Citation Difficulties

Issues of citation have interested us for some time, especially as they relate to reductive and dismissive representations of student work in our professional discourse: for example, how scholarly articles foreground the status of students as “student” or how the move of referring to students by first name only is infantilizing (see Salvatori and Donahue, 2010). We also have a long standing interest in writing about teaching in ways that our primary field (English Studies) and SoTL would recognize as “scholarly”: intellectual inquiries into processes of teaching and learning that build upon previously published research, cite it appropriately, and acknowledge its theoretical influences and sources. In this essay, we want to draw attention to certain incongruities in scholarly publications about teaching—we shall call them “citation difficulties.” We have been noticing them for many years, but have been moved to write about them only recently

Improving the predictive performance of SAFEL: A Situation-Aware FEar Learning model

In this paper, we optimize the predictive performance of a Situation-Aware FEar Learning model (SAFEL) by investigating the relationship between its parameters. SAFEL is a hybrid computational model based on the fear-learning system of the brain, which was developed to provide robots with the capability to predict threatening or undesirable situations based on temporal context. The main aim of this work is to improve SAFEL's emotional response. An emotional response coherent with environmental changes is essential not only for self-preservation and adaptation purposes, but also for improving the believability and interaction skills of companion robots. Experiments with a NAO humanoid robot show that adjusting the ratio between two parameters of SAFEL can significantly increase the predictive performance and reduce parameter settings

A Situation-Aware Fear Learning (SAFEL) Model for Robots

This work proposes a novel Situation-Aware FEar Learning (SAFEL) model for robots. SAFEL combines concepts of situation-aware expert systems with well-known neuroscientific findings on the brain fear-learning mechanism to allow companion robots to predict undesirable or threatening situations based on past experiences. One of the main objectives is to allow robots to learn complex temporal patterns of sensed environmental stimuli and create a representation of these patterns. This memory can be later associated with a negative or positive “emotion”, analogous to fear and confidence. Experiments with a real robot demonstrated SAFEL’s success in generating contextual fear conditioning behaviour with predictive capabilities based on situational information

Apigenin oxidovanadium(IV) cation interactions : Synthesis, spectral, bovine serum albumin binding, antioxidant and anticancer studies

Continuing and expanding our previous work on flavonoid oxidovanadium(IV) (VO) metal complexes as possible anti-cancer agents, the VOapigenin compound was synthesized and characterized. An “acetylacetone-like” coordination through the C=O and O moieties of the ligand to the metal center with one apigenin ligand per metal ion was assumed using different spectroscopies and elemental analysis as well as thermal measurements. The vibrational experimental spectrum of VOapigenin was supported by theoretical calculations. According to the structure of the flavonoid it exerted mild antioxidant properties that were enhanced by metal coordination. The compounds showed moderate anticancer activity on lung A549 and cervix HeLa cancer cell lines, displaying an incubation time dependent behavior. Cellular increase of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and glutathione depletion have been measured upon incubation with the compounds. These cell killing activities were reverted when natural antioxidants were incubated with the compounds and the addition of the antioxidant agent Nacetylcysteine generated depletion of the cellular ROS levels. Therefore, a stress oxidative mechanism of action has been assumed. Moreover, the compounds showed no toxicity against Artemia salina and were not mutagenic. Both apigenin and the complex could be transported and stored by bovine serum albumin with similar binding constants and mechanisms than other VOflavonoid complexes.Centro de Química Inorgánic

Interactions of rutin with the oxidovanadium( iv ) cation. Anticancer improvement effects of glycosylated flavonoids

This work reports the biological evaluation of the new complex Na2[VO(rut)(OH)2]·5H2O (rut = rutin, a glycosylated flavonoid). The complex was different in its coordination mode (catechol-like) from those previously reported, [VO(rutin)(H2O)2]2(SO4)·4H2O and [VO(rut)2]·4H2O (acetylacetonate-like coordination). Due to the coordination mode, the complex only improved the antioxidant activity of the ligand against superoxide and hydroxyl radicals. The results show that while both 100 µM rutin and V(IV)O did not exhibit cytotoxic activity on A549 cells, the complex selectively improved the anticancer effect (IC50 = 95 µM), cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and depletion of the non-enzymatic antioxidant glutathione (GSH), producing oxidized glutathione (GSSG), and it did not affect the viability of the normal embryonic lung cell line (MRC-5) (up to 100 µM). All these data, and given the reversion of the cell killing effect of the complex upon treatment with the antioxidant agent N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), suggested an oxidative stress mechanism. Rutin and VOrut can spontaneously bind bovine serum albumin (BSA) and they can be stored and transported by the protein.Fil: Goitia Semeco, Helen Rosmary. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Química Inorgánica "Dr. Pedro J. Aymonino". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Química Inorgánica "Dr. Pedro J. Aymonino"; ArgentinaFil: Quispe Castillo, Patricia Araceli. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Química Inorgánica "Dr. Pedro J. Aymonino". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Química Inorgánica "Dr. Pedro J. Aymonino"; ArgentinaFil: Naso, Luciana Gissella. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Química Inorgánica "Dr. Pedro J. Aymonino". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Química Inorgánica "Dr. Pedro J. Aymonino"; ArgentinaFil: Martínez, Valeria R.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Química Inorgánica "Dr. Pedro J. Aymonino". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Química Inorgánica "Dr. Pedro J. Aymonino"; ArgentinaFil: Rey, Marilin. Universidad Nacional del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Rizzi, Alberto C.. Universidad Nacional del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Ferrer, Evelina Gloria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Química Inorgánica "Dr. Pedro J. Aymonino". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Química Inorgánica "Dr. Pedro J. Aymonino"; ArgentinaFil: Williams, Patricia Ana María. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Química Inorgánica "Dr. Pedro J. Aymonino". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Química Inorgánica "Dr. Pedro J. Aymonino"; Argentin

Antioxidant and anticancer effects and bioavailability studies of the flavonoid baicalin and its oxidovanadium(IV) complex

Based on the known antioxidant effect of flavonoids, baicalin (baic) found in roots of Scutellaria has been selected. Its coordination complex with the oxidovanadium(IV) cation, Na4[VO(baic)2].6H2O (VIVO(baic)), was synthesized at pH 9 in ethanol and characterized by physicochemical methods. Spectrophotometric studies at pH 9 showed a ligand: metal stoichiometry of 2:1. By vibrational spectroscopy a coordination mode through the cis 5-OH and 6-OH deprotonated groups is inferred. EPR spectroscopy shows an environment of four aryloxide (ArO−) groups in the equatorial plane of the V=O moiety, both in solution and in the solid complex. The antioxidant capacity against superoxide and peroxyl radicals of VIVO(baic) resulted greater than for baicalin and correlated with previous results obtained for other VOflavonoid complexes. The coordination mode produces delocalization of the electron density and the stabilization of the radical formed by interaction with external radicals. The complex and the ligand displayed no toxic (Artemia salina test) and no mutagenic (Ames test) effects. The complex improved the ability of the ligand to reduce cell viability of human lung cancer cell lines (A549) generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cells, being this effect reversed by pre-incubation of the cells with antioxidants such as vitamins C and E. The addition of NAC (N-acetyl-L-cysteine, a sequestering agent of free radicals) suppresses the anticancer effect, confirming the oxidative stress mechanism. The complex interacted with bovine serum albumin (BSA) with stronger binding than baicalin and the mechanisms involved H bonding and van der Waals interactions.Centro de Química Inorgánic

AGB Stars in the Fornax Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy

We report on a multi-epoch study of the Fornax dwarf spheroidal galaxy, made with the Infrared Survey Facility, over an area of about 42'x42'. The colour-magnitude diagram shows a broad well-populated giant branch with a tip that slopes down-wards from red to blue, as might be expected given Fornax's known range of age and metallicity. The extensive AGB includes seven Mira variables and ten periodic semi-regular variables. Five of the seven Miras are known to be carbon rich. Their pulsation periods range from 215 to 470 days, indicating a range of initial masses. Three of the Fornax Miras are redder than typical LMC Miras of similar period, probably indicating particularly heavy mass-loss rates. Many, but not all, of the characteristics of the AGB are reproduced by isochrones from Marigo et al. for a 2 Gyr population with a metallicity of Z=0.0025. An application of the Mira period-luminosity relation to these stars yields a distance modulus for Fornax of 20.69+/-0.04 (internal), +/-0.08 (total) (on a scale that puts the LMC at 18.39 mag) in good agreement with other determinations. Various estimates of the distance to Fornax are reviewed.Comment: 15 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Aktive Studierende - kompetenzorientierte Ausbildung: Fallbeispiele lernender Lehrender

Hohe studentische Aktivität ist ein Hauptanliegen der Bologna-Reform, die Kompetenzorientierung der Ausbildung ein anderes. Effektivem Beurteilen von studentischen Aktivitäten wie Vorträgen, mündlichen Examen und schriftlichen Produkten kommt somit eine besondere Bedeutung zu. Die Effekte der Benotungsmethode sollen sein: Es ist allen klar, welche Kompetenzen benotet werden und wie sie gestellt werden. Die Beurteilungsmethode soll schon im Voraus die methodische und fachliche Qualität der Arbeit stimulieren. Die Beurteilung soll mit allfälligen Begleitfunktionen nicht in Konflikt treten und für alle nachvollziehbar sein. Bei schriftlichen Arbeiten ist eine zuverlässige Selbstbeurteilung möglich. Anhand von Beispielen aus verschiedenen Fachbereichen wird der Gestaltungsspielraum deutlich, in dem sich die genannten Kriterien umsetzen lassen