“A hundred times we learned from one another” Collaborative learning in an academic writing workshop

Using Design Research as methodology and research design type, this article reports on a research proposal writing workshop conducted with Education postgraduate students, with the aim of ascertaining the roles that conversation, collaboration and feedback play in constructing meaning and supporting writing. It was found that through conversation, as part of a general discourse within a community that students whose first language may differ from that of others, but for whom the language of learning is English, are able to share with tutors and other students, and to negotiate meaning. The construction of knowledge is consequently dependent on conversation between students, their peers and the tutors within a collaborative community, such as a writing centre, in which feedback on writing is offered and received in order to support student writing.Key words: academic writing; academic writing support; collaborative learning; feedback tutoring; writing centre

Advanced analysis of a cryptochrome mutation's effects on the robustness and phase of molecular cycles in isolated peripheral tissues of Drosophila

BACKGROUND: Previously, we reported effects of the cry(b) mutation on circadian rhythms in period and timeless gene expression within isolated peripheral Drosophila tissues. We relied on luciferase activity driven by the respective regulatory genomic elements to provide real-time reporting of cycling gene expression. Subsequently, we developed a tool kit for the analysis of behavioral and molecular cycles. Here, we use these tools to analyze our earlier results as well as additional data obtained using the same experimental designs. RESULTS: Isolated antennal pairs, heads, bodies, wings and forelegs were evaluated under light-dark cycles. In these conditions, the cry(b) mutation significantly decreases the number of rhythmic specimens in each case except the wing. Moreover, among those specimens with detectable rhythmicity, mutant rhythms are significantly weaker than cry(+) controls. In addition, cry(b) alters the phase of period gene expression in these tissues. Furthermore, peak phase of luciferase-reported period and timeless expression within cry(+) samples is indistinguishable in some tissues, yet significantly different in others. We also analyze rhythms produced by antennal pairs in constant conditions. CONCLUSIONS: These analyses further show that circadian clock mechanisms in Drosophila may vary in a tissue-specific manner, including how the cry gene regulates circadian gene expression

Signal analysis of behavioral and molecular cycles

BACKGROUND: Circadian clocks are biological oscillators that regulate molecular, physiological, and behavioral rhythms in a wide variety of organisms. While behavioral rhythms are typically monitored over many cycles, a similar approach to molecular rhythms was not possible until recently; the advent of real-time analysis using transgenic reporters now permits the observations of molecular rhythms over many cycles as well. This development suggests that new details about the relationship between molecular and behavioral rhythms may be revealed. Even so, behavioral and molecular rhythmicity have been analyzed using different methods, making such comparisons difficult to achieve. To address this shortcoming, among others, we developed a set of integrated analytical tools to unify the analysis of biological rhythms across modalities. RESULTS: We demonstrate an adaptation of digital signal analysis that allows similar treatment of both behavioral and molecular data from our studies of Drosophila. For both types of data, we apply digital filters to extract and clarify details of interest; we employ methods of autocorrelation and spectral analysis to assess rhythmicity and estimate the period; we evaluate phase shifts using crosscorrelation; and we use circular statistics to extract information about phase. CONCLUSION: Using data generated by our investigation of rhythms in Drosophila we demonstrate how a unique aggregation of analytical tools may be used to analyze and compare behavioral and molecular rhythms. These methods are shown to be versatile and will also be adaptable to further experiments, owing in part to the non-proprietary nature of the code we have developed

Patients With Normal Tension Glaucoma Have Relative Sparing of the Relative Afferent Pupillary Defect Compared to Those With Open Angle Glaucoma and Elevated Intraocular Pressure

PURPOSE: We determined whether there is relative sparing of pupil function in glaucoma patients with normal pressures compared to those with high pressures. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was done of 68 patients with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG): 38 had normal IOPs on all-day phasing before treatment (never >21 mm Hg), with confirmed progression of glaucomatous optic neuropathy (NTG) and 30 had glaucomatous optic neuropathy associated with elevated intraocular pressures (>25 mm Hg; HP-POAG). The relative afferent pupillary defect (RAPD) was quantified with the RAPDx device, and mean deviation of visual field loss was obtained from reliable Humphrey visual fields. Outcomes measures evaluated were difference in slope between NTG and HP-POAG when plotting: (1) RAPD score against difference in mean deviation (MD) between eyes, and (2) RAPD score against difference in RNFL thickness between eyes. RESULTS: The slopes for magnitude of RAPD versus difference in MD were -0.06 (95% confidence interval [CI], -0.076, -0.044) for patients with NTG and -0.08 (95% CI, -0.109, -0.067) for those with HP-POAG. Fitting the interaction term showed a statistically significant difference between the slopes (0.023; 95% CI [0.0017, 0.0541]; P value = 0.037; HP-POAG reference group). Thus, for difference in MD, the slope for patients with NTG was flatter than the slope for those with HP-POAG. CONCLUSIONS: Glaucoma patients with NTG have a lesser RAPD for a given level of intereye difference of HVF MD, compared to patients with high IOPs. This suggests that damage to intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) differs between the normal and high-pressure forms of open-angle glaucoma (OAG), and supports the theory that mitochondrial optic neuropathies may have a role in the group of diagnoses currently termed normal tension glaucoma

Adjusting a mainstream weight management intervention for people with intellectual disabilities: a user centred approach

Background People with intellectual disabilities (ID) may not be able to access and respond to uniformly delivered health interventions. Public bodies have a legal duty to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to policies and practices to provide fair access and treatment for people with ID. This study aimed to identify adjustments to the Slimming World weight management programme to improve accessibility and assess acceptability and feasibility for this population. Methods This user-centred qualitative study was carried out with a steering group of people with ID (n = 4). Barriers and facilitators to using Slimming World were identified through interviews and focus groups with people with ID (n = 54), carers (n = 12) current members with ID (n = 8) and Slimming World group leaders (n = 11). Adjustments were made and their feasibility and acceptability were explored in a before-and-after mixed methods study where people with ID attended Slimming World for eight weeks. Participants (n = 9), carers (n = 7) and Slimming World group leaders (n = 4) were interviewed to explore their experiences of the adjustments. Participants were weighed at baseline then each week. Results Four key adjustments were identified and addressed by Slimming World who developed prototype Easy Read materials and a letter for carers. Six of the nine participants attended Slimming World for eight weeks and lost weight (1.4 kg to 6.6 kg, reduction in BMI between 0.5 and 1.7 kg/m2), indicating that the adjustments were feasible and acceptable. Two participants dropped out because they felt uncomfortable in a mainstream group and another left because they lacked control over food choice in their residential setting. Conclusions This user-centred approach identified reasonable adjustments that were feasible to implement. In a small uncontrolled feasibility study, people with ID were positive about the adjustments and lost weight. However, issues in the wider context of people’s lives, such as obesogenic environments and concerns about joining mainstream groups, limited the acceptability of Slimming World even with these adjustments. These findings have important implications for policy and suggest that environmental and organisational level interventions are needed alongside those targeting individual behaviour to tackle the obesogenic environment in which many people with ID spend their time, in order to reduce inequalities associated with the consequences of obesity