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Start-up packages are a tool for a successful transition to an academic career. This institutional case study examined the faculty experience with start-up packages at one public university in the Southeastern United States, including gender differences, content, negotiation, and perceived outcomes. A mixed-method research design was utilized to answer the study research questions. Data were gathered through an online survey with quantitative and qualitative questions. Data from 121 participants were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests of independence, and thematic analysis. Most start-up package agreements included moving expenses, personal computers and software, and start-up funds. Conversely, child daycare, guaranteed junior sabbatical, and salary advancement were the most missing benefits in the agreements. Male faculty obtained, significantly more often than female faculty, a specific number of years for secure funding, laboratory space, and student or postdoc funding in their agreements. Faculty, in general, were not well prepared for the negotiation process and were not aware of what they needed to establish a successful research program. Universities should focus more on the influence of start-up packages on faculty careers because perceived unfair treatment during the negotiation process or administration can influence faculty performance and turnover intentions.

Female forest landowners (FFLO) are increasing in numbers but have been marginalized in technical training programs in the past. We conducted chainsaw safety training programs geared towards FFLO and compared program evaluation results with results from male-dominated chainsaw training workshops. FFLO are limited in their technical knowledge at the beginning of a workshop, are more likely to own different types of chainsaws than male participants, and generally liked having a women-only workshop. The takeaway is that FFLO strive in a women-only environment and that more women-focused extension training programs are needed to provide with a safe and inclusive learning environment.

In this article, we argue that current assessment practices in higher education require urgent examination and should be re-imagined in culturally responsive ways to ensure fairness for all. From sociocultural and social justice perspectives, we highlight examples of cultural and linguistic bias in assessment that disadvantages many First Nations students. Incorporating a constructivist viewpoint, we argue that assessment practices must keep pace with culturally responsive pedagogical practices to improve assessment validity for First Nations students and to maintain constructive alignment between learning, teaching, and assessment. Based on qualitative interviews with stakeholders in the "On Country Teacher Education" program, we describe how university lecturers changed their approaches to assessment and modified their assessment tasks to enact and create culturally responsive assessments. These practices, whilst beneficial for First Nations students, are viewed as being 'responsive' rather than 'proactive'. Recommendations include shifting to a 'proactive' stance by evaluating the validity of student learning outcomes and assessment design from the onset.

Sensory Over-Responsivity (SOR) is an increasingly recognized challenge among children with neurodevelopmental concerns (NDC). To investigate, we characterized the incidence of auditory and tactile over-responsivity (AOR, TOR) among 82 children with NDC. We found that 70% of caregivers reported concern for their child's sensory reactions. Direct assessment further revealed that 54% of the NDC population expressed AOR, TOR, or both -- which persisted regardless of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis. These findings support the high prevalence of SOR as well as its lack of specificity to ASD. Additionally, AOR is revealed to be over twice as prevalent as TOR. These conclusions present several avenues for further exploration, including deeper analysis of the neural mechanisms and genetic contributors to sensory processing challenges.

Language development can be framed as the process of learning how to mean (Halliday, 1975). From this perspective, the role of communicative function is central to the language-learning process with development being guided by interaction with experienced others. In the current study, we present a detailed analysis of the communicative functions used in interaction with prelinguistic infants aged 10-12 months from three cultural groups living in the United Kingdom. The findings indicate that caregivers from all three groups used a wide range of communicative acts when interacting with their infants, ranging from directives to discussions of inner thoughts and feelings. In addition, we identified significant differences in the frequency with which different communicative acts were used across our three groups. The study complements the positive contributions made by pivotal studies on language socialisation by highlighting the diversity and variation of caregiver speech at the functional level.

Objective: To determine differences in glucose control and cardiovascular disease risk factors following three weeks of added soda, 100% fruit juice, or water in apparently healthy, college-aged adults. Participants: Thirty-six adults (18 males; 18 females) between the ages of 18 and 30 years of age. Methods: A 3-arm randomized controlled parallel-arm trial; at baseline and after three weeks consuming the assigned beverage, participants completed glucose control and cardiovascular disease risk factor assessments. Results: There were no significant differences between beverage conditions for glucose control or cardiovascular disease risk factors (ps > 0.05). There were no significant changes in caloric intake or differences in caloric intake between conditions, p = 0.17. p Conclusions: In healthy, young adults, under free-living conditions, short-term consumption of two commercially packaged servings of SBs did not lead to significant glucose control or cardiovascular disease risk factor changes, indicating potential compensation and/or resilience to negative short-term effects.

