Multi-touch table technology for enhancing collaborative programming and learning

Our research goal is to provide a new use for multi-touch table technology by developing new resource software to be used as an environment for collaborative pair programming. Such a project will yield new opportunities and provide improved quality within the field of collaborative learning (Nosek 1998; Williams et al., 2000a, 2000b; Williams et al., 2001; Cockburn et al., 2000; Mcdowell et al. 2002; Gallis et al. 2003; Cao and Xu, 2005; Brereton et al., 2009; Sanjay and Goel and Kathuria, 2010; Rick et al., 2011). For instance, the proposed project (1) is time-effective and leads to a better product, (2) is more enjoyable for developers, (3) may increase work satisfaction, (4) promotes student learning, (5) leads to better student activity engagement, (6) contributes to enhancing the level of student understanding with regard to programming modules, which makes students more confident in their work and more positive about programming and, finally, and (7) supports the awareness of others’ actions and the ability to support concurrent input; it also encourages the development of problem-solving skills, efficiency, quality and teamwork. The project begins with a survey of the available tools for collaborative pair programming, such as Scratch Programming (Scratch, 2014), and then these tools will be evaluated to determine their suitability for use in multi-touch tables. The most suitable tool will then be selected for development to be run on a multi-touch table. Alternatively, new resource software will be created for the project. In the final stage, the usability of new software, in terms of collaborative pair programming, will be evaluated

Using a multi-touch table to develop collaborative teaching programming resources in the new computing curriculum

Information and communication technology (ICT) has been questioned extensively throughout recent years and is often considered unsatisfactory and antiquated (Society, 2012). However, a new computing curriculum will be incorporated into school systems in order to replace existing frameworks. This new paradigm focuses heavily on programing and critical thinking, largely at the primary level of schooling. The existing ICT curriculum was considered insufficient and unsatisfactory, consequently highlighting the need for change. Nonetheless, basic ICT applications need to be considered when producing new curriculum in order to expand on familiar principles that students utilize (Gov.uk, 2013). This project aims to develop a new resource to enhance collaborative programming in UK schools for pupils studying at Key Stage 3 level, i.e., 11–14 year olds. The project started with a review and evaluation of the available tools for collaborative pair programming, such as Scratch Programming (Scratch, 2014), in order to determine their suitability for use in multi-touch tables. Then, the tool Turtle Art (Turtle Art, 2014) was selected to receive further development to be run on a multi-touch table. In the final stage, the usability of the new software, in terms of collaborative pair programming, will be tested and evaluated against the project goals. The new resource software is intended to be used as an environment for collaborative learning and pair programming, and a number of studies have proven that these educational methods provide an improved quality of education within the curriculum of school systems (see, for example, Wilson et al., 1993; Yerion and Rinehart, 1995; and McKinney and Denton, 2006 for collaborative learning and Nosek, 1998; Williams et al., 2000a, 2000b; Cockburn et al., 2000; Williams et al., 2001; Mcdowell et al., 2002; Gallis et al., 2003; Cao and Xu, 2005; Brereton et al., 2009; Goel et al., 2010; Rick et al., 2011; and Harlow and Leak, 2014 for pair programming). Thus, the proposed resource software can be beneficial when used for collaborative learning and pair programming for many reasons such as the following: • It helps in collective decision-making and problem-solving, which leads to enhanced learning and development. • It focuses on the development of skills that are necessary for employment in contemporary industries. • It is more enjoyable for developers, increases work satisfaction, and promotes student learning. • It leads to better student activity engagement. • It contributes to enhancing the level of student understanding with regard to programming modules. • It makes students more confident in their work as well as more positive about programming. • It encourages the development of problem-solving aptitudes. • It provides more efficiency and quality in understanding the processes that one needs to go through in programing to solve problems. • It helps students create new ideas and ways to interact with new technologies. • It encourages participants to practice problem-solving skills in practical circumstances

Gastroprotective, Biochemical and Acute Toxicity Effects of Papaver decaisnei against Ethanol-Induced Gastric Ulcers in Rats

Papaver decaisnei (P. decaisnei) has been used as folkloric medicine for many health issues including gastric problems. The current study investigates the gastroprotective roles of P. decaisnei against ethanol-induced ulcers in rodents. Sprague Dawley rats (30) were separated into five groups: the normal group (G1) and the ulcer control group (G2) were orally administered 0.5% carboxymethylcellulose (CMC); the reference group (G3) was administered 20 mg/kg of Omeprazole; two experimental groups were fed with 200 mg/kg (G4) and 400 mg/kg (G5) of the P. decaisnei extract (PDE), respectively. Next, the rats were given absolute ethanol and sacrificed for the analysis of the gastric mucosal injury through microscopic, enzymatic, histologic, and immunohistochemistry assays. The ulcer controls showed significant superficial hemorrhagic gastric mucosal lesions, with a decreased gastric wall mucus and edema production, whereas fewer were found for the reference and planttreated rats. Furthermore, the PDE pre-treated rats had a significantly reduced the periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining intensity, produced the upregulation of the HSP70 protein, and the downregulation of the Bax protein expressions in the stomach epithelium. P. decaisnei displayed a significant role in the upregulation of endogenous antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, and PGE2), significantly reduced malondialdehyde (MDA), TNF-a, IL-6, and upraised the IL-10 levels. Based on the positive impacts, the PDE can be proposed as the protective/treatment agent against gastric ulcers and stomach lesions

