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Implementation of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in education is defined as the incorporation of ICTs into teaching and learning activities, both inside and outside the classroom. Despite widely studied, there is still no consensus on how it affects student performance. However, before evaluating this, it is crucial to identify which factors impact students' use of ICT for educational purposes. This understanding can help educational institutions to effectively implement ICT, potentially improving student results. Thus, adapting the conceptual framework proposed by Biagi and Loi (2013) and using the 2018 database of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and a decision tree classification model developed based on CRISP-DM framework, we aim to determine which socio-demographic factors influence students' use of ICT for educational purposes. First, we categorized students according to their use of ICT for educational purposes in two situations: during lessons and outside lessons. Then, we developed a decision tree model to distinguish these categories and find patterns in each group. The model was able to accurately distinguish different levels of ICT adoption and demonstrate that ICT use for entertainment and ICT access at school and at home are among the most influential variables to predict ICT use for educational purposes. Moreover, the model showed that variables related to teaching best practices of Internet utilization at school are not significant predictors of such use. Some results were found to be country-specific, leading to the recommendation that each country adapts the measures to improve ICT use according to its context.

Abstract Resource allocation for invasive species management requires information about the size of the invasive population, which may be expensive and time‐consuming to obtain. The trade‐off between investment in monitoring and control efforts is a challenging decision problem, and existing mathematical tools are often difficult to interpret, and/or limited to a specific case study. We propose a partially observable Markov decision process (POMDP) framework to help decision‐makers understand effective monitoring and control policymaking. POMDPs can deal with uncertainty in both the model and state of the system but are more challenging to solve due to the continuous and high‐dimensional state space. Rather than limiting the possible states of the system, as do most previously proposed methods, we work through the development of a density projection approach, which reduces the dimensionality of the space of beliefs by restricting them to a parametrised family of probability distributions. This serves to align the mathematical representation of the problem with the real‐world quantities relevant to human decision‐making. The result of our model is a sequence of actions, which minimises the expected cost incurred in managing the invasive species, where the recommendation depends on an estimate of the species' abundance, and the uncertainty in this estimate. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed framework with a case study on tropical fire ant (Solenopsis geminata) control and two generic case studies of varying complexity. Furthermore, we investigate sensitivity of the results to the choices of control cost and efficacy, and monitoring cost and error. The framework proposed by this paper makes the powerful machinery of POMDPs available to environmental managers. It computes the optimal course of action to manage a growing population of an invasive species, incorporating a varying time horizon and multiple control interventions. We sidestep the computational difficulties of general POMDPs to provide a clear, visual overview of decision‐making recommendations, and how these decisions change in new situations. Initial results and scenario‐based analysis show promising results, and the framework could be extended to the related field of disease management.

Objective: To compare the phase angle (PhA) through bioelectrical impedance (BIA) of children with intestinal failure (IF) using prolonged parenteral nutrition (PN) followed by an Intestinal Rehabilitation Program, with a control group. Methods: Children under 10 years of age with IF using prolonged PN for >60 days (study group) were included. The control group consisted of healthy children without chronic pathologies, matched by sex and age. Anthropometric parameters evaluated were: weight, height, weight/age z-score (W/A), height/age z-score (H/A), BMI, BMI/A z-score, arm circumference, triceps skinfold, subscapular skinfold, mid-arm muscle circumference. BIA parameters were resistance (R), reactance (Xc), and phase angle (PhA). Results: Twenty-eight children were included in the study group, median (IQR) age was 11 (8–27) months, 53.6 % were male. In the control group, 28 children were included, median (IQR) age was 12.5 (8–24.7) months, 50 % were male. Children from the study group had W/A z-scores and H/A z-scores significantly lower than controls. There was no significant difference between PhA in the study group and controls, [median (IQR) 4.3° (3.8;4.6) vs 4.0° (3.8;5.4) respectively, p = 0.980]. Prematurity was significantly higher in the study group than in the controls, but there was no significant correlation between gestational age at birth and PhA of the children from the study group. Conclusion: Children with IF using prolonged PN showed lower W/A and H/A compared to the control group, but without significant difference between the PhA of children with IF compared to controls.

The study tests the proposition that pedagogical orientations foster domain-specific teacher dispositions. Nineteen preservice teachers in an urban teacher certification program emphasizing culturally relevant teaching (CRT) were interviewed at the completion of all coursework and teaching experiences in diverse, urban classrooms. Dispositional statements (n = 405) were used in a comparative analysis that included cross-tabs chi-square statistics and contingency tables. The study found that teaching dispositions associated with two CRT domains, academic success and cultural competence, were prevalent, whereas dispositions associated with the critical consciousness domain were minimal. Interrelatedness was found for teacher dispositions associated with respect for diversity, authenticity, and generalizability.

This paper aimed to analyze how agents – managers and employees – experienced change in an educational institution, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We developed a framework that considers the junction between Badham's 5M Framework (mindful, mobilising, mapping, mask, and mirror) and Pettigrew's processual approach to strategic change (why change - context, what to change – content, and how to change - process). We carried out a qualitative, descriptive, and explanatory case study in an educational institution, here called Beta. Data were collected through 12 narrative interviews with Beta’s managers and employees. And they were analyzed by means of categorial content analysis technique, using the NVivo Software. The results revealed that the change occurred in three phases – the closure and online teaching; the hybrid teaching model; and the return to the ‘new normal’. To face the challenges, complexity and chaos, the unity and cohesion of the group to overcome a 'common enemy' - the pandemic - was preponderant. The sharing of solutions as well as the pain and suffering was built in a creative and flexible way, tuning the difficulties faced with support, counseling, and leadership strategies. This study allowed the elaboration of a theoretical framework that join the two approaches, called Processual Analysis of Management to Change.

Abstract Human activities and climate change are transforming fire regimes globally. The interaction between these two drivers is poorly understood, yet critical if we aim at predicting how biomes will respond to novel fire regimes. In the Brazilian Cerrado, altered fire regimes are threatening its unique biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Here, using geospatial data for the period 1985-2020 and a causal inference framework to design Bayesian statistical models, we demonstrate that a larger human presence in the landscape (≥40% land-use area) reduces the Cerrado’s burned area and hinders its responsiveness to climate; while climatic effects only become apparent in landscapes with little human presence, where hotter and drier conditions increase burned area. Finally, we find spatially heterogeneous burned area trends over time, with increases associated to climate change in landscapes that have remained mostly intact, and decreases caused by anthropic expansion. Both diverging trends have important implications for the conservation of the Cerrado as land-use expansion and climate change continue to unfold.

Background. Despite the depth of theoretical analysis of play activity there is a lack of empirical data on the choice of toys by modern children. A toy is a means of constructing play and, therefore, can largely influence its key characteristics. Objectives. The study is a continuation of an earlier series of works aimed at experimentally clarifying children's toy preferences and the relationship of these preferences to individual developmental performance. Study Participants. 202 children aged 4-5 years were participants in the study. Previously published data obtained on a sample of 3–4-year-old children were used to analyze the age dynamics in toy preference. Methods. The study used an experimental design with a multiple-choice forced-choice method. Diagnostics of children's mental development included assessment of the main components of regulatory functions and the ability to understand emotions and was performed using instruments standardised on a Russian sample. Results. It was shown that children prefer highly realistic and detailed toys. In particular, such factors as the toy being detailed, the possibility of its use in playing through familiar plots, the adequacy of role-playing actions with it and the possibility to endow it with human features proved to be fundamentally important for children. Conclusions. From the distribution of choices in experimental trials and children's verbal explanations, it can be confidently concluded that play activity is based on the laws described in the works of Vygotsky, Elkonin, and Smirnova. It is also shown that children who choose the most realistic toys have better verbal working memory, but have a weaker ability in cognitive flexibility. According to the obtained data, as children grow older, they tend to choose less anthropomorphic toys.

