Investigating the use of Virtual Learning Environments by teachers in schools and colleges

Investigating the use of Virtual Learning Environments by teachers in schools and college

A blended-learning approach to supporting students in organic chemistry: Methodology and outcomes

In the recent past, we recognised the need to support students in developing an effective approach to learning mechanistic organic chemistry, as many were finding it challenging to identify appropriate strategies to tackle this key area of their studies. A set of supporting resources in the form of videos and animations to reinforce understanding of the basic principles behind mechanisms were designed to improve skill levels and confidence. An online approach to delivery and engagement was combined with selfassessment to produce a package that was delivered as a vacation activity which was not credit bearing. The outcomes of the initial experiment included excellent levels of uptake by students, with many expressing greater confidence in their ability to understand and apply their mechanistic knowledge. Since the first iteration of this project a thorough qualitative evaluation has been undertaken. The clear message is that students found these resources valuable in their learning. This paper will describe the methodology and the outcomes from both the student and tutor perspective

CO2 Transport Systems Development: Status of Three Large European CCS Demonstration Projects with EEPR Funding

AbstractThis paper addresses technical and operational aspects pertaining to the transport of CO2. It deals with lessons learnt from the development of three large CCS demonstration projects: the UK-based Don Valley project, the Dutch ROAD project, and the Spanish Compostilla project. These projects were all selected by the European Commission in 2009 to receive funding under the European Energy Programme for Recovery (EEPR). The purpose of the demonstration projects is to verify feasible capture techniques (i.e. gasification, flue-gas cleaning, and oxy-coal combustion in circulating fluidised bed, respectively), and to demonstrate geological storage options, off-shore and on-shore. As the distance and elevation of the CO2 transport system are inherently given by the project, the transport conditions for the CO2 will generally differ from one project to another.The demonstration projects have shown that the thermophysical nature of CO2 is prone to complicate certain operational procedures mainly due to phenomena like phase change, hydrate formation and Joule-Thomson cooling. The front-end engineering design studies suggest, however, that the handling of CO2 is quite feasible during normal operation, although customised solutions may be required to handle transients like emergency shut-down and pipeline re-pressurisation. This implies that CO2 transport is not seen as an insuperable hurdle to the design and operation of large CCS systems

The impact of sequencing depth on the inferred taxonomic composition and AMR gene content of metagenomic samples

Shotgun metagenomics is increasingly used to characterise microbial communities, particularly for the investigation of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in different animal and environmental contexts. There are many different approaches for inferring the taxonomic composition and AMR gene content of complex community samples from shotgun metagenomic data, but there has been little work establishing the optimum sequencing depth, data processing and analysis methods for these samples. In this study we used shotgun metagenomics and sequencing of cultured isolates from the same samples to address these issues. We sampled three potential environmental AMR gene reservoirs (pig caeca, river sediment, effluent) and sequenced samples with shotgun metagenomics at high depth (~ 200 million reads per sample). Alongside this, we cultured single-colony isolates of Enterobacteriaceae from the same samples and used hybrid sequencing (short- and long-reads) to create high- quality assemblies for comparison to the metagenomic data. To automate data processing, we developed an open- source software pipeline, ‘ResPipe’

Context-dependent lateralized feeding strategies in blue whales.

Lateralized behaviors benefit individuals by increasing task efficiency in foraging and anti-predator behaviors [1-4]. The conventional lateralization paradigm suggests individuals are left or right lateralized, although the direction of this laterality can vary for different tasks (e.g. foraging or predator inspection/avoidance). By fitting tri-axial movement sensors to blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus), and by recording the direction and size of their rolls during lunge feeding events, we show how these animals differ from such a paradigm. The strength and direction of individuals' lateralization were related to where and how the whales were feeding in the water column. Smaller rolls (≤180°) predominantly occurred at depth (>70 m), with whales being more likely to rotate clockwise around their longest axis (right lateralized). Larger rolls (>180°), conversely, occurred more often at shallower depths (<70 m) and were more likely to be performed anti-clockwise (left lateralized). More acrobatic rolls are typically used to target small, less dense krill patches near the water's surface [5,6], and we posit that the specialization of lateralized feeding strategies may enhance foraging efficiency in environments with heterogeneous prey distributions

Clavicular stress fracture in a cricket fast bowler: A case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Whilst rare, stress fractures of the clavicle have been described in other sports. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a stress fracture of the clavicle occurring in a cricket fast bowler.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 23-year-old professional cricket fast bowler presented with activity related shoulder pain. Imaging demonstrated a stress fracture of the lateral third of the clavicle. This healed with rest and rehabilitation allowing a full return to professional sport.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This injury is treated with activity modification and technique adaptation. In a professional sportsman, this needs to be recognised early so that return to play can be as quick as possible.</p

Distinct roles in autophagy and importance in infectivity of the two ATG4 cysteine peptidases of leishmania major

Macroautophagy in Leishmania, which is important for the cellular remodeling required during differentiation, relies upon the hydrolytic activity of two ATG4 cysteine peptidases (ATG4.1 and ATG4.2). We have investigated the individual contributions of each ATG4 to Leishmania major by generating individual gene deletion mutants (Δatg4.1 and Δatg4.2); double mutants could not be generated, indicating that ATG4 activity is required for parasite viability. Both mutants were viable as promastigotes and infected macrophages in vitro and mice, but Δatg4.2 survived poorly irrespective of infection with promastigotes or amastigotes, whereas this was the case only when promastigotes of Δatg4.1 were used. Promastigotes of Δatg4.2 but not Δatg4.1 were more susceptible than wild type promastigotes to starvation and oxidative stresses, which correlated with increased reactive oxygen species levels and oxidatively damaged proteins in the cells as well as impaired mitochondrial function. The antioxidant N-acetylcysteine reversed this phenotype, reducing both basal and induced autophagy and restoring mitochondrial function, indicating a relationship between reactive oxygen species levels and autophagy. Deletion of ATG4.2 had a more dramatic effect upon autophagy than did deletion of ATG4.1. This phenotype is consistent with a reduced efficiency in the autophagic process in Δatg4.2, possibly due to ATG4.2 having a key role in removal of ATG8 from mature autophagosomes and thus facilitating delivery to the lysosomal network. These findings show that there is a level of functional redundancy between the two ATG4s, and that ATG4.2 appears to be the more important. Moreover, the low infectivity of Δatg4.2 demonstrates that autophagy is important for the virulence of the parasite

The 6dF galaxy survey: Fundamental Plane data

We report the 6dFGS Fundamental Plane (6dFGSv) catalogue that is used to estimate distances and peculiar velocities for nearly 9000 early-type galaxies in the local (z < 0.055) universe. Velocity dispersions are derived by cross-correlation from 6dF V