Integration of multimedia technology into the curriculum of forensic science courses using crime scene investigations.

Virtual reality technology is a powerful tool for the development of experimental learning in practical situations. Creation of software packages with some element of virtual learning allows educators to broaden the available experience of students beyond the scope that a standard curriculum provides. This teaching methodology is widely used in the delivery of medical education with many surgical techniques being practised via virtual reality technologies (see Engum et al., 2003). Use has been made of this technology for a wide range of teaching applications such as virtual field trials for an environmental science course (Ramasundaram et al., 2005), and community nursing visiting education scenarios (Nelson et al., 2005) for example. Nelson et al. (2005) imaged three-dimensional representations of patient living accommodation incorporating views of patient medication in order to deliver care modules via a problem-based learning approach. The use of virtual reality in the teaching of crime scene science was pioneered by the National Institute of Forensic Science in Australia as part of their Science Proficiency Advisory Committee testing programme. A number of scenarios were created using CDROM interfacing, allowing as near as possible normal procedures to be adopted. This package included proficiency testing integrated into the package and serves as a paradigm for the creation of virtual reality crime scene scenarios (Horswell, 2000). The package is commercially available on CD-ROM as part of the series ‘After the Fact’ (http://www.nfis.com.au). The CD-ROM package is geared to proficiency training of serving scenes of crime officers and thus contains details that may not be needed in the education of other parties with a need for forensic awareness. These include undergraduate students studying towards forensic science degree programmes in the UK as well as serving Police Officers. These groups may need virtual reality crime scene material geared to their specific knowledge requirements. In addition, Prof J Fraser, President of the Forensic Science Society and a former police Scientific Support Manager, speaking to the United Kingdom, House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee in its report ‘Forensic Science on Trial’ (2005) states: ‘The documented evidence in relation to police knowledge of forensic science, in terms of making the best use of forensic science, is consistently clear, that their knowledge needs to improve and therefore their training needs to improve’. This clearly identifies a need for further training of serving police officers in forensic science. It was with this in mind that staff at the University collaborated with the West Midlands Police Service. The aim was to create a virtual reality CD-ROM that could serve as part of the continuing professional development of serving police officers in the area of scene management. Adaptation of the CD-ROM could allow some introductory materials to help undergraduate students of forensic science

Some Proboscidian Remains Found in Henry County

My object in preparing this account is to bring together all available data concerning Proboscidian remains which have been found or reported in Henry County, Iowa, and to make this information available to those interested. The tooth of a Mastodon that roamed this area of Iowa in the Pleistocene Age was found Southeast of Rome, Iowa by the author, February 1949, in Big Cedar Creek, in Tippicanoe Township, Section 17, on the Lynn Wright farm. The tooth is from species Elephas columbi. This elephant was taller than the Mammoth and rivalled the largest existing elephants in stature

Species Composition and Diversity of Hawk Populations in Northeastern Arkansas

Species composition and diversity of hawk populations were analyzed for northeastern Arkansas by the use of roadside censuses conducted in September through April from 1974- 1977. Data from 10 years of Jonesboro Christmas Bird Counts were also analyzed. During the roadside survey 20,174 miles were driven and 1819 raptors were counted. Ten species were observed with the Red-tailed Hawk being most abundant followed by the Marsh Hawk and the American Kestrel. Eight species were recorded from the 10 years of Christmas Bird Counts. Annual breeding bird surveys and spot records turned up three additional species making a total of 14 species in 15 years of study. Although hawk populations fluctuate from year to year, the data do not reveal any downward trend in numbers in northeastern Arkansas. Large concentrations of hawks do not appear in this region of the state until after mid-September. Populations reach a peak in December after which they decline in January. A second peak is reached in February followed by a gradual decline such that in April the American Kestrel is the only species consistently seen from the roadside. After April only a few hawks remain to nest. Both Krider\u27s and melanistic Red-tails occur here but from a total of 864 Red-tailed Hawks observed only 26 Krider\u27s and 31 melanistic or Buteo iamaicensis harlanii were recorded

