A Scoping Review of Universal Design for Learning in United States Allied Health & Medical Education

Background: Universal design for learning (UDL) is considered best-practice for embracing inclusion for students with disabilities and there is growing evidence of its effectiveness in primary, secondary, and postsecondary education. However, little is known about if and how UDL is being implemented into United States graduate allied health and medical school curriculum as well as evidence of its benefits. Method: We used Arksey and O’Malley’s (2005) methodological framework. Search engines were: PubMed, CINAHL Complete, ERIC, GoogleScholar, and Scopus. Data were analyzed by the research team using Covidence to organize articles, screen, and complete a full-text review. Data extraction was completed by identifying key themes in the manuscripts and categorizing articles accordingly. Results: Six studies were eligible: three intervention and three descriptive articles. Findings identify a need for UDL in these programs but research regarding the effect of implementation of this framework into medical and allied health programs is lacking. Conclusion: There is a scarcity of research on UDL in graduate education from the United States. Much of the literature found on use of UDL in medical and allied health graduate level programs is non-experimental or descriptive. Future research is recommended to examine the impact of UDL in graduate education

Peculiar Type II Supernovae from Blue Supergiants

The vast majority of Type II supernovae (SNe) are produced by red supergiants (RSGs), but SN 1987A revealed that blue supergiants (BSGs) can produce members of this class as well, albeit with some peculiar properties. This best studied event revolutionized our understanding of SNe, and linking it to the bulk of Type II events is essential. We present here optical photometry and spectroscopy gathered for SN 2000cb, which is clearly not a standard Type II SN and yet is not a SN 1987A analog. The light curve of SN 2000cb is reminiscent of that of SN 1987A in shape, with a slow rise to a late optical peak, but on substantially different time scales. Spectroscopically, SN 2000cb resembles a normal SN II but with ejecta velocities that far exceed those measured for SN 1987A or normal SNe II, above 18000 km/s for H-alpha at early times. The red colours, high velocities, late photometric peak, and our modeling of this object all point toward a scenario involving the high-energy explosion of a small-radius star, most likely a BSG, producing 0.1 solar masses of Ni-56. Adding a similar object to the sample, SN 2005ci, we derive a rate of about 2% of the core-collapse rate for this loosely defined class of BSG explosions.Comment: Accepted to MNRAS on March 14, 201

Reimagining Wilmer's Park

Final project for LARC:340 Site Planning and Design Studio (Fall 2022). University of Maryland, College Park.Wilmer’s Park is a “80-acre parcel containing the ruins of a dance hall, motel, ranch house, covered stage, baseball and football fields. As a major stop on the Chitlin Circuit, Wilmer’s Park opened its doors to African-American musicians, entertainers, athletes and fans from the early 1950s through the late 1960s. Arthur Wilmer used his experience and connections developed as the owner of a night club in Washington, D. C. to bring both popular acts and up-and-coming performers to rural Prince George’s County; the bandstand at Wilmer’s Park showcased everyone from Duke Ellington and Otis Redding to the Temptations, Patti La Belle, and a young Stevie Wonder. The former tobacco farm played an important role in exposing emerging musicians to local African Americans during a time of segregation.” The park has been closed for 10+ years and the purpose of this project is to transform Wilmer’s Park for the residents of Brandywine or nearby communities. For this project, students work in teams of three to design a master plan along with an individual detailed site plan. The design program for these plans came from the residents’ comments from community engagement workshops, notes from Councilman Harrison’s interview, important stakeholders, the field trip, and guest lectures. The master plan does not include all 80 acres of the park and often identifies a phasing plan for the entire project.Prince George's County Parks Departmen

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

A Novel Method For Studying Cerebellar Responses to tDCS Using Mice: an in vitro Approach

Cerebellar ataxias are a group of neurodegenerative disorders associated with impaired cerebellar circuitry leading to loss of motor coordination and balance. Recent studies using animal models have shown that transcranial direct stimulation (tDCS) could be an effective therapy for the treatment of cerebellar ataxia. The sole output of the cerebellar cortex is from the axons of Purkinje cells, which allows the cerebellum to influence motor behavior via the cerebello-thalamo-cortical pathway. However, the influence of tDCS on Purkinje cells remains unknown. In this study, we used a customized whole-cell patch-clamp chamber, which allowed for patch-clamp recordings from Purkinje cells during tDCS. Using this chamber, we were able to record activity of a Purkinje cell prepared from a cerebellar slice of an adult mouse. In order to further investigate the effect of tDCS on cerebellar Purkinje cell activity future experiments will be performed where whole cell patch-clamp recordings are taken from cerebellar Purkinje cells with and without tDCS

“Land is Our Mother”: Alternative Meanings of Development in Subaltern Organizing

Land grab has emerged as an increasingly key component of neoliberal frames of development, resulting in large-scale displacement of rural populations. The discourses of farming communities living on lands threatened by these neoliberal reforms reflect an alternative rationality around land, and critique the dominant understanding of development by foregrounding local cultural meanings. Based on a culture-centered engagement with a subaltern movement opposing land grab in Singur, India, this research informs participatory development communication and offers alternative meanings of development

Carbohydrate mimics promote functional recovery after peripheral nerve repair

Simova O, Irintchev A, Mehanna A, et al. Carbohydrate mimics promote functional recovery after peripheral nerve repair. ANNALS OF NEUROLOGY. 2006;60(4):430-437.Objective: The outcome of peripheral nerve repair is often unsatisfactory, and efficient therapies are not available. We tested the therapeutic potential of functional mimics of the human natural killer cell glycan (3-sulfoglucuronyl beta 1-3 galactoside) (HNK-1) epitope, a carbohydrate indicated to favor specificity of motor reinnervation in mice. Methods: We applied a linear HNK-1 mimic peptide, scrambled peptide, or vehicle substances in polyethylene cuffs used to reconstruct the severed femoral nerves of adult mice. We used video-based motion analysis and morphological and tracing techniques to monitor the outcome of nerve repair. Results: After glycomimetic application, quadriceps muscle function recovered to 93% of normal within 3 months. Restoration of function was less complete (71-76%) in control groups. Better functional recovery was associated with larger motoneuron somata, better axonal myelination in the quadriceps nerve, and enhanced precision of target reinnervation. Lesion-induced death of motoneurons was reduced by 20 to 25%. The glycomimetic enhanced survival and neurite outgrowth of both mouse and human motoneurons in vitro by 30 to 75%. Application of a novel cyclic glycomimetic also enhanced functional recovery in vivo. Interpretation: The improved outcome of nerve repair after glycomimetic application may be attributed to neurotrophic effects. Our results hold promise for therapeutic use in humans