Ensuring a Quality Honors Experience through Learning Contracts: Success beyond Our Wildest Dreams

In 1997, when Julia A. Haseleu started teaching at Kirkwood Community College (KCC) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, her charge as a psychology instructor with honors experience was to develop an honors program based on learning contracts. Other faculty and administrators had attempted to offer honors courses at KCC, but these efforts had failed. Rhonda Kekke, KCC Dean of Arts and Humanities, determined that the problem was the honors course format. At small to medium-sized colleges and universities, especially two-year campuses, finding a group of honors students who are interested in the same subjects, able to work the same courses into their schedules, and synchronized enough across courses to justify a full honors curriculum in any given semester is often difficult. Kekke was convinced that it would be better to use an honors project format, and she was right. Now, twenty years later, Haseleu has developed two such programs at two flagship two-year colleges in two midwestern states: first at KCC and then at her current institution, Madison College in Madison, Wisconsin. In Chapter One of this volume, Richard Badenhausen outlines and discusses the problems and pitfalls of using learning contracts, especially as “add-ons” to non-honors courses or in lieu of formal honors classes. Badenhausen comes from the perspective of one who leads a “fully developed and flexible stand-alone honors curriculum” (6), an environment in which learning contracts understandably would not be the first choice—or even necessary— as a way of developing an honors curriculum. In smaller programs, however, with a much wider variety of departments, programs, and disciplines (e.g., liberal arts, automotive technology, dental hygiene, business and marketing, construction, culinary arts, engineering, protective services, graphic design, information technology, music, nursing, welding, and veterinary technician), offering an ongoing course-based honors curriculum is often not possible. In such cases, a project-based approach that is structured with comprehensive learning contracts is a flexible way to give students honors-level learning experiences in lieu of honors classes. This situation existed at both KCC and Madison College. In project-based learning, students develop a question to explore and are guided through the research and analysis process under the supervision of a faculty member. Project-based learning is neither a supplemental activity nor an “add-on” to a traditional course. Rather, it is the basis of the curriculum in and of itself (Bell 39). Students who engage in project-based learning experience a deeper level of learning and understanding about a topic and enjoy greater opportunity to hone problem-solving and critical-thinking skills than they would in a more passive learning environment

Fertility Preservation after a Cancer Diagnosis: A Systematic Review of Adolescents', Parents', and Providers’ Perspectives, Experiences, and Preferences

Study Objective Survival into adulthood is now a reality for many adolescents facing cancer. Fertility preservation (FP) is rapidly advancing, but oncology providers and health systems struggle to incorporate the newest FP technologies into the clinical care of adolescents. Our objective was to systematically review and synthesize the available data regarding the perspectives, experiences, and preferences of adolescents, parents, and oncology providers about FP to inform clinical implementation of FP technologies. Design, Setting, Participants, Interventions, and Main Outcome Measures Five electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Knowledge, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsychInfo) were systematically searched for studies published between January 1999 and May 2014. Adolescents were defined as 12-18 years at the time of diagnosis or designated as pubertal/postpubertal and younger than 18 years of age. Studies were assessed for methodological quality, data were extracted using a standardized form, and results were synthesized using guidelines for a narrative syntheses of quantitative and qualitative data. Results In total, 1237 records were identified, with 22 articles, representing 17 unique studies that met the inclusion criteria. The following topics were consistently observed across studies and populations: (1) fertility in trust; (2) decision-making challenges; (3) provider knowledge and practices; and (4) discrepancies between desired and actual experiences. Conclusion Despite the challenges associated with a new cancer diagnosis, adolescents and parents value the opportunity to discuss fertility concerns and preservation options. Providers play an important role in addressing these topics for families and efforts should be made to incorporate FP discussions into routine cancer care for all adolescents, with attention paid to the unique needs of adolescents and their parents

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation mass spectrometry imaging and its development for plant protein imaging

Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionisation (MALDI) mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) uses the power of high mass resolution time of flight (ToF) mass spectrometry coupled to the raster of lasers shots across the cut surface of tissues to provide new insights into the spatial distribution of biomolecules within biological tissues. The history of this technique in animals and plants is considered and the potential for analysis of proteins by this technique in plants is discussed. Protein biomarker identification from MALDI-MSI is a challenge and a number of different approaches to address this bottleneck are discussed. The technical considerations needed for MALDI-MSI are reviewed and these are presented alongside examples from our own work and a protocol for MALDI-MSI of proteins in plant samples

Low prevalence search for cancers in mammograms : evidence using laboratory experiments and computer aided detection

People miss a large proportion of targets when they only appear rarely. This Low Prevalence (LP) Effect could lead to serious consequences if it occurred in the real world task of searching for cancers in mammograms. Using a novel mammogram search task, we asked participants to search for a pre-specified cancer (Experiments 1-2) or a range of masses (Experiments 3-5) under high or low prevalence conditions. Experiment 1 showed that an LP Effect occurred using these stimuli. Experiment 2 tested an over-reliance hypothesis and showed that the use of Computer Aided Detection (CAD) led to fewer missed cancers with a valid CAD prompt yet, a large proportion of cancers were missed when CAD was incorrect. Experiment 3 - 5 showed that false alarms also increased when searching for a range of masses and that CAD reduced miss errors when it correctly cued the target but increased miss errors and false alarms when it did not. Furthermore, when a mass fell outside the CAD prompt it was more likely to be misidentified. No LP Effect was observed with the addition of CAD when people were asked to search for a range of targets. Theories and implications for mammogram search are discussed

Neonatal exposure to xenobiotic estrogen alters the adult immune response and exacerbates endometriosis in mice [abstract]

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Susan C. Nagel, Obstetrics/Gynecology, and Women's HealthAbstract only availableEndometriosis is a common medical condition affecting 5-10% of women worldwide, and results in severe cramps, pelvic pain, and infertility. The cause of the disease is still unknown. Endometriosis occurs when endometrial tissue, which escapes into the peritoneal cavity via retrograde menstruation, adheres to other tissues in the cavity and causes irritated, inflamed lesions. Studies have suggested that the risk of developing endometriosis increases in women who have been exposed to xenobiotic (foreign to the body) estrogens during developmental stages of life. Thus, it is our hypothesis that programming of the immune system by xenoestrogens during development could potentially exacerbate endometriosis. This could occur by altering the peritoneal environment and/or the invading endometrial tissue. Therefore, it is our goal to study the effects of neonatal xenoestrogen exposure on the immune system; and ultimately, on the establishment of endometriosis in adulthood. In order to study this response, we dosed two strains of mice (CD1 and C57) with xenobiotic estrogens on postnatal days 2-14. In experiment A, CD1 mice were dosed with vehicle control (corn oil), 20 µg/kg/day, or 200 µg/kg/day bisphenol A. In experiment B, C57 mice were dosed with a vehicle control (corn oil) or 0.1 µg/kg/day diethylstilbestrol. At 8 weeks of age, endometriosis was induced in each strain via both a surgical induction and an injection technique. At 12 weeks, the endometriotic implants were counted and weighed to determine which mice had a greater susceptibility to the condition. Our next objective will be to analyze peritoneal fluid from the treated mice to identify key immune functions (for example, the release of certain cytokines) that may have been programmed by developmental xenoestrogen exposure.Endometriosis is a common medical condition affecting 5-10% of women worldwide, and results in severe cramps, pelvic pain, and infertility.  The cause of the disease is still unknown.  Endometriosis occurs when endometrial tissue, which escapes into the peritoneal cavity via retrograde menstruation, adheres to other tissues in the cavity and causes irritated, inflamed lesions.  Studies have suggested that the risk of developing endometriosis increases in women who have been exposed to xenobiotic (foreign to the body) estrogens during developmental stages of life.  Thus, it is our hypothesis that programming of the immune system by xenoestrogens during development could potentially exacerbate endometriosis.  This could occur by altering the peritoneal environment and/or the invading endometrial tissue.  Therefore, it is our goal to study the effects of neonatal xenoestrogen exposure on the immune system; and ultimately, on the establishment of endometriosis in adulthood.  In order to study this response, we dosed two strains of mice (CD1 and C57) with xenobiotic estrogens on postnatal days 2-14.  In experiment A, CD1 mice were dosed with vehicle control (corn oil), 20 µg/kg/day, or 200 µg/kg/day bisphenol A.  In experiment B, C57 mice were dosed with a vehicle control (corn oil) or 0.1 µg/kg/day diethylstilbestrol.  At 8 weeks of age, endometriosis was induced in each strain via both a surgical induction and an injection technique.  At 12 weeks, the endometriotic implants were counted and weighed to determine which mice had a greater susceptibility to the condition.  Our next objective will be to analyze peritoneal fluid from the treated mice to identify key immune functions (for example, the release of certain cytokines) that may have been programmed by developmental xenoestrogen exposure

Hydrogel-Based Additive Manufacturing of Lithium Cobalt Oxide

3D multicomponent metal oxides with complex architectures can enable previously impossible energy storage devices, particularly lithium‐ion battery (LIB) electrodes with fully controllable form factors. Existing additive manufacturing approaches for fabricating 3D multicomponent metal oxides rely on particle‐based or organic–inorganic binders, which are limited in their resolution and chemical composition, respectively. In this work, aqueous metal salt solutions are used as metal precursors to circumvent these limitations, and provide a platform for 3D printing multicomponent metal oxides. As a proof‐of‐concept, architected lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) structures are fabricated by first synthesizing a homogenous lithium and cobalt nitrate aqueous photoresin, and then using it with digital light processing printing to obtain lithium and cobalt ion containing hydrogels. The 3D hydrogels are calcined to obtain micro‐porous self‐similar LCO architectures with a resolution of ≈100 µm. These free‐standing, binder‐ and conductive additive‐free LCO structures are integrated as cathodes into LIBs, and exhibit electrochemical capacity retention of 76% over 100 cycles at C/10. This facile approach to fabricating 3D LCO structures can be extended to other materials by tailoring the identity and stoichiometry of the metal salt solutions used, providing a versatile method for the fabrication of multicomponent metal oxides with complex 3D architectures

Explaining the rise of 'human rights' in analyses of Sino-African relations

Popular perceptions of China and its global role are often shaped by two words: 'made in'. Yet this vision of China that focuses primarily on Beijing as a coming economic superpower is relatively new, and it is not that long ago that two other words tended to dominate debates on and discourses of China: 'human rights'. To be sure, real interest in human rights in China was never the only issue in other states' relations with China, nor consistently pursued throughout the years (Nathan, 1994). Nor did human rights totally subsequently disappear from the political agenda.1 Nevertheless, the rhetorical importance of human rights - perhaps best epitomised by the narrow defeat of resolutions condemning Chinese policy in 1995 at the Human Rights Council in Geneva - stands in stark contrast to the relative silence thereafter as the bottom line of most states' relations with Beijing took on ever greater economic dimensions

Patient and professional experiences of palliative care referral discussions from cancer services : a qualitative interview study

Objectives The aim of this paper was to identify current barriers, facilitators and experiences of raising and discussing palliative care with people with advanced cancer. Methods Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with patients with advanced cancer and healthcare professionals (HCPs). Patients were included who had and had not been referred to palliative care. Transcripts were analysed using framework analysis. Results Twenty‐four patients and eight HCPs participated. Two overarching themes and five sub‐themes emerged: Theme one—referral process: timing and triggers, responsibility. Theme two—engagement: perception of treatment, prognosis and palliative care, psychological and emotional preparedness for discussion, and understanding how palliative care could benefit present and future care. Conclusion There is a need to identify suitable patients earlier in their cancer trajectory, address misconceptions about palliative care, treatment and prognosis, and better prepare patients and HCPs to have meaningful conversations about palliative care. Patients and HCPs need to establish and communicate the relevance of palliative care to the patient's current and future care, and be clear about the referral process