University Of Arizona Research Articles

The Effects of Student Background and Peer Group Background on Anatomy Performance

As medical school curricula incorporate more active learning sessions, quality peer‐to‐peer interactions become increasingly important in the learning process. Students possess unique backgrounds and attributes that may help bolster not only their individual performance, but the performance of their peers as well. At the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, the Clinical Anatomy (CA) block employs a hybrid approach: integrating lecture and lab activities to enhance active, peer‐driven learning. Five to six students are randomly assigned to a willed body donor for the entire course, with one instructor per table. The first half of each session consists of a slide presentation interspersed with stopping points to view structures on the right side of the donor, dissected the day before by allied health students. For the remainder of the session, the medical students dissect the left side of the donor and participate in quizzing activities with their table instructor. The objective of this study is to determine whether there is a correlation between a student’s pre‐medical school background, the background of their peer group, and CA exam performance. Retrospective, de‐identified data were collected from 285 first‐year medical students from four classes (2019–2022), including: age, gender, race, ethnicity, college, science and cumulative undergraduate GPA, undergraduate major, anatomy table group, and individual and cumulative CA exam scores. Univariate and multivariate linear regressions were utilized to assess the relationships between student characteristics and anatomy exam scores. Within the univariate analysis, students >30 years old scored lower than peers on exams 1 and 2 (p<0.01) and had a lower cumulative average (−5.7 mean difference, p<0.01), while students with MCAT scores ≥513 performed better than peers on exams 2 and 3 (p<0.05 and p<0.01, respectively) and had a higher cumulative average (+1.9 mean difference, p<0.05). Furthermore, students who had attended private undergraduate institutions scored higher than peers on exams 2 and 3 (p<0.01) and had a higher cumulative average (+2.6 mean difference, p<0.01), while students who had attended institutions outside Arizona scored higher than peers on exams 2 and 3 (p<0.05) and had a higher cumulative average (+1.3 mean difference, p<0.05). However, the multivariate analysis revealed significant relationships for only one parameter, with students >30 years old scoring lower than peers on exams 1 and 2 (p<0.01 and p<0.05, respectively) and demonstrating a lower cumulative average (−5.5 mean difference, p<0.05). Further analyses will elucidate the potential effect of peer group background on CA exam performance; however, these results indicate that most background characteristics do not correlate with performance in anatomy.

Ultrasound in the First Two Years of Medical School: Enhanced Anatomical Learning via Clinically Based, Hands‐On Workshops

Ultrasound is an increasingly important and ubiquitous medical resource with diagnostic and procedural applications in a wide variety of medical specialties. To increase the competency of our students in the use of ultrasound, the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine integrated ultrasound training into multiple courses of the two year (OMS I, OMS II) preclinical curriculum. These include Anatomy (OMS I), Introduction to Clinical Medicine (OMS I, OMS II), Introduction to Clerkship (OMS I, OMS II), Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMS I, OMS II), Physiology (OMS I), and the Ultrasound Elective (OMS II). The most extensive early ultrasound training is a series of eight, clinically based ultrasound workshops in the OMS I anatomy course. The workshops utilize point of care ultrasound (POCUS) techniques for clinical concerns commonly associated with the regional anatomy of each exam unit. These exercises reinforce anatomical orientation, identification, relationships and differences in normal versus abnormal findings. Workshops begin with a clinical case and associated application of ultrasound followed by a demonstration of the exam. Students then scan each other in a supervised, hands‐on, small group setting using both SonoSite machines and Butterfly iQ portable scanners connected to an iPad. Students perform ultrasound examinations associated with lumbar puncture, transthoracic echocardiogram, carpal tunnel, cholecystitis, abdominal aortic aneurysm, FAST, plantar fasciitis, as well as glenohumeral, thyroid, carotid, oral, and ocular assessments. Student learning is evaluated from images and video clips they save, a formative oral quiz at the end of each workshop, and MCQ questions on both written and practical unit exams.To determine student perceptions of the efficacy of the ultrasound workshops each class is administered a survey at the end of the anatomy course. Survey questions assess student perception of the general value of ultrasound in the curriculum and the specific value of ultrasound training in the anatomy course. To date, 99% of respondents identify ultrasound as an important diagnostic tool and 80–90% of respondents felt the ultrasound workshops improved their comprehension of the associated anatomy. 85–95% of respondents felt the ultrasound workshops improved their understanding of regional clinical concerns. Importantly, up to two‐thirds of respondents indicated that they undertook independent investigation of the clinical concerns after the ultrasound workshops.Answers to open response questions showed that students highly value the hands‐on experience and improved understanding anatomical orientation. Students from 2017–2018 are now on clinical rotations and many have reported that their ultrasound skills have been a valuable asset in their clerkships.We are confident that the ultrasound workshops in our anatomy course are an excellent modality to provide superior clinical relevance of anatomy, improved understanding of anatomical organization and function, and gives our students a strong foundation in a technology that will undoubtedly be part of their clinical practice.Support or Funding InformationFunding was provided in part by the HonorHealth Foundation Phoenix General Hospital Osteopathic Endowment Fund.

