Toward an “Anti-Balance of Nature” Learning Environment for Non-Biology Major Students: Learning Objectives and Design Criteria

Core Ideas: We report on the design of a learning environment against the “balance of nature.” Its learning objectives and design criteria were based on the “resilient nature.” Its first version was implemented in a case study with 41 non-biology major students. Modifications of the design criteria/learning objectives were based on the results. Using sub-models to simulate an ecosystem's contingent trajectories is one of them. This article reports on the design of a learning environment against the idea of the “balance of nature” (BON) for non-biology major students. Our focus is set on how we shaped and reshaped the learning objectives and design criteria for such a learning environment in the first two phases of our developmental research. In the exploratory phase, we first performed a thorough review of the ecological literature on ecosystems’ function, which led us to use the contemporary idea of the “resilient nature” for shaping our learning objectives (e.g., understanding multiple alternative states). Then, guided by the latter, we shaped our design criteria (e.g., using simulations of ecosystems that perform human-triggered or human-free shifts between alternative stable states) and used them to design the first version of our computer-supported, anti-BON learning environment, theoretically informed by social constructivism and problem-posing approach. In the first research cycle, we performed a pre/post design case study with 41 first-year educational sciences students enrolled for an optional ecology-course, to test whether the learning environment actually promoted the idea of contingency in ecosystems’ behavior. According to our findings, this was not the case. Most of the students (1) found even more appealing the idea that protected nature remains unchanged, and (2) moved from the idea of the “always-recovering” nature to that of the “never-recovering” one. Significant modifications of the design criteria and minor restatements of the learning objectives, as well as how these emerged in the light of our findings, are thoroughly discussed in the article. Copyright © 2017 by the American Society of Agronom

The anti-inflammatory effects of exercise training in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Diabetes mellitus (DM) and chronic inflammation are strongly related to increased cardiovascular risk. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether an aerobic training programme would ameliorate inflammatory and anti-inflammatory markers in patients with type 2 DM. Interventional study. A total of 60 overweight individuals with type 2 DM, but without vascular complications, were randomly assigned to either a 6-month aerobic exercise training programme (four times/week, 45-60 min/session), designated as exercise group, or to the control group. All participants were on an oral antidiabetic regimen and none was receiving lipid-lowering medications. Anthropometric parameters, cardiorespiratory fitness, glycaemic and lipid profiles, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs CRP), adiponectin, interleukin (IL)-10, IL-18, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-a, insulin, reciprocal index of homoeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR), body fat and blood pressure (BP) were measured at baseline and at the end of the study. In comparison with baseline and control group, exercise-treated patients improved glucose control, lipid profile, exercise capacity (Vo2 peak) and exhibited decreased insulin resistance and systolic BP considerably (P < 0.05). Plasma adiponectin, TNF-α and body weight changed slightly across treatment (P > 0.05), whereas diastolic BP and fat mass tended to decrease (P = 0.071 and 0.061, respectively). Exercise training reduced hs CRP (from 0.48 ± 0.16 to 0.29 ± 0.2 mg/dl; P = 0.04) and IL-18 (from 315.19 ± 122.76 to 203.77 ± 96.02 pg/ml; P = 0.02). Moreover, exercise provided anti-inflammatory protection through IL-10 increment (P = 0.039) and IL-18/IL-10 ratio downregulation (P = 0.014). In multiple regression analysis, alteration in IL-18 was independently correlated with hs CRP and Vo2 peak changes (P < 0.05). Aerobic exercise training without significant weight loss improves metabolic profile and exerts anti-inflammatory effects in patients with type 2 DM. © 2007, European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved

Briefing: UK-RAS white paper in robotics and autonomous systems for resilient infrastructure

This paper presents an extended briefing of the recently published UK-Robotics and autonomous systems (RAS) network Whie Paper in RAS for resilient infrastructure. It aims at setting out a vision of what RAS systems will be able to deliver in infrastructure, what are the current barriers and challenges to achieve that vision and what can the UK Government do to ensure that the UK remains at the forefront in this field