Academic achievement : the role of praise in motivating students

The motivation of students is an important issue in higher education, particularly in the context of the increasing diversity of student populations. A social-cognitive perspective assumes motivation to be dynamic, context-sensitive and changeable, thereby rendering it to be a much more differentiated construct than previously understood. This complexity may be perplexing to tutors who are keen to develop applications to improve academic achievement. One application that is within the control of the tutor, at least to some extent, is the use of praise. Using psychological literature the article argues that in motivating students, the tutor is not well served by relying on simplistic and common sense understandings of the construct of praise and that effective applications of praise are mediated by students' goal orientations, which of themselves may be either additive or interactive composites of different objectives and different contexts

High-sensitivity troponin I concentrations are a marker of an advanced hypertrophic response and adverse outcomes in patients with aortic stenosis

Aims: High-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (cTnI) assays hold promise in detecting the transition from hypertrophy to heart failure in aortic stenosis. We sought to investigate the mechanism for troponin release in patients with aortic stenosis and whether plasma cTnI concentrations are associated with long-term outcome. Methods and results: Plasma cTnI concentrations were measured in two patient cohorts using a high-sensitivity assay. First, in the Mechanism Cohort, 122 patients with aortic stenosis (median age 71, 67% male, aortic valve area 1.0 ± 0.4 cm2) underwent cardiovascular magnetic resonance and echocardiography to assess left ventricular (LV) myocardial mass, function, and fibrosis. The indexed LV mass and measures of replacement fibrosis (late gadolinium enhancement) were associated with cTnI concentrations independent of age, sex, coronary artery disease, aortic stenosis severity, and diastolic function. In the separate Outcome Cohort, 131 patients originally recruited into the Scottish Aortic Stenosis and Lipid Lowering Trial, Impact of REgression (SALTIRE) study, had long-term follow-up for the occurrence of aortic valve replacement (AVR) and cardiovascular deaths. Over a median follow-up of 10.6 years (1178 patient-years), 24 patients died from a cardiovascular cause and 60 patients had an AVR. Plasma cTnI concentrations were associated with AVR or cardiovascular death HR 1.77 (95% CI, 1.22 to 2.55) independent of age, sex, systolic ejection fraction, and aortic stenosis severity. Conclusions: In patients with aortic stenosis, plasma cTnI concentration is associated with advanced hypertrophy and replacement myocardial fibrosis as well as AVR or cardiovascular death

The significance of motivation in student-centred learning : a reflective case study

The theoretical underpinnings of student-centred learning suggest motivation to be an integral component. However, lack of clarification of what is involved in motivation in education often results in unchallenged assumptions that fail to recognise that what motivates some students may alienate others. This case study, using socio-cognitive motivational theory to analyse previously collected data, derives three fuzzy propositions which, collectively, suggest that motivation interacts with the whole cycle of episodes in the teachinglearning process. It argues that the development of the higherlevel cognitive competencies that are implied by the term, student-centred learning, must integrate motivational constructs such as goal orientation, volition, interest and attributions into pedagogical practices

Motivation, optimal experience and flow in first year computing science.

We examine the concept of motivation from the perspective of Self Determination Theory and give a brief overview of relevant results. We also consider the optimal state known as Flow and give an account of its conceptualisation in the theory due to Csikszentmihalyi. After discussion of ways in which these concepts can be measured, we describe a set of preliminary studies that investigate motivation and flow in the context of a first year computing class. We analyse student responses to enquiries about perceptions of motivation and flow experiences and look at links between them. We also discuss intrinsic motivation within the subject

'I would rather die': reasons given by 16-year-olds for not continuing their study of mathematics

Improving participation rates in specialist mathematics after the subject ceases to be compulsory at age 16 is part of government policy in England. This article provides independent and recent support for earlier findings concerning reasons for non- participation, based on free response and closed items in a questionnaire with a sample of over 1500 students in 17 schools, close to the moment of choice. The analysis supports findings that perceived difficulty and lack of confidence are important reasons for students not continuing with mathematics, and that perceived dislike and boredom, and lack of relevance, are also factors. There is a close relationship between reasons for non-participation and predicted grade, and a weaker relation to gender. An analysis of the effects of schools, demonstrates that enjoyment is the main factor differentiating schools with high and low participation indices. Building on discussion of these findings, ways of improving participation are briefly suggested

Noninvasive Molecular Imaging of Disease Activity in Atherosclerosis.

