The effects of constructivist learning environments: A commentary

This special issue on the effects of constructivist learning environments is based on a symposium organized during the last annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association in Chicago. The studies in this issue not only provide an overview of the multitude of forms a constructivist learning environment can take, they also provide the reader with an overview of recent advances in this domain of research. The present discussion article provides a critical reflection on the studies in this special issue and tries to identify their prospects and limitations

Dominance rank is associated with body condition in outdoor-living domestic horses (<i>Equus caballus</i>)

AbstractThe aim of our study was to explore the association between dominance rank and body condition in outdoor group-living domestic horses, Equus caballus.Social interactions were recorded using a video camera during a feeding test, applied to 203 horses in 42 herds. Dominance rank was assigned to 194 individuals. The outcome variable body condition score (BCS) was recorded using a 9-point scale. The variables age and height were recorded and considered as potential confounders or effect modifiers. Results were analysed using multivariable linear and logistic regression techniques, controlling for herd group as a random effect.More dominant (p=0.001) individuals generally had a higher body condition score (p=0.001) and this association was entirely independent of age and height. In addition, a greater proportion of dominant individuals fell into the obese category (BCS≥7/9, p=0.005).There were more displacement encounters and a greater level of interactivity in herds that had less variation in age and height, lending strength to the hypothesis that phenotypic variation may aid cohesion in group-living species. In addition there was a strong quadratic relationship between age and dominance rank (p<0.001), where middle-aged individuals were most likely to be dominant. These results are the first to link behavioural predictors to body condition and obesity status in horses and should prompt the future consideration of behavioural and social factors when evaluating clinical disease risk in group-living animals

"The California critical thinking instruments for benchmarking, program assessment, and directing curricular change"

Charles R. Phillips is an Associate Professor of Pharmacy Administration/Dept. Chair of Pharmacy Practice, Renae J. Chesnut is Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs. Raylene M. Rospond is Dean, Pharmacy and Health Sciences. All three are in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Drake University. They can be contacted at: [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected]. To assess pharmacy students’ critical thinking (CT) measures and identify areas for curricular reform. Methods. Pharmacy students were given the California Critical Thinking Skills Test and Disposition Index at various points in the PharmD program. Scores were compared with a national referent group and evaluated for changes across the curriculum and between classes. Results. Students were comparable to national norms. Pretest and posttest scores for total disposition showed improvement. Scores in all subcategories except for truth-seeking were consistently above 40. The CT skills of the pharmacy students varied compared with those of referent students, but the pharmacy students’ overall score of 18 was in the 73rd percentile. Pre- and post-skills scores showed improvement. Students scoring low on the pretest improved more than those scoring high. Conclusions. Students had a consistent disposition towards CT and compared favorably to national norms. Both disposition and skills improved across the curriculum. Dimensions of critical thinking on which students score low should be areas for curricular and other program changes

Mangarara Formation: exhumed remnants of a middle Miocene, temperate carbonate, submarine channel-fan system on the eastern margin of Taranaki Basin, New Zealand

The middle Miocene Mangarara Formation is a thin (1–60 m), laterally discontinuous unit of moderately to highly calcareous (40–90%) facies of sandy to pure limestone, bioclastic sandstone, and conglomerate that crops out in a few valleys in North Taranaki across the transition from King Country Basin into offshore Taranaki Basin. The unit occurs within hemipelagic (slope) mudstone of Manganui Formation, is stratigraphically associated with redeposited sandstone of Moki Formation, and is overlain by redeposited volcaniclastic sandstone of Mohakatino Formation. The calcareous facies of the Mangarara Formation are interpreted to be mainly mass-emplaced deposits having channelised and sheet-like geometries, sedimentary structures supportive of redeposition, mixed environment fossil associations, and stratigraphic enclosure within bathyal mudrocks and flysch. The carbonate component of the deposits consists mainly of bivalves, larger benthic foraminifers (especially Amphistegina), coralline red algae including rhodoliths (Lithothamnion and Mesophyllum), and bryozoans, a warm-temperate, shallow marine skeletal association. While sediment derivation was partly from an eastern contemporary shelf, the bulk of the skeletal carbonate is inferred to have been sourced from shoal carbonate factories around and upon isolated basement highs (Patea-Tongaporutu High) to the south. The Mangarara sediments were redeposited within slope gullies and broad open submarine channels and lobes in the vicinity of the channel-lobe transition zone of a submarine fan system. Different phases of sediment transport and deposition (lateral-accretion and aggradation stages) are identified in the channel infilling. Dual fan systems likely co-existed, one dominating and predominantly siliciclastic in nature (Moki Formation), and the other infrequent and involving the temperate calcareous deposits of Mangarara Formation. The Mangarara Formation is an outcrop analogue for middle Miocene-age carbonate slope-fan deposits elsewhere in subsurface Taranaki Basin, New Zealand

Vanishing of phase coherence in underdoped Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_8+d

Coherent time-domain spectroscopy is used to measure the screening and dissipation of high-frequency electromagnetic fields in a set of underdoped Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_8+d thin films. The measurements provide direct evidence for a phase-fluctuation driven transition from the superconductor to normal state, with dynamics described well by the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless theory of vortex-pair unbinding.Comment: Nature, Vol. 398, 18 March 1999, pg. 221 4 pages with 4 included figure

The role of stake size in loss of control in within-session gambling: impact of stake size on reflection impulsivity, response inhibition and arousal when gambling on a simulated virtual roulette gambling task: implications for gambling related harm

A recent review of the impact of stake size on gambling behaviour revealed that there is insufficient robust evidence to make even the most conservative conclusions regarding size of stake, and hence identified an important gap in gambling knowledge. The current report is an exploration of the potential for structural characteristics of gambling, namely size of stake, to affect an individual’s ability to make controlled responsible decisions within the short-term. We argue that gambling-related harm, such as spending more money or time gambling than one can afford, may be a result of deterioration of an individual ‘executive control’, specifically one’s capacity to resist urges through Response Inhibition and one’s tendency to make poor, uninformed decisions (via elevated Reflection Impulsivity). Furthermore, it is argued that stake size can influence one’s physiological response to gambling outcomes, which may also have negative implications for responsible gambling. The causal effect of stake size on a gambler’s Response Inhibition, Reflection Impulsivity and Arousal Response in the short-term has been tested via a repeated-measures experiment within a laboratory setting using a simplified virtual roulette simulator. This study finds initial support for a new stake-related risk factor for gambling-related harm, other than rate of loss, as it was demonstrated that gambling at higher stakes impairs quality of decision-making, which in turn may reduce self-control when gambling

Foot pain and foot health in an educated population of adults: results from the Glasgow Caledonian University Alumni Foot Health Survey

Abstract Background Foot pain is common amongst the general population and impacts negatively on physical function and quality of life. Associations between personal health characteristics, lifestyle/behaviour factors and foot pain have been studied; however, the role of wider determinants of health on foot pain have received relatively little attention. Objectives of this study are i) to describe foot pain and foot health characteristics in an educated population of adults; ii) to explore associations between moderate-to-severe foot pain and a variety of factors including gender, age, medical conditions/co-morbidity/multi-morbidity, key indicators of general health, foot pathologies, and social determinants of health; and iii) to evaluate associations between moderate-to-severe foot pain and foot function, foot health and health-related quality-of-life. Methods Between February and March 2018, Glasgow Caledonian University Alumni with a working email address were invited to participate in the cross-sectional electronic survey (anonymously) by email via the Glasgow Caledonian University Alumni Office. The survey was constructed using the REDCap secure web online survey application and sought information on presence/absence of moderate-to-severe foot pain, patient characteristics (age, body mass index, socioeconomic status, occupation class, comorbidities, and foot pathologies). Prevalence data were expressed as absolute frequencies and percentages. Multivariate logistic and linear regressions were undertaken to identify associations 1) between independent variables and moderate-to-severe foot pain, and 2) between moderate-to-severe foot pain and foot function, foot health and health-related quality of life. Results Of 50,228 invitations distributed, there were 7707 unique views and 593 valid completions (median age [inter-quartile range] 42 [31–52], 67.3% female) of the survey (7.7% response rate). The sample was comprised predominantly of white Scottish/British (89.4%) working age adults (95%), the majority of whom were overweight or obese (57.9%), and in either full-time or part-time employment (82.5%) as professionals (72.5%). Over two-thirds (68.5%) of the sample were classified in the highest 6 deciles (most affluent) of social deprivation. Moderate-to-severe foot pain affected 236/593 respondents (39.8%). High body mass index, presence of bunions, back pain, rheumatoid arthritis, hip pain and lower occupation class were included in the final multivariate model and all were significantly and independently associated with moderate-to-severe foot pain (p < 0.05), except for rheumatoid arthritis (p = 0.057). Moderate-to-severe foot pain was significantly and independently associated lower foot function, foot health and health-related quality of life scores following adjustment for age, gender and body mass index (p < 0.05). Conclusions Moderate-to-severe foot pain was highly prevalent in a university-educated population and was independently associated with female gender, high body mass index, bunions, back pain, hip pain and lower occupational class. Presence of moderate-to-severe foot pain was associated with worse scores for foot function, foot health and health-related quality-of-life. Education attainment does not appear to be protective against moderate-to-severe foot pain

