Implications of Training in Incremental Theories of Intelligence for Undergraduate Statistics Students

This chapter documents the effects of training in incremental theories of intelligence on students in introductory statistics courses at a liberal arts university in the US. Incremental theories of intelligence examine the beliefs individuals hold of knowledge and how it is attained. An individual with an incremental theory of intelligence believes that intelligence can be developed. The research examined differences by gender in mastery of statistics and attitudes toward statistics for students who received growth mind-set training. A pre-test, post-test design utilised the Students’ Attitudes Toward Statistics© instrument and the Comprehensive Assessment of Outcomes in a first Statistics course. An ANCOVA revealed that females gained more than males on their value of statistics (F(1, 63) 9.40, MSE 3.79, p .003, η2 P 0.134) and decreased less for effort expended to learn statistics (F(1, 63) 4.41, MSE 4.07, p .040, η2 P 0.067). Females also gained mastery of statistical concepts at a greater rate (F(1, 63) 5.30, MSE 0.06, p .025, η2 P 0.080) indicating a possible path to alleviate the under-representation of females in STEM

Cholinergic receptor pathways involved in apoptosis, cell proliferation and neuronal differentiation

Acetylcholine (ACh) has been shown to modulate neuronal differentiation during early development. Both muscarinic and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) regulate a wide variety of physiological responses, including apoptosis, cellular proliferation and neuronal differentiation. However, the intracellular mechanisms underlying these effects of AChR signaling are not fully understood. It is known that activation of AChRs increase cellular proliferation and neurogenesis and that regulation of intracellular calcium through AChRs may underlie the many functions of ACh. Intriguingly, activation of diverse signaling molecules such as Ras-mitogen-activated protein kinase, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-Akt, protein kinase C and c-Src is modulated by AChRs. Here we discuss the roles of ACh in neuronal differentiation, cell proliferation and apoptosis. We also discuss the pathways involved in these processes, as well as the effects of novel endogenous AChRs agonists and strategies to enhance neuronal-differentiation of stem and neural progenitor cells. Further understanding of the intracellular mechanisms underlying AChR signaling may provide insights for novel therapeutic strategies, as abnormal AChR activity is present in many diseases

Repurposing NGO data for better research outcomes: A scoping review of the use and secondary analysis of NGO data in health policy and systems research

Background Non-government organisations (NGOs) collect and generate vast amounts of potentially rich data, most of which are not used for research purposes. Secondary analysis of NGO data (their use and analysis in a study for which they were not originally collected) presents an important but largely unrealised opportunity to provide new research insights in critical areas including the evaluation of health policy and programmes. Methods A scoping review of the published literature was performed to identify the extent to which secondary analysis of NGO data has been used in health policy and systems research (HPSR). A tiered analytic approach provided a comprehensive overview and descriptive analyses of the studies which: 1) used data produced or collected by or about NGOs; 2) performed secondary analysis of the NGO data (beyond use of an NGO report as a supporting reference); 3) used NGO-collected clinical data. Results Of the 156 studies which performed secondary analysis of NGO-produced or collected data, 64% (n=100) used NGO-produced reports (e.g. to critique NGO activities and as a contextual reference) and 8% (n=13) analysed NGO-collected clinical data.. Of the studies, 55% investigated service delivery research topics, with 48% undertaken in developing countries and 17% in both developing and developed. NGO-collected clinical data enabled HPSR within marginalised groups (e.g. migrants, people in conflict-affected areas), with some limitations such as inconsistencies and missing data. Conclusion We found evidence that NGO-collected and produced data are most commonly perceived as a source of supporting evidence for HPSR and not as primary source data. However, these data can facilitate research in under-researched marginalised groups and in contexts that are hard to reach by academics, such as conflict-affected areas. NGO–academic collaboration could help address issues of NGO data quality to facilitate their more widespread use in research. Their use could enable relevant and timely research in the areas of health policy, programme evaluation and advocacy to improve health and reduce health inequalities, especially in marginalised groups and developing countries

The effect of uterine blood supply cutoff during myomectomy

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Myomectomy is considered a highly morbid procedure due to the risk of high intraoperative blood loss. Meticulous surgical techniques can reduce operative morbidity. Our aim was to evaluate and compare the intraoperative blood loss between two surgical techniques: 1) the uterine vascular cutoff technique and 2) the classical technique. DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective chart review conducted between 1 July 2008 until 30 June 2010 in a tertiary care referral center to compare surgical outcomes of two groups. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The sample included 136 patients: 30 patients had their surgeries performed with the uterine vascular cutoff technique, and the remainder (106 patients) had myomectomies performed with the classical technique. The uterine vascular cutoff technique was performed by the same surgeon for all 30 patients, whereas myomectomy with the classical technique was performed by several gynecologists. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the two groups in parity and operation time; however, patients in the first group had a statistically significant higher mean age (39.1 [7.6] vs 35.8 [6.9] years; P=.025) and, on average, bigger fibroid size by gestational week (20.1 [7.3] vs 17 [5.2] weeks; P=.0094), with standard deviation shown in parentheses. There was a statistically significant lesser drop in hemoglobin concentration among patients in the first group (1.23 [1.2] vs 2.25 [1.4] g/dL; P=.0003), and the postoperative hemoglobin was significantly higher in the first group (10.5 [1.6] vs 9.7 [1.7] g/dL; P=.036). The hospital stay was shorter for patients in the first group (5.8 [1.7] vs 7.1 [2.9] days; P=.031). CONCLUSION: The vascular cutoff technique leads to less intraoperative blood loss without increasing the operative time, patients tolerate this technique very well, and the technique is associated with shorter hospital stay, all of which could contribute to less postoperative morbidity