Exploring the worth of online communities and e-mentoring programs for beginning teachers

[Abstract]: Education systems worldwide face challenges in retaining and developing beginning teachers against a widespread pattern of significant attrition. This study used interviews with beginning teachers, their mentors and other relevant staff members in the local system to investigate the potential of online communities and e-mentoring to address the problem. The findings support the hypothesis that online mentoring would effectively supplement induction procedures already in place. The initial topics or threads of discussion within the learning community should address issues identified in the study, such as behavior management, interactions and relationships with parents, and assessment and reporting. This will allay concerns by addressing issues seen as most relevant by beginning teachers

Incorporating Environmental Psychology in Architectural Design Processes

Considering the enormous investment society makes in developing and shaping the built environment, and the huge impacts that buildings have on people’s health and well-being, there is an urgent need to better understand how to design buildings for human welfare. In the realm of architectural practice, designers are increasingly met with demands to present evidence of how their designs perform from a user perspective. Evidence-based insights from the field of environmental psychology provide a wealth of empirically based knowledge on the relationships between people and the physical environment. However, even as calls for evidence-based design intensifies, there is a lack of clearly defined strategies for connecting findings from environmental psychology with the processes of architectural design. This indicates the existence of an archive of academic knowledge that is currently not being implemented to a satisfactory level in the creation and maintenance of the everyday physical environments in our societies. The overarching objective of this Master’s thesis has been to explore a way to bridge the gap between research from the field of environmental psychology and architectural design practice. As a means of investigation, a translation tool based on the concept of affordances, was developed and subsequently tested and evaluated, in a pilot study involving a design team within an architectural studio. The outcomes of this study indicate the relevance of such translation tools, but also a difficulty for them to work independently. However, the format of the pilot study as a facilitated workshop, where the architects under guidance could engage with knowledge from the field of environmental psychology, worked very well. This suggests that the facilitated workshop format holds considerable potential as a strategy for bridging the gap between the two fields

STEMming the Flow: Supporting Females in STEM

An e-mentoring program was established to support females who were studying or intending to study or work in Science, Technology, Engineering or Maths related disciplines (STEM) and were located in regional, rural or remote areas. Mentors and mentees were matched based on their shared interests, fields of study and area of employment. The mentoring program aimed to support mentees’ career development and smoother transitions from study into the workforce by providing an opportunity to develop knowledge and networks necessary to achieve their career goals. Data were collected through pre and post online surveys and semi-structured interviews. This paper describes the experiences of e-mentoring for participants located in rural and remote locations, and shares implications for implementation of e-mentoring, and suggestions for improvement for future e-mentoring projects

Bee Venom Induces Unfolded Protein Response in A172 Glioblastoma Cell Line

Background: Glioblastoma is a type of brain tumor with poor response to available therapies, and shows high rate of mortality. Despite remarkable advancements in our knowledge about cytogenetic and pathophysiologic features of glioblastoma, current treatment strategies are mainly based on cytotoxic drugs; however, these therapeutic approaches are facing progressive failure because of the resistant nature of glioblastomas. In the recent years, however, promising results have emerged owing to targeted therapies toward molecular pathways within cancerous cells. Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) is a remarkable signaling pathway that triggers both apoptosis and survival pathways within cells, and therefore induces UPR-related apoptotic pathways in cancer cells by ER stress inducers. Objectives: Recently, the role of Bee venom (Bv), which contains powerful bioactive peptides, in inducing UPR-related apoptosis was revealed in cancer cell lines. Nevertheless, currently there are no reports of Bv potential ability in induction of UPR apoptotic routes in glioblastoma. The aim of current study was to evaluate possible role of Bee venome in inducing of UPR pathway within A172 glioblastoma cell line. Materials and Methods: We treated the A172 glioblastoma cell line with different Bv doses, and assessed UPR-related genes expression by real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Results: The IC50 of Bv for the studied cell line was 28 μg/mL. Furthermore, we observed that Bv can induce UPR target genes (Grp94 and Gadd153) over-expression through a dose-dependent mechanism. Conclusions: Our results suggest the potential role of Bv as a therapeutic agent for glioblastomas. Keywords: Glioblastoma; A172 Cell Line; Unfolded Protein Response; Bee Veno

A systematic review of randomised controlled trials on the effectiveness of exercise programs on lumbo pelvic pain among postnatal women

