The intersection of literacy and digital literacy: incorporating writing standards with computer technology standards

This project aims to increase access to computer science/computer technology education by providing teachers resources to enable them to teach computer science/computer technology. A survey was taken to discover the interests and needs of teachers in Hamilton County, Tennessee. The project resulted in the creation of several lesson plans that integrate English and computer science through hands-on web development exercises, computational thinking opportunities, and critical thinking

Direct and indirect effects of trematode exposure on the amphipod Paracalliope fluviatilis in terms of parasite acquisition, survival and behaviour

Parasites are a debilitating threat to animal populations as they often increase host mortality. Since defences against parasites are costly, selection should favour individuals that only exhibit defences during times of high risk. As a danger must be interpreted before it can be counteracted, the specific cues used by hosts for parasite detection must first be determined. Knowing the importance of various cues would allow us to better understand the variability of host susceptibility to parasites. This is imperative as parasites affect not only their hosts but also the wider community and ecosystems. Reductions of host density by parasites can have wide repercussions, including indirect effects on interspecific interactions and ecosystem function. The present research investigates the effect of priming by chemical cues from the trematode Coitocaecum parvum on the ability of the freshwater amphipod Paracalliope fluviatilis to subsequently defend itself against C. parvum infective stages, i.e. cercariae, in laboratory tests. Paracalliope fluviatilis are the most abundant endemic amphipod in New Zealand waters and are a key species of prey and an intermediate host for many parasites. In an experimental infection, amphipods were first exposed to the odour of a source of cercariae (infected snail first intermediate hosts) or to control water (no odour), and then to actual cercariae. Subsequently, Coitocaecum parvum abundance (numbers of ‘new’ C. parvum parasites per amphipod) and survival were compared between primed and unprimed amphipods to assess the effects this type of chemical priming had on amphipod defence success against trematodes. A further study using EthoVision XT assessed aspects of P. fluviatilis behaviour (distance moved, and time spent in motion) in response to priming and the presence or absence of a live C. parvum cercaria. Overall, exposure to the odour of C. parvum-infected snails had no effect on the average parasite acquisition of primed amphipods compared to unprimed amphipods. However, amphipods already harbouring parasites from earlier natural infections were 20% more susceptible to acquiring further parasites than uninfected amphipods. Survival was unaffected by exposure to the chemical cue. Swimming behaviour of amphipods was also not affected by either priming or the presence or absence of a cercaria. These results suggest that other cues may be more significant than the chemical factors tested here for amphipod recognition and avoidance of trematode parasites. Further research will be necessary to determine which cues are the most important for parasite detection in amphipods to better understand the complexity of such host-parasite interactions

A Simple Extrusion Method for the Synthesis of Aligned Silica Nanowires Using the Template of a Rigid Surface Mesophase

Long range alignment of silica nanowires has been accomplished by extrusion of a novel surfactant mesophase prior to silica synthesis

UReCA, the NCHC Web journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity

Our vision is an academic community without borders, a connected network of aspirational students committed to the advancement of knowledge and appreciation of the arts. UReCA fosters the exchange of intellectual and creative work between undergraduate students, providing a platform where students can engage with and contribute to the advancement of their individual fields. UReCA was first conceived by Johnny MacLean (Southern Utah University) and Brian White (Graceland University) at an annual NCHC conference in Phoenix, Arizona. MacLean and White noticed that while several academic outlets existed for honors faculty and administrators, there was an absence of student-focused publications within the NCHC community. Inspired by the experiential education model used by Partners in the Parks, Johnny and Brian saw another opportunity for honors students to engage in experiential learning. Their vision: an international undergraduate journal, peer reviewed and produced for the web by an interdisciplinary community of honors students

A coalition-driven examination of organization capacity to address food insecurity in Greater Houston: a qualitative research study

