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The purpose of this study was to examine the involvement of early childhood pre-service students (PSSs) in children's constructive play and highlight how this involvement supported children's play skills towards advanced play behaviours as seen by previous literature. Drawing from the conceptual framework of the Zone of Proximal Development, as proposed by Vygotsky, and supporting adult involvement in children's learning, we specifically examine PSSs involvement in constructive play. Participants were four out of 26 PSSs participating in their school experience program phase III and 17 children of the ages 5-6 years. Data was collected through videos, 12 in total, of approximately 20 minutes each, during which the PSSs interacted with children while participating in constructive play. Also, data was collected through reflective journals reported after each video. Data analysis highlighted the different ways the PSSs employed to get involved in children's play, these being either using direct or indirect involvement. This study suggests that early childhood teachers' reflection can create a Zone of Proximal Action which refers to good fit direct and indirect involvement supporting children's mature constructive play behaviours.

Economical production of lignin-based jet fuel (LJF) can improve the sustainability of sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) as well as can reduce the overall greenhouse gas emissions. However, the challenge lies in converting technical lignin polymer from biorefinery directly to jet fuel in a continuous operation. In this work, we demonstrate a simultaneous depolymerization and hydrodeoxygenation (SDHDO) process to produce lignin-based jet fuel from the alkali corn stover lignin (ACSL) using engineered Ru-HY-60-MI catalyst in a continuous flow reactor, for the first time. The maximum carbon yield of LJF of 17.9 wt% was obtained, and it comprised of 60.2 wt% monocycloalkanes, and 21.6 wt% polycycloalkanes. Catalyst characterization of Ru-HY-60-MI suggested there was no significant change in HY zeolite structure and its crystallinity after catalyst engineering. Catalyst characterizations performed post the SDHDO experiments indicate presence of carbon and K content in the catalyst. K content presence in the spent catalyst was due to K+ ion was exchanged between lignin solution and HY-60 while carbon presence validated the SDHDO chemistry on the catalyst surface. Tier α fuel property testing indicates that LJF production using SDHDO chemistry can produce SAF with high compatibility, good sealing properties, low emissions, and high energy density for aircraft.

Salmonella spp. are one of the leading causes of gastroenteritis worldwide. Salmonella Heidelberg is an emergent pathogen associated with multidrug resistant outbreaks linked to poultry products. Its high persistence in the environment may be associated with its ability to adhere to different surfaces and to form biofilms. Owing to the increased antimicrobial resistance worldwide, researches have investigated the use of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) as biological control of pathogenic microorganisms. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of LABs for the control of S. Heidelberg biofilms on polystyrene surfaces. The antibiofilm activity of nine LAB, all belonging to Lactobacillus genera, in the inhibition of biofilm produced by S. Heidelberg was evaluated in vitro. Biofilm formation occurred only when LAB1 (Lactobacillus salivaris) was used. All other treatments have demonstrated antibiofilm activity. However, LAB were not capable to reduce bacterial count. Our results show that LAB is capable to avoid or to delay biofilm formation by S. Heidelberg on polystyrene surface and may be used for in vivo studies as a potential alternative to help in the control of this pathogen in the food industry.

Aims: We aimed to evaluate lesson learnt from a pilot project in Mozambique focused on point-of-care (POC) HbA1c testing for diabetes management in primary health care facilities. Methods: Over a three-year period, several health centers were equipped with POC HbA1c testing machines. The evaluation involved 12 months of data collection, interviews with patients and staff, and regular supervision visits. Results: The project screened over 22,000 individuals and provided HbA1c testing to 2362 diabetes patients. Among the analyzed results, 65.7 % had HbA1c levels below 7 %, 10.9 % between 7 % and 8.5 %, and 23.4 % above 8.5 %. POC testing showed advantages such as reduced costs and improved workload management. Conclusions: Limited access to HbA1c testing remains a challenge in African countries. The pilot project demonstrated the feasibility of POC HbA1c testing and highlighted the need for increased efforts to make it more widely available, leading to improved diabetes management and patient outcomes.

The impact of ethanol on the fetus is a significant concern as an estimated 2–5% of live births may be affected by prenatal alcohol exposure. This exposure can lead to various functional and structural abnormalities in the cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, diencephalon, and cerebellum, resulting in region-specific symptoms. The deficits relate to the motor and cognitive domains, affecting, in particular, general intelligence, attention, executive functions, language, memory, visual perception, and social skills—collectively called the fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Recent studies suggest that damage to the developing cerebellum (in form of alcohol exposure) can impair the cortical targets of the cerebello-thalamo-cortical tract. This malfunction in the cerebello-cerebral loop optimization may be due to disruptions in the formation of the foundational elements of the internal model within the developing cerebellum. Alcohol exposure targets multiple nodes in the reciprocal loops between the cerebellum and cerebral cortex. Here, we examine the possibility that prenatal alcohol exposure damages the developing cerebellum and disrupts the connectivity within the cerebello-cerebral neuronal circuits, exacerbating FASD-related cortical dysfunctions. We propose that malfunctions between cerebellar internal model (critically involved in predictions) and cerebral regions contribute to the deficits observed in FASD. Given the major role of the cerebellum in motor, cognitive, and affective functions, we suggest that therapies should target these malfunctions to mitigate the burden of FASD. We discuss the concept of therapies oriented towards malfunctioning cerebello-cerebral loops (TOMCCLs), emphasizing anti-inflammatory strategies and treatments aimed at modulating cerebellar myelination to restore optimal and predictive cerebello-cerebral functions.