When the Course Management System Isn\u27t Enough

Many articles have been written extoling the need for interactivity in the online classroom. Zundel (2006) states that not only should interactivity be effectively integrated, but that it is essential for enhancing the learning in online courses just as interactivity is essential for on-campus learners. Mabrito (2004) contends that success is enhanced in online courses by engaging students as active learners rather than passive participants. Mabrito goes on to state that this engagement should include ample opportunities for students to interact with not only the course content, but also with the instructor and fellow classmates

Contextual interpretations of sexual fantasy

Submitted in partial fulfillment of a degree of Master of Arts by Coursework and Research Report at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa 1998A combination of written and interview protocols were collected from 4 participants, two men aged 27 and 29, and two women, 24 and 28. The participants responded to questions about their understanding and use of sexual fantasy, giving concrete examples. The data were analysed qualitatively using the phenomenological themes of Space, Time and Being. These themes demonstrated the value of examining sexual fantasy experience as a unique lived experience. The data were then discussed in light of this and also with reference to previous research. The data collected for this study demonstrate the unique way in which fantasy exists in interaction with its fantasiser. It also highlights the change between the fantasy and the retrospective experience of fantasy.MT201

Flexural analysis of uplifted rift flanks on Venus

Knowledge of the thermal structure of a planet is vital to a thorough understanding of its general scheme of tectonics. Since no direct measurements of heat flow or thermal gradient are available for Venus, most estimates have been derived from theoretical considerations or by analog with the Earth. The flexural response of the lithosphere to applied loads is sensitive to regional thermal structure. Under the assumption that the yield strength as a function of depth can be specified, the temperature gradient can be inferred from the effective elastic plate thickness. Previous estimates of the effective elastic plate thickness of Venus range from 11-18 km for the foredeep north of Uorsar Rupes to 30-60 km for the annular troughs around several coronae. Thermal gradients inferred for these regions are 14-23 K km(exp -1) and 4-9 K km(exp -1) respectively. In this study, we apply the same techniques to investigate the uplifted flanks of an extensional rift. Hypotheses for the origin of uplifted rift flanks on Earth include lateral transport of heat from the center of the rift, vertical transport of heat by small-scale convection, differential thinning of the lithosphere, dynamical uplift, and isostatic response to mechanical uploading of the lithosphere. The 1st hypothesis is considered the dominant contributor to terrestrial rift flanks lacking evidence for volcanic activity, particularly for rift structures that are no longer active. In this study, we model the uplifted flanks of a venusian rift as the flexural response to a vertical end load

The Lepidosaurian Ear: Variations on a Theme

Today, Lepidosauria encompasses more than 9,000 species of lizards, snakes, and amphisbaenians (Squamata), as well as the New Zealand Tuatara, Sphenodon (Rhynchocephalia). In many lizards, an efficient tympanic middle ear and an effective inner-ear compensatory mechanism permit acute hearing across a range of frequencies. Sphenodon lacks a tympanic membrane, but this is the result of secondary loss. Fossils of stem lepidosaurs and early rhynchocephalians indicate that the ancestral lepidosaurian middle ear was tympanic, although the compensatory mechanism was probably rudimentary. Derived rhynchocephalians like Sphenodon lost the tympanic ear, possibly in association with feeding specializations, whereas squamates improved it by developing a more efficient compensatory window. However, the timing of this change is uncertain as the earliest lizard fossils are uninformative in this respect. Lizards from the Early Cretaceous onward show the derived condition. Squamates are morphologically and ecologically diverse, and some specialized lifestyles have affected ear anatomy. Among extant squamates, the only obligate marine swimmers are sea snakes, but in the Cretaceous, mosasaurs dominated the marine niche. These aquatic lizards show a middle ear morphology analogous to that of extant marine turtles (bulla-like quadrate, expanded extrastapes, loss of the tympanum?). Loss of the tympanum also occurs in squamate burrowers but in conjunction with the possession of a robust stapes with an enlarged footplate and, frequently, reduction or modification of the compensatory mechanism. Ears of this type are found in the enigmatic Cretaceous Sineoamphisbaena and in amphisbaenians from the Eocene to the present day. Where known, the ears of early snakes more closely resemble those of burrowers than swimmers

Surfactant protein D contributes to ocular defense against Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a murine model of dry eye disease.

Dry eye disease can cause ocular surface inflammation that disrupts the corneal epithelial barrier. While dry eye patients are known to have an increased risk of corneal infection, it is not known whether there is a direct causal relationship between these two conditions. Here, we tested the hypothesis that experimentally-induced dry eye (EDE) increases susceptibility to corneal infection using a mouse model. In doing so, we also examined the role of surfactant protein D (SP-D), which we have previously shown is involved in corneal defense against infection. Scopolamine injections and fan-driven air were used to cause EDE in C57BL/6 or Black Swiss mice (wild-type and SP-D gene-knockout). Controls received PBS injections and were housed normally. After 5 or 10 days, otherwise uninjured corneas were inoculated with 10(9) cfu of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO1. Anesthesia was maintained for 3 h post-inoculation. Viable bacteria were quantified in ocular surface washes and corneal homogenates 6 h post-inoculation. SP-D was measured by Western immunoblot, and corneal pathology assessed from 6 h to 4 days. EDE mice showed reduced tear volumes after 5 and 10 days (each by ∼75%, p<0.001) and showed fluorescein staining (i.e. epithelial disruption). Surprisingly, there was no significant difference in corneal pathology between EDE mice and controls (∼10-14% incidence). Before bacterial inoculation, EDE mice showed elevated SP-D in ocular washes. After inoculation, fewer bacteria were recovered from ocular washes of EDE mice (<2% of controls, p = 0.0004). Furthermore, SP-D knockout mice showed a significant increase in P. aeruginosa corneal colonization under EDE conditions. Taken together, these data suggest that SP-D contributes to corneal defense against P. aeruginosa colonization and infection in EDE despite the loss of barrier function to fluorescein

Functional programming framework for GRworkbench

The software tool GRworkbench is an ongoing project in visual, numerical General Relativity at The Australian National University. Recently, the numerical differential geometric engine of GRworkbench has been rewritten using functional programming techniques. By allowing functions to be directly represented as program variables in C++ code, the functional framework enables the mathematical formalism of Differential Geometry to be more closely reflected in GRworkbench . The powerful technique of `automatic differentiation' has replaced numerical differentiation of the metric components, resulting in more accurate derivatives and an order-of-magnitude performance increase for operations relying on differentiation

Advocacy and accountability in school counseling : assessing the use of data as related to professional self-efficacy

School counselors are uniquely trained and positioned within schools to use data for the purpose of addressing opportunity and achievement gaps present in many schools. Even with this position, the literature for school counseling remains focused on reasons to use data rather than how to use data within a school counseling program. This study examines the relationship between professional self-efficacy and levels of data use to understand an aspect of why school counselors might not use data to promote school counseling program goals and advocacy. Participants are 426 public school counselors from Missouri. Participants are mostly female (89.4%) and have 7-18 years of experience as school counselors (44.8%). Simple and multiple regression analysis is used to examine the relationship between self-efficacy and data use. Additional factors are self-efficacy in mathematical concepts and the involvement of participants in continued training on the use of data. Statistically significant variation in school counselor's data use is attributed to self-efficacy (R2 = 0.247, p < .01). The addition of higher self-efficacy in math concepts (R2=0.370) and participation in professional development (R2=0.40) increases the strength of the model (p [less than].01). Recommendations for future research offers suggestions for additional covariates to analyze. Implications for practicing school counselors as well as those who train, support, and evaluate them are also addressed.Includes bibliographical reference