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Students report experiencing elevated levels of academic stress while in Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate Diploma (IBD) classes. In response, we developed a classwide, preventative coping and connectedness curriculum, which consists of 12 50-minute modules for 9th-grade students enrolled in accelerated coursework. In this pilot study, we implemented the curriculum in 2 schools and sought user feedback. After describing the curriculum, we examine the acceptability of this social-emotional curriculum at three stages: prior to, during, and following implementation. Overall, all stakeholders—including students, parents, and educators—deemed the curriculum highly acceptable. Teachers, administrators, and parents rated the content and lessons as highly acceptable for addressing students’ academic stressors and development of necessary coping and strategies. Included is a discussion of these findings relative to prior acceptability research, including research with gifted learners, limitations, and the role of acceptability in the line of inquiry for this curriculum intervention development.

BACKGROUND Rheumatology is considered a low-risk specialty, but studies have shown a prevalence of burnout between 42% and 51%. OBJECTIVES The aim was to determine the prevalence of burnout in rheumatologists in Latin America and the factors associated with it. METHODS Cross-sectional study based on a survey completed through Google Forms platform that was sent by the national rheumatology associations of Latin America. Burnout was assessed with the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Data were analyzed using the statistical program SPSS v.22. RESULTS Two hundred ninety-seven rheumatologists from 15 countries were included, mainly Argentina (28.3%), Brazil (26.3%), and Mexico (12.8%). The majority were women 62%, 42.4% worked in public hospitals with an average of 40.1 ± 14.2 hours per week; 31.3% did research, 13.1% clinical trials, 56.6% teaching, and 42.8% administrative work; 36% received an annual income less than $25,000; 56.6% had burnout in at least 1 dimension. Only 20.2% thought they had burnout, 9.1% were currently receiving professional help, and 15.8% had sought help in the past; 72.1% said they were willing to participate in a program to reduce burnout. The rheumatologists with burnout were younger than those without burnout (46.5 vs 49.9 years, p = 0.015). CONCLUSIONS Burnout affects near half of rheumatologists in Latin America and was associated with younger age, long working hours, low satisfaction, less happiness, higher Patient Health Questionnaire-9, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, income, presence of comorbidities, and low self-esteem.

This study is a meta-analytical study that examines the effectiveness of gamification in learning performance in educational settings (n = 29; year-span = 2011–2019). Specifically, it aimed to investigate (a) whether gamification could improve learning performance, and (b) whether peer interaction (i.e., peer competition and peer collaboration) moderated the effectiveness of gamification in learning performance. Results from random-effects models showed significant effects of gamification in learning performance (g = .595, 95% CI [.432, .758], N = 3515). This effect remained robust after excluding outliers and was stable in a sub-split analysis that excludes studies with low methodological rigor (i.e., studies with pre-post test design). Subgroup analyses revealed a moderating effect of peer competition in gamification in learning, suggesting that competitive games were better than non-competitive games for promoting learning performance in educational settings. However, this effect was not robust and no evidence of subgroup differences were found in the sub-split analysis. Peer collaboration did not moderate the effectiveness of gamification in learning as no subgroup differences were found between collaborative games and non-collaborative games. The effectiveness of games that were both competitive and collaborative did not differ from those that were only competitive. Other moderators such as education level and research design were also investigated. No subgroup differences were found for these two moderators. Educational implications and limitations were further discussed.

Despite data supporting the rapid adoption of telehealth in the delivery of clinical care in North America, the implementation of telehealth visits in clinical research studies has faced critical barriers. These challenges include: (1) variations in state licensure requirements for telehealth; (2) disparities in access to telehealth among disadvantaged populations; (3) lack of consistency among individual Investigational Review Boards (IRBs). Each barrier prevents the systematic conversion of research protocols to include telehealth visits. The Parkinson’s Foundation and members of the Parkinson Study Group submit this Comment to highlight current challenges to implementing telehealth visits for clinical research studies. Our objective is to provide a consensus statement emphasizing the urgent need for regulators to standardize adoption of telehealth practices and to propose recommendations to reduce the burden for implementation in existing research study protocols.

Background There is a compelling need to prepare our societies and healthcare systems to deal with the oncoming wave of population ageing. The majority of older persons maintain a desire to be valued and useful members of society and of their social networks. Aims We sought to investigate the perception of usefulness among persons aged 65 years and over in four European countries. Methods We performed a cross-sectional survey with a representative sample of individuals aged 65 years or older from the population of retired persons (including recently retired persons and oldest-old individuals) from 4 European countries selected using quota sampling. In February 2016, an internet questionnaire was sent to all selected individuals. The characteristics used for the quota sampling method were sex, age, socio-professional category, region, city size, number of persons in household, autonomy, marital status, place of residence, income and educational status. The questionnaire contained 57 questions. Sociodemographic characteristics were recorded. Responses were analysed with principal components analysis (PCA). Results A total of 4025 persons participated; 51% were males, and 70% were aged 65–75 years. PCA identified six classes of individuals, of which two classes (Classes 2 and 3) were characterized by more socially isolated individuals with little or no sense of usefulness, low self-esteem and a poor sense of well-being. These two classes accounted for almost 20% of the population. Younger and more autonomous classes reported a more salient sense of usefulness. Conclusions The loss of the sense of usefulness is associated with dissatisfaction with life and a loss of pleasure, and persons with profiles corresponding to Classes 2 and 3 should, therefore, be targeted for interventions aimed at restoring social links.

