Supporting Teachers in Times of Change: The Job Demands- Resources Model and Teacher Burnout During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Burnout in teachers has been broadly investigated, but no studies have investigated burnout in teachers during a pandemic. The current study is based on a survey of 1278 Canadian teachers and examined whether the Job Demands-Resources model was a useful lens for examining teacher burnout in this unprecedented context. Results supported the model in general terms in that most demands were most strongly correlated with the initial exhaustion stage of burnout. However, not all resources were most strongly associated with the later stages of burnout, suggesting that the examination of specific resources in the context of a pandemic as opposed to examining resources together as a latent variable contributes to development of a more refined model. Suggestions for supporting teachers’ welfare are provided

Does life satisfaction reduce risk of incident hypertension and stroke? Evidence from the Whitehall II cohort

Background: Previous studies showed life satisfaction is related to reduced risk of coronary heart disease and diabetes, but its association with other cardiometabolic endpoints including hypertension and stroke remains unexplored. This study examined life satisfaction's prospective association with incident hypertension and stroke in middle-aged adults. Methods: At baseline (1985–1988), 6225 healthy British civil servants aged 35–55 from the Whitehall II cohort completed the validated Satisfaction with Life Scale and provided information regarding sociodemographics, a range of health-related factors, and psychological distress. Incident hypertension was ascertained according to clinic-derived measures of systolic or diastolic blood pressure of ≥140/90 mmHg, respectively, or self-reports of either physician-diagnosed hypertension or hypertensive medication use. Incident stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) were ascertained by self-reported physician diagnosis. Follow-up assessments occurred every 2–5 years through 2017. Cox proportional hazards regression models estimated hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of hypertension and stroke/TIA risk separately. Results: Over a 31-year follow-up, 2703 cases of hypertension and 370 cases of stroke/TIA occurred. Life satisfaction was not related to risk of developing hypertension but was associated with 12% decreased risk of stroke/TIA after controlling for sociodemographics, health status, and health behaviors (HRper 1-SD = 0.88; 95%CI = 0.79–0.98). However, the association was attenuated after adjustment for psychological distress. Conclusions: No robust associations were found between life satisfaction and incident hypertension and stroke/TIA, respectively, after accounting for well-established risk factors and psychological distress. More research is needed to understand why associations of life satisfaction with cardiometabolic health seem to vary across endpoints

Pkd1 transgenic mice: Adult model of polycystic kidney disease with extrarenal and renal phenotypes

While high levels of Pkd1 expression are detected in tissues of patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), it is unclear whether enhanced expression could be a pathogenetic mechanism for this systemic disorder. Three transgenic mouse lines were generated from a Pkd1-BAC modified by introducing a silent tag via homologous recombination to target a sustained wild type genomic Pkd1 expression within the native tissue and temporal regulation. These mice specifically overexpressed the Pkd1 transgene in extrarenal and renal tissues from approximately 2- to 15-fold over Pkd1 endogenous levels in a copy-dependent manner. All transgenic mice reproducibly developed tubular and glomerular cysts leading to renal insufficiency. Interestingly, Pkd1(TAG) mice also exhibited renal fibrosis and calcium deposits in papilla reminiscent of nephrolithiasis as frequently observed in ADPKD. Similar to human ADPKD, these mice consistently displayed hepatic fibrosis and approximately 15% intrahepatic cysts of the bile ducts affecting females preferentially. Moreover, a significant proportion of mice developed cardiac anomalies with severe left ventricular hypertrophy, marked aortic arch distention and/or valvular stenosis and calcification that had profound functional impact. Of significance, Pkd1(TAG) mice displayed occasional cerebral lesions with evidence of ruptured and unruptured cerebral aneurysms. This Pkd1(TAG) mouse model demonstrates that overexpression of wildtype Pkd1 can trigger the typical adult renal and extrarenal phenotypes resembling human ADPKD.This work was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) [MOP-81325 to MT] and a CIHR Frederick Banting and Charles Best studentship to AK and a Fonds de la Recherche en Santé du Québec (FRSQ) studentship to MC

