Chapman Ambassador Tour Robot

Being a student ambassador improves a student\u27s confidence and leadership skills. With an increasing demand for technology skills, our project will display how the ambassador robot can assist student ambassadors while improving upon their efficiency, by discussing information during college campus tours and familiarizing students with robot applications and their technology. The ambassador robot can support students during tours by answering a question about specific knowledge that may have slipped an ambassador\u27s mind. The robot will also be able to create a group-focused atmosphere that will allow ambassadors to have the opportunity to lean on a dependable teammate for specific responses just as the robot depends on the ambassador for upkeep. With current technology it is nearly impossible for a robot to do a complete tour independently, but with our research, we want to see precisely how the ambassador robot can improve a university campus tour for prospective students and families while positively developing our student ambassadors\u27 skills and confidence with robot applications. The student ambassador robot is not a replacement for student leadership and their roles or campus tours. The student and robot ambassador are the future of leadership efficiency and a bold new campus experience for all students and families to enjoy

Lower crustal zircons reveal Neogene metamorphism beneath the Pannonian Basin (Hungary)

Neogene alkaline intraplate volcanic deposits in the Pannonian Basin (Hungary) contain many lower crustal granulite-facies xenoliths. U-Pb ages have been determined for zircons separated from a metasedimentary xenolith, using LA-ICPMS and SHRIMP techniques. The zircons show typical metamorphic characteristics and are not related to the hostmagmatism. The oldest age recorded is late Devonian, probably related to Variscan basement lithologies. Several grains yield Mesozoic dates for their cores, which may correspond to periods of orogenic activity. Most of the zircons show young ages, with some being Palaeocene-Eocene, but the majority being younger than 30Ma. The youngest zircons are Pliocene (5.1-4.2 Ma) and coincide with the age of eruptions of the host alkali basalts. Such young zircons, so close to the eruption age, are unusual in lower crustal xenoliths, and imply that the heat flow in the base of the Pannonian Basin was sufficiently high to keep many of them close to their blocking temperature. This suggests that metamorphism is continuing in the lower crust of the region at the present day

Crossing international boundaries through doctoral partnerships: Learnings from a Chinese-Australian forum

International forums for doctoral students offer a fertile context for developing strategic partnerships between higher education institutions, as well as for building the intercultural capacity of early career academics. However, there is limited research investigating the benefits of international doctoral forum partnerships. This paper presents learnings from a recent international doctoral forum held in Beijing, China and attended by doctoral students and academics from Beijing Normal University (China) and Queensland University of Technology (Australia). Drawing on qualitative case study method and a model of boundary crossing mechanisms, we identify the beneficial outcomes of the forum. We describe how the forum arose from a strong ongoing partnership between the Education Faculties of Beijing Normal University and Queensland University of Technology. We then identify how, at the institutional and individual level, international doctoral forum participants can be challenged and benefit in four areas: collaboration, intercultural capacity, academic enhancement and program development. Implications for engaging successfully in international doctoral forum partnerships are also discussed

Effects of Fish Restoration Practices on Amphibians in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Throughout the Western United States, fisheries managers are attempting to restore native cutthroat trout (Onchorynchus clarkii) populations by removing nonnative fish species. A new formulation of the EPA approved piscicide rotenone (CFT Legumine) is increasingly being used as a method to accomplish this removal. Because fish restoration projects bring about an abrupt change to aquatic environments, it is important to consider their immediate and long-term effects on non-target species, such as amphibians. We assessed the effects of fish removal on amphibians in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) by investigating the toxicity of rotenone to and the long-term impacts of removing fish on local amphibian populations. CFT Legumine (5% rotenone) was applied to High Lake in YNP (2006) to remove stocked Yellowstone cutthroat trout (O. c. bouvieri). To determine toxicity, amphibian surveys were conducted immediately prior to the treatment to obtain pre-treatment tadpole population estimates. Post-treatment surveys were conducted both immediately, for assessing treatment-related mortality (during and after application), and 1, 2, and 3 years following to obtain tadpole abundance estimates in the years after application and to address the long-term effects of fish removal and reintroduction. The results of the toxicity trials revealed that in the 24 hrs following application, rotenone was lethal to gill-breathing amphibian tadpoles and nonlethal to non-gill breathing metamorphs, juveniles, and adults. In the years following, tadpole repopulation occurred at levels above the pre-treatment abundance estimate, though both tadpole abundance and distribution appeared correlated with fish presence

Isolation of Plasmodium berghei ookinetes in culture using Nycodenz density gradient columns and magnetic isolation

BACKGROUND: Large scale in vitro production of the mosquito stages of malaria parasites remains elusive, with only limited success for complete sporogonic development and only one report of development through to infective sporozoites. The initial step in this process is the production, in vitro, of ookinetes from gametocytaemic blood. Methods for isolation of these ookinetes from blood cells have been described; however, in addition to yield often being low, processing time and potential for contamination by erythrocytes remain high. METHODS: This study compares two procedures for retaining mature ookinetes from blood stage cultures, whilst removing red blood cells and other contaminants prior to further culture of the parasite. The well established method of isolation on Nycodenz cushions is compared with a novel method utilizing the innate magnetic properties of the haem pigment crystals found in the cytoplasm of ookinetes. RESULTS: Yield and viability of ookinetes were similar with both isolation methods. However, in our hands magnetic isolation produced a cleaner ookinete preparation much more quickly. Moreover, decreasing the flow rate through the magnetic column could further enhance the yield. CONCLUSION: We recommend the enrichment of an ookinete preparation prior to further culture being performed using the magnetic properties of Plasmodium berghei ookinetes as an alternative to their density. The former technique is faster, removes more erythrocytes, but day-to-day costs are greater

