Factors that Influence Mathematics Attitudes

In this action research study conducted within my sixth grade High Ability Learner (HAL) classroom, I investigated the current mathematics attitudes of my students and how these attitudes correlated to personal mathematics achievement and identified intelligence domains. I discovered that most of my nineteen students held a negative attitude toward the subject of mathematics. Consistent low ratings were also found in the logical/mathematical domain of most of my students’ ALPS Multiple Intelligence Profiles. Regardless of this dominant affective data (indicating little mathematics interest or potential from student perspectives) surprisingly, most of my sixth grade HAL students scored above the 90th percentile on the mathematics portion of their most recent Terra Nova nationalized testing report. As a result of this action research, I clearly see the need for gifted students to be shown important connections between mathematics and its utility outside the context of school academia. By supplementing our school’s gifted education curriculum with activities that actively engage students in mathematical interpretation and creative problem solving, I hope to nurture an intrinsic interest in mathematics as a vital part of my students’ overall development

Investigation of Fumed Silica/Aqueous NaCl Superdielectric Material

The article of record as published may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ma9020118A constant current charge/discharge protocol which showed fumed silica filled to the point of incipient wetness with aqueous NaCl solution to have dielectric constants >10 ⁸ over the full range of dielectric thicknesses of 0.38–3.9 mm and discharge times of 0.25–>100 s was studied, making this material another example of a superdielectric. The dielectric constant was impacted by both frequency and thickness. For time to discharge greater than 10 s the dielectric constant for all thicknesses needed to be fairly constant, always >10⁹, although trending higher with increasing thickness. At shorter discharge times the dielectric constant consistently decreased, with decreasing time to discharge. Hence, it is reasonable to suggest that for time to discharge >10 s the dielectric constant at all thicknesses will be greater than 10⁹. This in turn implies an energy density for a 5 micron thick dielectric layer in the order of 350 J/cm³ for discharge times greater than 10 s.Naval Research Program at the Naval Postgraduate Schoo

Senior Recital: Faith Kirkpatrick and Natalie Klein

This recital is presented in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree Bachelor of Music in Music Education. Mses. Kirkpatrick and Klein study clarinet with Prof. John Warren.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/2325/thumbnail.jp

Using technology to support the social and emotional well-being of nurses: A scoping review protocol

Aims. (1) To review the published literature on the use of technology to provide social or emotional support to nurses, (2) to evaluate and identify gaps in the research, (3) to assess whether a systematic review would be valuable, (4) to make recommendations for future developments. Design. The protocol for the scoping review has been developed in accordance with recommendations from several methodological frameworks, as no standardised protocol currently exists for this purpose. Methods. Our protocol incorporates information about the aims and objectives of the scoping review, inclusion criteria, search strategy, data extraction, quality appraisal, data synthesis and plans for dissemination. Funding for this project was approved by Burdett Trust for Nursing in December 2016. Discussion. Technology to support patient emotional and social wellbeing has seen a rapid growth in recent years and is offered in a variety of formats. However, similar support for nursing staff remains under-researched with no literature review undertaken on this topic to date. This is despite nurses working in emotionally demanding environments which can be socially isolating. The scoping review will map current evidence on the use of technology to support nursing staff and explore the range, extent and nature of this activity. It will also provide a basis for deciding if a full systematic review would be desirable. Impact: It is important that the psychological well-being of nurses is seriously addressed as more nurses are now leaving than joining the profession. This is an international concern. High staff turnover has an interpersonal cost and is associated with reduced quality of patient care. Financial implications are also important to consider as healthcare providers employ costly agency staff to address the workforce deficit. Online technology may offer a sustainable and accessible means of providing support for nurses who find it difficult to communicate in person due to time pressures at work

How a service-user educator can provide insight into the recovery experience

This article describes a collaboratively designed and delivered teaching and learning session where mental health nursing students met with a service-user educator after reading a range of research papers about recovery. They generated questions based on their reading and then explored the validity of the findings with a patient with experience of the services described in the literature. The authors explain the rationale for the session then reflect on the process and experience from three different perspectives, those of the service-user educator, two students and a nurse lecturer. The accounts confirm that this approach motivated the students to learn about recovery, the stigma of mental health illness, the realities of services and that all the participants found the sessions rewarding and beneficial

Use of environmental DNA to detect the myxozoan endoparasite Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae in large Norwegian lakes

