A Search For Star Formation in the Smith Cloud

Motivated by the idea that a subset of HVCs trace dark matter substructure in the Local Group, we search for signs of star formation in the Smith Cloud, a nearby ~2x10^6 Msun HVC currently falling into the Milky Way. Using GALEX NUV and WISE/2MASS NIR photometry, we apply a series of color and apparent magnitude cuts to isolate candidate O and B stars that are plausibly associated with the Smith Cloud. We find an excess of stars along the line of sight to the cloud, but not at a statistically significant level relative to a control region. The number of stars found in projection on the cloud after removing an estimate of the contamination by the Milky Way implies an average star formation rate surface density of 10^(-4.8 +/- 0.3) Msun yr^(-1) kpc^(-2), assuming the cloud has been forming stars at a constant rate since its first passage through the Milky Way ~70 Myr ago. This value is consistent with the star formation rate expected based on the average gas density of the cloud. We also discuss how the newly discovered star forming galaxy Leo P has very similar properties to the Smith Cloud, but its young stellar population would not have been detected at a statistically significant level using our method. Thus, we cannot yet rule out the idea that the Smith Cloud is really a dwarf galaxy.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

The Management of a Turnaround after an Ethical Breach in a Public Institution of Higher Education

The field of management has built a wealth of literature on turnaround management as well as the effect unethical actions have upon organizations. However, there has been less study on the application of these topics to turnarounds specifically in small, regional, public institutions of higher education. It is important that an institution of higher education that has been affected by an ethical failure execute a turnaround to restore trust and faith in the organization, internally and externally. A small, regional, public institution of higher education in the upper Midwest recently encountered a series of organizational difficulties that negatively influenced its reputation. An organizational course change was necessary. The research titled “The Management of a Turnaround after an Ethical Breech in a Public Institution of Higher Education” applies the differing, yet related, theories of turnaround management and the restoration of trust to a small, public institution of higher education. The research investigated whether or not the university employees (faculty, staff, and administrators) believed that the organization and its leadership had demonstrated a process/path illustrative of a turnaround. Ultimately, the research investigated the theory that institutions of higher education can be restored through an ethical turnaround (Hofer, 1980; Patnaik & Sahoo, 2010; Puffer & McCarthy, 2008)

A Brief Examination of Predictors of E-Learning Success for Novice and Expert Learners

As the prevalence of e-learning continues to grow in higher education settings, so too does the need for empirical research examining the antecedents of success in this environment. Previous research has suggested some characteristics that may determine success in an online course; however, little empirical evidence exists relating potential predictors of e-learning success with actual performance outcomes, particularly for different levels of learners. Students new to college may need different kinds of support to succeed in an online course compared to students with more experience in taking college-level courses, whether online or in-class, and navigating institutional resources. A primary goal of the current study is to determine the kinds of support needed to help lower-level and upper-level learners succeed in an e-learning environment. We assess several predictors of e-learning success and compare the relative effectiveness of these characteristics across novice and expert learners. Findings suggest that for lower-level students, access to technology predicted learner performance, whereas for upper-level students, motivation and self-discipline predicted learner performance. We discuss the implications of these results for e-learning instructors, instructional designers, and knowledge management practitioners

National research on the postgraduate student experience: Case presentation on the first year postgraduate student experience (volume 1 of 3)

Also titled: First year postgraduate student experience "This is volume one of three volumes of case studies to enhance the postgraduate student experience. The theme of this case study is: First year postgraduate student experience The other two case studies in this series are: Volume 2 - Postgraduate student diversity Volume 3 - Career development and employability This case presentation on the first year postgraduate student experience is based on experiences derived from student engagement breakfasts, interviews, and focus groups with 366 people across the stakeholder groups of postgraduate students, educators, and university executives from 26 institutions." - from p.

National research on the postgraduate student experiences:Case presentation on career development and employability (Volume 3 of 3)

Also titled: First year postgraduate student experience "This is volume three of three volumes of case studies to enhance the postgraduate student experience. The theme of this case study is: First year postgraduate student experience The other two case studies in this series are: \ud Volume 1 - First year postgraduate student experiences\ud Volume 2 - Postgraduate student diversity\ud This case study presentation on career development and employability is based on student engagement breakfasts, interviews and focus groups with 366 people across the stakeholder groups of postgraduate students, educators and university executives from 26 Australian institutions" - from p.

Utilizing the C2Maps Platform for Characterizing Drug-Protein Relations, Generating Mobile Games, and Constructing Integrated Pathway Models

poster abstractThe C2Maps platform is a collection of genome-wide data that display the connections between drugs, diseases and genes. The C2Maps is used as a tool to compare and extrapolate known map data into unknown areas. By using C2Maps, researchers can compare genetic, sequential and physical information about disease specific proteins. Manual curation is important for the C2Maps platform in order to validate the literature mining approach and to overcome high levels of data noise generated from molecular networks. Currently we are examining specific drug-protein relationships in several diseases. In this research, the C-Maps website is being used to manually curate abstracts about disease specific drugprotein relations and then it is determined whether a drug “Up Regulates”, “Down Regulates”, or “Indirectly” affects a specific protein. Presently, more than 2000 specific protein-drug relations have been examined through the platform. We theorize that new drug-protein relations will be discovered through curation efforts. To broaden the scope of curation data generated, a C2Maps mobile game is in the process of being developed. This game takes advantage of novel technology in mobile development to create a game that will allow several researchers to contribute to the curation process. The data generated from the manual curation approach can be used to validate various protein-drug relationships in pharmacology and can determine the best possible drugs targeting specific proteins in cancer. Optimal drugs and their respective targets for a specific disease can then be incorporated into an integrative pathway model to analyze the mechanism of the drug. Specific properties of the drug, including chemical structure, can then be examined to determine how a specific drug acts on particular target proteins

Twelve tips for teaching brief motivational interviewing to medical students

Background: Shifting from paternalistic to patient-centred doctor-patient relationships has seen a growing number of medical programs incorporate brief motivational interviewing training in their curriculum. Some medical educators, however, are unsure of precisely what, when, and how to incorporate such training. Aims: This article provides educators with 12 tips for teaching brief motivational interviewing to medical students, premised on evidence-based pedagogy. Methods: Tips were drawn from the literature and authors’ own experiences. Results: The 12 tips are: (1) Set clear learning objectives, (2) Select experienced educators, (3) Provide theoretical perspectives, (4) Share the evidence base, (5) Outline the “spirit”, principles, and sequence, (6) Show students what it looks like, (7) Give students a scaffold to follow, (8) Provide opportunities for skill practice, (9) Involve clinical students in teaching, (10) Use varied formative and summative assessments, (11) Integrate and maintain, and (12) Reflect and evaluate. Conclusions: We describe what to include and why, and outline when and how to teach the essential components of brief motivational interviewing knowledge and skills in a medical curriculum