A comparison of genetic variants between proficient low- and high-risk sport participants

Athletes participating in high-risk sports consistently report higher scores on sensation-seeking measures than do low-risk athletes or non-athletic controls. To determine whether genetic variants commonly associated with sensation seeking were over-represented in such athletes, proficient practitioners of high-risk (n = 141) and low-risk sports (n = 132) were compared for scores on sensation seeking and then genotyped at 33 polymorphic loci in 14 candidate genes. As expected, athletes participating in high-risk sports score higher on sensation seeking than did low-risk sport athletes (P < .01). Genotypes were associated with high-risk sport participation for two genes (stathmin, (P = .004) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (P = .03)) as well as when demographically matched subsets of the sport cohorts were compared (P < .05); however, in all cases, associations did not survive correction for multiple testing.     

Guest editors’ introduction to the special issue on technology entrepreneurship

This special issue examines technology entrepreneurship. Drawing from a rich tradition of research at the interface of the study of entrepreneurship and technological innovation, the articles in the issue examine the effect of environmental conditions on technology entrepreneurship, the processes by which entrepreneurs assemble organizational resources and technical systems, and the strategies used by entrepreneurial firms to pursue opportunities. The papers draw upon a wide variety of empirical evidence, from large sample analyses of archival data to detailed qualitative investigations. Taken together, the papers provide important insights into the major issues facing researchers of technology entrepreneurship today.     

中国耕地变化及其对生物生产力的影响 --兼谈中国的粮食安全

利用覆盖中国国土的Landsat遥感数据,本文监测了1986-2000年间耕地的变化态势,并利用农业生态区划模型,计算了耕地变化导致其生物生产力的变化。研究表明,1986-2000年耕地面积增加了265万公顷(或增加了2%),耕地的平均生物生产力下降了2.2%;研究还发现,耕地变化对中国粮食安全没有造成显著影响。适度的耕地非农化是不可避免的,人为遏制这一转移趋势会影响经济的健康发展。     

The basis for bibliomining: Frameworks for bringing together usage-based data mining and bibliometrics through data warehousing in digital library services

Over the past few years, data mining has moved from corporations to other organizations. This paper looks at the integration of data mining in digital library services. First, bibliomining, or the combination of bibliometrics and data mining techniques to understand library services, is defined and the concept explored. Second, the conceptual frameworks for bibliomining from the viewpoint of the library decision-maker and the library researcher are presented and compared. Finally, a research agenda to resolve many of the common bibliomining issues and to move the field forward in a mindful manner is developed. The result is not only a roadmap for understanding the integration of data mining in digital library services, but also a template for other cross-discipline data mining researchers to follow for systematic exploration in their own subject domains.     

Nagging,noobs and new tricks – students’ perceptions of school as a context for digital technology use

While digital technology is an integral feature of contemporary education, schools are often presumed to constrain and compromise students’ uses of technology. This paper investigates students’ experiences of school as a context for digital technology use. Drawing upon survey data from three Australian secondary schools (n = 1174), this paper considers the various ways in which students use digital devices and applications “in school” and “for school”. After highlighting trends and differences across a range of digital devices and practices, the paper explores the ways in which students perceive school as a limiting and/or enabling setting for technology use. The findings point to a number of ways that schools act to extend as well as curtail student engagement with technology. This paper concludes by considering the possible ways that schools might work to further support and/or enhance students’ technology experiences.     

What Happened on July 21st: An Investigation of Trauma and Trigger Warnings in the English Classroom

The controversy surrounding trigger warnings has highlighted a mystifying confound in post-secondary education. Faculty, students and school bureaucracies are divided. While trigger warning proponents emphasise the value of protecting students with trauma histories from unscaffolded exposure to content related to sexuality, violence, race and political strife, agonists interpret the trigger warning as a threat to academic freedom, artistry and professor autonomy. This paper presents an episode that occurred at a prominent school of education, in which an instructor’s choice of content triggered a post-traumatic response in a student. As the story unfolds, the narrative shifts back and forth between the instructor’s and the student’s experience of the event. The piece concludes with a commentary made by a clinical psychologist and trauma expert, who weighs in on the challenges confronting both professors and students, as each attempts to navigate handling emotionally charged, potentially triggering contents in the post-secondary classroom.     

Multiple-Choice versus Open-Ended Questions in Advanced Clinical Neuroanatomy: Using a National Neuroanatomy Assessment to Investigate Variability in Performance Using Different Question Types

Methods of assessment in anatomy vary across medical schools in the United Kingdom (UK) and beyond; common methods include written, spotter, and oral assessment. However, there is limited research evaluating these methods in regards to student performance and perception. The National Undergraduate Neuroanatomy Competition (NUNC) is held annually for medical students throughout the UK. Prior to 2017, the competition asked open-ended questions (OEQ) in the anatomy spotter examination, and in subsequent years also asked single best answer (SBA) questions. The aim of this study is to assess medical students’ performance on, and perception of, SBA and OEQ methods of assessment in a spotter style anatomy examination. Student examination performance was compared between OEQ (2013–2016) and SBA (2017–2020) for overall score and each neuroanatomical subtopic. Additionally, a questionnaire explored students’ perceptions of SBAs. A total of 631 students attended the NUNC in the studied period. The average mark was significantly higher in SBAs compared to OEQs (60.6% vs. 43.1%, P < 0.0001)—this was true for all neuroanatomical subtopics except the cerebellum. Students felt that they performed better on SBA than OEQs, and diencephalon was felt to be the most difficult neuroanatomical subtopic (n = 38, 34.8%). Students perceived SBA questions to be easier than OEQs and performed significantly better on them in a neuroanatomical spotter examination. Further work is needed to ascertain whether this result is replicable throughout anatomy education.     

青春的骄傲

Proud Maisie is in the wood, 　　Walking so early; 　　Sweet Robin sits on the bush, 　　Singing so rarely.……