A graphical simulation software for instruction in cardiovascular mechanics physiology

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Computer supported, interactive e-learning systems are widely used in the teaching of physiology. However, the currently available complimentary software tools in the field of the physiology of cardiovascular mechanics have not yet been adapted to the latest systems software. Therefore, a simple-to-use replacement for undergraduate and graduate students' education was needed, including an up-to-date graphical software that is validated and field-tested.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Software compatible to Windows, based on modified versions of existing mathematical algorithms, has been newly developed. Testing was performed during a full term of physiological lecturing to medical and biology students.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The newly developed CLabUZH software models a reduced human cardiovascular loop containing all basic compartments: an isolated heart including an artificial electrical stimulator, main vessels and the peripheral resistive components. Students can alter several physiological parameters interactively. The resulting output variables are printed in x-y diagrams and in addition shown in an animated, graphical model. CLabUZH offers insight into the relations of volume, pressure and time dependency in the circulation and their correlation to the electrocardiogram (ECG). Established mechanisms such as the Frank-Starling Law or the Windkessel Effect are considered in this model. The CLabUZH software is self-contained with no extra installation required and runs on most of today's personal computer systems.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>CLabUZH is a user-friendly interactive computer programme that has proved to be useful in teaching the basic physiological principles of heart mechanics.</p

Does e-learning policy drive change in Higher Education?: A case study relating models of organisational change to e-learning implementation

Due to the heightened competition introduced by the potential global market and the need for structural changes within organisations delivering e-content, e-learning policy is beginning to take on a more significant role within the context of educational policy per se. For this reason, it is becoming increasingly important to establish what effect such policies have and how they are achieved. This paper addresses this question, illustrating five ways in which change is understood (Fordist, evolutionary, ecological, community of practice and discourse-oriented) and then using this range of perspectives to explore how e-learning policy drives change (both organisational and pedagogic) within a selected higher education institution. The implications of this case are then discussed, and both methodological and pragmatic conclusions are drawn, considering the relative insights offered by the models and ways in which change around e-learning might be supported or promoted

Lines pinning lines

A line g is a transversal to a family F of convex polytopes in 3-dimensional space if it intersects every member of F. If, in addition, g is an isolated point of the space of line transversals to F, we say that F is a pinning of g. We show that any minimal pinning of a line by convex polytopes such that no face of a polytope is coplanar with the line has size at most eight. If, in addition, the polytopes are disjoint, then it has size at most six. We completely characterize configurations of disjoint polytopes that form minimal pinnings of a line.Comment: 27 pages, 10 figure

The Relationship between the UniProt Knowledgebase (UniProtKB) and the IntAct Molecular Interaction Databases

IntAct provides a freely available, open source database system and analysis tools for protein interaction data. All interactions are derived from literature curation or direct user submission and all experimental information relating to binary protein-protein&#xd;&#xa;interactions is entered into the IntAct database by curators, via a web-based editor. Interaction information is added to the SUBUNIT comment and the RP line of the relevant publication within the UniProtKB entry. There may be a single INTERACTION comment present within a UniProtKB entry, which conveys information relevant to binary protein-protein interactions. This is automatically derived from the IntAct database and is updated on a triweekly basis. Interactions can be derived by any appropriate experimental method but must be confirmed by a second interaction if resulting from a single yeast2hybrid experiment. For large-scale experiments, interactions are considered if a high confidence score is assigned by the authors. The INTERACTION line contains a direct link to IntAct that provides detailed information for the experimental support. These lines are not changed manually and any discrepancy is reported to IntAct for updates. There is also a database crossreference line within the UniProtKB entry i.e.: DR IntAct _UniProtKB AC, which directs the user to additional interaction data for that molecule. &#xd;&#xa;UniProt is supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, European Commission, Swiss Federal Government and PATRIC BRC.&#xd;&#xa;IntAct is funded by the European Commission under FELICS, contract number 021902 (RII3) within the Research Infrastructure Action of the FP6 &#x22;Structuring the European Research Area&#x22; Programme

Navigating through the RLATES Interface: A Web-Based Adaptive and Intelligent Educational System