Having a growth mindset has been hailed as one of the most critical advancements in understanding students’ motivation in recent years. The attention on the growth mindset indicates an increased surge in the public’s interest in using evidence-based intervention models to facilitate learning. Because the positive benefits of growth mindsets are apparent, changing ones’ mindset becomes the core focus of growth mindset literature. But aside from “changing” students’ mindsets, finding the right kind of psychological interventions that leverage student’s growth or fixed mindset with sustainable improvement for students can be as, if not more important. The current study seeks to fill this research gap. Our first study indicated that learners with a relatively high growth mindset benefit from a self-reflection learning strategy. However, this very same self-reflection strategy can harm the learning benefits for those learners with a fixed mindset. The second study used experimental manipulation to show that learners with a growth mindset can enhance their learning process and outcomes from self-reflection strategies. In contrast, learners with a fixed mindset can improve their learning process and result from self-compassion strategies. The current study identified two distinct psychological mechanisms – self-reflection and self-compassion and linked them with mindsets with the learning process and learning outcomes. It also demonstrates how learners with growth and fixed mindsets can directly benefit from these two psychological mechanisms in an experimental design.

International audience; Pandemics are difficult times for the mental health of healthcare professionals, who are more likely to present with PTSD-like symptoms. In the context of a highly contagious communicable disease, telemedicine is a useful alternative to usual care, and should be considered as a means to support healthcare professionals’ mental health. This is a multicenter (n = 19), cross-sectional study, based on a 27-item questionnaire, aiming to investigate the acceptability to healthcare workers of a telepsychiatry service as a means of providing mental health support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Between October and December 2020, 321 responses were received, showing that women, caregiving staff, and those directly involved in the care of COVID-19 patients are less favorable to the idea of receiving remote support. In our population, barriers were related to the clinical setting or ethics, and most of the respondents would not accept a drug prescription by telepsychiatry. Although telepsychiatry should be a part of the armamentarium of mental health management, it is not suitable as a stand-alone approach, and should be combined with conventional face-to-face consultations.

Significant attention has been paid in the international literature to the effect of in-service training on the interaction skills of teachers in early childhood education and care. The growth of pre-service teachers during teacher education has received relatively little attention to date, however. In a mixed-methods longitudinal study, we monitored the development of interaction skills among a group of Dutch pre-service teachers with repeated measures for 3years and structured interviews. The results of a linear mixed-effects model revealed an impressive growth of interaction skills during the pre-service training. The qualitative interview data revealed progress of pre-service teachers' professional reflection on their interaction with young children. These outcomes show the effectiveness of pre-service training for the development of interaction skills and professional reflection in early childhood education and care. However, progress is relatively modest for instructional skills and this domain needs further investment in pre-service training.

Antecedentes: Se precisa el crecimiento epistemológico del estudiante de enfermería, situación que contribuye a fortalecer el pensamiento crítico e innovador con la intención de promover una nueva oportunidad para alcanzar la eficacia de un aprendizaje que conduce a generar la concienciación de nuevas pedagogías para el cuidado del paciente. Objetivo: evaluar las estrategias para el mejoramiento del cuidado de enfermería a partir de promover un aprendizaje significativo en estudiantes universitarios. Metodología: De tipo descriptiva observacional no experimental. Resultados: el 47% de la población considera de mayor significancia lo empírico. Conclusión: El área de estrategias de mayor importancia o significancia es representa por el renglón empírico, lo que evidencia que los estudiantes valoran con mayor pertinencia, el aprender haciendo, pedagogía que es importante por cuanto les permite desarrollar seguridad para atender al paciente.

