Magister Scientiae (Biodiversity and Conservation Biology) - MSc (Biodiv and Cons Biol) / The collection of biological information has a long history, motivated by a variety of reasons and in more recent years is largely being driven for research and academic purposes. As a result biological information is often linked to a specific species or ecosystem management and is discipline specific, not relating to general management actions at a specific conservation site. The biological data that exists is often not consolidated in a central place to allow for effective management of conservation sites. Different databases and formats are often used to cover biological, infrastructural, heritage and management information. Biological information has traditionally not influenced real-time site-specific conservation management, with long term data sets being used to draw conclusions before they can influence management actions. In order to overcome this problem of scattered and unfocused data a biodiversity database related to specific site management was developed. This study focuses on the development of this database and its links to the management of spatially defined sites. Included in the solution of scattered data are the applications of information management tools which interpret data and convert it into management actions, both in terms of long term trends and immediate real- time management actions as the information is received and processed.

We conducted 3 studies examining the efficacy of web-based self-compassionate journaling (SCJ). The goal was to compare the effects of guided and self-administered journaling on selfreported follow-up self-compassion scores and participant perceptions of the induction. In Study 1 participants were randomly assigned to an online SCJ exercise, online narrative journaling control group, or attention control (AC) group, with groups completing tasks for 4 weeks. In Study 2 participants self-selected into either online or in-lab conditions to complete a single-time SCJ exercise. Study 3 was a replication of Study 2, with participants being randomly assigned to conditions. There were no differences in self-compassion between groups in Study 1. However, there was a small but significant overall increase in self-compassion among participants from baseline to follow-up. There were self-compassion differences between online and in-lab groups in Study 2 (with a small effect size). However, these differences were not maintained when the covariate of baseline trait self-compassion was removed from analyses. Study 3 failed to replicate significant findings from Study 2 in all but one variable: whether participants completing the induction alone found the task more difficult to complete. In general, SCJ may not be an adequate way to increase self-compassion regardless of whether it is learned online or in a laboratory setting. Furthermore, those who learn SCJ alone online report difficulty in completing the induction.

The number and complexity of genome-scale metabolic networks is increasing as new systems are characterized and existing models are extended. Tools for visualization of network topology and dynamics are not keeping pace and are becoming a bottleneck for advancement. Specically, visualization tools are not optimized for human comprehension and often produce layouts where important interactions and inherent organization are not apparent. Researchers seek visualizations in which the network is partitioned into functional modules and compartments, arranged in linear, cyclic, or branching schema as appropriate, and most importantly, can be customized to their needs and shared. Challenges include the wide diversity in the biological standards, layout schemas, and network formats. This work introduces a web-based tool that provides this functionality as an extension to the existing web-based tool called Pathway Pioneer (www.pathwaypioneer.org). Pathway Pioneer is a dynamic web-based system built as a front-end graphical user interface to the ux balance analysis tool COBRA-py. Full click-and-drag layout editing capabilities are added allowing each metabolite and reaction to be translated and rotated as connecting edges are automatically redrawn. Initial automated layouts for new models maximize planarity while clustering reactions based on subsystem module and compartment. The users are given maximum exibility to design specific layouts while details of convention, such as joined in and out of reaction edges, disconnected co-factors, and connected metabolites, are automatically handled. Layouts can be shared among researchers and explored to archival Symphony format, along with pdf and png images. This tool provides the user with a semi automatic layout algorithm along with graphical and interactive tools to fully customize the network layout for optimal comprehension. Export capabilities are compatible with COBRA-py and other visualization tools. It provides a platform for share model development and innovation to the community, sharpening the R&D curve, and improving the turn-around time of model reconstruction at the genome-scale. Pathway Pioneer provides unique capabilities in customization of metabolic networks that complements and overcomes limitations of the growing body of existing tools.

This descriptive study was designed to assess college instructors? perceptions of the usefulness of WebCT features designed to enhance course management and instruction. Also assessed were college instructors? perceptions of instructional incentives and instructional challenges encountered when using WebCT as an instructional delivery system and their perceptions of the quality of WebCT training and institutional support. A web-based survey questionnaire was sent to 181 college instructors at two southern universities who used WebCT for instructional delivery. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics including means, standard deviations, and one-way analyses of variance (ANOVAs). All significant analyses of variance were followed by Tukey?s post hoc procedure. The findings revealed that the majority of respondents had positive perceptions of WebCT features designed to enhance course management and instruction. In addition, respondents showed positive perceptions of the instructional incentives listed on the survey questionnaire. On the other hand, the majority of respondents showed ambivalent perceptions of the quality of WebCT training, quality of institutional support and instructional challenges encountered as a result of using WebCT. Also, the analysis of data identified significant differences in respondents perceptions based on age, faculty rank and years of teaching experience.

Groundwater, the major source of human drinking water, is susceptible to contamination from industrial and agricultural activities. This research develops a web-based simulation system of remote high performance computing model for contaminant transport and retention in soils. A three-dimensional advection-dispersion-reaction MRTM model, based on previous experimental and theoretical studies, is proposed to analyze the transport and retention of chemical contaminants in groundwater flowing through soils. Since three-dimensional experiments are difficult to implement and verify, this simulation system provides scientists an alternative to trace the contaminant movement in soils outside laboratories. The alternating direction implicit (ADI) algorithm is used in this study to reduce the computational complexity. Although the ADI method is very efficient to solve the governing advection-dispersionsorption equations in the three-dimensional MRTM model, achieving higher order accuracy with different boundary conditions remains a difficult research topic. This research develops a new numerical scheme to achieve second-order accuracy with the Neumann-type boundary conditions. Furthermore, parallel computing is used to achieve high performance using powerful multiprocessor computers. A web-based simulation system provides users a friendly interface for remote access to the system through Internet browsers, so as to utilize remote computing resources transparently and efficiently. In the client-side computing one-dimensional MRTM simulation system, the legacy code written in FORTRAN and C are wrapped and reused with Java code, which provides the web-based graphic user interface (GUI). The server-side computing three-dimensional MRTM simulation system integrates the remote high performance computing resources, database management systems, online visualization functionality, and web-based userriendly GUIs. Given access to the Internet, users can execute and manage remote high performance computing jobs anywhere anytime, even through a web browser from a laptop personal computer.

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The 21st century is a century that the information is popularized in full and the Internet resources are abundant, e-learning has gradually become a global phenomenon no only in formal education institutions but also in educational training organizations. Due to the rapid development of broadband Internet, online courses can now offer asynchronous learning activities as well as synchronous learning activities. Some literature have pointed out that online synchronous teaching is the key to engage online learners. How to evaluate the quality of online synchronous teaching becomes an important research topic. However, there is still very little research discussing this issue. Therefore, this study aims to develop a quality scale for evaluating online synchronous teaching from information system perspective. To achieve the research goal, we first identify some general quality indicators from literature survey; we then conduct a focus group interview to select those essential indicators. A questionnaire of the quality scale is then developed based on those essential indicators. A survey with 308 subjects has been conducted and data were collected to analyze the validity of the quality scale. The results showed that the discrimination, reliability and validity are all conformed to the standardization of scale development procedure. The result also showed that the developed quality scale has a good reliability and validity. The developed quality scale would be a good reference for administrators of educational organizations, teachers, and researchers. This quality scale will contribute to the planning and operation of the service of online synchronous teaching for administrators, and for teachers to better instructional designs for their online synchronous teaching. Researchers interested in synchronous teaching and learning can tackle the further research issues.