Implementation of emergency-based thrombolysis : an achievable option for rural hospitals in developing countries

Background In developing countries such as Malaysia, the primary mode for revascularization is via thrombolytic therapy. This is only effective when instituted within a small time window and pre-hospital delay is a major concern. In a region where the mean house-to-door times can be as long as 8.5 hours, there is an urgent need to reduce the door-to-needle times. Methods Emergency-based thrombolysis was initiated at Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan Kuantan, a 600-bed regional hospital in Malaysia. One hundred and thirty three patients with acute ST elevation myocardial infarction patients were screened. 39 patients were recruited in the 4 months prior to the implementation date and 94 patients were recruited after. The mean house-to-door, door-to-needle times were recorded. Results The majority of patients were male 88.7%, with a mean age of 56.4 � 10.3 years. The median presentation time (house-to-door) was 117.50 minutes before and 136.00 minutes after (p � 0.213, Mann- Whitney U) minutes. The median door-to-needle time was 100.00 minutes before and 50.00 minutes after (p � 0.031). The mortality rates were 12.8% before and 11.70% (p�0.87, Fisher exact test) after mplementation of Emergency-based thrombolysis. Conclusion Implementation of Emergency-based thrombolysis has markedly improved the door-to-needle times and resulted in a trend towards reduced mortality rates in acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction

Compliance with the Malaysian National critical practice guidelines on the administration of thrombolytic agents in acute st-elevation myocardial infarction

Background In developing countries such as Malaysia, the primary mode for revascularization is via thrombolytic therapy. In 2001, the 1st Edition of the Malaysian Clinical Practice Guideline advised the door-to-needle time of 60 minutes. This has been revised in the 2nd Edition (2007) to 30 minutes. This study aims to evaluate the mean door-to-needle times following the implementation of Emergency Department-based thrombolysis. Methods Accident and Emergency-based (A�E) thrombolysis was initiated at Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan Kuantan, Malaysia. Ninety four patients with acute ST elevation myocardial infarction patients were screened and 75 patients were recruited. The mean house-to-door, door-to-needle times were recorded. Results The majority of patients were male (89.3%), of Malay ethnicity (84%), presenting with anterior MI (69.3%) with a mean age of 57.0 � 9.52 years. The mean door-to-needle time was 80.54 � 84.8 minutes (116.46 � 109.00 minutes before the implementation). Only 20% achieved the 30-minute door-to-needle time and only 65.3% achieved the 60 minute door-to-needle time. The reasons for late thrombolysis were quoted as late referrals from A�E (50%), hypertensive emergency (22%), resuscitation (17%) and others (11%). Conclusion Implementation of Emergency-based thrombolysis has improved the door-to-needle times but more staff education and training is required due to the high rate ofblate A�E identification and late referrals