Models of Classroom Assessment for Course-Based Research Experiences.

Course-based research pedagogy involves positioning students as contributors to authentic research projects as part of an engaging educational experience that promotes their learning and persistence in science. To develop a model for assessing and grading students engaged in this type of learning experience, the assessment aims and practices of a community of experienced course-based research instructors were collected and analyzed. This approach defines four aims of course-based research assessment - 1) Assessing Laboratory Work and Scientific Thinking; 2) Evaluating Mastery of Concepts, Quantitative Thinking and Skills; 3) Appraising Forms of Scientific Communication; and 4) Metacognition of Learning - along with a set of practices for each aim.

Genetic and morphological evidence for substantial hidden biodiversity in a freshwater crayfish species complex.

North America is a center of biodiversity for freshwater crayfish, with >300 described species, mostly in the family Cambaridae. However, the phylogenetic and phylogeographic relationships among these taxa are poorly understood, despite their ubiquitous occurrence in North American freshwater habitats. Here, we target the geographically widespread Orconectesvirilis and its sister taxa for genetic and morphological investigation.

Enterocytozoon bieneusi among children with diarrhea attending Mulago Hospital in Uganda.

The prevalence of Enterocytozoon bieneusi in the general population is unknown. Using genetic tools, we investigated its prevalence and contribution to diarrhea and malnutrition in hospitalized children in Uganda. A cross-sectional, case-control study involving diarrheic children who were matched for age and sex (3:1) with control children.

Prevalence of Enterocytozoon bieneusi in swine: an 18-month survey at a slaughterhouse in Massachusetts.

Slaughterhouse pig samples were analyzed by PCR for Enterocytozoon bieneusi infection. Thirty-two percent were found to be positive, with rates being higher over the summer months. Three isolates from pigs were identical in their ribosomal internal transcribed spacer sequence to human E.