46 research outputs found
Student Success and Time Management in College Algebra
The panel will illustrate how the students’ completion of the instructional system ALEKS objectives correlates with student success and retention rates. The panel will also discuss the influence of factors such as time management on success and the promotion of good study practices for students using computer-based learning systems
Environmental flow sustainability in the Lower Limpopo River Basin, Mozambique
Study region: This study focuses on the Lower Limpopo River basin (LLRB) in Mozambique, Africa. Study focus: Maintaining environmental flows necessary for ecosystem sustainability represents a significant challenge to water resource management. In this study the sustainability of LLRB was evaluated by comparing hydrologic availability with ecological and anthropogenic needs. Current river ecological status was scored with a habitat integrity index verified through ground-truthing field surveys and aerial imagery data. Local stakeholder interviews were used to further evaluate the habitat index scores. Deficiencies between water availability and ecological-human requirements were assessed with a water scarcity index.
New Hydrological Insights for the Region: Four environmental flow categories defined as "Excellent", "Fair", "Poor", and "Degraded" coincided to approximately 50 %, 39 %, 27 %, and 14 % of the natural mean annual flow, respectively. Stakeholder interview responses indicated annual water shortages currently occur between August and November and coincide with "Poor" and "Degraded" environmental flow conditions. Water supplies appear to meet consumption needs when calculated on an annual basis with the water scarcity index. However, when calculated monthly, there is not enough to meet human water demand between August and October. This deficit period will likely expand from June to November due to projected increases in future water demands. As the greatest water use in the basin is agricultural irrigation, long-term environmental flows sustainability will likely depend upon effective irrigation management
Characterizing a Shallow Groundwater System beneath Irrigated Sugarcane with Electrical Resistivity and Radon (222Rn), Puunene, Hawai
In this study, we use a combination of electrical resistivity profiling and radon (222Rn) measurements to characterize a shallow groundwater system beneath the last remaining, largescale sugarcane plantation on Maui, Hawaii. Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company has continuously operated a sugarcane plantation on the western flank of Haleakala Volcano since 1878. The sugarcane is irrigated with a combination of surface water brought through tunnels from the wetter, eastern flank of Haleakala Volcano and groundwater from wells within the plantation. To assess the flow of irrigation water through the shallow subsurface, we collected a representative topo-sequence of four 2-D resistivity profiles that sample different topographic and hydrologic settings within the plantation. The profiles show a down-slope-thickening (0 to 20 m), surficial low-resistivity (10-200 Ohm-m) layer extending from the upslope limit of irrigated sugarcane to the lowest elevations of the plantation. At a canal crossing, the low resistivity layer thickens and is less resistive upslope of the canal. Beneath a reservoir at midelevation, the layer thickens to 20 m and curves down slope beneath the reservoir and up to the base of the field beyond. At the base of the slope, the low resistivity layer is 20-m thick below both fields and a second reservoir. An increase in radon concentration in the down-flow direction within the canal system at one location suggests groundwater infiltration into the canal. We attribute the low-resistivity layer to irrigation water that has infiltrated below the root zone and leaked from canals and reservoirs within the plantation. The water flows down slope to the base of the slope and there flows vertically, recharging the basal aquifer. We suggest that seepage from the canals and reservoirs is in part controlled by the local pressure head within the shallow flow system
Resonant inelastic x-ray scattering study of the electronic structure of CuO
A resonant inelastic x-ray scattering study of the electronic structure of
the semiconductor cuprous oxide, , is reported. When the incident
x-ray energy is tuned to the Cu K-absorption edge, large enhancements of the
spectral features corresponding to the electronic transitions between the
valence band and the conduction band are observed. A feature at 6.5 eV can be
well described by an interband transition from occupied states of mostly Cu 3d
charactor to unoccupied states with mixed 3d, 4s and 2p character. In addition,
an insulating band gap is observed, and the momentum dependence of the lower
bound is measured along the direction. This is found to be in good
agreement with the valence band dispersion measured with angle-resolved
photoemission spectroscopy.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure
Volume 02
Introduction from Dean Dr. Charles Ross
Mike\u27s Nite: New Jazz for an Old Instrument by Joseph A. Mann
Investigation of the use of Cucumis Sativus for Remediation Of Chromium from Contaminated Environmental Matrices: An Interdisciplinary Instrumental Analysis Project by Kathryn J. Greenly, Scott E. Jenkins, and Andrew E. Puckette
Development of GC-MS and Chemometric Methods for the Analysis of Accelerants in Arson Cases by Scott Jenkins
Building and Measuring Scalable Computing Systems by Daniel M. Honey and Jeffery P. Ravenhorst
Nomini Hall: A Case Study in the Use of Archival Resources as Guides for Excavation at An Archaeological Site by Jamie Elizabeth Mesrobian
