Let’s do the time warp again – embodied learning of the concept of time in an applied school setting

This article has been accepted for publication in Interactive Learning Environments, published by Taylor & Francis. Embodied Cognition approaches suggest that movements influence the understanding of abstract concepts such as time. It follows that moving the arms as watch hands should boost children’s learning to read the clock. In a school setting, we compared three learning conditions: an embodied (movement) condition, an interactive App condition, and a text condition. Age, self-reported enjoyment, and group size were controlled. In a clock-time-test, the embodied condition resulted in better performances than the mean of the other conditions in small, but not in large groups. This innovative, theory-informed approach may advance learning of abstract concepts in children

Genomic insights into the rapid emergence and evolution of MDR in Staphylococcus pseudintermedius.

OBJECTIVES: MDR methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) strains have emerged rapidly as major canine pathogens and present serious treatment issues and concerns to public health due to their, albeit low, zoonotic potential. A further understanding of the genetics of resistance arising from a broadly susceptible background of S. pseudintermedius is needed. METHODS: We sequenced the genomes of 12 S. pseudintermedius isolates of varied STs and resistance phenotypes. RESULTS: Nine distinct clonal lineages had acquired either staphylococcal cassette chromosome (SCC) mec elements and/or Tn5405-like elements carrying up to five resistance genes [aphA3, sat, aadE, erm(B), dfrG] to generate MRSP, MDR methicillin-susceptible S. pseudintermedius and MDR MRSP populations. The most successful and clinically problematic MDR MRSP clones, ST68 SCCmecV(T) and ST71 SCCmecII-III, have further accumulated mutations in gyrA and grlA conferring resistance to fluoroquinolones. The carriage of additional mobile genetic elements (MGEs) was highly variable, suggesting that horizontal gene transfer is frequent in S. pseudintermedius populations. CONCLUSIONS: Importantly, the data suggest that MDR MRSP evolved rapidly by the acquisition of a very limited number of MGEs and mutations, and that the use of many classes of antimicrobials may co-select for the spread and emergence of MDR and XDR strains. Antimicrobial stewardship will need to be comprehensive, encompassing human medicine and veterinary disciplines to successfully preserve antimicrobial efficacy

Using Simulated Micrometeoroid Impacts to Understand the Progressive Space Weathering of the Surface of Mercury

The surfaces of airless bodies such as Mercury are continually modified by space weathering, which is driven by micrometeoroid impacts and solar wind irradiation. Space weathering alters the chemical composition, microstructure, and spectral properties of surface regolith. In lunar and ordinarychondritic style space weathering, these processes affect the reflectance properties by darkening (lowering of reflectance), reddening (increasing reflectance with increasing wavelength), and attenuation of characteristic absorption features. These optical changes are driven by the production of nanophase Febearing particles (npFe). While our understanding of these alteration processes has largely been based on data from the Moon and near-Earth S-type asteroids, the space weathering environment at Mercury is much more extreme. The surface of Mercury experiences a more intense solar wind flux and higher velocity micrometeoroid impacts than its planetary counterparts at 1 AU. Additionally, the composition of Mercurys surface varies significantly from that of the Moon. Most notably, a very low albedo unit has been identified on Mercurys surface, known as the low reflectance material (LRM). This unit is enriched with up to 4 wt.% carbon, likely in the form of graphite, over the local mean. In addition, the surface concentration of Fe across Mercurys surface is low (<2 wt.%) compared to the Moon. Our understanding of how these low-Fe and carbon phases are altered as a result of space weathering processes is limited. Since Fe plays a critical role in the development of space weathering features on other airless surfaces (e.g., npFe), its limited availability on Mercury may strongly affect the space weathering features in surface materials. In order to understand how space weathering affects the chemical, microstructural, and optical properties of the surface of Mercury, we can simulate these processes in the laboratory [7]. Here we used pulsed laser irradiation to simulate the short duration, high temperature events associated with micrometeoroid impacts. We used forsteritic olivine, likely present on the Mercurian surface, with varying FeO contents, each mixed with graphite, in our experiments. We then performed reflectance spectroscopy and electron microscopy to investigate the spectral, chemical, and microstructural changes in these samples

Ion Irradiation of Sulfuric Acid: Implications for its Stability on Europa

The Galileo near-infrared mapping spectrometer (NIMS) detected regions on Europa's surface containing distorted H2O bands. This distortion likely indicates that there are other molecules mixed with the water ice. Based on spectral comparison, some of the leading possibilities are sulfuric acid, salts. or possibly H3O(+). Previous laboratory studies have shown that sulfuric acid can be created by irradiation of H2OSO2 mixtures, and both molecules are present on Europa. In this project, we were interested in investigating the radiation stability of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and determining its lifetime on the surface of Europa

Self-Care Among Social Workers Employed in Rural Settings: A Cross-Sectional Investigation

Despite growing recognition about the importance of self-care for social work professionals, research related to the topic has not kept pace with the changing landscape of the profession. Particularly, self-care practices among rural social work professionals have been overlooked in the research. Rural social work practice is, in many ways, decidedly different from practice in more urban areas. Thus, the primary aim of this exploratory study was to investigate the personal and professional self-care practices of rural social workers. Specifically, the study sough to better understand how often social workers engage in self-care and whether or not there are associations between personal and professional demographic variables and self-care practice. Discussion and next-steps for research and implications for practice are included

Self-Care Among Social Workers Employed in Rural Settings: A Cross-Sectional Investigation

Despite growing recognition about the importance of self-care for social work professionals, research related to the topic has not kept pace with the changing landscape of the profession. Particularly, self-care practices among rural social work professionals have been overlooked in the research. Rural social work practice is, in many ways, decidedly different from practice in more urban areas. Thus, the primary aim of this exploratory study was to investigate the personal and professional self-care practices of rural social workers. Specifically, the study sough to better understand how often social workers engage in self-care and whether or not there are associations between personal and professional demographic variables and self-care practice. Discussion and next-steps for research and implications for practice are included

Self-Care among Social Workers Employed in Rural Settings: A Cross-Sectional Investigation

Despite growing recognition about the importance of self-care for social work professionals, research related to the topic has not kept pace with the changing landscape of the profession. Particularly, self-care practices among rural social work professionals have been overlooked in the research. Rural social work practice is, in many ways, decidedly different from practice in more urban areas. Thus, the primary aim of this exploratory study was to investigate the personal and professional self-care practices of rural social workers. Specifically, the study sough to better understand how often social workers engage in self-care and whether or not there are associations between personal and professional demographic variables and self-care practice. Discussion and next-steps for research and implications for practice are included