ABSTRACT Gammaherpesviruses are species-specific, ubiquitous pathogens that establish lifelong infection in their hosts and are associated with cancers, including B cell lymphomas. Type I and II interferons (IFNs) are critical for the control of acute and chronic gammaherpesvirus infection. However, the cell type-specific role of IFN signaling during natural infection is poorly defined and is masked by the altered viral pathogenesis observed in hosts with global IFN deficiencies. STAT1 is a constitutively expressed transcription factor that is critical for the effector function of type I and II IFNs. In this study, we defined the impact of B cell-specific STAT1 expression on gammaherpesvirus infection using murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV68). While the acute stage of MHV68 infection was not affected, we found opposite, anatomic site-dependent effects of B cell-intrinsic STAT1 expression during chronic infection. Consistent with the antiviral role of STAT1, B cell-specific STAT1 expression attenuated the latent viral reservoir in peritoneal B cells of chronically infected mice. In contrast, STAT1 expression in splenic B cells supported the establishment of the latent MHV68 reservoir in germinal center B cells, revealing an unexpected proviral role of B cell-intrinsic STAT1 expression during chronic gammaherpesvirus infection. These STAT1-dependent MHV68 chronic infection phenotypes were fully recapitulated in the peritoneal cavity but not the spleen of mice with B cell-specific deficiency of type I IFN receptor. In summary, our study uncovers the intriguing combination of proviral and antiviral roles of B cell-intrinsic STAT1 expression during chronic gammaherpesvirus infection.IMPORTANCEInterferons (IFNs) execute broadly antiviral roles during acute and chronic viral infections. The constitutively expressed transcription factor STAT1 is a critical downstream effector of IFN signaling. Our studies demonstrate that B cell-intrinsic STAT1 expression has opposing and anatomic site-dependent roles during chronic gammaherpesvirus infection. Specifically, B cell-intrinsic STAT1 expression restricted gammaherpesvirus latent reservoir in the peritoneal cavity, consistent with the classical antiviral role of STAT1. In contrast, decreased STAT1 expression in splenic B cells led to the attenuated establishment of gammaherpesvirus latency and decreased latent infection of germinal center B cells, highlighting a novel proviral role of B cell-intrinsic STAT1 expression during chronic infection with a B cell-tropic gammaherpesvirus. Interestingly, B cell-specific type I IFN receptor deficiency primarily recapitulated the antiviral role of B cell-intrinsic STAT1 expression, suggesting the compensatory function of B cell-intrinsic type II IFN signaling or an IFN-independent proviral role of B cell-intrinsic STAT1 expression during chronic gammaherpesvirus infection.

Abstract For restoring soil health and mitigating climate change, information of soil organic matter is needed across space, depth and time. Here we developed a statistical modelling platform in three-dimensional space and time as a new paradigm for soil organic matter monitoring. Based on 869 094 soil organic matter observations from 339,231 point locations and the novel use of environmental covariates variable in three-dimensional space and time, we predicted soil organic matter and its uncertainty annually at 25 m resolution between 0–2 m depth from 1953–2022 in the Netherlands. We predicted soil organic matter decreases of more than 25% in peatlands and 0.1–0.3% in cropland mineral soils, but increases between 10–25% on reclaimed land due to land subsidence. Our analysis quantifies the substantial variations of soil organic matter in space, depth, and time, highlighting the inadequacy of evaluating soil organic matter dynamics at point scale or static mapping at a single depth for policymaking.

