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Objective: This study sought to correlate the presence of pleural-based B-lines seen by emergency department ultrasound performed with the linear transducer with B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) level in patients with suspected congestive heart failure.Methods: The study was a prospective convenience sample on adult patients in an academic, urban emergency department with over 100,000 annual patient visits. Adult patients with a BNP level ordered by the treating physician were prospectively enrolled by one of four physicians, blinded to the BNP level. The enrolling physicians included an emergency ultrasound director, two emergency ultrasound fellows, and a senior emergency medicine resident. Bedside ultrasound was performed using a 3-12 MHz linear broadband transducer in four lung fields. The serum BNP level was correlated with bilateral B-lines, defined as three or more comet-tail artifacts arising from the pleural line extending to the far field without a decrease in intensity on the right and left thorax.Results: Sixty three patients were consented and enrolled during a four-month period. Fifteen patients had the presence of bilateral B-lines. The median BNP in patients with bilateral B-lines was 1560 pg/mL (95% confidence interval (CI) 1141-3706 pg/mL), compared with 538 pg/mL (95% confidence interval 310-1917 pg/mL) in patients without B-lines. The distributions in the two groups differed significantly (p=0.0006). Based on the threshold level of BNP 500 pg/mL, the sensitivity of finding bilateral B-lines on ultrasound was 33.3% (95% CI: 0.19-0.50), and the specificity was 91.7% (95% CI: 0.73-0.99). In addition, bilateral B-lines were absent in all patients with a BNP500. Further research may show that it can be applied to quickly assess patients with undifferentiated dyspnea. [West J Emerg Med. 2011;12(1):102-106.]

Using the nationally representative sample from the United States in the 2012 Programme for International Student Assessment (N = 7,429 students from 240 schools), I examined the relationship between teacher instructional practices and student mathematics achievement. To account for the multilevel structure of the data with students nested within schools, I used a two-level hierarchical linear model in the data analysis. Teacher instructional practices showed statistically significant effects on student mathematics achievement, even after controlling for socioeconomic status (SES) and sex at the student level and school mean SES and whether the school is public or private at the school level. Furthermore, I found that the relationship between teacher instructional practices and student mathematics achievement varied statistically significantly across schools.

This study examined two mediators of university students' behavioural intention to use digital platforms in the context of science service learning in Taiwanese universities. Based on the technology acceptance model (TAM), we proposed two cognitive variables as antecedents, self-efficacy and science trust, to verify their influences on students' behavioural intention. We further investigated two mediators, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, to examine to what extent they had effects on students' intention. Questionnaire data were collected from 282 university students who participated in a science service project. A structural equation model (SEM) procedure was used to test the direct and indirect relationships between the variables. The results showed that both self-efficacy and science trust had direct influences on perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. The two mediators also had direct effects on students' behavioural intention. Nevertheless, as a mediating variable, only perceived ease of use effectively mediated the relationships between both self-efficacy and science trust and students' behavioural intention. Findings of this research could provide some suggestions to enhance students' behavioural intention for institutions where science service learning is a required project/programme.

While initial discussions of the third mission of universities focussed on market-orientated behaviours of universities, more recently it has been connected to activities that focus on social justice and promoting sustainability (Trencher, Bai, Evans, McCormick & Yarime, 2014; Appe & Barragán, 2017). It has been suggested that the third mission of universities in the Global South may be particularly significant in addressing acutely felt issues of climate change, economic inequalities, food insecurity and urban sprawl. The current paper explores this and asks whether the quadruple helix (Carayannis & Campbell, 2010) is visible in their engagement activities. Using a synthesis of case studies developed as part of the 'Strengthening Urban Engagement of Universities in Africa and Asia' (SUEUAA) project, a collaborative research project spanning seven cities (Glasgow; Harare; Dar-es-Salaam; Johannesburg; Duhok; Sanandaj; and Manila), we explore ongoing engagement activities where universities respond to city demand. We frame this in terms of Sustainable Development Goals. Results indicate while universities were seen to address city demands, they often reacted without a network of other influential actors (i.e. industry, local government or NGO partners). This suggests that currently, the quadruple helix is underdeveloped in these cities, and more work should be done in creating closer links.

There has been a debate over many decades concerning the benefits of lifelong learning that have been expressed both in economic and non-economic terms, the latter often expressed in terms of contributions to health and well-being, and to civic solidarity. The extent to which these benefits can be evidenced however remains somewhat elusive and at best mixed. In this paper, I trace the ways in which lifelong learning has emerged in policy discourse in the UK since the 1980s, the arguments and evidence for its benefits and the means by which it has been supported and implemented. In particular, the paper is concerned with the role of the higher education sector in the UK with a particular focus on Scotland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the nationally representative sample from the United States in the 2012 Programme for International Student Assessment (N = 7,429 students from 240 schools), the present study examined the effects of student help-seeking behaviors on eight measures of student mathematics achievement. To account for the multilevel structure of the data with students nested within schools (i.e., students attending different schools), a two-level hierarchical linear model was used in the data analysis. Student help-seeking behaviors showed statistically significant positive effects on all eight measures of mathematics achievement, even after controlling for student characteristics and school characteristics. Furthermore, for all eight measures of mathematics achievement, the positive effects of student help-seeking behaviors on student mathematics achievement are independent of which schools students attend.

