Promoting good academic practice through the curriculum and project work

This paper outlines a University wide initiative introduced at City University London, the underlying aim of which is to develop good academic practice skills amongst students and discourage them from undertaking plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct. The initiative is organised under three projects, which are being undertaken by a set of eight Educational Development Associates (EDAs) - existing academics acting as ‘change agents’ within their Schools. The paper focuses on the first project that EDAs undertook, that being the Learning Activity Project. This involved EDAs working with staff within their Schools to develop new, formative, programme-specific learning activities, to be undertaken by all students in the first term of their studies, and with the aim of providing students with practice in the study skills that they need to demonstrate in subsequent assessments of that programme. After reviewing relevant literature on academic conduct issues, the main body of the paper provides three case studies, each of which details the development of a learning activity in one of the Schools of the University. These learning activities share a common element, in that they are all delivered using a piece of software called OLIVIA. However, for purposes of this paper, each case study details specific aspects of the relevant learning activity, such that readers are provided with a broad perspective of the experiences of implementation of the project through the lenses of different Schools. The last section of the paper details the evaluative mechanism that is being used for the initiative as a whole

Performance of an environmental test to detect Mycobacterium bovis infection in badger social groups

A study by Courtenay and others (2006) demonstrated that the probability of detecting Mycobacterium bovis by PCR in soil samples from the spoil heaps of main badger setts correlated with the prevalence of excretion (infectiousness) of captured badgers belonging to the social group. It has been proposed that such a test could be used to target badger culling to setts containing infectious animals (Anon 2007). This short communication discusses the issues surrounding this concept, with the intention of dispelling any misconceptions among relevant stakeholders (farmers, policy makers and conservationists)

Patterns of Tobacco Product Use in the US Population using the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that, in the United States, tobacco product use is the prominent cause of avoidable disease, disability, and death in the year 2017.While tobacco use has severe public health consequences, it has been difficult to fully understand the behaviors surrounding this preventable public health challenge. Introduced in 2011, the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study’s purpose is to influence the Food and Drug Administration\u27s regulatory activities via the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (TCA). The PATH study is a longitudinal cohort study examining tobacco use and behavior in adolescents and adults. The purpose of this dissertation is to examine use and behavior for tobacco products over time and examine both initiation and switching of products. In our analysis, we found that demographically, those who initiated or consistently used smokeless products over time were white and male while those who used traditional combustible products varied more in terms of racial makeup. With smokeless and traditional combustible products, most participants chose to use tobacco products with moderate nicotine levels, regardless of previous exposure in a prior study wave. There was very little evidence of product switching that resulted in increased tar/nicotine content differences among the population we studied. Younger participants were using electronic cigarettes in greater proportions than adults and as opposed to traditional combustible products. We also found that the rate of nicotine metabolism was not related to frequency of e-cigarette use or type of product. These results provide insight into ways in which prevention strategies can be targeted to groups that are more likely to initiate and stay using tobacco products

Water relations of obligate riparian plants as a function of streamflow diversion on the Bishop Creek watershed

We investigated the water relations of obli-gate riparian plants on paired diverted and undiverted reaches on Bishop Creek, Eastern Sierra Nevada. Ri-parian plants on diverted reaches had reduced stomatal conductance and water potential compared to plants on undiverted reaches in a dry year, but not in a high runoff year. Juvenile plants on diverted reaches had reduced stomatal conductance and lower midday water potentials relative to surrounding mature trees, a trend that was not observed on undiverted reaches. Plants on diverted reaches possessed significantly smaller, thicker leaves and a reduced total leaf area relative to trees on streamside reaches. Reduced community leaf area and effective stomatal control of water loss may allow ripar-ian corridors on diverted reaches to retain their canopies in low runoff years. However, a long term consequence of partial streamflow diversion may be selective mortal-ty of juvenile plants because of the elimination of floods and high flows

Variable rate spraying in varied micro-meteorological conditions

This study evaluated effects of crosswind on the variable rate sprayer application treatments spray coverage and deposition on different citrus canopy sizes.  The axial-fan airblast sprayer retrofitted with variable liquid- and air-assist rates was field-tested with different crosswind conditions on small (about 2 m tall and < 1.5 m wide) and medium-sized (about 3 m tall and < 2.5 m wide) canopies.  Crosswinds of 1.3, 2.7, and 4.0 ms-1 on the canopies being sprayed were generated using the stationary conical air shaker as the air blower unit.  Water sensitive papers (WSPs) were used to collect droplet deposits and image processing software was used to analyze the WSPs scanned at 600 dpi.  Percent spray coverage on the WSPs was found to be one of the most suited parameters to evaluate the effectiveness of spray application treatments.  Overall, the variable rate spray application treatments had comparable spray coverage on respective canopies (front, middle, and across WSP locations in the canopy) during all crosswind conditions.  For both types of canopies, spray coverage was higher on the canopy front and decreased as the spray penetrated inside (i.e. canopy middle) and across.  Due to coalescing, larger droplets (Dv,0.5 [volume median diameter] = 838 to 2,624 µm) were formed on the WSPs located on canopy front, whereas coalescing reduced as the spray penetrated inside (Dv,0.5 = 391 to 1,625 µm on canopy middle) and across the canopy (Dv,0.5 = 307 to 508 µm).    Keywords: airblast sprayer, adjustable air-assistance, crosswind, spray coverage, citru

Misplaced Cervical Screws Requiring Reoperation.

