Monitoring and evaluation case studies of the Academy of ICT Essentials for Government Leaders

The rapid uptake of the Academy programme across Asia and the Pacific region called for a comprehensive and streamlined approach to monitoring and evaluating the progress and achievements of the Academy programme, so as to better manage outputs and outcomes and improve future programme implementation. In response to this need, APCICT developed a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&amp;E) framework in 2010, and subsequently, the Academy M&amp;E Toolkit in 2013. The Toolkit aims to provide national and sub-regional partners with practical, step-by-step guidelines for monitoring and evaluating the Academy programme by helping the partners map out, customize and strengthen M&amp;E plans and systems in their organizations. The &lsquo;M&amp;E Case Studies&rsquo;, the latest addition to M&amp;E resources for the Academy, represents continued efforts by APCICT to enhance monitoring and evaluation of the Academy programme and improve its delivery at the national level. It documents the field testing experience of the M&amp;E Toolkit by partners implementing the Academy programme in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Tajikistan. The field tests were undertaken by select implementing partners to assess the practical application of the Toolkit at the national level. Each case study introduces the status of the Academy programme roll-out, key M&amp;E activities undertaken, challenges, and suggested M&amp;E strategies and recommendations in the respective countries. The case study exercise enabled the partners to fine-tune the M&amp;E Toolkit by tailoring it to their own contexts, and to share lessons learned and insights from the field.</p

tRNAdb 2009: compilation of tRNA sequences and tRNA genes

One of the first specialized collections of nucleic acid sequences in life sciences was the ‘compilation of tRNA sequences and sequences of tRNA genes’ (http://www.trna.uni-bayreuth.de). Here, an updated and completely restructured version of this compilation is presented (http://trnadb.bioinf.uni-leipzig.de). The new database, tRNAdb, is hosted and maintained in cooperation between the universities of Leipzig, Marburg, and Strasbourg. Reimplemented as a relational database, tRNAdb will be updated periodically and is searchable in a highly flexible and user-friendly way. Currently, it contains more than 12 000 tRNA genes, classified into families according to amino acid specificity. Furthermore, the implementation of the NCBI taxonomy tree facilitates phylogeny-related queries. The database provides various services including graphical representations of tRNA secondary structures, a customizable output of aligned or un-aligned sequences with a variety of individual and combinable search criteria, as well as the construction of consensus sequences for any selected set of tRNAs

International Assessment Benchmarks: Inputs to Enhance the K to 12 Assessment Policies

The study conducted a document analysis of the four Philippine Department of Education (DepEd) K to 12 assessment policy guidelines and seven international large-scale assessment (ILSA) framework documents for benchmarking purposes and policy advice. Each identified ILSA standard indicator is mapped to each DepEd document policy provision to determine the gaps in the assessment policy guidelines. ILSA key standard indicators with no equivalent concept corresponding to DepEd assessment policy guidelines were considered gaps for adoption and policy recommendations. We found five ILSA key indicators not fully captured in the classroom and national assessment policies and three considered gaps for adoption into the classroom, national, and system assessment policies. The classroom assessment policies could elaborate more on the contexts by which students can apply what they know and include ILSA items for classroom use. The national assessment policies can elaborate more on (1) improving its test development process, (2) considering open-constructed response formats of test items than the usual closed-constructed response type, and (3) classifying acceptable items in the item bank for balanced and well-spread test items based on test type. The ILSA standards identified as gaps for adoption for classroom and national assessments are: (1) regularly revisiting and updating assessment frameworks based on research findings and (2) including some innovative assessments of new sets of skills. Adaptive testing and computer-based assessments may be considered in the appropriate assessment policies. Implications in policy change, reform, and future directions are thereafter suggested

Monitoring & evaluation toolkit

The Academy Monitoring and Evaluation (M&amp;E) Toolkit will help the partners develop, customize and strengthen the M&amp;E plan and the M&amp;E system in their organizations. It will assist the partners in determining very important inputs, activities, tools and resources needed to design, build or improve, and implement an appropriate M&amp;E system

Successful treatment of bilateral open calcaneal fractures with concomitant lower extremity injuries: A case report

Open calcaneal fractures are high morbidity injuries and the risk of complications depends on the concomitant injuries, on the size and the position of the traumatic wound. A 53-year-old male patient with bilateral open calcaneal fractures and associated concomitant lower extremity injuries such as subtalar dislocation, talonavicular dislocation and open distal tibial metaphyseal fracture was immediately operated by percutaneous Kirschner wire fixation combined with external fixators. He was able to walk with full weight bearing without any assistance at the end of the first postoperative year. Early aggressive debridement and irrigation followed by fixation with percutaneous Kirschner wires and external fixator can supply bony alignment in open comminuted calcaneal fractures associated with concomitant lower extremity injuries and should be considered for the healthy and active patients before primary arthrodesis

Treatment of diaphyseal non-unions of the ulna and radius

Non-unions of the forearm often cause severe dysfunction of the forearm as they affect the interosseus membrane, elbow and wrist. Treatment of these non-unions can be challenging due to poor bone stock, broken hardware, scarring and stiffness due to long-term immobilisation. We retrospectively reviewed a large cohort of forearm non-unions treated by using a uniform surgical approach during a period of 33 years (1975-2008) in a single trauma centre. All non-unions were managed following the AO-principles of compression plate fixation and autologous bone grafting if needed. The study cohort consisted of 47 patients with 51 non-unions of the radius and/or ulna. The initial injury was a fracture of the diaphyseal radius and ulna in 22 patients, an isolated fracture of the diaphyseal ulna in 13, an isolated fracture of the diaphyseal radius in 5, a Monteggia fracture in 5, and a Galeazzi fracture-dislocation of the forearm in 2 patients. Index surgery for non-union consisted of open reduction and plate fixation in combination with a graft in 30 cases (59%), open reduction and plate fixation alone in 14 cases (27%), and only a graft in 7 cases (14%). The functional result was assessed in accordance to the system used by Anderson and colleagues. Average follow-up time was 75 months (range 12-315 months). All non-unions healed within a median of 7 months. According to the system of Anderson and colleagues, 29 patients (62%) had an excellent result, 8 (17%) had a satisfactory result, and 10 (21%) had an unsatisfactory result. Complications were seen in six patients (13%). Our results show that treatment of diaphyseal forearm non-unions using classic techniques of compression plating osteosynthesis and autologous bone grafting if needed will lead to a high union rate (100% in our series). Despite clinical and radiographic bone healing, however, a substantial subset of patients will have a less than optimal functional outcom

Cranial Pathologies in a Specimen of Pachycephalosaurus

. The specimen features two large oval depressions on the dorsal surface, accompanied by numerous circular pits on the margin and inner surface of the larger depressions.In order to identify the origin of these structures, computed tomography (CT) data and morphological characteristics of the specimen are analyzed and compared with similar osteological structures in fossil and extant archosaurs caused by taphonomic processes, non-pathologic bone resorption, and traumatic infection/inflammatory origins. The results of these analyses suggest that the structures are pathologic lesions likely resulting from a traumatic injury and followed by secondary infection at the site.The presence of lesions on a frontoparietal dome, and the exclusivity of their distribution along the dorsal dome surface, offers further insight into frontoparietal dome function and supports previously hypothesized agonistic behavior in pachycephalosaurids