Real-Time Analysis of Student Comprehension: An Assessment of Electronic Student Response Technology in an Introductory Earth Science Course

This article describes an evualuation of the effectiveness of electronic student response technologies (SRT). These wireless systems allow students to key in responses with remote control units to questions posed by an instructor in the classroom. Student responses then are displayed in real time, allowing both students and instructors to gauge student comprehension instantaneously. Researchers conducted a multi-faceted assessment of the use of SRT in four sections of a high-enrollment introductory Earth Science course at Penn State University. The assessment included quantitative and qualitative perception data from students enrolled in the course and faculty/administrator visitors to the classroom. Preliminary assessment of the pedagogical merits of SRT in the course suggests that this technology is an effective tool for introductory geoscience education. Educational levels: Graduate or professional, Graduate or professional

Victims, Crime and Society

Organized around the intersecting social divisions of class, race, age and gender, the book provides an engaging and authoritative overview of the nature of victimisation in society. In addition to a review of the major theoretical developments in relation to understanding aspects of victimization in society, individual chapters explore the political and social context of victimisation and the historical, comparative and contemporary research and scholarly work on it

The Fer tyrosine kinase regulates an axon retraction response to Semaphorin 3A in dorsal root ganglion neurons

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Fps/Fes and Fer are the only two members of a distinct subclass of cytoplasmic protein tyrosine kinases. Fps/Fes was previously implicated in Semaphorin 3A (Sema3A)-induced growth cone collapse signaling in neurons from the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) through interaction with and phosphorylation of the Sema3A receptor component PlexinA1, and members of the collapsin response mediator protein (CRMP) family of microtubule regulators. However, the potential role of the closely related Fer kinase has not been examined.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here we provide novel biochemical and genetic evidence that Fer plays a prominent role in microtubule regulation in DRG neurons in response to Sema3A. Although Fps/Fes and Fer were both expressed in neonatal brains and isolated DRGs, Fer was expressed at higher levels; and Fer, but not Fps/Fes kinase activity was detected <it>in vivo</it>. Fer also showed higher <it>in vitro </it>kinase activity toward tubulin, as an exogenous substrate; and this activity was higher when the kinases were isolated from perinatal relative to adult brain stages. CRMP2 was a substrate for both kinases <it>in vitro</it>, but both CRMP2 and PlexinA1 inhibited their autophosphorylation activities. Cultured mouse DRG neurons retracted their axons upon exposure to Sema3A, and this response was significantly diminished in Fer-deficient, but only slightly attenuated in Fps/Fes-deficient DRG neurons.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Fps/Fes and Fer are both capable of phosphorylating tubulin and the microtubule regulator CRMP2 <it>in vitro</it>; and their <it>in vitro </it>kinase activities were both inhibited by CRMP2 or PlexinA1, suggesting a possible regulatory interaction. Furthermore, Fer plays a more prominent role than Fps/Fes in regulating the axon retraction response to Sema3A in DRG neurons. Therefore, Fps/Fes and Fer may play important roles in developmental or regenerative axon pathfinding through signaling from Sema3A to the microtubule cytoskeleton.</p

Changing health care with, for, or against the public:An empirical investigation into the place of the public in health service reconfiguration

Funding: The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research was funded by the Health Foundation.Objectives: This study sought to understand the different approaches taken to involving the public in service reconfiguration in the four United Kingdom health systems. Methods: This was a multi-method study involving policy document analysis and qualitative semi-structured interviews in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Results: Despite the diversity of local situations, interview participants tended to use three frames within which they understood the politics of service reconfigurations: an adversarial approach which assumed conflict over scarce resources (change against the public); a communications approach which defined the problem as educating the public on the desirability of change (change for the public); and a collaborative approach which attempted to integrate the public early into discussions about the shape and nature of desirable services (change with the public). These three framings involved different levels of managerial time, energy, and resources and called on different skill sets, most notably marketing and communications for the communications approach and community engagement for the collaborative approach. Conclusions: We argue that these framings of public involvement co-exist within organisations. Health system leaders, in framing service reconfiguration as adversarial, communicative or collaborative, are deciding between conceptions of the relationship between health care organisations and their publics in ways that shape the nature of the debates that follow. Understanding the reasons why organisations adopt these frames would be a fruitful way to advance both theory and practice.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Establishing the ratio of rock salts and organic compounds to reduce the number of Chloride and Sodium ions in the soil when de-icing roads

