Experienced tutors' deployment of thinking skills and what might be entailed in enhancing such skills

In the context of research that reports weaknesses in adults' critical thinking skills, the primary aim was to examine adults' use of critical thinking skills that are described in taxonomies and to identify areas for development. Position papers written by an opportunity sample of 32 experienced adult educators formed the data for a descriptive sample survey design intended to reveal participants' use of critical thinking skills. Each 6000-word paper was written during a development programme that supported such skills. A content analysis of the papers revealed that when participants drew on personal and published ideas about learning to derive their proposals for change, they accepted the ideas uncritically, thereby implying that they might find it difficult to help learners to examine ideas critically. The evidence supports research that implies that critical thinking skills are unlikely to develop unless overall course design privileges the development of epistemological understanding (King and Kitchener 1994, Kuhn 1999). A fundamental assumption underlying the study is that this understanding influences effective citizenship and personal development, as well as employability. A proposition that merits attention in future research is that the development of epistemological understanding is largely neglected in current curricula in formal post-16 education

Global mean cloud feedbacks in idealized climate change experiments

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/94978/1/grl21109.pd

Statin associated necrotizing autoimmune myopathies in the Indigenous population: a case series from North Queensland

Aim: To describe clinical and histopathological features of statin associated necrotizing autoimmune myopathies (NAM) in Indigenous Australians and increase awareness of this condition amongst treating physicians. Methods: Cases were collected through the Rheumatology Department at The Townsville Hospital between March 2012 and January 2015. A chart review was performed to obtain retrospective information about each case. We detail patient demographics, presenting features, histopathological findings, autoimmune profile, treatment and outcomes. Results: 4 Indigenous Australians were identified as having a biopsy confirmed statin associated NAM. All patients had been on atorvastatin for at least 2 years and had significant proximal weakness with average CK level on presentation 16,820 U/L. Predisposing factors for myopathy included vitamin D deficiency and diabetes mellitus (all cases), with primary hypothyroidism and liver cirrhosis identified in two other cases. Two individuals were positive for the auto-antibody anti-HMGCR. Histopathological findings included muscle necrosis with varying degrees of inflammation, membrane attack complex (MAC) deposition and MHC-1 upregulation. Treatment involved various combinations of prednisolone, IVIG, methotrexate and mycophenolate. Recovery was slow but favourable in all cases with an average length of inpatient stay of 54 days. There was a significant delay in diagnosis of 1–3 months in two of the cases. Conclusions: The statin associated necrotizing autoimmune myopathies are rare but important disorders that cause significant morbidity to affected individuals. Given the prevalence of cardiovascular disease in Indigenous Australians, further research is required to facilitate earlier diagnosis and improved treatment outcomes

Statin associated necrotizing autoimmune myopathies in the Indigenous population: a case series from North Queensland

Aim: To describe clinical and histopathological features of statin associated necrotizing autoimmune myopathies (NAM) in Indigenous Australians and increase awareness of this condition amongst treating physicians. Methods: Cases were collected through the Rheumatology Department at The Townsville Hospital between March 2012 and January 2015. A chart review was performed to obtain retrospective information about each case. We detail patient demographics, presenting features, histopathological findings, autoimmune profile, treatment and outcomes. Results: 4 Indigenous Australians were identified as having a biopsy confirmed statin associated NAM. All patients had been on atorvastatin for at least 2 years and had significant proximal weakness with average CK level on presentation 16,820 U/L. Predisposing factors for myopathy included vitamin D deficiency and diabetes mellitus (all cases), with primary hypothyroidism and liver cirrhosis identified in two other cases. Two individuals were positive for the auto-antibody anti-HMGCR. Histopathological findings included muscle necrosis with varying degrees of inflammation, membrane attack complex (MAC) deposition and MHC-1 upregulation. Treatment involved various combinations of prednisolone, IVIG, methotrexate and mycophenolate. Recovery was slow but favourable in all cases with an average length of inpatient stay of 54 days. There was a significant delay in diagnosis of 1–3 months in two of the cases. Conclusions: The statin associated necrotizing autoimmune myopathies are rare but important disorders that cause significant morbidity to affected individuals. Given the prevalence of cardiovascular disease in Indigenous Australians, further research is required to facilitate earlier diagnosis and improved treatment outcomes

Helping education undergraduates to use appropriate criteria for evaluating accounts of motivation

The aim of the study was to compare students in a control group with those in a treatment group with respect to evaluative comments on psychological accounts of motivation. The treatment group systematically scrutinized the nature and interpretation of evidence that supported different accounts, and the assumptions, logic, coherence and clarity of accounts. Content analysis of 74 scripts (using three categories) showed that the control group students made more assertions than either evidential or evaluative points, whereas the treatment group used evaluative statements as often as they used assertion. The findings provide support for privileging activities that develop understanding of how knowledge might be contested, and suggest a need for further research on pedagogies to serve this end. The idea is considered that such understanding has a pivotal role in the development of critical thinking

Effects on focused ion beam irradiation on MOS transistors

The effects of irradiation from a focused ion beam (FIB) system on MOS transistors are reported systematically for the first time. Three MOS transistor technologies, with 0.5, 1, and 3 {mu}m minimum feature sizes and with gate oxide thicknesses ranging from 11 to 50 nm, were analyzed. Significant shifts in transistor parameters (such as threshold voltage, transconductance, and mobility) were observed following irradiation with a 30 keV Ga{sup +} focused ion beam with ion doses varying by over 5 orders of magnitude. The apparent damage mechanism (which involved the creation of interface traps, oxide trapped charge, or both) and extent of damage were different for each of the three technologies investigated

Human CEACAM1 is targeted by a Streptococcus pyogenes adhesin implicated in puerperal sepsis pathogenesis

Life-threatening bacterial infections in women after childbirth, known as puerperal sepsis, resulted in classical epidemics and remain a global health problem. While outbreaks of puerperal sepsis have been ascribed to Streptococcus pyogenes, little is known about disease mechanisms. Here, we show that the bacterial R28 protein, which is epidemiologically associated with outbreaks of puerperal sepsis, specifically targets the human receptor CEACAM1. This interaction triggers events that would favor development of puerperal sepsis, including adhesion to cervical cells, suppression of epithelial wound repair and subversion of innate immune responses. High-resolution structural analysis showed that an R28 domain with IgI3-like fold binds to the N-terminal domain of CEACAM1. Together, these findings demonstrate that a single adhesin-receptor interaction can drive the pathogenesis of bacterial sepsis and provide molecular insights into the pathogenesis of one of the most important infectious diseases in medical history

Enhancement of electroporation facilitated immunogene therapy via T-reg depletion

Regulatory T cells (T-regs) can negatively impact tumor antigen-specific immune responses after infiltration into tumor tissue. However, depletion of T-regs can facilitate enhanced anti-tumor responses, thus augmenting the potential for immunotherapies. Here we focus on treating a highly aggressive form of cancer using a murine melanoma model with a poor prognosis. We utilize a combination of T-reg depletion and immunotherapy plasmid DNA delivered into the B16F10 melanoma tumor model via electroporation. Plasmids encoding murine granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor and human B71 were transfected with electroporation into the tumor and transient elimination of T-regs was achieved with CD25-depleting antibodies (PC61). The combinational treatment effectively depleted T-regs compared to the untreated tumor and significantly reduced lung metastases. The combination treatment was not effective in increasing the survival, but only effective in suppression of metastases. These results indicate the potential for combining T-reg depletion with immunotherapy-based gene electrotransfer to decrease systemic metastasis and potentially enhance survival