Does tailoring instructional style to a medical student\u27s self-perceived learning style improve performance when teaching intravenous catheter placement? A randomized controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Students may have different learning styles. It is unclear, however, whether tailoring instructional methods for a student\u27s preferred learning style improves educational outcomes when teaching procedures. The authors sought to examine whether teaching to a student\u27s self-perceived learning style improved the acquisition of intravenous (IV) catheter placement skills. The authors hypothesized that matching a medical student\u27s preferred learning style with the instructor\u27s teaching style would increase the success of placing an IV catheter. METHODS: Using the VARK model (i.e., visual [V], auditory [A], read/write [R] and kinesthetic [K]), third-year medical students reported their self-perceived learning style and were subsequently randomized to instructors who were trained to teach according to a specific learning format (i.e., visual, auditory). Success was gauged by: 1) the placement of an IV on the first attempt and 2) the number of attempts made until an IV line was successfully placed. RESULTS: The average number of attempts in the matched learning style group was 1.53, compared to 1.64 in the unmatched learning style group; however, results were not statistically significant. Both matched and unmatched groups achieved a similar success rate (57 and 58 %, respectively). Additionally, a comparison of success between the unmatched and matched students within each learning style modality yielded no statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that providing procedural instruction that is congruent with a student\u27s self-perceived learning style does not appear to improve outcomes when instructing students on IV catheter placement

The Grizzly, September 16, 2010

Activities Fair Brings Light to Organizations • Computer Science Students Begin Exciting New Projects • UC United Society of Leaders Emerges on Campus • Brandon Kamin Launches into MC Role for ABC\u27s Show Eaglemania • Calorie Counting Hits Zack\u27s • Theater Preview • Meet up with Two New Professors on Campus • Blend Cafe Hosts Open Mic Night for Students and Community • Opinions: Primaries are More Overrated Than They are Important; Unpredictable Turmoils of the Unreliable Ursinus WiFi • Ursinus Women\u27s Volleyball Heads Into Promising Seasonhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1817/thumbnail.jp

Metal Abundances across Cosmic Time (MACT\mathcal{MACT}) Survey. III. The Relationship between Stellar Mass and Star Formation Rate in Extremely Low-Mass Galaxies

Extragalactic studies have demonstrated there is a moderately tight ($\approx$0.3 dex) relationship between galaxy stellar mass ($M_{\star}$) and star formation rate (SFR) that holds for star-forming galaxies at $M_{\star} \sim 3 \times 10^8$-10$^{11}~M_{\odot}$, i.e., the "star formation main sequence." However, it has yet to be determined whether such a relationship extends to even lower mass galaxies, particularly at intermediate or higher redshifts. We present new results using observations for 714 narrowband H$\alpha$-selected galaxies with stellar masses between $10^6$ and $10^{10}~M_{\odot}$ (average of $10^{8.2}~M_{\odot}$) at $z \approx$ 0.07-0.5. These galaxies have sensitive UV to near-infrared photometric measurements and optical spectroscopy. The latter allows us to correct our H$\alpha$ SFRs for dust attenuation using Balmer decrements. Our study reveals: (1) for low-SFR galaxies, our H$\alpha$ SFRs systematically underpredict compared to FUV measurements, consistent with other studies; (2) at a given stellar mass ($\approx$10$^{8}~M_{\odot}$), log(specific SFR) evolves as $A \log(1+z)$ with $A = 5.26 \pm 0.75$, and on average, specific SFR increases with decreasing stellar mass; (3) the SFR-$M_{\star}$ relation holds for galaxies down to $\sim$10$^6~M_{\odot}$ ($\sim$1.5 dex below previous studies), and over lookback times of up to 5 Gyr, follows a redshift-dependent relation of $\log{({\rm SFR})} \propto \alpha \log{M_{\star}} + \beta z$ with $\alpha = 0.60 \pm 0.01$ and $\beta = 1.86 \pm 0.07$; and (4) the observed dispersion in the SFR-$M_{\star}$ relation at low stellar masses is $\approx$0.3 dex. Accounting for survey selection effects using simulated galaxies, we estimate the true dispersion is $\approx$0.5 dex.Comment: 21 pages, 15 figures, 8 tables. Accepted for publication in MNRA

Astrobites as a Community-led Model for Education, Science Communication, and Accessibility in Astrophysics

Support for early career astronomers who are just beginning to explore astronomy research is imperative to increase retention of diverse practitioners in the field. Since 2010, Astrobites has played an instrumental role in engaging members of the community -- particularly undergraduate and graduate students -- in research. In this white paper, the Astrobites collaboration outlines our multi-faceted online education platform that both eases the transition into astronomy research and promotes inclusive professional development opportunities. We additionally offer recommendations for how the astronomy community can reduce barriers to entry to astronomy research in the coming decade

The Grizzly, November 18, 2010

B\u27Naturals Sing Their Way to Success • Mellon Teaching and Learning Initiative Introduced to Ursinus • Ursinus College Facilities Continues to Shape Campus • Seismic Step Team Holds Fundraiser • Open Mic Night • Ursinus Students Take a STAND for Justice • Merchant of Venice • UCARE Promotes Wismer on Wheels • Fight the Yawn With Up \u27Til Dawn • An Empire of Dirt • Internship Profile: Maggie Stauffer • Opinions: UC Should Remain a Wet Campus; Ursinus Should Become a Dry Campus; U.S. and India Look to Strengthen International Ties • Football Clinches Three-Way Tie for C.C. Titlehttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1825/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, September 30, 2010

