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● First evidence of BNI capacity in canola. ● BNI level was higher in canola cv. Hyola 404RR than in B. humidicola, the BNI positive control. ● BNI in canola may explain increased N immobilization and mineralization rates following a canola crop which may have implications for N management in rotational farming systems that include canola. A range of plant species produce root exudates that inhibit ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms. This biological nitrification inhibition (BNI) capacity can decrease N loss and increase N uptake from the rhizosphere. This study sought evidence for the existence and magnitude of BNI capacity in canola ( Brassica napus). Seedlings of three canola cultivars, Brachiaria humidicola (BNI positive) and wheat ( Triticum aestivum) were grown in a hydroponic system. Root exudates were collected and their inhibition of the ammonia oxidizing bacterium, Nitrosospira multiformis, was tested. Subsequent pot experiments were used to test the inhibition of native nitrifying communities in soil. Root exudates from canola significantly reduced nitrification rates of both N. multiformis cultures and native soil microbial communities. The level of nitrification inhibition across the three cultivars was similar to the well-studied high-BNI species B. humidicola. BNI capacity of canola may have implications for the N dynamics in farming systems and the N uptake efficiency of crops in rotational farming systems. By reducing nitrification rates canola crops may decrease N losses, increase plant N uptake and encourage microbial N immobilization and subsequently increase the pool of organic N that is available for mineralization during the following cereal crops.

This article intervenes in debates about whether public-facing social media enable the rapid spread of hate speech, or whether these platforms can offer valuable opportunities to contest it. Advancing scholarship on 'networked counter-publics' and research emphasising the affective dimensions of digital media, we identify three different modes of counter-public contestation that coalesced on Twitter in the immediate aftermath of the Christchurch terrorist attack. Using a combined keyword and hashtag search, our research project sampled 3,099,138 tweets posted on/about the Christchurch attack and its repercussions, between 15 March 2019 and 15 April 2019. First, we examine two hashtags that trended, approaching these as nodal points for the construction of different affective responses to the terrorist attack. Second, we analyse instances where users quote-tweeted the condolences of politicians, rejecting their sentiments, arguing that the sincerity conditions of the Speech Act (condolence) were not met. Here, we focus on the ways that people invoke a discourse of indignation at either the past actions or current character of the politician, to justify rejecting their statements. Our findings illustrate a need to depart from broad narratives about how the affordances of particular social media platforms lend themselves to the circulation or contestation of hate. Instead, we argue, it is important to develop more situated empirical and conceptual approaches to interrogate how specific relationships between affective publics and structures of feeling enable or constrain political possibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the experiences of students taking the same courses in the humanities by distance learning when tutorial support was provided conventionally (using limited face-to-face sessions with some contact by telephone and email) or online (using a combination of computer-mediated conferencing and email). The results showed that, given a choice between face-to-face and online tutorial support, students with and without disabilities were equally likely to choose online support rather than face-to-face support. There were no significant differences in the reasons given by students with and without disabilities for choosing online rather than face-to-face support, although there was a nonsignificant tendency for students with disabilities to refer to "another reason" (including disablement or chronic illness) as a reason for choosing online support. Students with and without disabilities obtained similar grades for their courses, and this was true regardless of whether they had chosen face-to-face or online support. Students with and without disabilities were also equally likely to pass their courses, regardless of whether they had chosen face-to-face or online support. Even so, there was a nonsignificant tendency for students with disabilities to achieve a lower pass rate than students without disabilities with face-to-face support, whereas with online support their pass rate was marginally higher than that of students without disabilities.

Although the attainment gap between black and minority ethnic (BME) students and white students has persisted for decades, the potential causes of these disparities are highly debated. The emergence of learning analytics allows researchers to understand how students engage in learning activities based on their digital traces in a naturalistic setting. This study investigates the attainment gap by analysing the differences in behavioural engagement between different ethnic groups. Using multilevel models of academic performance, demographics, and online traces of 149,672 students enrolled in 401 modules in a distance learning setting, we confirmed the existing attainment gap. After controlling for other demographics, module characteristics and engagement, BME students were between 19% and 79% less likely to complete, pass or achieve an excellent grade compared to white students. Given the same academic performance, BME students spent 4-12% more time on studying than white students. While the attainment gap remained persistent after controlling for academic engagement, our study further highlighted the inequality of attainment between BME and white students.

A literature review published in 2008 outlined known relationships between gender, ethnicity, and academic attainment in UK higher education. In the period since this publication, many changes to the higher education sector have occurred, including raising tuition fees, an increased focus on widening participation, and an increasing interest in diversifying the curriculum. There is a need for an updated and expanded literature review to highlight whether the relationships between gender, ethnicity, and academic attainment remain the same one decade later. This article synthesises the current literature related to the impact of gender, social class, and ethnicity on higher education participation and academic attainment. We highlight the important role of intersectionality in understanding overarching trends. Altogether, this literature review shows that there are persisting inequalities in both participation and attainment based on gender, social class, and ethnicity. To conclude, we provide several suggestions for improving our understanding of these phenomena in the decades to come.

Increasingly, universities are embedding reflective activities into the curriculum. With the growth in online tertiary education, how effectively is reflection being promoted or used in online learning spaces? Based on the notion that teachers' beliefs will influence their approaches to teaching, this research sought to understand how a group of distance tutors at the UK Open University conceptualised reflection. It was hoped that these findings would illuminate their approaches to promoting reflection as part of their online pedagogies. Phenomenographic analysis indicated that these tutors conceptualised reflection in four qualitatively different ways. Furthermore, the data suggested that these educators held a combination of two conceptions: one that understood the origin of being reflective and one that understood the purpose of reflection. Analysis of structural aspects of these conceptions offered insight into tutors' own perspectives for what is needed to make online learning environments fertile territory for reflective learning.

This investigation compared attainment in 196,405 students with and without disabilities who were taking courses by distance learning with the Open University in the United Kingdom in 2009. When the effects of demographic variables were statistically controlled, students with mental health difficulties showed poorer course completion than nondisabled students; students with restricted mobility showed poorer course completion and lower pass rates than nondisabled students; students with unseen or other disabilities showed lower pass rates than nondisabled students; and students with dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties showed lower pass rates and poorer grades than nondisabled students. In addition, the presence of additional disabilities led to poorer attainment in different respects in students who were blind or partially sighted, students who were deaf or hard of hearing, students with impaired speech, and students with unseen disabilities. Accommodations to support disabled students in distance education need to be focused on different groups of students with particular disabilities.

The UK National Student Survey (NSS) is a sound and widely used instrument for assessing students' academic experiences. We aimed to translate the NSS for Portuguese students and to validate the instrument in a sample of medical undergraduates. The research team translated and adapted the NSS for Portuguese students (NSS-P). The survey was administered on an online platform to 1,256 final-year students at eight Portuguese medical schools. A total of 329 medical students (69.9% female) replied to the NSS-P, a response rate of 26.2%. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the original six-factor structure had an adequate fit to the data. Adequate internal consistency was observed for all the subscales. Medium to large correlations were found among all the subscale scores and between the subscale scores and the students' overall satisfaction. Multiple regression showed that the scores on the Teaching, Organization and Management and Personal Development subscales significantly predicted the students' overall satisfaction. Approximately 64% of the students reported being satisfied with the quality of their courses. Significant differences among the medical schools in their NSS-P scores were found. The NSS-P is a valid and reliable measure for assessing medical students' perceptions of academic quality.

Objective: Opioid use disorder (OUD) affects approximately 5.6 million people in the United States annually, yet rates of the use of effective medication for OUD (MOUD) treatment are low. We conducted an observational cohort study from August 2017 through May 2021, the MOUD Study, to better understand treatment engagement and factors that may influence treatment experiences and outcomes. In this article, we describe the study design, data collected, and treatment outcomes. Methods: We recruited adult patients receiving OUD treatment at US outpatient facilities for the MOUD Study. We collected patient-level data at 5 time points (baseline to 18 months) via self-administered questionnaires and health record data. We collected facility-level data via questionnaires administered to facility directors at 2 time points. Across 16 states, 62 OUD treatment facilities participated, and 1974 patients enrolled in the study. We summarized descriptive data on the characteristics of patients and OUD treatment facilities and selected treatment outcomes. Results: Approximately half of the 62 facilities were private, nonprofit organizations; 62% focused primarily on substance use treatment; and 20% also offered mental health services. Most participants were receiving methadone (61%) or buprenorphine (32%) and were predominately non-Hispanic White (68%), aged 25-44 years (62%), and female (54%). Compared with patient-reported estimates at baseline, 18-month estimates suggested that rates of abstinence increased (55% to 77%), and rates of opioid-related overdoses (7% to 2%), emergency department visits (9% to 4%), and arrests (15% to 7%) decreased. Conclusions: Our results demonstrated the benefits of treatment retention not only on abstinence from opioid use but also on other quality-of-life metrics, with data collected during an extended period. The MOUD Study produced rich, multilevel data that can lay the foundation for an evidence base to inform OUD treatment and support improvement of care and patient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the commercial and home brewing of kombucha expands to accommodate its increased popularity, novel brewing practices that generate non-alcoholic kombucha in an efficient manner become valuable. The research presented in this work compares kombucha brewed in a glass jar brewing vessel to that brewed in an air-permeable silicone bag. Identical kombucha ferments with various sugar food sources were prepared and placed in each vessel, and variables such as titratable acidity, pH, alcohol by volume, gluconic acid concentration, acetic acid concentration, and sugar content were studied as a function of time. The results indicated that, regardless of the food source, kombucha brewed in an air-permeable bag exhibited more efficient acid production, lower ethanol concentration, and greater sugar utilization relative to equivalent kombucha brewed in a jar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]