bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
In Quest of Meaningful Assessment of International Learning:
Authors: Dietrich Jill Wisniewski , Olson Christa 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
The article features an analysis of Lessons Learned in Assessing International Learning, the goals of which were to advance the assessment of international learning in order to improve it at U.S. higher education institutions. The project was conducted from 2003 to 2007 and utilized a mixed-methods approach using student surveys and ePortfolios.
Taking a Stand as a Student-Centered Research University: Active and Collaborative Learning Meets Scholarship of Teaching at the University of Alabama
Authors: Bonner Judy 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
This article introduces the University of Alabama, outlines efforts in the scholarship of teaching and active and collaborative learning, and describes plans for continuing the instructional focus as a student-centered research university, where teaching is viewed as a scholarly activity and students are actively engaged in their learning.
Active Learning in Large Classes: Can Small Interventions Produce Greater Results Than Are Statistically Predictable?
Authors: Adrian Lynne M. 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
Six online postings and six one-minute papers were added to an introductory first-year class, forming 5 percent of the final grade, but represented significant intervention in class functioning and amount of active learning. Active learning produced results in student performance beyond the percentage of the final grade it constituted.
Diversity and Collegiate Experiences Affecting Self-Perceived Gains in Critical Thinking
Authors: Cole Darnell , Zhou Ji 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
This study is grounded in the theoretical and conceptual frameworks that postulate diversity and collegiate experiences as triggers for the cognitive disequilibrium that fosters critical thinking (CT). With the assumption that CT is both a general and a discipline-specific facility, this longitudinal, single-institution study of 447 students examines the effects of both diversity and collegiate experiences on self-perceived gains in critical thinking among white and ethnic minority students. Implications for institutional policy and further empirical research are discussed.
Practice Makes Perfect
Authors: Stanton Timothy K. 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
I propose an approach to service-learning that encourages and enables students to engage with human rights and social justice in ways that are democratic and effective. I describe a teaching process in which civic action can be critically reflected on not just to promote engagement and build knowledge but ultimately to encourage and equip students with the commitment and ability to undertake this work as engaged citizens after graduation. This democratic approach to service-learning closes the divide between critical thinking and social action, helping to develop students who are aware of the world's problems and more committed to solving them.
Beyond Bricks and Mortar Creating Knowledge Through Student–Faculty Partnerships
Authors: Mitchell Jocelyn Sage 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
Who benefits from the rapid development of transnational education institutions? Despite concerns of academic capitalism or neocolonial imperialism, both the sending institutions and the host countries can benefit from these educational initiatives. I suggest that American liberal education is uniquely placed to combine local and foreign expertise in educational partnerships. Using the example of undergraduate research grant funding, I demonstrate that the international branch campuses of Qatar's Education City have engaged in research and knowledge creation that mutually benefits the local and foreign academic communities. The sending institutions should institutionalize incentives that prioritize student learning and local expertise and needs.
Bury My Heart in Doha Reflections on Performing Western Academia Overseas
Authors: Wright Zachary 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
Critical reflection on the course of the Western university system has never been more important than at the juncture of its exportation around the world. The importation of Western academic institutions in the modernizing states of the Muslim world is fraught with contradictions, responding to the desire to craft a citizenship recognizable to the nation-state. Despite the relationship of Western universities to modernization as a disciplining project, these institutions also carry promise. Western universities overseas can hope to revive, in dialogue with their host societies, an alternative person-centered vision of learning shared by Western humanists and classical Islamic pedagogies alike.
Exporting Acting Curricula from the Midwest to the Mideast Seriously?
Authors: Woodworth Ann E. 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
Qatar can afford to purchase pretty much anything—including top-quality American university education. However, given the vast differences in culture, dress, religion, and social mores, along with youth's global unemployment rates and their hankering for all things technological, does it make sense for Qatar to import a course in acting? Many academics debate whether bringing Western liberal curricula to Middle Eastern classrooms is a good idea at all, but learning to see and experience the world from other people's perspectives can be a lesson worth learning.
Are MOOCs the Future of General Education?
Authors: Head Karen 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
General education is at the forefront of the challenges facing faculty and administrators as they develop initiatives to address the nationwide trend focused on college completion programs. Attempts to trim core requirements and shift courses to online environments could be one answer for providing greater course access, for improving enrollments, and for increasing completion rates; however, choosing appropriate online environments needs careful planning and implementation. Massive open online courses have been promoted as one possible online model. Based on the author’s experience of teaching first-year writing as a massive open online course, this article offers observations, reflections, and suggestions for considering the application of innovative technologies in general education courses.
Simple Solutions to Complex Problems—MOOCs as a Panacea?
Authors: Bass Scott A. 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
This article is critical of the implementation of massive open online courses (moocs) by institutions seeking the deep student learning often found in general education learning outcomes. Customized student interaction with an expert in the field is rendered impossible by the scale of mooc enrollment. Concerns are also raised about the economic model of moocs. Nevertheless, the article explores the importance of technology-aided instruction in the classroom and the appropriate use of lectures drawn from moocs and other sources.
The New Interface for Writing
Authors: Hadi-Tabassum Samina 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
Schools are scrambling to prepare their students for the writing assessments in correlation with the Common Core tests. In some states, writing has not been assessed for more than a decade. Yet, with the use of computerized grading of the students' writing, many teachers are wondering how to best prepare students for the writing assessments, which will be evaluated through an algorithm. Will form now matter more than function?
Academic Rigor in General Education, Introductory Astronomy Courses for Nonscience Majors
Authors: Brogt Erik , Draeger John D. 
Published: March 2016