Understanding the underlying causes behind human–elephant conflict (HEC)-driven mortality of humans and Environmental DNA (eDNA) is an increasingly used noninvasive and cost-effective method for species detections in surveillance studies. The myxozoan endoparasite Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae is the causative agent of proliferative kidney disease (PKD) in salmonid fish. PKD is a potentially lethal disease of freshwater salmonids when water temperatures exceed 12–14°C for prolonged periods. Periodically, high mortality and decline in farmed and wild salmonid populations in Europe and North America have been reported in the last decades. The aim of this study was to use eDNA as a method to detect Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae from large, deep, dimictic Norwegian lakes. Such habitats are expected to become increasingly important for cold-water salmonids with global warming. Samples were collected from five lakes in southeastern Norway, and parasite DNA was detected by qPCR. eDNA from T. bryosalmonae was detected in four of the five lakes surveyed. These findings corresponded with the detection of T. bryosalmonae DNA in salmonid kidneys in four of the lakes in a previous survey. The detection of parasites from eDNA varied between years and stations within the same lake, revealing a changing and apparently stochastic spatial distribution of parasite DNA from year to year. Nonetheless, by sampling multiple sites throughout the lakes, we were able to detect T. bryosalmonae at the lake level in both survey years. Strategies for eDNA sampling in deep, dimictic lakes are discussed. deep lakes, dimictic, eDNA, sampling strategy, Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonaepublishedVersio

Interactions between apolipoprotein E, sex, and amyloid-beta on cerebrospinal fluid p-tau levels in the European prevention of Alzheimer's dementia longitudinal cohort study (EPAD LCS)

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's Disease, the leading cause of dementia, is over-represented in females. The apolipoprotein E (APOE)ε4 allele is the strongest genetic risk factor for late-onset AD and is associated with aberrant cerebrospinal fluid levels (CSF) of total tau (t-tau), phosphorylated tau (p-tau), and amyloid-β (Aβ). There is some evidence that sex may mediate the relationship between APOE status and CSF tau, however, evidence is mixed. METHODS: We aimed to examine the interaction between sex, APOE ε4 status, CSF Aβ on t-tau and p-tau in 1599 mid-to-late life individuals without a diagnosis of dementia in the European Prevention of Alzheimer's Dementia (EPAD) longitudinal cohort study. FINDINGS: We found a significant interaction between APOE status, sex, and CSF Aβ on CSF p-tau levels (β = 0·18, p = 0·04). Specifically, there was a stronger association between APOE status and CSF Aβ(42) on CSF p-tau in males compared to females. Further, in females with high Aβ levels (reflecting less cortical deposition), ε4 carriers had significantly elevated p-tau levels relative to non-carriers (W = 39663, p = 0·01). However, there were no significant differences in p-tau between male ε4 carriers and non-carriers with high Aβ (W = 23523, p = 0·64). INTERPRETATION: An interaction between sex and cerebrospinal fluid Aβ may mediate the relationship between APOE status and CSF p-tau. These data suggest tau accumulation may be independent of Aβ in females, but not males. FUNDING: Innovative Medicines Initiative, Swedish Research Council, Alzheimer Drug Discovery Foundation, Swedish Alzheimer Foundation, the Swedish state under the agreement between the Swedish government and the County Councils: the ALF-agreement, and the Alzheimer's Association 2021 Zenith Award

Hormonal contraception and risk for cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease and related dementias in young women: a scoping review of the evidence

INTRODUCTION: Women are significantly more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) than men. Suggestions to explain the sex differences in dementia incidence have included the influence of sex hormones with little attention paid to date as to the effect of hormonal contraception on brain health. The aim of this scoping review is to evaluate the current evidence base for associations between hormonal contraceptive use by women and non-binary people in early adulthood and brain health outcomes. METHODS: A literature search was conducted using EMBASE, Medline and Google Scholar, using the keywords "hormonal contraception" OR "contraception" OR "contraceptive" AND "Alzheimer*" OR "Brain Health" OR "Dementia". RESULTS: Eleven papers were identified for inclusion in the narrative synthesis. Studies recruited participants from the UK, USA, China, South Korea and Indonesia. Studies included data from women who were post-menopausal with retrospective data collection, with only one study contemporaneously collecting data from participants during the period of hormonal contraceptive use. Studies reported associations between hormonal contraceptive use and a lower risk of ADRD, particularly Alzheimer's disease (AD), better cognition and larger grey matter volume. Some studies reported stronger associations with longer duration of hormonal contraceptive use, however, results were inconsistent. Four studies reported no significant associations between hormonal contraceptive use and measures of brain health, including brain age on MRI scans and risk of AD diagnosis. DISCUSSION: Further research is needed on young adults taking hormonal contraceptives, on different types of hormonal contraceptives (other than oral) and to explore intersections between sex, gender, race and ethnicity. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/MVX63, identifier: OSF.io: 10.17605/OSF.IO/MVX63