Airborne pollen is a major cause of allergic rhinitis, affecting between 10 and 30% of the population in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg (Benelux). Allergenic pollen is produced by wind pollinating plants and released in relatively low to massive amounts. Current climate changes, in combination with increasing urbanization, are likely to affect the presence of airborne allergenic pollen with respect to exposure intensity, timing as well as duration. Detailed analysis of long-term temporal trends at supranational scale may provide more comprehensive insight into these phenomena. To this end, the Spearman correlation was used to statistically compare the temporal trends in airborne pollen concentration monitored at the aerobiological stations which gathered the longest time-series (30–44 years) in the Benelux with a focus on the allergenic pollen taxa: Alnus, Corylus, Betula, Fraxinus, Quercus, Platanus, Poaceae, and Artemisia. Most arboreal species showed an overall trend toward an increase in the annual pollen integral and peak values and an overall trend toward an earlier start and end of the pollen season, which for Betula resulted in a significant decrease in season length. For the herbaceous species (Poaceae and Artemisia), the annual pollen integral and peak values showed a decreasing trend. The season timing of Poaceae showed a trend toward earlier starts and longer seasons in all locations. In all, these results show that temporal variations in pollen levels almost always follow a common trend in the Benelux, suggesting a similar force of climate change-driven factors, especially for Betula where a clear positive correlation was found between changes in temperature and pollen release over time. However, some trends were more local-specific indicating the influence of other environmental factors, e.g., the increasing urbanization in the surroundings of these monitoring locations. The dynamics in the observed trends can impact allergic patients by increasing the severity of symptoms, upsetting the habit of timing of the season, complicating diagnosis due to overlapping pollen seasons and the emergence of new symptoms due allergens that were weak at first.

Objectives Drugs with anticholinergic properties are associated with an increased prevalence of delirium, especially in older persons. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the use of this class of drugs in nursing home (NH) patients and prevalence of delirium, particularly in people with dementia. Design Cross-sectional multicenter study. Setting and participants 3924 nursing home patients of 57 nursing homes in 7 European countries participating in the Services and Health for Elderly in Long TERmcare (SHELTER) project. Methods Descriptive statistics, calculation of percentage, and multivariable logistic analysis were applied to describe the relationship between anticholinergic drug use and prevalence of delirium in NH patients. The Anticholinergic Risk Scale (ARS) and the Anticholinergic Burden Scale (ACB) were used to calculate the anticholinergic load. Results 54% of patients with dementia and 60% without dementia received at least 1 anticholinergic drug according to the ACB. The prevalence of delirium was higher in the dementia group (21%) compared with the nondementia group (11%). Overall, anticholinergic burden according to the ACB and ARS was associated with delirium both in patients with and without dementia, with odds ratios ranging from 1.07 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.94-1.21] to 1.26 (95% CI 1.11-1.44). These associations reached statistical significance only in the group of patients with dementia. Among patients with dementia, delirium prevalence increased only modestly with increasing anticholinergic burden according to the ACB, from 20% (with none or minimal anticholinergic burden) to 25% (with moderate burden) and 27% delirium (with strong burden scores). Conclusions and Implications The ACB scale is relatively capable to detect anticholinergic side effects, which are positively associated with prevalence of delirium in NH patients. Given the modest nature of this association, strong recommendations are currently not warranted, and more longitudinal studies are needed.

The objective of the research presentation was to identify the level of aggressiveness in high school students, with outstanding skills. The population was classified as 30 students studying First, Second and Third grade, of these 15 men and 17 women; ages range between 12 and 15 years, with a low and medium socioeconomic level, agricultural children, peasants and professionals. The type of study was descriptive, the variables were overt aggression and relational aggression. The Little et al. (2003) School Violent Behavior Scale was found. The design was non-experimental; Descriptive statistics were analyzed and the data were processed in the SPSS Version 20 statistical package. The arithmetic mean, frequencies and percentages were calculated so that the graphical representation of the results can be performed.According to the analysis of the data in general, 48.7% were located at a medium level of aggression. For Pure Manifest Aggression (46.1%) and Manifest Reactive Aggression (59.2%) it is located at a medium level of aggression; Instrumental Aggression manifests 44.7% presented a high level of aggression. While Pure Relational Aggression (51.3%), Reactive Relational Aggression (56.6%) and Instrumental Relational Aggression (55.3%) all threats of a medium level of aggressiveness. Based on these results, it is recommended to implement workshops for the prevention of aggressive behaviors. El objetivo de la presenta investigación fue identificar el nivel de agresividad en Estudiantes de educación secundaria, con aptitudes sobresalientes. La población se constituyó de 30 estudiantes que estudiaban el Primer, Segundo y Tercer grado, de estos 15 hombres y 17 mujeres; las edades oscilan entre los 12 y 15 años, con un nivel socioeconómico bajo y medio, hijos agricultores, campesinos y profesionistas. El tipo de estudio fue descriptivo, las variables fueron la agresión manifiesta y la agresión relacional. Se utilizó la Escala de conductas violentas en la escuela de Little et al., (2003). EL diseño fue no experimental; se utilizó la estadística descriptiva y los datos se procesaron en el paquete estadístico SPSS Versión 20, se calculó la media aritmética, las frecuencias y los porcentajes para con ello realizar la representación gráfica de los resultados. De acuerdo con el análisis de los datos de forma general el 48.7% se ubicó en un nivel de agresión medio. Para la Agresión Manifiesta Pura (46.1%) y la Agresión Manifiesta Reactiva (59.2%) se ubicaron en un nivel de agresión medio; la Agresión Manifiesta Instrumental el 44.7% presento un nivel alto de agresión. En tanto que la Agresión Relacional Pura (51.3%), la Agresión Relacional Reactiva (56.6%) y la Agresión Relacional Instrumental (55.3%) todas mostraron un nivel de agresividad medio. Derivado de estos resultados se recomienda implementar talleres de prevención de conductas agresivas. Recebido em: 11 de outubro de 2019Modificado em: 29 de março de 2020Aceito em: 04 de abril de 2020

