Values in the Decision Making of CEOs in Public Colleges

The effective administration of postsecondary education depends, to a significant degree, upon sound and systematic judgments by educational leaders in key administrative roles. The view taken in this paper is that "sound judgment" is comprised of rational decision processes combined with basic value choices. Yet, to date, one notices a conspicuous lack of research on decisions and values in higher education. The need for such research may be urgent, given our present climate of rapid change and economic restraint. This study examines the decision making and values of CEOs in public colleges. The paper provides an overview and comparison of types of decisions made, the processes used in decision making, and the value choices which influence those decisions.L a qualité de l'administration dans le domaine de l'éducation postsecondaire dépend en bonne part de la qualité et de la logique des choix d s dirigeants aux postes clef des institutions d'enseignement . On considère dans le présent article qu'un "bon choix " découle d'un processus de décision rationnel combiné à l'adoption de certaines valeurs de base . La recherche sur les décisions et les valeurs dans le domaine de l'éducation supérieure fait pourtant défaut . Or, dans le contexte actuel de changements rapides et de rigueur économique , c'est une recherche qu'il peut être urgent d'entreprendre . On se penche dans la présente étude sur les prises e décision et les valeurs adoptée  par les présidents de collèges publics . L'article est une vue d'ensemble et une comparaison des types de décisions prises, des processus à l'œuvre dans la prise de décision et des valeurs adoptées qui influent sur ces décisions

Studying Part-Time at University: From Research to Policy to Practice

In the last few years universities in Canada have seen a noticeable decline in part-time enrollments. This trend has given rise to a number of pressing concerns regarding the needs and aspirations of part-time students and the status and future of part-time study. Unfortunately, these concerns exist against a backdrop of relatively little research on part- time university students, programs, and attendance which is useful for decisions on policy and practice. This paper highlights the results of research which examined part-time programming at Canadian universities and the needs and characteristics of undergraduate student populations with potential for part-time degree completion. It is argued that the mature, working, part-time learner constitutes a distinct nontraditional group, with a distinct set of educational needs and expectations. The findings suggest changes which may be necessary in university functioning in order to better serve these student populations in the future. Results are compared with other recent research and implications for institutional policy and practice are discussed.Comme les contraintes économiques dans le secteur post-secondaire deviennent une préoccupation permanente, il se manifeste une appréciation de la contribution des étudiants à temps partiel dans les universités, et une sensibilisation de leurs besoins. Ces derniers temps, les universités canadiennes ont néanmoins enregistré un déclin perceptible des inscriptions à temps partiel, ce qui inquiète les milieux universitaires. Malheureusement, cette inquiétude se présente sur une toile de fond d'un nombre restreint de recherches au sujet des étudiants d'université à temps partiel, des programmes, et de la présence aux cours, toutes des informations utiles pour prendre des décisions en matière de règlements et de pratique. Le présent article souligne les résultats de la recherche qui s'intéresse aux programmes d'études à temps partiel des universités canadiennes et aux besoins et caractéristiques des populations d'étudiants au premier cycle potentiellement aptes à obtenir un diplôme à temps partiel. Il est soutenu que les apprenants à temps partiel, matures et détenteurs d'un emploi constituent un groupe distinct, non traditionnel, avec des besoins et des attentes distincts en matière d'éducation. Les résultats suggèrent des changements qui, à l'avenir, seront peut-être nécessaires au fonctionnement des universités pour mieux servir ces populations d'étudiants. Ces résultats sont comparés avec d'autres recherches effectuées récemment et des implications concernant la réglementation et les pratiques institutionnelles sont aussi examinées

A Constructivist Application for Online Learning in Music

The purpose of this article is to extend the published knowledge and practices of distance learning in music to include constructivism. Dan Keast describes his techniques for the implementation of constructivism to an online two-course series of Music History. The courses’ structure, activities, assessments, and other key functionality components are shown as an example of current practices. Keast discusses the process for developing the two courses, in conjunction with copy editors, course design specialists, and technology reviewers. The courses highlight the need for additional improvements such as new software and legal clarification for the use of sound recordings. Keast’s suggestion for further research is a call for more educators to report on the current practices of online teaching in music and the other arts

Changes in host immunity following excision of a murine melanoma.

