A short history off-line

Emerging technologies for learning report - Article exploring the history of ICT in education and the lessons we can learn from the pas

A Survey of the Prior Programming Experience of Undergraduate Computing and Engineering Students in Ireland

It has become apparent that increasing numbers of students arriving into undergraduate computing and engineering degree programmes in Irish 3rd-level institutions have prior experience of computer programming. As the extent of this prior exposure as well as its nature, origins, and usefulness is not known beyond anecdotal evidence, an annual survey of prior programming experience of freshman undergraduates who study programming as part of their degree has been designed and administered. This paper reports on the first two years of this survey in 2015 and 2016. It found that around one third had some prior experience of programming with nearly half of that group reporting a reasonable level of fluency in one or more languages. The authors expect that the effect of proposed changes to primary and 2nd-level curricula alongside the increasing popularity of informal programming clubs will be increasingly felt in coming years and therefore plan to continue and extend the survey in order to clarify the effect of such developments. The results should be of interest to 3rd-level educators in the planning of curriculum and teaching practice

A decade of TeachMeet: an Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis of participants’ tales of impact

TeachMeet is an emerging informal professional development event organised by teachers for teachers, commonly described as an unconference. It is a volunteer-led global phenomenon without any established hierarchy.   To celebrate the first ten years of TeachMeet, the  founders announced an open call for particpants to submit, online, their stories of impact. The resulting submissions were subjected to an Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) capitalizing on the ‘double hermeneutic’ lens of the experience of researchers whose positionality is that of informed insiders. Findings reveal the categories in which the lived experience reported by participants shows the impact of TeachMeet: ranging from appreciative description of the event they attended to reflective confessions of life-enhancing transformation in their personal and professional lives, their classrooms and the wider teaching community. These finding are examined in the light of how they align with several models of evaluation of teacher learning (Guskey 1998, Kennedy 2005, Kirkpatrick 2006, Desimone 2011, Wenger, Trayner and deLatt 2011), and what they indicate about where evolving TeachMeet communities and networks may be situated in an informal learning landscape.Amond, M.; Johnston, K.; Millwood, R.; Mcintosh, E. (2020). A decade of TeachMeet: an Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis of participants’ tales of impact. En 6th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd'20). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. (30-05-2020):483-491. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAd20.2020.11089OCS48349130-05-202

Undergraduate Student As Action-Researcher: Work-focused Learning

This paper describes and evaluates an approach to online supported, work-focused learning where undergraduate students operate as action-researchers; planning and implementing action for improvement in their workplace as a basis for award-bearing credit in higher education. A model is proposed for a meaningful, ongoing tripartite relationship between the Higher Education Institution, learner and small and medium enterprises that is viable. The way the design enables the learner to develop their "higher level skills that embody the essence of higher education" (Willis, 2008) is an important issue if the ideas and approach are to be widely adopted. The paper outlines the curriculum design and the nature of the students work-focused inquiries. Data from final year research reports was analysed to identify the characteristics of the projects undertaken by students uncovering 'who they have become'. Challenges and issues of the approach are discussed

Assessing the bioconfinement potential of a Nicotiana hybrid platform for use in plant molecular farming applications

Background The introduction of pharmaceutical traits in tobacco for commercial production could benefit from the utilization of a transgene bioconfinement system. It has been observed that interspecific F1Nicotiana hybrids (Nicotiana tabacum × Nicotiana glauca) are sterile and thus proposed that hybrids could be suitable bioconfined hosts for biomanufacturing. We genetically tagged hybrids with green fluorescent protein (GFP), which was used as a visual marker to enable gene flow tracking and quantification for field and greenhouse studies. GFP was used as a useful proxy for pharmaceutical transgenes. Results Analysis of DNA content revealed significant genomic downsizing of the hybrid relative to that of N. tabacum. Hybrid pollen was capable of germination in vitro, albeit with a very low frequency and with significant differences between plants. In two field experiments, one each in Tennessee and Kentucky, we detected outcrossing at only one location (Tennessee) at 1.4%. Additionally, from 50 hybrid plants at each field site, formation of 84 and 16 seed was observed, respectively. Similar conclusions about hybrid fertility were drawn from greenhouse crosses. In terms of above-ground biomass, the hybrid yield was not significantly different than that of N. tabacum in the field. Conclusion N. tabacum × N. glauca hybrids show potential to contribute to a bioconfinement- and biomanufacturing host system. Hybrids exhibit extremely low fertility with no difference of green biomass yields relative to N. tabacum. In addition, hybrids are morphologically distinguishable from tobacco allowing for identity preservation. This hybrid system for biomanufacturing would optimally be used where N. glauca is not present and in physical isolation of N. tabacum production to provide total bioconfinement

