7,373 research outputs found
Virtual libraries of tissue and clinical samples: potential role of a 3-D microscope.
Our international innovative teaching group from different European Universities (De Montfort University, DMU, UK; and the Spanish University of Alcalá, University Miguel Hernández and University of San Pablo CEU), in conjunction with practicing biomedical scientists in the National Health Service (UK) and biomedical researchers, are developing two complete e-learning packages for teaching and learning medical parasitology, named DMU e-Parasitology (accessible at: http://parasitology.dmu.ac.uk), and biology and chemistry, named DMU e-Biology (accessible at: http://parasitology.dmu.ac.uk/ebiology/index.htm), respectively. Both packages will include a virtual microscope with a complete library of digitised tissue images, clinical slides and cell culture slides/mini-videos for enhancing the teaching and learning of a myriad of techniques applicable to health science undergraduate and postgraduate students. Thus, these packages include detecting human parasites, by becoming familiar with their infective structures and/or organs (e.g. eggs, cysts) and/or explore pathogenic tissues stained with traditional (e.g. haematoxylin & eosin) or more modern (e.g. immunohistochemistry) techniques. The Virtual Microscope (VM) module in the DMU e-Parasitology package is almost completed (accessible at: http://parasitology.dmu.ac.uk/learn/microscope.htm) and contains a section for the three major groups of human-pathogenic parasites (Peña-Fernández et al., 2018) [1]. Digitised slides are provided with the functionality of a microscope by using the gadget Zoomify®, and we consider that they can enhance learning, as previous studies reported in the literature have reported similar sensitivity and specificity rates for identification of parasites for both digitised and real slides. The DMU e-Biology’s VM, currently in development, will provide healthy and pathological tissue samples from a range of mammalian tissues and organs.
This communication will provide a description of both virtual libraries and the process of developing them. In conjunction, we will use a three-dimensional (3D) super-resolution microscopy, 3D Cell Explorer (Nanolive, Lausanne, Switzerland), to incorporate potential 3D microscopic photographs/short videos of cells to provide students with information about the spatial arrangement and morphologies of cells that are essential for life
A video object generation tool allowing friendly user interaction
In this paper we describe an interactive video object segmentation tool developed in the framework of the ACTS-AC098 MOMUSYS project. The Video Object Generator with User Environment (VOGUE) combines three different sets of automatic and semi-automatic-tool (spatial segmentation, object tracking and temporal segmentation) with general purpose tools for user interaction. The result is an integrated environment allowing the user-assisted segmentation of any sort of video sequences in a friendly and efficient manner.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version
The Syntax-Pragmatics Interface: Intransitivity and Word Order in L3 Spanish
Until fairly recently, most researchers assumed that the acquisition of a second language (L2) and of a third (or subsequent) (L3/Ln) language were indistinguishable. This is not the case, as knowledge of two or more previous languages adds complexity to non-native acquisition. This study addresses the issue of crosslinguistic influence between three languages in view of two theories: (a) the L2 will always be the cause of crosslinguistic influence in an L3 (Bardel & Falk, 2012); (b) the determining factor for transfer is typological similarity between the languages in question (Rothman, 2010).
This study focuses on the L3 acquisition of Spanish by speakers whose L1 is Brazilian Portuguese (BP) and L2 is English. A comparison group consisted of learners of L2 Spanish whose L1 is BP. In particular, I examined the acquisition of the choice of word order in Spanish, subject-verb or verb-subject, which depends on two factors: the type of verb (morphosyntax), and the information structure of the sentence (pragmatics), whether focused or unfocused. The problem for learners consists of processing the interface of two linguistic modules: morphosyntax and pragmatics. Interfaces have been found to be difficult in acquisition (Sorace, 2011), adding an additional wrinkle to the problem faced by learners.
The three languages chosen differ in relation to word order: Portuguese distinguishes between verb types, but pragmatics is not a factor; English exhibits fixed subject-verb order; and Spanish takes both verb class and pragmatics into consideration. Because of this, we are able to distinguish between possible influence from English, which predicts rejection of verb-subject order in all circumstances, and typology, which predicts learners using verb class to distinguish word order but not pragmatics.
Participants completed a preference task (Lozano, 2006), a production task, a vocabulary quiz, and a linguistic profile questionnaire. Findings support the hypothesis that typology plays a role in L3 transfer, as learners are able to adjust their interlanguage to accept the inverted order in instances where the L2 is inflexible. However, both L2 and L3 learners also seem to integrate pragmatic constraints in their interlanguage showing that they are on their way to acquiring a Spanish native-like grammar
Interventions to enhance the teaching status of parasitology.
