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Abstract Geometric engineering is a collection of tools developed to establish dictionaries between local singularities in string theory and (supersymmetric) quantum fields. Extended operators and defects, as well as their higher quantum numbers captured by topological symmetries, can be encoded within geometric engineering dictionaries. In this paper we revisit and clarify aspects of these techniques, with special emphasis on ’t Hooft anomalies, interpreted from the SymTFT perspective as obstructions to the existence of Neumann boundary conditions. These obstructions to gauging higher symmetries are captured via higher link correlators for the SymTFT on spheres. In this work, we give the geometric engineering counterpart of this construction in terms of higher links of topological membranes. We provide a consistency check in the context of 5D SCFTs with anomalous 1-form symmetries, where we give two independent derivations of the anomaly in terms of higher links, one purely field theoretical and the other purely geometrical. Along the way, we also recover the construction of non-invertible duality defects in 4D N $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 4 SYM from a geometric engineering perspective.

Biology teachers’ attitudes play a vital role in successful scientific investigations. Some biology teachers situated in the central part of South Africa experience challenges that include a lack of the necessary scientific knowledge and skills, which hinders the presentation of scientific investigations. These challenges adversely influence these biology teachers’ attitudes towards conducting scientific investigations. The result is that they conduct the minimum number of investigations with their learners, or don’t conduct them at all. Professional, in-service training workshops allow biology teachers to develop the necessary scientific knowledge and skills to successfully conduct scientific investigations. This study aimed to understand how a scientific investigation workshop affected biology teachers’ attitudes by measuring the ABC attitude model’s affective, cognitive and behavioural components. Likert-type, five-point scale items were used for the 20 pre-surveys and the same for the 20 post-surveys that were completed and collected for analysis. This research provided information on how vital in-service training programmes such as this scientific investigation workshop are in fostering positive attitudes toward scientific investigations amongst biology teachers. The findings that emerged from this study imply that implementing this scientific investigation workshop has developed biology teachers’ confidence in their science skills and knowledge to facilitate scientific investigations. The findings also indicate that this workshop caused a significant improvement in teachers’ intended behaviours in implementing scientific investigations in the science classrooms, as they gained valuable knowledge and skills regarding the science apparatus and the use thereof in conducting scientific investigations.

Introduction Machine learning is a rapidly expanding field and is already incorporated into many aspects of medicine including diagnostics, prognostication and clinical decision-support tools. Epilepsy is a common and disabling neurological disorder, however, management remains challenging in many cases, despite expanding therapeutic options. We present a systematic review protocol to explore the role of machine learning in the management of epilepsy.Methods and analysis This protocol has been drafted with reference to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) for Protocols. A literature search will be conducted in databases including MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus and Web of Science. A PRISMA flow chart will be constructed to summarise the study workflow. As the scope of this review is the clinical application of machine learning, the selection of papers will be focused on studies directly related to clinical decision-making in management of epilepsy, specifically the prediction of response to antiseizure medications, development of drug-resistant epilepsy, and epilepsy surgery and neuromodulation outcomes. Data will be extracted following the CHecklist for critical Appraisal and data extraction for systematic Reviews of prediction Modelling Studies checklist. Prediction model Risk Of Bias ASsessment Tool will be used for the quality assessment of the included studies. Syntheses of quantitative data will be presented in narrative format.Ethics and dissemination As this study is a systematic review which does not involve patients or animals, ethics approval is not required. The results of the systematic review will be submitted to peer-review journals for publication and presented in academic conferences.PROSPERO registration number CRD42023442156.

Every organization--whether it is a commercial enterprise, a university, or a nonprofit--is only as good as its collective knowledge base. Smart people drive success, but no single person can do it alone. An open environment that encourages knowledge sharing is the key to fostering innovation and creating a competitive landscape, both within the firm and externally. A survey of CMAs (Certified Management Accountants) examines how well U.S. organizations are mining this important resource., The public's trust in financial professionals has been seriously shaken in recent years. The banking bailout, the Madoff Ponzi scheme, collateralized debt obligations, and a raft of wrongful foreclosures have [...]

