The Mathematics Problem and Mastery Learning for First-Year, Undergraduate STEM Students

In the 2014 academic year Mastery Learning was implemented in four first-year mathematics subjects in an effort to address a lack of preparedness and poor outcomes of increasing numbers of undergraduate students in science, engineering and mathematics programs. This followed partial success in the use of diagnostic testing and pre-teaching, active learning, and a greater emphasis on problem solving in context - under-prepared students were still more likely to fail the pre-teaching subject and to struggle with subsequent mathematics subjects. Also, failure rates overall were higher than benchmarks required. This paper describes the learning design used, and the outcomes achieved, with implementing Mastery Learning – the positive: improved academic success, time management, and attitudes towards learning and Mathematics, an increased sense of independence, confidence and retention of content, and reduced stress and anxiety; and the negative: students having a sense of being taught how to pass a test rather than having a deeper understanding of the content. It will be seen that this negative is a consequence of a small but important difference in implementation

In vivo labeling of endogenous genomic loci in C. elegans using CRISPR/dCas9

Visualization of genomic loci with open chromatin state has been reported in mammalian tissue culture cells using a CRISPR/Cas9-based system that utilizes an EGFP-tagged endonuclease-deficient Cas9 protein (dCas9::EGFP) (Chen et al. 2013). Here, we adapted this approach for use in Caenorhabditis elegans . We generated a C. elegans strain that expresses the dCas9 protein fused to two nuclear-localized EGFP molecules (dCas9::NLS::2xEGFP::NLS) in an inducible manner. Using this strain, we report the visualization in live C. elegans embryos of two endogenous repetitive loci, rrn-4 and rrn-1 , from which 5S and 18S ribosomal RNAs are constitutively generated

Fertility sparing surgery and borderline ovarian tumours

o determine the oncological outcomes following fertility-sparing surgery (FSS) for the management of Borderline Ovarian Tumours (BOTs). A retrospective analysis of participants diagnosed with BOTs between January 2004 and December 2020 at the West London Gynaecological Oncology Centre was conducted. A total of 172 women were diagnosed; 52.3% (90/172) underwent FSS and 47.7% (82/172) non-FSS. The overall recurrence rate of disease was 16.9% (29/172), of which 79.3% (23/29) presented as the recurrence of serous or sero-mucinous BOTs and 20.7% (6/29) as low-grade serous carcinoma (LGSC). In the FSS group, the recurrence rate of BOTs was 25.6% (23/90) presenting a median 44.0 (interquartile range (IQR) 41.5) months, of which there were no episodes of recurrence presenting as LGSC reported. In the non-FSS group, all recurrences of disease presented as LGSC, with a rate of 7.7% (6/78), following a median of 47.5 months (IQR 47.8). A significant difference between the type of surgery performed (FSS v Non-FSS) and the association with recurrence of BOT was observed (Pearson Chi-Square: p = 0.000; x = 20.613). Twelve women underwent ultrasound-guided ovarian wedge resection (UGOWR) as a novel method of FSS. Recurrence of BOT was not significantly associated with the type of FSS performed (Pearson Chi- Square: x = 3.166, p = 0.379). Non-FSS is associated with negative oncological outcomes compared to FSS, as evidenced by the higher rate of recurrence of LGSC. This may be attributed to the indefinite long-term follow up with ultrasound surveillance all FSS women undergo, enabling earlier detection and treatment of recurrences

Functional dissociation of behavioral effects from acetylcholine and glutamate released from cholinergic striatal interneurons