An orange fluorescent protein tagging system for real-time pollen tracking

BACKGROUND: Monitoring gene flow could be important for future transgenic crops, such as those producing plant-made-pharmaceuticals (PMPs) in open field production. A Nicotiana hybrid (Nicotiana. tabacum x Nicotiana glauca) shows limited male fertility and could be used as a bioconfined PMP platform. Effective assessment of gene flow from these plants is augmented with methods that utilize fluorescent proteins for transgenic pollen identification. RESULTS: We report the generation of a pollen tagging system utilizing an orange fluorescent protein to monitor pollen flow and as a visual assessment of transgene zygosity of the parent plant. This system was created to generate a tagged Nicotiana hybrid that could be used for the incidence of gene flow. Nicotiana tabacum \u27TN 90\u27 and Nicotiana glauca were successfully transformed via Agrobacterium tumefaciens to express the orange fluorescent protein gene, tdTomato-ER, in pollen and a green fluorescent protein gene, mgfp5-er, was expressed in vegetative structures of the plant. Hybrids were created that utilized the fluorescent proteins as a research tool for monitoring pollen movement and gene flow. Manual greenhouse crosses were used to assess hybrid sexual compatibility with N. tabacum, resulting in seed formation from hybrid pollination in 2% of crosses, which yielded non-viable seed. Pollen transfer to the hybrid formed seed in 19% of crosses and 10 out of 12 viable progeny showed GFP expression. CONCLUSION: The orange fluorescent protein is visible when expressed in the pollen of N. glauca, N. tabacum, and the Nicotiana hybrid, although hybrid pollen did not appear as bright as the parent lines. The hybrid plants, which show limited ability to outcross, could provide bioconfinement with the benefit of detectable pollen using this system. Fluorescent protein-tagging could be a valuable tool for breeding and in vivo ecological monitoring

Helicobacter pylori multiplex serology and risk of non-cardia and cardia gastric cancer : a case-cohort study and meta-analysis

Background Helicobacter pylori infection is a major cause of non-cardia gastric cancer (NCGC), but uncertainty remains about the associations between sero-positivity to different H. pylori antigens and risk of NCGC and cardia gastric cancer (CGC) in different populations. Methods A case-cohort study in China included ∼500 each of incident NCGC and CGC cases and ∼2000 subcohort participants. Sero-positivity to 12 H. pylori antigens was measured in baseline plasma samples using a multiplex assay. Hazard ratios (HRs) of NCGC and CGC for each marker were estimated using Cox regression. These were further meta-analysed with studies using same assay. Results In the subcohort, sero-positivity for 12 H. pylori antigens varied from 11.4% (HpaA) to 70.8% (CagA). Overall, 10 antigens showed significant associations with risk of NCGC (adjusted HRs: 1.33 to 4.15), and four antigens with CGC (HRs: 1.50 to 2.34). After simultaneous adjustment for other antigens, positive associations remained significant for NCGC (CagA, HP1564, HP0305) and CGC (CagA, HP1564, HyuA). Compared with CagA sero-positive only individuals, those who were positive for all three antigens had an adjusted HR of 5.59 (95% CI 4.68–6.66) for NCGC and 2.17 (95% CI 1.54–3.05) for CGC. In the meta-analysis of NCGC, the pooled relative risk for CagA was 2.96 (95% CI 2.58–3.41) [Europeans: 5.32 (95% CI 4.05–6.99); Asians: 2.41 (95% CI 2.05–2.83); Pheterogeneity<0.0001]. Similar pronounced population differences were also evident for GroEL, HP1564, HcpC and HP0305. In meta-analyses of CGC, two antigens (CagA, HP1564) were significantly associated with a higher risk in Asians but not Europeans. Conclusions Sero-positivity to several H. pylori antigens was significantly associated with an increased risk of NCGC and CGC, with varying effects between Asian and European populations

Lipids, Lipoproteins, and Metabolites and Risk of Myocardial Infarction and Stroke

Background Blood lipids are established risk factors for myocardial infarction (MI), but uncertainty persists about the relevance of lipids, lipoprotein particles, and circulating metabolites for MI and stroke subtypes. Objectives This study sought to investigate the associations of plasma metabolic markers with risks of incident MI, ischemic stroke (IS), and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Methods In a nested case-control study (912 MI, 1,146 IS, and 1,138 ICH cases, and 1,466 common control subjects) 30 to 79 years of age in China Kadoorie Biobank, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy measured 225 metabolic markers in baseline plasma samples. Logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for a 1-SD higher metabolic marker. Results Very low-, intermediate-, and low-density lipoprotein particles were positively associated with MI and IS. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles were inversely associated with MI apart from small HDL. In contrast, no lipoprotein particles were associated with ICH. Cholesterol in large HDL was inversely associated with MI and IS (OR: 0.79 and 0.88, respectively), whereas cholesterol in small HDL was not (OR: 0.99 and 1.06, respectively). Triglycerides within all lipoproteins, including most HDL particles, were positively associated with MI, with a similar pattern for IS. Glycoprotein acetyls, ketone bodies, glucose, and docosahexaenoic acid were associated with all 3 diseases. The 225 metabolic markers showed concordant associations between MI and IS, but not with ICH. Conclusions Lipoproteins and lipids showed similar associations with MI and IS, but not with ICH. Within HDL particles, cholesterol concentrations were inversely associated, whereas triglyceride concentrations were positively associated with MI. Glycoprotein acetyls and several non–lipid-related metabolites associated with all 3 diseases.published versionpeerReviewe