Consuming Linked Data within a Large Educational Organization

Large universities tend to spread their services across several departments to serve their substantial student base. It is very common for this to result in developing different systems, which end up in creating many disconnected data silos within the organization. Data isolation is one of the main bottlenecks that prevent unlocking the full potential behind exploiting such data, to provide a better experience at the level of application deployment and data analysis. The Open University is in the process of connecting their data silos by relying on the Linked Data principles within the LUCERO project. We discuss in this paper three use-cases through which we consume Linked Data produced at the Open University: (1) a student services use-case showing how we exploit data connections to deliver learning material related to courses through the university's main course information website; (2) a mobile course application that enables students to easily explore courses by subject, qualification or research topic; and (3) a Leanback TV service that provides students the ability to watch, with a degree of control, a set of podcasts grouped in different channels. Through these use cases, we highlight in this paper the advantages and effects of consuming Linked Data within an organization

Stability of coarse mine waste dumps

A dissertation submitted to the faculty of engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment for the degree of master of science in engineering JULY, 1984It is economically desirable to build dumps of coarse mine waste as high a, possible. A review of available literature indicated that a significant decrease in the strength of coarse material occurs at high stress levels. A literature survey was conducted to establish possible dump failure modes and methods of slope stability analysis appropriate to dumps. Consolidated, drained triaxial tests on several mine waste materials have shown that above a normal stress of 1600 kPa, slight curvature of the Mohr strength envelope occurs. However, sample stability analyses show that there is little or no difference in factors of safety for typical dump slopes, obtained by using a constant average friction angle, or by using variable friction angles derived from a power equation which describes the curved strength envelope. Thus it is concluded that the curvature of the strength envelope, has little influence on the factor of safety of dump slopes

An Analysis of Business Angels in Scotland And Poland

Business Angels are private individuals (or syndicates) who supply venture capital to businesses, mainly small start-up firms, in an informal investment market setting. This paper presents a preliminary analysis from the first phase of a research project that explores the emergence of Business Angels in the new EU member states of Central and Eastern Europe. It focuses on case studies conducted in Poland, and examines the role and function of Business Angels in the context of a transition economy

Looking forward to making predictions

As described in the preceding pages, since the BGS was established in 1835, the British population has coped with many challenges. These have ranged from finding resources to fuel the Industrial Revolution, understanding and combating water-borne diseases such as typhoid, the threat of invasion and aerial bombardment, through to modern-day environmental problems and climate change. To help deal with these problems, decisionmakers from governments and other organisations have required our help and advice

The envelope gene of transmitted HIV-1 resists a late interferon gamma-induced block

Type I interferon (IFN) signaling engenders an antiviral state that likely plays an important role in constraining HIV-1 transmission and contributes to defining subsequent AIDS pathogenesis. Type II IFN (IFNγ) also induces an antiviral state but is often primarily considered to be an immunomodulatory cytokine. We report that IFNγ stimulation can induce an antiviral state that can be both distinct from that of type I interferon, and can potently inhibit HIV-1 in primary CD4+ T cells and a number of human cell lines. Strikingly, we find that transmitted/founder (TF) HIV-1 viruses can resist a late block that is induced by type II IFN, and the use of chimeric IFNγ- sensitive/resistant viruses indicates that interferon-resistance maps to the env gene. Simultaneously, in vitro evolution also revealed that just a single amino acid substitution in envelope can confer substantial resistance to IFN-mediated inhibition. Thus, the env gene of transmitted HIV-1 confers resistance to a late block that is phenotypically distinct from those previously described to be resisted by env, and is therefore mediated by unknown IFNγ-stimulated factor(s) in human CD4+ T cells and cell lines. This important unidentified block could play a key role in constraining HIV-1 transmission

