A study of English workshop provision

During the past decade students with particularly low-level literacy skills have imposed special demands, some colleges of Further Education meeting their needs by means of workshops. There was an information-gap about how best to enable linguistic acquisition in 16+ mainstream students and that need prompted this investigation. The author set out to identify and describe good workshop practice in individual LEAs or colleges and to define the features of a model workshop. The central question was whether or not the workshop strategy was effective in meeting the literacy needs of FE students. After a preliminary survey to discover suitable colleges, students and tutors were interviewed. Workshop sessions were observed using two contrasting instruments and HE and LEAs surveyed. Teaching materials and the learning-environment were scrutinised. Two kinds of workshop emerged: the ILEA Communications Workshop and the Literacy-support workshop found in the non-ILEA colleges in the sample. Because of their individuality, it was not reasonable to delineate a model workshop. Nevertheless clear principles of good practice were established, for example that there was a need to create a careful balance between the following emphases: - learning individually and within groups; - experience of oral and written work; - practice in formal and informal talk; - the development of basic skills and wider learning-experiences; - student autonomy and teacher-guidance. As a result of the study it became clear that, whatever the lost opportunities discovered in individual workshops, in contrast with school they represented a positive educational experience for those who had been failed by traditional teaching-methods and students thought they were more effective in meeting their literacy needs. It also became clear that there was a need for staff development in the sample colleges and therefore probably in the FE sector as a whole in order to enable tutors to make more effective use of literacy workshops

Pangaea: Designing a Human Community on Mars

The last half-century has produced scientific knowledge and technological advancements propelling humankind into the Golden Age of space exploration and travel. With the global gaze upon space, many are looking beyond the moon to the colonization of Mars. Once considered science fiction, hypothetical questions of human habitability in extra-terrestrial environments are becoming more of a scientific reality – and necessity - for the future of humanity. Humans have successfully lived aboard Skylab and the International Space Station for long-duration space missions since the mid-Twentieth Century. The interior living and working quarters of these environments have long been engineered to create shelter from the extreme conditions of outer space and provide functionality for task flow and systems control. Though, as first-hand accounts from astronauts suggest, these confined quarters and lack of privacy often lead to feelings of isolation, loneliness, and frustration in a place thousand (and soon-to-be millions) of miles from home on planet Earth (Scott-Connor, et. al, 2014). Thus, the question must be asked: if there are to be human colonies on Mars, how can interior designers work within aeronautical science to design extra-terrestrial habitats that elevate quality of life and lift the human spirit? How do we create environments that go beyond survival to embrace life? First researching ecological engineers to understand why species build (Jones, Lawton, and Shachak), then analyzing case studies of human habitats in isolated and extreme environments (Bishop and Hauplik-Meusburger, 2021) our class then took a field trip to the US Space and Rocket Center to tour a mocked Martian habitat. Students talked with aeronautic professionals about challenges and opportunities in space, and the day-to-day needs of a team of astronauts on a space mission. By roleplaying as astronauts in a teams-based design studio collaboration, our resulting research and design project offered theoretical solutions for extra-terrestrial habitats designed for the behavioral, psychological, social and spiritual needs of humans

Epistemic Injustice and Sexual Violence Intervention Advocacy

In this project, I will explore how victims of sexual violence have faced epistemic injustices by reviewing the histories of two advocacy movements aimed at improving collective understanding of those experiences. In doing so, I will consider how those very activist movements may have introduced new epistemic lacunas and, even while successfully addressing some injustices, committed further epistemic wrongs as well. I will explore forms of hermeneutical resistance used by victims of sexual violence and their advocates. While these methods of resistance have been discussed elsewhere, I contribute to this ongoing work by applying these ideas to new examples. Finally, I will explore pitfalls of select methods of resistance commonly used by activists, and in doing so I will define some novel kinds of epistemic harm and expand upon others that have been described elsewhere

Abnormal Photic Entrainment to Phase-Delaying Stimuli in the R6/2 Mouse Model of Huntington's Disease, despite Retinal Responsiveness to Light.

