The design, implementation and evaluation of mass conferencing

There have been attempts to classify and analyse the approaches and techniques of using videoconferencing for teaching and learning. Most classifications include the use of videoconferencing techniques to support lecture‐style delivery to large audiences, or what might be referred to as ‘mass conferencing’. This is often dismissed by sceptics as another gimmick: the real thing is better, or it may be viewed as simply just another didactic approach with little to commend it either in the form of communication or in pedagogical terms. However, the key element in its use is the context within which the mass conferencing is being applied Whatever videoconferencing approaches are employed, it is our view that their successful implementation implies both a clearly defined structure and an operational template. Thus, this paper underlines some of the processes which we have used in mass conferencing. We then evaluate the outcomes, and identify, some themes to be incorporated in successful mass conferencing, including the key factors involved in successful delivery, namely in the preparation, activity, and evaluation stages. In operational terms, the introduction of an external element, beyond the control of course tutors, has highlighted many organizational, pedagogical and technical questions, some of which we address

Factors Influencing Teacher Burnout and Retention Strategies

Teacher attrition has become a significant problem within the field of education. Despite research reporting retention strategies and programs that can decrease this trend, teachers continue to burnout of the workforce due to stress and an inability to cope with teaching conditions. This research article explores the underlying problem of burnout, including the symptoms and extent in which they manifest, as well as possible strategies to decrease attrition and keep teachers in the classroom. By compiling research that suggests tested programs and supports that help retain teachers, both individuals and schools can explore these avenues further in hopes of combatting teacher burnout. Due to no actual data collection or study taking place, all research is based on preexisiting articles. From these articles, the history of burnout was determined as a guide to how it manifests itself in this day and age. The dimensions of these were expanded using the Maslach Burnout Scale (created by Christina Maslach in 1981) to find retention strategies that targeted each particular dimension. All research was done through a literature review that compiled effective supports schools and districts can utilize to decrease the burnout of their staff

A non-linear data mining parameter selection algorithm for continuous variables

In this article, we propose a new data mining algorithm, by which one can both capture the non-linearity in data and also find the best subset model. To produce an enhanced subset of the original variables, a preferred selection method should have the potential of adding a supplementary level of regression analysis that would capture complex relationships in the data via mathematical transformation of the predictors and exploration of synergistic effects of combined variables. The method that we present here has the potential to produce an optimal subset of variables, rendering the overall process of model selection more efficient. This algorithm introduces interpretable parameters by transforming the original inputs and also a faithful fit to the data. The core objective of this paper is to introduce a new estimation technique for the classical least square regression framework. This new automatic variable transformation and model selection method could offer an optimal and stable model that minimizes the mean square error and variability, while combining all possible subset selection methodology with the inclusion variable transformations and interactions. Moreover, this method controls multicollinearity, leading to an optimal set of explanatory variables

Pure braid subgroups of braided Thompson's groups

We describe pure braided versions of Thompson's group F. These groups, $BF$ and $\hat{BF}$, are subgroups of the braided versions of Thompson's group V, introduced by Brin and Dehornoy. Unlike V, elements of F are order-preserving self-maps of the interval and we use pure braids together with elements of F thus preserving order. We define these groups and give normal forms for elements and describe infinite and finite presentations of these groups.Comment: 26 pages, 6 figures, with updated bibliograph

Mining the Metabiome: Identifying Novel Natural Products from Microbial Communities

Microbial-derived natural products provide the foundation for most of the chemotherapeutic arsenal available to contemporary medicine. In the face of a dwindling pipeline of new lead structures identified by traditional culturing techniques and an increasing need for new therapeutics, surveys of microbial biosynthetic diversity across environmental metabiomes have revealed enormous reservoirs of as yet untapped natural products chemistry. In this review, we touch on the historical context of microbial natural product discovery and discuss innovations and technological advances that are facilitating culture-dependent and culture-independent access to new chemistry from environmental microbiomes with the goal of reinvigorating the small molecule therapeutics discovery pipeline. We highlight the successful strategies that have emerged and some of the challenges that must be overcome to enable the development of high-throughput methods for natural product discovery from complex microbial communities

Pure braid subgroups of braided Thompson's groups

We describe some properties of braided generalizations of Thompson's groups, introduced by Brin and Dehornoy. We give slightly different characterizations of the braided Thompson's groups BV and BVd which lead to natural presentations which emphasize one of their subgroup-containment properties. We consider pure braided versions of Thompson's group F. These groups, BF and BFd, are subgroups of the braided versions of Thompson's group V . Unlike V , elements of F are order-preserving self-maps of the interval and we use pure braids together with elements of F thus again preserving order. We define these pure braided groups, give normal forms for elements, and construct infinite and finite presentations of these groups

Correction: Singh, M.P., et al. Cytoskyrins and Cytosporones Produced by Cytospora sp. CR200: Taxonomy, Fermentation and Biological Activities

We found an error in Figure 1 in our paper published in the Marine Drugs [1]. The structure of Cytosporones A and B are corrected as follows: [..