Science‐telling through art

Science‐telling through art

Sex differences in the evolution of net respiratory muscle pressures during incremental exercise

The respiratory muscle pressure (Pmus) waveform lends insight into the patterns of net inspiratory v expiratory muscle recruitment under a wide variety of conditions, including mechanical ventilation, spontaneous breathing, and during exercise. On this last point, inspection of the Pmus waveform during incremental and constant work rate cycling reveals that inspiratory and expiratory muscle recruitment systematically increase with rising minute ventilations, and that the duration of post‐inspiratory inspiratory activity (PIIA) gradually disappears from low to high levels of respiratory motor output. In recent years, it has become increasingly evident that the work of breathing is systematically higher for women compared with men at a given minute ventilation during exercise. Yet, no study has examined the potential sex differences in the evolution of Pmus (and its components; e.g., PIIA) during exercise. Thus, a comprehensive assessment of the Pmus waveform during exercise between sexes is warranted.PurposeTo compare the evolution of inspiratory and expiratory Pmus between men and women during incremental cycling.MethodsThirteen men (21 ± yrs; 181 ± 5 cm; 82 ± 11 kg) and 10 women (21 ± 1 yrs; 165 ± 6 cm; 62 ± 6 kg) visited the laboratory on two separate occasions. The first occasion was used to obtain informed consent and to screen participants for normal pulmonary function (>85% age‐predicted). On the second visit, participants were instrumented with an esophageal balloon catheter to estimate variations in pleural pressure (Ppl). Quasi‐static relaxation curves were obtained to measure chest wall recoil pressure (Pcw). Participants then completed an incremental cycling protocol until volitional exhaustion. Pmus was calculated at given minute ventilations during the exercise protocol as follows: Pmus = Pcw – Ppl.ResultsThe peak inspiratory Pmus were significantly greater in females compared with men at a given minute ventilation during incremental cycling (P < 0.05), yet peak expiratory Pmus was similar between sexes. The average rates of change (slope) in Pmus during inspiration & expiration were significantly faster in females than males at a given minute ventilation (P < 0.05). Finally, the duration of PIIA (expressed as a fraction of expiratory time) gradually decreased with increasing minute ventilation during exercise (P < 0.05). This reduction in PIIA was however similar between men and women.ConclusionThe primary finding of this study was that the pattern of respiratory muscle recruitment was different between sexes during incremental cycling, insofar as women displayed systematically larger inspiratory Pmus, and faster rates of net inspiratory & expiratory pressure‐development compared with men at matched ventilations. However, no differences in PIIA between sexes were observed.Support or Funding InformationThis research was funded by preliminary data funds provided by Northern Arizona University (JWD). TJC was supported by the Irene Diamond Fund/American Federation for Aging Research Postdoctoral Transition Award during the time of this study.

Quantifying the work and power of breathing during exercise: a comparison of methods

The work and power of breathing (Wb & Pb, respectively) have been extensively studied in humans during exercise. Through the measurement of the Wb & Pb during exercise, we yield insight into the energetic demands of the respiratory muscles across a wide range of minute ventilations. It must be noted, however, that the methodological approach to quantifying Wb & Pb is very inconsistent in the literature. The 3 most popular methods of calculating Wb & Pb are: (1) the integrated pressure‐volume (PV) loop; (2) the Otis diagram; and (3) the Campbell diagram. Each of these methods are based on different theoretical assumptions and, as such, do not necessarily provide a consistent measure of Wb & Pb. A comparison of the Wb & Pb measured via these 3 methods during exercise is presently lacking.PURPOSETo compare values of the Wb & Pb obtained during incremental exercise as determined by the integrated PV, Otis and Campbell methods.METHODSTwenty‐three young, healthy adults (10 women; 21 ± 1 yrs) visited the laboratory on two separate occasions. The first occasion was used to obtain informed consent and to screen participants for normal pulmonary function (>85% age‐predicted). On the second visit, participants were instrumented with an esophageal balloon catheter to estimate variations in pleural pressure. Quasi‐static relaxation curves were obtained to measure chest wall recoil pressure. Participants then completed an incremental cycling protocol until volitional exhaustion. The total Wb & Pb were computed according to the numerical procedures for the integrated PV, Otis and Campbell methods. The Wb & Pb of each method were compared at standardized minute ventilations obtained during incremental.RESULTSThe total Wb & Pb as determined via the Campbell method was systematically higher than the other two methods (integrated PV & Otis) at any given minute ventilation during exercise (Figure 1A; P < 0.05). Interestingly, the integrated PV method produced values for total Wb & Pb that were lower than those of the Otis method for minute ventilations below 80 L·min−1, yet were higher at minute ventilations greater than 110 L·min−1 (Figure 1B; P<0.05). When expressed as a percentage of the values obtained via the Campbell diagram, it was clear that the Otis method constituted a decreasing proportion of total Wb & Pb as minute ventilation increased (Figure 1B; P<0.05), whereas the integrated PV method yielded values that represented an increasing proportion during exercise (P<0.05).CONCLUSIONThe Campbell method produced the highest values at any given minute ventilation. Importantly, however, the Otis method tended to progressively underestimate the total Wb & Pb relative to the Campbell, while the opposite was true of the integrated PV method, as minute ventilation increased during exercise. Investigators must be cognizant of these differences when choosing a method to quantify the Wb & Pb during exercise.Support or Funding InformationThis research was funded by preliminary data funds provided by Northern Arizona University (JWD). TJC was supported by the Irene Diamond Fund/American Federation for Aging Research Postdoctoral Transition Award during the time of this study.The power of breathing (Pb) determined by the integrated pressure‐volume (PV), Otis and Campbell methods.Values represent means ± 95% confidence intervals. The left panel (A) represents the total Pb values obtained via the 3 different methods. The right panel (B) illustrates the percentage of the Campbell method's total Pb that is constituted by the integrated PV and Otis methods, separately. Only portions where no significant differences (NS) were observed have been illustrated.Figure 1

A Place at the Table: Organization Theory and Public Management

Abstract In November 2018, the University of Arizona’s School of Government and Public Policy hosted an international workshop on the role of organization theory in public management. The intention was to renew interest in organization theory in public management research. Scholars such as Herbert Simon, Herbert Kaufman, and Richard Selznick made seminal contributions to organization theory through the study of public organizations from the 1940s through the 1960s. In our estimation, organization theory is underrepresented in public administration scholarship for the last several decades. There are natural reasons for this trend, including the discipline’s turn towards organizational behavior and the ascendancy of techniques that advance the study of large datasets and those that allow for experimental control. The recent emergence of “behavioral public administration” is a prominent example of this evolution. This symposium is an attempt to make a place at the table of public management for organization theory. The articles in this symposium contain articles from scholars who operate in the tradition of classic organization theory in new and innovative ways to lend intellectual purchase to studies of public organizations and public organizational networks.

Meet the First Author.

Meet the First Author.

Three decades of the Shuffled Complex Evolution (SCE-UA) optimization algorithm: Review and applications

The Shuffled Complex Evolution (SCE-UA) method developed at the University of Arizona is a global optimization algorithm, initially developed by [1] for the calibrationof conceptual rainfall-runoff (CRR) models. SCE-UA searches for the global optimumof a function by evolving clusters of samples drawn from the parameter space, via a systematiccompetitive evolutionary process. Being a general purpose global optimization algorithm, it has found widespread applications across a diverse range of science and engineering fields. Here, we recount the history of the development of the SCE-UA algorithm and its later advancements. We also present a survey of illustrative applications of the SCE-UA algorithm and discuss its extensions to multi-objective problems and touncertainty assessment. Finally, we suggest potential directions for future investigation.

Subchronic Noise and Metabolism: Rodent Model Identifies Potential Mechanistic Links.

Vol. 128, No. 3 Science SelectionOpen AccessSubchronic Noise and Metabolism: Rodent Model Identifies Potential Mechanistic Linksis accompanied byImpacts of Subchronic, High-Level Noise Exposure on Sleep and Metabolic Parameters: A Juvenile Rodent Model Silke Schmidt Silke Schmidt Search for more papers by this author Published:13 March 2020CID: 034004https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP6304View Article in:中文版AboutSectionsPDF ToolsDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail AbstractMultiple epidemiologic studies1,2,3 have linked chronic exposure to environmental noise with an increased risk of metabolic disorders, including obesity and diabetes. An experimental study published recently in Environmental Health Perspectives found consistent results in rodents, with gene expression and tissue analyses suggesting potential underlying mechanisms.4Epidemiological evidence has associated chronic noise exposure with metabolic changes, potentially stemming from sleep disturbances. A rat study of noise exposures during regular sleeping hours sought to tease out a mechanism that might explain these observations. Image: © iStockphoto/unoL.Researchers at Université de Picardie Jules Verne in Amiens, France, exposed 12 male Wistar rats to subchronic noise, meaning intermittent noisy periods of relatively long duration. For 37 days, starting at 3 weeks of age, the rats were exposed during their 12-hour sleep period to different sounds at levels comparable to the threshold commonly used in human studies of urban traffic noise. The noise exposure was followed by a noise-free 12-hour active period. Another 12 rats made up the control group.In the two groups of rats, the researchers compared physiologic parameters, sleep patterns, sleep apnea symptoms, post-sacrifice organ weights, and tissue mRNA expression levels of genes that regulate food intake and appetite. The noise-exposed rats consumed more food and water and gained 6% more body weight than the control animals. They also had heavier thymus and adrenal glands. Forebrain (hypothalamus) mRNA expression levels were higher for one gene (the cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript gene, or CART) and lower for another (leptin receptor). Differences in sleep parameters between exposed and nonexposed animals, such as the duration of REM and non-REM sleep, were subtle, and there was no evidence of an effect on apnea during sleep.“Our study’s main finding is that noise exposure during the rest period increased food and water consumption, resulting in body and organ weight gain,” says senior author Amandine Pelletier, a lecturer in physiology. “Similar effects have been observed in human studies.”1,2,3An association between chronic noise exposure and greater thymus weight was previously reported in female adult rats.5 That finding suggested that noise-induced stress may influence metabolic function.6 Another study found that noise exposure increased the adrenal gland production of corticosterone in rats,7 which may lead to hypertrophy of the organ.8 Measuring blood levels of corticosterone and other hormones under a similar exposure protocol would be an interesting next step, says Pelletier.The noise-associated changes in mRNA expression levels may partially explain the observed body weight gain. Leptin is a hormone that inhibits hunger.9,10 The CART gene codes for neuropeptides involved in stress and reward pathways, whose expression is partially regulated by leptin.11 It is plausible that the leptin receptor and CART mRNAs may jointly influence circulating levels of leptin and other hormones, contributing to an increased appetite.Jennifer Teske, an associate professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Arizona in Tucson, who was not involved in the project, notes that an earlier study of rodents12 reported similar associations between noise exposure and weight gain. Recent work in Teske’s lab using female rats also found similar results.13 The current study’s gene expression analysis adds to the body of evidence by suggesting potential underlying mechanisms, she says.Zorana Jovanovic Andersen, a professor of environmental epidemiology at the University of Copenhagen, notes that, given the rat’s life span, the 36-day exposure period mimics long-term exposures that are relevant for human chronic disease development. For Andersen, who also was not involved in the study, the rodent findings are consistent with associations between chronic noise, sleep disturbances, and human diabetes. “The researchers also identified interesting and plausible explanations for these associations,” she says, “pointing at noise-related increased appetite and weight gain as the most relevant pathway.”Silke Schmidt, PhD, writes about science, health, and the environment from Madison, Wisconsin.