ABSTRACT
We discuss a model of academic rigor and apply this to a general education introductory astronomy course. We argue that even without central tenets of professional astronomy—the use of mathematics—the course can still be considered academically rigorous when expectations, goals, assessments, and curriculum are properly aligned.
Decline and Renewal in the Liberal Arts as Themes for First-Year Writing
Authors: Aitchison David Carlyle 
Published: March 2016

ABSTRACT
Educators have long lamented the critical condition of the liberal arts in the United States, arguing that the ever- increasing pressure placed on schools to serve the marketplace has undermined the true meaning and value of liberal education. At present, while there is no shortage of solutions calling for sweeping changes in attitudes and structures, relatively few look at how we might respond at the level of instruction. In this article, I make a case for asking students formally, and in partial fulfillment of general education requirements, to confront the legacy of the liberal arts in the first-year writing classroom. I argue that liberal arts students need to learn about the liberal arts in substantive terms; otherwise they risk mistaking breadth requirements for mere diversions from their declared majors and fall into the habit of dismissing certain disciplinary and interdisciplinary principles as somehow superfluous to their degrees. Reporting on my own experiences teaching liberal arts themes, and offering evaluative summaries of possible course readings, I argue that introducing themes of decline and renewal in the liberal arts into the first-year writing curriculum will positively influence our students to make more thoughtful decisions before and after graduating.
Researching Student Learning in a Two-Tiered General Education Program
Authors: Csomay Eniko , Pollard Elizabeth , Bordelon Suzanne , Beck Audrey 
Published: March 2016

ABSTRACTDespite the desire of employers to hire those with the critical-thinking and communication skills a general education (GE) program can offer, the value of GE programs is often questioned due to concerns about four-year graduation rates, perceived low immediate economic payoff, and a dearth of evidence to support their efficacy. This article describes the two phases of a recent GE project at San Diego State University, a large urban university in California, that was undertaken to address these challenges. In Phase 1, spring 2013, we brought together twenty faculty (one from each of our programs in the College of Arts and Letters) to create and pilot rubrics for three of the five areas of our GE program. Phase 2, in Academic Year 2013–14, included an extensive collection of high-stakes student work (nearly two thousand samples), and each sample was double-read by trained faculty raters. Preliminary results—including the effectiveness of the collaborative process and the rubrics it produced, the improved interrater reliability achieved, and the distribution of proficiency levels in meeting the GE goals in the lower- to upper-level GE courses—demonstrate the success and efficacy of the project's process and product.
Faculty Views on Developing and Assessing Learning Outcomes at the Tertiary Level
Authors: Bahous Rima , Nabhani Mona 
Published: March 2016

ABSTRACTAssessing students' learning outcomes is on the agenda of higher education institutions seeking improvement of student learning. Faculty members should be well versed in developing and assessing learning outcomes and involved in ensuring success in the assessment process; however, many claim that the process interferes with academic freedom, refuse to listen, and resist change. In this article, we examine faculty views on assessing students' learning outcomes in English-medium universities in Arab countries. Online e-mail interviews were conducted with twenty-four faculty from universities in the Arab world to explore their views on the development and assessment of student learning outcomes. Results show that although some are eager to implement new processes, others are confused. Recommendations include following a gradual process beginning with a shared vision for identifying student learning outcomes and key indicators for achieving these outcomes as well as ongoing professional development for faculty. Evidence-based decisions for how to improve the process will enhance teaching and learning and lead to a culture of assessment.
Inhibitory effects of salicylic acid on Meloidogyne javanica reproduction in tomato plants
Authors: Moslemi Fatemeh , Fatemy Seddigheh , Bernard Françoise 
Published: March 2016

Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.), play a major role in loss of agricultural production. Natural substances, such as salicylic acid (SA) could possibly be involved in inducing host plant resistance against nematodes. The present study is concerned with exploring the effects of varying concentrations of SA as seed priming and soil drench on tomato growth parameters and the reproduction of the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne javanica. SA at 50 μM concentration caused only 2% of juvenile mortality under in vitro conditions. SA applied as 50 μM seed treatment caused 95% and, as a soil drench, 78% reduction in the number of egg masses that formed on tomato plants. The numbers of galls were reduced to a lesser extent. Final nematode density per gram of soil was reduced to less than 1 by the 50 μM SA seed treatment, and in other treatments decreased by between 70 and 88% compared with control plants. Our results indicate SA has potential to lower root knot nematode reproduction in tomato, and seed priming is a fairly easy method to work with.
Formação do professor de história no Brasil: embates e dilaceramentos em tempos de desassossego
Authors: Schmidt Maria Auxiliadora M. dos Santos 
Published: March 2016

Observa-se que, na segunda década do século XXI, ocorre na sociedade brasileira uma ênfase em políticas voltadas para a formação de professores, inclusive professores de História. Essa ênfase não está deslocada de um processo de internacionalização da educação brasileira, onde a centralidade do debate está no binômio educação e desenvolvimento. Nesse debate, a personagem que tem sido mais destacada é o professor. Nesse contexto, o presentetrabalho tem como foco apresentar uma síntese das propostas para a formação do professor de História no Brasil, a partir da leitura de documentos oficiais, oriundos de políticas educacionais historicamente determinadas e que foram estabelecidos para esse fim. Foram elencados alguns documentos para serem analisados, tendo como pressuposto o debate sobre a separação entre a formação teórica e a formação prática. Assim, aanálise dos documentos teve como referência teórica as questões que envolvem a relação entre a formação fundamentada na epistemologia da prática e a formação fundamentada na epistemologia da práxis. Resultados dessa análise indicam o esvaziamento da formação teórica, da valorização dos conteúdos específicos, em detrimento de uma formação prática, que não leva em consideração a relevância da função social da educação e a finalidade da História para a formação do cidadão crítico.
A formação da consciência social dos jovens no horizonte da Educação Histórica
Authors: Oliveira Maria Isabel Gomes Barca 
Published: March 2016

Uma consciência social dos jovens orientada para o desenvolvimento humano exige atenção especial à construção da sua consciência histórica, fundamentada em reflexões epistemológicas instigantes (de Rüsen e outros autores). Esta preocupação tem conduzido a diversas pesquisas na área da educação histórica, entre os quais o Projeto “Consciência Histórica-Teoria e Práticas” que, em estudos de natureza qualitativa, tem explorado as narrativas de jovens lusófonos acerca do mundo contemporâneo. Neste Projeto, concebeu-se uma proposta de construção de uma narrativa escrita, pelos jovens, acerca da história nacional e da história mundial nos últimos cem anos. Numa primeira fase, participaram estagiários de História de três universidades portuguesas, e em fases subsequentes, jovens em final de escolaridade obrigatória em Portugal, Brasil e Moçambique. A análise indutiva das narrativas sugeriu que os jovens destes países revelam uma identidade nacional relativamente fundamentada, sem xenofobias.. Quanto às narrativas globais, as dos jovens portugueses e moçambicanos aparecem muito menos substanciadas do que as nacionais, enquanto as dos jovens brasileiros narram a um mesmo nível a História do país e do mundo, interligando-as. As produções portuguesas e brasileiras mostram poucos protagonistas, emergindo apenas alguns “vilões”. Por outro lado, os jovens brasileiros e moçambicanos mostram-se interventivos face ao presente; já os jovens portugueses, que apareciam como meros espectadores da História, só recentemente parecem estar a mudar de atitude. Estes e outros resultados da análise das narrativas dos jovens podem constituir-se como pistas valiosas para o trabalho docente, na perspectiva de intervenção positiva na formação da consciência histórica e social dos jovens.
Stem Cell-Derived Immature Human Dorsal Root Ganglia Neurons to Identify Peripheral Neurotoxicants
Authors: Hoelting Lisa , Klima Stefanie , Karreman Christiaan , Grinberg Marianna , Meisig Johannes , Henry Margit , Rotshteyn Tamara , Rahnenführer Jörg , Blüthgen Nils , Sachinidis Agapios , Waldmann Tanja , Leist Marcel 
Published: March 2016

