What’s in a Name? Unpacking Students’ Roles in Higher Education through Neoliberal and Social Justice Lenses

There has been an increase in research and practice exploring how students can gain agency to shape higher education experiences. Numerous terms evoking certain metaphors have entered the discussions around engaging students, from students as consumers or producers, to students as creators, partners, or change agents. There is scope within the evolving literature to explore the differentiations between these metaphors and how underlying assumptions ultimately shape our practices and research. We thus unpack the above five metaphors frequently used to redefine students’ roles in higher education. We then engage in a dialogue across differences: highlighting how our own two distinct perspectives on the research area and practice – grounded in neoliberalism and social justice – align, overlap, differ, and provide constraints or affordances for student engagement. We offer a critical and reflective commentary questioning the drivers of students’ changing roles in higher education in the hope of inviting others into generative dialogue toward expanding the evolving field of student engagement. </jats:p

First shallow record of Bathyphysa conifera (Studer, 1878) (Siphonophora, Cystonectae), a live specimen in the Strait of Gibraltar. Worldwide species distribution review

The rarely observed cystonect siphonophore Bathyphysa conifera was recorded for the first time in shallow depth water (- 16 m) as a live specimen, at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea by SCUBA divers. It is a delicate oceanic species, with earlier records coming mostly from deep water, where it readily adheres to deep sea fishing cables and nets, causing painful stings to fishermen. Deep water sightings from ROVs include in the North Atlantic, off Angola, the Gulf of Mexico, and Monterey Canyon. The present specimen was swimming actively by contracting and expanding its stem, in a yo-yo movement. A review of all reliable records for this species worldwide has been carried out to gain a better knowledge of the present known distribution of this species, both geographical and bathymetric. Bathyphysa conifera may possibly represent an important component of the food web and be perhaps also a competitor to fish in the regions it inhabits

Emerging aspects of oesophageal and gastro-oesophageal junction cancer histopathology – an update for the surgical oncologist

Adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus and gastro-oesophageal junction are rapidly increasing in incidence and have a well described sequence of carcinogenesis: the Barrett's metaplasia-dysplasia-adenocarcinoma sequence. During recent years there have been changes in the knowledge surrounding disease progression, cancer management and histopathology specimen reporting. Tumours around the gastro-oesophageal junction (GOJ) pose several specific challenges. Numerous difficulties arise when the existing TNM staging systems for gastric and oesophageal cancers are applied to GOJ tumours. The issues facing the current TNM staging and GOJ tumour classification systems are reviewed in this article. Recent evidence regarding the importance of several histopathologically derived prognostic factors, such as circumferential resection margin status and lymph node metastases, have implications for specimen reporting. With the rising use of multimodal treatments for oesophageal cancer it is important that the response of the tumour to this therapy is carefully documented pathologically. In addition, several controversial and novel areas such as endoscopic mucosal resection, lymph node micrometastases and the sentinel node concept are being studied. We aim to review these aspects, with special relevance to oesophageal and gastro-oesophageal cancer specimen reporting, to update the surgical oncologist with an interest in upper gastrointestinal cancer

Roles of Education and IQ in Cognitive Reserve in Parkinson's Disease-Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Background/aimsThe role of cognitive reserve in Parkinson's disease (PD)-mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is incompletely understood.MethodsThe relationships between PD-MCI, years of education, and estimated premorbid IQ were examined in 119 consecutive non-demented PD patients using logistic regression models.ResultsHigher education and IQ were associated with reduced odds of PD-MCI in univariate analysis. In multivariable analysis, a higher IQ was associated with a significantly decreased odds of PD-MCI, but education was not.ConclusionThe association of higher IQ and decreased odds of PD-MCI supports a role for cognitive reserve in PD, but further studies are needed to clarify the interaction of IQ and education and the impact of other contributors such as employment and hobbies

Vibrational spectroscopy: a promising approach to discriminate neurodegenerative disorders

Neurodegenerative diseases are a growing burden in modern society, thus crucially calling for the development of accurate diagnostic strategies. These diseases are currently incurable, a fact which has been attributed to their late diagnosis, after brain damage has already become widespread. An earlier and improved diagnosis is necessary for the enrolment of patients into clinical trials and can pave the way for the development of therapeutic tactics. Novel analytical techniques, such as mass spectrometry and vibrational spectroscopy, have been able to successfully detect and characterise neurodegenerative disorders. It is critical to globally support and make use of innovative basic research and techniques, which could ultimately lead to the creation of a cost-effective diagnostic test. Minimally invasive samples, such as biological fluids, have also been shown to reveal information for these diseases; utilising them could simplify sample collection/analysis and be more preferable to patients

First occurrence of the rare siphonophore Lilyopsis Chun, 1885 (Hydrozoa, Siphonophora, Prayinae) in South Africa