Faced with the ageing of the French population, it is essential to envisage new technologies to improve the living conditions of elderly people and enable them to communicate more effectively. A study sought to understand the views of senior citizens and the caregivers who look after them regarding these new tools, their appropriation, the support required and their uses. This analysis highlights areas to reflect upon and improve in terms of the services which need to be provided to overcome the reticence of certain users.

Background: Chagas disease is a major neglected vector-borne disease. In this study, we investigated the safety and efficacy of three oral E1224 (a water-soluble ravuconazole prodrug) regimens and benznidazole versus placebo in adult chronic indeterminate Chagas disease. Method: In this proof-of-concept, double-blind, randomised phase 2 clinical trial, we recruited adults (18–50 years) with confirmed diagnosis of Trypanosoma cruzi infection from two outpatient units in Bolivia. Patients were randomised with a computer-generated randomisation list, which was stratified by centre and used a block size of ten. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1:1:1:1) to five oral treatment groups: high-dose E1224 (duration 8 weeks, total dose 4000 mg), low-dose E1224 (8 weeks, 2000 mg), short-dose E1224 (4 weeks + 4 weeks placebo, 2400 mg), benznidazole (60 days, 5 mg/kg per day), or placebo (8 weeks, E1224-matched tablets). Double-blinding was limited to the E1224 and placebo arms, and assessors were masked to all treatment allocations. The primary efficacy endpoint was parasitological response to E1224 at the end of treatment, assessed by PCR. The secondary efficacy endpoints were parasitological response to benznidazole at end of treatment, assessed by PCR; sustainability of parasitological response until 12 months; parasite clearance and changes in parasite load; incidence of conversion to negative response in conventional and non-conventional (antigen trypomastigote chemiluminescent ELISA [AT CL-ELISA]) serological response; changes in levels of biomarkers; and complete response. The primary analysis population consisted of all randomised patients by their assigned treatment arms. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01489228. Findings: Between July 19, 2011, and July 26, 2012, we screened 560 participants with confirmed Chagas disease, of whom 231 were enrolled and assigned to high-dose E1224 (n=45), low-dose E1224 (n=48), short-dose E1224 (n=46), benznidazole (n=45), or placebo (n=47). Parasite clearance was observed with E1224 during the treatment phase, but no sustained response was seen with low-dose and short-dose regimens, whereas 13 patients (29%, 95% CI 16·4–44·3) had sustained response with the high-dose regimen compared with four (9%, 2·4–20·4) in the placebo group (p

Changing from summer-brown to winter-white pelage or plumage is a crucial adaptation to seasonal snow in more than 20 mammal and bird species. Many of these species maintain nonwhite winter morphs, locally adapted to less snowy conditions, which may have evolved independently. Mountain hares ( Lepus timidus ) from Fennoscandia were introduced into the Faroe Islands in 1855. While they were initially winter-white, within ∼65 y all Faroese hares became winter-gray, a morph that occurs in the source population at low frequency. The documented population history makes this a valuable model for understanding the genetic basis and evolution of the seasonal trait polymorphism. Through whole-genome scans of differentiation and single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping, we associated winter coat color polymorphism to the genomic region of the pigmentation gene Agouti , previously linked to introgression-driven winter coat color variation in the snowshoe hare ( Lepus americanus ). Lower Agouti expression in the skin of winter-gray individuals during the autumn molt suggests that regulatory changes may underlie the color polymorphism. Variation in the associated genomic region shows signatures of a selective sweep in the Faroese population, suggesting that positive selection drove the fixation of the variant after the introduction. Whole-genome analyses of several hare species revealed that the winter-gray variant originated through introgression from a noncolor changing species, in keeping with the history of ancient hybridization between the species. Our findings show the recurrent role of introgression in generating winter coat color variation by repeatedly recruiting the regulatory region of Agouti to modulate seasonal coat color change.

Objective This study aims to compare completion rates and reproducibility of myocardial performance index (MPI) using conventional spectral Doppler versus tissue Doppler in an unselected high-risk third trimester population.Study Design This was a prospective cross-sectional study of high-risk pregnancies at ≥28 + 0 weeks’ gestation. Conventional spectral and tissue Doppler MPI of the left ventricle (LV) and right ventricle (RV) was attempted on all patients.Results Seventy-nine pregnancies were evaluated. LV tissue Doppler MPI was completed more frequently than LV conventional spectral Doppler MPI (63/79, 79.7% vs. 45/79, 55.7%), p-value Conclusion Tissue Doppler had statistically higher completion rates than conventional spectral Doppler, including the obese subgroup, with evidence of strong reproducibility in the third trimester.

