Work-It-Out: A Strategy for Teaching First Year University Students “Things They Should Already Know”

There is an expectation in first year university courses that students with the required pre-requisite knowledge, skills and attitudes, will succeed and transition into second year. Unfortunately this is not always the case. Even though students may have the necessary pre-requisites, as listed in the university handbook, they may not be metacognitive about their university studies. This lack in understanding, of the learning and teaching process, means that students do not fully appreciate what they should already know, and what they need to learn, and why. The Work-It-Out (WIO) teaching strategy was developed to engage students in the basic skills, activities and thought processes that experts employ as a matter of course. Videos developed as part of the supporting WIO learning materials for physics, portray experts discussing the underlying “why” and “how” of learning using diagrams, formulas, textbooks and laboratory work

Work It Out: Enhancing students’ problem solving skills by modelling how to “Work It Out” in a just-in-time learning environment.

Many students arrive at university without the basic skills and background they need to study Physics at a first year university level. This is a significant problem because it impacts on student success rates in majors that include the first year Physics unit/course as a core subject. In order to work with this problem I have been awarded an OLT National Teaching Fellowship. The fellowship will undertake a program of activities and develop open education resources such as short videos of “experts”, unpacking a formula, constructing a diagram, reading a textbook, designing an experiment, analysing data and learning new material. Educators can then use these resources to model for their students the basic skills, activities and thought processes that experts employ as a matter of course. Then by the use of well-focused formative assessment, they can encourage their students to emulate what it is that the experts are doing when they work within the discourse of the discipline. This work-it-out (WIO) methodology of engaging students in formative assessment and providing them with resources that demonstrate the way an expert goes about a similar activity, so that they can emulate the ways of the expert, gives students a modus operandi – a place to get started – when dealing with Physics coursework

Does corticosterone regulate the onset of breeding in free-living birds?: The CORT-Flexibility Hypothesis and six potential mechanisms for priming corticosteroid function

© 2015 Published by Elsevier Inc. For many avian species, the decision to initiate breeding is based on information from a variety of environmental cues, including photoperiod, temperature, food availability, and social interactions. There is evidence that the hormone corticosterone may be involved in delaying the onset of breeding in cases where supplemental cues, such as low food availability and inclement weather, indicate that the environment is not suitable. However, not all studies have found the expected relationships between breeding delays and corticosterone titers. In this review, we present the hypothesis that corticosterone physiology mediates flexibility in breeding initiation (the CORT-Flexibility Hypothesis ), and propose six possible corticosterone-driven mechanisms in pre-breeding birds that may delay breeding initiation: altering hormone titers, negative feedback regulation, plasma binding globulin concentrations, intracellular receptor concentrations, enzyme activity and interacting hormone systems. Based on the length of the breeding season and species-specific natural history, we also predict variation in corticosterone-regulated pre-breeding flexibility. Although few studies thus far have examined mechanisms beyond plasma hormone titers, the CORT-Flexibility Hypothesis is grounded on a solid foundation of research showing seasonal variation in the physiological stress response and knowledge of physiological mechanisms modulating corticosteroid effects. We propose six possible mechanisms as testable and falsifiable predictions to help clarify the extent of HPA axis regulation of the initiation of breeding

Promoting student’ self-motivation through exploration of self and profession: A pilot study with first-year students

