Is it the placement that counts? A small scale phenomenological study of ‘gap year’ accounting and finance students

This research came about through my interest in students’ learning whilst on periods of work experience as part of their four year accountancy and finance undergraduate degree programme. Approximately half of students studying the degree at my own institution opt to undertake a period of formal university approved work experience between the second and final year of the degree (sandwich placement). A small proportion of students who have opted to take the placement route are unsuccessful in securing a university approved placement and return to their final year having engaged in various activities (previously largely unknown to university staff) during this ‘gap year’. As far as I have been able to establish, no previous research has been undertaken on this particular group of students. Importantly, given that a growing body of literature points to the “good news story” of placement (Auburn, 2007:119), are we in danger of attributing an impact to the placement year that may have come about irrespectively of the experience? My research investigates the extent to which the experiences of gap year students compare to those reported in previous research concerned with placement students. Much previous work exploring the impact of the placement has sought to establish quantitative relationships between students who undertake a placement and their subsequent academic performance. This small-scale research project is an anti-positivist, qualitative research inquiry employing elements of the transcendental phenomenological approach originating from Husserl (1859-1938) to uncover the essences of student experiences during their gap year. Rather than seeking to interpret the experiences of the students involved, the research aims to provide a description which accurately portrays how students experience their gap year from their point of view (Denscombe, 2007). Four semi-structured one-to-one interviews were conducted with gap year students, transcribed and analysed in order to understand what these students were engaged in during their gap year and the implications of this for their approach to the final year of their degree. A phenomenological analysis following Moustakas (1994) was adopted and eight themes emerged: an inability to articulate ‘skills’; a sense of growing up/maturing; increased motivation; greater focus and discipline; difficulty associated with the working environment; wanting to get a ‘good’ degree; and development of thinking. Overall the findings indicate that similar improvements to academic practices are found by students who have had a gap year to those previously reported from students who have undertaken a placement

Workplace practice in undergraduate accounting education: a small scale exploration of year-long work experience at a post-1992 UK university.

Undertaking a year-long placement between the second and final year of an undergraduate degree is an established practice within Business Schools for helping to develop students’ transferable and employability skills (Sheridon and Linehan, 2011). Literature also points to the better academic performance of placement students over full-time students in their final year (for example Crawford and Wang, 2016). However, little is known about how these perceived benefits come about (Little and Harvey, 2006), or indeed, how students themselves experience the workplace environment. This research explores periods of year-long work experience for BA (Hons) Accountancy and Finance (BAAF) students at a post-1992 university. It adopts a dialogic approach commensurate with constructivism (Lincoln, Lynham and Guba, 2011), which places students’ constructed descriptions of their experiences at the heart of the research. In-depth interviews were carried out with four BAAF students who had undertaken a gap year, rather than a university-approved placement experience, and found that similar benefits were expressed by these students to those previously ascribed to placement students in literature. In-depth interviews were conducted with six further BAAF placement students, at three points in time during their year-long placement. Interviews revealed that students experienced their placement in terms of actions and behaviour, and it was through active engagement with workplace practices, and through social interactions with a community of practitioners, that they came to learn their roles (Lave and Wenger, 1991). A focus group was conducted with eight further BAAF students on return from placement, which revealed that BAAF students could be better supported with crossing the boundary between university and the workplace (Wenger-Trayner and Wenger-Trayner, 2015), and for navigating the workplace practices they were likely to be immersed in. A framework that provides a lens through which student learning and development on campus, as well as during placement, was established from the findings. This framework centres around the notion of ‘becoming’ supported by ‘self’, ‘action’, and ‘possibilities’, set within the context of ‘personalisation’. The realisation and operationalisation of this framework, drawing upon the BAAF programme for illustrative purposes, is outlined. The findings have implications for accounting education within the academy, as well as for professional accountancy training and practice. However, in line with much work-based learning literature, there are also transdisciplinary applications of these findings beyond the immediate accounting context. A series of recommendations, for practice, as well as avenues for future research, are made

Thalamic activity and biochemical changes in individuals with neuropathic pain following spinal cord injury

