The influence of online problem-based learning on teachers' professional practice and identity

In this paper we describe the design of a managed learning environment called MTutor, which is used to teach an online Masters Module for teachers. In describing the design of MTutor pedagogic issues of problem-based learning, situated cognition and ill-structured problems are discussed. MTutor presents teachers with complex real-life teaching problems, which they are required to solve online through collaboration with other teachers. In order to explore the influence of this online learning experience on the identity and practice of teachers, we present the results from a small-scale study in which six students were interviewed about their online experiences. We conclude that, within the sample, students' engagement with online problem-based learning within their community of practice positively influenced their professional practice styles, but that there is little evidence to suggest that online identity influences real-life practice

Managerial and Administrative Competencies for Dental Hygiene Program Administrators

The purposes of this descriptive study was to validate a list of managerial competencies that may guide administrative/management curricula within master of science in dental hygiene programs nationwide, and compile strategies for the development and implementation of the administrative and managerial competencies for future dental hygiene program administrators. Of the entire population of directors and chairpersons from accredited and accreditation eligible dental hygiene programs nationwide (N=262), 10 were randomly selected and used in a pilot survey. After establishing validity and test-retest reliability, a self-designed instrument, the Managerial and Administrative Competencies for Dental Hygiene Program Administrators Questionnaire, was mailed to the remaining 252 dental hygiene program administrators in the fall 2001 academic semester. This instrument asked participants to provide information concerning personal demographics, educational background, highest education level, academic preparation and experiences, the highest degree in dental hygiene offered at the college or university, extent of agreement on management and administrative competencies, and their recommendations on the implementation of administrative and managerial competencies for future dental hygiene program administrators. Frequencies, percentages, and means were used for data analysis. Based on a response rate of 64.3% (n=162) results indicated that 96.91 % of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the human skill, conceptual skill, and technical skills competencies were important for program administrators. The three highest rated competencies within each domain were: maintains confidentiality of others , maintains professional dental hygiene standards of practice , and \u27\u27plans and participates in budget development, implementation, and monitoring . Only 3.1 % of the program administrators rated neither agree nor disagree with some of the competencies. The three lowest rated competencies were: \u27\u27understands healthcare economics and its application to human resource planning , \u27\u27promotes research and other areas of scholarship , and \u27\u27utilizes current technology . The majority believed that the competencies were achievable via coursework, mentoring, use of internships, educational programs at American Dental Education Association or online symposiums. A smaller percentage (10%) of the program directors made comments regarding the importance of collaboration and agreement on the competencies among the master of science in dental hygiene programs, and pre-graduation evaluation of competencies. Implementation of competencies within a master of science in dental hygiene program may help prepare future dental hygiene program administrators for their positions, and empower aspiring managers, administrators, and leaders in dental hygiene education to strengthen the future of the profession

Commandeering Confrontation: A Novel Threat to the Indian Child Welfare Act and Tribal Sovereignty

Congress enacted the Indian Child Welfare Act (“ICWA”) in 1978 to address abuses by state and private child welfare agencies that resulted in the forced removal of roughly one-third of all Indian children from their families. However, four decades after the passage of the law, opponents of ICWA make the novel argument that it impermissibly commandeers the States, in violation of the Tenth Amendment. In Brackeen v. Bernhardt—a 2018 decision that contradicted much of modern anti-commandeering doctrine—the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas became the first court to declare ICWA unconstitutional. The anti-commandeering challenge to ICWA threatens to upend much of federal Indian law and to disrupt the delicate balance of power among states, tribes, and the federal government. This Note refutes the claim that ICWA commandeers the States. The commandeering claims advanced against ICWA contradict settled Supreme Court doctrine and misconstrue the practical application of the statute. Under a proper reading of modern anti-commandeering jurisprudence and an informed understanding of how state child custody proceedings work, it is clear that ICWA falls well within the bounds of the Tenth Amendment

Pathways for entry of livestock arboviruses into Great Britain : assessing the strength of evidence

The emergence of bluetongue virus and Schmallenberg virus in Great Britain (GB) during the last decade has highlighted the need for understanding the relative importance of the various pathways of the entry of livestock arboviruses so as to help focus surveillance and mitigation. This study summarizes what is known for the main routes of entry and assesses the strength of the current evidence for and against. Entry through infected arthropod vectors is considered at the level of each life cycle stage for tick-, biting midge- and mosquito-borne viruses, and while there is evidence that this could happen through most tick and mosquito stages, strong evidence that only exists for entry through adult midges. There is also strong evidence that entry through immature midge stages could not happen. The weight of supporting evidence is strongest for importation of viraemic livestock including horses. While there is some indication of a common pathway for midge-borne viruses from sub-Saharan Africa to GB via Continental Europe, other factors such as maternal transmission in dogs and sheep need to be considered in the light of recent findings

Qualitative assessment of the entry of capripoxviruses into Great Britain from the European Union through importation of ruminant hides, skins and wool

Sheep pox and goat pox (SPGP) virus and lumpy skin disease (LSD) virus belong to the genus Capripoxvirus and cause disease with economic impacts in sheep/goats and cattle respectively. In 2013/14, outbreaks of SPGP were reported in sheep in Greece and Bulgaria and LSD outbreaks were reported in cattle in Turkey, Egypt and some countries in the Middle East. Clinical signs for both diseases include pox lesions, papules and scabs on the skin which may contain virus. This, together with the fact that Great Britain (GB) currently imports cattle hides, sheep skins and wool from European Union (EU) countries without the requirement for treatment prior to export, raises concern that capripoxviruses could be introduced into GB. A qualitative assessment presented here concluded that the current risk of entry of SPGP virus into GB through the importation of one untreated sheep skin, hide or wool bale from an EU Member State (MS) with similar flock prevalence to that in sheep in Greece in 2013/14 is low. In terms of SPGP virus levels, those infected sheep skins/hides entering GB are more likely to be from infected animals with normal skin (i.e., not showing lesions) and hence carrying lower levels of virus than those from animals showing papules and scabs which contain very high virus levels and are easier to detect. The predicted risk of importation of LSD virus per cattle hide/skin is also low (assuming LSD were to emerge in an EU MS with similar herd prevalence to that reported for SPGP in Greece in 2013/14). The levels of LSD virus on an infected cow's hide, if imported, may be very low. It is recommended that the risks for entry of capripoxviruses are recalculated if outbreaks occur elsewhere within the EU

Simple Sprinkler Performance Testing for Sevier County

This fact sheet describes how to perform a site inspection and a sprinkler test so you can irrigate your landscape more efficiently, and provides an irrigation schedule for Sevier County

Assessing the impact of climate change on vector-borne viruses in the EU through the elicitation of expert opinion

Expert opinion was elicited to undertake a qualitative risk assessment to estimate the current and future risks to the European Union (EU) from five vector-borne viruses listed by the World Organization for Animal Health. It was predicted that climate change will increase the risk of incursions of African horse sickness virus (AHSV), Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) and Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) into the EU from other parts of the world, with African swine fever virus (ASFV) and West Nile virus (WNV) being less affected. Currently the predicted risks of incursion were lowest for RVFV and highest for ASFV. Risks of incursion were considered for six routes of entry (namely vectors, livestock, meat products, wildlife, pets and people). Climate change was predicted to increase the risk of incursion from entry of vectors for all five viruses to some degree, the strongest effects being predicted for AHSV, CCHFV and WNV. This work will facilitate identification of appropriate risk management options in relation to adaptations to climate change

From Ashes to Dust: Vampire Capitalists Throughout the Long Twentieth Century

It’s often forgotten that the folkloric Eastern European vampire was neither conventionally rich nor attractive. It is only after the vampire’s nineteenth century migration into Western culture that the figure becomes a representation of the suave aristocrat – from John Polidori’s Lord Ruthven (1819) to Bram Stoker’s Count Dracula (1897). Throughout the twentieth century, the association between the vampire and high-class wealth has continued to establish itself within American vampire literature, yet this association has been a surprisingly marginal focus of twentieth century Gothic research. Several twentieth and twenty-first century critics, including Franco Moretti, Nick Groom, and Ken Gelder, emphasize the nineteenth century vampire to be a historical representation of specific phases of capital in which they exist, but do not expand the scope of their approach to include the socio-historical conditions shaping representations of the American twentieth century vampire. Furthermore, critics who do provide greater insight into the twentieth century American vampire, including Gina Wisker, Sue-Ellen Case, and George E. Haggerty, tend to centre the focus of their exploration on identity-based politics. Through an intersectional framework this study demonstrates that social class is the connecting control variable throughout twentieth century American vampire literature, which creates the underlying foundations upon which differing aspects of cultural identity can be built, whether this be race, gender, or sexuality. To demonstrate the primacy of class in representing the American vampire, the thesis will examine both familiar and unfamiliar texts, ranging from George Viereck’s House of the Vampire (1907) to Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire (1976), and will shine light on hitherto critically marginalized narratives

Q fever through consumption of unpasteurised milk and milk products – a risk profile and exposure assessment

Q fever is a zoonotic disease caused by the bacterium Coxiella burnetii which is endemic in cattle, sheep and goats in much of the world, including the United Kingdom (UK). There is some epidemiological evidence that a small proportion of cases in the developed world may arise from consumption of unpasteurised milk with less evidence for milk products such as cheese. Long maturation at low pH may give some inactivation in hard cheese, and viable C. burnetii are rarely detected in unpasteurised cheese compared to unpasteurised milk. Simulations presented here predict that the probability of exposure per person to one or more C. burnetii through the daily cumulative consumption of raw milk in the UK is 04203. For those positive exposures, the average level of exposure predicted is high at 1266 guinea pig intraperitoneal infectious dose 50% units (GP_IP_ID50) per person per day. However, in the absence of human dose–response data, the case is made that the GP_IP_ID50 unit represents a very low risk through the oral route. The available evidence suggests that the risks from C. burnetii through consumption of unpasteurised milk and milk products (including cheese) are not negligible but they are lower in comparison to transmission via inhalation of aerosols from parturient products and livestock contact