Objective
To evaluate the tear production, intraocular pressure, and central corneal thickness in healthy white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and assess for seasonal variability.
Animals ...studied
Nineteen healthy fawns (3‐10 days old) and 8 healthy adult white‐tailed deer (164‐280 days old) were studied.
Procedures
All fawns were manually restrained for the study, while adult animals were immobilized with an intramuscular injection of combined xylazine (2.2 mg/kg), tiletamine (1 mg/kg), and zolazepam (1 mg/kg). Tear production (STT‐1) was evaluated in both eyes of all fawns. Intraocular pressure (applanation and rebound tonometry) and central corneal thickness (ultrasound pachymetry) were determined in both eyes of all fawns and adult deer.
Results
Mean ± SD tear production in fawns was 12.32 ± 4.46 mm/min. Mean ± SD IOP values in the fawns were 16.21 ± 4.97 mm Hg (TonoPen®) and 14.05 ± 5.03 mm Hg (TonoVet®). In adult deer, mean ± SD IOP values were 15.57 ± 2.88 mm Hg with TonoPen® and 12.87 ± 2.57 with TonoVet®, and TonoPen® significantly overestimated the IOP, compared to TonoVet® (P < 0.005). The IOP was not significantly different between young and adult animals (P = 0.22). A significant difference (P < 0.005) in CCT values was observed between fawns (528.42 ± 27.65 μm) and adult deer (747.55 ± 41.60 μm).
Conclusions
This study reports normal values of tear production in healthy fawns, and intraocular pressure and central corneal thickness in healthy young and adult white‐tailed deer.
Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of cholera, is a bacterium autochthonous to the aquatic environment, and a serious public health threat. V. cholerae serogroup O1 is responsible for the previous ...two cholera pandemics, in which classical and El Tor biotypes were dominant in the sixth and the current seventh pandemics, respectively. Cholera researchers continually face newly emerging and reemerging pathogenic clones carrying diverse combinations of phenotypic and genotypic properties, which significantly hampered control of the disease. To elucidate evolutionary mechanisms governing genetic diversity of pandemic V. cholerae, we compared the genome sequences of 23 V. cholerae strains isolated from a variety of sources over the past 98 years. The genome-based phylogeny revealed 12 distinct V. cholerae lineages, of which one comprises both O1 classical and El Tor biotypes. All seventh pandemic clones share nearly identical gene content. Using analogy to influenza virology, we define the transition from sixth to seventh pandemic strains as a "shift" between pathogenic clones belonging to the same O1 serogroup, but from significantly different phyletic lineages. In contrast, transition among clones during the present pandemic period is characterized as a "drift" between clones, differentiated mainly by varying composition of laterally transferred genomic islands, resulting in emergence of variants, exemplified by V. cholerae O139 and V. cholerae O1 El Tor hybrid clones. Based on the comparative genomics it is concluded that V. cholerae undergoes extensive genetic recombination via lateral gene transfer, and, therefore, genome assortment, not serogroup, should be used to define pathogenic V. cholerae clones.
Trichoderma reesei is the main industrial source of cellulases and hemicellulases used to depolymerize biomass to simple sugars that are converted to chemical intermediates and biofuels, such as ...ethanol. We assembled 89 scaffolds (sets of ordered and oriented contigs) to generate 34 Mbp of nearly contiguous T. reesei genome sequence comprising 9,129 predicted gene models. Unexpectedly, considering the industrial utility and effectiveness of the carbohydrate-active enzymes of T. reesei, its genome encodes fewer cellulases and hemicellulases than any other sequenced fungus able to hydrolyze plant cell wall polysaccharides. Many T. reesei genes encoding carbohydrate-active enzymes are distributed nonrandomly in clusters that lie between regions of synteny with other Sordariomycetes. Numerous genes encoding biosynthetic pathways for secondary metabolites may promote survival of T. reesei in its competitive soil habitat, but genome analysis provided little mechanistic insight into its extraordinary capacity for protein secretion. Our analysis, coupled with the genome sequence data, provides a roadmap for constructing enhanced T. reesei strains for industrial applications such as biofuel production.
