Hidden in plain sight:low-literacy adults in a developed country overcoming social and educational challenges through mobile learning support tools

Illiteracy is often associated with people in developing countries. However, an estimated 50 % of adults in a developed country such as Canada lack the literacy skills required to cope with the challenges of today's society; for them, tasks such as reading, understanding, basic arithmetic, and using everyday items are a challenge. Many community-based organizations offer resources and support for these adults, yet overall functional literacy rates are not improving. This is due to a wide range of factors, such as poor retention of adult learners in literacy programs, obstacles in transferring the acquired skills from the classroom to the real life, personal attitudes toward learning, and the stigma of functional illiteracy. In our research we examined the opportunities afforded by personal mobile devices in providing learning and functional support to low-literacy adults. We present the findings of an exploratory study aimed at investigating the reception and adoption of a technological solution for adult learners. ALEX© is a mobile application designed for use both in the classroom and in daily life in order to help low-literacy adults become increasingly literate and independent. Such a solution complements literacy programs by increasing users' motivation and interest in learning, and raising their confidence levels both in their education pursuits and in facing the challenges of their daily lives. We also reflect on the challenges we faced in designing and conducting our research with two user groups (adults enrolled in literacy classes and in an essential skills program) and contrast the educational impact and attitudes toward such technology between these. Our conclusions present the lessons learned from our evaluations and the impact of the studies' specific challenges on the outcome and uptake of such mobile assistive technologies in providing practical support to low-literacy adults in conjunction with literacy and essential skills training

