An Exploration of Emotional Intelligence and the Professional Competency of Academic Support Student Affairs Professionals

The present study investigated the relationship between the Emotional Intelligence of student affairs practitioners and their professional competency. 248 academic support professionals completed the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQi 2.0) to measure their emotional intelligence. Using the competencies identified by the 2015 joint publication on student affairs competencies by the American College Personnel Association (ACPA) and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), participants provided a self-rating of their attainment of the ten professional competencies. Demographic data, years of experience in the field, educational background, and professional development opportunities were also measured. A hierarchical multiple regression was run for each of the professional competencies to create a predictive model. Emotional intelligence was found to be a significant predictor for eight of the ten professional competencies. While years of experience was significant for nearly all competencies, educational background was only a significant predictor for four competencies and professional development was not a significant predictor in any model. Notably, the Social Justice and Inclusion competency was the only predictor where years of experience was not significant nor were the other covariates. The only significant predictor of Social Justice and Inclusion competency attainment was the interpersonal emotional intelligence realm including empathy and social responsibility. This study provides implications for graduate preparation programs, professional development opportunities, professional associations, supervisors and university leaders, and human resources

Four weeks of trauma-informed yoga intervention and autonomic tone in female veteran and non-veteran college students

Introduction: Female college students (veteran and non-veteran) are exposed to cumulative stressors and trauma that may lead to an imbalanced autonomic nervous system. Yoga has emerged as an efficacious intervention for psychological and physical trauma; however, the therapeutic dose of intervening yoga is unknown. Additionally, the frequency, duration, and type of yoga needed to achieve a therapeutic dose appear to be population specific when applied to trauma victims. The purpose of the study was to examine whether a short-term trauma-informed yoga intervention altered metrics of autonomic tone as assessed by heart rate variability (HRV) in female veteran and non-veteran college students. Methods: Nine female college students (age: 33 years ± 11, veteran, n = 4, non-veteran, n = 5) engaged in trauma-informed yoga once per week for one-hour over a four-week intervention. Repeated measures ANOVA were performed on the HRV variables lnRMSSD, lnHF, lnLF, and LF:HF. Results: Findings indicated no effect of the intervention on HRV as measured by lnRMSSD (p = .116), lnHF (p = .073), lnLF (p = .316), and LF:HF (p = .131). Further, no acute alterations in HRV were observed following a single session of trauma-informed yoga (p > .05). Conclusion: The findings of the study revealed no significant effect of trauma-informed yoga on HRV following a single session or after a four-week yoga intervention

Diffuse flow environments within basalt- and sediment-based hydrothermal vent ecosystems harbor specialized microbial communities

Hydrothermal vents differ both in surface input and subsurface geochemistry. The effects of these differences on their microbial communities are not clear. Here, we investigated both alpha and beta diversity of diffuse flow-associated microbial communities emanating from vents at a basalt-based hydrothermal system along the East Pacific Rise (EPR) and a sediment-based hydrothermal system, Guaymas Basin. Both Bacteria and Archaea were targeted using high throughput 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing analyses. A unique aspect of this study was the use of a universal set of 16S rRNA gene primers to characterize total and diffuse flow-specific microbial communities from varied deep-sea hydrothermal environments. Both surrounding seawater and diffuse flow water samples contained large numbers of Marine Group I (MGI) Thaumarchaea and Gammaproteobacteria taxa previously observed in deep-sea systems. However, these taxa were geographically distinct and segregated according to type of spreading center. Diffuse flow microbial community profiles were highly differentiated. In particular, EPR dominant diffuse flow taxa were most closely associated with chemolithoautotrophs, and off axis water was dominated by heterotrophic-related taxa, whereas the opposite was true for Guaymas Basin. The diversity and richness of diffuse flow-specific microbial communities were strongly correlated to the relative abundance of Epsilonproteobacteria, proximity to macrofauna, and hydrothermal system type. Archaeal diversity was higher than or equivalent to bacterial diversity in about one third of the samples. Most diffuse flow-specific communities were dominated by OTUs associated with Epsilonproteobacteria, but many of the Guaymas Basin diffuse flow samples were dominated by either OTUs within the Planctomycetes or hyperthermophilic Archaea. This study emphasizes the unique microbial communities associated with geochemically and geographically distinct hydrothermal diffuse flow environments

Groundtruthing next-gen sequencing for microbial ecology-biases and errors in community structure estimates from PCR amplicon pyrosequencing

