How interactive workshops shape women and non-binary students’ sense of belonging in physics

SENSE OF BELONGING IS A PREDICTOR OF RETENTION IN STEM MAJORS Researchers have identified students’ sense of belonging as an important factor in whether or not they persist in STEM majors (Rainey et al., 2018), yet women can report lower senses of belonging than men in their classes (Lewis et al., 2016). A MIXED-METHOD STUDY OF STUDENTS’ RETENTION IN PHYSICS At Monash University, we have begun a longitudinal, mixed-methods study of students’ experience in physics and astrophysics major units. In semester 1, 2023, students in our first-semester unit in the physics major sequence completed pre and post surveys addressing sense of belonging alongside other measures linked to retention (including physics identity, self-efficacy, and demographic factors). Among students responding to the first survey, 23.2% identified as women, 72.1% as men, and 4.7% as non-binary and other gender identities (response rate was 79% of enrolled students, students could identify as more than one gender and did not have to select a gender). 16 students participated in two interviews, one near the beginning of the semester and one near the end. Of these, eleven did not identify as men, including seven who identified as women and four who identified as non-binary or genderfluid. In the second interview, participants were asked about their sense of belonging in the interactive physics workshops and labs. WOMEN AND NON-BINARY STUDENTS REPORT WORKING WITH OTHER NON-MALE STUDENTS IS ASSOCIATED WITH FEELINGS OF BELONGING In interviews, most women and non-binary students reported they felt like they belonged and were welcomed by their peers. Furthermore, most described opting to sit at tables with mostly other women and non-binary people when the choice was available. Multiple students cited greater comfort in sharing their ideas and expressing uncertainty when in discussion with other “non-men.” This was true both among students who attended all-girls high schools and those who attended co-educational high schools. At the time of abstract submission, survey analysis was ongoing. INTERACTIVE SETTINGS WHERE STUDENTS SELF-SELECT GROUPS MAY SUPPORT WOMEN AND NON-BINARY STUDENTS’ BELONGING IN PHYSICS The streams of this unit were large enough (70-100 students each) that there were substantial numbers of women and at least two non-binary students in all sections. These initial results suggest that interactive instructional settings where students can self-select their groups may support sense of belonging among gender minorities in physics, including women and non-binary people. REFERENCES Lewis, K. L., Stout, J. G., Pollock, S. J., Finkelstein, N. D., & Ito, T. A. (2016). Fitting in or opting out: A review of key social-psychological factors influencing a sense of belonging for women in physics. Physical Review Physics Education Research, 12(2), 020110. Rainey, K., Dancy, M., Mickelson, R., Stearns, E., & Moller, S. (2018). Race and gender differences in how sense of belonging influences decisions to major in STEM. International Journal of STEM Education, 5, 1-14

Integrating computation through first- and second-year physics major units

COMPUTATION AS A TARGET FOR PHYSICS INSTRUCTION Computation is increasingly recognized as a core aspect of physics practice and target for physics instruction. Literature on computation in physics often focuses on separate computational physics units or courses (see Atherton, 2023, for a review) rather than integrating computation throughout curricula. We document the process of integrating computation in the context of first- and second-year physics units at Monash University to provide a model for embedding computation throughout a three-year Australian Bachelor of Science in physics. GOALS FOR COMPUTATIONAL PHYSICS INSTRUCTION AT MONASH Naturally, computational physics instruction aims to develop a solid foundation of the coding skills that students will require in their careers and to develop literacy with a chosen language. However, we set out more importantly and broadly, to develop the skills needed to break down a task into its separate steps and develop an algorithm (free of syntax) and to develop student’s ability to create interactive visualisations and models, in order to augment their understanding of various physical phenomena. This approach enhances engagement by showcasing the benefits of computational approaches and augments learning through linking interesting phenomena and the coding process. IMPLEMENTATION OF COMPUTATIONAL ACTIVITIES IN APPLIED AND LABORATORY ACTIVITIES Our vertical integration of computational skills begins in first year, where primarily we focus on developing coding skills in support of laboratory data analysis. Here, the activities begin with a basic introduction to coding in the chosen language (originally the Wolfram Language in Mathematica, and currently Python) tailored to lab analysis (plotting, fitting, error analysis). Subsequent tasks build upon this, supported by a mix of examples and exercises that ask students to follow along, modify previously used code, or fill in gaps in templates for each laboratory they complete. This approach is followed in second year with the applications broadened tremendously into fortnightly sessions that serve to create fully interactive demonstrations/visualisations of the physics discussed in other aspects of the unit. These include creating time evolutions of wavefunctions for the common quantum tunnelling problems, visualizations of random walks, manipulable ray traces, and much more. Through this, students not only learn a variety of coding techniques and principles but see very interesting and often hard to imagine aspects of physics come to life through their code! EVALUATING THE SUCCESS OF COMPUTATIONAL INSTRUCTION We assess our success in achieving both computational and physics learning outcomes, as well as enhance engagement, based on feedback provided annually by students in their evaluations of teaching units, on its follow through in higher year level units, and on the difference in achievement in the unit as a whole for years/students where computational applied sessions have been attended, in comparison to those cases where applied sessions were not offered or not attended. REFERENCE Atherton, T. J. (2023). Resource Letter CP-3: Computational physics. American Journal of Physics, 91(1), 7-27