Summer

This study analyzes short vlogs posted to YouTube in order to investigate how women and men communicate using vlogs and react as viewers to vlogs. Vlogs are visual texts that are usergenerated. Analyzing online videos presents a new challenge for researchers: traditionally, analysis of visual media and communication focused on either the production or the reception of the material. Our vlog study uses a dual analytical approach to analyze both production and reception, while conducting content, visual and audience analysis, thus making a contribution to the field of new visual media and communication. ______________________________________________________________________________ Heather Molyneaux is an analyst in the People-Centred Technologies group at the National Research Council Institute for Information Technology. Correspondence to: NRC Institute for Information 2 Producing and sharing user-generated video, known as "video blogging," has recently become popular with millions of people. Video blogs, also known as "vlogs," are blogs created in video rather than textual form. Vlogs are a form of online publishing, allowing everyone with web access and simple video production tools -such as a computer and a webcam or a cell phone with video capabilities -to create and post content. Most vlogs are authored by individuals and focus on personal themes . Like blogs, vlogs are a user-generated form of online communication that serve as media for social commentary, alternative newscasts, creative outlets or personal online diaries. We chose YouTube as an obvious source of online videos and a potential user community. YouTube is currently the most popular online video website and hosts more videos than rival video sites This study analyzes short vlogs posted to YouTube in order to investigate how and why people communicate using vlogs, and how viewers react to vlogs. In particular we examine potential uses of user-generated video for women, and how women are creating vlogs and using YouTube. Analyzing online videos presents a new challenge for researchers: traditionally, analysis of visual media and communication focused on either the production or the reception by different actors. Our study's dual analytical approach thus makes a useful contribution to the field of new visual media and communication. Our initial findings reveal gender differences in both vlog creation and YouTube use. Analyzing vlogs Videos are complicated texts requiring careful analysis conducted via various methods. Even though visual analysis is complex and the results usually subjective, videos need to be examined because they are becoming increasingly important in contemporary culture. Videos can aid communication by increasing communication richness, empowering those who develop their own videos and encouraging identity formation among users. Users benefit because video channels allow them to communicate in a more natural way resembling face-to-face communication New technologies could potentially change traditional social and political hierarchies and transform the boundaries between the private and the public Navarro, 1993, Milliken et al, 2008). New technologies also create new spaces for interaction and participation. At the same time, however, such technologies serve to widen gaps to access. Marginalized or minority groups are especially vulnerable to this phenomenon. Communication technology could play a role in turning women's talk into voice but there are limitations Another concern with the visual representation of women is exploitative images that present women not as subjects but as objects for the male gaze Although intervention is difficult, socially constructed meanings are neither fixed nor unalterable User-generated video on YouTube is just beginning to be examined by scholars. Little is known about who creates these videos, why they post them and who watches them Research methodology The research methods included a content and visual analysis of vlogs on YouTube and a study of YouTube users. Content analysis enables researchers to determine, through careful observation and analysis, the major themes in media content. We conducted our content analysis to explore who is vlogging, how audiences respond to vloggers and the influence of gender on these variables. Interpretations of vlogs change according to place, time and the audience; however visual messages have dominant meanings that provide interpretive boundaries for the decoding of messages 4 We conducted a content analysis on a random sample of YouTube vlogs. At the time of the study there was no obvious category on YouTube for vlogs so we conducted an initial search on YouTube using the term "blog" which returned more than 30,000 entries available for general viewing. For our population we chose vlogs posted over a 15-day period, from October 6 to October 21, 2006. To enable comparison among potentially similar vlogs, vlogs longer than three minutes and non-English vlogs were excluded, leaving us with a population of 1,028 vlogs. Using a listing of random numbers (RAND, 2001) we randomly selected 100 numbers between 1 and 1,028 and selected the vlogs corresponding to these random numbers. The quantitative analysis conducted on this sample is accurate within a 90% confidence level and a 7.8% error level. Since we were counting number of views for each vlog, we waited one month from the time of initial posting to the coding of the video. The vlogs and the profiles of the vloggers were coded for a number of variables, including gender, age, location, audience, message, motivation, technical quality (both audio and visual), and the number of views. Cohen's Kappa for these variables averaged .85. The final aspect of the research was an audience analysis of vlogs. We collected data on the number of views of each of the vlogs within the random sample and the views and comments from the YouTube site on the four videos analyzed in greater detail. We also conducted a study of 60 participants who were YouTube users. These participants were recruited from a university in Atlantic Canada. The study was designed to include an equal number of males (30) and females (30). Participants viewed the four vlogs described above, in a random order presented in their questionnaire. The study participants completed a paper questionnaire comprised of demographic questions and a section for feedback on the video blogs. Participation took approximately 45 minutes and participants were given a $10 honorarium. Research findings and discussion Our research findings are presented according to the three different methodological and analytical approaches we used, described above. The results of the content analysis conducted on the random sample of our population and the findings from the visual analysis of four vlogs and audience analysis are discussed. Content analysis -the vloggers A content analysis of the characteristics of vloggers in our random sample revealed that the majority of vlogs featured a single participant. Men posted vlogs more than women -58% to 33%; the gender of the vlogger could not be determined for the remaining 9%. When vlogs contained more than one participant, the majority of secondary participants were also male. Most vloggers, 61%, were adults ranging in age from 20 to 50 years, although about one-third, or 36%, were younger. The age of the vlogger could not be determined for 3% of the vlogs. The average age of the main vlog participant was 23 years. There was no great difference in the ages of men and women vloggers: the average age of men was 24, while the average age of women was 21. These findings are not surprising; studies done on internet use in the U.S. show that college students, who have greater access to technology, are frequent internet video users. A 5 2007 PEW internet study indicates that young adults, ages 18-29 are the most avid viewers of online video in the United States Text information posted on the user profiles occasionally differed from that stated in the actual video blog. The most popular misreported information was age. The researchers found four cases of vloggers posting on their profile a different age than they state in the video blog. In all four cases the vloggers were young women, ages 12, 14, 15 and 15, who reported their age in their profile as older than their actual age -86, 22, 20 and 46. Content analysis -the vlogs For our analysis we coded each vlog into one of five categories that we created: personal, public, entertainment, YouTube, and technology. The categorization was based on the message of the video. Personal vlogs offer viewers introductions to the vloggers' personal lives, provide updates on their lives, or act as home movies. Public vlogs report or discuss the news or politics, or offer social commentary. Entertainment vlogs consist of comedy routines, musical numbers, acted skits or dancing or a combination of these elements. YouTube vlogs are videos where people either ask questions for others to answer, respond to questions asked by other vloggers, or discuss other vlogs on YouTube. Technology vlogs either discuss technology or test out equipment. Herring, et al, note in their study of blogs that more bloggers discussed personal matters than any other category Content analysis -image and audio quality The quality of the vlog did not differ by the gender of the vlogger. When coding for quality the researchers took a basic approach, coding for three categories (excellent, acceptable and poor) for the quality of the image and sound. Men and women vloggers scored very similar ratings across the board. The videos created by women vloggers had slightly better image quality, and slightly poorer sound quality than those created by men