Time to degree completion is an important metric of academic progress and success for doctoral students. It is also a common way for educational stakeholders to compare programs even if the content of the degree programs varies. But what types of behaviors and experiences are associated with faster times to degree? In this study, we examine the relationship between receiving competitive research awards (e.g., grant writing) and time to degree for PhD students. We organize our analyses by student identities, specifically gender and underrepresented racial minority (URM) status, to examine differences in time to degree based on student demographics. Our dataset included students that graduated between academic years 2008 to 2009 through 2018 to 2019. We also interviewed students currently enrolled in these same programs. We find that underrepresented minority women who won competitive research awards graduate faster than all other students who also won awards but also report lower levels of advisor support. Underrepresented minority women and all underrepresented minority students who won research awards tended to graduate faster compared to other groups of students who did not win awards. Students who reported feeling supported by their advisors, most of which reflected hands-on guidance through the writing process, in the interviews were more likely to apply for grants. Combined, these results highlight that writing grants and specific types of advisor support may influence faster times to degree for biosciences PhD students. This study suggests similar introspective analyses at other institutions and databases are needed.

When performing an aggregate data meta-analysis of a continuous outcome, researchers often come across primary studies that report the sample median of the outcome. However, standard meta-analytic methods typically cannot be directly applied in this setting. In recent years, there has been substantial development in statistical methods to incorporate primary studies reporting sample medians in meta-analysis, yet there are currently no comprehensive software tools implementing these methods. In this paper, we present the "metamedian" R package, a freely available and open-source software tool for meta-analyzing primary studies that report sample medians. We summarize the main features of the software and illustrate its application through real data examples involving risk factors for a severe course of COVID-19.

Academics at Griffith university envisioned a complementary learning and supportive relationship could be developed between Bachelor of Information Technology (BAIT) students and Master of Social Work (MSW) students. Discussions between discipline specific staff highlighted that each discipline had strengths and expertise that could assist students to overcome challenges brought about by systemic changes in tertiary education, gaps in skillsets and curriculum, and workforce expectations. Pressures included students attending university from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, the increasing importance of information technology (IT) in the classroom and workplace, as well as the requirement to communicate effectively across a range of disciplines. Working, interacting, and communicating effectively in cross-discipline and culturally diverse environments is a requisite for all graduates, however academics found there were few opportunities for students to partner across disciplinary silos. Staff from both disciplines collaborated to develop a conversational pedagogical framework to underpin a pilot program to support peer learning, using active problem-based learning with IT and social work students. The pilot program evidenced a complementary transdisciplinary, learning partnership and enabled students from IT to help students from social work develop IT skills, while social work students assisted IT students to become more confident in their interpersonal communication skills.

While potential teaching activities in the online classroom are unlimited, an instructor's teaching time is not. As such, it is essential that online instructors prioritize limited time to instructional strategies that have the greatest impact on student learning. A survey of 413 faculty and 2386 students examined faculty and student perceptions about instructional components or strategies that have greatest impact on student learning in the online classroom. Findings revealed significant differences in faculty and student perceptions with faculty giving the highest value ratings to non-instructor generated content and students prioritizing text-based instructional content (regardless of source). Overall, faculty tended to place more value on instructional components compared to students. Students rated faculty interaction and feedback as the most valuable component of their online learning experience. Findings explore how institutions can utilize teaching supplements to support faculty's desire to provide content so that instructional time can focus on interaction and feedback.

Despite the increasing levels of cultural and linguistic diversity represented in Australian classrooms, many universities do not adequately prepare teachers to teach English as an additional language or dialect (EAL/D). Moreover, in neoliberal educational regimes, teaching tends to remain steadfastly focused on monolingual conceptions of literacy development, and 'evidence-based' practices tend to reflect this stance. In this paper, we argue that due to the diversity and complexity of EAL/D learner cohorts, and current systemic constraints, teacher-researcher collaborations can be one avenue available to teachers to develop their knowledge and skills whilst simultaneously guiding future research. Drawing on 'identity texts' and arts-based approaches, through this case study, we describe our teacher-researcher collaboration in a super-diverse primary school classroom setting to illustrate the 'messiness' of classroom research, the challenges, and the considerable opportunities to effectively respond to EAL/D learner needs whilst valuing and embracing their diverse linguistic repertoires.