In the striatum, cholinergic interneurons (CINs) have the ability to release both acetylcholine and glutamate, due to the expression of the vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT) and the vesicular glutamate transporter 3 (VGLUT3). However, the relationship these neurotransmitters have in the regulation of behavior is not fully understood. Here we used reward-based touchscreen tests in mice to assess the individual and combined contributions of acetylcholine/glutamate co-transmission in behavior. We found that reduced levels of the VAChT from CINs negatively impacted dopamine signalling in response to reward, and disrupted complex responses in a sequential chain of events. In contrast, diminished VGLUT3 levels had somewhat opposite effects. When mutant mice were treated with haloperidol in a cue-based task, the drug did not affect the performance of VAChT mutant mice, whereas VGLUT3 mutant mice were highly sensitive to haloperidol. In mice where both vesicular transporters were deleted from CINs, we observed altered reward-evoked dopaminergic signalling and behavioral deficits that resemble, but were worse, than those in mice with specific loss of VAChT alone. These results demonstrate that the ability to secrete two different neurotransmitters allows CINs to exert complex modulation of a wide range of behaviors

Use of biomedical photonics in gynecological surgery: a uterine transplantation model

Aim: Uterine transplantation (UTx) has been proposed as a treatment for permanent absolute uterine factor infertility. The study aims were to compare pulse oximetry and multispectral imaging (MSI), for intraoperative tracking of uterine oxygen saturation in animal UTx models (rabbit and sheep). Results/methodology: Imaging results confirmed the re-establishment of adequate perfusion in the transplanted organ after surgery. Comparison of oxygen saturation values between the pre-UTx donor and post-UTx recipient, and pre-UTx and post-UTx recipient reveals a statistically significant decrease in saturation levels post-UTx. Conclusion: The use of MSI is the first case in gynecology and has demonstrated promise of possible future human use. MSI technique has advantages over pulse oximetry – it provides spatial information in a real-time, noncontact manner

Managing pregnancy of unknown location based on initial serum progesterone and serial serum hCG: development and validation of a two-step triage protocol.

A uniform rationalized management protocol for pregnancies of unknown location (PUL) is lacking. We developed a two-step triage protocol based on presenting serum progesterone (step 1) and hCG ratio two days later (step 2) to select PUL at high-risk of ectopic pregnancy (EP).Cohort study of 2753 PUL (301 EP), involving a secondary analysis of prospectively and consecutively collected PUL at two London-based university teaching hospitals. Using a chronological split we used 1449 PUL for development and 1304 for validation. We aimed to select PUL as low-risk with high confidence (high negative predictive value, NPV) while classifying most EP as high-risk (high sensitivity). The first triage step selects low-risk PUL at presentation using a serum progesterone threshold. The remaining PUL are triaged using a novel logistic regression risk model based on hCG ratio and initial serum progesterone (second step), defining low-risk as an estimated EP risk <5%.On validation, initial serum progesterone ≤2nmol/l (step 1) selected 16.1% PUL as low-risk. Second step classification with the risk model M6P selected an additional 46.0% of all PUL as low-risk. Overall, the two-step protocol classified 62.1% of PUL as low-risk, with an NPV of 98.6% and a sensitivity of 92.0%. When the risk model was used in isolation (i.e. without the first step), 60.5% of PUL were classified as low-risk with 99.1% NPV and 94.9% sensitivity.The two-step protocol can efficiently classify PUL into being at high or low risk of complications

Use of biomedical photonics in gynecological surgery: a uterine transplantation model

Aim: Uterine transplantation (UTx) has been proposed as a treatment for permanent absolute uterine factor infertility. The study aims were to compare pulse oximetry and multispectral imaging (MSI), for intraoperative tracking of uterine oxygen saturation in animal UTx models (rabbit and sheep). Results/methodology: Imaging results confirmed the re-establishment of adequate perfusion in the transplanted organ after surgery. Comparison of oxygen saturation values between the pre-UTx donor and post-UTx recipient, and pre-UTx and post-UTx recipient reveals a statistically significant decrease in saturation levels post-UTx. Conclusion: The use of MSI is the first case in gynecology and has demonstrated promise of possible future human use. MSI technique has advantages over pulse oximetry - it provides spatial information in a real-time, noncontact manner

Use of Laser Speckle Contrast Analysis during pelvic surgery in a uterine transplantation model

Aim: Uterine transplantation (UTx) is proposed for treatment of uterine factor infertility. Our aim was to assess whether Endoscopic Laser Speckle Contrast Analysis (eLASCA) could evaluate pelvic blood flow at anastomotic sites required for sheep and rabbit UTx. Results/methodology: eLASCA detected blood flow in rabbit UTx #7 and #9. In sheep UTx #2, #3 and #5, the results allowed us to conclude that blood flow was present in the uterine graft following transplantation; and post-UTx, the animal had heart and respiratory rates, and oxygen saturation compatible with a normal hemodynamic status. Conclusion: These preliminary results establish the potential of Laser Speckle Contrast Analysis as noncontact and real-time tool for observation of spatially-resolved blood flow from which other parameters can be derived

New frontiers in translational research: Touchscreens, open science, and the mouse translational research accelerator platform

© 2020 International Behavioural and Neural Genetics Society and John Wiley & Sons Ltd Many neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases and other brain disorders are accompanied by impairments in high-level cognitive functions including memory, attention, motivation, and decision-making. Despite several decades of extensive research, neuroscience is little closer to discovering new treatments. Key impediments include the absence of validated and robust cognitive assessment tools for facilitating translation from animal models to humans. In this review, we describe a state-of-the-art platform poised to overcome these impediments and improve the success of translational research, the Mouse Translational Research Accelerator Platform (MouseTRAP), which is centered on the touchscreen cognitive testing system for rodents. It integrates touchscreen-based tests of high-level cognitive assessment with state-of-the art neurotechnology to record and manipulate molecular and circuit level activity in vivo in animal models during human-relevant cognitive performance. The platform also is integrated with two Open Science platforms designed to facilitate knowledge and data-sharing practices within the rodent touchscreen community, touchscreencognition.org and mousebytes.ca. Touchscreencognition.org includes the Wall, showcasing touchscreen news and publications, the Forum, for community discussion, and Training, which includes courses, videos, SOPs, and symposia. To get started, interested researchers simply create user accounts. We describe the origins of the touchscreen testing system, the novel lines of research it has facilitated, and its increasingly widespread use in translational research, which is attributable in part to knowledge-sharing efforts over the past decade. We then identify the unique features of MouseTRAP that stand to potentially revolutionize translational research, and describe new initiatives to partner with similar platforms such as McGill\u27s M3 platform (m3platform.org)

A Complex Regulatory Network Coordinating Cell Cycles During C. elegans Development Is Revealed by a Genome-Wide RNAi Screen

The development and homeostasis of multicellular animals requires precise coordination of cell division and differentiation. We performed a genome-wide RNA interference screen in Caenorhabditis elegans to reveal the components of a regulatory network that promotes developmentally programmed cell-cycle quiescence. The 107 identified genes are predicted to constitute regulatory networks that are conserved among higher animals because almost half of the genes are represented by clear human orthologs. Using a series of mutant backgrounds to assess their genetic activities, the RNA interference clones displaying similar properties were clustered to establish potential regulatory relationships within the network. This approach uncovered four distinct genetic pathways controlling cell-cycle entry during intestinal organogenesis. The enhanced phenotypes observed for animals carrying compound mutations attest to the collaboration between distinct mechanisms to ensure strict developmental regulation of cell cycles. Moreover, we characterized ubc-25, a gene encoding an E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme whose human ortholog, UBE2Q2, is deregulated in several cancers. Our genetic analyses suggested that ubc-25 acts in a linear pathway with cul-1/Cul1, in parallel to pathways employing cki-1/p27 and lin-35/pRb to promote cell-cycle quiescence. Further investigation of the potential regulatory mechanism demonstrated that ubc-25 activity negatively regulates CYE-1/cyclin E protein abundance in vivo. Together, our results show that the ubc-25-mediated pathway acts within a complex network that integrates the actions of multiple molecular mechanisms to control cell cycles during development