ILL in the faster lane: empowering users with HKALL

In an environment of reduced funding for higher education institutions, and consequently reduced funding for the libraries of those institutions, three of the eight university libraries in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China (HKSAR) embarked on an ambitious trial. With a main objective to achieve greater value for money and greater quality of service in the use of their libraries’ shrinking budgets, the libraries at the University of Hong Kong, the City University of Hong Kong, and Lingnan University sought to assess the impact of the introduction of a collaborative, user-initiated, unmediated, interlibrary loan service. Following a period of examination and discussion, INNOVATIVE’s INN-Reach module was chosen as the preferred system to be used during the trial which commenced in January, 2004. In this paper, the authors will explore the reasons behind conducting such a trial, the issues that confronted the collaborating partners before and during the trial, as well as an assessment of the degree of success of the project. In particular, following the trial period of nine months, the three university libraries sought answers to a number of important questions. Through a detailed analysis of available data, coupled with user and library staff evaluation obtained through surveys and focus groups, these questions were answered. In their paper the authors will outline the answers to these questions along with other lessons learned. The paper will conclude with a look to the future for collaborative, user-initiated, unmediated, interlibrary loan services in Hong Kong.published_or_final_version9th Interlending and Document Supply International Conferenc

Reversible self-assembly of patchy particles into monodisperse icosahedral clusters

We systematically study the design of simple patchy sphere models that reversibly self-assemble into monodisperse icosahedral clusters. We find that the optimal patch width is a compromise between structural specificity (the patches must be narrow enough to energetically select the desired clusters) and kinetic accessibility (they must be sufficiently wide to avoid kinetic traps). Similarly, for good yields the temperature must be low enough for the clusters to be thermodynamically stable, but the clusters must also have enough thermal energy to allow incorrectly formed bonds to be broken. Ordered clusters can form through a number of different dynamic pathways, including direct nucleation and indirect pathways involving large disordered intermediates. The latter pathway is related to a reentrant liquid-to-gas transition that occurs for intermediate patch widths upon lowering the temperature. We also find that the assembly process is robust to inaccurate patch placement up to a certain threshold, and that it is possible to replace the five discrete patches with a single ring patch with no significant loss in yield.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figure

The Dam1 ring binds to the E-hook of tubulin and diffuses along the microtubule.

There has been much effort in recent years aimed at understanding the molecular mechanism by which the Dam1 kinetochore complex is able to couple microtubule depolymerization to poleward movement. Both a biased diffusion and a forced walk model have been proposed, and several key functional aspects of Dam1-microtubule binding are disputed. Here, we investigate the elements involved in tubulin-Dam1 complex interactions and directly visualize Dam1 rings on microtubules in order to infer their dynamic behavior on the microtubule lattice and its likely relevance at the kinetochore. We find that the Dam1 complex has a preference for native tubulin over tubulin that is lacking its acidic C-terminal tail. Statistical mechanical analysis of images of Dam1 rings on microtubules, applied to both the distance between rings and the tilt angle of the rings with respect to the microtubule axis, supports a diffusive ring model. We also present a cryo-EM reconstruction of the Dam1 ring, likely the relevant assembly form of the complex for energy coupling during microtubule depolymerization in budding yeast. The present studies constitute a significant step forward by linking structural and biochemical observations toward a comprehensive understanding of the Dam1 complex

Enhancing Student Learning with Podcasting, a Newly Emergent Social Technology

The complement between pull and push learning modes is believed to be contributable to enriching students\u27 learning experiences. Podcasting, a push technology, can be used to push teaching materials to the students\u27 handheld devices, allowing them to study without any geographical and temporal constraints. The students can then revise the materials according to their own preferences. This explicit push technology together with students\u27 implicit pull motivation can encourage the students to learn in a more efficient way. As the students have the autonomy to choose their preferred media to access learning materials, it is believed to be able to increase students\u27 satisfaction in the learning process. We implemented this idea in one of the courses taught in a university in Hong Kong. The encouraging findings confirmed with our belief that podcasting can help students to learn better by increasing their learning satisfaction

A Case Study on Online Learning and Digital Assessment in Times of Crisis

To minimise the adverse impact on student learning due to escalating social unrest started locally in June 2019 and the current COVID-19 pandemic, Hong Kong Baptist University has emphatically strengthened its strategic resolve in e-Learning deployment. With various measures and e-Learning initiatives rolled out, HKBU teachers gained more momentum in launching online classes and conducting e-Assessments with different e-Tools. Peer-sharing from teachers who have successfully implemented online classes and digital assessment was conducive to creating a culture to fast-track e-Learning adoption. This case study sheds light on how virtual teaching and learning have assisted HKBU teachers and students circumvent the recent crises. The study also identifies determining factors and challenges of adopting e-Learning strategies at the University

Developing Learning System Continuance with Teachers and Students: Case Study of the Echo360 Lecture Capturing System

Research on learning system continuance has been focused mostly on students’ conscious behaviour. While the institutional decision to adopt and sustain the deployment of a new technology provides strong support for organisational adoption, the key factor for achieving long-term continuance relies on individual behaviour from different stakeholders, e.g., students, support staff and teachers. Existing literature on Information Systems (IS) continuance, however, suffers from weaknesses. On the one hand, perceptions from other stakeholders, such as teachers and support staff, are often neglected in the literature. On the other hand, there is a theoretical gap in explaining continuance behaviour through traditional models because unconscious automatic behaviour (e.g., IS habit) plays a more critical role in influencing continuance behaviour than previously expected. This study takes a qualitative approach to identify perceptions from students and teachers on which features and usage patterns of a lecture capturing system (Echo360) would develop long-term continuance behaviour through both conscious and unconscious behaviours. Our results suggest that long-term continuance can be achieved by a combination of Information Technology (IT) artefact extension (e.g., providing better search functionality and multimedia tagging) and developed IS habits through curriculum design

Fisiología Animal Ambiental y Control de Plagas III. Control Etológico

La agricultura es una actividad humana muy antigua en la que se trata de imitar a la naturaleza para la obtención de alimentos, por ello, se modifica el medio usando riegos, fertilización o luchando contra los enemigos de las plantas. Hoy en día el problema más importante que se registra en el sector agrícola es el deterioro medioambiental. Además, la opinión pública está muy sensibilizada con el aumento del uso de productos fitosanitarios y los residuos que estos dejan en los alimentos, por ello, es imprescindible que se pongan a disposición de los agricultores nuevos métodos de lucha más respetuosos con el medio ambiente. Entre los métodos de control de bajo impacto destacan los métodos etológicos o biotécnicos. Se basan principalmente en el empleo de semioquímicos, sustancias de origen animal o vegetal dedicadas a regular las interacciones entre individuos. Entre ellos se pueden distinguir las feromonas, encargadas de la comunicación intraespecífica, y los aleloquímicos como kairomonas, alomonas y sinomonas, intermediarios de la comunicación interespecífica. Cada uno de ellos, con sus diferentes modos de acción, se emplea actualmente en diferentes estrategias para el control eficaz de numerosas plagas agrícolas. Hay un creciente interés por estos métodos biotécnicos, sintetizándose cada vez un mayor número de feromonas u otros semioquímicos con el objeto de interferir en los procesos vitales (reproducción, alimentación, dispersión…) de las insectos que llegan a establecerse como plagasUniversidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech