Red Guide Paper 42: Managing a Module Part 1: Delivering a Module

This revised guide covers various aspects of the process for developing a new module and provides an overview of the general principles of module development

Reactive Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Shock Through a Single Crystal of Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate

Large-scale molecular dynamics simulations and the reactive force field ReaxFF were used to study shock-induced initiation in crystalline pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN). In the calculations, a PETN single crystal was impacted against a wall, driving a shockwave back through the crystal in the [100] direction. Two impact speeds (4 and 3 km/s) were used to compare strong and moderate shock behavior. The primary difference between the two shock strengths is the time required to exhibit the same qualitative behaviors with the lower impact speed lagging behind the faster impact speed. For both systems, the shock velocity exhibits an initial deceleration due to onset of endothermic reactions followed by acceleration due to the onset of exothermic reactions. At long times, the shock velocity reaches a steady value. After the initial deceleration period, peaks are observed in the profiles of the density and axial stress with the strongly shocked system having sharp peaks while the weakly shocked system developed broad peaks due to the slower shock velocity acceleration. The dominant initiation reactions in both systems lead to the formation of NO_2 with lesser quantities of NO_3 and formaldehyde also produced

Family Engagement and Education: A Research Scan and Recommendations

In September 2012, The Heinz Endowments asked the Annenberg Institute for School Reform (AISR) at Brown University to conduct a research scan of family engagement, leadership, and organizing work related to education happening in Pittsburgh, as a part of the Endowments' larger work in supporting families as important stakeholders in their children's education. Annenberg's goal was to produce a well-researched scan and analysis of the family engagement and organizing for school reform landscape in Pittsburgh and to provide recommendations for viable funding strategies to support family engagement and organizing capacity building. Research questions for the scan included:1. Given the overall context of school reform efforts in Pittsburgh, what are the opportunities and challenges for influence from community-based parent leadership and organizing?2. What community-based organizations with a current or potential focus on equitable education reform exist in Pittsburgh?3. What is the capacity of each organization to engage in parent/family leadership and organizing work to influence school reform?All of the work completed for this report was done from September 2012 through April 2013. More specifically, data was collected from November 2012 through February 2013. Thus, new developments and changes related to what is reported here that have occurred since the spring of 2013 are not reflected in our data, findings, analysis, or recommendations.What follows is an overview of the methodology and conceptual framework driving the design and analysis of our scan research, a detailed summary of what we learned about the landscape for family engagement and leadership in Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS), a scan of current community-based organizations' (CBOs) work and capacity for supporting family engagement and leadership, and recommendations of potential strategies for cultivating family engagement and education organizing in Pittsburgh

The Value of a Core Research Module in the Medical Curriculum

Introduction: Application of research methods to medical research is a key skill that students should acquire during medical school. The value of a mandatory research module for students in terms of their understanding of medical research and the academic outputs that arise from the module are yet to be evaluated, especially compared to research undertaken through different avenues. Method: Sheffield Medical Students were invited to complete a questionnaire on their thoughts of the research module, any academic outputs that arose from the module and any further research that they had undertaken outside the module. Ordinal regression analysis was used to assess for differences between groups’ answers to the Likert scales. Results: 101 students answered the questionnaire. 72.3% of students agreed that the module increased their knowledge of medical research, while fewer students agreed that it increased their interest in research and desire to undertake further research. Undergraduates agreed that the module increased their knowledge more than postgraduates (p = 0.048). There were no differences between the type of research project undertaken and students’ opinions of the module. Students gained more academic outputs, i.e. journal submissions and conference presentations, from research undertaken outside of the module. Discussion: This research found that students’ main benefit from the module was increased knowledge of medical research, in agreement with previous studies. Limitations of the study included gaining no information on respondents’ age and previous research experience, which may have had an impact on their opinion of the research module

Fine-Needle Aspiration Cytology of Epithelioid Leiomyoblastoma

Purpose. Epithelioid leiomyoblastomas comprise the majority of gastric sarcomas and are uncommon in other parts of the gastrointestinal tract. Diagnosis of this lesion by fine-needle aspiration cytology has been occasionally described in the literature. Two additional cases are herein reported

Breaking the Iron Triangle: The Impact of Information Sufficiency on Project Portfolio Decisions

IT project governance is plagued by an inability to stop projects that ultimately fail, resulting in the loss of scarce resourcesand IT departments unable to generate full value for money invested. This study investigates the impact of the measurementinformation framework on information sufficiency, a key factor in reaching effective decisions. Specifically, this researchaddresses the question “Does a Balanced Scorecard (BSC) measurement information framework provide higher informationsufficiency and greater decision making efficacy than the traditional Quality-Cost-Schedule approach in a project governancecontext?” This question is addressed using a randomized counterbalanced experimental design. Results were encouragingwith significant support for two of the three hypotheses positing improved outcomes from use of the Balanced Scorecardframework

Investigating how the hand interacts with different mobile phones

In this paper we investigate the physical interaction between the hand and three types of mobile device interaction: touchscreen, physical keyboard and stylus. Through a controlled study using video observational analysis, we observed firstly, how the participants gripped the three devices and how these grips were device dependent. Secondly we looked closely at these grips to uncover how participants performed what we call micro-movements to facilitate a greater range of interaction, e.g. reaching across the keyboard. The results extend current knowledge by comparing three handheld device input methods and observing the movements, which the hand makes in five grips. The paper concludes by describing the development of a conceptual design, proposed as a provocation for the opening of dialogue on how we conceive hand usage and how it might be optimized when designed for mobile devices

Effects of partial substitution of dietary fish oil with blends of vegetable oils, on blood leukocyte fatty acid compositions, immune function and histology in European sea bass, (Dicentrarchus labrax L.)

Within a decade or so insufficient fish oil (FO) will be available to meet the requirements for aquaculture growth. Consequently, alternative sources are being investigated to reduce reliance on wild fish as a source of FO. Vegetable oils (VO) are a feasible alternative to FO. However, it is important to establish that alternative dietary lipids are not only supplied in the correct quantities and balance for optimal growth, but can maintain immune function and prevent infection, since it is known that the nutritional state of the fish can influence their immune function and disease resistance. A way of maintaining immune function, while replacing dietary FO, is by using a blend of VOs rather than a single oil. In this study, juvenile European sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax, were fed diets with a 60 % substitution of FO with a blend of rapeseed (RO), linseed (LO) and palm oils (PO). Two oil blends were used to achieve a fatty acid composition similar to FO, in terms of energy content and provide a similar balance of saturates, monounsaturates and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Fish were fed the diets for 64 weeks, after which time growth and fatty acid compositions of liver and blood leukocytes were monitored. The impact of the dietary blends on selected innate immune responses and histopathology were also assessed, together with levels of plasma prostaglandin E2. The results suggest that potential exists for replacing FO with a VO blend farmed sea bass feeds without compromising growth, non-specific immune function or histology

Mapping the Digitisation Workflow in a University Herbarium

Specimens or objects in natural history collections hold substantial research and cultural value that is enhanced where these items are made digitally available. Benefits of digitisation include increasing open access to collection-based biodiversity data, increasing productivity of scientific research, enabling novel research applications of digitally accessible data, reducing preservation requirements through reduced object handling, and expanding potential for “remote curation” in collections. However, the time available for object and data digitisation is limited for most collections. Well documented digitisation workflows can ensure that curation time is efficiently applied to achieve digitisation outputs, and that digitisation standards are consistently applied within and among projects.While this case study focused on the generation of digitisation workflows in a medium-sized Australian university-based herbarium, the findings of this study are relevant to collections globally. The curation workflows comprise a set of modular steps required for the digitisation of herbarium specimen data and images. Steps are clearly identified as requiring human-mediation versus those that can be automated, those that require on-site versus remote-access, and those that require transfer or transformation of data or files. This clarity enables consideration of the opportunities and challenges for increasing efficiencies for collection-based digitisation, data and file management. The maps provide a contextual framework for herbarium-based digitisation pathways for those who work with specimen-derived biodiversity data, and an insight into these tools for those who are not familiar with herbarium protocols