An investigation into the perspectives of providers and learners on MOOC accessibility

An effective open eLearning environment should consider the target learner’s abilities, learning goals, where learning takes place, and which specific device(s) the learner uses. MOOC platforms struggle to take these factors into account and typically are not accessible, inhibiting access to environments that are intended to be open to all. A series of research initiatives are described that are intended to benefit MOOC providers in achieving greater accessibility and disabled learners to improve their lifelong learning and re-skilling. In this paper, we first outline the rationale, the research questions, and the methodology. The research approach includes interviews, online surveys and a MOOC accessibility audit; we also include factors such the risk management of the research programme and ethical considerations when conducting research with vulnerable learners. Preliminary results are presented from interviews with providers and experts and from analysis of surveys of learners. Finally, we outline the future research opportunities. This paper is framed within the context of the Doctoral Consortium organised at the TEEM'17 conference

Controlling selective stimulations below a spinal cord hemisection using brain recordings with a neural interface system approach.

In this work we address the use of realtime cortical recordings for the generation of coherent, reliable and robust motor activity in spinal-lesioned animals through selective intraspinal microstimulation (ISMS). The spinal cord of adult rats was hemisectioned and groups of multielectrodes were implanted in both the central nervous system (CNS) and the spinal cord below the lesion level to establish a neural system interface (NSI). To test the reliability of this new NSI connection, highly repeatable neural responses recorded from the CNS were used as a pattern generator of an open-loop control strategy for selective ISMS of the spinal motoneurons. Our experimental procedure avoided the spontaneous non-controlled and non-repeatable neural activity that could have generated spurious ISMS and the consequent undesired muscle contractions. Combinations of complex CNS patterns generated precisely coordinated, reliable and robust motor actions

Job satisfaction and work–family policies through work-family enrichment

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effect of a bundle of work–family policies on employee’s job satisfaction and (affective) organizational commitment, by using work–family enrichment and conflict as explanatory. Design/methodology/approach: Empirical study is conducted with a sample of 322 employees from 30 Spanish firms that have been granted with the “Flexible Firm Award” or have been certified as “Family Responsible Firms.” Structural equation modeling is used to test hypotheses. Findings: The results show that the higher the use of work–family policies the more positive effects on work–family enrichment and conflict, and that job satisfaction is positively related to (effective) organizational commitment. Research limitations/implications: This is a cross-sectional study which may limit the establishment of causal relationships. Practical implications: Work–family policies may constitute a relevant management tool to balance work and family life by making employees more interested in their jobs, enhancing their well-being and reducing the conflicts between work and family domains. The positive role of work–family enrichment contributes to enhance employees’ job satisfaction and, at the same time, to increase their organizational commitment. Managers should pay attention at how work–family policies are justified because they may influence differently on their outcomes on satisfaction and commitment. Originality/value: There are two main original contributions of the paper. First, the authors study the joint effect of work–family policies on different dimensions of enrichment and conflict. Second, the authors analyze the relationship between different dimensions of enrichment and conflict on job satisfaction and organizational commitment

Template-Assisted Hydrothermal Growth of Aligned Zinc Oxide Nanowires for Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Applications.

A flexible and robust piezoelectric nanogenerator (NG) based on a polymer-ceramic nanocomposite structure has been successfully fabricated via a cost-effective and scalable template-assisted hydrothermal synthesis method. Vertically aligned arrays of dense and uniform zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires (NWs) with high aspect ratio (diameter ∼250 nm, length ∼12 μm) were grown within nanoporous polycarbonate (PC) templates. The energy conversion efficiency was found to be ∼4.2%, which is comparable to previously reported values for ZnO NWs. The resulting NG is found to have excellent fatigue performance, being relatively immune to detrimental environmental factors and mechanical failure, as the constituent ZnO NWs remain embedded and protected inside the polymer matrix.The authors thank Yeonsik Choi for discussions and experimental support. S.K.-N., C.O., and A.D. are grateful for financial support from the European Research Council through an ERC Starting Grant (Grant no. ERC-2014-STG-639526, NANOGEN). F.L.B. and R.A.W. thank the EPSRC Cambridge NanoDTC, EP/G037221/1, for studentship funding. P.S.J. acknowledges the support of TEP-1900 and Talentia Postdoc Program, cofunded by the European Union’s Seventh Framework Program, Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions (COFUND Grant Agreement 267226) and the Ministry of Economy, Innovation, Science and Employment of the Junta de Andalucía. S-L.S acknowledges support through the EPSRC grant EP/M010589/1This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from American Chemical Society via http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsami.6b04041

Integral-field spectroscopy of the quadruple QSO HE 0435-1223: Evidence for microlensing

