Chapter Nine: What is next? Futuristic Thinking for Community Colleges

The times in which we live are marked by massive transformations; politically, socially, and scientifically, and on what feels like a daily basis. Our efforts to plan and forecast, even for periods as little as five years distant, have been predicated on the assumption that the current rate of progress will continue into impending periods. Author and inventor, Ray Kurzweil calls this the “Law of Accelerating Returns”. If we were to study a wide variety of technologies ranging from the electronic to the biological, via a multitude of gradations and measures, according to Kurzweil, we would find that our commonly held belief in a static rate of change is misguided. Change, progress, and advancement are occurring at an increasing rate

A System-Level Comparison of Cost-Efficiency and Return on Investment Related to Online Course Delivery

As the number of students enrolling in Internet-based or online instruction grows, so do questions from educational leaders, policymakers, college and university presidents, members of governing boards, and legislators regarding cost (Johnstone, 2001). This situation is not unique to the United States. Decision-makers considered the primary benefit of online distance education to be that costs could be spread over a large number of students, taking advantage of economy of scale, assuming that large numbers of students would increase revenue and lower cost-per-student and operating expenses. In addition, increased access and quality learning experiences remained important (Inglis, 1999)

The No Significant Difference Phenomenon: A Literature Review

A quick look at the “No Significant Difference Phenomenon” website might leave the casual observer to the conclusion that an overwhelming amount of data exists to support the notion that technologically-mediated instruction and/or “distance education” in nearly every form imaginable, has proven to be an effective and sometimes preferred method of educating students outside the confines of what is commonly referred to as the “traditional classroom” (Thomas Russell, 2001). From 1928 to the present, Russell has cataloged at least 355 studies, technical reports, and dissertations that have reviewed student learning outcomes in the form of satisfaction surveys, grade comparisons, standardized test scores, common embedded questions, frequency of interaction between students and faculty, and a dizzying array of other “measures” ostensibly aimed at determining if any measurable or statistically significant differences exist. At face value, it seems that comparison or outcome studies would be one of the most effective methods for determining the effectiveness of various educational technologies. Since the 1994 publication of Richard Clark’s famous statement cautioning educational researchers to “give up your enthusiasm for the belief that media attributes cause learning”, he has convinced many researchers in the field that most if not all of “No Significant Difference” studies were in some way flawed. These studies had inadvertently attributed outcomes to differences in media rather than method (Richard Clark, 1994, p. 28). Simply stated, Clark presents the idea that measurable learner outcomes, when replicated using different media, indicate that the selection of the media has little to do with learner outcomes, rather the method that the media share in delivering content is the true catalyst that leads to understanding. Further, Clark stated that, “there are no benefits to be gained from employing different media in instruction (Richard Clark, 1983, p.450). Based on Clark’s thinking, it would seem that the 355 reports contained in Russell’s “No Significant Difference Phenomenon” website have focused primarily on differences in the media rather than the methods employed via the medium

Prospectus, August 23, 2018

Parkland Cafeteria welcomes new vendor Betsy\u27s Bistro; A Letter from Our President; Visit the 2018 Art & Design Faculty Exhibit; Goebel Named Interim Head Baseball Coach.https://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_2018/1015/thumbnail.jp

Prospectus, August 24, 2011

STUDENT\u27S GUIDE TO PARKLAND..., President Ramage Welcomes Students, Do You Need:, Site Developed to Help Students Navigate Campus, Chuck Shepherd\u27s News of the Weird, Some Freshmen Getting Remedial Help for College, College: Expensive, but a Smart Choice, Welcome From the Editor, Take Back the Liberal Arts, Internship Dilemma, Making the Best of Your Semester, Experts Say Technology Addiction is on the Rise, The Early History of Champaign-Urbana, Buster Bytes Presents: A Guide to Google+, Semester Preview of Cobra Athletics, Fall Preview of the Parkland Art Gallery, An Interview with Jason Sechrist from Portugal. The Man,https://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_2011/1009/thumbnail.jp

Substantial metabolic activity of human brown adipose tissue during warm conditions and cold-induced lipolysis of local triglycerides

Current understanding of in vivo human brown adipose tissue (BAT) physiology is limited by a reliance on positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) scanning, which has measured exogenous glucose and fatty acid uptake but not quantified endogenous substrate utilization by BAT. Six lean, healthy men underwent 18fluorodeoxyglucose-PET/CT scanning to localize BAT so microdialysis catheters could be inserted in supraclavicular BAT under CT guidance and in abdominal subcutaneous white adipose tissue (WAT). Arterial and dialysate samples were collected during warm (∼25°C) and cold exposure (∼17°C), and blood flow was measured by 133xenon washout. During warm conditions, there was increased glucose uptake and lactate release and decreased glycerol release by BAT compared with WAT. Cold exposure increased blood flow, glycerol release, and glucose and glutamate uptake only by BAT. This novel use of microdialysis reveals that human BAT is metabolically active during warm conditions. BAT activation substantially increases local lipolysis but also utilization of other substrates such as glutamate

A systematic approach to the interrogation and sharing of standardised biofilm signatures