Changes in cell mediated and humoral immunity following the excision of a transplantable melanoma growing in the footpad of its syngeneic host, as measured by an in vitro cytotoxicity test, were assessed. Spleen cell cytotoxicity did not change significantly. Cells from the regional lymph nodes stimulated tumour growth before tumour excision. Three days following tumour excision this stimulatory effect was undetectable. Loss of serum factors capable of blocking the cytotoxicity of spleen cells occurred 24 h after tumour excision. Serum cytotoxicity increased after tumour excision to a maximum of the third day. Following tumour excision the rise in serum cytotoxicity and loss of regional lymph node tumour stimulation were concomitant with the loss of blocking activity

An overview of binary taste-taste interactions

The human gustatory system is capable of identifying five major taste qualities: sweet, sour, bitter, salty and savory (umami), and perhaps several sub-qualities. This is a relatively small number of qualities given the vast number and structural diversity of chemical compounds that elicit taste. When we consume a food, our taste receptor cells are activated by numerous stimuli via several transduction pathways. An important food-related taste question which remains largely unanswered is: How do taste perceptions change when multiple taste stimuli are presented together in a food or beverage rather than when presented alone? The interactions among taste compounds is a large research area that has interested electrophysiologists, psychophysicists, biochemists, and food scientists alike. On a practical level, taste interactions are important in the development and modification of foods, beverages or oral care products. Is there enhancement or suppression of intensity when adding stimuli of the same or different qualities together? Relevant psychophysical literature on taste&ndash;taste interactions along with selected psychophysical theory is reviewed. We suggest that the position of the individual taste stimuli on the concentration-intensity psychophysical curve (expansive, linear, or compressive phase of the curve) predicts important interactions when reporting enhancement or suppression of taste mixtures.<br /

Modifying the bitterness of selected oral pharmaceuticals with cation and anion series of salts

Purpose. NaCl has proven to be an effective bitterness inhibitor, but the reason remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of a variety of cations and anions on the bitterness of selected oral pharmaceuticals and bitter taste stimuli: pseudoephedrine, ranitidine, acetaminophen, quinine, and urea.Method. Human psychophysical taste evaluation using a whole mouth exposure procedure was used.Results. The cations (all associated with the acetate anion) inhibited bitterness when mixed with pharmaceutical solutions to varying degrees. The sodium cation significantly (P &lt; 0.003) inhibited bitterness of the pharmaceuticals more than the other cations. The anions (all associated with the sodium cation) also inhibited bitterness to varying degrees. With the exception of salicylate, the glutamate and adenosine monophosphate anions significantly (P &lt; 0.001) inhibited bitterness of the pharmaceuticals more than the other anions. Also, there were several specific inhibitory interactions between ammonium, sodium and salicylate and certain pharmaceuticals.Conclusions. We conclude that sodium was the most successful cation and glutamate and AMP were the most successful anions at inhibiting bitterness. Structure forming and breaking properties of ions, as predicted by the Hofmeister series, and other physical-chemical ion properties failed to significantly predict bitterness inhibition.<br /

Cross-adaptation and bitterness inhibition of L-Tryptophan, L-Phenylalanine and urea : further support for shared peripheral physiology

A previous study investigating individuals\u27 bitterness sensitivities found a close association among three compounds: L-tryptophan (L-trp), L-phenylalanine (L-phe) and urea (Delwiche et al., 2001, Percept. Psychophys. 63, 761-776). In the present experiment, psychophysical cross-adaptation and bitterness inhibition experiments were performed on these three compounds to determine whether the bitterness could be differentially affected by either technique. If the two experimental approaches failed to differentiate L-trp, L-phe and urea\u27s bitterness, then we may infer they share peripheral physiological mechanisms involved in bitter taste. All compounds were intensity matched in each of 13 subjects, so the judgments of adaptation or bitterness inhibition would be based on equal initial magnitudes and, therefore, directly comparable. In the first experiment, cross-adaptation of bitterness between the amino acids was high (&gt;80%) and reciprocal. Urea and quinine-HCl (control) did not cross-adapt with the amino acids symmetrically. In a second experiment, the sodium salts, NaCl and Na gluconate, did not differentially inhibit the bitterness of L-trp, L-phe and urea, but the control compound, MgSO4, was differentially affected. The bitter inhibition experiment supports the hypothesis that L-trp, L-phe and urea share peripheral bitter taste mechanisms, while the adaptation experiment revealed subtle differences between urea and the amino acids indicating that urea and the amino acids activate only partially overlapping bitter taste mechanisms.<br /

