A Reflective Account of the Changes due to the Covid-19 Pandemic on Teaching and Digital Education within an HEI

The coronavirus epidemic was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on the 11th of March 2020. Two days later, King’s College London enacted plans to encourage all staff and students to teach online. This created a unique opportunity to both review and assess how teaching has changed in this institutional context. This report provides an overview of what has been done in institutions more broadly, the reaction to online learning, and gives feedback from users and from other data sources on the perceived impact on teaching. This research is novel in that it is one of the first largely reflective narrative accounts of how, and in what manner, changes to digital higher education were conducted and perceived during the COVID-19 pandemic

Comparison of different surgical approaches for pediatric cataracts: complications and rates of additional surgery during long-term follow-up

OBJECTIVES: To compare long-term postoperative complications of pediatric cataract surgery with primary intraocular lens (IOL) implantation associated with posterior capsulotomy (PC) and anterior vitrectomy (AV) between patients treated with a corneal or pars plicata/pars plana approach. METHODS: Children who underwent cataract surgery with in-the-bag primary IOL implantation were divided into two groups according to PC and AV surgical approach: a corneal approach (group 1) and a pars plicata/pars plana approach (group 2). Only patients with a follow-up duration of more than two years were included. Longterm surgical outcomes were retrospectively reported. RESULTS: The mean follow-up period was 10.00±3.13 years. No cases of glaucoma or retinal detachment were reported. The mean age at surgery was 34.57±22.66 months. Forty-six children were included (27 eyes in group 1 and 29 eyes in group 2). The most frequent postoperative complication was corectopia, followed by visual axis opacification. Both complications occurred more frequently in group 1 (po0.001). After cataract surgery, the rate of additional surgeries in group 1 was 51.9%, while in group 2, the rate was 27.6% (p=0.1132). CONCLUSION: The pars plicata/pars plana approach with PC and vitrectomy with primary in-the-bag IOL implantation for pediatric cataracts is a safe procedure

In situ immunofluorescence localization: A method for rapid detection of Beauveria spp. in the rhizosphere of Quercus robur saplings

