ICT and adult literacy, numeracy and ESOL

Mellar, H., Kambouri, M., Sanderson, M., and Pavlou, V. (2004) ICT and adult literacy, numeracy and ESOL. London: NRDC. Available at: http://www.nrdc.org.uk/uploads/documents/doc_258.pdfResearch report for NRDCThis project set out to obtain a picture of present teaching practice in the use of ICT in adult literacy, numeracy and ESOL within formal provision. (http://www.nrdc.org.uk/uploads/documents/doc_258.pdf

The behavioural effects of lesions to the head direction cell circuit on spatial learning in rats

The head direction (HD) cell circuit acts as a neurological compass, providing information on directional heading to the hippocampus. The HD signal originates in reciprocal connections between the lateral mammillary nuclei (LMN) and the dorsal tegmental nuclei (DTN); the signal is then relayed to the anterodorsal thalamic nuclei (ADN) and cortical areas. The functional role of these regions in spatial learning problems is not well understood. Rats underwent neurotoxic lesions of either the LMN or ADN and were tested using three tasks thought to depend on directional heading. Impairments were seen in both lesioned groups in the water T-maze tasks that required discrimination of headings that were 90° (rotation task) or 180° (direction task) apart. Lesioned rats were also impaired on a 12-arm maze if they were required to discriminate between adjacent arms that were 30° apart, but not when arms were separated by at least 90°. Performance on a response reversal task, where the maze was rotated by 90° each time the response-reinforcer contingency changed, was unaffected by lesions to the LMN or ADN, indicating that this task may not be critically dependent on the HD cell signal. Our results suggest that the difficulty of spatial problems relates to the angular specificity of direction discrimination required

Expanding the CRISPR toolbox in Culicine mosquitoes: in vitro validation of Pol III promoters

CRISPR–Cas9-based “gene drive” technologies have been proposed as a novel and effective means of controlling human diseases vectored by mosquitoes. However, more complex designs than those demonstrated to date—and an expanded molecular toolbox with which to build them—will be required to overcome the issues of resistance formation/evolution and drive spatial/temporal limitation. Foreseeing this need, we assessed the sgRNA transcriptional activities of 33 phylogenetically diverse insect Polymerase III promoters using three disease-relevant Culicine mosquito cell lines (Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus, and Culex quinquefasciatus). We show that U6 promoters work across species with a range of transcriptional activity levels and find 7SK promoters to be especially promising because of their broad phylogenetic activity. We further show that U6 promoters can be substantially truncated without affecting transcriptional levels. These results will be of great utility to researchers involved in developing the next generation of gene drives

Acts of Attention: An Exploration of Teacher Candidates’ Attention to Educational Encounters, and How It Relates to Task Formulation

This study begins with the belief that the ways in which teachers see and attend to educational encounters matter for their actions in classrooms. Using microethnography as a framework, this dissertation explores the relationship between teacher candidate attention, problem formulation, and action. Through analysis of the M.Ed. inquiry reports of teacher candidates in a boutique teacher education program, this study answers the following questions: 1) What do teacher candidates’ M.Ed. inquiry questions reveal about their attention and problem formulation? 2) How do these questions indicate possibilities for attention and action in a classroom? 3) How does candidates’ attention change over the course of a year in the context of the M.Ed. investigation they complete in a teacher education program? 4) What do candidates’ attention, problem formulations and actions as revealed in their M.Ed. reports indicate about the relationship between attention, problem formulation, and action?The findings of the analysis reveal the ways in which teacher candidates are attending to the problems of their classrooms and how that attention might shift through the course of inquiry. As teacher candidates’ attention shifts, it broadens possibilities for problem formulation and the actions a teacher might take in a classroom. In its conclusion, this paper ultimately argues that the object of teacher education be to educate teacher candidates’ attention

The first histidine triad motif of phtd is critical for zinc homeostasis in Streptococcus pneumoniae

