Parallel combinatorial chemical synthesis using single-layer poly(dimethylsiloxane) microfluidic devices

Improving methods for high-throughput combinatorial chemistry has emerged as a major area of research because of the importance of rapidly synthesizing large numbers of chemical compounds for drug discovery and other applications. In this investigation, a novel microfluidic chip for performing parallel combinatorial chemical synthesis was developed. Unlike past microfluidic systems designed for parallel combinatorial chemistry, the chip is a single-layer device made of poly(dimethylsiloxane) that is extremely easy and inexpensive to fabricate. Using the chip, a 2×2 combinatorial series of amide-formation reactions was performed. The results of this combinatorial synthesis indicate that the new device is an effective platform for running parallel organic syntheses at significantly higher throughput than with past methodologies. Additionally, a design algorithm for scaling up the 2×2 combinatorial synthesis chip to address more complex cases was developed.     

Faculty and student perceptions of outstanding university teachers in the USA and Russia

The majority of research that relates teacher characteristics to student learning in the university has come from Western universities. Using various methodologies, research continues to examine the characteristics of outstanding university teachers. Much of that research in the USA assesses faculty and student perspectives. However, there are nearly no cross‐cultural comparisons on this issue. We examined faculty and student perspectives about outstanding university teachers in the USA and in Russia. Faculty members and students at the University of Central Arkansas, Orel State University and Moscow City University rated the qualities of outstanding teachers on the Teacher Behaviors Checklist (TBC). Results showed significant positive correlations for the relative importance of teacher characteristics across the six participant groups. There did not appear to be any substantial differences between the American and Russian counterparts for 21 of the 28 specific teacher characteristics. The comparison of American and Russian faculty and students suggests more universality than cross‐cultural differences in the characteristics of outstanding university teachers.     

Thinking while studying: A process tracing study of distance learners

Significant progress has been made in understanding the study orientations of tertiary learners, their processing styles and strategies, and the links between learning approaches and outcomes. Break‐throughs in this area have resulted mainly from research into students' self‐perceptions about how they study. What is not clear is whether, in actual study sessions, students do what they say they do. In other words, the extent to which mere is congruence between their espoused theories about how they study and their theories‐in‐use is not known. In fact, very little is known at all about the actual thought processes of students during study sessions. This paper reports an attempt to trace the moment‐by‐moment thinking of 17 tertiary students as they interact with textual materials in private study settings. All students were enrolled in undergraduate programmes offered in the distance education mode.     

A rapid evidence‐based service by librarians provided information to answer primary care clinical questions

Background: A librarian consultation service was offered to 88 primary care clinicians during office hours. This included a streamlined evidence‐based process to answer questions in fewer than 20 min. This included a contact centre accessed through a Web‐based platform and using hand‐held devices and computers with Web access. Librarians were given technical training in evidence‐based medicine, including how to summarise evidence. Objectives: To describe the process and lessons learned from developing and operating a rapid response librarian consultation service for primary care clinicians. Methods: Evaluation included librarian interviews and a clinician exit satisfaction survey. Results: Clinicians were positive about its impact on their clinical practice and decision making. The project revealed some important ‘lessons learned’ in the clinical use of hand‐held devices, knowledge translation and training for clinicians and librarians. Conclusions: The Just‐in‐Time Librarian Consultation Service showed that it was possible to provide evidence‐based answers to clinical questions in 15 min or less. The project overcame a number of barriers using innovative solutions. There are many opportunities to build on this experience for future joint projects of librarians and healthcare providers.     

Using 9-1-1 call data and the space–time permutation scan statistic for emergency event detection

During medium to large-scale emergency events such as fires or earthquakes, emergency response teams must be deployed to the location of the event in a timely fashion. Information gathered from 9-1-1 call makers is useful for this, but is not always accurate. In this paper, we show how the space–time permutation scan statistic can be used to detect the presence and location of such events by monitoring the overall spatiotemporal pattern of 9-1-1 emergency calls instead. In an analysis of collected 9-1-1 call data, top detected clusters were found to correlate with emergency events as reported on the news, showing the algorithm's usefulness for automatically estimating their location and temporal extent. We show how the detection procedure works in cases where the emergency event generates a small but statistically significant increase in the number of 9-1-1 calls, as well as cases where events must be detected against a large background activity of 9-1-1 calls. We discuss the possible adoption of the proposed algorithm within the next generation digital government framework.     

