The benefits of group personal tutorials in relational pedagogy’

The literature acknowledges the importance of personal tutoring in student satisfaction (Bell, 2022), student retention, and building a sense of connection and belonging (Thomas et al., 2017). The quality of the personal tutor-tutee relationship is often linked to the relational competence of the tutor and their personal qualities such as being caring and empathetic (Bell, 2022). This reflects the pastoral model of personal tutoring (Earwaker, 1992) in which the tutor offers 1-2-1 support in academic and personal matters. However, more recent studies suggest that tutors should also support students in their personal, professional, and academic development and help them to transition into effective study in higher education (Grey and Osborne, 2020). In their survey 71% of personal tutors agreed that tutoring should involve group meetings (Grey and Osborne, 2020). Thomas (2012) found that group tutorials provide opportunities for students to sharing feelings and concerns about their programme in a small group setting and normalise their worries. Group tutorials have been found to be particularly effective with certain groups such as first year students who may benefit from a more structured approach to personal tutoring as well as build support and friendships with other students (Calcagno et al., 2017). Based on the literature and on personal experience, we propose that effective personal tutoring should include the management of peer-to-peer relationships and explore the potential and value of group tutorials as part of relational pedagogy

Comparison between 3D volumetric rendering and multiplanar slices on the reliability of linear measurements on CBCT images: an in vitro study

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy and reliability of two methods of measurements of linear distances (multiplanar 2D and tridimensional reconstruction 3D) obtained from cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) with different voxel sizes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ten dry human mandibles were scanned at voxel sizes of 0.2 and 0.4 mm. Craniometric anatomical landmarks were identified twice by two independent operators on the multiplanar reconstructed and on volume rendering images that were generated by the software Dolphin®. Subsequently, physical measurements were performed using a digital caliper. Analysis of variance (ANOVA), intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman were used for evaluating accuracy and reliability (

Pest population dynamics are related to a continental overwintering gradient

Overwintering success is an important determinant of arthropod populations that must be considered as climate change continues to influence the spatiotemporal population dynamics of agricultural pests. Using a long-term monitoring database and biologically relevant overwintering zones, we modeled the annual and seasonal population dynamics of a common pest, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), based on three overwintering suitability zones throughout North America using four decades of soil temperatures: the southern range (able to persist through winter), transitional zone (uncertain overwintering survivorship), and northern limits (unable to survive winter). Our model indicates H. zea population dynamics are hierarchically structured with continental-level effects that are partitioned into three geographic zones. Seasonal populations were initially detected in the southern range, where they experienced multiple large population peaks. All three zones experienced a final peak between late July (southern range) and mid-August to mid-September (transitional zone and northern limits). The southern range expanded by 3% since 1981 and is projected to increase by twofold by 2099 but the areas of other zones are expected to decrease in the future. These changes suggest larger populations may persist at higher latitudes in the future due to reduced low-temperature lethal events during winter. Because H. zea is a highly migratory pest, predicting when populations accumulate in one region can inform synchronous or lagged population development in other regions. We show the value of combining long-term datasets, remotely sensed data, and laboratory findings to inform forecasting of insect pests

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements