A rapid, non-invasive population assessment technique for marine burrowing macrofauna inhabiting soft sediments

Population assessment techniques for soft-sediment infauna (invertebrates within the substrate) requires excavation of specimens, damaging or killing the specimen and surrounding habitat, while being time-consuming and costly. Rapid population assessments of some marine burrowing decapods have been possible by counting burrow openings to estimate abundance, and while they may be used as indicator species, these decapods are not ubiquitous to environments requiring monitoring. Additionally, the presence of other burrowing macrofauna (invertebrates living in the sediment and retained on 1mm mesh such as clams or large worms) may reduce the efficacy of burrow openings in estimating macrofauna abundance. As such, we assessed mudflats along the north coast of British Columbia, Canada, during summer 2017 to determine if macrofauna abundances could be estimated from burrow openings on the sediment surface in regions of low (n = 1 species) and high (n = 8 species) biodiversity. Abundance could not be estimated at the low diversity sites where only one macrofaunal species created burrows. At the high diversity site, species-specific models estimating abundance from burrow openings could not be constructed; however, the total number of burrow openings observed was useful in estimating total infaunal community abundance. As such, burrow openings may not be an effective tool in assessing species-specific abundances, but may be appropriate to estimate overall community changes

Sediment geochemistry influences infaunal invertebrate community composition and population abundances

Infaunal invertebrate communities are structured by various factors, including predation, resource availability, and environmental conditions. Given that these invertebrates live within sediment, it is not surprising that sediment properties play a critical role in many infaunal behaviours. When models explaining spatial and temporal variation in infaunal community composition are constructed using physical, biophysical, environmental, and sediment properties (salinity, detrital cover, elevation, particle size distribution, organic and water content, redox conditions, and penetrability), a considerable portion of the variation in the data is typically unaccounted for. This suggests that we do not fully understand all the variables that influence infaunal invertebrate communities. One suite of under-explored variables is the elemental composition/concentration of the sediments themselves. As such, we evaluated if sediment geochemistry improved model performance of the spatial variation in infaunal invertebrate communities on three intertidal mudflats in northern British Columbia, Canada. We observed that models including geochemistry data outperformed models that only included physical, biophysical, and environmental properties. Our results therefore suggest that some of the observed, and previously unaccounted for spatial variation in infaunal community composition may be a product of variation in sediment geochemistry. As such, sediment geochemistry should be accounted for when studying infaunal communities and assessing human impacts upon intertidal systems

Perceptions and Incidence of Test Anxiety

Test anxiety (TA) can lower student GPA and increase dropout rates in populations of university students. Despite numerous treatment options, many students still suffer from TA. The stigma attached to this type of anxiety and the incidence rates and perceptions of TA were quantified through surveys distributed to 1,099 students at a Canadian university. Results of this study indicated that 38.5% of students (30.0 % of males, 46.3 % of females) suffered from self-reported TA at some point over the course of their university career. The prevalence of TA varied by faculty, with the highest incidence among those students enrolled concurrently in Arts and Science, and Nursing students. While student perceptions varied by age, sex, and experience with TA, one third of students expressed negative and inaccurate views about TA. These negative perceptions may explain why 11.3% of surveyed students indicated they would not seek help for their TA as, for many, to do so would make them seem weak in the eyes of their colleagues. Further, 20.5% of students surveyed reported that they believe professors would be unable or unwilling to help. It may be the case that this negative perception towards TA makes it difficult for faculty and helping professionals to identify and intervene effectively. Faculty specific educational campaigns designed to educate students about TA, in particular about its prevalence and severity, are suggested as a method to circumvent the negative stigma surrounding this condition. Implementation of such educational policies will likely improve the educational experience and performance of students with TA, as well as improve student retention. L’anxiété due aux examens peut faire baisser la moyenne cumulative des étudiants et augmenter le nombre de décrocheurs parmi les étudiants universitaires. Malgré les nombreuses options qui existent pour remédier à cela, un grand nombre d’étudiants souffrent de cette anxiété. La stigmatisation de ce type d’anxiété, ainsi que le taux d’incidence et les perceptions de l’anxiété due aux examens ont été quantifiés grâce à des sondages distribués à 1.099 étudiants dans une université canadienne. Les résultats de cette étude indiquent que 38,5 % d’étudiants (30,0 % d’hommes et 46,3 % de femmes) ont déclaré avoir souffert d’anxiété due aux examens à un moment ou à un autre au cours de leurs études universitaires. La prévalence de cette anxiété variait selon les facultés et la plus haute incidence se trouvait parmi les étudiants inscrits simultanément en lettres et sciences et en soins infirmiers. Les perceptions des étudiants variaient selon l’âge, le sexe et l’expérience préalable d’avoir souffert d’anxiété, toutefois un tiers des étudiants ont exprimé des opinions négatives et inexactes à propos de l’anxiété due aux examens. Ces perceptions négatives pourraient peut-être expliquer pourquoi 11,3 % des étudiants qui ont participé au sondage ont indiqué qu’ils n’allaient pas chercher à se faire aider pour réduire leur anxiété car, s’ils le faisaient, cela les ferait paraître encore plus faibles aux yeux de leurs collègues. De plus, 20,5 % des étudiants interrogés ont rapporté qu’ils pensaient que leurs professeurs seraient incapables de les aider ou peu disposés à le faire. Il est possible que cette perception négative à l’égard de l’anxiété due aux examens explique pourquoi il est difficile pour les professeurs et les autres professionnels aidants d’identifier le problème et d’intervenir efficacement. Les campagnes éducatives qui s’adressent spécifiquement aux professeurs et qui sont conçues pour éduquer les étudiants sur l’anxiété due aux examens, en particulier sur la prévalence et la gravité de cette anxiété, ont été suggérées comme moyen de circonvenir les stigmates négatifs qui entourent cette condition. La mise en oeuvre de telles politiques éducatives pourrait probablement améliorer l’expérience éducative et la réussite des étudiants qui souffrent d’anxiété due aux examen, elle pourrait également améliorer la rétention des étudiants

