Increasing Access to Higher Education Through E-Learning

Students with disabilities, rural students, students with parental responsibilities, and military students are populations who now have increased access to higher education due to E-Learning. Access limited by the location of the student, life circumstances that cannot be changed, or responsibilities that cannot be ignored, no longer act as barriers to higher education. This chapter examines how E-Learning benefits each of these populations and examines possibilities for international collaborations. The online environment has caused educators at all levels to re-examine how education might be delivered and who might benefit from this increased access

Strengths-Based Analysis of Student Success in Online Courses

Online courses today give a broad, diverse population access to higher education. Despite postsecondary institutions embracing this opportunity, scholarly literature reveals persistent concern over low retention rates in online courses. In response to this concern, an explanatory sequential, mixed methods study was conducted in three phases at a public research university to simultaneously explore personal, circumstantial, and course variables associated with student success from a strengths-based perspective. Existing data on student enrollments across four years were analyzed. A subset of Phase One students from a single semester were invited in the second phase to complete an assessment of non-cognitive attributes and personal perceptions, followed in the third phase by interviews among a stratified sample of successful students from the previous phase to elaborate on factors impacting their success. Quantitative analyses identified seven individual variables with statistical and practical significance for online student success. Interestingly, the combination of factors classified as predictive of success changed with student academic standing. The impact of differential success factors across academic experience may explain mixed results in previous studies. The themes that emerged from the interviews with students were congruent with quantitative findings. A unique perspective was shared when students discussed “teaching themselves,” providing additional insight into perceptions of teaching presence not formerly understood. The combination of a more contextual research approach, a strengths-based perspective, and insights from student perceptions yielded implications for educational practice

Diagnosis and management of Silver–Russell syndrome: first international consensus statement

This Consensus Statement summarizes recommendations for clinical diagnosis, investigation and management of patients with Silver–Russell syndrome (SRS), an imprinting disorder that causes prenatal and postnatal growth retardation. Considerable overlap exists between the care of individuals born small for gestational age and those with SRS. However, many specific management issues exist and evidence from controlled trials remains limited. SRS is primarily a clinical diagnosis; however, molecular testing enables confirmation of the clinical diagnosis and defines the subtype. A 'normal' result from a molecular test does not exclude the diagnosis of SRS. The management of children with SRS requires an experienced, multidisciplinary approach. Specific issues include growth failure, severe feeding difficulties, gastrointestinal problems, hypoglycaemia, body asymmetry, scoliosis, motor and speech delay and psychosocial challenges. An early emphasis on adequate nutritional status is important, with awareness that rapid postnatal weight gain might lead to subsequent increased risk of metabolic disorders. The benefits of treating patients with SRS with growth hormone include improved body composition, motor development and appetite, reduced risk of hypoglycaemia and increased height. Clinicians should be aware of possible premature adrenarche, fairly early and rapid central puberty and insulin resistance. Treatment with gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues can delay progression of central puberty and preserve adult height potential. Long-term follow up is essential to determine the natural history and optimal management in adulthood

Factors affecting substance abuse in adolescent females in rural residential communities

During the last 20 years in the United States, gender identity, peer relationships, and parental relationships have all been associated with adolescent female substance use in urban contexts. The goal of this study was to explore these associations with adolescent females living in rural environments. The quantitative correlation study utilized data gathered from self-reports of females 12 to 15 years of age attending middle school in two rural Washington State communities. Levels of current or 30-day use of alcohol, marijuana, and cigarettes were consistent with national levels of use. The level of current inhalant use, however, was more than twice the national level. European American and Hispanic/Spanish/Latino ethnic groups showed a higher risk for current use of cigarettes, marijuana, and amphetamines and American Indian/Alaska Natives showed a higher risk for current alcohol use than Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and African Americans. The gender identity of aggressive masculinity was found as the best predictor of illegal substance use while peer attachment and parent attachment offered some protection from illegal substance use for the population. Combining the results of this study with the work of other researchers could improve substance abuse prevention practices and improve the understanding of how and why such behavior is found among this group

Global Voices in Higher Education

Traveling from Zimbabwe to New Zealand and on to Ghana and the United States, the voices of higher education are presented in a way only scholars from these regions can fully articulate and understand. The changing world of higher education challenges all of those involved in very unique ways. In Global Voices in Higher Education, scholars from 10 different countries share their work, describing not only their research but also the context in which their work exists. This book allows the reader to travel with these scholars to their colleges and universities and discover areas of concern in higher education from around the globe

Adipocyte abundances of CES1, CRYAB, ENO1 and GANAB are modified in-vitro by glucose restriction and are associated with cellular remodelling during weight regain

<p>Long-term weight loss maintenance is a problem of overweight and obesity. Changes of gene expression during weight loss (WL) by calorie restriction (CR) are linked to the risk of weight regain (WR). However, detailed information on genes/proteins involved in the mechanism is still lacking. Therefore, we developed an <i>in-vitro</i> model system for glucose restriction (GR) and refeeding (RF) to uncover proteome differences between GR with RF vs normal feeding, of which we explored the relation with WR after WL. Human Simpson-Golabi-Behmel Syndrome cells were subjected to changing levels of glucose to mimic the condition of CR and RF. Proteome profiling was performed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. This <i>in-vitro</i> model revealed 44 proteins differentially expressed after GR and RF versus feeding including proteins of the focal adhesions. Four proteins showed a persistent up- or down-regulation: liver carboxylesterase (CES1), mitochondrial superoxide dismutase [Mn] (SOD2), alpha-crystallin B-chain (CRYAB), alpha-enolase (ENO1). <i>In-vivo</i> weight loss-induced RNA expression changes linked CES1, CRYAB and ENO1 to WR. Moreover, of these 44 proteins, CES1 and glucosidase II alpha subunit (GANAB) during follow up correlated with WR. Correlation clustering of <i>in-vivo</i> protein expression data indicated an interaction of these proteins with structural components of the focal adhesions and cytoplasmic filaments in the adipocytes.</p