Undergraduate Students’ Perceptions of their “Learner Journey” at the University of Worcester and Library Services’ Role in this Journey

The research enquired into undergraduate students’ perception of their “learner journey” through the course of their degree, and considers the role they believe Library Services has, will, or should play in this. As librarians become increasingly teaching focused, and information literacy becomes more crucial to employability, it is important to understand how students perceive their learner journey to ensure information literacy instruction aligns with their need for library input both in terms of content and timing. The research is a qualitative study employing focus groups and a one-to-one interview. Five undergraduate students took part in the research, representing levels four to six of study, and five of the University’s seven academic institutes. Drawing on the principles of grounded theory, the data was analysed thematically and by means of constant comparative analysis. Five principal themes were identified: transition to, and preparedness for, university, progression, personal responsibility and engagement, employability, and communication. A narrative interpretation of the research contextualises these responses with regards to the literature and the current higher education environment. The literature suggests that whilst there is a body of research around librarians’ support of students’ information literacy development, little prior work has been done specifically on the learner journey. Additionally, what is available either relates primarily to Further Education or approaches the journey in terms of the route taken into study rather than the skills attained once at university. This research addresses this gap in existing research, and concludes that whilst further work remains, it is clear that students do see a role for librarians in their conceptualisation of their learner journeys, and that in the realisation of these journeys Library Services has generally played a positive and supportive role. It is recommended that further cycles of research be carried out, and that Library Services continues its programme of engagement, outreach, and support

Experiences and Perceptions of Women Strength and Conditioning Coaches: A Scoping Review

Women continue to be underrepresented and underserved in the field of strength and conditioning (S&C), yet scholarly work examining the experiences and perceptions of women S&C coaches is limited. Thus, the purpose of this study was to conduct a scoping review of the existing literature on women S&C coaches to identify current trends as well as knowledge gaps. Four electronic databases (SPORTDiscus, PsycINFO, MEDLINE, and Academic Search Complete) were searched up to July 30, 2021. The initial search yielded 164 unique English-language papers, reviews, and book chapters. All in all, seven peer-reviewed articles were included, and data from these studies were charted. Each article offers insight into women’s experiences within the S&C industry, which are significantly different to their male counterparts. Based on our review of the findings, we recommend S&C coaches to participate in coach education programs and more women to be actively involved in the recruitment and hiring of S&C staff. While such findings are relevant, they have not fully explored the complexity of gender dynamics in S&C. Moreover, these recommendations will have limited long-term, sector-wide impact unless necessary policies are also implemented to help eradicate structure-level gender bias within the culture of S&

The Influence of Surface Topography and Wettability on Escherichia coli Removal from Polymeric Materials in the Presence of a Blood Conditioning Film

The reduction of biofouling and the reduction of cross-contamination in the food industry are important aspects of safety management systems. Polymeric surfaces are used extensively throughout the food production industry and therefore ensuring that effective cleaning regimes are conducted is vital. Throughout this study, the influence of the surface characteristics of three different polymeric surfaces, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), on the removal of Escherichia coli using a wipe clean method utilising 3% sodium hypochlorite was determined. The PTFE surfaces were the roughest and demonstrated the least wettable surface (118.8°), followed by the PMMA (75.2°) and PET surfaces (53.9°). Following cleaning with a 3% sodium hypochlorite solution, bacteria were completely removed from the PTFE surfaces, whilst the PMMA and PET surfaces still had high numbers of bacteria recovered (1.2 × 107 CFU/mL and 6.3 × 107 CFU/mL, respectively). When bacterial suspensions were applied to the surfaces in the presence of a blood conditioning film, cleaning with sodium hypochlorite demonstrated that no bacteria were recovered from the PMMA surface. However, on both the PTFE and PET surfaces, bacteria were recovered at lower concentrations (2.0 × 102 CFU/mL and 1.3 × 103 CFU/mL, respectively). ATP bioluminescence results demonstrated significantly different ATP concentrations on the surfaces when soiled (PTFE: 132 relative light units (RLU), PMMA: 80 RLU and PET: 99 RLU). Following cleaning, both in the presence and absence of a blood conditioning film, all the surfaces were considered clean, producing ATP concentrations in the range of 0–2 RLU. The results generated in this study demonstrated that the presence of a blood conditioning film significantly altered the removal of bacteria from the polymeric surfaces following a standard cleaning regime. Conditioning films which represent the environment where the surface is intended to be used should be a vital part of the test regime to ensure an effective disinfection process