Structural effects and potential changes in growth factor signalling in penis-projecting autonomic neurons after axotomy

BACKGROUND: The responses of adult parasympathetic ganglion neurons to injury and the neurotrophic mechanisms underlying their axonal regeneration are poorly understood. This is especially relevant to penis-projecting parasympathetic neurons, which are vulnerable to injury during pelvic surgery such as prostatectomy. We investigated the changes in pelvic ganglia of adult male rats in the first week after unilateral cavernous (penile) nerve axotomy (cut or crush lesions). In some experiments FluoroGold was injected into the penis seven days prior to injury to allow later identification of penis-projecting neurons. Neurturin and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) are neurotrophic factors for penile parasympathetic neurons, so we also examined expression of relevant receptors, GFRα1 and GFRα2, in injured pelvic ganglion neurons. RESULTS: Axotomy caused prolific growth of axon collaterals (sprouting) in pelvic ganglia ipsilateral to the injury. These collaterals were most prevalent in the region near the exit of the penile nerve. This region contained the majority of FluoroGold-labelled neurons. Many sprouting fibres formed close associations with sympathetic and parasympathetic pelvic neurons, including many FluoroGold neurons. However immunoreactivity for synaptic proteins could not be demonstrated in these collaterals. Preganglionic terminals showed a marked loss of synaptic proteins, suggesting a retrograde effect of the injury beyond the injured neurons. GFRα2 immunofluorescence intensity was decreased in the cytoplasm of parasympathetic neurons, but GFRα1 immunofluorescence was unaffected in these neurons. CONCLUSION: These studies show that there are profound changes within the pelvic ganglion after penile nerve injury. Sprouting of injured postganglionic axons occurs concurrently with structural or chemical changes in preganglionic terminals. New growth of postganglionic axon collaterals within the ganglion raises the possibility of the formation of aberrant synaptic connections between injured and un-injured ganglion neurons. Together these changes demonstrate a broader effect on the pelvic autonomic circuitry than simply loss of neuroeffector connections. These structural changes are accompanied by potential changes in neurotrophic factor signalling due to altered expression of receptors for members of the GDNF family. Together our results advance understanding of the responses of pelvic autonomic nerve circuits to injury and may assist in designing strategies for promoting regeneration

Multimode plasmon resonances on double- and triple-decker stacks of silver nanotriangles

© 2014 IEEE. Nanotriangles of silver may be readily synthesized by wet chemical techniques and exhibit a strong localized surface plasmon resonance with light. Here we examine the complex resonances of nanotriangles in double- and triple-decker sandwich configurations

The influence of sodium salts on binary mixtures of bitter-tasting compounds

In order to study potential mixture interactions among bitter compounds, selected sodium salts were added to five compounds presented either alone or as binary bitter- ompound mixtures. Each compound was tested at a concentration that elicited &lsquo;weak&rsquo; perceived bitterness. The bitter compounds were mixed at these concentrations to form a subset of possible binary mixtures. For comparison, the concentration of each solitary compound was doubled to measure bitterness inhibition at the higher intensity level elicited by the mixtures. The following sodium salts were tested for bitterness inhibition: 100 mM sodium chloride (salty), 100 mM sodium gluconate (salty), 100 and 20 mM monosodium glutamate (umami), and 50 mM adenosine monophosphate disodium salt (umami). Sucrose (sweet) was also employed as a bitterness suppressor. The sodium salts differentially suppressed the bitterness of compounds and their binary combinations. Although most bitter compounds were suppressed, the bitterness of tetralone was not suppressed, nor was the bitterness of the binary mixtures that contained it. In general, the percent suppression of binary mixtures of compounds was predicted by the average percent suppression of its two components. Within the constraints of the present study, the bitterness of mixtures was suppressed by sodium salts and sucrose independently, with few bitter interactions. This is consistent with observations that the bitter taste system integrates the bitterness of multi-compound solutions linearly.<br /