Regulation of transcription in Maedi-visna virus

The data presented in this thesis argues that different MVV isolates show modified mechanisms of transcriptional regulation. This conclusion is based on the observation that the EV-1 LTRs lack a consensus AP-1 site and that the positions of transcription factor sites are not fixed between the EV-1, 1514 or 1772 viruses. Both 1514, and its derivative 1772, contain a consensus AP-1 site and in the case of 1514 this sequence has been demonstrated to bind AP-1. The sequence within the EV-1 LTRs with closest homology to the consensus AP-1 sequence did not bind AP-1 in vitro and did not appear to do so in vivo. It was not possible to conclude for certain that this sequence was non-functional in vivo due to the presence of a second transcription factor site in this region of the LTR. This factor, which binds the same sequence in the 1514 and EV-1 viruses, shows a transactivating activity. This activity was lower than that seen for the AP-1 complex present within these cells. There appear to be two sites for this factor within the MVV LTR, one proximal to the TATA box the other at an upstream site. This factor appears to be distinct from AP-1 both on the basis of site recognition and the failure to observe binding of an anti-Jun antibody in gel supershift experiments. UV crosslinking experiments identified a protein of approximately 34-40kD which interacts with the recognition site. A full characterisation of this factor, and other cellular factors with which it interacts, will allow further dissection of the mechanism by which MVV controls its transcription rate.Various questions need to be addressed regarding the nature of the VSS binding protein. The simplest involves determining the tissue distribution of this factor; is there any evidence for tissue specific expression? A second related question is whether this factor is a component of a multi member family; do the family members show tissue specific expression? In relation to MVV the key question is the expression of this factor during monocyte/macrophage differentiation and activation. The transcription factor AP-1 is activated during this process and it is important to determine if the factor which binds the VSS is under similar control.An analysis of the expression of transcription factors involved in the regulation of MVV during monocyte/macrophage differentiation may also explain the restriction/latency of MVV in the majority of infected cells in vivo. In vitro the MVV LTR has been shown to be a strong promoter which is active in a variety of different cell types. This is in marked contrast to 102 the observations of in vivo infection where viral transcription appears under tight control. The basis of this in vivo restriction is unclear. It is possible that the VSS binding protein is involved in this process, however, nothing is known about its expression in vivo. In addition to these two factors, AP-1 and the VSS binding protein, the nature of other factors interacting with the LTR remains to be defined. It is possible that neither of these two factors is critical for the regulation of MVV transcription and some additional factor is required.One important question raised in this thesis which needs to be fully resolved is the apparent variation between the EV-1 and 1514 viruses in relation to AP-1 binding. Sequence comparison suggested that none of the non-consensus AP-1 sites within the EV-1 LTR would be able to bind AP-1 but this still requires formal proof. The EV-1 TATA box proximal AP-1 site was shown to be unable to bind AP-1 in vitro. From the data using the gel shift oligonucleotides in a CAT reporter vector it was not possible to completely rule out AP-1 binding to the EV-1 sequence in vivo due to the presence of the VSS binding site. However, this data does indicate that even if AP-1 is binding to the EV-1 sequence it is binding with a much lower affinity than in 1514.In relation to other factors which interact with the LTR the nature of the factor interacting with the sequence at position 90 remains to be defined. From the data on the EV-1 LTR variants this factor appears to be playing a role in determining the activity of duplications of c/s-regulatory sequences in the LTR. The effect of this sequence illustrates the codependence of the factors driving transcription from the LTR. As has been discussed crosstalk can involve direct protein-protein interactions or occur indirectly through effects on DNA conformation and the factors which are recruited to the basal transcription complex assembled on the TATA box. One factor which may be affecting LTR activity is integration state. To date studies on the MVV LTR have all made use of transient transfection assays where the DNA is present in a non-integrated form. In contrast during infection the viral genome will be integrated into the hosts DNA. It is possible that this integrated state may affect viral transcription and play a role in latency. Viral latency in vivo is likely to be the product of several interacting regulatory pathways. A comparison of the factors interacting with the LTR during latency and active transcription will be required.In Chapter 3 it was seen that alterations in the structure, and sequence, of the MVV LTR modified its transcription rate. This data illustrated the interaction between various sequences within the LTR and the variability of the LTR sequence