A selected survey of umbral calculus

We survey the mathematical literature on umbral calculus (otherwise known as the calculus of finite differences) from its roots in the 19th century (and earlier) as a set of "magic rules" for lowering and raising indices, through its rebirth in the 1970’s as Rota’s school set it on a firm logical foundation using operator methods, to the current state of the art with numerous generalizations and applications. The survey itself is complemented by a fairly complete bibliography (over 500 references) which we expect to update regularly

Percepción sobre el uso de 'Soundcool' como propuesta de intervención en la creación sonora y en el desarrollo de competencias docentes. Un estudio exploratorio en la formación inicial del profesorado

ABSTRACT: This article presents an exploratory study of two groups of university students, one with musical education and the other without, and their thoughts on the use of the 'Soundcool' system. It is a technological tool designed for collaborative sound creation through mobile devices and tablets. After intervening with this modular system in the field of initial teacher education in the Master's Degree, a survey was designed and taken by two groups of students from two Spanish universities, with a total of 66 participants. Using musical education as a comparison variable (with vs. without previous musical education), our analyses focused on the following categories: experience with ICT, the relationship between ICT and education, the perception of the tool used and development of teaching skills. The results indicate that 'Soundcool', no matter what the musical formation of the participating groups is, is always perceived as a highly valued technological tool that can contribute to the development of intrapersonal and interpersonal teaching competencies; specifically, those related to creative development, collaborative work and innovation, fundamental in the professional performance of the future teacher. Also, in the conclusions, several contributions were made in relation to the use of this system. We invite the educational community in different educational musical contexts, such as music schools and conservatories, to reflect on the possibilities offered by using new technologies being used in the classroom.RESUMEN: Este artículo presenta un estudio exploratorio acerca de la percepción que dos grupos de estudiantes universitarios, uno con formación musical y el otro sin ella, tienen sobre el uso del sistema ‘Soundcool’. Se trata de una herramienta tecnológica diseñada para la creación sonora colaborativa a través de dispositivos móviles y tablets. Tras la intervención con este sistema modular en el ámbito de la formación inicial de profesorado en el Título de Grado de Maestro, se diseñó un cuestionario en el que participaron dos grupos de estudiantes de dos universidades españolas, con un total de 66 participantes. Utilizando la formación musical como variable de comparación (con vs. sin formación musical previa), nuestros análisis se centraron en las categorías: experiencia con las TIC, relación entre TIC y educación, percepción de la herramienta utilizada y desarrollo de competencias docentes. Los resultados indican que ‘Soundcool’, independientemente de la formación musical de los grupos participantes, es percibida como una herramienta tecnológica altamente valorada y puede contribuir al desarrollo de competencias docentes de índole intrapersonal e interpersonal; concretamente, aquellas relacionadas con el desarrollo creativo, trabajo colaborativo e innovación, fundamentales en el desempeño profesional del futuro maestro. Asimismo, en las conclusiones se realizan varias aportaciones en relación al uso del sistema. Invitamos a la comunidad educativa en diferentes contextos musicales educativos, tales como escuelas de música y conservatorios, a reflexionar sobre las posibilidades que ofrecen las nuevas tecnologías en el aula.Esta investigación se ha realizado dentro del proyecto 16-AC-2016 (2016-2019) subvencionado por la Fundación Daniel & Nina Carass

An Infancy-Onset 20-Year Dietary Counselling Intervention and Gut Microbiota Composition in Adulthood

The randomized controlled Special Turku Coronary Risk Factor Intervention Project (STRIP) has completed a 20-year infancy-onset dietary counselling intervention to reduce exposure to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk factors via promotion of a heart-healthy diet. The counselling on, e.g., low intake of saturated fat and cholesterol and promotion of fruit, vegetable, and whole-grain consumption has affected the dietary characteristics of the intervention participants. By leveraging this unique cohort, we further investigated whether this long-term dietary intervention affected the gut microbiota bacterial profile six years after the intervention ceased. Our sub-study comprised 357 individuals aged 26 years (intervention n = 174, control n = 183), whose gut microbiota were profiled using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. We observed no differences in microbiota profiles between the intervention and control groups. However, out of the 77 detected microbial genera, the Veillonella genus was more abundant in the intervention group compared to the controls (log(2) fold-change 1.58, p < 0.001) after adjusting for multiple comparison. In addition, an association between the study group and overall gut microbiota profile was found only in males. The subtle differences in gut microbiota abundances observed in this unique intervention setting suggest that long-term dietary counselling reflecting dietary guidelines may be associated with alterations in gut microbiota

The Pacifican, October 1 ,1982

https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/pacifican/3450/thumbnail.jp