Heroically Protecting Our Arguments: Using Superheroes to Teach Inductive and Deductive Reasoning

Abstract Barkl, Porter, and Ginns, (2012) explain the importance of reasoning as it relates to fluid intelligence and an individual’s capacity to broaden their understanding of knowledge. With the difficulty many students find in recognizing examples of reasoning, this teaching activity uses student descriptions of superheroes to teach inductive and deductive reasoning skills. Educators are provided with the instructions to conduct a 50-minute lesson to explain these skills, allow students to form and recognize their own examples of inductive and deductive reasoning, and variations on how to conduct this assignment in both the physical and online classroom environments

Inter-study reproducibility of arterial spin labelling magnetic resonance imaging for measurement of renal perfusion in healthy volunteers at 3 Tesla

Background: Measurement of renal perfusion is a crucial part of measuring kidney function. Arterial spin labelling magnetic resonance imaging (ASL MRI) is a non-invasive method of measuring renal perfusion using magnetised blood as endogenous contrast. We studied the reproducibility of ASL MRI in normal volunteers.<p></p> Methods: ASL MRI was performed in healthy volunteers on 2 occasions using a 3.0 Tesla MRI scanner with flow-sensitive alternating inversion recovery (FAIR) perfusion preparation with a steady state free precession (True-FISP) pulse sequence. Kidney volume was measured from the scanned images. Routine serum and urine biochemistry were measured prior to MRI scanning.<p></p> Results: 12 volunteers were recruited yielding 24 kidneys, with a mean participant age of 44.1 ± 14.6 years, blood pressure of 136/82 mmHg and chronic kidney disease epidemiology formula estimated glomerular filtration rate (CKD EPI eGFR) of 98.3 ± 15.1 ml/min/1.73 m2. Mean kidney volumes measured using the ellipsoid formula and voxel count method were 123.5 ± 25.5 cm3, and 156.7 ± 28.9 cm3 respectively. Mean kidney perfusion was 229 ± 41 ml/min/100 g and mean cortical perfusion was 327 ± 63 ml/min/100 g, with no significant differences between ASL MRIs. Mean absolute kidney perfusion calculated from kidney volume measured during the scan was 373 ± 71 ml/min. Bland Altman plots were constructed of the cortical and whole kidney perfusion measurements made at ASL MRIs 1 and 2. These showed good agreement between measurements, with a random distribution of means plotted against differences observed. The intra class correlation for cortical perfusion was 0.85, whilst the within subject coefficient of variance was 9.2%. The intra class correlation for whole kidney perfusion was 0.86, whilst the within subject coefficient of variance was 7.1%.<p></p> Conclusions: ASL MRI at 3.0 Tesla provides a repeatable method of measuring renal perfusion in healthy subjects without the need for administration of exogenous compounds. We have established normal values for renal perfusion using ASL MRI in a cohort of healthy volunteers.<p></p&gt

The contribution of Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 galaxies to the soft X-ray background

The ROSAT Ultradeep HRI survey in the Lockman Hole contains a complete sample of 91 X-ray sources with fluxes in the 0.5-2 keV band larger than 1.2 times 10e-15 erg cm-2 s-1, where over about 75 per cent of the sources are quasars or Seyfert galaxies. During the course of our optical identification work, we have obtained optical spectra of 67 narrow emission line galaxies (NELG), which are physically not associated with the X-ray sources. We have derived the equivalent width (EW) and the full width at half maximum (FWHM) for the most prominent emission lines of 41 quasars and Seyfert galaxies taken from the ROSAT Deep Survey (RDS), which has a flux limit of 5.5 times 10e-15 erg cm-2 s-1 in the 0.5-2.0 keV band. Furthermore we have obtained the EW and FWHM values of the field NELGs. Here we present the spectroscopic discrimination between RDS Seyfert galaxies and field galaxies (NELG). The analysis of the emission lines has revealed that a single object out of 69 spectroscopically identified AGN fits the optical criteria of Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1). This may indicate that NLS1 contribute only marginally to the soft X-ray background, but we can not exclude a possible larger contribution.Comment: Invited talk presented at the Joint MPE,AIP,ESO workshop on NLS1s, Bad Honnef, Dec. 1999, to appear in New Astronomy Reviews; also available at http://wave.xray.mpe.mpg.de/conferences/nls1-worksho

Prime ideals in nilpotent Iwasawa algebras

Let G be a nilpotent complete p-valued group of finite rank and let k be a field of characteristic p. We prove that every faithful prime ideal of the Iwasawa algebra kG is controlled by the centre of G, and use this to show that the prime spectrum of kG is a disjoint union of commutative strata. We also show that every prime ideal of kG is completely prime. The key ingredient in the proof is the construction of a non-commutative valuation on certain filtered simple Artinian rings

The Galactic Halo in Mixed Dark Matter Cosmologies

A possible solution to the small scale problems of the cold dark matter (CDM) scenario is that the dark matter consists of two components, a cold and a warm one. We perform a set of high resolution simulations of the Milky Way halo varying the mass of the WDM particle ($m_{\rm WDM}$) and the cosmic dark matter mass fraction in the WDM component ($\bar{f}_{\rm W}$). The scaling ansatz introduced in combined analysis of LHC and astroparticle searches postulates that the relative contribution of each dark matter component is the same locally as on average in the Universe (e.g. $f_{\rm W,\odot} = \bar{f}_{\rm W}$). Here we find however, that the normalised local WDM fraction ($f_{\rm W,\odot}$ / $\bar{f}_{\rm W}$) depends strongly on $m_{\rm WDM}$ for $m_{\rm WDM} <$ 1 keV. Using the scaling ansatz can therefore introduce significant errors into the interpretation of dark matter searches. To correct this issue a simple formula that fits the local dark matter densities of each component is provided.Comment: 19 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in JCA

Resonant cancellation of off-resonant effects in a multilevel qubit

Off-resonant effects are a significant source of error in quantum computation. This paper presents a group theoretic proof that off-resonant transitions to the higher levels of a multilevel qubit can be completely prevented in principle. This result can be generalized to prevent unwanted transitions due to qubit-qubit interactions. A simple scheme exploiting dynamic pulse control techniques is presented that can cancel transitions to higher states to arbitrary accuracy.Comment: 4 pages, Revtex, submitted for publicatio

Trouble in Paradise - A disabled person's right to the satisfaction of a self-defined need:Some conceptual and practical problems

This paper questions the usefulness of the rights-based approach to ameliorating the social situation of disabled people in Britain and advances two criticisms. First, that rights and self-de? ned needs have been under-theorised by disability theorists to the extent that they have insuf? ciently appreciated the problems that these approaches pose. The paper suggests that rights to appropriate resources to satisfy self-de? ned needs will generate vast numbers of competing rights claims and that the resulting tendency of rights to con? ict has been under-appreciated. Secondly, that there has been little consideration of how these con? icts might be reconciled. The ? rst two sections of the paper look at the concepts of ascribed and self-de? ned needs, respectively, whilst the ? nal one looks at some of the problems of the rights approach and some of the dif? culties of making self-de? ned need the basis of rights claims

Antibodies That Block or Activate Mouse B Cell Activating Factor of the Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) Family (BAFF), Respectively, Induce B Cell Depletion or B Cell Hyperplasia.

B cell activating factor of the TNF family (BAFF), also known as B lymphocyte stimulator, is a ligand required for the generation and maintenance of B lymphocytes. In this study, the ability of different monoclonal antibodies to recognize, inhibit, or activate mouse BAFF was investigated. One of them, a mouse IgG1 named Sandy-2, prevented the binding of BAFF to all of its receptors, BAFF receptor, transmembrane activator and calcium modulating ligand interactor, and B cell maturation antigen, at a stoichiometric ratio; blocked the activity of mouse BAFF on a variety of cell-based reporter assays; and antagonized the prosurvival action of BAFF on primary mouse B cells in vitro A single administration of Sandy-2 in mice induced B cell depletion within 2 weeks, down to levels close to those observed in BAFF-deficient mice. This depletion could then be maintained with a chronic treatment. Sandy-2 and a previously described rat IgG1 antibody, 5A8, also formed a pair suitable for the sensitive detection of endogenous circulating BAFF by ELISA or using a homogenous assay. Interestingly, 5A8 and Sandy-5 displayed activities opposite to that of Sandy-2 by stimulating recombinant BAFF in vitro and endogenous BAFF in vivo These tools will prove useful for the detection and functional manipulation of endogenous mouse BAFF and provide an alternative to the widely used BAFF receptor-Fc decoy receptor for the specific depletion of BAFF in mice