BackgroundEconomic and social hardships have worsened food insecurity, particularly among low income and racial-ethnic minority groups. Given the core goal of the 150+ member Houston Health Equity Collective (HEC) to reduce food insecurity by 5% in 2025, we explored member organizations' capacity and challenges faced in screening and responding to food insecurity through care coordination efforts.MethodsA twice-administered Qualtrics XM survey (Provo, Utah) with 76 organizations, followed by five focus groups with 22 of these organizations, explored reach and response efforts to food insecurity. Qualitative assessments lasted between 0.5 to 1.5 h, were audio-recorded, cleaned, coded, and thematically analyzed using NVivo, version 11 (Burlington, Massachusetts). The qualitative study was guided by a general inductive approach. In total, over 6 h of audiovisual recording were extracted, and over 100 pages of text exported to NVivo for data analysis. The research team read and coded transcripts independently using the codebook, and met routinely to discuss and resolve codes -resulting in numerous revisions to the codebook. Coding structure was discussed at multiple meetings and differences were addressed through consensus. Predominant qualitative themes impacting food insecurity screening were “stigma and cultural-related barriers”, “clinic capacity and attitudes”, “need to focus on upstream influences of food insecurity and SDOH needs”, “impact of COVID-19”, and “need for HEC system responses”. Main recommendations to enhance screening and reach included improving staff culture, enhancing cultural sensitivity across organizational practices, and using shared technology to coordinate care. Respondents stated that the HEC can drive these recommendations through networking opportunities, use of shared resource directory, and placing focus on upstream factors.ConclusionsRecommendations to target food insecurity must focus on organizational staff responsiveness and sensitivity to patients' needs. Of equal importance is the need for increased attention to the upstream influencers and integration of systems-level interventions to holistically target the barriers impacting food insecurity

A comprehensive 1000 Genomes-based genome-wide association meta-analysis of coronary artery disease

Existing knowledge of genetic variants affecting risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) is largely based on genome-wide association studies (GWAS) analysis of common SNPs. Leveraging phased haplotypes from the 1000 Genomes Project, we report a GWAS meta-analysis of 185 thousand CAD cases and controls, interrogating 6.7 million common (MAF>0.05) as well as 2.7 million low frequency (0.005<MAF<0.05) variants. In addition to confirmation of most known CAD loci, we identified 10 novel loci, eight additive and two recessive, that contain candidate genes that newly implicate biological processes in vessel walls. We observed intra-locus allelic heterogeneity but little evidence of low frequency variants with larger effects and no evidence of synthetic association. Our analysis provides a comprehensive survey of the fine genetic architecture of CAD showing that genetic susceptibility to this common disease is largely determined by common SNPs of small effect siz

