Embedding accessibility and usability: considerations for e-learning research and development projects

This paper makes the case that if e‐learning research and development projects are to be successfully adopted in real‐world teaching and learning contexts, then they must effectively address accessibility and usability issues; and that these need to be integrated throughout the project. As such, accessibility and usability issues need to be made explicit in project documentation, along with allocation of appropriate resources and time. We argue that accessibility and usability are intrinsically inter‐linked. An integrated accessibility and usability evaluation methodology that we have developed is presented and discussed. The paper draws on a series of mini‐case studies from e‐learning projects undertaken over the past 10 years at the Open University

Artificially created stimuli produced by a genetic algorithm using a saliency model as its fitness function show that Inattentional Blindness modulates performance in a pop-out visual search paradigm

Salient stimuli are more readily detected than less salient stimuli, and individual differences in such detection may be relevant to why some people fail to notice an unexpected stimulus that appears in their visual field whereas others do notice it. This failure to notice unexpected stimuli is termed 'Inattentional Blindness' and is more likely to occur when we are engaged in a resource-consuming task. A genetic algorithm is described in which artificial stimuli are created using a saliency model as its fitness function. These generated stimuli, which vary in their saliency level, are used in two studies that implement a pop-out visual search task to evaluate the power of the model to discriminate the performance of people who were and were not Inattentionally Blind (IB). In one study the number of orientational filters in the model was increased to check if discriminatory power and the saliency estimation for low-level images could be improved. Results show that the performance of the model does improve when additional filters are included, leading to the conclusion that low-level images may require a higher number of orientational filters for the model to better predict participants' performance. In both studies we found that given the same target patch image (i.e. same saliency value) IB individuals take longer to identify a target compared to non-IB individuals. This suggests that IB individuals require a higher level of saliency for low-level visual features in order to identify target patches

Corporate culture and performance: relating concepts and outcomes

Corporate culture is a collectively internalized deeply embedded set of beliefs, expectations and assumptions that influence and guide thinking and behavior among an organization\u27s members. A corporation\u27s culture, because of its pervasive influence, can destroy or promote its ability to compete and succeed;This study investigated the relationship between culture corporate and financial performance. Specifically, the study compared culture data from a cross section of organizations with past financial performance. Previous work examined the relationship between culture, measured at a point in time, and future performance. This work took a different perspective comparing culture data with financial performance the year an organization assessed its culture and five years prior. The intent of the study was to determine if past financial performance suggested future culture ratings;Culture data were collected via the Organizational Culture Inventory (OCI) which measures three types of cultural norms: Constructive, Passive/Defensive, and Aggressive/Defensive. Four financial performance measures, Market Value Added, Economic Value Added, Cost of Capital and Return on Capital, were gathered from the Stem Stewart Performance 1000 Index. In total 33 firms comprised the population categorized in three industry types: Manufacturing, Service, Telecommunications/Computer;The study revealed a negative significant correlation between organizations with Passive/Defensive culture types and their Market Value Added ratings across each of the six years examined. The other significant financial outcome was a negative correlation between Cost of Capital and the Constructive culture style the year the OCI was administered;There were significant industry type differences between Telecommunications/Computer and Manufacturing firms. Based on the results there are differences among the firms on three of the four measures: Economic Value Added, Return on Capital and Cost of Capital. The results indicate that in some years Telecommunications/Computer firms\u27 costs may have been higher, but overall their gains were greater than Manufacturing firms;These results suggest that an organization\u27s past performance and its industry type may provide insight into its culture, but further investigation is warranted. Study implications and future directions are discussed

Women\u27s adjustment to nontraditional careers: psychological consequences of occupational integration