Brillouin light scattering study of Co2_{2}Cr0.6_{0.6}Fe0.4_{0.4}Al and Co2_{2}FeAl Heusler compounds

The thermal magnonic spectra of Co$_{2}$Cr$_{0.6}$Fe$_{0.4}$Al (CCFA) and Co$_2$FeAl were investigated using Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy (BLS). For CCFA, the exchange constant A (exchange stiffness D) is found to be 0.48 $\mu$erg/cm (203 meV A$^2$), while for Co$_2$FeAl the corresponding values of 1.55 $\mu$erg/cm (370 meV A$^2$) were found. The observed asymmetry in the BLS spectra between the Stokes and anti-Stokes frequencies was assigned to an interplay between the asymmetrical profiles of hybridized Damon-Esbach and perpendicular standing spin-wave modes, combined with the optical sensitivity of the BLS signal to the upper side of the CCFA or Co$_2$FeAl film

Assessing regional patterns of juvenile salmon growth in the Salish Sea

Early marine juvenile growth in Pacific salmon is generally positively correlated with overall survival to reproductive age. In this study, regional patterns of juvenile salmon growth are being analyzed over a two-year period (2012-2013) in the Salish Sea and surrounding waters to better assess juvenile productivity, via growth, in the Salish Sea and surrounding waters to provide us insight into possible mechanisms regulating survival. Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), a hormone used to assess instantaneous growth in fishes, including juvenile salmon, was measured in late June and early July of 2012 and 2013 in the Strait of Georgia, Johnstone Strait, Queen Charlotte Strait, and Puget Sound. Juvenile sockeye (Oncorhynchus nerka) and pink salmon (O. gorbuscha) were collected in 2012, whereas juvenile coho (O. kisutch), Chinook (O. tshawytscha), and chum salmon (O. keta) where obtained in both years. In 2012 IGF-1 levels were highest in pink salmon from the Gulf Islands and Puget Sound; this was a unique pattern among the 5 species of juvenile salmon sampled. Coho salmon IGF-1 levels were highest in samples from the Northern Strait of Georgia. Chinook salmon IGF-1 levels were significantly higher in the Strait of Georgia than Puget Sound. The only regions where IGF-1 values were consistently low for three of the four species were Queen Charlotte Strait and Johnstone Strait. Analyses of 2013 IGF-1 levels (juvenile coho, Chinook, chum and a low number of sockeye) are underway and scheduled plans to obtain samples in late June to early July of 2014 are in place

L’IMPLANTATION D’UN NOUVEAU PROGRAMME CADRE EN ÉDUCATION PHYSIQUE ET SANTÉ: L’EXPÉRIENCE DES ENSEIGNANTS EN MILIEUX FRANCOPHONES ONTARIENS

