Developing Transferable Skills for the Public Good

Transferable skills are crucial for undergraduates to be prepared to enter the workforce after college. Previous research has shown how effective educational approaches enhance student learning. There is, however, limited research that understands how the emphasis on transferable skills relates to the value of deep approaches to student learning. This paper analyzes how faculty emphasis of transferable skills, through analytical writing and problem-solving, is related to deep approaches to learning in higher education. Data come from a large-scale, multi-institutional study that surveys faculty at four-year institutions. Findings indicate that the intentional development of transferable skills has a positive relationship with emphases on deep approaches to learning. The study reinforces the importance of collaboration between multiple stakeholders to foster student learning

Detection of a Specific Inhibitor of Interleukin 1 in Sera of UVB-Treated Mice

It was recently demonstrated that murine keratinocytes upon irradiation with ultraviolet (UV) light release an immunosuppressive cytokine which blocks the biological activity of interleukin 1 (IL 1). This epidermal cell derived inhibitor (EC-contra IL 1) exhibits a molecular weight of 40 kD and a pI of approximately 9.0. EC-contra IL 1 in vivo possibly may penetrate through the basal lamina and subsequently cause systemic immunosuppression following UV-exposure. In the present study, we tested whether EC-contra IL 1 can also be detected in vivo. Serum samples obtained from total body UV-exposed mice were subjected to HPLC gel filtration and tested for IL 1 inhibitory activity. While a non-specific high molecular weight (300 kD) suppressor factor was detected in sera of both UV-exposed and sham treated control mice, a specific IL 1 inhibitor exhibiting a molecular weight of 40 kD was observed only in sera of UV-exposed mice. This cytokine named serum-contra IL 1 was maximally released 24 h after UV-exposure, exhibited a pI of 9.0, and blocked the activity of natural as well as recombinant interleukin 1 in a dose dependent manner. Serum-contra IL 1 did not suppress interleukin 2 or interleukin 3 and did not inhibit spontaneous cell proliferation. The present biochemical and biologic data suggest that serum-contra IL 1 and EC-contra IL 1 appear to be closely related if not identical. These observations therefore indicate that keratinocytes upon UV-irradiation in vivo release EC-contra IL 1 which may at least partly be responsible for the immunosuppression following UV-exposure

The Frankenstein Gabbro (Odenwald, Germany): A New Analogue for Martian Hydrothermal Systems

Mars analogue study for basalt-hosted hydrothermal systems. Small-scale variability of fluid properties needs to be considered in predicting habitability

Person centered approaches to inclusive data analysis

Demographic questions are critical to our understanding of student and faculty experiences, allowing us to learn about marginalized subpopulations, find areas of inequity, and close gaps in achievement. Although this work is necessary, it does present challenges for critical and inclusive approaches to data analysis. Person-centered approaches, grouping people based on similar experiences or outcomes, allow for more nuanced stories of experiences. To illustrate the benefits of this approach, facilitators will guide participants through a series of examples using person-centered explorations, unpacking the challenges and possible solutions for using such methods for more critical and inclusive quantitative analyses and reporting

The four-minute approach revisited : accelerating MRI-based multi-factorial age estimation

Objectives: This feasibility study aimed to investigate the reliability of multi-factorial age estimation based on MR data of the hand, wisdom teeth and the clavicles with reduced acquisition time. Methods: The raw MR data of 34 volunteers-acquired on a 3T system and using acquisition times (TA) of 3:46 min (hand), 5:29 min (clavicles) and 10:46 min (teeth)-were retrospectively undersampled applying the commercially available CAIPIRINHA technique. Automatic and radiological age estimation methods were applied to the original image data as well as undersampled data to investigate the reliability of age estimates with decreasing acquisition time. Reliability was investigated determining standard deviation (SSD) and mean (MSD) of signed differences, intra-class correlation (ICC) and by performing Bland-Altman analysis. Results: Automatic age estimation generally showed very high reliability (SSD < 0.90 years) even for very short acquisition times (SSD ≈ 0.20 years for a total TA of 4 min). Radiological age estimation provided highly reliable results for images of the hand (ICC ≥ 0.96) and the teeth (ICC ≥ 0.79) for short acquisition times (TA = 16 s for the hand, TA = 2:21 min for the teeth), imaging data of the clavicles allowed for moderate acceleration (TA = 1:25 min, ICC ≥ 0.71). Conclusions: The results demonstrate that reliable multi-factorial age estimation based on MRI of the hand, wisdom teeth and the clavicles can be performed using images acquired with a total acquisition time of 4 min

New simulants for martian regolith: Controlling iron variability

Existing martian simulants are predominantly based on the chemistry of the average ‘global’ martian regolith as defined by data on chemical and mineralogical variability detected by orbiting spacecraft, surface rovers and landers. We have therefore developed new martian simulants based on the known composition of regolith from four different martian surface environments: an early basaltic terrain, a sulfur-rich regolith, a haematite-rich regolith and a contemporary Mars regolith. Simulants have been developed so that the Fe2+/Fe3+ ratios can be adjusted, if necessary, leading to the development of four standard simulants and four Fe-modified simulants. Characterisation of the simulants confirm that all but two (both sulfur-rich) are within 5 wt% of the martian chemistries that they were based on and, unlike previous simulants, they have Fe2+/Fe3+ ratios comparable to those found on Mars. Here we outline the design, production and characterisation of these new martian regolith simulants. These are to be used initially in experiments to study the potential habitability of martian environments in which Fe may be a key energy source

Speciation and oxidation kinetics of arsenicin the thermal springs of Wiesbaden spa, Germany

Since 1886 arsenic has been known to be present as a trace component in the Wiesbaden thermal waters at concentrations of over 100 μg L-1. In this study for the first time molecular level speciation of arsenic was measured both in the water (by HG–AAS) and in Wellstone scale deposits (by XANES). Most of the arsenic in the anoxic NaCl-type waters is in the reduced arsenite form. Hydrous ferric oxide (HFO) precipitates in the scale deposits scavenge only the minor dissolved arsenate portion which is, however, accumulated up to 3% w/w. Isothermal precipitation experiments at in-situ temperatures showed a difference between the progress of both arsenic and iron oxidation and precipitation. This can be explained in terms of adsorption of the aqueous arsenite and heterogeneous oxidation on the HFO surface, but subsequently rapid release of the arsenate thereby formed back into the aqueous phase at enhanced temperature and increased pH. Such relatively rapid pseudo-homogeneous arsenite oxidation is too slow to efficiently retard the As(III) load already on the wellhead, but fast enough to prevent arsenic seepage into ground water aquifers