The use of an iPad as a classroom tool

The Apple i line has been steadily increasing in popularity and many educators believe these devices offer great potential as instructional adjuncts. Many schools (including colleges) have begun issuing iPads to students with the assumption that they would enhance the students\u27 educational experience. Little experimental evidence has been produced supporting this claim. This study was an attempt to experimentally evaluate the effectiveness of iPads on learning educational material. Participant\u27s interest and enjoyment while using the iPad versus traditional material presentation (paper images or physical models) were also examined. Participants were randomly assigned to learn 24 anatomical brain structures using one of three conditions; 1) control color paper images, 2) plastic anatomical model, and 3) iPad application 3-D Brain , produced by Dolan DNA Learning Center. Participants were given 10-minutes with their assigned material and were then immediately tested on the material. The results demonstrated that learning & memory performance using the iPad was significantly better than the plastic model, and no different from paper pictures. Compared to the plastic model, participants also reported that they enjoyed the task more, felt more prepared, felt their performance was better, and would be more likely to take a class using the iPad. A gender difference was also discovered, suggesting that females might benefit more from the use of the iPad than males. The limitations and implications of these findings are discussed

Dinoflagellate Cysts Track Eutrophication In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico

We examined organic-walled dinoflagellate cysts from one 210Pb-dated sediment core and 39 surface sediment samples from the northern Gulf of Mexico to determine the relationship between nutrient enrichment and cyst assemblages in this region characterized by oxygen deficiency. The core spans from 1962 to 1997 and its sampling location is directly influenced by the Mississippi River plume. Surface sediments were collected in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2014 and represent approximately 1 to 4 years of accumulation. A total of 57 cyst taxa were recorded, and four heterotrophic taxa in particular were found to increase in the top section (1986–1997) of the core—Brigantedinium spp., cysts of Archaeperidinium minutum, cysts of Polykrikos kofoidii, and Quinquecuspis concreta. These taxa show a similar increasing trend with variations in US fertilizer consumption and Mississippi River nitrate concentrations, both of which increased substantially in the 1970s and 1980s. The same four heterotrophic taxa dominated dinoflagellate cyst assemblages collected near the Mississippi River Bird’s Foot Delta where nutrient concentrations were higher, especially in 2014. We propose that these cyst taxa can be used as indicators of eutrophication in the Gulf of Mexico. A canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) supports this proposition. The CCA identified sea-surface nutrient concentrations, sea-surface temperature, and sea-surface salinity as the most important factors influencing the cyst assemblages. In addition, cysts produced by the potentially toxic dinoflagellates Pyrodinium bahamense and Lingulodinium polyedrum were documented, but did not appear to have increased over the past 50 years

Online Divorce Education: Learning from Participants Who Want More

Divorce education is designed for divorcing parents with minor children, and in a growing number of states, participation has become court-mandated to finalize a divorce. To increase accessibility, some states have adopted brief, online formats for divorce education programming. Evaluations are encouraging; however, less is known about how opinions on course length relate to participants’ views on the benefits of their participation. This study analyzed qualitative data from parents (n = 41) who thought their mandated divorce education course was too short. Results indicate that participants thought the course increased their knowledge of divorce-related matters. They also suggested improvements related to course content priorities. These findings may inform Extension specialists, family life practitioners, and program planners working to improve the delivery of online divorce education programs

Influence Of The Mississippi River On Pseudo-nitzschia spp. Abundance And Toxicity In Louisiana Coastal Waters

The presence of domoic acid (DA) toxin from multiple species of Pseudo-nitzschia is a concern in the highly productive food webs of the northern 1,* 2,3 2 1 1,4 1 1 2 3 4 Gulf of Mexico. We documented the Pseudo-­nitzschia presence, abundance, blooms, and toxicity over 3 years along a transect ∼100 km west of the Mississippi River Delta on the continental shelf. Pseudo-nitzschia were present throughout the year and occurred in high abundances (\u3e10 cells l ) in the early spring months during high Mississippi River (MSR) flow (∼20,000 m s ) but were most abundant (\u3e10 cells l ) when MSR discharge was relatively lower among the spring months. A high particulate toxin production (maximum reaching 13 μg DA l ) was associated with the high cell abundances and exceeded, by an order of magnitude, prior reports of particulate DA concentrations in Louisiana coastal waters. Differences in Pseudo-­nitzschia peak times and its toxicity were correlated mainly with the timing and magnitude of MSR discharge and changes in associated parameters such as nutrient stoichiometry and salinity. A negative relationship between high MSR discharge and Pseudo-­nitzschia and particulate DA concentrations was documented. These riverine dynamics have the potential to influence DA contamination in pelagic and benthic food webs in the coastal waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico

The Structure of Pre-transitional Protoplanetary Disks I: Radiative Transfer Modeling of the Disk+Cavity in the PDS 70 system

Through detailed radiative transfer modeling, we present a disk+cavity model to simultaneously explain both the SED and Subaru H-band polarized light imaging for the pre-transitional protoplanetary disk PDS 70. Particularly, we are able to match not only the radial dependence, but also the absolute scale, of the surface brightness of the scattered light. Our disk model has a cavity 65 AU in radius, which is heavily depleted of sub-micron-sized dust grains, and a small residual inner disk which produces a weak but still optically thick NIR excess in the SED. To explain the contrast of the cavity edge in the Subaru image, a factor of ~1000 depletion for the sub-micron-sized dust inside the cavity is required. The total dust mass of the disk may be on the order of 1e-4 M_sun, only weakly constrained due to the lack of long wavelength observations and the uncertainties in the dust model. The scale height of the sub-micron-sized dust is ~6 AU at the cavity edge, and the cavity wall is optically thick in the vertical direction at H-band. PDS 70 is not a member of the class of (pre-)transitional disks identified by Dong et al. (2012), whose members only show evidence of the cavity in the millimeter-sized dust but not the sub-micron-sized dust in resolved images. The two classes of (pre-)transitional disks may form through different mechanisms, or they may just be at different evolution stages in the disk clearing process.Comment: 28 pages (single column), 7 figures, 1 table, ApJ accepte

