Un marco teórico para la economía del e-learning

La economía del e-learning se identificó como una prioridad clave en el taller de asesoría de campus virtuales celebrado en Bruselas el 23 de noviembre de 2004. Con esta idea, el proyecto eLene-EE (Economía del e-learning) ha tratado de ampliar el conocimiento relativo a los incentivos para crear campus virtuales e iniciar métodos de enseñanza en la educación basada en las TIC y sus efectos, asegurando que esto se lleve a cabo eficazmente mientras refleja las diferentes situaciones de las universidades asociadas. Este número especial de RUSC sobre la economía del e-learning muestra el marco teórico que hemos definido y algunos de los resultados que hemos obtenido en el proyecto eLene-EE, que ha sido financiado por la Comisión Europea. Nuestros resultados tienen unas implicaciones políticas claras y ayudarán a los diseñadores, estudiantes, financieros y gestores de e-learning a crear, adaptar y mejorar sus iniciativas. El proyecto se divide en cinco paquetes de trabajo de investigación y desarrollo integrados con participantes de universidades del consorcio eLene (universidades de Suecia, Francia, España, Italia y Polonia)

Unconventional GIY-YIG homing endonuclease encoded in group I introns in closely related strains of the Bacillus cereus group

Several group I introns have been previously found in strains of the Bacillus cereus group at three different insertion sites in the nrdE gene of the essential nrdIEF operon coding for ribonucleotide reductase. Here, we identify an uncharacterized group IA intron in the nrdF gene in 12 strains of the B. cereus group and show that the pre-mRNA is efficiently spliced. The Bacillus thuringiensis ssp. pakistani nrdF intron encodes a homing endonuclease, denoted I-BthII, with an unconventional GIY-(X)8-YIG motif that cleaves an intronless nrdF gene 7 nt upstream of the intron insertion site, producing 2-nt 3′ extensions. We also found four additional occurrences of two of the previously reported group I introns in the nrdE gene of 25 sequenced B. thuringiensis and one B. cereus strains, and one non-annotated group I intron at a fourth nrdE insertion site in the B. thuringiensis ssp. Al Hakam sequenced genome. Two strains contain introns in both the nrdE and the nrdF genes. Phylogenetic studies of the nrdIEF operon from 39 strains of the B. cereus group suggest several events of horizontal gene transfer for two of the introns found in this operon

SegH and Hef: two novel homing endonucleases whose genes replace the mobC and mobE genes in several T4-related phages

T4 contains two groups of genes with similarity to homing endonucleases, the seg-genes (similarity to endonucleases encoded by group I introns) containing GIY-YIG motifs and the mob-genes (similarity to mobile endonucleases) containing H-N-H motifs. The four seg-genes characterized to date encode homing endonucleases with cleavage sites close to their respective gene loci while none of the mob-genes have been shown to cleave DNA. Of 18 phages screened, only T4 was found to have mobC while mobE genes were found in five additional phages. Interestingly, three phages encoded a seg-like gene (hereby called segH) with a GIY-YIG motif in place of mobC. An additional phage has an unrelated gene called hef (homing endonuclease-like function) in place of the mobE gene. The gene products of both novel genes displayed homing endonuclease activity with cleavage site specificity close to their respective genes. In contrast to intron encoded homing endonucleases, both SegH and Hef can cleave their own DNA as well as DNA from phages without the genes. Both segH and mobE (and most likely hef) can home between phages in mixed infections. We discuss why it might be a selective advantage for phage freestanding homing endonucleases to cleave both HEG-containing and HEG-less genomes

Пародонтопротекторное действие гексафторосиликатов 2-, 3-, 4-пиридинуксусной кислоты и 2,4-диамино-6-гидроксипиримидина у крыс

ФТОРПРЕПАРАТЫПИРИДИНУКСУСНАЯ КИСЛОТАГЕКСАФТОРОСИЛИКАТЫКАРИЕС ЗУБОВПЕРИОДОНТА БОЛЕЗНИДИСБИОЗЖИВОТНЫЕ ЛАБОРАТОРНЫЕКРЫСЫЭКСПЕРИМЕНТЫ НА ЖИВОТНЫХВ работе определяли пародонтопротекторное действие оральных аппликаций геля, содержащего гексафторосиликаты 2-пиридинуксусной кислоты (ГФС-2-ПУК), 3-пиридинуксусной кислоты (ГФС-3-ПУК), 4-пиридинуксусной кислоты (ГФС-4-ПУК) и 2,4-диамино-6-гидроксипиримидина (ГФС-ДАГП) у крыс, которых содержали на кариесогенном (высокосахарозном) рационе. Состояние десны оценивали по уровню маркеров воспаления (МДА, эластаза), микробной обсемененности (уреаза), неспецифического иммунитета (лизоцим), антиоксидантной защиты (каталаза), а также по степени дисбиоза и индекса АПИ. Результаты исследований показали, что КГР вызывает увеличение активности лизоцима и уреазы в десне, степени дисбиоза и снижение активности каталазы и индекса АПИ. Оральные аппликации гелей снижают в десне активность уреазы и содержание МДА. Таким образом, результаты изучения свойств гексафторосиликатов 2-, 3-, 4-пиридинуксусной кислоты свидетельствуют об их пародонтопротекторном действии, причем наиболее перспективным объектом дальнейшего изучения является ГФС-4-ПУК

Subunit and small-molecule interaction of ribonucleotide reductases via surface plasmon resonance biosensor analyses

Ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) synthesizes deoxyribonucleotides for DNA replication and repair and is controlled by sophisticated allosteric regulation involving differential affinity of nucleotides for regulatory sites. We have developed a robust and sensitive method for coupling biotinylated RNRs to surface plasmon resonance streptavidin biosensor chips via a 30.5 Å linker. In comprehensive studies on three RNRs effector nucleotides strengthened holoenzyme interactions, whereas substrate had no effect on subunit interactions. The RNRs differed in their response to the negative allosteric effector dATP that binds to an ATP-cone domain. A tight RNR complex was formed in Escherichia coli class Ia RNR with a functional ATP cone. No strengthening of subunit interactions was observed in the class Ib RNR from the human pathogen Bacillus anthracis that lacks the ATP cone. A moderate strengthening was seen in the atypical Aeromonas hydrophila phage 1 class Ia RNR that has a split catalytic subunit and a non-functional ATP cone with remnant dATP-mediated regulatory features. We also successfully immobilized a functional catalytic NrdA subunit of the E.coli enzyme, facilitating study of nucleotide interactions. Our surface plasmon resonance methodology has the potential to provide biological insight into nucleotide-mediated regulation of any RNR, and can be used for high-throughput screening of potential RNR inhibitor

What students who perform in “secondary roles” can learn from scenario training in vocational education

Context: Learning through scenario training and live simulation in vocational education is generally regarded as an effective tool for developing professional knowledge. However, previous research has largely overlooked the learning of students in secondary roles in scenario training. The objective of this study is to explore learning for students who act in secondary roles during scenario training in vocational educational settings.  Method: The studied case entails scenario training for police students in a Swedish police education programme. A case study design, which included both participant observation and a questionnaire, was used. The analytic lens applied was inspired by practice theory and focused on how structural and situational arrangements of the training activity affect learning.  Results: Our findings show that students who act in secondary roles learn from their scenario training experiences, but this learning often is overlooked in the design of training activities. Due to the structural arrangements of training activities, learning emerged as students in secondary roles were tasked to support the primary participants in relation to their learning objectives. In addition, it emerged in how students in secondary roles used previous scenario training experiences in relation to the current scenario and its learning objectives. Examples of learning from situational arrangements emerged as students in secondary roles formulated and provided feedback to primary participants and through informal discussions and reflection processes. Learning also emerged as students in secondary roles embodied the “other” during scenario training, something that provided the students with new perspectives on police encounters.  Conclusions: We theorize and extract three dimensions for how learning emerges in this case for secondary participants. It emerges through embodying the “other”, in students’ sensory experiences, and through reconstruction of knowledge through repetition. However, our findings also show that learning for students in secondary roles can be improved through mindful set-up and design. Based on the findings, our article provides a discussion and suggestions on how scenario training can be planned and set-up to develop professional knowledge for students in secondary roles.

