An empirical study of the “prototype walkthrough”: a studio-based activity for HCI education

For over a century, studio-based instruction has served as an effective pedagogical model in architecture and fine arts education. Because of its design orientation, human-computer interaction (HCI) education is an excellent venue for studio-based instruction. In an HCI course, we have been exploring a studio-based learning activity called the prototype walkthrough, in which a student project team simulates its evolving user interface prototype while a student audience member acts as a test user. The audience is encouraged to ask questions and provide feedback. We have observed that prototype walkthroughs create excellent conditions for learning about user interface design. In order to better understand the educational value of the activity, we performed a content analysis of a video corpus of 16 prototype walkthroughs held in two HCI courses. We found that the prototype walkthrough discussions were dominated by relevant design issues. Moreover, mirroring the justification behavior of the expert instructor, students justified over 80 percent of their design statements and critiques, with nearly one-quarter of those justifications having a theoretical or empirical basis. Our findings suggest that PWs provide valuable opportunities for students to actively learn HCI design by participating in authentic practice, and provide insight into how such opportunities can be best promoted

The crisis of public sector trade unionism: evidence from the Mid Staffordshire hospital crisis

This article contends that there is a growing, if uneven, crisis in public sector trade unionism masked by relatively high membership figures that obscure a weakening of trade unions in the workplace, leaving hollowed out organisation vulnerable to further legislative and employer-led onslaughts. The weakening is not inevitable but to overcome it requires a refocusing of organising efforts on the everyday concerns of members such as understaffing and the provision of better public services. Only with an engaged membership will national issues and wider campaigns have material force. Having outlined a general argument, the article takes as illustrative the nature and performance of trade unions, and particularly UNISON, during the Mid Staffordshire hospital crisis

Correlation between microstructure and magnetotransport in organic semiconductor spin valve structures

We have studied magnetotransport in organic-inorganic hybrid multilayer junctions. In these devices, the organic semiconductor (OSC) Alq$_3$ (tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum) formed a spacer layer between ferromagnetic (FM) Co and Fe layers. The thickness of the Alq$_3$ layer was in the range of 50-150 nm. Positive magnetoresistance (MR) was observed at 4.2 K in a current perpendicular to plane geometry, and these effects persisted up to room temperature. The devices' microstructure was studied by X-ray reflectometry, Auger electron spectroscopy and polarized neutron reflectometry (PNR). The films show well-defined layers with modest average chemical roughness (3-5 nm) at the interface between the Alq$_3$ and the surrounding FM layers. Reflectometry shows that larger MR effects are associated with smaller FM/Alq$_3$ interface width (both chemical and magnetic) and a magnetically dead layer at the Alq$_3$/Fe interface. The PNR data also show that the Co layer, which was deposited on top of the Alq$_3$, adopts a multi-domain magnetic structure at low field and a perfect anti-parallel state is not obtained. The origins of the observed MR are discussed and attributed to spin coherent transport. A lower bound for the spin diffusion length in Alq$_3$ was estimated as $43 \pm 5$ nm at 80 K. However, the subtle correlations between microstructure and magnetotransport indicate the importance of interfacial effects in these systems.Comment: 21 pages, 11 figures and 2 table

Oral colistin sulfate in pigs: pharmacokinetics and effect on fecal Escherichia coli excretion of weaned pigs challenged with Escherichia coli F4 (K88)

Colistin sulfate (CS), a polymyxin antibiotic, is used in Canada for the treatment of post-weaning diarrhea in pigs as an alternative to neomycin. The aim of the present study was to evaluate some pharmcokinetics parameters of CS and its effect on the evolution of the intestinal Escherichia coli population in pigs challenged with enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC): F4

The decline in youth drinking in England – is everyone drinking less? A quantile regression analysis

