Exploring pedagogy and practice: meaningful physical education (MPE) in elementary pre-service teacher education

In this paper, we share how three physical education teacher educators (PETE), working in different universities in Ireland, adopted a Meaningful Physical Education (MPE) approach (Beni, Fletcher & Ní Chróinín, 2017) for one 12-week semester. Guided by the principles of collaborative self-study (Roberts & Ressler 2016) and informed by research on communities of practice (e.g. Patton & Parker 2017), the paper examines our exploration of the MPE approach with pre-service teachers (PST). Building on previous work focused on learning about meaningful PE (LAMPE) (Ní Chróinín et al. 2017), we sought to simultaneously apply MPE-appropriate methodologies and principles through the contexts of our differing individual modules over one semester. Our central research question was: how does our engagement with the principles of MPE impact our pedagogical approaches

Climatology of the Low-Level Jet at the Southern Great Plains Atmospheric Boundary Layer Experiments Site

A unique dataset obtained with combinations of minisodars and 915-MHz wind profilers at the Atmospheric Boundary Layer Experiments (ABLE) facility in Kansas was used to examine the detailed characteristics of the nocturnal low-level jet (LLJ). In contrast to instruments used in earlier studies, the ABLE instruments provide hourly, high-resolution vertical profiles of wind velocity from just above the surface to approximately 2 km above ground level (AGL). Furthermore, the 6-yr span of the dataset allowed the examination of interannual variability in jet properties with improved statistical reliability. It was found that LLJs occurred during 63% of the nighttime periods sampled. Although most of the observed jets were southerly, a substantial fraction (28%) was northerly. Wind maxima occurred most frequently at 200–400 m AGL, though some jets were found as low as 50 m, and the strongest jets tended to occur above 300 m. Comparison of LLJ heights at three locations within the ABLE domain and at one location outside the domain suggests that the jet is equipotential rather than terrain following. The occurrence of southerly LLJ varied annually in a way that suggests a connection between the tendency for jet formation and the large-scale circulation patterns associated with El Niño and La Niña, as well as with the Pacific decadal oscillation. Frequent and strong southerly jets that transport moisture downstream do not necessarily lead to more precipitation locally, however

XCBC and XNIT - tools for cluster implementation and management in research and training

The Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment has created a suite of software designed to facilitate the local management of computer clusters for scientific research and integration of such clusters with the US open research national cyberinfrastructure. This suite of software is distributed in two ways. One distribution is called the XSEDE-compatible basic cluster (XCBC), a Rocks Roll that does an “all at once, from scratch” installation of core components. The other distribution is called the XSEDE National Integration Toolkit (XNIT), so that specific tools can be downloaded and installed in portions as appropriate on existing clusters. In this paper, we describe the software included in XCBC and XNIT, and examine the use of XCBC installed on the LittleFe cluster design created by the Earlham College Cluster Computing Group as a teaching tool to show the deployment of XCBC from Rocks. In addition, the demonstration of the commercial Limulus HPC200 Deskside Cluster solution is shown as a viable, off-the-shelf cluster that can be adapted to become an XSEDE-like cluster through the use of the XNIT repository. We demonstrate that both approaches to cluster management – use of SCBC to build clusters from scratch and use of XNIT to expand capabilities of existing clusters – aid cluster administrators in administering clusters that are valuable locally and facilitate integration and interoperability of campus clusters with national cyberinfrastructure. We also demonstrate that very economical clusters can be useful tools in education and research.This document was developed with support from National Science Foundation (NSF) grant OCI-1053575. The LittleFe project has been funded in part by a grant from Intel, Inc. to Charlie Peck as well as NSF grants 1258604 and ACI-1347089. This research has also been supported in part by the Indiana University Pervasive Technology Institute, which was established with a major grant from the Lilly Endowment, Inc

Kearns-sayre syndrome with reduced plasma and cerebrospinal fluid folate

A young woman with Kearns-Sayre syndrome and progressive central nervous system deterioration over 15 years had decreased plasma and cerebrospinal fluid folate levels while receiving phenytoin for a seizure disorder. A muscle biopsy showed a “ragged red fiber” myopathy with reduced muscle carnitine and mitochondrial enzymes. Computed tomographic brain scans showed cerebral white matter hypodensities and bilateral calcification of the basal ganglia. The mechanism for the folate deficiency and altered ratio of plasma to cerebrospinal fluid folate is unknown, but the deficiency may be responsive to replacement therapy.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/50301/1/410130620_ftp.pd

Using Collaborative self-study to support professional learning in initial teacher education: developing pedagogy through Meaningful Physical Education

Collaborative self-study provides teacher educators with opportunities to enhance professional learning. This paper explores how three teacher educators used this approach to support their learning while introducing the pedagogy of Meaningful Physical Education (MPE) to pre-service teachers (PSTs). Thematic analysis of reflections, critical friend feedback and online conversations were used to generate three themes: Collaborative Self-study helped us to learn about our practice; learn how to support student learning; and learn how to introduce pedagogical innovation. Collaboration reinforced resolve and sustained change through sharing experiences, content, resources, and outcomes. While the context for this study was PE, we believe the findings are relevant for all initial teacher educators seeking to develop their practice. Further research into collaborative self-study practice of pedagogical innovation across varied curricular areas could enhance teacher and student learning

SECONDARY HYPERAMMONAEMIA: A POSSIBLE MECHANISM FOR VALPROATE ENCEPHALOPATHY

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/23221/1/0000150.pd

Shared decision making in the UK: moving towards wider uptake

Shared decision making (SDM) is firmly on the policy agenda in the UK and a recent legal ruling has confirmed its importance. Policymakers, ethicists, professional regulators and societies, patient organisations and now the courts are committed to ensuring that SDM becomes the norm throughout the NHS, but an unfavourable economic climate makes this especially challenging. Considerable progress has been made over the last few years, with new learning from demonstration sites, various initiatives in capacity building and training, wider availability of patient decision aids, and important leadership initiatives. Enthusiasm for this way of working is growing among clinicians, patients and managers, but it could be undermined if SDM comes to be seen primarily as a means of cost control

Incorporating metapopulation Dynamics to Inform Invasive Species Management: Evaluating Bighead and Silver Carp Control Strategies in the Illinois River

1. Invasive species management can benefit from predictive models that incorporate spatially explicit demographics and dispersal to guide resource allocation decisions. 2. We used invasive bigheaded carps (Hypophthalmichthys spp.) in the Illinois River, USA as a case study to create a spatially explicit model to evaluate the allocation of future management efforts. Specifically, we compared additional harvest (e.g. near the invasion front vs. source populations) and enhanced movement deterrents to meet the management goal of reducing abundance at the invasion front. 3. We found additional harvest in lower river pools (i.e. targeting source populations) more effectively limited population sizes upriver at the invasion front compared to allocating the same harvest levels near the invasion front. Likewise, decreasing passage (i.e. lock and dam structures) at the farthest, feasible downriver location limited invasion front population size more than placing movement deterrents farther upriver. 4. Synthesis and applications. Our work highlights the benefits of adopting a multipronged approach for invasive species management, combining suppression of source populations with disrupting movement between source and sink populations thereby producing compounding benefits for control. Our results also demonstrate the importance of considering metapopulation dynamics for invasive species control programs when achieving long-term management goals