While dysfunction and death of light-detecting photoreceptor cells underlie most inherited retinal dystrophies, knowledge of the species-specific details of human rod and cone photoreceptor cell development remains limited. Here, we generated retinal organoids carrying retinal disease-causing variants in NR2E3, as well as isogenic and unrelated controls. Organoids were sampled using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq) across the developmental window encompassing photoreceptor specification, emergence, and maturation. Using scRNA-Seq data, we reconstruct the rod photoreceptor developmental lineage and identify a branch point unique to the disease state. We show that the rod- specific transcription factor NR2E3 is required for the proper expression of genes involved in phototransduction, including rhodopsin, which is absent in divergent rods. NR2E3-null rods additionally misexpress several cone-specific phototransduction genes. Using joint multimodal single-cell sequencing, we further identify putative regulatory sites where rod-specific factors act to steer photoreceptor cell development. Finally, we show that rod-committed photoreceptor cells form and persist throughout life in a patient with NR2E3-associated disease. Importantly, these findings are strikingly different from those observed in Nr2e3 rodent models. Together, these data provide a road map of human photoreceptor development and leverage patient induced pluripotent stem cells to define the specific roles of rod transcription factors in photoreceptor cell emergence and maturation in health and disease., Introduction The human retina is a transparent multilayered neural tissue lining the posterior two-thirds of the eye that is responsible for detecting visual information and sending it to the brain [...]

Preschool teachers can become attachment figures that complement the children's families of origin, becoming relevant actors in their early development. This article presents the results of a group video feedback program on early childhood teachers in public centers. The model, which focuses on promoting "educational sensitivity", comprises 5 group sessions. A pre-post evaluation of 157 participants was conducted by coding dyad and group interaction videos. After the intervention, a significant increase relative to the baseline was found in measures of dyad (d = 0.67) and group sensitivity (d = 0.13), among other positive outcomes. Likewise, a significant association was found between variables of dyadic sensitivity and group sensitivity, concurrently and prospectively. The promising results obtained support the viability of the model in early education. Future studies should include a control group and randomization measures to strengthen these conclusions and incorporate a follow-up component to evaluate the program's long-term impact on educators.

Cocoa (Theobroma cacao) is a multi-billion-dollar business. This tropical crop strongly depends on animal pollination for fruit development and seed production. The lack or inefficiency of natural pollinators in cocoa plantations has driven farmers to search for alternatives, such as laborious pollination by hand. A so far untested alternative, which has received increasing attention during the past couple of years, is targeted crop pollination through managed social bees. However, owing to the smallness of the flowers of T. cacao as well as structural barriers that impede large insects to access the stigma, only tiny bees may be a viable option for targeted cocoa pollination. In the present study, we asked whether small stingless bees (Apidae, Meliponini) could come into consideration as managed cocoa crop-pollinators, especially in shadowy agroforests. Among the 188 meliponine species native to the Brazilian Amazon region, which comprises an important portion of the center of origin of T. cacao, we selected 52 species based on morphological criteria (intertegular distance ≤ 1.4 mm; body length: 2.2–6.0 mm). Important for cocoa production, some of these Meliponini have an ample geographic distribution, occurring both in the center of origin of T. cacao and beyond (centers of cocoa production in Brazil: Pará: 35 spp., Bahia: 10 spp.). Presumably all species may be active at illuminance levels below those found in heavily shaded cocoa plantations, at least at times when anthers show full dehiscence and during maximum receptivity of the stigma. The bees’ potential to forage under reduced light regimes is corroborated by the finding that between 20 and 60% of the naturally exploited food sources are understory vegetation, including herbs, subshrubs, shrubs, and lianas. Many of the selected Meliponini build their nests, at least facultatively, in tree cavities, which facilitates their transfer to rational hives and, hence, the use of managed colonies in directed crop pollination. Important next steps for validating the potential of these small stingless bees in targeted cocoa pollination should comprise detailed studies on their foraging behavior and olfactory learning capacities.

The purple hinged rock scallop. Crassadoma gigantea (Gray 1825), is a species of interest for commercial-scale aquaculture in its native range, along the Pacific coast of North America from Baja California. Mexico to southeastern Alaska. One serious, unresolved issue, however, is the lack of information on uptake, retention, and depuration of algal biotoxins in this species. It is known that rock scallops can retain high levels of paralytic shellfish toxins (PST), including saxitoxin and derivatives, within its tissues including the adductor muscle. Paralytic shellfish toxins can pose serious public health risks, including paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). which can be lethal in humans. Diarrhetic shellfish toxins (DST) produced by algal species within the genus Dinophysis spp. is another suite of marine biotoxins monitored by public health agencies, known to cause diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) in humans. This is the first study to investigate dynamics of Dinophysis spp., and DST in the rock scallop. The present study examined uptake, retention, and depuration of two common toxic algal species and associated biotoxins in Puget Sound. WA: Alexandrium calenella (PST) and Dinophysis spp. (DST), through multiyear field exposures and controlled laboratory studies. Assessment of PST in rock scallop tissues by receptor binding assay from field and laboratory studies revealed very high and persistent levels of PST in visceral tissue and also PST in adductor muscle tissue beyond the FDA limit (80ug STX equivalents 100 [g.sup.-1] shellfish tissue) for safe shellfish consumption. An estimate of total depuration time of PST in rock scallop viscera was inconclusive, indicating potentially long depuration times for this species. Toxicity levels varied among individuals of the same cohort, size class, collection time, and location for both visceral and adductor muscle tissues. Laboratory results showed PST levels beyond the FDA limit within adductor muscle tissue during a 6-wk depuration period, indicating a shucked, adductor-only product for this species will require careful testing and management to ensure rock scallops are safe for consumption. More research is needed to decouple the complex interactions of Dinophysis spp., DST. water quality, and rock scallop physiology to inform shellfish managers and public health agencies reliably. KEY WORDS: Crassadoma gigantea, rock scallop, saxitoxin. biotoxin, paralytic shellfish toxins, diarrhetic shellfish toxins, Alexandrium catenella, Dinophysis, depuration, aquaculture, INTRODUCTION The purple hinged rock scallop, Crassadoma gigantea (Gray 1825), has long captured the interest of commercial shellfish farmers in its native range along the Pacific coast of North America [...]

The intrinsic challenges of contemporary marketing encourage discovering new approaches to engage and retain customers effectively. As the main channels of interactions between customers and brands pivot between the physical and the digital world, analyzing the outcome behavioral patterns must be achieved dynamically with the stimulus performed in both poles. This systematic review investigates the collaborative impact of adopting multidisciplinary fields of Affective Computing to evaluate current marketing strategies, upholding the process of using multimodal information from consumers to perform and integrate Sentiment Analysis tasks. The adjusted representation of modalities such as textual, visual, audio, or even psychological indicators enables prospecting a more precise assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of the proposed technique, glimpsing future applications of Multimodal Artificial Intelligence in Marketing. Embracing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis as the research method to be applied, this article warrants a rigorous and sequential identification and interpretation of the synergies between the latest studies about affective computing and marketing. Furthermore, the robustness of the procedure is deepened in knowledge-gathering concerning the current state of Affective Computing in the Marketing area, their technical practices, ethical and legal considerations, and the potential upcoming applications, anticipating insights for the ongoing work of marketers and researchers.

The precision agriculture scientific field employs increasingly innovative techniques to optimize inputs, maximize profitability, and reduce environmental impacts. Therefore, obtaining a high number of soil samples to make precision agriculture feasible is challenging. This data bottleneck has been overcome by identifying sub-regions based on data obtained through proximal soil sensing equipment. These data can be combined with freely available remote sensing data to create more accurate maps of soil properties. Furthermore, these maps can be optimally aggregated and interpreted for soil heterogeneity through management zones. Thus, this work aimed to create and combine soil management zones from proximal soil sensing and remote sensing data. To this end, data on electrical conductivity and magnetic susceptibility, both apparent, were measured using the EM38-MK2 proximal soil sensor and the contents of the thorium and uranium elements, both equivalent, via the Medusa MS1200 proximal soil sensor for a 72-ha grain-producing area in São Paulo, Brazil. The proximal soil sensing attributes were mapped using ordinary kriging (OK). Maps were also made using kriging with external drift (KED), and the proximal soil sensor attributes data, combined with remote sensing data, such as Landsat-8, Aster, and Sentinel-2 images, in addition to 10 terrain covariables derived from the digital elevation model Alos Palsar. As a result, three management zone maps were produced via the k-means clustering algorithm: using data from proximal sensors (OK), proximal sensors combined with remote sensors (KED), and remote sensors. Seventy-two samples (0–10 cm in depth) were collected and analyzed in a laboratory (1 sample per hectare) for concentrations of clay, calcium, organic carbon, and magnesium to assess the capacity of the management zone maps created using analysis of variance. All zones created using the three data groups could distinguish the different treatment areas. The three data sources used to map management zones produced similar map zones, but the zone map using a combination of proximal and remote data did not show an improvement in defining the management zones, and using only remote sensing data lowered the significance levels of differentiating each zone compared to the OK and KED maps. In summary, this study not only underscores the global applicability of proximal and remote sensing techniques in precision agriculture but also sheds light on the nuances of their integration. The study’s findings affirm the efficacy of these advanced technologies in addressing the challenges posed by soil heterogeneity, paving the way for more nuanced and site-specific agricultural practices worldwide.

