3,098 research outputs found
Interactive Methods for Teaching Action Potentials, an Example of Teaching Innovation from Neuroscience Postdoctoral Fellows in the Fellowships in Research and Science Teaching (FIRST) Program
Acquiring a faculty position in academia is extremely competitive and now typically requires more than just solid research skills and knowledge of one’s field. Recruiting institutions currently desire new faculty that can teach effectively, but few postdoctoral positions provide any training in teaching methods. Fellowships in Research and Science Teaching (FIRST) is a successful postdoctoral training program funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) providing training in both research and teaching methodology. The FIRST program provides fellows with outstanding interdisciplinary biomedical research training in fields such as neuroscience. The postdoctoral research experience is integrated with a teaching program which includes a How to Teach course, instruction in classroom technology and course development and mentored teaching. During their mentored teaching experiences, fellows are encouraged to explore innovative teaching methodologies and to perform science teaching research to improve classroom learning. FIRST fellows teaching neuroscience to undergraduates have observed that many of these students have difficulty with the topic of neuroscience. Therefore, we investigated the effects of interactive teaching methods for this topic. We tested two interactive teaching methodologies to determine if they would improve learning and retention of this information when compared with standard lectures. The interactive methods for teaching action potentials increased understanding and retention. Therefore, FIRST provides excellent teaching training, partly by enhancing the ability of fellows to integrate innovative teaching methods into their instruction. This training in turn provides fellows that matriculate from this program more of the characteristics that hiring institutions desire in their new faculty
Human PrimPol mutation associated with high myopia has a DNA replication defect
PrimPol is a primase-polymerase found in humans, and other eukaryotes, involved in bypassing lesions encountered during DNA replication. PrimPol employs both translesion synthesis and repriming mechanisms to facilitate lesion bypass by the replisome. PrimPol has been reported to be a potential susceptibility gene associated with the development of myopia. Mutation of tyrosine 89 to aspartic acid (PrimPolY89D) has been identified in a number of cases of high myopia, implicating it in the aetiology of this disorder. Here, we examined whether this mutation resulted in any changes in the molecular and cellular activities associated with human PrimPol. We show that PrimPolY89D has a striking decrease in primase and polymerase activities. The hydrophobic ring of tyrosine is important for retaining wild-type extension activity. We also demonstrate that the decreased activity of PrimPolY89D is associated with reduced affinities for DNA and nucleotides, resulting in diminished catalytic efficiency. Although the structure and stability of PrimPolY89D is altered, its fidelity remains unchanged. This mutation also reduces cell viability after DNA damage and significantly slows replication fork rates in vivo. Together, these findings establish that the major DNA replication defect associated with this PrimPol mutant is likely to contribute to the onset of high myopia
The Research Excellence Framework (REF): Assessing the impact of social work research on society
This paper reviews one aspect, impact, of the forthcoming assessment of research in UK universities, the Research Excellence Framework (REF), and examines its meaning and potential for enhanced partnerships between social work practice and academia in the context of the current economic crisis. Examples of case studies being developed to show how research has societal impact are described and some of the complexities of what, on the surface appears to echo social work 19s desire to make a positive difference to the lives of people in society, are drawn out. The importance of the REF for the integration of social work practice and academia have been rehearsed many times. This paper argues that making an impact is everybody 19s concern and practitioners and those who use social work services and their carers have a role to play in its creation and identification
Radiation of Neutron Stars Produced by Superfluid Core
We find that neutron star interior is transparent for collisionless electron
sound, the same way as it is transparent for neutrinos. In the presence of
magnetic field the electron sound is coupled with electromagnetic radiation and
form the fast magnetosonic wave. We find that electron sound is generated by
superfluid vortices in the stellar core. Thermally excited helical vortex waves
produce fast magnetosonic waves in the stellar crust which propagate toward the
surface and transform into outgoing electromagnetic radiation. The vortex
radiation has the spectral index -0.45 and can explain nonthermal radiation of
middle-aged pulsars observed in the infrared, optical and hard X-ray bands. The
radiation is produced in the stellar interior which allows direct determination
of the core temperature. Comparing the theory with available spectra
observations we find that the core temperature of the Vela pulsar is T=8*10^8K,
while the core temperature of PSR B0656+14 and Geminga exceeds 2*10^8K. This is
the first measurement of the temperature of a neutron star core. The
temperature estimate rules out equation of states incorporating Bose
condensations of pions or kaons and quark matter in these objects. Based on the
temperature estimate and cooling models we determine the critical temperature
