach and determine if different stocks exist among 188 specimens of E. affinis obtained from three different areas: the Celebes Sea, the South China Sea, and the Sulu Sea, all surrounding Malaysian Borneo. Multivariate studies, including PCA (Principal Component Analysis) and DFA (Discriminant Function Analysis), were utilized to differentiate eight E. affinis populations based on 12 morphometric parameters. The findings divulged that E. affinis populations of Malaysian Borneo (Sabah and Sarawak) were relatively homogenous, as indicated by the DFA and the principal component’s scatterplot. Moreover, hierarchical cluster analysis focused on the Mahalanobis distances demonstrated that eight populations of E. affinis were grouped into three separate groups. The first group comprises Kota Kinabalu (Sabah), Mukah, Bintawa, and Pulau Bruit (Sarawak) populations. Euthynnus affinis from Lahad Datu and Kudat (Sabah) were clustered in the second group, while the third group consisted of Tawau and Sandakan (Sabah) populations. This study’s findings will give important preliminary data on E. affinis for effectively managing and protecting Malaysian Borneo’s regional waterways.

Abstract Introduction The trends of increasing use of cesarean section (CS) with a decrease in assisted vaginal birth (vacuum extraction or forceps) is a major concern in health care systems all over the world, particularly in low-resource settings. Studies show that a first birth by CS is associated with an increased risk of repeat CS in subsequent births. In addition, CS compared to assisted vaginal birth (AVB), attracts higher health service costs. Resource-constrained countries have low rates of AVB compared to high-income countries. The aim of this study was to compare mode of birth in the subsequent pregnancy among women who previously gave birth by vacuum extraction or second stage CS in their first pregnancy at Mulago National Referral Hospital, Uganda. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study that involved interviews of 81 mothers who had a vacuum extraction or second stage CS in their first pregnancy at Mulago hospital between November 2014 to July 2015. Mode of birth in the subsequent pregnancy was compared using Chi-2 square test and a Fisher’s exact test with a 0.05 level of statistical significance. Results Higher rates of vaginal birth were achieved among women who had a vacuum extraction (78.4%) compared to those who had a second stage CS in their first pregnancy (38.6%), p

Abstract This article systematically reviews the pedagogies employed in mixed-ability high school biology classrooms to spotlight the most effective educational model, in terms of learning gains. A meta-analysis was performed on 32 eligible studies sorted via the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology. The effect sizes (impacts) were calculated in terms of students’ affective, behavioral, and cognitive gains. The results confirmed that the overall effectiveness of non-traditional models was highly significant when compared to traditional lecture models (p

IntroductionEducators play a pivotal role in shaping students’ academic achievements, particularly in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. The instructional techniques employed by teachers significantly impact students’ decisions to pursue or persist in STEM disciplines. This research aims to explore the challenges faced by high school STEM teachers in Qatar in delivering effective STEM instruction.MethodsData was collected through a survey administered to 290 high school STEM teachers across thirty-nine schools in Qatar. The survey targeted teachers in the 11th and 12th grades. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was utilized to analyze the data and examine teachers’ perceived barriers to effective STEM instruction.ResultsThe findings revealed various barriers hindering STEM instruction. These barriers were categorized into school-related, student-related, technology-related, and teaching-related factors. All the hypothesized teaching barriers [i.e., (student-related: β = –0.243, p < 0.001); (school-related: β = –0.122, p < 0.001), (technologyrelated: β = –0.123, p = 0.040); and (instruction-related: β = –0.112, p < 0.018)] were negatively related to teachers’ STEM teaching. Among the various obstacles, it appears that the most formidable challenges for high school STEM teachers are related to students (β = –0.243, p < 0.001).DiscussionUnderstanding these barriers is crucial for informing educational policies and developing strategies to enhance STEM learning in Qatar’s high schools. Addressing these barriers is essential to provide adequate resources, professional development opportunities, and support systems. By addressing these challenges, Qatar can foster a conducive environment for effective STEM instruction, thereby nurturing a future generation of STEM professionals.