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Metacognition, or the ability to "think about thinking," plays a significant role in the performance of first-year design students. Although the number of studies that focus on metacognition has increased in the past decade, additional studies are needed to more fully investigate metacognition and the use of metacognitive strategies in design education. Thus, this study focused on the influence of metacognitive knowledge, monitoring, and control on first-year design students' performance. The conditions leading to changes in first-year design students' metacognitive thinking and behaviors were also investigated. The processes of gathering data through concurrent verbalization and retrospective verbalization methods and a questionnaire are described. Thematic data analysis was used to extract the emerging themes from these data sources. Results indicated that metacognitive thinking was present in the generation and development of design ideas. Comparisons of higher- and lower-performing students demonstrated the importance of metacognitive thinking during design learning tasks; higher-performing (HP) students tended to focus more on metacognitive thinking, whereas lower-performing (LP) students focused more on cognitive activities. Other comparisons between HP and LP students, along with recommendations for improving students' problem solving performance in design courses, are shared.

Modern physics experiments rely on precise timing provided by programmable digital pulse generators. In many experimental control systems, this role is filled by custom devices built on field-programmable gate arrays. While highly flexible and performant, these devices can be difficult to scale to very large systems due to cost and complexity. Recent advances in microcontroller systems allow these much simpler devices to fill the role of digital pulse generators. Here, we demonstrate one such alternative based on the Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller, which allows for timing resolution down to 7.5 ns with a minimum pulse width of 37.5 ns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Results of numerous studies indicate that metacognition plays a significant role in students' design education. Despite the growing number of studies on the role of metacognition, the nature of metacognitive processing in design education and how metacognitive strategies contribute to students' design are not well understood. Thus, the main purpose of this inquiry was to employ rich qualitative data to construct a detailed conceptual model of metacognitive processes in students' design-thinking and design-making. This study demonstrates that metacognitive thinking plays an essential role in design idea generation and development and that it is an important part of the creative process in design. Moreover, the resulting model illustrates how components of metacognition interact and can provide insights to educators seeking to enhance the design process and its outcomes for learners.

Marine mammals may be negatively affected by anthropogenic noise. Behavioural response studies (BRS) aim to establish a relationship between noise exposure conditions (dose) from a potential stressor and associated behavioural responses of animals. A recent series of BRS have focused on the effects of naval sonar sounds on cetaceans. Here, we review the current state of understanding of naval sonar impact on marine mammals and highlight knowledge gaps and future research priorities. Many marine mammal species exhibit responses to naval sonar sounds. However, responses vary between and within individuals and populations, highlighting the importance of exposure context in modulating dose–response relationships. There is increasing support from both terrestrial and marine systems for the risk-disturbance hypothesis as an explanation for underlying response processes. This proposes that sonar sounds may be perceived by animals as a threat, evoking a response shaped by the underlying species-specific risk of predation and anti-predator strategy. An understanding of responses within both the dose–response and risk-disturbance frameworks may enhance our ability to predict responsiveness for unstudied species and populations. Many observed behavioural responses are energetically costly, but the way that these responses may lead to long-term individual and population-level impacts is poorly understood. Synthesis and applications. Behavioural response studies have greatly improved our understanding of the potential effects of naval sonar on marine mammals. Despite data gaps, we believe a dose-response approach within a risk-disturbance framework will enhance our ability to predict responsiveness for unstudied species and populations. We advocate for (1) regulatory frameworks to utilize peer-reviewed research findings when making predictions of impact, (2) regulatory frameworks to account for the inherent uncertainty in predictions of impact and (3) investment in monitoring programmes that are both directed by recent research and offer opportunities for validation of predictions at the individual and population level.

Many baleen whales undertake annual fasting and feeding cycles, resulting in substantial changes in their body condition, an important factor affecting fitness. As a measure of lipid-store body condition, tissue density of a few deep diving marine mammals has been estimated using a hydrodynamic glide model of drag and buoyancy forces. Here, we applied the method to shallow-diving humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in North Atlantic and Antarctic feeding aggregations. High-resolution 3-axis acceleration, depth and speed data were collected from 24 whales. Measured values of acceleration during 5 s glides were fitted to a hydrodynamic glide model to estimate unknown parameters (tissue density, drag term and diving gas volume) in a Bayesian framework. Estimated species-average tissue density (1031.6 ± 2.1 kg m-3, ±95% credible interval) indicates that humpback whale tissue is typically negatively buoyant although there was a large inter-individual variation ranging from 1025.2 to 1043.1 kg m-3. The precision of the individual estimates was substantially finer than the variation across different individual whales, demonstrating a progressive decrease in tissue density throughout the feeding season and comparably high lipid-store in pregnant females. The drag term (CDAm-1) was estimated to be relatively high, indicating a large effect of lift-related induced drag for humpback whales. Our results show that tissue density of shallow diving baleen whales can be estimated using the hydrodynamic gliding model, although cross-validation with other techniques is an essential next step. This method for estimating body condition is likely to be broadly applicable across a range of aquatic animals and environments.

The development of transgender rights in the United States has been hobbled by a patchwork of inconsistent state laws. The irregularity is a function of the political opportunity structure in the United States, which is defined by a sharp partisan divide and by the federal system's division of power. National policymaking on transgender rights has stalled in Congress. Executive branch policymaking is often subject to challenge in the federal courts, and different administrations have varied in their approaches. In addition, the Supreme Court's decision in Bostock narrowly advanced transgender rights in employment law but also invited challenges in other areas. With inaction and inconsistency at the national level, states are using their reserved powers in the federal system to diverge along the partisan divide. Republican-controlled states are enacting repressive measures, while Democratic-controlled states have done the opposite. For transgender people, their rights are increasingly dependent on which state they are in. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is a major cause of death in those with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). There is a need for inventories and biomarkers associated with the risk for SUDEP. OBJECTIVE: To explore the revised SUDEP Risk Inventory (SUDEP-7) in a cohort with DRE and determine the association with Heart Rate and other covariates. METHODS: Twenty-five subjects with severe DRE were enrolled in a clinical trial for epilepsy. Baseline demographics, duration of epilepsy, seizure types, seizure frequency, seizure severity, AEDs, and vital signs were collected. Heart rate variability (HRV) was calculated from 1-h recordings of ECG. A SUDEP Risk Inventory (SUDEP-7) was administered, which included seven validated and weighted risk factors initially identified by Walczak et al. as factors associated with SUDEP risk. RESULTS: The total score on the revised SUDEP-7 ranged from 1 to 7, mean = 3.4 (SD 1.8). The SUDEP Risk Inventory score was inversely correlated with RMSSD (Pearson r = -0.45, p = 0.027). The following variables were significantly associated with RMSSD: epilepsy duration (p = 0.02), age (p = 0.03), and developmental intellectual disability (p

Backgroundn-3 fatty acids inhibit neuronal excitability and reduce seizures in animal models. High-dose fish oil has been explored in two randomised trials in drug resistant epilepsy with negative results. We performed a phase II randomised controlled crossover trial of low-dose and high-dose fish oil in participants with drug resistant epilepsy to explore whether low-dose or high-dose fish oil reduces seizures or improves cardiovascular health.MethodsRandomised placebo-controlled trial of low-dose and high-dose fish oil versus placebo (corn oil, linoleic acid) in 24 participants with drug resistant epilepsy. A three-period crossover design was utilised lasting 42 weeks, with three 10-week treatment periods and two 6-week washout periods. All participants were randomised in double-blind fashion to receive placebo, high dose or low dose in different sequences. The primary outcome was per cent change in total seizure frequency.FindingsLow-dose fish oil (3 capsules/day, 1080 mg eicosapentaenoic acid+docosahexaenoic acid) was associated with a 33.6% reduction in seizure frequency compared with placebo. Low-dose fish oil was also associated with a mild but significant reduction in blood pressure. High-dose fish oil was no different than placebo in reducing seizures or improving cardiac risk factors.InterpretationIn this phase II randomised crossover trial, low-dose fish oil was effective in reducing seizures compared with placebo. The magnitude of improvement is similar to that of recent antiepileptic drug trials in drug resistant epilepsy (DRE). The results indicate that low-dose fish oil may reduce seizures and improve the health of people with epilepsy. These findings justify a large multicentre randomised trial of low-dose fish oil (n-3 fatty acids

With increasing academic research in the past few decades, the knowledge scope of landscape architecture has expanded from traditional focus on aesthetics to a broad range of ecological, cultural and psychological issues. In order to understand how academic research and knowledge expansion may have redefined the practice, two surveys were conducted: one on Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) in 2010 (n = 230, response rate = 43%), and another on the members of American Society of Landscape Architect (ASLA) in 2012 (n = 239, sample rate = 5%, response rate = 31%). Results revealed that the scope of knowledge has expanded since 1970s in areas such as public welfare and personal pleasure. 2) The need for academic research is widely perceived in landscape architecture profession. 3) Academic research primarily generate explanatory knowledge, which has become an important supplement to judgmental design knowledge learned through systematic professional education and construction design knowledge learned through practice. 4) Practitioners believed that they use more logic thinking than intuition in their practice today, and expected more research to facilitate the former than the later.

Prior scholastic journalism research did not adequately address the possibility that journalism students perform better academically because of their backgrounds and inherent abilities. Using Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 data, this study shows that high school journalism attracts better students. Although for-credit and extracurricular programs differentiate journalism student characteristics, journalism students generally tend to have greater English self-efficacy, higher English grade point average, greater involvement in schools, be female and White, or have a higher socioeconomic background than those who do not participate in journalism. Future assessments of journalism's contribution to academic achievement should account for students' pre-journalism characteristics.