Zur biologischen Bekämpfung von Pflanzenschädlingen, z.B. Maikäfer-Engerlingen, in der Rhizosphäre von Eichen, Apfelbäumen oder Kiefern werden zunehmend entomopathogene Beauveria-Spezies eingesetzt. Für eine erfolgreiche Anwendung ist es wichtig, die Ausbreitung und Persistenz der ausgebrachten Pilze qualitativ und quantitativ zu erfassen. Die Bestimmung beider Größen durch Ausplattieren auf selektiven Nährmedien oder durch mole­kulare Methoden wie PCR ist mühsam und oft ungenügend. Ziel der vorliegenden Studie war daher, eine spezifische In-situ-Methode durch Immunfluoreszenzmarkierung von Beauveria spp. zu entwickeln, hier an jungen Feinwurzeln dreijähriger Stieleichen. Durch Anfärben mit dem unspezifischen Farbstoff Blankophor wurde sichtbar, dass alle untersuchten Feinwurzeln ein dichtes Netz von Bodenpilzen trugen. Polyklonale Beauveria-Antikörper markierten an nicht beimpften Wurzeln keinen dieser natürlich wachsenden Pilze. Mit Beauveria brongniartii beimpfte Wurzeln zeigten bis zu zehn Monate nach der Inokulation eine spezifische Markierung. Während die natürlich vorkommenden Rhizosphären-Pilze in den Interzellularräumen der Wurzelrinde wuchsen, waren Hyphen von inokulierter B. brongniartii nie im Wurzelgewebe zu finden, sondern nur oberflächlich auf der Rhizodermis. Diese Beobachtungen zeigen, dass B. brongniartii bei Eichenwurzeln nicht endophytisch wächst, und dass die verwendete Methode die Unterscheidung von B. brongniartii von der in der Eichen-Rhizosphäre lebenden Pilzflora ermöglicht. Immunfluoreszenzmarkierung, wie in der aktuellen Studie eingesetzt, kann eine nützliche Methode sein, um B. brongniartii in der Rhizosphäre nachzuweisen und quantitativ zu erfassen und somit eine Langzeitkontrolle von Schädlingen mit Entomopathogenen zu ermöglichen.For biological control of plant pests, e.g. cockchafer grubs, in the rhizosphere of oak, apple or pine trees, ento­mopathogenic Beauveria spp. are increasingly applied. For successful use, it is important to monitor the spread and persistence of the inoculated fungi, both qualitati­vely and quantitatively. The determination of both para­meters by plating on selective nutrient media or by mole­cular methods such as PCR of soil samples are quite laborious and often do not yield satisfactory results. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to develop a spe­cific in situ method using immunofluorescence labelling of Beauveria spp. growing on young fine roots of three-year old oak saplings. All fine roots investigated were covered with a dense net of soil rhizosphere fungi, as visua­lized by staining with the nonspecific dye blankophor. On non-inoculated roots, polyclonal Beauveria anti­bodies did not label any of these naturally growing fungi. Only samples of roots inoculated with Beauveria brongniartii displayed specific labelling up to ten months after inocu­lation. Whereas the natural rhizosphere fungi were detected growing in the intercellular space of the root cortex in an ectomycorrhiza-like manner up to the endodermis, hyphae of the inoculated B. brongniartii were never seen within the root tissue but only growing on the surface of the rhizodermis. These observations indicate that B. brongniartii does not grow endophytically, and that the method used allows to discriminate B. brongniartii from the resident fungal flora in the oak tree rhizosphere. Detection by immunofluorescence labelling employed in the current study may be a useful tool to follow B. brongniartii in experiments aimed at establishing the entomopathogen in the rhizosphere and to monitor its fate in long-term control of entomopathogens

Separate and overlapping functional roles for efference copies in the human thalamus.

Abstract How the perception of space is generated from the multiple maps in the brain is still an unsolved mystery in neuroscience. A neural pathway ascending from the superior colliculus through the medio-dorsal (MD) nucleus of thalamus to the frontal eye field has been identified in monkeys that conveys efference copy information about the metrics of upcoming eye movements. Information sent through this pathway stabilizes vision across saccades. We investigated whether this motor plan information might also shape spatial perception even when no saccades are performed. We studied patients with medial or lateral thalamic lesions (likely involving either the MD or the ventrolateral (VL) nuclei). Patients performed a double-step task testing motor updating, a trans-saccadic localization task testing visual updating, and a localization task during fixation testing a general role of motor signals for visual space in the absence of eye movements. Single patients with medial or lateral thalamic lesions showed deficits in the double-step task, reflecting insufficient transfer of efference copy. However, only a patient with a medial lesion showed impaired performance in the trans-saccadic localization task, suggesting that different types of efference copies contribute to motor and visual updating. During fixation, the MD patient localized stationary stimuli more accurately than healthy controls, suggesting that patients compensate the deficit in visual prediction of saccades - induced by the thalamic lesion - by relying on stationary visual references. We conclude that partially separable efference copy signals contribute to motor and visual stability in company of purely visual signals that are equally effective in supporting trans-saccadic perception

A rapid systematic scoping review of research on the impacts of water contaminated by chemicals on very young children

