Matrilines in Neolithic cattle from Orkney, Scotland reveals complex husbandry patterns of ancestry

mtDNA, isotopic and archaeozoological analyses of cattle teeth and bones from the Late Neolithic site of Links of Noltland, Orkney, Scotland revealed these animals followed similar grazing regimes but displayed diverse genetic origins and included one cattle skull that carried an aurochs (wild cattle) genetic haplotype. Morphometric analyses indicate the presence of some cattle larger than published dimensions of Neolithic domestic cattle. Several explanations for these finding are possible but may be the evidence of a complex pattern of domestic cattle introductions into Neolithic Orkney and interbreeding between domestic and wild cattle

日本の大学のオンライン英語コースにおける課題文のピア・コメント化

本研究では，学習管理システムとビデオ会議システムを用いて，1年次の一般教養科目「ライティング」をプロセス・アプローチで学習しました。研究の中心となったのは，学習管理システムのブログツールに掲載される通常の宿題に学生がコメントする仕組みを導入したことです。このピア・コメントは，より伝統的な教師からのフィードバックやGrammarly ソフトウェアアプリケーションによる自動化されたフィードバックと組み合わされました。 3人の著者は，合計22グループの学生の指導に携わり，そのうち10グループを第一著者が担当しました。データ収集は，著者のうち2名が16のグループに対して，リッカート尺度による回答と自由形式の回答の両方を含むオンライン調査によって行いました。第一著者は，調査データを課題およびピア・コメントと三角測量しました。また，3人の著者は，学生のコメントをどのように授業に取り入れたか，またその革新性についての認識について議論しました。 データによると，ピア・コメントは教員と学生の双方から概ね肯定的に受け止められていることが分かりました。多くの生徒が読者を意識するようになり，文章やコメントを通じて互いにつながりを持ち，授業以外の時間にもコミュニケーションをとるようになりました。さらに，学生はよくできた課題から学び，互いに励まし合う方法を見つけることができました。しかし，LMS，学生，教師からのデータは，コメントが繰り返しになる可能性があることを示しており，コメントは，学生の反応を刺激する可能性が最も高い課題に的を絞る必要があることを示唆しています。In the study presented here, the researchers used a learning management system (LMS) and videoconferencing software to deliver a first-year general writing course, taught using a process approach. The innovation at the heart of the research was the introduction of students commenting on regular homework assignments posted on the blog tool of the LMS. This peer commenting was combined with more traditional teacher feedback and automated feedback via the Grammarly software application. The three authors were involved in teaching 22 groups of students in total, with the first author taking charge of 10 of those groups. Data were collected by two of the authors, covering 16 of the groups via an online survey involving both Likert scale answers and open-ended answers. The first author triangulated the survey data with assignments and peer comments. The three authors also discussed how they incorporated student commenting into their classes and their perceptions of the innovation. The data indicate that peer commenting was generally viewed positively by both teachers and students. Many students became much more reader-conscious, formed connections with each other through writing and commenting, and communicated outside taught sessions. In addition, students learned from well-written assignments, as well as finding ways to encourage each other. However, data from the LMS, students, and teachers indicate that commenting can become repetitive, with the implication that commenting should be targeted at assignments most likely to stimulate students’ interest to respond

Preparation of 9-substituted pyridine-stretched adenines and hypoxanthines

9-Methylsulfanyl pyridine-stretched adenine and hypoxanthine derivatives have been prepared via regioselective reaction of a 5-aminoimidazole with 2-(bis-methylsulfanylmethylene)malononitrile [(NC)C=C(SMe) ]. The 9-methylsulfanyl substituent can be replaced by sequential oxidation and substitution by nucleophiles including amines

Combinatorial RNA interference in Caenorhabditis elegans reveals that redundancy between gene duplicates can be maintained for more than 80 million years of evolution

