Elementary computer-mediated online distance education : identification of criteria for successful implementation and practice

This study had three purposes related to the effective implem,entation and practice of computer-mediated online distance education (C-MODE) at the elementary level: (a) To identify a preliminary framework of criteria 'or guidelines for effective implementation and practice, (b) to identify areas ofC-MODE for which criteria or guidelines of effectiveness have not yet been developed, and (c) to develop an implementation and practice criteria questionnaire based on a review of the distance education literature, and to use the questionnaire in an exploratory survey of elementary C-MODE practitioners. Using the survey instrument, the beliefs and attitudes of 16 elementary C'- MODE practitioners about what constitutes effective implementation and practice principles were investigated. Respondents, who included both administrators and instructors, provided information about themselves and the program in which they worked. They rated 101 individual criteria statenlents on a 5 point Likert scale with a \. point range that included the values: 1 (Strongly Disagree), 2 (Disagree), 3 (Neutral or Undecided), 4 (Agree), 5 (Strongly Agree). Respondents also provided qualitative data by commenting on the individual statements, or suggesting other statements they considered important. Eighty-two different statements or guidelines related to the successful implementation and practice of computer-mediated online education at the elementary level were endorsed. Response to a small number of statements differed significantly by gender and years of experience. A new area for investigation, namely, the role ofparents, which has received little attention in the online distance education literature, emerged from the findings. The study also identified a number of other areas within an elementary context where additional research is necessary. These included: (a) differences in the factors that determine learning in a distance education setting and traditional settings, (b) elementary students' ability to function in an online setting, (c) the role and workload of instructors, (d) the importance of effective, timely communication with students and parents, and (e) the use of a variety of media

Effect of Feeding L-Carnitine and Sunflower Seeds on CLA Content of Pasture-Fed Beef

Pasture finishing enhances levels of conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) in beef lipids (Shanta et al. 1997). CLA (e.g., C18:2 c9, t11), formed during biohydrogenation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the rumen, can reduce the incidence of heart disease, cancer and obesity in humans. However, pasture finishing cattle can reduce carcass grade. Feeding pasture-fed cattle a high-grain diet for a short finishing period (~60 d) improves grades but may reduce lipid CLA levels. A feeding regime is required that maintains the positive nutritional attributes of pasture-fed beef and improves the meat grade. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of adding sunflower seeds (SFS), a good source of PUFA (Mir et al. 2000), or carnitine, a vitamin-like compound shown to increase fat deposition and marbling in cattle, to finishing diets of pasture-fed cattle on lipid fatty acid profiles (FAP)

Global warming and population change both heighten future risk of human displacement due to river floods

Every year, millions of people around the world are being displaced from their homes due to climate-related disasters. River flooding is responsible for a large part of this displacement. Previous studies have shown that river flood risk is expected to change as a result of global warming and its effects on the hydrological cycle. At the same time, future scenarios of socio-economic development imply substantial population increases in many of the areas that presently experience disaster-induced displacement. Here we show that both global warming and population change are projected to lead to substantial increases in flood-induced displacement risk over the coming decades. We use a global climate-hydrology-inundation modelling chain, including multiple alternative climate and hydrological models, to quantify the effect of global warming on displacement risk assuming either current or projected future population distributions. Keeping population fixed at present levels, we find roughly a 50% increase in global displacement risk for every degree of global warming. Adding projected population changes further exacerbates these increases globally and in most world regions, with the relative global flood displacement risk is increasing by roughly 350% at the end of the 21st century, compared to an increase of 150% without the contribution of population change. While the resolution of the global models is limited, the effect of global warming is robust across greenhouse gas concentration scenarios, climate models and hydrological models. These findings indicate a need for rapid action on both climate mitigation and adaptation agendas in order to reduce future risks to vulnerable populations

Socio-economic status and lifestyle factors are associated with achalasia risk: a population-based case-control study.

AIM: To evaluate the association between various lifestyle factors and achalasia risk. METHODS: A population-based case-control study was conducted in Northern Ireland, including n = 151 achalasia cases and n = 117 age- and sex-matched controls. Lifestyle factors were assessed via a face-to-face structured interview. The association between achalasia and lifestyle factors was assessed by unconditional logistic regression, to produce odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: Individuals who had low-class occupations were at the highest risk of achalasia (OR = 1.88, 95%CI: 1.02-3.45), inferring that high-class occupation holders have a reduced risk of achalasia. A history of foreign travel, a lifestyle factor linked to upper socio-economic class, was also associated with a reduced risk of achalasia (OR = 0.59, 95%CI: 0.35-0.99). Smoking and alcohol consumption carried significantly reduced risks of achalasia, even after adjustment for socio-economic status. The presence of pets in the house was associated with a two-fold increased risk of achalasia (OR = 2.00, 95%CI: 1.17-3.42). No childhood household factors were associated with achalasia risk. CONCLUSION: Achalasia is a disease of inequality, and individuals from low socio-economic backgrounds are at highest risk. This does not appear to be due to corresponding alcohol and smoking behaviours. An observed positive association between pet ownership and achalasia risk suggests an interaction between endotoxin and viral infection exposure in achalasia aetiology

T1R3: A human calcium taste receptor

Many animals can detect the taste of calcium but it is unclear how or whether humans have this ability. We show here that calcium activates hTAS1R3-transfected HEK293 cells and that this response is attenuated by lactisole, an inhibitor of hT1R3. Moreover, trained volunteers report that lactisole reduces the calcium intensity of calcium lactate. Thus, humans can detect calcium by taste, T1R3 is a receptor responsible for this, and lactisole can reduce the taste perception of calcium by acting on T1R3

Align And Refine: Using The Taxonomy Of Significant Learning To Plan For FYS Faculty Development

Our faculty development (FD) work applies Dee Fink’s (2013) integrated course design model. In this article, we describe the situational factors related to supporting faculty who teach a required, academically-focused First Year Seminar course at a large public university. We then describe how we designed a suite of FD opportunities with goals that directly responded to those situational factors. Finally, we offer a process for designing FD initiatives that can work for other programs even when their situational factors and goals are different

Lectin-like bacteriocins from pseudomonas spp. utilise D-rhamnose containing lipopolysaccharide as a cellular receptor

Lectin-like bacteriocins consist of tandem monocot mannose-binding domains and display a genus-specific killing activity. Here we show that pyocin L1, a novel member of this family from Pseudomonas aeruginosa, targets susceptible strains of this species through recognition of the common polysaccharide antigen (CPA) of P. aeruginosa lipopolysaccharide that is predominantly a homopolymer of d-rhamnose. Structural and biophysical analyses show that recognition of CPA occurs through the C-terminal carbohydrate-binding domain of pyocin L1 and that this interaction is a prerequisite for bactericidal activity. Further to this, we show that the previously described lectin-like bacteriocin putidacin L1 shows a similar carbohydrate-binding specificity, indicating that oligosaccharides containing d-rhamnose and not d-mannose, as was previously thought, are the physiologically relevant ligands for this group of bacteriocins. The widespread inclusion of d-rhamnose in the lipopolysaccharide of members of the genus Pseudomonas explains the unusual genus-specific activity of the lectin-like bacteriocins