AGENT: Alumni growth and engagement across new technologies

The AGENT project aims to use social networking technologies (LinkedIn and Facebook) to support the development of undergraduates’ employability and career development. The focus of the project is on e-mentoring by alumni to provide a ‘bridge’ between individuals whose social ties and connections are weakened by time and distance, whilst at the same time capitalising on the learning opportunities afforded by the widening of social networks. Social networking sites (SNSs) have been shown to provide students with the tools to make connections, build relationships and support personal development. From a social capital perspective, SNSs can support ‘weak ties’ by allowing students to grow a social network from which to draw resources in the form of information, knowledge, advice and expertise that an institution’s alumni can provide. Alumni are a key resource for building professional networking communities that can provide offline as well as online support to students. We report on an on-going JISC project –AGENT (Alumni Growth and Engagement across New Technologies) that explores how Web 2.0 technologies engage alumni, create the sense of belonging, develop more effective and mutually-beneficial alumni-student connections and associated positive social capital outcomes.Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) 2011-201

Mining social network data for personalisation and privacy concerns: A case study of Facebook’s Beacon

This is the post-print version of the final published paper that is available from the link below.The popular success of online social networking sites (SNS) such as Facebook is a hugely tempting resource of data mining for businesses engaged in personalised marketing. The use of personal information, willingly shared between online friends' networks intuitively appears to be a natural extension of current advertising strategies such as word-of-mouth and viral marketing. However, the use of SNS data for personalised marketing has provoked outrage amongst SNS users and radically highlighted the issue of privacy concern. This paper inverts the traditional approach to personalisation by conceptualising the limits of data mining in social networks using privacy concern as the guide. A qualitative investigation of 95 blogs containing 568 comments was collected during the failed launch of Beacon, a third party marketing initiative by Facebook. Thematic analysis resulted in the development of taxonomy of privacy concerns which offers a concrete means for online businesses to better understand SNS business landscape - especially with regard to the limits of the use and acceptance of personalised marketing in social networks

Inhibition of AMPK via phosphorylation at Ser485/491: multiple mechanisms of regulation

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is an energy-sensing enzyme that is activated when cellular energy is low and causes muscle and other cells to increase glucose uptake and fat oxidation, diminish lipid synthesis, and alter expression of various genes. AMPK activity is diminished in animals with the metabolic syndrome, though the mechanisms causing this reduction are unknown. To examine nutrient-induced changes in AMPK activity over time and factors that may regulate it, we compared rat muscle incubated with high glucose (HG) (30min-2h) and muscle of glucose-infused rats (3-8h) with appropriate controls. In addition to diminished AMPK activity (measured by the SAMS peptide assay) and phosphorylation of its activation loop at Thr172, we observed increased muscle glycogen, phosphorylation of AMPK’s α1/α2 subunit at Ser485/491, and PP2A activity, and decreased SIRT1 expression, all of which have been shown to diminish AMPK activity. Dysregulation of one or more of these factors could contribute to pathophysiological changes leading to metabolic syndrome associated disorders. Since recent studies suggest phosphorylation at Ser485/491 may play an important role in AMPK inhibition, we sought to determine how phosphorylation of this site is regulated. We investigated whether insulin or diacylglycerol (DAG) signaling pathways may be involved, since both are increased in at least one of the HG models. Akt and Protein Kinase (PK)D1 phosphorylated AMPK at Ser485/491 and diminished its activity in C2C12 myotubes, downstream of insulin and the DAG-mimetic PMA, respectively. Additionally, p-AMPK Ser485/491 was increased in muscle and liver of fed versus fasted mice and liver of diabetic mice. Our results suggest that Akt- and PKD1-mediated inhibition of AMPK via Ser485/491 phosphorylation may inhibit energy-metabolizing processes, while favoring energy-storing processes. Our results highlight the fact that phosphorylation of Ser485/491 can inhibit AMPK activity independent of changes in p-AMPK Thr172, a measure which is often used as a readout of AMPK activity. We hypothesize that Akt-mediated inhibition of AMPK is an acute, physiological response to insulin, whereas PKD1-mediated inhibition may be associated with more chronic pathophysiological changes. Thus, PKD1 inhibition or prevention of Ser485/491 phosphorylation may represent new strategies for therapeutic AMPK activation as treatment for the metabolic syndrome

A case report of progressive Brown syndrome?

Aim: To report an unusual case of progressive Brown syndrome and the successful surgical treatment. Methods: A 42-year-old male with a documented 14-year history of progressive Brown syndrome is presented. To improve diplopia symptoms an ipsilateral superior oblique (SO) 7 mm silicone tendon spacer and a contralateral 3 mm superior rectus (SR) recession were performed. Results: The surgical procedure was successful in reducing the primary position deviation (preoperative 30ΔLHoT 7ΔLXT; one month post surgery 3ΔLHo; one year post surgery 7-8ΔLHo 1-2ΔE) and eliminating the abnormal head posture (AHP). Diplopia was only reported on elevation and depression following surgery. Conclusion: This case of Brown syndrome is unusual as it was progressive and had a documented history over a number of years prior to surgery. Surgical treatment of Brown syndrome is rarely required, but in this case was successful in improving the patient’s diplopia and AHP

