Among the "desirable difficulty" (DD) strategies developed by cognitive scientists, retrieval practice and distributed practice are two of the most robust and advantageous. This study evaluated a three-component intervention to enhance student learning that consisted of instruction about the advantages of retrieval and distributed…

This article will (1) initially outline first-year nursing and undergraduate exercise sciences student perspectives on examinations of the 2011 Michael-McFarland (M-M2011) core principles in physiology through an anonymous online survey, and (2) model an updated approach based on these qualitative findings. Briefly, for the first perspective (i of…

Elevated "neural noise" has been advanced as an explanation of autism and autistic sensory experiences. However, functional neuroimaging measures of neural noise may be vulnerable to contamination by recording noise. This study explored variability of electrophysiological responses to tones of different intensities in 127 autistic and 79…

Background: Measures that assess muscle strength and its development, either voluntarily or involuntarily, are important in the clinical and research context. The main aim of this study was to verify the interday reliability and the minimum detectable change (MDC) of the knee extensors muscles torque using evoked contractions and explosive…

Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by a wide range of behavioral alterations, including impaired social interaction and repetitive behaviors. Numerous pharmacological interventions have been developed for autism spectrum disorder, often proving ineffective and accompanied by a multitude of side effects. The gut…

Self-regulation is an essential component of school readiness. Although in educational contexts self-regulation is typically defined in terms of volitional processes, it also encompasses the activity of neurophysiological systems, including the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). In a prospective longitudinal study, 102 preschoolers (M[subscript…

Recent studies show that oxidative stress has an important role in the etiology of autism. In our study, Nrf2, which is the main regulator of cellular antioxidant response, and Keap1 and Gsk-3[beta], which are the main proteins that regulate this pathway, were compared between children with autism and healthy controls. To the best of our…

Objective: This study examined the effects of a college mindfulness course on vital-signs and Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) scores. Participants: Two independent groups of 20 students were enrolled in the mindfulness course during the Fall 2018 ("Trial 1") and Spring 2019 ("Trial 2") semesters. Methods: Blood…

This paper presents a review of the literature pertaining to exam anxiety, highlighting findings from empirical studies, theoretical frameworks, and practical strategies. Exam anxiety is a pervasive issue affecting students worldwide, impacting academic performance and psychological well-being. This review explores the causes, manifestations, and…

This study examined the relation between interparental conflict and cortisol recovery, with child temperamental negative affectivity as the moderator. Children (n = 118) ages 9-11 years observed an argument between their parents in the lab and provided saliva samples for cortisol assays. Children also reported levels of interparental conflict, and…

Impedance (Z), resistance (R), reactance (Xc), and phase angle (PhA) are sensitive to shifts in fluid between intra- and extracellular compartments, as would occur with nutrient uptake into skeletal muscle, but remains largely unexplored. To explore the sensitivity of whole-body and segmental (arms, legs, trunk) bioimpedance to acute feeding, 27…

Artificial placentas (APs) are technologies that mimic the human placenta to treat extremely preterm infants. Being an invasive and risky technology, it will raise important ethical questions for human trials. Hence, in this Topic Piece we provide a blueprint of further issues to investigate. First, counselling will have the double role of…

Gross anatomy courses utilize cadaver dissection to teach identification, topography, and spatial relationships of organs. The deconstructive nature of dissection, however, focuses students' attention on the "big picture", followed by a discovery of details. This approach may be useful for many, however some students may prefer to…

Children raised in chaotic households show affect dysregulation during later childhood. To understand why, we took day-long home recordings using microphones and autonomic monitors from 74 12-month-old infant-caregiver dyads (40% male, 60% white, data collected between 2018 and 2021). Caregivers in low-Confusion Hubbub And Order Scale (chaos)…

Water is one of the most common molecules in the universe. Water is polarized, but it has many states besides the normal tetrahedron depicted in standard biology texts. Water is also the most ubiquitous molecule on Earth, the universal solvent. It is the internal and external habitat of cells. Ecologically, water is contiguous with life and the…