Useful academic references for data mining and usage statistics

Relates to the following software for analysing Blackboard stats http://www.edshare.soton.ac.uk/11134/ Is supporting material for the following podcast: http://youtu.be/yHxCzjiYBo

Web 2.0 technologies for learning at Key Stages 3 and 4: summary report

The research project on Web 2.0 technologies for learning at Key Stages 3 and 4 was a major initiative funded by Becta to investigate the use and impact of such technologies in and out of school. The purpose of this research was to help shape Becta's own thinking and inform policy-makers, schools and local authorities on the potential benefits of Web 2.0 technologies and how their use can be effectively and safely realised. This document is he summary of the reports published for this project

Quantification of short-chain fatty acids in cecal material by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Probiotic bacteria in the human colon that produce C2 – C4 short chain fatty acids (SCFA) and Lactobacillus species that produce lactate in addition to SCFAs are known to have positive health benefits. These organic acids were extracted with ether from murine cecal material (from Dr. Gary Huffnagle, Univ. of Mich.) and derivatized for quantitative measurement by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Antibiotic-treated animals gavaged with Candidaalbicans had a lower level of cecal butyrate relative to untreated animals, but a higher level of butyrate when treated mice were also administered Lactobacillus johnsonii NF-1. More recent studies have demonstrated a butyrate-lowering effect of antibiotic-/C. albicans treatment relative to antibiotic or C. albicans treatment alone, but a corresponding increase in the level of lactate. It is proposed that the steady state levels of small organic acids provide a marker of human health and disease

A Brief Overview of the Life and Work of Lyon Henry Appleby, M.D. (1895-1970).

The life and work of Dr. Lyon Henry Appleby, M.D., portrays the essence of a devoted clinician committed to scholarly excellence. Born in Deseronto, Ontario, in 1895 and passing in 1970, Dr. Appleby influenced all areas of general surgery, most notably popularizing a procedure that bears his name today. After a tour in World War I, he quickly proved himself to be a dedicated clinician with roots in academia, which translated into excellence within the Department of Surgery at St. Paul\u27s Hospital in Vancouver, Canada. He served in various leadership roles including Chair of the Department of Surgery, President of the International College of Surgeons, and Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons. The Appleby procedure, or en bloc removal of the celiac axis, at the time of gastrectomy, is the technical focus of this paper, although reference is made to Appleby\u27s extensive contributions to historical medicine

Determining Courses of Study in Farm Mechanics for Texas Based on the Analysis of the Need of 300 Negro Farmers

The present world crisis has increased the demand for farm mechanics. With the manpower shortage and increasingly heavy production demands, farmers throughout the country have had to shift more and more to mechanized farming. Also the limitation placed on the manufacture of farm machinery as factories shifted to the production of weapons of war has made it necessary that farmers do more to keep their machinery in repair. Training in the efficient handling of these new types of machines is imperative. Too, the manpower shortage makes it necessary for the farmer to do much of his own repair work, rather than rely upon men who can fix things . Roehl, realizing this problem, has suggested a community repair shop in which may be done many of the repair jobs that arise daily on farms. However, in many sections of America\u27s largest state, such community repair shops could not be conveniently located to serve the needs of the farmers who live great distances apart. In predicting post-war needs one readily sees continued use of modern farm machinery, modernization of farm homes, and nation wide rural electrification. The farmer of the future must be taught the new processes incident to these developments. In view of the foregoing, it becomes, then, the purpose of this thesis to propose a course of study in farm mechanics designed to meet the specific needs of Negro farmers in the State of Texas. This study involves three hundred Negro farmers located in forty counties where farm mechanics is taught. These farmers live in the northeast, east-central, and southeast sections of Texas

Improving integrated wildfire management in the Fynbos Biome of South Africa using information on synoptic-scale atmospheric features that promote wildfires

Wildfire, an essential element for the Fynbos Biome of South Africa, can be a threat to property and human life if it is not well managed. Despite many studies on the dynamics and management of wildfire, the role of the atmosphere in inducing regional circulations that promote widespread wildfire is not well known. This dissertation studies the characteristics of wildfire in the Fynbos Biome, identifies synoptic-scale atmospheric features that produce favourable conditions for the wildfire, and examines possibility of using the features as indicators for wildfire occurrence. Ten years (2003 - 2012) of fire data from the MODIS "active-fires" datasets were analysed over the study domain. Daily Fire Danger Index (FDI) was calculated over Southern Africa for this period using maximum temperature (Tmax), minimum relative humidity (RHmin), and maximum wind speed (Wmax) data from the Climate Forecasting System Reanalysis datasets (CFSR) at a 0.5°x0.5° horizontal resolution. The Self Organising Maps (SOMs) technique was used to classify the FDI (anomaly) patterns on the fire days, and the atmospheric dynamics associated with each pattern were studied