The Relationship between Classroom Environment and Student Course Attrition and Perceptions of Engagement

Determining ways to help retain students in higher education institutions is becoming an issue with greater urgency with each passing year.  This study looked at the possibility of learning environments as one way to influence student retention and student perception of engagement, using the theoretical lens of sociocultural theory (Vygotsky, 1978) by reviewing data from an institution of higher education in the Northeast of the United States.  To that end, data on the number of students enrolled in one semester and correlation between learning environment and course attrition were compared (n=3926).  No significant relationship was found with a phi correlation coefficient (ø = .021, p < .05) between these variables, but the sample was further investigated with a survey to determine perceptions of higher education students in either traditional or Learning Studio learning environments regarding course retention/attrition.  Findings include participant support of Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory (1978), in that, participants affirmed the benefit of social interaction with instructors and peers.  On the other hand, concerns about instructor competence with technology was noted as a negative aspect of the Learning Studio

Protein C Activity in Dogs: Adaptation of a Commercial Human Colorimetric Assay and Evaluation of Effects of Storage Time and Temperature

Objectives of this study were to adapt a commercial human protein C (PC) colorimetric assay for use in dogs and to investigate effects of various storage conditions. The human assay was modified by using pooled canine plasma for calibration and by increasing the activation time. PC activity was measured in fresh canine plasma and in plasma stored under various conditions. PC activity of some stored samples was significantly different from that of fresh plasma; however, differences were small. No difference was detected in samples stored under similar conditions but analyzed in different laboratories using similar methodology. Results of this study indicate that the human colorimetric assay is suitable for canine samples if pooled canine plasma is used for calibration, that Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute sample storage guidelines developed for testing in humans are appropriate for dogs, and that comparisons of results from laboratories using similar methodology are legitimate

The effect of physical fatigue on oscillatory dynamics of the sensorimotor cortex

AIM: While physical fatigue is known to arise in part from supraspinal mechanisms within the brain exactly how brain activity is modulated during fatigue is not well understood. Therefore, this study examined how typical neural oscillatory responses to voluntary muscle contractions were affected by fatigue. METHODS: Eleven healthy adults (age 27±4 years) completed two experimental sessions in a randomised crossover design. Both sessions first assessed baseline maximal voluntary isometric wrist-flexion force (MVFb ). Participants then performed an identical series of fourteen test contractions (2 × 100%MVFb , 10 × 40%MVFb , 2 × 100%MVFb ) both before and after one of two interventions: forty 12-s contractions at 55%MVFb (fatigue intervention) or 5%MVFb (control intervention). Magnetoencephalography (MEG) was used to characterise both the movement-related mu and beta decrease (MRMD and MRBD) and the post-movement beta rebound (PMBR) within the contralateral sensorimotor cortex during the 40%MVFb test contractions, while the 100%MVFb test contractions were used to monitor physical fatigue. RESULTS: The fatigue intervention induced a substantial physical fatigue that endured throughout the post-intervention measurements (28.9-29.5% decrease in MVF, P<0.001). Fatigue had a significant effect on both PMBR (ANOVA, session × time-point interaction: P=0.018) and MRBD (P=0.021): the magnitude of PMBR increased following the fatigue but not the control interventions, whereas MRBD was decreased post-control but not post-fatigue. Mu oscillations were unchanged throughout both sessions. CONCLUSION: Physical fatigue resulted in an increased PMBR, and offset attenuations in MRBD associated with task habituation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

New targets for overactive bladder-ICI-RS 2109

Aim: To review evidence for novel drug targets that can manage overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms. Methods: A think tank considered evidence from the literature and their own research experience to propose new drug targets in the urinary bladder to characterize their use to treat OAB. Results: Five classes of agents or cellular pathways were considered. (a) Cyclic nucleotide–dependent (cyclic adenosine monophosphate and cyclic guanosine monophosphate) pathways that modulate adenosine triphosphate release from motor nerves and urothelium. (b) Novel targets for β3 agonists, including the bladder wall vasculature and muscularis mucosa. (c) Several TRP channels (TRPV1, TRPV4, TRPA1, and TRPM4) and their modulators in affecting detrusor overactivity. (d) Small conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels and their influence on spontaneous contractions. (e) Antifibrosis agents that act to modulate directly or indirectly the TGF-β pathway—the canonical fibrosis pathway. Conclusions: The specificity of action remains a consideration if particular classes of agents can be considered for future development as receptors or pathways that mediate actions of the above mentioned potential agents are distributed among most organ systems. The tasks are to determine more detail of the pathological changes that occur in the OAB and how the specificity of potential drugs may be directed to bladder pathological changes. An important conclusion was that the storage, not the voiding, phase in the micturition cycle should be investigated and potential targets lie in the whole range of tissue in the bladder wall and not just detrusor

Trials and tribulations: understanding motivations for clinical research participation amongst adults with cystic fibrosis

