Lynn University

Gamification, the strategic integration of game design elements into non-game contexts, has emerged as a powerful pedagogical approach aimed at enhancing motivation, engagement, and learning outcomes in educational environments. This chapter is designed to introduce educators to the fundamental concepts, theoretical foundations, and practical applications of gamification. It begins by defining key components such as points, badges, leaderboards, challenges, narratives, and feedback systems, illustrating how these elements can be tailored to support diverse learning objectives and student profiles.

Excessive surgical bleeding is a potential risk in patients taking ticagrelor who must undergo urgent cardiothoracic (CT) surgery before adequate washout of the drug can occur. The DrugSorb-Antithrombotic removal (ATR) device is a polymer sorbent-filled hemoadsorption cartridge that can remove unbound (active) fractions of ticagrelor and ticagrelor active metabolite (TAM) from blood. STAR-T was a randomized double-blind sham-controlled clinical trial investigating whether the intraoperative use of the device could reduce perioperative bleeding complications in patients undergoing CT surgery within 2 days of ticagrelor discontinuation. Blood samples were collected during the study for total drug level measurements because the ability to measure unbound ticagrelor and TAM (0.2% of total levels) requires an ultra-high sensitivity assay, which is not commercially available. A published and validated pharmacokinetic (PK) model was used to explore the effect of the device on unbound ticagrelor/TAM using the total drug concentrations from the study. The model performed well for simulations of total ticagrelor and TAM, which indicated that the unbound concentrations were also appropriate. The model demonstrated that DrugSorb-ATR significantly reduced unbound ticagrelor and TAM concentrations. Linear and logistic regression analyses of summed ticagrelor and TAM concentrations showed that the DrugSorb-ATR device reduced the probability of clinically relevant bleeding in STAR-T because of the reduction in unbound ticagrelor and TAM.

The DAZAP2 (Deleted in Azoospermia-associated Protein 2) gene encodes an azoospermia-related protein that plays key roles in spermatogenesis, cell cycle regulation, and transcriptional regulation. Here, we employed transcriptome sequencing to analyze porcine testis tissues using long-read and short-read sequencing and identified the DAZAP2 transcripts via RT-PCR. Protein interaction analysis, GO and KEGG enrichment, and competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory network construction were performed to elucidate its functional pathways. Furthermore, we assessed the multi-tissue expression of DAZAP2 and the subcellular localization of the DAZAP2 protein. We identified two spliceosomes of the DAZAP2 gene in Banna mini-pig inbred line (BMI) testicular tissue, namely DAZAP2_X1 and DAZAP2_X2, with DAZAP2_X2 being the predominant transcript. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that DAZAP2_X2 was associated with ubiquitin-protein ligase binding, positive regulation of protein monoubiquitination and Wnt signaling pathway, indicating its involvement in spermatogenesis. Additionally, we identified nine microRNAs (miRNAs) interacting with DAZAP2_X2, including ssc-miR-490-3p, ssc-miR-150, ssc-miR-107, ssc-miR-193a-3p, ssc-miR-497, ssc-miR-192, ssc-miR-383, ssc-miR-129a-5p, and ssc-miR-181a, most of which were associated with spermatogenesis. We found DAZAP2_X2 was highly expressed in the testis and bulbourethral glands and was mainly localized in the cytoplasm. These findings suggest that DAZAP2_X2 played a significant role in spermatogenesis and provide a reference for further research on spermatogenesis-related genes and regulatory pathways.

This paper describes an innovative first-year experience program that supports students’ academic and personal success through mentorship, community engagement, design thinking, and guided personal development. A study on the efficacy of this program revealed significant gains in students’ sense of community, campus engagement, preparedness for life at the university, and confidence in securing an internship, in addition to positive feelings about faculty mentors. These results suggest the program’s effectiveness in strengthening early college experiences and promoting student confidence in navigating university life and career development.

» Skin adhesives are increasingly used in orthopaedic surgery because they provide secure incision closure, limit postoperative drainage, support wound integrity, and may reduce operative time. However, allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) remains an important consideration with their use. ACD is a hypersensitivity skin reaction seen in some patients exposed to surgical adhesives, particularly the 2-octyl cyanoacrylate ingredient. It can be difficult to distinguish ACD from cellulitis or surgical site infections due to overlapping clinical features. Timely recognition is critical, as early management can minimize wound complications and optimize outcomes. Management options include removal of the adhesive, topical corticosteroids, oral antihistamines, and antibiotics with concomitant infection. This review highlights the role of surgical adhesives across several orthopaedic surgery subspecialties, emphasizing the incidence, recognition, and management of surgical adhesive-related ACD.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common mental health condition that significantly impacts an individual's quality of life and functioning. Accurate diagnosis and effective management are crucial to lessen its effects. This article provides an overview of the clinical assessment of MDD in adults, including diagnostic criteria, screening tools, and differential diagnosis. It also reviews traditional and emerging management strategies including pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, lifestyle interventions, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, and esketamine. Insights from the STAR∗D study, which shed light on the complexities of treating depression, are discussed to emphasize the importance of personalized treatment approaches.