Environmental Benefits Associated with Online Instruction

Meta-analyses indicate that online learning and face-to-face instruction are similar in learning achievement and course satisfaction. In this study, we ask whether offering courses online results in behavior change such that fewer driving trips are made to campus. The environmental consequences are assessed by calculating the CO2 emissions savings. The results indicate that offering a class of 100 students with an online format leads to reduced CO2 savings of 5-7 tons, and knowledge of such an environmental benefit can lead to enhanced student satisfaction with distance learning

Kinetic Sensitivity of a New Lumbo-Pelvic Model to Variation in Segment Parameter Input

This study aimed to assess variability in lumbo-pelvic forces and moments during a dynamic high-impact activity (cricket fast bowling) when calculated using different body segment parameters (BSPs). The first three BSPs were estimated using methods where the trunk was divided into segments according to nonspinal anatomical landmarks. The final approach defined segment boundaries according to vertebral level. Three-dimensional motion analysis data from nine male cricketers’ bowling trials were processed using the four BSPs. A repeated-measures analysis of variance revealed no significant effect on peak lumbo-pelvic forces. However, the segmentation approach based on vertebral level resulted in significantly larger peak flexion and lateral flexion moments than the other BSP data sets. This has implications for comparisons between studies using different BSP parameters. Further, given that a method defined with reference to vertebral level more closely corresponds with relevant anatomical structures, this approach may more accurately reflect lumbar moments

Surface plasmon resonance biosensing: Approaches for screening and characterising antibodies for food diagnostics

Research in biosensing approaches as alternative techniques for food diagnostics for the detection of chemical contaminants and foodborne pathogens has increased over the last twenty years. The key component of such tests is the biorecognition element whereby polyclonal or monoclonal antibodies still dominate the market. Traditionally the screening of sera or cell culture media for the selection of polyclonal or monoclonal candidate antibodies respectively has been performed by enzyme immunoassays. For niche toxin compounds, enzyme immunoassays can be expensive and/or prohibitive methodologies for antibody production due to limitations in toxin supply for conjugate production. Automated, self-regenerating, chip-based biosensors proven in food diagnostics may be utilised as rapid screening tools for antibody candidate selection. This work describes the use of both single channel and multi-channel surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensors for the selection and characterisation of antibodies, and their evaluation in shellfish tissue as standard techniques for the detection of domoic acid, as a model toxin compound. The key advantages in the use of these biosensor techniques for screening hybridomas in monoclonal antibody production were the real time observation of molecular interaction and rapid turnaround time in analysis compared to enzyme immunoassays. The multichannel prototype instrument was superior with 96 analyses completed in 2 h compared to 12 h for the single channel and over 24 h for the ELISA immunoassay. Antibodies of high sensitivity, IC(50)'s ranging from 4.8 to 6.9 ng/mL for monoclonal and 2.3–6.0 ng/mL for polyclonal, for the detection of domoic acid in a 1 min analysis time were selected. Although there is a progression for biosensor technology towards low cost, multiplexed portable diagnostics for the food industry, there remains a place for laboratory-based SPR instrumentation for antibody development for food diagnostics as shown herein

Carbon Sequestration by Reforesting Legacy Grasslands on Coal Mining Sites

Future carbon management during energy production will rely on carbon capture and sequestration technology and carbon sequestration methods for offsetting non-capturable losses. The present study quantifies carbon sequestration via reforestation using measurements and modeling for recent and legacy surface coal mining grasslands that are re-restored through tree planting. This paper focuses on a case study of legacy coal mining sites in the southern Appalachia the United States. This five million-hectare region has a surface mining footprint of approximately 12% of the land area, and the reclamation method was primarily grassland. The results of the soil carbon sequestration rates for restored forest soils approach 2.0 MgC ha−1 y−1 initially and average 1.0 MgC ha−1 y−1 for the first fifty years after reclamation. Plant, coarse root and litter carbon sequestration rates were 2.8 MgC ha−1 y−1 with plant carbon estimated to equilibrate to 110 MgC ha−1 after forty years. Plant, root and litter carbon stocks are projected to equilibrate at an order of magnitude greater carbon storage than the existing conditions, highlighting the net carbon gain. Reforestation of legacy mine sites shows carbon sequestration potential several orders of magnitude greater than typical land sequestration strategies for carbon offsets. Projections of future scenarios provide results that show the study region could be carbon neutral or a small sink if widespread reforesting during reclamation was implemented, which is contrary to the business-as-usual projections that result in a large amount of carbon being released to the atmosphere in this region

Electronic Spectroscopy of He@C60+ for Astrochemical Consideration

The electronic spectrum of the endohedral fullerene He@C+60 observed by messenger spectroscopy in a cryogenic ion trap is presented. The role played by the messanger tag in the adopted experimental method is evaluated by recording spectra of He@C+60 − Hen with n = 1−4. The results indicate a linear shift of ∼ 0.7 Å in the wavelengths allowing accurate gas phase values to be reported. The presence of the helium inside the cage shifts the absorption bands by 2−3 Å toward shorter wavelengths compared to C+60. The magnitude of this displacement will enable searches for the spectral signatures of this fullerene analogue in interstellar environments by absorption spectroscopy. The implications for potential astronomical detection are discussed

The Dzhungarian fault: Late Quaternary tectonics and slip rate of a major right-lateral strike-slip fault in the northern Tien Shan region

The Dzhungarian strike-slip fault of Central Asia is one of a series of long, NW-SE right-lateral strike-slip faults that are characteristic of the northern Tien Shan region and extends over 300 km from the high mountains into the Kazakh Platform. Our field-based and satellite observations reveal that the Dzhungarian fault can be characterized by three 100 km long sections based on variation in strike direction. Through morphological analysis of offset streams and alluvial fans, and through optically stimulated luminescence dating, we find that the Dzhungarian fault has a minimum average late Quaternary slip rate of 2.2 ± 0.8 mm/yr and accommodates N-S shortening related to the India-Eurasia collision. This shortening may also be partly accommodated by counterclockwise rotation about a vertical axis. Evidence for a possible paleo-earthquake rupture indicates that earthquakes up to at least Mw 7 can be associated with just the partitioned component of reverse slip on segments of the central section of the fault up to 30 km long. An event rupturing longer sections of the Dzhungarian fault has the potential to generate greater magnitude earthquakes (Mw 8); however, long time periods (e.g., thousands of years) are expected in order to accumulate enough strain to generate such earthquakes.We thank the Royal Society International Travel Grant, Mike Coward Fund of the Geological Society of London, Percy Sladen Fund of the Linnean Society, The Gilchrist Educational Trust, and the Earth and Space Foundation for their support in funding this project. GEC’s doctoral studentship is funded by the National Environmental Research Council through NCEO, COMET, and the NERC-ESRC funded Earthquakes without Frontiers (EWF) Project. RTW is supported by a University Research Fellowship awarded by the Royal Society.This is the final version of the article, originally published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth. It is also available from Wiley at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jgrb.50367/abstract. © 2013. American Geophysical Unio

Is There a General Motor Program for Right Versus Left Hand Throwing in Children?

The purpose of this study was to determine if a general motor program controlled some or all aspects of overhand throwing. Using a 12 camera Vicon motion analysis system to record data from body markers, a group of 30 Australian Aboriginal children 6-10 years of age threw with maximal effort into a large target area. Data were reduced and analysed for numerous variables and correlations were calculated between dominant and non-dominant side variables that were deemed reliable. Results indicated that five variables showed significant dominant to non-dominant correlations. However, only two of the five were entered into both multiple regressions to predict horizontal ball velocity for the dominant vs. non-dominant sides. The variables entered suggested that more gross aspects of the movement (stride distance and pelvis flexion) were both correlated from dominant to non-dominant sides and predicted horizontal ball velocity. Thus, the general motor program does not appear to control the more complex and coordinated parts of the throwing motion

GPAQ-R: development and psychometric properties of a version of the general practice assessment questionnaire for use for revalidation by general practitioners in the UK.

BACKGROUND: The General Practice Assessment Questionnaire (GPAQ) has been widely used to assess patient experience in general practice in the UK since 2004. In 2013, new regulations were introduced by the General Medical Council (GMC) requiring UK doctors to undertake periodic revalidation, which includes assessment of patient experience for individual doctors. We describe the development of a new version of GPAQ - GPAQ-R which addresses the GMC's requirements for revalidation as well as additional NHS requirements for surveys that GPs may need to carry out in their own practices. METHODS: Questionnaires were given out by doctors or practice staff after routine consultations in line with the guidance given by the General Medical Council for surveys to be used for revalidation. Data analysis and practice reports were provided independently. RESULTS: Data were analysed for questionnaires from 7258 patients relating to 164 GPs in 29 general practices. Levels of missing data were generally low (typically 4.5-6%). The number of returned questionnaires required to achieve reliability of 0.7 were around 35 for individual doctor communication items and 29 for a composite score based on doctor communication items. This suggests that the responses to GPAQ-R had similar reliability to the GMC's own questionnaire and we recommend 30 completed GPAQ-R questionnaires are sufficient for revalidation purposes. However, where an initial screen raises concern, the survey might be repeated with 50 completed questionnaires in order to increase reliability. CONCLUSIONS: GPAQ-R is a development of a well-established patient experience questionnaire used in general practice in the UK since 2004. This new version can be recommended for use in order to meet the UK General Medical Council's requirements for surveys to be used in revalidation of doctors. It also meets the needs of GPs to ask about patient experience relating to aspects of practice care that are not specific to individual general practitioners (e.g. receptionists, telephone access) which meet other survey requirements of the National Health Service in England. Use of GPAQ-R has the potential to reduce the number of surveys that GPs need to carry out in their practices to meet the various regulatory requirements which they face

Rural and urban differences in stage at diagnosis of colorectal and lung cancers

There is evidence that patients living in outlying areas have poorer survival from cancer. This study set out to investigate whether they have more advanced disease at diagnosis. Case notes of 1323 patients in north and northeast Scotland who were diagnosed with lung or colorectal cancer in 1995 or 1996 were reviewed. Of patients with lung cancer, 42% (69/164) living 58 km or more from a cancer centre had disseminated disease at diagnosis compared to 33% (71/215) living within 5 km. For colorectal cancer the respective figures were 24% (38/161) and 16% (31/193). For both cancers combined, the adjusted odds ratio for disseminated disease at diagnosis in furthest group compared to the closest group was 1.59 (P = 0.037). Of 198 patients with non-small-cell lung cancer in the closest group, 56 (28%) had limited disease (stage I or II) at diagnosis compared to 23 of 165 (14%) of the furthest group (P = 0.002). The respective figures for Dukes A and B colorectal cancer were 101 of 196 (52%) and 67 of 172 (39%) (P = 0.025). These findings suggest that patients who live remote from cities and the associated cancer centres have poorer chances of survival from lung or colorectal cancer because of more advanced disease at diagnosis. This needs to be taken into account when planning investigation and treatment services. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer.co