Publicado em "6th International Conference on Practical Applications of Computational Biology & Bioinformatics", ISBN 978-3-642-28838-8The study of microorganism consortia, also known as biofilms, is associated to a number of applications in biotechnology, ecotechnology and clinical domains. A public repository on existing biofilm studies would aid in the design of new studies as well as promote collaborative and incremental work. However, bioinformatics approaches are hampered by the limited access to existing data. Scientific publications summarise the studies whilst results are kept in researchers’ private ad hoc files. Since the collection and ability to compare existing data is imperative to move forward in biofilm analysis, the present work has addressed the development of a systematic computer-amenable approach to biofilm data organisation and standardisation. A set of in-house studies involving pathogens and employing different state-of-the-art devices and methods of analysis was used to validate the approach. The approach is now supporting the activities of BiofOmics, a public repository on biofilm signatures (http://biofomics.org).The authors thank, among others, Rosario Oliveira, Maria Joao Vieira, Idalina Machado, Nuno Cerca, Mariana Henriques, Pilar Teixeira, Douglas Monteiro, Melissa Negri, Susana Lopes, Carina Almeida and Helder Lopes, for submitting their data. The financial support from IBB-CEB, Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT) and European Community fund FEDER (Program COMPETE), project PTDC/SAU-ESA/646091/2006/FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-007480, are also gratefully acknowledged

Trace amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1) agonists for psychosis: protocol for a living systematic review and meta-analysis of human and non-human studies

Background: There is an urgent need to develop more effective and safer antipsychotics beyond dopamine 2 receptor antagonists. An emerging and promising approach is TAAR1 agonism. Therefore, we will conduct a living systematic review and meta-analysis to synthesize and triangulate the evidence from preclinical animal experiments and clinical studies on the efficacy, safety, and underlying mechanism of action of TAAR1 agonism for psychosis. Methods: Independent searches will be conducted in multiple electronic databases to identify clinical and animal experimental studies comparing TAAR1 agonists with licensed antipsychotics or other control conditions in individuals with psychosis or animal models for psychosis, respectively. The primary outcomes will be overall psychotic symptoms and their behavioural proxies in animals. Secondary outcomes will include side effects and neurobiological measures. Two independent reviewers will conduct study selection, data extraction using predefined forms, and risk of bias assessment using suitable tools based on the study design. Ontologies will be developed to facilitate study identification and data extraction. Data from clinical and animal studies will be synthesized separately using random-effects meta-analysis if appropriate, or synthesis without meta-analysis. Study characteristics will be investigated as potential sources of heterogeneity. Confidence in the evidence for each outcome and source of evidence will be evaluated, considering the summary of the association, potential concerns regarding internal and external validity, and reporting biases. When multiple sources of evidence are available for an outcome, an overall conclusion will be drawn in a triangulation meeting involving a multidisciplinary team of experts. We plan trimonthly updates of the review, and any modifications in the protocol will be documented. The review will be co-produced by multiple stakeholders aiming to produce impactful and relevant results and bridge the gap between preclinical and clinical research on psychosis

Trace amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1) agonists for psychosis:protocol for a living systematic review and meta-analysis of human and non-human studies

BACKGROUND: There is an urgent need to develop more effective and safer antipsychotics beyond dopamine 2 receptor antagonists. An emerging and promising approach is TAAR1 agonism. Therefore, we will conduct a living systematic review and meta-analysis to synthesize and triangulate the evidence from preclinical animal experiments and clinical studies on the efficacy, safety, and underlying mechanism of action of TAAR1 agonism for psychosis.METHODS: Independent searches will be conducted in multiple electronic databases to identify clinical and animal experimental studies comparing TAAR1 agonists with licensed antipsychotics or other control conditions in individuals with psychosis or animal models for psychosis, respectively. The primary outcomes will be overall psychotic symptoms and their behavioural proxies in animals. Secondary outcomes will include side effects and neurobiological measures. Two independent reviewers will conduct study selection, data extraction using predefined forms, and risk of bias assessment using suitable tools based on the study design. Ontologies will be developed to facilitate study identification and data extraction. Data from clinical and animal studies will be synthesized separately using random-effects meta-analysis if appropriate, or synthesis without meta-analysis. Study characteristics will be investigated as potential sources of heterogeneity. Confidence in the evidence for each outcome and source of evidence will be evaluated, considering the summary of the association, potential concerns regarding internal and external validity, and reporting biases. When multiple sources of evidence are available for an outcome, an overall conclusion will be drawn in a triangulation meeting involving a multidisciplinary team of experts. We plan trimonthly updates of the review, and any modifications in the protocol will be documented. The review will be co-produced by multiple stakeholders aiming to produce impactful and relevant results and bridge the gap between preclinical and clinical research on psychosis.PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO-ID: CRD42023451628.</p

Candida parapsilosis Characterization in an Outbreak Setting

Candida parapsilosis is an important non-albicans species which infects hospitalized patients. No studies have correlated outbreak infections of C. parapsilosis with multiple virulence factors. We used DNA fingerprinting to determine genetic variability among isolates from a C. parapsilosis outbreak and from our clinical database. We compared phenotypic markers of pathogenesis, including adherence, biofilm formation, and protein secretion (secretory aspartic protease [SAP] and phospholipase). Adherence was measured as colony counts on silicone elastomer disks immersed in agar. Biofilms formed on disks were quantified by dry weight. SAP expression was measured by hydrolysis of bovine albumin; a colorimetric assay was used to quantitate phospholipase. DNA fingerprinting indicated that the outbreak isolates were clonal and genetically distinct from our database. Biofilm expression by the outbreak clone was greater than that of sporadic isolates (p < 0.0005). Adherence and protein secretion did not correlate with strain pathogenicity. These results suggest that biofilm production plays a role in C. parapsilosis outbreaks