Biofilm Inhibitory Coatings Formulated from Glass Polyalkenoate Cement Chemistry: An Evaluation of their Adhesive Nature

Researchers evaluated the adhesive nature of the biofilm inhibitory coatings formulated from glass polyalkenoate cement (GPC) chemistry with the aim to establish the novel testing modality by modifying the conventional T-peel tests. Special consideration was given to determine the resistance of a bonded assembly of two adherents having at least one adherent flexible to quantify the bond between tape and a surgical metal substrate bonded by a luting GPC. The delaminated tape surface was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with an accelerating voltage of 20 K V to determine whether failure of the bond was adhesive of cohesive in nature. Researchers have also evaluated the cements against Ti6A14V, as they are designed as surgical coatings. The load testing evaluation in excess of 5500 Pa, showed the failure of the novel GPC adhered to rigid and flexible substrates

Living with the user: Design drama for dementia care through responsive scripted experiences in the home

Participation in forms of drama and narrative can provoke empathy and creativity in user-centred design processes. In this paper, we expand upon existing methods to explore the potential for responsive scripted experiences that are delivered through the combination of sensors and output devices placed in a home. The approach is being developed in the context of Dementia care, where the capacity for rich user participation in design activities is limited. In this case, a system can act as a proxy for a person with Dementia, allowing designers to gain experiences and insight as to what it is like to provide care for, and live with, this person. We describe the rationale behind the approach, a prototype system architecture, and our current work to explore the creation of scripted experiences for design, played out though UbiComp technologies.This research is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council UK, (AH/K00266X/1) and Horizon Digital Economy Research (RCUK grant EP/G065802/1)

Using cultural probes to inform the design of assistive technologies

This paper discusses the practical implications of applying cultural probes to drive the design of assistive technologies. Specifically we describe a study in which a probe was deployed with home-based carers of people with dementia in order to capture critical data and gain insights of integrating the technologies into this sensitive and socially complex design space. To represent and utilise the insights gained from the cultural probes, we created narratives based on the probe data to enhance the design of assistive technologies.This work was supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AH/K00266X/1) and RCUK through the Horizon Digital Economy Research grant (EP/G065802/1)

The effect of stress on the expression of the amyloid precursor protein in rat brain

AbstractThe abnormal processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) is a pivotal event in the development of the unique pathology that defines Alzheimer's disease (AD). Stress, and the associated increase in corticosteroids, appear to accelerate brain ageing and may increase vulnerability to Alzheimer's disease via altered APP processing. In this study, rats were repeatedly exposed to an unavoidable stressor, an open elevated platform. Previous studies in this laboratory have shown that a single exposure produces a marked increase in plasma corticosterone levels but animals develop tolerance to this effect between 10 and 20 daily sessions. Twenty-four hours after stress, there was an increase in the ratio of the deglycosylated form of APP in the particulate fraction of the brain, which subsequently habituated after 20 days. The levels of soluble APP (APPs) tended to be lower in the stress groups compared to controls except for a significant increase in the hippocampus after 20 days of platform exposure. Since APPs is reported to have neurotrophic properties, this increased release may represent a neuroprotective response to repeated stress. It is possible that the ability to mount this response decreases with age thus increasing the vulnerability to stress-induced AD-related pathology

Gallium Containing Glass Polyalkenoate Bone Cements: Glass Characterization and Physical Properties

Gallium (Ga) glasses were developed to formulate a Glass Polyalkenoate Cement (GPC) series with both E9 and E11 polyacrylic acid (PAA) at 50, 55 and 60wt% additions. Working times (T w), setting times (T s), compression (σ c), and biaxial flexural (σ f) strength testing were evaluated to determine the GPCs potential use in orthopedics. © 2012 IEEE

Gallium Containing Glass Polyalkenoate Anti-Cancerous Bone Cements: Glass Characterization and Physical Properties

A gallium (Ga) glass series (0.48SiO2-0.40ZnO-0.12CaO, with 0.08 mol% substitution for ZnO) was developed to formulate a Ga-containing Glass Polyalkenoate Cement (GPC) series. Network connectivity (NC) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) was employed to investigate the role of Ga3+ in the glass, where it is assumed to act as a network modifier. Ga-GPC series was formulated with E9 and E11 polyacrylic acid (PAA) at 50, 55 and 60 wt% additions. E11 working times (Tw) ranged from 68 to 96 s (Lcon.) and 106 s for the Ga-GPCs (LGa-1 and LGa-2). Setting times (Ts) ranged from 104 to 226 s (Lcon.) and 211 s for LGa-1 and LGa-2. Compression (δc) and biaxial flexural (δf) testing were conducted where Lcon. increased from 62 to 68 MPa, LGa-1 from 14 to 42 MPa and LGa-2 from 20 to 47 MPa in δc over 1-30 days. δf testing revealed that Lcon. increased from 29 to 42 MPa, LGa-1 from 7 to 32 MPa and LGa-2 from 12 to 36 MPa over 1-30 days. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC