How Did It Get So Late So Soon? The Effects of Time Management Knowledge and Practice on Students' Time Management Skills and Academic Performance

Time management is regarded as an important prerequisite for effective and efficient learning in higher education. However, university students' time management frequently proves to be deficient, especially with freshman students, who can therefore benefit from appropriate time management interventions. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of an intervention focused on imparting time management knowledge with those of an intervention focused on time management practice. We conducted an experiment with N = 118 university students who took part in a course over the duration of one semester. Participants with a time management deficit at the beginning of the semester (n = 88) were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions: (a) time management knowledge, (b) time management practice, (c) control group. Exam scores at the end of the semester were considered as an indicator of participants' academic performance. The results showed significant time management improvements for both time management intervention groups, but the time management practice group appeared superior. Academic performance was better in the time management practice group also, although the results were inconsistent. The effect of time management practice on academic performance was mediated by students' time management skills

A moderated mediation analysis of conscientiousness, time management strategies, effort regulation strategies, and university students' performance

This paper examined the interplay of conscientiousness, two categories of learning strategies (i.e., time management and effort regulation), and academic performance in higher education. Based on data from two samples of first-year students (N1 = 106; N2 = 355), we aimed to validate previous results on a mediation model using a repeated measurement design. Second, we aimed to extend prior research by testing the hypothesis that the mediation process is conditional on the level of conscientiousness. Results of both studies indicate that the effect of conscientiousness on academic performance is mediated by using effort regulation strategies and time management strategies. Furthermore, for effort regulation strategies, the effect is moderated: the effect vanishes when conscientiousness is low (though this effect occurred only in Study 2). This study sheds light on the mechanisms through which both conscientiousness and the use of relevant learning strategies affect academic performance and implies practical applications to assist with greater achievement in higher education

Sex differences in lipidomic and bile acid plasma profiles in patients with and without coronary artery disease

Background: Lipids, including phospholipids and bile acids, exert various signaling effects and are thought to contribute to the development of coronary artery disease (CAD). Here, we aimed to compare lipidomic and bile acid profiles in the blood of patients with and without CAD stratified by sex. Methods: From 2015 to 2022, 3,012 patients who underwent coronary angiography were recruited in the INTERCATH cohort. From the overall cohort, subgroups were defined using patient characteristics such as CAD vs. no CAD, 1st vs. 3rd tertile of LDL-c, and female vs. male sex. Hereafter, a matching algorithm based on age, BMI, hypertension status, diabetes mellitus status, smoking status, the Mediterranean diet score, and the intake of statins, triglycerides, HDL-c and hs-CRP in a 1:1 ratio was implemented. Lipidomic analyses of stored blood samples using the Lipidyzer platform (SCIEX) and bile acid analysis using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC‒MS/MS) were carried out. Results: A total of 177 matched individuals were analyzed; the median ages were 73.5 years (25th and 75th percentile: 64.1, 78.2) and 71.9 years (65.7, 77.2) for females and males with CAD, respectively, and 67.6 years (58.3, 75.3) and 69.2 years (59.8, 76.8) for females and males without CAD, respectively. Further baseline characteristics, including cardiovascular risk factors, were balanced between the groups. Women with CAD had decreased levels of phosphatidylcholine and diacylglycerol, while no differences in bile acid profiles were detected in comparison to those of female patients without CAD. In contrast, in male patients with CAD, decreased concentrations of the secondary bile acid species glycolithocholic and lithocholic acid, as well as altered levels of specific lipids, were detected compared to those in males without CAD. Notably, male patients with low LDL-c and CAD had significantly greater concentrations of various phospholipid species, particularly plasmalogens, compared to those in high LDL-c subgroup. Conclusions: We present hypothesis-generating data on sex-specific lipidomic patterns and bile acid profiles in CAD patients. The data suggest that altered lipid and bile acid composition might contribute to CAD development and/or progression, helping to understand the different disease trajectories of CAD in women and men. Registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04936438, Unique identifier: NCT04936438

Sex differences in lipidomic and bile acid plasma profiles in patients with and without coronary artery disease

Background: Lipids, including phospholipids and bile acids, exert various signaling effects and are thought to contribute to the development of coronary artery disease (CAD). Here, we aimed to compare lipidomic and bile acid profiles in the blood of patients with and without CAD stratified by sex. Methods: From 2015 to 2022, 3,012 patients who underwent coronary angiography were recruited in the INTERCATH cohort. From the overall cohort, subgroups were defined using patient characteristics such as CAD vs. no CAD, 1st vs. 3rd tertile of LDL-c, and female vs. male sex. Hereafter, a matching algorithm based on age, BMI, hypertension status, diabetes mellitus status, smoking status, the Mediterranean diet score, and the intake of statins, triglycerides, HDL-c and hs-CRP in a 1:1 ratio was implemented. Lipidomic analyses of stored blood samples using the Lipidyzer platform (SCIEX) and bile acid analysis using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC‒MS/MS) were carried out. Results: A total of 177 matched individuals were analyzed; the median ages were 73.5 years (25th and 75th percentile: 64.1, 78.2) and 71.9 years (65.7, 77.2) for females and males with CAD, respectively, and 67.6 years (58.3, 75.3) and 69.2 years (59.8, 76.8) for females and males without CAD, respectively. Further baseline characteristics, including cardiovascular risk factors, were balanced between the groups. Women with CAD had decreased levels of phosphatidylcholine and diacylglycerol, while no differences in bile acid profiles were detected in comparison to those of female patients without CAD. In contrast, in male patients with CAD, decreased concentrations of the secondary bile acid species glycolithocholic and lithocholic acid, as well as altered levels of specific lipids, were detected compared to those in males without CAD. Notably, male patients with low LDL-c and CAD had significantly greater concentrations of various phospholipid species, particularly plasmalogens, compared to those in high LDL-c subgroup. Conclusions: We present hypothesis-generating data on sex-specific lipidomic patterns and bile acid profiles in CAD patients. The data suggest that altered lipid and bile acid composition might contribute to CAD development and/or progression, helping to understand the different disease trajectories of CAD in women and men. Registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04936438, Unique identifier: NCT04936438

Strategien des Ressourcenmanagements: Erfassung von Kompetenzen und deren Bedeutung für den Studienerfolg

Akademisches Lernen stellt im Vergleich zu schulischem Lernen deutlich höhere Anforderungen an die Selbstregulation und die strategische Ausrichtung des Lernprozesses und stellt Erstsemesterstudierende damit vor kaum bekannte Herausforderungen. Betrachtet man hierzu die einschlägige Literatur, so werden zwei Punkte deutlich. Zum einen deuten Forschungsbefunde darauf hin, dass Ressourcenmanagementstrategien in diesem Kontext eine wichtige Rolle zukommt – und zwar in direkter als auch in vermittelnder Funktion. Zum anderen geht aus der einschlägi-gen Lernstrategieliteratur ein Mangel an Instrumenten hervor, die das Wissen über Ressourcenmanagementstrategien sowie die adäquate Umsetzung dieses Wissens valide und reliabel erfassen. Ein Punkt, der in diesem Zusammenhang häufig kritisch diskutiert wird, betrifft eine mangelnde Situationsspezifität der gängigen Lernstrategiefragebögen sowie die Nichtberücksichtigung qualitätsbezogener Anwendungsaspekte. Aus diesem Grund wird im Rahmen des Dissertationsvorhabens ein neues Instrument entwickelt und validiert. Das Instrument basiert auf dem Situational-Judgement-Ansatz und ermöglicht es, neben dem Strategiewissen auch qualitätsbezogene Defizite des Strategieeinsatzes in konkreten Studiensituationen zu erfassen. Beides zusammengefasst ermöglicht die Bildung eines Ressourcenmanagement-Kompetenzscores. Eine papierbasierte Version dieses Instruments zeigt eine gute psychometrische Qualität. Es lassen sich mittels konfirmatorischer Faktorenanalysen – neben einem Globalfaktor – die fünf ressourcenbezogenen Subfaktoren Zeitmanagement, Anstrengung, Motivationsregulation, Hilfesuchen und Gestaltung der Lernumgebung getrennt abbilden. Analysen zur konvergenten und diskriminanten Validität verweisen auf gegebene Konstruktvalidität. Auch in einer computerbasierten, adaptierten Version des Instruments kann die fünffaktorielle Struktur bestätigt werden. Zudem weist die fünffaktorielle Struktur starke Messinvarianz auf – und zwar im Vergleich zwischen zwei Studienfächern sowie im Längsschnitt über zwei Messzeitpunkte im ersten Studiensemester. In den im Rahmen des Dissertationsvorhabens durchgeführten Studien zeigt sich weiter, dass Faktoren des Ressourcenmanagements, erfasst mit dem neuen Instrument, Studienerfolgsindikatoren auch über kognitive Variablen hinaus signifikant vorhersagen können. Ein Gruppenvergleich zwischen Studienfächern mit unterschiedlichen Leistungsanforderungen im ersten Semester deutet zudem darauf hin, dass Faktoren des Ressourcenmanagements, unabhängig vom Studienfach, eine zentrale Rolle in der Vorhersage von Studienleistung zukommt. Darüber hinaus geht aus den durchgeführten Studien hervor, dass ausgewählte Faktoren des Ressourcenmanagements (Zeitmanagement, Anstrengung, Motivationsregulation) den Zusammenhang zwischen Gewissenhaftigkeit und Studienerfolg vermitteln. Dieser Prozess kommt für Anstrengung und Motivationsregulation allerdings nur zum Tragen, wenn eine hohe Ausprägung an Gewissenhaftigkeit vorliegt