STUDY DESIGN: A multicenter, retrospective case series. OBJECTIVE: In the past several years, screw fixation of the cervical spine has become commonplace. For the most part, this is a safe, low-risk procedure. While rare, screw backout or misplaced screws can lead to morbidity and increased costs. We report our experiences with this uncommon complication. METHODS: A multicenter, retrospective case series was undertaken at 23 institutions in the United States. Patients were included who underwent cervical spine surgery from January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2011, and had misplacement of screws requiring reoperation. Institutional review board approval was obtained at all participating institutions, and detailed records were sent to a central data center. RESULTS: A total of 12 903 patients met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. There were 11 instances of screw backout requiring reoperation, for an incidence of 0.085%. There were 7 posterior procedures. Importantly, there were no changes in the health-related quality-of-life metrics due to this complication. There were no new neurologic deficits; a patient most often presented with pain, and misplacement was diagnosed on plain X-ray or computed tomography scan. The most common location for screw backout was C6 (36%). CONCLUSIONS: This study represents the largest series to tabulate the incidence of misplacement of screws following cervical spine surgery, which led to revision procedures. The data suggest this is a rare event, despite the widespread use of cervical fixation. Patients suffering this complication can require revision, but do not usually suffer neurologic sequelae. These patients have increased cost of care. Meticulous technique and thorough knowledge of the relevant anatomy are the best means of preventing this complication

Epidural Hematoma Following Cervical Spine Surgery.

STUDY DESIGN: A multicentered retrospective case series. OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence and circumstances surrounding the development of a symptomatic postoperative epidural hematoma in the cervical spine. METHODS: Patients who underwent cervical spine surgery between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2011, at 23 institutions were reviewed, and all patients who developed an epidural hematoma were identified. RESULTS: A total of 16 582 cervical spine surgeries were identified, and 15 patients developed a postoperative epidural hematoma, for a total incidence of 0.090%. Substantial variation between institutions was noted, with 11 sites reporting no epidural hematomas, and 1 site reporting an incidence of 0.76%. All patients initially presented with a neurologic deficit. Nine patients had complete resolution of the neurologic deficit after hematoma evacuation; however 2 of the 3 patients (66%) who had a delay in the diagnosis of the epidural hematoma had residual neurologic deficits compared to only 4 of the 12 patients (33%) who had no delay in the diagnosis or treatment (P = .53). Additionally, the patients who experienced a postoperative epidural hematoma did not experience any significant improvement in health-related quality-of-life metrics as a result of the index procedure at final follow-up evaluation. CONCLUSION: This is the largest series to date to analyze the incidence of an epidural hematoma following cervical spine surgery, and this study suggest that an epidural hematoma occurs in approximately 1 out of 1000 cervical spine surgeries. Prompt diagnosis and treatment may improve the chance of making a complete neurologic recovery, but patients who develop this complication do not show improvements in the health-related quality-of-life measurements

Rare Complications of Cervical Spine Surgery: Pseudomeningocoele.

STUDY DESIGN: This study was a retrospective, multicenter cohort study. OBJECTIVES: Rare complications of cervical spine surgery are inherently difficult to investigate. Pseudomeningocoele (PMC), an abnormal collection of cerebrospinal fluid that communicates with the subarachnoid space, is one such complication. In order to evaluate and better understand the incidence, presentation, treatment, and outcome of PMC following cervical spine surgery, we conducted a multicenter study to pool our collective experience. METHODS: This study was a retrospective, multicenter cohort study of patients who underwent cervical spine surgery at any level(s) from C2 to C7, inclusive; were over 18 years of age; and experienced a postoperative PMC. RESULTS: Thirteen patients (0.08%) developed a postoperative PMC, 6 (46.2%) of whom were female. They had an average age of 48.2 years and stayed in hospital a mean of 11.2 days. Three patients were current smokers, 3 previous smokers, 5 had never smoked, and 2 had unknown smoking status. The majority, 10 (76.9%), were associated with posterior surgery, whereas 3 (23.1%) occurred after an anterior procedure. Myelopathy was the most common indication for operations that were complicated by PMC (46%). Seven patients (53%) required a surgical procedure to address the PMC, whereas the remaining 6 were treated conservatively. All PMCs ultimately resolved or were successfully treated with no residual effects. CONCLUSIONS: PMC is a rare complication of cervical surgery with an incidence of less than 0.1%. They prolong hospital stay. PMCs occurred more frequently in association with posterior approaches. Approximately half of PMCs required surgery and all ultimately resolved without residual neurologic or other long-term effects