Resources and users in the tagging process: approaches and case studies

In this contribution we propose a comparison between two distinct approaches to the annotation of digital resources. The former, top-down, is rooted in the cathedral model and is based on an authoritative, centralized definition of the adopted mark-up language; the latter, bottom-up, refers to the bazaar model and is based on the contributions of a community of users. These two approaches are analyzed taking into account both their descriptive potential and the constraints they impose on the reasoning process of recommender systems, with special reference to user profiling. Three case studies are described, with reference to research projects that apply these approaches in the contexts of e-learning and knowledge management

Library not found: The disconnect between gaming research and development

Video games clearly have great educational potential, both for formal and informal learning, and this avenue is being thoroughly investigated in the psychology and education literature. However, there appears to be a disconnect between social science academic research and the game development sector, in that research and development practices rarely inform each other. This paper presents a two-part analysis of this communicative disconnect based on investigations carried out within the H2020 Gaming Horizons project. The first part regards a literature review that identified the main topics of focus in the social sciences literature on games, as well as the chief recommendations authors express. The second part examines 73 interviews with 30 developers, 14 researchers, 13 players, 12 educators, and 4 policy makers, investigating how they perceived games and gaming. The study highlights several factors contributing to the disconnect: different priorities and dissemination practices; the lag between innovation in the games market and research advancements; low accessibility of academic research; and disproportionate academic focus on serious games compared to entertainment games. The authors suggest closer contact between researchers and developers might be sought by diversifying academic dissemination channels, promoting conferences involving both groups, and developing research partnerships with entertainment game companies

Thyrotropin and insulin-like growth factor I regulation of tyrosine phosphorylation in FRTL-5 cells : interaction between cAMP-dependent and growth factor-dependent signal transduction

Pretreatment of rat FRTL-5 thyroid cells with thyrotropin (TSH) markedly potentiated the mitogenic response to insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) (Tramontano, D., Moses, A. C., Veneziani, B. M., and Ingbar, S. H. (1988) Endocrinology 122, 127-132; Takahashi, S.-I., Conti, M., and Van Wyk, J. J. (1990) Endocrinology 126, 736-745). The present study was undertaken to determine whether this synergism between TSH and IGF-I in FRTL-5 cells was correlated with changes in tyrosine phosphorylation of intracellular proteins. Tyrosine phosphorylation in intact cells was determined by gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting using monospecific anti-phosphotyrosine antibodies. Cells were preincubated for up to 24 h with TSH, dibutyryl cAMP, forskolin, or cholera toxin and then incubated for an additional 1 min in the absence or presence of IGF-I. As reported by others, IGF-I rapidly increased tyrosine phosphorylation of a 175-kDa protein as well as a less intense band of 90-100 kDa. Pretreatment for 6-12 h with either TSH or other agents that elevate intracellular cAMP potentiated the IGF-I-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation of the 175-kDa substrate by 3-5-fold. Since TSH did not increase IGF receptor number of kinase activity, the effect of TSH is assumed to be exerted at a step distal to IGF receptor tyrosine kinase. Surprisingly, IGF-I-independent tyrosine phosphorylation was also increased by pretreatment with TSH. When intact cells were analyzed TSH produced a time- and concentration-dependent increase in tyrosine phosphorylation of a prominent 120-125-kDa substrate and less prominent 100- and 80-kDa substrates. Assays using Triton X-100-soluble extracts incubated with MgCl2, ATP, and orthovanadate demonstrated that TSH pretreatment increased tyrosine phosphorylation over that observed in untreated cells. In this cell-free assay, TSH pretreatment enhanced the phosphorylation of multiple substrates. These studies suggest that a cAMP stimulus that initiates a trophic effect can be propagated indirectly through multiple pathways including enhancement of tyrosine phosphorylation

Educational games as a motivational tool: Considerations on their potential and limitations

There is considerable interest in leveraging video games to support students’ motivation. This involves employment of educational (serious) and entertainment games. However, while evidence indicates that games can enhance learning outcomes, doubts persist about whether they retain their enjoyable character in formal learning contexts. This study was carried out within the H2020 Gaming Horizons project, which involved a review of academic literature on the role of games in society, as well as 73 semi-structured interviews with relevant stakeholders, including players and educators, investigating their positions on game-related issues. The interviews suggested that players tend to view game-based learning – and specifically serious games at school – with scepticism. This is partly attributable to the perception that serious games have lower production values than entertainment games, and that gaming, as a voluntary, self-driven activity, clashes with the structured nature of school. Some educators reported individual and gender differences in the motivating power of games. However, the use of entertainment games to foster learning outcomes was seen favourably. Two focus groups devoted to the issue highlighted the need for carefully tailoring the gaming experience to both context and student, and the importance of developing a sustainable business model for enhancing serious games quality

Signal transduction by integrins: increased protein tyrosine phosphorylation caused by clustering of beta 1 integrins.

