Hyflex delivery mode in a postgraduate course: instructor and student perspectives

The global pandemic necessitated changes in the way university courses were delivered, forcing most teaching and learning online. Post-pandemic, many students continue to struggle with attending their classes on campus. It has been suggested that Hyflex delivery mode is a solution to this problem, allowing students to attend class either face to face or online, depending on their individual needs and preferences. There is, however, a dearth of literature focussed on whether the Hyflex model of course delivery is beneficial to students and feasible for instructors. This study explores the experiences and perspectives of both instructors and students of the HyFlex delivery mode in a postgraduate education course. The study employed a qualitative research design, using attendance records, surveys, and interviews to collect data from 11 students and two instructors. The findings suggested that HyFlex offers a flexible and adaptable approach to learning that can meet the diverse needs and preferences of students. Both instructors and students appreciated the flexibility and convenience of HyFlex, as well as the opportunities for engagement and interaction in both the face-to-face and online modes of delivery. However, the study also highlighted the challenges of HyFlex, particularly in relation to technology infrastructure and split instructor attention that could impact on self-efficacy. The authors provide recommendations for addressing these challenges and enhancing the benefits of HyFlex delivery mode. Overall, the study contributes to the growing body of research on HyFlex delivery mode and provides valuable insights for instructors using this mode of delivery in university courses

A New Method for Isolation of Interstitial Fluid from Human Solid Tumors Applied to Proteomic Analysis of Ovarian Carcinoma Tissue

Major efforts have been invested in the identification of cancer biomarkers in plasma, but the extraordinary dynamic range in protein composition, and the dilution of disease specific proteins make discovery in plasma challenging. Focus is shifting towards using proximal fluids for biomarker discovery, but methods to verify the isolated sample's origin are missing. We therefore aimed to develop a technique to search for potential candidate proteins in the proximal proteome, i.e. in the tumor interstitial fluid, since the biomarkers are likely to be excreted or derive from the tumor microenvironment. Since tumor interstitial fluid is not readily accessible, we applied a centrifugation method developed in experimental animals and asked whether interstitial fluid from human tissue could be isolated, using ovarian carcinoma as a model. Exposure of extirpated tissue to 106 g enabled tumor fluid isolation. The fluid was verified as interstitial by an isolated fluid:plasma ratio not significantly different from 1.0 for both creatinine and Na+, two substances predominantly present in interstitial fluid. The isolated fluid had a colloid osmotic pressure 79% of that in plasma, suggesting that there was some sieving of proteins at the capillary wall. Using a proteomic approach we detected 769 proteins in the isolated interstitial fluid, sixfold higher than in patient plasma. We conclude that the isolated fluid represents undiluted interstitial fluid and thus a subproteome with high concentration of locally secreted proteins that may be detected in plasma for diagnostic, therapeutic and prognostic monitoring by targeted methods

Competitive Adsorption of Surfactants and Polymers at the Free Water Surface. A Computer Simulation Study of the Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate- Poly(ethylene oxide) System

International audienc

Adsorption of Poly(ethylene-oxide) at the Free Water Surface. A Computer Simulation Study

International audienc

Hyflex delivery mode in a postgraduate course: instructor and student perspectives

Abstract The global pandemic necessitated changes in the way university courses were delivered, forcing most teaching and learning online. Post-pandemic, many students continue to struggle with attending their classes on campus. It has been suggested that Hyflex delivery mode is a solution to this problem, allowing students to attend class either face to face or online, depending on their individual needs and preferences. There is, however, a dearth of literature focussed on whether the Hyflex model of course delivery is beneficial to students and feasible for instructors. This study explores the experiences and perspectives of both instructors and students of the HyFlex delivery mode in a postgraduate education course. The study employed a qualitative research design, using attendance records, surveys, and interviews to collect data from 11 students and two instructors. The findings suggested that HyFlex offers a flexible and adaptable approach to learning that can meet the diverse needs and preferences of students. Both instructors and students appreciated the flexibility and convenience of HyFlex, as well as the opportunities for engagement and interaction in both the face-to-face and online modes of delivery. However, the study also highlighted the challenges of HyFlex, particularly in relation to technology infrastructure and split instructor attention that could impact on self-efficacy. The authors provide recommendations for addressing these challenges and enhancing the benefits of HyFlex delivery mode. Overall, the study contributes to the growing body of research on HyFlex delivery mode and provides valuable insights for instructors using this mode of delivery in university courses

A Qualitative Study Identifying Barriers and Enablers to Exercise Adherence in People with Chronic Low Back Pain. “It's a personal journey”

Exercise leads to clinically meaningful pain reductions in people with chronic low back pain and is recommended as a first line treatment. The benefits of exercise for chronic low back pain decrease over time with a lack of long-term exercise adherence as a potential reason for this decreasing effect. We aimed to identify the barriers and enablers to exercise adherence from the perspective of people with chronic low back pain. This qualitative study was underpinned by a constructivist epistemology and used a critical realist ontological perspective. Adults (18–65 years) with chronic low back pain who had exercised since the onset of their back pain were recruited to participate in focus groups and individual interviews. Audio data were transcribed and then analysed in 2 stages 1) inductive coding using reflexive thematic analysis, followed by 2) deductive analysis through mapping codes onto the Theoretical Domains Framework. Five enablers and 3 barriers were identified across 6 of the 14 Theoretical Domain Framework domains. Exercise identity and confidence in deciding to self-manage pain were enablers, whereas beliefs about the consequences of exercise, exercise context, and relationships could function as either barriers or enablers. These barriers and enablers were complex and fluid, with participants reporting conflicting barriers and enablers that varied, depending on context. These findings improve our understanding of the barriers and enablers to exercise adherence from the individual perspective of people with chronic low back pain and can be utilised for more effective exercise treatment in this population. Perspective: This article presents the barriers and enablers to exercise adherence from the perspective of people with chronic low back pain. These perspectives may aid to individualise and optimise exercise treatment, improve its long-term adherence and therefore its effectiveness for chronic low back pain