Investigating the Inclusiveness of STEM Courses and Reducing Barriers by Using the Universal Design for Learning Framework

Students with disabilities are in postsecondary STEM courses and degree programs, but only a few studies have investigated how STEM courses can be designed to support students with disabilities. We began addressing this gap by interviewing students with diagnoses characterized by variations in executive functions about their experiences in postsecondary STEM courses. We analyzed the interviews through a social relational perspective of disability as this allowed us to identify how course structures disable students from effective engagement with STEM courses. We found STEM courses present heightened barriers compared to non-STEM courses, with common barriers including a lack of resources and guidance for how to engage with course content, insufficient time on assessments, and a lack of access to organized course content and deadlines. The consequences of these barriers are that students are disabled from keeping pace in the courses and experience more frequent episodes of severe anxiety. We additionally investigated the extent to which SCALE-UP physics courses and inquiry-based chemistry labs implemented inclusive practices based on the enactment of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) checkpoints. Through course observations, we identified that courses supported some UDL recommendations, such as encouraging group work and clarifying vocabulary, but did not enact the UDL recommendations of providing options and flexibility for engaging with tasks. To improve the inclusiveness of courses, we supported physics instructors and chemistry teaching assistants (TAs) in choosing and implementing new UDL-aligned practices. Instructors chose to implement a variety of practices, and the extent and effectiveness of implementation varied due to differences in the consistency of implementation and whether implemented practices achieved intended goals. Overall, we find that STEM courses are not designed to proactively support students with disabilities and that students with disabilities and the UDL framework can support instructors in identifying how courses can be more inclusive

Hidden walls: STEM course barriers identified by students with disabilities

Historically, non-disabled individuals have viewed disability as a personal deficit requiring change to the disabled individual. However, models have emerged from disability activists and disabled intellectuals that emphasize the role of disabling social structures in preventing or hindering equal access across the ability continuum. We used the social relational proposition, which situates disability within the interaction of impairments and particular social structures, to identify disabling structures in introductory STEM courses. We conducted interviews with nine students who identified with a range of impairments about their experiences in introductory STEM courses. We assembled a diverse research team and analyzed the interviews through phenomenological analysis. Participants reported course barriers that prevented effective engagement with course content. These barriers resulted in challenges with time management as well as feelings of stress and anxiety. We discuss recommendations for supporting students to more effectively engage with introductory STEM courses

The solution structure of the disulphide-linked homodimer of the human trefoil protein TFF1

AbstractThe trefoil factor family protein, TFF1, forms a homodimer, via a disulphide linkage, that has greater activity in wound healing assays than the monomer. Having previously determined a high-resolution solution structure of a monomeric analogue of TFF1, we now investigate the structure of the homodimer formed by the native sequence. The two putative receptor/ligand recognition domains are found to be well separated, at opposite ends of a flexible linker. This contrasts sharply with the known fixed and compact arrangement of the two trefoil domains of the closely related TFF2, and has significant implications for the mechanism of action and functional specificity of the TFF of proteins

EDSN - Edison Demonstration for SmallSat Networks: EDSN Overview

The EDSN overview provides information on the project's objectives, particular technologies being demonstrated, an overview of the structural components of the satellites, and the concept of operations

Managing Politics? Good conduct and ethics regulation in English local government

In many countries, an important driver for concern about public values arises from falling trust in public institutions. One widely identified explanation has been the conduct of politicians, to which governments around the globe have responded by creating systems of ethics regulation and reform. This includes England, where measures instigated by the 2000 Local Government Act took a particularly centralised approach to improving conduct in local government, consisting of a standardised and formalised code of conduct with which councillors must comply, and machinery for exercising and adjudicating complaints against the code. This paper draws upon research which assesses the impact of this ethical regulation on the conduct of councillors, using insights from Foucauldian perspectives on government and critiques of government ‘modernisation’. As will be shown, the uneven effects of the framework can be interpreted from the extent to which the ‘technologies of power’ and ‘technologies of self’ have translated effectively into practices across local government. Our research found that resistance to ethics regulation often arose where councillors resisted the models of political identity and behaviour it was perceived to promote. Particular concentrations of complaints and misconduct were identified where councillors believe that recent changes in political management – including moves to cabinet executives under the auspices of ‘political modernisation’ – have caused a widespread loss of voice among elected representatives. The paper concludes with reflections on the near total abolition of the ethical framework in 2011 - itself the culmination of mounting resistance - and the extent to which political conduct can be managed by such practices of modernisation

Ataluren stimulates ribosomal selection of near-cognate tRNAs to promote nonsense suppression

A premature termination codon (PTC) in the ORF of an mRNA generally leads to production of a truncated polypeptide, accelerated degradation of the mRNA, and depression of overall mRNA expression. Accordingly, nonsense mutations cause some of the most severe forms of inherited disorders. The small-molecule drug ataluren promotes therapeutic nonsense suppression and has been thought to mediate the insertion of near-cognate tRNAs at PTCs. However, direct evidence for this activity has been lacking. Here, we expressed multiple nonsense mutation reporters in human cells and yeast and identified the amino acids inserted when a PTC occupies the ribosomal A site in control, ataluren-treated, and aminoglycoside-treated cells. We find that ataluren\u27s likely target is the ribosome and that it produces full-length protein by promoting insertion of near-cognate tRNAs at the site of the nonsense codon without apparent effects on transcription, mRNA processing, mRNA stability, or protein stability. The resulting readthrough proteins retain function and contain amino acid replacements similar to those derived from endogenous readthrough, namely Gln, Lys, or Tyr at UAA or UAG PTCs and Trp, Arg, or Cys at UGA PTCs. These insertion biases arise primarily from mRNA:tRNA mispairing at codon positions 1 and 3 and reflect, in part, the preferred use of certain nonstandard base pairs, e.g., U-G. Ataluren\u27s retention of similar specificity of near-cognate tRNA insertion as occurs endogenously has important implications for its general use in therapeutic nonsense suppression

