Developing Epistemological Values in Students using Microsoft Excel(R) as a Software-Based Support Tool

This thesis project addresses student epistemological values through technology and independent laboratories. The literature provides evidence that students show greater learning when they are prompted to reflect and develop these epistemological values (Davis, 2003 Demetriadis et al., 2011; Edelson & Kyza, 2005; Reiser & Sandoval, 2004). Furthermore, in conjunctions with research that supports prompting, other research advocates for the development and use of more modern technologies (Edelson & Kyza, 2005; Keengwe et al., 2008; Kuhn, 2001; Maddux, 1998). As such, my culmination project consists of two virtual “lab notebooks.” These notebooks are made using Microsoft Excel® and consist of several quasi-intelligent macros that not only provide instant feedback, but also help guide students through the experimental process in a way akin to inquiry. While a completed series of these notebooks would show more scaffolding as the year progressed, the two I have created represent a student’s first and last experience with these notebooks

A Comparison of Social Psychological Views among Youthful and Aged Persons: An Empirical Assessment or Marginally Differentiated Attitude Measures

Four related but marginally differentiated sociological and psychological attitude measures are evaluated through analysis of survey data. Generated from a statewide random sample (N=322), four measures of maladjustment/well-being -- the anomie, alienation, fatalism, and powerlessness scales -- are evaluated as being similar in nature. The moderately high correlations between the scale items comprising the four distinctive conceptual world-views suggest that the scales overlap considerably. The results of an oblique solution factor analysis, however, suggest that the scales being considered may be at least marginally differentiated. Comparisons between distinctive age groups of the sample of adults age 18 to 84 using the one-way analysis of variance suggest that the maladjusted view of the world may be most prevalent among younger and older members of society. The findings are discussed in the light of implications which pertain to the traditional though somewhat confusing explanations for and analysis of human behavior which have evolved from and around the supposed distinctive conceptualizations of social maladjustment - namely, anomie, alienation and powerlessness. Further, a suggestion to proffer fatalism as an alternative explanation as to the philosophy of life (world-view) existing among the least powerful persons in society is proposed. Finally, this research offers support for the position that fatalistic determinism serves at least in part to explicate the relationships among anomie, alienation and powerlessness

The Justification for the Development of a Competency-Based Training Program for Mid-Management Law Enforcement Supervisors

Discusses the need for a competency based training program

Phase Ib study of the combination of pexidartinib (PLX3397), a CSF-1R inhibitor, and paclitaxel in patients with advanced solid tumors.

Purpose:To evaluate the safety, recommended phase II dose (RP2D) and efficacy of pexidartinib, a colony stimulating factor receptor 1 (CSF-1R) inhibitor, in combination with weekly paclitaxel in patients with advanced solid tumors. Patients and Methods:In part 1 of this phase Ib study, 24 patients with advanced solid tumors received escalating doses of pexidartinib with weekly paclitaxel (80 mg/m2). Pexidartinib was administered at 600 mg/day in cohort 1. For subsequent cohorts, the dose was increased by ⩽50% using a standard 3+3 design. In part 2, 30 patients with metastatic solid tumors were enrolled to examine safety, tolerability and efficacy of the RP2D. Pharmacokinetics and biomarkers were also assessed. Results:A total of 51 patients reported ≥1 adverse event(s) (AEs) that were at least possibly related to either study drug. Grade 3-4 AEs, including anemia (26%), neutropenia (22%), lymphopenia (19%), fatigue (15%), and hypertension (11%), were recorded in 38 patients (70%). In part 1, no maximum tolerated dose was achieved and 1600 mg/day was determined to be the RP2D. Of 38 patients evaluable for efficacy, 1 (3%) had complete response, 5 (13%) partial response, 13 (34%) stable disease, and 17 (45%) progressive disease. No drug-drug interactions were found. Plasma CSF-1 levels increased 1.6- to 53-fold, and CD14dim/CD16+ monocyte levels decreased by 57-100%. Conclusions:The combination of pexidartinib and paclitaxel was generally well tolerated. RP2D for pexidartinib was 1600 mg/day. Pexidartinib blocked CSF-1R signaling, indicating potential for mitigating macrophage tumor infiltration

A Comparative Study of the ReCell® Device and Autologous Spit-Thickness Meshed Skin Graft in the Treatment of Acute Burn Injuries.

