Draws and Drawbacks of an Oxford Study Abroad Experience

Using qualitative research methodology, we interviewed 23 American students participating in a study abroad program at Oxford University in the U.K. Results showed four primary draws to participating in the study abroad program and two perceived drawbacks. Positively, Oxford’s first appealing dynamic related to the tutorial system and students’ expanded range of options for specialized topics as well as in-depth study. Next, participants highly valued Oxford’s academic rigor, which accompanied the university’s unique approach to education. Third, Oxford’s location in England appealed to our participants. Finally, students reported hopes that future benefits would result from their decisions to attend Oxford and perceived associations with Oxford’s prestige. As participants weighed these benefits of studying at OU, they contrasted the positive dynamics with two major drawbacks: finances and missed U.S. experiences. Nevertheless, our participants unanimously affirmed their respective decisions to study at Oxford and highly recommended the experience to future potential applicants

Attitudinal Outcomes of a Multicultural Learning Community Experience: A Qualitative Analysis

Research investigating the long-term effects of learning communities on students is scarce. This qualitative study focuses on the results of 24 in-depth interviews with students three years after participating in a first year learning community at a private, selective Midwestern university. Interview questions were designed to probe students’ shifts in personal biases and stereotypes, factors related to their decisions to become involved with the learning community, self-reported levels of satisfaction with the learning community, and suggestions for improving future learning communities. Results of the interviews were positive, and also suggested the value of explicit communication about the purpose of the learning community. The authors point out the value of ongoing continuous improvement efforts

Black girls navigate the physical and emotional landscape of the neighbourhood: Normalized violence and strategic agency

This article considers how young Black women living in gang-affected neighbourhoods in an urban area in England, UK navigate their safety in public and private spaces, and how these spaces overlap and intersect. Drawing on a project with 18 participants aged 14–19, the research seeks to understand how the participants inhabit, navigate and strategize for their safety through their narratives of life and survival in an unsafe neighbourhood. Findings indicate that they experience sexual harassment in public spaces and gang-associated sexual and physical violence as common, accepted aspects of their everyday realities, from as young as 12. The narratives suggest that participants navigate complex friendship groups to protect each other and their families through tight codes of trust, secrecy, privacy and conflict-management strategies. This article seeks to bring attention to how young women utilize their agency to illuminate the coping strategies they draw on to navigate their physical environments. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications for interventions

A Qualitative Analysis of Students’ Perceptions of Pursuing Pharmacy as a Potential Vocation

We present the findings from a phenomenological, qualitative research study that explored the personal constructs of an inaugural class, entering a newly-established direct-entry, preferred admission, pre-pharmacy program at a private, selective, Midwestern university with an enrollment of 3000. The focus of the study was to appraise students\u27 perceptions regarding their rationale for pursuing a future career in pharmacy. The sample consisted of 36 students (26 females, 10 males). Data was collected via in-depth interviews of each student who had enrolled in the first year of the program. Overall, students demonstrated their belief that they would be a good fit for the pharmacy field and looked forward to enjoying their future profession. Participants also expressed having a penchant for science and healthcare, and having previously interacted with pharmacists and the pharmacy field prior to entering college. Benefits such as salary, job security, and prestige were of secondary importance to students, but they played a role nonetheless, and encouragement from parents and other respected individuals also was significant

A Qualitative Analysis of Students\u27 Perceptions of Pursuing Pharmacy as a Potential Vocation

We present the findings from a phenomenological, qualitative research study that explored the personal constructs of an inaugural class, entering a newly-established direct-entry, preferred admission, pre-pharmacy program at a private, selective, Midwestern university with an enrollment of 3000. The focus of the study was to appraise students\u27 perceptions regarding their rationale for pursuing a future career in pharmacy. The sample consisted of 36 students (26 females, 10 males). Data was collected via in-depth interviews of each student who had enrolled in the first year of the program. Overall, students demonstrated their belief that they would be a good fit for the pharmacy field and looked forward to enjoying their future profession. Participants also expressed having a penchant for science and healthcare, and having previously interacted with pharmacists and the pharmacy field prior to entering college. Benefits such as salary, job security, and prestige were of secondary importance to students, but they played a role nonetheless, and encouragement from parents and other respected individuals also was significant

Mental Health Service Providers: College Student Perceptions of Helper Effectiveness

Undergraduate perceptions of the overall effectiveness of six types of mental health service providers (MHSPs) were obtained with a survey. Although many mental health services are available to consumers in the United States, research has indicated that these services are underutilized. Perceptions have been linked to therapeutic outcomes and may potentially serve as barriers to treatment. The results of the present study illustrate a range of perceptions and highlight the value of educating future consumers and practitioners about the roles of various MHSPs in providing mental health services. Future research is proposed

Coronary microvascular ischemia in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy - a pixel-wise quantitative cardiovascular magnetic resonance perfusion study.

BACKGROUND: Microvascular dysfunction in HCM has been associated with adverse clinical outcomes. Advances in quantitative cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) perfusion imaging now allow myocardial blood flow to be quantified at the pixel level. We applied these techniques to investigate the spectrum of microvascular dysfunction in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and to explore its relationship with fibrosis and wall thickness. METHODS: CMR perfusion imaging was undertaken during adenosine-induced hyperemia and again at rest in 35 patients together with late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) imaging. Myocardial blood flow (MBF) was quantified on a pixel-by-pixel basis from CMR perfusion images using a Fermi-constrained deconvolution algorithm. Regions-of-interest (ROI) in hypoperfused and hyperemic myocardium were identified from the MBF pixel maps. The myocardium was also divided into 16 AHA segments. RESULTS: Resting MBF was significantly higher in the endocardium than in the epicardium (mean ± SD: 1.25 ± 0.35 ml/g/min versus 1.20 ± 0.35 ml/g/min, P < 0.001), a pattern that reversed with stress (2.00 ± 0.76 ml/g/min versus 2.36 ± 0.83 ml/g/min, P < 0.001). ROI analysis revealed 11 (31%) patients with stress MBF lower than resting values (1.05 ± 0.39 ml/g/min versus 1.22 ± 0.36 ml/g/min, P = 0.021). There was a significant negative association between hyperemic MBF and wall thickness (β = −0.047 ml/g/min per mm, 95% CI: −0.057 to −0.038, P < 0.001) and a significantly lower probability of fibrosis in a segment with increasing hyperemic MBF (odds ratio per ml/g/min: 0.086, 95% CI: 0.078 to 0.095, P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Pixel-wise quantitative CMR perfusion imaging identifies a subgroup of patients with HCM that have localised severe microvascular dysfunction which may give rise to myocardial ischemia

Value of black blood T2* cardiovascular magnetic resonance

Purpose To assess whether black blood T2* cardiovascular magnetic resonance is superior to conventional white blood imaging of cardiac iron in patients with thalassaemia major (TM). Materials and methods We performed both conventional white blood and black blood T2* CMR sequences in 100 TM patients to determine intra and inter-observer variability and presence of artefacts. In 23 patients, 2 separate studies of both techniques were performed to assess interstudy reproducibility. Results Cardiac T2* values ranged from 4.5 to 43.8 ms. The mean T2* values were not different between black blood and white blood acquisitions (20.5 vs 21.6 ms, p = 0.26). Compared with the conventional white blood diastolic acquisition, the coefficient of variance of the black blood CMR technique was superior for intra-observer reproducibility (1.47% vs 4.23%, p < 0.001), inter-observer reproducibility (2.54% vs 4.50%, p < 0.001) and inter-study reproducibility (4.07% vs 8.42%, p = 0.001). Assessment of artefacts showed a superior score for black blood vs white blood scans (4.57 vs 4.25; p < 0.001). Conclusions Black blood T2* CMR has superior reproducibility and reduced imaging artefacts for the assessment of cardiac iron, in comparison with the conventional white blood technique, which make it the preferred technique for clinical practice

Correlates of observer-rated active involvement in psychiatric treatment visits

Among people with serious mental illness, increased patient activation has been linked to a range of key recovery outcomes. To date, patient activation has been measured largely through self-report. The present study investigated correlates of a new tool that assesses active involvement through rating audio-recordings of treatment visits. The key domains of patient activation assessed in visits included: patients asking questions, discussing with providers instances of being active in managing illness outside the session, talking about goals, bringing up concerns, making evaluative statements about treatment, setting the agenda for the visit, and making requests about the course of treatment. The new coding scheme proved to be a feasible and reliable method for identifying multi-faceted behavioral indicators of patient activation. Contrary to our hypotheses, in a sample of 166 people diagnosed with severe mental illnesses, self-reported activation and observer-rated indices of activation were often not correlated or correlated in unexpected directions with the new behavioral measure of patient activation. This suggests the nature of patient activation may be complex and work is needed to understand how observer-rated and self-rated activation may predict differential recovery outcomes