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Adult-learning theory challenges faculty to adapt their teaching to certain characteristics of adult learners, including self-direction: if adults direct the bulk of their lives outside of school, they should be permitted to direct their own educational experiences. To what extent is self-directed learning an optimal, or even realistic, methodology for seminary teaching? Does it matter what subjects we are teaching? This essay details an experiment with self-directed learning in a seminary ministry class: what worked, what might be improved, and how it challenges our view of ourselves as faculty to teach in this way. Student feedback from the course in question enhances our understanding of the best (and most challenging) features of the experiment.

Mount Imlay is an isolated summit in south-eastern New South Wales, rising to 886 m above sea level. In addition to its cultural significance and tourism value, the summit is home to three endemic plant species (Boronia imlayensis, Eucalyptus imlayensis and Hibbertia circinata) and several regionally rare or disjunct species. Eucalyptus imlayensis has been identified as one of 100 priority threatened species for conservation efforts in the coming years. Mount Imlay was burnt severely in the fire of 2019 / 20 and faces the threat of more frequent fire in the future, resulting from climate change. Many species are threatened by the introduced pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi, which is now present on most of the mountain. In this paper, we outline the work done to date on protecting Mount Imlay's significant flora and identify plant species likely to be eligible for listing in threatened species legislation; currently, only two of the species are listed as threatened in NSW. Because most significant species on Mount Imlay share the same threats, the costs of future conservation work can be shared and undertaken regardless of legislative status. For instance, spraying with phosphite to reduce the threat from Phytophthora cinnamomi for one species will benefit many species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimal production of bispecific antibodies (bsAb) requires efficient and tailored co‐expression and assembly of two distinct heavy and two distinct light chains. Here, we describe a novel technology to modulate the translational strength of antibody chains via Kozak sequence variants to produce bsAb in a single cell line. In this study, we designed and screened a large Kozak sequence library to identify 10 independent variants that can modulate protein expression levels from approximately 0.2 to 1.3‐fold compared with the wild‐type sequence in transient transfection. We used a combination of several of these variants, covering a wide range of translational strength, to develop stable single cell Chinese hamster ovary bispecific cell lines and compared the results with those obtained from the wild‐type sequence. A significant increase in bispecific antibody assembly with a concomitant reduction in the level of product‐related impurities was observed. Our findings suggest that for production of bsAb it can be advantageous to modify translational strength for selected protein chains to improve overall yield and product quality. By extension, tuning of translational strength can also be applied to improving the production of a wide variety of heterologous proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Children with developmental coordination disorder have significant difficulties with handwriting. Factors such as hand grip strength and pen pressure are often assumed by clinicians to play a role, although empirical evidence is lacking. The aim of this study was to measure grip strength and pen pressure to examine their relationships with handwriting performance in children with developmental coordination disorder. Method: Sixteen 8–14-year-old children with developmental coordination disorder were compared with 20 typically developing age- and gender-matched controls. Palmar, pinch and tripod grip strength were measured using hand dynamometers. The mean pressure exerted on a writing tablet by the pen was obtained during a handwriting task. Group comparisons were made and correlations conducted between grip strength and pen pressure and a range of handwriting product and process measures. Results: There were no group differences on the three measures of grip strength. However, the developmental coordination disorder group exerted less pressure on the writing surface compared to typically developing peers. There were no significant correlations between grip strength or pen pressure and handwriting performance in children with developmental coordination disorder. Conclusion: Clinicians should be cautious when using measures of grip strength or pen pressure to inform them about aspects of handwriting skill in children with developmental coordination disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Madagascar is home to 208 indigenous palm species, almost all of them endemic and >80% of which are endangered. We undertook complete population census and sampling for genetic analysis of a relatively recently discovered giant fan palm, the Critically Endangered Tahina spectablis in 2008 and 2016. Our 2016 study included newly discovered populations and added to our genetic study. We incorporated these new populations into species distribution niche model (SDM) and projected these onto maps of the region. We developed population matrix models based on observed demographic data to model population change and predict the species vulnerability to extinction by undertaking population viability analysis (PVA). We investigated the potential conservation value of reintroduced planted populations within the species potential suitable habitat. We found that the population studied in 2008 had grown in size due to seedling regeneration but had declined in the number of reproductively mature plants, and we were able to estimate that the species reproduces and dies after approximately 70 years. Our models suggest that if the habitat where it resides continues to be protected the species is unlikely to go extinct due to inherent population decline and that it will likely experience significant population growth after approximately 80 years due to the reproductive and life cycle attributes of the species. The newly discovered populations contain more genetic diversity than the first discovered southern population which is genetically depauperate. The species appears to demonstrate a pattern of dispersal leading to isolated founder plants which may eventually lead to population development depending on local establishment opportunities. The conservation efforts currently put in place including the reintroduction of plants within the species potential suitable habitat if maintained are thought likely to enable the species to sustain itself but it remains vulnerable to anthropogenic impacts. We studied the genetics, population ecology and suitable habitat for Tahina spectabilis a critically endangered palm from Madagascar to assess its long term viability. We found that current conservation measures may enable the species to persist. Its endangerment is not due to intrinsic population decline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Utilizing a case-based approach, as well as data, participants will self-report the characteristics and methods used to perform monthly multi-specialty and multi- institutional rounds in order to meet the need of outpatient individuals receiving cancer treatment. 2. Drawing from our model, participants will explore and report ways to identify and engage local stakeholders and to replicate similar programs at their institutions to best service palliative care patients in their communities. We will present a unique model for collaborating care for patients with advanced cancer across institutions and teams, to break through the silos of outpatient care. In addition to describing the Supportive Care Rounds through data and case examples, we will discuss ways to replicate the rounds in other medical centers.Abstract: Patients living with cancer often bear the burdens of physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering as well as financial, functional, nutritional, social, legal, and systematic challenges. The different teams that address these multiple dimensions of suffering typically operate within silos, with limited communication and collaboration. At MedStar Washington Hospital Center (Washington, DC) our outpatient palliative care (PC) team recognized these gaps in care for patients receiving treatment at the Georgetown Cancer Institute at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, a population that is highly diverse – 60% self-identify as Black/African American, 31% self-identify as White/Caucasian and 6.2% self-identify as Other. We created Supportive Care Rounds, a unique program bringing together PC, oncology social work, physical medicine and rehabilitation, physical therapy, nutritional support and pain psychology from the MedStar Washington Hospital Center, the Georgetown Cancer Institute and MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital. We meet monthly to discuss patients referred by the participating teams, to identify patient needs, barriers to meeting those needs and specific interventions, aligning our respective institutions to deliver more comprehensive care. This collaboration is particularly important for our patients who are under-resourced and patients who have encountered roadblocks of bias and neglect in the medical system. This session will emphasize gaps in care for outpatients with cancer and an overview of how our unique program identifies and fills those gaps. We will provide data describing the patients, diagnoses, and interventions as well as examples of complex cases in which multi-dimensional suffering was addressed. The session will also encourage participants to explore supportive care resources in their own communities and consider pathways to comprehensive supportive care program development. Interdisciplinary Teamwork / Professionalism / Models of Palliative Care Delivery [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selecting optimal stimulation parameters from numerous possibilities is a major obstacle for assessing the efficacy of non-invasive brain stimulation. We demonstrate that Bayesian optimization can rapidly search through large parameter spaces and identify subject-level stimulation parameters in real-time. To validate the method, Bayesian optimization was employed using participants' binary judgements about the intensity of phosphenes elicited through tACS. We demonstrate the efficiency of Bayesian optimization in identifying parameters that maximize phosphene intensity in a short timeframe (5 min for >190 possibilities). Our results replicate frequency-dependent effects across three montages and show phase-dependent effects of phosphene perception. Computational modelling explains that these phase effects result from constructive/destructive interference of the current reaching the retinas. Simulation analyses demonstrate the method's versatility for complex response functions, even when accounting for noisy observations. Alongside subjective ratings, this method can be used to optimize tACS parameters based on behavioral and neural measures and has the potential to be used for tailoring stimulation protocols to individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of how knowledge can effect attitude change is important in order to understand the consequences for stigma. The relationship between increasing subject knowledge of mental health and attitude change was explored. The sample comprised 39 students (18 male and 21 female) from a university in the West Midlands. Participants' level of knowledge and stigma were recorded through pre- and post-tests using the Mental Health Knowledge Schedule (MAKS), Community Attitudes toward the Mentally Ill (CAMI) and the Opinions about Mental Illness (OMI) scale. Information about mental illness was provided between conditions followed by a distractor task. Responses were calculated and combined to give an overall score. A sign test with continuity correction was used to see whether there was a difference in attitudes. The pre- and post-test conditions were scored. Results demonstrate a statistically significant median decrease in stigma in the post-test condition (p = 0.03). Therefore, this research provides support for the success of providing knowledge and information about mental illness in order to reduce stigma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of an 82-year-old white female who was presented with extreme deterioration from osteoarthritis (OA) in her left shoulder. She experienced reduction in pain following treatment with arnica oil massage. Her medical history included hysterectomy, osteoporosis and peripheral vascular disease. Medications taken included oxazepam, amlodipine, and L-thyroxine.

