Philly Scientists: Blending Professional Development for In-School and Out-of-School Educators

In the fall of 2016, a team of Pennsylvania STEM educators received a generous grant from the National Science Foundation to provide STEM education to middle-school students in the Philadelphia Promise Zone. Entitled “Philly Scientists” and targeting both classroom teachers and out-of-school time (OST) staff, this grant combined biodiversity curriculum development, teacher training, career access activities, and modern technology to address the following three research questions: 1. What coherent set of experiences effectively support fourth, fifth and sixth grade students’ knowledge development (e.g., biodiversity content knowledge blended with science practices), motivation and career awareness about STEM-related work and jobs of today and the future? What are characteristics of their knowledge, motivation and career awareness competencies? 2. What professional development models and recognition systems can effectively engage teachers and OST providers in demonstrating Next Generation Science knowledge, pedagogy, and career awareness for fourth through sixth grade students? 3. How effective is the activity of Promise Zone fourth-sixth grade students as information providers and Urban Scientists interacting with scientist mentors towards increasing career awareness and understanding characteristics of STEM work? Our partners in this initiative were Drexel University, The Philadelphia Education Fund (PEF), The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University (ANS), and the Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool/Youth Development Network (PSAYDN). The project also engaged Research for Action (RFA) as the external evaluator. Staff from the Philadelphia Education Fund were primarily tasked with designing, implementing, and evaluating the professional development component of this initiative. The team recognized that in-school and OST teachers have different skill-sets, needs, and schedules - but that each group of educators also has a great deal to offer one another. For instance, we hypothesized that classroom teachers may have more experience connecting lessons to national standards and local educational initiatives; while OST providers may be more versed in working with families, with communities, and with blending social work and education. For these reasons, we were interested in both the logistical and pedagogical results and implications of our study. And while there is a great deal of research pertaining to STEM professional development for both in-school and out-of-school staff, we found little literature that referenced blending PD for both populations

Geothermal heating in the Panama Basin. Part II: abyssal water mass transformation

Diabatic upwelling of abyssal waters is investigated in the Panama Basin employing the water mass transformation framework of Walin [1982]. We find that, in large areas of the basin, the bottom boundary layer is very weakly stratified and extends hundreds of meters above the sea floor. Within the weakly stratified bottom boundary layer (wsBBL) neutral density layers intercept the bottom of the basin. The area of these density layer incrops increases gradually as the abyssal waters become lighter. Large incrop areas are associated with strong diabatic upwelling of abyssal water, geothermal heating being the largest buoyancy source. While a significant amount of water mass transformation is due to extreme turbulence downstream of the Ecuador Trench, the only abyssal water inflow passage, water mass transformation across the upper boundary of abyssal water layer is accomplished almost entirely by geothermal heating

Geothermal heating in the Panama Basin. Part I: hydrography of the basin

The Panama Basin serves as a laboratory to investigate abyssal water upwelling. The basin has only a single abyssal water inflow pathway through the narrow Ecuador Trench. The estimated critical inflow through the Trench reaches 0.34 ± 0.07 m s−1, resulting in an abyssal water volume inflow of 0.29 ± 0.07 Sv. The same trench carries the return flow of basin waters that starts just 200 m above the bottom and is approximately 400 m deeper than the depth of the next possible deep water exchange pathway at the Carnegie Ridge Saddle. The curvature of temperature‐salinity diagrams is used to differentiate the effect of geothermal heating on the deep Panama Basin waters that was found to reach as high as 2200 m depth, which is about 500 m above the upper boundary of the abyssal water layer

Tetrahydrobiopterin protects against hypertrophic heart disease independent of myocardial nitric oxide synthase coupling

Nitric oxide synthase uncoupling occurs under conditions of oxidative stress modifying the enzyme's function so it generates superoxide rather than nitric oxide. Nitric oxide synthase uncoupling occurs with chronic pressure overload, and both are ameliorated by exogenous tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4)-a cofactor required for normal nitric oxide synthase function-supporting a pathophysiological link. Genetically augmenting BH4 synthesis in endothelial cells fails to replicate this benefit, indicating that other cell types dominate the effects of exogenous BH4 administration. We tested whether the primary cellular target of BH4 is the cardiomyocyte or whether other novel mechanisms are invoked.Mice with cardiomyocyte-specific overexpression of GTP cyclohydrolase 1 (mGCH1) and wild-type littermates underwent transverse aortic constriction. The mGCH1 mice had markedly increased myocardial BH4 and, unlike wild type, maintained nitric oxide synthase coupling after transverse aortic constriction; however, the transverse aortic constriction-induced abnormalities in cardiac morphology and function were similar in both groups. In contrast, exogenous BH4 supplementation improved transverse aortic constricted hearts in both groups, suppressed multiple inflammatory cytokines, and attenuated infiltration of inflammatory macrophages into the heart early after transverse aortic constriction.BH4 protection against adverse remodeling in hypertrophic cardiac disease is not driven by its prevention of myocardial nitric oxide synthase uncoupling, as presumed previously. Instead, benefits from exogenous BH4 are mediated by a protective effect coupled to suppression of inflammatory pathways and myocardial macrophage infiltration

Documentação de Calidris pusilla (Aves, Charadriidae) no Paraguai

Se documenta por primera vez la presencia del playero Calidris pusilla en Paraguay, a través de fotografías tomadas de presumiblemente un solo individuo en Laguna Capitán, Departamento de Presidente Hayes durante el 12-13 de mayo de 2017. Se indican menciones previas (basadas en observaciones) de la especie en el país.The presence of Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidris pusilla in Paraguay is documented for the first through photographs taken, of presumably the same individual, at Laguna Capitán, Presidente Hayes deparment, during 12-13 May 2017. A summary is provided of previous records (sight only observations) of the species in the country.A presença do maçarico-rasteirinho Calidris pusilla no Paraguai é documentada pela primeira vez, através de fotografias tiradas, presumivelmente, de um único indivíduo em Laguna Capitán, Departamento de Presidente Hayes, de 12 a 13 de maio de 2017. As menções anteriores (com base em observações) são indicadas das espécies no país.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Occurrence of radioactive materials in pyroclastic flows of Tungurahua volcano using gamma spectrometry

The Tungurahua volcano began its last eruptive process in 1999 and has not ceased its activity since then, as a result of this, tons of volcanic material has been deposited on its flanks in each episode of greatest activity. An exploratory study of radioactivity of natural origin has been carried out in the pyroclastic flows near the Palma Urcu ravine (Juive) of the Tungurahua volcano using gamma spectrometry. This pyroclastic material corresponds to the accumulation that occurred after the eruption of August 2006 in an area adjacent to this ravine after its overflow. This material is used in construction. At present, much emphasis is placed on the health risks associated with the radioactivity present in construction materials. In this context, concentrations of activity in several samples of material have been analyzed to determine their risk, finding average values of 27.58 ± 1.99 Bq / kg for Ra-226; 30.28 ± 2.48 Bq / kg for Th-232, and 411 ± 28.77 Bq / kg for K-40. Finding an activity index of 0.38 ± 0.03 It was also calculated the equivalent radio activity, external and internal risk indexes and effective annual equivalent doses found that is bordering the maximum permissible limit recommended by control organisms

P605 Rapid detection of anti-infliximab antibodies in inflammatory bowel disease patients treated with the reference biologic or the biosimilar CT-P13: performance comparison with ELISA

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Mitigation measures to reduce entanglements of migrating whales with commercial fishing gear

The West Coast Rock Lobster Managed Fishery (WCRLMF) transitioned to a quota based fishery, and year-round fishing, which corresponded with a spike in whale entanglements in 2013. This presented industry with a challenging social issue, to reduce entanglements without impacting on the financial benefits that the shift to year-round quota fishing had afforded

Fibrates as drugs with senolytic and autophagic activity for osteoarthritis therapy

Research paper[Abstract] Background. Ageing-related failure of homeostasis mechanisms contributes to articular cartilage degeneration and osteoarthritis (OA), for which disease-modifying treatments are not available. Our objective was to identify molecules to prevent OA by regulating chondrocyte senescence and autophagy. Methods. Human chondrocytes with IL-6 induced senescence and autophagy suppression and SA-β-gal as a reporter of senescence and LC3 as reporter of autophagic flux were used to screen the Prestwick Chemical Library of approved drugs. Preclinical cellular, tissue and blood from OA and blood from OA and ageing models were used to test the efficacy and relevance of activating PPARα related to cartilage degeneration. Findings. Senotherapeutic molecules with pro-autophagic activity were identified. Fenofibrate (FN), a PPARα agonist used for dyslipidaemias in humans, reduced the number of senescent cells via apoptosis, increased autophagic flux, and protected against cartilage degradation. FN reduced both senescence and inflammation and increased autophagy in both ageing human and OA chondrocytes whereas PPARα knockdown conferred the opposite effect. Moreover, PPARα expression was reduced through both ageing and OA in mice and also in blood and cartilage from knees of OA patients. Remarkably, in a retrospective study, fibrate treatment improved OA clinical conditions in human patients from the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) Cohort. Interpretation. These results demonstrate that FDA-approved fibrate drugs targeting lipid metabolism protect against cartilage degeneration seen with ageing and OA. Thus, these drugs could have immediate clinically utility for age-related cartilage degeneration and OA treatment.Instituto de Salud Carlos III; PI14/01324Instituto de Salud Carlos III; PI17/02059Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad; P01 AG043376Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad; U19 AG05627