Systems, interactions and macrotheory

A significant proportion of early HCI research was guided by one very clear vision: that the existing theory base in psychology and cognitive science could be developed to yield engineering tools for use in the interdisciplinary context of HCI design. While interface technologies and heuristic methods for behavioral evaluation have rapidly advanced in both capability and breadth of application, progress toward deeper theory has been modest, and some now believe it to be unnecessary. A case is presented for developing new forms of theory, based around generic “systems of interactors.” An overlapping, layered structure of macro- and microtheories could then serve an explanatory role, and could also bind together contributions from the different disciplines. Novel routes to formalizing and applying such theories provide a host of interesting and tractable problems for future basic research in HCI

Workloads of forward and backline adolescent rugby players: a pilot study

Background: There is minimal research on workloads of adolescent rugby players. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to determine the workloads placed on a cohort of South African adolescent rugby players (n = 17), during an in-season period.Methods: Session RPE ratings were collected daily, 30 minutes after the training session concluded, during an 11-week in-season period. The training load was calculated as the session ratings of perceived exertion multiplied by the session’s duration (min).Results: The main finding of the study was that the adolescents in this investigation had similar workloads to elite players but higher workloads than other studies on adolescent rugby players. The forwards (3311±939 arbitrary units; AU) had a higher workload than backline players (2851±1080 AU). There was no difference between forwards and backline players with regards to the acute:chronic workload ratio.Conclusion: Workloads are high in these adolescent players, particularly in the forwards, and are similar to the workloads of elite level rugby players. Keywords: rugby union, session rating of perceived exertion, workload monitoring, AC ratio, cost effectivenes

Oxidation Behavior of a Pd_(43)Cu_(27)Ni_(10)P_(20) Bulk Metallic Glass and Foam in Dry Air

The oxidation behavior of both Pd_(43)Cu_(27)Ni_(10)P_(20) bulk metallic glass (Pd4-BMG) and its amorphous foam containing 45 pct porosity (Pd4-AF) was investigated over the temperature range of 343 K (70 °C) to 623 K (350 °C) in dry air. The results showed that virtually no oxidation occurred in the Pd4-BMG at T < 523 K (250 °C), revealing the alloy’s favorable oxidation resistance in this temperature range. In addition, the oxidation kinetics at T ≥ 523 K (250 °C) followed a parabolic-rate law, and the parabolic-rate constants (k_p values) generally increased with temperature. It was found that the oxidation k_p values of the Pd4-AF are slightly lower than those of the Pd4-BMG, indicating that the porous structure contributes to improving the overall oxidation resistance. The scale formed on the alloys was composed exclusively of CuO at T ≥ 548 K (275 °C), whose thickness gradually increased with increasing temperature. In addition, the amorphous structure remained unchanged at T ≤ 548 K (275 °C), while a triplex-phase structure developed after the oxidation at higher temperatures, consisting of Pd_2Ni_2P, Cu_3P, and Pd_3P

Associations between perceived teaching behaviors and affect in upper elementary school students.

We explored the associations between student-perceived teaching behaviors and negative affect (NA) and positive affect (PA) in upper elementary age students, both before and after controlling for perceived parenting behaviors. The Teaching Behavior Questionnaire (TBQ), the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ), and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule for Children (PANAS-C) were completed by 777 third to fifth graders in nine elementary schools. Using two-level hierarchical linear model analyses, we found that (a) perceived instructional teaching behavior was negatively associated with NA and positively associated with PA; (b) perceived organizational behavior was not associated with either; (c) perceived socio-emotional teaching behavior was positively associated with both; (d) perceived negative teaching behavior was positively associated with NA but not associated with PA. When parenting behaviors were controlled for, the associations with NA but not with PA held up. We discuss implications of the findings for education and mental health personnel

Submerged in the mainstream? A case study of an immigrant learner in a New Zealand primary classroom

Immigrant children from diverse language backgrounds face not only linguistic challenges when enrolled in mainstream English-medium classrooms, but also difficulties adjusting to an unfamiliar learning community. The culture of primary school classrooms in New Zealand typically reflects conventions across three dimensions: interactional, instructional task performance and cognitive-academic development. All three dimensions are underpinned by the culturally specific discourse conventions involved in language socialisation. New learners may be helped by classmates or their teacher to understand and successfully use these conventions, but left on their own they may sink rather than swim. This is a case study of one Taiwanese 11-year old boy, 'John', who entered a New Zealand primary classroom midway through the school year. John's basic conversational ability was sound, but he did not possess the interactive classroom skills needed to operate in the new culture of learning. Selected from a wider study of the classroom, transcript data from audio-recorded excerpts of John's interactions over several months with his teacher and classmates are interpreted from perspectives derived from sociocultural and language socialisation theories. The article concludes with a brief consideration of the extent to which John constructed, or was constrained from constructing meaningful learning experiences, and suggestions for further research and reflection

The Schistosoma mansoni Cytochrome P450 (CYP3050A1) Is Essential for Worm Survival and Egg Development.

