Transfer Shock

Transfer students have gained the attention of higher education administrators and policy-makers because of the high level of transfer activity (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2011). The phenomenon known as transfer shock is the overall integration difficulty transfer students face (Hills, 1965). This study examined Ball State University (BSU) transfer students in their first year and how to predict posttransfer GPA and 6-year graduation based on previous institution cumulative GPA, age, sex, previous institution type, and BSU college. Regression analyses were used to make predictive models for posttransfer GPA and 6-year graduation. The sample consisted of 1,857 entering transfer students. Previous institution cumulative GPA averaged 2.994, while the average posttransfer GPA was 1.681. Nearly 60% of the sample achieved 6-year graduation. Each model found most of the observed variables to be statistically significant predictors. When applied to the data, the 6-year graduation prediction model correctly predicted 6-year graduation 79.6% of the time

Community infrastructure and repository for marine magnetic identifications

Magnetic anomaly identifications underpin plate tectonic reconstructions and form the primary data set from which the age of the oceanic lithosphere and seafloor spreading regimes in the ocean basins can be determined. Although these identifications are an invaluable resource, their usefulness to the wider scientific community has been limited due to the lack of a central community infrastructure to organize, host, and update these interpretations. We have developed an open-source, community-driven online infrastructure as a repository for quality-checked magnetic anomaly identifications from all ocean basins. We provide a global sample data set that comprises 96,733 individually picked magnetic anomaly identifications organized by ocean basin and publication reference, and provide accompanying Hellingerformat files, where available. Our infrastructure is designed to facilitate research in plate tectonic reconstructions or research that relies on an assessment of plate reconstructions, for both experts and nonexperts alike. To further enhance the existing repository and strengthen its value, we encourage others in the community to contribute to this effort

Follow‐Up Survey on Functionality of Nutrition Documentation and Ordering Nutrition Therapy in Currently Available Electronic Health Record Systems

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141915/1/ncp0401.pd

The Possible Role of Placental Morphometry in the Detection of Fetal Growth Restriction

Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is often the result of placental insufficiency and is characterized by insufficient transplacental transport of nutrients and oxygen. The main underlying entities of placental insufficiency, the pathophysiologic mechanism, can broadly be divided into impairments in blood flow and exchange capacity over the syncytiovascular membranes of the fetal placenta villi. Fetal growth restriction is not synonymous with small for gestational age and techniques to distinguish between both are needed. Placental insufficiency has significant associations with adverse pregnancy outcomes (perinatal mortality and morbidity). Even in apparently healthy survivors, altered fetal programming may lead to long-term neurodevelopmental and metabolic effects. Although the concept of fetal growth restriction is well appreciated in contemporary obstetrics, the appropriate detection of FGR remains an issue in clinical practice. Several approaches have aimed to improve detection, e.g., uniform definition of FGR, use of Doppler ultrasound profiles and use of growth trajectories by ultrasound fetal biometry. However, the role of placental morphometry (placental dimensions/shape and weight) deserves further exploration. This review article covers the clinical relevance of placental morphometry during pregnancy and at birth to help recognize fetuses who are growth restricted. The assessment has wide intra- and interindividual variability with various consequences. Previous studies have shown that a small placental surface area and low placental weight are associated with a slower growth of the fetus. Parameters such as placental surface area, placental volume and placental weight in relation to birth weight can help to identify FGR. In the future, a model including sophisticated antenatal placental morphometry may prove to be a clinically useful method for screening or diagnosing growth restricted fetuses, in order to provide optimal monitoring

A functional genomic and proteomic perspective of sea urchin calcium signaling and egg activation

