Efeitos gerais nos distritos escolares do uso de dados em sala de aula

In the present study, an examination is conducted in three school districts of how data are used to improve classroom practice.  In doing so, we explore the effects that attitudes toward data, principal leadership, and computer data systems have on how data are used to affect classroom practice.  Findings indicate that educators are ambivalent about data: they see how data could support classroom practice, but their data use operates in the presence of numerous barriers.  Many of these barriers are due to principal leadership and computer data systems; these barriers often have negative effects on attitudes toward data and disrupt the progression from using data to inform classroom practice.  It is hypothesized that many of these barriers can be removed through effective district policies to improve structures and supports for using data.En el presente estudio, se examinan como tres distritos escolares usan datos para mejorar la práctica docente. Se exploraron que efectos tienen las actitudes hacia los datos, el liderazgo de los directores/as, y los sistemas de procesamiento de datos para modificar prácticas en el aula. Los resultados indican que los educadores son ambivalentes acerca de los datos: ven cómo los datos podrían apoyar prácticas en el aula, pero el uso de datos funciona en presencia de numerosas barreras. Muchas de estas barreras se deben al liderazgo de directores/as y a los sistemas de procesamiento de datos informáticos. Estas barreras suelen tener efectos negativos en las actitudes hacia los datos e interrumpen la incorporación de datos para mejorar prácticas en el aula. Se formula la hipótesis de que muchas de estas barreras pueden ser removidas a través de políticas distritales eficaces que mejoren las estructuras y brinden apoyos para el uso de datos.Neste estudo, examinamos como três distritos escolares utilizaram dados para melhorar a prática docente. Foram explorados os efeitos de atitudes em relação aos dados, a liderança dos/as diretores/as, e os sistemas de processamento de dados para alterar as práticas de sala de aula. Os resultados indicam que os educadores são ambivalentes respeito a o uso dos dados: observam como os dados podem apoiar as práticas de sala de aula, mas o uso de dados se faz na presença de muitas barreiras. Muitas dessas barreiras são devidas a liderança  dos/as diretores/as e aos sistemas e processamento de dados informáticos. Essas barreiras tendem a ter efeitos negativos nas atitudes com o uso dos dados e interrompem os processos de incorporar dados para melhorar as práticas de sala de aula. Se formula a hipótese de que que muitas dessas barreiras podem ser removidas através de políticas distritais eficazes que melhoram as estruturas e fornecendo suporte para o uso de dados

Development of a networked photonic‐enabled staring radar testbed for urban surveillance

Urban surveillance of slow-moving small targets such as drones and birds in low to medium airspace using radar presents significant challenges. Detecting, locating and identifying such low observable targets in strong clutter requires both innovation in radar hardware design and optimisation of processing algorithms. To this end, the University of Birmingham (UoB) has set-up a testbed of two L-band staring radars to support performance benchmarking using datasets of target and clutter from realistic urban environment. This testbed is also providing the vehicle to understand how novel radar architectures can enhance radar capabilities. Some of the challenges in installing the radar at the UoB campus are highlighted. Detailed benchmarking results are provided from urban monostatic and bistatic field trials that form the basis for performance comparison against future hardware modification. The solution to the challenge of interfacing the radar to the external oscillators is described and stand-alone bench tests with the candidate oscillators are reported. The testbed provides a valuable capability to undertake detailed analysis of performance of Quantum photonic-enabled radar and allows for its comparison with conventional oscillator technology for surveillance of low observable targets in the presence of urban clutter

MicroRNA132 Modulates Short-Term Synaptic Plasticity but Not Basal Release Probability in Hippocampal Neurons

MicroRNAs play important regulatory roles in a broad range of cellular processes including neuronal morphology and long-term synaptic plasticity. MicroRNA-132 (miR132) is a CREB-regulated miRNA that is induced by neuronal activity and neurotrophins, and plays a role in regulating neuronal morphology and cellular excitability. Little is known about the effects of miR132 expression on synaptic function. Here we show that overexpression of miR132 increases the paired-pulse ratio and decreases synaptic depression in cultured mouse hippocampal neurons without affecting the initial probability of neurotransmitter release, the calcium sensitivity of release, the amplitude of excitatory postsynaptic currents or the size of the readily releasable pool of synaptic vesicles. These findings are the first to demonstrate that microRNAs can regulate short-term plasticity in neurons

Calcium-Dependent Increases in Protein Kinase-A Activity in Mouse Retinal Ganglion Cells Are Mediated by Multiple Adenylate Cyclases

Neurons undergo long term, activity dependent changes that are mediated by activation of second messenger cascades. In particular, calcium-dependent activation of the cyclic-AMP/Protein kinase A signaling cascade has been implicated in several developmental processes including cell survival, axonal outgrowth, and axonal refinement. The biochemical link between calcium influx and the activation of the cAMP/PKA pathway is primarily mediated through adenylate cyclases. Here, dual imaging of intracellular calcium concentration and PKA activity was used to assay the role of different classes of calcium-dependent adenylate cyclases (ACs) in the activation of the cAMP/PKA pathway in retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Surprisingly, depolarization-induced calcium-dependent PKA transients persist in barrelless mice lacking AC1, the predominant calcium-dependent adenylate cyclase in RGCs, as well as in double knockout mice lacking both AC1 and AC8. Furthermore, in a subset of RGCs, depolarization-induced PKA transients persist during the inhibition of all transmembrane adenylate cyclases. These results are consistent with the existence of a soluble adenylate cyclase that plays a role in calcium-dependent activation of the cAMP/PKA cascade in neurons

Adult Type 3 Adenylyl Cyclase–Deficient Mice Are Obese

Background: A recent study of obesity in Swedish men found that polymorphisms in the type 3 adenylyl cyclase (AC3) are associated with obesity, suggesting the interesting possibility that AC3 may play a role in weight control. Therefore, we examined the weight of AC3 mice over an extended period of time. Methodology/Principal Findings: We discovered that AC3 2/2 mice become obese as they age. Adult male AC3 2/2 mice are about 40 % heavier than wild type male mice while female AC3 2/2 are 70 % heavier. The additional weight of AC3 2/2 mice is due to increased fat mass and larger adipocytes. Before the onset of obesity, young AC3 2/2 mice exhibit reduced physical activity, increased food consumption, and leptin insensitivity. Surprisingly, the obesity of AC3 2/2 mice is not due to a loss of AC3 from white adipose and a decrease in lipolysis. Conclusions/Significance: We conclude that mice lacking AC3 exhibit obesity that is apparently caused by low locomotor activity, hyperphagia, and leptin insensitivity. The presence of AC3 in primary cilia of neurons of the hypothalamus suggests that cAMP signals generated by AC3 in the hypothalamus may play a critical role in regulation of body weight

The development and validation of a scoring tool to predict the operative duration of elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Background: The ability to accurately predict operative duration has the potential to optimise theatre efficiency and utilisation, thus reducing costs and increasing staff and patient satisfaction. With laparoscopic cholecystectomy being one of the most commonly performed procedures worldwide, a tool to predict operative duration could be extremely beneficial to healthcare organisations. Methods: Data collected from the CholeS study on patients undergoing cholecystectomy in UK and Irish hospitals between 04/2014 and 05/2014 were used to study operative duration. A multivariable binary logistic regression model was produced in order to identify significant independent predictors of long (> 90 min) operations. The resulting model was converted to a risk score, which was subsequently validated on second cohort of patients using ROC curves. Results: After exclusions, data were available for 7227 patients in the derivation (CholeS) cohort. The median operative duration was 60 min (interquartile range 45–85), with 17.7% of operations lasting longer than 90 min. Ten factors were found to be significant independent predictors of operative durations > 90 min, including ASA, age, previous surgical admissions, BMI, gallbladder wall thickness and CBD diameter. A risk score was then produced from these factors, and applied to a cohort of 2405 patients from a tertiary centre for external validation. This returned an area under the ROC curve of 0.708 (SE = 0.013, p  90 min increasing more than eightfold from 5.1 to 41.8% in the extremes of the score. Conclusion: The scoring tool produced in this study was found to be significantly predictive of long operative durations on validation in an external cohort. As such, the tool may have the potential to enable organisations to better organise theatre lists and deliver greater efficiencies in care