Metabolic costs of feeding predictively alter the spatial distribution of individuals in fish schools

Group living is ubiquitous among animals [1, 2], but the exact benefits of group living experienced by individual groupmates is related to their spatial location within the overall group [3, 4, 5]. Individual variation in behavioral traits and nutritional state is known to affect interactions between individuals and their social group [6, 7], but physiological mechanisms underpinning collective animal behavior remain largely unexplored [8]. Here, we show that while fish at the front of moving groups are most successful at capturing food items, these individuals then show a systematic, post-feeding movement toward the rear of groups. Using observations of fish feeding in groups coupled with estimates of metabolic rate in fish consuming different meal sizes, we demonstrate that the magnitude of this shift in spatial position is directly related to the aerobic metabolic scope remaining after accounting for energetic costs of digestion. While previous work has shown that hungry individuals occupy anterior positions in moving groups [9, 10], our results show that the metabolic demand of food processing reduces the aerobic capacity available for locomotion in individuals that eat most, thus preventing them from maintaining leading positions. This basic trade-off between feeding and locomotor capacity could fundamentally dictate the spatial position of individuals within groups, perhaps obviating the role of individual traits in determining spatial preferences over shorter timescales (e.g., hours to days). This may be a general constraint for individuals within animal collectives, representing a key, yet overlooked, mediator of group functioning that could affect leadership, social information transfer, and group decision making

Metagenome and Metatranscriptome Analyses Using Protein Family Profiles

Analyses of metagenome data (MG) and metatranscriptome data (MT) are often challenged by a paucity of complete reference genome sequences and the uneven/low sequencing depth of the constituent organisms in the microbial community, which respectively limit the power of reference-based alignment and de novo sequence assembly. These limitations make accurate protein family classification and abundance estimation challenging, which in turn hamper downstream analyses such as abundance profiling of metabolic pathways, identification of differentially encoded/expressed genes, and de novo reconstruction of complete gene and protein sequences from the protein family of interest. The profile hidden Markov model (HMM) framework enables the construction of very useful probabilistic models for protein families that allow for accurate modeling of position specific matches, insertions, and deletions. We present a novel homology detection algorithm that integrates banded Viterbi algorithm for profile HMM parsing with an iterative simultaneous alignment and assembly computational framework. The algorithm searches a given profile HMM of a protein family against a database of fragmentary MG/MT sequencing data and simultaneously assembles complete or near-complete gene and protein sequences of the protein family. The resulting program, HMM-GRASPx, demonstrates superior performance in aligning and assembling homologs when benchmarked on both simulated marine MG and real human saliva MG datasets. On real supragingival plaque and stool MG datasets that were generated from healthy individuals, HMM-GRASPx accurately estimates the abundances of the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) gene families and enables accurate characterization of the resistome profiles of these microbial communities. For real human oral microbiome MT datasets, using the HMM-GRASPx estimated transcript abundances significantly improves detection of differentially expressed (DE) genes. Finally, HMM-GRASPx was used to reconstruct comprehensive sets of complete or near-complete protein and nucleotide sequences for the query protein families. HMM-GRASPx is freely available online from http://sourceforge.net/projects/hmm-graspx

Applications of Sensory Ecology for Wildlife Damage Management

Human-wildlife conflicts typically involve fundamental processes associated with the feeding behavior and/or the spatial behavior of wildlife. Thus, most human-wildlife conflicts arise from wildlife consuming products and/or wildlife occupying places valued by humans. For mammals, taste is the most important sensory cue for selecting nutrients and avoiding toxins. Most birds use both flavor (i.e. taste, odor, texture) and visual cues for their food selection process. We previously learned that an ultraviolet visual cue can enhance the repellency of an anthraquinone-based repellent for blackbirds, starlings, Canada geese and wild turkeys. Although the ultraviolet cue is not itself aversive, novel repellent formulations including ultraviolet cues have provided repellent efficacy at reduced concentrations of the repellent active ingredient. Ultraviolet repellent formulations are currently being developed for the protection of ripening agricultural crops from bird depredation. With regard to spatial behavior, exteroceptive sensory cues (e.g. visual, auditory, tactile cues) are reliably used for patch selection. We suggest that sensory cues and their paired consequences can be exploited for the development and application of effective strategies for wildlife damage management

Reported Behavioural Differences between Geldings and Mares Challenge Sex-Driven Stereotypes in Ridden Equine Behaviour