Detection of OH absorption against PSR B1849+00

We have searched for OH absorption against seven pulsars using the Arecibo telescope. In both OH mainlines (at 1665 and 1667 MHz), deep and narrow absorption features were detected toward PSR B1849+00. In addition, we have detected several absorption and emission features against B33.6+0.1, a nearby supernova remnant (SNR). The most interesting result of this study is that a pencil-sharp absorption sample against the PSR differs greatly from the large-angle absorption sample observed against the SNR. If both the PSR and the SNR probe the same molecular cloud then this finding has important implications for absorption studies of the molecular medium, as it shows that the statistics of absorbing OH depends on the size of the background source. We also show that the OH absorption against the PSR most likely originates from a small (<30 arcsec) and dense (>10^5 cm^-3) molecular clump.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap

Inefficacy of ivermectin and moxidectin treatments against <i>Dictyocaulus viviparus</i> in dairy calves

Background: The bovine lungworm Dictyocaulus viviparus negatively impacts bovine health and leads to substantial economic losses. Lungworm infections can be difficult to manage due to the unpredictable and severe nature of clinical outbreaks. Despite the widespread use of macrocyclic lactones (MLs) in grazing cattle in the UK, there have been no confirmed reports of resistant lungworms to date, with only one case of anthelmintic-resistant (ML) lungworm confirmed worldwide. Methods: Lungworm Baermann filtrations were conducted on first-season grazing dairy calves as part of a wider study investigating anthelmintic resistance in gastrointestinal nematodes in Scotland using the faecal egg count reduction test. Results: Clinical signs and significant numbers of lungworm larvae in faeces were observed after treatment with either ivermectin or moxidectin. Limitations There are no established guidelines for the diagnosis of resistant lungworms in the field. Currently, resistance can only be diagnosed after a controlled efficacy test has been conducted. This limits the conclusions that can be drawn; however, they are highly suggestive of resistance. Conclusion: This short report describes the inefficacy of ivermectin and moxidectin against D. viviparus and is highly suggestive of ML resistance

Infrared Dark Clouds in the Small Magellanic Cloud?

We have applied the unsharp-masking technique to the 24 $\mu$m image of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), obtained with the Spitzer Space Telescope, to search for high-extinction regions. This technique has been used to locate very dense and cold interstellar clouds in the Galaxy, particularly infrared dark clouds (IRDCs). Fifty five candidate regions of high-extinction, namely high-contrast regions (HCRs), have been identified from the generated decremental contrast image of the SMC. Most HCRs are located in the southern bar region and mainly distributed in the outskirts of CO clouds, but most likely contain a significant amount of H2. HCRs have a peak-contrast at 24 $\mu$m of 2 - 2.5 % and a size of 8 - 14 pc. This corresponds to the size of typical and large Galactic IRDCs, but Galactic IRDCs are 2 - 3 times darker at 24 $\mu$m than our HCRs. To constrain the physical properties of the HCRs, we have performed NH3, N2H+, HNC, HCO+, and HCN observations toward one of the HCRs, HCR LIRS36-EAST, using the Australia Telescope Compact Array and the Mopra single-dish radio telescope. We did not detect any molecular line emission, however, our upper limits to the column densities of molecular species suggest that HCRs are most likely moderately dense with n ~ 10^{3} cm-3. This volume density is in agreement with predictions for the cool atomic phase in low metallicity environments. We suggest that HCRs may be tracing clouds at the transition from atomic to molecule-dominated medium, and could be a powerful way to study early stages of gas condensation in low metallicity galaxies. Alternatively, if made up of dense molecular clumps < 0.5 pc in size, HCRs could be counterparts of Galactic IRDCs, and/or regions with highly unusual abundance of very small dust grains.Comment: accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journa

The Milky Way Bulge extra-tidal star survey: BH 261 (AL 3)

The Milky Way Bulge extra-tidal star survey (MWBest) is a spectroscopic survey with the goal of identifying stripped globular cluster stars from inner Galaxy clusters. In this way, an indication of the fraction of metal-poor bulge stars that originated from globular clusters can be determined. We observed and analyzed stars in and around BH 261, an understudied globular cluster in the bulge. From seven giants within the tidal radius of the cluster, we measured an average heliocentric radial velocity of = -61 +- 2.6 km/s with a radial velocity dispersion of \sigma = 6.1 +- 1.9 km/s. The large velocity dispersion may have arisen from tidal heating in the cluster's orbit about the Galactic center, or because BH 261 has a high dynamical mass as well as a high mass-to-light ratio. From spectra of five giants, we measure an average metallicity of = -1.1 +- 0.2 dex. We also spectroscopically confirm an RR Lyrae star in BH 261, which yields a distance to the cluster of 7.1 +- 0.4~kpc. Stars with 3D velocities and metallicities consistent with BH 261 reaching to ~0.5 degrees from the cluster are identified. A handful of these stars are also consistent with the spatial distribution of that potential debris from models focussing on the most recent disruption of the cluster.Comment: accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journa