Developing an instrument to characterise peer‐led groups in collaborative learning environments: assessing problem‐solving approach and group interaction

Collaborative learning is being used extensively by educators at all levels. Peer‐led team learning in a version of collaborative learning that has shown consistent success in science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines. Using a multi‐phase research study we describe the development of an observation instrument that can be used to assess peer‐led group learning. This paper illustrates the development of a classification system for peer‐led learning groups and an instrument based on this classification system. The instrument evaluates small learning groups on two important aspects of group learning: problem solving approach and group interaction style. We provide evidence of the factor structure of the two dimensions using both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. We also provide information about the reliability of the two scales as measured by the Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Data from a large peer‐led learning programme was used to conduct the factor analysis. Results from the factor analysis confirmed that the instrument is actually measuring two key characteristics of small learning groups: problem solving approach and group interaction style, characteristics that have been linked to effective functioning of the group and to the student learning outcomes. This instrument may be particularly appealing to practitioners (faculty members, those running small‐group learning programmes, etc.) because it is easy to use and it does not require extensive time for analysis.     

Exploring the Utility and Student Perceptions of Synthetic Cadavers in an Undergraduate Human Anatomy Course

The synthetic cadaver is a high-fidelity model intended to replace or supplement other anatomy learning modalities. Academic attainment and student perceptions were examined in an undergraduate human anatomy course using a combination of plastic models and synthetic cadavers to learn lower body anatomy (“Experimental group”), compared to a Historical group who used only plastic models. Grades on an upper body test, for which both groups used only plastic models, were compared to ensure that no academic differences existed between groups (P = 0.7653). Students in the Experimental group performed better on the lower body test for which they used both plastic models and synthetic cadavers (median = 73.8% (95% CI: 72.0%-75.0%) compared to the Historical group (70.1% (95% CI: 68.3%-70.7%), P < 0.0001); however, less than half of students (49%) attributed this to the synthetic cadavers. Students' perception of laboratory resources (P < 0.0001) and learning experience (P < 0.0001) both improved with the addition of synthetic cadavers compared to using only plastic models, and 60% of students in the Experimental group agreed that the synthetic cadavers would be a key reason that they would choose that institution for undergraduate studies. This investigation showed improved student grades when plastic models and synthetic cadavers were combined, in addition to improved student perceptions of the learning experience. Results of the student questionnaires also suggested that although synthetic cadavers carry a notable up-front cost, they may be a useful recruitment tool for institutions.     

Temperament Moderates Associations Between Exposure to Stress and Children's Externalizing Problems

The interaction between a temperament profile (four groups determined by high vs. low resistance to control [unmanageability] and unadaptability [novelty distress]) and family stress in predicting externalizing problems at school in children followed from kindergarten through eighth grade (ages 5–13) was investigated. The sample consisted of 556 families (290 boys). At Time 1 just prior to kindergarten, mothers retrospectively reported on their child's temperament during infancy. Each year, mothers reported stress and teachers reported children's externalizing problems. Temperament profile was tested as a moderator of the stress–externalizing association for various time periods. Results indicated that the combination of high resistance to control and high unadaptability strengthens the stress–externalizing association. Findings are discussed in terms of possible underlying mechanisms.     

Discussion,debating, and research

THE ELIZABETHAN HOUSE OF COMMONS. By J. E. Neale. London: Jonathan Cape, 1949; New Haven: Yale University Press, 1949; pp. 455‐ $500.

SPEECH DEVELOPMENT OF A BILINGUAL CHILD. Vol. 3, Grammar and General Problems in the First Two Years. By Werner F. Leopold. Northwestern University Studies in the Humanities, No. 18. Evanston: Northwestern University, 1949; pp. x+200. $5.00.

SPEECH DEVELOPMENT OF A BILINGUAL CHILD. Vol. 4, Diary From Age 2. By Werner F. Leopold. Northwestern University Studies in the Humanities, No. 19. Evanston: Northwestern University, 1949; pp. ix+176. $5.00.