Background: First-time NCLEX-RN pass rates are often used to evaluate the effectiveness of prelicensure nursing programs. Faced with pass rates that had declined from 85.71% to 64.86% over a period of 4 years, this baccalaureate-nursing program developed a postgraduation coaching intervention to assist graduates in developing an individualized plan as they prepared for their examination. Method: The intervention was designed to close the loop for graduates on NCLEX-RN preparedness. The intervention, led by the program's Tutor and Retention Coordinator, consisted of cognitive behavioral techniques, content reviews, and test-taking strategies. Results: The intervention has been successfully implemented for a period of 2 years and first-time pass rates rose to 87.66% in 2016 and 94.29% in 2017. Conclusion: Addressing first time NCLEX-RN pass rates requires a comprehensive approach. Students need to begin preparation for their NCLEX-RN examination early in their nursing program; however, this preparation needs to also continue after program completion. [ J Nurs Educ. 2018;57(9):561–565.]

For L2 researchers who are intrigued by mental simulation and who endeavour to promote this innovative technique in the classroom, this handbook is an excellent resource of background information. ...

Recent theorizing on second language (L2) motivation has proposed viewing motivation as a function of the language learners’ vision of their desired future language selves. This would suggest that the intensity of motivation is partly dependent on the learners’ capability to generate mental imagery. In order to test this hypothesis, this study investigates whether learner characteristics are related to sensory and imagery aspects with indices of the strength of the learners’ future L2 self-guides (ideal and ought-to L2 selves) and how these variables are linked to learning achievement in two target languages, English and Mandarin, assessed both by self-report and objective measures. One hundred seventy-two Year 8 Chinese students (ages 13–15) completed a questionnaire survey, and the results reveal several significant associations between the future self-guides and intended effort and actual grades, including a consistently positive relationship between the ideal self and the criterion measures. The findings also confirm the multisensory dimension of future self-guides, suggesting the importance of a broad imagery capacity (including both visual and auditory components) in the development of individuals’ future self-identities. Finally, the ideal-self images associated with different languages were shown to form distinct L2-specific visions, which has various implications for future research with regard to the potential positive or negative interaction of these self images.

The main objective of this paper is to explore how two different intervention programmes that were based on Dornyei's L2 Motivational Self System succeeded in motivating Chinese university students to learn English by enhancing their vision of their Ideal L2 Self. One was a voluntary programme at a university in England, whereas the other was conducted within a compulsory credit-bearing English course at a university in Hong Kong. In spite of the differences between the two programmes, including the design of the interventions, the tasks employed, the length of the programmes and the types of students who participated in the study, the findings revealed that both programmes were effective in motivating the participants to learn English and increasing their linguistic self-confidence through strengthening their vision of their Ideal L2 Self, and making their goals clearer and more specific. Lessons learned from the two pioneering programmes and recommendations for future similar programmes will be...

SummaryTwo populations of Nkx2-1+ progenitors in the developing foregut endoderm give rise to the entire postnatal lung and thyroid epithelium, but little is known about these cells because they are difficult to isolate in a pure form. We demonstrate here the purification and directed differentiation of primordial lung and thyroid progenitors derived from mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Inhibition of TGFβ and BMP signaling, followed by combinatorial stimulation of BMP and FGF signaling, can specify these cells efficiently from definitive endodermal precursors. When derived using Nkx2-1GFP knockin reporter ESCs, these progenitors can be purified for expansion in culture and have a transcriptome that overlaps with developing lung epithelium. Upon induction, they can express a broad repertoire of markers indicative of lung and thyroid lineages and can recellularize a 3D lung tissue scaffold. Thus, we have derived a pure population of progenitors able to recapitulate the developmental milestones of lung/thyroid development.

Very few dental educators have formal pedagogical training, and the availability of degree-granting programs for dental educators is very limited. A joint D.D.S.-M.A. program for predoctoral students and a Ph.D. program for faculty members have been established at Columbia University's College of Dental Medicine in conjunction with the Graduate School of Education, Teachers College. Six students have completed the joint degree program, five are currently enrolled, and an additional three have taken courses at Teachers College without pursuing a degree. One faculty member has completed the Ph.D. program, and one is enrolled. This article describes the details of both programs and discusses preliminary outcomes. The model described here may serve as an example for other dental schools that may choose to implement degree programs in education for dental educators.

This study assessed the effectiveness of a Teaching Interaction procedure for four social skills across three participants diagnosed with autism. All social skills fell into four broad domains (i.e., social-communication, play, emotion skills, and choice/selection skills). In addition, a teaching package was used to increase communication between the three participants and three selected target peers. The teaching package consisted of the Teaching Interaction procedure, reinforcement, and priming of participants to demonstrate social skills and to engage with their target peers. Prior to intervention, participants displayed near zero levels of the four social skills that were targeted; after intervention, all three participants were able to demonstrate these skills. Prior to intervention, participants did not communicate or play with their selected target peer; after intervention, participants were able to increase the amount of play and communication. A multiple baseline design showed that the teaching package was effective in teaching both the targeted social skills and in increasing the development of initial associations that could lead to friendships for three children diagnosed with autism.

Egregious abuses of power by businesses like Enron, Tyco, and WorldCom create hardship for thousands of people and undermine the public's trust in business and the marketplace. Societal complaints about business practice quickly turn into demands for Universities to develop business students who are aware of personal and corporate responsibility to a wide range of stakeholders. Some business schools respond to this expectation through service learning, a pedagogical approach that combines rigorous classroom content and theory with experiential application through civic engagement, mostly through service to community organizations. This article examines the responses of 133 marketing students to their service-learning experience, and concludes that service learning is a viable means of developing and improving student social awareness and civic engagement.

Objectives To report changes in the use of the combined first-trimester screen (FTS) in patients classified as high and low risk for fetal aneuploidy, including after introduction of noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT). Methods A prospectively collected database was reviewed to investigate changes in FTS use before and after American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Practice Bulletin No. 77 (Obstet Gynecol 2007; 109:217-227), which recommended that all patients be offered aneuploidy screening, and after NIPT introduction. High-risk patients were classified as 35 years or older at the estimated time of delivery or those with an abnormal prior screen, abnormal ultrasound findings, or family history of aneuploidy. Data were normalized per 100 morphologic ultrasound examinations to account for changes in patient number over time. Statistical significance was defined as P Results A total of 10,125 FTSs were recorded during the 88-month study period, including 2962 in high-risk patients and 7163 in low-risk patients. The total number of FTSs performed per 100 morphologic ultrasound examinations significantly increased after ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 77 and significantly decreased after NIPT introduction. In high-risk patients, the total number of FTSs performed per 100 morphologic ultrasound examinations significantly increased after ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 77 but significantly decreased after NIPT introduction. In contrast, in low-risk patients, the total number of FTSs performed per 100 morphologic ultrasound examinations significantly increased after ACOG Practice Bulletin No.77 but was not statistically different after NIPT introduction. Conclusions American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Practice Bulletin No. 77 significantly increased patient use of FTS. The introduction of NIPT significantly decreased FTS use in the high-risk population but not in the low-risk population.

Inconsistent performance by gifted students has been a source of frustration for both parents and educators for decades. Several studies on gifted underachievement point to a connection between student learning styles and classroom performance. This study examined the learning styles of gifted middle school students, student perceptions of the classroom environment, and possible connections between learning style, classroom environment, and achievement levels. Eighty gifted students from grades 6, 7, and 8 were administered the Learning Style Inventory (LSI) to identify student learning style preferences. They were also administered the Student Perception Inventory (SPI), developed for the study, in order to determine perceptions of these learning style elements in their classroom environments. Results indicated that the LSI elements of persistence and lighting correlated with achievement in all content areas. Additionally, correlations between higher grade point averages (GPA) and LSI preferences for responsibility and teacher motivation were found in science and math classes. Results of the SPI revealed a correlation between higher grade point averages in social studies and science classrooms and the following items: persistence; motivation; and auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic modalities. All subject areas showed a correlation between higher GPA and the students’ perceived level of persistence.

8 p.-5 fig.-3 tab., This work evaluated the qualitative and quantitative cellular changes induced by treatment with 5-aminouracil (5-AU) and a combination of 5-AU and caffeine in plant cells in relation to DNA damage, repaired damage, and residual damage. As biological material, Allium cepa L. root tips were used, grown in filtered water, in darkness, with aeration at constant temperature of 25 °C ± 0.5. Cell populations were synchronized using 5 mM caffeine in order to study the effects of 5-AU and caffeine/5-AU combined treatment on the DNA content and their incidence in the entrance to mitosis. The results showed a delay in the G2 period due to induced DNA damage by the 5-AU and caffeine/5-AU combined treatment, shown by aberrant metaphases, anaphases and telophases. The effect of caffeine in the combined treatment was heightened in spite of lengthening the checkpoints route that retains the cells in G2. The existence of G2 checkpoints was shown in the cell population studied, inducing lesions in the DNA, chromosomic aberrations and cellular instability., This work was financed by the Fondo Nacional para la Ciencia y la Tecnología de Venezuela (FONACIT).

