Beyond Skills: An Integrative Approach to Doctoral Student Preparation for Diverse Careers

An early consensus in the ongoing discourse about graduate student preparation for diverse careers was that graduates lacked competencies relevant to non-academic professional settings. Lists of missing “skills” were developed that universities and agencies sought to address, most commonly by the offering of generic (transferable) skills workshops or courses. In this paper, we critique this framing of the issue and discuss the limitations of the common approaches taken to address it. We propose a more integrated approach, where students’ thesis research itself is oriented to their possible futures (a practice already occurring in many areas), and where assessment of the competencies so developed is integral to the awarding of the degree. We illustrate the concepts through the stories of two students, and discuss policy ramifications and the substantial challenges to its realization presented by a highly competitive research environment and established ways of assessing success in faculty and students.  Dans le débat toujours actuel à l’égard de la préparation des étudiants des études supérieures à leur entrée sur le marché du travail, le consensus qui s’en dégageait au départ était que les étudiants diplômés ne disposaient pas des compétences pertinentes aux milieux professionnels non universitaires. Devant ces conclusions, les universités et agences de placement ont cherché à combler ce «manque de compétences», surtout au moyen de cours et d’ateliers de compétences générales (transférables). Nous offrons ici une critique de cette façon de répondre au problème et nous discutons des limites des façons courantes de l’aborder. Nous proposons une approche plus intégrée pour perfectionner ces compétences, approche par laquelle la thèse de l’étudiant s’oriente précisément vers l’avenir vocationnel de celui-ci (une pratique déjà courante dans plusieurs domaines). L’évaluation des compétences ainsi développées devient indispensable à la remise du diplôme. Nous illustrons ces concepts par le truchement de deux études de cas. De manière plus générale, nous discutons des ramifications politiques potentielles de cette approche, ainsi que des défis importants liés à sa réalisation dans un milieu de recherche hautement concurrentiel, et mettons en pratique des moyens d’en évaluer la réussite.&nbsp

Qualitative Analysis of the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program’s 24-hour Dietary Recall

The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) uses a group 24-hour dietary recall (Gr24HDR) to measure changes in diet quality. Participant perceptions of the tool can guide implementation practices used by EFNEP Extension staff. Focus group (FG) sessions were conducted in five states and transcripts analyzed following a framework analysis approach. According to FG participants, a range of factors, condensed into six themes with potential interactions, influence Gr24HDR including implementation processes and community settings. Findings inform overarching considerations EFNEP staff may take when collecting Gr24HDR data in the field to improve the evaluation process for participants

The effectiveness of beach mega-nourishment, assessed over three management epochs

Resilient coastal protection requires adaptive management strategies that build with nature to maintain long-term sustainability. With increasing pressures on shorelines from urbanisation, industrial growth, sea-level rise and changing storm climates soft approaches to coastal management are implemented to support natural habitats and maintain healthy coastal ecosystems. The impact of a beach mega-nourishment along a frontage of interactive natural and engineered systems that incorporate soft and hard defences is explored. A coastal evolution model is applied to simulate the impact of different hypothetical mega-nourishment interventions to assess their impacts’ over 3 shoreline management planning epochs: present-day (0–20 years), medium-term (20–50 years) and long-term (50–100 years). The impacts of the smaller interventions when appropriately positioned are found to be as effective as larger schemes, thus making them more cost-effective for present-day management. Over time the benefit from larger interventions becomes more noticeable, with multi-location schemes requiring a smaller initial nourishment to achieve at least the same benefit as that of a single-location scheme. While the longer-term impact of larger schemes reduces erosion across a frontage the short-term impact down drift of the scheme can lead to an increase in erosion as the natural sediment drift becomes interrupted. This research presents a transferable modelling tool to assess the impact of nourishment schemes for a variety of sedimentary shorelines and highlights both the positive and negative impact of beach mega-nourishment

Relationship between a Weighted Multi-Gene Algorithm and Blood Pressure Control in Hypertension

