A Study of Community College Student Attitudes Related to Service Learning

The fourfold purpose of this study was to determine if (1) student attitudes toward community service, (2) student attitudes toward civic involvement, (3) student attitudes about life skills, and (4) student attitudes toward civic engagement and service learning differed based on enrollment in a course with a service learning component or enrollment in a course without a service learning component. A related purpose for students enrolled in a course with a service learning component was to determine if the service learning component had an impact on students\u27 future educational or career plans. The study was conducted at Mesa Community College in Mesa. Arizona using two groups enrolled in an English 102 course: (1) 23 students (10 males and 13 females) with service learning. and (2) 16 students (8 males and 8 females) without service learning. Research questions were answered using an academic course evaluation questionnaire. student life skills self-evaluation. a writing sample, and reflection papers (service learning only). Results indicated no differences between the students enrolled in the course with service learning and the students enrolled in the course without service learning on the perception of community service, civic involvement, life skills. and civic engagement. A statistically significant difference was determined with students\u27 involvement in community service during Fall 2001 and prior to fall 2001 as well as with students\u27 voting record. Writing samples from students without service learning produced emerging themes of establishing responsibility. relationship to community. personal development, and college entrance. Writing samples from students with service learning produced emerging themes of involvement in community, career decisions, and personal development. Analysis of fourteen reflection papers revealed there was some impact of the service learning experience on their educational or career plans. Consideration of the academic course for use of service learning is paramount. While there is value to service learning. this study revealed that using a content course such as English may not be the most appropriate for service learning. Alternatives for service learning opportunities include internships or professional/career-oriented courses to assure a specific connection of subject matter for the reflection process necessary in service learning

Critical Role of FLRT1 Phosphorylation in the Interdependent Regulation of FLRT1 Function and FGF Receptor Signalling

Background Fibronectin leucine rich transmembrane (FLRT) proteins have dual properties as regulators of cell adhesion and potentiators of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) mediated signalling. The mechanism by which the latter is achieved is still unknown and is the subject of this investigation. Principal Findings Here we show that FLRT1 is a target for tyrosine phosphorylation mediated by FGFR1 and implicate a non-receptor Src family kinase (SFK). We identify the target tyrosine residues in the cytoplasmic domain of FLRT1 and show that these are not direct substrates for Src kinase suggesting that the SFK may exert effects via potentiation of FGFR1 kinase activity. We show that whilst FLRT1 expression results in a ligand-dependent elevation of MAP kinase activity, a mutant version of FLRT1, defective as an FGFR1 kinase substrate (Y3F-FLRT1), has the property of eliciting ligand-independent chronic activation of the MAP kinase pathway which is suppressed by pharmacological inhibition of either FGFR1 or Src kinase. Functional investigation of FGFR1 and FLRT1 signalling in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells reveals that FLRT1 alone acts to induce a multi-polar phenotype whereas the combination of FLRT1 and FGFR activation, or expression of Y3F-FLRT1, acts to induce neurite outgrowth via MAPK activation. Similar results were obtained in a dendrite outgrowth assay in primary hippocampal neurons. We also show that FGFR1, FLRT1 and activated Src are co-localized and this complex is trafficked toward the soma of the cell. The presence of Y3F-FLRT1 rather than FLRT1 resulted in prolonged localization of this complex within the neuritic arbour. Conclusions This study shows that the phosphorylation state of FLRT1, which is itself FGFR1 dependent, may play a critical role in the potentiation of FGFR1 signalling and may also depend on a SFK-dependent phosphorylation mechanism acting via the FGFR. This is consistent with an ‘in vivo’ role for FLRT1 regulation of FGF signalling via SFKs. Furthermore, the phosphorylation-dependent futile cycle mechanism controlling FGFR1 signalling is concurrently crucial for regulation of FLRT1-mediated neurite outgrowth

Setting Research Priorities Within Allied Health: What Do Clinicians Think?

