Alternative Pathways To Engineering Success –Using Academic And Social Integration To Understand Two-Year Engineering Student Success

The need for educating engineers in the United States continues as the projected demand is still rising as the number of high school seniors planning to enter engineering careers has remained relatively stable (Sargent, 2014). Additionally, figures show that attrition rates in undergraduate engineering continue to be an area of concern, (Sargent, 2014; Gibbons, 2005; NSF, 2004). Given the projected increased demand for engineers, the engineering education community must explore a variety of pathways for engineering students to be successful. Organizations such as National Science Foundation (Laanan, Jackson, Darrow, 2010) have noted that beginning engineering study at a two-year campus and then transferring to an engineering bachelor’s degree-granting institution is an important path and source for additional engineering students. Although some have explored the logistical issues and curricular design components of two-year campuses that enables engineering students to complete their bachelor degrees elsewhere, there is very little that explores the non-curricular factors on these campuses that help such students successfully progress (Laanan, et al., 2010). Using Tinto’s theory of integration (1975, 1993), this study examines the relationship between student entry characteristics and measures of social and academic integration to engineering learning outcomes. Understanding how integration factors on two-year campuses impact engineering student success can be used to inform the design of curricular and campus-based experiences that support the success of engineering students on two-year campuses.  Results indicate the social and academic integration factors significantly predict engineering students’ learning outcomes, especially their commitment to engineering studies

Epidemiology of Gallbladder Disease: Cholelithiasis and Cancer

Diseases of the gallbladder are common and costly. The best epidemiological screening method to accurately determine point prevalence of gallstone disease is ultrasonography. Many risk factors for cholesterol gallstone formation are not modifiable such as ethnic background, increasing age, female gender and family history or genetics. Conversely, the modifiable risks for cholesterol gallstones are obesity, rapid weight loss and a sedentary lifestyle. The rising epidemic of obesity and the metabolic syndrome predicts an escalation of cholesterol gallstone frequency. Risk factors for biliary sludge include pregnancy, drugs like ceftiaxone, octreotide and thiazide diuretics, and total parenteral nutrition or fasting. Diseases like cirrhosis, chronic hemolysis and ileal Crohn's disease are risk factors for black pigment stones. Gallstone disease in childhood, once considered rare, has become increasingly recognized with similar risk factors as those in adults, particularly obesity. Gallbladder cancer is uncommon in developed countries. In the U.S., it accounts for only ~ 5,000 cases per year. Elsewhere, high incidence rates occur in North and South American Indians. Other than ethnicity and female gender, additional risk factors for gallbladder cancer include cholelithiasis, advancing age, chronic inflammatory conditions affecting the gallbladder, congenital biliary abnormalities, and diagnostic confusion over gallbladder polyps

Specific memories and depression

This study examined the association between depression and autobiographical memory deficits. Sp e cifically, it evaluate d the impact of depression, complexity of a distraction task, self - or other - referential set and positive or negative cue - word valence on the retrieval of specific autobiographical memories . A sample of 24 depressed women and 24 matched controls completed the Autobiographical Memory T ask (AMT) before and after either a high - or low - complexity distraction task. Compared with the control group, the depressed group retrieved fewer specific first memories and had longer retrieval latencies for these. In the self - referential condition this pattern was more pronounced than in the other - referential condition. This suggests that depression is associated with a particular vulnerability in recalling specific self - referential memories. Distraction task complexity and cue - word valence did not affect AMT performance.Author has checked copyrightAD 26/03/201