Interview of Michael R. Dillon, Ph.D., J.D.

Dr. Michael Richard Dillon (1942-2020) was a Professor and Chair of the Political Science Department at La Salle University in Philadelphia. He grew up in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb just outside of Chicago, where he spent many years before opting to attend the University of Notre Dame for his undergraduate and, later, his graduate and doctoral degrees. Dr. Dillon first came to La Salle in 1968, where he spent 17 years as a member of the Political Science Department under the Chair at the time, Robert Courtney. After obtaining a J.D. from Temple University, Dr. Dillon left La Salle in 1985 to practice environmental law for the Litigation Section of the national firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, where he remained for 22 years. After his wife passed away in 2006, Dr. Dillon looked to get back into teaching and, so, he returned to La Salle in 2007 where he was hired to Chair the Political Science Department. As of the interview in 2013, he chaired a Department highly regarded throughout the University community. He lived in Lafayette Hill, PA and had three children

How Well Do Engineering Students Retain Core Mathematical Knowledge after a Series of High Threshold Online Mathematics Tests

In the Technological University Dublin, high threshold core skills assessments are run in mathematics for third year engineering students. Such tests require students to reach a threshold of 90% on a multiple-choice test based on a randomised question bank. The material covered by the test consists of the more important aspects of undergraduate engineering mathematics covered in the first two years of the Honours degree programme and/or the three years of the Ordinary degree programme . Students are allowed to re-sit the assessment as frequently as required until they pass. In order to measure the effectiveness of such an exercise a follow up assessment was given to students on their first day of fourth year. A comparison is made with the level of basic mathematical knowledge of these students on their first day in Third year, exactly a year previously. In addition students were surveyed on their view of, how much knowledge had been retained and how effective they felt that this approach had been

Church Island : a Description

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Profiling mathematical procedural and problem-solving skills of undergraduate students following a new mathematics curriculum

In 2010 a mathematics curriculum was introduced in Irish second level schools entitled ‘Project Maths’ (PM). It aimed to refocus second level mathematics teaching and learning away from an over emphasis on procedural mathematics towards problem solving and real understanding [Department of Education and Skills (DES). (2010). Report of the Project Maths implementation support group. https://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Policy-Reports/Report-of-the-Project-Maths-Implementation-Group.pdf]. This paper aims to examine the performance of 1st year undergraduate students’ procedural and problem solving skills after the introduction of PM. A diagnostic test was developed to determine students’ skills in each area and findings demonstrated that students perform statistically significantly better in the procedural skills in mathematics when compared to problem solving skills. These findings raise concerns around the lack of anticipated improved problem solving skills of a cohort of students exposed to this style of teaching and learning. The paper raises discussion surrounding the intended and actual teaching and learning taking place in second level classrooms along with consideration for the potential role of learned helplessness and the literacy issues. Recommendations are made for follow up qualitative research with stakeholders in mathematics education to better understand the ‘why’ of the results presented here

Measuring the mathematical problem solving and procedural skills of students in an Irish higher education institution – a pilot study

In 2010 the Irish second level mathematics curriculum underwent a period of significant change when a new mathematics curriculum was introduced. Some preliminary research has been carried out into the impact, if any, that this mathematics curriculum is having on students mathematics performance which have suggested that students’ procedural skills are declining year on year however their problem solving skills may have improved (Treacy and Faulkner 2015). Additional research in this area also highlighted that students willingness to engage in problem solving activities may have improved (Prendergast et al 2017). However preliminary analysis on the impact of the reformed mathematics curriculum, if any, on students’ performance in higher education noted that further research was needed in this area to definitively establish what is happening. This research therefore aims to explicitly determine whether the procedural and problem solving skills of beginning undergraduates are changing over time as a result of the reformed mathematics curriculum introduced in second level education. A paper based diagnostic test designed and developed is used in an attempt to determine this. This paper will detail the piloting of this diagnostic test with a group of higher education students in the Irish context

Modified Single Prolonged Stress Reduces Cocaine Self-Administration During Acquisition Regardless of Rearing Environment