There is increasing evidence relating thalamic changes to the generation and/or maintenance of neuropathic pain. We have recently reported that neuropathic orofacial pain is associated with altered thalamic anatomy, biochemistry, and activity, which may result in disturbed thalamocortical oscillatory circuits. Despite this evidence, it is possible that these thalamic changes are not responsible for the presence of pain per se, but result as a consequence of the injury. To clarify this subject, we compared brain activity and biochemistry in 12 people with below-level neuropathic pain after complete thoracic spinal cord injury with 11 people with similar injuries and no neuropathic pain and 21 age- and gender-matched healthy control subjects. Quantitative arterial spinal labelling was used to measure thalamic activity, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to determine changes in neuronal variability quantifying N-acetylaspartate and alterations in inhibitory function quantifying gamma amino butyric acid. This study revealed that the presence of neuropathic pain is associated with significant changes in thalamic biochemistry and neuronal activity. More specifically, the presence of neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury is associated with significant reductions in thalamic N-acetylaspartate, gamma amino butyric acid content, and blood flow in the region of the thalamic reticular nucleus. Spinal cord injury on its own did not account for these changes. These findings support the hypothesis that neuropathic pain is associated with altered thalamic structure and function, which may disturb central processing and play a key role in the experience of neuropathic pain.NHMR

Laparoscopic-Assisted Ileocolic Resection for Crohn's Disease

BACKGROUND: This study reviews our experience with laparoscopic-assisted ileocolic resection in patients with Crohn\u27s disease. The adequacy and safety of this procedure as measured by intraoperative and postoperative complications were evaluated. Special attention was paid to the group in which laparoscopy was not feasible and conversion to laparotomy was necessary. METHODS: Between 1992 and 2005, 168 laparoscopic-assisted ileocolic resections were performed on 167 patients with Crohn\u27s ileal or ileocolic disease. Follow-up data were complete in 158 patients. RESULTS: In 38 patients (24%), conversion to laparotomy was necessary. Previous resection was not a predictor of conversion to laparotomy. Average ileal and colonic length of resected specimens was 20.9 cm and 6.5 cm, respectively, in the laparoscopic group, versus 24.9 cm and 10.6 cm in the converted group. Twenty of 120 specimens (16.6%) in the laparoscopic group were found to have margins microscopically positive for active Crohn\u27s disease. None of the 38 specimens in the converted group had positive ileal margins. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic-assisted ileocolic resection can be safely performed in patients with Crohn\u27s disease ileitis. The finding of positive surgical margins following laparoscopic resections compared with none among conventional resections has to be thoroughly evaluated

Multimodal MRI as a diagnostic biomarker for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Objective Reliable biomarkers for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ( ALS ) are needed, given the clinical heterogeneity of the disease. Here, we provide proof‐of‐concept for using multimodal magnetic resonance imaging ( MRI ) as a diagnostic biomarker for ALS . Specifically, we evaluated the added diagnostic utility of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( MRS ) to diffusion tensor imaging ( DTI ). Methods Twenty‐nine patients with ALS and 30 age‐ and gender‐matched healthy controls underwent brain MRI which used proton MRS including spectral editing techniques to measure γ‐aminobutyric acid ( GABA ) and DTI to measure fractional anisotropy of the corticospinal tract. Data were analyzed using logistic regression, t ‐tests, and generalized linear models with leave‐one‐out analysis to generate and compare the resulting receiver operating characteristic ( ROC ) curves. Results The diagnostic accuracy is significantly improved when the MRS data were combined with the DTI data as compared to the DTI data only (area under the ROC curves ( AUC ) = 0.93 vs. AUC  = 0.81; P  = 0.05). The combined MRS and DTI data resulted in sensitivity of 0.93, specificity of 0.85, positive likelihood ratio of 6.20, and negative likelihood ratio of 0.08 whereas the DTI data only resulted in sensitivity of 0.86, specificity of 0.70, positive likelihood ratio of 2.87, and negative likelihood ratio of 0.20. Interpretation Combining multiple advanced neuroimaging modalities significantly improves disease discrimination between ALS patients and healthy controls. These results provide an important step toward advancing a multimodal MRI approach along the diagnostic test development pathway for ALS.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106065/1/acn330.pd

Fasting increases investment in soma upon refeeding at the cost of gamete quality in zebrafish