President Emeritus John R. Strassburger: In Memoriam • Moving Memorial Service in Bomberger Hall Honors Late President • Students Test Out New Foods with SASA • Student Achievement in the Arts • The Makings of a More Colorful Ursinus Campus • UC Fringe Festival • Family Day Brings Community Together • Video Games Heighten Reflexes • UC SERV Changes Name to UC EMS • UC Alumni: Reflections on a Legacy • Seeking Tenure: Dr. Louise Woodstock • Strassburger Supports Biology • Strassburger Leaves UC with Pride • Remembering President Emeritus John Strassburger • President Strassburger Revitalizes Courts to Scoreboards • Ursinus Coaching Staff Remembers Their Number One Fan • UC Football Wins Big • Senior Spotlight: Alex Shivers, Women\u27s Soccerhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1819/thumbnail.jp

Proposed host galaxies of repeating fast radio burst sources detected by CHIME/FRB

We present a search for host galaxy associations for the third set of repeating fast radio burst (FRB) sources discovered by the CHIME/FRB Collaboration. Using the ~1 arcmin CHIME/FRB baseband localizations and probabilistic methods. We identify potential host galaxies of two FRBs, 20200223B and 20190110C at redshifts of 0.06024(2) and 0.12244(6), respectively. We also discuss the properties of a third marginal candidate host galaxy association for FRB 20191106C with a host redshift of 0.10775(1). The three putative host galaxies are all relatively massive, fall on the standard mass-metallicity relationship for nearby galaxies, and show evidence of ongoing star formation. They also all show signatures of being in a transitional regime, falling in the "green valley" which is between the bulk of star-forming and quiescent galaxies. The plausible host galaxies identified by our analysis are consistent with the overall population of repeating and non-repeating FRB hosts while increasing the fraction of massive and bright galaxies. Coupled with these previous host associations, we identify a possible excess of FRB repeaters whose host galaxies have M_u - M_r colors redder than the bulk of star-forming galaxies. Additional precise localizations are required to confirm this trend.Comment: 11 pages, submitted to AAS journal

An Injection System for the CHIME/FRB Experiment

Dedicated surveys searching for Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) are subject to selection effects which bias the observed population of events. Software injection systems are one method of correcting for these biases by injecting a mock population of synthetic FRBs directly into the realtime search pipeline. The injected population may then be used to map intrinsic burst properties onto an expected signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), so long as telescope characteristics such as the beam model and calibration factors are properly accounted for. This paper presents an injection system developed for the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment Fast Radio Burst project (CHIME/FRB). The system was tested to ensure high detection efficiency, and the pulse calibration method was verified. Using an injection population of ~85,000 synthetic FRBs, we found that the correlation between fluence and SNR for injected FRBs was consistent with that of CHIME/FRB detections in the first CHIME/FRB catalog. We also noted that the sensitivity of the telescope varied strongly as a function of the broadened burst width, but not as a function of the dispersion measure. We conclude that some of the machine-learning based Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) mitigation methods used by CHIME/FRB can be re-trained using injection data to increase sensitivity to wide events, and that planned upgrades to the presented injection system will allow for determining a more accurate CHIME/FRB selection function in the near future.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures. Submitted to A

Comprehensive Bayesian analysis of FRB-like bursts from SGR 1935+2154 observed by CHIME/FRB

The bright millisecond-duration radio burst from the Galactic magnetar SGR 1935+2154 in 2020 April was a landmark event, demonstrating that at least some fast radio burst (FRB) sources could be magnetars. The two-component burst was temporally coincident with peaks observed within a contemporaneous short X-ray burst envelope, marking the first instance where FRB-like bursts were observed to coincide with X-ray counterparts. In this study, we detail five new radio burst detections from SGR 1935+2154, observed by the CHIME/FRB instrument between October 2020 and December 2022. We develop a fast and efficient Bayesian inference pipeline that incorporates state-of-the-art Markov chain Monte Carlo techniques and use it to model the intensity data of these bursts under a flexible burst model. We revisit the 2020 April burst and corroborate that both the radio sub-components lead the corresponding peaks in their high-energy counterparts. For a burst observed in 2022 October, we find that our estimated radio pulse arrival time is contemporaneous with a short X-ray burst detected by GECAM and HEBS, and Konus-Wind and is consistent with the arrival time of a radio burst detected by GBT. We present flux and fluence estimates for all five bursts, employing an improved estimator for bursts detected in the side-lobes. We also present upper limits on radio emission for X-ray emission sources which were within CHIME/FRB's field-of-view at trigger time. Finally, we present our exposure and sensitivity analysis and estimate the Poisson rate for FRB-like events from SGR 1935+2154 to be $0.005^{+0.082}_{-0.004}$ events/day above a fluence of $10~\mathrm{kJy~ms}$ during the interval from 28 August 2018 to 1 December 2022, although we note this was measured during a time of great X-ray activity from the source.Comment: 22 pages, 6 figures, 4 tables. To be submitted to Ap