Comparison of the sonar recording method and the aerial photography method for mapping seagrass meadows

This article presents a new perspective on the study of the spatial distribution of seagrass meadows, which—due to their sensitivity to coastal hydrodynamics, sediment transport, changes in nutrient content, and disruptions due to human intervention in their environment—are a good indirect indicator of the properties of seawater. Monitoring their extent and characteristics is essential for determining the properties of seawater, but this requires developing a precise methodology that involves acquiring data on the occurrence of seagrass meadows and mapping them. The base data for the survey presented are sonar recording and aerial photography data, which were utilized to create a seabed classification using geographic information systems (GIS). This provided information on the extent and characteristics of the seagrass meadows. Spatial analysis offers a new look at the coastal belt and reveals some new features

Urban Teacher-Student Relationship Quality, Teacher Burnout, and Cultural Competence

Researchers across multiple disciplines suggest that teacher-student relationship quality (TSRQ) has a strong association with positive student outcomes across all domains of student functioning (McGrath & Van Bergen, 2015) and serves as a moderating factor in outcome measures for students of color (Murray, Waas, & Murray, 2008) and for those considered economically disadvantaged (Olsson, 2009). Despite the clear benefits of positive TSRQ, the literature is scarce regarding teacher specific factors that may impact TSRQ. This study is the first to explore TSRQ in relation to implicit teacher factors utilizing a mixed-methods approach. Through canonical correlation analysis, utilizing a sample of 135 urban K-12 educators, one significant root (Wilks’ ¿ = .63, F (22, 244) = 2.85, p \u3c .001) and one trending root (Wilks’ ¿ = .87, F (10, 123) = 1.73, p = .081) were identified, suggesting a statistically significant amount of the variance in TSRQ could be traced to one or more burnout and culturally competent factors. Further analysis found cultural awareness, culturally responsive classroom management, and levels of personal accomplishment to be the most highly correlated with TSRQ. Grounded theory qualitative inquiry was then used to provide context to the findings from Phase I. Seven participants were interviewed, and their responses helped to lay the groundwork for a framework of Teacher-Student relating that is multi-leveled, multi-dimensional, and cross-disciplinary. This framework, arising from both the interview data and the canonical correlation analysis highlights two primary dimensions at play in teacher-student relationships: the environment, which includes, but it not limited to, home, school, and political environments, and the teacher’s inner working model, or way of viewing the world, the student, and the self within the world of education. Implications for research, theory, and practice in both the educational and psychological fields are discussed, as are the limitations of the current study

Bibliotherapy: Is it missing from your Therapeutic Toolbox?

Bibliotherapy, originally coined by Samuel Crothers in 1916, is defined at its most simplistic as the use of books as healing tools (Betzalel and Schechtman, 2010). This intervention has been used to treat metal illness, provide interventions for war veterans, address emotional needs of counseling clients, and to teach social skills to children and adolescents (McCarty and Slygh, 2004). The proposed poster features highlights from a comprehensive literature review, therapeutic uses and tips for incorporating this intervention into your therapeutic toolbox

The pulsation spectrum of VX Hydrae

We present the results of a two-year, multisite observing campaign investigating the high-amplitude delta Scuti star VX Hydrae during the 2006 and 2007 observing seasons. The final data set consists of nearly 8500 V-band observations spanning HJD 2453763.6 to 2454212.7 (2006 January 28 to 2007 April 22). Separate analyses of the two individual seasons of data yield 25 confidently-detected frequencies common to both data sets, of which two are pulsation modes, and the remaining 23 are Fourier harmonics or beat frequencies of these two modes. The 2006 data set had five additional frequencies with amplitudes less than 1.5 mmag, and the 2007 data had one additional frequency. Analysis of the full 2006-2007 data set yields 22 of the 25 frequencies found in the individual seasons of data. There are no significant peaks in the spectrum other than these between 0 and 60 c/d. The frequencies of the two main pulsation modes derived from the 2006 and 2007 observing seasons individually do not differ at the level of 3-sigma, and thus we find no conclusive evidence for period change over the span of these observations. However, the amplitude of f(1) = 5.7898 c/d changed significantly between the two seasons, while the amplitude of f(0) = 4.4765 c/d remained constant; amplitudes of the Fourier harmonics and beat frequencies of f(1) also changed. Similar behavior was seen in the 1950s, and it is clear that VX Hydrae undergoes significant amplitude changes over time.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures, published in Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, v.121, p.1076 (October 2009

