SLIDES: Forest Grove Municipal Watershed: Using Citizen Involvement to Break Gridlock

Presenter: Scott Ferguson, City of Forest Grove, OR 23 slide

SLIDES: Forest Grove Municipal Watershed: Using Citizen Involvement to Break Gridlock

Presenter: Scott Ferguson, City of Forest Grove, OR 23 slide

Searching for videos on Apple iPad and iPhone

In this demonstration we introduce our content-based video search system which runs as an app on the Apple iPad or iPhone. Our work on video search is motivated by the need to introduce content-based video search techniques, which are currently the preserve of the research community, to the larger YouTube generation. It was with this in mind, that we have developed a simple but engaging content based video search engine which uses an iPad or iPhone app as the front-end user interface. Our app supports the three common modes for content-based video search: text search, concept search and image-similarity search. Our iPad system was evaluated as part of the TRECVid 2010 evaluation campaign where we compared the performance of novice versus expert users

The Impacts of Maple Syrup Production on the Herbaceous Layer in Appalachian Hardwood Forests

Vegetation data were collected from eight maple syrup farms (sugarbushes) and eight undeveloped maple-dominated sites to examine potential differences in understory plant communities due to disturbance effects. Understory plants were identified to the species level and percent cover of aboveground leaf-area for each species was estimated within 600 total quadrats. Overstory data and environmental data were collected to help determine if they had any effect on herbaceous-layer plant communities. Species richness, Shannon diversity, and Pielou’s evenness were calculated, with the analysis showing no significant differences between the site types. The absolute cover of plant functional groups was also compared between the two site types, again with no significant differences found. In addition, the leaf-area cover and presence/absence data of non-timber forest product (NTFP) plant species and non-native invasive plant species were analyzed and compared between the two site types. Some differences in cover and likelihood of occurrence (estimated from the presence/absence data) for these species were found between the two site types. Blue cohosh, one of the NTFPs, had greater cover on the control sites. In addition, several of the NTFPs were positively associated with north and east facing slopes, as well as the cover of other understory plants. The likelihood of occurrence and cover of several non-native invasive species was also significantly higher on the sugarbush sites compared to the control sites, as was the combined cover of all non-native invasive species. It was hypothesized that non-native invasive understory plant species have greater cover on sugarbush sites due to increased disturbance effects and altered site conditions. Sugarbush owners wishing to stop the spread of non-native invasive species within their stands or protect NTFPs from disturbance impacts may therefore wish to alter their management practices and/or utilize invasive species control methods

An Examination of Teacher Efficacy on Student Achievement in Regional Juvenile Detention Centers and Youth development Centers in Kentucky

The purpose of this study is to examine the self-efficacy of teachers who work in the juvenile detention and youth development centers in Kentucky and how their level of self-efficacy influences their students\u27 efforts to complete high school. This study is important because it provides information that contributes to the improvement of education for students incarcerated in juvenile detention and youth development centers in Kentucky. A quality education for these students ensures they will have the same opportunity for success that was afforded them in their regular school. Youth committed to the juvenile detention and youth development centers are considered at-risk of not graduating high school. Research has shown that incarcerated students do not receive the same quality of education as their peers who attend traditional high schools. A descriptive research method was employed in this study. The population for this research was high school teachers (N=70) who are employed at regional juvenile detention and youth development centers in the state of Kentucky. These participants were asked to complete the Teachers\u27 Sense of Efficacy Scale (Tschannen-Moran & Hoy, 2001). This instrument contains closed-ended items related to their expectations and beliefs about teacher efficacy. An analysis of their responses will help to determine their perceptions of teacher efficacy and its effect on the students\u27 efforts to work toward high school graduation while incarcerated at the juvenile detention or youth development centers

Identification and validation of target pathways influencing outcome after traumatic brain injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) involves both an initial primary insult to the brain and a delayed secondary injury in the hours and days thereafter. The delayed nature of secondary brain injury leaves open the possibility for a window of therapeutic intervention to prevent neurodegeneration. As there are currently no approved drugs for the treatment and prevention of secondary injury after TBI, my approach has been to first identify molecular pathways associated with a differential outcome from injury, followed by validation of these pathways by targeting them with a variety of therapeutic strategies ranging from genetic manipulation to novel drug compounds, and dietary supplementation. The Apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene has three major alleles, APOE2, APOE3 and APOE4, the latter of which confers risk for poor outcome following TBI. Using quantitative Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, large proteomic datasets can be generated, and the difference in protein expression in response to TBI between transgenic mice expressing APOE3 or APOE4 can reveal changes that reflect a "better" or "worse" outcome, respectively. Analyzing such datasets from APOE3 and APOE4 transgenic mice at a wide range of time points, we examined the differential response to TBI and identified several protein pathways of interest, including: CD40 signaling, NF-kB signaling, and APP related proteins. Optimizing several behavioral I testing paradigms (Rotarod, Morris Water Maze, and Barnes Maze), we characterized spatial memory and motor function deficits resulting from TBI in order to quantify a "good" or "poor" response. Using a variety of targeted intervention strategies (CD40L knockout, administration of (-)-Nllvadipine, or anatabine) to modulate the protein pathways of interest, we showed improvement in response to TBI. Overall, these experiments provide demonstrate the effectiveness of using a systems biology approach to find potential targets for therapeutic intervention