BACKGROUND: Systematic analyses of loss-of-function phenotypes have been carried out for most genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Caenorhabditis elegans, and Drosophila melanogaster. Although such studies vastly expand our knowledge of single gene function, they do not address redundancy in genetic networks. Developing tools for the systematic mapping of genetic interactions is thus a key step in exploring the relationship between genotype and phenotype. RESULTS: We established conditions for RNA interference (RNAi) in C. elegans to target multiple genes simultaneously in a high-throughput setting. Using this approach, we can detect the great majority of previously known synthetic genetic interactions. We used this assay to examine the redundancy of duplicated genes in the genome of C. elegans that correspond to single orthologs in S. cerevisiae or D. melanogaster and identified 16 pairs of duplicated genes that have redundant functions. Remarkably, 14 of these redundant gene pairs were duplicated before the divergence of C. elegans and C. briggsae 80-110 million years ago, suggesting that there has been selective pressure to maintain the overlap in function between some gene duplicates. CONCLUSION: We established a high throughput method for examining genetic interactions using combinatorial RNAi in C. elegans. Using this technique, we demonstrated that many duplicated genes can retain redundant functions for more than 80 million years of evolution. This provides strong support for evolutionary models that predict that genetic redundancy between duplicated genes can be actively maintained by natural selection and is not just a transient side effect of recent gene duplication events

Understanding parent experiences of end-of-life care for children: a systematic review and qualitative evidence synthesis

Background: An estimated 21 million children worldwide would benefit from palliative care input and nearly 8 million die each year. For parents of these children this is an intensely emotional and painful time through which they will need support. There is a lack of synthesised research about how parents experience the care delivered to their child at the end of life. Aim: To systematically identify and synthesise qualitative research on parents’ experiences of end-of-life care of their child. Design: A qualitative evidence synthesis was conducted. The review protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42021242946). Data sources: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Web of Science databases were searched for qualitative studies published post-2000 to April 2020. Studies were appraised for methodological quality and data richness. Confidence in findings was assessed by GRADE-CERQual. Results: 95 studies met the eligibility criteria. A purposive sample of 25 studies was taken, of good-quality papers with rich data describing the experience of over 470 parents. There were two overarching themes: parents of children receiving end-of-life care experienced a profound need to fulfil the parental role; and care of the parent. Subthemes included establishing their role, maintaining identity, ultimate responsibility, reconstructing the parental role, and continuing parenting after death. Conclusions: Services delivering end-of-life care for children need to recognise the importance for parents of being able to fulfil their parental role and consider how they enable this. What the parental role consists of, and how it’s expressed, differs for individuals. Guidance should acknowledge the need to enable parents to parent at their child’s end of life

How Do You Love?: Conversations About Love and Lust in Morocco, Sweden, and the United States

Unlike other curriculums, sex education is widely varied in the methods of teaching, what age an individual receives this education, and what specifically is taught. This problem is universal, as often times, too many sensitivities concerning the effect it will have on a student’s character influence the outcome of sex education. Because of this, students and adults go through life with an inadequate understanding of their own sexual health. Ignorance about sexual health leads to unwanted pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, as well us an unfortunate confusion about one’s own body and the bodies of others. The curriculum of other subjects has evolved to cater towards better learning strategies and a more engaging strategy of presenting material, but sex education has remained static because of social, religious, and other controversial factors

Methods and ethics in qualitative research exploring young children’s voice : A systematic review

Young children have rights; they are agents and active constructors of their social worlds. Despite well-established theoretical foundations, the ‘methods’ and ‘ethics’ of qualitative research to elicit young children’s voice require further exploration to ensure young children are central to our research endeavors. This systematic review examined studies that sought to capture young children’s (3–6 years) voice in Early Childhood Education and Care settings. Fifty-eight studies met the inclusion criteria. Interview was found to be the most common strategy; this is often coupled with other child-friendly methods. Findings suggest that young children are increasingly listened to; however, there appears to be a need to further promote children’s agency and the inclusion of assent-seeking as an ongoing process. Gaps in methods supporting the inclusion of children with additional needs and Indigenous children are also evident. In addition, advancing non-permanent methods of meaning making to support children’s participation appears ripe for methodological innovation

Assessment of Client Satisfaction in Six Urban WIC Clinics

Customer service is a measure of support and courtesy provided to individuals who patronize an organization, and is a factor vital to the success of any business. Programs that strive to meet critical needs of at risk populations, such as the Special Supplementation Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), may also benefit from assessment of client satisfaction. The purpose of the study was to examine factors related to customer satisfaction in Duval County Florida WIC clinics and identify potential barriers to participation through a two-year project initiated by the health department and the state university. The study examined appointment wait time, duration of appointment, the preferred time of day and day of the week for appointment scheduling, and customer service practices in WIC clinics from the perspective of WIC participants. Results suggest that most WIC participants served by the Duval County Health Department were satisfied; however, three areas exist for improvement. The most salient issue reported by clients was duration of appointment wait time, continued improved customer service, and to a lesser extent improvement in the physical environment. Clients provided suggestions for improvement related to each of these areas