Infrasonic observations of large-scale HE events

The Los Alamos Infrasound Program has been operating since about mid-1982, making routine measurements of low frequency atmospheric acoustic propagation. Generally, the authors work between 0.1 Hz to 10 Hz; however, much of the work is concerned with the narrower range of 0.5 to 5.0 Hz. Two permanent stations, St. George, UT, and Los Alamos, NM, have been operational since 1983, collecting data 24 hours a day. For the purposes of this discussion, the authors concentrate on their measurements of large, high explosive (HE) events at ranges of 250 km to 5330 km. Because their equipment is well suited for mobile deployments, they can easily establish temporary observing sites for special events. The measurements are from the permanent sites, as well as from various temporary sites. A few observations that are typical of the full data set are given

Influential Article Review - Sustainable “Edutainment” Practices in Tourism

This paper examines sustainability. We present insights from a highly influential paper. Here are the highlights from this paper: The aim of the paper is to present and discuss, using a fieldwork approach, the pillars and the outcomes of sustainable business models in the tourism sector. After having traced the theoretical framework, which combines the literary strands of sustainable tourism and sustainable business model, the work is centered on the analysis of an exemplary case-study. On the basis of an action-research approach, it focuses on the experience of Costa Edutainment Spa, Italian leader in the management of public and private structures dedicated to recreational, cultural and educational activities. Findings show that that the CSR and sustainability orientation which affects the business model lies on both the culture and the identity of the company which is characterized since its foundation by a deep socio-economic involvement. Promoted by the entrepreneurial family. Moreover, the set of key values (responsibility towards people, the environment and the society) and external factors affecting the cultural and touristic sector the company belongs to, favour the development of educational projects addressed to stakeholders (customers, suppliers, scientific community, research centres) aimed at building up innovative paths of sustainability. For our overseas readers, we then present the insights from this paper in Spanish, French, Portuguese, and German

Involvement of p53 and RB-1 in the immortalisation of human cells / Noel Whitaker.

Normal diploid mammalian cells undergo a finite number of population doublings in culture before they undergo senescence [Hayflick & Moorhead, 1961]. In contrast, tumours often contain "immortalised" cells that exhibit an apparently unlimited in vitro and in vivo proliferative potential. Fusion of normal and immortalised cells usually results in hybrids with limited proliferative potential [Bunn & Tarrant, 1980; Muggleton-Harris & DeSimone, 1980] indicating that immortalisation is probably due to loss of normal gene function. Similarly, fusion of different immortalised human cell lines with each other often results in mortal hybrids, indicating that the cell lines have become immortalised via different genetic events. Such studies have identified at least four complementation groups for immortalisation, referred to as groups A, B, C and D (Pereira—Smith & Smith, 1988)

Somatic cell hybridisation analysis of SV40-immortalised human cells

Immortalisation is an important aspect of cancer cell biology. Whereas normal diploid mammalian cells have a finite lifespan in culture [Hayflick and Moorhead, 1961], tumours often contain cells that exhibit an apparently unlimited proliferative potential. In many experimental systems immortalisation appears to be an obligatory prerequisite for the induction of tumours [e.g. Newbold and Overell, 1983; O'Brien et al., 1986; Reddel et al., 1988b]. Human cells rarely, if ever, spontaneously immortalise in vitro but transfer of genes from DNA tumour viruses (e.g. simian virus 40 (SV40) early region genes) into normal human cells sometimes induces immortalisation [reviewed in Chang, 1986]. SV40 early region genes usually extend the in vitro lifespan of normal human cells, but immortalisation occurs only in rare variant cells that grow out after a period of crisis. These genes are therefore not sufficient for immortalisation. and presumably cellular genetic events are required for escape from crisis that results in immortalisation. The nature of these putative genetic changes is currently unknown. Somatic cell hybridisation studies indicate that the immortal phenotype is recessive, since hybrids between normal and immortal cells undergo senescence [Bunn and Tarrant, 1980; Muggleton-Ha rris and DeSimone, 1980; Pereira—Smith and Smith, 1981]. This technique has also been used to assign immortalised human cells to four complementation groups for immortality (referred to as groups A-D) [Pereira-Smit h and Smith, 1988]. By definition, when cell lines from different complementation groups are fused, some or all of the hybrids undergo senescence, i.e. complementation occurs to yield the senescent phenotype. With the exception of one SV40-immortalised cell line derived from an individual with a DNA repair deficiency, all SV40-immortalised cell lines previously analysed have been assigned to group A, which may imply that SV40 always induces immortalisation via the same cellular genetic event(s) [Pereira-Smith and Smith, 1988]. In order to use SV40-immortalised cells to study the processes of immortalisation, it is necessary to determine whether SV40-immortalised cell lines may be found in other complementa tion groups. This project studies a human bronchial epithelial cell line (BET-1A) and a human mesothelial cell line (MeT—5A) that were established following transfection of normal human bronchial epithelial and normal human mesothelial cells respecively, with a plasmid containing the SV40 early region genes [Reddel et al., 1988a; Ke et al., 1989]. Fusion with representatives of each of the four immortalisat ion complementation groups showed that both BET-1A and MeT-5A are not in complementa tion group A. BET-1A assigned to group D, but MeT-5A appeared to be in more than one complementa tion group. All of the hybrids continued to express the SV40 T antigen genes regardless of whether they eventually senesced or remained immortal, confirming that expression of these genes is not sufficient for immortalisat ion. Further, some hybrid clones which remained immortal were suppressed for tumourigenicity, demonstrating that induction of senescence is not necessary for tumour suppression

