A Case Study on the Efficacy of STEM Pedagogy in Central New York State: Examining STEM Engagement Gaps Affecting Outcomes for High School Seniors and Post-2007 Educational Leadership Interventions to Reinforce STEM Persistence with Implications of STEM Theoretic Frameworks on Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning

STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) has gained significant notoriety and momentum in recent years. STEM literacy highlights the vital connection between an educated STEM workforce and U.S. national prosperity and leadership. STEM educational and job placement goals have been a national priority for over the past 20 years. However, the STEM gap is widening—contributing to increasing STEM pipeline leakage and the social injustice milieu of a noncompetitive workforce— undermining efforts to create prosperity and sustain global leadership. The pace of STEM jobs filled lags the rate of technological advancement and the surges in skilled STEM labor demand. The aggregate disparity over time has troubling implications. The purpose of the study was to examine the STEM gap touchpoints for a Central New York high school during the transition period upon entering college or the workforce. A qualitative case study used Lesh’s translation model as a research framework. A semi-structured, focus group protocol was employed to gain a fresh perspective on the STEM gap problem and identify purposeful interventions. A major finding was the slow pace of adopting institutional reforms that replaces standardscompetency-based learning with progressive application- and outcome-based pedagogy. The study has implications for school districts, secondary schools, and higher education teacher preparedness programs in STEM pedagogy and curriculum development. A knowledge-based, progressive STEM theoretic framework with pedagogical scaffolding is conceptualized rooted in artificial intelligence and machine learning. The study presents recommendations for school districts, secondary education teachers, state education and legislative leaders, higher education institutions, and future research

Lower Extremity Proprioception and Physical Performance Testing: A Correlation Study

Proprioception is a function of the somatosensory system which has implications for activities of daily living, athletic endeavors, and risk of injury. It has been suggested that athletes who sustain injuries may have decreased proprioception and a corresponding increase in the risk of re-injury. Interventions for injury prevention and/or recovery may include, but are not limited to, emphasis on proprioceptive ability via joint position awareness. The purpose of this investigation was to determine if a correlation exists between proprioceptive ability and other components of physical performance such as lower body muscular power and change of direction. It was hypothesized that significant correlations would exist. Participants included 7 males and 2 females (age 15 ± 2 yrs., height 1.51 ± .15 m, mass 68.2 ± 17.14 kg) who did not have a lower extremity injury or surgery within 6 months of this investigation. Proprioceptive testing included the Stork Standing test (SST) and ankle Joint Position Sense (JPS). Lower extremity proprioceptive testing was performed unilaterally in both eyes closed and open conditions. Lower body muscular power and change of direction were assessed via the vertical jump (VJ), one step vertical jump (1VJ), standing long jump (SLJ), 9.14 m (10-yard) dash, and pro agility (PA). Associations were determined via a Pearson Product Moment Correlation and the criterion alpha was set a priori at p ≤ 0.05. Significant correlations were observed between SST with eyes closed on the non-dominant leg and both VJ (r = -0.82) and 1VJ (r =-0.82). In addition, a significant correlation was observed between SST with eyes closed on the dominant leg and the 9.14 m dash (r = -0.90). The results of our investigation suggest a link between proprioception and lower body muscular power. Additional investigations should examine the causal relationships between these variables to attempt to determine the efficacy of interventions designed to improve one or more of the aforementioned characteristics as well as any potential influence on injury risk

Micro-CT screening of old shell collections helps to understand the distribution of viviparity in the highly diversifed clausiliid clade of land snails

Current zoological research may benefit in many ways from the study of old collections of shells. These collections may provide materials for the verification of broad zoogeographical and ecological hypotheses on the reproduction of molluscs, as they include records from many areas where sampling is currently impossible or very difficult due to political circumstances. In the present paper we present data on viviparous and embryo-retention reproductive modes in clausiliid land snails (subfamily Phaedusinae) acquired from specimens collected since the nineteenth century in the Pontic, Hyrcanian, and East and Southeast Asian regions. X-ray imaging (micro-CT) enabled relatively quick screening of more than 1,000 individuals classified within 141 taxa, among which we discovered 205 shells containing embryos or eggs. Gravid individuals were found to belong to 55 species, representing, for some of these species, the first indication of brooding reproductive strategy

Comparison of dynamic monitoring strategies based on CD4 cell counts in virally suppressed, HIV-positive individuals on combination antiretroviral therapy in high-income countries: a prospective, observational study