Summary: The seven-transmembrane superfamily member 3 protein (TM7SF3) is a p53-regulated homeostatic factor that attenuates cellular stress and the unfolded protein response. Here we show that TM7SF3 localizes to nuclear speckles; eukaryotic nuclear bodies enriched in splicing factors. This unexpected location for a trans-membranal protein enables formation of stable complexes between TM7SF3 and pre-mRNA splicing factors including DHX15, LARP7, HNRNPU, RBM14, and HNRNPK. Indeed, TM7SF3 regulates alternative splicing of >330 genes, mainly at the 3′end of introns by directly modulating the activity of splicing factors such as HNRNPK. These effects are observed both in cell lines and primary human pancreatic islets. Accordingly, silencing of TM7SF3 results in differential expression of 1465 genes (about 7% of the human genome); with 844 and 621 genes being up- or down-regulated, respectively. Our findings implicate TM7SF3, as a resident protein of nuclear speckles and suggest a role for seven-transmembrane proteins as regulators of alternative splicing.

In recent years, professional skepticism (PS) has drawn extensive attention from both regulators and academics. While prior research theorizes that both stable personality traits and temporary states influence PS (e.g., Hurtt 2010; Nelson 2009), this literature tends to focus on either trait PS or contextual factors that influence judgments and behavior without disentangling the trait and state components of PS. We propose that state PS is a distinct construct from trait PS and provide the first measure of state PS. We validate our process for measuring state PS using rigorous analyses, demonstrating convergent and divergent validity with data collected from both professional and student samples. Furthermore, we replicate the Hurtt (2010) trait PS scale, which forms the basis for our state PS measure. Future researchers can employ our measure or, alternatively, replicate our process for measuring state PS in various experimental contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distance (i.e., online) education has become an increasingly popular form of higher-education instruction. A Pew Research Center survey conducted in 2011 revealed that a majority of colleges and universities now offer online courses; this trend was most pervasive among public universities (at 89 percent). Online (vs. in-class) instruction is considered more cost effective and has the potential to educate larger portions of the population. However, while some prior studies have focused on the efficacy of various educational delivery methods, some self-selection bias has generally been present in comparisons of online and traditional, in-classroom instruction. This paper provides preliminary evidence about the outcomes when students are not allowed to self-select between online and traditional instruction for an upper-level accounting course and instead are offered only an online course; our results suggest that when students are provided with this option, their exam performance and instructorevaluation scores are higher. This suggests that upper-level accounting students self-select well between online and traditional instruction and that online education is not suitable for all students. This should be important to academic institutions and accounting researchers as we continue to explore issues pertaining to online education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gene expression dynamics can be measured in single living cells. Using a detectable transcriptionally active gene in living cells, we previously found that an mRNA undergoing several splicing events was retained at this gene after transcription until completion of mRNA processing. To determine the reason for this delay in release and whether mRNA retention on the gene might depend on splicing factor availability, we modulated the levels of splicing factors in the nucleus. Increasing the abundance of the diffusing fraction of splicing factors by their overexpression or by Clk1 kinase overexpression to disassemble nuclear speckles, led to a reduction in splicing factor residence times on the active gene, and the retained mRNA was rapidly released from the gene. Other treatments such as overexpression of a mutant inactive Clk1, the downregulation of MALAT1 lncRNA or of the Son protein, or the overexpression of the splicing factor import factor TNPO3, did not affect the dynamics of mRNA release from the gene. We found that the faster release of the mRNA from the gene mediated by increased availability of splicing factors, was dependent on the RS domain of the splicing factors and its phosphorylation state. We propose that the relative abundancies of splicing factors in the nucleoplasm can affect their availability for the splicing events taking place, and regulate the kinetics of mRNA release from the gene after processing.