The effect of geometry on three-dimensional tissue growth

Tissue formation is determined by uncountable biochemical signals between cells; in addition, physical parameters have been shown to exhibit significant effects on the level of the single cell. Beyond the cell, however, there is still no quantitative understanding of how geometry affects tissue growth, which is of much significance for bone healing and tissue engineering. In this paper, it is shown that the local growth rate of tissue formed by osteoblasts is strongly influenced by the geometrical features of channels in an artificial three-dimensional matrix. Curvature-driven effects and mechanical forces within the tissue may explain the growth patterns as demonstrated by numerical simulation and confocal laser scanning microscopy. This implies that cells within the tissue surface are able to sense and react to radii of curvature much larger than the size of the cells themselves. This has important implications towards the understanding of bone remodelling and defect healing as well as towards scaffold design in bone tissue engineering

Hard measures for soft stuff: citizenship indicators and educational policy under the Lisbon Strategy

How far is the European Union a vehicle for inclusion and empowerment of a new range of policy actors in education? This article explores the role of actors in policy formation through a case study. It examines European Union attempts since 2000 to develop indicators of ‘active citizenship’ and ‘education and training for active citizenship’. It is based on two main sources: policy documents on the development of indicators and benchmarks; and a case study of an exercise (2005-07) to develop such indicators, initiated by the European Commission’s Directorate General for Education and Culture. It shows that policy actors have attempted to take advantage of the Open Method of Coordination, often seen as a neo-liberal control mechanism, to ensure that citizenship remains on the policy agenda

A Behavioural Foundation for Natural Computing and a Programmability Test

What does it mean to claim that a physical or natural system computes? One answer, endorsed here, is that computing is about programming a system to behave in different ways. This paper offers an account of what it means for a physical system to compute based on this notion. It proposes a behavioural characterisation of computing in terms of a measure of programmability, which reflects a system's ability to react to external stimuli. The proposed measure of programmability is useful for classifying computers in terms of the apparent algorithmic complexity of their evolution in time. I make some specific proposals in this connection and discuss this approach in the context of other behavioural approaches, notably Turing's test of machine intelligence. I also anticipate possible objections and consider the applicability of these proposals to the task of relating abstract computation to nature-like computation.Comment: 37 pages, 4 figures. Based on an invited Talk at the Symposium on Natural/Unconventional Computing and its Philosophical Significance, Alan Turing World Congress 2012, Birmingham, UK. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13347-012-0095-2 Ref. glitch fixed in 2nd. version; Philosophy & Technology (special issue on History and Philosophy of Computing), Springer, 201

Research Review: Do parent ratings of infant negative emotionality and self‐regulation predict psychopathology in childhood and adolescence? A systematic review and meta‐analysis of prospective longitudinal studies

Background Identifying low‐cost and easy to implement measures of infant markers of later psychopathology may improve targeting of early intervention for prevention. Because of their early manifestation, relative stability and overlap with constructs central to affect‐based dimensions of child and adolescent psychopathology, negative emotionality and self‐regulation have been the focus of this research. We conducted a meta‐analysis of longitudinal studies examining the prospective association between infant temperament measured with parent ratings and child/adolescent psychopathology. Methods A systematic literature search for prospective longitudinal studies, which included measures of questionnaire‐assessed infant temperament (negative emotionality, self‐regulation, behavioural inhibition, surgency/extraversion, activity level) and symptoms of child or adolescent mental health (externalising, internalising) and neurodevelopmental problems (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ADHD], autism spectrum disorder [ASD]), was conducted. Standardised estimates of association were calculated and pooled in meta‐analyses. Results Twenty‐five studies (n = 28,425) met inclusion criteria. Small associations were seen between psychopathology aggregated across all domains and infant negative emotionality (r = .15; p < .001) and self‐regulation (r = −.19; p = .007). Effects were also significant but weaker for behavioural inhibition (r = .10; p = .027) and activity level (r = .08; p = .016). Surgency/extraversion was not significantly associated with psychopathology in general (r = −.04; p = .094); however, it was negatively associated with ASD (r = −.10, p = .015). Significant correlations were observed with some outcomes isomorphic with predictors, internalising problems and behavioural inhibition (r = .10; p = .013), ADHD symptoms and activity level (r = .19; p = .009). Conclusion Questionnaire‐based assessments of infant negative emotionality may have transdiagnostic potential to contribute to a risk index of later childhood psychopathology. Behavioural inhibition, surgency/extraversion and activity ratings may provide more specific predictive power. More data from prospective studies are required before the potential of self‐regulation and surgency/extraversion can be properly gauged

The semiology of changing brand image

This article considers the attempted change to the image of an established brand by studying the semiotics within the brand’s historical advertising campaigns. The use of semiotics to study the interpretation of messages is discussed, and the link between interpretation of messages and advertising effectiveness in changing brand image is explored. The authors deconstruct advertisements of a brand to provide a model containing opposing dialectics that may aid managers by highlighting alternative symbolic messages contained in advertisements. Oncwe identified, these alternative symbolic messages may be used to help change brand image and influence advertising effectiveness. Although the study focuses upon a major brand of beer, this is an industry in which there are numerous small firms, and many of those have constrained marketing budgets, and thus need to make sure that their advertising is effective. Equally, entrepreneurial marketing is not to found only in the small firm, and the case study discusses a radical and imaginative brand repositioning of a well established product

