An Evening of Drama: A Solo and Duo Concert with Jessica and Gabriella Roderer

Solo and duo concert held with pianist Jessica Roderer and flutist Gabriella Roderer.https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/music_programs/1091/thumbnail.jp

Explicit and implicit confidence judgments and developmental differences in metamemory: an eye-tracking approach

In the present study, primary school children's ability to give accurate confidence judgments (CJ) was addressed, with a special focus on uncertainty monitoring. In order to investigate the effects of memory retrieval processes on monitoring judgments, item difficulty in a vocabulary learning task (Japanese symbols) was manipulated. Moreover, as a first exploratory step to uncover fast and retrieval bound (implicit) monitoring processes that take place before explicit CJ are openly reported, fixation time allocation during recognition and monitoring was recorded with an eye-tracking device. Results revealed developmental progression in uncertainty (but not in certainty) monitoring between the age of 7 and 9years. Differences in CJ across levels of item difficulty point to a substantial impact of retrieval processes on 9-yr-olds' but not on 7-yr-olds' monitoring. Eye-tracking data revealed an overall bias towards medium and high CJ, and confirmed evidence on developmental progression in monitoring skill

Evolutionary Cycles for Pericyclic Reactions – Or Why We Keep Mutating Mutases

Directed evolution strategies are being applied ever more frequently to develop novel and improved enzymes for many applications, including those contributing to 'white biotechnology'. In addition to engineering new biocatalysts, evolutionary strategies are equally suited to the elucidation of enzyme structure and function. Here, we illustrate with selected examples from our own work on chorismate mutases how such strategies can be employed to address a range of fundamental questions. Over the last decade, this model system, which was once considered to be a 'very simple' enzyme from the shikimate pathway, has afforded many – sometimes surprising – discoveries about biocatalysis. It has also taught us how to upgrade evolutionary approaches to overcome technical hurdles. Both the new insights and the methodological improvements should enhance our ability to tailor enzymes for novel uses

Estimación de Logro Infantil en Pruebas de Matemáticas y Ciencias Naturales a lo largo de un Curso. Un Estudio Piloto.

Abstract Introduction. The metacognitve ability to accurately estimate ones performance in a test, is assumed to be of central importance for initializing task-oriented effort. In addition activating adequate problem-solving strategies, and engaging in efficient error detection and correction. Although school children’s’ ability to estimate their own performance has been widely inves-tigated, this was mostly done under highly-controlled, experimental set-ups including only one single test occasion. Method. The aim of this study was to investigate this metacognitive ability in the context of real achievement tests in mathematics. Developed and applied by a teacher of a 5th grade class over the course of a school year these tests allowed the exploration of the variability of performance estimation accuracy as a function of test difficulty. Results. Mean performance estimations were generally close to actual performance with somewhat less variability compared to test performance. When grouping the children into three achievement levels, results revealed higher accuracy of performance estimations in the high achievers compared to the low and average achievers. In order to explore the generaliza-tion of these findings, analyses were also conducted for the same children’s tests in their sci-ence classes revealing a very similar pattern of results compared to the domain of mathemat-ics. Discussion and Conclusion. By and large, the present study, in a natural environment, con-firmed previous laboratory findings but also offered additional insights into the generalisation and the test dependency of students’ performances estimations. Keywords: metacognition, primary school, performance estimation, mathematics, scienc

Scholarly communications program: force for change

The changing landscape of scholarly publication and increasing journal costs have resulted in a need for proactive behavior in libraries. At Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, a group of librarians joined forces to bring these issues to the attention of faculty and to begin a dialog leading to change. This commentary describes a comprehensive program undertaken to raise faculty awareness of scholarly communications issues. In addition to raising faculty interest in the issues at hand, the endeavor also highlights an area where library liaisons can increase their communication with the units they serve

The contribution of interference control for young children`s working memory performance: Insights from eye-tracking

In the present study, the role of visual attentional processes for working memory performance in a sample of 6-year-olds was investigated. This was done by combining an individual differences approach with an experimental manipulation: For the individual differences approach, participants were grouped based on their performance in a classical interference control task, and their working memory skills were systematically compared. For the experimental manipulation, the need to control interference while performing a working memory task was increased in one condition through presentation of distracting stimuli. In a between-subject design performance in this condition was contrasted with a control condition without distractors. Additionally, fixation time during stimuli presentation were quantified by tracking participants` gazes. Results revealed that children with higher interference control skills showed superior working memory performance. Increasing the need to inhibit attention towards task-irrelevant information through presentation of distractors decreased working memory performance. The present study offers supporting evidence for a close relationship between young children`s working memory and attention

Going off the rails: exploring the impact of the railroad on the development of musical culture in Kansas City, Missouri (1869-1905)

Title from title page viewed June 24, 2021Thesis advisor: Sarah TyrrellVitaIncludes bibliographical references (pages 94-99)Thesis (M.M.)--UMKC Conservatory. University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2021Kansas City, Missouri, is a musical oasis in the United States. In addition to being considered one of the four original jazz centers, local audiences also enthusiastically welcome art music and experimental music of all kinds. This deep appreciation for music and the arts can be traced to the development of the railroad in Kansas City and how it connected the city to the artistic lifeblood of the country. This thesis explores the existing research about the establishment of Kansas City as a railroad hub and the subsequent cultural blossoming experienced in the city at the turn of the century. This thesis project makes a connection between the railroad and the growth of music culture. The development of various aspects of music in Kansas City including, band, orchestra, opera, theater, vaudeville, music education, and music publications which the research in this thesis indicates is traced back to the societal impacts the railroad had on the frontier town in the last three decades of the nineteenth century. Next, this thesis project provides commentary on the function of demographics, including a brief consideration of gender, in the musical culture of Kansas City—specifically the way women defined culture and programming. Finally, this project summarizes and contextualizes the trends, habits, and preferences that make up the music culture in the city within the musical expectations and culture specific to the United States. The establishment of the railroad in Kansas City connected the city to the musical trends of the United States; because of this artistic connection, Kansas City developed into a musical microcosm of the United States’ musical narrative.Introduction -- The railroad connection -- Musical growth -- Conclusio

Defining the functions of CASK in skeletal muscle

Traditionally, the mammalian neuromuscular junction, the primary synapse found in skeletal muscle, has been termed the "simple synapse" for its basic chemical signaling mechanisms as compared to central nervous system synapses. However, recent data has suggested that the neuromuscular junction is far more complex than initially perceived and that various proteins are involved in the orchestration of synaptic function and development. One such protein, Ca2+/calmodulin associated serine/threonine kinase (CASK), has been previously identified as a key component in neuronal development. Our lab has found that CASK is concentrated at the neuromuscular junction, cytoplasm, and nuclei of skeletal muscle fibers, where evidence suggests that it may play a role in the structural scaffolding of synapses, receptor trafficking, protein phosphorylation, and transcription. To further elucidate the mechanisms of CASK in skeletal muscle, we have generated two distinct conditional knockout murine models of CASK in skeletal muscle. One model represents a knockout of non-synaptic CASK, while the other model represents a knockout of CASK in both the cytoplasm and at the neuromuscular junction. Recent data has shown that mice without CASK at the neuromuscular are not born at the predicted Mendelian ratios, while mice only deficient of cytoplasmic CASK show no observable phenotype. Further analyses of these models will be necessary to help to define the function of CASK in skeletal muscle. Studying the neuromuscular junction is the key to understanding the underlying mechanisms of neuromuscular diseases. Delineating the functions of CASK in skeletal muscle may lead to the identification of novel treatment approaches for neuromuscular diseases. Advisor: Jill Rafael-FortneyNo embarg

Early results in the treatment of proximal humeral fractures with a polyaxial locking plate

Objectives: We report early results using a second generation locking plate, non-contact bridging plate (NCB PH®, Zimmer Inc. Warsaw, IN, USA), for the treatment of proximal humeral fractures. The NCB PH® combines conventional plating technique with polyaxial screw placement and angular stability. Design: Prospective case series. Setting: A single level-1 trauma center. Patients: A total of 50 patients with proximal humeral fractures were treated from May 2004 to December 2005. Intervention: Surgery was performed in open technique in all cases. Main outcome measures: Implant-related complications, clinical parameters (duration of surgery, range of motion, Constant-Murley Score, subjective patient satisfaction, complications) and radiographic evaluation [union, implant loosening, implant-related complications and avascular necrosis (AVN) of the humeral head] at 6, 12 and 24weeks. Results: All fractures available to follow-up (48 of 50) went to union within the follow-up period of 6months. One patient was lost to follow-up, one patient died of a cause unrelated to the trauma, four patients developed AVN with cutout, one patient had implant loosening, three patients experienced cutout and one patient had an axillary nerve lesion (onset unknown). The average age- and gender-related Constant Score (n=35) was 76. Conclusions: The NCB PH® combines conventional plating technique with polyaxial screw placement and angular stability. Although the complication rate was 19%, with a reoperation rate of 12%, the early results show that the NCB PH® is a safe implant for the treatment of proximal humeral fracture