Perspectives on Traceability and BSE Testing in the U.S. Beef Industry

Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Livestock Production/Industries,

Laboratory evaluation of a novel anaesthesia delivery device

Here, we describe proof of concept of a novel method for delivering volatile anaesthetics, where the liquid anaesthetic (sevoflurane or isoflurane) is formulated into an emulsion that is contained in a compact, lightweight device through which carrier gas flows. Release of anaesthetic is achieved by stirring of the formulation, allowing controlled and responsive release of anaesthetic at a variety of fixed flow rates between 0.5 l.min−1 and 5 l.min−1, with ventilated, non-ventilated and draw-over breathing systems. Anaesthetic release was evaluated using target anaesthetic concentrations ranging from 0.5% v/v to 8% v/v to mimic those typically required for induction and maintenance of anaesthesia, and lower concentrations suitable for sedation. Under all conditions, output could be maintained within 0.1% v/v of the intended setting, and the device could deliver a controlled level of anaesthetic for at least 60 min, with compensation for different ambient temperatures (10–30 °C) and carrier gas flow rates. This device offers a simple, inexpensive method of delivering safe concentrations of volatile anaesthetics for a wide range of applications

A Collection and Analysis of Local Middle Grade Math Projects for the Common Core

The State of Utah has changed the mathematics core curriculum several times over the past decade. The latest change was the adoption of the Common Core State Standards introducing both grade level content standards and standards of mathematical practice that emphasize how students are to study and reason with mathematics at all grade levels. According to state officials, these standards require more mathematical reasoning, problem solving, and deeper understanding than previous core curriculum documents. One way to address this change is for teachers to educate using projects during their instruction as unit starters, daily lessons, and for evaluation purposes. Yet finding instructional materials takes considerable time and effort; hence, I have gathered, analyzed, and classified several projects teachers currently use in their classrooms according to the Common Core State Standards and presented them here in this report. This report contains five projects that cover different mathematical components of the new core. The Invention Project is a statistics lesson comprised of a student survey along with several types of statistical follow-up questions that allow students to represent, display and interpret data. The Dilation project is an application based on dilating a greeting card with a scale factor by using proportions and similar figures. The Interior and Exterior Angles Project leads students to find the sum of interior and exterior angles of convex polygons after students have learned the Triangle Sum Theorem. The Celebrity Project uses an applet to show lines of best fit, and then engages the students in creating their own data of ordered pairs in a scatterplot, once the data is obtained students learn the procedure for generating a regression line. The Kite Flying Project allows for multiple learning levels as students pursue the Pythagorean Theorem with a hands-on approach. Materials for project implementation such as student task sheets, scoring rubrics, and the alignment with Common Core State Standards are included in this report

Let’s Talk about Weight Bias Attitudes among Future Health Professionals

Weight bias has been linked with obesity epidemic and other weight-related concerns such as eating disorders in our society. Previous studies have found that healthcare providers such as medical doctors, nurses, and dieticians showed stigmatizing attitudes toward patients who are categorized as overweight or obese individuals. Due to those professionals’ negative attitudes toward the particular vulnerable population, patients expressed lack of willingness to seek out for help or students experienced negative psychological states. To find needs of weight bias training for undergraduate students in health education and related fields, we investigated weight bias attitudes among undergraduate students in the rocky mountain area. A cross-sectional design using the Photographic Figure Rating Scale and the Anti-fat Attitudes Scale (AFA) was conducted to examine students’ body perceptions toward their own body weight and others and also explicit weight bias attitudes. Following the removal of 59 cases with substantial missing data, the sample consisted of 199 participants (61 male, Mage = 25.03, SD = 6.47; 138 women, Mage = 23.17 years, SD = 5.85). One-way ANOVAs were conducted to examine whether career-focused groups such patient care, health education/public health, teaching, and others were associated with negative body perceptions in general. For example, all mean scores of the AFA were higher than previous studies and male mean scores of the AFA subscales (Dislike, Fear of Fat, Willpower) were significantly higher than scores among male participants in the original AFA study (i.e., M = 5.02, SD = 2.74, t(1,58) = 4.13 p \u3c .001). Additionally, there was no gender difference on the AFA scores, which was also unexpected finding compared to the original AFA study. In our study, statistical analyses did not show significant differences between men and women on Dislike and Fear of Fat

Guiding Language Students to Self-Sustained Learning

This portfolio is a compilation of written pieces which express the author’s beliefs about excellence in second language teaching. The views expressed here have been shaped by the author’s personal experience and by his time in the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program and are supported by relevant research throughout. This portfolio contains three sections: (1) teaching perspectives, (2) research perspectives, and (3) annotated bibliographies. The teaching perspective section is centered on the author’s teaching philosophy, which emphasizes communication in the target language, classroom community, and student motivation. The second section consists of three research papers written over the course of the MSLT program. The final section includes three annotated bibliographies that review research literature regarding student motivation, nonnative vs native teachers, and the teaching of vocabulary

No interaction between tDCS current strength and baseline performance: a conceptual replication

Several recent studies have reported non-linear effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), which has been attributed to an interaction between the stimulation parameters (e.g., current strength, duration) and the neural state of the cortex being stimulated (e.g., indexed by baseline performance ability, age) (see Fertonani and Miniussi, 2016). We have recently described one such non-linear interaction between current strength and baseline performance on a visuospatial attention (landmark) task (Benwell et al., 2015). In this previous study, we induced a small overall rightward shift of spatial attention across 38 participants using bi-hemispheric tDCS applied for 20 min (concurrent left posterior parietal (P5) anode and right posterior parietal (P6) cathode) relative to a sham protocol. Importantly, this shift in bias was driven by a state-dependent interaction between current intensity and the discrimination sensitivity of the participant at baseline (pre-stimulation) for the landmark task. Individuals with high discrimination sensitivity (HDS) shifted rightward in response to low- (1 mA) but not high-intensity (2 mA) tDCS, whereas individuals with low discrimination sensitivity (LDS) shifted rightward with high- but not low-intensity stimulation. However, in Benwell et al. (2015) current strength was applied as a between-groups factor, where half of the participants received 1 mA and half received 2 mA tDCS, thus we were unable to compare high and low-intensity tDCS directly within each individual. Here we aimed to replicate these findings using a within-group design. Thirty young adults received 15 min of 1 and 2 mA tDCS, and a sham protocol, each on different days, to test the concept of an interaction between baseline performance and current strength. We found no overall rightward shift of spatial attention with either current strength, and no interaction between performance and current strength. These results provide further evidence of low replicability of non-invasive brain stimulation protocols, and the need for further attempts to replicate the key experimental findings within this field

Words Set Me Free: The Story of Young Frederick Douglass

Frederick does not even know his own birthday. He was born on a plantation in a time when slavery was prevalent, and his living conditions are similar to those of work animals, though not as pleasant. His mother was taken from him at such a young age that he does not know her. When taken to Baltimore where he would serve in the home of his mistress’s brother-in-law, he meets the “first friendly white face” he’s ever seen. From her, Frederick begins learning to read. This changes his life forever. Frederick longs to be free like the ships he watches leave the harbor, and words will be the means to get him there

Abuelo

Riding horses with his Grandfather, or Abuelo, a young boy learns valuable lessons that prepare him for the day when his family moves from the country to a city. When the boy lost the trail, his Abuelo tells him that it is good to laugh, even in hard situations. This lesson and others on themes such as courage, positive thinking, and appreciation for the natural world are all applied to the boy’s new situation as he remembers what Abuelo taught him. In this way, Abuelo rides with him always