Early excision and autografting are standard care for deeper burns. However, donor sites are a source of significant morbidity. To address this, the ReCell® Autologous Cell Harvesting Device (ReCell) was designed for use at the point-of-care to prepare a noncultured, autologous skin cell suspension (ASCS) capable of epidermal regeneration using minimal donor skin. A prospective study was conducted to evaluate the clinical performance of ReCell vs meshed split-thickness skin grafts (STSG, Control) for the treatment of deep partial-thickness burns. Effectiveness measures were assessed to 1 year for both ASCS and Control treatment sites and donor sites, including the incidence of healing, scarring, and pain. At 4 weeks, 98% of the ASCS-treated sites were healed compared with 100% of the Controls. Pain and assessments of scarring at the treatment sites were reported to be similar between groups. Significant differences were observed between ReCell and Control donor sites. The mean ReCell donor area was approximately 40 times smaller than that of the Control (P < .0001), and after 1 week, significantly more ReCell donor sites were healed than Controls (P = .04). Over the first 16 weeks, patients reported significantly less pain at the ReCell donor sites compared with Controls (P ≤ .05 at each time point). Long-term patients reported higher satisfaction with ReCell donor site outcomes compared with the Controls. This study provides evidence that the treatment of deep partial-thickness burns with ASCS results in comparable healing, with significantly reduced donor site size and pain and improved appearance relative to STSG

Representations of voluntary childlessness in the UK Press, 1990-2008

Representations of voluntary childlessness — the declaration by an individual that he or she does not wish to bear or raise children — were studied in 116 articles published in British national newspapers in the period 1990—2008. Media framing analysis was used to examine broad patterns of framing of the topic, identifying four frames: voluntary childlessness as an individual rights issue, as a form of resistance, as a social trend, and as a personal decision. These frames, it is argued, may act as potential ‘scripts’ for newspaper readers who are debating the decision to start a family

The complete management of extremity vascular injury in a local population: A wartime report from the 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group/Air Force Theater Hospital, Balad Air Base, Iraq

Background: Although the management of vascular injury in coalition forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom has been described, there are no reports on the in-theater treatment of wartime vascular injury in the local population. This study reports the complete management of extremity vascular injury in a local wartime population and illustrates the unique aspects of this cohort and management strategy. Methods: From September 1, 2004, to August 31, 2006, all vascular injuries treated at the Air Force Theater Hospital (AFTH) in Balad, Iraq, were registered. Those in non-coalition troops were identified and retrospectively reviewed. Results: During the study period, 192 major vascular injuries were treated in the local population in the following distribution: extremity 70% (n = 134), neck and great vessel 17% (n = 33), and thoracoabdominal 13% (n = 25). For the extremity cohort, the age range was 4 to 68 years and included 12 pediatric injuries. Autologous vein was the conduit of choice for these vascular reconstructions. A strict wound management strategy providing repeat operative washout and application of the closed negative pressure adjunct was used. Delayed primary closure or secondary coverage with a split-thickness skin graft was required in 57% of extremity wounds. All patients in this cohort remained at the theater hospital through definitive wound healing, with an average length of stay of 15 days (median 11 days). Patients required an average of 3.3 operations (median 3) from the initial injury to definitive wound closure. Major complications in extremity vascular patients, including mortality, were present in 15.7% (n = 21). Surgical wound infection occurred in 3.7% (n = 5), and acute anastomotic disruption in 3% (n = 4). Graft thrombosis occurred in 4.5% (n = 6), and early amputation and mortality rates during the study period were 3.0% (n = 4) and 1.5% (n = 2), respectively. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this study represents the first large report of wartime extremity vascular injury management in a local population. These injuries present unique challenges related to complex wounds that require their complete management to occur in-theater. Vascular reconstruction using vein, combined with a strict wound management strategy, results in successful limb salvage with remarkably low infection, amputation and mortality rates

Evolution of South Atlantic density and chemical stratification across the last deglaciation.