Background: Research activity among allied health clinicians working in publicly funded health care organisations is growing, yet little attention has been paid to how these activities are prioritised. Without a specific framework to guide research direction, it is likely that research will be conducted in areas that are prioritised by individual clinicians. However, it is presently unknown what areas are prioritised by clinicians and the reasoning behind their prioritisation. Purpose: The aims of this study were to identify what clinicians identify to be the highest priority research across personal, department, and health service levels, and the reasons why. It also sought to identify barriers and enablers to conducting this research. Methods: Qualitative, cross-sectional survey with n=95 allied health clinician respondents within one organisation. Survey items relating to research priority were structured across three levels. Survey format consisted of open-ended questions and thematic content analysis was used to categorise responses. Results: The highest priority research across personal, departmental and organisational levels were related to areas of personal work, departmental service and models of care evaluation respectively. The top three priorities in all levels combined were “testing solutions”, “understanding problems or developing solutions” and “implementing evidence-based approaches in real life”. The primary reason provided as to why the research was considered to be of the highest priority was related to the anticipated effectiveness of intervention on patient outcomes and the efficiency of service delivery models being investigated. Time shortages/workload/competing priorities were the most frequently identified barriers to conducting this research, while mentoring /access to university partners/organisational culture/leadership and priorities that favoured research were the most frequently identified enablers. Conclusions: Considerations can be taken from our findings to guide the development of a framework or system to prioritise research projects in the publicly funded health care organisation

Star formation, starbursts and quenching across the Coma supercluster

We analyse Spitzer MIPS 24micron observations, and SDSS (DR7) optical broadband photometry and spectra, to investigate the star formation (SF) properties of galaxies residing in the Coma supercluster region. We find that SF in dwarf galaxies is quenched only in the high density environment at the centre of clusters and groups, but passively-evolving massive galaxies are found in all environments, indicating that massive galaxies can become passive via internal processes. We find AGN activity is suppressed in the cluster cores. We present evidence for a strong dependence of the mechanism(s) responsible for quenching SF in dwarf galaxies on the cluster potential. We find a significant increase in the mean EW of Halpha among star-forming dwarf galaxies in the infall regions of the Coma cluster and the core of Abell 1367 with respect to the overall supercluster population, indicative of the infalling dwarf galaxies undergoing a starburst phase. We identify these starburst galaxies as the precursors of the post-starburst k+A galaxies. We find that 11.4% of all dwarf (z mag > 15) galaxies in the Coma cluster and 4.8% in the Abell 1367 have k+A like spectra, while this fraction is just 2.1% when averaged over the entire supercluster region. We show that in the centre of the Coma cluster, the (24-z) colour of galaxies is correlated with their optical (g-r) colour and Halpha emission. By analysing the projected phase space distribution of galaxies detected at 24micron in Coma, we find that the (optically) red 24 micron detected galaxies follow the general distribution of `all' the spectroscopic members, but their (optically) blue counterparts show interesting features, indicative of recent infall.Comment: 17 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publicaton in MNRA

Behavioral Use Licensing for Responsible AI

Scientific research and development relies on the sharing of ideas and artifacts. With the growing reliance on artificial intelligence (AI) for many different applications, the sharing of code, data, and models is important to ensure the ability to replicate methods and the democratization of scientific knowledge. Many high-profile journals and conferences expect code to be submitted and released with papers. Furthermore, developers often want to release code and models to encourage development of technology that leverages their frameworks and services. However, AI algorithms are becoming increasingly powerful and generalized. Ultimately, the context in which an algorithm is applied can be far removed from that which the developers had intended. A number of organizations have expressed concerns about inappropriate or irresponsible use of AI and have proposed AI ethical guidelines and responsible AI initiatives. While such guidelines are useful and help shape policy, they are not easily enforceable. Governments have taken note of the risks associated with certain types of AI applications and have passed legislation. While these are enforceable, they require prolonged scientific and political deliberation. In this paper we advocate the use of licensing to enable legally enforceable behavioral use conditions on software and data. We argue that licenses serve as a useful tool for enforcement in situations where it is difficult or time-consuming to legislate AI usage. Furthermore, by using such licenses, AI developers provide a signal to the AI community, as well as governmental bodies, that they are taking responsibility for their technologies and are encouraging responsible use by downstream users

An Intranuclear Sodalis-Like Symbiont and Spiroplasma Coinfect the Carrot Psyllid, Bactericera trigonica (Hemiptera, Psylloidea)

