The Effects of Authentic Writing on Third-Grade Student Motivation and Achievement

This action research project sought to determine the effects of authentic writing on third-grade student motivation and achievement in writing. This study took place over the course of four weeks with 21 third-grade students in a suburban elementary school. Students participated in an authentic writing project that involved writing letters to a favorite author. Data was collected in the forms of pre and post-intervention writing attitude surveys, observational notes, and one-on-one student writing conference notes to assess the effects on student motivation. A rubric was used to grade baseline writing samples and post-intervention writing to assess the effects on writing achievement. Positive effects were found regarding increased motivation for writing, increased self-efficacy, and increased understanding of the importance of writing outside of school. Results were inconclusive regarding the effects on writing achievement. Future research is suggested to extend the length of the study to determine the effects authentic writing has on third-grade writing achievement

The Casa della Regina Carolina (CRC) project, Pompeii: preliminary report on 2018 and 2019 field seasons

This article summarizes the first two seasons of archaeological fieldwork (June–July 2018, June–July 2019) in the garden of the large Pompeian house known as the Casa della Regina Carolina (VIII 3.14), an elite Pompeian dwelling that saw only partial excavation in the 19th century

Poly-L-lactic acid nanotubes as soft piezoelectric interfaces for biology: controlling cell attachment via polymer crystallinity

It has become increasingly evident that the mechanical and electrical environment of a cell is crucial in determining its function and the subsequent behaviour of multicellular systems. Platforms through which cells can directly interface with mechanical and electrical stimuli are therefore of great interest. Piezoelectric materials are attractive in this context due to their ability to inter-convert mechanical and electrical energy, and piezoelectric nanomaterials in particular are ideal candidates for tools within mechanobiology, given their ability to both detect and apply small forces on a length scale that is compatible with cellular dimensions. The choice of piezoelectric material is crucial to ensure compatibility with cells under investigation, both in terms of stiffness and biocompatibility. Here, we show that poly-L-lactic acid nanotubes, grown by a melt-press template wetting technique, can provide a “soft” piezoelectric interface onto which human dermal fibroblasts readily attach. Interestingly, by controlling the crystallinity of the nanotubes, the level of attachment can be regulated. In this work, we provide detailed nanoscale characterization of these nanotubes to show how differences in stiffness, surface potential and piezoelectric activity of these nanotubes result in differences in cellular behaviour

Automated DNA mutation detection using universal conditions direct sequencing: application to ten muscular dystrophy genes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>One of the most common and efficient methods for detecting mutations in genes is PCR amplification followed by direct sequencing. Until recently, the process of designing PCR assays has been to focus on individual assay parameters rather than concentrating on matching conditions for a set of assays. Primers for each individual assay were selected based on location and sequence concerns. The two primer sequences were then iteratively adjusted to make the individual assays work properly. This generally resulted in groups of assays with different annealing temperatures that required the use of multiple thermal cyclers or multiple passes in a single thermal cycler making diagnostic testing time-consuming, laborious and expensive.</p> <p>These factors have severely hampered diagnostic testing services, leaving many families without an answer for the exact cause of a familial genetic disease. A search of GeneTests for sequencing analysis of the entire coding sequence for genes that are known to cause muscular dystrophies returns only a small list of laboratories that perform comprehensive gene panels.</p> <p>The hypothesis for the study was that a complete set of universal assays can be designed to amplify and sequence any gene or family of genes using computer aided design tools. If true, this would allow automation and optimization of the mutation detection process resulting in reduced cost and increased throughput.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>An automated process has been developed for the detection of deletions, duplications/insertions and point mutations in any gene or family of genes and has been applied to ten genes known to bear mutations that cause muscular dystrophy: DMD; CAV3; CAPN3; FKRP; TRIM32; LMNA; SGCA; SGCB; SGCG; SGCD. Using this process, mutations have been found in five DMD patients and four LGMD patients (one in the FKRP gene, one in the CAV3 gene, and two likely causative heterozygous pairs of variations in the CAPN3 gene of two other patients). Methods and assay sequences are reported in this paper.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This automated process allows laboratories to discover DNA variations in a short time and at low cost.</p

The Effects of Larval Nutrition on Reproductive Performance in a Food-Limited Adult Environment