The integrin family of cell adhesion receptors mediates many of the interactions between cells and the extracellular matrix. Because the extracellular matrix has profound influences on cell behavior, it seems likely that integrins transduce biochemical signals across the cell membrane. The nature of these putative signals has, thus far, remained elusive. Antibody-mediated clustering of integrin receptors was used to mimic the integrin clustering process that occurs during formation of adhesive contacts. Human epidermal carcinoma (KB) cells were incubated with an anti-beta 1 integrin monoclonal antibody for 30 min on ice followed by incubation at 37 degrees C with anti-rat IgG. This treatment, which induced integrin clustering, stimulated the phosphorylation on tyrosine residues of a 115- to 130-kDa complex of proteins termed pp130. When integrins were clustered in the presence of the phosphatase inhibitor sodium orthovanadate, pp130 showed a substantial increase in phosphorylation compared to the case in which integrins were clustered in the absence of vanadate. Maximal pp130 phosphorylation was observed 10-20 min after initiation of integrin clustering in the absence of vanadate or after 5-10 min in its presence. These time courses roughly parallel the formation of integrin clusters on the cell surface as observed by fluorescence microscopy. pp130 phosphorylation depended on the amount of anti-integrin antibody present. Additionally, the tyrosine phosphorylation of pp130 showed specificity since it was stimulated by antibodies to the integrin alpha 3 and beta 1 subunits but not by antibodies to other integrin alpha subunits or to nonintegrin cell surface proteins. Immunoprecipitation experiments clearly demonstrated that pp130 is not itself a beta 1 integrin. It is postulated, therefore, that the integrin-stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation of pp130 may reflect part of an important signal transduction process between the extracellular matrix and the cell interior

Increased Hematopoietic Cells in the mertk-/- Mouse Peritoneal Cavity: A Result of Augmented Migration

The peritoneal cavity is recognized as an important site for autoreactive B cells prior to their transit to other immune tissues; however, little is known of the genes that may regulate this process. Mice lacking the receptor tyrosine kinase Mertk display a lupus-like autoimmune phenotype with splenomegaly and high autoantibodies titers. Here, we investigate whether Mertk regulates the composition of peritoneal cells that favor an autoimmune phenotype. We found an increase in the number of macrophages, DC, plasmacytoid DC, T cells and B cells in the peritoneal cavity of mertk−/− mice when compared to wild-type mice. This disparity in cell numbers was not due to changes in cell proliferation or cell death. In adoptive transfer experiments, we showed an increase in migration of labeled donor cells into the mertk−/− peritoneal cavity. In addition, bone marrow chimeric mice showed hematopoietic-derived factors were also critical for T cell migration. Consistent with this migration and the increase in the number of cells, we identified elevated expression of CXCL9, its receptor CXCR3, and IL-7 receptor on peritoneal cells from mertk−/− mice. To corroborate the migratory function of CXCR3 on cells, the depletion of CXCR3 donor cells significantly reduced the number of adoptively transferred cells that entered into the peritoneum of mertk−/− mice. This control of peritoneal cells numbers correlated with autoantibody production and was exclusively attributed to Mertk since mice lacking other family members, Axl or Tyro 3, did not display dysregulation in peritoneal cell numbers or the autoimmune phenotype

An evaluation of the integration of non-traditional learning tools into a community based breast and cervical cancer education program: The witness project of Buffalo

BACKGROUND: Breast and cervical cancer continue to represent major health challenges for African American women. among Caucasian women. The underlying reasons for this disparity are multifactorial and include lack of education and awareness of screening and early detection. Traditional educational methods have enjoyed varied success in the African American community and spawned development of novel educational approaches. Community based education programs employing a variety of educational models have been introduced. Successful programs must train and provide lay community members with the tools necessary to deliver strong educational programs. METHODS: The Witness Project is a theory-based, breast and cervical cancer educational program, delivered by African American women, that stresses the importance of early detection and screening to improve survival and teaches women how to perform breast self examination. Implementing this program in the Buffalo Witness Project of Buffalo required several modifications in the curriculum, integration of non-traditional learning tools and focused training in clinical study participation. The educational approaches utilized included repetition, modeling, building comprehension, reinforcement, hands on learning, a social story on breast health for African American women, and role play conversations about breast and cervical health and support. RESULTS: Incorporating non-traditional educational approaches into the Witness Project training resulted in a 79% improvement in the number of women who mastered the didactic information. A seventy-two percent study participation rate was achieved by educating the community organizations that hosted Witness Project programs about the informed consent process and study participation. CONCLUSION: Incorporating non-traditional educational approaches into community outreach programs increases training success as well as community participation

Zoneamento Agroecológico do município de Guia Lopes da Laguna - MS.

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Zoneamento agroecológico do Município de Bela Vista - MS.

A Embrapa Solos em parceria com a Secretaria de Estado de Desenvolvimento Agrário, da Produção, da Indústria, do Comércio e do Turismo - SEPROTUR realizou o Zoneamento Agroecológico do Estado do Mato Grosso do Sul - Fase I - com objetivo de contribuir na indicação de áreas passíveis de exploração agrícola sustentável. No desenvolvimento desse trabalho foram considerados aspectos legais, restrições ambientais, potencial das culturas, aspectos do clima, de geomorfologia e dos solos, todos integrados em ambiente de sistema de informação geográfica com apoio de algebra de mapas, no intuito de avaliar a adequabilidade de uso das terras e apresentar uma proposição de planejamento de uso e ocupação das terras. Os resultados desse trabalho foram consolidados por município e dão origem a esse boletim de pesquisa, específico para o município de Bela Vista. As zonas agroecológicas recomendadas para o uso com lavouras somam cerca de 206.000 ha, enquanto que as terras indicadas para o uso com pastagens equivalem a 36% da área total do município. É importante destacar que as terras do Município de Bela Vista apresentam alto grau de degradação antrópica, mais de 75% das terras estão sendo utilizadas com pastagens e com agricultura com algum nível de degradação. Nesse sentido exige-se ações de correção ambiental quanto à recuperação de áreas de preservação permanente e a elaboração e adoção de um plano participativo de uso sustentado dos recursos naturais.bitstream/item/25439/1/bpd143-2009-bela-vista-ms.pd

Zoneamento Agroecológico do município de Ponta Porã/MS.

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