Horse trainers and riders may have preconceived ideas of horse temperament based solely on the sex of the horse. A study (n = 1233) of horse enthusiasts (75% of whom had more than 8 years of riding experience) revealed that riders prefer geldings over mares and stallions. While these data may reflect different sex preferences in horses used for sport, they may also reduce the chances of some horses reaching their performance potential. Further, an unfounded sex prejudice is likely to contribute to unconscious bias when perceiving unwanted behaviours, simplistically attributing them to demographic characteristics rather than more complex legacies of training and prior learning. The current study analysed reported sex-related behavioural differences in ridden and non-ridden horses using data from responses to the pilot study of the Equine Behaviour Assessment and Research Questionnaire (E-BARQ) survey. Respondents (n = 1233) reported on the behaviour of their horse using a 151-item questionnaire. Data were searched for responses relating to mares and geldings, and 110 traits with the greatest percentage difference scores between mares and geldings were selected were tested for univariate significance at p \u3c 0.2. Multivariable modelling of the effect of sex (mare or gelding) on remaining traits was assessed by ordinal logistic regression, using a cumulative proportional log odds model. Results revealed mares were significantly more likely to move away when being caught compared to geldings (p = 0.003). Geldings were significantly more likely to chew on lead ropes when tied (p = 0.003) and to chew on rugs (p = 0.024). However, despite sex-related differences in these non-ridden behaviours, there was no evidence of any significant sex-related differences in the behaviours of the horses when ridden. This finding suggests that ridden horse behaviour is not sexually dimorphic or that particular horse sports variously favour one sex over another

Reported behavioural differences between geldings and mares challenge sex-driven stereotypes in ridden equine behaviour

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Horse trainers and riders may have preconceived ideas of horse temperament based solely on the sex of the horse. A study (n = 1233) of horse enthusiasts (75% of whom had more than 8 years of riding experience) revealed that riders prefer geldings over mares and stallions. While these data may reflect different sex preferences in horses used for sport, they may also reduce the chances of some horses reaching their performance potential. Further, an unfounded sex prejudice is likely to contribute to unconscious bias when perceiving unwanted behaviours, simplistically attributing them to demographic characteristics rather than more complex legacies of training and prior learning. The current study analysed reported sex-related behavioural differences in ridden and non-ridden horses using data from responses to the pilot study of the Equine Behaviour Assessment and Research Questionnaire (E-BARQ) survey. Respondents (n = 1233) reported on the behaviour of their horse using a 151-item questionnaire. Data were searched for responses relating to mares and geldings, and 110 traits with the greatest percentage difference scores between mares and geldings were selected were tested for univariate significance at p < 0.2. Multivariable modelling of the effect of sex (mare or gelding) on remaining traits was assessed by ordinal logistic regression, using a cumulative proportional log odds model. Results revealed mares were significantly more likely to move away when being caught compared to geldings (p = 0.003). Geldings were significantly more likely to chew on lead ropes when tied (p = 0.003) and to chew on rugs (p = 0.024). However, despite sex-related differences in these non-ridden behaviours, there was no evidence of any significant sex-related differences in the behaviours of the horses when ridden. This finding suggests that ridden horse behaviour is not sexually dimorphic or that particular horse sports variously favour one sex over another

Measures of upper limb function for people with neck pain. A systematic review of measurement and practical properties

There is a strong relationship between neck pain (NP) and upper limb disability (ULD). Optimal management of NP should incorporate upper limb rehabilitation and therefore include the use of an ULD measure in the assessment and management process. Clear guidance regarding the suitability of available measures does not exist. The aim of this study was to identify all available measures of ULD for populations with NP, critically evaluate their measurement properties and finally recommend a list of suitable measures. This two-phase systematic review is reported in accordance with the PRISMA statement. Phase one identified clearly reproducible measures of ULD for patients with NP. Phase two identified evidence of their measurement properties. In total, 11 papers evaluating the measurement properties of five instruments were included in this review. The instruments identified were the DASH questionnaire, the QuickDASH questionnaire, the NULI questionnaire, the SFA and the SAMP test. There was limited positive evidence of validity of the DASH, QuickDASH, NULI, SFA and SAMP. There was limited positive evidence of reliability of the NULI, SFA and SAMP. There was unknown evidence of responsiveness of the DASH and QuickDASH. Although all measures are supported by a limited amount of low quality evidence, the DASH, QuickDASH, NULI questionnaires, and the SAMP test are promising measures, but they require further robust evaluation

A histopathologic study of fatal paediatric cerebral malaria caused by mixed Plasmodium falciparum/Plasmodium vivax infections

Microvascular sequestration of Plasmodium falciparum underlies cerebral malaria. Despite suggestive ex vivo evidence, this phenomenon has not been convincingly demonstrated in coma complicating Plasmodium vivax malaria. Severely-ill Papua New Guinean children with mixed P. falciparum/P. vivax infections are more likely to develop cerebral malaria and die than those with P. falciparum alone, possibly reflecting P. vivax sequestration. Nested PCR was performed on post mortem brain tissue from three such children dying from cerebral malaria due to mixed-species infections. No P. vivax DNA was detected. These findings do not support the hypothesis that P. vivax sequestration occurs in human brain