Effective Teaching and Learning: Using ICT

Mellar, H., Kambouri, M., Logan, K., Betts, S., Nance, B., Moriarty, V. (2007) Effective Teaching and Learning: Using ICT. London: NRDC. Available at: http://www.nrdc.org.uk/uploads/documents/doc_3347.pdfResearch report for NRDCFindings and recommendations on effective teaching practice - with the aim of providing material for improving the quality of teaching and learning and for informing developments in initial teacher education and continuing development. (http://www.nrdc.org.uk/uploads/documents/doc_3347.pdf

LILAC Innovative Program for Instruction Librarians

Librarians from Rochester-area colleges worked together to create LILAc -- the Library Instruction Leadership Academy. The aim of the academy was to prepare librarians to be better instructors in their current or future jobs. The program was a huge success and is now being duplicated by other areas in New York State

Developing an effective marine eDNA monitoring: eDNA detection at pre-outbreak densities of corallivorous seastar (Acanthaster cf. solaris)

Outbreaks of the corallivorous Crown-of-Thorns Seastar (CoTS) Acanthaster cf. solaris contribute significantly to coral reef loss. Control of outbreaks is hampered because standard monitoring techniques do not detect outbreaks at early (low density) stages, thus preventing early intervention. We previously demonstrated that eDNA monitoring can detect CoTS at intermediate densities. Here, we test whether detection probability can be improved by (i) targeted site selection or collection at specific times and (ii) moving from an average eDNA copy number approach (based on the limit of quantification) to a presence/absence approach (based on the limit of detection). Using a dataset collected over three years and multiple reef sites, we demonstrated that adding water residence age, sea surface level and temperature into generalized linear models explained low amounts of variance of eDNA copy numbers. Site specific CoTS density, by contrast, was a significant predictor for eDNA copy numbers. Bayesian multi-scale occupancy modelling of the presence/absence data demonstrated that the probability of sample capture (theta) on most reefs with intermediate or high CoTS densities was >0.8. Thus, confirming CoTS presence on these reefs would only require 2-3 samples. Sample capture decreased with decreasing CoTS density. Collecting ten filters was sufficient to reliably (based on the lower 95 % Credibility Interval) detect CoTS below nominal outbreak levels (3 Ind. ha-1). Copy number-based estimates may be more relevant to quantify CoTS at higher densities. Although water residence age did contribute little to our models, sites with higher residence times may serve as sentinel sites accumulating eDNA. The approach based on presence or absence of eDNA facilitates eDNA monitoring to detect CoTS densities below outbreak thresholds and we continue to further develop this method for quantification

Archaeological Excavation of State Circle, Annapolis, Maryland

Other State Circle Site records include: 18AP50, Bordley-Randall Site (area 11), http://hdl.handle.net/1903/11016 ; 18AP55, Donaldson House (area 2), http://hdl.handle.net/1903/11019 ; 18AP61, Public Well Site (area 18), http://hdl.handle.net/1903/11020Archaeological excavations were conducted at State Circle in Annapolis during the fall and winter of 1989-1990 by "Archaeology in Annapolis", a cooperative program between the University of Maryland, College Park and the Historic Annapolis Foundation. Excavation was conducted as part of the undergrounding of public utility wires within State Circle, Francis Street, and School Street. The work was undertaken to satisfy the conditions of compliance as set forth in the Annotated Code of Maryland, Article 83b, sections 5-617 and 5-18. Twenty excavation area were selected for excavation within the project area. Areas were selected based on data gathered during historical background research. Areas were also selected in an attempt to gather information concerning the Baroque town plan designed in 1695 by Royal Governor Francis Nicholson. Three sites previously identified in the project area (18AP22, 18AP28, and 18AP50) were tested. Nine additional sites were discovered during excavation (18AP54, 18AP55, 18AP56, 18AP57, 18AP58, 18AP59, 18AP60, 18AP61, and 18AP62). At least one hand dug 3 ft by 5 ft unit per site was excavated. In all, a total of 23 units were excavated

Exploring willingness of elder Chinese in Houston to participate in clinical research