Recent surveys have highlighted an erosion of the teaching of parasitology in medical and veterinary schools across Europe and other developed countries, despite reports of increasing instances of food and water borne parasitic infections in these regions. To facilitate the teaching of this subject, essential to develop future health care professionals, we are performing different interventions at De Montfort University (DMU, UK). Briefly, these include: a) curriculum modifications to increase the time dedicated to the study of parasitology; and b) implementation of web-based resources in the curricula for enhancing teaching (e.g. through introduction of blended learning) and to encourage self-learning and participation among the students. Thus, DMU is leading the development of an on-line package for teaching and learning parasitology named DMU e-Parasitology in collaboration with different European academics and clinicians. This package has four sections: a theoretical section with mini e-learning modules to study major human parasitic diseases; virtual laboratory describing major techniques used in parasitology; a microscopy section with resources to enhance the study of parasites; a section with virtual clinical case studies to encourage self-learning. To assess the effectiveness of DMU e-Parasitology as a learning resource, we have done preliminary testing with final year BSc Biomedical Science students at DMU (n=194; 2017/18). 94.5% of students highlighted they gained appropriate knowledge of the pathology, prevention and treatment of some parasitic diseases; and 93.1% indicated that they learnt basic skills to investigate parasitic disease. The interventions and resources described could be used to improve the teaching status of medical parasitology in human health degrees
Introducing medical parasitology at the University of Makeni, Sierra Leone
The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version.Capacity building in Sierra Leone (West Africa) is critical to prevent potential future outbreaks similar to
the 2013-16 Ebola outbreak that had devastating effects for the country and its poorly developed
healthcare system. De Montfort University (DMU) in the United Kingdom (UK), in collaboration with
parasitologists from the Spanish Universities of San Pablo CEU and Miguel Hernández de Elche, is
leading a project to build the teaching and research capabilities of medical parasitology at the University
of Makeni (UniMak, Sierra Leone). This project has two objectives: a) to introduce and enhance the
teaching of medical parasitology, both theoretical and practical; and b) to implement and develop
parasitology research related to important emerging human parasites such as Cryptosporidium spp. due
to their public health significance. Two UniMak academics, hired to help initiate and implement the
research part of the project, shared their culturally sensitive public health expertise to broker parasitology
research in communities and perform a comprehensive environmental monitoring study for the detection
of different emerging human parasites. The presence of targeted parasites are being studied
microscopically using different staining techniques, which in turn have allowed UniMak’s academics to
learn these techniques to develop new practicals in parasitology. To train UniMak’s academics and
develop both parts of our project, a DMU researcher visited UniMak for two weeks in April 2019 and
provided a voluntary short training course in basic parasitology, which is currently not taught in any of
their programmes, and was attended by 31 students. These sessions covered basic introduction to
medical parasitology and life-cycle, pathogenesis, detection, treatment and prevention of: a) coccidian
parasites (Cryptosporidium, Cyclospora and Cystoisospora); b) Giardia intestinalis, Entamoeba and
free-living amoebas; c) malaria and d) microsporidia. A theoretical session on common staining
techniques was also provided. To facilitate the teaching and learning of these parasites, the novel
resource DMU e-Parasitology was used, a package developed by the above participating universities
and biomedical scientists from the UK National Health Service (NHS): http://parasitology.dmu.ac.uk/
index.htm. Following the two weeks of training, UniMak’s academics performed different curriculum
modifications to the undergraduate programme ‘Public Health: Medical Laboratory Sciences’, which
includes the introduction of new practicals in parasitology and changes to enhance the content of
medical parasitology that will be subjected to examination. Thus, a new voluntary practical on Kinyoun
stain for the detection of coccidian parasites was introduced in the final year module of ‘Medical
Bacteriology and Parasitology’; eighteen students in pairs processed faecal samples from pigs provided
by the Department of Agriculture and Food Security from a nearby farm. Academics at UniMak used the
Kinyoun staining unit (available at http://parasitology.dmu.ac.uk/learn/lab/Kinyoun/story_html5.html; [1])
to deliver this practical. Although our project is at a preliminary stage, it has been shown to be effective
in promoting the introduction and establishment of medical parasitology at UniMak and could be viewed
as a case-study for other universities in low-income countries to promote the United Nations (UN)
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and improve public health understanding of infectious
diseases
Ionizing Radiation, an Instrument in Chemical Evolution Studies: Scope and Perspectives
The study of synthesis and stability of molecules in different environments it’s been part of chemistry evolution and origin of life studies for more than 70 years. Various kinds of ionizing radiation have been analyzed as possible sources of energy for the transformations undergone by the first organic molecules. Now experimental and computational simulation approaches continue with different groups of organic molecules, in search for more information that help us to understand and reconstruct somehow the mechanisms that toke place on early Earth and space. In that line, this paper presents first approach of keto acids stability to ionizing radiation, an interesting group of molecules involved in the Krebs cycle and glycolysis. Preliminary results obtained by HPLC/UV analysis of irradiating aqueous solutions of 5 keto acids ranging from 3 to 6 carbons with a 60Co gamma ray source, using doses up to 53 kGy, show different stabilities and a general tendency of shifting the keto-enol equilibrium to the enol tautomer before decomposition
GTC/CanariCam Mid-IR Polarimetry of Magnetic Fields in Star-Forming Region W51 IRS2
We present 0.4 arcsec-resolution imaging polarimetry at 8.7, 10.3, and 12.5
microns, obtained with CanariCam at the Gran Telescopio Canarias, of the
central region of W51 IRS2. The polarization, as high as 14 percent, arises
from silicate particles aligned by the interstellar magnetic field. We
separate, or unfold, the polarization of each sightline into emission and
absorption components, from which we infer the morphologies of the
corresponding projected magnetic fields that thread the emitting and
foreground-absorbing regions. We conclude that the projected magnetic field in
the foreground material is part of the larger-scale ambient field. The
morphology of the projected magnetic field in the mid-IR emitting region
spanning the cometary HII region W51 IRS2W is similar to that in the absorbing
region. Elsewhere, the two magnetic fields differ significantly with no clear
relationship between them. The magnetic field across the W51 IRS2W cometary
core appears to be an integral part of a champagne outflow of gas originating
in the core and dominating the energetics there. The bipolar outflow, W51north
jet, that appears to originate at or near SMA1/N1 coincides almost exactly with
a clearly demarcated north-south swath of lower polarization. While
speculative, comparison of mid-IR and submm polarimetry on two different scales
may support a picture in which SMA1/N1 plays a major role in the magnetic field
structure across W51 IRS2.Comment: To be published in the Astrophysical Journa
- …