The Technology Trap: Lessons from the One Laptop Per Child Program

This thesis project was submitted to the graduate degree program in Global and International Studies and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts.Just as the industrial revolution reshaped society in much of the world during the 19th century, the rapid spread of computer technology has dramatically changed the world in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. However, just as the industrial revolution was slow to reach many parts of the world, the spread of computer technology around the globe has been anything but even. Developed countries are advancing at a faster pace than most less-developed countries, despite having started with a relative advantage, and the gap between the “global north” and the “global south” continues to grow. As a result, many efforts have been made to narrow the gap – in terms of education, health care, living standards, and more – with mixed results. In many cases, the assistance comes in the form of “boomerang aid,” which helps the donor country more than the recipient. Other cases are more benign, such as the One Laptop Per Child program explored in this paper, where well-meaning efforts fail to properly anticipate real-world challenges, leading to limited successes at best

Assessing Reference Service Quality: A Chat Transcript Analysis

This presentation was given on March 28, 2017 at the Association of College and Research Libraries' bi-annual conference in Baltimore, Maryland. The conference proceedings are available online at http://www.ala.org/acrl/conferences/acrl2017/papers .In 2016, members of the University of Kansas Libraries’ Reference Services unit participated in a peer review of 60 chat transcripts from the Fall 2015 and 2016 semesters. This project grew out of the need to begin assessing the level of reference service quality provided at the University of Kansas (KU) Libraries. In-person and virtual reference assistance is provided at the two main libraries up to 12 hours per day, six days per week, when classes are in session. Two main libraries plus four smaller branches make up the KU Libraries system. Staffing of reference services at the KU Libraries has evolved over time, from a mix of faculty-equivalent librarians and library staff to the current staffing model, which employs three full-time staff members and two half-time staff members, complemented by graduate student employees. While the current desk staff are all well qualified, very few have degrees in library science. Therefore, extra care must be taken to train reference staff on how to conduct a proper reference interview, and additional time is required to monitor reference stats to ensure that questions are being answered properly. Previous local studies have been conducted in this vein. In 2007, librarians rated 2,300 chat transcripts from a two-year period to determine whether teaching moments were being taken advantage of, using ACRL’s Information Literacy Standards for Higher Education as criteria. A follow-up study took place in 2008, examining 50 of the previous 2,300 transcripts in detail to identify opportunities and best practices for incorporating instruction in virtual reference services. Since 2008, KU Libraries have not conducted additional formal studies to examine the quality of reference services provided. During the Fall 2015 semester, chat questions made up approximately 43 percent of overall reference questions asked at KU Libraries reference desks. This increased to 47 percent during the Fall 2016 semester. As chat becomes an increasingly common venue for reference questions at KU, this transcript analysis is a first step toward measuring the quality of reference service quality. Chat transcripts are attractive as a starting point since they provide a comprehensive snapshot of an interaction with a patron, and can be examined in a variety of ways to inform best practices in virtual reference. This paper describes the study’s findings, and presents the project methodology alongside referenced literature as a resource for other librarians who may be looking for a starting point in establishing broader evaluation of reference services in general

Photochemistry of Furyl- and Thienyldiazomethanes: Spectroscopic Characterization of Triplet 3-Thienylcarbene

Photolysis (λ \u3e 543 nm) of 3-thienyldiazomethane (1), matrix isolated in Ar or N2 at 10 K, yields triplet 3-thienylcarbene (13) and α-thial-methylenecyclopropene (9). Carbene 13 was characterized by IR, UV/vis, and EPR spectroscopy. The conformational isomers of 3-thienylcarbene (s-E and s-Z) exhibit an unusually large difference in zero-field splitting parameters in the triplet EPR spectrum (|D/hc| = 0.508 cm–1, |E/hc| = 0.0554 cm–1; |D/hc| = 0.579 cm–1, |E/hc| = 0.0315 cm–1). Natural Bond Orbital (NBO) calculations reveal substantially differing spin densities in the 3-thienyl ring at the positions adjacent to the carbene center, which is one factor contributing to the large difference in D values. NBO calculations also reveal a stabilizing interaction between the sp orbital of the carbene carbon in the s-Z rotamer of 13 and the antibonding σ orbital between sulfur and the neighboring carbon—an interaction that is not observed in the s-E rotamer of 13. In contrast to the EPR spectra, the electronic absorption spectra of the rotamers of triplet 3-thienylcarbene (13) are indistinguishable under our experimental conditions. The carbene exhibits a weak electronic absorption in the visible spectrum (λmax = 467 nm) that is characteristic of triplet arylcarbenes. Although studies of 2-thienyldiazomethane (2), 3-furyldiazomethane (3), or 2-furyldiazomethane (4) provided further insight into the photochemical interconversions among C5H4S or C5H4O isomers, these studies did not lead to the spectroscopic detection of the corresponding triplet carbenes (2-thienylcarbene (11), 3-furylcarbene (23), or 2-furylcarbene (22), respectively)

