LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! RECORDING CLASSROOM LECTURES – A SIMPLE AND AFFORDABLE APPROACH

While the demand for online courses has increased, many students also still want to be educated in a traditional face-to-face environment. Lecture capture offers a way for faculty to teach a class both face-to-face and online simultaneously, making the course accessible to both types of students. By using a camera to record the instructor and the whiteboard along with a screen capture and video editing program such as Camtasia 2000 or OBS Studio, instructors can record their in-person lectures and create high-quality videos that can be posted online. These videos can be used by students who are taking the course in an online format or who were unable to attend class as well as by students who attended the in-person lecture and would like to use the lecture video as a study aid. This paper describes a comparatively low-cost method for recording, editing, and producing online content using lecture capture. The features of two video recording software packages, Camtasia and OBS Studio, are compared, and step-by-step instructions are provided for using both software packages to record classroom lectures

FACTORS IMPACTING STUDENT SUCCESS IN INTRODUCTORY ECONOMICS COURSES

The study seeks to determine the impact of various individual and academic characteristics on grades earned in introductory economics courses. Students enrolled in these courses in a regional state university during 2015-16 were asked questions on topics such as the number of hours they work per week, whether or not they live on campus, their marital status, the educational background of their parents, involvement in various campus activities, the utilization of various campus services such as tutoring andadvising, and their sources of funding for college. These data were then matched with registration and academic data available from the university for each of these students. The regression results show that high school (or college) GPA, standardized test scores, participation in an honors program, earned credit hours, and the use of own family funds or access to student loans were positively associated with academic performance. On the other hand, academic performance in introductory economics was negatively impacted by participation in the campus music and theater program and by taking classes in the afternoon or evening time slots. The results also show significant instructor effects on academic performance

Evidence for magnetic clusters in Ni1−x_{1-x}Vx_{x} close to the quantum critical concentration

The d-metal alloy Ni$_{1-x}$V$_{x}$ undergoes a quantum phase transition from a ferromagnetic ground state to a paramagnetic ground state as the vanadium concentration $x$ is increased. We present magnetization, ac-susceptibility and muon-spin relaxation data at several vanadium concentrations near the critical concentration $x_c \approx11.6$ at which the onset of ferromagnetic order is suppressed to zero temperature. Below $x_c$, the muon data reveal a broad magnetic field distribution indicative of long-range ordered ferromagnetic state with spatial disorder. We show evidence of magnetic clusters in the ferromagnetic phase and close to the phase boundary in this disordered itinerant system as an important generic ingredient of a disordered quantum phase transition. In contrast, the temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility above $x_c$ is best described in terms of a magnetic quantum Griffiths phase with a power-law distribution of fluctuation rates of dynamic magnetic clusters. At the lowest temperatures, the onset of a short-range ordered cluster-glass phase is recognized by an increase in the muon depolarization in transverse fields and maxima in ac-susceptibility.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Proceedings of SCES 201

Is the Gut Microbiota a New Factor Contributing to Obesity and Its Metabolic Disorders?

The gut microbiota refers to the trillions of microorganisms residing in the intestine and is integral in multiple physiological processes of the host. Recent research has shown that gut bacteria play a role in metabolic disorders such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. The mechanisms by which the gut microbiota affects metabolic diseases are by two major routes: (1) the innate immune response to the structural components of bacteria (e.g., lipopolysaccharide) resulting in inflammation and (2) bacterial metabolites of dietary compounds (e.g., SCFA from fiber), which have biological activities that regulate host functions. Gut microbiota has evolved with humans as a mutualistic partner, but dysbiosis in a form of altered gut metagenome and collected microbial activities, in combination with classic genetic and environmental factors, may promote the development of metabolic disorders. This paper reviews the available literature about the gut microbiota and aforementioned metabolic disorders and reveals the gaps in knowledge for future study

An Sp1/KLF binding site is important for the activity of a Polycomb group response element from the Drosophila engrailed gene

Polycomb-group response elements (PREs) are DNA elements through which the Polycomb-group (PcG) of transcriptional repressors act. Many of the PcG proteins are associated with two protein complexes that repress gene expression by modifying chromatin. Both of these protein complexes specifically associate with PREs in vivo, however, it is not known how they are recruited or held at the PRE. PREs are complex elements, made up of binding sites for many proteins. Our laboratory has been working to define all the sequences and DNA binding proteins required for the activity of a 181 bp PRE from the Drosophila engrailed gene. Here we show that one of the sites necessary for PRE activity, Site 2, can be bound by members of the Sp1/KLF family of zinc finger proteins. There are 10 Sp1/KLF family members in Drosophila, and nine of them bind to Site 2. We derive a consensus binding site for the Sp1/KLF Drosophila family members and show that this consensus sequence is present in most of the molecularly characterized PREs. These data suggest that one or more Sp1/KLF family members play a role in PRE function in Drosophila

Mid-Infrared Photometry and Spectra of Three High Mass Protostellar Candidates at IRAS 18151-1208 and IRAS 20343+4129

We present arcsecond-scale mid-ir photometry (in the 10.5 micron N band and at 24.8 microns), and low resolution spectra in the N band (R~100) of a candidate high mass protostellar object (HMPO) in IRAS 18151-1208 and of two HMPO candidates in IRAS 20343+4129, IRS 1 and IRS 3. In addition we present high resolution mid-ir spectra (R~80000) of the two HMPO candidates in IRAS 20343+4129. These data are fitted with simple models to estimate the masses of gas and dust associated with the mid-ir emitting clumps, the column densities of overlying absorbing dust and gas, the luminosities of the HMPO candidates, and the likely spectral type of the HMPO candidate for which [Ne II] 12.8 micron emission was detected (IRAS 20343+4129 IRS 3). We suggest that IRAS 18151-1208 is a pre-ultracompact HII region HMPO, IRAS 20343+4129 IRS 1 is an embedded young stellar object with the luminosity of a B3 star, and IRAS 20343+4129 IRS 3 is a B2 ZAMS star that has formed an ultracompact HII region and disrupted its natal envelope.Comment: 40 pages, 8 figures, 3 tables. Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal (Part 1

P-Element Homing Is Facilitated by engrailed Polycomb-Group Response Elements in Drosophila melanogaster

P-element vectors are commonly used to make transgenic Drosophila and generally insert in the genome in a nonselective manner. However, when specific fragments of regulatory DNA from a few Drosophila genes are incorporated into P-transposons, they cause the vectors to be inserted near the gene from which the DNA fragment was derived. This is called P-element homing. We mapped the minimal DNA fragment that could mediate homing to the engrailed/invected region of the genome. A 1.6 kb fragment of engrailed regulatory DNA that contains two Polycomb-group response elements (PREs) was sufficient for homing. We made flies that contain a 1.5kb deletion of engrailed DNA (enΔ1.5) in situ, including the PREs and the majority of the fragment that mediates homing. Remarkably, homing still occurs onto the enΔ1. 5 chromosome. In addition to homing to en, P[en] inserts near Polycomb group target genes at an increased frequency compared to P[EPgy2], a vector used to generate 18,214 insertions for the Drosophila gene disruption project. We suggest that homing is mediated by interactions between multiple proteins bound to the homing fragment and proteins bound to multiple areas of the engrailed/invected chromatin domain. Chromatin structure may also play a role in homing

Thermal Dust Emission from Proplyds, Unresolved Disks, and Shocks in the Orion Nebula

We present a new 11.7 micron mosaic image of the Orion nebula obtained with T-ReCS on Gemini South. The map includes the BN/KL region, the Trapezium, and OMC-1 South. Excluding BN/KL, we detect 91 point sources, with 27 known proplyds and over 30 ``naked'' stars showing no extended structure in HST images. Within the region we surveyed, 80 percent of known proplyds show detectable emission, almost 40 percent of naked stars are detected at 11.7 micron, and the fraction of all visible sources with IR excess emission is roughly 50 percent. Thermal dust emission from stars with no extended structure in HST images means that they have dust disks comparable to the size of our solar system. Proplyds and stars with IR excess show a clear anti-correlation in their spatial distribution, with proplyds clustered close to theta1C, and other infrared sources found farther away. We suspect that the clustered proplyds trace the youngest 0.5 Myr age group associated with the Trapezium, while the more uniformly-distributed sources trace the older 1-2 Myr population of the ONC. This suggests that small disks persist for a few Myr in irradiated environments, and hints that hierarchical sub-clustering has been important. Within 30 arcsec of theta1C, all proplyds are detected at 11.7 micron. The star theta1D is associated with the most prominent mid-IR dust arc in the nebula. We propose that this arc is the consequence of theta1D being the closest member of the Trapezium to the background cloud. Finally, we detect dust emission from HH jets in Orion, including HH202, HH529, HH513, and HH514. This is the first detection of mid-IR continuum emission from dust in the body of a collimated HH jet or bow shock.Comment: accepted by AJ. 27 pages, 11 figs, 4 color figs. If you actually want to see the figures, download this version: ftp://origins.colorado.edu/pub/nathans/smith.trecs.pd

If you could see what we see, would it bother you?

Objective The purpose of our study was to determine whether the anatomic threshold for pelvic organ prolapse (POP) diagnosis and surgical success remains valid when the patient sees what we see on exam. Methods Two hundred participants were assigned, by computer-generated block randomization, to see one of four videos. Each video contained the same six clips representative of various degrees of anterior vaginal wall support. Participants were asked questions immediately after each clip. They were asked: “In your opinion, does this patient have a bulge or something falling out that she can see or feel in the vaginal area?” Similarly, they were asked to give their opinion on surgical outcome on a 4-point Likert scale. Results The proportion of participants who identified the presence of a vaginal bulge increased substantially at the level of early stage 2 prolapse (1 cm above the hymen), with 67 % answering yes to the question regarding bulge. The proportion of participants who felt that surgical outcome was less desirable also increased substantially at early stage 2 prolapse (1 cm above the hymen), with 52 % describing that outcome as “not at all” or “somewhat” successful. Conclusion Early stage 2 POP (1 cm above the hymen) is the anatomic threshold at which women identify both a vaginal bulge and a less desirable surgical outcome when they see what we see on examination