The Relationship Between Attitude and Anxiety Toward Teaching Science in Pre-Service Elementary Teachers and the Use of Science Olympiad Events

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the anxiety and attitudes of pre-service elementary teachers toward teaching science and the use of Science Olympiad events in an elementary science methods course. The participants were 34 pre-service elementary teachers enrolled in the Winter 2010 and Spring 2011 trimesters in the course Science in the Elementary School at a private university in south Mississippi. Attitude toward teaching science was measured using the Revised Science Attitude Scale. Anxiety was measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (Form Y). Data collection involved participants taking pretests for attitude and state anxiety on the first class meeting and then posttests for attitude and anxiety on the last class meeting of the course. The collection of qualitative data occurred throughout the classes through video recording groups of participants while they were engaged in Elementary Science Olympiad events. Dependent t-tests were used to compare preattitude and postattitude as well as prestate anxiety and poststate anxiety. Results of the statistical analysis of preand postattitude scores indicate a statistically significant difference in students’ attitudes toward teaching science. Students had significantly higher attitude scores upon completion of the course. Results of the statistical analysis of pre- and poststate anxiety scores also indicate a statistically significant difference in students’ anxiety toward teaching science. Students had significantly lower anxiety scores upon completion of the course. These results suggest that the use of Science Olympiad events in an elementary science methods course is beneficial to promoting science teaching in the elementary classroom

Abnormal Distribution of Nucleic Acid in Tissue Culture Cells Infected with Polyoma Virus

THE polyoma virus, originally isolated from mice, has been shown to produce multiple tumours when inoculated into new-born mice and hamsters (Stewart, Eddy and Borgese, 1958). Growth of the virus in mouse embryo tissue cultures is accompanied by a regular cytopathic effect, notably clumpino, of cells and detachment from glass surfaces (Eddy, Stewart and Berkeley, 1958). The fluorescent antibody technique has shown that in polyoma-infected tissue culturcs of mouse embryo cells viral antigenic material develops first in the host cell nuclei and appears later in the cytoplasm (Henle, Deinhart and Rodriguez, 1959). Electron micrographs of ultrathin sections of tissue culture cells infected with the prototype SE and Mill Hill strains of polyoma virus have shown large niimbers of virus-like particles, mostly in the nuclei (Bernhard, Febvre and Cramer

Modeling and control of an easy-to-use direct write printing system for fabrication of bone scaffolds

3D printing is a diverse field, in particular for biological or bioengineering applications. As a result, research teams working in this area are often multidisciplinary. A (bio) 3D printer in this research environment should balance performance with ease of use to enable system adjustments and operation for all machine users from a wide range of disciplines. This work presented results in the development of an easy-to-use direct-write (DW) printing system for fabrication of rectilinear bone scaffolds. Common motion control problems, which are barriers to ease of use, were addressed and implemented in a way that researchers outside of the controls field could easily understand. The main goal of this work was to ensure that this system could be easily operated and adjusted by future users to enable a wide range of projects. In addition, we hope the design and development steps presented can be extended to other systems to lower the technical hurdle of motion control for any laboratory or researcher with an interest in using DW printing in his or her field. The design aspects and control parameters included a dynamic model of a 3-stage positioning system for bone scaffold fabrication, a feedforward plus feedback controller design, active pressure regulation, and a user-friendly iterative learning control (ILC) compensator. The ability of the (bio) 3D printer to print rectilinear bone scaffolds is presented. Further, prelimineary work in precise start/stop of ink flow and curved scaffold rods was presented to enable printing of multi-material and curvilinear bone scaffolds in future projects

