Teaching Excellence Programs – Lessons Learned at two Universities

Universities are seeking novel ways to strengthen the collective educational competence of their faculty and promote educational merits. In this paper we describe and compare the experiences of two recently started initiatives for teaching excellence, the Program for Future Leaders for Strategic Educational Development at KTH Royal Institute of Technology (henceforth KTH) and the Teaching Fellowship Programme at the University of Twente. Both programs have recently completed one complete round of implementation. The programmes are similar in that the participants work on a project of their own for an extended time, while also being part of a community with regular meetings and supported by coaches. The main differences are the programme duration, number of participants, and whether the projects are in a specific theme or wholly formulated by the participants. In this study, both programs are evaluated using similar themes. We analyse this data, and reflect on the context, conditions and design of the programs and our lessons learned from these first experiences.</p

Genetic Structure Among 50 Species of the Northeastern Pacific Rocky Intertidal Community

Comparing many species' population genetic patterns across the same seascape can identify species with different levels of structure, and suggest hypotheses about the processes that cause such variation for species in the same ecosystem. This comparative approach helps focus on geographic barriers and selective or demographic processes that define genetic connectivity on an ecosystem scale, the understanding of which is particularly important for large-scale management efforts. Moreover, a multispecies dataset has great statistical advantages over single-species studies, lending explanatory power in an effort to uncover the mechanisms driving population structure. Here, we analyze a 50-species dataset of Pacific nearshore invertebrates with the aim of discovering the most influential structuring factors along the Pacific coast of North America. We collected cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) mtDNA data from populations of 34 species of marine invertebrates sampled coarsely at four coastal locations in California, Oregon, and Alaska, and added published data from 16 additional species. All nine species with non-pelagic development have strong genetic structure. For the 41 species with pelagic development, 13 show significant genetic differentiation, nine of which show striking FST levels of 0.1–0.6. Finer scale geographic investigations show unexpected regional patterns of genetic change near Cape Mendocino in northern California for five of the six species tested. The region between Oregon and Alaska is a second focus of intraspecific genetic change, showing differentiation in half the species tested. Across regions, strong genetic subdivision occurs more often than expected in mid-to-high intertidal species, a result that may reflect reduced gene flow due to natural selection along coastal environmental gradients. Finally, the results highlight the importance of making primary research accessible to policymakers, as unexpected barriers to marine dispersal break the coast into separate demographic zones that may require their own management plans

<i>Trpm5</i>^<i>-/-</i> mice do not have any acute preference for sweet taste.

<p>Acute two bottle taste preference test in male <i>Trpm5</i>^<i>-/-</i> and wild type mice under conditions of free access to water in one bottle and sweetener in the other. Average daily (16h, starting 3h before active period) number of licks of water and sucrose (A) or sucralose (B) for <i>Trpm5</i>^<i>-/-</i> and wild type mice. Data are presented as mean ± SEM, n = 4, *** p<0.001, water vs sweetener within the same genotype (Students t-test).</p

Detailed composition of the diets used.

<p>The Chocolate ball is made of; sugar, oatmeal, vegetable fat, cacao powder, salt, aroma of mocha and vanillin and preservatives and there are coconut flakes on top of them.</p><p>Detailed composition of the diets used.</p

Lickometer taste preference test in male <i>Trpm5</i>^<i>-/-</i> and wild type mice.

<p>Preferences of 1M sucrose or 10 mM sucralose over water were followed during 4 consecutive days. Average daily number of licks of water and 1M sucrose (A) or 1 mM sucralose (B) for <i>Trpm5</i>^<i>-/-</i> and wild type mice were calculated. A preference score (percent licks on the test solution of the total number of licks) were calculated for 1M sucrose (C) and 10 mM sucralose (D). The dashed line (50% preference) indicates when the mouse consume equal amount of water and liquid tastant. Data are presented as mean ± SEM, n = 4, *** p<0.001, water vs sweetener within the same genotype (Students t-test).</p

Body weight, fasting insulin and glucose of female wild type (WT) and <i>Trpm5</i>^<i>-/-</i> (KO) mice at different time points when fed HFD or cafeteria diet.

<p>The mice were fed the high caloric diets from the age of 12 weeks (w. 0). The week notation then corresponds to number of weeks being on respective diets. To determine whether effects on glucose and insulin homeostasis were directly dependent of the weight gain, the later time points chosen for the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was when the <i>Trpm5</i>^<i>-/-</i> mice had reached the same bodyweight as the wild type mice at the preceding OGTT. Arrows indicates when a similar body weight was reached. Data are presented as mean ± SEM.</p><p>*<0.05</p><p>**p<0.01</p><p>***p<0.001 <i>Trpm5</i>^<i>-/-</i> vs corresponding wild type control at the same age within respective diet (students t-test).</p><p>^ap<0.05</p><p>^cp<0.001 <i>Trpm5</i>^<i>-/-</i> vs corresponding wild type control at a similar body weight within respective diet (students t-test).</p><p>Body weight, fasting insulin and glucose of female wild type (WT) and <i>Trpm5</i>^<i>-/-</i> (KO) mice at different time points when fed HFD or cafeteria diet.</p

The effects of cafeteria diet and HFD on body composition, liver weight, adipose tissue and plasma biomarkers in female <i>Trpm5</i>^<i>-/-</i> (KO) and wild type (WT) mice at the time of necropsy.

<p>Body weight and total fat and lean tissue mass was analysed (DEXA) after being on respective diet for 40 weeks (52 weeks old). One week later plasma was isolated from isoflurane anesthetized mice and organs were collected, weighed and snap frozen in liquid N₂ and stored at -80°C. Data are presented as mean ± SEM.</p><p>^ap<0.05</p><p>^bp<0.01</p><p>^cp<0.001 <i>Trpm5</i>^<i>-/-</i> vs corresponding wild type control within respective diet (students t-test).</p><p>The effects of cafeteria diet and HFD on body composition, liver weight, adipose tissue and plasma biomarkers in female <i>Trpm5</i>^<i>-/-</i> (KO) and wild type (WT) mice at the time of necropsy.</p

Effects of diets on caloric intake and preference of respective diet in female <i>Trpm5</i>^<i>-/-</i> and wild type mice.

<p>Total caloric intake of HFD alone (A), of HFD and a chocolate ball when offered together (B) and of HFD and chocolate ball respectively when offered together (C). Body weight gain when offered HFD alone (D) or when offered HFD and a chocolate ball together (E). Data are presented as mean ± SEM, ***p<0.001, total caloric intake <i>Trpm5</i>^<i>-/-</i> vs wild type mice, ¤¤¤ p<0.001 caloric intake from HFD vs chocolate ball for <i>Trpm5</i>^<i>-/-</i> mice (Students t-test).</p