of triplet neutron superfluidity in the Vela core Tc=(7.5\pm 1.5)*10^9K which
agrees well with recent data on behavior of nucleon interactions at high
energies. Another finding is that in the middle aged neutron stars the vortex
radiation, rather then thermal conductivity, is the main mechanism of heat
transfer from the stellar core to the surface. Electron sound opens a
perspective of direct spectroscopic study of superdense matter in the neutron
star interiors.Comment: 43 pages, 7 figures, to appear in Astrophysical Journa
Geometric Aspects of the Moduli Space of Riemann Surfaces
This is a survey of our recent results on the geometry of moduli spaces and
Teichmuller spaces of Riemann surfaces appeared in math.DG/0403068 and
math.DG/0409220. We introduce new metrics on the moduli and the Teichmuller
spaces of Riemann surfaces with very good properties, study their curvatures
and boundary behaviors in great detail. Based on the careful analysis of these
new metrics, we have a good understanding of the Kahler-Einstein metric from
which we prove that the logarithmic cotangent bundle of the moduli space is
stable. Another corolary is a proof of the equivalences of all of the known
classical complete metrics to the new metrics, in particular Yau's conjectures
in the early 80s on the equivalences of the Kahler-Einstein metric to the
Teichmuller and the Bergman metric.Comment: Survey article of our recent results on the subject. Typoes
corrrecte
Timescales, mechanisms, and controls of incisional avulsions in floodplain wetlands: insights from the Tshwane River, semiarid South Africa
Temporal trends of time to antiretroviral treatment initiation, interruption and modification: Examination of patients diagnosed with advanced HIV in Australia
INTRODUCTION:
HIV prevention strategies are moving towards reducing plasma HIV RNA viral load in all HIV-positive persons, including those undiagnosed, treatment naïve, on or off antiretroviral therapy. A proxy population for those undiagnosed are patients that present late to care with advanced HIV. The objectives of this analysis are to examine factors associated with patients presenting with advanced HIV, and establish rates of treatment interruption and modification after initiating ART.
METHODS:
We deterministically linked records from the Australian HIV Observational Database to the Australian National HIV Registry to obtain information related to HIV diagnosis. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with advanced HIV diagnosis. We used survival methods to evaluate rates of ART initiation by diagnosis CD4 count strata and by calendar year of HIV diagnosis. Cox models were used to determine hazard of first ART treatment interruption (duration >30 days) and time to first major ART modification.
RESULTS:
Factors associated (p<0.05) with increased odds of advanced HIV diagnosis were sex, older age, heterosexual mode of HIV exposure, born overseas and rural-regional care setting. Earlier initiation of ART occurred at higher rates in later periods (2007-2012) in all diagnosis CD4 count groups. We found an 83% (69, 91%) reduction in the hazard of first treatment interruption comparing 2007-2012 versus 1996-2001 (p<0.001), and no difference in ART modification for patients diagnosed with advanced HIV.
CONCLUSIONS:
Recent HIV diagnoses are initiating therapy earlier in all diagnosis CD4 cell count groups, potentially lowering community viral load compared to earlier time periods. We found a marked reduction in the hazard of first treatment interruption, and found no difference in rates of major modification to ART by HIV presentation status in recent periods
Evaluating the impact of post-qualifying social work education.
Post-qualifying awards in social work are well established within the continuing professional development agenda for qualified social workers in the UK. The evaluation of education and training should be an integral part of this agenda because it is important to ensure that programmes continue to meet standards of delivery, are successful in meeting their aims and objectives and are making an impact on practice. However, there is limited amount of published work on the evaluation of post-qualifying social work education, with studies often focusing on programme delivery rather than on their impact on practice.
This paper explores evaluative work within the current post-qualifying social work framework, and discusses the results of an evaluation of the Vulnerable Adults and Community Care Practice programme, a specialist post-qualifying social work education programme run by a UK university, as an example of an evaluation of the impact on practice. The results indicate positive evidence of impact on practice and demonstrate examples of how the programme has had a direct effect on individuals, teams, organisations and on people who use services
Exploration of Antiferromagnetic CoO and NiO using Reverse Monte Carlo Total Neutron Scattering Refinement
The atomic and magnetic structures of CoO and NiO have been probed using reverse Monte Carlo refinements of neutron total scattering data. The results obtained show that the known magnetic structure for NiO can be recovered by the reverse Monte Carlo process starting from random spin configurations, but it is insensitive to the spin direction in the {111} ferromagnetic planes. Refinements of the magnetic structure of CoO starting from random spin configurations result in collinear or non-collinear magnetic structure, consistent with those reported by other techniques. Starting from an ordered collinear spin structure for CoO and NiO leads to different results than when starting from a random arrangement of spins, evidence for configurational bias that highlights the need to take care when selecting a starting model for reverse Monte Carlo refinements of magnetic structures
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