Endosymbionts harbored inside insects play critical roles in the biology of their insect host and can influence the transmission of pathogens by insect vectors. Bactericera trigonica infests umbelliferous plants and transmits the bacterial plant pathogen Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum (CLso), causing carrot yellows disease. To characterize the bacterial diversity of B. trigonica, as a first step, we used PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analyses of 16S rDNA to identify Sodalis and Spiroplasma endosymbionts. The prevalence of both symbionts in field-collected psyllid populations was determined: Sodalis was detected in 100% of field populations, while Spiroplasma was present in 82.5% of individuals. Phylogenetic analysis using 16S rDNA revealed that Sodalis infecting B. trigonica was more closely related to symbionts infecting weevils, stink bugs and tsetse flies than to those from psyllid species. Using fluorescent in situ hybridization and immunostaining, Sodalis was found to be localized inside the nuclei of the midgut cells and bacteriocytes. Spiroplasma was restricted to the cytoplasm of the midgut cells. We further show that a recently reported Bactericera trigonica densovirus (BtDNV), a densovirus infecting B. trigonica was detected in 100% of psyllids and has reduced titers inside CLso-infected psyllids by more than two-fold compared to CLso uninfected psyllids. The findings of this study will help to increase our understanding of psyllid–endosymbiont interactions

Do Alterations in Mitochondrial DNA Play a Role in Breast Carcinogenesis?

A considerable body of evidence supports a role for oxidative stress in breast carcinogenesis. Due to their role in producing energy via oxidative phosphorylation, the mitochondria are a major source of production of reactive oxygen species, which may damage DNA. The mitochondrial genome may be particularly susceptible to oxidative damage leading to mitochondrial dysfunction. Genetic variants in mtDNA and nuclear DNA may also contribute to mitochondrial dysfunction. In this review, we address the role of alterations in mtDNA in the etiology of breast cancer. Several studies have shown a relatively high frequency of mtDNA mutations in breast tumor tissue in comparison with mutations in normal breast tissue. To date, several studies have examined the association of genetic variants in mtDNA and breast cancer risk. The G10398A mtDNA polymorphism has received the most attention and has been shown to be associated with increased risk in some studies. Other variants have generally been examined in only one or two studies. Genome-wide association studies may help identify new mtDNA variants which modify breast cancer risk. In addition to assessing the main effects of specific variants, gene-gene and gene-environment interactions are likely to explain a greater proportion of the variability in breast cancer risk

ACCESS III: The Nature of Star Formation in the Shapley Supercluster

We present a joint analysis of panoramic Spitzer/MIPS mid-infrared and GALEX ultraviolet imaging of the Shapley supercluster at z=0.048. Combining this with spectra of 814 supercluster members and 1.4GHz radio continuum maps, this represents the largest complete census of star-formation (both obscured and unobscured) in local cluster galaxies to date, reaching SFRs~0.02Msun/yr. We take advantage of this comprehensive panchromatic dataset to perform a detailed analysis of the nature of star formation in cluster galaxies, using several quite independent diagnostics of the quantity and intensity of star formation to develop a coherent view of the types of star formation within cluster galaxies. We observe a robust bimodality in the infrared (f_24/f_K) galaxy colours, which we are able to identify as another manifestation of the broad split into star-forming spiral and passive elliptical galaxy populations seen in UV-optical surveys. This diagnostic also allows the identification of galaxies in the process of having their star formation quenched as the infrared analogue to the UV "green valley" population. The bulk of supercluster galaxies on the star-forming sequence have specific-SFRs consistent with local field specific-SFR-M* relations, and form a tight FIR-radio correlation confirming that their FIR emission is due to star formation. We show that 85% of the global SFR is quiescent star formation within spiral disks, as manifest by the observed sequence in the IRX-beta relation being significantly offset from the starburst relation of Kong et al. (2004), while their FIR-radio colours indicate dust heated by low-intensity star formation. Just 15% of the global SFR is due to nuclear starbursts. The vast majority of star formation seen in cluster galaxies comes from normal infalling spirals who have yet to be affected by the cluster environment.Comment: 17 pages, 9 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA