Investigating Concept Mapping and Stimulated Recall to Reveal Academic Teacher Beliefs and how they are enacted through learning designs for the Web

Increasingly, academic teachers are designing their own web sites to add value to or replace other forms of university teaching. These web sites are tangible and dynamic constructions that represent the teachers thinking and decisions derived from an implicit belief system about teaching and learning. The emphasis of this study is to explore the potential of the research techniques of concept-mapping and stimulated recall to locate the implicit pedagogies of academic teachers and investigate how they are enacted through the learning designs of their web sites. The rationale behind such an investigation is that once these implicit belief systems are made visible, then conversations can commence about how these beliefs are transformed into practice, providing a potent departure point for academic development

1991 DA: An asteroid in a bizarre orbit

Asteroidal object 1991 DA has an orbit of high inclination, crossing the planets from Mars to Uranus. This is unique for an asteroid, but not unusual for a comet of the Halley-type: it therefore seems likely that 1991 DA is an extinct or dormant comet. Previous CCD imaging has shown no indication of a coma; spectroscopic observations of 1991 DA which lack any evidence of strong comet-like emissions are reported. Numerical integrations of the orbit of this object were performed which show that is has been remarkably stable for the past approximately 20,000 yr, but chaotic before that. This may allow a new estimate to be made of the physical lifetimes of comets

Consultation with complementary medicine practitioners by individuals with chronic conditions: Characteristics and reasons for consultation in Australian clinical settings.

The duration and complexity of chronic conditions leads patients to consult complementary medicine (CM) practitioners, yet such care-seeking by this clinical population has not been thoroughly examined. This study describes characteristics and reasons for consultation amongst those with chronic conditions who consult CM practitioners. A cross-sectional study surveyed patients in clinics of 39 CM practitioners from the five most accessed CM professions in Australia (chiropractic, massage, osteopathy, acupuncture, naturopathy). Between November 2018 and March 2019, CM practitioners invited 15 consecutive adult patients (n = 585 invited) to a self-administered, hard-copy survey covering socio-demographics, chronic condition diagnoses, CM service utilisation and reasons for consulting the CM practitioner. In total, 199 surveys were returned, producing a final sample of n = 191. Chronic conditions were reported by 153 (80.1%) participants, who were most commonly female (82.4%), aged over 65 years (29.0%), married (55.9%), vocational/trade qualified (40.1%), employed (62.5%), reported financial manageability as not too bad (48.0%), held private health insurance generally (79.0%) and specifically for CM (71.1%). Some socio-demographic differences were found depending on the profession consulted. Most participants (75.0%) had attended five or more consultations with the CM practitioner. The reasons most commonly given by participants with chronic conditions for consulting the CM practitioner were This healthcare professional is supportive and compassionate (n = 136, 97.1%), I believe this type of healthcare is safe (n = 131, 95.6%), Improve general wellbeing and prevent future health problems (n = 125, 89.3%) and This type of healthcare gives me hope about my future health (n = 108, 85.7%). These findings suggest that individuals with chronic conditions may consult CM practitioners to address unmet well-being or quality of life needs and for compassionate support. The role CM practitioners fill for those with chronic conditions requires further exploration to develop optimal policy and services to manage the growing challenges chronic conditions present to health systems

Cytoplasmic Travels of the Ecdysteroid Receptor in Target Cells: Pathways for Both Genomic and Non-Genomic Actions

Signal transduction of the insect steroid hormones, ecdysteroids, is mediated by the ecdysteroid receptor, EcR. In various cells of the insect Rhodnius prolixus, EcR is present in both the nucleus and the cytoplasm, where it undergoes daily cycling in abundance and cellular location at particular developmental times of the last larval instar that are specific to different cell types. EcR favors a cytoplasmic location in the day and a nuclear location in the night. This study is the first to examine the potential mechanisms of intracellular transport of EcR and reveals close similarities with some of its mammalian counterparts. In double and triple labels using several antibodies, immunohistochemistry, and confocal laser scanning microscopy, we observed co-localization of EcR with the microtubules (MTs). Treatments with either the MT-stabilizing agent taxol or with colchicine, which depolymerizes MTs, resulted in considerable reduction in nuclear EcR with a concomitant increase in cytoplasmic EcR suggesting that MT disruption inhibits receptor accumulation in the nucleus. EcR also co-localizes with the chaperone Hsp90, the immunophilin FKBP52, and the light chain 1 of the motor protein dynein. All these factors also co-localize with MTs. We propose that in Rhodnius, EcR exerts its genomic effects by forming a complex with Hsp90 and FKBP52, which uses dynein on MTs as a mechanism for daily nucleocytoplasmic shuttling. The complex is transported intact to the nucleus and dissociates within it. We propose that EcR utilizes the cytoskeletal tracks for movement in a manner closely similar to that used by the glucocorticoid receptor. We also observed co-localization of EcR with mitochondria which suggests that EcR, like its mammalian counterparts, may be involved in the coordination of non-genomic responses of ecdysteroids in mitochondria

TESTING USED ROLLER BEARINGS FOR QUALITY AND SERVICE LIFE

Synthetic biology is a rapidly expanding field at the interface of the engineering and biological sciences which aims to apply rational design principles in biological contexts. Many natural processes utilise regulatory architectures that parallel those found in control and electrical engineering, which has motivated their implementation as part of synthetic biological constructs. Tools based upon control theoretical concepts can be used to design such systems, as well as to guide their experimental realisation. In this paper we provide examples of biological implementations of negative feedback systems, and discuss progress made toward realisation of other feedback and control architectures. We then outline major challenges posed by the design of such systems, particularly focusing on those which are specific to biological contexts and on which feedback control can have a significant impact. We explore future directions for work in the field, including new approaches for theoretical design of biological control systems, the utilisation of novel components for their implementation, and the potential for application of automation and machine-learning approaches to accelerate synthetic biological research

Characteristics of women who practice yoga in different locations during pregnancy

Objectives: Yoga practice during pregnancy is gaining increasing popularity. This study examined the characteristics of pregnant women who practiced yoga in regard to the different locations (at home, in yoga classes, or both). Design: The study sample was drawn from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH), a national longitudinal study of women to investigate multiple factors affecting health and wellbeing of women over a 20-year period. Setting: Postal survey. Participants: Women born between 1973 and 1978, who were randomly selected from the national Medicare database and identified as being pregnant or having recently given birth (n=2316). Outcome measures: Relationships between yoga use (attending yoga classes and/or practising yoga at home) and women's characteristics (demographic measures, pregnancy-related health concerns, health service utilisation, attitudes to complementary and alternative medicine). Results: Practising yoga both at home and in classes was associated with perceiving complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) as preventative (odds ratio (OR)=1.62); perceiving CAM as affording health control (OR=1.50); experiencing sadness (OR=1.72); preparing for labour (OR=2.31); birthing in a birth centre (OR=7.97); and experiencing less vomiting (OR=0.38). Practising at home only was associated with perceiving CAM as affording health control (OR=1.76); perceiving CAM as promoting a holistic health approach (OR=1.65); and birthing in a birth centre (OR=3.54). Practising in classes only was associated with experiencing stress (OR=1.97); and birthing in a birth centre (OR=4.85) (all p<0.05). Conclusions: The findings suggest that the location in which a woman practices yoga is associated with attitudinal, health-related and birth environmental factors