Adult college learners of British Sign Language : educational provision and learner self-report variables associated with exam success

This study investigated educational provision and learner self-report factors associated with exam success for adult learners of British Sign Language (BSL) studying either Level 1 or Level 2 courses. These levels are equivalent to the first and second year of a United Kingdom General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) qualification. Two hundred and thirty five students from three further education colleges answered a self-report questionnaire covering a range of variables. Analysis of the data suggests that: 1) success rates differed markedly for Level 1 and 2; 2) enhancements of educational provision, such as the use of extra conversational classes, appeared to play a role in increasing exam success rates; 3) individual factors associated with exam success varied between course level and between types of provision; 4) variables related to exam success at Level 2 were more numerous and more specifically related to the learning of sign language than those seen at Level 1; 5) Effect sizes seen for enhancements of educational provision were larger in size than for individual characteristics. These results offer insights into the factors that affect the success rates of people learning sign language

Subtle Cardiovascular Dysfunction in the Unilateral 6-Hydroxydopamine-Lesioned Rat

The present study evaluated whether the unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) model of Parkinson's disease produces autonomic deficits. Autonomic parameters were assessed by implanting a small radiofrequency telemetry device which measured heart rate variability (HRV), diurnal rhythms of heart rate (HR), core body temperature (cBT) and locomotor activity (LA). Rats then received 6-OHDA lesion or sham surgery. 6-OHDA lesioned rats exhibited head and body axis biases, defective sensorimotor function (“disengage” test), and prominent apomorphine rotation (all P < .05 versus controls). Diurnal rhythm of HR was lower for 6-OHDA lesioned rats (n = 8) versus controls (n = 6; P < .05). Whilst HR decreased similarly in both groups during the day, there was a greater decrease in HR for the 6-OHDA lesioned rats at night (by 38 b.p.m. relative to 17 b.p.m. for controls). LA and cBT did not differ between surgery groups. This study indicates the unilateral 6-OHDA model of PD shows subtle signs of cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction

Towards precision medicine for hypertension: a review of genomic, epigenomic, and microbiomic effects on blood pressure in experimental rat models and humans

Compelling evidence for the inherited nature of essential hypertension has led to extensive research in rats and humans. Rats have served as the primary model for research on the genetics of hypertension resulting in identification of genomic regions that are causally associated with hypertension. In more recent times, genome-wide studies in humans have also begun to improve our understanding of the inheritance of polygenic forms of hypertension. Based on the chronological progression of research into the genetics of hypertension as the "structural backbone," this review catalogs and discusses the rat and human genetic elements mapped and implicated in blood pressure regulation. Furthermore, the knowledge gained from these genetic studies that provide evidence to suggest that much of the genetic influence on hypertension residing within noncoding elements of our DNA and operating through pervasive epistasis or gene-gene interactions is highlighted. Lastly, perspectives on current thinking that the more complex "triad" of the genome, epigenome, and the microbiome operating to influence the inheritance of hypertension, is documented. Overall, the collective knowledge gained from rats and humans is disappointing in the sense that major hypertension-causing genes as targets for clinical management of essential hypertension may not be a clinical reality. On the other hand, the realization that the polygenic nature of hypertension prevents any single locus from being a relevant clinical target for all humans directs future studies on the genetics of hypertension towards an individualized genomic approach

Adult college learners of British Sign Language: Educational provision and learner self-report variables associated with exam success

This study investigated educational provision and learner self-report factors associated with exam success for adult learners of British Sign Language (BSL) studying either Level 1 or Level 2 courses. These levels are equivalent to the first and second year of a United Kingdom General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) qualification. Two hundred and thirty five students from three further education colleges answered a self-report questionnaire covering a range of variables. Analysis of the data suggests that: 1) success rates differed markedly for Level 1 and 2; 2) enhancements of educational provision, such as the use of extra conversational classes, appeared to play a role in increasing exam success rates; 3) individual factors associated with exam success varied between course level and between types of provision; 4) variables related to exam success at Level 2 were more numerous and more specifically related to the learning of sign language than those seen at Level 1; 5) Effect sizes seen for enhancements of educational provision were larger in size than for individual characteristics. These results offer insights into the factors that affect the success rates of people learning sign language