The research analyzes the amount of salt being dumped onto roads and its effect on trees, specifically the Red Maple and Eastern Hemlock. The goal is to find an alternative to rock salt without completely eliminating its use. The experiment involves using three different alternatives-volcanic mineral, beet juice, cheese brine-and constructing a ratio between a baseline amount of salt and alternative. The result of this is to find the smallest amount of salt needed to efficiently melt ice and cause least damage to trees. Analyzing leaf water content will show which alternative works best

Between a rock and a hard place: comparing arms’ length bodies for public involvement in healthcare across the UK.

This study was funded by the Health Foundation under the Policy Challenge Fund. Thanks to all our research participants for sharing their time and views.Arms' length bodies are often seen as a tool of technocratic governance, designed to insulate decision-making from the politicizing pressures of populist influence. This article examines a subset of arms' length bodies in the UK which challenge this convention: agencies which exist to 'champion' the voice of patients and the public in the four NHS systems (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales). We compare the functions of these agencies on paper and through qualitative interviews in each system which focused on public involvement in major service change (such as closing hospitals). We found that agencies in all four systems had struggled to demonstrate their legitimacy, squeezed between the demands of the elected Governments they answer to, the NHS organisations they are meant to support and challenge, and the publics whose voices they are meant to amplify. We argue that the evolving solutions found in each system demonstrate a foundational tension between locally-legitimate actors and nationally-capable political savvy.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Transforming health care: the policy and politics of service reconfiguration in the UK’s four health systems

Public involvement in service change has been identified as a key facilitator of health care transformation (Foley et al., 2017) but little is known about how health policy influences whether and how organisations involve the public in change processes. This qualitative study compares policy and practice for involving the public in major service changes across the UK's four health systems (England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland). We analysed policy documents, and conducted interviews with officials, stakeholders, NHS staff and public campaigners (total number of interviewees = 47). Involving the public in major service change was acknowledged as a policy challenge in all four systems. Despite ostensible similarities, there were some clear differences between the four health systems' processes for involving patients and the public in major changes to health services. The extent of central Government oversight, the prescriptiveness of Government guidance, the role for intermediary bodies and arrangements for independent scrutiny of contentious decisions all vary. We analyse how health policy in the four systems has used 'sticks' and 'sermons' to promote particular approaches, and conclude that both policy and the wider system context within which health care organisations try to effect change are significant, and understudied aspect of contemporary practice

Heterodimensional FET with split drain

A modification to heterodimensional field effect transistors (HDFET) is introduced and demonstrated to provide novel switching capabilities. The modification consists of introducing a split drain into the HDFET structure allowing the transistor to operate as a single pole-double throw switch. By extension, multiple pole-multiple throw switches can be made within a single transistor structure by introduction of multiple split drains or sources. If the device is fabricated on silicon germanium substrates, compatibility of the structure with conventional CMOS processing is achievable, allowing for new applications in digital, mixed signal, and high voltage switching

A calcium-dependent protease as a potential therapeutic target for Wolfram syndrome

Wolfram syndrome is a genetic disorder characterized by diabetes and neurodegeneration and considered as an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) disease. Despite the underlying importance of ER dysfunction in Wolfram syndrome and the identification of two causative genes, Wolfram syndrome 1 (WFS1) and Wolfram syndrome 2 (WFS2), a molecular mechanism linking the ER to death of neurons and β cells has not been elucidated. Here we implicate calpain 2 in the mechanism of cell death in Wolfram syndrome. Calpain 2 is negatively regulated by WFS2, and elevated activation of calpain 2 by WFS2-knockdown correlates with cell death. Calpain activation is also induced by high cytosolic calcium mediated by the loss of function of WFS1. Calpain hyperactivation is observed in the WFS1 knockout mouse as well as in neural progenitor cells derived from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells of Wolfram syndrome patients. A small-scale small-molecule screen targeting ER calcium homeostasis reveals that dantrolene can prevent cell death in neural progenitor cells derived from Wolfram syndrome iPS cells. Our results demonstrate that calpain and the pathway leading its activation provides potential therapeutic targets for Wolfram syndrome and other ER diseases