Fishes of the Antoine River, Little Missouri River System, Southwestern Arkansas

The fishes of the Antoine River (Little Missouri River system) in southwestern Arkansas were surveyed from September, 1980 - June, 1982. Thirty-four field collections plus literature and museum records, revealed a total of 60 species in 29 genera representing 16 families to presently inhabit the river system. Comments are presented on life history aspects, systematics and occurrence of fishes in the study area

Fishes of the Antoine River, Little Missouri River System, Southwestern Arkansas

The fishes of the Antoine River (Little Missouri River system) in southwestern Arkansas were surveyed from September, 1980 - June, 1982. Thirty-four field collections plus literature and museum records, revealed a total of 60 species in 29 genera representing 16 families to presently inhabit the river system. Comments are presented on life history aspects, systematics and occurrence of fishes in the study area

Therapy Dogs in the College Classroom: The Effect of Dogs on Stress, Anxiety, and Spanish L2 Phonological Learning and Performance

Anxiety and stress invoked by the second language classroom setting has the ability to cause numerous detrimental physiological changes which impair the learning process. A more natural, “immersion” type atmosphere is often desired when teaching a second language; however, this is not typically possible with college classes. Therefore, the addition of therapy dogs to college second language classes may be a beneficial solution since therapy dogs are frequently cited as having the ability to lower stress and anxiety in many different settings. Stroking and interacting with a dog may reduce many markers of stress, including blood pressure, heart rate, and cortisol levels. Data were collected from 12 University of Tennessee-Knoxville Spanish and psychology students using a within-subjects design. Following baseline testing, participants were taught three Spanish phonemes either with or without a certified therapy dog present. In all three conditions, saliva samples were collected and cortisol assays performed. A group of surveys which included the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS), anxiety thermometer, Perceived Stress Scale-14 (PSS-14), Self-Esteem Scale (SES), and New General Self-Efficacy Scale (NGSES) were completed during each condition. Phonological proficiency was assessed by audio recordings made of participants reading sentences which contained the previously taught “target” phonemes. Two Spanish experts rated phonological proficiency using a Likert scale. Repeated measures ANOVAs, t-tests, and correlational analyses were conducted on all data. During the therapy dog condition, FLCAS and anxiety thermometer scores were significantly lower than in either of the other conditions. PSS-14 scores were significantly lower for both the therapy dog and baseline conditions than for the no dog condition. Self-esteem and self-efficacy were highest during the therapy dog condition, though significance was not reached for either SES or NGSES results. Cortisol results were not significant but were highest in the no dog condition. Finally, phonological results were not significant. Findings suggest that therapy dogs significantly reduce self-reported second language-specific anxiety, as well as general anxiety and general perceived stress. Further studies are suggested to assess whether therapy dogs may also significantly reduce cortisol levels and possibly improve second language phonological learning when sample sizes are larger

Do Dogs Increase Learning? The Effect of Therapy Dogs on Academic Stress and Spanish Second Language Learning

Numerous physiological changes occur during periods of high stress and learning Spanish as a second language in a classroom setting may induce significant levels of academic stress. A possible solution is the use of therapy dogs in second language classes since therapy dogs are known to lower stress and improve physiological measures such as heart rate and blood pressure. Data were collected from 18 University of Tennessee-Knoxville juniors and seniors. A within subjects design required participants to listen to a short Spanish lesson during three conditions: baseline, therapy dog, and no therapy dog. In all conditions, saliva samples were collected to test for cortisol levels and three surveys (Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale, Life Orientation Test, and General Self-Efficacy Scale) were completed. Phonological learning was measured during the last two conditions. Two Spanish instructors evaluated each participant’s phonological accuracy using a 5-point Likert scale. Cortisol assays were completed with the saliva samples. Repeated measures ANOVAs and correlational analyses were performed on all data. Results were mixed and largely non-significant. Mean phonological scores were higher for the therapy dog condition but statistical significance was not achieved. Cortisol levels decreased significantly for each subsequent condition, suggesting that stress was reduced with the passage of time and acclimation to the experimental environment. FLCAS scores were lowest when the therapy dog was present, but the difference was not significant. Findings suggest that therapy dogs do appear to reduce some aspects of stress and improve phonological learning to a small extent. Further studies using measurements that may better capture the stress-relieving abilities of therapy dogs and how that reduced stress may improve second language learning are suggested

Flexibility in cash-flow classification under IFRS: determinants and consequences

International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) allow managers flexibility in classifying interest paid, interest received, and dividends received within operating, investing, or financing activities within the statement of cash flows. In contrast, U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) requires these items to be classified as operating cash flows (OCF). Studying IFRSreporting firms in 13 European countries, we document firms’ cash-flow classification choices vary, with about 76%, 60%, and 57% of our sample classifying interest paid, interest received, and dividends received, respectively, in OCF. Reported OCF under IFRS tends to exceed what would be reported under U.S. GAAP. We find the main determinants of OCF-enhancing classification choices are capital market incentives and other firm characteristics, including greater likelihood of financial distress, higher leverage, and accessing equity markets more frequently. In analyzing the consequences of reporting flexibility, we find some evidence that the market’s assessment of the persistence of operating cash flows and accruals varies with the firm’s classification choices, and the results of certain OCF prediction models are sensitive to classification choices

Developing and piloting a resource for training assessors in use of the Mini-CEX (mini clinical evaluation exercise).

The assessment of undergraduate medical students in the clinical setting has become a key priority for medical educators. Facilitating the successful translation of undergraduate theoretical knowledge into safe and appropriate postgraduate clinical practice represents a challenge in medical education [1]. Poor clinical performance of newly qualified doctors has been highlighted as a major issue relating to patient safety [2]. Performance based assessment in the undergraduate setting may assist in addressing this issue by assessing ‘doing’ rather than ‘knowing’. The mini clinical evaluation exercise (Mini-CEX) is a formative assessment used to assess the performance of medical students in a clinical context. It incorporates assessment by, and feedback from, an assessor, based on the direct observation of a student–patient consultation [3]. Conducted in a series of stages, the Mini-CEX allows focused assessment of key competencies (see Box 1) [3]

Evaluation of Indigenous justice programs Project D. Safe Aboriginal Youth Patrol programs in New South Wales and Northbridge policy and Juvenile Aid Group in Western Australia

In this evaluation, we examined two different approaches to delivery of Community and Night patrol services for young people: the Safe Aboriginal Youth Patrol programs (SAYP) of NSW, and the Northbridge Policy project (NPP) sometimes also called the Young people in Northbridge project, in Perth, Western Australia. The overarching focus of this evaluation was to determine whether the programs should be considered as examples of ‘good practice’ to be replicated elsewhere, and to find evidence of outcomes achieved by each program..

Energy stress-mediated cytotoxicity in tuberous sclerosis complex 2-deficient cells with nelfinavir and mefloquine treatment

To find new anti-cancer drug therapies, we wanted to exploit homeostatic vulnerabilities within Tuberous Sclerosis Complex 2 (TSC2)-deficient cells with mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) hyperactivity. We show that nelfinavir and mefloquine synergize to selectively evoke a cytotoxic response in TSC2-deficient cell lines with mTORC1 hyperactivity. We optimize the concentrations of nelfinavir and mefloquine to a clinically viable range that kill cells that lack TSC2, while wild-type cells tolerate treatment. This new clinically viable drug combination causes a significant level of cell death in TSC2-deficient tumor spheroids. Furthermore, no cell recovery was apparent after drug withdrawal, revealing potent cytotoxicity. Transcriptional profiling by RNA sequencing of drug treated TSC2-deficient cells compared to wild-type cells suggested the cytotoxic mechanism of action, involving initial ER stress and an imbalance in energy homeostatic pathways. Further characterization revealed that supplementation with methyl pyruvate alleviated energy stress and reduced the cytotoxic effect, implicating energy deprivation as the trigger of cell death. This work underpins a critical vulnerability with cancer cells with aberrant signaling through the TSC2-mTORC1 pathway that lack flexibility in homeostatic pathways, which could be exploited with combined nelfinavir and mefloquine treatment