Best practices of eco-schools international programme implementation for teritary level in Ireland and Russia

n/aEco-Schools international programme is one of five programmes of FEE (Foundation for Environmental Education). In each participating country it is run by a FEE-member NGO, In Ireland in is run by An Taisce and in Russia by Keep St. Petersburg Tidy NGO. Initially the programme was designed for schools. Since 2003 kindergartens and supplementary education centers joined the programme in Russia and in some other countries. In 2007-2008 the tertiary level institutions got interested in the programme in Ireland, Russia, Portugal, Iceland and Spain. This paper addresses to the best practices from two of five countries running Eco- Schools for the tertiary level. It is important to note that in all five countries the initiative to join Eco-Schools programme came from students

A Chatbot Tutor Can Lessen the Gender Confidence Gap in Information Systems Learning

Women are underrepresented in the information systems discipline as well as other STEM fields. A common explanation for the significant gender gap is the difference in women’s and men’s self-efficacy concerning information systems (IS) tasks and roles during their secondary education. As a potential solution, this study explores how chatbot tutors impact confidence differently between 136 women and men in an introductory programming course. Our findings confirmed prior research showing that while men have greater confidence in information systems tasks, there is no difference in performance in those tasks between women and men. Next, we found that a chatbot used during learning can improve confidence of all students. Finally, and most importantly, we found that the effect of a chatbot tutor is stronger for women than for men. Therefore, chatbot may be a valid tool to lessen the gender gap in the information systems discipline

Vascular changes in diabetic retinopathy-a longitudinal study in the Nile rat.

Diabetic retinopathy is the most common microvascular complication of diabetes and is a major cause of blindness, but an understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease has been hampered by a lack of accurate animal models. Here, we explore the dynamics of retinal cellular changes in the Nile rat (Arvicanthis niloticus), a carbohydrate-sensitive model for type 2 diabetes. The early retinal changes in diabetic Nile rats included increased acellular capillaries and loss of pericytes that correlated linearly with the duration of diabetes. These vascular changes occurred in the presence of microglial infiltration but in the absence of retinal ganglion cell loss. After a prolonged duration of diabetes, the Nile rat also exhibits a spectrum of retinal lesions commonly seen in the human condition including vascular leakage, capillary non-perfusion, and neovascularization. Our longitudinal study documents a range and progression of retinal lesions in the diabetic Nile rat remarkably similar to those observed in human diabetic retinopathy, and suggests that this model will be valuable in identifying new therapeutic strategies

Near-infrared spectroscopy detects age-related differences in skeletal muscle oxidative function: promising implications for geroscience

Age is the greatest risk factor for chronic disease and is associated with a marked decline in functional capacity and quality of life. A key factor contributing to loss of function in older adults is the decline in skeletal muscle function. While the exact mechanism(s) remains incompletely understood, age-related mitochondrial dysfunction is thought to play a major role. To explore this question further, we studied 15 independently living seniors (age: 72 ± 5 years; m/f: 4/11; BMI: 27.6 ± 5.9) and 17 young volunteers (age: 25 ± 4 years; m/f: 8/9; BMI: 24.0 ± 3.3). Skeletal muscle oxidative function was measured in forearm muscle from the recovery kinetics of muscle oxygen consumption using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Muscle oxygen consumption was calculated as the slope of change in hemoglobin saturation during a series of rapid, supra-systolic arterial cuff occlusions following a brief bout of exercise. Aging was associated with a significant prolongation of the time constant of oxidative recovery following exercise (51.8 ± 5.4 sec vs. 37.1 ± 2.1 sec, P = 0.04, old vs. young, respectively). This finding suggests an overall reduction in mitochondrial function with age in nonlocomotor skeletal muscle. That these data were obtained using NIRS holds great promise in gerontology for quantitative assessment of skeletal muscle oxidative function at the bed side or clinic

HyFlex pedagogy: six strategies supported by design-based research

Purpose–This study investigates the following research question: What pedagogical strategies are necessary for the success of the project? The findings to this question are based in new media literacies and help to further pedagogy in an emerging HyFlex model while also grounding in needed theorization. Design/methodology/approach–This study uses design-based research(DBR) across two iterations and four doctoral, higher education courses, using mixed methods of data collection and analysis. Findings–Six pedagogical strategies influential for HyFlex research are presented, each grounded in a new media literacy skill. Originality/value–These six pedagogical strategies help practitioners grappling with the HyFlex or blended learning model merge traditional pedagogy with how this might be tailored for students entrenched in a participatory culture

Modeling the effects of pulse plating on dendrite growth in lithium metal batteries

CBET-2034154 - National Science Foundation; CMMI-1727316 - National Science FoundationAccepted manuscrip

Exploring the Perceptions of Occupational Therapy Among Physical Therapists

Using a survey design, this pilot study aims to determine the knowledge physical therapy practitioners have of the field of occupational therapy regarding education, skill set, and contribution to improving client outcomes