Dual Users: Real Lessons from Reality Television

This study attempts to understand the differences in activity among an emergent television/Internet audience. The Internet has provided a new entertainment opportunity for producers of television programming. Those television viewers who have also reached out to their favorite television show websites have resulted in a new audience. Examining the programming genre of reality television, two constructs were developed and a written survey administered to a convenience sample of college freshmen. The construct dual users was created to examine the television audience that also visits television programming websites. Single users (those that only watch the television show) were compared to the self-reported levels of activity and involvement of dual users. Early findings suggest that the dual users are more involved during viewing of the television show and engaged in less secondary activity than the single users

Machine learning for predicting lifespan-extending chemical compounds

Increasing age is a risk factor for many diseases; therefore developing pharmacological interventions that slow down ageing and consequently postpone the onset of many age‐related diseases is highly desirable. In this work we analyse data from the DrugAge database, which contains chemical compounds and their effect on the lifespan of model organisms. Predictive models were built using the machine learning method random forests to predict whether or not a chemical compound will increase Caenorhabditis elegans’ lifespan, using as features Gene Ontology (GO) terms annotated for proteins targeted by the compounds and chemical descriptors calculated from each compound’s chemical structure. The model with the best predictive accuracy used both biological and chemical features, achieving a prediction accuracy of 80%. The top 20 most important GO terms include those related to mitochondrial processes, to enzymatic and immunological processes, and terms related to metabolic and transport processes. We applied our best model to predict compounds which are more likely to increase C. elegans’ lifespan in the DGIdb database, where the effect of the compounds on an organism’s lifespan is unknown. The top hit compounds can be broadly divided into four groups: compounds affecting mitochondria, compounds for cancer treatment, anti‐inflammatories, and compounds for gonadotropin‐ releasing hormone therapies

Comparison between two lunar situations on emission and larval transport of decapod larvae in the Mondego estuary (Portugal)

This study compares the rhythms of larval release of the most abundant decapod crustaceans between the New Moon and the First Quarter. Eurelian field surveys were conducted at a small estuary (Mondego river) on the Atlantic coast of Portugal. All taxa showed tidal and lunar rhythm changes in abundance. The larval emission was very strong during nocturnal ebb neap tides at the First Quarter. Export of zoea did not occur to Rhithropanopeus harrisii. Despite the extensive literature on seasonal abundance, dispersal patterns, larval emission and recruitment of estuarine crabs, little is known about patterns of emission and larval transport in estuaries of Atlantic coast of Portugal, with crepuscular high tides around the quarter moons. The aim of the present study was to compare the larval emission of decapods in the Mondego river estuary, at different lunar situations and during nyctemeral cycles.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6VR3-4B6JTC7-R/1/b4360279335b2f8b4a5079cb00dde30

Deepening Inclusive and Community-Engaged Education in Three Schools: A Teachers' Resource

In 2009 the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) initiated the Inclusive Schools three-year pilot project with the intent to engage teachers, teacher educators, students, parents, staff, and administrators in investigating and developing effective inclusive curriculum and instructional practices that could be implemented in classrooms and school-wide. In addition, the project aimed to identify practices and factors that contribute to improved student engagement and learning and that strengthen community connections. Over a three-year period, three TDSB elementary schools - Carleton Village Public School, Flemington Public School, and Grey Owl Junior Public School - carried out 19 school-based inquiries. School-based inquiries were grounded in a professional learning process that emphasized inquiry, partnership, collaboration, action and reflection, and professional choice and responsibility. Participants had different understandings and experiences, which they brought to their particular investigations. This teachers’ resource contains reports on school-based inquiries into effective inclusive curriculum practices. It is intended for teachers who are considering the integration of inclusive approaches in their day-to-day work in schools. As such, the purpose of this resource is to contribute toward understanding how to support student learning and ongoing teacher education in ways that are responsive to today’s educational context

Accelerating Medicines Partnership® Schizophrenia (AMP® SCZ):Rationale and Study Design of the Largest Global Prospective Cohort Study of Clinical High Risk for Psychosis

This article describes the rationale, aims, and methodology of the Accelerating Medicines Partnership® Schizophrenia (AMP® SCZ). This is the largest international collaboration to date that will develop algorithms to predict trajectories and outcomes of individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis and to advance the development and use of novel pharmacological interventions for CHR individuals. We present a description of the participating research networks and the data processing analysis and coordination center, their processes for data harmonization across 43 sites from 13 participating countries (recruitment across North America, Australia, Europe, Asia, and South America), data flow and quality assessment processes, data analyses, and the transfer of data to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Data Archive (NDA) for use by the research community. In an expected sample of approximately 2000 CHR individuals and 640 matched healthy controls, AMP SCZ will collect clinical, environmental, and cognitive data along with multimodal biomarkers, including neuroimaging, electrophysiology, fluid biospecimens, speech and facial expression samples, novel measures derived from digital health technologies including smartphone-based daily surveys, and passive sensing as well as actigraphy. The study will investigate a range of clinical outcomes over a 2-year period, including transition to psychosis, remission or persistence of CHR status, attenuated positive symptoms, persistent negative symptoms, mood and anxiety symptoms, and psychosocial functioning. The global reach of AMP SCZ and its harmonized innovative methods promise to catalyze the development of new treatments to address critical unmet clinical and public health needs in CHR individuals.</p