Addressing teachers' concerns about teaching evolution

Evolution was introduced into the senior secondary school Life Sciences curriculum in South Africa for the first time in 2008. Research in other countries shows that evolution is an extremely controversial topic to teach, raising serious concerns for teachers. Curriculum change theory dealing with ‘stages of concern’ suggests that teachers implementing a new curriculum move through a predictable series of types of concerns, and that if their initial concerns are not addressed then teachers are slow to move on to more important task-related matters. This has serious implications for both professional development programmes and the development of support materials for teachers: information about teachers' concerns is needed so that those having to support teachers can do so on an informed basis. This article identifies the concerns of 125 secondary school teachers having to teach evolution for the first time. Data was gathered using an activity-based questionnaire administered in a workshop setting to four different groups of biology teachers attending inservice workshops on the teaching of evolution, at stages progressively closer to the implementation date. The majority of concerns identified were early-stage ‘self-concerns’, dealing with personal worries and a need for information. Implications of the findings for providing support for teachers with concerns about teaching evolution are discussed.     

The success of scientific support for biodiversity conservation policy: The case of Ngoc Son Ngo Luong nature reserve in Vietnam

The successful transfer of scientific knowledge is an increasingly important activity for addressing complex problems of biodiversity conservation. This study used the Research-Integration-Utilization model of scientific knowledge transfer to analyze the research, integration, and utilization activities in the establishment process of Ngoc Son Ngo Luong Nature Reserve in northern Vietnam. The results found successes and failures of scientific support for Vietnam’s biodiversity conservation policy. High-quality scientific solutions of the Limestone Landscape: Improving Negotiation for Conservation Project were not utilized by stakeholders due to those solutions’ weak integration. Weak research conducted by the Forest Inventory and Planning Institute of Vietnam was transferred through professional integration, which thereby achieved some successes in utilization. The results suggest three options to strengthen scientific support of policy: (1) need for professional integration, (2) improvement of the local scientific basis, and (3) need for improved communication between research and practice.     

Marine reserves: the need for systems

Highly protected marine reserves are areas of the sea in which human disturbances are minimised so that the full natural biological diversity is maintained or, more often, allowed to recover to a more natural state. Europe has very few marine reserves; they are very small and almost all are in the Mediterranean. There are at present no official plans to create effective systems of marine reserves. Europe has many so-called Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). These are marine areas with some extra regulations or planning procedures. MPAs aim to make human activities more efficient and more sustainable. MPAs are user-orientated, knowledge-based, locality-dependent, problem-solving extensions of standard marine planning and management. Marine reserves are quite different. All extractive and potentially disturbing human activities are prohibited. The burden of proof is reversed; no evidence of damage or danger to particular species or habitats is required; all marine life is protected on principle. The concept of marine reserves is simple and practical, but because it is new, different and additional to existing marine management, the idea is seen by many as revolutionary. Basic biological principles and practical experience in many countries make it clear that marine reserves are important to science and education, essential for conservation and useful in resource management. These features apply in all regions and ecosystems. They are independent of climate, biogeography, current human activities and the present management. Representative and viable systems of marine reserves are needed in all regions. Fishing and other human disturbances have been widespread and intensive for so long that it is very difficult to predict the stages of recovery that occur in marine reserves. Furthermore, while some features change rapidly (e.g. numbers of previously targeted species), recovery continues for a long time (e.g. fourth- and fifth-order trophic and structural changes after >25 years). None of this alters the fact that, in scientific terms, marine reserves are controls not manipulations. Such controls are required if scientists are to understand the intrinsic processes and obtain data that are not confounded by human activities (e.g. separating natural variation from fishing effects). No significant progress will be made to establish marine reserves in Europe until scientists speak out strongly and clearly on the issue. We consider it is part of our professional duty as marine biologists to state publicly and frequently the need for a representative, replicated, networked and sustainable system of highly protected marine reserves. We doubt if our grandchildren will accept any excuses if we fail. Guest editors: J. Davenport, G. Burnell, T. Cross, M. Emmerson, R. McAllen, R. Ramsay & E. Rogan Challenges to Marine Ecosystems     

Evolution Education in Utah: A State Office of Education–University Partnership Focuses on Why Evolution Matters

Several groups of people are essential for effectively teaching the theory of evolution in public schools. Teachers of course are at the leading edge of educating students. However, school district administrators, school boards, state education officers, and university professors all play critical roles in this endeavor. Whereas scientific discoveries and teacher training typically occur at the university level, it is school district leaders and teachers who actually disseminate this information in a way that creates an educated population of students. In this study, we introduce a partnership focused on strengthening evolution education in Utah’s public schools. Our program centers on the importance of evolution as an applied science and one that can be readily integrated throughout the biology curriculum. Our 2-day workshop—conducted in each Utah school district—brings together elected school board members, school district administrators, public school science teachers, and university professors to overcome barriers that can arise when teaching the theory of evolution as part of the 7–12 public school curriculum.     