Post-Secondary Educators’ Perceptions of Students’ Test Anxiety

Student test anxiety (TA) is a far-reaching concern in many post-secondary institutions as it can have a negative impact on student performance and retention. Educator perceptions of TA may influence the incidence of TA as well as treatment success. As such, we surveyed educators at a medium-sized Canadian university about their perceptions and experiences with TA. In total, 90% of surveyed educators (n=50) were willing to accommodate students with TA, and 69% of educators were aware of TA support services on campus, whereas only 40% could identify symptoms of TA. Two principal components were extracted from survey responses: the importance of TA on campus, and the importance of institutional commitment to managing TA. Perceived importance of TA varied by educator age and sex, with female and older educators perceiving TA as a more serious condition than male and younger educators. Educators that were aware of TA services had a more positive view of institutional commitment to TA. In addition, 42% of educators felt limited in their ability to assist students with TA, and only 40% believed their classes were structured in such a way as to minimize or address TA. Providing information to educators about the symptoms and treatability of TA, as well as available support services is recommended. L’anxiété des étudiants face aux examens est une préoccupation qui a des implications importantes dans de nombreux établissements d’enseignement post-secondaire car elle peut avoir des effets négatifs sur les résultats des étudiants et sur leur rétention. Les perceptions des éducateurs concernant l’anxiété face aux examens risquent d’influencer l’incidence de l’anxiété ainsi que la réussite du traitement. C’est pourquoi nous avons fait un sondage auprès d’éducateurs dans une université canadienne de taille moyenne à propos de leurs perceptions et de leurs expériences concernant l’anxiété face aux examens. Au total, 90 % des éducateurs qui ont participé au sondage (n=50) étaient disposés à répondre aux besoins des étudiants souffrant d’anxiété et 69 % des éducateurs connaissaient l’existence des services de soutien disponibles sur le campus, alors que 40 % d’entre eux pouvaient identifier les symptômes de l’anxiété. Deux composantes principales ont découlé des réponses au sondage : l’importance de l’anxiété face aux examens sur le campus et l’importance de la volonté de l’établissement à gérer cette anxiété. L’importance perçue de l’anxiété variait d’un éducateur à l’autre selon l’âge et le sexe : les femmes et les enseignants plus âgés percevaient l’anxiété comme une condition plus grave par rapport aux hommes et aux enseignants plus jeunes. Les éducateurs qui connaissaient l’existence des services de soutien avaient une perception plus positive de la volonté de l’établissement à gérer l’anxiété. De plus, 42 % des éducateurs se sentaient limités dans leur aptitude à aider les étudiants qui souffraient d’anxiété et seulement 40 % d’entre eux pensaient que leurs cours étaient structurés de manière à minimiser l’anxiété ou à y remédier. Il est recommandé de fournir aux éducateurs l’information pertinente sur les symptômes et le traitement de l’anxiété ainsi que sur les services de soutien disponibles

Quantifying professionalism in peer review

Background The process of peer-review in academia has attracted criticism surrounding issues of bias, fairness, and professionalism; however, frequency of occurrence of such comments is unknown. Methods We evaluated 1491 sets of reviewer comments from the fields of “Ecology and Evolution” and “Behavioural Medicine,” of which 920 were retrieved from the online review repository Publons and 571 were obtained from six early career investigators. Comment sets were coded for the occurrence of “unprofessional comments” and “incomplete, inaccurate or unsubstantiated critiques” using an a-prior rubric based on our published research. Results are presented as absolute numbers and percentages. Results Overall, 12% (179) of comment sets included at least one unprofessional comment towards the author or their work, and 41% (611) contained incomplete, inaccurate of unsubstantiated critiques (IIUC). Conclusions The large number of unprofessional comments, and IIUCs observed could heighten psychological distress among investigators, particularly those at an early stage in their career. We suggest that development and adherence to a universally agreed upon reviewer code of conduct is necessary to improve the quality and professional experience of peer review