Students learn new or difficult information most effectively when the classroom environment is compatible with their learning style preferences. Determining learning style preferences can be accomplished by administering the Learning Style Inventory (LSI). However, to understand compatibility with the classroom, an instrument that quantifies student perceptions of elements within the environment is essential. This paper describes development and field‐testing of such an instrument‐the Student Perception Inventory (SPI). The SPI was administered to 80 gifted middle school students and was found to provide useful student perception data. Information needed to improve learning environments for gifted learners, especially underachieving gifted students, was found when using the LSI in conjunction with the SPI.

Understanding relations between climate and pollen production is important for several societal and ecological challenges, importantly pollen forecasting for pollinosis treatment, forensic studies, global change biology, and high-resolution palaeoecological studies of past vegetation and climate fluctuations. For these purposes, we investigate the role of climate variables on annual-scale variations in pollen influx, test the regional consistency of observed patterns, and evaluate the potential to reconstruct high-frequency signals from sediment archives. A 43-year pollen-trap record from the Netherlands is used to investigate relations between annual pollen influx, climate variables (monthly and seasonal temperature and precipitation values), and the North Atlantic Oscillation climate index. Spearman rank correlation analysis shows that specifically in Alnus, Betula, Corylus, Fraxinus, Quercus and Plantago both temperature in the year prior to (T-1), as well as in the growing season (T), are highly significant factors (TApril rs between 0.30 [P

High-quality career services centers benefit marketing students by providing a full range of career counseling and job placement information so that when they enter the workforce, they are prepared to make better job choice decisions leading to more satisfying and productive careers. However, not all students receive high-quality guidance. Faculty have an obligation to monitor the effectiveness of their campus career services unit as part of their teaching mission. Accordingly, appropriate metrics are needed to measure and track service quality in a career services setting. This article outlines the development and potential use of a modified SERVQUAL scale that can be used as part of an ongoing program of service quality improvement for career services centers on college campuses.

Background Movements of animals have important consequences, at both the individual and population levels. Due to its important implications in the evolutionary dynamics of populations, dispersal is one of the most studied types of movement. In contrast, non-permanent extra home-range movements are often paid less attention. However, these movements may occur in response to important biological processes such as mating or predation avoidance. In addition, these forays are often preludes to permanent dispersal, because they may help individuals gain cues about their surroundings prior to settlement in a new place. In the European hare, exploration forays occur predominantly in juveniles, the time at which most hares disperse. In France, the timing of dispersal also overlaps with the hare hunting period. However, the determinants of such behaviour have not yet been studied. Herein, we investigate whether these non-permanent explorations are dispersal attempts/preludes or, in contrast, whether they are triggered by other factors such as disturbances related to hunting. Results Contrary to natal dispersal, we did not find strong male-bias in the propensity to engage in explorations. Exploration forays occurred less in juveniles than in adults and later in the season than natal dispersal. This was the case both for philopatric movements and for movements occurring after dispersal and settlement. These movements were also more likely to occur during the hare hunting period and the mating season. Conclusions We suggest that explorations in hares are triggered by factors other than dispersal and that hares may respond to hunting disturbances. Overall, we emphasize the need to account for human-related predation risk as a factor driving space-use in harvested species.

International audience; Within the context of the FP7 JOLISAA project (JOint Learning in and about Innovation Systems in African Agriculture), an inventory of agricultural innovation experiences was developed in three African countries: Kenya, South Africa and Benin. The main objective was to assess a broad diversity of multi-stakeholder agricultural innovation processes involving smallholders. National teams used literature searches and interactions with a range of institutions and networks engaged in agricultural innovation to identify cases. Interviews with resource persons and field visits were also conducted to supplement the available / accessible documentation. The inventory was made according to a common analytical framework and guidelines inspired by the Innovation System perspective to allow for an analysis across cases and countries. The completed inventory includes 57 documented cases, covering a wide diversity of experiences, in terms of types, domains, scales and timelines of innovation. The 57 cases confirm previously documented features, such as the diversity of stakeholders involved in innovation, the diversity of innovation triggers, or also the frequent occurence of market driven innovation. It also illustrates more original features: the typically long time frames of innovation processes; the common occurrence of "innovation bundles" (a combination over time of technological, social and/or institutional innovations); and an often close relationship between innovation and externally-funded projects. National teams faced several challenges during the inventory process, including a common understanding and consistent use of key innovation-related concepts, and a difficult access to relevant information related partly to restrictions put by several case holders on sharing openly their experience. Out of the inventory, JOLISAA has selected thirteen cases which will undergo a subsequent phase of collaborative assessment. The assessment will strive to assess issues the inventory could not tackle, such as the actual roles and contributions of the various stakeholders, the dynamics of the innovation process, and the influence of the enabling environment on the innovation process and outcome.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the long term neurodevelopmental outcome of premature infants exposed to either gram- negative sepsis (GNS) or neonatal Candida sepsis (NCS), and to compare their outcome with premature infants without sepsis.METHODS: Historical cohort study in a population of infants born at RESULTS: Of 1362 patients, 55 suffered from GNS and 29 suffered from NCS; cumulative incidence 4.2% and 2.2%, respectively. During the follow-up period the mortality rate was 34% for both GNS and NCS and 5% for UC. The adjusted Odds Ratio (OR) [95% CI] for adverse outcome in the GNS group compared to the NCS group was 1.4 [0.4-4.9]. The adjusted ORs [95% CI] for adverse outcome in the GNS and NCS groups compared to the UC group were 4.8 [1.5-15.9] and 3.2 [0.7-14.7], respectively.CONCLUSIONS: We found no statistically significant difference in outcome at the corrected age of 24 months between neonatal GNS and NCS cases. Suffering from either gram-negative or Candida sepsis increased the odds for adverse outcome compared with an uncomplicated neonatal period.

