Measuring attention using Microsoft Kinect

The transfer of knowledge between individuals has increasingly become achieved with the aid of interfaces or computerized training applications. However, computer based training currently lacks the ability to monitor human behavioral changes and respond to them accordingly. This study examines the ability to predict user attention using features of body posture and head pose. Predictive abilities are assessed by an analysis of the relationship between the measured posture features and common objective measures of attention, such as reaction time and reaction time variance. Subjects were asked to participate in a series of sustained attention tasks while aspects of body movement and positioning were recorded using a Microsoft Kinect. Results showed support for identifiable patterns of behavior associated with attention while also suggesting the complex inter-relationship of measured features and susceptibility of these features to environmental conditions

Virtual Manipulative Materials in Secondary Mathematics: A Theoretical Discussion

With the increased use of computer manipulatives in teaching there is need for theoretical discussions on the role of manipulatives. This article reviews theoretical rationales for using manipulatives and illustrates how earlier distinctions of manipulative materials must be broadened to include new forms of materials such as virtual manipulatives which are also useful tools in a larger collection of learning tools. applying a theoretical lens to a specific material—polynomial tiles—this article demonstrates the following: (a) a complementary relationships between virtual and concrete manipulatives, (b) two or more theories can appropriately justify the same material, and (c) exploration of a specific manipulative may generate novel theoretical rationales. This exploration has proven to be helpful in the process of designing, selecting, categorizing and evaluating learning tool

Would you recommend nursing to men as a career?

Objective : The principle objective of this study was to establish a profile and perception of men in nursing in Western Australia. This paper will discuss one sub-objective which sort to explore responses to the question: “Would you recommend a nursing as a career to males that you know?” Design: Main study was a quantitative, descriptive survey design, however the question under review was significantly qualitative in nature and analysed as such. Setting : The study took place across Western Australian public and private sector health care facilities, nurse education institutions and non- government providers across rural, remote and metropolitan locations. Main outcome measures: Data was collected through responses to one question (within a larger survey) that related to recommending nursing as a career to males. An online survey instrument was used. Results: 70.5 %( n= 377) said they would recommend nursing to males. Of the respondents that selected “yes” 19.6% were male and 80.4 % were female. Of the 29.5 %( n= 158) respondents that selected “no” 24.7% were male and 75.3% female. Qualitative data reported supports the perceptions in the current workforce. Conclusion : Whilst the majority of respondents in the study would recommend a career in nursing to men, a quarter of respondents felt that a career in nursing was not suited to men. Reasons identified included; poor pay, a difficult job, men’s values were incompatible with care, or that they were using nursing as a spring board to other careers. Identifying the perceptions of men in nursing and if current nurses would promote nursing to males they knew assists in the potential recruitment of a much needed future workforce

Quick Reference Guide, Best Practice Statement for Screening, Assessment and Management of Vision Problems in the First 30 Days After an Acute Stroke

No abstract available

Quick Reference Guide, Best Practice Statement for Screening, Assessment and Management of Vision Problems in the First 30 Days After an Acute Stroke

No abstract available

School of Life Sciences Research Jigsaw Puzzles

Six images showcasing the diverse and impactful research undertaken by researchers at the School of Life Sciences.Each image is available to print in two sizes:•186 x 186 mm to create a 49-piece jigsaw puzzle•496 x 366 mm to create a 500-piece jigsaw puzzleAn accompanying insert provides further information on each image

Functionally conserved architecture of hepatitis C virus RNA genomes

Plus-sense RNA viruses cause diverse pathologies in humans. Viral RNA genomes are selected to encode information both in their primary sequences and in their higher-order tertiary structures required to replicate and to evade host immune responses. We interrogated the physical structures of three evolutionarily divergent hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA genomes using high-throughput chemical probing and found, along with all previously known RNA-structure–based regulatory elements, diverse previously uncharacterized structures that impact viral replication. We also characterized strategies by which the HCV genomic RNA structure masks detection by innate immune sensors. This structure-first strategy for comparative analysis of genome-wide RNA structure can be broadly applied to understand the contributions of higher-order genome structure to viral replication and pathogenicity

Interleukin-1β Maturation Triggers Its Relocation to the Plasma Membrane for Gasdermin-D-Dependent and -Independent Secretion

IL-1β requires processing by caspase-1 to generate the active, pro-inflammatory cytokine. Acute IL-1β secretion from inflammasome-activated macrophages requires caspase-1-dependent GSDMD cleavage, which also induces pyroptosis. Mechanisms of IL-1β secretion by pyroptotic and non-pyroptotic cells, and the precise functions of caspase-1 and GSDMD therein, are unresolved. Here, we show that, while efficient early secretion of endogenous IL-1β from primary non-pyroptotic myeloid cells in vitro requires GSDMD, later IL-1β release in vitro and in vivo proceeds independently of GSDMD. IL-1β maturation is sufficient for slow, caspase-1/GSDMD-independent secretion of ectopic IL-1β from resting, non-pyroptotic macrophages, but the speed of IL-1β release is boosted by inflammasome activation, via caspase-1 and GSDMD. IL-1β cleavage induces IL-1β enrichment at PIP2-enriched plasma membrane ruffles, and this is a prerequisite for IL-1β secretion and is mediated by a polybasic motif within the cytokine. We thus reveal a mechanism in which maturation-induced IL-1β trafficking facilitates its unconventional secretion