Can A True Faith-Based Education Be Delivered Online?

Can a faith-based education be as effective when delivered online as when it is delivered face-to-face? An in-depth look at the early adopters of the online technology reveals that it can be if the Christian university commits itself to developing an online learning community and to interweaving faith principles into crucial areas of its online program. The three key areas of faith integration upon which hinges the success of such programs are the integration of faith into course material, faith integration in the relationships among students, and faith integration in the faculty student relationships. Consistent attention to these three areas validates the online Christian education model, complements the missions of Christian institutions, supports the integration of faith and learning, and enables institutions to reach audiences that may not be currently accessible

Rewriting Modulo Traced Comonoid Structure

In this paper we adapt previous work on rewriting string diagrams using hypergraphs to the case where the underlying category has a traced comonoid structure, in which wires can be forked and the outputs of a morphism can be connected to its input. Such a structure is particularly interesting because any traced Cartesian (dataflow) category has an underlying traced comonoid structure. We show that certain subclasses of hypergraphs are fully complete for traced comonoid categories: that is to say, every term in such a category has a unique corresponding hypergraph up to isomorphism, and from every hypergraph with the desired properties, a unique term in the category can be retrieved up to the axioms of traced comonoid categories. We also show how the framework of double pushout rewriting (DPO) can be adapted for traced comonoid categories by characterising the valid pushout complements for rewriting in our setting. We conclude by presenting a case study in the form of recent work on an equational theory for sequential circuits: circuits built from primitive logic gates with delay and feedback. The graph rewriting framework allows for the definition of an operational semantics for sequential circuits

A compositional theory of digital circuits

A theory is compositional if complex components can be constructed out of simpler ones on the basis of their interfaces, without inspecting their internals. Digital circuits, despite being studied for nearly a century and used at scale for about half that time, have until recently evaded a fully compositional theoretical understanding. The sticking point has been the need to avoid feedback loops that bypass memory elements, the so called 'combinational feedback' problem. This requires examining the internal structure of a circuit, defeating compositionality. Recent work remedied this theoretical shortcoming by showing how digital circuits can be presented compositionally as morphisms in a freely generated Cartesian traced (or dataflow) category. The focus was to support a better syntactical understanding of digital circuits, culminating in the formulation of novel operational semantics for digital circuits. In this paper we shift the focus onto the denotational theory of such circuits, interpreting them as functions on streams with to certain properties. These ensure that the model is fully abstract, i.e. the equational theory and the semantic model are in perfect agreement. To support this result we introduce two key equations: the first can reduce circuits with combinational feedback to circuits without combinational feedback via finite unfoldings of the loop, and the second can translate between open circuits with the same behaviour syntactically by reducing the problem to checking a finite number of closed circuits. The most important consequence of this new semantics is that we can now give a recipe that ensures a circuit always produces observable output, thus using the denotational model to inform and improve the operational semantics.Comment: Restructured and refined presentation, 21 page

Utilization of a derivatization method with multidimensional liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry for the detection of neurotransmitters

Neurotransmitters are endogenous compounds located in the brain and can occur in other parts of the body at low concentrations. They are a challenging group of compounds when it comes to analysis. Compounds with amine functionality such as dopamine and serotonin are sensitive to high pH and light and can spontaneously oxidize and degrade. Since neurotransmitters exist at low levels, it can be difficult to achieve sufficient spectrometry data and clean chromatography. In order to improve data acquisition, derivatization and the use of multidimensional liquid chromatography (2D-LC) was evaluated. Dopamine, L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA), serotonin, tyrosine, tryptophan, and noradrenaline were the compounds of interest with tyramine included as an internal standard. Data was collected before and after derivatization to compare the resulting chromatography. Chromatography was completed using a 6x6 grid of methods with variables of organic solvent, elution pH, loading pH, and trapping column chemistry utilizing different elution column chemistries. Derivatization was examined with Dabsyl-Cl and Dansyl-Cl at pH 8.5, 9.5, 10.5, and 14. A final method was chosen with Dabsyl at pH 8.5 for the Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) scans. Before derivatization, the chromatography had poor peak shapes such as tailing, fronting, or shouldering or too much distortion to be able to distinguish a peak for all of the examined methods. Resulting chromatography after derivatization showed overall improvement in peak shape and intensity for a majority of the methods. Derivatization aided in increasing the mass and stability of the compounds which allowed for more sensitive detection. Multidimensional liquid chromatography improved the separation of structurally similar compounds and increased sensitivity. By combining the two, better analysis of neurotransmitters was possible

The devil is in the third year: a longitudinal study of erosion of empathy in medical school.

PURPOSE: This longitudinal study was designed to examine changes in medical students\u27 empathy during medical school and to determine when the most significant changes occur. METHOD: Four hundred fifty-six students who entered Jefferson Medical College in 2002 (n = 227) and 2004 (n = 229) completed the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy at five different times: at entry into medical school on orientation day and subsequently at the end of each academic year. Statistical analyses were performed for the entire cohort, as well as for the matched cohort (participants who identified themselves at all five test administrations) and the unmatched cohort (participants who did not identify themselves in all five test administrations). RESULTS: Statistical analyses showed that empathy scores did not change significantly during the first two years of medical school. However, a significant decline in empathy scores was observed at the end of the third year which persisted until graduation. Findings were similar for the matched cohort (n = 121) and for the rest of the sample (unmatched cohort, n = 335). Patterns of decline in empathy scores were similar for men and women and across specialties. CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that a significant decline in empathy occurs during the third year of medical school. It is ironic that the erosion of empathy occurs during a time when the curriculum is shifting toward patient-care activities; this is when empathy is most essential. Implications for retaining and enhancing empathy are discussed

The Natsal-SF: a validated measure of sexual function for use in community surveys.

Sexual dysfunction often features as an outcome variable in community health surveys and epidemiological surveys. Key design imperatives for measures included in large scale, population-based surveys are acceptability, brevity and relevance to diverse sexual lifestyles. None of the available measures of sexual dysfunction are entirely suited to this task. We developed a new measure of sexual function for the third British National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal 3). Items for the measure were derived from qualitative work from patients and community members. The draft measure was developed and validated using a general population sample (internet panel survey (n = 1,262)) and a clinical sample (patients attending sexual problems clinics (n = 100). Confirmatory factor analysis established that a 'general-specific model' had the best fit and was equivalent between general population and clinical samples (Comparative Fit Index = 0.963 Tucker Lewis Index = 0.951; Root Mean Square Error of Approximation = 0.064). The 17-item Natsal-SF is positively associated with the Female Sexual Function Index-6 (B = 0.572) and Brief Sexual Function Questionnaire for men (B = 0.705); it can discriminate between clinical and general population groups (OR = 2.667); and it has good test-retest reliability (r = 0.72). The Natsal-SF provides an estimate of the level of sexual function in the last year. By including items on distress about sex and sexual relationships, and by being relevant to all regardless of sexual lifestyle, it addresses some of the gaps in current measurement design