Academic literacies in the digital university

Academic Literacies is an international field of study concerned with literacies and learning in tertiary education. Some recent work in this field has focused on online and elearning environments. In our book of 2007 (Goodfellow & Lea 2007) we used an academic literacies perspective to critique what we see as the focus in much elearning practice on the 'management of learning' at the expense of disciplinary pedagogies. We argued for attention to be paid to the centrality of texts, however mediated, in the construction of knowledge and the practices of learning. Our current focus on the 'digital' extends this critique to engage with three major discourses of technology currently constructing the 'digital age' in relation to education. The first is the metaphor of the 'digital native' or 'net generation'. The second is the discourse of 'Learning 2.0, the third is the trope of the 'unbundled university'. We conclude that we need to pay much more attention to textual practice around learning and scholarship,and that, as researchers and scholars, we need to work for the reconciliation of new discourses of the digital with the continuing development of critical pedagogical and social practice in the academy and the public sphere

Structural Studies of the Corneal Stroma

The corneal stroma is an unusual connective tissue in that it is transparent to visible light and that it can swell to many times its original weight when placed in salt solution with a consequent loss in transparency with swelling. The stroma consists of lamellae of parallel collagen fibrils, of uniform diameter, embedded in a ground substance. It also contains glycosaminoglycans which are negatively charged at physiological pH. The organisation of the collagen fibrils and their relationship to the glycosaminoglycans are important when considering both the transparency and the ability to swell of the fresh tissue and the reason for the loss in transparency on swelling. Experiments were undertaken to study changes in the stroma which take place on swelling as a function of the pH and~he ionic strength of the bathing solution. Initially, the total water content per unit dry weight is studied as a function of the bathing solution and the time of dwelling. Low-angle x-ray diffraction techniques are used to monitor the centre-to-centre distance between the collagen fibrils (the interfilament spacing) as a function of hydration as well as the reflections due to the packing of the tropocollagen molecules from which the fibrils are formed. Thirdly, the fixed charge concentration due to the polyelectrolytes in the stroma is calculated from microelectrode measurements of the potential difference which exists between the stroma and the bathing solution. Fourthly; the absorbance of the stroma to visible light is measured as a function of hydration in various solutions. The results of these four different techniques indicate the importance of the fixed charge on the corneal macromolecules. This fixed charge must give rise to an unequal distribution of permeant ions between the stroma and the bathing solution which leads to a Donnan, osmotic, pressure. This Donnan pressure appears to be the main cause of swelling. Measurement of the fixed charge from the potential difference which also arises from the unequal distribution of permeant ions, shows similar behaviour with pH and ionic strength to that estimated from the swelling results. This dependence is also similar to the behaviour expected from polyelectrolyte gel theory. The value of the interfilament spacing, for a given hydration, is shown to depend on the pH of the bathing solution so that more fluid goes into the lattice of fibrils with some solutions that with others. The water not going into the lattice may be in the form of 'lakes' as suggested by Benedek (1971). The reflections from the packing of tropocollagen molecules along the fibrils are unusual in that, although they index on a repeat of around 66nm, the first order reflection is absent. The Patterson function from such a x-ray pattern is calculated and compared with that from scleral collagen which shows the first order reflections. Finally, the transmission of light by the stroma is shown to decrease linearly with increasing hydration, the rate of decrease being dependent on the pH of the bathing solution. Correlations between the rate of loss of transmission and the rate of swelling as well as between the percentage water in 'lakes' with the transmission of the stroma are discussed

Reclaiming literacies: competing textual practices in a digital higher education

This essay examines the implications of the ubiquitous use of the term ‘digital literacies’ in higher education and its increasing alignment with institutional and organisational imperatives. It suggests that the term has been stripped of its provenance and association with disciplinary knowledge production and textual practice. Instead it is called into service rhetorically in order to promote competency based agendas both in and outside the academy. The piece also points to a tendency to position teachers in deficit with regard to their technological capabilities and pay scant attention to their own disciplinary and scholarly practices in a digital world. It concludes that there is a case for building on established theoretical and conceptual frameworks from literacy studies if we wish to integrate advantages of the digital landscape with thoughtful teaching practice

MSH6 and PMS2 mutation positive Australian Lynch syndrome families: novel mutations, cancer risk and age of diagnosis of colorectal cancer

