Tiny Earth: Reverse Antibiosis Approach

The Tiny Earth project is a global effort to address the growing antibiotic resistance crisis, and aims to find new antibiotic producing bacteria within soil. The crisis has been attributed to the misuse and overuse of this type of drug. This has produced strains of bacteria that can resist most drugs known today, and a few of the more notable of these bacteria are known as the ESKAPE strains (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter species). These pathogens are in the top three threats to global health, and finding new types of antibiotics are paramount to stopping them as well as preventing more like them from emerging. Here, we will cover the results of using a unique technique in finding new antibiotic producers

Shape Memory Effect and Properties Memory Effect of Polyurethane

The relationship between shape and properties memory effect, especially viscoelastic properties of polyurethane under study is the main aim of this research work. Tensile tests have been performed in order to introduce 100% of deformation in the polyurethane samples. Under this deformation, stress–relaxation experiments have been performed in order to eliminate the residual stresses. This deformation of the samples has been fixed by cooling. Recovery tests, then, were carried out at different isothermal temperatures that varied from 30 C to 60 C. Viscoelastic behavior has been studied by a biparabolic model and by using the Cole–Cole method. It was shown that this model describes the behavior of the polymer at the different states of shape memory tests. The constants of this model then have been determined. This study leads to a better understanding of the mechanism of shape memory effect. The comparison between the virgin polymer and the polymer after a recovery test by DMTA (dynamic mechanical thermal analysis) and by Cole–Cole method has illustrated that the polymer does not obtain its initial properties even when it was totally regained its initial shape. These results have been confirmed by three successive shape memory tests on the same sample and by comparing the mechanical characteristics of different cycles because ‘‘shape memory effect’’ and ‘‘properties memory effect’’ do not follow the same mechanisms

The Origin of Atomic Structure

Historically the theory of evolution has always been an appendage of the theory of matter and specifically the theory of the atom. The current quantum mechanical theories of the atom represent the matter of the universe as being governed by random statistical processes. Thus they provide the necessary theoretical foundations for the theory of evolution. The theory of evolution of living things requires random processes to occur to produce mutations or changes that can be directed by certain selection principles, such as survival of the fittest. This work identifies the false assumptions of the quantum models of the atom. It shows that these theories violate the logical principles that undergird the development of scientific theories and do not qualify as science. A new rudimentary theory of the atom based on combinatorial geometry is presented that can satisfactorily predict all the properties of the periodic table of the elements as well as explain the basis of chemical valence and bonding. This new theory of the atom is based on classical electrodynamics and represents an orderly universe governed by the laws of cause and effect. It satisfies the logical prinCiples undergirding science, and it does not support theories of evolution

A New Foundation for Modern Science

This research is a continuation of recent efforts to expand classical electrodynamics to embrace elastic finite-size elementary particles with internal structure in an effort to satisfy the logical criteria that undergird the scientific method and point scientific theories in the direction of truth. Earlier work reported the logical inconsistencies, false assumptions, and defects of the relativistic quantum electrodynamic theory of the atom, including relativity theory and quantum mechanics.[14] This was followed by derivations of Maxwell\u27s equations of electrodynamics showing where the point particle approximation is used and the field transformation information between moving frames is removed causing them to fail for relativistic phenomena.[15) Then the principal results of special relativity theory were derived from classical electrodynamics for finite size elementary particles using the Galilean transformation .[16] More recent research has shown from combinatorial geometry for arbitrary-shaped finite size electrons and protons obeying classical electrodynamics under the assumption of spherical packing symmetry that the details of the periodic table of the elements as well as the structure of the nucleus could be predicted more completely and accurately than previously possible with the relativistic quantum theories.[16,17,18) This work derives expressions for the blackbody radiation, the photoelectric effect, and the emission spectra of atoms from classical electrodynamics for finite size electrons in the shape of a toroidal ring. The results are logically superior to the relativistic quantum electrodynamic theory as developed by Planck, Einstein, and Dirac and describe experimental data previously unexplained by quantum electrodynamics

CONSERVATION LIMNOGEOLOGY AND BENTHIC HABITAT MAPPING IN CENTRAL LAKE TANGANYIKA (TANZANIA)