A colony of the rare hydrozoan siphonophore Lilyopsis Chun, 1885, was observed for the first time in shallow water in False Bay, South Africa, swimming amongst kelp. A study of a high-quality image of this individual found it to share some characters with the prayine prayid L. fluoracantha Haddock, Dunn &amp;amp; Pugh, 2005, so far known only from Monterey Bay, California, in the eastern Pacific. No Lilyopsis species has previously been reliably identified from either the South Atlantic or the Indian Ocean, so this record represents an expansion of the known worldwide distribution for this genus

Evaluation of objective and perceived mental fatigability in older adults with vascular risk

Objectives: Mental fatigability refers to the failure to sustain participation in tasks requiring mental effort. Older adults with vascular risk are at particular risk for experiencing mental fatigability. The present study (1) tested a new way of measuring objective mental fatigability by examining its association with perceived mental fatigability; and (2) identified associated psychological, physiological, and situational predictors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 49 community-dwelling participants aged 75. + years with vascular risk. A 20-minute fatigability-manipulation task was used to induce mental fatigability and develop objective and perceived mental fatigability measures. Objective fatigability was calculated by the change of reaction time over the course of the task. Perceived fatigability was calculated by the change of fatigue self-reported before and after the task. A set of potential psychological, physiological, and situational predictors were measured. Results: There was a significant increase in reaction time and self-reported fatigue to the fatigability manipulation task, indicating occurrence of objective and perceived mental fatigability. Reaction time and self-reported fatigue were moderately, but significantly correlated. Higher levels of executive control and having a history of more frequently engaging in mental activities were associated with lower objective mental fatigability. None of the examined factors were associated with perceived mental fatigability. Conclusion: Objective and perceived mental fatigability were sensitive to our fatigability-manipulation task. While these two measures were correlated, they were not associated with the same factors. These findings need to be validated in studies with a more heterogeneous sample and a greater variety of fatigability-manipulation tasks

Effect of leisure activities on inflammation and cognitive function in an aging sample

Cardiovascular disease risk factors (CVDRFs) increase the risk of dementia. The purpose of this study was to examine whether leisure activities (mental, physical, and social activities) modified the effect of CVDRFs on inflammatory markers and cognitive function in middle and old age. A secondary-data analysis study was conducted using data from 405 middle-age participants (40-59 years) and 342 old-age participants (60-84 years) who participated in the Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS). CVDRFs were obtained from a combination of self-report medical history and blood-based biomarkers. Three CVDRF groups (≤1, 2, and ≥3 CVDRFs) were identified. More CVDRFs were significantly associated with higher levels of inflammatory markers in both age groups, and associated with lower levels of executive function (EF) in the old age group. CVDRFs were not related to the frequency of leisure activities in either age group. After controlling for covariates, higher levels of physical activities were significantly associated with lower levels of inflammatory markers, and higher levels of mental activities were associated with higher levels of cognitive function. In the old age group, physical activities also moderated the effect of CVDRFs on episodic memory (EM), and mental activities moderated the effect of CVDRFs on interleukin-6 (IL-6). Multiple CVDRFs may be associated with poorer cognitive function and higher inflammatory markers, but middle-age and older adults with CVDRFs may not engage in frequent physical and cognitive activities that may be protective. It is important to develop strategies to facilitate engagement in these activities from midlife

Longitudinal relationships between subjective fatigue, cognitive function, and everyday functioning in old age

Background: The present study examined the prospective relationships between subjective fatigue, cognitive function, and everyday functioning. Methods: A cohort study with secondary data analysis was conducted using data from 2,781 community-dwelling older adults without dementia who were enrolled to participate in the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) randomized intervention trial. Measures included demographic and health information at baseline, and annual assessments of subjective fatigue, cognitive function (i.e. speed of processing, memory, and reasoning), and everyday functioning (i.e. everyday speed and everyday problem-solving) over five years. Results: Four distinct classes of subjective fatigue were identified using growth mixture modeling: one group complaining fatigue some of the time at baseline but most of the time at five-year follow-up (increased fatigue), one complaining fatigue a good bit of the time constantly over time (persistent fatigue), one complaining fatigue most of the time at baseline but some of the time at five-year follow-up (decreased fatigue), and the fourth complaining fatigue some of the time constantly over time (persistent energy). All domains of cognitive function and everyday functioning declined significantly over five years; and the decline rates, but not the baseline levels, differed by the latent class of subjective fatigue. Except for the decreased fatigue class, there were different degrees of significant associations between the decline rates of subjective fatigue and all domains of cognitive function and everyday functioning in other classes of subjective fatigue. Conclusion: Future interventions should address subjective fatigue when managing cognitive and functional abilities in community-dwelling older adults