Kinematic and kinetic comparison of baseball pitching among various levels of development

Proper biomechanics help baseball pitchers minimize their risk of injury and maximize performance. However previous studies involved adult pitchers only. In this study, 23 youth, 33 high school, 115 college, and 60 professional baseball pitchers were analyzed. Sixteen kinematic (11 position and five velocity), eight kinetic, and six temporal parameters were calculated and compared among the four levels of competition. Only one of the 11 kinematic position parameters showed significant differences among the four levels, while all five velocity parameters showed significant differences. All eight kinetic parameters increased significantly with competition level. None of the six temporal parameters showed significant differences. Since 16 of the 17 position and temporal parameters showed no significant differences, this study supports the philosophy that a child should be taught ‘proper’ pitching mechanics for use throughout a career. Kinetic differences observed suggest greater injury risk at higher competition levels. Since adult pitchers did not demonstrate different position or temporal patterns than younger pitchers, increases in joint forces and torques were most likely due to increased strength and muscle mass in the higher level athlete. The greater shoulder and elbow angular velocities produced by high-level pitchers were most likely due to the greater torques they generated during the arm cocking and acceleration phases. The combination of more arm angular velocity and a longer arm resulted in greater linear ball velocity for the higher level pitcher. Thus, it appears that the natural progression for successful pitching is to learn proper mechanics as early as possible, and build strength as the body matures.     

关于临床医学专业学位硕士研究生教学与培养的几点思考

随着医学科学技术的发展和社会需求的扩大,医学界对高层次人才的需求持续增长。为推进我国医疗卫生系统的可持续发展,医学院校适应时势变化,积极调整和优化研究生教学类型结构,大力发展专业学位研究生教育。专业学位研究生教育以培养临床思维和提高临床技能为重点,同时注重基本科研素质的培养。随着专业学位研究生招生人数的增加,如何保证研究生的"质"和"量"的同步提升成为高校和教育者研究热点。本文通过借鉴临床医学科学学位硕士研究生的教学与培养模式,结合临床医学专业学位硕士研究生的特点及培养要求,对以往教学经验与教训做一总结,着力于探索一条适合临床医学专业学位硕士研究生的教学与培养模式,为建立标准化的临床医学专业学位硕士研究生的教学与培养模式提供参考。     

Medical physics in radiotherapy: The importance of preserving clinical responsibilities and expanding the profession's role in research,education, and quality control

Medical physicists have long had an integral role in radiotherapy. In recent decades, medical physicists have slowly but surely stepped back from direct clinical responsibilities in planning radiotherapy treatments while medical dosimetrists have assumed more responsibility. In this article, I argue against this gradual withdrawal from routine therapy planning. It is essential that physicists be involved, at least to some extent, in treatment planning and clinical dosimetry for each and every patient; otherwise, physicists can no longer be considered clinical specialists. More importantly, this withdrawal could negatively impact treatment quality and patient safety. Medical physicists must have a sound understanding of human anatomy and physiology in order to be competent partners to radiation oncologists. In addition, they must possess a thorough knowledge of the physics of radiation as it interacts with body tissues, and also understand the limitations of the algorithms used in radiotherapy. Medical physicists should also take the lead in evaluating emerging challenges in quality and safety of radiotherapy. In this sense, the input of physicists in clinical audits and risk assessment is crucial. The way forward is to proactively take the necessary steps to maintain and advance our important role in clinical medicine.     

Verification of quantitative analytical methods in medical laboratories

BackgroundGlobally, all medical laboratories seeking accreditation should meet international quality standards to perform certain specific tests. Quality management program provides disciplines targeted to ensure that quality standards have been implemented by a laboratory in order to generate correct results. The hallmark of the accreditation process is method verification and quality assurance. Before introducing a new method in your laboratory, it is important to assess certain performance characteristics that reflect the concept of method verification.MethodsIn this review, we illustrated how to verify the performance characteristics of a new method according to the recent guidelines. It includes an assessment of precision, trueness, analytical sensitivity, detection limits, analytical specificity, interference, measuring range, linearity, and measurement uncertainty.ConclusionsAlthough the presence of several updated guidelines used to determine the performance characteristics of new methods in clinical chemistry laboratories, the real practice raised several concerns with the application of these guidelines which in need for further consideration in the upcoming updates of these guidelines.     

A View of Current Evaluative Practices in Instrumental Music Teacher Education

The purpose of this study was to examine how instrumental music educator skills are being evaluated in current undergraduate programs. While accrediting organizations mandate certain elements of these programs, they provide limited guidance on what evaluative approaches should be used. Instrumental music teacher educators in the College Music Society (n = 303) supplied data about their respective programs through an online survey. Participants reported using written and verbal feedback, self-evaluation, and rubrics most frequently. Similar evaluation processes used across program courses or experiences, such as rubrics and ePortfolios, were described by 35 percent of the music teacher educators. Most programs culminated in a semester-long student teaching period, during which preservice teachers were observed and evaluated by university supervisors three to four times. Weak correlations were indicated between some evaluative practices and music teacher educators’ expectations for program graduates’ music educator skills. Implications for music teacher education programs and suggestions for establishing evaluation policies are discussed.     

职业献血员中人类T淋巴细胞白血病病毒感染状况的分析

了解陕西,甘肃,青海,宁夏四省区职业献血员中人类T淋巴细胞白血病病毒（HTLV）的感染状况,以便为在职业献血员中开展HTLV普检提供一定的参考依据。采用双抗原夹心ELISA法检测了四省区10个单采浆站的7416份血浆样本。结果 HTLV（1＋2）抗体阳性7例,总阳性率0．09％,其中男性4例,感染率0．09％,女性3例,感染率0．10％;18－25年龄组2例,感染率0．09％,25－35年龄组4例,感染率0．10％,35－45年龄组1例,感染率0．08％。经过分析比较发现,HTLV感染率在职业献血员中与所报道的正常人群的感染率无显著差异,同时发现,在职业献血员中,HTLV感染的阳性率无性别差异,无年龄差异。