Effects of a Diamond Mine on Tundra-Breeding Birds

Breeding birds (songbirds, shorebirds, and ptarmigan) were surveyed at the Ekati Diamond Mine in Canada’s Northwest Territories from 1996 through 2003. Surveys were conducted on permanent, 25 ha mine and control plots. Five metrics (relative density of individual species, relative density of all birds, species richness using rarefaction curves, and species diversity using two indices) were used to assess potential impacts up to a distance of 1 km from the mine. Six species were more common on mine plots, and three were more common on control plots. Species diversity was slightly higher on mine plots when measured with Fisher’s alpha index. No other metrics suggested strong impacts. This study suggests that the mine has had a relatively limited impact on the upland breeding bird community within 1 km of the footprint but has provided habitat for at least one synanthropic bird species. Further monitoring of breeding birds on the tundra should include pre-development control data and demographic variables such as reproductive success and survival.De 1996 à 2003, on a étudié les oiseaux nicheurs (oiseaux chanteurs, oiseaux de rivage et lagopède) à la mine de diamants Ekati située dans les Territoires du Nord-Ouest au Canada. L’étude a été effectuée sur des parcelles permanentes de 25 ha, situées sur la mine et sur des sites témoins. On a utilisé 5 paramètres de mesure (densité relative de chaque espèce, densité relative de tous les oiseaux, richesse spécifique utilisant les courbes de raréfaction, et diversité spécifique utilisant deux indices) afin d’évaluer les retombées potentielles jusqu’à une distance de 1 km de la mine. Six espèces se retrouvaient plus communément sur les parcelles de la mine, et trois, sur les parcelles témoins. La diversité spécifique était légèrement plus grande sur les parcelles de la mine quand on les mesurait avec l’index alpha de Fisher. Aucun autre paramètre ne laissait croire qu’il y avait des retombées significatives. Cette étude suggère que la mine a eu un effet relativement limité sur la communauté terrestre des oiseaux nicheurs jusqu’à 1 km de son empreinte, mais qu’elle a fourni un habitat à au moins une espèce d’oiseau synanthrope. Des études ultérieures portant sur les oiseaux nicheurs dans la toundra devraient inclure des données de contrôle préalables à la mise en valeur et des variables démographiques telles que le succès de la reproduction et la survie

COVID-19 exposure and diagnosis among college student drinkers: links to alcohol use behavior, motives, and context

The COVID-19 pandemic is a public health crisis. College student alcohol use is highly prevalent and primarily occurs in social settings where risk for COVID-19 transmission is heightened. This study explored the associations between alcohol use frequency, quantity, motives, and context with: (i) quarantine due to COVID-19 exposure and (ii) a positive diagnosis for COVID-19. A sample of n = 409 college student drinkers completed an online survey about their health and behaviors during the Fall 2020 semester. Since the start of the semester, 36% of students quarantined and 13% of students received a COVID-19 diagnosis. More frequent alcohol use was associated with increased odds of both quarantine and COVID-19 diagnosis. More frequent drinking for social motives was associated with increased likelihood of quarantine, and more frequent drinking for conformity motives was associated with increased likelihood of COVID-19 diagnosis. Participants who often drank alone or with a small group of friends were about half as likely to have quarantined, while those who often drank with a large group of friends were almost twice as likely to have quarantined. Participants who often drank in a bar or nightclub had almost three times the odds of a COVID-19 diagnosis. Frequent alcohol use and drinking for social and conformity motives and in certain contexts are linked to increased likelihood of COVID-19 exposure and diagnosis. Alcohol use prevention efforts, coupled with messaging to discourage large social gatherings in public places, might help to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 among college students

Property rents in medieval English towns: Hull in the fourteenth century

This paper examines whether property rents varied within the medieval town of Hull. Scholars have been deterred from analysing medieval urban rents because of a belief that they were ‘fossilised’ from an early stage in town development, and therefore did not reflect economic forces that guided the later development of towns. Hull rents reported in the 1347 rental had been set only recently, however. Statistical analysis of these rents reveals the economic topography of the town and leads to a reconsideration of its economic development

Patterning in Placental 11-B Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Methylation According to Prenatal Socioeconomic Adversity

Background: Prenatal socioeconomic adversity as an intrauterine exposure is associated with a range of perinatal outcomes although the explanatory mechanisms are not well understood. The development of the fetus can be shaped by the intrauterine environment through alterations in the function of the placenta. In the placenta, the HSD11B2 gene encodes the 11-beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase enzyme, which is responsible for the inactivation of maternal cortisol thereby protecting the developing fetus from this exposure. This gene is regulated by DNA methylation, and this methylation and the expression it controls has been shown to be susceptible to a variety of stressors from the maternal environment. The association of prenatal socioeconomic adversity and placental HSD11B2 methylation has not been examined. Following a developmental origins of disease framework, prenatal socioeconomic adversity may alter fetal response to the postnatal environment through functional epigenetic alterations in the placenta. Therefore, we hypothesized that prenatal socioeconomic adversity would be associated with less HSD11B2 methylation. Methods and Findings: We examined the association between DNA methylation of the HSD11B2 promoter region in the placenta of 444 healthy term newborn infants and several markers of prenatal socioeconomic adversity: maternal education, poverty, dwelling crowding, tobacco use and cumulative risk. We also examined whether such associations were sex-specific. We found that infants whose mothers experienced the greatest levels of socioeconomic adversity during pregnancy had the lowest extent of placental HSD11B2 methylation, particularly for males. Associations were maintained for maternal education when adjusting for confounders (p\u3c0.05). Conclusions: Patterns of HSD11B2 methylation suggest that environmental cues transmitted from the mother during gestation may program the developing fetus’s response to an adverse postnatal environment, potentially via less exposure to cortisol during development. Less methylation of placental HSD11B2 may therefore be adaptive and promote the effective management of stress associated with social adversity in a postnatal environment