Abstract Background Peer workers are individuals who draw on their personal experiences in a professional capacity to support clients. Existing research on the role of peer workers in mental health, homelessness, and substance use services has primarily focused on their impact on client outcomes. This paper describes the development of peer workers as they transition into, through, and beyond this role. Utilising data from the Supporting Harm Reduction through Peer Support (SHARPS) study, where Peer Navigators supported people experiencing homelessness and substance use challenges, this paper explores the sense-making involved in an intensive peer support worker role, adaptation to organisational culture, and engagement with opportunities for professional advancement. Methods Semi-structured interviews with three Peer Navigators were conducted by two SHARPS study researchers at four time points in 2018 and 2019 corresponding with the beginning, middle, and end of the intervention. These data were analysed along with entries from the three Peer Navigators’ reflective diaries. Analysis followed a multi-stage approach to thematic analysis utilising both inductive and deductive processes. The Peer Navigators’ personal reflections have also been incorporated into the recommendations. Results The foundational training provided to the Peer Navigators before taking up their role helped to ensure readiness and build confidence. This training illuminated the dynamics of supporting individuals with complex health and social challenges. Integrating into diverse organisational environments, the Peer Navigators adapted to new professional expectations and consistently advocated for harm reduction and psychologically informed approaches, sometimes encountering resistance from other professionals. Establishing effective relationships with participants and professionals was essential and involved dealing with challenges such as overcoming personal biases and navigating systemic obstacles. the Peer Navigators benefitted from the specially designed training to support career progress with personal and professional development opportunities which enabled successful transitions beyond the SHARPS study. Conclusions Pre-work training, coupled with support and adherence to key principles, enabled the Peer Navigators to integrate effectively into diverse organisations. Quality relationships were vital in achieving client outcomes and supporting the professional growth of the Peer Navigators. These findings are important for services employing peer workers and underscore the importance of a commitment to training and continuing professional development.

Abstract It is known that the electromagnetic vacuum is responsible for the Lamb shift, which is a crucial phenomenon in quantum electrodynamics (QED). In circuit QED, the readout or bus resonators that are dispersively coupled can result in a significant Lamb shift of the qubit. However, previous approaches or proposals for controlling the Lamb shift in circuit QED demand overheads in circuit designs or non-perturbative renormalization of the system’s eigenbases, which can impose formidable limitations. In this work, we propose and demonstrate an all-microwave method for controlling the Lamb shift of fixed-frequency transmons. We employ the drive-induced longitudinal coupling between the transmon and resonator. By simply using an off-resonant monochromatic drive near the resonator frequency, we can control the net Lamb shift up to ±30 MHz and engineer it to zero with the drive-induced longitudinal coupling without facing the aforementioned challenges. Our work establishes an efficient way of engineering the fundamental effects of the electromagnetic vacuum and provides greater flexibility in non-parametric frequency controls of multilevel systems.

Abstract Background Veterans of the 1990–1991 Gulf War have experienced excess health problems, most prominently the multisymptom condition Gulf War illness (GWI). The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Cooperative Studies Program #2006 “Genomics of Gulf War Illness in Veterans” project was established to address important questions concerning pathobiological and genetic aspects of GWI. The current study evaluated patterns of chronic ill health/GWI in the VA Million Veteran Program (MVP) Gulf War veteran cohort in relation to wartime exposures and key features of deployment, 27–30 years after Gulf War service. Methods MVP participants who served in the 1990–1991 Gulf War completed the MVP Gulf War Era Survey in 2018–2020. Survey responses provided detailed information on veterans’ health, Gulf War exposures, and deployment time periods and locations. Analyses determined associations of three defined GWI/ill health outcomes with Gulf War deployment characteristics and exposures. Results The final cohort included 14,103 veterans; demographic and military characteristics of the sample were similar to the full population of U.S. 1990–1991 Gulf War veterans. Overall, a substantial number of veterans experienced chronic ill health, as indicated by three defined outcomes: 49% reported their health as fair or poor, 31% met Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for severe GWI, and 20% had been diagnosed with GWI by a healthcare provider. Health outcomes varied consistently with veterans’ demographic and military characteristics, and with exposures during deployment. All outcomes were most prevalent among youngest veterans (