OER Evidence Report 2013-2014

The Open Educational Resources Research Hub (OER Research Hub) provides a focus for research, designed to give answers to the overall question ‘What is the impact of OER on learning and teaching practices?’ and identify the particular influence of openness. We do this by working in collaboration with projects across four education sectors (K12, college, higher education and informal) extending a network of research with shared methods and shared results. The project combines: – Targeted research collaboration with high profile OER projects – A programme of international fellowship – Global networking and expertise in OER implementation and evaluation – A hub for research data and excellence in practice This report is an interim review of evidence recorded against the key hypotheses that focus the research of the OER Research Hub project

High power impulse magnetron sputtering discharges: Instabilities and plasma self-organization

We report on instabilities in high power impulse magnetron sputtering plasmas which are likely to be of the generalized drift wave type. They are characterized by well defined regions of high and low plasma emissivity along the racetrack of the magnetron and cause periodic shifts in floating potential. The azimuthal mode number m depends on plasma current, plasma density, and gas pressure. The structures rotate in × direction at velocities of ∼10 km s−1 and frequencies up to 200 kHz. Collisions with residual gas atoms slow down the rotating wave, whereas increasing ionization degree of the gas and plasma conductivity speeds it up

Entacapone potentiates the long-duration response but does not normalize levodopa-induced molecular changes

El pdf del artículo es el manuscrito de autor.Coadministration of entacapone with levodopa attenuates motor complications in experimental models of Parkinson's disease. The mechanisms underlying entacapone effects are unknown. We investigated the effect of entacapone, on: long-duration response (LDR) to levodopa, levodopa-induced postsynaptic pharmacodynamic mechanisms and molecular changes in hemiparkinsonian rats. 6-Hydroxydopamine-unilaterally lesioned rats were treated with levodopa (25 mg/kg) + vehicle; levodopa + entacapone (30 mg/kg) or saline, twice daily for 22 days. The LDR and the apomorphine-induced rotations were measured. In situ hybridization was performed measuring the expression of striatal preproenkephalin, preprodynorphin and dopamine D-3 receptor mRNAs, subthalamic cytochrome oxidase mRNA and nigral glutamic acid decarboxylase mRNA. Entacapone potentiated the LDR but did not modify either the apomorphine-induced rotational behavior or the molecular changes. Our results suggest that the effects of entacapone on levodopa-induced motor response are not mediated by postsynaptic mechanisms and that administration of entacapone is not able to normalize the molecular alterations induced by levodopa in the basal ganglia.This work was supported by an unrestricted grant from Novartis-Orion Pharma (Barcelona, Spain). JAO serves as external adviser for Novartis Pharmaceutical (Barcelona, Spain). EA is partially financed by the program: Ayudas para Contratos de Apoyo a la Investigación en el Sistema Nacional de Salud from the Ministerio de Sanidad y Consumo of the Spanish Government.Peer reviewe

In situ assessment of carbon nanotube diameter distribution with photoelectron spectroscopy

7 págs.; 6 figs.; 1 tab. ; PACS numberssd: 73.22.2f, 79.60.Jv, 61.46.1wIn situ UV-photoelectron spectroscopy (He I and He II) was performed on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with clearly differentiated diameter distributions. A significant dependence of valence- and conduction-band characteristics on the mean CNT diameter was observed, which was determined by high-resolution TEM and micro-Raman spectroscopy. The decrease of relative intensity of the π states at -3 eV in the He II experiments, indicative of increasing rehybridization between orbitals, was directly correlated with decreasing mean diameters. Furthermore, a progressive broadening of the unoccupied σ* band at 7.6 eV was found in the He I spectra. © 2005 The American Physical Society.J.W.S. is grateful to the Centre Interdisciplinaire de Microscopie Electronique sCIMEd at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne sEPFLd for access to TEM and technical support. We also thank the National Centre of Competence in Research for Nanosciences NCCRd and the Swiss National Foundation for financial support.Peer Reviewe

