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University students who are placed on academic warning are often required to enroll in a course or program to support their return to good academic standing. This case study investigated the major issues that contributed to first-year students' academic struggles and how their participation in the Learning Contract course, guided by Appreciative Advising, addressed their needs and supported their development. Implications for advising practice are discussed.

It is well known how Leibniz turned his attention to a large number of domains in an attempt to demonstrate the universal interconnectedness of things. This essay aims to show the relationship between two areas of knowledge studied by Leibniz: gnoseology and biology. In particular, there is a close correspondence between the doctrine of innate ideas and that of the organism. The former are in fact understood as the constitutive elements of a layered mind and can be brought to consciousness through reminiscence. In contrast to the Platonic tradition, innate ideas are not the trace of notions acquired in previous lives, but are the result of a metamorphosis of living organisms. This consideration leads precisely to the Leibniz’s conception of the organism, influenced by the contemporary microscopic observation of van Leeuwenhoek and Malpighi and by the discovery of ‘spermatic animals'. In this sense, the idea of a pre-formed organism, subject to growth and contraction, is analogous to the peculiar conception of memory as a constitutive pre-configuration of the mind.

Sound analysis is an important field of research for improving precision livestock farming systems. If the information carried by livestock sounds is interpreted correctly, it could be used to improve management and welfare assessment in this field. Therefore, we hypothesized that the nasal vocalization of a mother cow could have a calming effect on conspecifics. The nasal vocalization in our study was recorded from a mother cow (not part of the test herd) while it was licking its day-old calf. The raw sound was analyzed, cleaned from noises, and the most representative vocalization was lengthened to two minutes. Thirty cows having calves were randomly selected from eighty Hungarian grey cattle cows. Two test days were selected, one week apart; the weather circumstances in both days were similar. The herd was collected in a paddock, and the test site (a restraining crate with a headlock) was 21 m away from them. The cows from the herd were gently moved to the restraining crate, and, after the installation of the headlock, Polar® heart rate monitors were fixed on the animals. The recording of the RR intervals was carried out for two minutes. On day one of the test, the processed nasal sound was played to every second cow during the heart rate monitoring. When the sound ended, the heart rate monitor was removed. On test day two, the sound and no sound treatments were switched among the participating cows. At the end of the measurement, the headlock was opened, letting the animals out voluntarily, and a flight test was performed along a 5 m distance. The time needed to pass the 5 m length was measured with a stopwatch and divided by the distance. The RR intervals were analyzed with the Kubios HRV Standard (ver. 3.5.0) software. The following data were recorded for the entire measurement: average and maximum heart rate; SD1 and SD2; pNN50; VLF, LF, and HF. The quasi-periodic signal detected in the sound analyses can hardly be heard, even when it is enhanced to the maximum. This can be considered a vibration probably caused by the basis of articulation, such as a vibration of the tongue, for example. The SD2/SD1 ratio (0.97 vs. 1.07 for the animals having no sound and sound played, respectively, p = 0.0110) and the flight speed (0.92 vs. 1.08 s/m for the animals having no sound and sound played, respectively, p = 0.0409) indicate that the sound treatment had a calming effect on the restrained cows. The day of the test did not influence any of the measured parameters; therefore, no effect of the routine was observed. The yes–no sequence of the sound treatment significantly reduced the pNN50 and flight speed values, suggesting a somewhat more positive association with the headlock and the effectiveness of the processed nasal sound. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that, by means of sound analyses, not only information about individuals and the herd can be gathered but that, with proper processing, the sound obtained can be used to improve animal welfare.

Plato’s Symposium stages a playful subversion of paiderastia by philosophia through successive interconnected speeches. Phaedrus and Agathon praise Erōs as a god presiding over homoerotic relationships, be it at war or at peace. Pausanias and Eryximachus distinguish between two Erōtes, being eager to supervise these paiderastic communities or even the cosmic harmony. But Aristophanes subverts their perspective by introducing the Androgyne, a combination of male and female, which being displayed by Socrates-Diotima will finally give birth to the Erōs-Daimōn. Only he ensures us real human community by enabling true communion with the divine, witness Alcibiades’ final praise of Socrates.

BackgroundB-cell lymphomas are a diverse group of hematological neoplasms with differential etiology and clinical trajectories. Increased insights in the etiology and the discovery of prediagnostic markers have the potential to improve the clinical course of these neoplasms.MethodsWe investigated in a prospective study global gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 263 incident B-cell lymphoma cases, diagnosed between 1 and 17 years after blood sample collection, and 439 controls, nested within two European cohorts.ResultsOur analyses identified only transcriptomic markers for specific lymphoma subtypes; few markers of multiple myeloma (N = 3), and 745 differentially expressed genes in relation to future risk of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The strongest of these associations were consistently found in both cohorts and were related to (B-) cell signaling networks and immune system regulation pathways. CLL markers exhibited very high predictive abilities of disease onset even in cases diagnosed more than 10 years after blood collection.ConclusionsThis is the first investigation on blood cell global gene expression and future risk of B-cell lymphomas. We mainly identified genes in relation to future risk of CLL that are involved in biological pathways, which appear to be mechanistically involved in CLL pathogenesis. Many but not all of the top hits we identified have been reported previously in studies based on tumor tissues, therefore suggesting that a mixture of preclinical and early disease markers can be detected several years before CLL clinical diagnosis.

