Weaving Material ConneXion into Curriculum

Weaving Material ConneXion into the Curriculum poster presented at OLA Super Conference 2020

Teaching Quantitative Data in the Social Sciences at the University of New Hampshire: Data Management Plan

This data management plan describes data management for the study Teaching quantitative data in the social sciences at the University of New Hampshire. This research study examines social science instructors’ practices in teaching undergraduate students to work with quantitative data. The goal of the study is to understand approaches and challenges associated with teaching data and delineate resources and services needed to support this work. The study at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) is connected to a suite of parallel studies being developed locally at twenty-three other higher education institutions. Ithaka S+R has been hired to coordinate this parallel effort and will compile the findings from the research at UNH with findings from the other institutions to produce an aggregated report

Teaching with Quantitative Data in the Social Sciences at the University of New Hampshire: An Ithaka S+R Local Report

This exploratory study investigated the teaching practices of social science instructors at the University of New Hampshire who engage with undergraduate students using quantitative data in the classroom. The participants interviewed teach both general and discipline-specific data concepts as academic, work, and life skills. Primary challenges discussed by the participants that students face in engaging with these topics are understanding math and statistical concepts, learning new software and computing skills, limited prior exposure to data, and lack of retention of content from earlier courses. Participants addressed challenges in several ways in order to lower barriers to learning, including finding, vetting, and cleaning data for their students to use. Participants could use additional support and new strategies to alleviate student challenges; specific recommendations are discussed in the report. This study is connected to a suite of parallel studies being developed locally at other higher education institutions and coordinated by Ithaka S+R

Does contact with a podiatrist prevent the occurrence of a lower extremity amputation in people with diabetes? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective To determine the effect of contact with a podiatrist on the occurrence of Lower Extremity Amputation (LEA) in people with diabetes.Design and data sources We conducted a systematic review of available literature on the effect of contact with a podiatrist on the risk of LEA in people with diabetes. Eligible studies, published in English, were identified through searches of PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE and Cochrane databases. The key terms, ‘podiatry’, ‘amputation’ and ‘diabetes’, were searched as Medical Subject Heading terms. Reference lists of selected papers were hand-searched for additional articles. No date restrictions were imposed.Study selection Published randomised and analytical observational studies of the effect of contact with a podiatrist on the risk of LEA in people with diabetes were included. Cross-sectional studies, review articles, chart reviews and case series were excluded. Two reviewers independently assessed titles, abstracts and full articles to identify eligible studies and extracted data related to the study design, characteristics of participants, interventions, outcomes, control for confounding factors and risk estimates.Analysis Meta-analysis was performed separately for randomised and non-randomised studies. Relative risks (RRs) with 95% CIs were estimated with fixed and random effects models as appropriate.Results Six studies met the inclusion criteria and five provided data included in meta-analysis. The identified studies were heterogenous in design and included people with diabetes at both low and high risk of amputation. Contact with a podiatrist did not significantly affect the RR of LEA in a meta-analysis of available data from randomised controlled trials (RCTs); (1.41, 95% CI 0.20 to 9.78, 2 RCTs) or from cohort studies; (0.73, 95% CI 0.39 to 1.33, 3 Cohort studies with four substudies in one cohort). Conclusions There are very limited data available on the effect of contact with a podiatrist on the risk of LEA in people with diabetes

The persistent problem of new-onset postoperative atrial fibrillation: A single-institution experience over two decades