Fasting increases lifespan in invertebrates, improves biomarkers of health in vertebrates and is increasingly proposed as a promising route to improve human health. Nevertheless, little is known about how fasted animals use resources upon refeeding, and how such decisions affect putative trade-offs between somatic growth and repair, reproduction and gamete quality. Such fasting-induced trade-offs are based on strong theoretical foundations and have been recently discovered in invertebrates, but the data on vertebrates are lacking. Here, we report that fasted female zebrafish, Danio rerio, increase investment in soma upon refeeding, but it comes at a cost of egg quality. Specifically, an increase in fin regrowth was accompanied by a reduction in 24 h post-fertilization offspring survival. Refed males showed a reduction in sperm velocity and impaired 24 h post-fertilization offspring survival. These findings underscore the necessity of considering the impact on reproduction when assessing evolutionary and biomedical implications of lifespan-extending treatments in females and males and call for careful evaluation of the effects of intermittent fasting on fertilization

Comparison of seven modelling algorithms for γ-aminobutyric acid–edited proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Edited MRS sequences are widely used for studying γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the human brain. Several algorithms are available for modelling these data, deriving metabolite concentration estimates through peak fitting or a linear combination of basis spectra. The present study compares seven such algorithms, using data obtained in a large multisite study. GABA-edited (GABA+, TE = 68 ms MEGA-PRESS) data from 222 subjects at 20 sites were processed via a standardised pipeline, before modelling with FSL-MRS, Gannet, AMARES, QUEST, LCModel, Osprey and Tarquin, using standardised vendor-specific basis sets (for GE, Philips and Siemens) where appropriate. After referencing metabolite estimates (to water or creatine), systematic differences in scale were observed between datasets acquired on different vendors' hardware, presenting across algorithms. Scale differences across algorithms were also observed. Using the correlation between metabolite estimates and voxel tissue fraction as a benchmark, most algorithms were found to be similarly effective in detecting differences in GABA+. An interclass correlation across all algorithms showed single-rater consistency for GABA+ estimates of around 0.38, indicating moderate agreement. Upon inclusion of a basis set component explicitly modelling the macromolecule signal underlying the observed 3.0 ppm GABA peaks, single-rater consistency improved to 0.44. Correlation between discrete pairs of algorithms varied, and was concerningly weak in some cases. Our findings highlight the need for consensus on appropriate modelling parameters across different algorithms, and for detailed reporting of the parameters adopted in individual studies to ensure reproducibility and meaningful comparison of outcomes between different studies.publishedVersio

Multi-vendor standardized sequence for edited magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Spectral editing allows direct measurement of low-concentration metabolites, such as GABA, glutathione (GSH) and lactate (Lac), relevant for understanding brain (patho)physiology. The most widely used spectral editing technique is MEGA-PRESS, which has been diversely implemented across research sites and vendors, resulting in variations in the final resolved edited signal. In this paper, we describe an effort to develop a new universal MEGA-PRESS sequence with HERMES functionality for the major MR vendor platforms with standardized RF pulse shapes, durations, amplitudes and timings. New RF pulses were generated for the universal sequence. Phantom experiments were conducted on Philips, Siemens, GE and Canon 3 T MRI scanners using 32-channel head coils. In vivo experiments were performed on the same six subjects on Philips and Siemens scanners, and on two additional subjects, one on GE and one on Canon scanners. On each platform, edited MRS experiments were conducted with the vendor-native and universal MEGA-PRESS sequences for GABA (TE = 68 ms) and Lac editing (TE = 140 ms). Additionally, HERMES for GABA and GSH was performed using the universal sequence at TE = 80 ms. The universal sequence improves inter-vendor similarity of GABA-edited and Lac-edited MEGA-PRESS spectra. The universal HERMES sequence yields both GABA- and GSH-edited spectra with negligible levels of crosstalk on all four platforms, and with strong agreement among vendors for both edited spectra. In vivo GABA+/Cr, Lac/Cr and GSH/Cr ratios showed relatively low variation between scanners using the universal sequence. In conclusion, phantom and in vivo experiments demonstrate successful implementation of the universal sequence across all four major vendors, allowing editing of several metabolites across a range of TEs.publishedVersio