There is great interest in developing an adequate partial factor format for the assessment of existing structures, and in particular bridges, that should be able to take various aspects into account linked to the fact that the structure already exists. As the structure is existing, additional information related to material parameters, loading conditions, local structural defects, etc. can be accounted for. In addition, the degree of conservatism needs to be well balanced to avoid unnecessary investment of resources in replacement or retrofitting. This contribution considers the experience gained in recent years in parallel with some ongoing standardisation work in relation to Eurocodes and the next edition of the fib Model Code for new and existing concrete structures. The current state of the art of partial factors for the assessment of existing structures is explored and the differences are assessed based on a comparison between (i) the use of recommended fixed partial factors as provided in many national and international codes, (ii) adjusted (flexible) partial factors derived for the individual case under consideration, and (ii) reliability-based verification. In order to assess the adequacy of proposals and identify some differences, the available partial factor formats are applied to two case studies of reinforced concrete bridges and they are critically assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Full-term pregnancy (FTP) at an early age confers long-term protection against breast cancer. Previously, we reported that a FTP imprints a specific gene expression profile in the breast of postmenopausal women. Herein, we evaluated gene expression changes induced by parity in the breast of premenopausal women. Methods Gene expression profiling of normal breast tissue from 30 nulliparous (NP) and 79 parous (P) premenopausal volunteers was performed using Affymetrix microarrays. In addition to a discovery/validation analysis, we conducted an analysis of gene expression differences in P vs. NP women as a function of time since last FTP. Finally, a laser capture microdissection substudy was performed to compare the gene expression profile in the whole breast biopsy with that in the epithelial and stromal tissues. Results Discovery/validation analysis identified 43 differentially expressed genes in P vs. NP breast. Analysis of expression as a function of time since FTP revealed 286 differentially expressed genes (238 up- and 48 downregulated) comparing all P vs. all NP, and/or P women whose last FTP was less than 5 years before biopsy vs. all NP women. The upregulated genes showed three expression patterns: (1) transient: genes upregulated after FTP but whose expression levels returned to NP levels. These genes were mainly related to immune response, specifically activation of T cells. (2) Long-term changing: genes upregulated following FTP, whose expression levels decreased with increasing time since FTP but did not return to NP levels. These were related to immune response and development. (3) Long-term constant: genes that remained upregulated in parous compared to nulliparous breast, independently of time since FTP. These were mainly involved in development/cell differentiation processes, and also chromatin remodeling. Lastly, we found that the gene expression in whole tissue was a weighted average of the expression in epithelial and stromal tissues. Conclusions Genes transiently activated by FTP may have a role in protecting the mammary gland against neoplastically transformed cells through activation of T cells. Furthermore, chromatin remodeling and cell differentiation, represented by the genes that are maintained upregulated long after the FTP, may be responsible for the lasting preventive effect against breast cancer.

Analysis of the implementation of the Jordan Compact offers three key lessons: governmental approval is important but not sufficient, the incorporation of critical voices is crucial, and meeting numeric targets is not the same as achieving underlying goals.

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This paper analyzes projects of improvement and continuities of neglect found in two peripheral regions in the rural south of Jordan. These areas have been framed as poverty pockets and singled out for special attention. Yet, despite the multitude of improvement projects targeting them since 1990, they have remained on the periphery. I argue that this has resulted from certain dynamics found within current strategies of intervention. These put people in their place as “locals” and render their concerns inferior to “national” or “global” interests. Accordingly, the transformations witnessed are best described as a socio-spatial re-fragmentation of governing strategies.

• For the first time student responses to science questions from the Swedish PISA 2006 Main Study and the PISA 2015 Field Trial have been used in order to investigate differences in boys’ and girls’ written responses. Students’ correct and incorrect answers to the science questions are studied with respect to response length, the number of everyday words used, and the inclusion of nouns and long words in the responses. The results reveal that girls give longer and denser correct responses to most of the questions, compared to boys. The difference in response length cannot be explained by girls’ excessive use of the most common Swedish words, since boys and girls use the same proportion of these words. For incorrect answers the only difference between boys and girls is in the response length, since girls give longer answers than boys.