Trading Justice for Peace? Reframing reconciliation in TRC processes in South Africa, Canada and Nordic countries

Conflict in its various manifestations continues to be a defining feature in many places throughout the world. In an attempt to address such conflict, various forms of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) have been introduced to facilitate the transition from social conflict to a new dispensation. The introduction and subsequent proceedings of TRCs in South Africa, Canada and Norway are widely regarded as good examples of this approach. Against this background, a number of researchers from VID Specialized University and the University of the Western Cape had an exploratory meeting in Oslo in 2018 where the possibility for a joint research project under the broad theme of ‘discourses on reconciliation’ was first discussed. This led to two further research symposia in Cape Town and Tromsø in 2019. With the inclusion of specialists working on the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation process, these meetings demonstrated common ground and a shared understanding of the issues at stake. Moreover, it pointed to the differences between the South African, Canadian and Norwegian Commissions. In comparing the South African, Canadian and Norwegian experiences, researchers identified that these countries were, in fact, at different stages of their respective truth and reconciliation processes. This has prompted scholars to revisit and problematise these processes in relation to ongoing societal challenges. In all cases, it is quite apparent that reconciliation between individuals and groups remains a significant challenge

Development of the RIOT Web Service and Information Technologies to enable mechanism reduction for HCCI simulations.

Abstract. New approaches are being explored to facilitate multidisciplinary collaborative research of Homogenous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) combustion processes. In this paper, collaborative sharing of the Range Identification and Optimization Toolkit (RIOT) and related data and models is discussed. RIOT is a developmental approach to reduce the computational of detailed chemical kinetic mechanisms, enabling their use in modeling kinetically controlled combustion applications such as HCCI. These approaches are being developed and piloted as a part of the Collaboratory for Multiscale Chemical Sciences (CMCS) project. The capabilities of the RIOT code are shared through a portlet in the CMCS portal that allows easy specification and processing of RIOT inputs, remote execution of RIOT, tracking of data pedigree, and translation of RIOT outputs to a table view and to a commonly-used mechanism format. Introduction The urgent need for high-efficiency, low-emission energy utilization technologies for transportation, power generation, and manufacturing processes presents difficult challenges to the combustion research community. The needed predictive understanding requires systematic knowledge across the full range of physical scales involved in combustion processes -from the properties and interactions of individual molecules to the dynamics and products of turbulent multi-phase reacting flows. Innovative experimental techniques and computational approaches are revolutionizing the rate at which chemical science research can produce the new information necessary to advance our combustion knowledge. But the increased volume and complexity of this information often makes it even more difficult to derive the systems-level knowledge we need. Combustion researchers have responded by forming interdisciplinary communities intent on sharing information and coordinating research priorities. Such efforts face many barriers, however, including lack of data accessibility and interoperability, missing metadata and pedigree information, efficient approaches for sharing data and analysis tools, and the challenges of working together across geography, disciplines, and a very diverse spectrum of applications and funding. This challenge is especially difficult for those developing, sharing and/or using detailed chemical models of combustion to treat the oxidation of practical fuels. This is a very complex problem, and the development of new chemistry models requires a series of steps that involve acquiring and keeping track of a large amount of data and its pedigree. Also, this data is developed using a diverse range of codes and experiments spanning ab initio chemistry codes, laboratory kinetics and flame experiments, all the way to reacting flow simulations on massively parallel computers. Each of these processes typically requires different data formats, and often the data and/or analysis codes are only accessible by personally contacting the creator. Chemical models are usually shared in a legacy file format, such as Chemki

Trading Justice for Peace? Reframing reconciliation in TRC processes in South Africa, Canada and Nordic countries

Conflict in its various manifestations continues to be a defining feature in many places throughout the world. In an attempt to address such conflict, various forms of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) have been introduced to facilitate the transition from social conflict to a new dispensation. The introduction and subsequent proceedings of TRCs in South Africa, Canada and Norway are widely regarded as good examples of this approach. Against this background, a number of researchers from VID Specialized University and the University of the Western Cape had an exploratory meeting in Oslo in 2018 where the possibility for a joint research project under the broad theme of ‘discourses on reconciliation’ was first discussed. This led to two further research symposia in Cape Town and Tromsø in 2019. With the inclusion of specialists working on the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation process, these meetings demonstrated common ground and a shared understanding of the issues at stake. Moreover, it pointed to the differences between the South African, Canadian and Norwegian Commissions. In comparing the South African, Canadian and Norwegian experiences, researchers identified that these countries were, in fact, at different stages of their respective truth and reconciliation processes. This has prompted scholars to revisit and problematise these processes in relation to ongoing societal challenges. In all cases, it is quite apparent that reconciliation between individuals and groups remains a significant challenge