Background: Approximately 10% of Lynch syndrome families have a mutation in MSH6 and fewer families have a mutation in PMS2. It is assumed that the cancer incidence is the same in families with mutations in MSH6 as in families with mutations in MLH1/MSH2 but that the disease tends to occur later in life, little is known about families with PMS2 mutations. This study reports on our findings on mutation type, cancer risk and age of diagnosis in MSH6 and PMS2 families. Methods: A total of 78 participants (from 29 families) with a mutation in MSH6 and 7 participants (from 6 families) with a mutation in PMS2 were included in the current study. A database of de-identified patient information was analysed to extract all relevant information such as mutation type, cancer incidence, age of diagnosis and cancer type in this Lynch syndrome cohort. Cumulative lifetime risk was calculated utilising Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Results: MSH6 and PMS2 mutations represent 10.3% and 1.9%, respectively, of the pathogenic mutations in our Australian Lynch syndrome families. We identified 26 different MSH6 and 4 different PMS2 mutations in the 35 families studied. We report 15 novel MSH6 and 1 novel PMS2 mutations. The estimated cumulative risk of CRC at age 70 years was 61% (similar in males and females) and 65% for endometrial cancer in MSH6 mutation carriers. The risk of developing CRC is different between males and females at age 50 years, which is 34% for males and 21% for females. Conclusion: Novel MSH6 and PMS2 mutations are being reported and submitted to the current databases for identified Lynch syndrome mutations. Our data provides additional information to add to the genotype-phenotype spectrum for both MSH6 and PMS2 mutations

Hypertension and type 2 diabetes: What family physicians can do to improve control of blood pressure - an observational study

Background: The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is rising, and most of these patients also have hypertension, substantially increasing the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The majority of these patients do not reach target blood pressure levels for a wide variety of reasons. When a literature review provided no clear focus for action when patients are not at target, we initiated a study to identify characteristics of patients and providers associated with achieving target BP levels in community-based practice. Methods: We conducted a practice- based, cross-sectional observational and mailed survey study. The setting was the practices of 27 family physicians and nurse practitioners in 3 eastern provinces in Canada. The participants were all patients with type 2 diabetes who could understand English, were able to give consent, and would be available for follow-up for more than one year. Data were collected from each patient’s medical record and from each patient and physician/nurse practitioner by mailed survey. Our main outcome measures were overall blood pressure at target (< 130/80), systolic blood pressure at target, and diastolic blood pressure at target. Analysis included initial descriptive statistics, logistic regression models, and multivariate regression using hierarchical nonlinear modeling (HNLM). Results: Fifty-four percent were at target for both systolic and diastolic pressures. Sixty-two percent were at systolic target, and 79% were at diastolic target. Patients who reported eating food low in salt had higher odds of reaching target blood pressure. Similarly, patients reporting low adherence to their medication regimen had lower odds of reaching target blood pressure. Conclusions: When primary care health professionals are dealing with blood pressures above target in a patient with type 2 diabetes, they should pay particular attention to two factors. They should inquire about dietary salt intake, strongly emphasize the importance of reduction, and refer for detailed counseling if necessary. Similarly, they should inquire about adherence to the medication regimen, and employ a variety of patient-oriented strategies to improve adherence

Resurgence of Ebola Virus Disease in Guinea Linked to a Survivor With Virus Persistence in Seminal Fluid for More Than 500 Days.

We report on an Ebola virus disease (EVD) survivor who showed Ebola virus in seminal fluid 531 days after onset of disease. The persisting virus was sexually transmitted in February 2016, about 470 days after onset of symptoms, and caused a new cluster of EVD in Guinea and Liberia

Evaluating the Effects of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Mutation D614G on Transmissibility and Pathogenicity.

Global dispersal and increasing frequency of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein variant D614G are suggestive of a selective advantage but may also be due to a random founder effect. We investigate the hypothesis for positive selection of spike D614G in the United Kingdom using more than 25,000 whole genome SARS-CoV-2 sequences. Despite the availability of a large dataset, well represented by both spike 614 variants, not all approaches showed a conclusive signal of positive selection. Population genetic analysis indicates that 614G increases in frequency relative to 614D in a manner consistent with a selective advantage. We do not find any indication that patients infected with the spike 614G variant have higher COVID-19 mortality or clinical severity, but 614G is associated with higher viral load and younger age of patients. Significant differences in growth and size of 614G phylogenetic clusters indicate a need for continued study of this variant