Analysis of microbial communities by high-throughput pyrosequencing of SSU rRNA gene PCR amplicons has transformed microbial ecology research and led to the observation that many communities contain a diverse assortment of rare taxa-a phenomenon termed the Rare Biosphere. Multiple studies have investigated the effect of pyrosequencing read quality on operational taxonomic unit (OTU) richness for contrived communities, yet there is limited information on the fidelity of community structure estimates obtained through this approach. Given that PCR biases are widely recognized, and further unknown biases may arise from the sequencing process itself, a priori assumptions about the neutrality of the data generation process are at best unvalidated. Furthermore, post-sequencing quality control algorithms have not been explicitly evaluated for the accuracy of recovered representative sequences and its impact on downstream analyses, reducing useful discussion on pyrosequencing reads to their diversity and abundances. Here we report on community structures and sequences recovered for in vitro-simulated communities consisting of twenty 16S rRNA gene clones tiered at known proportions. PCR amplicon libraries of the V3-V4 and V6 hypervariable regions from the in vitro-simulated communities were sequenced using the Roche 454 GS FLX Titanium platform. Commonly used quality control protocols resulted in the formation of OTUs with >1% abundance composed entirely of erroneous sequences, while over-aggressive clustering approaches obfuscated real, expected OTUs. The pyrosequencing process itself did not appear to impose significant biases on overall community structure estimates, although the detection limit for rare taxa may be affected by PCR amplicon size and quality control approach employed. Meanwhile, PCR biases associated with the initial amplicon generation may impose greater distortions in the observed community structure

Voices on Data Literacy and Initial Teacher Education: Pre-service teachers’ reflections and recommendations

The purpose of study was gain insight into pre-service teachers’ experiences in using classroom data to make learning and teaching decisions. The qualitative study is based on the reflections and recommendations of three pre-service teachers’ that participated in a data-driven decision-making intervention whilst on an immersive 10-week professional learning experience. This study is underpinned by an action research framework. There are many understandings of action research, here the approach is understood to be a systematic investigation into one’s own practice with the aim of improving teaching and learning. From the thematic analysis of the reflections, several recommendations were put forward by the pre-service teachers. They advocated for dedicated time to develop data collection, analysis, and visualisation skills and that these skills should be embedded in their degrees. Their reflections articulate the need to have a strong set of data related skills and competencies in order to be able to engage with professional practice

Pseudosarcomatous myofibroblastic proliferations of the genitourinary tract are genetically different from nodular fasciitis and lack USP6, ROS1 and ETV6 gene rearrangements

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/145266/1/his13526_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/145266/2/his13526.pd

A systematic literature review of undergraduate clinical placements in underserved areas.

Context: The delivery of undergraduate clinical education in underserved areas is increasing in various contexts across the world in response to local workforce needs. A collective understanding of the impact of these placements is lacking. Previous reviews have often taken a positivist approach by only looking at outcome measures. This review addresses the question: What are the strengths and weaknesses for medical students and supervisors of community placements in underserved areas? Methods: A systematic literature review was carried out by database searching, citation searching, pearl growing, reference list checking and use of own literature. The databases included MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Web of Science and ERIC. The search terms used were combinations and variations of four key concepts exploring general practitioner (GP) primary care, medical students, placements and location characteristics. The papers were analysed using a textual narrative synthesis. Findings: The initial search identified 4923 results. After the removal of duplicates and the screening of titles and abstracts, 185 met the inclusion criteria. These full articles were obtained and assessed for their relevance to the research question; 54 were then included in the final review. Four main categories were identified: student performance, student perceptions, career pathways and supervisor experiences. Conclusions: This review reflects the emergent qualitative data as well as the quantitative data used to assess initiatives. Underserved area placements have produced many beneficial implications for students, supervisors and the community. There is a growing amount of evidence regarding rural, underserved areas, but little in relation to inner city, deprived areas, and none in the UK

The co-development and evaluation of an e-learning course on spinal cord injury physical activity counselling:a randomized controlled trial

Background: Health, fitness and lifestyle professionals can play important roles in promoting physical activity in groups at risk of developing an inactive lifestyle, such as people with spinal cord injury (SCI). Tailored counselling is a promising tool to promote and improve physical activity levels. To support professionals to effectively have a conversation about physical activity with clients with SCI, evidence-based training and resources are needed. This project aimed to (1) co-develop an e-learning course on best practices for SCI physical activity counselling and, (2) examine the effectiveness and usability of this course. Methods: Guided by the technology-enhanced learning (TEL) evaluation framework, we used a systematic, multistep approach to co-develop and evaluate an e-learning course. The development process was informed by input and feedback from a diverse group of end-users and experts (n &gt; 160) via online surveys and (think-aloud) interviews. A randomized controlled trial was used to compare learning outcomes (post-knowledge and self-efficacy) between participants who completed the course (intervention group) and the wait-listed control group. Usability, learning experiences, and satisfaction were assessed among all participants. Results: Forty-one participants (21 intervention-group; 20 control-group) with various backgrounds (e.g., lifestyle counsellors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, recreation therapists, fitness trainers) enrolled in the randomized controlled trial. After completing the course, participants in the intervention group showed significantly improved knowledge on the best practices for SCI physical activity counselling and higher self-efficacy for using these best practices in conversations with clients with SCI compared to the control group (p &lt;.001). Participants reported above average usability scores, positive learning experiences, and high levels of satisfaction when completing the course. Conclusion: We used a systematic, multi-step, theory-informed approach to co-develop and evaluate an evidence-based e-learning course on SCI physical activity counselling to support professionals to promote physical activity in their daily practices. The overall positive findings demonstrate that the e-learning course is feasible and ready for further implementation in various health and community settings. Implementation of the e-learning course can help professionals improve the physical activity support they provide to their clients, and subsequently increase physical activity participation in people with SCI.</p