Early structural and functional defects in synapses and myelinated axons in stratum lacunosum moleculare in two preclinical models for tauopaty

The stratum lacunosum moleculare (SLM) is the connection hub between entorhinal cortex and hippocampus, two brain regions that are most vulnerable in Alzheimer’s disease. We recently identified a specific synaptic deficit of Nectin-3 in transgenic models for tauopathy. Here we defined cognitive impairment and electrophysiological problems in the SLM of Tau.P301L mice, which corroborated the structural defects in synapses and dendritic spines. Reduced diffusion of DiI from the ERC to the hippocampus indicated defective myelinated axonal pathways. Ultrastructurally, myelinated axons in the temporoammonic pathway (TA) that connects ERC to CA1 were damaged in Tau.P301L mice at young age. Unexpectedly, the myelin defects were even more severe in bigenic biGT mice that co-express GSK3β with Tau.P301L in neurons. Combined, our data demonstrate that neuronal expression of protein Tau profoundly affected the functional and structural organization of the entorhinal-hippocampal complex, in particular synapses and myelinated axons in the SLM. White matter pathology deserves further attention in patients suffering from tauopathy and Alzheimer’s disease

Multiorgan MRI findings after hospitalisation with COVID-19 in the UK (C-MORE): a prospective, multicentre, observational cohort study

Introduction: The multiorgan impact of moderate to severe coronavirus infections in the post-acute phase is still poorly understood. We aimed to evaluate the excess burden of multiorgan abnormalities after hospitalisation with COVID-19, evaluate their determinants, and explore associations with patient-related outcome measures. Methods: In a prospective, UK-wide, multicentre MRI follow-up study (C-MORE), adults (aged ≥18 years) discharged from hospital following COVID-19 who were included in Tier 2 of the Post-hospitalisation COVID-19 study (PHOSP-COVID) and contemporary controls with no evidence of previous COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid antibody negative) underwent multiorgan MRI (lungs, heart, brain, liver, and kidneys) with quantitative and qualitative assessment of images and clinical adjudication when relevant. Individuals with end-stage renal failure or contraindications to MRI were excluded. Participants also underwent detailed recording of symptoms, and physiological and biochemical tests. The primary outcome was the excess burden of multiorgan abnormalities (two or more organs) relative to controls, with further adjustments for potential confounders. The C-MORE study is ongoing and is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04510025. Findings: Of 2710 participants in Tier 2 of PHOSP-COVID, 531 were recruited across 13 UK-wide C-MORE sites. After exclusions, 259 C-MORE patients (mean age 57 years [SD 12]; 158 [61%] male and 101 [39%] female) who were discharged from hospital with PCR-confirmed or clinically diagnosed COVID-19 between March 1, 2020, and Nov 1, 2021, and 52 non-COVID-19 controls from the community (mean age 49 years [SD 14]; 30 [58%] male and 22 [42%] female) were included in the analysis. Patients were assessed at a median of 5·0 months (IQR 4·2–6·3) after hospital discharge. Compared with non-COVID-19 controls, patients were older, living with more obesity, and had more comorbidities. Multiorgan abnormalities on MRI were more frequent in patients than in controls (157 [61%] of 259 vs 14 [27%] of 52; p<0·0001) and independently associated with COVID-19 status (odds ratio [OR] 2·9 [95% CI 1·5–5·8]; padjusted=0·0023) after adjusting for relevant confounders. Compared with controls, patients were more likely to have MRI evidence of lung abnormalities (p=0·0001; parenchymal abnormalities), brain abnormalities (p<0·0001; more white matter hyperintensities and regional brain volume reduction), and kidney abnormalities (p=0·014; lower medullary T1 and loss of corticomedullary differentiation), whereas cardiac and liver MRI abnormalities were similar between patients and controls. Patients with multiorgan abnormalities were older (difference in mean age 7 years [95% CI 4–10]; mean age of 59·8 years [SD 11·7] with multiorgan abnormalities vs mean age of 52·8 years [11·9] without multiorgan abnormalities; p<0·0001), more likely to have three or more comorbidities (OR 2·47 [1·32–4·82]; padjusted=0·0059), and more likely to have a more severe acute infection (acute CRP >5mg/L, OR 3·55 [1·23–11·88]; padjusted=0·025) than those without multiorgan abnormalities. Presence of lung MRI abnormalities was associated with a two-fold higher risk of chest tightness, and multiorgan MRI abnormalities were associated with severe and very severe persistent physical and mental health impairment (PHOSP-COVID symptom clusters) after hospitalisation. Interpretation: After hospitalisation for COVID-19, people are at risk of multiorgan abnormalities in the medium term. Our findings emphasise the need for proactive multidisciplinary care pathways, with the potential for imaging to guide surveillance frequency and therapeutic stratification

