The development of exercises to give keener acuity in auditory perception skills grades III-VI

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston University This item was digitized by the Internet Archive

The integration of an ICN classroom into a rural school curriculum

Even though schools are currently not using the technology that they have in their curricula, it is never too late to begin the integration process. Schools must include the Iowa Communications Network (ICN) in their technology plans. Schools must connect to use the resources that each has to complement the curricula of one another. They must consider airing college classes for high school seniors, and they must begin finding ways to bring staff development hours to their teachers via the ICN. Another objective in the technology plan must be training all teachers to operate the equipment in the ICN classrooms and teaching them how to become tele-teachers. If schools are to effectively prepare graduates for college and the work force, technology must be integrated into curriculums and students must be allowed to use technology to learn, reason, think critically, make decisions, and solve problems

The prevalence of cavum septum pellucidum in brain imaging of mental health referrals in a South African population

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Medicine in Diagnostic Radiology. Johannesburg, 2015INTRODUCTION: The cerebral anomaly of a cavum septum pellucidum (CSP) has been the subject of controversy in neuroimaging since the hallmark study by DeGreef in 1992. The association of CSP with schizophrenia and postulation of CSP as a marker of cerebral midline maldevelopment has been studied extensively with no consistent outcome. The storm of debate underlies the requirement for a reliable objective imaging marker as an organic cause of mental illness. AIM: This study aims to determine the prevalence of cavum septum pellucidum in mental health referrals in South Africa and determine the significance thereof. METHOD: This was a retrospective, observational study based at Baragwanath Hospital, including 114 mental health referrals and 114 controls, matched for age and sex. The CT scans of these patients’ brains were anonymously reviewed by three independent radiologists/radiologists in training to determine the prevalence of CSP, and the length and width of CSP’s, if present. RESULTS: There was no statistical significance in the difference in prevalence of CSP between the mental health referrals and controls. The anteroposterior length of CSP was not a statistically significant determinant of mental illness but an increased average axial width was a statistically significant measurement in the mental health referrals. CONCLUSIONS: The axial width of CSP is a statistically significant determinant of mental illness.MT201

Gro-Sat: The Development of an Extended Life Support System for Plants in Microgravity

The effects of a microgravity environment on the entire life cycle of plants is not yet fully understood. A conceptual design for the payload of a Get Away Special canister has been developed to implement a complete life support system for plants. This small satellite is a closed system that must maintain plant life for at least three months. It consists of an innovative lighting system and a complete plant nutrient delivery system. The use of hardware to limit long-term contamination of the nutrient solution in the closed system as well as other considerations are discussed. The design, based on the Northern Utah Satellite, considers control of both the thermal environment and the atmospheric composition. Levels of carbon dioxide, oxygen, and nitrogen in the atmosphere are optimized such that plant growth rate is increased. Control of additional environmental parameters is also considered. Proper monitoring of the system will increase knowledge of the effects of microgravity on plants in a closed system. Furthermore, information acquired from Gro-Sat will be used to improve the plant life support system for future Gro-Sat missions

Quality Improvement in Pediatric Head Trauma with PECARN Rules Implementation as Computerized Decision Support

Background: For the 1.4 million emergency department (ED) visits for traumatic brain injury (TBI) annually in the United States, computed tomography (CT) may be over utilized. The Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network developed 2 prediction rules to identify children at very low risk of clinically important TBI. We implemented these prediction rules as decision support within our electronic health record (EHR) to reduce CT. Objective: To test EHR decision support implementation in reducing CT rates for head trauma at 2 pediatric EDs. Methods: We compared monthly CT rates 1 year before [preimplementation (PRE)] and 1 year after [postimplementation (POST)] decision support implementation. The primary outcome was change in CT use rate over time, measured using statistical process control charts. Secondary analyses included multivariate comparisons of PRE to POST. Balancing measures included ED length of stay and returns within 7 days after ED release. Results: There were 2,878 patients with head trauma (1,329 PRE and 1,549 POST) included. Statistical process control charts confirmed decreased CT rates over time POST that was not present PRE. Secondary statistical analyses confirmed that CT scan utilization rates decreased from 26.8% to 18.9% (unadjusted Odds Ratio [OR], 0.64; 95% Confidence Interval [CI], 0.53 -0.76; adjusted OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.58 -0.86). Length of stay was unchanged. There was no increase in returns within 7 days and no significant missed diagnoses. Conclusions: Implementation of EHR-integrated decision support for children with head trauma presenting to the ED is associated with a decrease in CT utilization and no increase in significant safety events

