Adding Student Voice to the Mix: Perception Surveys and State Accountability Systems

For the past two decades, student perception surveys have become standard tools in data collection efforts. At the state level, however, “student voice” is still used sparingly. In this study, we examine the ways in which including student survey results might alter state accountability determinations. Reconstructing the accountability system in Massachusetts, we draw on a unique set of student survey data, which we add to the state’s formula at a maximally feasible dosage in order to determine new school ratings. As we find, student survey data shift school accountability ratings in small but meaningful ways and appear to enhance functional validity. Student survey results introduce information about school quality that is not captured by typical accountability metrics, correlate moderately with test score growth, and are not predicted by student demographic variables

A catalog of Nearby Poor Clusters of Galaxies

A catalog of 732 optically selected, nearby poor clusters of galaxies covering the entire sky north of $\rm -3^{\circ}$ declination is presented. The poor clusters, called WBL clusters, were identified as concentrations of 3 or more galaxies with photographic magnitudes brighter than 15.7, possessing a galaxy surface overdensity of $10^{4/3}$. These criteria are consistent with those used in the identification of the original Yerkes poor clusters, and this new catalog substantially increases the sample size of such objects. These poor clusters cover the entire range of galaxy associations up to and including Abell clusters, systematically including poor and rich galaxy systems spanning over three orders of magnitude in the cluster mass function. As a result, this new catalog contains a greater diversity of richness and structures than other group catalogs, such as the Hickson or Yerkes catalogs. The information on individual galaxies includes redshifts and cross-references to other galaxy catalogs. The entries for the clusters include redshift (where available) and cross-references to other group and cluster catalogs.Comment: 27 pages, 7 figures, + one 20-page landscape table, accepted for publication in A

Why Do Only Some Galaxy Clusters Have Cool Cores?

Flux-limited X-ray samples indicate that about half of rich galaxy clusters have cool cores. Why do only some clusters have cool cores while others do not? In this paper, cosmological N-body + Eulerian hydrodynamic simulations, including radiative cooling and heating, are used to address this question as we examine the formation and evolution of cool core (CC) and non-cool core (NCC) clusters. These adaptive mesh refinement simulations produce both CC and NCC clusters in the same volume. They have a peak resolution of 15.6 h^{-1} kpc within a (256 h^{-1} Mpc)^3 box. Our simulations suggest that there are important evolutionary differences between CC clusters and their NCC counterparts. Many of the numerical CC clusters accreted mass more slowly over time and grew enhanced cool cores via hierarchical mergers; when late major mergers occurred, the CC's survived the collisions. By contrast, NCC clusters experienced major mergers early in their evolution that destroyed embryonic cool cores and produced conditions that prevented CC re-formation. As a result, our simulations predict observationally testable distinctions in the properties of CC and NCC beyond the core regions in clusters. In particular, we find differences between CC versus NCC clusters in the shapes of X-ray surface brightness profiles, between the temperatures and hardness ratios beyond the cores, between the distribution of masses, and between their supercluster environs. It also appears that CC clusters are no closer to hydrostatic equilibrium than NCC clusters, an issue important for precision cosmology measurements.Comment: 17 emulateapj pages, 17 figures, replaced with version accepted to Ap

MP745: A Long-Term Study of an Oak Pine Forest Ecosystem: A Brief Overview of the Holt Research Forest

This publication provides an overview of the long-term forest ecosystem project at the Holt Research Forest in Arrowsic, Maine. It is based on nearly 16 years of work by an interdisciplinary team from the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture, including faculty, professional staff, visiting scientists, University of Maine graduate students, and undergraduate field assistants. We hope this publication will be useful to other researchers, to our workshop participants, and to others interested in forest ecosystem science.https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/aes_miscpubs/1029/thumbnail.jp

Adjusting bone mass for differences in projected bone area and other confounding variables: an allometric perspective.

The traditional method of assessing bone mineral density (BMD; given by bone mineral content [BMC] divided by projected bone area [Ap], BMD = BMC/Ap) has come under strong criticism by various authors. Their criticism being that the projected bone "area" (Ap) will systematically underestimate the skeletal bone "volume" of taller subjects. To reduce the confounding effects of bone size, an alternative ratio has been proposed called bone mineral apparent density [BMAD = BMC/(Ap)3/2]. However, bone size is not the only confounding variable associated with BMC. Others include age, sex, body size, and maturation. To assess the dimensional relationship between BMC and projected bone area, independent of other confounding variables, we proposed and fitted a proportional allometric model to the BMC data of the L2-L4 vertebrae from a previously published study. The projected bone area exponents were greater than unity for both boys (1.43) and girls (1.02), but only the boy's fitted exponent was not different from that predicted by geometric similarity (1.5). Based on these exponents, it is not clear whether bone mass acquisition increases in proportion to the projected bone area (Ap) or an estimate of projected bone volume (Ap)3/2. However, by adopting the proposed methods, the analysis will automatically adjust BMC for differences in projected bone size and other confounding variables for the particular population being studied. Hence, the necessity to speculate as to the theoretical value of the exponent of Ap, although interesting, becomes redundant

Optimised insert design for improved single-molecule imaging and quantification through CRISPR-Cas9 mediated knock-in

© 2019, The Author(s). The use of CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing to introduce endogenously expressed tags has the potential to address a number of the classical limitations of single molecule localisation microscopy. In this work we present the first systematic comparison of inserts introduced through CRISPR-knock in, with the aim of optimising this approach for single molecule imaging. We show that more highly monomeric and codon optimised variants of mEos result in improved expression at the TubA1B locus, despite the use of identical guides, homology templates, and selection strategies. We apply this approach to target the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) CXCR4 and show a further insert dependent effect on expression and protein function. Finally, we show that compared to over-expressed CXCR4, endogenously labelled samples allow for accurate single molecule quantification on ligand treatment. This suggests that despite the complications evident in CRISPR mediated labelling, the development of CRISPR-PALM has substantial quantitative benefits

Stroke Induces Prolonged Changes in Lipid Metabolism, the Liver and Body Composition in Mice

Acknowledgements We would like to thank the Biological Services Facility at the University of Manchester for expert animal husbandry and Karen Davies who helped with the MRI. The Histology Facility equipment that was used in this study was purchased by the University of Manchester Strategic Fund. Special thanks goes to Peter Walker for their help with the histology. Funding information This work was supported by the Kohn Foundation, an Edward Bonham Carter Doctoral Scholarship, an EPSRC/MRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Regenerative Medicine studentship grant (EP/L014904/1), and the Medical Research Council (MR/K501311/1).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Strengthening HPV vaccination delivery: findings from a qualitative service evaluation of the adolescent girls' HPV vaccination programme in England.

BACKGROUND: In 2014, the number of HPV vaccine doses given to adolescent girls as part of the English school-based immunization programme was reduced from three to two. This was based on evidence that a two-dose schedule provides long-lasting protection against HPV infection. In 2015/16 a small decline in HPV vaccination coverage in adolescent girls was noted; from 86.7% for the three-dose schedule in 2013/14 to 85.1% for the two-dose schedule. This evaluation examined whether service-related factors contributed to this decline. METHODS: In May-August 2017, we conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with 39 participants responsible for commissioning or delivering immunization programmes in six local authorities in the South West, North Central Midlands and South Central Midlands, England. RESULTS: Effective planning and data management were key for successful service provision of HPV vaccination, as well as close collaboration between commissioners, service providers and data system managers, a team skill mix with experienced staff, pro-active engagement with schools and service providers equipped to respond to parental concerns. CONCLUSIONS: To maintain and improve the high HPV adolescent girls' vaccine coverage rates achieved in England, in the context of an expanding school-based immunization programme, it is essential to strengthen the organizational capacity of the delivery system

Field and Petrographic Analysis of the Indian Peak-Caliente Caldera Complex at Condor and English Canyons in Eastern Nevada

The Indian Peak-Caliente Caldera Complex, or IPCCC, is an ideal site to study how large-scale tectonic forces can influence mineralogy on a local scale. This research was completed and compiled by the Tectonics and Mineralogy classes at Southern Utah University during a joint class field study and subsequent laboratory analyses. During the field trip, the main focuses were to observe caldera collapse relationships and ignimbrite features and to collect samples at Condor Canyon and English Canyon, two sites near the border between Nevada and Utah within the IPCCC. After the field trip, the Tectonics class completed a detailed literature review of the overall tectonic evolution of the region while the Mineralogy students petrographically analyzed the collected samples. This report provides a summary of the results, including mineralogical descriptions; an interpretation of a piece-meal, or piston-like, collapse of the caldera complex; and a connection between the local geology and the regional tectonic setting