We present the first spatially resolved spectroscopic observations of the recently discovered quadruple QSO and gravitational lens HE0435-1223. Using the Potsdam Multi-Aperture Spectrophotometer (PMAS), we show that all four QSO components have very similar but not identical spectra. In particular, the spectral slopes of components A, B, and D are indistinguishable, implying that extinction due to dust plays no major role in the lensing galaxy. While also the emission line profiles are identical within the error bars, as expected from lensing, the equivalent widths show significant differences between components. Most likely, microlensing is responsible for this phenomenon. This is also consistent with the fact that component D, which shows the highest relative continuum level, has brightened by 0.07 mag since Dec 2001. We find that the emission line flux ratios between the components are in better agreement with simple lens models than broad band or continuum measurements, but that the discrepancies between model and data are still unacceptably large. Finally, we present a detection of the lensing galaxy, although this is close to the limits of the data. Comparing with a model galaxy spectrum, we obtain a redshift estimate of z_lens=0.44+-0.02.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in A&

Hydrogels with protective effects against cellular oxidative stress via enzymatic crosslinking of feruloylated arabinoxylan from corn fibre

Biocatalytical upgrading of side streams from agricultural biomass into multifunctional materials constitutes a very attractive option to increase the circularity of food and material systems. We propose the design of radical scavenging hydrogels with mechanical integrity and protective effects against reactive oxygen species by enzymatic crosslinking of arabinoxylans (AX) with high ferulic acid content extracted from corn fibre using subcritical water. We have compared the influence of two enzymatic systems, laccase/O-2 and peroxidase/H2O2, on the biochemical structure, multiscale assembly, physicochemical properties, and radical scavenging activity of the polysaccharide hydrogels. Peroxidase crosslinking results in instant hydrogel formation, whereas laccase shows slower crosslinking kinetics, resulting in a more elastic gel network. Characterization by size exclusion chromatography, small angle X-ray scattering, and microscopy revealed structural differences in the network organization of the hydrogels produced by the two enzymes. Laccase crosslinking leads to smaller polymeric aggregates, promoting their progressive organization in network clusters that impact the overall ultrastructure. Conversely, the fast crosslinking induced by peroxidase results in higher porosity and forms larger and potentially more heterogeneous aggregates, which seem to hinder their subsequent association in clusters. Both AX hydrogels exhibit adequate biocompatibility and protective effects against in vitro cellular oxidative stress compared to an alginate reference. This constitutes a proof of concept of the potential application of radical scavenging hydrogels from agricultural side streams for biomedical and nutritional applications in wound healing, cellular repair and targeted delivery

Silver-enriched ZnO:Ag thin films deposited by magnetron co-sputtering: Post annealing effects on structural and physical properties

The ZnO semiconductor is probably among the most mentioned compounds in the scientific literature during the last decade, which is mainly due to its wide spectrum of applications. Compounds based on ZnO (in doped or composite form) are of great relevance for the development of high-tech devices. In this work, we present the growth and characterization of samples deposited by DC Magnetron co-sputtering from two pure Zn and Ag targets in an O2 / Ar atmosphere. The samples were characterized as deposited and after an annealing treatment in a reducing atmosphere. We have used XRD, RBS, ellipsometry, UV visible photoluminescence, and electrical measurements for sample characterization. The results revealed the amorphization of ZnO when the Ag content increases and, after annealing, a mixture of crystalline phases was detected for the samples with higher Ag content. It is also demonstrated the strong effect of the presence of Ag atoms in the stimulated optical and electrical responses from ZnO:Ag compounds obtained in this wor

CCT complex restricts neuropathogenic protein aggregation via autophagy

Aberrant protein aggregation is controlled by various chaperones, including CCT (chaperonin containing TCP-1)/TCP-1/TRiC. Mutated CCT4/5 subunits cause sensory neuropathy and CCT5 expression is decreased in Alzheimer's disease. Here, we show that CCT integrity is essential for autophagosome degradation in cells or Drosophila and this phenomenon is orchestrated by the actin cytoskeleton. When autophagic flux is reduced by compromise of individual CCT subunits, various disease-relevant autophagy substrates accumulate and aggregate. The aggregation of proteins like mutant huntingtin, ATXN3 or p62 after CCT2/5/7 depletion is predominantly autophagy dependent, and does not further increase with CCT knockdown in autophagy-defective cells/organisms, implying surprisingly that the effect of loss-of-CCT activity on mutant ATXN3 or huntingtin oligomerization/aggregation is primarily a consequence of autophagy inhibition rather than loss of physiological anti-aggregation activity for these proteins. Thus, our findings reveal an essential partnership between two key components of the proteostasis network and implicate autophagy defects in diseases with compromised CCT complex activity.We are grateful to the Wellcome Trust (Principal Research Fellowship to DCR (095317/Z/11/Z)), a Strategic Grant to Cambridge Institute for Medical Research (100140/Z/12/Z), NIHR Biomedical Research Unit in Dementia at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, the Treat PolyQ project (European community’s Seventh Framework Programme under grant agreement No 264508) and the Wellcome Trust/MRC strategic grant for neurodegeneration (D.C.R. and C.J.O.'K.) for funding. DCC was supported by an Alzheimer’s Research U.K. Senior Research Fellowship (ART-SRF2010-2) and by the Wellcome Trust (082604/2/07/Z)