A qualitative research study to explore young people's disengagement from learning

"The ‘One Wales’ agreement includes a commitment to establish an “enquiry into disengagement from learning amongst children and young people to look at evidence of what works”. In response, a research project was commissioned to investigate young people’s experience and perspectives on their disengagement from learning. The research fills an evidence gap on personal accounts of disengagement from young people in Wales. As such it therefore represents a useful source of information to support the review of young people who are not in education employment or training (NEET)." - Welsh Assembly Government website

An independent audit of the Australian food industry\u27s voluntary front-of-pack nutrition labelling scheme for energy-dense nutrition-poor foods

Background/Objective: Since 2006, the Australian food industry has promoted its front-of-pack (FOP) food labelling system-the Daily Intake Guide (DIG)-as a success story of industry self-regulation. With over 4000 products already voluntary featuring the DIG, the industry argues that government regulation of FOP nutrition labelling is simply unnecessary. However, no independent audit of the industry\u27s self-regulation has ever been undertaken and we present the first such Australian data. Subjects/Methods: Energy-dense nutrient-poor (EDNP) snacks were audited at nine Australian supermarkets, including biscuits, candy, ice creams, chocolates, crisps, sports drinks, energy drinks, flavoured milks, sweetened juices and soft drinks. In these categories nutrition labels were recorded for 728 EDNP products in various packaging sizes. Results: The DIG was displayed on 66% of audited EDNP products but most of these (75%) did not report saturated fat and sugar content. Only generic supermarket EDNP products were likely to display saturated fat and sugar content, compared with very few branded products (48% vs 4%, P\u3c0.001). Branded products not displaying fat and sugar content contained on average 10-times more saturated fat than those displaying such (10% vs 1% DI, P\u3c0.001) and nearly twice as much sugar (21 vs 13% DI, P\u3c0.05). Conclusions: Most Australian manufacturers of EDNP products have adopted the DIG; consistent with industry claims of widespread adoption, but almost all still avoid displaying the high saturated fat and sugar content of their products by opting for the \u27energy alone\u27 option, violating the industry\u27s own voluntarily guidelines and highlighting serious weaknesses with the industry\u27s self-regulation

Evaluating undergraduate, laboratory-based learning experience in pharmacology

The distinctive role of laboratory-based teaching in science education is well recognised but whether the expected benefits of this style of teaching on student learning is realised is dependent upon multiple factors. Learning is a complex process, affected by different styles of learning and the educational learning space in which it occurs. For laboratory work to enhance student learning, laboratory experience needs to be positive. To evaluate students’ experience of laboratory-based learning in an undergraduate pharmacology course, we have used survey instruments developed and supported by ASELL - Advancing Science by Enhancing Laboratory Learning (http://www.asell.org/) with a view to improving student learning outcomes. At the University of Sydney, pharmacology is taught primarily to students enrolled in either a Bachelor of Science (BSc) or Bachelor of Medical Science (BMedSci) degree program. The unit of study “Pharmacology: Drugs and People” (PCOL2012) is offered in 2nd year, 2nd semester. Face-to-face teaching consists of 26 lectures, six workshops and four laboratories (two wet-labs and two computer-based, dry-labs). In the present study, two survey instruments were used to evaluate students’ laboratory experience. The first, Laboratory Program Evaluation was used to evaluate the students’ overall experience of laboratory teaching within PCOL2012 and the second, Student Evaluation of an Experiment was used to evaluate students’ experience of a specific wet-lab experiment entitled: “The effects of drugs on peristalsis in the guinea-pig ileum in vitro”. This experiment illustrates how drugs can be used to unravel physiological mechanisms controlling gut movements. Students are required to do pre- and post-lab work (creating a flow chart of experimental procedures, experimental data analyses and report writing). The surveys consisted of 14 closed questions and five (survey one) or four (survey two) open-ended questions. In each survey, the final question was: “Overall, as a learning experience, I would rate the experiment/these labs as ....” For PCOL2012, only 37% of students rated the overall laboratory experience as good or better. In contrast, the experiment “Drugs and Peristalsis” was rated by 65% of students as good or better. In reviewing comments, one criticism noted about the second wet-lab in PCOL2012 (entitled “Cholinesterase and Inhibitors”) was the use of a semi-quantitative colormetric assay to determine the hydrolysis rate of substrates by acetyl- and butyrylcholinesterase. To address this issue, we have revised the experiment for 2014. An ultra-fast, scanning absorbance microplate reader (SPECTROstar Nano, BMG LABTECH) will be used to measure, and display, the rate of hydrolysis in each of 48 wells. Additional changes will include holding the wet-lab in the recently opened “super-lab” (X-Lab, Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney), with state-of-the art ICT support, and using LabTutor, ADInstruments (http://www.adinstruments.com/products/labtutor) for pre-lab work and to replace hard copy manuals. The revised wet-lab will be evaluated using the second of the ASELL survey instruments (see above). Details of ratings and comments will be reported in the presentation

