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Background: Endemic African malaria vectors are poorly adapted to typical urban ecologies. However, Anopheles stephensi, an urban malaria vector formerly confined to South Asia and the Persian Gulf, was recently detected in Africa and may change the epidemiology of malaria across the continent. Little is known about the public health implications of An. stephensi in Africa. This study is designed to assess the relative importance of household exposure to An. stephensi and endemic malaria vectors for malaria risk in urban Sudan and Ethiopia. Methods: Case-control studies will be conducted in 3 urban settings (2 in Sudan, 1 in Ethiopia) to assess the association between presence of An. stephensi in and around households and malaria. Cases, defined as individuals positive for Plasmodium falciparum and/or P. vivax by microscopy/rapid diagnostic test (RDT), and controls, defined as age-matched individuals negative for P. falciparum and/or P. vivax by microscopy/RDT, will be recruited from public health facilities. Both household surveys and entomological surveillance for adult and immature mosquitoes will be conducted at participant homes within 48 hours of enrolment. Adult and immature mosquitoes will be identified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Conditional logistic regression will be used to estimate the association between presence of An. stephensi and malaria status, adjusted for co-occurrence of other malaria vectors and participant gender. Conclusions: Findings from this study will provide evidence of the relative importance of An. stephensi for malaria burden in urban African settings, shedding light on the need for future intervention planning and policy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serve-and-return interactions between a young child and caregiver are cited as integral to healthy child development and language development. In this article, the authors assert that serve-and-return interactions offer a relevant model for policy development in early childhood music education. They share contemporary evidence that music learning and development begins in the womb, continues during infancy, and needs to be prioritized in preschool and early elementary years. Next, they trace the policy landscape for early childhood education and music education in the United States since 2008. Although the landscape has remained stark, the authors offer recent glimmers of possibilities and conclude with actionable steps for improving early childhood music education policies.

The purpose of this research was to investigate the construct validity of the Children's Music-Related Behavior Questionnaire (CMRBQ), an instrument designed for parents to document music-related behaviors about their children and themselves. The research problem was to examine the hypothesized factorial structure of the questionnaire. From a national sample, parents of children 5 years old or younger returned 616 usable questionnaires. Items were parceled, and the model was subjected to a confirmatory factor analysis to assess the goodness of model-data fit for a one-factor solution using the parcels as indicators. Internal consistency of subscale reliability estimates ranged from alpha = 0.77 to alpha = 0.97. Three multiple fit indices suggested that the one-factor model adequately fit the data: standardized root square residual (0.028), comparative fit index (0.968), and Tucker-Lewis index (0.955). Greater knowledge regarding parents' observations of music's role in children's development may help researchers, practitioners, parents, and policy makers collaboratively consider how best to meet musical needs of young children in childcare and school settings. (Contains 3 notes, 4 tables, and 2 figures.)

Recounts a technical writing institute presented by a delegation of North American technical communication faculty to Chinese English as a foreign language teachers. Discusses planning the 10-day technical writing institute; challenges and assumptions about teaching technical communication in China; institute lectures and activities; and institute evaluations. Offers concluding observations. (SR)

What is Service-Learning? Service-learning is a teaching and learning paradigm that incorporates experiential learning. That is, students apply knowledge and skills they have been learning in the classroom in real-world [...]