Schistosomiasis affects millions of people in developing countries and is responsible for more than 200,000 deaths annually. Because of toxicity and limited spectrum of activity of alternatives, there is effectively only one drug, praziquantel, available for its treatment. Recent data suggest that drug resistance could soon be a problem. There is therefore the need to identify new drug targets and develop drugs for the treatment of schistosomiasis. Analysis of the Schistosoma mansoni genome sequence for proteins involved in detoxification processes found that it encodes a single cytochrome P450 (CYP450) gene. Here we report that the 1452 bp open reading frame has a characteristic heme-binding region in its catalytic domain with a conserved heme ligating cysteine, a hydrophobic leader sequence present as the membrane interacting region, and overall structural conservation. The highest sequence identity to human CYP450s is 22%. Double stranded RNA (dsRNA) silencing of S. mansoni (Sm)CYP450 in schistosomula results in worm death. Treating larval or adult worms with antifungal azole CYP450 inhibitors results in worm death at low micromolar concentrations. In addition, combinations of SmCYP450-specific dsRNA and miconazole show additive schistosomicidal effects supporting the hypothesis that SmCYP450 is the target of miconazole. Treatment of developing S. mansoni eggs with miconazole results in a dose dependent arrest in embryonic development. Our results indicate that SmCYP450 is essential for worm survival and egg development and validates it as a novel drug target. Preliminary structure-activity relationship suggests that the 1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-2-(1H-imidazol-1-yl)ethan-1-ol moiety of miconazole is necessary for activity and that miconazole activity and selectivity could be improved by rational drug design

Interplay of Peltier and Seebeck effects in nanoscale nonlocal spin valves

We have experimentally studied the role of thermoelectric effects in nanoscale nonlocal spin valve devices. A finite element thermoelectric model is developed to calculate the generated Seebeck voltages due to Peltier and Joule heating in the devices. By measuring the first, second and third harmonic voltage response non locally, the model is experimentally examined. The results indicate that the combination of Peltier and Seebeck effects contributes significantly to the nonlocal baseline resistance. Moreover, we found that the second and third harmonic response signals can be attributed to Joule heating and temperature dependencies of both Seebeck coefficient and resistivity.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Joint Strategic Needs Assessment for substance misuse services in Nottinghamshire. Final report

This Joint Strategic Needs Assessment contributes to identifying need and quality service delivery of substance misuse services to young people in the Nottinghamshire County Council. This report contributes to the identification of strategic need for planning, in line with the JSNA for Commissioners, and within the time-frame of delivering drafts plans and latest needs assessment by March 2013. A joint strategic needs assessment (JSNA) analyses health needs of populations to inform and guide commissioning of health, well-being and social care services within a local authority area. Producing an annual JSNA has been a statutory requirement for the NHS and local authorities since 2007.The Health and Social Care Bill 2011 proposes a central role for JSNAs so that health and well-being board partners jointly analyse current and future health needs of populations. Local authority-based public health will become responsible for commissioning drug and alcohol prevention, treatment and linked recovery support in April 2013. This Needs Assessment focuses on drug and alcohol use by children and young people within Nottinghamshire and the impact of parent/carer use on children and young people. The purpose is to identify the level of need within the population and review the effectiveness of current services with a view to making recommendations to inform strategy and commissioning decisions for 2012/13

The Evidence Chamber: Playful Science Communication and Research Through Digital Storytelling

In a courtroom, it is essential that the scientific evidence is both understandable and understood, so that the strengths and limitations of that evidence, within the context of a legal case, can inform decision making. The Evidence Chamber brings together entertainment, public engagement with science and research into a public performance activity that is centred around digital storytelling and science communication. This experience engages public audiences with science and allows a better understanding of how people interpret scientific evidence. In this paper, we discuss how we created this experience as an in-person and fully virtual performance through successful collaboration between forensic science research, public audiences, public engagement professionals, the legal profession, and digital performance artists