within the EV-1 virus 103 population. Comparisons of the LTRs from the 3 viruses 1514, 1772 and EV-1 suggests that alterations in LTR architecture are tolerated. These three viruses appear to have transcription factors binding in distinct locations in the LTR. A question which remains to be answered is whether such alterations in LTR structure alter the process of viral pathogenesis in vivo. The 3 strains do differ in the pathology they induce; EV-1 the British isolate causes predominatly Maedi disease, in contrast the 1514 and 1772 viruses cause primarily Visna disease, with the 1772 virus being selected in vivo by serial passage for increased neuropathogenesis. Of course, these viruses do not solely differ in their LTR sequences so the importance of this variation to the distinct pathologies induced remains unclear. Comparing the 1514 and 1772 LTRs then it could be suggested that the separation of the VSS and the AP-1 site may result in an elevated transcription, and replication rate, so accelerating the disease course. This separation of these two binding sites also raises the question of synergistic interaction between the two factors. It is still unclear whether both these factors interact simultaneoulsy at the TATA box proximal site in 1514. This could be addressed using a A56 vector containing the AP-1/VSS region but with mutations in the VSS region. The activity of this sequence could then be compared with the 1514 and EV-1ex-v (AP-1 mutant) vectors. Such a comparison should identify any interaction between AP-1 and the VSS binding protein which modifies the transcription rate.One method for determining the role of the LTR in determining the disease course would be by constructing chimeric molecular clones differing only in the LTR sequence. Such constructs could then be introduced directly into animals by DNA injection. The data on the EV-1 LTR population within the infected animal and the comparison of these sequences with those seen in the infecting population strongly suggests that the LTR is under selective pressure in vivo. This selection appears to limit the number of LTR types capable of establishing infection. Dissection of the interactions involved in the regulation of transcription from these promoters will depend on targeted disruption of transcription factor binding sites and the manipulation of sites by altering orientation and spacing. While these studies may be performed using isolated LTRs and reporter gene assays, in order to shed light on the LTRs role in disease, it will also be neccessary to perform such experiments using infectious molecular clones. This will allow the effect of alterations of LTR structure on viral replication to be monitored.One aspect of the regulatory process not touched on in this work is the activity and 104 targets of the MVV Tat protein, it appears that the MVV Tat protein does possess a potent transcriptional activation domain (Carruth et at., 1994). The absence of a TAR region in the MVV viruses has led to the proposal that the Tat protein is interacting with cellular factors and is activating transcription via this route. A second observation on the MVV Tat protein, that it only weakly transactivates the MVV LTR, has been used to suggest that Tat may be primarily targeting cellular genes so maintaining the cell in an activated state and disrupting normal homeostasis. This mechanism of action is consistent with observations that MVV Tat is not required for in vitro replication. It is possible that it is more important for the successful maintenance of infection in vivo, and may be involved in the generation of pathology. This remains to be tested by experimental infection with Tat deleted virus.Due to the apparent requirement for integration in the lentiviral lifecycle these viruses behave essentially as cellular genes. However they have the great advantage of containing all their regulatory elements within a defined sequence of DNA which can be readily manipulated in vitro. In contrast, cellular genes contain widely dispersed regulatory elements and these elements cannot be easily manipulated in their normal context. Analysis of the molecular basis of replication in MVV, and other lentiviruses, will shed light on the mechanisms by which these pathogens maintain infection and evade the host immune response. Further, a fuller understanding of the mechanisms involved in the control of lentiviral transcription is useful in the dissection of cellular transcriptional control mechanisms

Truth and the Pastor's Vision in George Crabbe, William Barnes and R.S. Thomas

Survivals of Pastoral is available in KU ScholarWorks at http://hdl.handle.net/1808/6517

The Relationship of Freestyle Sprinting Ability in Swimming to Selected Measurable Traits

Through reading previous studies, corresponding and talking with respected swimming coaches, and drawing from personal experience, the present writer identified and tested physical traits thought to influence a swimmer’s speed. Although muscular strength of the arms and good flexibility have long been accepted by most coaches as an asset to the speed swimmer, the other variable were selected on the basis of their anticipated relationship to swimming speed. The purpose of this study was to investigate, by means of objective tests, the relationship of selected physical characteristics to performance by swimmers in a forty-five yard freestyle sprint