Background Facilitating student engagement and motivation is particularly difficult within compulsory foundation units. This pilot study was undertaken in a first year calculus-level physics unit with a significant failure rate thought to relate to a lack of engagement. The study explored a possible solution: namely, encouraging students to take ownership of their learning by challenging them to explore its relevance to self and career. Aims The study aimed to determine student self-efficacy and career preview in relation to their intended profession, and to determine the extent to which the students felt the unit was relevant to their future careers. The overall aim was to create new insights into the support and teaching approaches needed for students to succeed in this and similar foundation units. Description of intervention This study focused on a first year foundation unit in physics. The study sample of 59 students was invited to participate as part of their enrolment and could withdraw at any time. Activities were delivered in the form of an interactive, two-hour workshop that featured self-reflection, group work, and group discussion. Design and methods The study was informed by the theoretical framework of ‘possible selves’ (Markus & Nurius 1986), which advocates that people are influenced by their awareness of possible future selves that are perceived as desirable, disconcerting, and/or achievable. The data were analysed using content analysis and a-priori codes developed from a related project (Bennett, 2012). Three questions underpinned the study: 1. How do students characterise an engineer? 2. What differences do students perceive between themselves and their definition of an engineer? 3. In what ways do students think that the learning in this unit will contribute to their development as engineers? Results Analysis of students' responses revealed them to be troubled by their lack of insight about the characteristics of engineering work. Students also perceived gaps between the attributes of engineers and their own personal attributes, some of which were positioned as personality-based rather than skill-related. Further, some students did not understand the relevance of the foundation unit to their future engineering work. Conclusions This study draws attention to the need for educators to facilitate the development of students' career preview and to enhance their motivation to learn by linking career relevance with each unit of study. First year foundation units emerge as a logical site for this to begin, given that students need to “develop their own authentic voices at the outset of their professional education” (Beattie, 2000, p. 17). Initial results align with the findings of other studies, which have concluded that the ability of students to evaluate themselves in relation to their possible futures is a critical and neglected aspect of higher education (Feather, 2000; Bennett, 2012)

Effect of Hydrocortisone on Mortality and Organ Support in Patients With Severe COVID-19: The REMAP-CAP COVID-19 Corticosteroid Domain Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Evidence regarding corticosteroid use for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is limited. Objective: To determine whether hydrocortisone improves outcome for patients with severe COVID-19. Design, Setting, and Participants: An ongoing adaptive platform trial testing multiple interventions within multiple therapeutic domains, for example, antiviral agents, corticosteroids, or immunoglobulin. Between March 9 and June 17, 2020, 614 adult patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 were enrolled and randomized within at least 1 domain following admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) for respiratory or cardiovascular organ support at 121 sites in 8 countries. Of these, 403 were randomized to open-label interventions within the corticosteroid domain. The domain was halted after results from another trial were released. Follow-up ended August 12, 2020. Interventions: The corticosteroid domain randomized participants to a fixed 7-day course of intravenous hydrocortisone (50 mg or 100 mg every 6 hours) (n = 143), a shock-dependent course (50 mg every 6 hours when shock was clinically evident) (n = 152), or no hydrocortisone (n = 108). Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary end point was organ support-free days (days alive and free of ICU-based respiratory or cardiovascular support) within 21 days, where patients who died were assigned -1 day. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model that included all patients enrolled with severe COVID-19, adjusting for age, sex, site, region, time, assignment to interventions within other domains, and domain and intervention eligibility. Superiority was defined as the posterior probability of an odds ratio greater than 1 (threshold for trial conclusion of superiority >99%). Results: After excluding 19 participants who withdrew consent, there were 384 patients (mean age, 60 years; 29% female) randomized to the fixed-dose (n = 137), shock-dependent (n = 146), and no (n = 101) hydrocortisone groups; 379 (99%) completed the study and were included in the analysis. The mean age for the 3 groups ranged between 59.5 and 60.4 years; most patients were male (range, 70.6%-71.5%); mean body mass index ranged between 29.7 and 30.9; and patients receiving mechanical ventilation ranged between 50.0% and 63.5%. For the fixed-dose, shock-dependent, and no hydrocortisone groups, respectively, the median organ support-free days were 0 (IQR, -1 to 15), 0 (IQR, -1 to 13), and 0 (-1 to 11) days (composed of 30%, 26%, and 33% mortality rates and 11.5, 9.5, and 6 median organ support-free days among survivors). The median adjusted odds ratio and bayesian probability of superiority were 1.43 (95% credible interval, 0.91-2.27) and 93% for fixed-dose hydrocortisone, respectively, and were 1.22 (95% credible interval, 0.76-1.94) and 80% for shock-dependent hydrocortisone compared with no hydrocortisone. Serious adverse events were reported in 4 (3%), 5 (3%), and 1 (1%) patients in the fixed-dose, shock-dependent, and no hydrocortisone groups, respectively. Conclusions and Relevance: Among patients with severe COVID-19, treatment with a 7-day fixed-dose course of hydrocortisone or shock-dependent dosing of hydrocortisone, compared with no hydrocortisone, resulted in 93% and 80% probabilities of superiority with regard to the odds of improvement in organ support-free days within 21 days. However, the trial was stopped early and no treatment strategy met prespecified criteria for statistical superiority, precluding definitive conclusions. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02735707

Whole-genome sequencing reveals host factors underlying critical COVID-19

Critical COVID-19 is caused by immune-mediated inflammatory lung injury. Host genetic variation influences the development of illness requiring critical care1 or hospitalization2–4 after infection with SARS-CoV-2. The GenOMICC (Genetics of Mortality in Critical Care) study enables the comparison of genomes from individuals who are critically ill with those of population controls to find underlying disease mechanisms. Here we use whole-genome sequencing in 7,491 critically ill individuals compared with 48,400 controls to discover and replicate 23 independent variants that significantly predispose to critical COVID-19. We identify 16 new independent associations, including variants within genes that are involved in interferon signalling (IL10RB and PLSCR1), leucocyte differentiation (BCL11A) and blood-type antigen secretor status (FUT2). Using transcriptome-wide association and colocalization to infer the effect of gene expression on disease severity, we find evidence that implicates multiple genes—including reduced expression of a membrane flippase (ATP11A), and increased expression of a mucin (MUC1)—in critical disease. Mendelian randomization provides evidence in support of causal roles for myeloid cell adhesion molecules (SELE, ICAM5 and CD209) and the coagulation factor F8, all of which are potentially druggable targets. Our results are broadly consistent with a multi-component model of COVID-19 pathophysiology, in which at least two distinct mechanisms can predispose to life-threatening disease: failure to control viral replication; or an enhanced tendency towards pulmonary inflammation and intravascular coagulation. We show that comparison between cases of critical illness and population controls is highly efficient for the detection of therapeutically relevant mechanisms of disease

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

Inquiry Orientated Learning in Physics

Inquiry Orientated Learning (IOL) has proven to be a successful way of engaging students in learning first year Physics. IOL activities were included in laboratories, lectures and tutorials with students from a diverse range of majors operating in on-campus and external modes

Solar gas turbine systems with centrifugal particle receivers, for remote power generation

There is a growing demand from remote communities in Australia to increase the amount of decentralised renewable energy in their energy supply mix in order to decrease their fuel costs. In contrast to large scale concentrated solar power (CSP) plants, small solar-hybrid gas turbine systems promise a way to decentralise electricity generation at power levels in the range of 0.1- 10 MWe, and reduce to cost of energy production for off-grid, isolated communities. Thermal storage provides such CSP Systems with an advantage over photovoltaic (PV) technology as this would be potentially cheaper than adding batteries to PV systems or providing stand-by back-up systems such as diesel fuelled generators. Hybrid operation with conventional fuels and solar thermal collection and storage ensures the availability of power even if short term solar radiation is not sufficient or the thermal storage is empty. This paper presents initial modelling results of a centrifugal receiver (CentRec) system, using hourly weather data of regional Australia for a 100 kWe microturbine as well as a more efficient and cost effective 4.6 MWe unit. The simulations involve calculation and optimisation of the heliostat field, by calculating heliostat by heliostat annual performance. This is combined with a model of the receiver efficiency based on experimental figures and a model of the particle storage system and turbine performance data. The optimized design for 15 hours of thermal storage capacity results in a tower height of 35 m and a solar field size of 2100 m² for the 100 kWe turbine, and a tower height of 115 m and solar field size of 50 000 m² for the 4.6 MWe turbine. The solar field provides a greater portion of the operational energy requirement for the 100 kWe turbine, as the TIT of the 4.6 MWe turbine (1150°C) is greater than what the solar system can provide. System evaluations of the two particle receiver systems, with a selection of cost assumptions, are then compared to the current conventional means of supplying energy in such remote locations