Using Web‐based support for campus‐based open learning: Lessons from a study in dental public health

There has been much written about the use of the Web in higher education, much of which advocates its use as an effective way of supporting learning, particularly in terms of the desirability of features such as flexibility and the value of online discussions. In this paper, a case study is described which calls some of this received wisdom into question. The study also explores wider issues of curriculum design, particularly in terms of the role of assessment and of self‐assessment, both of which played a crucial role in the course. Unlike many studies, then, the purpose of this paper is not to demonstrate the success of a particular approach or to advocate particular forms of practice, but instead to highlight the shortcomings of existing guidelines for curriculum development in this area. This suggests that further inquiry into this form of education is required — and in particular, inquiry that pays detailed attention to the backgrounds of learners, and involves close study of their experiences

Two adaptation processes in auditory hair cells together can provide an active amplifier

The hair cells of the vertebrate inner ear convert mechanical stimuli to electrical signals. Two adaptation mechanisms are known to modify the ionic current flowing through the transduction channels of the hair bundles: a rapid process involves calcium ions binding to the channels; and a slower adaptation is associated with the movement of myosin motors. We present a mathematical model of the hair cell which demonstrates that the combination of these two mechanisms can produce `self-tuned critical oscillations', i.e. maintain the hair bundle at the threshold of an oscillatory instability. The characteristic frequency depends on the geometry of the bundle and on the calcium dynamics, but is independent of channel kinetics. Poised on the verge of vibrating, the hair bundle acts as an active amplifier. However, if the hair cell is sufficiently perturbed, other dynamical regimes can occur. These include slow relaxation oscillations which resemble the hair bundle motion observed in some experimental preparations.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures,REVTeX 4, To appear in Biophysical Journa

Follow-Up: Provision of Buprenorphine to Pregnant Women by For-Profit Clinics in an Appalachian City

Objective: This study was completed as a follow up to research regarding buprenorphine Medication Assisted Therapy (MAT) in Johnson City Tennessee for-profit clinics. We wished to determine the practice patterns over the last three years. Methods: Johnson City for-profit Medical Assisted Therapy clinics were called with a telephone survey. When the clinic representative answered the phone, they were asked questions regarding patient costs for therapy, insurance coverage, counseling offered on site, and opportunities for tapering while 20 weeks pregnant. Results: At all the MAT clinics contacted, the representative informed us that tapering in pregnancy could be considered contrary to current national guidelines. 43% of the clinics are now accepting insurance as compared to 0% in the 2016 study. The average weekly cost per visit remained consistent. Conclusion: The concept of tapering buprenorphine during pregnancy appears to have become a standard of care for this community and it is offered at all of the clinics that were contacted, some even require it, even though national organizations such as American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and American Society of Addiction Medicine; do not recommend this approach. Patients who have insurance including government funded insurance, are now able to obtain buprenorphine with no out of pocket expense at numerous clinics. The high cost for the uninsured patient continues to create an environment conducive to buprenorphine diversion

PKS1932-46: a radio source in an interacting group?

We present the results of a multiwavelength study of the z=0.23 radio source PKS1932-46. VIMOS IFU spectroscopy is used to study the morphology, kinematics and ionisation state of the EELR surrounding this source, and also a companion galaxy at a similar redshift. Near- and far-IR imaging observations obtained using the NTT and SPITZER are used to analyse the underlying galaxy morphologies and the nature of the AGN. The host galaxy is identified as an ~M* elliptical. Combining Spitzer mid-IR with X-ray, optical and near-IR imaging observations of this source, we conclude that its AGN is underluminous for a radio source of this type, despite its status as a BLRG. However, given its relatively large [OIII] luminosity it is likely that the AGN was substantially more luminous in the recent past (<10^4 years ago). The EELR is remarkably extensive and complex, reminiscent of the systems observed around sources at higher redshifts/radio powers, and the gas is predominantly ionised by a mixture of AGN photoionisation and emission from young stars. We confirm the presence of a series of star-forming knots extending N-S from the host galaxy, with more prodigious star formation occuring in the merging companion galaxy to the northeast, which has sufficient luminosity at mid- to far-IR wavelengths to be classified as a LIRG. The most plausible explanation of our observations is that PKS1932-46 is a member of an interacting galaxy group, and that the impressive EELR is populated by star-forming, tidal debris. We suggest that the AGN itself may currently be fuelled by material associated either with the current interaction, or with a previous merger event. Surprisingly, it is the companion object, rather than the radio source host galaxy, which is undergoing the bulk of the star formation activity within the group.Comment: 15 pages, 14 figures (compressed for astro-ph, 1 colour). Accepted for publication in MNRAS. Abstract abridge

