Soil Composition

Soil is essential for life on Earth. It is needed for food, air, clothing and so much more. Discussion topics include the terms 'soil', 'dirt', and 'sediment', factors affecting the formation of soils, soil horizons, and the twelve orders of soils. In a hands-on activity, students will collect soil samples from three different locations, use online resources to determine texture and particle makeup, and record their observations. Educational levels: Undergraduate lower division, High school

A Biological Inventory of Meacham Cave (Independence County, Arkansas)

During September 2008 through June 2011, we compiled a biological inventory of Meacham Cave in Independence County, AR. Compared to other caves in the region, Meacham Cave houses few vertebrates, but non-aquatic invertebrates were relatively common. A transiently-increased bacterial load in the cave’s only pool of water indicated recent fecal contamination. The combination of vandalism, low vertebrate populations, and high coliform bacterial load reveals that human abuse of the cave has significantly disrupted its ecosystem. Gating the cave in such a way as to allow the movement of bats, salamanders and other animals, while excluding humans, may allow the cave ecosystem to recover. The close proximity of the cave to Lyon College makes it ideal for long-term investigation

Soil Composition

Soil, dirt, sediment, what’s the difference? Depending upon whom you ask, you might get a radically different answer. Some sources state that the only difference between them has to do with their location: soil is the unconsolidated material on the ground, dirt is that same matter on your hands or clothes, and sediment is the same material on the bottom of a river or lake. Others define the differences based upon the size and shape of the material grains. For the purposes of this activity, we are going to define things the following ways. Soil is a complex, unconsolidated mixture of inorganic, organic, and living material that is found on the immediate surface of the earth that supports plant life. Dirt is any fine-grained, unconsolidated mixture that comes from the ground. Sediment is granular material that has been eroded by the forces of nature. Thus, soil can be considered dirt, and it can consist of sediments, but dirt and sediments are not necessarily soil. It is this last part of the definition of soil that is so important to us. Without soil, there would be no plant life on the surface of the land. Without plant life, we would not exist. We need it for food. We need it for oxygen. We need it for clothing and shelter. We need it for energy. There is a vital interplay between soil and plants, which makes it vitally important that we understand the fragile nature of soils

CLILSTORE - Una herramienta online para profesores de idiomas

The Tools for CLIL Teachers project has created a free online service where language teachers can author and share content-rich, multimedia learning units featuring the creator’s own choice of audio, video, text and images/graphics. No installation or setup of software is required. The authoring tools feature a unique and innovative element of functionality i.e. the ability to automatically link every word in a text to online dictionaries in over 100 languages. The teacher will have the choice of either sharing the resulting webpage online from the system’s repository or of sharing a link to the webpage on websites, via email or institutional VLEs, for example. The online service also enables authoring of learning units from mobile devices (e.g. iPads) and is compatible with any operating system (Linux, Windows, MacOS, Unix etc.). The learning materials may also be accessed and used via smart phones, and materials may also potentially be authored from smart phones. We hope that the ability to access the learning materials from smart phones will encourage teachers to create materials. The user friendliness of the system also benefits teachers of mainstream languages and results in bespoke VOLL (Vocationally-Oriented Language Learning) and CLIL materials in the LWUTL (Less Widely Used and Taught Languages). We are convinced that the online system, both the content authoring tools and the repository of materials, will be of huge benefit to educational institutions and learners alike, not least because the service is free of charge and open source. Crucially, the authoring tools and resulting content can be used from inexpensive mobile devices and older computers as they do not require high data processing capacity or bandwidth.El Proyecto Tools for CLIL Teachers ha creado un servicio online gratuito donde los profesores de idiomas pueden crear y compartir unidades de aprendizaje multimedia ricas en contenido, con la elección del creador de audio, vídeo, texto e imágenes / gráficos. No es necesaria ninguna instalación o configuración de software. Las herramientas de creación presentan un elemento único e innovador de funcionalidad, es decir, la capacidad de vincular automáticamente cada palabra en un texto a diccionarios online en más de 100 idiomas. El profesor tendrá la opción de compartir la página online resultante del repositorio del sistema o de compartir un enlace a la página Web en sitios, por correo electrónico o VLE institucionales, por ejemplo. El servicio online también permite la creación de unidades de aprendizaje desde dispositivos móviles (por ejemplo, iPads) y es compatible con cualquier sistema operativo (Linux, Windows, MacOS, Unix, etc.). También es posible tener acceso y usar los materiales de aprendizaje en smartphones, como también ser creados en los mismos. Esperamos que la capacidad de acceso a los materiales de aprendizaje de los smartphones incentive a los profesores a crear materiales. La facilidad de uso del sistema también beneficia a los profesores de las lenguas tradicionales y resulta en materiales VOLL (Aprendizaje de Lenguas Orientadas Profesionalmente) y materiales CLIL personalizados en las lenguas LWUTL (Lenguas Menos Utilizadas y Enseñadas). Estamos convencidos de que el sistema online, tanto en las herramientas de creación de contenido y en el repositorio de materiales, será un gran beneficio para las instituciones de enseñanza y los alumnos, porque el servicio es gratuito y de código abierto. Especialmente importante, las herramientas de creación y el contenido resultante se pueden utilizar desde dispositivos móviles más baratos y equipos más antiguos, ya que no requieren una alta capacidad de procesamiento de datos o ancho de banda

