Strong between-site variation in New Caledonian crows' use of hook-tool-making materials

The study was funded through a BBSRC David Phillips Fellowship (grants BB/G023913/1 and BB/G023913/2 to CR) and doctoral studentships from the BBSRC (BK), JASSO (SS), and the School of Biology, University of St Andrews (JvdW).Functional tool use requires the selection of appropriate raw materials. New Caledonian crows Corvus moneduloides are known for their extraordinary tool-making behaviour, including the crafting of hooked stick tools from branched vegetation. We describe a surprisingly strong between-site difference in the plant materials used by wild crows to manufacture these tools: crows at one study site use branches of the non-native shrub Desmanthus virgatus, whereas only approximately 7 km away, birds apparently ignore this material in favour of the terminal twigs of an as-yet-unidentified tree species. Although it is likely that differences in local plant communities drive this striking pattern, it remains to be determined how and why crows develop such strong site-specific preferences for certain raw materials.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

A Qualitative Study of the Initiation and Continuation of Preschool Inclusion Programs

This is the publisher's version, also found here: http://cec.metapress.com/content/h13780v85427/?p=7691ebee5d054406b7e2d78120f572db&pi=25Initiation and continuation of preschool inclusion is a challenging task. Through interviews and focus groups of school district and special education personnel, researchers in this study examined how 5 programs in 1 Midwestern state provided such services. The investigation used a multiple-case study methodology to examine how these programs initiated and sustained inclusive services. Especially important to these programs were factors such as having a shared vision, utilizing key personnel, and developing a structure within which the program could work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR

Renal Inhibition of Heme Oxygenase-1 Increases Blood Pressure in Angiotensin II-Dependent Hypertension

The goal of this study was to test the hypothesis that renal medullary heme oxygenase (HO) acts as a buffer against Ang-II dependent hypertension. To test this hypothesis, renal medullary HO activity was blocked using QC-13, an imidazole-dioxolane HO-1 inhibitor, or SnMP, a classical porphyrin based HO inhibitor. HO inhibitors were infused via IRMI catheters throughout the study starting 3 days prior to implantation of an osmotic minipump which delivered Ang II or saline vehicle. MAP was increased by Ang II infusion and further increased by IRMI infusion of QC-13 or SnMP. MAP averaged 113 ± 3, 120 ± 7, 141 ± 2, 153 ± 2, and 154 ± 3 mmHg in vehicle, vehicle + IRMI QC-13, Ang II, Ang II + IRMI QC-13, and Ang II + IRMI SnMP treated mice, respectively (n = 6). Inhibition of renal medullary HO activity with QC-13 in Ang II infused mice was also associated with a significant increase in superoxide production as well as significant decreases in antioxidant enzymes catalase and MnSOD. These results demonstrate that renal inhibition of HO exacerbates Ang II dependent hypertension through a mechanism which is associated with increases in superoxide production and decreases in antioxidant enzymes

The evolving field of learning analytics research in higher education: From data analysis to theory generation, an agenda for future research

Over the last decade the deployment and use of learning analytics has become routine in many universities around the world. The ability to analyse the way students interact with technology has demonstrated significant value for providing insights into student learning and there are now a wide range of uses for learning analytics in education. From use as a diagnostic tool, to a method for prediction, learning analytics in higher education has an emphasis on a wide range of outcome measures, including student retention, progression, attainment, performance, mastery, employability and engagement. In exploring how learning analytics can improve learning practice by transforming the ways we support learning processes, this editorial highlights some of the learning analytics research that has been published in AJET to date

Towards a self-disseminating vaccine to control vampire bat rabies in its reservoir

