Infoliteracy@adistance: Creating Opportunities to Reach (Instruct) Distance Students

This article offers a theoretical model of online, graduate student information seeking behavior. The qualitative methodology used to gather data for the development of the model included an electronic survey and semi-structured interviews conducted online using Adobe Connect Pro™. Participating in the study were 238 graduate students enrolled in at least one online course at a mid-western university. Data analysis included use of Zoomerang™ reports to interpret survey data, and content analysis of interview transcriptions. The resulting evolution of the Bates’ (2002) theoretical model includes new two modes of information seeking: scrutinizing (directed, dynamic), and being alert (undirected, dynamic). The researchers conclude that the essence of online, graduate student information seeking is the gathering and processing of information by humans using computer technologies and the resulting impact on the human brain. This study shows the necessity of linking online, graduate student information-seeking research to psychological theory to examine reasons why online graduate students engage in various information behaviors

A rare complex DNA rearrangement in the murine steel gene results in exon duplication and a lethal phenotype

Kit ligand (Kitl), encoded by the Steel (Sl) locus, plays an essential role in hematopoiesis, gametogenesis, and melanogenesis during both embryonic and adult life. We have characterized a new spontaneous mutant of the Sl locus in mice designated KitlSl-20J that arose in the breeding colony at Jackson Laboratories. Heterozygous KitlSl-20J mice display a white belly spot and intercrossing results in an embryonic lethal phenotype in the homozygous state. Analysis of homozygous embryos demonstrated a significant reduction in fetal liver cellularity, colony forming unit-erythroid (CFU-E) progenitors, and a total absence of germ cells. Although expressed in vivo, recombinant mutant protein demonstrated loss of bioactivity that was correlated with lack of receptor binding. Analysis of the Sl gene transcripts in heterozygous KitlSl-20J mice revealed an in-frame tandem duplication of exon 3. A long-range polymerase chain reaction (PCR) strategy using overlapping primers in exon 3 amplified an approximately 7-kilobase (kb) product from DNA isolated from heterozygous KitlSl-20J mice but not from wild-type DNA that contained sequences from both introns 2 and 3 and an inverted intron 2 sequence, suggesting a complex rearrangement as the mechanism of the mutation. "Complexity analysis" of the sequence of the amplified product strongly suggests that local DNA motifs may have contributed to the generation of this spontaneous KitlSl-20J allele, likely mediated by a 2-step process. The KitlSl-20J mutation is a unique KitlSl allele and represents an unusual mechanism of mutation

Effects of viewing a preferred nature image and hearing preferred music on engagement, agitation, and mental status in persons with dementia

Background: The purpose of the described exploratory study was to test proactive strategies for enhancing engagement and cognitive ability while diminishing dementia-related disordered behaviors of those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Study participants resided in an Memory Care unit of an assisted living community. Method: The researchers measured the effects of exposure to music and nature images on engagement using the Individualized Dementia Engagement and Activities Scale tool, on cognitive ability using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, and on agitation using the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory. Result: The within-subject study design revealed that use of both music and nature images hold promise for reducing undesirable behaviors and improving engagement of residents. Conclusion: The authors suggest caregivers for those with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias can effectively use nature images and music to improve engagement and reduce disordered behaviors, thus potentially enhancing quality of life for the care recipient as well as the caregiver while possibly reducing the costs of medications used to control dementia-related undesirable behaviors