97 research outputs found

    MMOG Game-Based Knowledge Conversion: An Ecological View Of Mutualistic Co-Presence

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    This research-in-progress study aims to extend the research on Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) collaborative learning by theoretically exploring the role of virtual co-presence from an ecological perspective. Although a growing number of researchers has started to investigate learning behaviors of digital native in the MMOG virtual environment, the study for theoretical justification of collaborative behavior and motivational profile of players in MMOG is still under-researched. To bridge this gap, this study applies concepts from ecology, namely biological interactions, and integrates with technology-based collaborative learning streams of research to theoretically explore the patterns of knowledge conversion in MMOG. Based on existing literatures, this study proposes two constructs of co-presence based on the theory of symbiosis in the field of ecology on biological interaction to explain and predict gamers’ motivational profile and participation in knowledge conversion mode in the MMOG game-based learning, Also, this study proposes a multiple method approach (including field observation, self-reported survey and focus group interview) to test four hypotheses that advocate the research potentials of MMOG in future research

    A one-dimensional extremely covalent material: monatomic carbon linear chain

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    Polyyne and cumulene of infinite length as the typical covalent one-dimensional (1D) monatomic linear chains of carbon have been demonstrated to be metallic and semiconductor (Eg = 1.859 eV), respectively, by first-principles calculations. Comparing with single-walled carbon nanotubes, the densities are evidently low and the thermodynamic properties are similar below room temperature but much different at the high temperature range. Polyyne possesses a Young's modulus as high as 1.304 TPa, which means it is even much stiffer than carbon nanotubes and to be the superlative strong 1D material along the axial direction. The Young's modulus of cumulene is estimated to be 760.78 GPa. In addition, polyyne is predicted to be as a one-dimensional electronic material with very high mobility

    A Gentleman with Anemia and Cholestasis

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    Primary sclerosing cholangitis is a rare cause of cholestasis caused by progressive inflammation and fibrosis of both intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile ducts leading to multifocal ductal strictures. Herein, we report a case of primary sclerosing cholangitis and inflammatory bowel disease. The concomitant diagnosis of these two diseases is not typical. The management includes the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease and potential complications of primary sclerosing cholangitis, including dominant strictures of bile duct, portal hypertension, gallbladder diseases, cholangiocarcinoma, and colonoscopic surveillance

    The impact of the ClearRT™ upgrade on target motion tracking accuracy in Radixact® Synchrony® lung treatments

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    Background: The objective was to investigate the change in segmentation error of Radixact® Synchrony® lung treatment after its kV imaging system was upgraded from Generation 1 to Generation 2 in the ClearRT™ installation. Materials and methods: Radixact® Lung Synchrony® plans were created for the Model 18023 Xsight® Lung Tracking “XLT” Phantom combined with different lung target inserts with densities of 0.280, 0.500, 0.943 and 1.093 g/cc. After Radixact® Synchrony® treatment delivery using the Generation 1 and Generation 2 kV systems according to each plan, the tracking performance of the two kV systems on each density insert was compared by calculating the root mean square (RMS) error (δRMS) between the Synchrony-predicted motion in the log file and the known phantom motion and by calculating δ95%, the maximum error within a 95% probability threshold. Results: The δRMS and δ95% of Radixact® Synchrony® treatment for Gen1 kV systems deteriorated as the density of the target insert decreased, from 1.673 ± 0.064 mm and 3.049 ± 0.089 mm, respectively, for the 1.093 g/cc insert to 8.355 ± 5.873 mm and 15.297 ± 10.470 mm, respectively, for the 0.280 g/cc insert. In contrast, no such trend was observed in the δRMS or δ95% of Synchrony® treatment using the Gen2 kV system. The δRMS and δ95%, respectively, fluctuated slightly from 1.586 to 1.687 mm and from 2.874 to 2.971 mm when different target inserts were tracked by the Gen2 kV system. Conclusion: With improved image contrast in kV radiographs, the Gen2 kV imaging system can enhance the ability to track targets accurately in Radixact® Lung Synchrony® treatment and reduce the segmentation error. Our study showed that lung targets with density values as low as 0.280 cc/g could be tracked correctly in Synchrony treatment with the Gen2 kV imaging system

    Disparities of time trends and birth cohort effects on invasive breast cancer incidence in Shanghai and Hong Kong pre- and post-menopausal women

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    © 2017 The Author(s). Background: Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer morbidity among Shanghai and Hong Kong women, which contributes to 20-25% of new female cancer incidents. This study aimed to describe the temporal trend of breast cancer and interpret the potential effects on the observed secular trends. Methods: Cancer incident data were obtained from the cancer registries. Age-standardized incidence rate was computed by the direct method using the World population of 2000. Average annual percentage change (AAPC) in incidence rate was estimated by the Joinpoint regression. Age, period and cohort effects were assessed by using a log-linear model with Poisson regression. Results: During 1976-2009, an increasing trend of breast cancer incidence was observed, with an AAPC of 1.73 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.54-1.92)] for women in Hong Kong and 2.83 (95% CI, 2.26-3.40) in Shanghai. Greater upward trends were revealed in Shanghai women aged 50 years old or above (AAPC = 3.09; 95% CI, 1.48-4.73). Using age at 50 years old as cut-point, strong birth cohort effects were shown in both pre- and post-menopausal women, though a more remarkable effect was suggested in Shanghai post-menopausal women. No evidence for a period effect was indicated. Conclusions: Incidence rate of breast cancer has been more speedy in Shanghai post-menopausal women than that of the Hong Kong women over the past 30 years. Decreased birth rate and increasing environmental exposures (e.g., light-at-night) over successive generations may have constituted major impacts on the birth cohort effects, especially for the post-menopausal breast cancer; further analytic studies are warranted.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex

    A Brief Mindfulness-Based Family Psychoeducation Intervention for Chinese Young Adults With First Episode Psychosis: A Study Protocol

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    Family psychoeducation (FPE) has been recommended as a major component in the treatment of psychosis. Many previous studies have implemented an intensive program design that often only emphasized improvements in patients’ illness outcomes but the benefits for caregivers were limited. There have been calls for a time-limited but cost-effective FPE program to mitigate the looming reality of the suffering of people with psychosis and their families. A Brief Mindfulness-Based Family Psychoeducation for psychosis program is developed to reduce caregivers’ burden and promote young adult’s recovery. A randomized controlled trial will be conducted to compare this intervention with an ordinary FPE intervention. Both arms will involve six sessions, with a total contact time of 12 h. 300 caregivers of young adults who have experienced first episode psychosis within last 3 years will be recruited. Program effectiveness will be assessed by comparing outcomes measuring the caregivers’ burden, mental health symptoms, positive well-being, and the young adult’s mental health symptoms during the study and at 9-month post-randomization. The role of expressed emotions, interpersonal mindfulness, and non-attachment in mediating these outcomes will be explored. An additional qualitative approach Photovoice is selected to explore the complex family experiences and the benefits of mindfulness from the caregivers’ personal perspectives.Trial Registration: The trial is registered with the United States Clinical Trials Registry (ClinicalTrials.gov): NCT03688009

    Interest-driven creator theory: towards a theory of learning design for Asia in the twenty-first century

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    Asian education is known for its examination-driven orientation, with the downsides of distorting the processes of learning and teaching, diminishing students’ interest in learning, and failing to nurture twenty-first century competencies among students. As a group of Asian researchers, we have been developing Interest-Driven Creator (IDC) Theory, a design theory based on three anchored concepts, namely interest, creation, and habit. Each of these anchored concepts is represented by a loop composed of three components. In the interest loop, the three components are triggering, immersing, and extending. The components of the creation loop are imitating, combining, and staging. The habit loop consists of cuing environment, routine, and harmony. These three loops are interconnected in various ways, with their characteristics revealed by the design process. We hypothesize that technology-supported learning activities that are designed with reference to IDC Theory will enable students to develop interest in learning, be immersed in the creation process, and, by repeating this process in their daily routines, strengthen habits of creation. Furthermore, students will excel in learning performance, develop twenty-first century competencies, and become lifelong interest-driven creators. To sharpen our understanding and further the development of the theory, we need more discussion and collaborative efforts in the community. Hypotheses arising from this theory can be tested, revised, or refined by setting up and investigating IDC Theory-based experimental sites. By disseminating the framework, foundations, and practices to the various countries and regions of Asia, we hope that it will bring about compelling examples and hence a form of quality education for the twenty-first century, which is an alternative to the examination-driven education system. In this paper, we present an overall introduction to IDC Theory and its history, and discuss some of the steps for advancing it in the future

    CD9 shapes glucocorticoid sensitivity in pediatric B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia

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    Resistance to glucocorticoids (GCs), the common agents for remission induction in pediatric B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL), poses a significant therapeutic hurdle. Therefore, dissecting the mechanisms shaping GC resistance could lead to new treatment modalities. Here, we showed that CD9- BCP-ALL cells were preferentially resistant to prednisone and dexamethasone over other standard cytotoxic agents. Concordantly, we identified significantly more poor responders to the prednisone prephase among BCP-ALL patients with a CD9- phenotype, especially for those with adverse presenting features including older age, higher white cell count and BCR-ABL1. Furthermore, gain- and loss-of-function experiments dictated a definitive functional linkage between CD9 expression and GC susceptibility, as demonstrated by the reversal and acquisition of relative GC resistance in CD9low and CD9high BCP-ALL cells, respectively. Despite physical binding to the GC receptor NR3C1, CD9 did not alter its expression, phosphorylation or nuclear translocation but potentiated the induction of GC-responsive genes in GCresistant cells. Importantly, the MEK inhibitor trametinib exhibited higher synergy with GCs against CD9- than CD9+ lymphoblasts to reverse drug resistance in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, our results elucidate a previously unrecognized regulatory function of CD9 in GC sensitivity, and inform new strategies for management of children with resistant BCP-ALL

    Polymethacrylates.Material Selection For Medical Applications:Requirements For Several Kinds of Medical Applications

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    This chapter reviews several cases of methacrylate-based polymers used for medical applications. The main chemicals and fillers used for elaborating biomaterials are presented, together with the main synthesis reactions. Their properties are recalled and discussed using the well-established structure-properties relationships of polymer physicochemistry. Last, the main degradation mechanisms are recalled, together with their consequences on the engineering properties of polymethacrylates, in order to predict the long-term in vivo behavior of such complex materials

    Knowledge Conversion in Massive Peers: A Preliminary Study on Mutualistic Co-Presence

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    This study aims to investigate massive peers, which is an unique characteristics of Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG), and to empirically explore its role on knowledge conversion driven by different types of motivations from an ecological perspective. A number of researchers had investigated learning behaviors in the MMOG virtual environment, however, theoretical justifications of collaborative learning and helping behaviors among massive peers is still under-researched. To bridge this gap, this study proposes two new constructs of mutualistic co-presence based on the theory of symbiosis in the field of ecology, and integrates with technology-based collaborative learning streams of research to theoretically explore the patterns of knowledge conversion in MMOG. PLS analyses on a preliminary data of 87 MMOG participants show that there are strong correlations between different motivation profiles and knowledge conversions
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