10 pages, 4 figures.-- Contributed to: Workshop on Human Computer Interface for Semantic Web and Web Applications (HCI-SWWA’03). Part of the International Federated Conferences (OTM'03, Catania, Sicily, Italy, Nov 3-7, 2003).The paper shows the architecture of the RLATES system, an Adaptive and Intelligent Educational System that uses the Reinforcement Learning model (RL) in order to learn to teach each student individually, being adapted to their learning needs in each moment of the interaction. This paper is focused on the interface module of RLATES, describing how the student could navigate through the system interface and how this interface adjusts the page contents according to the user learning needs. For this adaptation, the system changes the links appearance of the page and the presentation of the system knowledge.Publicad

Source and microenvironmental regulation of erythropoietin in the kidney

We hypothesize that REP cells are neuron-like setpoint providers and controllers, which integrate information about blood O2 concentration and local O2 consumption via tissue pO2, and combine these inputs with intrinsic negative feedback loops and perhaps tubular cross-talk, converging in Epo regulation

Designing Contextualized Learning

Specht, M. (2008). Designing Contextualized Learning. In H. H. Adelsberger, Kinshuk, J. M. Pawlowski & D. Sampson (Eds.), Handbook on Information Technologies for Education and Training (2th ed., pp. 101-111). Springer, Berlin Heidelberg 2008: International Handbook on Information Systems Series.Contextualized and ubiquitous learning are relatively new research areas that combine the latest developments in ubiquitous and context aware computing with pedagogical approaches relevant to structure more situated and context aware learning support. Searching for different backgrounds of mobile and contextualized learning authors have identified the relations between existing educational paradigms and new classes of mobile appli- cations for education (Naismith, Lonsdale, Vavoula, & Sharples, 2004). Furthermore best practices of mobile learning applications have been iden- tified and discussed in focused workshops (Stone, Alsop, Briggs, & Tomp- sett, 2002; Tatar, Roschelle, Vahey, & Peunel, 2002). Especially in the area of educational field trips (Equator Project, 2003; RAFT, 2003) in the last years innovative approaches for intuitive usage of contextualized mo- bile interfaces have been developed. The following paper describes the motivation and background for con- textualizing learning and illustrates the implementation of a service based and flexible learning toolkit developed in the RAFT project for supporting contextualized collaborative learning support

Direct imaging of photonic nanojets

International audienceWe report the direct experimental observation of photonic nanojets created by single latex microspheres illuminated by a plane wave at a wavelength of 520 nm. Measurements are performed with a fast scanning confocal microscope in detection mode, where the detection pinhole defines a diffraction-limited observation volume that is scanned in three dimensions over the microsphere vicinity. From the collected stack of images, we reconstruct the full 3 dimensional photonic nanojet beam. Observations are conducted forpolystyrene spheres of 1, 3 and 5 mum diameter deposited on a glass substrate, the upper medium being air or water. Experimental results are compared to calculations performed using the Mie theory. We measure nanojet sizes as small as 270 nm FWHM for a 3 mum sphere at a wavelength lambda of 520 nm. The beam keeps a subwavelength FWHM over a propagation distance of more than 3 lambda, displaying all the specificities of a photonic nanojet

The formation, properties and impact of secondary organic aerosol: current and emerging issues

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) accounts for a significant fraction of ambient tropospheric aerosol and a detailed knowledge of the formation, properties and transformation of SOA is therefore required to evaluate its impact on atmospheric processes, climate and human health. The chemical and physical processes associated with SOA formation are complex and varied, and, despite considerable progress in recent years, a quantitative and predictive understanding of SOA formation does not exist and therefore represents a major research challenge in atmospheric science. This review begins with an update on the current state of knowledge on the global SOA budget and is followed by an overview of the atmospheric degradation mechanisms for SOA precursors, gas-particle partitioning theory and the analytical techniques used to determine the chemical composition of SOA. A survey of recent laboratory, field and modeling studies is also presented. The following topical and emerging issues are highlighted and discussed in detail: molecular characterization of biogenic SOA constituents, condensed phase reactions and oligomerization, the interaction of atmospheric organic components with sulfuric acid, the chemical and photochemical processing of organics in the atmospheric aqueous phase, aerosol formation from real plant emissions, interaction of atmospheric organic components with water, thermodynamics and mixtures in atmospheric models. Finally, the major challenges ahead in laboratory, field and modeling studies of SOA are discussed and recommendations for future research directions are proposed