Viruses that circulate in wildlife can have devastating health and economic consequences when they enter human and livestock populations. Efforts to mitigate the burden of these zoonotic pathogens currently tend to focus on the spillover hosts; however, since this approach does not address the reservoir of disease, it prolongs the risk of re-emergence as viruses continue to circulate unimpeded in wildlife. Vaccination of wildlife reservoirs has the potential to prevent spillover, but is hampered by the logistical challenge of delivering vaccine to and achieving sufficient coverage in large, reclusive animal populations. Whilst orally available vaccines held inside edible baits have seen success in combating disease in some wildlife reservoirs, unique dietary requirements or behaviours can preclude the use of this strategy. The obligate blood-feeding common vampire bat Desmodus rotundus, reservoir host of rabies virus and primary source of rabies cases throughout Latin America, is one species in which edible baits are unsuitable, and other management strategies have thus far failed. Virally vectored transmissible vaccines which utilise the replicative capabilities of live viral vectors to spread autonomously between hosts, offer a potential solution. However, progress towards real world use of such vaccines is hampered by the selection of vaccine vectors which will prove both safe and efficacious. A betaherpesvirus recently identified in vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus betaherpesvirus; DrBHV) presents a promising candidate vector. In this thesis, I aimed to identify the key characteristics of DrBHV, and evaluate its biological and epidemiological suitability to vector a transmissible vaccine targeting rabies virus. The results presented here are based on field-collected samples, subjected to a combination of PCR, deep sequencing, and computer modelling. In Chapter 2, I aimed to assess the prevalence and host specificity of DrBHV, and the similarity of its genome composition to other betaherpesviruses currently considered for use as vaccine vectors. I used PCR to amplify a conserved region of the herpesvirus genome in saliva samples from Peruvian bats, with 96.9% of vampire bats testing positive, regardless of demographic group. Sanger sequencing of these regions and those from other positive bats revealed specificity of DrBHV to the Phyllostomidae family. Thus, DrBHV is able to spread efficiently within vampire bats, with only rare infection of closely related and cohabitating bat species. Metagenomic sequencing was able to construct a full genome consensus sequence for DrBHV similar in length and composition to betaherpesviruses in other species. This sequencing also showed the presence of multiple strain infections, suggesting that DrBHV may have the capacity to superinfect individuals, evading the host immune response. I aimed to further explore superinfection and DrBHV diversity in Chapter 3, by the amplification and deep sequencing of the highly variable gene encoding glycoprotein B. I identified eleven strains of DrBHV which varied in prevalence and geographic distribution across Peru. The phylogeographic structure of these strains was predictable from both host genetics and landscape topology, informing long-term DrBHV-vectored vaccine deployment strategies. Multi-strain infections were observed in 79% of infected bats and resampling of marked individuals showed strain acquisitions by already infected individuals, implying that pre-existing immunity and strain competition are unlikely to inhibit vaccine spread. Finally, in Chapter 4, I used the strain-specific prevalence data to fit models of DrBHV transmission. I identified the most likely model to include lifelong, persistent infection with cycles of latency and re-activation, a mechanism which would allow vaccinated individuals to boost their own immunity, and continually transmit vaccines to other bats throughout their lifetime. Simulations of vaccine spread show that a DrBHV-vectored vaccine can reach a population equilibrium coverage of >80% after a single introduction of vaccine, resulting in a 95% decrease in the size of rabies outbreaks. Furthermore, ongoing vaccine transmission is able to maintain these levels of vaccine coverage long-term, even in the presence of realistic levels of reversion, negating the need for recurrent and costly vaccination campaigns. In summary, the work presented in this thesis supports DrBHV as a candidate to vector a transmissible vaccine targeting a major source of rabies in Latin America and shows how accessible genomic data can enlighten vector selection and deployment strategies for transmissible vaccines. This work constitutes a fundamental step towards what would be the first deployment of a transmissible vaccine to prevent spillover of a zoonotic virus, thus allowing the management of disease to shift from reactive damage control to proactive prevention

Stellar Populations of Highly Magnified Lensed Galaxies: Young Starbursts at z~2

We present a comprehensive analysis of the rest-frame UV to near-IR spectral energy distributions and rest-frame optical spectra of four of the brightest gravitationally lensed galaxies in the literature: RCSGA 032727-132609 at z=1.70, MS1512-cB58 at z=2.73, SGAS J152745.1+065219 at z=2.76 and SGAS J122651.3+215220 at z=2.92. This includes new Spitzer imaging for RCSGA0327 as well as new spectra, near-IR imaging and Spitzer imaging for SGAS1527 and SGAS1226. Lensing magnifications of 3-4 magnitudes allow a detailed study of the stellar populations and physical conditions. We compare star formation rates as measured from the SED fit, the H-alpha and [OII] emission lines, and the UV+IR bolometric luminosity where 24 micron photometry is available. The SFR estimate from the SED fit is consistently higher than the other indicators, which suggests that the Calzetti dust extinction law used in the SED fitting is too flat for young star-forming galaxies at z~2. Our analysis finds similar stellar population parameters for all four lensed galaxies: stellar masses 3-7*10^9 M_sun, young ages ~ 100 Myr, little dust content E(B-V)=0.10-0.25, and star formation rates around 20-100 M_sun/yr. Compared to typical values for the galaxy population at z~2, this suggests we are looking at newly formed, starbursting systems that have only recently started the build-up of stellar mass. These results constitute the first detailed, uniform analysis of a sample of the growing number of strongly lensed galaxies known at z~2.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, Accepted to Ap

Daily Associations Between Drinking and Sex Among College Students: A Longitudinal Measurement Burst Design

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/111762/1/jora12135.pd

‘I miss the physical presence of the students’ : Swedish teachers’ experiences of online teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Approaches to interdisciplinary mixed methods research in land change science and environmental management

Combining qualitative and quantitative methods and data is crucial to understanding the complex dynamics and often interdisciplinary nature of conservation. Many conservation scientists use mixed methods, but there are a variety of mixed methods approaches, a lack of shared vocabulary, and few methodological frameworks. We reviewed articles from 2 conservation-related fields that often incorporate qualitative and quantitative methods: land-change science (n= 16) and environmental management (n= 16). We examined how authors of these studies approached mixed-methods research by coding key methodological characteristics, including relationships between method objectives, extent of integration, iterative interactions between methods, and justification for use of mixed methods. Using these characteristics, we created a typology with the goal of improving understanding of how researchers studying land-change science and environmental management approach interdisciplinary mixed methods research. We found 5 types of mixed methods approaches, which we termed simple nested, informed nested, simple parallel, unidirectional synthesis, and bidirectional synthesis. Methods and data sources were often used to address different research questions within a project, and only around half of the reviewed papers methodologically integrated different forms of data. Most authors used one method to inform the other rather than both informing one another. Very few articles used methodological iteration. Each methodological type has certain epistemological implications, such as the disciplinary reach of the research and the capacity for knowledge creation through the exchange of information between distinct methodologies. To exemplify a research design that can lead to multi-dimensional knowledge production, we provide a methodological framework that bidirectionally integrates and iterates qualitative and quantitative methods