An investigation into the potential for blended learning approaches in enhancing students’ assessment experience on an Introduction to Economics and Statistics Module

Use of audioslides and videoconferencing was trialled on a cohort of undergraduate Level 4 Introductions to Economics and Statistics students during 2010/11 with the aim of evaluating impact in support students' assessment. Audioslides were produced to provide enriched assessment guidance. A private space in a VLE-linked videoconferencing system was offered to students to support group essay writing at a distance. Students' engagement and views were evaluated. Cohort assessment performance was compared with the previous year. Students feel supported by audioslides. Some are interested in using videoconferencing set up and training was too complicated and there was no actual use. They may be interested in using external, non-VLE linked and more familiar tools such as Skype. Neither blended learning approach had a demonstrable impact on assessment performance which was poorer then the pervious 2009/10 year's

Firewall? or Wall on Fire? A Unified Framework of Conflict Contagion and the Role of Ethnic Exclusion

While some borders are real firewalls against conflicts, others appear like tinder just waiting for the smallest spark. Only recently has research focused on the transnational perspective of conflict and current research has focused mostly on isolated aspects of this phenomenon. In this article, we provide a unified framework for conflict contagion that takes into account receiver, sender, dyad, and network effects. This is a novel perspective on conflict contagion, and our empirical results suggest that distinguishing between sender and receiver effects allows for a better understanding of spillover effects. We provide insights that especially excluded ethnic groups impact the risk of countries sending and receiving conflicts from its neighbors

Investigating the basis of sexual dysfunction during late-onset hypogonadism

Late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) is the term used to describe the decline in serum testosterone levels associated with increasing age in men above 40 years. A number of symptoms are attributed to LOH, but the most common association is that of sexual dysfunction. LOH has recently come under greater scrutiny with the widespread use of testosterone therapy, and concerns regarding the efficacy and safety of testosterone replacement therapy have been raised. In particular, the cardiovascular safety and the beneficial effects of testosterone replacement therapy on general health have been questioned. This review will give an overview of the current evidence for the relationship of LOH and male sexual dysfunction

Scrub Typhus Presenting as Acute Mastoiditis.

Scrub typhus, a zoonosis, is known to present with varied clinical presentation. We present a case of acute mastoiditis who did not respond to conventional antibiotic therapy. The detailed repeat clinical examination revealed lymphadenopathy with eschar and IgM antibodies for scrub typhus by ELISA were positive. Patient had dramatic response to doxycycline therapy

The role of seminal oxidative stress in recurrent pregnancy loss

Recurrent pregnancy loss is a distressing condition affecting 1-2% of couples. Traditionally investigations have focused on the female, however more recently researchers have started to explore the potential contribution of the male partner. Seminal reactive oxygen species have a physiological function in male reproduction but in excess are suspected to generate structural and functional damage to the sperm. Evidence is mounting to support an association between elevated seminal reaction oxygen species and recurrent pregnancy loss. Studies suggest that the rates of sperm DNA damage are higher in the male partners of women affected by recurrent pregnancy loss compared with unaffected men. However, the available pool of data is conflicting, and interpretation is limited by the recent change in nomenclature and the heterogeneity of study methodologies. Furthermore, investigation into the effects of oxidative stress on the epigenome show promise. The value of antioxidant therapy in the management of recurrent pregnancy loss currently remains unclear

Investigation of real-time multi-user application development frameworks.

The Internet provides global connectivity and with it presents an enormous potential for supporting real-time collaborative-work (RTCW) applications. However, developing such applications from scratch is a complex and time-consuming task. In this thesis, we investigate the use of frameworks to develop such applications. In particular we look at the Habanero framework that is designed for developing real-time collaborative applications. We also discuss the Internet from a real-time communication perspective since the ultimate success of RTCW applications would depend on the quality of service provided by the Internet to the data that flows through it. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis2000 .M56. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 40-03, page: 0726. Adviser: Richard Frost. Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 2001

Understanding and treating ejaculatory dysfunction in men with Diabetes mellitus

INTRODUCTION: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a rapidly rising metabolic disorder with important systemic complications. Global figures have demonstrated the prevalence of DM has almost quadrupled from 108 million in 1980 to 422 million in 2014, with a current prevalence of over 525 million. Of the male sexual dysfunction resulting from DM, significant focus is afforded to erectile dysfunction (ED). Nevertheless, ejaculatory dysfunction (EjD) constitutes important sexual sequelae in diabetic men, with up to 35-50% of men with DM suffering from EjD. Despite this, aspects of its pathophysiology and treatment are less well understood than ED. The main disorders of ejaculation include premature ejaculation (PE), delayed ejaculation (DE), anejaculation (AE) and retrograde ejaculation (RE). BACKGROUND: Although EjD in DM can have complex multifactorial aetiology, understanding the pathophysiological mechanisms caused by DM has facilitated the development of therapies in the management of EjD. Most of our understanding of its pathophysiology is derived from diabetic animal models, however observational studies in humans have also provided useful information in elucidating important associative factors potentially contributing to EjD in diabetic men. These have provided the potential for more tailored treatment regimens in patients depending on the ejaculatory disorder, other co-existing sequelae of DM, specific metabolic factors as well as the need for fertility treatment. However, the evidence for treatment of EjD, especially DE and RE, is based on low-level evidence comprising small sample-size series and retrospective or cross-sectional studies. Whilst promising findings from large randomised controlled trials (RCTs) have provided strong evidence for the licensed treatment of PE, similar robust studies are needed to accurately elucidate factors predicting EjD in DM, as well as for the development of pharmacotherapies for DE and RE. Similarly, more contemporary robust data is required for fertility outcomes in these patients, including methods of sperm retrieval and assisted reproductive techniques (ART) in RE. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Splitting It Up: The spduration Split-Population Duration Regression Package for Time-Varying Covariates

We present an implementation of split-population duration regression in the spduration (Beger et al., 2017) package for R that allows for time-varying covariates. The statistical model accounts for units that are immune to a certain outcome and are not part of the duration process the researcher is primarily interested in. We provide insights for when immune units exist, that can significantly increase the predictive performance compared to standard duration models. The package includes estimation and several post-estimation methods for split-populationWeibull and log-logistic models. We provide an empirical application to data on military coups