ObjectivePostoperative atrial fibrillation is the most common complication after cardiac surgery. A variety of postoperative atrial fibrillation risk factors have been reported, but study results have been inconsistent or contradictory, particularly in patients with preexisting atrial fibrillation. The incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation was evaluated in a group of 10,390 patients undergoing cardiac surgery among a comprehensive range of risk factors to identify reliable predictors of postoperative atrial fibrillation.MethodsThis 20-year retrospective study examined the relationship between postoperative atrial fibrillation and demographic factors, preoperative health conditions and medications, operative procedures, and postoperative complications. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to evaluate potential predictors of postoperative atrial fibrillation.ResultsIncreasing age, mitral valve surgery (odds ratio = 1.91), left ventricular aneurysm repair (odds ratio = 1.57), aortic valve surgery (odds ratio = 1.52), race (Caucasian) (odds ratio = 1.51), use of cardioplegia (odds ratio = 1.36), use of an intraaortic balloon pump (odds ratio = 1.28), previous congestive heart failure (odds ratio = 1.28), and hypertension (odds ratio = 1.15) were significantly associated with postoperative atrial fibrillation. The non-linear relationship between age and postoperative atrial fibrillation revealed the acceleration of postoperative atrial fibrillation risk in patients aged 55 years or more. In patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting, increasing age and previous congestive heart failure were the only factors associated with a higher risk of postoperative atrial fibrillation. There was no trend in incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation over time. No protective factors against postoperative atrial fibrillation were detected, including commonly prescribed categories of medications.ConclusionsThe persistence of the problem of postoperative atrial fibrillation and the modest predictability using common risk factors suggest that limited progress has been made in understanding its cause and treatment

Effect of Achilles Tendon Rupture on Player Performance and Longevity in Women\u27s National Basketball Association Players

Background: Women\u27s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players have a greater incidence of lower extremity injury compared with male players, yet no data exist on functional outcomes after Achilles tendon rupture (ATR). Purpose: To evaluate the effect of Achilles tendon repair on game utilization, player performance, and career longevity in WNBA athletes. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: WNBA players from 1997 to 2019 with a history of ATR (n = 12) were matched 1:2 to a healthy control group. Player characteristics, game utilization, and in-game performance data were collected for each athlete, from which the player efficiency rating (PER) was calculated. Statistical analysis was performed comparing postinjury data to preinjury baseline as well as cumulative career data. Changes at each time point relative to the preinjury baseline were also compared between groups. Results: Of the 12 players with ATR, 10 (83.3%) returned to play at the WNBA level at a mean (+/- SD) of 12.5 +/- 3.3 months. Four players participated in only 1 WNBA season after injury. There were no differences in characteristics between the 10 players who returned to play after injury and the control group. After return to play, the WNBA players demonstrated a significant decrease in game utilization compared with preinjury, playing in 6.0 +/- 6.9 fewer games, starting in 12.7 +/- 15.4 fewer games, and playing 10.2 +/- 9.1 fewer minutes per game (P \u3c .05 for all). After the index date of injury, the players with Achilles repair played 2.1 +/- 1.2 more years in the WNBA, while control players played 5.35 +/- 3.2 years (P \u3c .01) Additionally, the players with Achilles repair had a significant decrease in PER in the year after injury compared with preinjury (7.1 +/- 5.3 vs 11.0 +/- 4.4; P = .02). The reduction in game utilization and decrease in PER in these players was maintained when compared with the matched controls (P \u3c .05 for both). Conclusion: The majority of WNBA players who sustained ATR were able to return to sport after their injury; however, their career longevity was shorter than that of healthy controls. There was a significant decrease in game utilization and performance in the year after return to play compared with healthy controls

Fumonisin B-Glucose Reaction Products Are Less Toxic When Fed to Swine

The effects of fumonisin B-glucose reaction products in swine diets was examined. Pigs were fed diets containing 528 µmol of total fumonisin B/kg (FB), 528 µmol of total FB-glucose adducts/kg (FB-G, 122 µmol of unreacted FB/kg), or 0 µmol of total FB/kg for 15 days to test the efficacy of the FB-G reaction products in detoxifying FB. Weight gain in FB pigs was lower than in FB-G or controls, which was correlated with feed intake reduction in FB pigs. Serum aspartate aminotransferase, γ-glutamyltransferase, and total bilirubin in FB pigs were higher than in FB-G or control pigs. Serum sphinganine/shingosine ratios in FB pigs were higher than in FB-G or control pigs. Microscopic examination of tissues from FB pigs showed generalized liver necrosis and apoptosis with marked cellular pleomorphism and disorganized hepatic cords. The liver and kidneys in the FB-G group appeared to be normal. Tissues of controls were free of lesions. Results suggest that dietary FB-G products are less toxic to swine and may provide an detoxification approach in instances of widespread FB grain contamination (p \u3c 0.05)