Announcing Approval of $2.3M Campus Lighting and Electrical Fixtures Upgrade Project

The University of Maine System Board of Trustees approved a transformative initiative proposed by our President, Joan Ferrini-Mundy. This project aims at enhancing campus infrastructure while prioritizing environmental sustainability and fiscal responsibility. After careful consideration and planning a $2.3 million loan project to upgrade lighting and electrical fixtures across our campus received the green light. This loan will be paid back over time with annual savings from reduced energy consumption

Comparing Dominant and Non-Dominant Torque and Work Using Biodex 3 Isokinetic Protocol for Knee Flexors and Extensors

INTRODUCTION. There is often a misconception when looking at comparing dominant and non-dominant limbs of any sort. Although there will be a lack of control in non-dominant limbs compared to dominant, the amount of torque and power associated with each limb may be equal; even so, there may be an instance of bilateral deficit, where even though the dominant limb may be used to do work on a specific limb, the non-dominant limb may still receive strength benefits. PURPOSE. The main purpose of this study is to directly relate ability (torque and total work) in both dominant and non-dominate limbs with a focus on knee flexion and extension. METHODS. Participants: Four (N = 4; 4 males, 0 females) volunteers were utilized for this study. The average age of the participants were 24.5 + 1.73 years old, average height was 71.75 + 3.20” (inches or 182.245 centimeters), and average weight was 183.26 + 45.78 pounds (83.3 kilograms). Methodology: Upon arriving to the lab, each participant was measured for height (recorded in inches) and weight (recorded in kilograms), as well as age was recorded (years). Each participant was added into the system when they attempted to perform the protocol. The protocol utilized isokinetic concentric/concentric contractions on the knee for three separate speeds or sets (30/s, 60/s, and 90/s); each set included 5 repetitions. Upon completion of each set (5 repetitions) the participant would be allowed 10 seconds of rest. Following the same protocol, all participants would complete the test using their non-dominate leg. RESULTS. The value and percent difference associated with dominant and non-dominant extension (both torque and work) were rather large. As seen in the percent difference section, the value of each percent difference were at least 7.83% (min) and as high as 27.43% (max). There was also a noticeable percent difference associated with 90/s in flexion for both torque and work between dominant and non-dominant with values at torque = 19.97% and work = 16.23%. DISCUSSION. This study may help provide insight into how dominant and non-dominant limbs may be trained and how they may be equal even without training. This may be untrue due to many variables, but this study has allowed a certain insight into how dominant and non-dominant limbs may be equal in gross motor movements. Results that find non-dominant to dominant differences may be errors due the tester and/or the participant; it may be due to the participant because of situational awareness, they may learn the protocol and movements with one leg and adjust using the other

Remote Sensing of Chiral Signatures on Mars

We describe circular polarization as a remote sensing diagnostic of chiral signatures which may be applied to Mars. The remarkable phenomenon of homochirality provides a unique biosignature which can be amenable to remote sensing through circular polarization spectroscopy. The natural tendency of microbes to congregate in close knit communities would be beneficial for such a survey. Observations of selected areas of the Mars surface could reveal chiral signatures and hence explore the possibility of extant or preserved biological material. We describe a new instrumental technique that may enable observations of this form.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures; to be published in Planetary and Space Scienc

Teacher Education and Internship: An Evaluation of Alignment Between Preparation, Practice, and the Necessity of Engagement with Social Emotional Learning

Teacher education programs are established to create opportunities for preservice teachers to learn actively through course work and practicum experiences. This mixed methods study looked to understand preservice perceptions of their program post covid and to assess their perceived proficiency as an educator, by examining expectations placed on preservice teachers to indicate that there is a gap in their understanding of important concepts related to pedagogy and their application of best practices. The preservice teacher survey indicated a positive experience during their practicum experiences but the skill application for behavior management, flexibility, and classroom processes indicated limited experience and little empathetic understanding. The aim of this study is to reevaluate teacher education programs to better support and provide authentic opportunities for pedagogical skill development before graduation

Treating Central Catheter–Associated Bacteremia Due to Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus: Beyond Vancomycin

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a frequent cause of hospital-associated infections, including central catheter-associated bacteremia. Vancomycin has been the drug of choice for treating this type of bacteremia for decades in patients who have no contraindications to the antibiotic. However, resistance to vancomycin is an emerging problem. Newer antibiotics approved by the Food and Drug Administration have activity against methicillin-resistant S aureus Some of the antibiotics also have activity against strains of S aureus that are intermediately susceptible or resistant to vancomycin. This article uses a case study to highlight the clinical signs of vancomycin failure and describes the indications for and appropriate use of alternative antimicrobials such as ceftaroline, daptomycin, linezolid, tigecycline, and telavancin. (Critical Care Nurse 2016;36[4]:46-57)

What can we learn from population genomics studies of Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens, the cause of tan spot on mungbean?

The bacterium Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens (Cff) is the cause of tan spot (in some regions known as ‘wilt’) on mungbean (Vigna radiata) and other legumes worldwide. The pathogen was first reported in mungbean paddocks in Queensland in 1984, and subsequently in New South Wales in 1986, causing yield losses of up to 25% in hot and dry seasons. No chemical control is available, and disease management relies on pathogen exclusion, through the use of clean seed, and deployment of moderately susceptible varieties. Breeding programs are currently working to incorporate better resistance into new mungbean varieties. The success of breeding programs depends on a thorough understanding of the genetic diversity and evolution of the pathogen population(s). This project was designed to elucidate the genotypic diversity of Cff population(s) and investigate sources of inoculum that contribute to tan spot epidemics in the northern grains region (Queensland and northern New South Wales). Whole genome re-sequencing of 100 Cff isolates detected moderate genotypic diversity, with a narrower genetic background compared to the global Cff population. One highly adapted clonal lineage was found to dominate the population with a frequency of 45%. This study showcases how population genomics studies can be used to test hypotheses relating to disease epidemiology and provide useful information for resistance breeding programs. The results provide insights on Cff population structure and epidemiology, and have direct application for breeding programs by providing a set of Cff isolates that represent the genetic diversity of the pathogen population(s) in the northern grains region

Measurement of the intrinsic damping constant in individual nanodisks of YIG and YIG{\textbar}Pt

We report on an experimental study on the spin-waves relaxation rate in two series of nanodisks of diameter $\phi=$300, 500 and 700~nm, patterned out of two systems: a 20~nm thick yttrium iron garnet (YIG) film grown by pulsed laser deposition either bare or covered by 13~nm of Pt. Using a magnetic resonance force microscope, we measure precisely the ferromagnetic resonance linewidth of each individual YIG and YIG{\textbar}Pt nanodisks. We find that the linewidth in the nanostructure is sensibly smaller than the one measured in the extended film. Analysis of the frequency dependence of the spectral linewidth indicates that the improvement is principally due to the suppression of the inhomogeneous part of the broadening due to geometrical confinement, suggesting that only the homogeneous broadening contributes to the linewidth of the nanostructure. For the bare YIG nano-disks, the broadening is associated to a damping constant $\alpha = 4 \cdot 10^{-4}$. A 3 fold increase of the linewidth is observed for the series with Pt cap layer, attributed to the spin pumping effect. The measured enhancement allows to extract the spin mixing conductance found to be $G_{\uparrow \downarrow}= 1.55 \cdot 10^{14}~ \Omega^{-1}\text{m}^{-2}$ for our YIG(20nm){\textbar}Pt interface, thus opening large opportunities for the design of YIG based nanostructures with optimized magnetic losses.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Whole genome data from Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens strains associated with tan spot of mungbean and soybean reveal diverse plasmid profiles

Despite the substantial economic impact of Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens (Cff) on legume productions worldwide, the genetic basis of its pathogenicity and potential host association is poorly understood. The production of high-quality reference genome assemblies of Cff strains associated with different hosts sheds light on the genetic basis of its pathogenic variability and host association. Moreover, the study of recent outbreaks of bacterial wilt and microevolution of the pathogen in Australia requires access to high-quality, reference genomes that are sufficiently closely related to the population being studied within Australia. We provide the first genome assemblies of Cff strains associated with mungbean and soybean, which revealed high variability in their plasmid composition. The analysis of Cff genomes revealed an extensive suite of carbohydrate-active enzymes potentially associated with pathogenicity, including four carbohydrate esterases, 50 glycoside hydrolases, 23 glycosyl transferases, and a polysaccharide lyase. We also identified 11 serine peptidases, three of which were located within a linear plasmid, pCff119. These high-quality assemblies and annotations will provide a foundation for population genomics studies of Cff in Australia and for answering fundamental questions regarding pathogenicity factors and adaptation of Cff to various hosts worldwide, and, at a broader scale, contribute to unravelling genomic features of Gram-positive, xylem-inhabiting bacterial pathogens

Pedagogy of Science Teaching Tests: Formative assessments of science teaching orientations

A critical aspect of teacher education is gaining pedagogical content knowledge of how to teach science for conceptual understanding. Given the time limitations of college methods courses, it is difficult to touch on more than a fraction of the science topics potentially taught across grades K-8, particularly in the context of relevant pedagogies. This research and development work centers on constructing a formative assessment resource to help expose pre-service teachers to a greater number of science topics within teaching episodes using various modes of instruction. To this end, 100 problem-based, science pedagogy assessment items were developed via expert group discussions and pilot testing. Each item contains a classroom vignette followed by response choices carefully crafted to include four basic pedagogies (didactic direct, active direct, guided inquiry, and open inquiry). The brief but numerous items allow a substantial increase in the number of science topics that pre-service students may consider. The intention is that students and teachers will be able to share and discuss particular responses to individual items, or else record their responses to collections of items and thereby create a snapshot profile of their teaching orientations. Subsets of items were piloted with students in pre-service science methods courses, and the quantitative results of student responses were spread sufficiently to suggest that the items can be effective for their intended purpose