Abstract Background We aimed to evaluate the pulmonary and cerebral effects of low-tidal volume ventilation in pressure-support (PSV) and pressure-controlled (PCV) modes at two PEEP levels in acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Methods In this randomized experimental study, AIS was induced by thermocoagulation in 30 healthy male Wistar rats. After 24 h, AIS animals were randomly assigned to PSV or PCV with VT = 6 mL/kg and PEEP = 2 cmH2O (PSV-PEEP2 and PCV-PEEP2) or PEEP = 5 cmH2O (PSV-PEEP5 and PCV-PEEP5) for 2 h. Lung mechanics, arterial blood gases, and echocardiography were evaluated before and after the experiment. Lungs and brain tissue were removed for histologic and molecular biology analysis. The primary endpoint was diffuse alveolar damage (DAD) score; secondary endpoints included brain histology and brain and lung molecular biology markers. Results In lungs, DAD was lower with PSV-PEEP5 than PCV-PEEP5 (p

The age of 3-4 years is the initial stage in the development of pretend play, or play involving an imaginary situation. In this process, the leading role belongs to dramatic play with toys, the importance of which for children’s development cannot be underestimated. The qualitative analysis of children’s play presented in this research forms part of a large study aimed at identifying the features of children’s play and the toy preferences throughout the entire preschool age. Ten 3-4-year-old children during five play sessions were asked to play a story with a doll family. Before and after the play sessions, all children were tested to assess the level of development of executive functions, imagination, and the type of attachment was determined for each child using a survey of teachers and mothers. The video recordings of the play sessions were then analyzed. The purpose of the analysis was to identify the characteristics of 3-4-year-old children’s play behavior and to explore the relationship of the play features with the indicators of individual development. The experimental setting with a series of play sessions also made it possible to assess the dynamics in play development for each child. To evaluate the play, the following indicators were used: the theme and content of play, spatial substitution, the extent of elaborateness and stability of the play idea, the level of play actions with a toy, and the elaborateness of role-play interactions. The results showed that the level of development of free play involving an imaginary situation for 3-4-year-old children could be defined as generally low, regardless of the level of individual development indicators. A comparison of the first and the fifth play sessions did not reveal any positive dynamics in the level of play development. These results indicate the important role of adult participation in the support and development of children’s play. They can form the basis for the practical recommendations for teachers and parents how to scaffold the playing process of 3-4 years old children.

Coherent monologue speech is one of the main factors determining both school performance and social success of children. Therefore, problems related to methods and techniques for developing coherent monologue speech in children still remain relevant. It is often recommended to use various types of play activities (i.e., games) for this purpose. However, the question remains whether all of them have an equally positive impact on the development of coherent speech in such an aspect as its macrostructure (coherence, cohesion, semantic completeness, narrative structure). For this reason, the purpose of this study is to find out how different types of play affect the speech development in children of senior preschool age. According to our preliminary hypothesis, the development of semantic elements of a story is most influenced by role-playing games. Our study involved 220 preschoolers ( M = 60.84 months; SD = 4.14 months) who were randomly assigned to seven groups in which they either participated in a series of games of a certain type, or listened to additional stories, or were not exposed to experimental treatment at all. Before and after the exposure, the children made up stories based on a series of pictures. The resulting stories were evaluated in terms of their macrostructure. The groups were then compared in terms of the impact that different types of play interaction had on the development of the macrostructure of coherent speech. It was found that the best effect was shown by the role-playing games, and, first of all, ‘directed’ ones. These results allow a more reasonable approach to the use of games for the development of coherent monologue speech in children aged 5-6 years.