An agent-based intelligent tutoring system for nurse education

This report describes the development of a teaching environment that uses agents to support learning. An Intelligent Tutoring System will be described, that guides students during learning. This system is meant for nurse education in the first place, but it is generic in the sense that the core is separated from the exercise modules and user interfaces. This means that the system can also be used for other (non-nursing) exercises. Exercises can be provided to the system in the form of XML data-files. A user interface can be text-based or 2D, but it can also be a 3D virtual reality environment. An application of the teaching environment for nurse training is described

The human area postrema and other nuclei related to the emetic reflex express cAMP phosphodiesterases 4B and 4D

Phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitors, i.e. rolipram, are being extensively investigated as therapeutic agents in several diseases. Emesis is one of the most common side effects of PDE4 inhibitors. Given the fact that the area postrema is considered the chemoreceptor trigger zone for vomiting, the present study investigates the regional distribution and cellular localization of the four gene transcripts of the PDE4 subfamily (PDE4A, PDE4B, PDE4C and PDE4D) in human brainstem. In situ hybridization histochemistry was used to locate the mRNA distribution of the four PDE4 subfamilies in the area postrema and related nuclei of human postmortem brainstem. We have found that in the brainstem PDE4B and PDE4D mRNA expression is abundant and distributed not only in neuronal cells, but also in glial cells, and on blood vessels. The hybridization signals for PDE4B and PDE4D mRNAs in the area postrema were stronger than those in any other nuclei in the brainstem. They were also found in vomiting-related nuclei such as the nucleus of the solitary tract and the dorsal vagal motor nucleus. These findings suggest that cAMP signaling modification in the area postrema could mediate the emetic effects of PDE4 inhibitors in human brainstem.This work was supported by grants from Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (SAF2006-10243). F.M. was on sabbatical leave from Hirosaki University School of Medicine. S.P.-T. was recipient of a predoctoral fellowship from CIRIT (Generalitat de Catalunya).Peer Reviewe

Large-area deposition of protective (Ti,Al)N coatings onto polycarbonate

Polycarbonate (PC) and protective (Ti,Al)N coatings exhibit extremely different material properties, specifically crystal structure, thermal stability, elastic and plastic behavior as well as thermal expansion coefficients. These differences present formidable challenges for the deposition process development as low-temperature synthesis routes have to be explored to avoid a thermal overload of the polymer substrate. Here, a large-area sputtering process is developed to address the challenges by systematically adjusting target peak power density and duty cycle. Adhering (Ti,Al)N coatings with a critical residual tensile stress of 2.2 +/- 0.2 GPa are obtained in the pulsed direct current magnetron sputtering range, whereas depositions at higher target peak power densities, realized by high power pulsed magnetron sputtering, lead to stress-induced adhesive and/or cohesive failure. The stress-optimized (Ti,Al)N coatings deposited onto PC with a target peak power density of 0.036 kW cm-2 and a duty cycle of 5.3% were investigated by cross-cut test confirming adhesion. By investigating the bond formation at the PC | (Ti,Al)N interface, mostly interfacial CNx bonds and a small fraction of (C-O)-(Ti,Al) bonds are identified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, indicating reactions at the hydrocarbon and the carbonate groups during deposition. Nanoindentation reveals an elastic modulus of 296 +/- 18 GPa for the (Ti,Al)N coating, while a Ti-Al-O layer is formed during electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in a borate buffer solution, indicating protective passivation. This work demonstrates that the challenge posed by the extremely different material properties at the interface of soft polymer substrates and hard coatings can be addressed by systematical variation of the pulsing parameters to reduce the residual film stress

Case Report: Successful Lung Transplantation from a Donor Seropositive for Trypanosoma cruzi Infection (Chagas Disease) to a Seronegative Recipient