The Pedagogical Value of Literature as a Tool to Teach EFL through a CLIL Approach in Spanish Secondary Schools

Trabajo de fin de Grado. Grado en Estudios Ingleses. Curso académico 2014-2015[ES]Este trabajo propone un enfoque alternativo a la enseñanza de inglés como lengua extranjera en centros Españoles de educación secundaria y destaca los beneficios del uso de la literatura inglesa como herramienta para aprender el idioma a través de un enfoque AICLE. Para ello se analizará la posible aplicación práctica que puede tener la literatura inglesa tomando como base cada uno de los principios teóricos de la metodología AICLE: Contenido, Comunicación, Cognición y Cultura. La validez de la perspectiva que se ofrece en este estudio deriva de las conclusiones de una amplia variedad de académicos a nivel mundial que defienden el valor pedagógico tanto de la metodología AICLE como del uso de textos literarios como medios para aprender un III idioma de forma efectiva. En la conclusión de este trabajo se establece que el uso de la literatura inglesa a través de un enfoque AICLE en la clase de inglés puede tener un potencial ilimitado a la hora de desarrollar las habilidades lingüísticas en inglés de estudiantes españoles de secundaria además de proporcionarles aprendizaje de contenidos y adquisición de competencia intercultural, los cuales contribuirán a desarrollar al máximo sus habilidades cognitivas.[EN]This paper offers an alternative approach to the teaching of English as a foreign language in Spanish secondary schools and highlights the benefits of using English literature for language learning within a CLIL methodology. It will do so by exploring the potential application that literature might have by building on each of the four theoretical principles of CLIL: Content, Communication, Cognition and Culture. The validity of the view offered in this study relies on conclusions drawn from a variety of scholars worldwide that support the pedagogical usefulness of both CLIL and of literary texts for effectively learning a foreign language. This paper will conclude that the use of English literature through a CLIL approach in the EFL class may have limitless potential in enhancing Spanish secondary students’ English linguistic skills while providing them with both content knowledge and intercultural competence which will contribute to develop their cognitive abilities to the highest levels

Removal of Heavy Metals Using Kenaf Fibers

The feasibility of using natural fibers such as Kenaf to remove the heavy metals as a replacement for costly convectional methods of removing heavy metal ions has been reviewed. It is well known that the cellulose waste material can be obtained and is a cheap adsorbent. Some of the advantages of using Kenaf for wastewater treatment include simple technique, requires little processing, good adsorption capacity, selective adsorption ofheavy metal ions, low cost, free availability and easy regenerations. Two types of experiment were conducted. The first experiment was carried out by varying the concentration of the adsorbent and the solutions of heavy metals whilst another experiment was conducted by varying the amount ofthe kenaf fibres. Several runs of both experiments were conducted and the results were analyzed in order to achieve the primary objective of this project. The results obtained were analyzed using Atomic Adsorption Spectroscopy method. Kenaf fibres adsorbed more cadmium compared to nickel for both the individual solutions and mixed metal solution but the amount adsorbed in the mixed metal solution was comparably similar where as for individual solution, the adsorption of cadmium was higher compared to Nickel. Adsorption of metals also depends on the residence time. The longer the time, the more the metals are adsorbed

How Social Determinants of Health, Health-Seeking Behaviors, and Treatment Adherence Influence and Interact with Endemic Levels of Pulmonary TB and MDR-TB in Urban Rajasthan

Tuberculosis, the worlds most deadly infectious disease, remains as one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in modern-day India. The country has the highest burden of both tuberculosis as well as multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, a more recently emerging menace. This study focuses on the social determinants of health pertaining to tuberculosis, identifying and discussing “at-risk” groups in the population of urban Rajasthan. Jaipur was chosen as the field study location because of the city’s extensive levels of healthcare institutions and facilities. In order to identify common patient demographics as well as issues regarding treatment adherence, medical records and interviews were taken from patients at the Chest and TB Hospital (SMS Medical College). The data was then analyzed from both qualitative and quantitative perspectives. A wide array of healthcare professionals were also interviewed in order to gain an auxiliary understanding of patient demographics, as well as to identify factors that contribute to high endemic levels of tuberculosis and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. The researcher hoped to further address how current government legislation and policies can take these issues into consideration in order to effectively continue the battle against tuberculosis in India

Proximity and impact of university-industry collaborations. A topic detection analysis of impact reports

The probability to initiate university-industry collaborations (UICs), their intensity and quality, are influenced by the proximity between the collaboration partners. However, little is known about the relationship between collaborators' proximity and impact of UICs. Building on an original database of 415 UICs in the United Kingdom, we analyse the association between collaborators' proximity and the extent to which UICs generate economic, social and knowledge impact. We find that geographical and institutional proximity are substitutes in relation to economic impact, cognitive and institutional proximity are substitutes in relation to knowledge impact, and social impact is associated with cognitive and institutional distance

Биоимиджинг клеток: введение в анализ изображений с помощью ImageJ (Часть 1)

Пособие будет полезным для бакалавров, магистров и аспирантов при освоении ими программного комплекса ImageJ (Fiji) и получении первичных навыков анализа визуальных изображений в рамках проведения лабораторно-практических занятий, выполнения курсовых и дипломных проектов, кандидатских диссертаций, а также для научных работников, преподавателей вузов и специалистов, занимающихся компьютерной обработкой цифровых изображений микрообъектов в области клеточной биологии, цитофизиологии, биоимиджинговой информатики и др.2