Resource Review – Using Parlay to Facilitate Discussions

This resource review highlights a Web 2.0 tool that can be used to facilitate both in-class live discussions and online asynchronous discussions

Stay calm and tweet: a best practice approach to the use of social media in a crisis situation

At some point in its history every organization will face a crisis situation. How an organization responds to a crisis incident decides its survival. As Internet technology flourishes, public relations practitioners are provided with additional tools to manage crisis situations. This study investigates the role that emerging social media components play in the field of crisis management. It presents a best practice approach to using new technology in times of emergency. A qualitative study of Louisiana public relations practitioners analyzes how and why social media is being integrated into crisis communication plans. Social media components are used to quickly communicate succinct messages and promote two-way symmetrical communication in times of crisis. Social media’s role in the theories of issues management and image restoration is explored and incorporated. This study contributes to the literature on crisis communication and social media in regards to the field of public relations. Its findings can be useful to public relations theorists and practitioners in preparing for, handling, and recovering from a crisis. A best practice approach to using social media in a crisis, as concluded from the results, is presented at the end of the study

Poincaré and the Three Body Problem

The purpose of the thesis is to present an account of Henri Poincare's famous memoir on the three body problem, the final version of which was published in Acta Mathematica in 1890 as the prize-winning entry in King Oscar II's 60th birthday competition. The memoir is reknowned both for its role in providing the foundations for Poincare's celebrated three volume Méthodes Nouvelles de la Mécanique Céleste, and for containing the first mathematical description of chaotic behaviour in a dynamical system. A historical context is provided both through consideration of the problem itself and through a discussion of Poincaré's earlier work which relates to the mathematics developed in the memoir. The organisation of the Oscar competition, which was undertaken by Gösta Mittag-Leffler, is also described. This not only provides an insight into the late 19th century European mathematical community but also reveals that after the prize had been awarded Poincare found an important error in his work and substantially revised the memoir prior to its publication in Acta. The discovery of a printed version of the original memoir personally annotated by Poincaré has allowed for a detailed comparative study of the mathematics contained in both versions of the memoir. The error is explained and it is shown that it was only as a result of its correction that Poincaré discovered the chaotic behaviour now associated with the memoir. The contemporary reception of the memoir is discussed and Poincaré's subsequent work in celestial mechanics and related topics is examined. Through the consideration of sources up to 1920 the influence and impact of the memoir on the progress of the three body problem and on dynamics in general is assessed

How Do Pre-service Teachers Understand Intercultural Competence During a Short-Term Student Teaching Abroad Program: An Exploratory, Collective Case Study

This dissertation explores how four pre-service teachers (PSTs) came to define and understand intercultural competence (ICC) during a short-term student teaching abroad program. In this exploratory, collective case study I highlight the participants’ voice by analyzing their definitions of ICC before, during, and after their experience in Germany and using their descriptions of experiences living and working in German schools collected from journals, program evaluations, group interviews (before and during), class observation notes, re-entry individual interviews, and reflection surveys. Findings were analyzed using the conceptual framework of ICC (Alred, Byram, and Flemings, 2006; Bennett, 2008; Deardorff, 2006, 2008; Fantini, 2009) and transformative learning theory (Cranton, 2006; Mezirow, 1978, 1991, 2000; Taylor, 1994a, 1994b, 1997). Findings reveal that participants developed a more complex understanding of ICC over the course of a one-month student teaching abroad experience and that perspective transformation occurred in some of the participants. However, the pattern and depth of the transformation depend as much on participants’ affective and cognitive tendencies (impacted by individual’s professional and personal characteristics and history) as it does on program components. Four themes emerged from the data: (a) cross-cultural comparisons; (b) sociolinguistic awareness; (c) self-development; and (d) cultural awareness. All participants grew in their understanding and conceptualization of ICC, but two of the four individuals completed a perspective transformation during the four-week overseas period. The other two participants’ experiences validate Cranton’s (2006) concept of transformation iterative and cyclical and not hierarchical or linear. In addition to the theoretical implication, the applications for universities and K-12 schools can be many. Schools and universities have increased their focus on global education and creating opportunities for their students to participate in different cultural immersion experiences. This dissertation highlights the importance of studying genuine experiences in an international setting and shows ways in which international student teaching abroad program coordinators can maximize the possibility of their students developing an understanding of ICC that can be used not only for teaching abroad, but also when teaching culturally, linguistically, and racially diverse students in the United States.Doctor of Educatio