Surveying the epigenetic landscape of murine synovitis to explore the heterogeneity of rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis, an immune-mediated inflammatory disease, attacks joints, causing cartilage, bone erosion and chronic pain. Despite significant advances treatment options, many patients do not respond to commonly prescribed targeted therapies, necessitating improvements in their stratification. Ultrasound-directed biopsies of inflamed joints show the clinical presentation of synovitis is highly heterogeneous, with histological features identifying fibroblast-rich, myeloid-rich, and lymphoid-rich synovitis. The focus of my thesis is to understand the mechanisms driving these alternate patterns of disease. To explore how these forms of synovitis evolve, I applied analytical methods to survey the epigenetic landscape of inflamed joint tissues from mice with antigen-induced arthritis (AIA). Experiments were conducted in wild-type (Wt) mice and mice deficient in the a-receptor subunit for either interleukin-6 (Il6ra-/- ) or interleukin-27 (Il27ra-/-), which develop hallmarks of synovitis resembling myeloid-rich, fibroblast-rich, and lymphoid-rich synovitis respectively. Next-generation sequencing methods assessing chromatin accessibility (ATACseq) and transcription factor (ChIP-seq) involvement in synovitis were generated and mapped against synovial RNA-seq datasets previously generated from these mice. Considering the biology of IL-6 and IL-27, my analysis focussed on the role of the Janusactivated kinase-Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (Jak-STAT) pathway and the STAT1 and STAT3 transcription factors. Analysis of synovial tissues from mice with AIA identified elements of gene regulation common to all three strains with AIA and others unique to Wt, Il6ra-/- and Il27ra-/- mice. In this regard, ATAC-seq revealed subtle differences in the epigenetic control of gene expression specific to each synovial pathotype. Building on these findings, I next evaluated the role of STAT1 and STAT3, which share a complex regulatory interplay affecting alternate patterns of gene regulation. My results confirmed the importance of this mechanism in determining synovitis in mice with AIA, with STAT1 and STAT3 effecting processes including leukocyte recruitment and activation, pannus formation and joint damage. Here, molecular pathway analysis identified genomic signatures linked with disease heterogeneity in synovitis, highlighting the role of chromatin accessibility and transcription factor activity in shaping the course of disease. My results open opportunities to consider the pathways driving arthritis progression and clinical responses to biological medicines commonly used in treating rheumatoid arthritis

Planning and developing a web-based intervention for active surveillance in prostate cancer: an integrated self-care programme for managing psychological distress

Objectives: To outline the planning, development and optimisation of a psycho-educational behavioural intervention for patients on active surveillance for prostate cancer. The intervention aimed to support men manage active surveillance-related psychological distress. / Methods: The person-based approach (PBA) was used as the overarching guiding methodological framework for intervention development. Evidence-based methods were incorporated to improve robustness. The process commenced with data gathering activities comprising the following four components: • A systematic review and meta-analysis of depression and anxiety in prostate cancer • A cross-sectional survey on depression and anxiety in active surveillance • A review of existing interventions in the field • A qualitative study with the target audience The purpose of this paper is to bring these components together and describe how they facilitated the establishment of key guiding principles and a logic model, which underpinned the first draft of the intervention. / Results: The prototype intervention, named PROACTIVE, consists of six Internet-based sessions run concurrently with three group support sessions. The sessions cover the following topics: lifestyle (diet and exercise), relaxation and resilience techniques, talking to friends and family, thoughts and feelings, daily life (money and work) and information about prostate cancer and active surveillance. The resulting intervention has been trialled in a feasibility study, the results of which are published elsewhere. / Conclusions: The planning and development process is key to successful delivery of an appropriate, accessible and acceptable intervention. The PBA strengthened the intervention by drawing on target-user experiences to maximise acceptability and user engagement. This meticulous description in a clinical setting using this rigorous but flexible method is a useful demonstration for others developing similar interventions. / Trial registration and Ethical Approval: ISRCTN registered: ISRCTN38893965. NRES Committee South Central – Oxford A. REC reference: 11/SC/0355