Analysis of data on the certificate of advanced graduate specialization program as collected by means of questionnaire

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

An Integrated Fisheries Management Blueprint For the Newfoundland and Labrador Green Sea Urchin Fishery

Since 1997 the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has recognised the importance of the green sea urchin resource due to growing international market demand. The purpose of this paper is to draw attention to the need for a formal Integrated Fisheries Management Plan and to present a preliminary blueprint for such a plan. A literature review was conducted of North American urchin fisheries to place this province's fishery in context. The green sea urchin is very susceptible to over exploitation due to its life history characteristics and biology. It is very important to control fishing effort through a management plan that is based on reliable scientific data that encompasses both traditional and non-traditional management practices to promote the long term sustainability of the stock. The most valuable lesson learned was that the timing of an IFMP is crucial to an emergent fishery and now would be the time to implement such a plan rather than later, as in reactive management which has characterized fishery management in this province

Comparison of academic statistics of two-year college transfer and native fisheries and wildlife students at the university of Missouri

As an increasing number of high school graduates take advantage of less-stringent economic and entrance requirements offered through two-year colleges, concern is mounting at the University of Missouri (MU) and other major universities about the ability of two-year college transfer students to compete in advanced, preprofessional curricula such as Fisheries and Wildlife. We assessed the validity of this concern by examining the academic histories of two-year college transfer students (n=21), students transferring into our department from another MU program (n=23), and students who had enrolled in Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences (FW) as freshmen (n=56). Two-year college transfer students were less likely to complete the degree program in Fisheries and Wildlife than native students or transfer students from another department at MU. Students transferring to MU from two-year colleges had lower overall grade-point averages (GPA) at graduation and lower GPAs in advanced professional courses, than native or other MU transfers. At graduation, both two-year college and MU transfers had taken substantially more credit hours than native FW students. For students wishing to complete a B.S. degree in Fisheries and Wildlife, the decision to begin their studies at two-year colleges might have academic and career costs; furthermore, anticipated reduction in economic costs may not be realized as hours required to graduate mount

Qualitative, quantitative, and data mining methods for analyzing log data to characterize students' learning strategies and behaviors [discussant]

This symposium addresses how different classes of research methods, all based upon the use of log data from educational software, can facilitate the analysis of students’ learning strategies and behaviors. To this end, four multi-method programs of research are discussed, including the use of qualitative, quantitative-statistical, quantitative-modeling, and educational data mining methods. The symposium presents evidence regarding the applicability of each type of method to research questions of different grain sizes, and provides several examples of how these methods can be used in concert to facilitate our understanding of learning processes, learning strategies, and behaviors related to motivation, meta-cognition, and engagement

Academic Performance in Writing Intensive Courses: Can We Better Prepare Transfer Students?

The Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences (FWS) at the University of Missouri is experiencing an increase in the number community college transfer students. Previously we reported data indicating these students, on average, do not succeed academically as well students who begin their college experience at MU. We are strongly committed to understanding why these students may encounter academic difficulty and designing academic programs to help them succeed. The Columbia campus of the University of Missouri requires all students to take 2 “writing intensive” (or “writing-across-the-curriculum”) courses, one of which must be in the student’s chosen academic major

Comparison of gene expression between human and mouse iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes for stem cell therapies of cardiovascular defects via bioinformatic analysis

Background: Preclinical studies have demonstrated the potential use of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to treat cardiovascular disease (CVD). In vivo preclinical studies conducted on animal models (murine, porcine, guinea pig, etc.) have employed either syngeneic or human-derived iPSCs. However, no study has been carried out to investigate and report the key genetic differences between the human and animal-derived iPSCs. Our study analysed the gene expression profile and molecular pathway patterns underlying the differentiation of both human and mouse iPSCs to iPSC-cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs), and the differences between them via bioinformatic analysis. Method: Data sets were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and included both human and mouse models, and the data for undifferentiated iPSCs and iPSC-CMs were isolated from each. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened and then analysed. The website g:Profiler was used to obtain the Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks of the DEGs were constructed using the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) database and Cytoscape software. The subclusters were then extracted from the PPI network for further analysis. Results: iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes expressed many genes related to vascular, endothelial, and smooth muscle repair in the human iPSC-CMs, and prevention of calcification in the mouse iPSC-CMs with clear differences in gene expression, which will affect how iPSCs act in research. Especially in the human iPSC-CMs, and also prevention of calcification processes in the mouse data. The identified differences in gene expression of iPSCs derived from the two species suggests that in vivo studies using mouse iPSC-CMs may not reflect those in humans. Conclusion: The study provides new insights into the key genes related to the iPSCs, including genes related to angiogenesis, calcification, and striated muscle, endothelium, and bone formation. Moreover, the clear differences between both mouse and human-derived iPSCs have been identified, which could be used as new evidence and guidance for developing novel targeted therapy strategies to improve the therapeutic effects of iPSC treatment in cardiovascular defects

Glioblastoma Survival Outcomes at a Tertiary Hospital in Appalachia: Factors Impacting the Survival of Patients Following Implementation of the Stupp Protocol

Glioblastoma is a fatal brain cancer with low median and yearly survival rates. The standard of care for treating glioblastoma is gross total resection (GTR) coupled with the Stupp protocol, but various factors influence the interventions undertaken and survival achieved. As health disparities exist in rural areas, survival in these areas need to be assessed in order to understand which factors detract from the successes of these standard medical interventions. We retrospectively determined the impact of age of diagnosis, number of lesions, the molecular marker O6-methylguanine methyltransferase (MGMT), extent of surgery, and completion of the Stupp protocol on survival among patients treated at West Virginia University Hospitals. We found that an age of diagnosis under 60 years, having the MGMT gene methylated, having a unifocal tumor, receiving GTR, adhering to the Stupp protocol, and undergoing a treatment course of GTR followed by the Stupp protocol significantly increased survival. Lastly, we compared our findings to a pre-Stupp study done in West Virginia in 1996. This comparison showed that although overall median survival has not increased, all interventions involving GTR have resulted in a significantly higher survival. We conclude that we can serve our patient population by offering GTR to all adult glioblastoma patients when no contraindications exist and ensuring that patients follow the Stupp protocol. After discharge, the Stupp protocol may not be followed/completed for a variety of reasons. In the future, we aim to assess these reasons and analyze other significant interventional and socioeconomic factors which influence survival