Master of Science

thesisPrior research conducted by Butcher, Davies, and Cook (2015, in preparation) demonstrated that using concept maps to search within the online scientific database from the National Science Digital Library (NSDL) decreases cognitive effort over more common keyword-based searches; our purpose was to determine whether this decreased cognitive effort translated into different learning gains as measured by evaluating and scoring pre- and postessays. Teachers are one group who would benefit from more effective, less cognitively demanding ways of finding online material for their classrooms, so the participants in this study were student preservice as well as practicing inservice teachers. Using a rubric developed to evaluate the specific essays written for the Butcher et al. study, we found that participants were able to learn from online search tasks, as measured by more correct information contained in a postessay compared to a pre-essay, and a higher overall score; but this learning was not a function of which online search methods were used. The decreased cognitive effort did not lead to more learning gains as measured in this study. Our second study compared the hand-scored results from the postessays to two computerized scoring systems: Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA) and Coh-Metrix. The purpose of such systems is to help alleviate some of the issues with scoring large numbers of essays by hand. LSA determines semantic similarity between two texts, and Coh-Metrix gives measures of cohesion within each text. LSA correlated moderately with the hand scores (0.44 for the preservice teachers and 0.38 for inservice teachers). Other research has shown higher correlations between LSA and human graders, and because the LSA cosine scores do not show essay quality or level of correctness (only semantic similarity), they could not be substituted for the hand scores. None of the Coh-Metrix cohesion measures correlated significantly with the hand scores. This indicates that cohesion measures obtained from Coh-Metrix are not indicative of the quality of essays as determined by human scorers as given for these essays

Beyond Self: Strategic Essentialism in Ana Mendieta\u27s La Maja de Yerba

Artist Ana Mendieta frequently conjoined the female body with nature to express her search for personal identity and support for feminist topics. Her last intended and least scholarly examined work, La Maja de Yerba (Grass Goddess), continues specific visual and thematic elements of her previous Silueta Series (Silhouette) yet also presents an aesthetically unique creation. Despite its incompletion as a result of her premature death, the preserved maquette directly stipulates a female form to be planted in grass on the Bard College campus grounds. This alignment of women and nature garners criticism for its reliance on universalism and categorizations of women’s experiences; however, Mendieta’s use of essentialism in public art contributes to circulating feminist discourse to a wider audience. This paper considers the artistic influences, thematic concepts, and employment of strategic essentialism in Mendieta’s La Maja de Yerba

Water Treadmill Versus Land Treadmill Training Effects on Leg Strength and Cardiovascular Endurance

Underwater treadmill running can be used as a means of reducing musculoskeletal loading while maintaining a training intensity equal to that of land running. A variety of cardiovascular benefits are seen in water running, such as greater increases in stroke volume and cardiac output than on land. Additionally, increased drag while water running can significantly improve force production. PURPOSE: To investigate if differences exist between underwater treadmill and land treadmill running on leg strength and cardiovascular endurance through a case study of two 22 year old sedentary males. METHODS: An 8-week aerobic training program was designed incorporating water and land running. Participant A was assigned to a water-based program, and Participant B was assigned to a land-based program. Weeks 1 and 8 consisted of pre- and post-testing of body fat percentage, low body flexibility, maximum, thigh and calf circumference, wellness rating, and left leg force output. Weeks 2-7 consisted of aerobic training. Participant A completed 6 weeks of a water-based program, with two days per week on the underwater treadmill. Participant B completed 6 weeks of a land-based program, with two days per week on the land treadmill. RESULTS: Improvements were seen in left leg force output, estimated maximum, percent body fat, thigh and calf circumference, and wellness rating in both individuals. CONCLUSION: A water-based exercise program can be safely recommended to an individual beginning an exercise prescription which will elicit similar or greater physiological benefits to that of a land-based exercise program. This case study was a good pilot study, as physiological changes were seen in both participants; therefore, more research should be completed with a larger sample size and a longer duration in order to achieve more substantial statistical analysis

The Ban on the Use of Chimpanzees in Biomedical Research and Testing in the UK Should Be Made Permanent and Legally Binding

The Coalition Government is currently considering how to transpose Directive 2010/63/EU on animal experimentation into UK law. The Directive bans the use of Great Apes in laboratories, but EU Member States can seek (now or, more likely, at some time in the future) a derogation from the Commission to permit such use, where this is considered essential for the preservation of the species in question or in relation to an unexpected outbreak of a life-threatening or debilitating clinical condition in human beings. Currently, the policy of the Government is not to approve any experiments on Great Apes, but it is possible that, at some time in the future, researchers might ask the then Government to seek permission via the derogation clause. The BUAV and FRAME jointly urge the Government to put this issue beyond doubt, by making the ban on experiments on Great Apes permanent and legally binding, as would be permitted by Article 2.1 of the Directive. This would be entirely justifiable on ethical, scientific, logistic and economic grounds, as outlined in the supporting information below. Eliminating the possibility of Great Ape experiments would be accepted, indeed welcomed, by both the scientific and the animal welfare communities

Bacteriophage-mediated competition in Bordetella bacteria

Apparent competition between species is believed to be one of the principle driving forces that structure ecological communities, although the precise mecha nisms have yet to be characterized. Here we develop a model system that isolates phage-mediated interactions by neutralizing resource competition using two genetically identical Bordetella bronchiseptica strains that differ only in that one is the carrier of a phage and the other is susceptible to the phage. We observe and quantify the competitive advantage of the bacterial strain bearing the prophage in both invading and in resisting invasion by bacteria susceptible to the phage, and use our measurements to develop a mathematical model of phage-mediated competition. The model predicts, and experimental evidence confirms, that the competitive advantage conferred by the phage depends only on the relative phage pathology and is independent of other phage and host parameters. This work combines experimental and mathematical approaches to the study of phage-driven competition, and provides an experimentally tested framework for evaluation of the effects of pathogens/parasites on interspecific competition.Comment: 10pages, 8 figure

Research Data Services at Yale University

Context: Yale University has a long tradition of data services in the social sciences. To keep up with funding agency requirements, disciplinary community standards, and researcher needs, Yale expanded its research data service offerings to the sciences and medicine. Background: In 2012, Yale University Library and ITS participated jointly in the eScience Institute offered by the DLF, ARL, and CLIR. This poster summarizes the strategic agenda from that project as well as the formation of our Research Data Consultation Group (RDCG). Current Services: The Research Data Consultation Group is a collaborative, university-wide group charged with responding to service requests and inquiries from researchers at any stage in the data lifecycle in order to work together on best practices, implement data management services, and help link users to resources. We consult on data management planning; finding and using data; data collection, analysis, and processing; and distributing, sharing, and archiving data. Aim: The aim of RDCG is to meet the needs of researchers who wish to follow and inform disciplinary best practices, meet funder, university, or contract requirements, and also to streamline consultative workflows across several organizations and departments at Yale. Future Directions: Future projects for RDCG include expanded education and training offerings for library, ITS, teaching and learning support staff, and departmental staff, in addition to Yale students, faculty, postdocs, and other researchers. Simultaneously, we will continue our efforts to clarify and support university and other requirements for data management, sharing, and preservation

The use of non-human primates in biomedical research: addressing the replacement impasse through the social dynamics of science

Non-human primate experimentation provokes passionate and opposing exchanges, particularly in the UK. This disagreement contributes to an impasse which in turn has prevented the exploration of the important question, if and how primate research could be ended. This project aims to support the examination of this question of impasse presenting data on how it might be overcome by providing a novel and challenging perspective using a multi-method approach, and insights from science and technology studies, to better understand the animal research controversy. The project primarily draws on data from face-to-face semi-structured interviews with primate users and with scientists who do not use primates across two areas of research, namely schistosomiasis and Parkinson’s disease. This multiple-case study method was combined with a documentary analysis of primate reports produced by key stakeholders. The dataset was then analysed using a semi-inductive, thematic approach to identify how aspects of the social dynamics of science can help to explain the different viewpoints provided by participants. The analysis showed that issues of (i) competition and reputation, (ii) expectations, core sets and publications, (iii) entrenchment and policy, and (iv) ethics and speciesism are centrally relevant to a better understanding of the apparent stalemate in replacing primate experiments. The key finding is therefore that the social dynamics of science play a critical role in explaining why the primate impasse persists, and can also help to understand how to overcome it. Constructive recommendations to achieve progress are made, focussing on improved collaboration and communication, increasing flexibility and explicit examination of the ethical considerations. The thesis also draws conclusions on how best to ensure the necessary involvement of key stakeholders. Recommendations from this project also have wider implications for scientific practice particularly for those involved in alternatives to animal research, and for the field of science communication

Hyporheic Interactions Increase Zinc Exposure and Effects on Hyalella azteca in Sediments under Flow‐Through Conditions

Groundwater–surface water interactions in the hyporheic transition zone can influence contaminant exposure to benthic macroinvertebrates. In streams, hyporheic flows are subject to varying redox conditions, which influence biogeochemical cycling and metal speciation. Despite these relationships, little is known about how these interactions influence the ecological risk of contaminants. The present study investigated the effects of hyporheic flows and zinc (Zn)‐contaminated sediments on the amphipod Hyalella azteca. Hyporheic flows were manipulated in laboratory streams during 10‐d experiments. Zinc toxicity was evaluated in freshly spiked and aged sediments. Hyporheic flows altered sediment and porewater geochemistry, oxidizing the sediments and causing changes to redox‐sensitive endpoints. Amphipod survival was lowest in the Zn sediment exposures with hyporheic flows. In freshly spiked sediments, porewater Zn drove mortality, whereas in aged sediments simultaneously extracted metals (SEM) in excess of acid volatile sulfides (AVS) normalized by the fraction of organic carbon (fOC) [(SEM‐AVS)/fOC] influenced amphipod responses. The results highlight the important role of hyporheic flows in determining Zn bioavailability to benthic organisms, information that can be important in ecological risk assessments. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;38:2447–2458. © 2019 SETACPeer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/152028/1/etc4554.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/152028/2/etc4554_am.pd

The Telehealth Skills, Training, and Implementation Project: An evaluation protocol

External stabilization is reported to improve reliability of hand held dynamometry, yet this has not been tested in burns. We aimed to assess the reliability of dynamometry using an external system of stabilization in people with moderate burn injury and explore construct validity of strength assessment using dynamometry. Participants were assessed on muscle and grip strength three times on each side. Assessment occurred three times per week for up to four weeks. Within session reliability was assessed using intraclass correlations calculated for within session data grouped prior to surgery, immediately after surgery and in the sub-acute phase of injury. Minimum detectable differences were also calculated. In the same timeframe categories, construct validity was explored using regression analysis incorporating burn severity and demographic characteristics. Thirty-eight participants with total burn surface area 5 – 40% were recruited. Reliability was determined to be clinically applicable for the assessment method (intraclass correlation coefficient \u3e0.75) at all phases after injury. Muscle strength was associated with sex and burn location during injury and wound healing. Burn size in the immediate period after surgery and age in the sub-acute phase of injury were also associated with muscle strength assessment results. Hand held dynamometry is a reliable assessment tool for evaluating within session muscle strength in the acute and sub-acute phase of injury in burns up to 40% total burn surface area. External stabilization may assist to eliminate reliability issues related to patient and assessor strength