Scholars have long documented widespread aging and depopulation of rural communities in the Great Plains. Paralleling these trends is the emergence, growth, and spatial dispersion of new and longtime non-white populations across the region. The dual processes of population loss in many counties combined with the growth of new, non-white population groups suggest that the ethnic structure of the population is changing. In this article we utilize choropleth maps, Hoover and Simpson indexes, and cluster analysis to assess whether the emergence and growth of ethnic minority groups in the Great Plains between 1970 and 2008 is a localized phenomenon or region-wide shift in the ethnic composition of the population. Results suggest that as depopulation is occurring in many counties of this region, the growth of non-white populations, both immigrant and native born, is changing or restructuring the ethnic composition of the Great Plains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on an experiment that investigates auditors' abilities to assess expectation precision and incorporate their assessments into judgments related to substantive analytical procedures, as required by professional standards. Auditors appear sensitive to both account predictability and level of information detail in assessing expectation precision overall; however, their assessments do not reflect differences in level of detail when the account is less predictable. This finding supports regulators' and prior researchers' calls for additional guidance to assist auditors in forming expectations that consider the nature of the account. We also find that auditors judge the level of assurance from analytical procedures consistent with their precision assessments. However, in contrast to guidance specified in professional standards, we find that auditors do not always incorporate their precision assessments into judgments about the range of possible differences between expected and recorded amounts, nor the likelihood of misstatement causes. Failing to do so may lead auditors to make important decision errors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reviews the book "The American Academic Profession: Transformation in Contemporary Higher Education," edited by Joseph C. Hermanowicz.

The article reviews the book "Teaching and Learning Through Discussion: A Trouble-Shooting Guide," by Richard G. Tiberius.

The article reviews the book "Now You See It: How Technology and Brain Science Will Transform Schools and Business for the 21st Century," by Cathy N. Davidson.

The article reviews the book "The Handbook of Transformative Learning: Theory, Research, and Practice," edited by Edward W. Taylor and Patricia Cranton.

The article reviews the book "Hybrid-Context Instructional Model" by Udeme T. Ndon.