This course explores the reasons for America’s past wars and interventions. It covers the consequences of American policies, and evaluates these consequences for the U.S. and the world. History covered includes World Wars I and II, the Korean and Indochina wars, the Cuban Missile Crisis and current conflicts, including those in in Iraq and Afghanistan, and against Al Qaeda.

Students act as if they are biological engineers following the steps of the engineering design process to design and create protein models to replace the defective proteins in a child’s body. Jumping off from a basic understanding of DNA and its transcription and translation processes, students learn about the many different proteins types and what happens if protein mutations occur. Then they focus on structural, transport and defense proteins during three challenges posed by the R&D; bio-engineering hypothetical scenario. Using common classroom supplies such as paper, tape and craft sticks, student pairs design, sketch, build, test and improve their own protein models to meet specific functional requirements: to strengthen bones (collagen), to capture oxygen molecules (hemoglobin) and to capture bacteria (antibody). By designing and testing physical models to accomplish certain functional requirements, students come to understand the relationship between protein structure and function. They graph and analyze the class data, then share and compare results across all teams to determine which models were the most successful. Includes a quiz, three worksheets and a reference sheet.

In this video, Jonathan explores how animals in the ocean use color, not just for camouflage, but to stand out. Please see the accompanying lesson plan for educational objectives, discussion points and classroom activities.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Plants host a variety of soil microbes on their roots. This root microbiome can affect plants in different ways, including the production of hormones to spur plant growth. In turn, plants also alter the root microbiome, which has been shown to be affected by plant genotype. But it’s been unclear whether the root microbiome is influenced by plant epigenetic factors, which regulate the readouts of genetic information. In the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana, new DNA methylation, an important epigenetic mark, occurs through the RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) pathway. So researchers decided to look for changes in the root microbiota among mutant Arabidopsis plants defective in the canonical RdDM pathway. In the dcl234 triple mutant, which has defects in three Dicer-like proteins that produce small RNAs, the team found an altered microbiome composition. Mutations in other examined parts of the RdDM pathway, however, did not result in changes to the microbiome..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This course explores perspectives in the policy process - agenda setting, problem definition, framing the terms of debate, formulation and analysis of options, implementation and evaluation of policy outcomes using frameworks including economics and markets, law, and business and management. Methods include cost/benefit analysis, probabilistic risk assessment, and system dynamics. Exercises include developing skills to work on the interface between technology and societal issues; simulation exercises; case studies; and group projects that illustrate issues involving multiple stakeholders with different value structures, high levels of uncertainty, multiple levels of complexity; and value trade-offs that are characteristic of engineering systems. Emphasis on negotiation, team building and group dynamics, and management of multiple actors and leadership.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Sponges are a diverse group of aquatic animals with porous bodies that produce a vast array of natural products, some with important medicinal properties, but their porous body structure also provides ample habitat for symbiotic microorganisms, which can account for up to 35% of their total body weight. Previous studies looking at the unique natural products produced by sponges have rarely taken this close relationship into account, making the extent to which microorganisms actually produce them unclear. To fill this gap, a team of researchers identified the chemical compounds found in the tissues of six sponge species from the Great Barrier Reef and their symbiotic microbes. Several compounds with potential roles in competition and defense against intruding organisms and oxidative stress were specifically attributed to the microbial cells, while the compounds produced by the sponge tissues may provide nutrients to the symbiotic microorganisms and aid in sponge defense..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

Phagocytosis is a very primitive system of defence against infection, having even been shown to exist in invertebrates and single cell organisms. The discovery was made in starfish larvae by Elle Metchnikoff who subsequently won the Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology in 1908. The process of phagocytosis itself is a form of endocytosis (cell eating), with vesicular internalisation being the method of removal of pathogens and dead cells (those that have undergone apoptosis, or Programmed Cell Death). This internalised vesicle is referred to as the "phagosome".

On behalf of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), take this quiz to test your knowledge of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the military alliance underpinning U.S. global leadership.

Opening statement by the Defense in the Brandy Alexander's trial, materials prepared by Prof. CHARLES H. ROSE III Director, Center for Excellence in Advocacy, Stetson University College of Law. Prof. Rose is currently the Dean of Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law.https://www.stetson.edu/law/studyabroad/oxford/media/State-v-Alexander-Oxford-Version.pdfAccompanying recording is included at 118 words per minute. The National Center for State Courts (NCSC) exam is approximately 120 WPM and the durantion is 8 minutes. There are 35 scoring units which represent objective characteristics of language that interpreters must understand and render appropriately during the interpretation. For more information on scoring units, please visit this LINK. The majority of these scoring units come from Quizlet sets available HERE. **The script and recording are for practice purposes only! It should not be perceived as legal advice. If you have any law questions or concerns, you should contact an attorney. 

This course is for students who want to know how the dollars we spend on national security relate to military forces, systems, and policy choices, and who wish to develop a personal tool kit for framing and assessing defense policy alternatives.

The purpose of this course is to acquaint the student with the missions, capabilities, and costs of the largely non-nuclear forces that make up the bulk of the U.S. military establishment. The course will also introduce the student to basic techniques for the assessment of relative military capabilities between adversaries in given theaters of military action. Central to the course will be an examination of historical cases of military action that shed light on current defence issues. Many of these cases are recent.

While most fish are completely harmless to people, there are some species that are mildly to extremely venomous and can actually kill humans. In this video, Jonathan travels the world to meet some of the most venomous fish in the sea. Please see the accompanying study guide for educational objectives and discussion points.