3,462 research outputs found
Peak into the Past - An Archaeo-Astronomy Summer School
Our landscape has been shaped by man throughout the millennia. It still
contains many clues to how it was used in the past giving us insights into
ancient cultures and their everyday life. Our summer school uses archaeology
and astronomy as a focus for effective out-of-classroom learning experiences.
It demonstrates how a field trip can be used to its full potential by utilising
ancient monuments as outdoor classrooms. This article shows how such a summer
school can be embedded into the secondary curriculum; giving advice, example
activities, locations to visit, and outlines the impact this work has had.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures, accepted for School Science Revie
A Global Citizen of the Skies
Global citizenship plays an important role in today's schools. Many subjects
taught in schools have already incorporated such ideas. Science and physics
have also followed suit. However, when dealing with astronomy - a topic so
seemingly far removed from society - it becomes difficult to imagine any links
with global citizenship. At Nottingham Trent University observatory we have
developed an activity ideal to transport the idea of global citizenship and
deal with common astronomical misconceptions. It incorporates role playing in
the inspiring environment of an astronomical observatory. In this activity
stellar constellations with their myths and history pose an ideal opportunity
to explore global citizenship. Students not only place themselves in someone
else's situation, but also compare their different reactions when faced with a
common situation. This idea is extended to analyse the change in constellation
culture throughout time and the affect politics has had on constellations. In
this article we outline the details of this activity and how it deals with
common astronomical misconceptions. We also demonstrate its implementation into
astronomy taught at schools. First results showing the impact the activity had
on the students will also be given.Comment: 23 pages, 7 figure
Associations between diurnal preference, sleep quality and externalizing behaviours: a behavioural genetic analysis
Background - Certain aspects of sleep co-occur with externalizing behaviours in youth, yet little is known about these associations in adults. The present study: (1) examines the associations between diurnal preference (morningness versus eveningness), sleep quality and externalizing behaviours; (2) explores the extent to which genetic and environmental influences are shared between or are unique to these phenotypes; (3) examines the extent to which genetic and environmental influences account for these associations.
Method - Questionnaires assessing diurnal preference, sleep quality and externalizing behaviours were completed by 1556 young adult twins and siblings.
Results - A preference for eveningness and poor sleep quality were associated with greater externalizing symptoms [r=0.28 (95% CI 0.23ā0.33) and 0.34 (95% CI 0.28ā0.39), respectively]. A total of 18% of the genetic influences on externalizing behaviours were shared with diurnal preference and sleep quality and an additional 14% were shared with sleep quality alone. Non-shared environmental influences common to the phenotypes were small (2%). The association between diurnal preference and externalizing behaviours was mostly explained by genetic influences [additive genetic influence (A)=80% (95% CI 0.56ā1.01)], as was the association between sleep quality and externalizing behaviours [A=81% (95% CI 0.62ā0.99)]. Non-shared environmental (E) influences accounted for the remaining variance for both associations [E=20% (95% CI ā0.01 to 0.44) and 19% (95% CI 0.01ā0.38), respectively].
Conclusions - A preference for eveningness and poor sleep quality are moderately associated with externalizing behaviours in young adults. There is a moderate amount of shared genetic influences between the phenotypes and genetic influences account for a large proportion of the association between sleep and externalizing behaviours. Further research could focus on identifying specific genetic polymorphisms common to both sleep and externalizing behaviours
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Neuroimaging and other modalities to assess Alzheimer's disease in Down syndrome
People with Down syndrome (DS) develop Alzheimer's disease (AD) at higher rates and a younger age of onset compared to the general population. As the average lifespan of people with DS is increasing, AD is becoming an important health concern in this group. Neuroimaging is becoming an increasingly useful tool in understanding the pathogenesis of dementia development in relation to clinical symptoms. Furthermore, neuroimaging has the
potential to play a role in AD diagnosis and monitoring of therapeutics. This review describes major recent findings from in vivo neuroimaging studies analysing DS and AD via ligand-based positron emission tomography (PET), [18F] fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET, structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI), and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Electroencephalography (EEG) and retinal imaging are also discussed as emerging modalities.
The review is organized by neuroimaging method and assesses the relationship between cognitive decline and neuroimaging changes. We find that amyloid accumulation seen on PET occurs prior to dementia onset, possibly as a precursor to the atrophy and white matter changes seen in MRI studies. Future PET studies relating tau distribution to clinical symptoms will provide further insight into the role this protein plays in dementia development.
Brain activity changes demonstrated by EEG and metabolic changes seen via FDG-PET may also follow predictable patterns that can help track dementia progression. Finally, newer approaches such as retinal imaging will hopefully overcome some of the limitations of neuroimaging and allow for detection of dementia at an earlier stage.This work was supported by a scholarship from the Clinical Neuroscience Training Program of Perelman School of Medicine to Natalie Neale
Effects of drought on groundwater-fed lake areas in the Nebraska Sand Hills
Study region: The Nebraska Sand Hills (NSH) lies in the western part of Nebraska, United States. We chose the north-eastern, central, and western parts of NSH with distinct climate, topography, and hydrology. Study focus: The study assesses the response of hundreds of shallow groundwater-fed lakes to drought. Total lake area (TLA), determined by classifying Landsat satellite images from 1984 to 2018, was juxtaposed with published Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) and detrended cumulative PDSI (DeCumPDSI) at monthly and annual timescales. The PDSI and DeCumPDSI were time lagged to incorporate the preceding climatic effect (groundwater time lag) and evaluated against TLA using Bayesian regression analysis. New hydrologic insight for the region: TLA in the NSH respond to the seasonal as well as long-term climatic effects moderated by topography, surface, and subsurface hydrology. A higher determination coefficient R2 and lower mean square error of TLA at annual PDSI and DeCumPDSI illustrate the effect of long-term climatic fluctuations and groundwater influence: the evaporative losses from lakes are modulated by the lake-groundwater exchange, but the groundwater recharge has a longer response time to the drought. The study provides a simple method of assessment of the climate impact that results from the satellite data, gridded climate observation, and statistics for sensitive landscape of the NSH
Understanding paid support relationships:possibilities for mutual recognition between young people with disability and their support workers
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