Assessing First-Year Student Understanding of "Authority is Constructed and Contextual"

This poster was presented on April 11, 2019 at the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) Conference in Cleveland, Ohio.This poster shares the findings of a pilot assessment project that utilized the Threshold Achievement Test for Information Literacy (TATIL) Module 1: Evaluating Process & Authority. This assessment was administered to a small cohort of first-year students prior to and after completion of an information literacy unit in an orientation seminar. Since this assessment tool is relatively new and not yet appearing in the library literature, these results should be interesting to librarians from many institutions as they look for new methods for assessing student learning

Training on a Lower Body Positive Pressure Treadmill With Body Weight Support does not Improve Aerobic Capacity

International Journal of Exercise Science 14(7): 829-839, 2021. This study examined the physiological changes resulting from training on a lower body positive pressure treadmill (LBPPT) at three different levels of body weight support (BWS). Thirty-three healthy college aged students (22.3 ± 3.1 years) completed the study. Participants performed a graded exercise test (GXT) to exhaustion and were placed into one of three experimental groups corresponding to 100%, 75%, and 50% of their normal BW. Participants trained at their experimental BW levels for eight-weeks. Training speed was monitored by heart rate (HR) and speed was adjusted to elicit approximately 60% of participant’s peak oxygen uptake (V̇O2peak) at normal BW prior to including body weight support (BWS). One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the change in aerobic capacity. The 100% BW group improved their relative V̇O2peak (1.42 ± 1.52 ml · min-1 · kg-1) when compared to the 50% BW group (-0.87 ± 2.20 ml · min-1 · kg-1 [p = .022]) but not the 75% BW group (-0.16 ± 1.92 ml · min-1 · kg-1, [p = .14]). Furthermore, no statistical differences in V̇O2peak were observed between the 75% and 50% BW groups (p = .66). Based on this study, training at 75% and 50% of normal BW on a LBPPT does not improve aerobic capacity compared to training with no BWS when using training speeds derived from a GXT with full BW. The outcome of this study may help to prescribe training speeds while utilizing a LBPPT to maintain or improve aerobic capacity

Identifying predictive features of autism spectrum disorders in a clinical sample of adolescents and adults using machine learning

Diagnosing autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is a complicated, time-consuming process which is particularly challenging in older individuals. One of the most widely used behavioral diagnostic tools is the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS). Previous work using machine learning techniques suggested that ASD detection in children can be achieved with substantially fewer items than the original ADOS. Here, we expand on this work with a specific focus on adolescents and adults as assessed with the ADOS Module 4. We used a machine learning algorithm (support vector machine) to examine whether ASD detection can be improved by identifying a subset of behavioral features from the ADOS Module 4 in a routine clinical sample of N = 673 high-functioning adolescents and adults with ASD (n = 385) and individuals with suspected ASD but other best-estimate or no psychiatric diagnoses (n = 288). We identified reduced subsets of 5 behavioral features for the whole sample as well as age subgroups (adolescents vs. adults) that showed good specificity and sensitivity and reached performance close to that of the existing ADOS algorithm and the full ADOS, with no significant differences in overall performance. These results may help to improve the complicated diagnostic process of ASD by encouraging future efforts to develop novel diagnostic instruments for ASD detection based on the identified constructs as well as aiding clinicians in the difficult question of differential diagnosis

Support or Competition? How Online Social Networks Increase Physical Activity: A Randomized Controlled Trial

To identify what features of online social networks can increase physical activity, we conducted a 4-arm randomized controlled trial in 2014 in Philadelphia, PA. Students (n = 790, mean age = 25.2) at an university were randomly assigned to one of four conditions composed of either supportive or competitive relationships and either with individual or team incentives for attending exercise classes. The social comparison condition placed participants into 6-person competitive networks with individual incentives. The social support condition placed participants into 6-person teams with team incentives. The combined condition with both supportive and competitive relationships placed participants into 6-person teams, where participants could compare their team\u27s performance to 5 other teams\u27 performances. The control condition only allowed participants to attend classes with individual incentives. Rewards were based on the total number of classes attended by an individual, or the average number of classes attended by the members of a team. The outcome was the number of classes that participants attended. Data were analyzed using multilevel models in 2014. The mean attendance numbers per week were 35.7, 38.5, 20.3, and 16.8 in the social comparison, the combined, the control, and the social support conditions. Attendance numbers were 90% higher in the social comparison and the combined conditions (mean = 1.9, SE = 0.2) in contrast to the two conditions without comparison (mean = 1.0, SE = 0.2) (p = 0.003). Social comparison was more effective for increasing physical activity than social support and its effects did not depend on individual or team incentives

Incentivizing Information Literacy Integration: A Case Study on Faculty–Librarian Collaboration

Frequently, information literacy instruction takes the form of a one-shot library session with minimal collaboration between librarians and teaching faculty. To offer an alternative to this model, librarians implemented the Information Literacy Mini-Grant; an incentivized program inviting teaching faculty to collaborate with librarians to redesign an assignment to integrate information literacy into their course. Following the semester-long collaboration, teaching faculty provided written feedback and participated in a panel discussion to share their experiences with the program. This case study examines teaching faculty’s perceptions of collaborating with librarians in the pilot year of the program. Teaching faculty’s feedback provided insights into their perceptions of librarians, their thoughts regarding librarians’ unique expertise as pedagogical partners, and the challenges of collaborations. This case study considers the successes and challenges of the program and provides recommendations for future faculty-librarian collaborations that position librarians as partners in student learning

Effects of Hikers and Boats on Tule Elk Behavior in a National Park Wilderness Area

Human disturbance of wildlife may cause disruption of normal feeding, resting, reproduction, or care for juveniles. Such disturbance may be particularly undesirable in federally managed wilderness areas designed to minimize human influences on natural resources. We recorded tule elk (Cervus elephus nannodes) responses (standing, walking away, running) to off-trail hikers, off-shore boats, and other natural and anthropogenic factors in Point Reyes National Seashore in northern California during 2002 to 2008. Most disturbance behaviors were related to other elk exhibiting rutting behaviors, but off-trail hikers still explained a 100% increase and off-shore boats a 15% increase in baseline disturbance behaviors by elk. However, off-trail hikers and boats did not cause elk to enter or leave the study area during the sample periods. Elk were more prone to human disturbance when herd sizes wereand, to a lesser extent, offshore boats appear to disturb natural tule elk behavior, but the physiological or population-level effects of this disturbance are unknown. Our quantitative results may help park managers minimize or mitigate human–elk interactions in wilderness areas

Study Protocol for a Randomised Controlled Trial on Pulmonary Metastasectomy vs. Standard of Care in Colorectal Cancer Patients With ≥ 3 Lung Metastases (PUCC-Trial)

This is a multicentre prospective randomised controlled trial for patients with 3 or more resectable pulmonary metastases from colorectal carcinoma. The study investigates the effects of pulmonary metastasectomy in addition to standard medical treatment in comparison to standard medical treatment plus possible local ablative measures such as SBRT. This trial is intended to demonstrate an overall survival difference in the group undergoing pulmonary metastasectomy. Further secondary and exploratory endpoints include quality of life (EORTC QLQ-C30, QLQ-CR29 and QLQ-LC29 questionnaires), progression-free survival and impact of mutational status. Due to the heterogeneity and complexity of the disease and treatment trajectories in metastasised colorectal cancer, well powered trials have been very challenging to design and execute. The goal of this study is to create a setting which allows treatment as close to the real life conditions as possible but under well standardised conditions. Based on previous trials, in which patient recruitment in the given setting hindered successful study completion, we decided to (1) restrict inclusion to patients with 3 or more metastases (since in case of lesser, surgery will probably be the preferred option) and (2) allow for real world standard of care (SOC) treatment options before and after randomisation including watchful waiting (as opposed to a predefined treatment protocol) and (3) possibility that patient can receive SOC externally (to reduce patient burden). Moreover, we chose to stipulate 12 weeks of systemic treatment prior to possible resection to further standardize treatment response and disease course over a certain period of time. Hence, included patients will be in the disease state of oligopersistence rather than primary oligometastatic. The trial was registered in the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS-No.: DRKS00024727)