How MOOC Reality Informs Distance Education, Online Learning, and Connectivism

In this paper, we draw from our experience as designers, instructors, and researchers in the second edition of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOCs) called Creativity, Innovation, and Change (CIC) 2.0 to discuss MOOC interactions. Since the CIC 2.0 MOOC was inspired by the tenets of connectivism, we employed connectivism and its four main conceptual components (autonomy, diversity, openness, and connectedness) to discuss these empirical findings from a theoretical perspective. We build our argument on the four levels of interactions (interactions with instructors, learners, course materials, and the interface) traditionally used in the field of distance education and online learning and look at the clashes between the original concepts of connectivism and cMOOCs on one hand and traditional educational concepts, particularly interactions and group work, on the other. This study discusses how MOOC interactions reveal that the four components of connectivism are more complex than originally conceptualized. This complexity can be summarized as follows: a) learner autonomy is more complex in MOOC reality; students are relatively more autonomous but not as originally conceptualized since the role of teachers remains unchanged when student interactions with course content and assessment are considered; b) diversity and openness are also more complex since peer interaction and open networks do not exhibit dynamics and importance as predicted, especially in certain participation behaviors and in MOOC pathways; and c) also, the four connectivism components are not mutually inclusive, and their interaction is not as predicted

Amyloid-\u3b225-35, an Amyloid-\u3b21-42 Surrogate, and Proinflammatory Cytokines Stimulate VEGF-A Secretion by Cultured, Early Passage, Normoxic Adult Human Cerebral Astrocytes

Cerebrovascular angiopathy affects late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) brains by possibly increasing vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). A expression, thereby stimulating endothelial cell proliferation and migration. Indeed, VEGF-A gene upregulation, with increased VEGF-A protein content of reactive astrocytes and microglia, occurs in LOAD brains, and neovascularization was observed one week after injecting amyloid-\u3b2 (A\u3b2)1-42 into rat hippocampus. We have now found, with cultured 'normoxic' normal adult human astrocytes (NAHAs), that fibrillar A\u3b225-35 (an active A\u3b21-42 fragment) or a cytokine mixture (the (CM)-trio (interleukin [IL]-1\u3b2+interferon [IFN]-\u3b3+tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-\u3b1), or pair (IFN-\u3b3+TNF-\u3b1) like those produced in LOAD brains) stimulates the nuclear translocation of stabilized hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1\u3b1 protein and its binding to VEGF-A hypoxia-response elements; the mRNA synthesis for three VEGF-A splice variants (121, 165, 189); and the secretion of VEGF-A165. The CM-trio was the most powerful stimulus, IFN-\u3b3+TNF-\u3b1 was less potent, and other cytokine pairs or single cytokines or A\u3b235-25 were ineffective. While A\u3b225-35 did not change HIF-1\u3b2 protein levels, the CM-trio increased both HIF-1\u3b1 and HIF-1\u3b2 protein levels, thereby giving an earlier and stronger stimulus to VEGF-A secretion by NAHAs. Thus, increased VEGF-A secretion from astrocytes stimulated by A\u3b21-42 and by microglia-released cytokines might restore angiogenesis and A\u3b21-42 vascular clearance

Provenancing Archaeological Wool Textiles from Medieval Northern Europe by Light Stable Isotope Analysis (δ13C, δ15N, δ2H)