Planning a Virtual Conference: Tips from the TOPkit Team

Factors that make a virtual conference great require a dedicated team, careful planning, and a variety of technological tools. The TOPkit (Teaching Online Preparation Toolkit) Workshop team reveals the secrets of their virtual workshop planning process, including strategies and tools for virtual teamwork, project management, constructing the conference program, selecting virtual platforms and websites, and communications and promotions, laying the foundation for planning your own successful virtual event

Hyaluronan and Hyaluronidase, which is better for embryo development?

Our aim was to examine size-specific effects of Hyaluronan (HA) on preimplantation embryo development. We investigated the effects of Hyalovet (HA, 500–750 kDa; the size produced by HA synthase-3, which is abundant in the oviduct), or HA treated with Hyaluronidase-2 (Hyal2; also expressed in the oviduct that breaks down HA into 20 kDa fragments). In experiment 1 (in vivo), oviducts of synchronized and superovulated ewes (n = 20) were surgically exposed on Day 2 post-mating, ligated, and infused with either Hyalovet, Hyalovet + Hyal2, Hyal2, or PBS (control). Ewes were killed 5 days later for recovery of embryos and oviductal epithelial cells (OEC). Blastocyst rates were significantly higher in Hyal2 and Hyalovet + Hyal2 oviducts. Hyaluronidase-2 infusion resulted in higher blastocyst cell numbers and hatching rates. This was associated with increased HSP70 expression in OEC. In contrast, Hyalovet resulted in the lowest development to blastocyst stage and lowest hatching rates, and decreased IGF2 and IGFBP2 expression in OEC. IGF1 and IL1α expression were not affected. In experiment 2, to rule out indirect effects of oviductal factors, ovine embryos were produced and cultured with the same treatments in vitro from Day 2 to 8. Hyaluronidase-2, but not Hyalovet, enhanced blastocyst formation and reduced inner cell mass apoptosis. Hyalovet inhibited hatching. In conclusion, the presence of large-size HA (500–750 kDa) in the vicinity of developing embryos appears to disturb the oviductal environment and embryo development in vivo and in vitro. In contrast, we show evidence that breakdown of HA into smaller fragments is required to maximize embryo development and blastocyst quality

Association of body mass index in midlife with morbidity burden in older adulthood and longevity