Laterality in the Cape mole-rat, Georychus capensis

Behavioural lateralization, the differential use one side of the body, and/or the bilateral use of sensory organs or limbs, is common in many vertebrates. One way in which behavioural lateralization can be detected in animals is through turning biases, which is an inherent preference to either turn left or right. Mole-rats are a unique group of mammals that demonstrate a wide range of social organizations ranging from solitary to eusociality. Behavioural asymmetry has not previously been investigated in mole-rats. In this study, captive and wild solitary Cape-mole rats (Georychus capensis) were investigated for individual (relative laterality (LR)) and population-level (absolute laterality (LA)) laterality. Mole-rats in the captive group were in the laboratory for at least one year, whereas the wild group were captured and experimented on within 2 weeks of capture. Animals were placed in a Y-maze facing away from the centre of the maze, and the turn towards the centre of the maze was evaluated to determine individual turning biases. Lateralized individual turning biases were more apparent in wild (7/9), compared to captive (3/10) individuals. Both captive and wild populations demonstrated a left bias, which was higher in wild animals, but not significantly so. Cape mole-rats are extremely xenophobic and aggressive, and this aggressive behaviour may underlie the turning biases in these animals, as aggression is primarily a right hemisphere dominant process. The reduced lateralization observed in captive animals may be due to a reduced need for these behaviours as a result of different environments in captivity.A South African Research Chair of Mammal Behavioural Ecology and Physiology and a Swiss South African Joint Research Program.https://www.elsevier.com/locate/behavproc2022-02-06hj2022Mammal Research InstituteZoology and Entomolog

The HAC1 gene from Pichia pastoris: characterization and effect of its overexpression on the production of secreted, surface displayed and membrane proteins

Background: The unfolded protein response (UPR) in eukaryotes upregulates factors that restore ER homeostasis upon protein folding stress and in yeast is activated by a non-conventional splicing of the HAC1 mRNA. The spliced HAC1 mRNA encodes an active transcription factor that binds to UPR-responsive elements in the promoter of UPR target genes. Overexpression of the HAC1 gene of S. cerevisiae can reportedly lead to increased production of heterologous proteins. To further such studies in the biotechnology favored yeast Pichia pastoris, we cloned and characterized the P. pastoris HAC1 gene and the splice event. Results: We identified the HAC1 homologue of P. pastoris and its splice sites. Surprisingly, we could not find evidence for the non-spliced HAC1 mRNA when P. pastoris was cultivated in a standard growth medium without any endoplasmic reticulum stress inducers, indicating that the UPR is constitutively active to some extent in this organism. After identification of the sequence encoding active Hac1p we evaluated the effect of its overexpression in Pichia. The KAR2 UPR-responsive gene was strongly upregulated. Electron microscopy revealed an expansion of the intracellular membranes in Hac1p-overexpressing strains. We then evaluated the effect of inducible and constitutive UPR induction on the production of secreted, surface displayed and membrane proteins. Wherever Hac1p overexpression affected heterologous protein expression levels, this effect was always stronger when Hac1p expression was inducible rather than constitutive. Depending on the heterologous protein, co-expression of Hac1p increased, decreased or had no effect on expression level. Moreover, alpha-mating factor prepro signal processing of a G-protein coupled receptor was more efficient with Hac1p overexpression; resulting in a significantly improved homogeneity. Conclusions: Overexpression of P. pastoris Hac1p can be used to increase the production of heterologous proteins but needs to be evaluated on a case by case basis. Inducible Hac1p expression is more effective than constitutive expression. Correct processing and thus homogeneity of proteins that are difficult to express, such as GPCRs, can be increased by co-expression with Hac1p