Private Regional Universities as Alternatives to World Class Universities: Achievable Goals for Developing Nations

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">A predominant discussion in Asian higher education is the identification and value of world class universities. The pressure to develop world class universities is coming from two sectors. First, the governments themselves see a world class university as a critical prerequisite to moving innovation into the economy and thereby moving the economy ahead and also as a source of status and prestige for the country. Second, parents who are keenly aware of the best universities in the world apply pressure to have equally prestigious universities in their native countries. Although world class universities move the frontiers of knowledge ahead, and clearly help their nation by providing a source of scientists and educated professionals via their graduate schools, many students, especially undergraduates, may be better served by regional universities with emphasis on pedagogy at the undergraduate level. The purpose of this article is to propose that regional private universities provide an alternative, not a replacement, to large research universities as a meaningful investment for both the regional economy and the student.</p

Application of a constraints-led approach to pedagogy in schools: embarking on a journey to nurture physical literacy in primary physical education

Background: Oversimplified, reductionist approaches to operationalising Physical Literacy (PL) have been a barrier to the development of a complex, dynamic and embodied understanding of the individual Physical Literacy journey. Further, there has been no appropriate approach that might allow practitioners to integrate Physical Literacy in Physical Education (PE). Whilst popular approaches, such as Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) and Game Sense (GS), for operationalising learner-centred and problem-based learning, have gained professional traction in the last three decades, the development of a comprehensive theoretical basis to underpin pedagogical principles has been neglected – particularly in Physical Education. Pedagogical approaches grounded in play have gained popularity as a vehicle for Physical Literacy development in Physical Education. Despite the prominence of a Constraint-Led Approach (CLA) in sport pedagogy to assist in developing ‘the intelligent, autonomous individual’ in sport, application to Physical Education is limited. Purpose: In this article, we propose key pedagogical principles of a Constraints-Led Approach (CLA) in primary physical education, underpinned by the theoretical framework of Ecological Dynamics (ED). Driven by the challenge of designing affordance landscapes for learning, we present our reflections on a recently designed PE curriculum for primary schools, Boing, which could facilitate the development of movement capacities in play-based curricula designed to nurture the Physical Literacy journey for individuals. An articulation of support for the key theoretical ideas is provided in this paper. Design: This is achieved through reflections on the play-based curriculum (BOING) founded on the principles of Ecological Dynamics (ED) underpinning a Constraints-Led approach (CLA) to better serve the implementation of a Physical Literacy focussed Physical Education in a Primary school setting based on key principles for delivery. Findings: Summarising the findings, the we were able to highlight the importance of developing key principles for delivering a theoretically informed curriculum that elicits key principles of Physical Literacy. Whilst movement skills are key, these approaches are able to elicit the intended outcomes in learners of confidence, motivation and competence (Whitehead 2010, 2016). Conclusions: A CLA affords the theoretical design of play-based curricula beyond just play or sport towards purposeful, inclusive learning environments. Practitioners should look to underpin their practice with key theoretical ideas. This paper is of particular interest to those coaches and teachers tasked with designing practical environments for learning beyond the rhetoric of skill development in sport

Palladium Complexes with N‑Heterocyclic Carbene Ligands As Catalysts for the Alkoxycarbonylation of Olefins

Palladium catalysts, generated from Pd(OAc)2 and 2 equiv of N,N-dialkylbenzimidazolium iodide, are effective for the alkoxycarbonylation of olefins in high yields (\u3e90%). Alkoxycarbonylation of 1-hexene in dimethylacetamide is achieved within 24 h at 110 °C using 1 mol % catalyst, 1000 psi CO, and ethanol. Reactions can be prepared in air, without the need of an acid additive to produce ethyl 2-methylhexanoate and ethyl heptanoate in approximately a 2:1 ratio

Evaluating weaknesses of "perceptual-cognitive training" and "brain training" methods in sport: An ecological dynamics critique

The recent upsurge in "brain training and perceptual-cognitive training," proposing to improve isolated processes, such as brain function, visual perception, and decision-making, has created significant interest in elite sports practitioners, seeking to create an "edge" for athletes. The claims of these related "performance-enhancing industries" can be considered together as part of a process training approach proposing enhanced cognitive and perceptual skills and brain capacity to support performance in everyday life activities, including sport. For example, the "process training industry" promotes the idea that playing games not only makes you a better player but also makes you smarter, more alert, and a faster learner. In this position paper, we critically evaluate the effectiveness of both types of process training programmes in generalizing transfer to sport performance. These issues are addressed in three stages. First, we evaluate empirical evidence in support of perceptual-cognitive process training and its application to enhancing sport performance. Second, we critically review putative modularized mechanisms underpinning this kind of training, addressing limitations and subsequent problems. Specifically, we consider merits of this highly specific form of training, which focuses on training of isolated processes such as cognitive processes (attention, memory, thinking) and visual perception processes, separately from performance behaviors and actions. We conclude that these approaches may, at best, provide some "general transfer" of underlying processes to specific sport environments, but lack "specificity of transfer" to contextualize actual performance behaviors. A major weakness of process training methods is their focus on enhancing the performance in body "modules" (e.g., eye, brain, memory, anticipatory sub-systems). What is lacking is evidence on how these isolated components are modified and subsequently interact with other process "modules," which are considered to underlie sport performance. Finally, we propose how an ecological dynamics approach, aligned with an embodied framework of cognition undermines the rationale that modularized processes can enhance performance in competitive sport. An ecological dynamics perspective proposes that the body is a complex adaptive system, interacting with performance environments in a functionally integrated manner, emphasizing that the inter-relation between motor processes, cognitive and perceptual functions, and the constraints of a sport task is best understood at the performer-environment scale of analysis

A standardised nutritional drink as a test meal for the 13 C mixed triglyceride breath test for pancreatic exocrine insufficiency:A randomised, two-arm crossover comparative study

BACKGROUND: The 13 C mixed triglyceride breath test (13 C MTGT) is a diagnostic test for pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (PEI). It is poorly standardised with much heterogeneity of the test meal, the commonest being toast and butter. A standardised oral nutritional supplement that could be easily transported, stored and made up would be valuable for making this test accessible outside of specialist centres.METHODS: A prospective, randomised, two-arm crossover study of different test meals was carried out in 14 healthy controls. The 13 C MTGT was performed in identical conditions on two separate days. Two test meals were given in random order, either standard (toast and butter) or novel (oral nutritional supplement), with 250 mg of 13 C-labelled mixed triglyceride incorporated. Breath samples were taken postprandially to calculate cumulative percentage dose recovery (cPDR) of 13 C at 6 h.RESULTS: All 14 participants completed both arms of the study with no protocol deviations. The mean cPDR was 39.39% (standard deviation [SD] 5.19) for the standard test meal and 39.93% (SD 5.20) for the novel test meal. A one-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) found no significant difference in cPDR between the two meals, F(1, 13) = 0.18, p = 0.68 (minimum detectable difference of 0.81 at 80% power).CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that a standardised oral nutritional supplement can be used without compromising 13 C recovery. Using this test meal provides a standardised dietary stimulus to the pancreas, avoiding possible variation in quantity of dietary components with other test meals. Further, the ease of use of this method would help establish the 13 C MTGT test more widely.</p

Simulating multiple quantum well solar cells

The quantum well solar cell (QWSC) has been proposed as a route to higher efficiency than that attainable by homojunction devices. Previous studies have established that carriers escape the quantum wells with high efficiency in forward bias and contribute to the photocurrent. Progress in resolving the efficiency limits of these cells has been dogged by the lack of a theoretical model reproducing both the enhanced carrier gen- eration and enhanced recombination due to the quantum wells. Here we present a model which calculates the incremental generation and recombination due to the QWs and is verified by modelling the experimental light and dark current-voltage characteristics of a range of III-V quantum well structures. We find that predicted dark currents are significantly greater than experiment if we use lifetimes derived from homostructure devices. Successful simulation of light and dark currents can be obtained only by introducing a parameter which represents a reduction in the quasi-Fermi level separation.Comment: Preprint submitted to the 28th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, Anchorage, Alaska, USA, Sept. 2000, pp. 1304-130

Method of Intra-Arterial Drug Administration in a Rat: Sex Based Optimization of Infusion Rate

BACKGROUND: Endovascular thrombectomy is the process of removing a blood clot and re-establishing blood flow in patients with emergent large vessel occlusion. The technique provides an opportunity to deliver therapeutics directly to the site of injury. The intra-arterial (IA) route of drug administration in the mouse was developed to bridge the gap between animal stroke treatments and clinical stroke therapy. Here, we adapted the IA method for use in rats, by investigating various flow rates to optimize the IA injection through the internal carotid artery (ICA). METHODS: Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats (∼4 months of age) were subjected to placement of micro-angio tubing at the bifurcation of the common carotid artery for injection into the ICA. We evaluated a range of infusion rates of carbon black ink and its vascular distribution within the brain. RESULTS: Optimal injection rates in males was 4-6 μl/min and 2-4 μl/min in females. The IA injection using these sex-specific rates resulted in appropriate limited dye delivery to only the ipsilateral region of the brain, without inducing a subarachnoid hemorrhage. CONCLUSION: Upon adapting the IA administration model to rats, it was determined that the rate of infusion varied between males and females. This variability is an important consideration for studies utilizing both sexes, such as in ischemic stroke studies

Palmitoylation of Desmoglein 2 Is a Regulator of Assembly Dynamics and Protein Turnover.

Desmosomes are prominent adhesive junctions present between many epithelial cells as well as cardiomyocytes. The mechanisms controlling desmosome assembly and remodeling in epithelial and cardiac tissue are poorly understood. We recently identified protein palmitoylation as a mechanism regulating desmosome dynamics. In this study, we have focused on the palmitoylation of the desmosomal cadherin desmoglein-2 (Dsg2) and characterized the role that palmitoylation of Dsg2 plays in its localization and stability in cultured cells. We identified two cysteine residues in the juxtamembrane (intracellular anchor) domain of Dsg2 that, when mutated, eliminate its palmitoylation. These cysteine residues are conserved in all four desmoglein family members. Although mutant Dsg2 localizes to endogenous desmosomes, there is a significant delay in its incorporation into junctions, and the mutant is also present in a cytoplasmic pool. Triton X-100 solubility assays demonstrate that mutant Dsg2 is more soluble than wild-type protein. Interestingly, trafficking of the mutant Dsg2 to the cell surface was delayed, and a pool of the non-palmitoylated Dsg2 co-localized with lysosomal markers. Taken together, these data suggest that palmitoylation of Dsg2 regulates protein transport to the plasma membrane. Modulation of the palmitoylation status of desmosomal cadherins can affect desmosome dynamics