Exploratory study of graph drawing on a continuum of expertise

Graphs are used in our lives daily to communicate information such as political ads or car sales. In the sciences, understanding graphs is essential to effective communication as graphs are often used to report experimental results or observed trends. However, research suggests that college students are not fluent in this form of scientific communication. Additionally, research has also found that standardized assessments of quantitative literacy fail to be clearly defined at the curricular or institutional levels. This research looks at the differences between the cognitive and metacognitive strategies of how individuals along a continuum of biological expertise visually represent data. As a result, an instrument was created from expert feedback and graphing literature to test if differences exist in how individuals transform graph data and if those differences are a function of scientific expertise. The instrument collected data on graph drawing and cognitive interviews (i.e. think-aloud) from 35 participants with varying biology experience, including 13 non-biology majors, 9 non-senior biology majors, 7 senior biology majors and graduate students, and 6 biology faculty. Rubrics were used to evaluate performance in graph drawing and think-aloud components. Although no statistical differences were identified between groups in graph drawing tasks, analysis of specific graph drawing components (e.g., graph type) did reveal variation as a function of expertise. Significant differences were found between expertise groups in the cognitive and metacognitive strategies discussed in the think-aloud data (e.g., why a graph was drawn in that manner). These findings begin to identify differences between experts and novices in Biology, as well as the lack of alignment in one’s ability to depict graphical data and actual understanding of graphing practices, which may be used to inform instruction to increase graph literacy. Additionally, the instrument designed for this study has high face validity, but future work will be needed to establish reliability as only one researcher was able to score data. Increasing reliability will allow this instrument to be an effective tool for faculty interested in assessing their students’ data display skills

Customer Complaint Management Systems (CCMS) in a food processing industry

Abstract The food processing industry must meet customers’ highest quality expectations at the lowest cost. I partnered with Nestlé’s pizza facility in Little Chute, WI, to improve the current customer complaint approach of the quality department, which aimed to improve product quality. To improve the total quality of the system, this project established a defensive method of addressing customer complaints. Some strategies used to improve the current Customer Complaint Management System (CCMS) include Quality Functional Deployment (QFD), fuzzy logic, Kano’s methods, Voice of the customer (VOC) and Go-See-Think-Do (GSTD). These strategies are all related, but have not previously been used collaboratively. The joined force of these methods will better satisfy the customer, improve quality, and decrease overall error. During the Summer of 2014, a work-study was conducted on the DiGiorno pizza line to identify the areas in need of change. The application of multiple quality strategies was researched throughout the fall of 2014. These strategies were then blended to best suit the DiGiorno pizza line. The result was a customer complaint management system that provided a methodical approach to addressing customers’ complaints and correcting the associated manufacturing component. The new system will be incorporated into the Nestlé plant in the future

The end of the world / Hubert Lamb. Chorus score

Women\u27s chorus (SSAA). Text by Archibald MacLeish.https://repository.wellesley.edu/lamb/1024/thumbnail.jp

The end of the world / Hubert Lamb

Women\u27s chorus (SSAA) with 4-hand piano accompaniment. Text by Archibald MacLeish. Duration: 4 minutes, 30 seconds. Inscription: To A.M.L. At end: Wayland, 7-29-41 (arr. 1-26-44).https://repository.wellesley.edu/lamb/1025/thumbnail.jp

Small bowel obstruction and volvulus secondary to strongyloidiasis

We report the case of a 27-year-old Sudanese man with episodes of small bowel obstruction and volvulus, and significant malnutrition with severe hypoalbuminaemia due to strongyloidiasis. Interestingly, he did not have the common associated eosinophilia or any of the known risk factors of strongyloidiasis. His symptoms improved after treatment with ivermectin and albendazole. Health care providers should be aware of the possible absence of the well-described risk factors and the potential atypical presentation of this disease due to the growing population of migrants from the endemic areas in Australia

Identification and light-dependent translocation of a cone-specific antigen, cone arrestin, recognized by monoclonal antibody 7G6

PURPOSE: To elucidate the antigen recognized by monoclonal antibody (mAb) 7G6, a widely used cone-specific marker. METHODS: 7G6 immunocytochemistry was performed on sections of human, primate, and bovine retina. The antigen was immunoprecipitated from human retinal lysates and purified with protein G. Edman degradation and liquid chromatography of tryptic peptides combined with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) identified the antigen. RESULTS: Sequencing of peptides derived from the immunoprecipitated 7G6 antigen identified it as cone arrestin. The identity was confirmed by Western blot analysis with recombinant human cone arrestin and competition with the antibody in immunocytochemistry. Subcellular localization of cone arrestin in dark-adapted and bleached bovine retinas showed that cone arrestin accumulated in cone outer segments of light-adapted retina but was more concentrated in the inner segments of dark-adapted retina. By expression of truncated human cone arrestin mutants systematically deleting areas divergent from bovine and primate cone arrestins, the epitope of 7G6 was identified as a divergent loop exposed at the surface within the N-domain of cone arrestin. CONCLUSIONS: Several independent methods established that the 7G6 antigen is cone arrestin. The 7G6 epitope is contained in a divergent loop, the sequence of which is conserved in bovine and primates but not other vertebrate species consistent with the specificity of the antibody. The light-dependent translocation of cone arrestin suggests a role in light-dark adaptation of cones. Because of the location of its gene on the X-chromosome, cone arrestin is a candidate gene for X-linked cone dystrophies.Supported by NIH Grant R01EY08123 (WB). Additional support came from the Macular Vision Research Foundation, Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc., and a Center grant from the Foundation Fighting Blindness to the University of Utah. WB is the recipient of a Senior Investigator Award from RPB and a Ralph and Mary Tuck endowment to the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Utah

