Biological fieldwork provision in higher education

Fieldwork is regarded as an important component of many bioscience degree programmes. QAA benchmarks statements refer explicitly to the importance of fieldwork, although give no indication of amounts of field provision expected. Previous research has highlighted the importance of fieldwork to the learning of both subject-specific and transferable skills. However, it is unclear how the amount and type of fieldwork currently offered is being affected by the recent expansion in student numbers and current funding constraints. Here we review contemporary literature and report on the results of a questionnaire completed by bioscience tutors across 33 UK institutions. The results suggest, perhaps contrary to anecdotal evidence, that the amount of fieldwork being undertaken by students is not in decline and that on the whole, programmes contain reasonable amounts of fieldwork. The majority of programmes involved UK-based fieldwork, but a number of programmes also offered ‘exotic’ overseas fieldwork which was considered important in terms of student recruitment as well as exposing students to a diversity of field learning environments. Tutors were very clear about the benefits of fieldwork and the need to be proactive to maintain its provision

Exploration into technical procedures for vertical integration

Issues in the design and use of a digital geographic information system incorporating landuse, zoning, hazard, LANDSAT, and other data are discussed. An eleven layer database was generated. Issues in spatial resolution, registration, grid versus polygonal structures, and comparison of photointerpreted landuse to LANDSAT land cover are examined

Nucleotide Binding Investigation of WT and I698R Non-canonical Haspin Kinase

The mitotic spindle protein kinase family is home to complexes that are active regulators of spindle formation cascades during metaphase and anaphase of mitosis. Of the proteins, non-canonical Haspin kinase has a unique structure allowing active site binding without phosphorylation of the activation loop motif. It is theorized that the unique formation of a β-sheet in the activation loop is responsible for the stabilization of Haspin in an active conformation. The mutation I698R was hypothesized to induce electrostatic repulsion between itself and residue R695 to destabilize the activation loop. Characterization of WT and I698R Haspin was achieved via SDS-PAGE and a Guanidinium protein unfolding assay. Nucleotide binding was monitored through intrinsic fluorescence at varying ADP concentrations. The binding constants, Kd, of the ADP for WT and I698R were determined by further derivation of the λmax’s of the fluorescence scans. Analysis of binding constants revealed that I698R Haspin kinase does not decrease binding affinity to ADP within error. Structural confirmation of disruption of the β-sheet is warranted. The function of the β-sheet in the activation loop can be further investigated by substrate binding assays with WT and I698R Haspin kinase to Histone 3 (H3). Greater understanding of Haspin kinase activation and regulation mechanisms may lead to a new class of cancer drugs with increased specificity.https://openriver.winona.edu/urc2019/1074/thumbnail.jp

Charge-ordering, commensurability and metallicity in the phase diagram of layered Na(x)CoO(2)

The phase diagram of non-hydrated Na(x)CoO(2) has been determined by changing the Na content x using a series of chemical reactions. As x increases from 0.3, the ground state goes from a paramagnetic metal to a charge-ordered insulator (at x=1/2) to a `Curie-Weiss metal' (around 0.70), and finally to a weak-moment magnetically ordered state (x>0.75). The unusual properties of the state at 1/2 (including particle-hole symmetry at low T and enhanced thermal conductivity) are described. The strong coupling between the Na ions and the holes is emphasized.Comment: 4 pages with 3 figures, changed conten

Plate-impact loading of cellular structures formed by selective laser melting

Porous materials are of great interest because of improved energy absorption over their solid counterparts. Their properties, however, have been difficult to optimize. Additive manufacturing has emerged as a potential technique to closely define the structure and properties of porous components, i.e. density, strut width and pore size; however, the behaviour of these materials at very high impact energies remains largely unexplored. We describe an initial study of the dynamic compression response of lattice materials fabricated through additive manufacturing. Lattices consisting of an array of intersecting stainless steel rods were fabricated into discs using selective laser melting. The resulting discs were impacted against solid stainless steel targets at velocities ranging from 300 to 700 m s-1 using a gas gun. Continuum CTH simulations were performed to identify key features in the measured wave profiles, while 3D simulations, in which the individual cells were modelled, revealed details of microscale deformation during collapse of the lattice structure. The validated computer models have been used to provide an understanding of the deformation processes in the cellular samples. The study supports the optimization of cellular structures for application as energy absorbers. © 2014 IOP Publishing Ltd

Teaching Health Occupations for a Networked World

This paper discusses the problems with traditionally managed hierarchies and observes that networking among units is becoming more prevalent. Given the . interdependence inherent in fully networked organizations, systems thinking is introduced as a useful tool for understanding and managing change. Health Occupations Educators can use systems thinking skills to help students comprehend (a) how and why systems interrelate to help patients, (b) how to build and maintain relationships, (c) how to synthesize information across content areas, and (d) how to learn