The circadian clock located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in mammals entrains to ambient light via the retinal photoreceptors. This allows behavioral rhythms to change in synchrony with seasonal and daily changes in light period. Circadian rhythmicity is progressively disrupted in Huntington's disease (HD) and in HD mouse models such as the transgenic R6/2 line. Although retinal afferent inputs to the SCN are disrupted in R6/2 mice at late stages, they can respond to changes in light/dark cycles, as seen in jet lag and 23 h/d paradigms. To investigate photic entrainment and SCN function in R6/2 mice at different stages of disease, we first assessed the effect on locomotor activity of exposure to a 15 min light pulse given at different times of the day. We then placed the mice under five non-standard light conditions. These were light cycle regimes (T-cycles) of T21 (10.5 h light/dark), T22 (11 h light/dark), T26 (13 h light/dark), constant light, or constant dark. We found a progressive impairment in photic synchronization in R6/2 mice when the stimuli required the SCN to lengthen rhythms (phase-delaying light pulse, T26, or constant light), but normal synchronization to stimuli that required the SCN to shorten rhythms (phase-advancing light pulse and T22). Despite the behavioral abnormalities, we found that Per1 and c-fos gene expression remained photo-inducible in SCN of R6/2 mice. Both the endogenous drift of the R6/2 mouse SCN to shorter periods and its inability to adapt to phase-delaying changes will contribute to the HD circadian dysfunction

Exploring associations between the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor gene cluster CHRNA5-A3-B4 and smoking-related behaviours

Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death worldwide. In order to address this epidemic, it is important that we have a thorough understanding of the aetiology of tobacco use and dependence. Twin and adoption studies have consistently demonstrated the importance of genetic factors in smoking behaviours. The advent of genome-wide technologies has greatly facilitated the search to determine which specific genetic factors contribute to tobacco use phenotypes. A locus within the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor gene cluster CHRNA5-A3-B4 has generated particular interest – that marked by variants rs16969968 in CHRNA5 and rs1051730 in CHRNA3. The primary aim of this thesis was to determine the role played by this locus in smoking-related behaviours, with an emphasis on phenotype refinement. A number of different approaches were utilised to address this objective, namely systematic review and meta-analysis, genetic epidemiology (including detailed phenotyping of smoking behaviour in adolescence), laboratory-based techniques, and genome-wide meta-analysis. Compelling evidence for a small, robust association was observed between the rs1051730/rs16966968 variants and daily cigarette consumption, equivalent to a per allele effect of approximately one cigarette per day. This effect was consistent across population sub-groups. Compelling evidence for an association between this locus and level of tobacco exposure was further illustrated through genome-wide meta-analysis of cotinine levels in current smokers. No association was observed between this locus and smoking initiation however, as examined in a prospectively assessed cohort using precisely defined phenotypes. An association between rs1051730/rs16969968 and smoking topography has yet to be explored. However, a full protocol was developed and piloted to investigate this. In addition, this research has also illustrated the importance of precise, objective, phenotype definition, an observation which has important implications for the fields of molecular genetics and epidemiology

A recall-by-genotype study of CHRNA5-A3-B4 genotype, cotinine and smoking topography:study protocol

BACKGROUND: Genome-wide association studies have revealed an association between several loci in the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor gene cluster CHRNA5-A3-B4 and daily cigarette consumption. Recent studies have sought to refine this phenotype, and have shown that a locus within this cluster, marked primarily by rs1051730 and rs16969968, is also associated with levels of cotinine, the primary metabolite of nicotine. This association remains after adjustment for self-reported smoking, which suggests that even amongst people who smoke the same number of cigarettes there is still genetically-influenced variation in nicotine consumption. This is likely to be due to differences in smoking topography, that is, how a cigarette is smoked (e.g., volume of smoke inhaled per puff, number of puffs taken per cigarette). The aim of this study is to determine potential mediation of the relationship between the rs1051730 locus and cotinine levels by smoking topography. METHODS/DESIGN: Adopting a recall-by-genotype design, we will recruit 200 adults from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children on the basis of minor or major homozygote status at rs1051730 (100 in each genotype group). All participants will be current, daily smokers. Our primary study outcome measures will be measures of smoking topography: total volume of smoke (ml) inhaled per cigarette, total volume of smoke (ml) inhaled over of the course of one day, and salivary cotinine level (ng/ml). DISCUSSION: This study will extend our understanding of the biological basis of inter-individual variability in heaviness of smoking, and therefore in exposure to smoking-related toxins. The novel recall-by-genotype approach we will use is efficient, maximising statistical power, and enables the collection of extremely precise phenotypic data that are impractical to collect in a larger sample. The methods described within this protocol also hold the potential for wider application in the field of molecular genetics

Academics' attitudes towards peer review in scholarly journals and the effect of role and discipline

This research contributes to the knowledge on academics’ attitudes towards peer review, through an international and inter-disciplinary survey of academics, which profiles academics’ views on the value of peer review, its benefits and the prevalence of unethical practices. Generally, academics regarded peer review as beneficial to improving their article and felt that peer review contributed significantly to the effectiveness of scholarly communication. Academics agreed that peer review could improve the readability and quality of the published paper, as well as check for accuracy, appropriate methodology, novelty and relevance to the journal. There are significant differences in the views of respondents on the basis of role, with those involved as reviewers and editors being less positive about peer review than authors. In addition, there is evidence of some disciplinary differences in views on the benefits of peer review

Estimating a preference-based index from the Japanese SF-36

Objective: The main objective of the study was to estimate a preference-bascd Short Form (SF)-6D index from the SF-36 for Japan and compare it with the UK results. Study Design and Setting: The SF-6D was translated into Japanese. Two hundred and forty-nine health states defined by this version of the SF-6D were then valued by a representative sample of 600 members of the Japanese general population using standard gamble (SG). These health-state values were modeled using classical parametric random-effect methods with individual-level data and ordinary least squares (OLS) on mean health-state values, together with a new nonparametric approach using Bayesian methods of estimation. Results: All parametric models estimated on Japanese data were found to perform less well than their UK counterparts in terms of poorer goodness of fit, more inconsistencies, larger prediction errors and bias, and evidence of systematic bias in the predictions. Nonparametric models produce a substantial improvement in out-of-sample predictions. The physical, role, and social dimensions have relatively larger decrements than pain and mental health compared with those in the United Kingdom. Conclusion: The differences between Japanese and UK valuations of the SF-6D make it important to use the Japanese valuation data set estimated using the nonparametric Bayesian technique presented in this article. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

The Engaged Identity: An approach to identity, complexity, and intravation for human adaptivity and transformation

Human adaptive capacity is increasingly understood as an important element of human flourishing and sustainability and yet the question of how we cultivate the capacities for transformation and human flourishing remains. This thesis introduces the Engaged Identity approach and examines the intersections of how we enact and embody identity, complexity, and adaptability. As a practice, it works to build the adaptive capacity of individuals and support identity expansion in order to create sustainable relationships. Grounded in identity theory, complexity science, and contemplative practice, the approach serves as a foundation on which frameworks and methodologies for conflict transformation and peacebuilding can exist. Furthermore, it proposes that without the cultivation of these capacities, regardless of the theoretical framework or methodology used, sustainable relationships and solutions are not possible. The thesis provides an overview of the Engaged Identity approach, examines the literature that grounds the praxis, and analyzes a case study, comprised of six training workshops held in Nigeria from October 2013 through August 2014. Examining how the approach aligns with and enhances conflict transformation processes, this thesis argues for an intravative approach to conceptualizing, cultivating, and enacting human adaptive capacity and transformative processes. Through phenomenological and grounded theory methodology, the study uses survey, interview, and participatory observations to document participants experiences and observations on the effects of the approach and the implications for inclusion in the broader context for adaptive and transformative praxis