Two Stories: In Ohio and How to Stay Out of the Brazilian Army by Thomas Scott
Forgerson des Hommes/Stealing the Steel in Zola\u27s Men by Jay Crowell
Paul Gauguin\u27s Escape into Primitivism by Sarah Spangenberg
Lee Krasner, Abstract Expressionist by Amy S. Eason
Artist Book “Paris” by Kenny Wolfe
Artist Book “Sequence of Every Day” by Liz Hale
Artist Book “Apple Tree” by Rachel Bouchard
Artist Book “Not so Pretty in Pink” by Will Semonco
Artist Book “Look into the Moon” by Carley York
Artist Books “Extra” and “Green” by Ryan Higgenbothom
Artist Book “Re-growing Appalachia” by Adrienne Heinbaugh
Artist Books “Cheeziest”, “Uh-oh” and “The Girl with the Glasses” by Melissa Dorton
“Self-Reflection” by Madeline Hunter
Artist Book “The Princess and the Frog” by June Ashmore
“Hunter’s Niche” and “The Wild” by Clark Barkley
“To Thine Own Self be True” by Jay Haley
“Not Funny” Ten-Minute Play Festiva
The Knee Clinical Assessment Study – CAS(K). A prospective study of knee pain and knee osteoarthritis in the general population: baseline recruitment and retention at 18 months
BACKGROUND: Selective non-participation at baseline (due to non-response and non-consent) and loss to follow-up are important concerns for longitudinal observational research. We investigated these matters in the context of baseline recruitment and retention at 18 months of participants for a prospective observational cohort study of knee pain and knee osteoarthritis in the general population. METHODS: Participants were recruited to the Knee Clinical Assessment Study – CAS(K) – by a multi-stage process involving response to two postal questionnaires, consent to further contact and medical record review (optional), and attendance at a research clinic. Follow-up at 18-months was by postal questionnaire. The characteristics of responders/consenters were described for each stage in the recruitment process to identify patterns of selective non-participation and loss to follow-up. The external validity of findings from the clinic attenders was tested by comparing the distribution of WOMAC scores and the association between physical function and obesity with the same parameters measured directly in the target population as whole. RESULTS: 3106 adults aged 50 years and over reporting knee pain in the previous 12 months were identified from the first baseline questionnaire. Of these, 819 consented to further contact, responded to the second questionnaire, and attended the research clinics. 776 were successfully followed up at 18 months. There was evidence of selective non-participation during recruitment (aged 80 years and over, lower socioeconomic group, currently in employment, experiencing anxiety or depression, brief episode of knee pain within the previous year). This did not cause significant bias in either the distribution of WOMAC scores or the association between physical function and obesity. CONCLUSION: Despite recruiting a minority of the target population to the research clinics and some evidence of selective non-participation, this appears not to have resulted in significant bias of cross-sectional estimates. The main effect of non-participation in the current cohort is likely to be a loss of precision in stratum-specific estimates e.g. in those aged 80 years and over. The subgroup of individuals who attended the research clinics and who make up the CAS(K) cohort can be used to accurately estimate parameters in the reference population as a whole. The potential for selection bias, however, remains an important consideration in each subsequent analysis
The Clinical Assessment Study of the Hand (CAS-HA): a prospective study of musculoskeletal hand problems in the general population
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Pain in the hand affects an estimated 12–21% of the population, and at older ages the hand is one of the most common sites of pain and osteoarthritis. The association between symptomatic hand osteoarthritis and disability in everyday life has not been studied in detail, although there is evidence that older people with hand problems suffer significant pain and disability. Despite the high prevalence of hand problems and the limitations they cause in older adults, little attention has been paid to the hand by health planners and policy makers. We plan to conduct a prospective, population-based, observational cohort study designed in parallel with our previously reported cohort study of knee pain, to describe the course of musculoskeletal hand problems in older adults and investigate the relative merits of different approaches to classification and defining prognosis.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>All adults aged 50 years and over registered with two general practices in North Staffordshire will be invited to take part in a two-stage postal survey. Respondents to the survey who indicate that they have experienced hand pain or problems within the previous 12 months will be invited to attend a research clinic for a detailed assessment. This will consist of clinical interview, hand assessment, screening test of lower limb function, digital photography, plain x-rays, anthropometric measurement and brief self-complete questionnaire. All consenting clinic attenders will be followed up by (i) general practice medical record review, (ii) repeat postal questionnaire at 18-months, and (iii) repeat postal questionnaire at 3 years.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>This paper describes the protocol for the Clinical Assessment Study of the Hand (CAS-HA), a prospective, population-based, observational cohort study of community-dwelling older adults with hand pain and hand problems based in North Staffordshire.</p