Embodying militarism: exploring the spaces and bodies in-between

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Social determinants of depression and suicidal behaviour in the Caribbean: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Depressive disorder is the largest contributor to years lived with disability in the Caribbean, adding 948 per 100,000 in 2013. Depression is also a major risk factor for suicidal behaviour. Social inequalities influence the occurrence of depression, yet little is known about the social inequalities of this condition in the Caribbean. In support of the 2011 Rio Political Declaration on addressing health inequities, this article presents a systematic review of the role of social determinants on depression and its suicidal behaviours in the Caribbean. METHODS: Eight databases were searched for observational studies reporting associations between social determinants and depression frequency, severity, or outcomes. Based on the PROGRESS-plus checklist, we considered 9 social determinant groups (of 15 endpoints) for 6 depression endpoints, totalling 90 possible ways ('relationship groups') to explore the role of social determinants on depression. Studies with ≥50 participants conducted in Caribbean territories between 2004 and 2014 were eligible. The review was conducted according to STROBE and PRISMA guidelines. Results were planned as a narrative synthesis, with meta-analysis if possible. RESULTS: From 3951 citations, 55 articles from 45 studies were included. Most were classified as serious risk of bias. Fifty-seven relationship groups were reported by the 55 included articles, leaving 33 relationship groups (37%) without an evidence base. Most associations were reported for gender, age, residence, marital status, and education. Depression, its severity, and its outcomes were more common among females (except suicide which was more common among males), early and middle adolescents (among youth), and those with lower levels of education. Marriage emerged as both a risk and protective factor for depression score and prevalence, while several inequality relationships in Haiti were in contrast to typical trends. CONCLUSION: The risk of bias and few numbers of studies within relationship groups restricted the synthesis of Caribbean evidence on social inequalities of depression. Along with more research focusing on regional social inequalities, attempts at standardizing reporting guidelines for observational studies of inequality and studies examining depression is necessitated. This review offers as a benchmark to prioritize future research into the social determinants of depression frequency and outcomes in the Caribbean

Social determinants of prostate cancer in the Caribbean: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths among Caribbean men. However, little data exists on the influence of social factors on prostate cancer in the Caribbean setting. This article supports the 2011 Rio Political Declaration on addressing health inequalities by presenting a systematic review of evidence on the role of social determinants on prostate cancer in Caribbean men. It aims to determine the distribution, by known social determinants of health, of the frequency and adverse outcomes of prostate cancer among Caribbean populations. METHODS: Observational studies reporting an association between a social determinant and prostate cancer frequency and outcomes were sought in MEDLINE, EMBASE, SciELO, CINAHL, CUMED, LILACS, and IBECS databases. Fourteen social determinants and 7 prostate cancer endpoints were chosen, providing 98 possible relationship groups exploring the role of social determinants on prostate cancer. Observational studies with > 50 participants conducted in Caribbean territories between 2004 and 2016 were eligible. The review was conducted according to STROBE and PRISMA guidelines. Random-effects meta-analyses were performed. RESULTS: From 843 potentially relevant citations, 13 articles from 9 studies were included. From these included studies, 24 relationships were reported looking at 11 distinct relationship groups, leaving 90 relationship groups (92% of all relationship groups) unexplored. Study heterogeneity and risk of bias restricted results to a narrative synthesis in most instances. Meta-analyses showed more diagnosed prostate cancer among men with less formal education (n = 2 studies, OR 1.60, 95%CI 1.18-2.19) and among men who were married (n = 3 studies, OR 1.54, 95%CI 1.22-1.95). CONCLUSIONS: This review highlights limited evidence for a higher occurrence of diagnosed prostate cancer among Caribbean men with lower levels of education and among men who are married. The role of social determinants on prostate cancer among Caribbean men remains poorly understood. Improvements in study quantity and quality, and reduced variability in outcomes and reporting are needed. This report represents the current evidence, and provides a roadmap to future research priorities for a better understanding of Caribbean prostate cancer inequalities.This study was fully supported by grant number U24MD006959 from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities