distance education

BACKGROUND: Malaria remains a significant global health burden affecting millions of people, children under 5 years and pregnant women being most vulnerable. In 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) endorsed the introduction of RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine as Phase IV implementation evaluation in three countries: Malawi, Kenya and Ghana. Acceptability and factors influencing vaccination coverage in implementing areas is relatively unknown. In Malawi, only 60% of children were fully immunized with malaria vaccine in Nsanje district in 2021, which is below 80% WHO target...

BACKGROUND: Recognising the importance of attaining high vaccine coverage to mitigate the COVID-19 impact, a Vaccine Pass scheme was implemented during and after the first large Omicron wave with high mortality in older ages in Hong Kong in early 2022 requiring three doses by June 2022. We did not identify any studies evaluating the policy impact of vaccination mandates with vaccine uptake over whole policy period of time in a Chinese population. We aim to evaluate the impact of the Vaccine Pass policy on COVID-19 vaccine uptake in adults in a Chinese population in Hong Kong...

BACKGROUND: In the era of Gavi's 5.0 vision of "leaving no one behind with immunization", childhood routine vaccination in missed communities is considered as a priority concern. Despite having a success story at the national level, low uptake of immunization is still persistent in selected pocket areas of Bangladesh. However, prevalence and the associated factors of zero-dose (ZD) and under-immunization (UI) are still unknown at those geo-pockets of Bangladesh. Thus, the study aims to report and identify the factors associated with ZD and UI in selected geographical locations...

This study compared marginal and conditional modeling approaches for identifying individual, park and neighborhood park use predictors. Data were derived from the ParkIndex study, which occurred in 128 block groups in Brooklyn (New York), Seattle (Washington), Raleigh (North Carolina), and Greenville (South Carolina). Survey respondents (n = 320) indicated parks within one half-mile of their block group used within the past month. Parks (n = 263) were audited using the Community Park Audit Tool. Measures were collected at the individual (park visitation, physical activity, sociodemographic characteristics), park (distance, quality, size), and block group (park count, population density, age structure, racial composition, walkability) levels...

Increased geographical mobility prompts dialectologists to factor in survey participants' exposure to linguistic variation in their research. Changing mobility patterns (e.g. longer-distance commuting; easier relocation to distant places for work, study or marriage) have caused linguistic connections to become much more diverse, potentially contributing to the acceleration of dialect change. In this methodological work we propose the Linguistic Mobility Index (LMI) to estimate long-term exposure to dialectal variation and thereby to provide a reference of "localness" about survey participants...

Although teacher's personality is an essential component of successful classroom learning, most teacher education programs accept students solely on the basis of scholastic ability scores such as school grades, national test scores (SAT, GRE) or undergraduate college transcripts. To ensure suitability to teaching, a personality-evaluation system was developed in Israel for teacher education candidates. This evaluation system includes non-cognitive measures, such as group dynamic exercises, simulations, a teaching exercise, situational judgement tests, personality tests and an inter-personal interview, all performed face-to-face (FTF) at a testing center...

Online learning dexterity, or the ability to effortlessly adapt to online learning situations, has become critical since the COVID-19 pandemic, but its processes are not well-understood. Using grounded theory, this study develops a paradigm model of online learning dexterity from semi-structured interviews with 32 undergraduate and postgraduate students from a university in New Zealand. Through students' online learning experiences during the pandemic from 2020 to 2021, online learning dexterity is found to be how students make online learning 'just as good' as face-to-face learning by creating and adjusting five learning manoeuvres according to developing online learning circumstances...

Inadequate conservation practice affects the sustainable production of agricultural watersheds due to erosion and fertility decline. Understanding soil erosion and implementing site-specific conservation practice could enhance agriculture-based rural development. The study was aimed to document soil erosion problem and soil and water conservation effort. The specific objectives of this study were to assess soil erosion severity, practices to reduce erosion, and determinants of the decision to reduce erosion...

BACKGROUND: Pegasus Small Group education for General Practitioners (GPs) is a professional development programme that has been delivered in Canterbury, New Zealand for over 30 years. Peer developed content is delivered in small groups supporting interactive discussions informed by evidence and locally relevant data. AIM: An international collaboration between South Tyneside Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) in the UK and Pegasus Health in Canterbury New Zealand aimed to determine whether the Canterbury model of Small Group (SG) professional development for GPs was transferrable to the South Tyneside context...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between basic science curriculum delivery method with other academic and demographic factors on National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) part I pass rates. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of students from 3 campuses of 1 chiropractic institution who matriculated in 2018 or 2020. COVID-19 regulations required online delivery of a basic science curriculum for students in the 2020 cohorts, whereas students in the 2018 cohorts experienced a traditional classroom delivery...

