A tribute to ‘unsung teachers’: teachers’ influences on students enrolling in STEM programs with the intent of entering STEM careers

This narrative inquiry examines teachers’ influences on undergraduate and graduate students who enrolled in STEM programs and intended to enter STEM careers. Three National Science Foundation (NSF) scholarship grants sat in the backdrop. Narrative exemplars were crafted using the interpretative tools of broadening, burrowing, storying and restorying, fictionalisation and serial interpretation. Three diverse students’ narratives constituted the science education cases: one from teacher education, another arising from cyber technology and a third involving cyber security. The influence of the university students’ former teachers cohered around five themes: 1) same program-different narratives, 2) in loco parentis, 3) counter stories, 4) learning in small moments, and 5) the importance of the liberal arts in STEM education. The students’ narratives form instructive models for their siblings and other students pursuing STEM degrees and careers. Most importantly, the multiperspectival stories of experiences capture the far-reaching impact of ‘unsung teachers’ whose long-term influence is greatly underestimated by the public.     

Examining the critical success factors of cloud computing adoption in the MSMEs by using ISM model

For cutting down cost and improving the efficiency of enterprises, adoption of innovations in ICT especially in cloud computing applications is the need of the time in the highly competitive global environment. It has been noted that generally, the Indian MSMEs are not utilizing the CC applications for the promotion of their business activities and are not availing their benefits. Hence, in the present investigation, the critical success factors (CSFs) for cloud computing adoption (CCA) in the Indian micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are identified through an exhaustive literature review and expert opinions. The association between the identified factors is established by employing an interpretive structural modeling methodology that is a multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) approach. Later, the MICMAC analysis is carried out for identifying the factors having high influential power. The results of the study revealed that a CSF namely ‘previous technological experience’ is the most significant factor having the highest driving power. The findings of this research are intended to guide cloud service providers, enterprise managers, and governmental bodies in formulating the strategies and policies for effective implementation of cloud computing facilities and harness the benefits of the same. This study makes a significant contribution to the knowledge base of CC adoption for future research in the subject field.     

Multiplex PCR for rapid detection of exonal deletions in patients of duchenne muscular dystrophy

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is the most common X-linked disorder in children affecting 1 in 3500 males. Since, as of now, we have no treatment for DMD, carrier detection and prenatal diagnosis is the most important preventive strategy. Multiplex PCR helps in rapid detection of hot spot exonal deletions (positive in 65% of cases) as many exons can be identified in a single run. 10 children with characterstic clinical features of DMD and chorionic villus samples of 10 antenatal patients with positive family history were studied. We identified a deletion mutation in exon 49 of the dystrophin gene in a 4 yr old boy referred with signs and symptoms suggestive of DMD using primers for exons 45, 48, 49, 43, 44, 19, 3, 8, 13 and muscle promoter, subjected to multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and agarose/Nu-Sieve gel electrophoresis. These genetic methods aid in prenatal diagnosis of DMD as well as confirmation of diagnosis in children with signs and symptoms suggestive of the disease. Work done as WHO fellow in Deptt. of Genetics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.