Advanced Conducting Project

Contents include: Danny Boy, arranged by Samuel Hazo Enchanted Spaces by Samuel Hazo Exultate by Samuel Hazo First Suite in E♭ by Gustav Holst Lux Aurumque by Eric Whitacre March Grandioso by Roland F. Seitz Symphonic Suite by Clifton Williams

Accountability for Students in K-12 Online Learning: Perspectives from Michigan Stakeholders and Beyond

Policy surrounding K-12 online learning continues to evolve as the field grows exponentially. In Michigan, Section 21f of the State School Aid Act enacted in 2013 strengthened parents’ and students’ ability to request online courses: “A student enrolled in a district in any of grades 6 to 12 is eligible to enroll in an online course as provided for in this section.” The passing of 21f raised concerns around accountability in a choice environment. Examples of such concerns included a pervasive belief about the lack of rigor or quality in online courses, an aversion to another district educating a student for one or two courses yet remaining responsible for that student’s growth, and uncertainty about how mentors and teachers would be evaluated on their online students. Consequently, a legislative directive was issued to the Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute, the research arm of Michigan Virtual University that centered on accountability. In response to that directive, Michigan stakeholders, as well as experts from other course access states and national organizations, were interviewed to better understand the conversations surrounding accountability in K-12 online learning in Michigan and beyond and to make key recommendations for moving the field forward in an informed way. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Implications for research, policy, and practice are shared

Association and Linkage of Atopic Dermatitis with Chromosome 13q12–14 and 5q31–33 Markers

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that affects 10–20% of the population. Linkage of atopy, asthma, allergic rhinitis, and total serum IgE levels to several different chromosomal regions have been described extensively, but little is known about the genetic control of atopic dermatitis. We tested for the association and linkage between atopic dermatitis and five chromosomal regions: 5q31–33, 6p21.3, 12q15–24.1, 13q12–31, and 14q11.2/14q32.1–32.3. Marker analysis was performed in two Caucasian populations: (i) 192 unrelated German children with atopic dermatitis and 59 non-atopic children from a German birth cohort study (MAS'90), parental DNA was tested in 77 of 192 children with atopic dermatitis; (ii) 40 Swedish families with at least one family member with atopic dermatitis selected from the International Study of Asthma and Allergy in Children. Evidence for linkage and allelic association for atopic dermatitis was observed for markers on chromosome 13q12–14 and 5q31–33

Using RNA Mimicry of Viroids to Uncover New Noncoding RNA Structural Motifs and Pathways

There is broad interest in ncRNAs within technology. The functions of ncRNAs are linked to RNA structural elements, but most of the structure-function relationships of ncRNAs are unknown, which limits the use RNA in technology. Viroids are the first ncRNAs observed. They are unique pathogens because they exclusively hijack ncRNA pathways by mimicking structures found in cellular RNAs. This makes viroids excellent models to study structural-functional relationships of cellular ncRNAs. In this research, we studied a structural element, the sarcin/ricin domain motif, found in PSTVd. This structural element is important in replication and processing, but the same structural element was not found in all viroids belonging in the Pospiviroidae family (a family of biochemically related viroids) using traditional methods including secondary structure prediction. Viroids in the Pospiviroidae utilize similar biochemical pathways including replication and RNA processing pathways. Furthermore, they utilize similar cellular factors in the processing and replication pathways so we have hypothesized that every Pospiviroidae forms a similar structural element like an SRD. We used computational methods including alignment, molecular dynamics, and RNA footprinting to show that every Pospiviroidae could form an SRD-like motif. The work also suggests that there could be undiscovered subsets of SRD mimics. The knowledge of conserved structural elements in RNA processing could be applied in RNA technology. In addition to structural analysis, our work resulted in the development of new analysis methods. These included an enrichment method to remove large RNAs from an RNA mixture without the removal of small to moderate sized RNAs. We have also progressed in developing a new cell-based RNA assay which will analyze the effects of cellular biochemical factors on viroid processing

Miniaturized Environmental Monitoring Instrumentation

The objective of the Mass Spectrograph on a Chip (MSOC) program is the development of a miniature, multi-species gas sensor fabricated using silicon micromachining technology which will be orders of magnitude smaller and lower power consumption than a conventional mass spectrometer. The sensing and discrimination of this gas sensor are based on an ionic mass spectrograph, using magnetic and/or electrostatic fields. The fields cause a spatial separation of the ions according to their respective mass-to-charge ratio. The fabrication of this device involves the combination of microelectronics with micromechanically built sensors and, ultimately, vacuum pumps. The prototype of a chemical sensor would revolutionize the method of performing environmental monitoring for both commercial and government applications. The portable unit decided upon was the miniaturized gas chromatograph with a mass spectrometer detector, referred to as a GC/MS in the analytical marketplace

[Pestalozzi, Johann Heinrich]

http://tartu.ester.ee/record=b2014888~S1*es