Fostering Engagement: The Role of International Education in the Development of Global Civil Society

This essay is an effort to describe the foundational problems in international education and study abroad that constrain our efforts, as well as an attempt to sketch out what we need to do to foster engagement with the monumental problems that humanity faces. In addition, the essay also endeavours to suggest that international educators embed their work in a broad and compelling discourse that might provide a vision that is not exclusively focused on the state and/or the market, but is instead global and human centric in its orientation. It should be a requirement at higher education institutions that all students engage in a significant period of study abroad in order to help them see the globe as the context, and fundamental referent, for their lives. This should be the primary task of study abroad programs.Este artículo trata de describir los problemas fundamentales que atañen a la educación internacional y al estudio en el extranjero, unas preocupaciones que requieren de nuestros esfuerzos. Es además un intento por abordar aquello que necesitamos para la búsqueda de compromisos con los monumentales problemas que acechan a la humanidad. Este artículo sugiriere, además, que los educadores internacionales deben implantar su trabajo en un amplio y convincente discurso que pueda aportar una visión que no esté exclusivamente centrada en el estado y/o el mercado, sino que contrariamente sea global y principalmente humano en su orientación. Debería ser un requisito en las instituciones de educación superior que todos los estudiantes desarrollen un periodo significativo de su formación en el extranjero, con el propósito de ayudarles a ver el globo como un contexto, y un referente fundamental, de sus vidas. Esta debería ser la primera tarea de los programas de estudio en el extranjero

A low-Mr factor isolated from Escherichia coli inhibits eukaryotic in vitro protein synthesis

AbstractThe effect of a low-Mr factor, partially purified from E. coli B, was investigated in E. coli, reticulocyte, and wheat germ lysate in vitro protein synthesis systems. Equal concentrations of factor were needed to inhibit protein synthesis in the eukaryotic system as compared to the prokaryotic system. Experiments suggested that the factor inhibits the initiation step in the eukaryotic systems

Variable X-ray emission from the accretion shock in the classical T Tauri star V2129 Ophiuchi

Context. The soft X-ray emission from high density plasma observed in several CTTS is usually associated with the accretion process. However, it is still unclear whether this high density “cool” plasma is heated in the accretion shock, or if it is coronal plasma fed or modified by the accretion process. Aims. We conducted a coordinated quasi-simultaneous optical and X-ray observing campaign of the CTTS V2129 Oph. In this paper, we analyze Chandra grating spectrometer data and attempt to correlate the observed X-ray emitting plasma components with the characteristics of the accretion process and the stellar magnetic field constrained by simultaneous optical observations. Methods. We analyze a 200 ks Chandra/HETGS observation, subdivided into two 100 ks segments, of the CTTS V2129 Oph. For the two observing segments corresponding to two different phases within one stellar rotation, we measure the density of the cool plasma component and the emission measure distribution. Results. The X-ray emitting plasma covers a wide range of temperatures: from 2 up to 34 MK. The cool plasma component of V2129 Oph (T ≈ 3−4 MK) varies between the two segments of the Chandra observation: during the first observing segment high density plasma (log N_c = 12.1_(-1.1)^(+0.6)) with high EM at ~3−4 MK is present, whereas, during the second segment, this plasma component has lower EM and lower density (log N_e 3 R_⋆). Conclusions. Our observation provides additional confirmation that the dense cool plasma at a few MK in CTTS is material heated in the accretion shock. The variability of this cool plasma component on V2129 Oph may be explained in terms of X-rays emitted in the accretion shock and seen with different viewing angles at the two rotational phases probed by our observation. In particular, during the first time interval a direct view of the shock region is possible, while, during the second, the accretion funnel itself intersects the line of sight to the shock region, preventing us from observing the accretion-driven X-rays

Complex magnetic topology and strong differential rotation on the low-mass T Tauri star V2247 Oph

From observations collected with the ESPaDOnS spectropolarimeter at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, we report the detection of Zeeman signatures on the low-mass classical TTauri star (cTTS) V2247Oph. Profile distortions and circular polarisation signatures detected in photospheric lines can be interpreted as caused by cool spots and magnetic regions at the surface of the star. The large-scale field is of moderate strength and highly complex; moreover, both the spot distribution and the magnetic field show significant variability on a timescale of only one week, as a likely result of strong differential rotation. Both properties make V2247Oph very different from the (more massive) prototypical cTTS BPTau; we speculate that this difference reflects the lower mass of V2247Oph. During our observations, V2247Oph was in a low-accretion state, with emission lines showing only weak levels of circular polarisation; we nevertheless find that excess emission apparently concentrates in a mid-latitude region of strong radial field, suggesting that it is the footpoint of an accretion funnel. The weaker and more complex field that we report on V2247Oph may share similarities with those of very-low-mass late-M dwarfs and potentially explain why low-mass cTTSs rotate on average faster than intermediate mass ones. These surprising results need confirmation from new independent data sets on V2247Oph and other similar low-mass cTTSs.Comment: MNRAS (in press) - 12 pages, 9 figure

Information Technologies, Reading, and the Future of Higher Education

The article addresses the challenge for universities and colleges to prepare students for the world they inhabit through relevant course offerings and new approaches to teaching. Unfortunately, these structures of higher education still resemble chapels, where the professor is ‘priest,’ and with a pedagogy that is informed by monologue, methodological nationalism, and a general lack of awareness of the rapidly changing social and physical world around us. Starting with the Gutenberg revolution, and following the ideas of Marshall McLuhan, Sven Birkerts and Joseph Brodsky,the article approaches the consequences of the new information technologies that are profoundly rewiring our minds and replacing our ability to think critically. The author asks: what might education look like today? How might we challenge young people to learn how to think? The first task appears to critique and transform the political architecture of classrooms and the teacher centeredness of pedagogical activity, replacing monologue with dialogue. Students need to be shown how to critically distance themselves from the seductions of information technologies, and educational institutions should return to requiring deep reading and discussion of extended narratives

National Research Council Dialogue to Assess Progress on NASA's Transformational Spaceport and Range Technologies Capability Roadmap Development: General Background and Introduction

Viewgraphs on the National Research Council's diaglog to assess progress on NASA's transformational spaceport and range technologies capability roadmap development is presented. The topics include: 1) Agency Goals and Objectives; 2) Strategic Planning Transformation; 3) Advanced Planning Organizational Roles; 4) Public Involvement in Strategic Planning; 5) Strategic Roadmaps; 6) Strategic Roadmaps Schedule; 7) Capability Roadmaps; 8) Capability Charter; 9) Process for Team Selection; 10) Capability Roadmap Development Schedule Overview; 11) Purpose of NRC Review; 12) Technology Readiness Levels; 13) Capability Readiness Levels; 14) Crosswalk Matrix Trans Spaceport & Range; 15) Example linkage to other roadmaps; 16) Capability Readiness Levels Defined; and 17) Crosswalk Matrix Ratings Work In-progress

Ozone exposure, uptake, and response of different-sized black cherry trees

Differences in exposure, uptake and relative sensitivity to ozone between seedling, sapling, and canopy black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.) trees were characterized during two growing seasons in north central Pennsylvania. Open-grown trees of all sizes received a similar amount of ozone exposure. Seedlings had greater foliar ozone injury, expressed as adaxial stipple and early leaf senescence, than larger trees, which was correlated with their higher rates of stomatal conductance and greater rates of ozone uptake. The higher stomatal conductance and ozone uptake of seedlings was proportional to their higher (less negative) predawn xylem water potentials. Seedlings appeared to have some ability to compensate for injury because their free growth habit reduced exposure per unit leaf area compared to larger trees whose leaves were exposed to ozone throughout the entire growing season

Development of a Novel Biological Intervertebral Disc Scaffold

Back pain is a major public health issue in our society, and is strongly correlated with the degeneration of intervertebral discs (IVDs). Current therapies are conservative or surgical, and no attempt to regenerate the IVD. The first goal of our project is to create a fully decellularized bovine caudal IVD to be used as a scaffold on which to seed adult human stem cells in an attempt to engineer a healthy, replacement IVD for patients suffering from IVD degeneration and lower back pain. The goal of decellularization is to eliminate DNA content while retaining glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content. Eliminating DNA content will prevent a foreign body response by the host\u27s immune system once the IVD is implanted. GAG is responsible for forming interfibrillar bridges with collagen fibrils and thus assisting in resisting compressive and tensile forces. By retaining GAG content in our decellularized IVDs we will maintain structural integrity of the extracellular matrix. The IVDs closest to the base of the bovine tail were targeted, because they are similar in size and biochemistry to the human IVD. We use a mix of conventional methods including freeze thaw, sonication and agitation in a solution of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA). After decellularization, half of each IVD was placed in a tissue cassette and put formalin in preparation for histological analysis, and the other half was frozen prior to biochemical analysis (DMMB and PicoGreen assay). Our results thus far are promising in eliminating DNA content but show we have a large room for improvement in retaining GAG content