Constitutive Activation of the Src Family Kinase Hck Results in Spontaneous Pulmonary Inflammation and an Enhanced Innate Immune Response

To identify the physiological role of Hck, a functionally redundant member of the Src family of tyrosine kinases expressed in myelomonocytic cells, we generated HckF/F “knock-in” mice which carry a targeted tyrosine (Y) to phenylalanine (F) substitution of the COOH-terminal, negative regulatory Y499-residue in the Hck protein. Unlike their Hck−/− “loss-of-function” counterparts, HckF/F “gain-of-function” mice spontaneously acquired a lung pathology characterized by extensive eosinophilic and mononuclear cell infiltration within the lung parenchyma, alveolar airspaces, and around blood vessels, as well as marked epithelial mucus metaplasia in conducting airways. Lungs from HckF/F mice showed areas of mild emphysema and pulmonary fibrosis, which together with inflammation resulted in altered lung function and respiratory distress in aging mice. When challenged transnasally with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), HckF/F mice displayed an exaggerated pulmonary innate immune response, characterized by excessive release of matrix metalloproteinases and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)α. Similarly, HckF/F mice were highly sensitive to endotoxemia after systemic administration of LPS, and macrophages and neutrophils derived from HckF/F mice exhibited enhanced effector functions in vitro (e.g., nitric oxide and TNFα production, chemotaxis, and degranulation). Based on the demonstrated functional association of Hck with leukocyte integrins, we propose that constitutive activation of Hck may mimic adhesion-dependent priming of leukocytes. Thus, our observations collectively suggest an enhanced innate immune response in HckF/F mice thereby skewing innate immunity from a reversible physiological host defense response to one causing irreversible tissue damage

High-throughput identification of genotype-specific cancer vulnerabilities in mixtures of barcoded tumor cell lines.

Hundreds of genetically characterized cell lines are available for the discovery of genotype-specific cancer vulnerabilities. However, screening large numbers of compounds against large numbers of cell lines is currently impractical, and such experiments are often difficult to control. Here we report a method called PRISM that allows pooled screening of mixtures of cancer cell lines by labeling each cell line with 24-nucleotide barcodes. PRISM revealed the expected patterns of cell killing seen in conventional (unpooled) assays. In a screen of 102 cell lines across 8,400 compounds, PRISM led to the identification of BRD-7880 as a potent and highly specific inhibitor of aurora kinases B and C. Cell line pools also efficiently formed tumors as xenografts, and PRISM recapitulated the expected pattern of erlotinib sensitivity in vivo

Evaluating a Technology-Mediated HPV Vaccination Awareness Intervention: A Controlled, Quasi-Experimental, Mixed Methods Study

College-aged women and men are an important catch-up population for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination interventions. Limited research has explored technology-mediated HPV vaccination awareness interventions aimed at college students. The purpose was to evaluate a novel, technology-mediated, social media-based intervention to promote HPV vaccination among college students. A controlled, quasi-experimental, mixed methods study examined the feasibility of a technology-based intervention among two undergraduate classes ( = 58) at a public university in the southeastern United States of America. Classes were randomized to receive one of two cancer prevention programs (i.e., HPV vaccination (intervention) or healthy weight (control)). Both programs contained eight technology-mediated sessions, including weekly emails and private Facebook group posts. Participants completed pre-/post-test surveys and submitted weekly qualitative reflections. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic review for qualitative data. Knowledge improved among participants in the HPV vaccination intervention relative to those in the control condition. Participants (97%) interacted on Facebook by liking a post or comment or posting a comment. Participants demonstrated robust engagement and high treatment satisfaction. Results suggests that social media is an effective platform to reach college students with health promotion interventions and increase HPV vaccination awareness in this important catch-up population

Grandi Byen-supporting child growth and development through integrated, responsive parenting, nutrition and hygiene: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Poor child growth and development outcomes stem from complex relationships encompassing biological, behavioral, social, and environmental conditions. However, there is a dearth of research on integrated approaches targeting these interwoven factors. The Grandi Byen study seeks to fill this research gap through a three-arm longitudinal randomized controlled trial which will evaluate the impact of an integrated nutrition, responsive parenting, and WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) intervention on holistic child growth and development. METHODS: We will recruit 600 mother-infant dyads living in Cap-Haitien, Haiti and randomize them equally into one of the following groups: 1) standard well-baby care; 2) nutritional intervention (one egg per day for 6 months); and 3) multicomponent Grandi Byen intervention (responsive parenting, nutrition, WASH + one egg per day for 6 months). Primary outcomes include child growth as well as cognitive, language, motor, and social-emotional development. The study also assesses other indicators of child health (bone maturation, brain growth, diarrheal morbidity and allergies, dietary intake, nutrient biomarkers) along with responsive parenting as mediating factors influencing the primary outcomes. An economic evaluation will assess the feasibility of large-scale implementation of the interventions. DISCUSSION: This study builds on research highlighting the importance of responsive parenting interventions on overall child health, as well as evidence demonstrating that providing an egg daily to infants during the complementary feeding period can prevent stunted growth. The multicomponent Grandi Byen intervention may provide evidence of synergistic or mediating effects of an egg intervention with instruction on psychoeducational parenting and WASH on child growth and development. Grandi Byen presents key innovations with implications for the well-being of children living in poverty globally. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT04785352 . Registered March 5, 2021 at https://clinicaltrials.gov/