Computer construction of platonic solids

In this paper we develop a novel method to generate a 3D geometrical model from 2D planer images. As an example of application, we construct 3D models of each one of the five platonic solids from their platonic graphs

Self-efficacy, metacognitive awareness, working memory, and academic performance in a research methods course.

Research is vital in Psychology, as well as the social sciences, as it is a tool for creating knowledge through the interpretation and manipulation of empirical data, and thus furthering understanding in a field (Barak, 1998; Bridges, Gillmore, Pershing, & Bates, 1998; VanderStoep & Shaughnessy, 1997). Self-efficacy, metacognitive awareness, and working memory are essential to explore in relation to academic performance in research methods courses such as RDA IIA, as these skills are needed in the different components of these types of courses and are likely to play a role in predicting academic performance (Alloway, 2006; Bandura, 1993; Payne & Israel, 2010; Zulkiply, Kabit, & Ghani, 2008). Self-efficacy, metacognitive awareness, and working memory are also all potentially susceptible to intervention, and therefore exploring and establishing relationships between these variables could improve ways to teach and help students achieve academically. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the relationships between academic self-efficacy, metacognitive awareness, working memory, and academic performance on the RDA IIA module overall and for different components. The sample consisted of 95 students who had completed RDA IIA at the University of the Witwatersrand. The instrumentation used consisted of a brief demographic questionnaire, an adapted Academic Self-Efficacy Scale, the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory, and three working memory tasks assessing verbal, spatial, and numerical working memory. Academic self-efficacy related to and predicted performance in the research component of the course, and also predicted final RDA IIA mark. Metacognitive awareness did not relate to or predict any aspect of RDA IIA performance, except for a significant positive correlation between declarative knowledge and research mark. The working memory total and mental counters task related to and predicted all aspects of RDA IIA performance; the verbal task related to research mark but had no predictive role in RDA IIA performance; and lastly, the spatial task did not relate to or predict any aspects of RDA IIA performance. The results of the study contribute to a better understanding of the factors relating to and predicting RDA IIA performance; and these findings may lead to the development of more effective intervention programmes to assist students in improving their research methodology marks

Physical activity and education about physical activity for chronic musculoskeletal pain in children and adolescents

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows:. To evaluate the effectiveness of physical activity or education about physical activity, or both, compared to active medical care, waiting list, or usual care in children and adolescents with chronic musculoskeletal pain.National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), via Cochrane Infrastructure funding to the Cochrane Pain, Palliative and Supportive Care Review Group (PaPaS)

Informe de valoració de material docent

Informa valoratiu dels llibres de text de Música per a 1r i 2n de Primària de l'editorial DINSIC (Barcelona

Constitutive activation of cellular immunity underlies the evolution of resistance to infection in Drosophila

Organisms rely on inducible and constitutive immune defences to combat infection. Constitutive immunity enables a rapid response to infection but may carry a cost for uninfected individuals, leading to the prediction that it will be favoured when infection rates are high. When we exposed populations of Drosophila melanogaster to intense parasitism by the parasitoid wasp Leptopilina boulardi, they evolved resistance by developing a more reactive cellular immune response. Using single-cell RNA sequencing, we found that immune-inducible genes had become constitutively upregulated. This was the result of resistant larvae differentiating precursors of specialized immune cells called lamellocytes that were previously only produced after infection. Therefore, populations evolved resistance by genetically hard-wiring the first steps of an induced immune response to become constitutive

Constitutive activation of cellular immunity underlies the evolution of resistance to infection in Drosophila

Organisms rely on inducible and constitutive immune defences to combat infection. Constitutive immunity enables a rapid response to infection but may carry a cost for uninfected individuals, leading to the prediction that it will be favoured when infection rates are high. When we exposed populations of Drosophila melanogaster to intense parasitism by the parasitoid wasp Leptopilina boulardi, they evolved resistance by developing a more reactive cellular immune response. Using single-cell RNA sequencing, we found that immune-inducible genes had become constitutively upregulated. This was the result of resistant larvae differentiating precursors of specialized immune cells called lamellocytes that were previously only produced after infection. Therefore, populations evolved resistance by genetically hard-wiring the first steps of an induced immune response to become constitutive

Vertebrar las prácticas de maestro desde los retos, metas y motivos de cambio y mejora de la escuela: Una experiencia colaborativa entre escuela-universidad en el prácticum de maestro

Se describe una experiencia de innovación colaborativa de las prácticas de maestro que adopta como eje de la actividad formativa de las prácticas la reflexión compartida entre maestros, tutores de universidad y estudiantes sobre los retos y metas de cambio y mejora de la escuela de prácticas. Participaron seis escuelas, y un total de 14 estudiantes, 12 maestros tutores y siete tutores de universidad. Se presentan resultados de la valoración de la experiencia por los maestros tutores

Prion protein interaction with soil humic substances: environmental implications

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) are fatal neurodegenerative disorders caused by prions. Animal TSE include scrapie in sheep and goats, and chronic wasting disease (CWD) in cervids. Effective management of scrapie in many parts of the world, and of CWD in North American deer population is complicated by the persistence of prions in the environment. After shedding from diseased animals, prions persist in soil, withstanding biotic and abiotic degradation. As soil is a complex, multi-component system of both mineral and organic components, it is important to understand which soil compounds may interact with prions and thus contribute to disease transmission. Several studies have investigated the role of different soil minerals in prion adsorption and infectivity; we focused our attention on the interaction of soil organic components, the humic substances (HS), with recombinant prion protein (recPrP) material. We evaluated the kinetics of recPrP adsorption, providing a structural and biochemical characterization of chemical adducts using different experimental approaches. Here we show that HS act as potent anti-prion agents in prion infected neuronal cells and in the amyloid seeding assays: HS adsorb both recPrP and prions, thus sequestering them from the prion replication process. We interpreted our findings as highly relevant from an environmental point of view, as the adsorption of prions in HS may affect their availability and consequently hinder the environmental transmission of prion diseases in ruminants