It is often assumed that larval food stress reduces lifetime fitness regardless of the conditions subsequently faced by adults. However, according to the environment-matching hypothesis, a plastic developmental response to poor nutrition results in an adult phenotype that is better adapted to restricted food conditions than one having developed in high food conditions. Such a strategy might evolve when current conditions are a reliable predictor of future conditions. To test this hypothesis, we assessed the effects of larval food conditions (low, improving and high food) on reproductive fitness in both low and high food adults environments. Contrary to this hypothesis, we found no evidence that food restriction in larval ladybird beetles produced adults that were better suited to continuing food stress. In fact, reproductive rate was invariably lower in females that were reared at low food, regardless of whether adults were well fed or food stressed. Juveniles that encountered improving conditions during the larval stage compensated for delayed growth by accelerating subsequent growth, and thus showed no evidence of a reduced reproductive rate. However, these same individuals lost more mass during the period of starvation in adults, which indicates that accelerated growth results in an increased risk of starvation during subsequent periods of food stress

Working group on cephalopod fisheries and life history (Wgceph; outputs from 2022 meeting)

Rapports Scientifiques du CIEM. Volume 5, nº 1WGCEPH worked on six Terms of Reference. These involved reporting on the status of stocks; reviewing advances in stock identification, assessment for fisheries management and for the Ma- rine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), including some exploratory stock assessments; re- viewing impacts of human activities on cephalopods; developing identification guides and rec- ommendations for fishery data collection; describing the value chain and evaluating market driv- ers; and reviewing advances in research on environmental tolerance of cephalopods. ToR A is supported by an annual data call for fishery and survey data. During 2019–2021, com- pared to 1990–2020, cuttlefish remained the most important cephalopod group in terms of weight landed along the European North Atlantic coast, while loliginid squid overtook octopus as the second most important group. Short-finned squid remained the least important group in land- ings although their relative importance was almost double in 2019–2022 compared to 1992–2020. Total cephalopod landings have been fairly stable since 1992. Cuttlefish landings are towards the low end of the recent range, part of a general downward trend since 2004. Loliginid squid landings in 2019 were close to the maximum seen during the last 20 years but totals for 2020 and 2021 were lower. Annual ommastrephid squid landings are more variable than those of the other two groups and close to the maximum seen during 1992– 2021. Octopod landings have generally declined since 2002 but the amount landed in 2021 was higher than in the previous four years. Under ToR B we illustrate that the combination of genetic analysis and statolith shape analysis is a promising method to provide some stock structure information for L. forbsii. With the sum- mary of cephalopod assessments, we could illustrate that many cephalopod species could al- ready be included into the MSFD. We further provide material from two reviews in preparation, covering stock assessment methods and challenges faced for cephalopod fisheries management. Finally, we summarise trends in abundance indices, noting evidence of recent declines in cuttle- fish and some octopuses of the genus Eledone. Under ToR C, we describe progress on the reviews of (i) anthropogenic impacts on cephalopods and (ii) life history and ecology. In relation to life history, new information on Eledone cirrhosa from Portugal is included. Under ToR D we provide an update on identification guides, discuss best practice in fishery data collection in relation to maturity determination and sampling intensity for fishery monitoring. Among others, we recommend i) to include the sampling of cephalopods in any fishery that (a) targets cephalopods, (b) targets both cephalopods and demersal fishes or (c) takes cephalopods as an important bycatch, ii) Size-distribution sampling, iii) the use of standardized sampling pro- tocols, iv) an increased sampling effort in cephalopod. Work under ToR E on value chains and market drivers, in conjunction with the Cephs & Chefs INTERREG project, has resulted in two papers being submitted. Abstracts of these are in the report. Finally, progress under ToR F on environmental tolerance limits of cephalopods and climate en- velope models is discussed, noting the need to continue this work during the next cycle.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Expanding the diversity of mycobacteriophages: insights into genome architecture and evolution.

Mycobacteriophages are viruses that infect mycobacterial hosts such as Mycobacterium smegmatis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. All mycobacteriophages characterized to date are dsDNA tailed phages, and have either siphoviral or myoviral morphotypes. However, their genetic diversity is considerable, and although sixty-two genomes have been sequenced and comparatively analyzed, these likely represent only a small portion of the diversity of the mycobacteriophage population at large. Here we report the isolation, sequencing and comparative genomic analysis of 18 new mycobacteriophages isolated from geographically distinct locations within the United States. Although no clear correlation between location and genome type can be discerned, these genomes expand our knowledge of mycobacteriophage diversity and enhance our understanding of the roles of mobile elements in viral evolution. Expansion of the number of mycobacteriophages grouped within Cluster A provides insights into the basis of immune specificity in these temperate phages, and we also describe a novel example of apparent immunity theft. The isolation and genomic analysis of bacteriophages by freshman college students provides an example of an authentic research experience for novice scientists