13251 research outputs found
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An Exploration of Team Teaching in the School Band Setting
No full textThe purpose of this study was to investigate the goals, structure, and director perceptions of team-teaching practices within a vertically-aligned band program. Previous research has indicated that “team teaching” can provide many benefits to both students and teachers. Since not all school districts apply such a system, the objective of this study was to explore a school band program that has implemented vertically-aligned team teaching. I wanted to understand how the directors perceived its benefits, drawbacks, and difficulties. I selected a band program with an established vertically-aligned program that used team-teaching as a pedagogical strategy. I interviewed and observed band directors and analyzed, categorized, and interpreted the findings. The overarching theme that emerged from this study was using team teaching to build continuity throughout the band program. Additional themes that I found were scheduling, teacher roles, team-teaching strategies, teacher autonomy, professional growth, staff relationships, and collaboration. I observed complexity in the implementation of team teaching and found it difficult to define in precise terms. I discuss four implications arising from the case study: (a) valuable benefits for teachers and students, (b) challenges of implementation, (c) sustaining intended educational goals, and (d) navigating context
Punctuated evolution in the learned songs of African sunbirds
No full textLearned traits are thought to be subject to different evolutionary dynamics than other phenotypes, but their evolutionary tempo and mode has received little attention. Learned bird song has been thought to be subject to rapid and constant evolution. However, we know little about the evolutionary modes of learned song divergence over long timescales. Here, we provide evidence that aspects of the territorial songs of Eastern Afromontane sky island sunbirds evolve in a punctuated fashion, with periods of stasis of the order of hundreds of thousands of years or more, broken up by evolutionary pulses. Stasis in learned songs is inconsistent with learned traits being subject to constant or frequent change, as would be expected if selection does not constrain song phenotypes over evolutionary timescales. Learned song may instead follow a process resembling peak shifts on adaptive landscapes. While much research has focused on the potential for rapid evolution in bird song, our results suggest that selection can tightly constrain the evolution of learned songs over long timescales. More broadly, these results demonstrate that some aspects of highly variable, plastic traits can exhibit punctuated evolution, with stasis over long time periods
Smartphone Thermal Imaging in the Detection of Testicular Ischemia
No full textObjective: To evaluate smartphone thermal imaging as a point of care test in the detection of testicular ischemia. Thermal imaging detects the infrared (heat) pattern of an object and the technology is now available as an inexpensive attachment to smartphones. Materials and Methods: Smartphone thermal imaging was studied as a point-of-care diagnostic test for testicular ischemia in an IACUC approved study that prioritized survival of all animal subjects. Thirty canines weighing over 12 kg were observed during elective neuter procedures with consent from owners. Randomization determined ligation of the right vs left spermatic cord. With both testicles remaining in the scrotum, blinded inspection was performed with a FLIR ONE Pro thermal imaging camera for smartphone use. The bilateral orchiectomy procedures were then completed as planned. Results: Within 11 minutes of ligation of the randomized spermatic cord, an obvious change in the thermal imaging pattern allowed for the correct diagnosis of the ischemic testicle in 30/30 (100%) of subjects in a blinded fashion. Temperature differences between testicles at the time of ischemia diagnosis ranged from 0.7°C to 3.7°C with an average difference of 1.79°C lower in the ischemic testicle (95% CI: [1.50, 2.08]). A thermal imaging evaluation of the testicles takes 30 seconds to perform. Conclusion: Smartphone thermal imaging correctly diagnosed testicular ischemia in 100% of animal subjects in a blinded fashion. The clinical utility of this emerging point-of-care technique in the evaluation of testicular torsion is currently unknown
High Sodium-Ion Conductivity in Interlocked Quaternary Chalcogenides Built with Supertetrahedral Building Units
No full textHerein, we report the syntheses, structure, Na-ion conductivity, and theoretical investigation of two moisture stable quaternary compounds, Na3ZnGaQ4 (Q = S, Se). These compounds are synthesized using high-Temperature solid-state synthesis routes employing polychalcogenide flux or by metathesis reactions. The crystal structure of these compounds is built up of a three-dimensional (3-D) network of corner-shared supertetrahedral (T2) units, where two such 3-D networks are interlocked. The d-block metal and the main group metal, Ga, occupy the same crystallographic site with a 1:1 ratio, making it a rare form of building unit. Band structure calculations show that both the compounds are wide band gap semiconductors with band gaps of 2.25 and 1.61 eV, respectively, for Na3ZnGaS4 (I) and Na3ZnGaSe4 (II), which are slightly underestimated compared to experimentally determined band gaps of 3.0 and 1.90 eV, respectively. I and II possess ionic conductivities of 3.74 × 10-4 and 0.12 mS/cm with activation energies of 0.42 and 0.38 eV, respectively, at 30 °C. Interestingly, I shows a significantly high ionic conductivity of 0.13 mS/cm at 30 °C upon exposure to air, which could be due to water adsorption on the surface or occlusion in the grain boundaries. Assuming the vacancy-Assisted diffusion mechanism for ionic conductance, this difference is consistent with the difference on vacancy formation energies in these compounds, as predicted by DFT calculations. The bond valence sum map indicates that in both structures, the lowest energy diffusion path is one dimensional and it is along the c axis of the unit cell
Towards automatic detection and quantification of mildew on grape leaf disks
No full textDowny and powdery mildews are the most serious diseases of the grapevine. A sustainable way to control these pathogens is the breeding and deployment of resistant grape cultivars. For breeding efforts to be effective, accurate quantification of the resistance phenotype is essential. In this paper, we present a computer-based image recognition, processing, and analysis technique for enhancing the detection and quantification of Plasmopara viticola and Erysiphe necator the causal agents of downy and powdery mildew, respectively. We propose a multi-step approach that utilizes background removal and Hue-Saturation-Value (HSV) masking as opposed to multi-faceted color channel breakdowns, photo texture evaluations, or classification-based algorithms for the detection of mildew. Our experimental results show that our method provides reliable results and fast performance
Why am I Like This? An Examination of the Impact of Early Childhood Experiences on Adult Attachment Style
No full textEarly childhood experiences and parental relationships have a lasting influence on future interpersonal relationships and the associated behaviors (Cortazar and Herreros 2010; Raby et al. 2015; Simons et al. 2014; Treger and Sprecher 2011). The proposed study is investigating the complex links between adverse childhood experiences, parenting style, and attachment style. The purpose of this study was to examine the lasting impact of early childhood factors and how they affect relationships in adulthood. The study intends to replicate previous research on parenting style and attachment style. The results of this study will add to the body of research centered on child and family development and attachment theory
How Competition Undermines Deterrence
No full textThe re-emergence of great power competition has brought with it a U.S. government-wide initiative to reclaim and strengthen advantage and influence across all elements of national power. Competition is considered necessary to secure American interests and protect the existing liberal international order, as well as uphold deterrence by enhancing the nation’s ability to impose costs and deny benefits. This view, however, neglects a critical factor in deterrence: the cost of restraint, which reflects the acceptability of the status quo. Paradoxically, the more successful the nation is at “competition,” the less likely it may be in important deterrence situations. Successful diplomatic and economic competition, in particular, can actually undermine a state’s vital security imperatives, thereby raising its cost of restraint to an unacceptable level undermining deterrence. This argument is illustrated by an empirical dissection of Russia’s 2014 decision to annex Crimea and examination of the conditions surrounding Japan’s decision to attack Pearl Harbor. The thesis concludes with insights for today’s great power rivalry with China, principally that excelling at strategic competition may result in strategic deterrence failure for the United States or its likeminded allies and partners
Student responses to advance directives assignments in undergraduate courses in the United States: A qualitative examination of stress appraisals, coping, and outcomes
No full textGuided by stress and coping theory, qualitative content analysis was used to examine student written assignment responses (N = 100) about the importance of and student preparedness for completing their own advance directive (AD). Codes represented primary and secondary appraisals, coping, and outcomes. Primary appraisals were 47% benign, 47% stressful, and 6% irrelevant. Benign primary appraisals were associated with reporting greater internal and external resources and intent to complete an AD. Exposing students to information about AD can be useful, but student completion of an AD should be reserved for classes that help students process emotions and information about their preferences for end-of-life care
Transcriptome profile alterations with carbon nanotubes, quantum dots, and silver nanoparticles: A review
No full textNext-generation sequencing (NGS) technology has revolutionized sequence-based research. In recent years, high-throughput sequencing has become the method of choice in studying the toxicity of chemical agents through observing and measuring changes in transcript levels. Engineered nanomaterial (ENM)-toxicity has become a major field of research and has adopted microarray and newer RNA-Seq methods. Recently, nanotechnology has become a promising tool in the diagnosis and treatment of several diseases in humans. However, due to their high stability, they are likely capable of remaining in the body and environment for long periods of time. Their mechanisms of toxicity and long-lasting effects on our health is still poorly understood. This review explores the effects of three ENMs including carbon nanotubes (CNTs), quantum dots (QDs), and Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) by cross examining publications on transcriptomic changes induced by these nanomaterials
Effects of Heavy Metal Pollution on the Antipredator Behavior of Orangethroat Darters (Etheostoma spectabile)
No full textHeavy metal pollution can have numerous negative impacts on stream fishes, including both lethal and sublethal effects. Because of the sensitivity of fishes to toxins, they are excellent environmental indicators of stream and watershed health. The Tri-State Mining District is a Superfund site located in parts of Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma that offers a good opportunity to study sublethal effects of heavy metal pollutants on fish behavior. I observed the antipredator behavior of Orangethroat Darters (Etheostoma spectabile) from 3 streams that varied in the abundance of heavy metal pollutants. In the lab, darters from the most polluted site were less active overall, but darters from both polluted sites produced alarm cues and responded to the cues with an appropriate fright response. In field trials, I observed darters by snorkeling and recording how darters from each stream responded to the threat of an approaching predator. Darters from heavily and moderately polluted streams showed a reduced tendency to flee, relative to uncontaminated stream darters when approached by a predator. Therefore, long-term exposure to heavy metals from mining pollution is associated with changes in behavior of stream fishes