ARE GRADUATE PROGRAM COMPLETERS READY FOR SCHOLARLY TASKS?

The publish or perish mantra among faculty in academia has received a lot of attention and research compared to doctoral students about to enter academia. Objective: This article addresses the question of doctoral students’ readiness for scholarly tasks. Scholarly tasks include publication and presentation of articles at conferences. Method: Data for this study was collected from 388 doctoral program completers from 2012 to 2014 at a research university. A productivity score was generated for each participant as well as personal and academic factors and various analysis were conducted to determine variables that explained a significant portion of the variance in the productivity of the doctoral program completers. Results: The results showed that International students were significantly different from their US citizen counterparts in terms of their productivity. Secondly, scholarly productivity was significantly different by a doctoral student’s major, with students majoring in Chemistry having the highest mean productivity scores followed by doctoral students in Mechanical Engineering. Conclusion: Even though majority of the doctoral program completers did not have an internship during their graduate education, those who did, had significantly higher productivity score than those who did not. In the final Model of the hierarchical regression, four out of twelve variables helped to explain the variance in the doctoral students’ productivity. Application: A Significant variable in preparing for the workforce is having an Internship. The results and implications for future research and practice were discussed

Guidance of neuronal growth cones in the grasshopper embryo. IV. Temporal delay experiments

Journal ArticleIn the previous 3 papers, we demonstrated that neuronal growth cones display selective affinities for both specific axonal and glial pathways in the grasshopper embryo; for example, the pCC growth cone selectively recognizes the MPl/dMP2 axons, while the aCC growth cone selectively recognizes the U axons and a specific glial cell (the segment boundary cell)

A Comparison between Domestic and International Graduate Students on their Work Readiness at a Research University

One critical issue in educational programs involves the extent to which graduates are ready to begin employment at program completion. Additionally, most research universities make deliberate efforts to enroll students from other countries. An important question regarding the effectiveness of the programs in these universities is whether the international students have comparable preparation and “Work-Readiness” as the domestic students. This study revealed that on several of the measures associated with “Work-Readiness“ international students had lower levels of “Readiness” than domestic students. Also, other differences were found in the groups on issues such as internship experiences and involvement in scholarly activitie

Theoretical and Practical Motives for Participation Obstacles in Resettlement Programs. Review from the Mining Perspective

Studies on the rationale for effective involvement of affected population in resettlement programs have increased significantly in recent years. Yet, practical aspects of handling participation challenges remain under researched. This paper assesses the effectiveness of livelihood-promoting interventions in mining-induced resettlement programs using case evidences from the literature. The paper first reviews the historical background of the concept and other ideas that have come to brand the practice over time. It further justifies the discussion in the context of the mining industry. Thirdly, the paper adopts the concept of territorial governance to provide a theoretical base for the focus of the paper. After the theoretical justification, the paper reviews case evidences in context of engagement prospects and challenges in resettlement programs. Finally, the paper makes suggestions that have policy implications to help better the current resettlement practices.The paper observes that until participation challenges are overcome by resettlement practitioners,mining-induced displacement and resettlement (MIDR) programs cannot revitalise the livelihoods of the affected population as envisioned in resettlement guidelines. JEL Classification: M14, H7, D21, Keywords: Resettlement Programs, Mining Induced Displacement and Resettlement, Stakeholder Participation, participation challenge

Drosophila type II neuroblast lineages keep Prospero levels low to generate large clones that contribute to the adult brain central complex

Tissue homeostasis depends on the ability of stem cells to properly regulate self-renewal versus differentiation. Drosophila neural stem cells (neuroblasts) are a model system to study self-renewal and differentiation. Recent work has identified two types of larval neuroblasts that have different self-renewal/differentiation properties. Type I neuroblasts bud off a series of small basal daughter cells (ganglion mother cells) that each generate two neurons. Type II neuroblasts bud off small basal daughter cells called intermediate progenitors (INPs), with each INP generating 6 to 12 neurons. Type I neuroblasts and INPs have nuclear Asense and cytoplasmic Prospero, whereas type II neuroblasts lack both these transcription factors. Here we test whether Prospero distinguishes type I/II neuroblast identity or proliferation profile, using several newly characterized Gal4 lines. We misexpress prospero using the 19H09-Gal4 line (expressed in type II neuroblasts but no adjacent type I neuroblasts) or 9D11-Gal4 line (expressed in INPs but not type II neuroblasts). We find that differential prospero expression does not distinguish type I and type II neuroblast identities, but Prospero regulates proliferation in both type I and type II neuroblast lineages. In addition, we use 9D11 lineage tracing to show that type II lineages generate both small-field and large-field neurons within the adult central complex, a brain region required for locomotion, flight, and visual pattern memory

Zfh1, a somatic motor neuron transcription factor, regulates axon exit from the CNS

AbstractMotor neurons are defined by their axon projections, which exit the CNS to innervate somatic or visceral musculature, yet remarkably little is known about how motor axons are programmed to exit the CNS. Here, we describe the role of the Drosophila Zfh1 transcription factor in promoting axon exit from the CNS. Zfh1 is detected in all embryonic somatic motor neurons, glia associated with the CNS surface and motor axons, and one identified interneuron. In zfh1 mutants, ventral projecting motor axons often stall at the edge of the CNS, failing to enter the muscle field, despite having normal motor neuron identity. Conversely, ectopic Zfh1 induces a subset of interneurons—all normally expressing two or more “ventral motor neuron transcription factors” (e.g. Islet, Hb9, Nkx6, Lim3)—to project laterally and exit the CNS. We conclude that Zfh1 is required for ventral motor axon exit from the CNS

Evaluation of Oxalate Content of Some Indigenous and Produced Spices and Seasonings in Ghana

In this paper, six indigenous (LS) and fifteen industry produced spices and seasonings (IPS)  available to consumer have been examined for its oxalate content using Ultra Violet –Visible spectroscopy with a view to provide useful information towards their effective use. The oxalate content of the LS was found to be between 0.74±0.04 –4.99±0.26 mg/g whereas that of the IPS was between 0.05±0.0-7.5±0.0 mg/g. Although the LS recorded a higher average oxalate content than the IPS, the difference was not statistically significant (p<0.05). Among the IPS samples curry based spices had higher oxalate content. Keywords: anti-nutritional factors, oxalate, seasonings, spices, Ghan

Breathless and awaiting diagnosis in UK lockdown for COVID-19…We’re stuck

During the COVID-19 pandemic, semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 20 adults awaiting a diagnosis for their chronic breathlessness. Three key themes were identified using thematic analysis: (1) de-prioritisation of diagnosis, (2) following UK ‘lockdown’ guidance for the general population but patients fearful they were more at risk, and (3) the impact of lockdown on coping strategies for managing breathlessness. The existing unpredictable pathway to diagnosis for those with chronic breathlessness has been further interrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic