Cognitive Computer Tools in the Teaching and Learning of Undergraduate Calculus

The purpose of this study was to explore the use of a cognitive computer tool by undergraduate calculus students as they worked cooperatively on mathematical tasks. Specific attention was given to levels of cognitive demand in which the students were engaged as they completed in-class labs with the assistance of MathCAD. Participants were assigned to eight heterogeneous working groups consisting of four students each. One group was chosen as the focus of the case study. Data included student questionnaires, individual interviews, assignments, audio transcriptions of student discussions, and video recordings. Open and axial coding was used to analyze the data. Participants believed that the use of MathCAD allowed them to explore mathematics, spend more time on interpreting results, and focus on understanding. The cognitive computer tool reduced the reliance on low-level thinking skills and allowed for creativity in problem solving, permitting students to move toward high levels of thinking

Aggressive behavior of dogs kept as companion animals: Classification and influence of sex, reproductive status and breed

AbstractData were obtained from a total of 245 cases of aggressive-behavior problems in dogs kept as companion animals. Aggression involved barking, growling and biting behavior. For each case, a home visit of one to several hours yielded a description of the sequences of aggressive behavior and the stimulus conditions in which they occurred. Eight major types of aggression were observed: aggression related to fear; dominance; possessiveness; protectiveness; predation; punishment; pain; and intra-specific aggression.The incidence of each type of aggression is presented. More aggression problems occurred in males than females, with dominance and inter-male aggression showing the greatest likelihood of occurrence in males. Fear-elicited aggression and predatory aggression were the least influenced by the sex of the dog. Tabulation of associations among these problems revealed that dominance and possessive aggression frequently occurred together, fear-elicited and intra-specific aggression frequently occurred alone, and many of the aggression problems were associated with non-aggressive problems related to fear (phobias) and anxiety. The data indicated that aggressive-behavior problems are widespread across many breeds and suggest some breed × problem interactions. Fewer instances of dominance aggression occurred in mixed than in pure breeds. A classification system, proposed to represent the functional sub-systems of aggression in the pet dog, is presented

An Examination of the Practice of Personal Announcement for Communion on the Basis of its Pastoral Concerns

The purpose of this paper is to examine the Lutheran practice of personal announcement and registration for Holy Communion on the basis of the pastoral concerns connected with this practice. Since the church I served on vicarage in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, changed its practice from personal announcement to simple registration for Communion, and since this writer learned of other churches which had made or were in the process of making similar changes, an examination of these Lutheran practices on the basis of the pastoral concerns connected with them posed a highly profitable study

SUSTAINABILITY: MASONRY’S CORNER STONE OR STUMBLING BLOCK?

Sustainability has become an essential part of the construction industry within the last decade. Manufacturers have changed products and production methods in response to this clarion call. Masonry materials exhibit many attributes that make them excellent choices based on sustainability criteria. These are expounded on by masonry material manufacturers and their associations, but do they match the opinions of others in the construction industry? A review of current statements and publications from masonry material manufacturers’ websites provides an idea of what the masonry industry thinks of the sustainability of its products. In addition, websites of national associations representing masonry materials were examined to determine how the masonry industry is responding to the desire for more sustainable materials and buildings. Authors of papers at the World Sustainable Building Conference (SB11 Helsinki) provide access to their viewpoint of masonry as a sustainable material. This third-party collection represents how other members of the design and building industry view masonry. Those two viewpoints do not always coincide. The masonry industry faces several challenges to maintain its preeminence as the provider of sustainable materials

Nutrient Concentrations at Baseflow Conditions in the Upper White River Basin, Southwest Missouri and Northwest Arkansas

The Upper White River Basin (UWRB) is becoming increasingly vulnerable to water quality degradation from urban/population growth and increased agricultural production. This study examines the relationships among nutrient levels, water chemistry and watershed characteristics of 19 watersheds in the UWRB. Water samples were collected during baseflow conditions each month for one year at USGS continuous-flow gage stations. Watershed characteristics evaluated were land use, geology, drainage area, flow discharge, and wastewater treatment plant discharge (WTP). Measured chemical water quality indicators include total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), specific conductivity, turbidity, pH and dissolved oxygen. Rapidly expanding urban areas are associated with relatively high nutrient concentrations at baseflow such as found in the James River Basin, where mean levels range from 0.9 to 11.7 mg/L for TN and 18 to 175 μg/L for TP. Nutrient concentrations have a strong positive correlation to specific WTP discharge (gal/day/km²). Non-point source-affected watersheds with no or only slight WTP inputs show a negative relationship between percent forest cover and nutrient concentrations. Higher nutrient concentrations are found in watersheds with less than 50% forest in non-point source watersheds, although these nutrient levels remain below the James River recommended Total Maximum Daily Load ( \u3c 75 μg/L TP and \u3c 1.5 mg/L TN). Agricultural watersheds ( \u3e 50% ag land) in karst limestone plain areas also show elevated nutrient concentrations ranging from 0.4 to 5.2 mg/L for TN and 9 to 103 μg/L for TP

Superoxide dismutase 1 encoding mutations linked to ALS adopts a spectrum of misfolded states

