A formative analysis of individual differences in the effectiveness of learning objects in secondary school

The purpose of this study was to examine individual differences in the effectiveness of learning objects in secondary school classrooms. Specifically, gender, age, grade, subject area, and computer comfort (self-efficacy) were examined in 850 students. Effectiveness was measured in terms of student attitude (learning, quality, and engagement) and student performance. No gender differences were observed between males and females with respect to student attitudes or performance. Age was significantly correlated with student attitudes and performance, however correlation coefficients were small. Grade 12 students were more positive about learning objects and performed better than grade 9 and 10 students. Science students had significantly more positive attitudes and performed better than mathematics students. Finally, students who were more comfortable about computers, appreciated learning objects more than their less confident peers, however performance was unaffected.     

Low temperature synthesis and characterisation of lecontite, (NH4)Na(SO4)·2H20

Lecontite, (NH₄)Na(SO₄).2H₂O, was synthesised at room temperature in high purity compared to earlier work with a minor impurity of mascagnite, (NH₄)₂SO₄. Rietveld refinement of the XRD results confirmed the crystal structure and unit cell dimensions as published earlier. Raman and Infrared spectroscopy, in conjunction with factor group analysis, resulted in a complex pattern of overlapping sulphate, NH and OH modes. The NH modes υ₁ was observed around 2880 cm⁻¹, υ₂ around 1700 cm⁻¹ overlapping with water OH-bending modes, υ₃ around 3300 cm⁻¹ overlapping with water OH-stretching modes around 3023, 3185 and 3422 cm⁻¹, and υ₄ around 1432, 1447 and 1462 cm⁻¹. The sulphate group in the crystal structure displays a decrease in symmetry from T_d as evidenced by the activation of the ν₁ mode at 982 cm⁻¹ and the ν₂ mode around 452 cm⁻¹ in the Infrared spectrum. The υ₃ mode shows clear splitting in the infrared spectra with a strong band at 1064 cm⁻¹ accompanied by two shoulders at 1107 and 1139 cm⁻¹. The Raman spectra show three weak bands at 1068, 1109 and 1135 cm⁻¹ with a shoulder at 1155 cm⁻¹. Similar splitting was observed for the υ₄ mode around 611 and 632 cm⁻¹ in the Infrared and Raman spectra, respectively.     

Food insecurity in university students receiving financial aid.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the adequacy of loans funding and the risk for food insecurity in students living away from home and receiving loans at the University of Alberta. METHODS: A nutritious seven-day menu was developed. The menu was priced for skilled and unskilled shoppers at a grocery store near to campus and a discount-style grocery store further away. RESULTS: The menu was more costly for males, unskilled shoppers and those students who shopped near to campus. The menu cost was as high as $296/month and often exceeded the $196 allocated by the Canada Student Loans Program for food each month. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the findings from this study, students reliant on financial assistance likely have insufficient money for a nutritionally adequate diet and are at risk for food insecurity. Shopping skills and budgeting, while important, would be insufficient to alleviate food insecurity for many students who require financial aid. Increased funding for food in student loans is necessary.     

Fused glass deposition modelling for applications in the built environment

For the built environment and for engineers, glass is an indispensable material with unique properties. Recent developments have shown that there is a potential market for additive manufacturing technology in the building industry, based on the production with a relatively small amount of repetitions and the tendency of applying technological innovations for advanced buildings. This paper focusses on the potential of fusing glass filaments on a glass base plate in order to develop a scientific base to create a process that is able to print 3D glass on glass plates for applications in the building industry. These fused components could eliminate boreholes for joints in glass panes including related disadvantages. Also, the fused deposition glass components can be a potential reinforcement of flat glass. Therefore, the fusing of soda lime silicate glass and borosilicate glass has been investigated. Based on these experiences, samples with different glass thicknesses are manufactured and the fused components are tested for their bending strength. The manufactured samples are analysed with polarized images, 3D computer tomography, microscopy and energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy. This paper describes, presents and discusses the results of the investigations, and demonstrates that load transfer via fused glass joints is possible in principle.     

Mycotoxin exposure and human cancer risk: A systematic review of epidemiological studies

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in investigating the carcinogenicity of mycotoxins in humans. This systematic review aims to provide an overview of data linking exposure to different mycotoxins with human cancer risk. Publications (2019 and earlier) of case–control or longitudinal cohort studies were identified in PubMed and EMBASE. These articles were then screened by independent reviewers and their quality was assessed according to the Newcastle–Ottawa scale. Animal, cross‐sectional, and molecular studies satisfied criteria for exclusion. In total, 14 articles were included: 13 case–control studies and 1 longitudinal cohort study. Included articles focused on associations of mycotoxin exposure with primary liver, breast, and cervical cancer. Overall, a positive association between the consumption of aflatoxin‐contaminated foods and primary liver cancer risk was verified. Two case–control studies in Africa investigated the relationship between zearalenone and its metabolites and breast cancer risk, though conflicting results were reported. Two case–control studies investigated the association between hepatocellular carcinoma and fumonisin B1 exposure, but no significant associations were observed. This systematic review incorporates several clear observations of dose‐dependent associations between aflatoxins and liver cancer risk, in keeping with IARC Monograph conclusions. Only few human epidemiological studies investigated the associations between mycotoxin exposures and cancer risk. To close this gap, more in‐depth research is needed to unravel evidence for other common mycotoxins, such as deoxynivalenol and ochratoxin A. The link between mycotoxin exposures and cancer risk has mainly been established in experimental studies, and needs to be confirmed in human epidemiological studies to support the evidence‐based public health strategies.     

Resorbable calcium phosphate bone substitute

Bacteroides fragilis strains isolated from different sources, i.e. 1 strain (AA1) from an aquatic environment, 1 strain from normal flora (118310) and the type strain (ATCC 25285) originally isolated from clinical material, were analysed for both cell envelope proteins composition and surviving under oxidative stress starvation. All strains examined showed a similar survival response when cultured in drinking water with a ten-fold decrease in viable counts per day during the 7 days of analysis. The outer membrane protein (OMP) profiles of all strains were quite similar during the stress period as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). However, the periplasmic proteins of the strain 118310 showed two protein bands at 48 and 58 kDa, respectively, that were absent in the strains AA1 and ATCC 25285 during the incubation period in potable water. Whole cells and periplasmic 35S-labelled proteins from bacteria cultured in drinking water showed a significant increase in proteins at 16, 18, 24, 26, 35, 48, and 58 kDa and 18, 22, 24, 48, 58, and 70 kDa, respectively, in all strains when compared to cells grown in BHI-PRAS media as detected by autoradiography following SDS-PAGE. These data suggest that B. fragilis may have a synthesis mechanism that allows them to adapt to adverse environments.     

A Communicative Interdependence Perspective of Close Relationships: The Connections Between Mediated and Unmediated Interactions Matter

In response to calls to recognize that both face‐to‐face (FtF) interaction and technologically mediated communication (TMC) often occur in the same relationships, we introduce a communicative interdependence perspective with a central tenet that relational closeness is associated with interconnections among modes of communication. We examined this perspective with a focus group study (N = 17) and a more extensive survey (N = 317). Consistent with the communicative interdependence predictions, relational closeness was associated positively with integration between FtF and TMC and negatively to difficulties transitioning between modes. Also, discussing topics only via technologically mediated channels was inversely associated with closeness and satisfaction, whereas discussing topics only in person was positively related to closeness and satisfaction.