In the context of understanding motivations for clinical research participation, many authors consider issues such as informed consent and how patients perceive the research method and process. However, many investigations focus only on one method of research, most commonly the randomised controlled trial. Understanding how chronically ill members of one specific patient group respond to all requests for research participation are rare. Cystic fibrosis (CF), a genetic condition whereby those affected are used to taking a wide array of treatments and attending a specialist care centre over many years, and are generally knowledgeable about their condition, represents an ideal case for investigating how staff requests for clinical research participation are accepted or declined. Using Bloor's systems of relevance framework for risk behaviour and risk reduction, specialist CF centre patients' motivations for participation or non-participation in clinical research can be understood. The framework takes into account two sets of conceptual oppositions: habituation and calculation, constraint and volition. These oppositions represent a range along a continuum of risk behaviour rather than being absolute distinctions. Decisions to participate are influenced mainly by the patient's state of health at the time of request, the nature of the trial and the social context within which sufferers are placed. Understanding why chronically ill patients refuse some requests and yet accept others may assist researchers in designing protocols that take these factors into account and achieve the desired numbers of participants whilst protecting those in vulnerable positions. © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Translating the Statistical Representation of the Effects of Education Interventions Into More Readily Interpretable Forms

This paper is directed to researchers who conduct and report education intervention studies. Its purpose is to stimulate and guide them to go a step beyond reporting the statistics that emerge from their analysis of the differences between experimental groups on the respective outcome variables. With what is often very minimal additional effort, those statistical representations can be translated into forms that allow their magnitude and practical significance to be more readily understood by the practitioners, policymakers, and even other researchers who are interested in the intervention that was evaluated

The effect of physical fatigue on oscillatory dynamics of the sensorimotor cortex

Aim: While physical fatigue is known to arise in part from supraspinal mechanisms within the brain exactly how brain activity is modulated during fatigue is not well understood. Therefore, this study examined how typical neural oscillatory responses to voluntary muscle contractions were affected by fatigue. Methods: Eleven healthy adults (age 27±4 years) completed two experimental sessions in a randomised crossover design. Both sessions first assessed baseline maximal voluntary isometric wrist-flexion force (MVFb). Participants then performed an identical series of fourteen test contractions (2 × 100%MVFb, 10 × 40%MVFb, 2 × 100%MVFb) both before and after one of two interventions: forty 12-s contractions at 55%MVFb (fatigue intervention) or 5%MVFb (control intervention). Magnetoencephalography (MEG) was used to characterise both the movement-related mu and beta decrease (MRMD and MRBD) and the post-movement beta rebound (PMBR) within the contralateral sensorimotor cortex during the 40%MVFb test contractions, while the 100%MVFb test contractions were used to monitor physical fatigue. Results: The fatigue intervention induced a substantial physical fatigue that endured throughout the post-intervention measurements (28.9-29.5% decrease in MVF, P<0.001). Fatigue had a significant effect on both PMBR (ANOVA, session × time-point interaction: P=0.018) and MRBD (P=0.021): the magnitude of PMBR increased following the fatigue but not the control interventions, whereas MRBD was decreased post-control but not post-fatigue. Mu oscillations were unchanged throughout both sessions. Conclusion: Physical fatigue resulted in an increased PMBR, and offset attenuations in MRBD associated with task habituation

Radially truncated galactic discs

We present the first results of a systematic analysis of radially truncated exponential discs for four galaxies of a complete sample of disc-dominated edge-on spiral galaxies. The discs of our sample galaxies are truncated at similar radii on either side of their centres. With possible the exception of the disc of ESO 416-G25, it appears that the truncations in our sample galaxies are closely symmetric, in terms of both their sharpness and the truncation length. However, the truncations occur over a larger region and not as abruptly as found in previous studies. We show that the truncated luminosity distributions of our sample galaxies, if also present in the mass distributions, comfortably meet the requirements for longevity. The formation and maintenance of disc truncations are likely closely related to stability requirements for galactic discs.Comment: 11 pages LaTeX, incl. 7 postscript figures, MNRAS, accepted; major revisions include

Astro2020 Science White Paper: Triggered High-Priority Observations of Dynamic Solar System Phenomena

Unexpected dynamic phenomena have surprised solar system observers in the past and have led to important discoveries about solar system workings. Observations at the initial stages of these events provide crucial information on the physical processes at work. We advocate for long-term/permanent programs on ground-based and space-based telescopes of all sizes - including Extremely Large Telescopes (ELTs) - to conduct observations of high-priority dynamic phenomena, based on a predefined set of triggering conditions. These programs will ensure that the best initial dataset of the triggering event are taken; separate additional observing programs will be required to study the temporal evolution of these phenomena. While not a comprehensive list, the following are notional examples of phenomena that are rare, that cannot be anticipated, and that provide high-impact advances to our understandings of planetary processes. Examples include: new cryovolcanic eruptions or plumes on ocean worlds; impacts on Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, or Neptune; extreme eruptions on Io; convective superstorms on Saturn, Uranus, or Neptune; collisions within the asteroid belt or other small-body populations; discovery of an interstellar object passing through our solar system (e.g. 'Oumuamua); and responses of planetary atmospheres to major solar flares or coronal mass ejections.Comment: Astro2020 white pape