Summary
Syntrophomonas wolfei is a specialist, evolutionarily adapted for syntrophic growth with methanogens and other hydrogen‐ and/or formate‐using microorganisms. This slow‐growing anaerobe has ...three putative ribosome RNA operons, each of which has 16S rRNA and 23S rRNA genes of different length and multiple 5S rRNA genes. The genome also contains 10 RNA‐directed, DNA polymerase genes. Genomic analysis shows that S. wolfei relies solely on the reduction of protons, bicarbonate or unsaturated fatty acids to re‐oxidize reduced cofactors. Syntrophomonas wolfei lacks the genes needed for aerobic or anaerobic respiration and has an exceptionally limited ability to create ion gradients. An ATP synthase and a pyrophosphatase were the only systems detected capable of creating an ion gradient. Multiple homologues for β‐oxidation genes were present even though S. wolfei uses a limited range of fatty acids from four to eight carbons in length.Syntrophomonas wolfei, other syntrophic metabolizers with completed genomic sequences, and thermophilic anaerobes known to produce high molar ratios of hydrogen from glucose have genes to produce H2 from NADH by an electron bifurcation mechanism. Comparative genomic analysis also suggests that formate production from NADH may involve electron bifurcation. A membrane‐bound, iron–sulfur oxidoreductase found in S. wolfei and Syntrophus aciditrophicus may be uniquely involved in reverse electron transport during syntrophic fatty acid metabolism. The genome sequence of S. wolfei reveals several core reactions that may be characteristic of syntrophic fatty acid metabolism and illustrates how biological systems produce hydrogen from thermodynamically difficult reactions.
How do academics come to know? Cliff, Alan F; Woodward, Rob
Higher education,
10/2004, Letnik:
48, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
This paper reports the results of a small-scale (n = 9) interview study of the `ways of knowing' of academics in a Design School at a South African polytechnic. The focus of the study was on ...exploring the perceptions of these academics about discipline-specific knowledge in their fields. The paper presents an analysis of the responses, derived from semi-structured interviews, to questions concerning the origin, development, structure, and contestation of knowledge. Responses were classified and tabulated in terms of their relation to theories of epistemology and the findings analysed in relation to how they might be said to be descriptive of qualitatively different views of the construction and contestation of discipline-specific knowledge. The analysis suggests that there are some areas of commonality, such as the agreement that their knowledge has an eclectic base and that its structure is influenced by personal, historical, professional and technological imperatives in the discipline. On the other hand, there are some tensions in beliefs about the structure and contestation of knowledge. The analysis draws out tensions between the established canon and popular culture; between individual intuition and professional benchmarks; and between Eurocentric and Afrocentric knowledge-bases. Concluding comments suggest that these tensions have important implications for both the content and methodology of teaching. (HRK / Abstract übernommen).
This paper presents the findings of an interview study of first-year engineering students' approaches to study. Data is presented to illustrate the construct of "dissonant study orchestration" as it ...is manifested in the everyday academic reality of these students' learning behaviour. This data is theorised within a students'-experiences-of-learning framework and patterns of study approach considered atypical of, or theoretically undesirable within, the model used to determine them are presented and discussed. Individual-level, qualitatively different patterns of "dissonant" orchestration are articulated. The conclusion to the paper argues that the qualitative distinctions apparent amongst dissonant approaches present particular challenges to academic practitioners whose aim is the improvement of these students' learning behaviour. L'auteur présente les résultats d'une enquête par entretiens auprès d'étudiants en première année d'études d'ingénieur. Les données sont présentées pour illustrer le concept d'orchestration des dissonances dans les études telle qu'il se manifeste dans la réalité quotidienne du comportement d'apprentissage de ces étudiants. Ces données sont théorisées dans un cadre d'expériences d'apprentissage chez des étudiants, et l'auteur présente et discute les patterns de stratégies d'étude considérées comme atypiques du modèle utilisé, ou théoriquement indésirables dans ce modèle. Au niveau individuel, différents patterns qualitatifs d'orchestration de la dissonance sont articulés. En conclusion, l'auteur soutient que les distinctions qualitatives manifestes dans les stratégies dissonantes présentent des défis particuliers aux praticiens de l'éducation dont le but est l'amélioration de ces comportements d'apprentissages chez les étudiants.
