Social enterprise and disruption innovation: evaluating the role of Rumie's free educational software in seven developing economies

This paper reviews the provision of free educational hardware and software provided by one social enterprise to under resourced children in seven countries. The social and economic challenges faced by this social enterprise are highlighted; the implications for social enterprise of adopting disruptive innovation and of blended learning techniques in an educational context; and the importance of evaluating projects in terms of research methods. Three research questions were posed: what is the educational benefit of using Rumie? [Value dimension]; what criteria can be used to evaluate the use of Rumie in the field? [The capability dimension]; what feedback is there from students, teachers, etc. [The collaboration dimension]. Quantitative usage data and qualitative feedback were collected. Findings show that the tablets help improve pupils math and reading abilities and the educal entertainment does not appear to be at the expense of learning about more traditional subjects. Feedback from teachers and pupils appears to be extremely positive. More specific lessons learned about research methods in evaluating social entrepreneurship projects in developing economies are identified; and implications for adapting the theory of disruptive innovation

Forecasting stroke-like episodes and outcomes in mitochondrial disease

In this retrospective, multicentre, observational cohort study, we sought to determine the clinical, radiological, EEG, genetics and neuropathological characteristics of mitochondrial stroke-like episodes and to identify associated risk predictors. Between January 1998 and June 2018, we identified 111 patients with genetically-determined mitochondrial disease who developed stroke-like episodes. Post-mortem cases of mitochondrial disease (n = 26) were identified from Newcastle Brain Tissue Resource. The primary outcome was to interrogate the clinic-radio-pathological correlates and prognostic indicators of stroke-like episode in patients with mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes syndrome. The secondary objective was to develop a multivariable prediction model to forecast stroke-like episode risk. The most common genetic cause of stroke-like episodes was the m.3243A>G variant in MT-TL1 (n = 66), followed by recessive pathogenic POLG variants (n = 22), and 11 other rarer pathogenic mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variants (n = 23). The age of first stroke-like episode was available for 105 patients (mean [SD] age: 31.8 [16.1]); a total of 35 patients (32%) presented with their first stroke-like episode ≥40 years of age. The median interval (interquartile range) between first and second stroke-like episodes was 1.33 (2.86) years; 43% of patients developed recurrent stroke-like episodes within 12 months. Clinico-radiological, electrophysiological and neuropathological findings of stroke-like episodes were consistent with the hallmarks of medically refractory epilepsy. Patients with POLG-related stroke-like episodes demonstrated more fulminant disease trajectories than cases of m.3243A>G and other mtDNA pathogenic variants, in terms of the frequency of refractory status epilepticus, rapidity of progression and overall mortality. In multivariate analysis, baseline factors of body mass index, age-adjusted blood m.3243A>G heteroplasmy, sensorineural hearing loss and serum lactate were significantly associated with risk of stroke-like episodes in patients with the m.3243A>G variant. These factors informed the development of a prediction model to assess the risk of developing stroke-like episodes that demonstrated good overall discrimination (area under the curve = 0.87, 95% CI 0.82-0.93; c-statistic = 0.89). Significant radiological and pathological features of neurodegeneration was more evident in patients harbouring pathogenic mtDNA variants compared with POLG: brain atrophy on cranial MRI (90% vs 44%, p G variant can help inform more tailored genetic counselling and prognostication in routine clinical practice

The ocean sampling day consortium

Ocean Sampling Day was initiated by the EU-funded Micro B3 (Marine Microbial Biodiversity, Bioinformatics, Biotechnology) project to obtain a snapshot of the marine microbial biodiversity and function of the world’s oceans. It is a simultaneous global mega-sequencing campaign aiming to generate the largest standardized microbial data set in a single day. This will be achievable only through the coordinated efforts of an Ocean Sampling Day Consortium, supportive partnerships and networks between sites. This commentary outlines the establishment, function and aims of the Consortium and describes our vision for a sustainable study of marine microbial communities and their embedded functional traits

The Ocean Sampling Day Consortium

Ocean Sampling Day was initiated by the EU-funded Micro B3 (Marine Microbial Biodiversity, Bioinformatics, Biotechnology) project to obtain a snapshot of the marine microbial biodiversity and function of the world’s oceans. It is a simultaneous global mega-sequencing campaign aiming to generate the largest standardized microbial data set in a single day. This will be achievable only through the coordinated efforts of an Ocean Sampling Day Consortium, supportive partnerships and networks between sites. This commentary outlines the establishment, function and aims of the Consortium and describes our vision for a sustainable study of marine microbial communities and their embedded functional traits

