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A variety of research studies reveal the advantages of actively engaging students in the learning process through collaborative work in the classroom. However, the complex nature of the learning environment in large college general chemistry courses makes it challenging to identify the different factors that affect students' cognitive and social engagement while working on in-class tasks. To provide insights into this area, we took a closer look at students' conversations during in-class activities to characterize typical discourse patterns and expressed chemical thinking in representative student groups in samples collected in five different learning environments across four universities. For this purpose, we adapted and applied a 'Community of Learners' (CoL) theoretical perspective to characterize group activity through the analysis of student discourse. Within a CoL perspective, the extent to which a group functions as a community of learners is analyzed along five dimensions including Community of Discourse (CoD), Legitimization of Differences (LoD), Building on Ideas (BoI), Reflective Learning (RL), and Community of Practice (CoP). Our findings make explicit the complexity of analyzing student engagement in large active learning environments where a multitude of variables can affect group work. These include, among others, group size and composition, the cognitive level of the tasks, the types of cognitive processes used to complete tasks, and the motivation and willingness of students to substantively engage in disciplinary reasoning. Our results point to important considerations in the design and implementation of active learning environments that engage more students with chemical ideas at higher levels of reasoning.

• Treatment gaps and delays exist for people with newly diagnosed epilepsy. • An epilepsy treatment gap of at least 40.6% exists in the Arizona Medicaid population. • A median epilepsy treatment delay of 73 days exists in the Arizona Medicaid population. • Social determinants of health play a role in treatment gaps and delays. • Predictive factors include healthcare setting, age, race, marital status, homelessness, and employment status. The purpose of this study was to better understand the role of social determinants of health (SDoH) in both treatment delays and treatment gaps for individuals with epilepsy (IWE) enrolled in Arizona's Medicaid program using predictive models at the population and individual levels. In this retrospective cohort study, two statistical regression models were developed using Arizona Medicaid medical and pharmacy claims records from 2015-2019 and selected census tract-level SDoH data. Three treatment outcomes were defined: timely treatment (treated within thirty days); delayed treatment (treated after thirty days); and untreated. For the first model, least squares regression was used to regress the epilepsy treatment delays on selected SDoH factors at the population-level. For the second model, multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate associations between epilepsy treatment delays and individual-level sociodemographic factors. Of the 5965 IWE identified with a new epilepsy diagnosis during the study period, 43.1% were treated with a mean delay of 180 days. Among the treated population, 42% received timely treatment. A treatment gap of at least 40.6% and potentially up to 56.9% was calculated. Individuals with epilepsy diagnosed in an inpatient setting or in emergency departments were more likely to be treated and receive timely treatment than those diagnosed in an office or clinic setting. Individuals with epilepsy diagnosed in "other" settings were more likely to go untreated or receive delayed treatment than a patient diagnosed in an office or clinic. Compared to IWE aged 31–50 years, IWE aged 0–30 years were more likely to receive timely treatment, IWE aged 51–64 years were more likely to receive delayed treatment, and IWE aged 65 years or older were more likely to go untreated. Widowed IWE were more likely to go untreated relative to single patients. Individuals with epilepsy experiencing homelessness were also more likely to go untreated. Unemployed IWE were more likely to go untreated or receive delayed treatment. Native American IWE were more likely to go untreated compared to White patients. Treatment gaps and treatment delays are experienced by IWE in the Arizona Medicaid population. The SDoH factors predicted to impact treatment delays include care setting, age, race, marital status, homelessness, and employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mourning Doves ( Zenaida macroura) are common throughout much of North America and have been extensively studied. Seasonal changes in body mass are largely unreported and have not been examined in relation to replacement of primary flight feathers. We studied changes in body mass in relation to primary molt of doves captured in southeastern Arizona during 2000 through 2012. Body mass for adult males and females averaged 116.3 g (SE = 0.16) and 109.0 g (SE = 0.18), respectively. The distribution of body mass was similar for all months and was normally distributed. Body mass of adult males was lowest in August and September, and highest in November through January. Body mass of adult females was lowest in June through October and increased from October through March. Changes in body mass of adults generally tracked breeding and nesting activities and to a lesser extent timing of primary feather replacement. Body mass of juvenile doves increased linearly with replacement of juvenal primaries from prior to molt through replacement of P 8-10, while body mass of adult doves decreased from prior to molt through replacement of P 8-10. Adult primary feather replacement started in April and was mostly completed by October with some doves still replacing adult primaries well into December. Primary feather molt of hatch-year doves started in April, depending upon when hatching occurred and was mostly completed by December. The relationship between declines in body mass and progress of primary molt in adults is believed to be due primarily to energetic demands of breeding activities, although primary molt may also have a role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chagas disease is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which is transmitted to humans by blood-sucking triatomine insects. This disease is endemic throughout Mexico and Central and South America, but only a few autochthonous cases have been reported in the United States, despite the fact that infected insects readily invade houses and feed on humans. Competent vectors defecate during or shortly after feeding so that infective feces contact the host. We thus studied the feeding and defecation behaviors of the prevalent species in southern Arizona, Triatoma rubida. We found that whereas defecation during feeding was frequent in females (93%), it was very rare in immature stages (3%), and absent in males. Furthermore, more than half of the immature insects that exhibited multiple feeding bouts (62%) defecated during interruptions of feeding, i.e., while likely on or near the host. These results indicate that T. rubida potentially could transmit T. cruzi to humans.

Triatomine insects (Hemiptera: Reduviidae), commonly known as kissing bugs, are a potential health problem in the southwestern United States as possible vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease. Although this disease has been traditionally restricted to Latin America, a small number of vector-transmitted autochthonous US cases have been reported. Because triatomine bugs and infected mammalian reservoirs are plentiful in southern Arizona, we collected triatomines inside or around human houses in Tucson and analyzed the insects using molecular techniques to determine whether they were infected with T. cruzi. We found that 41.5% of collected bugs (n = 164) were infected with T. cruzi, and that 63% of the collection sites (n = 22) yielded >or=1 infected specimens. Although many factors may contribute to the lack of reported cases in Arizona, these results indicate that the risk for infection in this region may be higher than previously thought.