Factors That Influence Students’ Decision to Drop Out of an Online Business Course

Although online enrollments at community colleges have increased in recent years, student dropout rates in online classes have also increased and educational researchers wonder why students are dropping out of online courses and if online instruction can contribute to student success. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to investigate the online experiences of students who dropped out of the Introduction to Business online course at a community college in a Mid-Atlantic state and the factors that led to their decision. The research questions concerned how students who took the Introduction to Business online course described their decision to drop out of an online course, their social integration in the class, and their perception of what could have been done by staff to help them continue in the online course. Tinto’s student integration model and Bean and Metzner’s nontraditional student attrition model served as the conceptual framework. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews with 7 full and part-time students. Interviews were coded, which led to 8 emergent themes: faculty unavailability and inflexibility for working students, lack of feedback from the instructor, the online course being designed for traditional students, too many assignments from the publisher and no creativity from the instructor, lack of student preparedness for the online format and weak online course orientation, frustrations regarding the course discussion board, isolation and lack of interaction with peers, and the need for more access to staff who might provide support. The results may be helpful to educational leaders in improving the design and delivery of online business courses, which may contribute to positive social change by increasing student retention and success

Variation in population synchrony in a multi-species seabird community: response to changes in predator abundance

Ecologically similar sympatric species, subject to typical environmental conditions, may be expected to exhibit synchronous temporal fluctuations in demographic parameters, while populations of dissimilar species might be expected to show less synchrony. Previous studies have tested for synchrony in different populations of single species, and those including data from more than one species have compared fluctuations in only one demographic parameter. We tested for synchrony in inter-annual changes in breeding population abundance and productivity among four tern species on Coquet Island, northeast England. We also examined how manipulation of one independent environmental variable (predator abundance) influenced temporal changes in ecologically similar and dissimilar tern species. Changes in breeding abundance and productivity of ecologically similar species (Arctic Sterna paradisaea, Common S. hirundo and Roseate Terns S. dougallii) were synchronous with one another over time, but not with a species with different foraging and breeding behaviour (Sandwich Terns Thalasseus sandvicensis). With respect to changes in predator abundance, there was no clear pattern. Roseate Tern abundance was negatively correlated with that of large gulls breeding on the island from 1975 to 2013, while Common Tern abundance was positively correlated with number of large gulls, and no significant correlations were found between large gull and Arctic and Sandwich Tern populations. Large gull abundance was negatively correlated with productivity of Arctic and Common Terns two years later, possibly due to predation risk after fledging, while no correlation with Roseate Tern productivity was found. The varying effect of predator abundance is most likely due to specific differences in the behaviour and ecology of even these closely-related species. Examining synchrony in multi-species assemblages improves our understanding of how whole communities react to long-term changes in the environment and suggests that changes in predator abundance may differentially affect populations of sympatric seabird species

Parental resource allocation among offspring varies with increasing brood age in Black-legged Kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla

Capsule: Black-legged Kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla breeding at a North Sea colony allocated more resources to younger chicks with increasing brood age.<p></p> Aims: Examine how feeding, attendance and resource allocation change with increasing brood age and how allocation of feeds affects growth rate and fledging success.<p></p> Methods: Broods of two were observed on Coquet Island to compare feeding rates and fledging success between chicks of different hatching order.<p></p> Results: Growth and feeding rates were similar between chicks of different hatching order. The relationship between growth and feeding rate may have differed between siblings, although this relationship was not strong. Feeding rate per brood and nest attendance decreased nonlinearly as brood age increased. First-hatched chicks were fed more frequently at the beginning of multiple feeds and received a higher proportion of feeds during early chick-rearing. However, during late chick-rearing second-hatched chicks received proportionally more feeds.<p></p> Conclusion: Parents reduced overall feeding rate as brood age increased, while increasing the proportion of resources allocated to younger offspring. This may explain general similarities in growth rate and fledging success between chicks of different hatching order. By considering resource allocation throughout development we can better understand parental investment strategies in asynchronous species.<p></p&gt

Foraging ecology and reproductive performance of sympatrically breeding larid species at a North Sea colony