Objectives. To examine the relationship between “traditional Sami” dietary pattern and mortality in a general northern Swedish population. Study design . Population-based cohort study. Methods. We examined 77,319 subjects from the Västerbotten Intervention Program (VIP) cohort. A traditional Sami diet score was constructed by adding 1 point for intake above the median level of red meat, fatty fish, total fat, berries and boiled coffee, and 1 point for intake below the median of vegetables, bread and fibre. Hazard ratios (HR) for mortality were calculated by Cox regression. Results. Increasing traditional Sami diet scores were associated with slightly elevated all-cause mortality in men [Multivariate HR per 1-point increase in score 1.04 (95% CI 1.01–1.07), p=0.018], but not for women [Multivariate HR 1.03 (95% CI 0.99–1.07), p=0.130]. This increased risk was approximately equally attributable to cardiovascular disease and cancer, though somewhat more apparent for cardiovascular disease mortality in men free from diabetes, hypertension and obesity at baseline [Multivariate HR 1.10 (95% CI 1.01–1.20), p=0.023]. Conclusions. A weak increased all-cause mortality was observed in men with higher traditional Sami diet scores. However, due to the complexity in defining a “traditional Sami” diet, and the limitations of our questionnaire for this purpose, the study should be considered exploratory, a first attempt to relate a “traditional Sami” dietary pattern to health endpoints. Further investigation of cohorts with more detailed information on dietary and lifestyle items relevant for traditional Sami culture is warranted.

Hilde Kristin Brekke, Åsa Sunesson, Ragnhild A LennerDepartment of Clinical Nutrition, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, SwedenObjectives: Reinforcement is critical in dietary counseling, but is also time demanding. We evaluated the acceptability of frequent telephone interviews, including a 24-hour dietary recall, as a means of reinforcement after lifestyle intervention in healthy subjects at risk of diabetes. The aim of this report is to assess the following questions: Was the chosen frequency and duration of telephone reinforcement appropriate? What were the positive and negative aspects of receiving telephone interviews?Methods: Seventy-seven nondiabetic relatives of patients with type 2 diabetes were included in a randomized controlled intervention study in which they received dietary education. Unannounced telephone calls were placed to follow adherence and for encouragement and support. After two years of intervention, the perceived appropriateness of the different aspects of receiving telephone interviews were evaluated by postal questionnaire.Results: Telephone reinforcement was positively received by the participants. Relatively frequent telephone calls, as many as three times per month, were not considered disturbing or time consuming. Participants became aware of their own dietary habits through the interviews, which they appreciated. They found duration of follow-up between one and five years appropriate.Conclusions: Telephone interviews can be applied in lifestyle intervention programs in healthy at-risk individuals in which time constraints may otherwise prevent active persons from participating.Keywords: telephone interviews, reinforcement, lifestyle, intervention, acceptability

Genetic polymorphisms in vitamin D metabolism and signaling genes have been inconsistently associated with risk of breast cancer, though few studies have examined SNPs in vitamin D-related genes other than the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene and particularly have not examined the association with the retinoid X receptor alpha (RXRA) gene which may be a key vitamin D pathway gene. We conducted a nested case-control study of 734 cases and 1435 individually matched controls from a population-based prospective cohort study, the Northern Sweden Mammary Screening Cohort. Tag and functional SNPs were genotyped for the VDR, cytochrome p450 24A1 (CYP24A1), and RXRA genes. We also genotyped specific SNPs in four other genes related to vitamin D metabolism and signaling (GC/VDBP, CYP2R1, DHCR7, and CYP27B1). SNPs in the CYP2R1, DHCR7, and VDBP gene regions that were associated with circulating 25(OH)D concentration in GWAS were also associated with plasma 25(OH)D in our study (p-trend

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) may help to understand the effects of genetic polymorphisms on breast cancer (BC) progression and survival. However, they give only a focused view, which cannot capture the tremendous complexity of this disease. Therefore, we investigated data from a previously conducted GWAS on BC survival for enriched pathways by different enrichment analysis tools using the two main annotation databases Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). The goal was to identify the functional categories (GO terms and KEGG pathways) that are consistently overrepresented in a statistically significant way in the list of genes generated from the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data. The SNPs with allelic p-value cut-offs 0.005 and 0.01 were annotated to the genes by excluding or including a 20 kb up-and down-stream sequence of the genes and analyzed by six different tools. We identified eleven consistently enriched categories, the most significant ones relating to cell adhesion and calcium ion binding. Moreover, we investigated the similarity between our GWAS and the enrichment analyses of twelve published gene expression signatures for breast cancer prognosis. Five of them were commonly used and commercially available, five were based on different aspects of metastasis formation and two were developed from meta-analyses of published prognostic signatures. This comparison revealed similarities between our GWAS data and the general and the specific brain metastasis gene signatures as well as the Oncotype DX signature. As metastasis formation is a strong indicator of a patient's prognosis, this result reflects the survival aspect of the conducted GWAS and supports cell adhesion and calcium signaling as important pathways in cancer progression.

Sex hormones play a key role in the development of breast cancer. Certain polymorphic variants (SNPs and repeat polymorphisms) in hormone-related genes are associated with sex hormone levels. However, the relationship observed between these genetic variants and breast cancer risk has been inconsistent. We conducted a case-control study nested within two prospective cohorts to assess the relationship between specific genetic variants in hormone-related genes and breast cancer risk. In total, 1164 cases and 2111 individually-matched controls were included in the study. We did not observe an association between potential functional genetic polymorphisms in the estrogen pathway, SHBG rs6259, ESR1 rs2234693, CYP19 rs10046 and rs4775936, and UGT1A1 rs8175347, or the progesterone pathway, PGR rs1042838, with the risk of breast cancer. Our results suggest that these genetic variants do not have a strong effect on breast cancer risk.