International audience; Behavioral ecologists have often assumed that dispersal is costly mainly because of unfamiliarity with traversed habitats during dispersal and energy costs of the movement per se; thus, dispersers that have successfully settled should experience survival rates comparable to those of philopatric individuals. In this paper, we tested that hypothesis using 152 radio-collared European hares in a harvested population. We developed a multi-event capture-recapture model, combining telemetry data and recoveries and separately modeling the foray probability, the settlement probability, and the permanent dispersal probability. The parameterization introduced here raises the possibility of separately testing effects on survival and dispersal probabilities at each stage of dispersal (departure, transience, and settlement). In accordance with our expectations, we reveal that dispersers incur higher mortality risks during transience and the early settlement period than philopatric individuals or settled dispersers. We also found that dispersers suffer from higher risks of being shot. Those results illustrate that unfamiliarity with the habitat during transience makes dispersal costly and that settled dispersers may enjoy survival rates comparable to those of philopatric individuals. Surprisingly, we also found that individuals have a higher probability of foraying during the hunting season. We suggest that hunting and related disturbances increase dispersal costs both by increasing mortality risk during transience and (perhaps) by increasing movement rates. We emphasize the need to take human pressures into account as factors that may drive the demographics of movements in populations.

Law students in Australia experience high rates of depression and anxiety. This article reports findings from an empirical study investigating the relation between law students’ levels of psychological distress and their experiences of law school. The study was undertaken at Melbourne Law School and the sample included students from both the LLB and JD programs. While Melbourne JD students expressed a significantly higher level of satisfaction with studying law, and their course experience, than Melbourne LLB students, there were no statistically significant differences in the levels of depression, anxiety and stress reported by students in each cohort. This finding suggests that overall course satisfaction does not have a direct effect on students’ levels of psychological distress. More particularly, it indicates that various program features that improve students’ experience of law school do not automatically result in improved levels of student wellbeing. In this way, the study offers new insight into the relationship between students’ experiences of law school and their levels of psychological distress.

International audience; Despite the importance of conservation and management of the European hare, a game species that has declined throughout Europe, little is known about its natal dispersal process. To date, only one radio-tracking study in a mixed cropping-farmed landscape provides a fine description of the dispersal pattern of this species. The study shows in particular a negative density dependence dispersal, juvenile hares dispersing more in a low-density hunting zone rather than in a high density non-hunting zone. Unfortunately, the effect of conspecific density on dispersal remains ambiguous due to the confounding effect of hunting. To provide more insight into the influence of conspecific numbers on the dispersal propensity in hares, we renewed the study in a harvested high density population.Our results confirmed the known sex-biased and age-related dispersal in this species but we did not find any effect of the birth site density on either the propensity to disperse or the distance moved in juvenile hares. Overall, the dispersal rate and bias were equal to those previously found in the high density non-hunting zone, where density was almost the same as in our population even though hunting pressure differed. Our results emphasize that natal dispersal is a ubiquitous feature in this species, which may respond more to density than hunting.

Injuries represent the leading cause of death for children older than age one. Likewise, some 22 million children are injured each year, with more than 1 million requiring medical treatment. More than 40% of children currently receive full-time or part-time day care, but little research has examined the status of injuries to children in daycare. This paper provides information on the nature and extent of injuries to children, and contributing factors responsible for those injuries. One case study of research on injuries in Minneapolis, Minn., daycare centers is discussed. Recommendations for action are offered. Language: en

We used a retrospective, matching, birth cohort design to evaluate a comprehensive, coalition-led childhood immunization program of outreach, education, and reminders in a Latino, urban community. After we controlled for Latino ethnicity and Medicaid, we found that children enrolled in the program were 53% more likely to be up-to-date (adjusted odds ratio = 1.53; 95% confidence interval = 1.33, 1.75) and to receive timely immunizations than were children in the control group (t = 3.91). The coalition-led, community-based immunization program was effective in improving on-time childhood immunization coverage.