POWER AND MORALS. By Martin J. Hillenbrand. New York: Columbia University Press, 1949; pp. xiv+217. $3.25.

PROPHETS OF DECEIT. A Study of the Techniques of the American Agitator. By Leo Lowenthal and Norbert Guterman. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1949; pp. xvi+164. $2.50.

THE ANALYSIS OF PROPAGANDA. By William Hummel and Keith Huntress. New York: William Sloane Associates, Inc., 1949; pp. viii+222. $1.50.

THE ART OF SCENIC DESIGN. By Lee Simonson. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1950; pp. 174. $4.50.

HAMLET'S FATHER. By Richard Flatter. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1949; pp. viii+206. $3.75.

THE BACKGROUNDS OF SHAKESPEARE'S PLAYS. By Karl J. Holzknecht. New York: American Book Company, 1950; pp. x+482. $4.75.

THE CARDIFF GIANT. By A. M. Drummond and Robert E. Gard. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press 1949; pp. xiii+114. $2.25.

THE PLAYS OF NATHAN FIELD. Edited with Introductions and Notes by William Peery. Austin: The University of Texas Press, 1950; pp. x+346. $3.75.

THE THEATRE OF THE BRITISH ISLES EXCLUDING LONDON. By Alfred Loewenberg. London: Printed for the Society for Theatre Research, 1950. pp. x+75.

THE CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA 1861–1865. By E. Merton Coulter. Baton Rouge: The Louisiana State University Press; Austin: The Littlefield Fund for Southern History of the University of Texas, 1950; pp. x+644. $7.00.

BRITISH BROADCASTING. A Study in Monopoly. By R. H. Coase. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 1950; pp. ix+206. $2.75.

SCIENCE VIA TELEVISION. A Practical Guide for the Preparation and Production of Informational Television Programs. By Lynn Poole. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1950; pp. xi+198. $3.50.

VISUAL AIDS. Their Construction and Use. By Gilbert G. Weaver and Elroy W. Bollinger. New York: D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., 1949; pp. 338. $4.75.

CURRENT AFFAIRS AND MODERN EDUCATION. By James F. Corbett, Nathan Brown, Mildred B. Mitchell, and Marian S. Quigley, New York: The New York Times, 1950; pp. xiv+278. $1.50.

ARGUMENTATION, DISCUSSION, AND DEBATE. By A. Craig Baird. New York: McGraw‐Hill Book Company, Inc., 1950; pp. x+422. $3.75.

DISCUSSION IN HUMAN AFFAIRS. By James H. McBurney and Kenneth G. Hance. (Revised edition of the Principles and Methods of Discussion). New York: Harper and Brothers, 1950; pp. viii+432. $3.00.

CREATIVE POWER THROUGH DISCUSSION. By Thomas Fansler. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1950; pp. 221. $3.00.

GROUP THINKING AND CONFERENCE LEADERSHIP. Techniques of Discussion. By William E. Utterback. New York: Rinehart and Company, Inc., 1950; pp. vn+248. $2.50.

HANDBOOK OF GROUP DISCUSSION. By Russell H. Wagner and Carroll C. Arnold. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1950; pp. vii+322. $2.75.

BASIC SPEECH. By Jon Eisenson. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1950; pp. xi+344. $3.00.

SPEECH FOR EVERYDAY USE. By Elizabeth G. Andersch and Lorin C. Staats. New York: Rinehart and Company, 1950; pp. x+218. $2.50. STUDENT'S WORKBOOK; pp. 46. $.50. TEACHER'S GUIDE; 20 pp.

DYNAMIC PUBLIC SPEAKING. By George M. Glasgow. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1950; pp. xii+315. $2.50.

THE ART OF GOOD SPEECH. By Dwight L. Bolinger and Ralph Weiman. Philadelphia: Russell Press, 1948; pp. 159. $9.85.

COMMUNICATING IDEAS TO THE PUBLIC. A Practical Application of Public Relation. Relations to Everyday Problems in Human Communication. By Stephen E. Fitzgerald. New York: Funk and Wagnalls Company in association with Modern Industry Magazine. 1950; pp. xv+267. 13.50.

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION. By Everett C. Marston, Loring M. Thompson, and Frank Zacher. New York: Macmillan Company, 1949; pp. xii+537. $4.50.