We investigate the origin of archaeological wool textiles preserved by anoxic waterlogging from seven medieval archaeological deposits in north-western Europe (c. 700-1600 AD), using geospatial patterning in carbon (δ13C), nitrogen (δ15N) and non-exchangeable hydrogen (δ2H) composition of modern and ancient sheep proteins. δ13C, δ15N and δ2H values from archaeological wool keratin (n = 83) and bone collagen (n = 59) from four sites were interpreted with reference to the composition of modern sheep wool from the same regions. The isotopic composition of wool and bone collagen samples clustered strongly by settlement; inter-regional relationships were largely parallel in modern and ancient samples, though landscape change was also significant. Degradation in archaeological wool samples, examined by elemental and amino acid composition, was greater in samples from Iceland (Reykholt) than in samples from north-east England (York, Newcastle) or northern Germany (Hessens). A nominal assignment approach was used to classify textiles into local/non-local at each site, based on maximal estimates of isotopic variability in modern sheep wool. Light element stable isotope analysis provided new insights into the origins of wool textiles, and demonstrates that isotopic provenancing of keratin preserved in anoxic waterlogged contexts is feasible. We also demonstrate the utility of δ2H analysis to understand the location of origin of archaeological protein samples

On the obstacle problem for fractional semilinear wave equations

We prove existence of weak solutions to the obstacle problem for semilinear wave equations (including the fractional case) by using a suitable approximating scheme in the spirit of minimizing movements. This extends the results in Bonafini et al. (2019), where the linear case was treated. In addition, we deduce some compactness properties of concentration sets (e.g. moving interfaces) when dealing with singular limits of certain nonlinear wave equations. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

On the obstacle problem for fractional semilinear wave equations

We prove existence of weak solutions to the obstacle problem for semilinear wave equations (including the fractional case) by using a suitable approximating scheme in the spirit of minimizing movements. This extends the results in Bonafini et al. (2019), where the linear case was treated. In addition, we deduce some compactness properties of concentration sets (e.g. moving interfaces) when dealing with singular limits of certain nonlinear wave equations

SNORING IN OBESE CHILDREN AND ITS CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE IN AMBULATORY SETTING

Low palate position contributes to making snoring and desaturations during sleep in obese childre

SLEEP RESPIRATORY EVENTS AND CLINICAL PARAMETERS AND IN A GROUP OF OBESE CHILDREN

Palate position was the best clinical parameter for predicting sleep respiratory disorders

Abeta42 induction by its proxy, Abeta25-35, in cerebral normal human astrocytes requires calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) signaling and nuclear translocation of HIF-1alpha/HIF-1beta complexes

Introduction: Astrocytes in Abeta42-hoarding human brains with Alzheimer\u2019s disease (AD) upregulate vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A synthesis and accumulate Abeta42 intracellularly. Previously, we showed that fibrillary Abeta25-35 (a surrogate of Abeta42) induces VEGF-A synthesis and secretion and Abeta42 intracellular buildup in cultured early passage crebral normal adult astrocytes (NAHAs), both effects being mediated via the stabilization and nuclear translocation of HIF-1alpha/HIF-1beta complexes. Aims. Here, we investigated whether calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) signaling plays any role in such Abeta25-35-elicited effects. Methods: NAHA cultures were treated with Abeta25-35 plus/minus the CaSR inhibitor NPS-89696 (a gift of Dr. E.F. Nemeth) and the Abeta42 contents of their protein extracts and HRE-DNA- HIF-1alpha/HIF-1beta complexes were analyzed via immunoblotting and EMSA, respectively. Results: trating NAHAs with Abeta25-35+NPS-89696 significantly reduced the de novo synthesis and accumulation of Abeta42 induced by Abeta25-35 alone. Exposure to Abeta25-35+NPS-89696 also hindered the stabilization and nuclear translocation of the HIF-1alpha/HIF-1beta complexes then elicited by Abeta25-35 itself. Conclusions: Our preliminary findings show that caSR signaling is importantly involved in Abeta42-production by Abeta25-35-exposed NAHAs. Previously, we showed that CaSR signaling is required also for nitric oxide synthase (NOS)-2 induction and NO hyperproduction by NAHAs treated with Abeta25-35 and/or combined proinflammatory cytokines. Therefore, the present results emphasize the notion that CaSR signaling plays a central role in the several trophic, proinflammatory and perhaps cytotoxic (release of produced Abeta42?) responses of the activated astrocytes in AD brains. Further, our findings suggest that administration CaSR inhibitors may be potentially beneficial in AD