Using Stories to Teach

Using Stories to Teach Aretha Matt (bio) I grew up on the Navajo reservation during the 1980s and 1990s. I attended a public school in a small rural community and graduated with about sixty other students. I left my home in Querino Canyon, Arizona, two weeks after graduation to attend a summer bridge program at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. This program was designed to integrate students of color successfully into colleges and universities. Students selected for this program were also first-generation college students or students from low-income backgrounds. This program helped me to integrate successfully because they were intrusive and continued their support into my second year of college. I credit this program for my success as an undergraduate student because they provided the resources and support that I needed to acculturate and operate in a new academic environment. I faced challenges and setbacks as a college student; but I did not allow these to deter my decision to complete degrees, including a doctoral degree in English. Along the way, I found that many educators and administrators at colleges and universities were available and supportive when it came to acculturating students to the academic environment; however, I also learned that many of them lacked understanding about Native Americans and our cultures. During my time as a graduate assistant instructor at the University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, I was categorized by faculty and graduate students on separate occasions as "quiet," "introverted," or "silent." They would also usually follow their remarks with a comment [End Page 86] about how they had Native American students in their classes who, like me, were also quiet. They often reported that they did not know how to approach the student in a way that would open communication. Most Americans know little about Native Americans because our Native histories, stories, and experiences are ignored and/or silenced in schools across America. Most people know only what they learned in primary and secondary grades, which is limited to a paragraph, a page, or a chapter in an American history book or events that occur during Native American month. I felt compelled to teach fellow instructors and my peers about my upbringing and my Navajo (Diné) culture because I feared the lack of knowledge would cause them to develop stereotypical perspectives and other common misconceptions about their students. These instructors needed contextual knowledge to better assist their students. My quiet nature developed, in part, by how I grew up. Some Navajo parents, including my parents, taught their children that words carry weight and/or have creative power. This shaped how I interacted with others. I often heard elders say that it was important to think before we acted (or spoke). Because of this, I will always consider if what I will say will contribute in positive or negative ways to group discussions or one-on-one conversations. Elders, including my parents, reminded us that incessant talking was not looked well upon in the Navajo community because it called attention to self. My parents used shame tactics to correct me when I was overly talkative and boastful. Moreover, listening and observing were more esteemed qualities compared with speaking well. My family and other community leaders ingrained in us that learning was equivalent to listening and observing. There was an expectation that we could learn whatever was heard or observed. This way of learning taught me that my learning was my responsibility. I carried this learning style into my classes and was always a careful listener or observer—absorbing and retaining information. I rarely had questions to ask instructors because I was often still processing the lessons in my mind. I shared these kinds of facts and stories pertaining to my upbringing and my literacy practices to give other instructors some idea about my challenges as a Native American student and writer. I share the following story about my literacy journey to shed light on the challenges that some Native American students face on the pathway to literacy learning. This story is about me; however, it may compare to what other Native Americans, particularly Navajo students, have experienced. I grew up understanding that stories impart knowledge. I...

The Annual Review of Applied Linguistics at 40: Looking Back and Moving Ahead

AbstractIt is a privilege to be Editor-in-Chief of the Annual Review of Applied Linguistics in 2020 as it celebrates its 40th year. This is my fifth issue as Editor. I will begin this short introduction by paying tribute, with the help of Bill Grabe (Northern Arizona University), to the founding editor of the journal, Robert Kaplan (1929–2020). Without Robert Kaplan, none of us would be reading these pages. We will then turn to some comments from each of the previous editors on a few of the highlights of their time editing the journal, along with words for the future. After this, I will describe some recent updates, go through a few of the historical successes of the journal, and then turn to the contents of the exciting current issue, “Looking back and moving ahead.”

Research in progress: Applied linguistics at Northern Arizona University, USA

Research in progress: Applied linguistics at Northern Arizona University, USA

David B. Stewart, MD, FACS, FASCRS.

Dr. David B. Stewart is the Section Chief of Colorectal Surgery and Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ. He received his undergraduate degree at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX, majoring in Biology. Following this, he received his medical school degree at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX, and subsequently performed his General Surgery residency at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in California. He went on to complete both his Colon and Rectal Surgery research and clinical fellowships at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, MO. David returned east to The Pennsylvania State University Milton S. Hershey Medical Center as a staff Colorectal Surgeon from 2008 to 2017, until his current leadership position in Arizona. His practice spans a wide variety of colorectal surgery with specific interests in recurrent rectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease.

Abstract P6-11-13: Identification of barriers to breast cancer screening that affect compliance

Abstract Background: In 2015, the latest year for which the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has incidence data, 242,476 new cases of Female Breast Cancer were reported, and 41,523 women died of Female Breast Cancer in the United States. For every 100,000 women, 125 new Female Breast Cancer cases were reported and 20 died of cancer. In Arizona, breast was the leading site of new cancers in 2015, with 110.9 new breast cancer diagnoses per 100,000 women, and is second for cancer deaths, reporting 19 deaths per 100,000 women. This study specifically addresses low screening rates among women in Pima County in Southern Arizona through a telephone navigation program with the goal of increasing follow-up mammograms and recommended breast imaging. Our short-term goal is to increase both initial screening and diagnostic resolution rates among women in Southern Arizona. Our long-term plan is to develop a sustainable model to increase breast cancer screening among women that is expected to inform programs state-wide and nationally. Specific aims are: 1) to increase adherence or repeat screening rate by 20% for women lost to follow-up; 2) Establish the framework for a community-academic partnership that can be replicated in other Hispanic-based areas. Methods: Potential study participants were identified using Electronic Health Records and categorized by Breast Imaging-Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) 0 to 5. Inclusion criteria include non-compliant women of any race/ethnicity between the ages of 40 and 75 who have been referred to, or seen at a breast imaging clinic in Tucson, Arizona (Pima County) from January 1, 2014 to September 30, 2017. Of those non-compliant, 47% had a BI-RADS 0,3,4, or 5. With IRB approval from University of Arizona, we adapted a questionnaire validated for use in colon cancer to measure screening knowledge, motivations and barriers to adherence, and self-efficacy. Two navigators reached out to participants to recruit and re-engage them in the care process. Results: The sample is n=9661 of noncompliant patients from a clinic in Southern Arizona, 26% were Hispanic and 65% non-Hispanic, with 10% with 9% requiring an interpreter. From this sample, 123 study participants have been recruited (300 target accrual) with a 21% recruitment rate, 46% unable to reach rate, and a 47% decline rate. Notably, of those who declined, 66% reported being compliant at another clinic. The participants were 46% non-Hispanic and 52% Hispanic, with 25% requiring an English/Spanish interpreter. Nearly half had less than or a high school degree and similarly, nearly half had a monthly family income of $2000 or less. On the questionnaire section of knowledge, there were no statistically significant results indicating extensive knowledge, except for how often one should have a mammogram, in which 93% answered correctly. On the Barriers to Getting a Mammogram section, when the data was disaggregated by ethnicity, there was statistically significant (P⇒.05) responses. One barrier identified was financial reasons (P=.05), but interestingly no (0) Hispanics reported financial reasons to be a barrier. Conclusion: The high number of declined due to compliant elsewhere points to the need to develop a business case to sustain lay navigators across the breast cancer continuum, from screening to diagnostic resolution, treatment, survivorship, and/or palliative care. Further, breast cancer and breast screening education materials will be developed in the next phase of this study and interventions to address financial reasons. For more information on this study, please contact Drs. Jorge Gomez (Jorgejgomez@email.arizona.edu), Allison Huff MacPherson (allison7@email.arizona.edu). Citation Format: Allison Huff MacPherson, Jorge Gomez, Elizabeth Calhoun, Marisa Borders, Kimberly Fitzpatrick, Yessenia Prado, Dora Bezies-Lopez, Chiu-Hsieh Hsu. Identification of barriers to breast cancer screening that affect compliance [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2019 Dec 10-14; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-11-13.

Notes on Bewilderment

Research Article| February 01 2020 Notes on Bewilderment Arianne Zwartjes Arianne Zwartjes Arianne Zwartjes (ariannezwartjes.com) teaches for the Sierra Nevada College low-residency MFA program, and has also taught at the University of Arizona and the United World College. In her other life she has worked as a wilderness-medicine instructor, an EMT, and a carpenter. She is the author of the lyric nonfiction medical-humanities book Detailing Trauma: A Poetic Anatomy. Her writing won the Gulf Coast Nonfiction Prize and was a Best American Essays Notable; it has appeared in Tarpaulin Sky, Kenyon Review, Southern Review, Ninth Letter, Feminist Wire, and elsewhere. Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Fourth Genre: Explorations in Nonfiction (2020) 22 (1): 33–44. https://doi.org/10.14321/fourthgenre.22.1.0033 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Permissions Search Site Citation Arianne Zwartjes; Notes on Bewilderment. Fourth Genre: Explorations in Nonfiction 1 February 2020; 22 (1): 33–44. doi: https://doi.org/10.14321/fourthgenre.22.1.0033 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectiveMichigan State University PressFourth Genre: Explorations in Nonfiction Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. © Michigan State University Board of Trustees Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Aligning Community-Engaged Research to Context.

Community-engaged research is understood as existing on a continuum from less to more community engagement, defined by participation and decision-making authority. It has been widely assumed that more is better than less engagement. However, we argue that what makes for good community engagement is not simply the extent but the fit or alignment between the intended approach and the various contexts shaping the research projects. This article draws on case studies from three Community Engagement Cores (CECs) of NIEHS-funded Environmental Health Science Core Centers (Harvard University, UC Davis and University of Arizona,) to illustrate the ways in which community engagement approaches have been fit to different contexts and the successes and challenges experienced in each case. We analyze the processes through which the CECs work with researchers and community leaders to develop place-based community engagement approaches and find that different strategies are called for to fit distinct contexts. We find that alignment of the scale and scope of the environmental health issue and related research project, the capacities and resources of the researchers and community leaders, and the influences of the sociopolitical environment are critical for understanding and designing effective and equitable engagement approaches. These cases demonstrate that the types and degrees of alignment in community-engaged research projects are dynamic and evolve over time. Based on this analysis, we recommend that CBPR scholars and practitioners select a range of project planning and management techniques for designing and implementing their collaborative research approaches and both expect and allow for the dynamic and changing nature of alignment.

Optimising subordinate net points layout of express enterprise with SCE-UA algorithm

The layout of net points plays a key role in the operation of an enterprise. Research on the layout of net points and optimisation of express enterprises has important practical significance. In this paper an optimisation model is developed, which takes minimising the total cost of the subordinate net points layout of express enterprises as the objective function on the premise of guaranteed express delivery time. The aim of the optimisation model is to reduce the cost of enterprises; it also takes customer satisfaction into consideration. The shuffled complex evolution method developed at the University of Arizona (SCE-UA) algorithm is applied to solve the optimisation problem. Finally, to test the accuracy of the proposed optimisation model, the current subordinate net points layout of ZTO Express in Dalian city is used as the case study. The result shows that the proposed model provides a good performance in term of obtaining the optimal form of quantity and spatial layout of subordinate net points. The result also indicates that the proposed model can provide practical methods and ideas for express enterprises in terms of planning and distributing subordinate net points in the future.

Supplemental program offers boost to students with learning challenges

Along with the legally mandated services provided under its Disability Resource Center, the University of Arizona operates a Strategic Alternative Learning Techniques Center that offers supplemental educational and counseling assistance to students with learning and attentional challenges. SALT Center Executive Director Gabrielle Miller described the components of what is believed to be one of the oldest such support centers.

Science of the Vatican Observatory since 2000

Five research areas have been the focus of the scientific work of the Specola Vaticana (Vatican Observatory) over the past twenty years: planetary sciences, stellar astronomy, extragalactic astronomy, cosmology, and the development of the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope (vatt). The choice of research program is left to the individual astronomers, all of whom work closely with lay collaborators around the world. Notable, especially in connection with the vatt, is the close coordination of the Specola with the Steward Observatory of the University of Arizona. One unique strength of the Specola is its independence from short-term funding requirements. As a result of its stable funding, Specola astronomers can engage in long-term research programs such as surveys of meteorite properties, exoplanets, stellar clusters, and galaxy clusters, which may take ten or more years to come to fruition. In this way the Specola complements the large research programs of contemporary astronomy.

Influenza Vaccines Delivered in Early Childhood Could Turn Antigenic Sin into Antigenic Blessings.

Substantial evidence has accumulated that "original antigenic sin" is a central factor shaping immune responses against influenza viruses. Here, we argue that this propensity of initial influenza virus exposure to establish a lifelong immunological imprint presents a remarkable opportunity: Immunization of infants prior to their initial, natural viral exposure could circumvent narrow immunological imprinting directed toward a single viral strain. Simultaneous initial exposure to antigens from multiple influenza strains via vaccination holds the promise of extending immunological imprinting across all currently circulating strains and against potential pandemic strains of influenza A virus, potentially providing a readily accessible form of universal protection against severe disease from both pandemic and seasonal influenza.