Despite UNESCO's Learning Cities agenda, which argues for the mobilisation of resources to promote education across all sectors and environments, there is little evaluative research on Learning City engagement which is both naturalistic and empirically rigorous. The research on informal adult learning in urban contexts is particularly sparse. This paper provides a case study of informal learning and lifewide literacies amongst Glaswegian adults using three distinct approaches to data collection: a household survey capturing rich data on learning attitudes, behaviours, and literacies; GPS trails that track mobility around the city; and the capture of naturally occurring social media. The work operationalises Learning City indicators, and explores domains beyond education, some of which have not previously been considered in surveys of adult learning, for example, physical mobilities and transportation patterns. We use theoretical concepts of social identity and capital to situate inclusion within explanatory frameworks of marginalisation in less tangible domains of informal learning using multi-stranded data. A triangulated analysis of city-wide participation in lifewide learning reveals a demographic picture of groups marginalised from learning opportunities and practices. We conclude with a call for new approaches to exploring learning participation which offer novel methods to evidence informal learning and lifewide literacies.

Background and Aims Chronic stress associates with cardiovascular disease, but mechanisms remain incompletely defined. Advanced imaging was used to identify stress-related neural imaging phenotypes associated with atherosclerosis. Methods Twenty-seven individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 45 trauma-exposed controls without PTSD, and 22 healthy controls underwent 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (18F-FDG PET/MRI). Atherosclerotic inflammation and burden were assessed using 18F-FDG PET (as maximal target-to-background ratio, TBR max) and MRI, respectively. Inflammation was assessed using high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and leucopoietic imaging (18F-FDG PET uptake in spleen and bone marrow). Stress-associated neural network activity (SNA) was assessed on 18F-FDG PET as amygdala relative to ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) activity. MRI diffusion tensor imaging assessed the axonal integrity (AI) of the uncinate fasciculus (major white matter tract connecting vmPFC and amygdala). Results Median age was 37 years old and 54% of participants were female. There were no significant differences in atherosclerotic inflammation between participants with PTSD and controls; adjusted mean difference in TBR max (95% confidence interval) of the aorta 0.020 (−0.098, 0.138), and of the carotids 0.014 (−0.091, 0.119). Participants with PTSD had higher hsCRP, spleen activity, and aorta atherosclerotic burden (normalized wall index). Participants with PTSD also had higher SNA and lower AI. Across the cohort, carotid atherosclerotic burden (standard deviation of wall thickness) associated positively with SNA and negatively with AI independent of Framingham risk score. Conclusions In this study of limited size, participants with PTSD did not have higher atherosclerotic inflammation than controls. Notably, impaired cortico-limbic interactions (higher amygdala relative to vmPFC activity or disruption of their intercommunication) associated with carotid atherosclerotic burden. Larger studies are needed to refine these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanisms underlying the psychological and cardiovascular disease (CVD) benefits of physical activity (PA) are not fully understood. This study tested whether PA: 1) attenuates stress-related neural activity, which is known to potentiate CVD and for its role in anxiety/depression; 2) decreases CVD in part through this neural effect; and 3) has a greater impact on CVD risk among individuals with depression. Participants from the Mass General Brigham Biobank who completed a PA survey were studied. A subset underwent 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomographic imaging. Stress-related neural activity was measured as the ratio of resting amygdalar-to-cortical activity (AmygA C). CVD events were ascertained from electronic health records. A total of 50,359 adults were included (median age 60 years [Q1-Q3: 45-70 years]; 40.1% male). Greater PA was associated with both lower AmygA C (standardized β: −0.245; 95% CI: −0.444 to −0.046; P = 0.016) and CVD events (HR: 0.802; 95% CI: 0.719-0.896; P < 0.001) in multivariable models. AmygA C reductions partially mediated PA's CVD benefit (OR: 0.96; 95% CI: 0.92-0.99; P < 0.05). Moreover, PA's benefit on incident CVD events was greater among those with (vs without) preexisting depression (HR: 0.860; 95% CI: 0.810-0.915; vs HR: 0.929; 95% CI: 0.910-0.949; P interaction = 0.011). Additionally, PA above guideline recommendations further reduced CVD events, but only among those with preexisting depression (P interaction = 0.023). PA appears to reduce CVD risk in part by acting through the brain's stress-related activity; this may explain the novel observation that PA reduces CVD risk to a greater extent among individuals with depression. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cork and Limerick have conducted Lifelong Learning Festivals, Cork for ten years and Limerick for the past three years. This paper reviews aspects of this experience and considers the question of whether successful Lifelong Learning Festivals can be seen as a pathway to building sustainable learning cities. Discussed in the context of an initiative by Cork, we examine how Cork has adopted an international development by PASCAL to reconceptualise learning cities as broadly based sustainable opportunity cities, and action by Limerick to extend its city experience to the whole county following the decision to amalgamate city and county. (Contains 1 footnote.)

In the Global North and increasingly in the Global South, smart city technologies are enthusiastically seen as a solution to urban problems and as an alternative to austerity. However, to move beyond a narrow technological focus, it is necessary to explore the degree to which smart initiatives are committed to building socially inclusive innovation with learning at its core. Using the particular case of the Future City Demonstrator Initiative in Glasgow, United Kingdom, the most high-profile initiative of its kind funded by government, the authors of this article assess the extent to which this smart city adopts such an inclusive approach. They use the "quadruple helix model" (government--academia--industry--civil society) as a starting point and develop an analytic framework composed of four strands: (1) supporting participation of citizens in decision-making; (2) implementing technological innovation which positions citizens as active users; (3) implementing technological innovation to benefit the community; and (4) evaluating technological innovation in the light of the experiences and needs of citizens. Unlike most analyses, the principal focus of this article is on the fourth element of the helix, civil society. The authors argue that Glasgow's rhetoric of smart urbanism, while aspiring to problem-solving, devalues certain principles of human agency. They emphasise that urban change, including the city's desire to become technologically innovative, would more fully facilitate active citizenship, social inclusion and learning opportunities for all if it were underpinned by the broader conceptions and frameworks of learning cities.