Explanations of the glacial-interglacial variations in atmospheric pCO2 invoke a significant role for the deep ocean in the storage of CO2. Deep-ocean density stratification has been proposed as a mechanism to promote the storage of CO2 in the deep ocean during glacial times. A wealth of proxy data supports the presence of a "chemical divide" between intermediate and deep water in the glacial Atlantic Ocean, which indirectly points to an increase in deep-ocean density stratification. However, direct observational evidence of changes in the primary controls of ocean density stratification, i.e., temperature and salinity, remain scarce. Here, we use Mg/Ca-derived seawater temperature and salinity estimates determined from temperature-corrected δ(18)O measurements on the benthic foraminifer Uvigerina spp. from deep and intermediate water-depth marine sediment cores to reconstruct the changes in density of sub-Antarctic South Atlantic water masses over the last deglaciation (i.e., 22-2 ka before present). We find that a major breakdown in the physical density stratification significantly lags the breakdown of the deep-intermediate chemical divide, as indicated by the chemical tracers of benthic foraminifer δ(13)C and foraminifer/coral (14)C. Our results indicate that chemical destratification likely resulted in the first rise in atmospheric pCO2, whereas the density destratification of the deep South Atlantic lags the second rise in atmospheric pCO2 during the late deglacial period. Our findings emphasize that the physical and chemical destratification of the ocean are not as tightly coupled as generally assumed.We are grateful to I. Mather, J. Rolfe, F. Dewilde and G. Isguder for preparing and performing isotopic analyses, as well as C. Daunt, S. Souanef-Ureta and M. Greaves for technical assistance in performing trace element analysis. J.R. was funded jointly by the British Geological Survey/British Antarctic Survey (Natural Environment Research Council) and the University of Cambridge. J.G. was funded by the Gates Cambridge Trust. L.C.S. acknowledges support from the Royal Society and NERC grant NE/J010545/1. C.W. acknowledges support from the European Research Council grant ACCLIMATE/no 339108. This is LSCE contribution 5514. This work was funded (in part) by the European Research Council (ERC grant 2010-NEWLOG ADG-267931 HE). N.V.R. acknowledges support from EU RTN NICE (no. 36127). We thank the captain and crew of the RRS James Clark Ross for facilitating the collection of the marine sediment core GC528.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from PNAS via http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.151125211

The second warning to humanity: contributions and solutions from conservation physiology

In 1992, the Union of Concerned Scientists shared their ‘World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity’ with governmental leaders worldwide, calling for immediate action to halt the environmental degradation that threatens the systems that support life on Earth. A follow-up ‘Second Warning’ was released in 2017, with over 15 000 scientists as signatories, describing the lack of progress in adopting the sustainable practices necessary to safeguard the biosphere. In their ‘Second Warning’, Ripple and colleagues provided 13 ‘diverse and effective steps humanity can take to transition to sustainability.’ Here, we discuss how the field of conservation physiology can contribute to six of these goals: (i) prioritizing connected, well-managed reserves; (ii) halting the conversion of native habitats to maintain ecosystem services; (iii) restoring native plant communities; (iv) rewilding regions with native species; (v) developing policy instruments; and (vi) increasing outdoor education, societal engagement and reverence for nature. Throughout, we focus our recommendations on specific aspects of physiological function while acknowledging that the exact traits that will be useful in each context are often still being determined and refined. However, for each goal, we include a short case study to illustrate a specific physiological trait or group of traits that is already being utilized in that context. We conclude with suggestions for how conservation physiologists can broaden the impact of their science aimed at accomplishing the goals of the ‘Second Warning’. Overall, we provide an overview of how conservation physiology can contribute to addressing the grand socio-environmental challenges of our time