Perspectivas de los estudiantes sobre el uso de la tecnología para el aprendizaje en la educación superior

In this study, college students in a large public university in the U.S. were surveyed regarding what technologies they use most frequently for learning, what technologies they value for learning, and how they perceive technology effectiveness to support their learning. The results revealed that technology use and value were closely aligned with laptops and these were detailed as the most used and valued for learning, which underscores the importance of mobile and portable devices in supporting anytime anywhere learning. In terms of using software for learning, search engines, file-sharing tools, digital libraries, videos, and wikis obtained the best results, suggesting that students are adopting self-directed, approaches to their learning. Additionally, collaboration tools were perceived as the most important for learning which highlights the need to design better teaching strategies and learning interactions to support collaborative practices that use technology. Overall, the majority of participants perceived that technology was effective in fostering discussion, collaboration, and interaction. This enable experiential learning, supporting organization, planning, and resource management, and facilitating a personalized learning experience. The results also revealed statistically significant differences between the experiences of undergraduate and graduate students about the effectiveness of technology. Implications for integrating Web 2.0 technologies into teaching and learning practices are discussed.     En este estudio, los estudiantes universitarios en una gran universidad pública en los EE. UU. fueron encuestados con respecto a qué tecnologías utilizan con más frecuencia para aprender, qué tecnologías valoran para el aprendizaje y cómo perciben efectividad de la tecnología para respaldar su aprendizaje. Los resultados revelaron que el uso y el valor de la tecnología estaban estrechamente alineados con ordenadores portátiles y teléfonos inteligentes, éstos fueron detallados como los más utilizados y valorados para el aprendizaje, lo que subraya la importancia de los dispositivos móviles y portátiles para respaldar el aprendizaje en cualquier momento y lugar. En términos de uso de software para el aprendizaje, los motores de búsqueda, las herramientas para compartir archivos, las bibliotecas digitales, los videos y los wikis obtuvieron los mejores resultados, lo que sugiere que los estudiantes están adoptando enfoques autodirigidos para su aprendizaje. Además, las herramientas de colaboración fueron percibidas como las más importantes para el aprendizaje, lo que destaca la necesidad de diseñar mejores estrategias de enseñanza e interacciones de aprendizaje para respaldar las prácticas de colaboración que utilizan la tecnología. En general, la mayoría de los participantes percibió que la tecnología era eficaz para fomentar el debate, la colaboración y la interacción. Esto permite el aprendizaje experiencial, apoya la organización, la planificación, la gestión de recursosy facilitar una experiencia de aprendizaje personalizada. Los resultados también revelaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre las experiencias de los estudiantes de pregrado y posgrado acerca de la efectividad de la tecnología. Se discuten las implicaciones para integrar las tecnologías Web 2.0 en las prácticas de enseñanza y aprendizaj

Development of High Contrast Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering (CARS) and Multiphoton Microscopy for Label-Free Biomolecular Imaging

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

Visualizing drug-induced lipid accumulation in lysosomes of live cancer cells with stimulated Raman imaging

The low pH of the lysosomal compartment often results in sequestration of chemotherapeutic agents that contain positively charged basic functional groups, leading to anti-cancer drug resistance. To visualize drug localization in lysosomes and its influence on lysosomal functions, we synthesize a group of drug-like compounds that contain both a basic functional group and a bisarylbutadiyne (BADY) group as a Raman probe. With quantitative stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) imaging, we validate that the synthesized lysosomotropic (LT) drug analogs show high lysosomal affinity, which can also serve as a photostable lysosome tracker. We find that long-term retention of the LT compounds in lysosomes leads to the increased amount and colocalization of both lipid droplets (LDs) and lysosomes in SKOV3 cells. With hyperspectral SRS imaging, further studies find that the LDs stuck in lysosomes are more saturated than the LDs staying out of the lysosomes, indicating impaired lysosomal lipid metabolism by the LT compounds. These results demonstrate that SRS imaging of the alkyne-based probes is a promising approach to characterizing the lysosomal sequestration of drugs and its influence on cell functions

Three is not a crowd: working collaboratively across institutions: the White Rose Libraries partnership at the universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York

The White Rose Libraries, consisting of the libraries of the universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York, have worked together since 2004 on a number of collaborative projects. In 2015 new permanent staff and a new service model meant that we have stepped up our commitment to collaboration. This article outlines how the partnership now operates and what it has been able to achieve. It considers both the challenges that such collaborations face, and the reasons for the White Rose Libraries’ ongoing success

Percepciones de los estudiantes universitarios sobre los Entornos Personales de Aprendizaje a través de un prisma de herramientas digitales, procesos y espacios