Small scale protected zones are valuable for helping the health and productivity of fisheries at Lake Tanganyika (East Africa). Spatial placement of protected areas relies on accurate maps of benthic habitats, consisting of detailed bathymetry data and information on lake-floor substrates. This information is unknown for most of Lake Tanganyika. Fish diversity is known to correlate with rocky substrates in ≤ 30 m water depth, which provide spawning grounds for littoral and pelagic species. These benthic habitats form important targets for protected areas, if they can be precisely located. At the NMVA, echosounding defined the position of the 30-m isobath and side-scan sonar successfully discriminated among crystalline basement, CaCO3-cemented sandstones, mixed sediment, and shell bed substrates. Total area encompassed from the shoreline to 30 m water depth is ~21 km2 and the distance to the 30-m isobath varies with proximity to deltas and rift-related faults. Total benthic area defined by crystalline basement is ~1.6 km2, whereas the total area of CaCO3-cemented sandstone is 0.2 km2. Crystalline basement was present in all water depths (0-30 m), whereas CaCO3-cemented sandstones were usually encountered in water ≤ 5 m deep. Spatial organization of rocky substrates is chiefly controlled by basin structure and lake level history

Using Math Curriculum Based Assessments to Predict Student Performance on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment Math Test

Today, a considerable emphasis is placed on students’ performance on state-wide achievement tests. In light of the mounting pressure for accountability for student academic achievement on state-wide tests, the use of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) methods for monitoring student progress, identifying students at risk for failing state tests, and identifying skill deficits to be addressed through interventions to increase student performance could prove beneficial. This study examined the relationship of the Measures of Academic Progress Math CBM (MAP) to performance on the Pennsylvania System of School Achievement (PSSA) with correlational analysis and the calculation of sensitivity and specificity indices and kappa values to examine the predictive power of MAP scores. The study also introduced the use of two additional indices – The Improvement Index and the Instability Index –to describe the relationship between progress monitoring measures (MAP) and outcomes measures (PSSA) and evaluate the effectiveness of instruction and progress monitoring efforts. The study also conducted a more in-depth analysis of score change patterns, analyzing the patterns produced by students’ individual score changes from fall MAP to Spring MAP to PSSA

Is Peer Health Education Healthy: Examining the Susceptibility of Peer Educators to Emotional Contagion

This paper examines the role of peer educators within Peer Health Education programs, specifically focusing on their susceptibility to emotional contagion. As various studies have identified the potential effect of emotional contagion within positions similar to PHE (ie. counseling, therapy, etc..), the susceptibility of peer educators to this contagion must be analyzed. The present study seeks to draw connections between PHE and emotional contagion, building our understanding of both topics and how they connect. Peer educators from across the country were contacted and asked to complete an online survey, which examined their general and PHE specific demographics, susceptibility to emotional contagion in a general and PHE specific setting, resilience, and potential lingering effects of emotional contagion. Through multiple types of analysis, including correlations, regressions, and univariate one-way ANOVA\u27s, results regarding the susceptibility of peer educators to emotional contagion, resilience, and the lingering effects of emotional contagion were inconclusive. However, this study elevates essential information regarding peer educators within PHE. Despite a review of literature suggesting the potential applicability of emotional contagion among peer educators, participant responses were varied. Further, responses to resilience varied as well. An examination is aimed at why peer educators do not reliably respond to emotional contagion and resilience scales. Further, this study provides insight into the theoretical mechanisms within Peer Health Education, ultimately advancing our understanding of the program as a whole

Tiny Earth: Reverse Antibiosis Approach

Of the estimated one billion species of bacteria out there, we\u27ve only named thirty thousand of them. Despite their reputation for getting us sick, bacteria, ironically, also help keep us healthy in many different ways. The Tiny Earth project enrolls the help of college students to expand our knowledge of antibiotics. Antibiotics were actually discovered by studying specific bacteria that have the capacity to repel other species of bacteria. The growing threat of drug resistant bacteria is global, and the production of new antibiotics is limited. This study aims to explore the efficiency of a method for plating and testing for antibiotic producers used by high school students in MicroMundo Albacete 2020 as well as experienced UCLM researchers. Here, soil samples from eight different locals from within Minnesota are diluted, inoculated and incubated. After being treated with gram-negative antibiotics, the inoculated medium, Reasoner\u27s 2A agar, is flipped over like a pancake in its dish. The now new top of the medium is treated with a grampositive bacterial tester ESKAPE strain (either Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus epidermidis, or Escherichia coli) known to be pathogenic to humans. Cultured bacteria showing signs of antibacterial production will be extracted via transfer tube to be isolated on their own dish. Data is currently being collected for review