Abstract

Safety sciences and the identification of chemical hazards have been seen as one of the most immediate practical applications of human pluripotent stem cell technology. Protocols for the generation of many desirable human cell types have been developed, but optimization of neuronal models for toxicological use has been astonishingly slow, and the wide, clinically important field of peripheral neurotoxicity is still largely unexplored. A two-step protocol to generate large lots of identical peripheral human neuronal precursors was characterized and adapted to the measurement of peripheral neurotoxicity. High content imaging allowed an unbiased assessment of cell morphology and viability. The computational quantification of neurite growth as a functional parameter highly sensitive to disturbances by toxicants was used as an endpoint reflecting specific neurotoxicity. The differentiation of cells toward dorsal root ganglia neurons was tracked in relation to a large background data set based on gene expression microarrays. On this basis, a peripheral neurotoxicity (PeriTox) test was developed as a first toxicological assay that harnesses the potential of human pluripotent stem cells to generate cell types/tissues that are not otherwise available for the prediction of human systemic organ toxicity. Testing of more than 30 chemicals showed that human neurotoxicants and neurite growth enhancers were correctly identified. Various classes of chemotherapeutic agents causing human peripheral neuropathies were identified, and they were missed when tested on human central neurons. The PeriTox test we established shows the potential of human stem cells for clinically relevant safety testing of drugs in use and of new emerging candidates.

Significance
The generation of human cells from pluripotent stem cells has aroused great hopes in biomedical research and safety sciences. Neurotoxicity testing is a particularly important application for stem cell-derived somatic cells, as human neurons are hardly available otherwise. Also, peripheral neurotoxicity has become of major concern in drug development for chemotherapy. The first neurotoxicity test method was established based on human pluripotent stem cell-derived peripheral neurons. The strategies exemplified in the present study of reproducible cell generation, cell function-based test system establishment, and assay validation provide the basis for a drug safety assessment on cells not available otherwise.
Strategies and Challenges to Myocardial Replacement Therapy
Authors: Feric Nicole T. , Radisic Milica 
Published: March 2016

Summary

Cardiovascular diseases account for the majority of deaths globally and are a significant drain on economic resources. Although heart transplants and left-ventricle assist devices are the solution for some, the best chance for many patients who suffer because of a myocardial infarction, heart failure, or a congenital heart disease may be cell-based regenerative therapies. Such therapies can be divided into two categories: the application of a cell suspension and the implantation of an in vitro engineered tissue construct to the damaged area of the heart. Both strategies have their advantages and challenges, and in this review, we discuss the current state of the art in myocardial regeneration, the challenges to success, and the future direction of the field.

Significance
This article outlines the advantages and limitations of the cell injection and patch approaches to cardiac regenerative therapy. If the field is to move forward, some fundamental questions require answers, including the limitations to the use of animal models for human cell-transplantation studies; the best way to measure success in terms of functional improvements, histological integration, electrical coupling, and arrhythmias; and where the cells should be applied for maximal benefit—the epicardium or the myocardium.
Possible formation of one-dimensional chains of C20 fullerenes observed by scanning tunneling microscopy
Authors: Kurokawa Shu , Yamamoto Daisuke , Hirashige Kenji , Sakai Akira 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
We found one-dimensional chains of carbon particles on Ag(111) and Au(111) surfaces after the deposition of carbon using an arc-plasma gun (APG). The observed periodicity of the chains on Ag(111) was 0.58–0.6 nm. Ex situ Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy indicated two peaks at 1343 and 1406 cm−1. The simulation of the infrared spectrum for a tetramer of C20 fullerenes showed good agreement with the experimental result. From these findings, we propose the formation of chains of C20 fullerenes as the most probable explanation of the results of both scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and FT-IR spectroscopy.
How are functionally similar code clones syntactically different? An empirical study and a benchmark
Authors: Wagner Stefan , Abdulkhaleq Asim , Bogicevic Ivan , Ostberg Jan-Peter , Ramadani Jasmin 
Published: March 2016

Background. Today, redundancy in source code, so-called “clones” caused by copy&paste can be found reliably using clone detection tools. Redundancy can arise also independently, however, not caused by copy&paste. At present, it is not clear how onlyfunctionally similar clones(FSC) differ from clones created by copy&paste. Our aim is to understand and categorise the syntactical differences in FSCs that distinguish them from copy&paste clones in a way that helps clone detection research.Methods. We conducted an experiment using known functionally similar programs in Java and C from coding contests. We analysed syntactic similarity with traditional detection tools and explored whether concolic clone detection can go beyond syntax. We ran all tools on 2,800 programs and manually categorised the differences in a random sample of 70 program pairs.Results. We found no FSCs where complete files were syntactically similar. We could detect a syntactic similarity in a part of the files in <16% of the program pairs. Concolic detection found 1 of the FSCs. The differences between program pairs were in the categories algorithm, data structure, OO design, I/O and libraries. We selected 58 pairs for an openly accessible benchmark representing these categories.Discussion. The majority of differences between functionally similar clones are beyond the capabilities of current clone detection approaches. Yet, our benchmark can help to drive further clone detection research.