The Knee Clinical Assessment Study – CAS(K). A prospective study of knee pain and knee osteoarthritis in the general population
BACKGROUND: Knee pain affects an estimated 25% of the adult population aged 50 years and over. Osteoarthritis is the most common diagnosis made in older adults consulting with knee pain in primary care. However, the relationship between this diagnosis and both the current disease-based definition of osteoarthritis and the regional pain syndrome of knee pain and disability is unclear. Expert consensus, based on current evidence, views the disease and the syndrome as distinct entities but the clinical usefulness of these two approaches to classifying knee pain in older adults has not been established. We plan to conduct a prospective, population-based, observational cohort study to investigate the relative merits of disease-based and regional pain syndrome-based approaches to classification and prognosis of knee pain in older adults. METHODS: All patients aged 50 years and over registered with three general practices in North Staffordshire will be invited to take part in a two-stage postal survey. Respondents to this survey phase who indicate that they have experienced knee pain within the previous 12 months will be invited to attend a research clinic for a detailed assessment. This will consist of clinical interview, physical examination, digital photography, plain x-rays, anthropometric measurement and a brief self-complete questionnaire. All consenting clinic attenders will be followed up by (i) general practice medical record review, (ii) repeat postal questionnaire at 18-months
Antigen-Specific Blocking of CD4-Specific Immunological Synapse Formation Using BPI and Current Therapies for Autoimmune Diseases
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Manikwar, P., Kiptoo, P., Badawi, A. H., Büyüktimkin, B. and Siahaan, T. J. (2012), Antigen-specific blocking of CD4-Specific immunological synapse formation using BPI and current therapies for autoimmune diseases. Med Res Rev, 32: 727–764. doi:10.1002/med.20243, which has been published in final form at http://doi.org/10.1002/med.20243. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.In this review, we discuss T-cell activation, etiology, and the current therapies of autoimmune diseases (i.e., MS, T1D, and RA). T-cells are activated upon interaction with antigen-presenting cells (APC) followed by a “bull’s eye”-like formation of the immunological synapse (IS) at the T-cell–APC interface. Although the various disease-modifying therapies developed so far have been shown to modulate the IS and thus help in the management of these diseases, they are also known to present some undesirable side effects. In this study, we describe a novel and selective way to suppress autoimmunity by using a bifunctional peptide inhibitor (BPI). BPI uses an intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1)-binding peptide to target antigenic peptides (e.g., proteolipid peptide, glutamic acid decarboxylase, and type II collagen) to the APC and therefore modulate the immune response. The central hypothesis is that BPI blocks the IS formation by simultaneously binding to major histocompatibility complex-II and ICAM-1 on the APC and selectively alters the activation of T cells from TH1 to Treg and/or TH2 phenotypes, leading to tolerance
Premature ovarian failure and ovarian autoimmunity
Premature ovarian failure (POF) is defined as a syndrome characterized by
menopause before the age of 40 yr. The patients suffer from anovulation
and hypoestrogenism. Approximately 1% of women will experience menopause
before the age of 40 yr. POF is a heterogeneous disorder with a
multicausal pathogenesis involving chromosomal, genetic, enzymatic,
infectious, and iatrogenic causes. There remains, however, a group of POF
patients without a known etiology, the so-called "idiopathic" form. An
autoimmune etiology is hypothesized for the POF cases with a concomitant
Addison's disease and/or oophoritis. It is concluded in this review that
POF in association with adrenal autoimmunity and/or Addison's disease
(2-10% of the idiopathic POF patients) is indeed an autoimmune disease.
The following evidence warrants this view: 1) The presence of
autoantibodies to steroid-producing cells in these patients; 2) The
characterization of shared autoantigens between adrenal and ovarian
steroid-producing cells; 3) The histological picture of the ovaries of
such cases (lymphoplasmacellular infiltrate around steroid-producing
cells); 4) The existence of various autoimmune animal models for this
syndrome, which underlines the autoimmune nature of the disease. There is
some circumstantial evidence for an autoimmune pathogenesis in idiopathic
POF patients in the absence of adrenal autoimmunity or Addison's disease.
Arguments in support of this are: 1) The presence of cellular immune
abnormalities in this POF patient group reminiscent of endocrine
autoimmune diseases such as IDDM, Graves' disease, and Addison's disease;
2) The more than normal association with IDDM and myasthenia gravis. Data
on the presence of various ovarian autoantibodies and anti-receptor
antibodies in these patients are, however, inconclusive and need further
evaluation. A strong argument against an autoimmune pathogenesis of POF in
these patients is the nearly absent histological confirmation (the
presence of an oophoritis) in these cases (< 3%). However, in animal
models using ZP immunization, similar follicular depletion and fibrosis
(as in the POF women) can be detected. Accepting the concept that POF is a
heterogenous disorder in which some of the idiopathic forms are based on
an abnormal self-recognition by th