SPECIFIC PHOBIA involves fear and avoidance of reasonably safe stimuli such as heights, closed spaces, and insects. The disorder, which is relatively common, with a lifetime prevalence of 3–15% (Eaton et al., 2018), impairs a person’s ability to function because of the avoidance involved. Specific phobias also create substantial fear, which can occur often and reduce a person’s quality of life.

Middle-income trap refers to the economic growth strategies that transition low-income countries into middle-income ones but fail to transition the middle-income countries into high-income countries. We observe the existence of a middle-income trap for upper-middle- and lower-middle-income countries. We examine the reasons for the middle-income trap using the Bayesian model averaging (BMA) and generalized method of moments (GMM). We also explore the transformation of middle-income economies into high-income economies using logistic, probit and Limited Information Maximum Likelihood (LIML) regression analyses. Random forest analysis is also used to check the robustness of the findings. BMA analysis shows that education plays an enabling role in high-income countries in determining economic growth, whereas the full potential of education is not fully utilized in middle-income countries. GMM estimations show that the education coefficient is positive and significant for high-income and middle-income countries. This implies that education plays a decisive positive role in achieving economic growth and gives a path to escape from the middle-income trap. However, the education coefficient for middle-income countries is approximately half that of high-income countries. Therefore, the findings of this study call for additional investment and focused strategies relating to human capital endowments.

Introduction: Learner-centered authentic learning opportunities in health science disciplines can be provided using cases to allow integration of theoretical knowledge across multiple subject areas and development of problem-solving skills. We have previously described the adaptation of the case difficulty cube (CDC), a model from business education, that proposes assignment of case difficulty based on three dimensions (analytical, conceptual, and presentation) in pharmacy education.

Methods: The CDC for use in health science disciplines (modCDC) was evaluated using 13 cases from summative undergraduate pharmacy examinations. Inter-rater agreement (IRA) and inter-rater reliability (IRR) for modCDC ratings were first determined, then a post hoc investigation of the relationship between the modCDC score and student marks was undertaken.

Results: First, the IRA for each dimension of the modCDC was adequate for aggregating ratings. IRR was excellent for the conceptual axis, good for the presentation axis, and poor for the analytical axis. Second, analysis of the relationship between the modCDC score and student marks indicated that there was a significant difference between student marks awarded at each level of case difficulty, except for the lower levels of difficulty. The results indicate that the modCDC is a relatively robust tool that could be used to determine case difficulty prior to cases being used in assessments.

Conclusions: The modCDC is a simple tool that can assist academic staff in providing consistent learning opportunities for, and assessment of, pharmacy students at an appropriate level.

The ring expansion and homologation of the biomass derivative Cyrene (6,8-dioxabicyclo[3.2.1] octan-4-one) has been developed by Lewis-acid promoted reactions with ethyl diazoacetate. Insertion into the C3–C4 bond gave a ring-expanded β-ketoester regioisomer as an equilibrating mixture of diastereomers, which was subjected to a one-pot hydrolysis and decarboxylation to give the 7,9-dioxabicyclo[4.2.1]nonan-5-one system (homocyrene). The reactivity of homocyrene was then investigated in a series of transformations known for the parent 6,8-dioxabicyclo[3.2.1] octan-4-one system, including the Baeyer–Villiger oxidation affording S-6-(hydroxymethyl)pyran2-one, which has been used for the synthesis of jasmine lactone, and another one-carbon ring expansion. The ring-expansion process for Cyrene could be used to prepare chiral C6 and C7 synthons on scale from biomass.