Marine ecosystems provide essential goods and services to human populations, however anthropogenic offshore activities can adversely affect the functioning of ecosystems by reducing biodiversity. Temporal data on environmental fluctuations are required in order to implement effective ecosystem management. The health of marine ecosystems can be assessed using proximal measurements of biological data such as fishery catch statistics. However, these data are often patchily distributed and underreported. Seabirds have been shown to be useful indicators of the state of the marine environment. They are highly visible, charismatic species that are easy to count and observe in colonies and offshore foraging areas during the breeding season. In recent years the miniaturisation of electronic devices and the development of novel tracking methods have allowed a large variety of seabird species to be tracked to and from foraging areas and for environmental conditions in distant pelagic areas to be sampled. It has been suggested that seabird foraging and breeding behaviour provide more accurate measures of environmental change than demographic parameters such as adult mortality and productivity, as many species are able to buffer the effects of low food abundance during the breeding season by increasing foraging effort. In this thesis, demographic and behavioural data of several sympatrically breeding larid species were examined over extended temporal scales and the effectiveness of these data at indicating environmental change are assessed. Comparisons of annual fluctuations in demographic parameters were made among ecologically similar and dissimilar tern species breeding sympatrically at a North Sea colony. Species with similar foraging and breeding behaviour exhibited synchronous temporal population fluctuations, while dissimilar species showed no synchrony in population change. Similar and dissimilar species also showed differing responses to declines in predator abundance. To understand how seabird species with similar ecological requirements are able to coexist in the same area during the breeding season, foraging behaviour and reproductive parameters were examined among three morphologically similar terns (Sterna spp) breeding at the same colony. Species partitioned resources by both chick diet and foraging area and responded differently to increasing brood age. Sympatrically breeding Arctic (Sterna paradisaea) and Common Terns (S. hirundo) maintained comparable growth and survival rates of chicks, which suggests that species utilising different foraging strategies can be equally successful at raising chicks to fledging. However, Common Terns were found to exploit larger prey items with higher energetic contents than Arctic Terns, which may explain why this species was able to lay larger clutches and fledge more chicks. Temporal variation in foraging behaviour was examined further in Black-legged Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) by comparing the foraging behaviour of individuals at the same colony during two stages of the breeding cycle (incubation and chick-rearing) and in two consecutive years (2011 and 2012). Diet, foraging areas and environmental variables associated with foraging were found to vary significantly throughout the breeding season and between years, with important consequences for marine conservation policy. Parental resource allocation in Kittiwake broods of two also varied throughout the chick development period as chick demand and environmental conditions surrounding the colony changed. This research illustrates how long-term seabird population and foraging behaviour data can be used to examine changes in the marine environment and to address ecological questions. Variation in chick demand, environmental conditions and species interactions can explain temporal changes in the foraging behaviour of sympatrically breeding species. These results also illustrate the value of considering seabird foraging behaviour when developing effectual offshore protected areas for marine predators

'The Mould that Changed the World':Quantitative and qualitative evaluation of children's knowledge and motivation for behavioural change following participation in an antimicrobial resistance musical

BackgroundA primary school musical ("The Mould that Changed the World") was developed as a unique public engagement strategy to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by engaging children in the story of the discovery of antibiotics, the risks of drug-resistant infections and the importance of prudent antibiotic use.MethodsThe musical intervention was implemented in two UK primary schools by music specialists through a series of workshops, associated learning resources and performances to relatives. Participating children (n = 182), aged 9 to 11 years, were given an online questionnaire in the classroom before rehearsals began and at two weeks post-performance with a six-month evaluation in one school. The impact of the musical was analysed using generalised linear models to control for confounding factors. For the qualitative evaluation, fifteen participating children were selected randomly from each school to take part in semi-structured focus groups (n = 5 per group) before rehearsals began and two weeks post-performance.FindingsKnowledge gain was demonstrated with children being more likely to answer questions on key messages of the musical correctly at two weeks post- performance (response rate 88%, n = 161) compared with the pre-rehearsal questionnaire (response rate 99%, n = 180) (bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics OR 4.63, C.I. 2.46-9.31 pInterpretationThis study demonstrates that musical theatre can improve both short and long-term knowledge. It demonstrates a hitherto infrequently reported change in attitude and motivation to change behaviour in children at an influential age for health beliefs. This unique public health tool has the potential for high impact particularly if rolled out within national education programmes for primary school aged children

hERG Gating Microdomains Defined by S6 Mutagenesis and Molecular Modeling

Human ether-à-go-go–related gene (hERG) channels mediate cardiac repolarization and bind drugs that can cause acquired long QT syndrome and life-threatening arrhythmias. Drugs bind in the vestibule formed by the S6 transmembrane domain, which also contains the activation gate that traps drugs in the vestibule and contributes to their efficacy of block. Although drug-binding residues have been identified, we know little about the roles of specific S6 residues in gating. We introduced cysteine mutations into the hERG channel S6 domain and measured mutational effects on the steady-state distribution and kinetics of transitions between the closed and open states. Energy-minimized molecular models based on the crystal structures of rKv1.2 (open state) and MlotiK1 and KcsA (closed state) provided structural contexts for evaluating mutant residues. The majority of mutations slowed deactivation, shifted conductance voltage curves to more negative potentials, or conferred a constitutive conductance over voltages that normally cause the channel to close. At the most intracellular extreme of the S6 region, Q664, Y667, and S668 were especially sensitive and together formed a ringed domain that occludes the pore in the closed state model. In contrast, mutation of S660, more than a full helical turn away and corresponding by alignment to a critical Shaker gate residue (V478), had little effect on gating. Multiple substitutions of chemically distinct amino acids at the adjacent V659 suggested that, upon closing, the native V659 side chain moves into a hydrophobic pocket but likely does not form the occluding gate itself. Overall, the study indicated that S6 mutagenesis disrupts the energetics primarily of channel closing and identified several residues critical for this process in the native channel