AbstractThe sea urchin egg has a rich history of contributions to our understanding of fundamental questions of egg activation at fertilization. Within seconds of sperm–egg interaction, calcium is released from the egg endoplasmic reticulum, launching the zygote into the mitotic cell cycle and the developmental program. The sequence of the Strongylocentrotus purpuratus genome offers unique opportunities to apply functional genomic and proteomic approaches to investigate the repertoire and regulation of Ca2+ signaling and homeostasis modules present in the egg and zygote. The sea urchin “calcium toolkit” as predicted by the genome is described. Emphasis is on the Ca2+ signaling modules operating during egg activation, but the Ca2+ signaling repertoire has ramifications for later developmental events and adult physiology as well. Presented here are the mechanisms that control the initial release of Ca2+ at fertilization and additional signaling components predicted by the genome and found to be expressed and operating in eggs at fertilization. The initial release of Ca2+ serves to coordinate egg activation, which is largely a phenomenon of post-translational modifications, especially dynamic protein phosphorylation. Functional proteomics can now be used to identify the phosphoproteome in general and specific kinase targets in particular. This approach is described along with findings to date. Key outstanding questions regarding the activation of the developmental program are framed in the context of what has been learned from the genome and how this knowledge can be applied to functional studies

Microbial interaction with terrestrial and extraterrestrial rocks on the International Space Station

As space agencies plan to expand human presence in space and to settle on the Moon first and Mars later, developing strategies to achieve this goal in a sustainable way is necessary. These include in situ resource utilization (ISRU) and recovering of materials by waste recycling (1). Microbe based technologies may be pivotal to the success of human space exploration. Potential roles of microorganisms in space include manufacturing, as building blocks of ecosystems, in waste recycling and in biomining (2). Understanding microbial response to space conditions is therefore essential to harness their potential. [...

No Effect of Microgravity and Simulated Mars Gravity on Final Bacterial Cell Concentrations on the International Space Station: Applications to Space Bioproduction

Microorganisms perform countless tasks on Earth and they are expected to be essential for human space exploration. Despite the interest in the responses of bacteria to space conditions, the findings on the effects of microgravity have been contradictory, while the effects of Martian gravity are nearly unknown. We performed the ESA BioRock experiment on the International Space Station to study microbe-mineral interactions in microgravity, simulated Mars gravity and simulated Earth gravity, as well as in ground gravity controls, with three bacterial species: Sphingomonas desiccabilis, Bacillus subtilis, and Cupriavidus metallidurans. To our knowledge, this was the first experiment to study simulated Martian gravity on bacteria using a space platform. Here, we tested the hypothesis that different gravity regimens can influence the final cell concentrations achieved after a multi-week period in space. Despite the different sedimentation rates predicted, we found no significant differences in final cell counts and optical densities between the three gravity regimens on the ISS. This suggests that possible gravityrelated effects on bacterial growth were overcome by the end of the experiment. The results indicate that microbial-supported bioproduction and life support systems can be effectively performed in space (e.g., Mars), as on Earth

Neural and behavioral traces of error awareness

Monitoring for errors and behavioral adjustments after errors are essential for daily life. A question that has not been addressed systematically yet, is whether consciously perceived errors lead to different behavioral adjustments compared to unperceived errors. Our goal was to develop a task that would enable us to study different commonly observed neural correlates of error processing and post-error adjustments in their relation to error awareness and accuracy confidence in a single experiment. We assessed performance in a new number judgement error awareness task in 70 participants. We used multiple, robust, single-trial EEG regressions to investigate the link between neural correlates of error processing (e.g., error-related negativity (ERN) and error positivity (Pe)) and error awareness. We found that only aware errors had a slowing effect on reaction times in consecutive trials, but this slowing was not accompanied by post-error increases in accuracy. On a neural level, error awareness and confidence had a modulating effect on both the ERN and Pe, whereby the Pe was most predictive of participants’ error awareness. Additionally, we found partial support for a mediating role of error awareness on the coupling between the ERN and behavioral adjustments in the following trial. Our results corroborate previous findings that show both an ERN/Pe and a post-error behavioral adaptation modulation by error awareness. This suggests that conscious error perception can support meta-control processes balancing the recruitment of proactive and reactive control. Furthermore, this study strengthens the role of the Pe as a robust neural index of error awareness