Breastfeeding, breast milk and viruses

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There is seemingly consistent and compelling evidence that there is no association between breastfeeding and breast cancer. An assumption follows that milk borne viruses cannot be associated with human breast cancer.</p> <p>We challenge this evidence because past breastfeeding studies did not determine "exposure" of newborn infants to colostrum and breast milk.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We conducted a prospective review of 100 consecutive births of infants in the same centre to determine the proportion of newborn infants who were "exposed" to colostrum or breast milk, as distinct from being fully breast fed. We also report a review of the breastfeeding practices of mothers of over 87,000 newborn infants in the Australian State of New South Wales.</p> <p>This study was approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of the University of New South Wales (Sydney, Australia). Approval 05063, 29 September 2005.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Virtually all (97 of 100) newborn infants in this centre were "exposed" to colostrum or breast milk whether or not they were fully breast fed. Between 82.2% to 98.7% of 87,000 newborn infants were "exposed" to colostrum or breast milk.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In some Western communities there is near universal exposure of new born infants to colostrum and breast milk. Accordingly it is possible for the transmission of human milk borne viruses. This is contrary to the widespread assumption that human milk borne viruses cannot be associated with breast cancer.</p

Sydney Network of University Science Educators (SNUSE): I must have dozed off!

SNUSE was formed in 2004 to facilitate collaboration between academics from University of New South Wales, The University of Sydney, University of Technology Sydney, University of Western Sydney and Macquarie University interested in learning and teaching. While this community of practice was energetic and successful in its aims in its early stages, it is now in much need of reinvigoration. We propose an "ideas exchange" and invite anyone interested in re-energising SNUSE. Feedback from the survey of SNUSE members last year indicated: 1) that a forum such as Uniserve is appropriate for a relaunch of this network, and 2) that devising strategic ways forward to develop our education research are important to the group. Topics for discussion will include laboratory teaching, including peer reviewed laboratory exercises, and professional development of sessional teaching staff, features of a recent meeting of ADEs from around Australia. Through this workshop we hope that we can re-engage existing members, recruit new members to SNUSE, fostering a new wave of collaboration in tertiary education in science in Sydney and identify ways to improve collaboration. Background information about SNUSE can be found at http://www2.science.unsw.edu.au/guide/slatig/snuse.htm

How does a high school outreach program engage our future scientists?

The Secondary School Enrichment Program (SSEP) is one of the outreach initiatives developed in the Faculty of Science, The University of New South Wales (UNSW). In the face of declining enrolments in the enabling sciences, the program seeks to foster a culture of academic generosity by bringing our current and future scientists together to participate in authentic scientific research. Developed jointly with a local, non-selective but high performing secondary school, the SSEP aims to draw talented students into university science degree programs, particularly in the enabling science disciplines. The SSEP provides secondary school students with an insight into university campus life and how research is conducted via their participation in a research project, under the mentorship of science PhD students. Since its inception three years ago, the program has obtained consistently positive feedback from the participants. However, in order to better understand the benefits of such a program, this paper investigates the program’s perceived educational benefits for these students through pre- and post-program surveys. The program’s effectiveness will be defined in terms of (a) students’ interest in science; (b) providing an authentic scientific experience, (c) introduction to campus life, and (d) increased interest in tertiary study, tertiary study of science and study at UNSW. Here, we share our experiences in developing and coordinating the program, and evaluating its success in achieving the above objectives. Discussion will focus on exploring the usefulness of such programs to reinvigorate interest in tertiary study in science, and the feasibility of expanding the program

Science without Borders: students’ perceptions of international exchange

Scientists view their disciplines as being practiced collaboratively with discussion and debate ignoring national borders. Clearly the international arena cannot be understated for our practice of research and its importance to infuse the global nature of science into science education. In an exchange program developed between the Faculties of Science at an Asian university (NUS) and an Australian university (UNSW), students were provided an opportunity to study science in another University, in a foreign country. To define the educational benefits of the exchange program, we obtained responses from UNSW and NUS science students, through pre- and post-program questionnaires, regarding their perceptions of the program and their motivations for joining the program. Students from both Universities appreciated participating in the program and found it met their expectations, with “development of inter and intrapersonal and self management skills” and “learning more about the host country’s culture, wildlife and environment” being most prominent. However, the two cohorts differed in their sense of the level of integration of the exchange program into their science degrees. UNSW students view Science without Borders (SwoB) as sitting outside their core curriculum whereas the NUS students view their Australian experience as very much a part of their degree program. This means that there is a mismatch between the perceptions of the students in the SWoB program and the way science is practiced. This paper provides background to the SWoB program, an analysis of the student experience as well as a critique of the current ‘global positioning’ of higher education in the sciences, as we grapple with increasing ‘global literacy’ in science

Using Threshold Concepts to generate a new understanding of teaching and learning Biology

Students come to tertiary institutions with misconceptions of key concepts in the disciplines they are studying. Their misconceptions commonly relate to conceptually difficult or troublesome knowledge (Perkins 1999) and can be: incomplete, contradictory, stable and highly resistant to change and remain intact despite repeated instruction at successively higher levels, being perhaps reinforced by teachers and textbooks (Driver 1983; Driver, Guesne and Tiberghien, 1985; Gabel 1994). For sometime, we have known that a range of concepts in Biology are conceptually difficult e.g. biochemical pathways, evolution and genetics (Brown 1995; Ross and Tronson 2007, Taylor 2006, 2008), but whether these are the ‘threshold concepts’ of (Meyer and Land 1995) is a question that needs to be explored further. We propose an alternative perspective where threshold crossing can be envisaged more productively as a cognitive process with students transported across a conceptual chasm or threshold. Misconceptions may then lie with an underlying ‘cognitive threshold’ and not a ‘threshold concept’ (Ross et al 2008). This current ALTC funded collaborative project involves three Australian universities and aims to identify the cognitive processes which underlie difficult Biological concepts; develop intervention strategies to improve students’ framework of conceptual understanding, in one or more related concept areas (that is, to help the students cross a conceptual threshold); test whether students can subsequently transfer this thinking process to aid their understanding of other similarly difficult concepts (that is, to see if they have learnt how to cross unfamiliar thresholds). In this paper we present the preliminary results of a survey which asked biology academics (both nationally and internationally) to identify troublesome biological concepts in their teaching, describe the cognitive process that underlies them which may determine why they are troublesome, and to identify the links they perceive with our nominated cognitive thresholds

Threshold Concepts: Challenging the Way We Think, Teach and Learn in Biology and Science

Meyer and Land (2003, 2005) proposed the notion of ‘threshold concepts’, which are central to the mastery of a specific discipline due to their transformative, irreversible and integrative nature. Using the methodology of Davies and Mangan (2007) we interviewed novice students (58) and expert academic staff (11) from three Australian universities and conducted an international survey of academics (55) to identify differences in novice and expert conceptions. We matched these data with understandings from the ‘misconceptions’ literature to create the ‘biology thresholds matrix’. The matrix demonstrates that threshold concepts in biology are not necessarily the troublesome content, but rather the tacit understandings of the discipline (Taylor, 2006, 2008; Ross & Tronson, 2007, Ross, Taylor, Hughes, Kofod, Whitaker, Lutze-Mann & Tzioumis, 2010). These are often not explicitly taught (Perkins, 2006) yet underpin difficult content areas including: energy and energy transformation, variation, probability and randomness, proportionality and surface area to volume ratio, dynamic equilibrium, linking the subcellular (submicroscopic) with the macroscopic, temporal and spatial scales (Ross et al., 2010), and the formulation and testing of hypotheses (Taylor & Meyer, 2010). These threshold concepts are not hierarchical in nature, but form a web of epistemes which has commonalities with tacit understandings in other science disciplines