Le but de la présente étude était de mieux comprendre l’expérience des enseignants d’éducation physique impliqués dans la mise en place du nouveau programme cadre « éducation physique et santé », depuis son lancement en septembre 1999. Le modèle de compréhension pour l’amélioration de la classe et de l’école développé par Fullan, Bennett, et Rolheiser‐Bennett (1990) a été utilisé afin de rendre compte de la complexité du processus d’implantation, dans quatre écoles secondaires francophones de l’Ontario. L’ensemble de nos résultats s’apparente aux conclusions d’autres études effectuées au cours de la dernière décennie au Canada et en Angleterre. Il est démontré que des changements essentiels doivent être apportés si les ministères de l’éducation provinciaux souhaitent pouvoir agir efficacement sur l’engagement et l’apprentissage des élèves. Mots‐clés : Réforme curriculaire ; Processus d’implantation ; Éducation physique et santé; expérience des enseignants The purpose of this study was to better understand the experiences of physical education teachers in implementing the new Physical Education and Health curriculum, since its launch in September 1999. The Comprehensive Framework for Classroom and School Improvement, developed by Fullan, Bennett, & Rolheiser‐ Bennett (1990), has been used to present the complex process of implementation in four francophone high schools in eastern Ontario. Results are showing similar conclusions to other studies done in Canada and UK during the last decade. It has been shown that essential changes, not related to teaching, need to be address if provincial ministries of education whish to have an impact on students’ engagement and learning. Key words : educational reform ; implementation process ; physical education and health curriculum ; teacher experience Le but de la présente étude était de mieux comprendre l’expérience des enseignants d’éducation physique impliqués dans la mise en place du nouveau programme cadre « éducation physique et santé », depuis son lancement en septembre 1999. Le modèle de compréhension pour l’amélioration de la classe et de l’école développé par Fullan, Bennett, et Rolheiser‐Bennett (1990) a été utilisé afin de rendre compte de la complexité du processus d’implantation, dans quatre écoles secondaires francophones de l’Ontario. L’ensemble de nos résultats s’apparente aux conclusions d’autres études effectuées au cours de la dernière décennie au Canada et en Angleterre. Il est démontré que des changements essentiels doivent être apportés si les ministères de l’éducation provinciaux souhaitent pouvoir agir efficacement sur l’engagement et l’apprentissage des élèves. Mots‐clés : Réforme curriculaire ; Processus d’implantation ; Éducation physique et santé; expérience des enseignants The purpose of this study was to better understand the experiences of physical education teachers in implementing the new Physical Education and Health curriculum, since its launch in September 1999. The Comprehensive Framework for Classroom and School Improvement, developed by Fullan, Bennett, & Rolheiser‐ Bennett (1990), has been used to present the complex process of implementation in four francophone high schools in eastern Ontario. Results are showing similar conclusions to other studies done in Canada and UK during the last decade. It has been shown that essential changes, not related to teaching, need to be address if provincial ministries of education whish to have an impact on students’ engagement and learning. Key words : educational reform ; implementation process ; physical education and health curriculum ; teacher experience

Causal role of a neural system for separating and selecting multidimensional social cognitive information

People are multi-faceted, typically good at some things but bad at others, and a critical aspect of social judgement is the ability to focus on those traits relevant for the task at hand. However, it remains unknown how the brain supports such context-dependent social judgement. Here, we examine how people represent multidimensional individuals, and how the brain extracts relevant information and filters out irrelevant information when comparing individuals within a specific dimension. Using human fMRI, we identify distinct neural representations in dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) and anterior insula (AI) supporting separation and selection of information for context-dependent social judgement. Causal evaluation using non-invasive brain stimulation shows that AI disruption alters the impact of relevant information on social comparison, whereas dmPFC disruption only affects the impact of irrelevant information. This neural circuit is distinct from the one supporting integration across, as opposed to separation of, different features of a multidimensional cognitive space

A system for exposing molecules and cells to biologically relevant and accurately controlled steady-state concentrations of nitric oxide and oxygen

Nitric oxide (NO) plays key roles in cell signaling and physiology, with diverse functions mediated by NO concentrations varying over three orders-of-magnitude. In spite of this critical concentration dependence, current approaches to NO delivery in vitro result in biologically irrelevant and poorly controlled levels, with hyperoxic conditions imposed by ambient air. To solve these problems, we developed a system for controlled delivery of NO and O[subscript 2] over large concentration ranges to mimic biological conditions. Here we describe the fabrication, operation and calibration of the delivery system. We then describe applications for delivery of NO and O[subscript 2] into cell culture media, with a comparison of experimental results and predictions from mass transfer models that predict the steady-state levels of various NO-derived reactive species. We also determined that components of culture media do not affect the steady-state levels of NO or O[subscript 2] in the device. This system provides critical control of NO delivery for in vitro models of NO biology and chemistry.National Cancer Institute (U.S.) (CA026731)National Cancer Institute (U.S.) (CA116318)National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (ES002109