The Effects of Three Seating Arrangements on Players’ Preference of Sound in a String Orchestra

The purpose of this exploratory, action research study was to investigate the effect of three seating arrangements on players’ preference of sound in the string orchestra. Research questions included the following: (a) How was the players’ perception of string orchestra sound affected by the repositioning of sections across the orchestra? (b) What seating arrangement do orchestra members prefer? (c) How do the preferences of orchestra members vary by section, gender, grade and years of playing experience? High school orchestra members recorded three different one-minute excerpts each in three different seating arrangements. After listening to the recorded excerpts, they chose which formation they preferred regarding the best overall sound. Survey results showed that the old German seating was the most preferred seating arrangement. This study is one example of how music educators can incorporate action research to engage students in a music classroom

Advocacy 101: how to get a meeting and make a point with legislators and policy leaders

Legislators and policy makers have particular ways of seeing the world. Learn how to make them see your point of view in ways that are effective, evidence-based, and emotionally intense. Find techniques to avoid avoidance and bring important information to the fore of every conversation. This will be part of the larger roundtable

Salmon Shark (Lamna ditropis) scratching behaviour using floating anthropogenic debris

Observations of animal behaviour in the open ocean are relatively rare. However, while conducting surveys in the Northeast Pacific in the summers of 2019 and 2021, we encountered two Salmon Shark (Lamna ditropis) using floating anthropogenic debris to scratch their bodies. We captured the activity with aerial (drone) and underwater cameras. We document and describe this novel behaviour as high energy, high impact, repetitive, fast, and long lasting (e.g., every ~15 s for >20 minutes). We explore these observations in light of traditional ecological knowledge and scientific literature

Comparing the quantity and quality of randomized placebo-controlled trials of antibiotics for acute respiratory, urinary, and skin and soft tissue infections:a scoping review

BACKGROUND: The management of acute respiratory infections (ARIs), urinary tract infections (UTIs), and skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) should be guided by high quality evidence.AIM: To compare the quantity and quality of randomised placebo-controlled trials of antibiotics for ARIs, UTIs, and SSTIs.DESIGN &amp; SETTING: A scoping review of the literature was performed using comprehensive search strategies.METHOD: PubMed and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) were searched for published studies from inception until 17 April 2019. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that compared participants in primary care or in the community who had uncomplicated acute ARI, UTI, or studies, and were randomised to antibiotic or placebo (or no active treatment), were eligible for inclusion. Two groups of researchers independently screened articles for inclusion, extracted data, and assessed the quality of included studies.RESULTS: A total of 108 eligible studies were identified: 80 on ARI, eight on UTI, and 20 on SSTI. The quality of studies varied with unclear risk of bias (RoB) prevalent in many domains. There was a gradual improvement in the quality of trials investigating ARIs over time, which could not be assessed in SSTI and UTI studies.CONCLUSION: This review highlights a sparsity of trials assessing the effectiveness of antibiotics in people with UTIs and SSTIs, compared to trials targeting ARIs. This gap in the evidence needs to be addressed by conducting further high quality trials on the effects of antibiotics in patients with UTI and SSTI.</p

Individual variation in undergraduate student metacognitive monitoring and error detection during biology model evaluation

IntroductionModels are a primary mode of science communication and preparing university students to evaluate models will allow students to better construct models and predict phenomena. Model evaluation relies on students’ subject-specific knowledge, perception of model characteristics, and confidence in their knowledge structures.MethodsFifty first-year college biology students evaluated models of concepts from varying biology subject areas with and without intentionally introduced errors. Students responded with ‘error’ or ‘no error’ and ‘confident’ or ‘not confident’ in their response.ResultsOverall, students accurately evaluated 65% of models and were confident in 67% of their responses. Students were more likely to respond accurately when models were drawn or schematic (as opposed to a box-and-arrow format), when models had no intentional errors, and when they expressed confidence. Subject area did not affect the accuracy of responses.DiscussionVariation in response patterns to specific models reflects variation in model evaluation abilities and suggests ways that pedagogy can support student metacognitive monitoring during model-based reasoning. Error detection is a necessary step towards modeling competence that will facilitate student evaluation of scientific models and support their transition from novice to expert scientists

Modeling Progressive Fibrosis with Pluripotent Stem Cells Identifies an Anti-fibrotic Small Molecule.

Progressive organ fibrosis accounts for one-third of all deaths worldwide, yet preclinical models that mimic the complex, progressive nature of the disease are lacking, and hence, there are no curative therapies. Progressive fibrosis across organs shares common cellular and molecular pathways involving chronic injury, inflammation, and aberrant repair resulting in deposition of extracellular matrix, organ remodeling, and ultimately organ failure. We describe the generation and characterization of an in&nbsp;vitro progressive fibrosis model that uses cell types derived from induced pluripotent stem cells. Our model produces endogenous activated transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) and contains activated fibroblastic aggregates that progressively increase in size and stiffness with activation of known fibrotic molecular and cellular changes. We used this model as a phenotypic drug discovery platform for modulators of fibrosis. We validated this platform by identifying a compound that promotes resolution of fibrosis in in&nbsp;vivo and ex&nbsp;vivo models of ocular and lung fibrosis

Banner News

https://openspace.dmacc.edu/banner_news/1299/thumbnail.jp