Background and Aims: Youth alcohol consumption has declined significantly over the past 15 years in many high income countries, which may have significant public health benefits. However, if the reductions in drinking occur mostly among lighter drinkers who are at lower risk, then rates of alcohol-related harm among young people today and adults in future may not fall in line with consumption. There is conflicting evidence from Swedish school studies with some suggesting all young people are drinking less while others suggest alcohol consumption among heavier drinkers may be stable or rising while average consumption declines. This paper extends the geographic focus of previous research and examines whether the decline in youth drinking is consistent across the consumption distribution in England. Design: Quantile regression of 15 waves of repeat cross-sectional survey data. Setting: England, 2001-2016. Participants: 31, 882 schoolchildren (50.7% male) aged 11-15 who responded to the Smoking Drinking and Drug Use amongst Young People surveys. Measurements: Past-week alcohol consumption in UK units at each fifth percentile of the consumption distribution. Findings: Reductions in alcohol consumption occurred at all percentiles of the consumption distribution analysed between 2001 and 2016 but the magnitude of the decline differed across percentiles. The decline in consumption at the 90th percentile (β = -.21, CI = -.24, - .18) was significantly larger than among either lighter drinkers at the 50th percentile (β = - .02, CI = -.02, -.01) or heavier drinkers at the 95th percentile (β = -.16, CI = -.18, -.13). Conclusions: Alcohol consumption among young people in England appears to be declining across the consumption distribution, and peaks among heavy drinkers. The magnitude of this decline differs significantly between percentiles of the consumption distribution, with consumption falling proportionally less among the lightest, moderate and very heaviest youth drinkers

Impacts of colistin sulfate on fecal Escherichia coli resistance and on growth performance of piglets in a post-weaning diarrhea model

Colistin sulfate (CS) is used in Canada for the treatment of post weaning diarrhea (PWD), to overcome conventional therapeutic antibiotics failures. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of a conventional oral regimen of CS for the treatment of PWD, on the development of E. coli CS resistance and to evaluate the effect of ETEC: F4 infection on CS intestinal absorption. A total of 48 pigs were used, challenge was carried out by oral administration of 109CFU of a hemolytic ETEC: F4 strain resistant to nalidixic acid. CS was administered at a dose of 50.000 UI/kg twice a day for 5 days. Feces were examined clinically and bacteriologically before and after challenge to evaluate presence of diarrhea and E. coli fecal excretion. ETEC: F4 virulence factors were monitored and CS plasma concentrations were quantified by an HPLC-MS/MS. From one until six days after CS administration, a significant reduction in the fecal excretion of ETEC: F4, total E. coli, ETEC: F4 virulence factors and in diarrhea scores was observed in the challenged treated group compared to the challenged untreated group (p\u3c0.0001). No significant difference in growth performances was observed in treated compared to non-treated pigs (p\u3e0.71). A significant selection pressure on E. coli total population was observed following CS treatment (p\u3c0.0001). Challenge with ETEC: F4 resulted in an increase in intestinal absorption of CS. Our study is the first to demonstrate in an experimental model of PWD, that CS at a dose of 50,000 IU/kg is effective in reducing fecal excretion of E. coli. However, this regimen was associated with a selection pressure on E. coli CS resistance, and did not improve growth performance in challenged pigs. Thus, the use of this antibiotic in pig should be revised

Youth Drinking in Decline

Young people in England are drinking less. Evidence from multiple surveys shows a consistent pattern over 10-15 years of reduced participation in drinking, reduced consumption levels among drinkers, reduced prevalence of drunkenness and less positive attitudes towards alcohol. Similar changes are seen across the UK, Europe, North America and Australasia. The downward trends are also not limited to alcohol. Declines are also seen in smoking and illicit drug use among young people. This report launches a new four-year study funded by the Wellcome Trust, which aims to examine the patterns and causes of the decline in youth drinking. In this first publication, we bring together data from two long-running, nationally-representative surveys, the 1988-2016 Smoking Drinking and Drug Use amongst Young People in England surveys (SDD) and the 2001-2016 Health Surveys for England (HSE), to present the most comprehensive picture to date of the downturn in alcohol use among young people aged 8 to 24