Low-income countries are struggling with the health impacts of both surface and groundwater chemical contamination. Although the impact of biological contaminants on children's health is acknowledged, the long-term effects of these and emerging contaminants on young children may be underestimated. To map the existing evidence on health impacts of water contaminated with chemicals on young children (<5 years), we conducted a scoping review to select and organize relevant literature. Of the 98 studies in the review, 24 revealed that the hazard ratio of arsenic, nitrates, cadmium, and fluoride (all of which are on the World Health Organisation's list of 10 chemicals of public health concern) was higher in very young children than in older age groups. Anthropogenic activities (textile manufacturing, waste disposal, and intensified agriculture) are leading contributors to the release of chemicals to groundwater used for drinking. Three major pathways for chemical contamination exposure in young children were confirmed: maternal transmission during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and early school years. Children exhibited acute and chronic disruptions to their neurological, skeletal, reproductive, and endocrine systems, as well as cumulative carcinogenic risks, amongst other life-altering consequences. The lack of research on emerging contaminants' effects on young children in low-income countries is worrisome, as their increased use may compound the issues caused by the existing problem of "legacy chemicals." Precautionary principle should regulate the operation of industries producing these chemicals in a robust manner. Evidence from major producers and exporters in high-income countries is sufficient to warrant action, even without waiting for direct harm to be observed in low-income countries. Literature recommends prioritising prevention of contamination over demand side treatment or finding alternative water sources, especially in water-scarce areas affected by climate change. Local and transnational efforts are required to enforce safer industry practices and prevent further water quality deterioration in low-income countries

SEI Growth and Depth Profiling on ZFO Electrodes by Soft X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy

The evolution of the solid electrolyte interface (SEI) in carbon‐coated ZnFe2O4 (ZFO‐C) anodes is studied by soft X‐ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Experiments probe locally the SEI growth in the 2–100 nm range, using both total electron (TEY) and total fluorescence (TFY) yield techniques. XAS analysis shows that the SEI grows preferentially around the ZFO‐C nanoparticles

The effect of the intramolecular properties in single-carrier polymer diodes

The electric behaviour of polymer diodes has the influence of several factors such as the electrodes work function, the experimental conditions used to deposit the active component or the chemistry of the polymer. Although experimentally it is possible to study the effect of some of these factors on the device performance, for instance by changing the chemical structure of the polymer used or the type of electrodes, it is impossible to study individually each one of these effects because changing one of them can influence the others. Quantum mechanical calculations have shown that depending on the chemical structure of the polymer, its intramolecular properties (e.g. ionization potential, electron affinity or intramolecular charge mobility) can be changed. To understand the effect of the intramolecular properties in the performance of polymer diodes we use a generalized dynamical Monte Carlo method that considers the nanostructure of the polymer layer and the main electronic processes involved in diode functioning. Our results show that the influence of the intramolecular properties on the electric behaviour of pristine polymer-diodes with ohmic contacts depends on the morphology of the polymer layer at nanoscale that can alter not only hole and electron current density for the same applied electric field but also charge density and charge distribution inside the polymer layer.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) – POCTI/CTM/41574/2001; CONC-REEQ/443/EEI/2005; SFRH/BD/22143/2005FEDE

A Causal Discovery Approach To Learn How Urban Form Shapes Sustainable Mobility Across Continents

Global sustainability requires low-carbon urban transport systems, shaped by adequate infrastructure, deployment of low-carbon transport modes and shifts in travel behavior. To adequately implement alterations in infrastructure, it's essential to grasp the location-specific cause-and-effect mechanisms that the constructed environment has on travel. Yet, current research falls short in representing causal relationships between the 6D urban form variables and travel, generalizing across different regions, and modeling urban form effects at high spatial resolution. Here, we address all three gaps by utilizing a causal discovery and an explainable machine learning framework to detect urban form effects on intra-city travel based on high-resolution mobility data of six cities across three continents. We show that both distance to city center, demographics and density indirectly affect other urban form features. By considering the causal relationships, we find that location-specific influences align across cities, yet vary in magnitude. In addition, the spread of the city and the coverage of jobs across the city are the strongest determinants of travel-related emissions, highlighting the benefits of compact development and associated benefits. Differences in urban form effects across the cities call for a more holistic definition of 6D measures. Our work is a starting point for location-specific analysis of urban form effects on mobility behavior using causal discovery approaches, which is highly relevant for city planners and municipalities across continents.Comment: 22 pages, 13 figures, 4 table