Hess deep plutonic crust: exploring the plutonic crust at a fast-spreading ridge: new drilling at Hess Deep

Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Hess Deep Expedition 345 was designed to sample lower crustal primitive gabbroic rocks that formed at the fast-spreading East Pacific Rise (EPR) in order to test models of magmatic accretion and the intensity of hydrothermal cooling at depth. The Hess Deep Rift was selected to exploit tectonic exposures of young EPR plutonic crust, building upon results from ODP Leg 147 as well as more recent submersible, remotely operated vehicle, and near-bottom surveys. The primary goal was to acquire the observations required to test end-member crustal accretion models that were in large part based on relationships from ophiolites, in combination with mid-ocean ridge geophysical studies. This goal was achieved with the recovery of primitive layered olivine gabbros and troctolites with many unexpected mineralogical and textural relationships, such as the abundance of orthopyroxene and the preservation of delicate skeletal olivine textures. Site U1415 is located along the southern slope of an intrarift ridge within the Hess Deep Rift between 4675 and 4850 water depths. Specific hole locations were selected in the general area of the proposed drill sites (HD-01B-HD-03B) using a combination of geomorphology, seafloor observations, and shallow subsurface seismic data. A total of 16 holes were drilled. The primary science results were obtained from coring of two ~110 m deep reentry holes (U1415J and U1415P) and five single-bit holes (U1415E and U1415G-U1415I). Despite deep water depths and challenging drilling conditions, reasonable recovery for hard rock expeditions (15%-30%) was achieved at three 35-110 m deep holes (U1415I, U1415J, and U1415P). The other holes occupied during this expedition included two failed attempts to establish reentry capability (Holes U1415K and U1415M) and six jet-in tests to assess sediment thickness (Holes U1415A-U1415D, U1415F, and U1415L). Olivine gabbro and troctolite are the dominant plutonic rock types recovered at Site U1415, with minor gabbro, clinopyroxene oikocryst-bearing troctolite, clinopyroxene oikocryst-bearing gabbro, and gabbronorite. These rocks exhibit cumulate textures similar to those found in layered basic intrusions and some ophiolite complexes. All lithologies are primitive, with Mg# between 0.76 and 0.89, falling within the global range of primitive oceanic gabbros. Spectacular modal and/or grain size layering was prevalent in >50% of the recovered core, displaying either simple or diffuse boundaries. Magmatic foliation largely defined by the shape-preferred orientation of plagioclase and olivine is moderate to strong in intervals with simple modal layering but weak to absent in the troctolite series and largely absent in the multitextured lay-ered series. The abundance of orthopyroxene in these primitive rocks was unexpected and deviates from the standard model for mid-ocean-ridge basalt crystallization. Pres-ervation of delicate skeletal olivine grains suggests that at least part of the recovered section of the lower crust was not subjected to significant hypersolidus or subsolidus strain. The metamorphic mineral assemblages record the cooling of primitive gabbroic lithologies from EPR magmatic conditions (>1000°C) to zeolite facies conditions (2 km beneath the sheeted dike-plutonic transition and thus represents the lower half to a third of the EPR plutonic crust. The orientation of the magmatic fabrics and magnetic inclinations of the core suggest that Site U1415 is composed of a series of 30-65 m thick blocks that likely formed by mass wasting. Sampling three or four blocks of relatively fresh rocks proved advantageous, as it facilitated observations of two distinct types of layering and troctolite units with varying grain size, lithologic associations, and textures. The mineralogical and textural relationships show that in several respects the Oman ophiolite is not the ideal model for fast-spreading ocean crust and call into question some aspects of both of the end-member accretion models that were to be tested. The results of the IODP Hess Deep Expedition 345 provide a reference section for primitive fast-spreading lower crust that did not exist before. This highlights the necessity of ocean drilling to address questions related to the origin and evolution of the lower ocean crust

The ocean sampling day consortium

Ocean Sampling Day was initiated by the EU-funded Micro B3 (Marine Microbial Biodiversity, Bioinformatics, Biotechnology) project to obtain a snapshot of the marine microbial biodiversity and function of the world's oceans. It is a simultaneous global mega-sequencing campaign aiming to generate the largest standardized microbial data set in a single day. This will be achievable only through the coordinated efforts of an Ocean Sampling Day Consortium, supportive partnerships and networks between sites. This commentary outlines the establishment, function and aims of the Consortium and describes our vision for a sustainable study of marine microbial communities and their embedded functional traits