The expression and role of circulating galectins in colorectal cancer

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One-Step Production of Long-Chain Hydrocarbons from Waste-Biomass-Derived Chemicals using Bi-Functional Heterogeneous Catalysts

n this study, we demonstrate the production of long-chain hydrocarbons (C8+) from 2-methylfuran (2MF) and butanal in a single step reactive process by utilizing a bi-functional catalyst with both acid and metallic sites. Our approach utilizes a solid acid for the hydroalkylation function and as a support as well as a transition metal as hydrodeoxygenation catalyst. A series of solid acids was screened, among which MCM-41 demonstrated the best combination of activity and stability. Platinum nanoparticles were then incorporated into the MCM-41. The Pt/MCM-41 catalyst showed 96% yield for C8+ hydrocarbons and the catalytic performance was stable over four reaction cycles of 20 hour each. The reaction pathways for the production of long-chain hydrocarbons is probed with a combination of infrared spectroscopy and steady-state reaction experiments. It is proposed that 2MF and butanal go through hydroalkylation first on the acid site followed by hydrodeoxygenation to produce the hydrocarbon fuels

Light drinking in pregnancy and mid-childhood mental health and learning outcomes

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether light drinking in pregnancy is associated with adverse child mental health and academic outcomes. DESIGN: Using data from the prospective, population-based Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), we investigated the associations between light drinking in pregnancy (<1 glass per week in the first trimester) and child mental health (using both parent and teacher rated Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaires (SDQs)) and academic outcomes based on Key Stage 2 examination results at age 11 years. PARTICIPANTS: 11-year-old children from ALSPAC with parent (n=6587) and teacher (n=6393) completed SDQs and data from Key Stage 2 examination results (n=10 558). RESULTS: 39% of women had consumed <1 glass per week and 16% ≥1 glass per week of alcohol during the first trimester (45% abstaining). After adjustment, relative to abstainers, there was no effect of light drinking on teacher-rated SDQ scores or examination results. In girls, although there was a suggestion of worse outcomes (adjusted regression coefficient=0.38; 95% CI 0.01 to 0.74) on the parent-rated total SDQ score in those exposed to light drinking compared to abstainers, no dose-response relationship was evident. CONCLUSIONS: Although the pattern of findings involving parent ratings for girls exposed to light drinking is consistent with earlier findings from this cohort, the overall lack of any adverse effects of light drinking is similar to findings from other recent cohort studies. Light drinking in pregnancy does not appear to be associated with clinically important adverse effects for mental health and academic outcomes at the age of 11 years

Effects of estrogen on the morphology of human chromosomes and on the mitotic rate of chromosomes in vitro

An investigation was made to determine the effect of the natural estrogen estrone, in varying concentrations and over varying periods of time, on the chromosomes of human female peripheral blood lymphocytes in vitro. All experiments were carried out according to a modification of Tips' Micro Procedure for Peripheral Leucocyte Culture. One set of leucocyte cultures was exposed to 6.0 u g of estrone for 24, 48 and 72 hours, and another set of cultures was exposed to 0.6 u g of the hormone for the same respective time periods. Chromosome spreads obtained from each culture were analyzed in respect to control groups for changes in morphology and mitotic rate. 100 control and 50 estrogen-treated spreads were analyzed for each experimental group in consideration of morphology, and 500 control and 500 estrogen-treated spreads were analyzed for each group in consideration of mitotic rate

High Prevalence of Tuberculosis and Serious Bloodstream Infections in Ambulatory Individuals Presenting for Antiretroviral Therapy in Malawi

Background Tuberculosis (TB) and serious bloodstream infections (BSI) may contribute to the high early mortality observed among patients qualifying for antiretroviral therapy (ART) with unexplained weight loss, chronic fever or chronic diarrhea. Methods and Findings A prospective cohort study determined the prevalence of undiagnosed TB or BSI among ambulatory HIV-infected adults with unexplained weight loss and/or chronic fever, or diarrhea in two routine program settings in Malawi. Subjects with positive expectorated sputum smears for AFB were excluded. Investigations Bacterial and mycobacterial blood cultures, cryptococcal antigen test (CrAg), induced sputum (IS) for TB microscopy and solid culture, full blood count and CD4 lymphocyte count. Among 469 subjects, 52 (11%) had microbiological evidence of TB; 50 (11%) had a positive (non-TB) blood culture and/or positive CrAg. Sixty-five additional TB cases were diagnosed on clinical and radiological grounds. Nontyphoidal Salmonellae (NTS) were the most common blood culture pathogens (29 cases; 6% of participants and 52% of bloodstream isolates). Multivariate analysis of baseline clinical and hematological characteristics found significant independent associations between oral candidiasis or lymphadenopathy and TB, marked CD4 lymphopenia and NTS infection, and severe anemia and either infection, but low positive likelihood ratios (<2 for all combinations). Conclusions We observed a high prevalence of TB and serious BSI, particularly NTS, in a program cohort of chronically ill HIV-infected outpatients. Baseline clinical and hematological characteristics were inadequate predictors of infection. HIV clinics need better rapid screening tools for TB and BSI. Clinical trials to evaluate empiric TB or NTS treatment are required in similar populations