Topical NSAIDs for chronic musculoskeletal pain in adults

Background: Use of topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to treat chronic musculoskeletal conditions has become widely accepted because they can provide pain relief without associated systemic adverse events. This review is an update of 'Topical NSAIDs for chronic musculoskeletal pain in adults', originally published in Issue 9, 2012. Objectives: To review the evidence from randomised, double-blind, controlled trials on the efficacy and safety of topically applied NSAIDs for chronic musculoskeletal pain in adults. Search methods: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, and our own in-house database; the date of the last search was February 2016. We also searched the references lists of included studies and reviews, and sought unpublished studies by asking personal contacts and searching online clinical trial registers and manufacturers' web sites. Selection criteria: We included randomised, double-blind, active or inert carrier (placebo) controlled trials in which treatments were administered to adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain of moderate or severe intensity. Studies had to meet stringent quality criteria and there had to be at least 10 participants in each treatment arm, with application of treatment at least once daily. Data collection and analysis: Two review authors independently assessed studies for inclusion and extracted data. We used numbers of participants achieving each outcome to calculate risk ratio and numbers needed to treat (NNT) or harm (NNH) compared to carrier or other active treatment. We were particularly interested to compare different formulations (gel, cream, plaster) of individual NSAIDs. The primary outcome was 'clinical success', defined as at least a 50% reduction in pain, or an equivalent measure such as a 'very good' or 'excellent' global assessment of treatment, or 'none' or 'slight' pain on rest or movement, measured on a categorical scale. Main results: We identified five new studies for this update, which now has information from 10,631 participants in 39 studies, a 38% increase in participants from the earlier review; 33 studies compared a topical NSAID with carrier. All studies examined topical NSAIDs for treatment of osteoarthritis, and for pooled analyses studies were generally of moderate or high methodological quality, although we considered some at risk of bias from short duration and small size. In studies lasting 6 to 12 weeks, topical diclofenac and topical ketoprofen were significantly more effective than carrier for reducing pain; about 60% of participants had much reduced pain. With topical diclofenac, the NNT for clinical success in six trials (2343 participants) was 9.8 (95% confidence interval (CI) 7.1 to 16) (moderate quality evidence). With topical ketoprofen, the NNT for clinical success in four trials (2573 participants) was 6.9 (5.4 to 9.3) (moderate quality evidence). There was too little information for analysis of other individual topical NSAIDs compared with carrier. Few trials compared a topical NSAID to an oral NSAID, but overall they showed similar efficacy (low quality evidence). These efficacy results were almost completely derived from people with knee osteoarthritis. There was an increase in local adverse events (mostly mild skin reactions) with topical diclofenac compared with carrier or oral NSAIDs, but no increase with topical ketoprofen (moderate quality evidence). Reporting of systemic adverse events (such as gastrointestinal upsets) was poor, but where reported there was no difference between topical NSAID and carrier (very low quality evidence). Serious adverse events were infrequent and not different between topical NSAID and carrier (very low quality evidence). Clinical success with carrier occurred commonly - in around half the participants in studies lasting 6 to 12 weeks. Both direct and indirect comparison of clinical success with oral placebo indicates that response rates with carrier (topical placebo) are about twice those seen with oral placebo. A substantial amount of data from completed, unpublished studies was unavailable (up to 6000 participants). To the best of our knowledge, much of this probably relates to formulations that have never been marketed. Authors' conclusions: Topical diclofenac and topical ketoprofen can provide good levels of pain relief beyond carrier in osteoarthritis for a minority of people, but there is no evidence for other chronic painful conditions. There is emerging evidence that at least some of the substantial placebo effects seen in longer duration studies derive from effects imparted by the NSAID carrier itself, and that NSAIDs add to that

Applied neurophysiology of the horse; implications for training, husbandry and welfare

Understanding the neural circuits underlying equine behaviour has the potential to help optimise strategies of husbandry and training. This review discusses two areas of neurophysiological research in a range of species and relates this information to the horse. The first discussion focuses on mechanisms of learning and motivation and assesses how this information can be applied to improve the training of the horse. The second concerns the identification of the equine neurophysiological phenotype, through behavioural and genetic probes, as a way of improving strategies for optimal equine husbandry and training success. The review finishes by identifying directions for future research with an emphasis on how neurophysiological systems (and thus behaviour) can be modified through strategic husbandry. This review highlights how a neurophysioloigical understanding of horse behaviour can play an important role in attaining the primary objectives of equitation science as well as improving the welfare of the hors

Prediction of acute myeloid leukaemia risk in healthy individuals

The incidence of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) increases with age and mortality exceeds 90% when diagnosed after age 65. Most cases arise without any detectable early symptoms and patients usually present with the acute complications of bone marrow failure(1). The onset of such de novo AML cases is typically preceded by the accumulation of somatic mutations in preleukaemic haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) that undergo clonal expansion(2,3). However, recurrent AML mutations also accumulate in HSPCs during ageing of healthy individuals who do not develop AML, a phenomenon referred to as age-related clonal haematopoiesis (ARCH)(4-8). Here we use deep sequencing to analyse genes that are recurrently mutated in AML to distinguish between individuals who have a high risk of developing AML and those with benign ARCH. We analysed peripheral blood cells from 95 individuals that were obtained on average 6.3 years before AML diagnosis (pre-AML group), together with 414 unselected age- and gender-matched individuals (control group). Pre-AML cases were distinct from controls and had more mutations per sample, higher variant allele frequencies, indicating greater clonal expansion, and showed enrichment of mutations in specific genes. Genetic parameters were used to derive a model that accurately predicted AML-free survival; this model was validated in an independent cohort of 29 pre-AML cases and 262 controls. Because AML is rare, we also developed an AML predictive model using a large electronic health record database that identified individuals at greater risk. Collectively our findings provide proof-of-concept that it is possible to discriminate ARCH from pre-AML many years before malignant transformation. This could in future enable earlier detection and monitoring, and may help to inform intervention