Lung transplantation; Seropositive donor; Trypanosoma cruziTrasplantament de pulmó; Donant seropositiu; Trypanosoma cruziTrasplante de pulmón; Donante seropositivo; Trypanosoma cruziThe increasing shortage of organs for transplantation has prompted transplant programs to investigate the use of extended criteria donors, such as those with transmissible infectious diseases. Successful cases of organ transplantation (mostly kidney and liver) from Trypanosoma cruzi seropositive donors to seronegative recipients have been reported. We present a case of lung transplantation from a donor serologically positive for Chagas disease to a seronegative recipient, and provide a review of the literature. Left single lung transplantation was performed in a 44-year-old Spanish woman presenting with interstitial lung disease in February 2016. The deceased donor was a Colombian immigrant living in Spain who was serologically positive for Chagas disease. Oral administration of 5 mg/kg/day benznidazole divided in three doses for 60 days was given for specific Chagas disease prophylaxis after transplantation. Periodic follow-up with serological reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction to detect T. cruzi DNA were performed until 6 months after the end of treatment. All results were negative, indicating that transmission of T. cruzi had not occurred. In a review of the literature, two similar cases were identified in Argentina and the United States. In both cases T. cruzi infection was detected posttransplant in the recipients, after which they were treated with benznidazole. The course of the patient described herein confirms that lungs from donors with chronic T. cruzi infection can be used successfully as allografts, and that posttransplant prophylaxis with benznidazole may reduce the probability of transmission of T. cruzi to the recipient

First use of a compound-specific stable isotope (CSSI) technique to trace sediment transport in upland forest catchments of Chile.

Land degradation is a problem affecting the sustainability of commercial forest plantations. The identification of critical areas prone to erosion can assist this activity to better target soil conservation efforts. Here we present the first use of the carbon-13 signatures of fatty acids (C14 to C24) in soil samples for spatial and temporal tracing of sediment transport in river bodies of upland commercial forest catchments in Chile. This compound-specific stable isotope (CSSI) technique was tested as a fingerprinting approach to determine the degree of soil erosion in pre-harvested forest catchments with surface areas ranging from 12 to 40ha. For soil apportionment a mixing model based on a Bayesian inference framework was used (CSSIAR v.2.0). Approximately four potential sediment sources were used for the calculations of all of the selected catchments. Unpaved forestry roads were shown to be the main source of sediment deposited at the outlet of the catchments (30-75%). Furthermore, sampling along the stream channel demonstrated that sediments were mainly comprised of sediment coming from the unpaved roads in the upper part of the catchments (74-98%). From this it was possible to identify the location and type of primary land use contributing to the sediment delivered at the outlet of the catchments. The derived information will allow management to focus efforts to control or mitigate soil erosion by improving the runoff features of the forest roads. The use of this CSSI technique has a high potential to help forestry managers and decision makers to evaluate and mitigate sources of soil erosion in upland forest catchments. It is important to highlight that this technique can also be a good complement to other soil erosion assessment and geological fingerprinting techniques, especially when attempting to quantify (sediment loads) and differentiate which type of land use most contributes to sediment accumulation

Differential training loads and individual fitness responses to pre-season in professional rugby union players

We aimed to compare differentiated training loads (TL) between fitness responders and non-responders to an eight-week pre-season training period in a squad of thirty-five professional rugby union players. Differential TL were calculated by multiplying player’s perceptions of breathlessness (sRPE-B) and leg muscle exertion (sRPE-L) with training duration for each completed session. Performance-based fitness measures included the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1 (YYIRTL1), 10-, 20-, and 30-m linear sprint times, countermovement jump height (CMJ) and predicted one-repetition maximum back squat (P1RM Squat). The proportion of responders (≥ 75% chance that the observed change in fitness was > typical error and smallest worthwhile change) were 37%, 50%, 52%, 82% and 70% for YYIRTL1, 20/30-m, 10-m, CMJ and P1RM Squat, respectively. Weekly sRPE-B-TL was very likely higher in YYIRTL1 responders (mean difference = 18%; ±90% confidence limits 11%), likely lower in 20/30-m (19%; ±20%) and 10-m (18%; ±17%) responders, and likely higher in CMJ responders (15%; ±16%). All other comparisons were unclear. Weekly sRPE-B discriminate between rugby union players who respond to pre-season training when compared with players who do not. Our findings support the collection of differential ratings of perceived exertion and the use of individual response analysis in team-sport athletes