Identification and characterization of a spontaneous ovarian carcinoma in Lewis rats

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Ovarian carcinoma is the fourth most common cause of death from cancer in women. Limited progress has been made toward improving the survival rate of patients with this disease in part because of the lack of a good animal model. We present here a model of spontaneous ovarian carcinoma arising in a normal Lewis rat.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A spontaneously occurring tumor of the left ovary was found in a normal Lewis rat during necropsy, which was sectioned for histological examination and placed into single cell suspension. Tumor cells were passaged <it>in vivo </it>by intraperitoneal injection into immunocompetent Lewis rats, and <it>in vitro </it>culture resulted in generation of a cell line. Tumor cells were examined by flow cytometry for expression of estrogen receptor α, progesterone receptor, androgen receptor, her-2/neu, epithelial cell adhesion molecule, and CA125. β-catenin expression and cellular localization was assessed by immunocytochemistry. RNA was harvested for gene expression profiling and studying the expression of cytokines.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The tumor, designated FNAR, could be serially transplanted into Lewis rats and propagated as a cell line <it>in vitro</it>, maintaining the properties of the original tumor. The FNAR cells displayed striking morphologic similarities to human ovarian carcinoma, resembling the endometrioid carcinoma subtype of surface epithelial neoplasms. The cells expressed estrogen receptor α, progesterone receptor, androgen receptor, her-2/neu, epithelial cell adhesion molecule, CA125, and nuclear β-catenin. A gene expression profile showed upregulation of a number of genes that are also upregulated in human ovarian carcinoma.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This reliable model of ovarian carcinoma should be helpful in better understanding the biology of the disease as well as the development of novel treatment strategies.</p

ARL White Paper on Wikidata: Opportunities and Recommendations

This white paper highlights opportunities for research library involvement in Wikidata, particularly in community-based collections, community-owned infrastructure, and collective collections

An improved, high-quality draft genome sequence of the Germination-Arrest Factor-producing Pseudomonas fluorescens WH6

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Pseudomonas fluorescens </it>is a genetically and physiologically diverse species of bacteria present in many habitats and in association with plants. This species of bacteria produces a large array of secondary metabolites with potential as natural products. <it>P. fluorescens </it>isolate WH6 produces Germination-Arrest Factor (GAF), a predicted small peptide or amino acid analog with herbicidal activity that specifically inhibits germination of seeds of graminaceous species.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We used a hybrid next-generation sequencing approach to develop a high-quality draft genome sequence for <it>P. fluorescens </it>WH6. We employed automated, manual, and experimental methods to further improve the draft genome sequence. From this assembly of 6.27 megabases, we predicted 5876 genes, of which 3115 were core to <it>P. fluorescens </it>and 1567 were unique to WH6. Comparative genomic studies of WH6 revealed high similarity in synteny and orthology of genes with <it>P. fluorescens </it>SBW25. A phylogenomic study also placed WH6 in the same lineage as SBW25. In a previous non-saturating mutagenesis screen we identified two genes necessary for GAF activity in WH6. Mapping of their flanking sequences revealed genes that encode a candidate anti-sigma factor and an aminotransferase. Finally, we discovered several candidate virulence and host-association mechanisms, one of which appears to be a complete type III secretion system.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The improved high-quality draft genome sequence of WH6 contributes towards resolving the <it>P. fluorescens </it>species, providing additional impetus for establishing two separate lineages in <it>P. fluorescens</it>. Despite the high levels of orthology and synteny to SBW25, WH6 still had a substantial number of unique genes and represents another source for the discovery of genes with implications in affecting plant growth and health. Two genes are demonstrably necessary for GAF and further characterization of their proteins is important for developing natural products as control measure against grassy weeds. Finally, WH6 is the first isolate of <it>P. fluorescens </it>reported to encode a complete T3SS. This gives us the opportunity to explore the role of what has traditionally been thought of as a virulence mechanism for non-pathogenic interactions with plants.</p