36 research outputs found
The Symbiotic Relationship Between Reading and Music: A Natural Pedagogical Collaboration
Reading and music instruction can form a symbiotic relationship to positively impact lower-elementary literacy and increase student engagement. In this action research study, cross-curricular instruction between reading and music at the 2nd grade elementary level was taught by both the reading and music teacher. This study employed reading, rhythm, rhyme, instrumentation, writing, physical movement, and song to benefit students’ phonemic awareness while reading. Developmental Reading Assessments (DRAs) were used to measure student growth from the start of the study to its conclusion. These DRAs were used as pre- and posttests and were bookended around instruction using reading, rhythm, rhyme, instrumentation, writing, physical movement, and song in the regular and music classrooms. This type of cross-curricular instruction between reading and music reinforced learning in both classroom settings. Results revealed that co-planning reading and music instruction have a positive impact on fluency, comprehension, and student engagement, but that DRAs are not the most accurate tools to measure phonemic awareness
The Infrared Properties of Hickson Compact Groups
Compact groups of galaxies provide a unique environment to study the
mechanisms by which star formation occurs amid continuous gravitational
encounters. We present 2MASS (JHK), Spitzer IRAC (3.5-8 micron) and MIPS (24
micron) observations of a sample of twelve Hickson Compact Groups (HCGs 2, 7,
16, 19, 22, 31, 42, 48, 59, 61, 62, and 90) that includes a total of 45
galaxies. The near-infrared colors of the sample galaxies are largely
consistent with being dominated by slightly reddened normal stellar
populations. Galaxies that have the most significant PAH and/or hot dust
emission (as inferred from excess 8 micron flux) also tend to have larger
amounts of extinction and/or K-band excess and stronger 24 micron emission, all
of which suggest ongoing star formation activity. We separate the twelve HCGs
in our sample into three types based on the ratio of the group HI mass to
dynamical mass. We find evidence that galaxies in the most gas-rich groups tend
to be the most actively star forming. Galaxies in the most gas-poor groups tend
to be tightly clustered around a narrow range in colors consistent with the
integrated light from a normal stellar population. We interpret these trends as
indicating that galaxies in gas-rich groups experience star formation and/or
nuclear actively until their neutral gas consumed, stripped, or ionized. The
galaxies in this sample exhibit a ``gap'' between gas-rich and gas-poor groups
in infrared color space that is sparsely populated and not seen in the Spitzer
First Look Survey sample. This gap may suggest a rapid evolution of galaxy
properties in response to dynamical effects. These results suggest that the
global properties of the groups and the local properties of the galaxies are
connected.Comment: 34 pages, 26 figures, accepted for publication in AJ, higher quality
images available in publicatio
Phylogeny of the Sepia pharaonis species complex (Cephalopoda: Sepiida) based on analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence data
The pharaoh cuttlefish, Sepia pharaonis Ehrenberg, 1831, is a commercially fished species found from
Japan to East Africa. Previous morphological and genetic work (the latter based on the 16S rRNA
mitochondrial gene) suggested that S. pharaonis is a species complex, but relationships within the
complex remained unresolved. To clarify these relationships, we have sequenced an additional mitochondrial
gene region (cytochrome oxidase subunit I) and a nuclear gene region (rhodopsin) from
over 50 specimens from throughout the range of S. pharaonis. We have also added sequence data from
two specimens of Sepia ramani Neethiselvan, 2001, collected in southeastern India. Sepia ramani is a
species that is morphologically very similar to S. pharaonis, and there is some question regarding its
status as a distinct species. Phylogenetic analyses of a dataset comprising all three-gene regions
revealed a monophyletic S. pharaonis complex consisting of a western Indian Ocean clade, a northeastern
Australia clade, a Persian Gulf/Arabian Sea (‘Iranian’) clade, a western Pacific clade and a
central Indian Ocean clade. Relationships among these clades remain somewhat poorly supported
except for a clade comprising the Iranian clade, the western Pacific clade and the central Indian
Ocean clade. One S. pharaonis specimen was collected in the Arabian Sea, but was found to be a
member of the western Indian Ocean clade, suggesting that gene flow between these regions has
either occurred recently or is ongoing. Both specimens of S. ramani are members of the S. pharaonis
complex, but their mtDNA haplotypes are not closely related – one is a member of the central
Indian Ocean clade, while the other is rather distantly related to the northeastern Australia clade.
We suggest that ‘S. pharaonis’ may consist of several species, but morphological work is needed to
clarify species-level taxonomy within this complex
Mid-Infrared Evidence for Accelerated Evolution in Compact Group Galaxies
We find evidence for accelerated evolution in compact group galaxies from the
distribution in mid-infrared colorspace of 42 galaxies from 12 Hickson Compact
Groups (HCGs) compared to the the distributions of several other samples
including the LVL+SINGS galaxies, interacting galaxies, and galaxies from the
Coma Cluster. We find that the HCG galaxies are not uniformly distributed in
colorspace, as well as quantitative evidence for a gap. Galaxies in the infall
region of the Coma cluster also exhibit a non-uniform distribution and a less
well defined gap, which may reflect a similarity with the compact group
environment. Neither the Coma Center or interacting samples show evidence of a
gap, leading us to speculate that the gap is unique to the environment of high
galaxy density where gas has not been fully processed or stripped.Comment: To appear in the Proceedings of the Galaxy Wars: Stellar Populations
and Star Formation in Interacting Galaxies Conferenc
Somatic genome editing with CRISPR/Cas9 generates and corrects a metabolic disease
Germline manipulation using CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing has dramatically accelerated the generation of new mouse models. Nonetheless, many metabolic disease models still depend upon laborious germline targeting, and are further complicated by the need to avoid developmental phenotypes. We sought to address these experimental limitations by generating somatic mutations in the adult liver using CRISPR/Cas9, as a new strategy to model metabolic disorders. As proof-of-principle, we targeted the low-density lipoprotein receptor (Ldlr), which when deleted, leads to severe hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis. Here we show that hepatic disruption of Ldlr with AAV-CRISPR results in severe hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis. We further demonstrate that co-disruption of Apob, whose germline loss is embryonically lethal, completely prevented disease through compensatory inhibition of hepatic LDL production. This new concept of metabolic disease modeling by somatic genome editing could be applied to many other systemic as well as liver-restricted disorders which are difficult to study by germline manipulation
Hypertension, antihypertensive medication use, and breast cancer risk in the California Teachers Study cohort
A prenylated dsRNA sensor protects against severe COVID-19
Inherited genetic factors can influence the severity of COVID-19, but the molecular explanation underpinning a genetic association is often unclear. Intracellular antiviral defenses can inhibit the replication of viruses and reduce disease severity. To better understand the antiviral defenses relevant to COVID-19, we used interferon-stimulated gene (ISG) expression screening to reveal that OAS1, through RNase L, potently inhibits SARS-CoV-2. We show that a common splice-acceptor SNP (Rs10774671) governs whether people express prenylated OAS1 isoforms that are membrane-associated and sense specific regions of SARS-CoV-2 RNAs, or only express cytosolic, nonprenylated OAS1 that does not efficiently detect SARS-CoV-2. Importantly, in hospitalized patients, expression of prenylated OAS1 was associated with protection from severe COVID-19, suggesting this antiviral defense is a major component of a protective antiviral response
A prenylated dsRNA sensor protects against severe COVID-19
Inherited genetic factors can influence the severity of COVID-19, but the molecular explanation underpinning a genetic association is often unclear. Intracellular antiviral defenses can inhibit the replication of viruses and reduce disease severity. To better understand the antiviral defenses relevant to COVID-19, we used interferon-stimulated gene (ISG) expression screening to reveal that OAS1, through RNase L, potently inhibits SARS-CoV-2. We show that a common splice-acceptor SNP (Rs10774671) governs whether people express prenylated OAS1 isoforms that are membrane-associated and sense specific regions of SARS-CoV-2 RNAs, or only express cytosolic, nonprenylated OAS1 that does not efficiently detect SARS-CoV-2. Importantly, in hospitalized patients, expression of prenylated OAS1 was associated with protection from severe COVID-19, suggesting this antiviral defense is a major component of a protective antiviral response
Act for Children: A Study of How Architecture Can Foster Development During the Stages of Early Childhood
What role does architecture play in fostering the stages of early childhood development? The first five years of a child's life are the most crucial years of their developmental process as they grow not only physically but also cognitively, socially and emotionally. Children are impressionable human beings drastically impacted by their surrounding environments. Through design, we can enhance the lives of the users through well informed environments that are not only healthy but safe, functional and beautiful. This paper seeks to investigate the stages of development and identify key prepared environments that facilitate learning in early child development. The results suggest that, in terms of the ideal environment for children, not one prepared environment takes precedent over the others. Scale, light, color, safety, security, spatial arrangement, and nature all play an integral role in the development of children. Designing for children is no simple task. As designers we have the responsibility and ethical duty to provide a comprehensive analysis on the needs of our clients. It is our role to ensuring a healthy and nurturing environment while providing a developmentally appropriate and stimulating environment to our nation's youngest generation
Act for Children: Formative Environments
Can Architecture serve as an education aid in early childhood development? Can we as designers help children learn while provoking discovery and creative thinking? How can we as designers better prepare our nation's youngest generation for success? Our future rests on the success of our children. Due to social and economic trends, there is a tremendous need in our society for quality child care. The impact of the built environment within these facilities can drastically impact many aspects of development. If we as designers can successfully identify the needs and wants of our users, we can create an environment that fosters learning. My thesis seeks to explore redefining the typical day care center into an educational facility which prioritizes learning. I seek to achieve this by identifying key prepared environments that facilitate learning in early childhood development