The Ala Wai Canal is an artificial waterway in the tourist district of Waikiki in Honolulu, HI. Originally built to collect runoff from industrial, residential, and green spaces dedicated to recreation, the Ala Wai Canal has since experienced potent levels of toxicity due to this runoff entering the watershed and making it hazardous for both marine life and humans at current concentration, including Danio rerio (zebrafish). A community of learners at educations levels from high school to postbaccalaureate from Oahu, HI was connected through the Consortium for Increasing Research and Collaborative Learning Experiences (CIRCLE) distance research program...

BACKGROUND: Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is a heart valve anomaly with specific electrocardiographic findings and arrhythmia. A predominant sympathetic tone and diminished vagal activity have been reported especially in symptomatic MVP patients. OBJECTIVES: In the current study, we aim to review heart rate variability (HRV) parameters of MVP children in order to determine if there is an impaired autonomic regulation. METHODS: The data of children with MVP were retrospectively analyzed...

In rural areas where farming is the primary source of income for farmers, engaging in non-farm activities can provide an additional source of income and improve household consumption. However, several social and economic factors present challenges to the involvement of rural households in non-farm activities. This study aimed to examine the impact of non-farm participation on household consumption in rural areas.A multistage sampling method was used to select the sample households from the study area. Heckman's two-step procedure was utilized to analyze survey data obtained from 383 rural household heads...

The National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA)-2022 serves as a benchmark of the current market cow and bull sectors of the U.S. beef industry and allows comparison to previous audits as a method of monitoring industry progress. From September 2021 through May 2022, livestock trailers ( n  = 125), live animals ( n  = 5,430), and post-slaughter hide-on animals ( n  = 6,674) were surveyed at 20 commercial beef processing facilities across the U.S. Cattle were transported in a variety of trailer types for an average distance of 490...

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Near Vision Impairment (NVI) is common in developing countries. A substantial proportion of NVI can be addressed by providing spectacles. Innovative eye care programmes are needed to address NVI. Population-based epidemiological studies can provide vital data to plan such eye care service delivery models. BACKGROUND: To report the prevalence of NVI and effective Refractive Error Coverage (eREC) for near vision in West Godavari and Krishna districts in Andhra Pradesh, south India...

BACKGROUND: eLearning can be an effective tool to achieve learning objectives. It facilitates asynchronous distance learning, increasing flexibility for learners and instructors. In this context, the high educational value of videos provides an invaluable primary component for longitudinal digital curricula, especially for maintaining knowledge on otherwise rarely taught subjects. Although literature concerning eLearning evaluation exists, research comprehensively describing how to design effective educational videos is lacking...

Objective To construct a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) model that can recognize and delineate anatomic structures on intraoperative video frames of robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) and to use these annotations to predict the surgical urethral length (SUL). Background Urethral dissection during RARP impacts patient urinary incontinence (UI) outcomes, and requires extensive training. Large differences exist between incontinence outcomes of different urologists and hospitals. Also, surgeon experience and education are critical towards optimal outcomes...

BACKGROUND: Community health workers represent a critical part of the health outreach and services for migrant and seasonal farmworkers ('farmworkers') in rural areas of the United States. PURPOSE: We sought to identify adaptations to farmworker patient engagement and health outreach made by community health workers during the first 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: In this qualitative study, we used semi-structured interviews with community health workers from August 2020 to February 2022 (n = 21)...

This exploratory study examines the relationship between the eccentric utilization ratio (EUR) and the rate of force development (RFD) in squat jumps (SJ). EUR, a key metric in sports science, compares performance in countermovement jumps (CMJ) and squat jumps (SJ). The study hypothesizes that a higher EUR is associated with a poorer RFD in SJ. Basketball and soccer players, long-distance runners, alongside physical education students (209 men; age: 23.2 ± 4.95 years and 104 women; age: 22...

PURPOSE: To address a gap in radiation oncology education in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), we sought to evaluate the effectiveness and generalizability of a refined curriculum on intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) offered to existing radiation therapy (RT) clinics across Africa and Latin America (LATAM) at no cost. METHODS: A curriculum was created based on prior needs assessments and adapted for participating medical physicists, radiation oncologists, radiation therapists, and trainees in LMICs...