Differences between physical and social sciences in university graduate departments

The greater articulation of scientific fields with well-developed paradigms — in Kuhn's sense of the term — is viewed as facilitating scientific activities within those fields. Contrasting two physical science with two social science fields, earlier research reported greater consensus in the physical sciences, greater willingness to work with graduate students, and large advantages in research support and funding as compared to the social sciences.Data on influence in decision-making indicate that physical science departments enjoy greater autonomy from their central administrations, although physicists in lower-quality departments report some administrative pressures over choices of research areas. While social science departments feel less autonomous from their central administrations, they grant more autonomy to individual members. Decisions related to teaching processes are made differently across fields, with the physical sciences relying more heavily on committees, and the social sciences relying on individual-chairman negotiations.Across all four fields (physics, chemistry, sociology, and political science), departments with relatively high reputations exhibit collegial structures, while departments with lower reputations show marked tendencies toward bureaucratization. These findings hold when size of department or university is controlled, although departments in smaller universities report more administrative influence than those in extremely large ones.It is argued: (1) Departmental autonomy in the physical sciences is enhanced by the visibility of consequences made possible by greater paradigm development. (2) Maintenance of individual autonomy in the social sciences is necessitated by the lower visibility of consequences and the uncertainty of outcomes of those fields. (3) The maintenance of collegiality within universities may depend on visibility of favorable consequences relative to socially approved goals.The authors would like to acknowledge the support of the New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations; of the Science, Technology, and Society Group at Cornell; and of Cornell University. Requests for reprints should be sent to Janice B. Lodahl, School of Management, Crosby Hall, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, N.Y. 14214.     

Technology and education: ICT in Ugandan secondary schools

Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) could, if adopted and implemented appropriately, support learning and teaching in developing countries to provide young people with skills they need to participate effectively in the global economy. However, a significant digital divide still persists between developed and developing countries in terms of both physical resources and the capabilities of teachers to effectively utilize limited ICT resources. A very real challenge for schools is to acquire and effectively utilize ICT given the reality of an environment of scarce and limited resources. This study examines ICT infrastructure and use in 11 secondary schools in Mukono, Uganda using qualitative case study methods including an ICT infrastructure assessment, observations, and interviews. Stratified random sampling was used to identify 7 schools initially; 4 additional schools were also purposefully sampled based on their high levels of ICT. Findings indicate that despite limited resources, schools are investing heavily into ICT. Researchers found that teacher ICT usage at school could be grouped into three categories: administrative (86%), entertainment (45%) and pedagogical (45%). Administrators at some schools reported using ICT primarily to attract students and increase revenue. Implications of this study will assist school administrators to make informed decisions concerning further investment in ICT, efficient use of limited technology resources, and improvement of educational opportunities for students.     

Why are they not accessing it? User barriers to clinical information access

The Medical Library Association''s InSight Initiative provides an open and collaborative environment for library and industry partners to discuss vexing problems and find solutions to better serve their users. The initiative''s fifth summit, continuing work from the previous summit, focused on understanding how users discover and access information in the clinical environment. During the summit, participants were divided into working groups and encouraged to create a tangible product as a result of their discussions. At the end of the summit, participants established a framework for understanding users'' pain points, discussed possible solutions to those points, and received feedback on their work from an End User Advisory Board comprising physicians, clinical researchers, and clinical faculty in biomedicine. In addition to the pain point framework, participants are developing MLA InSight Initiative Learning content with modules to educate librarians and publishers about critical aspects of user behavior. The 2020 Insight Initiative Fall Forum will serve as a virtual home for constructive dialogue between health sciences librarians and publishers on improving discovery and access to information.     

Utilizing microfluidics to synthesize polyethylene glycol microbeads for Förster resonance energy transfer based glucose sensing

Here, we utilize microfluidic droplet technology to generate photopolymerizeable polyethylene glycol (PEG) hydrogel microbeads incorporating a fluorescence-based glucose bioassay. A microfluidic T-junction and multiphase flow of fluorescein isothiocyanate dextran, tetramethyl rhodamine isothiocyanate concanavalin A, and PEG in water were used to generate microdroplets in a continuous stream of hexadecane. The microdroplets were photopolymerized mid-stream with ultraviolet light exposure to form PEG microbeads and were collected at the outlet for further analysis. Devices were prototyped in PDMS and generated highly monodisperse 72?±?2 μm sized microbeads (measured after transfer into aqueous phase) at a continuous flow rate between 0.04 ml/h-0.06 ml/h. Scanning electron microscopy analysis was conducted to analyze and confirm microbead integrity and surface morphology. Glucose sensing was carried out using a F?rster resonance energy transfer (FRET) based assay. A proportional fluorescence intensity increase was measured within a 1-10 mM glucose concentration range. Microfluidically synthesized microbeads encapsulating sensing biomolecules offer a quick and low cost method to generate monodisperse biosensors for a variety of applications including cell cultures systems, tissue engineering, etc.     

EcoWellness: integrating the natural world into wilderness therapy settings with intentionality

Wilderness Therapy (WT) programming has been criticized for underutilizing nature as an active co-facilitator in treatment. Although some concept models in the field take into account nature’s contributions in WT, an abundance of multidisciplinary research suggests that nature contact and connection could be of greater emphasis. The purpose of this article is to introduce the EcoWellness model as one empirically based approach for facilitating intentional nature connection in WT. The state of WT research and supporting theory are reported. The EcoWellness framework is overviewed and embedded within the multidisciplinary literature. A case example is presented and implications for integrating EcoWellness into WT practice, training, and research are discussed.