BACKGROUND: Clinical guidelines vary with respect to the optimal monitoring frequency of HIV-positive individuals. We compared dynamic monitoring strategies based on time-varying CD4 cell counts in virologically suppressed HIV-positive individuals. METHODS: In this observational study, we used data from prospective studies of HIV-positive individuals in Europe (France, Greece, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK) and North and South America (Brazil, Canada, and the USA) in The HIV-CAUSAL Collaboration and The Centers for AIDS Research Network of Integrated Clinical Systems. We compared three monitoring strategies that differ in the threshold used to measure CD4 cell count and HIV RNA viral load every 3–6 months (when below the threshold) or every 9–12 months (when above the threshold). The strategies were defined by the threshold CD4 counts of 200 cells per μL, 350 cells per μL, and 500 cells per μL. Using inverse probability weighting to adjust for baseline and time-varying confounders, we estimated hazard ratios (HRs) of death and of AIDS-defining illness or death, risk ratios of virological failure, and mean differences in CD4 cell count. FINDINGS: 47 635 individuals initiated an antiretroviral therapy regimen between Jan 1, 2000, and Jan 9, 2015, and met the eligibility criteria for inclusion in our study. During follow-up, CD4 cell count was measured on average every 4·0 months and viral load every 3·8 months. 464 individuals died (107 in threshold 200 strategy, 157 in threshold 350, and 200 in threshold 500) and 1091 had AIDS-defining illnesses or died (267 in threshold 200 strategy, 365 in threshold 350, and 459 in threshold 500). Compared with threshold 500, the mortality HR was 1·05 (95% CI 0·86–1·29) for threshold 200 and 1·02 (0·91·1·14) for threshold 350. Corresponding estimates for death or AIDS-defining illness were 1·08 (0·95–1·22) for threshold 200 and 1·03 (0·96–1·12) for threshold 350. Compared with threshold 500, the 24 month risk ratios of virological failure (viral load more than 200 copies per mL) were 2·01 (1·17–3·43) for threshold 200 and 1·24 (0·89–1·73) for threshold 350, and 24 month mean CD4 cell count differences were 0·4 (−25·5 to 26·3) cells per μL for threshold 200 and −3·5 (−16·0 to 8·9) cells per μL for threshold 350. INTERPRETATION: Decreasing monitoring to annually when CD4 count is higher than 200 cells per μL compared with higher than 500 cells per μL does not worsen the short-term clinical and immunological outcomes of virally suppressed HIV-positive individuals. However, more frequent virological monitoring might be necessary to reduce the risk of virological failure. Further follow-up studies are needed to establish the long-term safety of these strategies. FUNDING National Institutes of Health

The dynamic geophysical environment of (101955) Bennu based on OSIRIS-REx measurements

The top-shaped morphology characteristic of asteroid (101955) Bennu, often found among fast-spinning asteroids and binary asteroid primaries, may have contributed substantially to binary asteroid formation. Yet a detailed geophysical analysis of this morphology for a fast-spinning asteroid has not been possible prior to the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission. Combining the measured Bennu mass and shape obtained during the Preliminary Survey phase of the OSIRIS-REx mission, we find a notable transition in Bennu’s surface slopes within its rotational Roche lobe, defined as the region where material is energetically trapped to the surface. As the intersection of the rotational Roche lobe with Bennu’s surface has been most recently migrating towards its equator (given Bennu’s increasing spin rate), we infer that Bennu’s surface slopes have been changing across its surface within the last million years. We also find evidence for substantial density heterogeneity within this body, suggesting that its interior is a mixture of voids and boulders. The presence of such heterogeneity and Bennu’s top shape are consistent with spin-induced failure at some point in its past, although the manner of its failure cannot yet be determined. Future measurements by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will provide insight into and may resolve questions regarding the formation and evolution of Bennu’s top-shape morphology and its link to the formation of binary asteroids

Evidence for widespread hydrated minerals on asteroid (101955) Bennu

Early spectral data from the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission reveal evidence for abundant hydrated minerals on the surface of near-Earth asteroid (101955) Bennu in the form of a near-infrared absorption near 2.7 µm and thermal infrared spectral features that are most similar to those of aqueously altered CM-type carbonaceous chondrites. We observe these spectral features across the surface of Bennu, and there is no evidence of substantial rotational variability at the spatial scales of tens to hundreds of metres observed to date. In the visible and near-infrared (0.4 to 2.4 µm) Bennu’s spectrum appears featureless and with a blue (negative) slope, confirming previous ground-based observations. Bennu may represent a class of objects that could have brought volatiles and organic chemistry to Earth

A Case Study on the Efficacy of STEM Pedagogy in Central New York State: Examining STEM Engagement Gaps Affecting Outcomes for High School Seniors and Post-2007 Educational Leadership Interventions to Reinforce STEM Persistence with Implications of STEM Theoretic Frameworks on Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning

STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) has gained significant notoriety and momentum in recent years. STEM literacy highlights the vital connection between an educated STEM workforce and U.S. national prosperity and leadership. STEM educational and job placement goals have been a national priority for over the past 20 years. However, the STEM gap is widening—contributing to increasing STEM pipeline leakage and the social injustice milieu of a noncompetitive workforce— undermining efforts to create prosperity and sustain global leadership. The pace of STEM jobs filled lags the rate of technological advancement and the surges in skilled STEM labor demand. The aggregate disparity over time has troubling implications. The purpose of the study was to examine the STEM gap touchpoints for a Central New York high school during the transition period upon entering college or the workforce. A qualitative case study used Lesh’s translation model as a research framework. A semi-structured, focus group protocol was employed to gain a fresh perspective on the STEM gap problem and identify purposeful interventions. A major finding was the slow pace of adopting institutional reforms that replaces standardscompetency-based learning with progressive application- and outcome-based pedagogy. The study has implications for school districts, secondary schools, and higher education teacher preparedness programs in STEM pedagogy and curriculum development. A knowledge-based, progressive STEM theoretic framework with pedagogical scaffolding is conceptualized rooted in artificial intelligence and machine learning. The study presents recommendations for school districts, secondary education teachers, state education and legislative leaders, higher education institutions, and future research