Background: A substantial number of women tend to be affected by Lumbo Pelvic Pain (LPP) following child birth. Physical exercise is indicated as a beneficial method to relieve LPP, but individual studies appear to suggest mixed findings about its effectiveness. This systematic review aimed to synthesise evidence from randomised controlled trials on the effectiveness of exercise on LPP among postnatal women to inform policy, practice and future research. Methods: A systematic review was conducted of all randomised controlled trials published between January 1990 and July 2014, identified through a comprehensive search of following databases: PubMed, PEDro, Embase, Cinahl, Medline, SPORTDiscus, Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group’s Trials Register, and electronic libraries of authors’institutions. Randomised controlled trials were eligible for inclusion if the intervention comprised of postnatal exercise for women with LPP onset during pregnancy or within 3 months after delivery and the outcome measures included changes in LPP. Selected articles were assessed using the PEDro Scale for methodological quality and findings were synthesised narratively as meta-analysis was found to be inappropriate due to heterogeneity among included studies. Results: Four randomised controlled trials were included, involving 251 postnatal women. Three trials were rated as of ‘good’ methodological quality. All trials, except one, were at low risk of bias. The trials included physical exercise programs with varying components, differing modes of delivery, follow up times and outcome measures. Intervention in one trial, involving physical therapy with specific stabilising exercises, proved to be effective in reducing LPP intensity. An improvement in gluteal pain on the right side was reported in another trial and a significant difference in pain frequency in another. Conclusion: Our review indicates that only few randomised controlled trials have evaluated the effectiveness of exercise on LPP among postnatal women. There is also a great amount of variability across existing trials in the components of exercise programs, modes of delivery, follow up times and outcome measures. While there is some evidence to indicate the effectiveness of exercise for relieving LPP, further good quality trials are needed to ascertain the most effective elements of postnatal exercise programs suited for LPP treatment

Becoming a female leader in higher education: investigations from a regional university

Issues of gender imbalance in leadership have long been a significant issue in universities, as is the case across most industries. This paper explores the experiences of seven females who have successfully achieved senior leadership positions at a regional university in Australia. While the experiences of these women differ in many ways, there are certainly similarities in the challenges and adversities that they have faced, and their perceptions of what has allowed them to experience success in their leadership roles. This paper provides a number of recommendations for women aspiring to be leaders in higher education, such as committing to ongoing development, taking opportunities when presented, developing resilience, developing a track record, and seeking support, and also recommendations for institutions

Novel UV-transparent 2-component polyurethane resin for chip-on-board LED micro lenses

In this work we present a novel optical polymer system based on polyurethane elastomer components, which combines excellent UV transparency with high thermal stability, good hardness, high surface tension and long pot life. The material looks very promising for encapsulation and microlensing applications for chip-on-board (CoB) light-emitting diodes (LED). The extinction coefficient k, refractive index n, and bandgap parameters were derived from transmission and reflection measurements in a wavelength range of 200-890 nm. Thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry were used to provide glass transition and degradation temperatures. The surface tension was determined by means of contact angle measurements. As proof of concept, a commercial InGaN-CoB-LED is used to demonstrate the suitability of the new material for the production of microlenses. © 2020 Optical Society of America

Pelvic girdle pain - associations between risk factors in early pregnancy and disability or pain intensity in late pregnancy: a prospective cohort study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Recent studies have shown high prevalence rates for pelvic girdle pain (PGP) in pregnancy. Some risk factors for developing PGP have been suggested, but the evidence is weak. Furthermore there is almost no data on how findings from clinical examinations are related to subsequent PGP. The main purpose for this study was to study the associations between socio-demographical, psychological and clinical factors measured at inclusion in early pregnancy and disability or pain intensity in gestation week 30.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This is a prospective cohort study following women from early to late pregnancy. Eligible women were recruited at their first attendance at the maternity care unit. 268 pregnant women answered questionnaires and underwent clinical examinations in early pregnancy and in gestation week 30. We used scores on disability and pain intensity in gestation week 30 as outcome measures to capture the affliction level of PGP. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to study the associations between potential risk factors measured in early pregnancy and disability or pain intensity in gestation week 30.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Self-reported pain locations in the pelvis, positive posterior pelvic pain provocation (P4) test and a sum of pain provocation tests in early pregnancy were significantly associated with disability and pain intensity in gestation week 30 in a multivariable statistic model. In addition, distress was significantly associated with disability. The functional active straight leg raise (ASLR) test, fear avoidance beliefs and the number of pain sites were not significantly associated with either disability or pain intensity.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results suggest that a clinical examination, including a few tests, performed in early pregnancy may identify women at risk of a more severe PGP late in pregnancy. The identification of clinical risk factors may provide a foundation for development of targeted prevention strategies.</p