Learning and performance support systems: personal learning record: user studies white paper

LPSS is a Learning and Performance Support System developed by the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) as a single point of success to development and training needs, and ultimately, career development and enhancement. LPSS emphasizes an individualized learning path with context aware support. Core technology development projects include: learning services network and marketplace; automated skills development and recognition; a personal learning assistant to view, update and access training; and lifetime management of learning and training records and credentials. Another research project will extend LPSS resources to make available simulation-based activities and data to specific online communities with the aim of developing new algorithms such as recommenders and analytics based on hands-on learning activities. The main objective of the NRC\u2019s LPSS program is to design, deploy, refine and commercialize an online system for improving people\u2019s learning and work performance.Le SAAR est un syst\ue8me d\u2019aide \ue0 l\u2019apprentissage et au rendement \ue9labor\ue9 par le Conseil national de recherches du Canada (CNRC) pour r\ue9pondre \ue0 tous les besoins de perfectionnement et de formation, et finalement, pour le d\ue9veloppement et l\u2019am\ue9lioration de carri\ue8re. Le SAAR mise sur l\u2019enseignement individualis\ue9 avec de l\u2019aide adapt\ue9e au contexte. Parmi les principaux projets de d\ue9veloppement technologique qui s\u2019y rattachent figurent les suivants : r\ue9seau et march\ue9 des services d\u2019apprentissage; perfectionnement et reconnaissance automatis\ue9s des comp\ue9tences; assistant en apprentissage personnel permettant de voir les formations, de les actualiser et d\u2019y acc\ue9der; gestion du dossier d\u2019apprentissage et de formation et des acquis p\ue9dagogiques de l\u2019individu durant sa vie. Un autre projet de recherche \ue9largira les ressources du SAAR en vue de mettre des activit\ue9s et des donn\ue9es reposant sur la simulation \ue0 la disposition de groupes en ligne pr\ue9cis, l\u2019objectif \ue9tant de cr\ue9er de nouveaux algorithmes comme des applications de recommandation et d\u2019analyse articul\ue9es sur les activit\ue9s d\u2019apprentissage pratiques. Le programme SAAR du CNRC a pour principal objectif de concevoir, de d\ue9ployer, de perfectionner et de commercialiser un syst\ue8me \ue9lectronique qui aidera les gens \ue0 rehausser leur performance aux \ue9tudes et au travail.Also available in French: Syst\ue8mes d'aide \ue0 l'apprentissage et au rendement: le dossier personnel d'apprentisage: livre blanc-\ue9tudes sur utilisateursNRC publication: Ye

Syst\ue8mes d'aide \ue0 l'apprentissage et au rendement: le dossier personnel d'apprentisage: livre blanc-\ue9tudes sur utilisateurs

Le SAAR est un syst\ue8me d\u2019aide \ue0 l\u2019apprentissage et au rendement \ue9labor\ue9 par le Conseil national de recherches du Canada (CNRC) pour r\ue9pondre \ue0 tous les besoins de perfectionnement et de formation, et finalement, pour le d\ue9veloppement et l\u2019am\ue9lioration de carri\ue8re. Le SAAR mise sur l\u2019enseignement individualis\ue9 avec de l\u2019aide adapt\ue9e au contexte. Parmi les principaux projets de d\ue9veloppement technologique qui s\u2019y rattachent figurent les suivants : r\ue9seau et march\ue9 des services d\u2019apprentissage; perfectionnement et reconnaissance automatis\ue9s des comp\ue9tences; assistant en apprentissage personnel permettant de voir les formations, de les actualiser et d\u2019y acc\ue9der; gestion du dossier d\u2019apprentissage et de formation et des acquis p\ue9dagogiques de l\u2019individu durant sa vie. Un autre projet de recherche \ue9largira les ressources du SAAR en vue de mettre des activit\ue9s et des donn\ue9es reposant sur la simulation \ue0 la disposition de groupes en ligne pr\ue9cis, l\u2019objectif \ue9tant de cr\ue9er de nouveaux algorithmes comme des applications de recommandation et d\u2019analyse articul\ue9es sur les activit\ue9s d\u2019apprentissage pratiques. Le programme SAAR du CNRC a pour principal objectif de concevoir, de d\ue9ployer, de perfectionner et de commercialiser un syst\ue8me \ue9lectronique qui aidera les gens \ue0 rehausser leur performance aux \ue9tudes et au travail.LPSS is a Learning and Performance Support System developed by the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) as a single point of success to development and training needs, and ultimately, career development and enhancement. LPSS emphasizes an individualized learning path with context aware support. Core technology development projects include: learning services network and marketplace; automated skills development and recognition; a personal learning assistant to view, update and access training; and lifetime management of learning and training records and credentials. Another research project will extend LPSS resources to make available simulation-based activities and data to specific online communities with the aim of developing new algorithms such as recommenders and analytics based on hands-on learning activities. The main objective of the NRC\u2019s LPSS program is to design, deploy, refine and commercialize an online system for improving people\u2019s learning and work performance.Aussi disponible en anglais: Learning and performance support systems: personal learning record: user studies white paperNRC publication: Ye

Patient Portals 2.0: The Potential for Online Video

Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

Considering the psychological experience of amputation and rehabilitation for military veterans:A systematic review and metasynthesis of qualitative research

Purpose Research highlights the differences and unique experiences of military veterans experiencing amputation compared to civilians. This review aimed to synthesise qualitative research exploring the experience of amputation and rehabilitation among existing or previous members of the military. Methods A systematic search of six databases (PsycINFO, AMED, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science and Scopus) was undertaken in March 2022. The results of 17 papers reporting 12 studies published between 2009 and 2022 were synthesised using a meta-ethnographic approach to generate new interpretations reflecting the experiences of members of the military who have experienced limb loss. Results Three themes were developed from the data: (1) Making the physical and psychological transition to life after amputation; (2) The role of the military culture in rehabilitation; and (3) The impact of relationships and the gaze of others during rehabilitation and beyond. Conclusions Military veterans with limb loss experience difficulties in navigating civilian healthcare systems and gaining appropriate support away from the military. Rehabilitation professionals, with psychological training or mentoring, involved in the care of military veterans following amputation could offer psychological support during the transition to civilian life and targeted therapies to veterans experiencing high levels of pain, and facilitate peer support programmes