Importance: Abundant evidence links obesity with adverse health consequences. However, controversies persist regarding whether overweight status compared with normal body mass index (BMI; calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) is associated with longer survival and whether this occurs at the expense of greater long-term morbidity and health care expenditures. Objective: To examine the association of BMI in midlife with morbidity burden, longevity, and health care expenditures in adults 65 years and older. Design, Setting, and Participants: Prospective cohort study at the Chicago Heart Association Detection Project in Industry, with baseline in-person examination between November 1967 and January 1973 linked with Medicare follow-up between January 1985 and December 2015. Participants included 29 621 adults who were at least age 65 years in follow-up and enrolled in Medicare. Data were analyzed from January 2020 to December 2021. Exposures: Standard BMI categories. Main Outcomes and Measures: (1) Morbidity burden at 65 years and older assessed with the Gagne combined comorbidity score (ranging from -2 to 26, with higher score associated with higher mortality), which is a well-validated index based on International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes for use in administrative data sets; (2) longevity (age at death); and (3) health care costs based on Medicare linkage in older adulthood (aged ≥65 years). Results: Among 29 621 participants, mean (SD) age was 40 (12) years, 57.1% were men, and 9.1% were Black; 46.0% had normal BMI, 39.6% were overweight, and 11.9% had classes I and II obesity at baseline. Higher cumulative morbidity burden in older adulthood was observed among those who were overweight (7.22 morbidity-years) and those with classes I and II obesity (9.80) compared with those with a normal BMI (6.10) in midlife (P \u3c .001). Mean age at death was similar between those who were overweight (82.1 years [95% CI, 81.9-82.2 years]) and those who had normal BMI (82.3 years [95% CI, 82.1-82.5 years]) but shorter in those who with classes I and II obesity (80.8 years [95% CI, 80.5-81.1 years]). The proportion (SE) of life-years lived in older adulthood with Gagne score of at least 1 was 0.38% (0.00%) in those with a normal BMI, 0.41% (0.00%) in those with overweight, and 0.43% (0.01%) in those with classes I and II obesity. Cumulative median per-person health care costs in older adulthood were significantly higher among overweight participants ($12 390 [95$10 427 to $14 354]) and those with classes I and II obesity ($23 396 [95% CI, $18 474 to$28 319]) participants compared with those with a normal BMI (P \u3c .001). Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study, overweight in midlife, compared with normal BMI, was associated with higher cumulative burden of morbidity and greater proportion of life lived with morbidity in the context of similar longevity. These findings translated to higher total health care expenditures in older adulthood for those who were overweight in midlife

An evaluation of pharmacology curricula in Australian science and health-related degree programs

Background: Pharmacology is a biomedical discipline taught in basic science and professional degree programs. In order to provide information that would facilitate pharmacology curricula to be refined and developed, and approaches to teaching to be updated, a national survey was undertaken in Australia that investigated pharmacology course content, teaching and summative assessment methods. Methods: Twenty-two institutions participated in a purpose-built online questionnaire, which enabled an evaluation of 147 courses taught in 10 different degrees. To enable comparison, degrees were grouped into four major degree programs, namely science, pharmacy, medicine and nursing. The pharmacology content was then classified into 16 lecture themes, with 2-21 lecture topics identified per theme. The resultant data were analysed for similarities and differences in pharmacology curricula across the degree programs. Results: While all lecture themes were taught across degree programs, curriculum content differed with respect to the breadth and hours of coverage. Overall, lecture themes were taught most broadly in medicine and with greatest coverage in pharmacy. Reflecting a more traditional approach, lectures were a dominant teaching method (at least 90% of courses). Sixty-three percent of science courses provided practical classes but such sessions occurred much less frequently in other degree programs, while tutorials were much more common in pharmacy degree programs (70%). Notably, problem-based learning was common across medical programs. Considerable diversity was found in the types of summative assessment tasks employed. In science courses the most common form of in-semester assessment was practical reports, whereas in other programs pen-and-paper quizzes predominated. End-of-semester assessment contributed 50-80% to overall assessment across degree programs. Conclusion: The similarity in lecture themes taught across the four different degree programs shows that common knowledge- and competency-based learning outcomes can be defined for pharmacology. The authors contend that it is the differences in breadth and coverage of material for each lecture theme, and the differing teaching modes and assessment that characterise particular degree programs. Adoption of pharmacology knowledge-based learning outcomes that could be tailored to suit individual degree programs would better facilitate the sharing of expertise and teaching practice than the current model where pharmacology curricula are degree-specific.Hilary Lloyd, Tina Hinton, Shane Bullock, Anna-Marie Babey, Elizabeth Davis, Lynette Fernandes, Joanne Hart, Ian Musgrave and James Zioga