Formación docente para la implementación de la plataforma virtual Moodle como recurso didáctico en educación básica secundaria

1 recurso en línea (288 páginas) : ilustraciones color, tablas.Este estudio describe una experiencia llevada a cabo en entornos virtuales de aprendizaje Moodle, donde se planteó la utilización de la Educación Virtual como recurso didáctico educativo. A partir de un proceso de formación docente para la implementación de la plataforma virtual Moodle como recurso didáctico de enseñanza, se analizó si se presentaron cambios significativos en las competencias digitales: Pedagógica, tecnológica, comunicativa y de gestión, y a partir de ello se mejoró el desempeño pedagógico de los educadores; de igual forma se indago sobre la posibilidad de que las plataformas virtuales como Moodle puedan convertirse en una alternativa viable que pueda dar respuesta a los nuevos retos educativos relacionados con los ambientes virtuales de aprendizaje para dinamizar el proceso educativo. Como objetivo general del estudio se planteó Identificar las competencias digitales que poseen los docentes para el uso y administración de la plataforma Moodle, en el nivel de educación básica secundaria y media de la Institución Educativa Técnica de Monguí, para implementar un programa de formación encaminado a fortalecer dichas competencias. La metodología empleada en el estudio fue de tipo mixto, porque involucra aspectos cuantitativos como la medición de las variable competencias digitales desarrolladas por los docentes para el empleo de la plataforma virtual Moodle, desde el paradigma cualitativo se tuvieron en cuenta las opiniones y conceptos de los sujetos participantes en el estudio; de los resultados obtenidos se encontró que los programas de formación docente para el uso didáctico de las TIC en entornos de aprendizaje virtual como la plataforma Moodle, cuando son orientados con un modelo pedagógico activo diferente al catedrático, permiten que los educadores apropien el uso de estas tecnologías y sean gestores de proyectos que dinamizan el proceso enseñanza – aprendizaje, al brindar al estudiante la posibilidad de ser un agente participativo y por su puesto al educador ser guía y orientador en el proceso educativo.This study describes an experience carried out in Moodle virtual learning environments, where the use of Virtual Education as an educational didactic resource was proposed. From a process of teacher training for the implementation of the Moodle virtual platform as a didactic teaching resource, it was analyzed if there were significant changes in the digital competences: Pedagogical, technological, communicative and management, and from this the pedagogical performance of educators; In the same way, I inquired about the possibility that virtual platforms such as Moodle could become a viable alternative that could respond to new educational challenges related to virtual learning environments to boost the educational process. The general objective of the study was to identify the digital competences that teachers possess for the use and administration of the Moodle platform, at the level of secondary and secondary education of the Technical Educational Institution of Monguí, to implement a training program aimed at strengthen these competences The methodology used in the study was of mixed type, because it involved quantitative aspects such as the measurement of the variable digital competences developed by teachers for the use of the Moodle virtual platform, from the qualitative paradigm the opinions and concepts of the subjects participating in the study; From the results obtained it was found that the teacher training programs for the didactic use of ICT in virtual learning environments such as the Moodle platform, when they are oriented with an active pedagogical model different from the professor, allow educators to appropriate the use of these technologies and managers of projects that dynamize the teaching - learning process, giving the student the possibility of being a participative agent and of course the educator being a guide and guidance in the educational process.Bibliografía y webgrafía: páginas 196-205MaestríaMagíster en TIC Aplicadas a las Ciencias de la Educació

Designing for Online Collaborative Consumption: A Study of Sociotechnical Gaps and Social Capital

This study attempts to investigate sociotechnical gaps in online collaborative consumption (OCC) to improve user experience andprovide better design requirements. A new approach is proposed to evaluate usability and sociability of the OCC communities. The formation of social capital within OCC will also be studied to gain insights into design requirements. Due to its features as a community where OCC takes place, ETSY will be the focus of this study

An empirical study of normative dissociation in musical and non-musical everyday life experiences

Dissociative experiences involving music have received little research attention outside the field of ethnomusicology. This paper examines the psychological characteristics of normative dissociation (detachment) across musical and non-musical experiences in ‘real world’, everyday settings. It draws upon a subset of data arising from an empirical project designed to compare transformative shifts of consciousness, with and without music in daily life, and the ways in which use of music may facilitate the processes of dissociation and absorption. Twenty participants kept unstructured diaries for two weeks, recording free descriptions of involving experiences of any kind as soon as possible after their occurrence. All descriptions were subsequently subjected to Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Results suggest that dissociative experiences are a familiar occurrence in everyday life. Diary entries highlight an established practice of actively sought detachment from self, surroundings or activity, suggesting that, together with absorption, the processes of derealization (altered perception of surroundings) and depersonalization (detachment from self) constitute common means of selfregulation in daily life. Music emerges as a particularly versatile facilitator of dissociative experience because of its semantic ambiguity, portability, and the variety of ways in which it may mediate perception, so facilitating an altered relationship to self and environmen