Isolation,resilience, and faith: Experiences of Black Christian students in biology graduate programs

To increase participation of students of color in science graduate programs, research has focused on illuminating student experiences to inform ways to improve them. In biology, Black students are vastly underrepresented, and while religion has been shown to be a particularly important form of cultural wealth for Black students, Christianity is stigmatized in biology. Very few studies have explored the intersection of race/ethnicity and Christianity for Black students in biology where there is high documented tension between religion and science. Since graduate school is important for socialization and Black students are likely to experience stigmatization of their racial and religious identity, it is important to understand their experiences and how we might be able to improve them. Thus, we interviewed 13 Black Christian students enrolled in biology graduate programs and explored their experiences using the theoretical lens of stigmatized identities. Through thematic content analysis, we revealed that students negotiated experiences of cultural isolation, devaluation of intelligence, and acts of bias like other racially minoritized students in science. However, by examining these experiences at the intersection of race/ethnicity and religion, we shed light on interactions students have had with faculty and peers within the biology community that cultivated perceptions of mistrust, conflict, and stigma. Our study also revealed ways in which students' religious/spiritual capital has positively supported their navigation through biology graduate school. These results contribute to a deeper understanding of why Black Christian graduate students are more likely to leave or not pursue advanced degrees in biology with implications for research and practice that help facilitate their success.     

The 2011 Benjamin Franklin Medal in computer and cognitive science presented to John R. Anderson

John R. Anderson is an international leader in the computational representation and simulation of human cognition. He is credited as having developed the first “cognitive architecture”—a computational framework for specifying both the abilities and limitations of human behavior. Anderson has also made fundamental contributions in applying cognitive architectures to practical problems, most notably in the development of intelligent tutoring systems: computer-based tutors that continually infer the cognitive state of the student, striving to determine what the student knows and does not know, and targeting further instruction accordingly. For these achievements, Anderson was awarded the 2011 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Computer and Cognitive Science.     

Investigation of the heat transfer of a non-Newtonian fluid flow in an axisymmetric channel with porous wall using Parameterized Perturbation Method (PPM)

In the present article Parameterized Perturbation Method (PPM) is used to obtain the solutions of momentum and heat transfer equations of non-Newtonian fluid flow in an axisymmetric channel with porous wall for turbine cooling applications. The validity of the results of PPM solution were verified by comparison with numerical results obtained using a fourth order Runge–Kutta method. These comparisons reveal that Parameterized Perturbation Method is a powerful approach for solving this problem. The analytical investigation is carried out for different governing parameters namely, Reynolds number, injection Reynolds number, Prandtl number and power law index. The results show that skin friction coefficient increases with increase of Reynolds number, especially at high Reynolds numbers. Also it can be found that Nusselt number has direct relationship with Reynolds number, Prandtl number and power law index.     

Social capital as a driver of local knowledge exchange: a social network analysis

The objective of this paper is to take an in-depth look, from a network perspective, at the role that social capital plays in improving knowledge exchange between organizations. To do this, we consider the three dimensions of social capital: the structural dimension, as measured by the position of firms bridging structural holes; the relational dimension, as gauged by the level of trust and friendship in each relationship; and the cognitive dimension, as estimated by the presence of a shared culture. We also evaluate the level of organizational and human capital present in terms of the firms in the network. Empirical evidence has been gathered from the Madrid Science Park in Spain by applying the social network analysis methodology. The results show that the three dimensions of social capital play a significant role in increasing knowledge exchange in this network, while human and organizational capital differences are only significant for a sub-sample.     

Critical elements for product innovation at Portuguese innovative SMEs: an intellectual capital perspective

Knowledge Management Research & Practice - The general purpose of this research is to study interaction effects between intangible assets and product innovation. More specifically, the authors...     

The relationships among consumers’ ethical ideology,risk aversion and ethically-based distrust of online retailers and the moderating role of consumers’ need for personal interaction

Consumer distrust is only recently beginning to be perceived as an important e-commerce issue and, unlike online trust, the nature and role of distrust is much less established. This study examines the influence of two important consumer characteristics (ethical ideology and risk aversion) on consumer’s ethically-based distrust of online retailers. Also, the moderating role of consumer’s need for personal contact with sales staff is tested. Results from 409 online consumers confirm that both relativist-based ethical ideology and risk aversion are strongly and positively related to consumers’ distrust. Interestingly, our findings show that positive effects of relativism and risk aversion on consumer’s distrust are moderated by consumers’ need for personal interaction, which is more pronounced for those consumers with a high need for personal interaction with retail salespeople.     

Smartphone-interfaced lab-on-a-chip devices for field-deployable enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

The emerging technologies on mobile-based diagnosis and bioanalytical detection have enabled powerful laboratory assays such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to be conducted in field-use lab-on-a-chip devices. In this paper, we present a low-cost universal serial bus (USB)-interfaced mobile platform to perform microfluidic ELISA operations in detecting the presence and concentrations of BDE-47 (2,2′,4,4′-tetrabromodiphenyl ether), an environmental contaminant found in our food supply with adverse health impact. Our point-of-care diagnostic device utilizes flexible interdigitated carbon black electrodes to convert electric current into a microfluidic pump via gas bubble expansion during electrolytic reaction. The micropump receives power from a mobile phone and transports BDE-47 analytes through the microfluidic device conducting competitive ELISA. Using variable domain of heavy chain antibodies (commonly referred to as single domain antibodies or Nanobodies), the proposed device is sensitive for a BDE-47 concentration range of 10⁻³–10⁴μg/l, with a comparable performance to that uses a standard competitive ELISA protocol. It is anticipated that the potential impact in mobile detection of health and environmental contaminants will prove beneficial to our community and low-resource environments.     

Tilted post arrays for separating long DNA

Recent simulations by Chen and Dorfman [Electrophoresis 35, 405–411 (2014)] suggested that “tilting” the electric field with respect to the lattice vectors of a hexagonal post array would lead to a substantial improvement in electrophoretic DNA separations therein. We constructed such an array where the electric field is applied at an angle equidistant between the two lattice vectors. This tilted array leads to (i) baseline resolution of 20 kbp DNA and λ DNA (48.5 kbp) in a 4 mm channel and (ii) measurable separation resolutions for electric fields up to 50 V/cm, both of which are improvements over untilted post arrays of the same post density. The predicted time required to reach a resolution of unity is approximately 5 min, independent of electric field. The separations are more reproducible at higher fields.     

Return to play management after concussion in football: recommendations for team physicians

Abstract

A concussion is a rare but potentially serious injury of football players. Thus, an immediate and valid diagnosis, estimate of severity and therapeutic management is required. To summarise the published information on management of concussion with respect to a safe return to play (RTP), a literature search was conducted. Current guidelines on concussion in sports and significant studies on concussion in football were analysed. After concussion, management and RTP decision should remain in the area of clinical judgement on an individualised basis according to the current international guidelines. If a concussion is suspected, the player should not be allowed to RTP the same day. The RTP programme should follow a gradual step-wise procedure. A concussed player should not RTP unless he/she is asymptomatic and the neurological and neuropsychological examinations are normal. Untimely RTP bears an increased risk of sustaining another more severe brain injury and repetitive brain injury of long-term sequelae. In football, the management of concussion should primarily follow the recommendations proposed by the Concussion in Sports Group. Information and education of players and their medical and coaching team help to protect the players’ health. Future studies on concussion should include validated and detailed information on RTP protocols.