CWRML: representing crop wild relative conservation and use data in XML

Background Crop wild relatives are wild species that are closely related to crops. They are valuable as potential gene donors for crop improvement and may help to ensure food security for the future. However, they are becoming increasingly threatened in the wild and are inadequately conserved, both in situ and ex situ. Information about the conservation status and utilisation potential of crop wild relatives is diverse and dispersed, and no single agreed standard exists for representing such information; yet, this information is vital to ensure these species are effectively conserved and utilised. The European Community-funded project, European Crop Wild Relative Diversity Assessment and Conservation Forum, determined the minimum information requirements for the conservation and utilisation of crop wild relatives and created the Crop Wild Relative Information System, incorporating an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) schema to aid data sharing and exchange. Results Crop Wild Relative Markup Language (CWRML) was developed to represent the data necessary for crop wild relative conservation and ensure that they can be effectively utilised for crop improvement. The schema partitions data into taxon-, site-, and population-specific elements, to allow for integration with other more general conservation biology schemata which may emerge as accepted standards in the future. These elements are composed of sub-elements, which are structured in order to facilitate the use of the schema in a variety of crop wild relative conservation and use contexts. Pre-existing standards for data representation in conservation biology were reviewed and incorporated into the schema as restrictions on element data contents, where appropriate. Conclusion CWRML provides a flexible data communication format for representing in situ and ex situ conservation status of individual taxa as well as their utilisation potential. The development of the schema highlights a number of instances where additional standards-development may be valuable, particularly with regard to the representation of population-specific data and utilisation potential. As crop wild relatives are intrinsically no different to other wild plant species there is potential for the inclusion of CWRML data elements in the emerging standards for representation of biodiversity data

Comparative studies on the structure of an upland African stream ecosystem

Upland stream systems have been extensively investigated in Europe, North America and Australasia and many of the central ideas concerning their function are based on these systems. One central paradigm, the river continuum concept is ultimately derived from those North American streams whose catchments remain forested with native vegetation. Streams of the tropics may or may not fit the model. They have been little studied. The Amani Nature Reserve in the East Usambara Mountains of north-eastern Tanzania offers an opportunity to bring these naturally forested systems to the attention of the ecological community. This article describes a comparison made between two lengths of the River Dodwe in this area. The work was carried out by a group of postgraduate students from eighteen European and African countries with advice from five staff members, as part of a course organised by the Tropical Biology Association. Rigorous efforts were made to standardise techniques, in a situation where equipment and laboratory facilities were very basic, through a management structure and deliberate allocation of work to specialists in each area.The article offers a summary of invertebrate communities found in the stream and its biomass. Crabs seem to be the key organism in both sections of the streams

Chemogenetics defines receptor-mediated functions of short chain free fatty acids

Differentiating actions of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) at free fatty acid receptor 2 (FFA2) from other free fatty acid-responsive receptors and from non-receptor-mediated effects has been challenging. Using a novel chemogenetic and knock-in strategy, whereby an engineered variant of FFA2 (FFA2-DREADD) that is unresponsive to natural SCFAs but is instead activated by sorbic acid replaced the wild-type receptor, we determined that activation of FFA2 in differentiated adipocytes and colonic crypt enteroendocrine cells of mouse accounts fully for SCFA-regulated lipolysis and release of the incretin glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), respectively. In vivo studies confirmed the specific role of FFA2 in GLP-1 release and also demonstrated a direct role for FFA2 in accelerating gut transit. Thereby, we establish the general principle that such a chemogenetic knock-in strategy can successfully define novel G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) biology and provide both target validation and establish therapeutic potential of a ‘hard to target’ GPCR

Geotechnical Effects of the 2015 Magnitude 7.8 Gorkha, Nepal, Earthquake and Aftershocks

This article summarizes the geotechnical effects of the 25 April 2015 M 7.8 Gorkha, Nepal, earthquake and aftershocks, as documented by a reconnaissance team that undertook a broad engineering and scientific assessment of the damage and collected perishable data for future analysis. Brief descriptions are provided of ground shaking, surface fault rupture, landsliding, soil failure, and infrastructure performance. The goal of this reconnaissance effort, led by Geotechnical Extreme Events Reconnaissance, is to learn from earthquakes and mitigate hazards in future earthquakes

Discriminating single-base difference miRNA expressions using microarray Probe Design Guru (ProDeG)

MicroRNAs (miRNA) are endogenous tissue-specific short RNAs that regulate gene expression. Discriminating each let-7 family member expression is especially important due to let-7's abundance and connection with development and cancer. However, short lengths (22 nt) and similarities between multiple sequences have prevented identification of individual members. Here, we present ProDeG, a computational algorithm which designs imperfectly matched sequences (previously yielding only noise levels in microarray experiments) for genome-wide microarray “signal” probes to discriminate single nucleotide differences and to improve probe qualities. Our probes for the entire let-7 family are both homogeneous and specific, verified using microarray signals from fluorescent dye-tagged oligonucleotides corresponding to the let-7 family, demonstrating the power of our algorithm. In addition, false let-7c signals from conventional perfectly-matched probes were identified in lymphoblastoid cell-line samples through comparison with our probe-set signals, raising concerns about false let-7 family signals in conventional microarray platform

The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment: Exploring Fundamental Symmetries of the Universe

The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early Universe, the dynamics of the supernova bursts that produced the heavy elements necessary for life and whether protons eventually decay --- these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early evolution of our Universe, its current state and its eventual fate. The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE) represents an extensively developed plan for a world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions. LBNE is conceived around three central components: (1) a new, high-intensity neutrino source generated from a megawatt-class proton accelerator at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, (2) a near neutrino detector just downstream of the source, and (3) a massive liquid argon time-projection chamber deployed as a far detector deep underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. This facility, located at the site of the former Homestake Mine in Lead, South Dakota, is approximately 1,300 km from the neutrino source at Fermilab -- a distance (baseline) that delivers optimal sensitivity to neutrino charge-parity symmetry violation and mass ordering effects. This ambitious yet cost-effective design incorporates scalability and flexibility and can accommodate a variety of upgrades and contributions. With its exceptional combination of experimental configuration, technical capabilities, and potential for transformative discoveries, LBNE promises to be a vital facility for the field of particle physics worldwide, providing physicists from around the globe with opportunities to collaborate in a twenty to thirty year program of exciting science. In this document we provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess.Comment: Major update of previous version. This is the reference document for LBNE science program and current status. Chapters 1, 3, and 9 provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess. 288 pages, 116 figure