Recently, research on mature students' approaches to learning, conducted within a students'-experiences-of-learning framework, has suggested that these students tend towards being deep-level ...learners. The studies reported in this paper were focused on the self-reported conceptions of learning of a group of mature students enrolled in a postgraduate degree course. A primary aim of these studies was to assess the extent to which these students reported "sophisticated" conceptions of learning, as might be expected from mature, postgraduate learners. A secondary focus was to assess the extent to which academic context might be said to have influenced learning conceptions over time. The studies suggest that, for this sample of students, quantitative conceptions appear to predominate. In addition, a conception of learning that does not appear to "fit" within the conceptual model used to assess these conceptions is presented and discussed. Empirical data suggesting the stability of these learning conceptions over time is discussed in the light of its implications for teaching on postgraduate degree programmes where students appear to hold quantitative conceptions of learning. But the paper also argues for the need for further research into a conception which holds that learning is a moral obligation or service to a community.
Academic and quantitative literacies (AQL) are essential to success in higher education. These literacies are largely not explicitly taught, but acquired indirectly, mostly through practices in ...various school subjects. The National Benchmark Tests (NBT) Project assesses students’ AQL competencies to assist in identifying students who need support, with placement into appropriate programmes and with curriculum development. We analyse the performance on the NBT AQL test of students who took the school-leaving examinations in Mathematics, Mathematical Literacy, English Home Language and English First Additional Language. We use the subject choice as a representation of the level of a candidate’s quantitative competence and language proficiency respectively, and investigate the relative contributions made by these subject choices to a student’s AQL. Students who paired Mathematics with English as Home Language subject had the statistically significant highest mean AQL score and those who took both English First Additional Language and Mathematical Literacy had the lowest. Language competence has a stronger effect than mathematical competence on AQL. Students who took the subject combination Mathematics and English Home Language at school are better prepared for the academic demands of higher education than their counterparts who took the alternate subjects. Treating these subjects as equivalent to English Home Language and Mathematics for admissions purposes ignores the differences in preparedness of these students.
ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) is a detector dedicated to the studies with heavy ion collisions exploring the physics of strongly interacting nuclear matter and the quark-gluon plasma at the ...CERN LHC (Large Hadron Collider). After the second long shutdown of the LHC, the ALICE Experiment will be upgraded to make high precision measurements of rare probes at low pT, which cannot be selected with a trigger, and therefore require a very large sample of events recorded on tape. The online computing system will be completely redesigned to address the major challenge of sampling the full 50 kHz Pb-Pb interaction rate increasing the present limit by a factor of 100. This upgrade will also include the continuous un-triggered read-out of two detectors: ITS (Inner Tracking System) and TPC (Time Projection Chamber)) producing a sustained throughput of 1 TB/s. This unprecedented data rate will be reduced by adopting an entirely new strategy where calibration and reconstruction are performed online, and only the reconstruction results are stored while the raw data are discarded. This system, already demonstrated in production on the TPC data since 2011, will be optimized for the online usage of reconstruction algorithms. This implies much tighter coupling between online and offline computing systems. An R&D program has been set up to meet this huge challenge. The object of this paper is to present this program and its first results.
Background: Drug-coated balloon (DCB) therapy has been shown to be an effective alternative to drug-eluting stents as a revascularisation option, but usage of DCB varies widely between different ...countries. The aim of this study was to review the awareness of the DCB expert consensus paper and the prevalence of DCB usage among interventionists in the Asia-Pacific region. Methods: An online questionnaire was designed to explore the awareness of the DCB expert consensus paper and evaluate the prevalence of DCB usage. This was sent to interventional cardiologists in collaboration with the Asian Pacific Society of Cardiology. Results: The total number of respondents was 237. Slightly more than half were unaware of the DCB expert consensus paper, and the majority use fewer than 10 DCBs per month. Statistical analysis showed that awareness of the DCB expert consensus paper had a positive correlation with increased DCB usage when treating patients with high bleeding risk, bifurcation disease and small vessel disease, while increased frequency of DCB usage was positively correlated with the treatment of patients with high bleeding risk and small vessel disease. However, these two factors were not significantly associated with the increased use of DCB to treat in-stent restenosis. Conclusion: With emerging data expanding the indications for DCB and increasing operator experience, DCB usage is likely to become more commonplace during percutaneous coronary intervention.
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