HIV-related travel restrictions: trends and country characteristics

Introduction: Increasingly, HIV-seropositive individuals cross international borders. HIV-related restrictions on entry, stay, and residence imposed by countries have important consequences for this mobile population. Our aim was to describe the geographical distribution of countries with travel restrictions and to examine the trends and characteristics of countries with such restrictions. Methods: In 2011, data presented to UNAIDS were used to establish a list of countries with and without HIV restrictions on entry, stay, and residence and to describe their geographical distribution. The following indicators were investigated to describe the country characteristics: population at mid-year, international migrants as a percentage of the population, Human Development Index, estimated HIV prevalence (age: 15–49), presence of a policy prohibiting HIV screening for general employment purposes, government and civil society responses to having non-discrimination laws/regulations which specify migrants/mobile populations, government and civil society responses to having laws/regulations/policies that present obstacles to effective HIV prevention, treatment, care, and support for migrants/mobile populations, Corruption Perception Index, and gross national income per capita. Results: HIV-related restrictions exist in 45 out of 193 WHO countries (23%) in all regions of the world. We found that the Eastern Mediterranean and Western Pacific Regions have the highest proportions of countries with these restrictions. Our analyses showed that countries that have opted for restrictions have the following characteristics: smaller populations, higher proportions of migrants in the population, lower HIV prevalence rates, and lack of legislation protecting people living with HIV from screening for employment purposes, compared with countries without restrictions. Conclusion: Countries with a high proportion of international migrants tend to have travel restrictions – a finding that is relevant to migrant populations and travel medicine providers alike. Despite international pressure to remove travel restrictions, many countries continue to implement these restrictions for HIV-positive individuals on entry and stay. Since 2010, the United States and China have engaged in high profile removals. This may be indicative of an increasing trend, facilitated by various factors, including international advocacy and the setting of a UNAIDS goal to halve the number of countries with restrictions by 2015

Ancient Ancestry of KFDV and AHFV Revealed by Complete Genome Analyses of Viruses Isolated from Ticks and Mammalian Hosts

Alkhurma hemorrhagic fever (AHF) and Kyasanur Forest disease (KFD) viruses both cause serious and sometimes fatal human disease in their respective ranges, Saudi Arabia and India. AHFV was first identified in the mid-1990s and due to its strong genetic similarity to KFDV it has since been considered the result of a recent introduction of KFDV into Saudi Arabia. To gain a better understanding of the evolutionary history of AHFV and KFDV, we sequenced the full-length genomes of 3 KFDV and 16 AHFV. Sequence analyses show a greater genetic diversity within AHFV than previously thought, particularly within the tick population. The phylogeny constructed with these 19 full-length sequences and two AHFV sequences from GenBank indicates AHFV diverged from KFDV almost 700 years ago. Given the presence of competent tick vectors in the regions between and surrounding Saudi Arabia and India and the recent identification of AHFV in Egypt, these results suggest a broader geographic range of AHFV and KFDV, and raise the possibility of other AHFV/KFDV–like viruses circulating in these regions

HCV Infection among Saudi Population: High Prevalence of Genotype 4 and Increased Viral Clearance Rate

HCV is a major etiological agent of liver disease with a high rate of chronic evolution. The virus possesses 6 genotypes with many subtypes. The rate of spontaneous clearance among HCV infected individuals denotes a genetic determinant factor. The current study was designed in order to estimate the rate of HCV infection and ratio of virus clearance among a group of infected patients in Saudi Arabia from 2008 to 2011. It was additionally designed to determine the genotypes of the HCV in persistently infected patients. HCV seroprevalence was conducted on a total of 15,323 individuals. Seropositive individuals were tested by Cobas AmpliPrep/Cobas TaqMan HCV assay to determine the ratio of persistently infected patients to those who showed spontaneous viral clearance. HCV genotyping on random samples from persistently infected patients were conducted based on the differences in the 5′untranslated region (5′UTR). Anti-HCV antibodies were detected in 7.3% of the totally examined sera. A high percentage of the HCV infected individuals experienced virus clearance (48.4%). HCV genotyping revealed the presence of genotypes 1 and 4, the latter represented 97.6% of the tested strains. Evidences of the widespread of the HCV genotype 4 and a high rate of HCV virus clearance were found in Saudi Arabia

Etiological factors in primary hepatic B-cell lymphoma

Sixty-four cases of malignant lymphoma involving the liver were examined. Of these, 20 cases were histologically confirmed to be primary hepatic B-cell lymphoma. Twelve of these 20 cases were diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and eight cases were mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma. Of the 12 cases of DLBCL, six were immunohistologically positive for CD10 and/or Bcl6 (indicating a germinal center phenotype), six were positive for Bcl2, and five were positive for CD25. Eight of the 12 DLBCL cases (66.7%) and two of the eight MALT lymphoma cases (25%) had serum anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies and HCV RNA. The incidence of HCV infection was significantly higher in the hepatic DLBCL cases than in systemic intravascular large B-cell cases with liver involvement (one of 11 cases, 9.1%) and T/NK-cell lymphoma cases (one of 19 cases, 5.3%) (p < 0.01 for both). Two hepatic DLBCL cases (16.7%) had rheumatoid arthritis treated with methotrexate, and four MALT lymphoma cases (50%) had Sjögren’s syndrome, primary biliary cirrhosis, or autoimmune hepatitis; one case in each of these two groups was complicated by chronic HCV-seropositive hepatitis. Although primary hepatic lymphoma is rare, persistent inflammatory processes associated with HCV infection or autoimmune disease may play independent roles in the lymphomagenesis of hepatic B cells