Transitions to tertiary education: Measuring and minimising inequality between private and public school students in a university outreach program

Much of the literature concerned with evaluating public and private schooling focuses upon year 12 examination results. Investigating the transition to university, some studies have compared these results with first-year university marks. Very few researchers, however, have looked beyond students’ marks. This paper examines how “school type” affects student performance, participation, and experience in a university outreach program – SmARTS. SmARTS is run through The University of Western Australia’s (UWA) Faculty of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (FAHSS). It engages year 11 students in a six-month research project, facilitated by the use of both e-learning and more traditional face-to-face methods. This paper is based on research that evaluated the 2009, 2010, and 2011 programs. The methods employed include analyses of student completion rates and results, as well as 198 student surveys, ten school coordinator surveys, and three group interviews with tutors. Based on schools’ socio-economic backgrounds, fees, and examination results, we have divided schools into four types: top-tier private, second-tier private, top-tier public, and second-tier public. Our findings suggest that top-tier private and top-tier public school students have the highest levels of participation, the lowest drop-out rates, and gain the highest results in SmARTS, while the opposite is evident for second-tier public school students. We also found, however, that second-tier public school students reported to have gained more generic skills from the program than did other groups. Our findings suggest that analysing examination results provides only a limited picture of how students experience the transition to university. We argue that through research and practice such as ours, inequalities can be more accurately measured, and thus minimised, before students enter university

Microarray-based identification of Pitx3 targets during Xenopus embryogenesis

Background: Unexpected phenotypes resulting from morpholino-mediated translational knockdown of Pitx3 in Xenopus laevis required further investigation regarding the genetic networks in which the gene might play a role. Microarray analysis was, therefore, used to assess global transcriptional changes downstream of Pitx3. Results: From the large data set generated, selected candidate genes were confirmed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and in situ hybridization. Conclusions: We have identified four genes as likely direct targets of Pitx3 action: Pax6, beta Crystallin-b1 (Crybb1), Hes7.1, and Hes4. Four others show equivocal promise worthy of consideration: Vent2, and Ripply2 (aka Ledgerline or Stripy), eFGF and RXRa. We also describe the expression pattern of additional and novel genes that are Pitx3-sensitive but that are unlikely to be direct targets

Using Intervention Mapping to Develop an Efficacious Multicomponent Systems-Based Intervention to Increase Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination in a Large Urban Pediatric Clinic Network

Background: The CDC recommends HPV vaccine for all adolescents to prevent cervical, anal, oropharyngeal, vaginal, vulvar, and penile cancers, and genital warts. HPV vaccine rates currently fall short of national vaccination goals. Despite evidence-based strategies with demonstrated efficacy to increase HPV vaccination rates, adoption and implementation of these strategies within clinics is lacking. The Adolescent Vaccination Program (AVP) is a multicomponent systems-based intervention designed to implement five evidence-based strategies within primary care pediatric practices. The AVP has demonstrated efficacy in increasing HPV vaccine initiation and completion among adolescents 10-17 years of age. The purpose of this paper is to describe the application of Intervention Mapping (IM) toward the development, implementation, and formative evaluation of the clinic-based AVP prototype. Methods: Intervention Mapping (IM) guided the development of the Adolescent Vaccination Program (AVP). Deliverables comprised: a logic model of the problem (IM Step 1); matrices of behavior change objectives (IM Step 2); a program planning document comprising scope, sequence, theory-based methods, and practical strategies (IM Step 3); functional AVP component prototypes (IM Step 4); and plans for implementation (IM Step 5) and evaluation (IM Step 6). Results: The AVP consists of six evidence-based strategies implemented in a successful sequenced roll-out that (1) established immunization champions in each clinic, (2) disseminated provider assessment and feedback reports with data-informed vaccination goals, (3) provided continued medical and nursing education (with ethics credit) on HPV, HPV vaccination, message bundling, and responding to parent hesitancy, (4) electronic health record cues to providers on patient eligibility, and (5) patient reminders for HPV vaccine initiation and completion. Conclusions: IM provided a logical and systematic approach to developing and evaluating a multicomponent systems-based intervention to increase HPV vaccination rates among adolescents in pediatric clinics

Biconformal supergravity and the AdS/CFT conjecture

Biconformal supergravity models provide a new gauging of the superconformal group relevant to the Maldacena conjecture. Using the group quotient method to biconformally gauge SU(2,2|N), we generate a 16-dim superspace. We write the most general even- and odd-parity actions linear in the curvatures, the bosonic sector of which is known to descend to general relativity on a 4-dim manifold.Comment: 35 pages, adjusted group nomenclature, 1 reference and acknowledgements adde

An Inventory of Problems–29 (IOP–29) study investigating feigned schizophrenia and random responding in a British community sample

Compared to other Western countries, malingering research is still relatively scarce in the United Kingdom, partly because only a few brief and easy-to-use symptom validity tests (SVTs) have been validated for use with British test-takers. This online study examined the validity of the Inventory of Problems–29 (IOP–29) in detecting feigned schizophrenia and random responding in 151 British volunteers. Each participant took three IOP–29 test administrations: (a) responding honestly; (b) pretending to suffer from schizophrenia; and (c) responding at random. Additionally, they also responded to a schizotypy measure (OLIFE) under standard instruction. The IOP–29’s feigning scale (FDS) showed excellent validity in discriminating honest responding from feigned schizophrenia (AUC ¼ .99), and its classification accuracy was not significantly affected by the presence of schizotypal traits. Additionally, a recently introduced IOP–29 scale aimed at detecting random responding (RRS) demonstrated very promising results

The clinical profile of tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) in the United Kingdom: A retrospective cohort study in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD)

AbstractBackgroundTuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) is a multi-system genetic disorder characterised by the development of benign growths and diverse clinical manifestations, varying in severity, age at onset and with high clinical burden.AimsThis longitudinal study aims to describe the broad spectrum of clinical manifestation profiles in a large, representative cohort of TSC patients in the UK in order to better understand disease complexity.MethodsTSC patients in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) and linked Hospital Episodes Statistics (CPRD-HES) were retrospectively identified between 1987 and 2013. Available history was extracted for each patient and clinical diagnosis, procedure and medication records reviewed. A random selection of patients from the CPRD-HES was used as a Comparator cohort.ResultsThree hundred and thirty-four TSC patients with a mean (SD) age of 30.3 (18.6) years were identified (53% female). TSC was diagnosed at mean age 3.2 (4.2) years. Epilepsy and psychiatric manifestations were reported frequently in paediatric (77% and 55%, respectively) and adult patients (66% and 68%, respectively). The prevalence of manifestations in the TSC cohort was markedly higher versus the Comparator cohort. The majority of paediatric (46%) and adult TSC patients (62%) developed clinical manifestations affecting at least three organ systems and forty-nine distinctive organ system manifestation profiles were identified.ConclusionsTSC patients present with multiple and complex clinical manifestations and profiles that necessitate the co-ordinated action of a multidisciplinary team in order to improve the quality and efficiency of care

Increasing HPV Vaccination in a Network of Pediatric Clinics using a Multi-component Approach

Background: Despite continued public health efforts to increase human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among adolescents, initiation remains below the level needed to reach the Healthy People 2020 goal of 80% series completion by age 13. Methods: We developed, implemented, and evaluated a multi-component program that used evidence-based strategies to increase HPV vaccine initiation in a network of 51 pediatric clinics in Houston, Texas. Our target populations were the clinic network, healthcare providers, male and female patients ages 11-17, and their parents. The program, called the Adolescent Vaccination Program (AVP), was conducted from March 2016 through March 2019 and contained strategies to increase vaccination including: HPV immunization champions; provider assessment and feedback; provider continuing education; provider reminders; and patient reminders. We used a single group pre/post design with an external comparison – NIS-Teen. Our primary outcome was initiation of the HPV vaccine based on the electronic health record. We used interrupted time series analysis (ITSA) to measure change in initiation over time. We calculated monthly, quarterly, and annual rates of initiation for each physician, clinic, and the network. We examined patterns of initiation by patient age, sex, race/ethnicity, and type of insurance. Results: By the end of the project, the 51 clinics averaged 77.4% initiation. Rates increased annually from September 2015 through March 2019. ITSA analysis over 75 months showed an increase in vaccine initiation of 0.396% per month from the introduction of the program in March 2016. Average individual clinic improvement was 0.37% per month ranging from -0.04% to 0.68% through March 2019. Data for the 11-12 year olds, the target age group for initiating the vaccine, showed a greater percentage increase (54.2%) compared with the 13-17 year olds (29.6%). Hispanics and African Americans had the highest initiation rates in all years while non-Hispanic whites had the lowest. Families without insurance had the lowest rates while those with Medicaid/Medicare had the highest. Conclusions: We observed a secular trend upward in both the network and NIS-Teen data; however, the network showed a steeper increase. The AVP is a promising program of strategies to increase HPV vaccination in a clinic setting

Parsec-scale Properties of Brightest Cluster Galaxies

We present new VLBI observations at 5 GHz of a complete sample of Brightest Cluster Galaxies (BCGs) in nearby Abell Clusters (distance class <3). Combined with data from the literature, this provides parsec-scale information for 34 BCGs. Our analysis of their parsec scale radio emission and cluster X-ray properties shows a possible dichotomy between BCGs in cool core clusters and those in non cool core clusters. Among resolved sources, those in cool core clusters tend to have two-sided parsec-scale jets, while those in less relaxed clusters have predominantly one-sided parsec-scale jets. We suggest that this difference could be the result of interplay between the jets and the surrounding medium. The one-sided structure in non cool core clusters could be due to Doppler boosting effects in relativistic, intrinsically symmetric jets; two-sided morphology in cool core clusters is likely related to the presence of heavy and mildly relativistic jets slowed down on the parsec-scale. Evidence of recurrent activity are also found in BCGs in cool core clusters.Comment: 20 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in A&

The Enigmatic Young Object: Walker 90/V590 Monocerotis

We assess the evolutionary status of the intriguing object Walker 90/V590 Mon, which is located about 20 arcminutes northwest of the Cone Nebula near the center of the open cluster NGC 2264. This object, according to its most recent optical spectral type determination (B7), which we confirmed, is at least 3 magnitudes too faint in V for the cluster distance, but it shows the classical signs of a young pre-main sequence object, such as highly variable Halpha emission, Mg II emission, IR excess, UV continuum, and optical variability. We analyzed a collection of archival and original data on Walker 90, covering 45 years including photometry, imaging, and spectroscopic data ranging from ultraviolet to near-infrared wavelengths. According to star formation processes, it is expected that, as this object clears its primordial surroundings, it should become optically brighter, show a weakening of its IR excess and present decreasing line emissions. This behavior is supported by our observations and analysis, but timescales are expected to be longer than the one observed here. Based on photometric data secured in 2007, we find Walker 90 at its brightest recorded optical magnitude. We document an evolution in spectral type over the past five decades (from A2/A3 to currently B7 and as early as B4), along with a decrease in the near-infrared K fluxes. From near-infrared images secured in 2004, Walker 90 appears as a point source placing an upper limit of 0.1 arcsec for its diameter. We conclude that many observational features are explained if W90 is a flared disk system, surrounded by an inclined optically thick accretion disk.Comment: 13 pages, 19 figure