Demand for Multimedia in the Classroom: Do Students and Faculty Really Want it All?

Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

Demand for Multimedia in the Classroom

This study elicits preferences for multimedia in the classroom for students and faculty members in agricultural economics. Employing an Internet-based conjoint ranking survey, the results show that students prefer multimedia instructional tools over a traditional chalkboard/whiteboard lecture format while faculty members do not. Neither students nor faculty members are enthusiastic about electronic textbooks, and students will accept them only if they save $80. Finally, preferences for multimedia are shown to differ with students who self-report differing note-taking abilities, preferences for chalkboard lectures, and the need for an engaging class. Successful multimedia adoption requires appropriate use and lowering costs for students.conjoint ranking, instruction, microeconomics, multimedia instruction, valuation, Demand and Price Analysis, Financial Economics, Institutional and Behavioral Economics, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession, A22, Q19,

Economics of Pre-Plant, Topdress, and Variable Rate Nitrogen Application in Winter Wheat

Past research about the efficiency of nitrogen application in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) based on source and timing has produced inconsistent results. The majority of the literature used data from few locations over short time periods. This study used a unique data set of yields and nitrogen quantities from 2002-2009 at ten different locations in Oklahoma, USA. The objective of this research was to determine wheat yield response for granular pre-plant, uniform foliar topdress, and variable rate foliar topdress. Topdress liquid nitrogen had a 19% higher NUE than pre-plant urea, and was the most profitable source of nitrogen.linear stochastic plateau, nitrogen use efficiency, profitability, wheat, Crop Production/Industries,

Real Risks In A Virtualized World: How Virtualization Is Changing The Way We Manage, Assess, and Mitigate Risk

A dramatic shift has stated to take place in the last decade that is having a pronounced impact on how organizations view information security. Large datacenters and small sensor rooms alike are being impacted by the development and growth of virtualization and the many benefits it provides. This essay will examine how hardware virtualization has changed the landscape of datacenter risk management and how organizations must adapt their security posture to those changes. As mainstream hypenisors like VMware ESXi, Citrix XenServer, and Microsoft Hyper-V become more affordable and easier to implement, their use in providing low-cost, high-utilization solutions is steadily becoming an industry standard, even for smaller shops. Organizations must understand how to assess, manage, and mitigate new types of risk unique to virtualization. By examining the technology behind virtualization, the risks associated with it, and the methods organizations can mitigate and minimize those risks, we will see that virtualization, when implemented properly, can provide a secure, highly beneficial technology on which datacenters can be built

Digital Micro-Credential Efficacy and Impact on Learner Confidence

This white paper details the findings of a research study conducted in 2022 over a six month period, in collaboration with a group of international cross-sector partners, as part of a Global Victoria EdTech Innovation Alliance initiative. Edalex’s Innovation Sprint aimed to increase learners’ confidence in the expression of their workplace skills by issuing a Personal Evidence Record of the skills they had developed in their studies. This evidence could then be shared with employers, sending a signal to hire by demonstrating workplace readiness or signal of recognition in the workplace of upskilling. This research validated the proof of concept of the expected efficacy of our Credentialate platform. But what we didn’t expect was the extent of the effectiveness of our solution on increasing learner confidence. The research results show that learners readily embraced the more detailed information included in the credential - such as a detailed description of the credential components, how learners were assessed and the links out to Rich Skill Descriptors (RSDs) that provided job market context. Credentialate’s Personal Evidence Record gave learners next-level understanding of what they had learnt and how they could apply it in their careers. They felt informed and empowered, which for the University of Dayton cohort had a positive impact on 76% of learner confidence levels. Employers, too, were very open to the deeper story the evidence records told. They told us that it gave them insight into the learner’s level of human capability. This is particularly valuable in graduate hiring, as it provides independent validation that they’re ready for the workplace, setting them apart from other candidates. The research project provided the opportunity to share knowledge and practice across providers and EdTech organizations and generate new ways of working in the emerging areas of micro-credential and skills ecosystems. The insights from the research should inform future policy and practice around skill transparency and personal evidence of learning, and their benefits to participants in the digital credentialing and skills ecosystems as well as the learner/earner ecosystem

TB133: Experimental Stream Application of B.t.i. for Human Nuisance Black Fly Management in a Recreational Area

Biting and swarming black flies are abundant in Maine and can cause serious discomfort to humans, especially in recreational areas where their presence may substantially decrease satisfaction in outdoor activities. In 1985, 1986 and 1987 a series of experimental applications of B.t.i. was made on property owned by the Sugarloaf Mountain Corporation. The 198 5 study determined the persistenc e o f B.t.i. in stream and river water and the concentration necessary to achieve \u3e90% mortality in black fly larvae. It also indicated that B.t.i. had no detectable impact on non-target organisms. In 1986 and 1987 the objective was to determine if controlling the black fly larvae in streams within the Sugarloaf property would result in decreasing adult human nuisance flies to an acceptable level.https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/aes_techbulletin/1069/thumbnail.jp

In vivo manipulation of the extracellular matrix induces vascular regression in a basal chordate.

We investigated the physical role of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in vascular homeostasis in the basal chordate Botryllus schlosseri, which has a large, transparent, extracorporeal vascular network encompassing an area >100 cm2 We found that the collagen cross-linking enzyme lysyl oxidase is expressed in all vascular cells and that in vivo inhibition using β-aminopropionitrile (BAPN) caused a rapid, global regression of the entire network, with some vessels regressing >10 mm within 16 h. BAPN treatment changed the ultrastructure of collagen fibers in the vessel basement membrane, and the kinetics of regression were dose dependent. Pharmacological inhibition of both focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and Raf also induced regression, and levels of phosphorylated FAK in vascular cells decreased during BAPN treatment and FAK inhibition but not Raf inhibition, suggesting that physical changes in the vessel ECM are detected via canonical integrin signaling pathways. Regression is driven by apoptosis and extrusion of cells through the basal lamina, which are then engulfed by blood-borne phagocytes. Extrusion and regression occurred in a coordinated manner that maintained vessel integrity, with no loss of barrier function. This suggests the presence of regulatory mechanisms linking physical changes to a homeostatic, tissue-level response

The relationship among prostaglandin E2, leukotriene B4, creatine kinase, lactic acid and delayed-onset muscle soreness

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among plasma levels of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), leukotriene B4 (LTB4), creatine kinase (CK), lactic acid (LA), and delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) after an acute weight lifting bout involving eccentric contractions in order to determine if PGE2 and/or LTB4 contribute to DOMS. Fourteen college males participated in this study. Nine subjects were randomly assigned to a group which performed a weight lifting bout involving the major muscle groups of the body. Five subjects served as non-exercising controls. Two weeks prior to the weight lifting session both groups were tested for their one-repetition maximum (1RM) on the exercises used in the workout. Two weeks after 1RM testing, subjects in the treatment group performed three sets of each exercise at an intensity of 70% of their 1RM to volitional failure. Venous blood samples and ratings of perceived muscle soreness were obtained before the workout, immediately after the workout, and every 24 hours after the workout for five days. Venous blood samples and ratings of perceived muscle soreness were obtained for the control group every 24 hours for six days