AbstractBackground and objectivesInadequate minority participation in clinical research can threaten the applicability and strength of scientific findings. Previous research suggests that trial participation rates are lowest among Asian Americans, compared to other groups. This study explored barriers to clinical research participation among elder Chinese living in Houston, Texas. Additionally we administered the Trust in Medical Researchers Scale (TIMRS), used previously in researching trust in medical researchers as related to research participation.DesignIn this mixed methods study, a semi-structured interview, including the TIMRS were administered to 30 adults of Chinese ancestry aged 50 years or older recruited from a Chinese community center. Interviews were conducted in English, Mandarin and Cantonese and independently coded and analyzed using thematic content analysis. TIMRS scores were calculated for participants.ResultsParticipants were 70% female, 70% were 60 or elder, all were foreign born and on average lived in the US for 21.8 years. Participants perceived risks to research participation and preferred language concordant research staff. Interviewees were more willing to participate if they perceived personal and community health-related benefits. The overall TIMRS score was 23.9 (±5.0), lower than the overall TIMRS for Whites in a previous study (P < 0.001).ConclusionsThe barriers and facilitators to research participation confirmed previous research among Asians. Our participant TIMRS scores were consistent with decreased levels of trust observed in the original TIMRS study for African Americans as compared and lower than Whites. Employing strategies that utilize language concordant staff who build trust with participants may aid in recruiting elder Chinese, especially if the research is personally relevant to those being recruited

Low molecular weight dextran sulfate (ILB®) administration restores brain energy metabolism following severe traumatic brain injury in the rat

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of death and disability in people less than 40 years of age in Western countries. Currently, there are no satisfying pharmacological treatments for TBI patients. In this study, we subjected rats to severe TBI (sTBI), testing the effects of a single subcutaneous administration, 30 min post-impact, of a new low molecular weight dextran sulfate, named ILB\uae, at three different dose levels (1, 5, and 15 mg/kg body weight). A group of control sham-operated animals and one of untreated sTBI rats were used for comparison (each group n = 12). On day 2 or 7 post-sTBI animals were sacrificed and the simultaneous HPLC analysis of energy metabolites, N-acetylaspartate (NAA), oxidized and reduced nicotinic coenzymes, water-soluble antioxidants, and biomarkers of oxidative/nitrosative stress was carried out on deproteinized cerebral homogenates. Compared to untreated sTBI rats, ILB\uae improved energy metabolism by increasing ATP, ATP/ adenosine diphosphate ratio (ATP/ADP ratio), and triphosphate nucleosides, dose-dependently increased NAA concentrations, protected nicotinic coenzyme levels and their oxidized over reduced ratios, prevented depletion of ascorbate and reduced glutathione (GSH), and decreased oxidative (malondialdehyde formation) and nitrosative stress (nitrite + nitrate production). Although needing further experiments, these data provide the first evidence that a single post-injury injection of a new low molecular weight dextran sulfate (ILB\uae) has beneficial effects on sTBI metabolic damages. Due to the absence of adverse effects in humans, ILB\uae represents a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of sTBI patients

Psychological stress and arterial stiffness in Korean Americans

Arterial stiffness is identified as a causative factor for hypertension. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between psychological stress and arterial stiffness in Korean Americans

Direct measurement of antiferromagnetic domain fluctuations

Measurements of magnetic noise emanating from ferromagnets due to domain motion were first carried out nearly 100 years ago and have underpinned much science and technology. Antiferromagnets, which carry no net external magnetic dipole moment, yet have a periodic arrangement of the electron spins extending over macroscopic distances, should also display magnetic noise, but this must be sampled at spatial wavelengths of order several interatomic spacings, rather than the macroscopic scales characteristic of ferromagnets. Here we present the first direct measurement of the fluctuations in the nanometre-scale spin- (charge-) density wave superstructure associated with antiferromagnetism in elemental Chromium. The technique used is X-ray Photon Correlation Spectroscopy, where coherent x-ray diffraction produces a speckle pattern that serves as a "fingerprint" of a particular magnetic domain configuration. The temporal evolution of the patterns corresponds to domain walls advancing and retreating over micron distances. While the domain wall motion is thermally activated at temperatures above 100K, it is not so at lower temperatures, and indeed has a rate which saturates at a finite value - consistent with quantum fluctuations - on cooling below 40K. Our work is important because it provides an important new measurement tool for antiferromagnetic domain engineering as well as revealing a fundamental new fact about spin dynamics in the simplest antiferromagnet.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figure