Major focus has been placed on the identification of vulnerable plaques as a means of improving the prediction of myocardial infarction. However, this strategy has recently been questioned on the basis that the majority of these individual coronary lesions do not in fact go on to cause clinical events. Attention is, therefore, shifting to alternative imaging modalities that might provide a more complete pan-coronary assessment of the atherosclerotic disease process. These include markers of disease activity with the potential to discriminate between patients with stable burnt-out disease that is no longer metabolically active and those with active atheroma, faster disease progression, and increased risk of infarction. This review will examine how novel molecular imaging approaches can provide such assessments, focusing on inflammation and microcalcification activity, the importance of these processes to coronary atherosclerosis, and the advantages and challenges posed by these techniques.M.R.D and D.E.N are supported by the British Heart Foundation (CH/09/002 to D.E.N., FS/14/78/31020 to M.R.D). M.R.D is the recipient of the Sir Jules Thorn Biomedical Research Award 2015 (M.R.D.) E.A. research is supported by R01HL 114805 and R01HL 109506.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins via http://dx.doi.org/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.116.30797

68Ga-DOTATATE PET Identifies Residual Myocardial Inflammation and Bone Marrow Activation After Myocardial Infarction.

Myocardial infarction (MI) healing occurs in two phases: first an inflammatory phase, where clearance of necrotic debris occurs, followed by a reparative phase characterized by angiogenesis, granulation tissue formation and attempts to repair the extracellular matrix. While efficient healing relies on co-ordinated mobilization of monocytes to the damaged myocardium, with resolution of the acute inflammatory response by ~10-14 days, excessive inflammation impairs myocardial salvage and promotes adverse cardiac remodelling

Imaging Atherosclerosis.

Advances in atherosclerosis imaging technology and research have provided a range of diagnostic tools to characterize high-risk plaque in vivo; however, these important vascular imaging methods additionally promise great scientific and translational applications beyond this quest. When combined with conventional anatomic- and hemodynamic-based assessments of disease severity, cross-sectional multimodal imaging incorporating molecular probes and other novel noninvasive techniques can add detailed interrogation of plaque composition, activity, and overall disease burden. In the catheterization laboratory, intravascular imaging provides unparalleled access to the world beneath the plaque surface, allowing tissue characterization and measurement of cap thickness with micrometer spatial resolution. Atherosclerosis imaging captures key data that reveal snapshots into underlying biology, which can test our understanding of fundamental research questions and shape our approach toward patient management. Imaging can also be used to quantify response to therapeutic interventions and ultimately help predict cardiovascular risk. Although there are undeniable barriers to clinical translation, many of these hold-ups might soon be surpassed by rapidly evolving innovations to improve image acquisition, coregistration, motion correction, and reduce radiation exposure. This article provides a comprehensive review of current and experimental atherosclerosis imaging methods and their uses in research and potential for translation to the clinic.J.M.T. is supported by a Wellcome Trust research training fellowship (104492/Z/14/Z). M.D is supported by the British Heart Foundation (FS/14/78/31020). N.R.E. is supported by a research training fellowship from the Dunhill Medical Trust (RTF44/0114). A.J.B. is supported by the British Heart Foundation. J.H.F.R. is part-supported by the HEFCE, the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, the British Heart Foundation, and the Wellcome Trust.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from the American Heart Association via http://dx.doi.org/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.115.30624

Qualitative and quantitative characterization of a coal power plant waste by TG/DSC/MS, XRF and XRD

SO2 removal from coal-fired power plant flue gases can be done by dry, semi-dry or wet desulphurization processes, using limestone or lime-containing products as sorbents. In a Brazilian coal power plant, there is a dry desulphurization unit to capture SO2 with hydrated lime from the combustion gases. A part of the flying ashes produced is mixed with the bottom coal ashes and the spent sulphated product generated after SO2 capture. This residual solid blend is then buried in a non-productive area, from which coal was already extracted and is studied in this work. According to the authors’ experience in the development and characterization of adsorbents for low temperature dry desulphurization processes and in thermogravimetric analysis, this paper shows and discusses a method which was developed to characterize qualitatively and quantitatively the chemical and mineral composition of this waste by using thermogravimetry coupled with mass spectrometry, X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction, to preview new potential industrial applications for this waste.We are thankful to the University of Cantabria for the financial support under the Project: 51.VP61.64005, to the Brazilian Research Council, under the project CNPq no. 407005/2013-7, and to the Brazilian Education Council CAPES