Occupational status and organizations: Variation in occupational hierarchies across Swedish workplaces

A foundational claim in social stratification research is that occupational hierarchies are largely invariant across societies, a phenomenon known as the Treiman constant. However, recent research in social stratification has focused on the role of local social spaces in generating inequalities, casting doubt on the validity of the idea of a universally invariant occupational hierarchy. In this paper, we focus on organizations as a local space in which occupational hierarchies may vary. We ask three questions: (1) do occupational hierarchies vary across workplaces, (2) why do occupational hierarchies vary across workplaces, and (3) what can explain why some occupations move up or down the occupational hierarchy in specific workplace contexts? Using novel administrative data from Sweden we measure and model the correlation between a workplace’s occupational hierarchy and the national occupational hierarchy, finding substantial variation across workplaces in the matching of a given workplace’s hierarchy to the national hierarchy. We then develop a set of contextual and relational variables at the organizational level to potentially explain this variation, as well as to explain which occupations move up or down the workplace hierarchy. This paper points toward an important and novel empirical finding – variation across workplaces in occupational hierarchies – both confirming the power of the Treiman constant while opening up avenues to explore deviations from it. It also reveals the need to develop theories than can explain this workplace-level variation

Gay community periodic survey: Melbourne 2015

This study finds that HIV testing by gay and bisexual men in Melbourne continues to increase. Executive summary The Melbourne Gay Community Periodic Survey is a cross-sectional survey of gay and homosexually active men recruited at a range of gay community sites in Melbourne. The major aim of the survey is to provide data on sexual, drug use, and testing practices related to the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmissible infections (STIs) among gay men. The most recent survey, the seventeenth in Melbourne, recruited a total of 3,006 men in January 2015. The majority of these men (n=2,429, 81%) were recruited using face-to-face recruitment by trained staff at gay social venues (e.g. bars and community organisations), sex-on-premises venues, sexual health clinics, and the Midsumma Carnival. The remaining 577 men (19%) participated through an online version of the survey. Online recruitment was conducted for the first time in 2015 through the social networking site Facebook. Men were directed to a website with an online version of the GCPS questionnaire (http://gcpsonline.net). The advertisements were targeted to all men aged 16 and above who were located in Victoria and indicated in their Facebook profile that they were ‘interested’ in men. From its start in 1998, the project has been funded by the Victorian Department of Health and supported by the Victorian AIDS Council and Living Positive Victoria. The Centre for Social Research in Health coordinates the survey, with support from the Kirby Institute. The overall response rate for the 2015 survey was 77%. The data presented in this report are from the period 2011 to 2015. Since 2011, there have been significant decreases in the proportions of men recruited at sexual health clinics, social venues, and the Midsumma Carnival. The proportion of men recruited from sex-on-premises venues has remained stable over time. The online sample was analysed before we incorporated it into the survey database. There were a number of differences between men recruited online and men recruited through venues and events. Men in the online sample were younger and were more likely to be born in Australia. Men in the online sample were also less likely to report testing for HIV in the 12 months prior to the survey and were more likely to report that they were HIV-negative. Compared to men recruited through physical venues, men recruited through online survey were more likely to be in a monogamous relationship and have condomless anal intercourse with their regular partner. They were also more likely to report condomless anal intercourse with casual partners and were less likely to know that PEP was available. The online and offline samples reported similar rates of STI testing and drug use. However, despite these differences, when we merged the online and offline samples, the majority of key indicators did not appear to be affected by the change in sampling methods. We have therefore incorporated the online sample into the combined database and the reporting of trends. We will, however, continue to monitor the impact of online recruitment on the sample over time

Bridging the social and the biomedical: engaging the social and political sciences in HIV research

This supplement to the Journal of the International AIDS Society focuses on the engagement of the social and political sciences within HIV research and, in particular, maintaining a productive relationship between social and biomedical perspectives on HIV. It responds to a number of concerns raised primarily by social scientists, but also recognized as important by biomedical and public health researchers. These concerns include how best to understand the impact of medical technologies (such as HIV treatments, HIV testing, viral load testing, male circumcision, microbicides, and pre-and post-exposure prophylaxis) on sexual cultures, drug practices, relationships and social networks in different cultural, economic and political contexts. The supplement is also concerned with how we might examine the relationship between HIV prevention and treatment, understand the social and political mobilization required to tackle HIV, and sustain the range of disciplinary approaches needed to inform and guide responses to the global pandemic. The six articles included in the supplement demonstrate the value of fostering high quality social and political research to inform, guide and challenge our collaborative responses to HIV/AIDS