Seashell specialties and food handling in Slovene Istria restaurants

The purpose of the research was to evaluate the offer of seashell specialties in Slovene Istria restaurants, and to assess food safety knowledge (gained through formal and informal education) as well as to assess the behaviour of food handlers in preparing shell dishes. A self-administered questionnaire was designed that included four sections: a demographic section, a general section, a restaurant menu offer, and a food safety section related to preparation of seashell specialties. Seashell specialties were offered in 41 restaurants, of which the employed food handlers 24 attended formal education and 17 informal education. Seashells specialties and seashell menus are commonly part of the culinary and gastronomic specialties along the Slovene coast, with the most frequently offered main dish being “Blue Mussels alla Busara”. Results the questionnaire indicated poor food safety knowledge and poor behaviour regardless of the (in)formal education of those who prepared the dishes. We propose that formal education for catering workers preparing shell dishes should be much more emphasized

Fluorescence studies of the effect of pH, guanidine hydrochloride and urea on equinatoxin II conformation

AbstractThe solvent denaturation of equinatoxin II (EgTxII) in aqueous solutions of urea, guanidine hydrochloride (Gu-HCI) and at various pH values was examined by monitoring changes in the protein intrinsic emission fluorescence spectra and in the fluorescence spectra of the added external probe ANS. It has been observed that EgTxII denaturation is reflected in a strong red shift of intrinsic fluorescence emission maxima accompanied by a simultaneous decrease in fluorescence intensity and that guanidine hydrochloride is significantly more powerful denaturant than urea or changing of pH. Comparison of intrinsic fluorescence spectra of EgTxII denatured by one of the three denaturing agents has shown that the fully denatured states of the protein in Gu-HCI and urea are similar and substantially different from those induced by changing of pH. Furthermore, according to the measurements of the ANS-fluorescence in EgTxII solutions as a function of pH the protein exists at pH values below 2.0 in an acid-denatured compact state

Steroid structural requirements for interaction of ostreolysin, a lipid-raft binding cytolysin, with lipid monolayers and bilayers

AbstractOstreolysin, a cytolytic protein from the edible oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus), recognizes and binds specifically to membrane domains enriched in cholesterol and sphingomyelin (or saturated phosphatidylcholine). These events, leading to permeabilization of the membrane, suggest that a cholesterol-rich liquid-ordered membrane phase, which is characteristic of lipid rafts, could be its possible binding site. In this work, we present effects of ostreolysin on membranes containing various steroids. Binding and membrane permeabilizing activity of ostreolysin was studied using lipid mono- and bilayers composed of sphingomyelin combined, in a 1/1 molar ratio, with natural and synthetic steroids (cholesterol, ergosterol, β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, lanosterol, 7-dehydrocholesterol, cholesteryl acetate, and 5-cholesten-3-one). Binding to membranes and lytic activity of the protein are both shown to be dependent on the intact sterol 3β-OH group, and are decreased by introducing additional double bonds and methylation of the steroid skeleton or C17-isooctyl chain. The activity of ostreolysin mainly correlates with the ability of the steroids to promote formation of liquid-ordered membrane domains, and is the highest with cholesterol-containing membranes. Furthermore, increasing the cholesterol concentration enhanced ostreolysin binding in a highly cooperative manner, suggesting that the membrane lateral distribution and accessibility of the sterols are crucial for the activity of this new member of cholesterol-dependent cytolysins

Heterologous Expression of the Alba Protein from the Hyperthermophilic Archaeon Aeropyrum Pernix

Nucleic acid binding proteins have important roles in DNA and RNA packaging, stabilisation and repair, and in gene regulation, and they are therefore essential for all organisms. All of the known hyperthermophiles have at least one DNA sequence encoding for the Alba proteins. The Alba proteins are small (approximately 10 kDa), DNA-binding, basic proteins that appear to partly compensate for the lack of histones in the archaea Aeropyrum pernix and other hyperthermophiles. Two sequences of these potential histone counterparts, the Alba proteins, were identified in the Aeropyrum pernix genome (APE1832.1 and APE1823). By using a wide range of experimental techniques and by examining several combinations of expression systems the expression of recombinant Alba1 and Alba2 proteins was optimized. Co-expression of both of the Alba proteins was needed when isolating recombinant Alba2. The purification of both recombinant Alba1 and Alba2 His-tagged proteins were simplyfied in satisfactory yield. The electrophoretic mobility shift assay demonstrated the ability of the Alba1 and Alba2 proteins from Aeropyrum pernix to bind DNA. (doi: 10.5562/cca1772