User-modelled ambient feedback for self-regulated learning

A fundamental objective of human-computer interaction research is to make systems that are seamlessly integrated into daily life activities. Hence, the challenge is not only to make information available to people at any time, at any place, and in any form, but specifically to say the right thing at the right time in the right way. On the other hand, the proliferation of sensor technology is facilitating the scaffolding and customization of smart learning environments. This manuscript presents an ecology of resources comprising NFC, BLE and Arduino technology, orchestrated in the context of a learning environment to provide smoothly integrated feedback via ambient displays. This ecology is proposed as a suitable solution for self-regulated learning, providing support for setting goals, setting aside time to learn, tracking study time and monitoring the progress. Hereby, the ecology is described and intriguing research questions are introduced

Sirolimus and kidney growth in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease

BACKGROUND: In autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), aberrant activation of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway is associated with progressive kidney enlargement. The drug sirolimus suppresses mTOR signaling. METHODS: In this 18-month, open-label, randomized, controlled trial, we sought to determine whether sirolimus halts the growth in kidney volume among patients with ADPKD. We randomly assigned 100 patients between the ages of 18 and 40 years to receive either sirolimus (target dose, 2 mg daily) or standard care. All patients had an estimated creatinine clearance of at least 70 ml per minute. Serial magnetic resonance imaging was performed to measure the volume of polycystic kidneys. The primary outcome was total kidney volume at 18 months on blinded assessment. Secondary outcomes were the glomerular filtration rate and urinary albumin excretion rate at 18 months. RESULTS: At randomization, the median total kidney volume was 907 cm(3) (interquartile range, 577 to 1330) in the sirolimus group and 1003 cm(3) (interquartile range, 574 to 1422) in the control group. The median increase over the 18-month period was 99 cm(3) (interquartile range, 43 to 173) in the sirolimus group and 97 cm(3) (interquartile range, 37 to 181) in the control group. At 18 months, the median total kidney volume in the sirolimus group was 102% of that in the control group (95% confidence interval, 99 to 105; P=0.26). The glomerular filtration rate did not differ significantly between the two groups; however, the urinary albumin excretion rate was higher in the sirolimus group. CONCLUSIONS: In adults with ADPKD and early chronic kidney disease, 18 months of treatment with sirolimus did not halt polycystic kidney growth. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00346918.

3-D Ultrastructure of O. tauri: Electron Cryotomography of an Entire Eukaryotic Cell

The hallmark of eukaryotic cells is their segregation of key biological functions into discrete, membrane-bound organelles. Creating accurate models of their ultrastructural complexity has been difficult in part because of the limited resolution of light microscopy and the artifact-prone nature of conventional electron microscopy. Here we explored the potential of the emerging technology electron cryotomography to produce three-dimensional images of an entire eukaryotic cell in a near-native state. Ostreococcus tauri was chosen as the specimen because as a unicellular picoplankton with just one copy of each organelle, it is the smallest known eukaryote and was therefore likely to yield the highest resolution images. Whole cells were imaged at various stages of the cell cycle, yielding 3-D reconstructions of complete chloroplasts, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticula, Golgi bodies, peroxisomes, microtubules, and putative ribosome distributions in-situ. Surprisingly, the nucleus was seen to open long before mitosis, and while one microtubule (or two in some predivisional cells) was consistently present, no mitotic spindle was ever observed, prompting speculation that a single microtubule might be sufficient to segregate multiple chromosomes

Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Microspectroscopy Enables the Direct Characterization of Biomineral-Associated Organic Material on Single Calcareous Microskeletons

Biominerals are composite materials with inorganic and organic components. The latter provide insights into how organisms control mineralization and, if derived from micro/nannofossils, into past climates. Many calcifying organisms cannot be cultured or are extinct; the only materials available for their study are therefore complex environmental samples in which the organism of interest may only be a minor component. There is currently no method for characterizing the biomineral-associated organic material from single particles within such assemblages, so its compositional diversity is unknown. Focusing on coccoliths, we demonstrate that surface-enhanced Raman scattering microspectroscopy can be used to determine the origin and composition of fossil organic matter at the single-particle level in a heterogeneous micro/nannofossil assemblage. This approach may find applications in the study of micro/nannofossil assemblages and uncultivated species, providing evolutionary insights into the macromolecular repertoire involved in biomineralization

The subjective well-being of immigrants and natives during Covid-19

This study investigates the subjective well-being of immigrants and natives in the United Kingdom (UK) during the Covid-19 pandemic. A novel aspect of this research is that we exploit the quasi-experimental nature of the pandemic to analyse the potential causal impact of neighbourhood embeddedness in mitigating the adverse shock on subjective well-being. We proxy subjective well-being by life satisfaction and consider neighbourly support and psychological sense of community as indicators of neighbourhood embeddedness. The findings show that the pandemic negatively impacted the life satisfaction of immigrants more than that of natives. The analysis demonstrates that high neighbourhood embeddedness had a significant protective impact on the well-being of immigrants, whereas the opposite was observed for natives. Further analysis reveals that the adverse impact for natives can be attributed to their tendency to comply with Covid-19 social distancing rules, while the results for immigrants remain qualitatively consistent irrespective of their compliance or non-compliance behaviour. The overall findings in this research imply that community-based interventions should be aimed at balancing the promotion of social networking with adherence to health guidelines in a way that minimises well-being trade-offs during a health crisis

The inclusion of Slovak Roma pupils in secondary school: contexts of language policy and planning

The arrival of large numbers of Slovak Roma to Sheffield over a relatively short period has inserted two new languages (Slovak and Romani) into an already diverse, multilingual school environment. Schools face challenges in welcoming the new migrant children, inducting and integrating them and facilitating access to the English school curriculum. This paper draws on longitudinal ethnolinguistic research in one secondary school in Sheffield that has experienced this migration and language situation and responded in a variety of ways. Utilizing an analytical framework based upon “language-in-education planning” (LEP, [Kaplan & Baldauf, 1997, Language planning. From practice to theory. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters]) and “micro language planning” (MLP, [Liddicoat & Taylor-Leech, 2014, Micro language planning for multilingual education: Agency in local contexts. Current Issues in Language Planning, 15(3), 237–244]), the various emergent practices are examined. Findings show that the school is engaging in various “unplanned” practices to surmount the language and pedagogical issues, thus highlighting the role of MLP as a necessary part of more macro LEP processes

Antiinflammatory Therapy with Canakinumab for Atherosclerotic Disease

Background: Experimental and clinical data suggest that reducing inflammation without affecting lipid levels may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Yet, the inflammatory hypothesis of atherothrombosis has remained unproved. Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blind trial of canakinumab, a therapeutic monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-1β, involving 10,061 patients with previous myocardial infarction and a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level of 2 mg or more per liter. The trial compared three doses of canakinumab (50 mg, 150 mg, and 300 mg, administered subcutaneously every 3 months) with placebo. The primary efficacy end point was nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or cardiovascular death. RESULTS: At 48 months, the median reduction from baseline in the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level was 26 percentage points greater in the group that received the 50-mg dose of canakinumab, 37 percentage points greater in the 150-mg group, and 41 percentage points greater in the 300-mg group than in the placebo group. Canakinumab did not reduce lipid levels from baseline. At a median follow-up of 3.7 years, the incidence rate for the primary end point was 4.50 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group, 4.11 events per 100 person-years in the 50-mg group, 3.86 events per 100 person-years in the 150-mg group, and 3.90 events per 100 person-years in the 300-mg group. The hazard ratios as compared with placebo were as follows: in the 50-mg group, 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80 to 1.07; P = 0.30); in the 150-mg group, 0.85 (95% CI, 0.74 to 0.98; P = 0.021); and in the 300-mg group, 0.86 (95% CI, 0.75 to 0.99; P = 0.031). The 150-mg dose, but not the other doses, met the prespecified multiplicity-adjusted threshold for statistical significance for the primary end point and the secondary end point that additionally included hospitalization for unstable angina that led to urgent revascularization (hazard ratio vs. placebo, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.95; P = 0.005). Canakinumab was associated with a higher incidence of fatal infection than was placebo. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality (hazard ratio for all canakinumab doses vs. placebo, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.06; P = 0.31). Conclusions: Antiinflammatory therapy targeting the interleukin-1β innate immunity pathway with canakinumab at a dose of 150 mg every 3 months led to a significantly lower rate of recurrent cardiovascular events than placebo, independent of lipid-level lowering. (Funded by Novartis; CANTOS ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01327846.

Estimating the development of landrace and improved maize cultivars as a function of air temperature.

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