Hypertension (HTN) is a complex disease with interactions among multiple organ systems, including the heart, vasculature, and kidney with a strong heritable component. Despite the multifactorial nature of HTN, no clinical guidelines utilize a multi-gene approach to guide blood pressure (BP) therapy. Non-smokers with a family history of HTN were included in the analysis (n = 384; age = 61.0 ± 0.9, 11% non-white). A total of 17 functional genotypes were weighted according to the previous effect size in the literature and entered into an algorithm. Pharmacotherapy was ranked from 1⁻4 as most to least likely to respond based on the algorithmic assessment of individual patient's genotypes. Three-years of data were assessed at six-month intervals for BP and medication history. There was no difference in BP at diagnosis between groups matching the top drug recommendation using the multi-gene weighted algorithm (n = 92) vs. those who did not match (n = 292). However, from diagnosis to nadir, patients who matched the primary recommendation had a significantly greater drop in BP when compared to patients who did not. Further, the difference between diagnosis to current 1-year average BP was lower in the group that matched the top recommendation. These data suggest an association between a weighted multi-gene algorithm on the BP response to pharmacotherapy.Geneticure Inc.Open access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

A phase I trial of Flavopiridol in relapsed multiple myeloma

PURPOSE: Flavopiridol is primarily a cyclin-dependent kinase-9 inhibitor, and we performed a dose escalation trial to determine the maximum tolerated dose and safety and generate a pharmacokinetic (PK) profile. METHODS: Patients with a diagnosis of relapsed myeloma after at least two prior treatments were included. Flavopiridol was administered as a bolus and then continuous infusion weekly for 4 weeks in a 6-week cycle. RESULTS: Fifteen patients were treated at three dose levels (30 mg/m(2) bolus, 30 mg/m(2) CIV to 50 mg/m(2) bolus, and 50 mg/m(2) CIV). Cytopenias were significant, and elevated transaminases (grade 4 in 3 patients, grade 3 in 4 patients, and grade 2 in 3 patients) were noted but were transient. Diarrhea (grade 3 in 6 patients and grade 2 in 5 patients) did not lead to hospital admission. There were no confirmed partial responses although one patient with t(4;14) had a decrease in his monoclonal protein >50 % that did not persist. PK properties were similar to prior publications, and immunohistochemical staining for cyclin D1 and phospho-retinoblastoma did not predict response. CONCLUSIONS: Flavopiridol as a single agent given by bolus and then infusion caused significant diarrhea, cytopenias, and transaminase elevation but only achieved marginal responses in relapsed myelom

Microbial Community Dynamics of Lactate Enriched Hanford Groundwaters

The Department of Energy site at Hanford, WA, has been historically impacted by U and Cr from the nuclear weapons industry. In an attempt to stimulate microbial remediation of these metals, in-situ lactate enrichment experiments are ongoing. In order to bridge the gap from the laboratory to the field, we inoculated triplicate anaerobic, continuous-flow glass reactors with groundwater collected from well Hanford 100-H in order to obtain a stable, enriched community while selecting for metal-reducing bacteria. Each reactor was fed from a single carboy containing defined media with 30 mM lactate at a rate of 0.223 ml/min under continuous nitrogen flow at 9 ml/min. Cell counts, organic acids, gDNA (for qPCR and pyrosequencing) and gases were sampled during the experiment. Cell counts remained low (less than 1x107 cells/ml) during the first two weeks of the experiment, but by day 20, had reached a density greater than 1x108 cells/ml. Metabolite analysis showed a decrease in the lactate concentrations over time. Pyruvate concentrations ranged from 20-40 uM the first week of the experiment then was undetectable after day 10. Likewise, formate appeared in the reactors during the first week with concentrations of 1.48-1.65 mM at day 7 then the concentrations decreased to 0.69-0.95 on day 10 and were undetectable on day 15. Acetate was present in low amounts on day 3 (0.15-0.33 mM) and steadily increased to 3.35-5.22 mM over time. Similarly, carbon dioxide was present in low concentrations early on and increased to 0.28-0.35 mM as the experiment progressed. We also were able to detect low amounts of methane (10-20 uM) during the first week of the experiment, but by day 10 the methane was undetectable. From these results and pyrosequencing analysis, we conclude that a shift in the microbial community dynamics occurred over time to eventually form a stable and enriched microbial community. Comprehensive investigations such as these allow for the examination of not only which nutrient source will accelerate site remediation, but also provide insight to evaluate remediation strategies through which enriched community members are important for bioremediation

The Cost of Autism Spectrum Disorders

Objective: A diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorders is usually associated with substantial lifetime costs to an individual, their family and the community. However, there remains an elusive factor in any cost-benefit analysis of ASD diagnosis, namely the cost of not obtaining a diagnosis. Given the infeasibility of estimating the costs of a population that, by its nature, is inaccessible, the current study compares expenses between families whose children received a formal ASD diagnosis immediately upon suspecting developmental atypicality and seeking advice, with families that experienced a delay between first suspicion and formal diagnosis. Design: A register based questionnaire study covering all families with a child with ASD in Western Australia. Participants: Families with one or more children diagnosed with an ASD, totalling 521 children diagnosed with an ASD; 317 records were able to be included in the final analysis.Results: The median family cost of ASD was estimated to be AUD $34,900 per annum with almost 90$29,200) due to loss of income from employment. For each additional symptom reported, approximately $1,400 cost for the family per annum was added. While there was little direct influence on costs associated with a delay in the diagnosis, the delay was associated with a modest increase in the number of ASD symptoms, indirectly impacting the cost of ASD. Conclusions: A delay in diagnosis was associated with an indirect increased financial burden to families. Early and appropriate access to early intervention is known to improve a child's long-term outcomes and reduce lifetime costs to the individual, family and society. Consequently, a per symptom dollar value may assist in allocation of individualised funding amounts for interventions rather than a nominal amount allocated to all children below a certain age, regardless of symptom presentation, as is the case in Western Australia

Diminishing benefits of urban living for children and adolescents’ growth and development

Optimal growth and development in childhood and adolescence is crucial for lifelong health and well-being1–6. Here we used data from 2,325 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight from 71 million participants, to report the height and body-mass index (BMI) of children and adolescents aged 5–19 years on the basis of rural and urban place of residence in 200 countries and territories from 1990 to 2020. In 1990, children and adolescents residing in cities were taller than their rural counterparts in all but a few high-income countries. By 2020, the urban height advantage became smaller in most countries, and in many high-income western countries it reversed into a small urban-based disadvantage. The exception was for boys in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa and in some countries in Oceania, south Asia and the region of central Asia, Middle East and north Africa. In these countries, successive cohorts of boys from rural places either did not gain height or possibly became shorter, and hence fell further behind their urban peers. The difference between the age-standardized mean BMI of children in urban and rural areas was \u3c1.1 kg m–2 in the vast majority of countries. Within this small range, BMI increased slightly more in cities than in rural areas, except in south Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and some countries in central and eastern Europe. Our results show that in much of the world, the growth and developmental advantages of living in cities have diminished in the twenty-first century, whereas in much of sub-Saharan Africa they have amplified

Subsurface scientific exploration of extraterrestrial environments (MINAR 5): analogue science, technology and education in the Boulby Mine, UK

The deep subsurface of other planetary bodies is of special interest for robotic and human exploration. The subsurface provides access to planetary interior processes, thus yielding insights into planetary formation and evolution. On Mars, the subsurface might harbour the most habitable conditions. In the context of human exploration, the subsurface can provide refugia for habitation from extreme surface conditions. We describe the fifth Mine Analogue Research (MINAR 5) programme at 1 km depth in the Boulby Mine, UK in collaboration with Spaceward Bound NASA and the Kalam Centre, India, to test instruments and methods for the robotic and human exploration of deep environments on the Moon and Mars. The geological context in Permian evaporites provides an analogue to evaporitic materials on other planetary bodies such as Mars. A wide range of sample acquisition instruments (NASA drills, Small Planetary Impulse Tool (SPLIT) robotic hammer, universal sampling bags), analytical instruments (Raman spectroscopy, Close-Up Imager, Minion DNA sequencing technology, methane stable isotope analysis, biomolecule and metabolic life detection instruments) and environmental monitoring equipment (passive air particle sampler, particle detectors and environmental monitoring equipment) was deployed in an integrated campaign. Investigations included studying the geochemical signatures of chloride and sulphate evaporitic minerals, testing methods for life detection and planetary protection around human-tended operations, and investigations on the radiation environment of the deep subsurface. The MINAR analogue activity occurs in an active mine, showing how the development of space exploration technology can be used to contribute to addressing immediate Earth-based challenges. During the campaign, in collaboration with European Space Agency (ESA), MINAR was used for astronaut familiarization with future exploration tools and techniques. The campaign was used to develop primary and secondary school and primary to secondary transition curriculum materials on-site during the campaign which was focused on a classroom extra vehicular activity simulation