Streptococcus pneumoniae is the world's foremost human pathogen. Acquisition of the first row transition metal ion zinc is essential for pneumococcal colonization and disease. Zinc is acquired via the ATP-binding cassette transporter AdcCB and two zinc-binding proteins, AdcA and AdcAII. We have previously shown that AdcAII is reliant upon the polyhistidine triad (Pht) proteins to aid in zinc recruitment. Pht proteins generally contain five histidine (His) triad motifs that are believed to facilitate zinc binding and therefore play a significant role in pneumococcal metal ion homeostasis. However, the importance and potential redundancy of these motifs have not been addressed. We examined the effects of mutating each of the five His triad motifs of PhtD. The combination of in vitro growth assays, active zinc uptake, and PhtD expression studies show that the His triad closest to the protein's amino terminus is the most important for zinc acquisition. Intriguingly, in vivo competitive infection studies investigating the amino- and carboxyl-terminal His triad mutants indicate that the motifs have similar importance in colonization. Collectively, our new insights into the contributions of the individual His triad motifs of PhtD, and by extension the other Pht proteins, highlight the crucial role of the first His triad site in zinc acquisition. This study also suggests that the Pht proteins likely play a role beyond zinc acquisition in pneumococcal virulence

Seasonal patterns of oral antihistamine and intranasal corticosteroid purchases from Australian community pharmacies : a retrospective observational study

Acknowledgments The abstract of this paper was presented at the Respiratory Effectiveness Group 2016 Annual Summit as a poster presentation with interim findings. The poster’s abstract was published in “Poster Abstracts” in The Journal of Thoracic Disease (Vol. 8, Supplement 5, 5 July 2016). http://jtd.amegroups.com/article/view/8504.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

1U Chassis Accepts PCIe or PXIe Cards

PCIe and PXIe are both open-standards for expansion and I/O cards, both enabling the end user of the system to configure the desired I/O to suit their needs. The problem is that the two cards are not space-compatible, requiring systems manufacturers to create two separate product to address both markets. This article discloses a means that allows for a flexible architecture that can accept either a PCIe bay or a PXIe bay, thus enabling both types of I/O, PCIe and PXIe, to be supported in a common-design, and in this example, a system that can be mounted in a standard 19” rack that consumes only 1U of rack space

Protein Kinase D1 Modulates Aldosterone-Induced ENaC Activity in a Renal Cortical Collecting Duct Cell Line

Aldosterone treatment of M1-CCD cells stimulated an increase in epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC) alpha-subunit expression that was mainly localized to the apical membrane. PKD1 suppressed cells constitutively expressed ENaC alpha at low abundance, with no increase after aldosterone treatment. Here ENaC alpha was mainly localized proximal to the basolateral surface of the epithelium both before and after aldosterone treatment. Apical membrane insertion of ENaC beta in response to aldosterone treatment was also sensitive to PKD1 suppression as was the aldosterone-induced rise in the amiloride-sensitive, trans-epithelial current (ITE). The interaction of the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) with specific elements in the promoters of aldosterone responsive genes is stabilized by ligand interaction and phosphorylation. PKD1 suppression inhibited aldosterone-induced SGK-1 expression. The nuclear localization of MR was also blocked by PKD1 suppression and MEK antagonism implicating both these kinases in MR nuclear stabilization. PKD1 thus modulates aldosterone-induced ENaC activity through the modulation of sub-cellular trafficking and the stabilization of MR nuclear localization

Who counts? Gender, gatekeeping, and quantitative human geography

How academic disciplines are represented and reproduced is a charged issue. In geography in particular, the challenge is not only who counts, especially with regard to gender and other factors, but also how the boundaries of the discipline are drawn and which subfields are acknowledged. This article contributes to both aspects of the discussion by extending recent research on gender, internationalization, and academic gatekeeping to additional subfields of human geography. In particular, we focus on the demographic structure and international diversity of the editorial teams of flagship quantitative geography journals. We find that women are underrepresented in our sample, with shares ranging from 23.1 to 43.5 percent—numbers unfortunately comparable to many other geography journals. We also find that career stage is an important factor and that our sample is more international and less Anglophone than the disciplinary norm. We conclude by emphasizing the importance of attending to issues of inclusive gatekeeping in geography and elsewhere.PostprintPeer reviewe