Recent advances in the application of stable isotope ratio analysis in forensic chemistry

This review paper updates the previous literature in relation to the continued and developing use of stable isotope ratio analysis in samples which are relevant to forensic science. Recent advances in the analysis of drug samples, explosive materials, and samples derived from human and animal samples are discussed. The paper also aims to put the use of isotope ratio mass spectrometry into a forensic context and discuss its evidential potential

Discovery of a meteoritic ejecta layer containing unmelted impactor fragments at the base of Paleocene lavas, Isle of Skye, Scotland

Evidence for meteorite impacts in the geological record may include the presence of shocked minerals, spherule layers, and geochemical anomalies. However, it is highly unusual to nd unmelted crystals from the actual impactor within an ejecta layer. Here we detail the rst recorded occurrence of vanadium-rich osbornite (TiVN) on Earth, from two sites on Skye, northwest Scotland, which are interpreted as part of a meteoritic ejecta layer. TiVN has only previously been reported as dust from comet Wild 2, but on Skye it has been identi ed as an unmelted phase. Both ejecta layer sites also contain niobium-rich osbornite (TiNbN), which has not previously been reported. An extraterrestrial origin for these deposits is strongly supported by the presence of reidite (a high-pressure zircon polymorph), which is only found naturally at sites of meteorite impact. Barringerite [(Fe,Ni)2P], baddeleyite (ZrO2), alabandite (MnS), and carbon-bearing native iron spherules, together with planar deformation features and diaplectic glass in quartz, further support this thesis. We demonstrate through eld relationships and Ar-Ar dating that the meteorite strike occurred during the mid-Paleocene. This is the rst recorded mid-Paleocene impact event in the region and is coincident with the onset of magmatism in the British Palaeogene Igneous Province (BPIP). The Skye ejecta layer deposits provoke important questions regarding their lateral extent at the base of the BPIP and the possibility of their presence elsewhere beneath the much larger North Atlantic Igneous Province

Intussusception of the appendix secondary to endometriosis: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Intussusception of the appendix is an extremely rare condition that ranges from partial invagination of the appendix to involvement of the entire colon. Endometriosis is an exceptionally rare cause of appendiceal intussusception and only very few cases have been reported in the literature to date.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 40 year-old woman presented to clinic with a long history of lower abdominal pain, loose motions and painful, heavy periods. Subsequent colonoscopy revealed submucosal endometriotic nodules in the sigmoid as well as a polyp thought to be arising from the appendix, which had inverted itself. She was referred to a colorectal surgeon because the polyp could not be removed endoscopically despite several attempts. At laparotomy, the appendix had intussuscepted but it was possible to reduce it and therefore a simple appendicectomy was carried out. On histology, there were widespread endometrial deposits within the wall of the appendix and this was thought to be the basis for the intussusception.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Histological evidence of the lead point is of crucial importance in cases of appendiceal intussusception, in order to exclude an underlying neoplastic process. Consequently, surgical resection is necessary either through an open or a laparoscopic approach. Gastrointestinal endometriosis should be considered as a cause of appendiceal intussusception in post-menarchal women with episodic symptoms and proven disease.</p

Clinician adherence to a standardized assessment battery across settings and disciplines in a poststroke rehabilitation population

none12siObjectives: (1) To examine clinician adherence to a standardized assessment battery across settings (acute hospital, inpatient rehabilitation facilities [IRFs], outpatient facility), professional disciplines (physical therapy [PT], occupational therapy, speech-language pathology), and time of assessment (admission, discharge/monthly), and (2) to evaluate how specific implementation events affected adherence. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: Acute hospital, IRF, and outpatient facility with approximately 118 clinicians (physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists). Participants: Participants (N=2194) with stroke who were admitted to at least 1 of the above settings. All persons with stroke underwent standardized clinical assessments. Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures: Adherence to Brain Recovery Core assessment battery across settings, professional disciplines, and time. Visual inspections of 17 months of time-series data were conducted to see if the events (eg, staff meetings) increased adherence >= 5% and if so, how long the increase lasted. Results: Median adherence ranged from .52 to .88 across all settings and professional disciplines. Both the acute hospital and the IRF had higher adherence than the outpatient setting (P = 5% increase in adherence the following month, with 6 services (60%) maintaining their increased level of adherence for at least 1 additional month. Conclusions: Actual adherence to a standardized assessment battery in clinical practice varied across settings, disciplines, and time. Specific events increased adherence 40% of the time with those gains maintained for >1 month 60% of the time. (C) 2013 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation MedicinemixedBland, Marghuretta D.; Sturmoski, Audra; Whitson, Michelle; Harris, Hilary; Connor, Lisa Tabor; Fucetola, Robert; Edmiaston, Jeff; Huskey, Thy; Carter, Alexandre; Kramper, Marian; Corbetta, Maurizio; Lang, Catherine E.Bland, Marghuretta D.; Sturmoski, Audra; Whitson, Michelle; Harris, Hilary; Connor, Lisa Tabor; Fucetola, Robert; Edmiaston, Jeff; Huskey, Thy; Carter, Alexandre; Kramper, Marian; Corbetta, Maurizio; Lang, Catherine E