The movement of women into the labor force has sparked a wide variety of research topics, but the movement of women into traditionally male-dominated careers has not been thoroughly investigated. While most research in this area has tended to focus upon females\u27 occupational interest, there exists a need to address the adjustment of women to these nontraditional careers after they have obtained the position. The primary purpose of this study was to identify a number of life experiences and personal characteristics that are related to women\u27s adjustment and perceived success in nontraditional careers. The sample consisted of 134 women from traditional and nontraditional occupations in an academic setting. These women completed the Career Adjustment and Success Questionnaire (developed by the author) which contained scales assessing such life experiences as socioeconomic status, past social support, current social support, level of independence, as well as the personal characteristic of sex role orientation. The Bem Sex Role Inventory (Bem, 1981) was also used as a measure of sex role orientation. A wide variety of demographic information was gathered and potential moderators were identified from these data (e.g., marital status, age cohort, and number of children in the home). The survey constructed for this research was found to be both reliable and discriminating;Specific predictors were discovered to account for 21 percent of the variance in adjustment and 21 percent of the variance in success (when adjustment was included as a predictor). Social support (Current Social Support and Spouse Support) and sex role orientation (Femininity and Androgyny) were found to be particularly influential. The results of a series of discriminant analyses supported the discriminating properties of the predictor variables for purposes of classifying traditional and nontraditional career women by their levels of adjustment, perceived success, and the traditionality of their careers. This study identified a means of predicting how well certain women may adjust and at what level they may succeed in nontraditional careers. The findings suggest and support the utility of using life history information, current experiences, and sex role orientation to predict the adjustment and success of women in traditional and nontraditional careers

The Rate Of Placenta Accreta And Previous Exposure To Uterine Surgery

Placenta accreta is a disorder of abnormal placentation that causes significant maternal morbidity and mortality, and whose incidence is rising in the United States. Accreta is thought to be linked closely to endometrial disruption introduced by exposure to uterine surgery; its connection to cesarean delivery is well-established, however, there is a poorer understanding of the contribution made by other forms of uterine surgery, and by relatively subjective indications for which women with placenta accreta may have initially received a cesarean delivery. The aims of the study were to quantify the rate of placenta accreta at YNHH, the rate of exposure to various uterine surgeries prior to the accreta pregnancy, and the rate of subjective indication for primary cesarean delivery amongst all patients with placenta accreta from 1995-2011. Among the 72,845 births during the study period, 249 cases of placenta accreta were identified via query of pathology records, including 122 focal accreta, 63 accreta vera, 23 increta and 14 percreta. Twenty-seven cases were excluded due to lost chart, multiple accreta in a single patient, and absence of baseline birth data for Jan 1995 - June 1996; a total of 100 cases of non-focal accreta were included in the final analysis. Non-focal accreta is increasing over the study period; the rate was 1.4 cases per 1,000 births; it increased on average 12% per 3-year period over the course of the study (95% CI -1.6% to 28.5%). Among all births, women with placenta accreta and a prior index cesarean delivery increased significantly over the study period, with a mean increase of 21.9% per 3-year period (95% CI1.4% to 46.6%), while those with placenta accreta and other index uterine surgery increased by 71.1% per 3-year period (95% CI 10.4% to 165%). Over this 15 year period, the cumulative increase in risk of having placenta accreta in the setting of prior cesarean delivery was 2.69 (95% CI 1.07 - 6.8) while the cumulative increase in risk for having placenta accreta in the setting of prior other uterine surgery was 14.66 (95% CI 1.64 - 131). There was no significant difference in rate of placenta accreta with prior index cesarean delivery for subjective or objective indication. Placenta accreta in the setting of prior uterine surgery is increasing over time. Larger studies are needed to further elucidate the increasing role of prior uterine surgery on the development of placenta accreta in the population

Reading Compliance in a School Psychology Graduate Program

The purpose of this study was to collect data on graduate reading compliance specific to the field of school psychology. This study examined the amount of required reading completed by graduate students in a National Association of School Psychologists accredited school psychology training program. An online questionnaire developed by McMinn & colleagues (2009) was adapted to fit the context of the current study. Thirty-two students (70%) responded. Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) revealed that reading compliance was affected by the number of adults living with students, F(1, 20) = 6.14, p = .022, ηp2 = .235. Students were most motivated to read when they were interested in a subject and most hindered when they had too many other academic assignments