The keyword effect

Prompting learners to generate keywords after a delay is a promising means to enhance relative judgment accuracy in learning from texts. However, to date, conceptual replications of the keyword effect without the involvement of the researcher who originally proposed it are still scarce. Furthermore, it is unclear whether generating delayed keywords could reduce bias and whether the benefits of generating delayed keywords could be optimized by having learners compare their keywords with expert ones. Against this background, we conducted an experiment with $\it N$ = 109 university students who read four expository texts and then were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions: (a) Generation of keywords after reading, (b) generation of keywords after reading and a comparison with external standards in the form of expert keywords, (c) no keyword generation (control condition). We found that generating delayed keywords significantly increased relative accuracy but did not reduce bias. Furthermore, we found that the comparison with expert keywords enhanced relative accuracy beyond the established keyword effect. However, we also found that the comparison with expert keywords increased bias (here: underconfidence). Overall, these findings suggest that generating and comparing keywords is an effective means to enhance relative accuracy

Job satisfaction of teachers and their principals in relation to climate and student achievement

Job satisfaction is important for employee well-being and retention, which are both crucial for high strained occupations such as teachers and school principals. We investigated the structure and relationship of teachers’ job satisfaction (N = 142,280) and principals’ job satisfaction (N = 8,869). Results of structural equation modeling using multilevel bi-factor models provide strong evidence for the validity of a model including both specific (satisfaction with the profession versus the working environment) and general job satisfaction factors. This differential conception of job satisfaction was further tested by including the student variables disciplinary climate and student achievement from linked TALIS 2013-PISA 2012 data. Only teacher job satisfaction factors (general and working environment) were related to the disciplinary climate perceived by students, whereas the working environment job satisfaction factor was related to student achievement for both teachers and principals. Controlling for socio-economic status reduced these estimates, but did not change the pattern of results

Intrinsic Iron Release Is Associated with Lower Mortality in Patients with Stable Coronary Artery Disease—First Report on the Prospective Relevance of Intrinsic Iron Release

Intrinsic iron release is discussed to have favorable effects in coronary artery disease (CAD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic relevance of intrinsic iron release in patients with CAD. Intrinsic iron release was based on a definition including hepcidin and soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR). In a cohort of 811 patients with angiographically documented CAD levels of hepcidin and sTfR were measured at baseline. Systemic body iron release was defined as low levels of hepcidin (<24 ng/mL) and high levels of sTfR (≥2 mg/L). A commercially available ELISA (DRG) was used for measurements of serum hepcidin. Serum sTfR was determined by using an automated immunoassay (). Cardiovascular mortality was the main outcome measure. The criteria of intrinsic iron release were fulfilled in 32.6% of all patients. Significantly lower cardiovascular mortality rates were observed in CAD patients with systemic iron release. After adjustment for body mass index, smoking status, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, sex, and age, the hazard ratio for future cardiovascular death was 0.41. After an additional adjustment for surrogates of the size of myocardial necrosis (troponin I), anemia (hemoglobin), and cardiac function and heart failure severity (N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide), this association did not change (Hazard ratio 0.37 (95% confidence interval 0.14–0.99), p = 0.047). In conclusion, significantly lower cardiovascular mortality rates were observed in CAD patients with intrinsic iron release shown during follow-up

Prognostic Value of Iron-Homeostasis Regulating Peptide Hepcidin in Coronary Heart Disease—Evidence from the Large AtheroGene Study

Iron is essential in terms of oxygen utilization and mitochondrial function. The liver-derived peptide hepcidin has been recognized as a key regulator of iron homeostasis. Since iron metabolism is crucially linked to cardiovascular health, and low hepcidin was proposed as potential new marker of iron metabolism, we aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of hepcidin in a large cohort of patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). Serum levels of hepcidin were determined at baseline in patients with angiographically documented CHD. The main outcome measure was non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI) or cardiovascular death. During a median follow-up of 4.1 years, 10.3% experienced an endpoint. In Cox regression analyses for hepcidin the hazard ratio for future cardiovascular death or MI was 1.03 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.91–1.18, p = 0.63) after adjustment for sex and age. This association virtually did not change after additional adjustment for body mass index (BMI), smoking status, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and surrogates of cardiac function (NT-proBNP), size of myocardial necrosis (troponin I), and anemia (hemoglobin). In this study, by far the largest evaluating the predictive value of hepcidin, hepcidin levels were not associated with future MI or cardiovascular death. This implicates a limited, if any, role for hepcidin in secondary cardiovascular risk prediction

How did it get so late so soon?

Time management is regarded as an important prerequisite for effective and efficient learning in higher education. However, university students' time management frequently proves to be deficient, especially with freshman students, who can therefore benefit from appropriate time management interventions. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of an intervention focused on imparting time management knowledge with those of an intervention focused on time management practice. We conducted an experiment with $\it N$ = 118 university students who took part in a course over the duration of one semester. Participants with a time management deficit at the beginning of the semester ($\it n$ = 88) were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions: (a) time management knowledge, (b) time management practice, (c) control group. Exam scores at the end of the semester were considered as an indicator of participants' academic performance. The results showed significant time management improvements for both time management intervention groups, but the time management practice group appeared superior. Academic performance was better in the time management practice group also, although the results were inconsistent. The effect of time management practice on academic performance was mediated by students' time management skills