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Mutations in superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), which are one cause of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (fALS), induce misfolding and aggregation of the protein. Misfolding can be detected by the binding of antibodies raised against peptide epitopes that are normally buried in the native conformation, shifts in solubility in non-ionic detergents, and the formation of macromolecular inclusions. In the present study, we investigate the relationship between detergent-insoluble and sedimentable forms of mutant SOD1, forms of mutant SOD1 with aberrantly accessible epitopes, and mutant protein in inclusions with the goal of defining the spectrum of misfolded states that mutant SOD1 can adopt.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Using combined approaches in cultured cell models, we demonstrate that a substantial fraction of mutant SOD1 adopts a non-native conformation that remains soluble and freely mobile. We also show that mutant SOD1 can produce multimeric assemblies of which some are insoluble in detergent and large enough to sediment by ultracentrifugation and some are large enough to detect visually. Three conformationally restricted antibodies were found to be useful in discriminating mal-folded forms of mutant SOD1. An antibody termed C4F6 displays properties consistent with recognition of soluble, freely mobile, mal-folded mutant SOD1. An antibody termed SEDI, which recognizes C-terminal residues, detects larger inclusion structures as well as soluble misfolded entities. An antibody termed hSOD1, which recognizes aa 24-36, detects an epitope shared by soluble non-natively folded WT and mutant SOD1. This epitope becomes inaccessible in aggregates of mutant SOD1.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our studies demonstrate how different methods of detecting misfolding and aggregation of mutant SOD1 reveal different forms of aberrantly folded protein. Immunological and biochemical methods can be used in combination to detect soluble and insoluble misfolded forms of mutant SOD1. Our findings support the view that mutant SOD1 can adopt multiple misfolded conformations with the potential that different structural variants mediate different aspects of fALS.</p

The Charge Collection Properties of CVD Diamond

The charge collection properties of CVD diamond have been investigated with ionising radiation. In this study two CVD diamond samples, prepared with electrical contacts have been used as solid state ionisation chambers. The diamonds have been studied with beta particles and 10 keV photons, providing a homogeneous ionisation density and with protons and alpha particles which are absorbed in a thin surface layer. For the latter case a strong decrease of the signal as function of time is observed, which is attributed to polarisation effects inside the diamond. Spatially resolved measurements with protons show a large variation of the charge collection efficiency, whereas for photons and minimum ionising particles the response is much more uniform and in the order of 18%. These results indicate that the applicability of CVD diamond as a position sensitive particle detector depends on the ionisation type and appears to be promising for homogeneous ionisation densities as provided by relativistic charged particles.Comment: 26 pages (Latex), submitted to NIM

Anxiety and impulsivity: Factors associated with premature graying in young dogs

AbstractThe present study examined the association of anxiety and impulsivity with premature muzzle grayness among young dogs. A sample of 400 dogs, ages 1–4 years was obtained at dog parks, shows, veterinary clinics, and other venues. Each dog was photographed and the degree of muzzle grayness was rated on an ordinal scale ranging from “no gray” to “full gray.” White or pale colored dogs were dropped from the study because it was impossible to determine degree of grayness. Each owner filled out a questionnaire assessing the constructs of anxiety and impulsivity, as well as other behaviors and characteristics. To prevent response bias, owners were told that the purpose of the study involved dog lifestyle. Distractor items were added to the survey to prevent the owner from guessing the purpose of the survey. Examples of survey items indicating anxiety included: destruction when left alone; hair loss on vet exam or being in a new place; and cringes/cowers in response to groups of people. Examples of survey items indicating impulsivity included: jumping on people, inability to calm, loss of focus, hyperactivity after exercise. In our sample of young dogs, latent variable regression showed that the extent of muzzle grayness was significantly and positively predicted by anxiety (p=0.005) and impulsivity (p<0.001). Dog size, spay/neuter status, or medical problems did not predict extent of muzzle grayness. Fear responses to loud noise, unfamiliar animals and people were associated with increased grayness. Ordinal regression analysis showed that muzzle grayness was significantly predicted by fear of loud noises (p=0.001), unfamiliar animals (p=0.031), and unfamiliar people (p<0.001). Premature graying in young dogs may be a possible indicator of anxiety, fear or impulsivity issues in dogs under four years of age

Rodent Aβ Modulates the Solubility and Distribution of Amyloid Deposits in Transgenic Mice

The amino acid sequence of amyloid precursor protein (APP) is highly conserved, and age-related Abeta aggregates have been described in a variety of vertebrate animals, with the notable exception of mice and rats. Three amino acid substitutions distinguish mouse and human Abeta that might contribute to their differing properties in vivo. To examine the amyloidogenic potential of mouse Abeta, we studied several lines of transgenic mice overexpressing wild-type mouse amyloid precursor protein (moAPP) either alone or in conjunction with mutant PS1 (PS1dE9). Neither overexpression of moAPP alone nor co-expression with PS1dE9 caused mice to develop Alzheimer-type amyloid pathology by 24 months of age. We further tested whether mouse Abeta could accelerate the deposition of human Abeta by crossing the moAPP transgenic mice to a bigenic line expressing human APPswe with PS1dE9. The triple transgenic animals (moAPP x APPswe/PS1dE9) produced 20% more Abeta but formed amyloid deposits no faster and to no greater extent than APPswe/PS1dE9 siblings. Instead, the additional mouse Abeta increased the detergent solubility of accumulated amyloid and exacerbated amyloid deposition in the vasculature. These findings suggest that, although mouse Abeta does not influence the rate of amyloid formation, the incorporation of Abeta peptides with differing sequences alters the solubility and localization of the resulting aggregates