A review of the literature reveals there is a gap in the research regarding how students currently perceive PLEs and how they structure their PLEs to support their learning goals. The purpose of this study was to establish an understanding of college students’ perceptions of PLEs and what digital tools are currently being used to structure PLEs in order to facilitate personal growth and development. Participants (N=109) were asked to share their perceptions of PLEs and what digital tools, devices, and services they use to create PLEs. Analysis of blog submissions revealed similarities and differences between the ways that undergraduate and graduate students perceive PLEs and how they characterize these learning spaces. Students reported using a variety of digital tools for learning however their expectations of digital tools were to foster discussion, collaboration, and interaction, organization, planning, and resource management, experiential learning, personalization and a desire for effective technology. The findings of this study have important implications with respect to the competencies and skills needed to create effective PLEs and the affordances of digital technologies needed to support PLE development.Una revisión de la literatura nos indica que hay un vacío en la investigación con respecto a cómo los estudiantes perciben actualmente los PLE y cómo estructuran sus PLE para apoyar sus objetivos de aprendizaje. El propósito de este estudio ha sido conocer la percepción de los estudiantes universitarios sobre los PLE y qué herramientas digitales se utilizan actualmente para estructurar los PLE con el fin de facilitar el crecimiento y el desarrollo personal. Se les pidió a los participantes (N=109) que compartieran sus percepciones sobre los PLE y qué herramientas digitales, dispositivos y servicios usaron para crear sus PLE. El análisis de las aportaciones al blog reveló las similitudes y diferencias entre la formas en las que los estudiantes graduados y no graduados perciben los PLE y cómo definen ellos estos espacios de aprendizaje. Los estudiantes declararon usar varias herramientas digitales para el aprendizaje. Sin embargo, sus expectativas con las herramientas digitales fueron promover debate, colaboración e interacción; organización, planificación y gestión de recursos, y aprendizaje experiencial, personalización y deseo de una tecnología eficaz. Las conclusiones de este estudio tienen importantes implicaciones con respecto a las competencias y habilidades necesarias para crear PLE eficaces y las posibilidades de uso de las tecnologías digitales necesarias para apoyar el desarrollo de los PLE

PARP inhibitors protect against sex- and AAG-dependent alkylation-induced neural degeneration

Alkylating agents are commonly used to treat cancer. Although base excision repair (BER) is a major pathway for repairing DNA alkylation damage, under certain conditions, the initiation of BER produces toxic repair intermediates that damage healthy tissues. The initiation of BER by the alkyladenine DNA glycosylase (AAG, a.k.a. MPG) can mediate alkylation-induced cytotoxicity in specific cells in the retina and cerebellum of male mice. Cytotoxicity in both wild-type andAag-transgenic (AagTg) mice is abrogated in the absence of Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP1). Here, we tested whether PARP inhibitors can also prevent alkylation-induced retinal and cerebellar degeneration in male and female WT andAagTgmice. Importantly, we found that WT mice display sex-dependent alkylation-induced retinal damage (but not cerebellar damage), with WT males being more sensitive than females. Accordingly, estradiol treatment protects males against alkylation-induced retinal degeneration. InAagTgmale and female mice, the alkylation-induced tissue damage in both the retina and cerebellum is exacerbated and the sex difference in the retina is abolished. PARP inhibitors, much likeParp1gene deletion, protect against alkylation-induced AAG-dependent neuronal degeneration in WT andAagTgmice, regardless of the gender, but their efficacy in preventing alkylation-induced neuronal degeneration depends on PARP inhibitor characteristics and doses. The recent surge in the use of PARP inhibitors in combination with cancer chemotherapeutic alkylating agents might represent a powerful tool for obtaining increased therapeutic efficacy while avoiding the collateral effects of alkylating agents in healthy tissues.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Award R01- CA075576)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Award R01-CA055042)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Award P30-ES02109)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Award P30- CA014051

Multicolor stimulated Raman scattering microscopy

Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy has opened up a wide range of biochemical imaging applications by probing a particular Raman-active molecule vibrational mode in the specimen. However, the original implementation with picosecond pulse excitation can only realize rapid chemical mapping with a single Raman band. Here we present a novel SRS microscopic technique using a grating-based pulse shaper for excitation and a grating-based spectrograph for detection to achieve simultaneous multicolor SRS imaging with high sensitivity and high acquisition speeds. In particular, we use a linear combination of the measured $CH_2$ and $CH_3$ stretching signals to map the distributions of protein and lipid contents simultaneously.Chemistry and Chemical Biolog