The Effects of Supplemental Online Learning Aids on Student Performance and Student Engagement in Medical Microbiology

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of online learning aids on student performance and engagement. The thirty-five participants of the current study were students enrolled in two sections of a junior level Medical Microbiology laboratory. The experimental section was required to spend ten minutes each week on an online learning aid. The online program, StudyMateTM, was used to present text and images in the form of flash cards, multiple choice questions, matching, and crossword puzzles. Both groups completed the Index of Learning Style survey, an initial engagement survey at the start of the course, and a final engagement survey at the end of the course. Statistical analysis showed no significant differences between the groups at the start of the course or after the course was completed for learning style, science grade point average, overall grade point average, initial engagement or final engagement. A moderate correlation was found between microbiology course and laboratory grades and a reflective learning style

Understanding the Relationship between Gender and Self-Efficacy in Northeast Texas Public Schools

Using a sample of 147 K-12 teachers in Northeast Texas, the authors examine the importance of gender for teachers, and if gender impacts his or her own feelings of self-efficacy, while controlling for demographic variables. Findings enhance scholars’ understanding of how men and women view themselves and their perceptions of their own self-efficacy in education. This research also merges the literature in education and sociology, providing an example of how interdisciplinary research can improve our understandings of social problems found within educational institutions

THE SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATION, PROSECUTION, AND PUNISHMENT OF AMERICAN ECOTERRORISTS

This study analyzes differences in conviction outcomes of ecoterrorists compared to left-wing and right-wing terrorists using a mixed-methods approach. I use quantitative analyses to investigate differences in conviction outcomes, such as trial conviction, plea bargain, and case dismissal or acquittal across different domestic terrorist groups. I use qualitative analyses to investigate summary symbols and framing techniques used across domestic terrorist groups. Similar ideological themes found across ecoterrorist groups and other non-terrorist groups, such as environmentalists, ecofeminists, and the American general public may help explain differences in outcomes. Findings suggest ecoterrorists tend to use discourse to explain their purpose and activities similar to discourses that are used by mainstream environmental groups. This contrasts with rhetorical patterns of right-wing and left-wing terrorists, which tend to bypass appeals to mainstream ideals. The use of environmentalist frames may give ecoterrorists an advantage in the criminal justice system by drawing more empathy from the general public

Billions in Misspent EU Agricultural Subsidies Could Support the Sustainable Development Goals

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is the guiding policy for agriculture and the largest single budget item in the European Union (EU). Agriculture is essential to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but the CAP's contribution to do so is uncertain. We analyzed the distribution of (sic)59.4 billion of 2015 CAP payments and show that current CAP spending exacerbates income inequality within agriculture, while little funding supports climate-friendly and biodiverse farming regions. More than (sic)24 billion of 2015 CAP direct payments went to regions where average farm incomes are already above the EU median income. A further (sic)2.5 billion in rural development payments went to primarily urban areas. Effective monitoring indicators are also missing. We recommend redirecting and better monitoring CAP payments toward achieving the environmental, sustainability, and rural development goals stated in the CAP's new objectives, which would support the SDGs, the European Green Deal, and green COVID-19 recovery

Emotion Work On The Home-Front: The Special Case Of Military Wives

This research includes interviews with twelve military wives to examine emotion-work techniques used to negotiate the everyday life of wives during their husbands\u27 deployment. In this study, I seek to better understand the ways in which military wives negotiate their feelings within a context of military masculinity and how they manage role strain, feelings of loneliness, isolation, and marginalization. In addition, I examine the cultural constructs available to wives, such as traditional gender roles and subordination. Interviews confirm the complexity of the life of the military wife, revealing challenges of contradictory emotions in relationship to the military, her husband, her family, and the war in Iraq. Findings reveal that military wives engage in significant emotion work to support their husbands during deployment. Findings also identify the support structures that military wives either enjoy or lack during deployment, their views toward soldiers versus the bureaucratic structure of the military, and their participation in the moral order of military communities through patriotism. Suggestions for future studies are presented, as more research is needed to deepen our understanding of the isolation and marginalization of life for military spouses

The relationship between uncertainty tolerance and oncologists’ perceptions of large-panel genomic tumor testing

Introduction: Large-panel genomic tumor testing (GTT) is a new technology that promises to make cancer treatment more precise, but that currently poses many uncertainties regarding its clinical value and appropriate use. Uncertainty Tolerance (UT), a psychological construct that describes trait-level differences in individuals’ responses to uncertainty, may influence oncologists’ perceptions and attitudes regarding GTT

msbB deletion confers acute sensitivity to CO2 in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium that can be suppressed by a loss-of-function mutation in zwf

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Pathogens tolerate stress conditions that include low pH, oxidative stress, high salt and high temperature in order to survive inside and outside their hosts. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which forms the outer-leaflet of the outer membrane in Gram-negative bacteria, acts as a permeability barrier. The lipid A moiety of LPS anchors it to the outer membrane bilayer. The MsbB enzyme myristoylates the lipid A precursor and loss of this enzyme, in <it>Salmonella</it>, is correlated with reduced virulence and severe growth defects that can both be compensated with extragenic suppressor mutations.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We report here that <it>msbB </it>(or <it>msbB somA</it>) <it>Salmonella </it>are highly sensitive to physiological CO₂(5%), resulting in a 3-log reduction in plating efficiency. Under these conditions, <it>msbB Salmonella </it>form long filaments, bulge and lyse. These bacteria are also sensitive to acidic pH and high osmolarity. Although CO₂acidifies LB broth media, buffering LB to pH 7.5 did not restore growth of <it>msbB </it>mutants in CO₂, indicating that the CO₂-induced growth defects are not due to the effect of CO₂on the pH of the media. A transposon insertion in the glucose metabolism gene <it>zwf </it>compensates for the CO₂sensitivity of <it>msbB Salmonella</it>. The <it>msbB zwf </it>mutants grow on agar, or in broth, in the presence of 5% CO₂. In addition, <it>msbB zwf </it>strains show improved growth in low pH or high osmolarity media compared to the single <it>msbB </it>mutant.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results demonstrate that <it>msbB </it>confers acute sensitivity to CO₂, acidic pH, and high osmolarity. Disruption of <it>zwf </it>in <it>msbB </it>mutants restores growth in 5% CO₂and results in improved growth in acidic media or in media with high osmolarity. These results add to a growing list of phenotypes caused by <it>msbB </it>and mutations that suppress specific growth defects.</p