Clinical and experimental studies on the role of APC in neoplasia

The adenomatous polyposis coli gene (APC) is located at human chromosome 5q21. Germline mutations in the APC gene characterise the Mendelian dominant inherited disorder, familial adenomatous polyposis coli (FAP). FAP patients develop numerous adenomas within the large intestine, some of which ultimately progress to carcinoma. A more general role for APC mutations in neoplasia is suggested by the fact that FAP patients are at risk of developing tumours of the brain, thyroid, bone and focal proliferative lesions ( "desmoid tumours ") of the connective tissue. Furthermore, mutations in the APC gene and / or loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at 5q21 have been reported in a range of sporadic tumours including tumours of the lung.This thesis firstly investigated the occurrence of LOH at chromosome 5q21 in subtypes of human non -small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Allele loss was compared in adenocarcinoma (ADC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), the most common forms of NSCLC. Further sub -classification of the ADC subgroup was carried out to compare ADC arising in the bronchus versus the parenchyma, as determined by histology. Four genetic polymorphisms in the APC and MCC (mutated in colorectal cancer) genes at chromosome 5q21 were analysed for LOH in 92 consecutive primary SCC and ADC of the lung. Loss of heterozygosity was identified in at least two polymorphic loci in 40% (27/68) of informative cases. There was no significant difference in the frequency of LOH between SCC and ADC cases (Chi- squared test, df=1, p= 0.446) or within the ADC subgroups; bronchial and parenchymal origin (Fisher's exact test; two -tailed test p= 0.237). Results revealed that the frequency of LOH within the SCC group and the ADC remained similar at each tumour stage, Fisher's exact test (two -tailed test; p >0.2 in all cases). This result suggests that loss of 5q21 does not promote metastatic spread in these histological groups. Following the subdivision of ADC into site of origin, results revealed that LOH was not associated with increasing tumour stage in the parenchymal or bronchial subgroups, as determined by Fisher's exact test (two -tailed test; p >0.2 in all cases), or that the frequency of LOH differed between subgroups at each tumour stage, Fisher's exact test, two tailed test; p >0.2 in all cases.Thirty tumours showing LOH at one or more polymorphic sites were examined for mutations in the mutation cluster region (MCR) of APC by single- strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) analysis. Mutations were not detected in any of these cases. These results suggest that it is likely that a tumour suppressor gene on 5q other than APC is involved in the pathogenesis of lung cancer.Secondly, this thesis examined ADC of parenchymal or bronchial origin by the independent criterion of K -RAS mutation, a known feature in pulmonary ADC. Sixty -five surgically resected primary pulmonary adenocarcinomas were screened for mutations at codon 12 of the K -RAS gene by a PCR based method. Mutations in position 1 or position 2 of codon 12 were detected in 16 tumours (25 %). When analysed by site of origin, mutations were seen in 9/26 (35 %) parenchymal and in 0/12 bronchial ADC. This difference is significantly different, as determined by Fisher's exact test (two -tailed test; p= 0.0355). No association was noted between the presence ofK -RAS mutation at tumour stage, indicating that K -RAS mutations are not associated with metastatic spread. K -RAS mutations were also detected in 5 out of 32 foci of alveolar atypical hyperplasia (AAH), a lesion considered on histological grounds to be the precursor to parenchymal ADC. DNA sequencing showed that the great majority of mutations in both ADC and AAH were G -T transversions. These findings provide support for the classification of pulmonary ADC into bronchial and parenchymal subtypes and also provide molecular evidence to support the importance of AAH in the development of parenchymal cancers.Finally, this thesis described the generation and initial characterisation of a murine APC transgenic founder line designed as a model to investigate the effects of aberrant expression of APC. Several Apc mutant murine models of FAP already exist. These all carry a heterozygous mutation in the Apc gene. The Min mouse (multiple intestinal neoplasia) is an example and carries a mutation at codon 850. All current models however are of limited use as mice homozygous for Apc mutations die at approximately 5 6.6 days post coitum, limiting analysis to Apc heterozygotes. Homozygous loss of Apc therefore depends upon additional somatic events that are not under direct experimental control and this may be associated with additional, undisclosed genetic events. Here a transgenic approach was taken to generate animals where the expression of the APC transgene is conditionally inactivated using the Cre -loxP recombination system of the bacteriophage P 1. APC cDNA was flanked by loxP sequences and the promoter sequence of the ubiquitously expressed murine phosphoglycerate kinase (Pgk) gene cloned upstream of the APC cDNA to drive the expression of the transgene. Pro -nuclear injection was used to deliver the APC transgene into oocytes of wildtype mice (F1 (C57BL /6 x CBA)). A transgene positive founder line was established and transcription of the APC cDNA confirmed in a wide variety of tissues using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR). To date, transgene positive mice on an Apc wildtype background show no gross phenotype. Embryonic fibroblasts were derived and Cre- recombinase delivered by infection with a replication deficient adenovirus. APC cDNA excision was confirmed by PCR. The founder line was crossed with the C57BL /6 Apc +/min line. Transgene positive Apc +Irvin mice were interbred and offspring screened to identify whether the APC transgene can rescue the Apc M II lethal phenotype. To date embryonic rescue has not been identified

