Teaching Public Affairs – The Cinderella Subject of Journalism Courses

Public Affairs: Even the name of the serious part of Journalism courses is problematic. For years this absolutely essential, but often maligned, part of so many university Journalism courses, has been taught by ‘a guy from Politics’ and hated, or at best endured, by its students. But it doesn’t have to be that way. The plan was to revitalise a university’s ‘Public Affairs’ module. The aim was simple – to help students learn about politics by getting them interested in it. The result: confident, motivated students who went on to study more Politics at university – and a rise in the associated professional qualification (National Council for Training Journalists) Essential Public Affairs exam pass rate from 35% to 80%. This paper will explore the strategies undertaken by the teaching team with regard to the ways in which they engaged the students, and the delivery of the module as a whole. As it is a ‘must pass’ component for the professional qualification, the engagement levels were seen as key. Finding that important ‘hook’ for each of the components of the compulsory syllabus was phenomenally important. It was the success in doing so that resulted in the improved pass rates

Analytics and complexity: learning and leading for the future

There is growing interest in the application of learning analytics to manage, inform and improve learning and teaching within higher education. In particular, learning analytics is seen as enabling data-driven decision making as universities are seeking to respond a range of significant challenges that are reshaping the higher education landscape. Experience over four years with a project exploring the use of learning analytics to improve learning and teaching at a particular university has, however, revealed a much more complex reality that potentially limits the value of some analytics-based strategies. This paper uses this experience with over 80,000 students across three learning management systems, combined with literature from complex adaptive systems and learning analytics to identify the source and nature of these limitations along with a suggested path forward

Cochrane acute respiratory infections group's stakeholder engagement project identified systematic review priority areas

Objective: Cochrane acute respiratory infections (ARIs) group conducts systematic reviews of the evidence for treatment and prevention of ARIs. We report the results of a prioritization project, aiming to identify highest priority systematic review topics. Study Design/Setting: The project consisted of two phases. Phase 1 analyzed the gap between existing randomized controlled trials and Cochrane systematic reviews (reported previously). Phase 2 (reported here) consisted of a two-round survey. In round 1, respondents prioritized 68 topics and suggested up to 10 additional topics; in round 2, respondents prioritized top 25 topics from round 1. Results: Respondents included clinicians, researchers, systematic reviewers, allied health, patients, and carers, from 33 different countries. In round 1, 154 respondents identified 20 priority topics, most commonly selecting topics in nonspecific ARIs, influenza, and common cold. Fifty respondents also collectively suggested 134 additional topics. In round 2, 78 respondents prioritized top 25 topics, most commonly in the areas of nonspecific ARIs, pneumonia, and influenza. Conclusion: We generated a list of priority systematic review topics to guide the Cochrane ARI group's systematic review work for the next 24 months. Stakeholder involvement enhanced the transparency of the process and will increase the usability and relevance of the group's work to stakeholders

(SNP069) Clark Jones and Flora Coonie Jones interviewed by Dorothy Noble Smith and Jim Northrup, transcribed by Peggy C. Bradley

Records an interview with Clark Jones and his wife, Flora Coonie Jones, (née Keyser), who lived in Flint Hill, Virginia, just beyond the boundaries of Shenandoah National Park. They describe home and family life in the mountains, holidays, food production and preservation, and the various cash crops and other sources of income available to the mountain people.https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/snp/1059/thumbnail.jp

Pigment analysis by Raman microscopy and portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) of thirteenth to fourteenth century illuminations and cuttings from Bologna

Non-destructive pigment analysis by Raman microscopy (RM) and portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) has been carried out on some Bolognese illuminations and cuttings chosen to represent the beginnings, evolution and height of Bolognese illuminated manuscript production. Dating to the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries and held in a private collection, the study provides evidence for the pigments generally used in this period. The results, which are compared with those obtained for other north Italian artwork, show the developments in usage of artistic materials and technique. Also addressed in this study is an examination of the respective roles of RM and pXRF analysis in this area of technical art history

Flight evaluation of a computer aided low-altitude helicopter flight guidance system

The Flight Systems Development branch of the U.S. Army's Avionics Research and Development Activity (AVRADA) and NASA Ames Research Center developed for flight testing a Computer Aided Low-Altitude Helicopter Flight (CALAHF) guidance system. The system includes a trajectory-generation algorithm which uses dynamic programming and a helmet-mounted display (HMD) presentation of a pathway-in-the-sky, a phantom aircraft, and flight-path vector/predictor guidance symbology. The trajectory-generation algorithm uses knowledge of the global mission requirements, a digital terrain map, aircraft performance capabilities, and precision navigation information to determine a trajectory between mission waypoints that seeks valleys to minimize threat exposure. This system was developed and evaluated through extensive use of piloted simulation and has demonstrated a 'pilot centered' concept of automated and integrated navigation and terrain mission planning flight guidance. This system has shown a significant improvement in pilot situational awareness, and mission effectiveness as well as a decrease in training and proficiency time required for a near terrain, nighttime, adverse weather system

Prospects for transient gravitational waves at r-mode frequencies associated with pulsar glitches

t Glitches in pulsars are likely to trigger oscillation modes in the fluid interior of neutron stars. We examined these oscillations specifically at r-mode frequencies. The excited r-modes will emit gravitational waves and can have long damping time scales (minutes - days). We use simple estimates of how much energy the glitch might put into the r-mode and assess the detectability of the emitted gravitational waves with future interferometers

Single stage experimental evaluation of variable geometry guide vanes and stator blading. Part 5 - Overall performance for variable camber guide vane and stator B with radial and circumferential inlet flow distortion

Inlet flow distortion effects on single stage variable geometry guide vanes and stator

Not what they want but what they need: Teaching politics to journalism students

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.There is an issue around getting students engaged in subject matter about which they may have little interest. Often, such subject matter is essential to their studies. The module Essential Public Affairs is such a concern for students of Journalism. It is essential for their professional qualification. This article explores a pilot project which developed ways to get students more engaged with the subject material. The consequences of such engagement could be seen in the assessment results and the future study choices of those students in the pilot

Expression of the ???6 integrin promotes migration and invasion in squamous carcinoma cells

The integrin αvβ6 is a fibronectin receptor whose expression is not detectable on normal oral epithelium but is increased significantly in healing and in oral epithelial dysplasia and oral squamous cell carcinoma, suggesting it may promote changes associated with tumor development. To study whether αvβ6 may drive invasive behavior we have used transfection and retroviral infection to create a panel of epithelial cell lines expressing various levels of αvβ6. We report that increased expression of αvβ6 in malignant keratinocytes promotes invasion and leads to an increased capacity for migration towards fibronectin. αvβ6 expression may have a significant role in contributing to the malignant behavior of epithelial cells