Until recently, there were few rodent models available to study the interaction of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and drug taking. Like PTSD, single prolonged stress (SPS) produces hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction and alters psychostimulant self-administration. Other stressors, such as isolation stress, also alter psychostimulant self-administration. However, it is currently unknown if isolation housing combined with SPS can alter the acquisition or maintenance of cocaine self-administration. The current study applied modified SPS (modSPS; two hours restraint immediately followed by cold swim stress) to rats raised in an isolation condition (Iso), enrichment condition (Enr), or standard condition (Std) to measure changes in cocaine self-administration and HPA markers. Regardless of rearing condition, rats exposed to modSPS had greater corticosterone (CORT) release and reduced cocaine self-administration during initial acquisition compared to non-stressed controls. In addition, during initial acquisition, rats that received both Iso rearing and modSPS showed a more rapid increase in cocaine self-administration across sessions compared to Enr and Std rats exposed to modSPS. Following initial acquisition, a dose response analysis showed that Iso rats were overall most sensitive to changes in cocaine unit dose; however, modSPS had no effect on the cocaine dose response curve. Further, there was no effect of either modSPS or differential rearing on expression of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in hypothalamus, medial prefrontal cortex, amygdala, or nucleus accumbens. By using modSPS in combination with Iso housing, this study identified unique contributions of each stressor to acquisition of cocaine self-administration

Alternate cyclin D1 mRNA splicing modulates P27\u3csup\u3eKlP1\u3c/sup\u3e binding and cell migration

Cyclin D1 is an important cell cycle regulator but in cancer its overexpression also increases cellular migration mediated by p27KlP1 stabilization and RhoA inhibition. Recently, a common polymorphism at the exon 4-intron 4 boundary of the human cyclin D1 gene within a splice donor region was associated with an altered risk of developing cancer. Altered RNA splicing caused by this polymorphism gives rise to a variant cyclin D1 isoform termed cyclin D1b, which has the same N-terminus as the canonical cyclin D1a isoform but a distinct C-terminus. In this study we show that these different isoforms have unique properties with regard to the cellular migration function of cyclin D1. Whereas they displayed little difference in transcriptional co-repression assays on idealized reporter genes, microarray cDNA expression analysis revealed differential regulation of genes including those that influence cellular migration. Additionally, while cyclin D1a stabilized p27KIP1 and inhibited RhoA-induced ROCK kinase activity, promoting cellular migration, cyclin D1b failed to stabilize p27KIP1 or inhibit ROCK kinase activity and had no effect on migration. Our findings argue that alternate splicing is an important determinant of the function of cyclin D1 in cellular migration

A hero's work of peace: Richard Strauss's Friedenstag

Richard Strauss’s one-act opera FRIEDENSTAG (DAY OF PEACE) has received staunch criticism regarding its overt militaristic content and compositional merits. The opera is one of several works that Strauss composed between 1933 and 1945, when the National Socialists were in power in Germany. Owing to Strauss’s formal involvement with the Third Reich, his artistic and political activities during this period have invited much scrutiny. The context of the opera’s premiere in 1938, just as Germany’s aggressive stance in Europe intensified, has encouraged a range of assessments regarding its preoccupation with war and peace. The opera’s defenders read its dramatic and musical components via lenses of pacifism and resistance to Nazi ideology. Others simply dismiss the opera as platitudinous. Eschewing a strict political stance as an interpretive guide, this thesis instead explores the means by which Strauss pursued more ambiguous and multidimensional levels of meaning in the opera. Specifically, I highlight the ways he infused the dramaturgical and musical landscapes of FRIEDENSTAG with burlesque elements. These malleable instances of irony open the opera up to a variety of fresh and fascinating interpretations, illustrating how FRIEDENSTAG remains a lynchpin for judiciously appraising Strauss’s artistic and political legacy. In this thesis, attention is paid to the troubled period of the opera’s genesis, from Strauss’s initial collaboration with author Stefan Zweig to its eventual completion with Joseph Gregor in 1936. Close study of the score reveals how Strauss, despite his struggles with the libretto, carefully integrated music and politics into a complex artwork that eludes the epithets of “Nazi” and “pacifist” in favor of a more nuanced understanding. A century and a half after Strauss’s birth, FRIEDENSTAG continues to shed light on the precarious world that he and other German artists navigated on the eve of World War I

Initiation Rituals

It is called the elephant walk, an all male single-file procession in the nude in which all participants are connected in a chain by holding on to the penis of the person just behind. This is not a new sport, but it is a part of the sporting atmosphere in many male athletic settings. Most recently this charming ritual was in the news at the University of Vermont where the hockey season has come to an abrupt end