1,319 research outputs found
APP FOR ONLINE
The Pew Research Center reports that 10% of Americans rely heavily on smartphones for high-speed internet access at home. This trend is particularly strong among low-income households (Smith, 2015). A digital divide manifested by varying broadband access may exist among online students. For this reason, online course materials should be easily accessible on mobile devices. The author developed a mobile app for her online management information systems (MIS) course, BUSA 345. This study looked into four factors in the usability of the βBUSA 345 appβ: design, navigation, ease of use, and perceived usefulness.
Two rounds of the study were conducted. Seven students with an average age of 26.7 years participated. The participants used their smartphones to perform tasks based on the app. A pre-test survey revealed that participants had 66 apps on average installed on their smartphones, and they scored high in tech efficacy. However, they had only three apps for school on average. The post-test results indicated that the students rated the ease of use and usefulness of the βBUSA 345 appβ highly on both iOS and Android platforms. All participants strongly agreed that the app was useful for learning and they would use the app if it were available. This usability study shows that the βBUSA 345 appβ was embraced by the student participants, who looked forward to being able to access course materials on the go
Origin of the different conductive behavior in pentavalent-ion-doped anatase and rutile TiO
The electronic properties of pentavalent-ion (Nb, Ta, and
I) doped anatase and rutile TiO are studied using spin-polarized
GGA+\emph{U} calculations. Our calculated results indicate that these two
phases of TiO exhibit different conductive behavior upon doping. For doped
anatase TiO, some up-spin-polarized Ti 3\emph{d} states lie near the
conduction band bottom and cross the Fermi level, showing an \emph{n}-type
half-metallic character. For doped rutile TiO, the Fermi level is pinned
between two up-spin-polarized Ti 3\emph{d} gap states, showing an insulating
character. These results can account well for the experimental different
electronic transport properties in Nb (Ta)-doped anatase and rutile TiO.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
A study to assess COPD Symptom-based Management and to Optimise treatment Strategy in Japan (COSMOS-J) based on GOLD 2011
Background and objective: The Global initiative for chronic Obstructive Lung Disease(GOLD) Committee has proposed a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) assessment framework focused on symptoms and on exacerbation risk. This study will evaluate a symptom and exacerbation risk-based treatment strategy based on GOLD in a real-world setting in Japan. Optimal management of COPD will be determined by assessing symptoms using the COPD Assessment Test (CAT) and by assessing the frequency of exacerbations.
Methods: This study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01762800) is a 24-week, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, parallel-group study. It aims to recruit 400 patients with moderate-to-severe COPD. Patients will be randomized to receive treatment with either
salmeterol/fluticasone propionate (SFC) 50/250ΞΌg twice daily or with tiotropium bromide 18ΞΌg once daily. Optimal management of patients will be assessed at four-weekly intervals and, if patients remain symptomatic, as measured using the CAT, or experience an exacerbation, they
have the option to step up to treatment with both drugs, ie, SFC twice daily and tiotropium once daily (TRIPLE therapy). The primary endpoint of the study will be the proportion of patients who are able to remain on the randomized therapy.
Results: No data are available. This paper summarizes the methodology of the study in advance of the study starting.
Conclusion: The results of this study will help physicians to understand whether TRIPLE therapy is more effective than either treatment strategy alone in controlling symptoms and exacerbations in patients with moderate-to-severe COPD. It will also help physicians to understand the GOLD recommendation work in Japan
2,11-Dibromo-5,8-dibutΒyl[4]helicene
A racemic mixture of the title compound, C26H26Br2, a brominated [4]helicene, crystallizes, forming columns of stacked molΒecules. There are two crystallographically unique molΒecules in the asymmetric unit, both with the same helical handedness. As is typical with helicene congeners, the unique molΒecules show short interΒatomic contacts between H atoms at the fjord region, with Hβ―H distances of 1.87 and 1.94β
Γ
. MolΒecules with the same helical handedness segregate in the crystal packing, forming homochiral columns. The stacked molΒecules are piled in a column with alternate orientations. The shortest Cβ―C distance in the stacked molΒecules is 3.306β
(4)β
Γ
Atomically Resolved Surface Structure of SrTiO3(001) Thin Films Grown in Step-Flow Mode by Pulsed Laser Deposition
The surface structure of SrTiO3(001) thin films homoepitaxially grown by PLD
in step-flow mode was characterized using low temperature STM. It was found
that one-dimensional (1D) TiOx-based nanostructures were formed on the thin
film surface and their density increased with increasing thin film thickness.
Most of the 1D nanostructures disappeared after a post-deposition annealing,
indicating that this structure is metastable due to the nonequilibrium growth
mode. The resulting surface after annealing exhibited similar features to that
of a thinner film, having a domain structure with (2x1) and (1x2)
reconstructions, but with fewer oxygen-vacancy-type defects. These results
imply that the step-flow growth is likely to produce TiOx-rich surface and Ti
deficiencies in the film. By the post-deposition annealing, the rich TiOx would
diffuse from the surface into the film to compensate defects associated with Ti
vacancies and oxygen vacancies, resulting in the stable surface structure with
fewer oxygen vacancies. Thus, STM measurements can provide us with a
microscopic picture of surface stoichiometry of thin films originating in the
dynamics of the growth process, and can present a new approach for designing
functional oxide films.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure
Tyrosine Kinase Signaling in Cancer Metabolism: PKM2 Paradox in the Warburg Effect
The Warburg Effect, or aerobic glycolysis, is one of the major metabolic alterations observed in cancer. Hypothesized to increase a cell's proliferative capacity via regenerating NAD+, increasing the pool of glycolytic biosynthetic intermediates, and increasing lactate production that affects the tumor microenvironment, the Warburg Effect is important for the growth and proliferation of tumor cells. The mechanisms by which a cell acquires the Warburg Effect phenotype are regulated by the expression of numerous oncogenes, including oncogenic tyrosine kinases. Oncogenic tyrosine kinases play a significant role in phosphorylating and regulating the activity of numerous metabolic enzymes. Tyrosine phosphorylation of glycolytic enzymes increases the activities of a majority of glycolytic enzymes, thus promoting increased glycolytic rate and tumor cell proliferation. Paradoxically however, tyrosine phosphorylation of pyruvate kinase M2 isoform (PKM2) results in decreased PKM2 activity, and this decrease in PKM2 activity promotes the Warburg Effect. Furthermore, recent studies have shown that PKM2 is also able to act as a protein kinase using phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) as a substrate to promote tumorigenesis. Therefore, numerous recent studies have investigated both the role of the classical and non-canonical activity of PKM2 in promoting the Warburg Effect and tumor growth, which raise further interesting questions. In this review, we will summarize these recent advances revealing the importance of tyrosine kinases in the regulation of the Warburg Effect as well as the role of PKM2 in the promotion of tumor growth
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