Making Large Classes Small(er): Assessing the Effectiveness Of a Hybrid Teaching Technology

This paper examines learning outcomes in a one-semester introductory microeconomics course where contact time with the instructor was reduced by two-thirds and students were expected to view pre-recorded lectures on-line and come to class prepared to engage in discussion. Students were pre-and post-tested using the Test of Understanding in College Economics (TUCE - 4). Learning outcomes as measured by the change in test scores are found to be as good as or better than calibrating data for groups assessed using the TUCE - 4. In addition to being a more enjoyable course for the instructor, the course design can be part of a more self-directed curriculum that uses available resources more efficiently to achieve similar learning objectives to a lecture-based introductory course.active learning, assessment, computer-assisted instruction, introductory microeconomics

The Abatement Cost Function for Motor Vehicle Pollution Emissions: Evidence from Canada

Mandatory inspection and maintenance programs require on-road vehicles to be tested regularly and repaired if they are not in compliance with air emission regulations. The purpose of this paper is to estimate the abatement cost function for a representative inspection and maintenance program. We do this by constructing a model of the statistical process that leads to noncompliance, parameterizing the model, and then by simulating the total abatement cost function. Our model predicts that the marginal abatement cost for a major representative program is so high that even a small reduction in the abatement target leads to substantial social cost savings. In addition, even for quite high levels of the abatement target, the optimal minimum testing age is substantially higher and the frequency of testing is much lower than is common in many jurisdictions.Abatement Cost Function, Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance, Mobile Source of Air Pollution, Environmental Economics and Policy,

La valse aux adieux : entre le saint libertinage et le scepticisme enchanté

Plusieurs critiques, comme François Ricard et Éva Le Grand, ont mis l’accent sur le désenchantement du roman kundérien. Si nous considérons leurs propos comme justes, nous croyons aussi qu’il faut rappeler la présence et l’importance des éléments mythiques et sacrés dans le roman de Milan Kundera. Nous posons l’hypothèse que le sacré et la prose sont unis par une oscillation qui organise le parcours des personnages du roman. Dans La valse aux adieux, cette oscillation est bornée par deux objets bleus : la lumière irradiant de Bertlef et le comprimé mortel de Jakub.Several critics, such as François Ricard and Éva Le Grand, insist on the disenchantment in Milan Kundera’s works. If we agree with this point of view, we also believe that many important mythical and sacred elements are included in these novels. Our contention is that the characters’ journey is guided by an oscillation between the sacred and the prose. In the Farewell Waltz, these poles are symbolized by two blue elements : the fabulous light irradiating from Bertlef and Jakub’s fatal pill

Les romans de Milan Kundera : la dévastation du temple ?

Même si Milan Kundera insiste sur la tâche du roman qui consiste à détruire tous les mythes, nous croyons que cette entreprise ne peut y être menée à terme. Dans un monde où toute valeur transcendantale aurait été annulée, où tout aurait été banalisé, le personnage romanesque trouverait difficilement sa voie. C’est ainsi que des éléments sacrés (des mythes et des scènes bibliques), dont la présence n’est pas seulement ironique, donnent de l’ampleur à la vie des personnages de Kundera, les enrichissent d’une tradition mythique qui balise le récit. Deux personnages de L’insoutenable légèreté de l’être en sont de bons exemples : le personnage principal, Tomas, est tiraillé entre deux mythes (la naissance de Moïse et l’Androgyne du Banquet) qui organisent sa vie ; Iakov Staline, qui n’apparaît que brièvement dans le roman, y vit une tension analogue (entre sa vie misérable et son statut « divin ») qui se révèle mortifère.If Milan Kundera emphasizes that the novel should destroy all myths, such a process cannot be completed. In a world where there are no transcendental values, where everything is banal, it turns out to be very difficult for a character to find his own way. In Kundera’s novels, the use of some sacred elements (myths and scenes from the Holy Bible), which go beyond irony, enhance the characters’ life with the aura of myth or tradition. In The Unbearable Lightness of Being, two characters provide a perfect example of this situation: the main character, Tomas, is torn between two myths (the birth of Moses and The Symposium’s Androgynous) which organize his life; Iakov Staline, who appears briefly in the novel, dies of a similar tension between his miserable life and his “divine” status

Testing Quantum Electrodynamics in the Lowest Singlet State of Neutral Beryllium-9

We report spectroscopic results on the 2s2p1P1 state in neutral atomic beryllium-9. The absolute frequency for the center of gravity is determined to be 42 565.4501(13)  cm−1, a factor of 130 more precise than the previous experimental measurement. The result is in agreement with and a factor of 8 more precise than the current best theoretical estimate of 42 565.441(11)  cm−1, which was calculated including the effects of quantum electrodynamics. Because of the large natural linewidth of the transition, the hyperfine constants were not able to be extracted to high precision

Immunofluorescent staining reveals hypermethylation of microchromosomes in the central bearded dragon, Pogona vitticeps

BACKGROUND: Studies of model organisms have demonstrated that DNA cytosine methylation and histone modifications are key regulators of gene expression in biological processes. Comparatively little is known about the presence and distribution of epigenetic marks in non-model amniotes such as non-avian reptiles whose genomes are typically packaged into chromosomes of distinct size classes. Studies of chicken karyotypes have associated the gene-richness and high GC content of microchromosomes with a distinct epigenetic landscape. To determine whether this is likely to be a common feature of amniote microchromosomes, we have analysed the distribution of epigenetic marks using immunofluorescence on metaphase chromosomes of the central bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps). This study is the first to study the distribution of epigenetic marks on non-avian reptile chromosomes. RESULTS: We observed an enrichment of DNA cytosine methylation, active modifications H3K4me2 and H3K4me3, as well as the repressive mark H3K27me3 in telomeric regions on macro and microchromosomes. Microchromosomes were hypermethylated compared to macrochromosomes, as they are in chicken. However, differences between macro- and microchromosomes for histone modifications associated with actively transcribed or repressed DNA were either less distinct or not detectable. CONCLUSIONS: Hypermethylation of microchromosomes compared to macrochromosomes is a shared feature between P. vitticeps and avian species. The lack of the clear distinction between macro- and microchromosome staining patterns for active and repressive histone modifications makes it difficult to determine at this stage whether microchrosome hypermethylation is correlated with greater gene density as it is in aves, or associated with the greater GC content of P. vitticeps microchromosomes compared to macrochromosomes

Habitat Associations and Co-Occurrence Patterns of Two Estuarine-Dependent Predatory Fishes

Estuarine-dependent fishes experience a wide range of environmental conditions, and most species exhibit distinct associations with particular habitats. However, similar species or multiple conspecifics often overlap spatiotemporally, which can result in ecological interactions that have consequences for behaviors that can shape the structure and function of ecosystems. We used a long-term gill-net data set (2001–2015) to investigate the habitat associations and cooccurrence patterns of two estuarine-dependent predatory fishes, Red Drum Sciaenops ocellatus and Spotted Seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus, in coastal Alabama, USA. Both species were associated with similar environmental conditions, primarily low dissolved oxygen and low salinity, especially when temperature was low. However, differences emerged between the species with respect to the effects of interacting environmental variables on their habitat use patterns, which were likely driven by physiological, biological, and ecological dissimilarities between them. Concerning their biogenic habitat use, extensive submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) was an important habitat for both species, but Spotted Seatrout appeared to prefer high-salinity SAV beds, while Red Drum associated with SAV regardless of salinity. Spotted Seatrout were associated with extensive emergent marsh edges, and the positive relationship between Red Drum and SAV was diminished when marsh edge was abundant. Co-occurrence was observed primarily in habitats with which both species were associated, most frequently in shallow, prey-rich marsh edges and high-salinity seagrass beds. These observed habitat use patterns elucidate the subtle differences in resource use that allow these species to coexist and suggest potential areas where interactions between them may shape their roles as predators