FACULTY PERCEPTIONS OF OPEN AND AFFORDABLE EDUCATION RESOURCES

A now-common question regarding whether or not individuals should pursue college degrees is whether college is worth the cost. One of the ways that institutions of higher learning may help students reduce cost of attending college, thereby reducing the financial stresses, is to reduce expenses where possible. One place where institutions of higher learning can reduce expenses for students is course texts and materials. This reduction can be accomplished in several ways, but one way that has gained visibility is the use of open educational resources (OER) and affordable education resources (AER), also known as AOER. This qualitative research study employs nine (9) semi-structured questions posed to a convenience sample of 14 self-selecting faculty members across different departments and levels of responsibility. The conceptual frameworks employed in this search are conflict theory, as predicated on the work of Karl Marx, and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The interviews produced six (6) overarching themes: AOER, student-related experiences, concerns about course materials, contextual and structural factors, financial considerations, and motivations. They revealed contradictions to the earlier and predominant literature. Earlier studies seemed to reveal that faculty were more focused on workload and convenience rather than saving students money. The findings in this study revealed a group of faculty who are more concerned about the financial stability of their students. The study also revealed some reflections with the literature such as concerns about the quality of and diversity of available disciplines/topics of AOER. Implications and solutions are presented and examined

Once despised now desired: innovative land use and management of multilayered Pumice Soils in the Taupo and Galatea areas, central North Island, New Zealand

The tour brings together innovative land use change and management associated with dairy farming, and land-based effluent disposal, on weakly weathered and multi-layered, glass-rich, Pumice Soils (Vitrands) in the Taupo and Galatea areas. These changes and their effects, together with environmental and sustainability issues, form a central theme of the trip. Four main stops are planned, two before lunch and two after: (1) plantation pine-to-dairy farm conversion and impacts, the Taupo eruption deposits (AD 232 ± 10) and the Taupo soil, at Tahorakuri; (2) overview of the application of secondary-treated wastewater and nitrogen leaching and uptake, Rotokawa; (3) a sequence of five Holocene tephras and buried soils, including Kaharoa eruption deposits (AD 1314 ± 12) and the Galatea soil, Smeith Farm, Murupara; and (4) enhancing pasture production on ‘new’ soils formed by excavating and mixing (‘flipping’) buried soil horizons (paleosols) on Smeith’s farm. During the trip − which helps mark Waikato University’s 50th anniversary − we will see a spectacular range of volcanic and fluvial landscapes and deposits, together with impacts of tectonism, as we traverse the famous Taupo Volcanic Zone ((TVZ) in the central volcanic region. Landforms and soils dominated by tephras (volcanic ash) become generally younger towards the loci of volcanic activity. Extensive areas of soils have been formed repeatedly from the fragmental eruptive products of the two most frequently active and productive rhyolite (silica-rich) volcanic centres known, namely Taupo and Okataina. Thus soil stratigraphy and upbuilding pedogenesis form a second theme on the trip. The first part of the guidebook thus contains sections including (i) volcanism and its products, (ii) Quaternary volcanism in TVZ including deposits erupted recently from Taupo and Tarawera volcanoes from which Pumice Soils have been formed, (iii) tephra-derived soils including Pumice Soils, their classification, special problems, and (low) fertility, (iv) allophane and its formation, and (v) the interplay between geological and pedological processes relating to tephras (upbuilding pedogenesis). The second part then comprises notes and illustrations pertaining to each stop (note that figure and table numbers are self-contained at each stop, or not used). Broad overviews of the region’s geology are covered by Leonard et al. (2010), and the soils are outlined by Rijkse and Guinto (2010) and S-map. Further compilations of data are available in tour guides by Lowe (2008) and Lowe et al. (2010)

Involvement of TGFβ signaling pathway in oxidative stress and diabetic retinopathy

Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of blindness in the U.S. However, not much is known of underlying molecular mechanism and how oxidative stress contributes to its development. In the present study, we investigated the involvement of TGFβ signaling pathway on the effect of oxidative stress on VEGF secretion and viability of retinal cells. VEGF is the hallmark that exacerbates DR progression in prolonged diabetes. Some major concerns that have arisen are the underlying effects of antioxidants in elevating VEGF secretion in diabetes. In this study, we evaluated how hypoxia (or low oxygen) impacts viability and VEGF secretion using 661W cone photoreceptor cells. Confluent 661W cells were grown in 5.5 mM normal or 30 mM high glucose, as well as subjected to CoCl2 to induce hypoxia. After treatment for 24 hours, conditioned media were collected for ELISA measurement to determine the amount of protein (VEGF) secretion. Viable cell numbers were also recorded. High glucose did not induce significant changes in viable cell number nor VEGF concentration in cell media. However, hypoxia condition resulted in a three-fold decrease in viable cell numbers and a three-fold increase in VEGF concentration. Furthermore, treatment with two TGFβ inhibitors: SMAD 3, SIS (or Inhibitor 1) and TGFβ receptor 1 kinase inhibitor (or Inhibitor 2) resulted in a reversal of hypoxia-induced changes. These results strongly suggest that TGFβ signaling pathway mediates hypoxia-induced retinal cell viability and VEGF secretion. Further translational research studies will provide evidence to identify appropriate and effective pharmaceutical targets in this molecular pathway to mitigate the development of DR

Review of “Soil Description Handbook – Revised Edition” by J.D.G. Milne et al.

This article reviews the book "Soil Description Handbook – Revised Edition", by J.D.G. Milne, B. Clayden, P.L. Singleton, & A.D. Wilson