Depth indicator and stop aid machining to precise tolerances

Attachment for machine tools provides a visual indication of the depth of cut and a positive stop to prevent overcutting. This attachment is used with drill presses, vertical milling machines, and jig borers

Design and marketing features influencing choice of e-cigarettes and tobacco in the EU

Data were analysed from the 2014 Special Eurobarometer for Tobacco survey. We estimated self-rated importance of various factors in the choice of both tobacco and electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) among tobacco smokers who had ever used an e-cigarette. Among ever users of tobacco and e-cigarettes (N = 2430), taste (39.4%), price (39.2%) and amount of nicotine (27.3%) were the most commonly cited reasons for choosing their brand of e-cigarettes. Those aged 15–24 were more likely to cite external packaging [adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR = 2.06, 95% CI 1.00–4.23)] and design features (aPR = 1.99, 1.20–3.29) as important. As further legislation is debated and enacted enhanced regulation of price, design and marketing features of e-cigarettes may help to reduce the appeal of e-cigarettes

Reinforced oxide throat insert development

Wire reinforced zirconium oxide rocket nozzle insert

The American University in Bulgaria: Institution-building in a Developing Democracy

Edward and Roberta Laverty describe the new American University in Bulgaria (AUBG) that opened in September 1991. This is the first private educational institution opened in Bulgaria since World War II, and because of its affiliation with the University of Maine, it becasme the only fully accredited university in Eastern Europe.

Development of graduate health science students\u27 clinical reasoning: A qualitative study

Employment in health science professions requires technical skills and the ability to engage in high-level reasoning skills in order to make appropriate recommendations about the care of a patient. Developing clinical reasoning skills, then, is a central component of graduate health science training programs. The purpose of this phenomenological study is to understand how learning is structured in graduate health science courses at a comprehensive state university and how graduate health science students develop clinical reasoning skills. Situated in Vygotsky\u27s social constructivism theory and applying Garrison\u27s CoI framework, the aim was a discussion of themes and patterns that emerged from a qualitative analysis of student clinical reasoning in graduate health science programs. Two graduate health science instructors and 62 graduate health science students participated. Data collection included transcripts from instructor-student and student-student discourse during active learning opportunities in the classroom, transcripts from instructor semi-structured interviews, transcripts from student focus groups, and detailed field notes. Several key findings emerged. First, instructors and students viewed significant factors in developing clinical reasoning differently. Second, graduate health science students\u27 clinical reasoning skills did not develop in gradual progression and were impacted by the classroom format, instructor expectations, and social dynamics within the classroom. Third, instructional pedagogies were significant factors in the clinical reasoning skills graduate health science exhibited in the classroom

Developing the Next Generation of Physics Assessments

Science education at all levels is currently undergoing dramatic changes to its curricula and developing assessments for these new curricula is paramount. We have used the basis of many of these new changes (scientific practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas) to develop sets of criteria that can be used to guide assessment development for this new curriculum. We present a case study that uses the criteria we have developed to revise a traditional physics assessment item into an assessment item that is much more aligned with the goals of current transformation efforts. Assessment items developed using this criteria can be used to assess student learning of both the concepts and process of science.Comment: Revised version for PERC 2015 Conference Proceeding

The molecular basis of gene expression variability in transgenic tobacco plants

An extensive investigation into and charactaisation of factors influencing transgene expression following introduction of the transgoie into tobacco via Agrobacterium- mediated transformation was carried out. Characterisation of material supplied at the outset of this project revealed that this material was unacceptable for further analysis. It was thus deemed necessary to obtain large populations of transgenic tobacco heterogenous for levels of transgene expression. Characterisation of these populations (CaMV-lecA and ssRubisco-lecA plants) showed that all plants fell into one of four segregation classes based on segregation of the kanamycin-resistance selectable marker. Results showed that the majority of regenerants contained multiple nptII-containing inserts, while the presence of one or two such inserts was also found, albeit at a much lower frequency. Segregation analysis based on detection of the lecA transgene agreed, in the majority of cases, with these results. However, in a few cases it was found that data obtained from both segregation analyses did not agree, with the presence of a single lecA-containing transgene being detected in plants shown to contain two copies of the nptII-contaning transgene. This result indicates the occurrence of T-DNA rearrangement either within the tobacco genome or during T-DNA transfer and integration. Southern blot analyses allowed a detailed characterisation of T-DNA structure, copy number and number of integration sites to be undertaken. Results from these analyses revealed a higher frequency of T-DNA rearrangement within plants containing multiple inserts. However, such rearrangements did not correlate with a significant reduction in levels of transgene expression since all detected rearrangements were found to occur at or towards the left hand border of the T-DNA, that border distant to the lecA transgene. Plants containing more than one T-DNA were also frequently found to contain these T-DNAs arranged as an inverted repeat at a single locus although no significant relationship between copy number and the presence of such structures was found. Correlating transgene expression levels, as determined by radioimmunoassay-based quantitation of lectin protein in tissues of transgenic plants, with T-DNA copy number, organisation and structure revealed no significant relationship. It is thus feasible to conclude that the major contributory factor influencing levels of transgene expression is the location of T-DNA integration within the plant genome. Subsequent work concerned with investigating the nature of those integration site-specific factors i.e. 'position effect' indicated a possible role for methylation-induced modulation of gene expression. Results presented in this thesis provide an insight into the fate of transgenes following introduction into the plant genome and clearly demonstrate the importance of further exploring the molecular mechanisms underlying transgene expression variability