Crossing the Borders: The Challenge of Advanced Skills Teachers' Outreach Work in Other Schools

Most teachers work in isolation (Hargreaves, A 1994). Although joint work among teachers is recognized as a factor in internal school improvement, less is known about teacher perspectives of collaborative practice which crosses the borders between schools. During the time frame of this study, 2003-2007, policies to encourage partnership and collaboration between schools were based on assumptions that teacher good practice could be transferred and this would be for the benefit of area wide improvement. Thus, inter-school collaboration was usually presented in positive terms of modernization. In contrast, this study does not present a blue-skies version of collaboration but looks at the challenges. This small-scale qualitative study examines how teachers work in other schools. It is presented as a case-study of the outreach responsibilities of secondary Advanced Skills Teachers in two shire local authorities, based on interview and observation data In England, Advanced Skills Teachers are promoted for their excellent contribution to teaching and support to other colleagues. A key idea behind the scheme was to provide an alternative promotion route by retaining good teachers in the classroom. These teachers are based in their home school and spend 20% of their time supporting colleagues in other schools on outreach. A key research question is: what is outreach? The study considers why ASTs were introduced and looks at outreach as a distinctive model of professional development. As the AST scheme got under way, outreach was reported to be a difficult part of the role, seen especially in local authority co-ordination of access to schools and the inappropriate use of ASTs as supply teachers. (Ofsted 2001) This research looks at the exact nature of the challenges of outreach from an AST perspective and how ASTS worked with other professionals in other school contexts. It uses concepts of reflective practice. This study was influenced by the emerging work of Fielding et al (2005) who investigated the factors influencing transfer and found that a relationship model was important and that rather than a one-way transfer, “joint practice development” was a more appropriate term. Outreach was found to be a challenging new aspect of the teacher role. In the words of one respondent: “ASTs are in the vanguard and that is never a comfortable place to be”. For ASTs, outreach was frequently a stimulating part of the role providing renewed enthusiasm. The findings show a wide range of outreach work involving varying degrees of tension for ASTs and for different purposes in different local contexts. Outreach was limited by inappropriate timetable, or lack of support from head teachers or local authorities. ASTs demonstrated collegiality across schools as a way to offer support and overcome early derogatotory images of ‘super teachers’. ASTs made considerable use of informal networks to advertise their availability for outreach. Some ASTs worked in project groups and this has further potential for challenging stereo-types of good and bad schools, opening up classrooms and crossing borders