Western Images of Asia: Fu Manchu and the Yellow Peril

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High-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons : effects of extraction procedure, primer length and annealing temperature

The analysis of 16S-rDNA sequences to assess the bacterial community composition of a sample is a widely used technique that has increased with the advent of high throughput sequencing. Although considerable effort has been devoted to identifying the most informative region of the 16S gene and the optimal informatics procedures to process the data, little attention has been paid to the PCR step, in particular annealing temperature and primer length. To address this, amplicons derived from 16S-rDNA were generated from chicken caecal content DNA using different annealing temperatures, primers and different DNA extraction procedures. The amplicons were pyrosequenced to determine the optimal protocols for capture of maximum bacterial diversity from a chicken caecal sample. Even at very low annealing temperatures there was little effect on the community structure, although the abundance of some OTUs such as Bifidobacterium increased. Using shorter primers did not reveal any novel OTUs but did change the community profile obtained. Mechanical disruption of the sample by bead beating had a significant effect on the results obtained, as did repeated freezing and thawing. In conclusion, existing primers and standard annealing temperatures captured as much diversity as lower annealing temperatures and shorter primers

Western Images of Asia: Popular Accounts of Korea, 1882-1914

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New Keynesian versus old Keynesian government spending multipliers

Renewed interest in fiscal policy has increased the use of quantitative models to evaluate policy. Because of modeling uncertainty, it is essential that policy evaluations be robust to alternative assumptions. We find that models currently being used in practice to evaluate fiscal policy stimulus proposals are not robust. Government spending multipliers in an alternative empirically-estimated and widely-cited new Keynesian model are much smaller than in these old Keynesian models; the estimated stimulus is extremely small with GDP and employment effects only one-sixth as large

Studies in the use of cloud type statistics in mission simulation

A study to further improve NASA's global cloud statistics for mission simulation is reported. Regional homogeneity in cloud types was examined; most of the original region boundaries defined for cloud cover amount in previous studies were supported by the statistics on cloud types and the number of cloud layers. Conditionality in cloud statistics was also examined with special emphasis on temporal and spatial dependencies, and cloud type interdependence. Temporal conditionality was found up to 12 hours, and spatial conditionality up to 200 miles; the diurnal cycle in convective cloudiness was clearly evident. As expected, the joint occurrence of different cloud types reflected the dynamic processes which form the clouds. Other phases of the study improved the cloud type statistics for several region and proposed a mission simulation scheme combining the 4-dimensional atmospheric model, sponsored by MSFC, with the global cloud model

Multidimentional Citizenship: Educational Policy for the Twenty-first Century

As we approach the end of this turbulent century and prepare to meet the challenges of the next, the question of what constitutes education for citizenship in various nations appropriate to the demands and needs of a rapidly changing global community is critical in both national and international contexts. The planet and the human family are facing an unprecedented set of challenges, issues and problems including the globalization of the economy, a significant level of deterioration in the quality of the global environment, rapidly changing technologies and the uses of same, and ethical and social issues. How does one respond to these challenges both as a member of a particular nation state as well as a member of the community of nations in a manner that is thoughtful, active, personal and yet with a commitment to the common good? This was the underlying question as we began to explore the concept of citizenship appropriate for life in the early 21st century. The vehicle for doing this was the Citizenship Education Policy Study project (CEPS), an international research network project designed to examine the changing character of citizenship over the next twenty-five years and the subsequent implications of these changes for educational policy across the nine participating nations and beyond

Multidemnsional Citizenship: Education Policy for the Twenty-first Century

As we approach the end of this turbulent century and prepare to meet the challenges of the next, the question of what constitutes education for citizenship in various nations appropriate to the demands and needs of a rapidly changing global community is critical in both national and international contexts. The planet and the human family are facing an unprecedented set of challenges, issues and problems including the globalization of the economy, a significant level of deteriorations in the quality of the global environment, rapidly changing technologies and the uses of the same, and ethical and social issues. How does one respond to these challenges both as a member of a particular nation state as well as a member of the community of nations in a manner that is thoughtful, active, personal and yet with a commitment to the common good? This was the underlying question as we began to explore the concept of citizenship appropriate for life in the early 21st century. The vehicle for doing this was the citizenship Education Policy Study project (CEPS), an international research network project designed to examine the changing character of citizenship over the next twenty-five years and the subsequent implications of these changes for educational policy across the nine participating nations and beyond

Clinicians Use of Mindfulness-based Practices During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Alternative mental health treatments like mindfulness hold a great deal of promise, but limited research exists on their success and application with the adolescent population. This study investigates the primary research question, “What are the experiences of clinicians providing mindfulness-based treatment to school-aged children in Maine during the COVID-19 pandemic?” This explanatory mixed methods study involves a quantitative survey of clinicians, and will be followed by a virtual focus group to further unpack the value of mindfulness-based practices when working with school-aged children. Survey data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis; focus group data will be analyzed using qualitative content and thematic analyses. Preliminary findings suggest that COVID-19 has had a significant impact on professional’s ability to carry out mindfulness techniques with their clients (66.7% reported a 4 out of 5). Our preliminary findings show that 77.8% of clinicians see a positive impact of utilizing mindfulness techniques (scoring 4 or higher out of 5)

Western Images of China: Recent Travel Accounts

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