Some Additional Observations on the Effects of Injury to Peripheral Nerves.

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First Steps Toward Change in Teacher Preparation for Elementary Science

Unless introductory undergraduate science classes for prospective elementary teachers actively incorporate the philosophy of inquiry-based learning called for in K-l2 science education refom little will change in elementary science education. Thus, at James Madison University, we have developed a new integrated science core curriculum called Understanding our World [1]. This course sequence was not only designed to fulfill general education science requirements. but also to focus on content areas our students will need to know as teachers. The objectives of these courses are based on the National Science Education Standards and Virginia’s Science Standards of Learning, including earth and space science, chemistry, physics, life sciences, and environmental science [2,3]. As an integrated package, this course sequence addresses basic science content, calculation skills, the philosophy and history of science, the process of how science is done, the role of science in society, and applications of computers and technology in science. Keeping in mind that students tend to teach in the same way they were taught, Understanding our World core classes embrace the concepts associated with reform in elementary math and science

The Iowa Academy of Science (Paper presented at the Thirty-Eighth Annual Meeting of the Iowa Academy of Science)

In the early days of Iowa, not pioneer days, or building home days, but after homes had been assured, educational interests began to develop. As early as 1872 our higher institutions of learning, the Iowa State University at Iowa City and the Iowa State College at Ames, had but small facilities and the men teaching different branches, to a degree, confined their work to a specialty. There were no professors teaching natural philosophy, or natural history, which included all animal and vegetable life, as in so many of the old time colleges. In about 1880 or earlier, both the University and the State College had well organized chemical departments and also organized departments of Zoology and Botany. When these departments had become sufficiently developed to feel an individuality and a distinctive field of their own, the professors in these departments began to feel the advantages which would accrue from a co-ordination of these activities. There were always points of contact which could be better understood by coming together for consultation

Cabbage pest management

"In Missouri, about 600 acres of cabbage and 200 acres of broccoli, cauliflower, and collards are planted each year. The majority of this acreage is in commercial production in the St. Louis and Bootheel areas. Small truck farms and home gardens produce cabbage and related cole crops throughout the state."--First page.James R. Davis, K.D. Biever, W.S. Craig, and M.L. Fairchild (Department of Entomology)New 8/85/6

Global warming and end-use efficiency implications of replacing CFCs

The direct contribution of CFCs to calculated global warming has been recognized for some time. As a result of the international agreement to phase out CFCs due to stratospheric ozone and the ensuing search for suitable alternatives, there has recently been increased attention on the DIRECT global warming potential (GWP) of the fluorocarbon alternatives as greenhouse gases. However, to date there has been little focus on the INDIRECT global warming effect arising from end-use efficiency changes and associated CO{sub 2} emissions. A study being conducted at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) addresses this combined or total global warming impact of viable options to replace CFCs in their major energy-related applications. This paper reviews selected results for air-conditioning, refrigeration, and heat pump applications. The analysis indicates that the CFC user industries have made substantial progress in approaching near-equal energy efficiency with the HCFC/HFC alternative refrigerants. The findings also bring into question the relative importance of the DIRECT (chemical-related) effect in many applications. Replacing CFCs is an important step in reducing the total global warming impact, and at present the HCFC and HFCS appear to offer the best efficiency and lowest total impact of options available in the relatively short time period required for the transition away from CFCs

Haplobanking induced pluripotent stem cells for clinical use

The development of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by Shinya Yamanaka and colleagues in 2006 has led to a potential new paradigm in cellular therapeutics, including the possibility of producing patient-specific, disease-specific and immune matched allogeneic cell therapies. One can envisage two routes to immunologically compatible iPSC therapies: using genetic modification to generate a ‘universal donor’ with reduced expression of Human Leukocyte Antigens (HLA) and other immunological targets or developing a haplobank containing iPSC lines specifically selected to provide HLA matched products to large portions of the population. HLA matched lines can be stored in a designated physical or virtual global bank termed a ‘haplobank’. The process of ‘iPSC haplobanking’ refers to the banking of iPSC cell lines, selected to be homozygous for different HLA haplotypes, from which therapeutic products can be derived and matched immunologically to patient populations. By matching iPSC and derived products to a patient’s HLA class I and II molecules, one would hope to significantly reduce the risk of immune rejection and the use of immunosuppressive medication. Immunosuppressive drugs are used in several conditions (including autoimmune disease and in transplantation procedures) to reduce rejection of infused cells, or transplanted tissue and organs, due to major and minor histocompatibility differences between donor and recipient. Such regimens can lead to immune compromise and pathological consequences such as opportunistic infections or malignancies due to decreased cancer immune surveillance. In this article, we will discuss what is practically involved if one is developing and executing an iPSC haplobanking strategy

FDG-PET Quantification of Lung Inflammation with Image-Derived Blood Input Function in Mice

Dynamic FDG-PET imaging was used to study inflammation in lungs of mice following administration of a virulent strain of Klebsiella (K.) pneumoniae. Net whole-lung FDG influx constant (Ki) was determined in a compartment model using an image-derived blood input function. Methods. K. pneumoniae (~3 x 105 CFU) was intratracheally administered to six mice with 6 other mice serving as controls. Dynamic FDG-PET and X-Ray CT scans were acquired 24 hr after K. pneumoniae administration. The experimental lung time activity curves were fitted to a 3-compartment FDG model to obtain Ki. Following imaging, lungs were excised and immunohistochemistry analysis was done to assess the relative presence of neutrophils and macrophages. Results. Mean Ki for control and K. pneumoniae infected mice were (5.1 ± 1.2) ×10−3 versus (11.4 ± 2.0) ×10−3 min−1, respectively, revealing a 2.24 fold significant increase (P = 0.0003) in the rate of FDG uptake in the infected lung. Immunohistochemistry revealed that cellular lung infiltrate was almost exclusively neutrophils. Parametric Ki maps by Patlak analysis revealed heterogeneous inflammatory foci within infected lungs. Conclusion. The kinetics of FDG uptake in the lungs of mice can be noninvasively quantified by PET with a 3-compartment model approach based on an image-derived input function