The role of ergonomic saddle seats and magnification loupes in the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders. A systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: Musculoskeletal disorders affect a high percentage of dentists, dental hygienists and therapists. Static and awkward working postures are considered as major risk factors. Proper seat selection and use of magnification loupes are promoted for their ergonomic benefits. The aim of this review was to evaluate the existing empirical evidence on the effect of the above interventions on (i) correction of poor posture and (ii) reduction in musculoskeletal pain. METHODS: The review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. The review protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42017058580). The Medline via Ovid, CINHAL via EBSCO, Web of Science, OpenGrey and EThOS electronic databases were searched. Prospective experimental studies were considered for inclusion. The Effective Public Health Practice Project Quality Assessment Tool (EPHPP) was used to assess the methodological quality of the included studies. RESULTS: Eight studies were included in the review. Four investigated the effect of loupes on posture and musculoskeletal pain, 4 the effect of the saddle seats on posture and one of the latter explored the combined effect of magnification and use of saddle seats on posture. CONCLUSIONS: Based on a limited number of studies, the use of ergonomic saddle seats and dental loupes leads to improved working postures. The use of loupes appears to relieve shoulder, arm and hand pain. However, their effect on neck pain is scarce. None of the studies reported on the effect of the saddle seats on musculoskeletal pain. Future well-powered prospective longitudinal studies are deemed necessary to confirm the conclusions of this review

Insights to scaling remote plasma sources sustained in NF3 mixtures

Remote plasma sources (RPSs) are being developed for low damage materials processing during semiconductor fabrication. Plasmas sustained in NF3 are often used as a source of F atoms. NF3 containing gas mixtures such as NF3/O2 and NF3/H2 provide additional opportunities to produce and control desirable reactive species such as F and NO. In this paper, results from computational investigations of RPS sustained in capacitively coupled plasmas are discussed using zero-dimensional global and two-dimensional reactor scale models. A comprehensive reaction mechanism for plasmas sustained in Ar/NF3/O2 was developed using electron impact cross sections for NF2 and NF calculated by ab initio molecular R-matrix methods. For validation of the reaction mechanism, results from the simulations were compared with optical emission spectroscopy measurements of radical densities. Dissociative attachment and dissociative excitation of NFx are the major sources of F radicals. The exothermicity from these Franck–Condon dissociative processes is the dominant gas heating mechanism, producing gas temperatures in excess of 1500 K. The large fractional dissociation of the feedstock gases enables a larger variety of end-products. Reactions between NFx and O atom containing species lead to the formation of NO and N2O through endothermic reactions facilitated by the gas heating, followed by the formation of NO2 and FNO from exothermic reactions. The downstream composition in the flowing afterglow is an ion–ion plasma maintained by, in oxygen containing mixtures, [F−] ≈ [NO+] since NO has the lowest ionization potential and F has the highest electron affinity among the major neutral species

Insulin-like growth factor - Oestradiol crosstalk and mammary gland tumourigenesis

Development and differentiation of the mammary gland are dependent on the appropriate temporal expression of both systemically acting hormones and locally produced growth factors. A large body of evidence suggests that molecular crosstalk between these hormonal and growth factor axes is crucial for appropriate cell and tissue function. Two of the most important trophic factors involved in this process are the oestrogen (E) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF) molecular axes. The reciprocal crosstalk that exists between these pathways occurs at transcriptional/post-transcriptional and translational/post-translational levels regulate the expression and activity of genes involved in this process. In a clinical context an important consequence of such crosstalk in the mammary gland is the role which it may play in the aetiology, maintenance and development of breast tumours. Although oestradiol (E2) acting through oestrogen receptors α and β (ERα/β) is important for normal mammary gland function it can also provide a mitogenic drive to ER+ breast tumours. Therefore over several years anti-oestrogen therapeutic regimens in the form of selective oestrogen receptor modulators (SERMs - e.g. tamoxifen), aromatase inhibitors (AI e.g. anastrozole) or selective oestrogen receptor down regulators (SERDs - e.g. fulvestrant) have been used in an adjuvant setting to control tumour growth. Although initial response is usually encouraging, large cohorts of patients eventually develop resistance to these treatments leading to tumour recurrence and poor prognosis. There are potentially many routes by which breast cancer (BC) cells could escape anti-oestrogen based therapeutic strategies and one of the most studied is the possible growth factor mediated activation of ER(s). Because of this, growth factor modulation of ER activity has been an intensively studied route of molecular crosstalk in the mammary gland. The insulin-like growth factors (IGF-1 and -2) are amongst the most potent mitogens for mammary epithelial cells and there is accumulating evidence that they interact with the E2 axis to regulate mitogenesis, apoptosis, adhesion, migration and differentiation of mammary epithelial cells. Such interactions are bi-directional and E2 has been shown to regulate the expression and activity of IGF axis genes with the general effect of sensitising breast epithelial cells to the actions of IGFs and insulin. In this short review we discuss the evidence for the involvement of crosstalk between the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) and oestrogen axes in the mammary gland and comment on the relevance of such studies in the aetiology and treatment of BC