In the contemporary academy, scholars are expected to deliver highly measurable outcomes in order to build positive reputations for themselves and their institutions. The disclosure of any form of disability, within academe's predominantly ableist culture, risks raising concerns about a faculty member's professional competence to achieve expected results. This article is derived from a doctoral study based on qualitative interviews with 16 professors who self-identify as being invisibly disabled. The findings point to a pervasive culture of ableism and disability avoidance in the neoliberal academy. Participants discuss the often-negative impact of disability in their professional lives, which can be exacerbated by intersecting dimensions of differentness attached to their self-identities. The results of this study suggest that for faculty members who disclose an impairment, hoping to have their needs accommodated, the social response within the academy may be inimical, regardless of what policy or employment law requires of institutional administrators. This is clearly the reason why many participants say they only disclose if it seems absolutely necessary, even though they provide ample evidence that their differentness need not hamper their performance or their contribution to overall productivity.

The basic knowledge of chemical formula writing is fundamental for chemistry students, yet many still struggle to learn it. To provide a more interactive and engaging approach that facilitates and reinforces student understanding of chemical formulas and stoichiometry of chemical reactions, we have designed a chemical jigsaw puzzle. Only eight general jigsaw puzzle shapes are needed to represent atoms (e.g., H, C, N, O, X, ···) or groups (e.g., -CH[subscript 3], Et, But, Ph, ···), shared electrons in covalent bonds, lone pairs, and unpaired electrons for radical compounds. The complementarity of the chemical jigsaw puzzle pieces can present a large variety of molecular arrangements with several functional groups, including radical and ionic species. Thus, concepts such as organic functions, resonance, hybridization, Lewis dot structures, octet configuration, formal charges, stoichiometry, and others can be readily exemplified. Its use is intended for introductory chemistry courses, especially in high school. The usefulness and effectiveness of this chemical jigsaw puzzle was checked in the classroom throughout a hands-on learning activity using medium-sized pieces, built with low-cost material.

Introduction: Refractive error is a public health concern and even with relatively simple and cost-effective interventions it remains usually outside national health services (NHSs) not ensuring universal health coverage. This study aimed to generate evidence about the availability and accessibility of refractive services in Portugal and to present a plan for more efficient services. Methods: A situation analysis of the Portuguese existing refractive services within the NHS was conducted based on three health systems building blocks: service delivery access, service coverage, and workforce. A strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis was performed based on existent evidence to identify internal and external factors that can facilitate or hinder the integration of refractive services within the NHS. The number of eye care personnel to be integrated in the NHS was calculated considering the minimum ratios recommended by national and international technical reports. Results: Portugal has no specific services to address refractive errors within the NHS. Treatment of refractive error occurs at the level of eye care general services. There are 39 NHS eye care services, all hospital-centred and divided into three large groups, according to technical differentiation, the technology required, and workforce capacity. The workforce available is composed of ophthalmologists and orthoptists, together with nurses and other general paramedical assistants. 3 Portuguese municipalities have more than 1 NHS eye care service, 35 have 1 NHS eye care service, and 240 municipalities (in the mainland) have none. In 2021, 52% of the hospitals providing eye care services did not meet the recommended response times. Centralization of eye care services in urban areas, undifferentiated referral systems, and a shortage in the workforce per inhabitant was observed. Conclusions: Portuguese NHS has all the requirements to reorientate refractive care from the current hospital-based model to primary care. The country also has a trained and qualified workforce to address this condition. Evidence demonstrates that the provision of refractive services at primary care is efficient and effective and translates into an opportunity to identify other visual conditions.