A case study of the barriers and enablers affecting teaching staff e-learning provision

Presented at the International Conference on Information Communication Technologies in Education, 7-9 July, 2016, Rhodes Greece.The present paper reports the outputs of a focus group examining the perceived uses, enablers and barriers of utilising virtual learning environments (VLEs), amongst a small group of postgraduate teachers. Sixteen pedagogical/teaching functions were identified and were mapped to MacLean and Scott’s (2011) model of VLE elements. Whilst a number of enablers of VLE use were apparent, participants’ insights and inputs indicated a larger number of VLE barriers. It appears that the biggest barrier to overcome in using VLEs is finding the time to develop the materials and navigate the technology

Gene expression analysis of bovine embryonic disc, trophoblast and parietal hypoblast at the start of gastrulation

In cattle early gastrulation-stage embryos (Stage 5), four tissues can be discerned: (i) the top layer of the embryonic disc consisting of embryonic ectoderm (EmE); (ii) the bottom layer of the disc consisting of mesoderm, endoderm and visceral hypoblast (MEH); (iii) the trophoblast (TB); and (iv) the parietal hypoblast. We performed microsurgery followed by RNA-seq to analyse the transcriptome of these four tissues as well as a developmentally earlier pre-gastrulation embryonic disc. The cattle EmE transcriptome was similar at Stages 4 and 5, characterised by the OCT4/SOX2/NANOG pluripotency network. Expression of genes associated with primordial germ cells suggest their presence in the EmE tissue at these stages. Anterior visceral hypoblast genes were transcribed in the Stage 4 disc, but no longer by Stage 5. The Stage 5 MEH layer was equally similar to mouse embryonic and extraembryonic visceral endoderm. Our data suggest that the first mesoderm to invaginate in cattle embryos is fated to become extraembryonic. TGFβ, FGF, VEGF, PDGFA, IGF2, IHH and WNT signals and receptors were expressed, however the representative members of the FGF families differed from that seen in equivalent tissues of mouse embryos. The TB transcriptome was unique and differed significantly from that of mice. FGF signalling in the TB may be autocrine with both FGFR2 and FGF2 expressed. Our data revealed a range of potential inter-tissue interactions, highlighted significant differences in early development between mice and cattle and yielded insight into the developmental events occurring at the start of gastrulation

Metformin reverses development of pulmonary hypertension via aromatase inhibition

Females are more susceptible to pulmonary arterial hypertension than males, although the reasons remain unclear. The hypoglycemic drug, metformin, is reported to have multiple actions, including the inhibition of aromatase and stimulation of AMP-activated protein kinase. Inhibition of aromatase using anastrazole is protective in experimental pulmonary hypertension but whether metformin attenuates pulmonary hypertension through this mechanism remains unknown. We investigated whether metformin affected aromatase activity and if it could reduce the development of pulmonary hypertension in the sugen 5416/hypoxic rat model. We also investigated its influence on proliferation in human pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells. Metformin reversed right ventricular systolic pressure, right ventricular hypertrophy, and decreased pulmonary vascular remodeling in the rat. Furthermore, metformin increased rat lung AMP-activated protein kinase signaling, decreased lung and circulating estrogen levels, levels of aromatase, the estrogen metabolizing enzyme; cytochrome P450 1B1 and its transcription factor; the aryl hydrocarbon receptor. In human pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells, metformin decreased proliferation and decreased estrogen synthesis by decreasing aromatase activity through the PII promoter site of Cyp19a1. Thus, we report for the first time that metformin can reverse pulmonary hypertension through inhibition of aromatase and estrogen synthesis in a manner likely to be mediated by AMP-activated protein kinase

Vulnerability to natural disasters in a rapidly growing, affluent society, British Columbia, Canada

British Columbia is a province that experienced rapid demographic, urban and economic growth in the past few decades. It is a modern and technologically sophisticated society. Although the province possesses the knowledge and resources to combat most dangers that threaten its people and communities, these dangers continue to outstrip the precautions and safety measures in place. The reasons for this seem to lie less in the characteristics of dangers or hazards, but rather relate to socioeconomic processes and organisations that disadvantage particular people, groups and sectors of the population, or make them more vulnerable to dangers than others. This thesis is directed towards exploring this phenomenon. The main objectives of this thesis are to: (1) examine the vulnerability to natural disasters of British Columbia’s people and communities, and (2) demonstrate how socioeconomic order and processes can create or exacerbate different forms of vulnerability in some groups. These objectives are met mainly by applying existing vulnerability theories to British Columbia, including how we describe vulnerable individuals, groups and sectors, the forms of vulnerability that affect them, and the forces that contribute to them. British Columbia’s recent prosperity and growth marginalised some individuals, groups and communities, pushing them closer to the edge of the province’s social, economic and political systems. They widened social gaps and regional differentiation between Vancouver and the rest of the province, leaving some groups disadvantaged, powerless, unprotected, and/or exposed to dangers. Issues of vulnerability that pertain to peripheral resource communities include: (1) dependency on industries that are mobile, and controlled by unstable world market prices and availability of the remaining resources that they extract, (2) little to no influence on policies and organisations that affect their own interests and govern public resources, and (3) deterioration of physical landscape from resource extraction. In Vancouver, rising living costs sent people seeking accommodation elsewhere, resulting in some people living in more vulnerable locations or situations. These include: (1) homelessness and involvement in illegal activities such as prostitution and drug trafficking and use, (2) those who migrated further from work, placing them in vehicles for longer periods of time, and thus increasing exposure to road risks, (3) those who migrated to satellite and peripheral communities which in themselves are often more vulnerable, and (4) those who remained in Vancouver where higher living costs meant less resources available for other “non-essential” expenditures. Other issues contributing to vulnerability in some individuals, groups or sectors include: (1) dependencies, (2) tenancy, (3) poverty, and (4) tourists and other visitors

Long-term health outcomes after exposure to repeated concussion in elite level: rugby union players

Background: There is continuing concern about effects of concussion in athletes, including risk of the neurodegenerative disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy. However, information on long-term health and wellbeing in former athletes is limited. Method: Outcome after exposure to repeated brain injury was investigated in 52 retired male Scottish international rugby players (RIRP) and 29 male controls who were similar in age and social deprivation. Assessment included history of playing rugby and traumatic brain injury, general and mental health, life stress, concussion symptoms, cognitive function, disability and markers of chronic stress (allostatic load). Results: The estimated number of concussions in RIRP averaged 14 (median=7; IQR 5-40). Performance was poorer in RIRP than controls on a test of verbal learning (p=0.022) and of fine co-ordination of the dominant hand (p=0.038) and not significantly different on other cognitive tests (p>0.05). There were no significant associations between number of concussions and performance on cognitive tests. Other than a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease in controls, no group differences were detected in general or mental health or estimates of allostatic load. In RIRP, persisting symptoms attributed to concussion were more common if reporting more than nine concussions (p=0.028), although these symptoms were not perceived to affect social or work functioning. Conclusions: Despite a high number of concussions in RIRP, differences in mental health, social or work functioning were not found late after injury. Subtle group differences were detected on two cognitive tests, the cause of which is uncertain. Prospective group comparison studies on representative cohorts are required

Detection of solvents using a distributed fibre optic sensor

A fibre optic sensor that is capable of distributed detection of liquid solvents is presented. Sensor interrogation using optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR) provides the capability of locating solvent spills to a precision of ±2 m over a total sensor length that may extend to 20 km