Virual world users evaluated according to environment design, task based adn affective attention measures

This paper presents research that engages with virtual worlds for education users to understand design of these applications for their needs. An in-depth multi-method investigation from 12 virtual worlds participants was undertaken in three stages; initially a small scale within-subjects eye-tracking comparison was made between the role playing game 'RuneScape' and the virtual social world 'Second Life', secondly an in-depth evaluation of eye-tracking data for Second Life tasks (i.e. avatar, object and world based) was conducted, finally a qualitative evaluation of Second Life tutorials in comparative 3D situations (i.e. environments that are; realistic to surreal, enclosed to open, formal to informal) was conducted. Initial findings identified increased users attention within comparable gaming and social world interactions. Further analysis identified that 3D world focused interactions increased participants' attention more than object and avatar tasks. Finally different 3D situation designs altered levels of task engagement and distraction through perceptions of comfort, fun and fear. Ultimately goal based and environment interaction tasks can increase attention and potentially immersion. However, affective perceptions of 3D situations can negatively impact on attention. An objective discussion of the limitations and benefits of virtual world immersion for student learning is presented

Anne Sweeney to Mr. Meredith (10 October 1962)

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/mercorr_pro/1036/thumbnail.jp

Genetic Counseling in Families with Hearing Impairment

Non

Understanding the Sheridan First Year Experience: An Integrated Approach

A Sheridan student’s first year is a critical period and plays an important role in future success. While some students are transitioning from high school, others are transferring from other postsecondary institutions or coming to Sheridan from the labour market. Students are faced with the challenge of adjusting to a new environment in the midst of life changes such as re-locating to a new community or a new country. All of our first-year students are learning to navigate new institutional policies and processes in addition to establishing new friends and support networks. The critical nature of investing in the first-year experience is evident in Sheridan’s call to action to develop a First-Year Experience Strategy accounting for the “diversity of our students and the differences in life experiences, perspectives and circumstances that inform their learning” (Academic Plan). This paper is the first step in the development of this framework. Its purpose is to map out the current state of the first-year experience (FYE) at Sheridan provide a brief review of the practice and scholarly literature on FYE in higher education identify current Sheridan promising FYE practices recommend a theoretical framework and conceptual model to guide the development of the FYE Strategy at Sheridan identify immediate enhancements to FY programmin

Teenagers’ moral advertising literacy in an influencer marketing context

Teenagers are avid consumers of social media and also constitute attractive target audiences for influencer marketing (IM). Teenagers can perceive strong, parasocial relationships with influencers, frequently regarding them as being akin to a peer or a friend. Furthermore, influencer endorsements are observed to carry greater credibility and authenticity than traditional forms of advertising. This therefore raises questions about young consumers’ discernment of, and critical evaluation of the overall appropriateness when influencers act as conduits of commercial messages on behalf of brands. This paper reports on a qualitative study of 29 teenagers aged 15–17 years. The aim was to explore the participants’ moral advertising literacy, namely their evaluations of the fairness and appropriateness of IM. The findings indicate whilst the participants were critical and sceptical towards the practice of IM in general (i.e. their dispositional advertising literacy), they were positively disposed towards specific commercial content emanating from specific influencers, (i.e. their situational literacy), often on the basis of the parasocial relationship that was seen to prevail between influencer and follower. This study therefore illustrates a gap between the teenagers’ moral AL in the context of IM in general, and a corresponding willingness to apply this critical reflection, to known influencers

Transcriptome analysis of porcine M. semimembranosus divergent in intramuscular fat as a consequence of dietary protein restriction

peer-reviewedBackground: Intramuscular fat (IMF) content is positively correlated with aspects of pork palatability, including flavour, juiciness and overall acceptability. The ratio of energy to protein in the finishing diet of growing pigs can impact on IMF content with consequences for pork quality. The objective of this study was to compare gene expression profiles of Musculus semimembranosus (SM) of animals divergent for IMF as a consequence of protein dietary restriction in an isocaloric diet. The animal model was derived through the imposition of low or high protein diets during the finisher stage in Duroc gilts. RNA was extracted from post mortem SM tissue, processed and hybridised to Affymetrix porcine GeneChip® arrays. Results: IMF content of SM muscle was increased on the low protein diet (3.60 ± 0.38% versus 1.92 ± 0.35%). Backfat depth was also greater in animals on the low protein diet, and average daily gain and feed conversion ratio were lower, but muscle depth, protein content and moisture content were not affected. A total of 542 annotated genes were differentially expressed (DE) between animals on low and high protein diets, with 351 down-regulated and 191 up-regulated on the low protein diet. Transcript differences were validated for a subset of DE genes by qPCR. Alterations in functions related to cell cycle, muscle growth, extracellular matrix organisation, collagen development, lipogenesis and lipolysis, were observed. Expression of adipokines including LEP, TNFα and HIF1α were increased and the hypoxic stress response was induced. Many of the identified transcriptomic responses have also been observed in genetic and fetal programming models of differential IMF accumulation, indicating they may be robust biological indicators of IMF content. Conclusion: An extensive perturbation of overall energy metabolism in muscle occurs in response to protein restriction. A low protein diet can modulate IMF content of the SM by altering gene pathways involved in lipid biosynthesis and degradation; however this nutritional challenge negatively impacts protein synthesis pathways, with potential consequences for growth.Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Ireland - Food Institutional Research Measur

Host-specific symbioses and the microbial prey of a pelagic tunicate (Pyrosoma atlanticum)

Pyrosomes are widely distributed pelagic tunicates that have the potential to reshape marine food webs when they bloom. However, their grazing preferences and interactions with the background microbial community are poorly understood. This is the first study of the marine microorganisms associated with pyrosomes undertaken to improve the understanding of pyrosome biology, the impact of pyrosome blooms on marine microbial systems, and microbial symbioses with marine animals. The diversity, relative abundance, and taxonomy of pyrosome-associated microorganisms were compared to seawater during a Pyrosoma atlanticum bloom in the Northern California Current System using high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene, microscopy, and flow cytometry. We found that pyrosomes harbor a microbiome distinct from the surrounding seawater, which was dominated by a few novel taxa. In addition to the dominant taxa, numerous more rare pyrosome-specific microbial taxa were recovered. Multiple bioluminescent taxa were present in pyrosomes, which may be a source of the iconic pyrosome luminescence. We also discovered free-living marine microorganisms in association with pyrosomes, suggesting that pyrosome feeding impacts all microbial size classes but preferentially removes larger eukaryotic taxa. This study demonstrates that microbial symbionts and microbial prey are central to pyrosome biology. In addition to pyrosome impacts on higher trophic level marine food webs, the work suggests that pyrosomes also alter marine food webs at the microbial level through feeding and seeding of the marine microbial communities with their symbionts. Future efforts to predict pyrosome blooms, and account for their ecosystem impacts, should consider pyrosome interactions with marine microbial communities

Effects of Ethanol on Growth and Cyclic AMP in Cultured Cells

Studies on the effects of ethanol on the body have so far failed to identify any direct mechanism of action that may account for the typical pattern of alcohol intoxication in vivo. The ethanol molecule is capable of reaching the cell membrane of any cell in the body and is known to cause ionic and physical alterations in membrane structure in vivo. The intracellular molecule adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cyclic AMP) has a postulated role as a mediator of hormone action. The formation of cyclic AMP inside the cell is catalysed by the enzyme adenyl cyclase, which is positioned on the cell membrane. It has been suggested that some of the in vivo effects of ethanol may be related to cyclic AMP metabolism. To investigate the action of ethanol at the cellular level, the growth pattern of cultured cells was examined in the presence of ethanol. Concentrations of ethanol were similar to those found in the blood stream of patients admitted intoxicated to the Western Infirmary. L929 cells, a cultured cell line originally derived from mouse fibroblasts, were used. They were regarded as a feasible model for study of intracellular cyclic AMP changes since any such changes are likely to be reflected by alterations in the growth rate of the cells. Growth parameters including cell population density, DNA, RNA and protein were monitored also. Measurement of intracellular cyclic AMP involved establishing an adequate protein binding assay. The validity of the assay was confirmed in terms of quantitative values for assay specificity, accuracy, precision and sensitivity. Ethanol treatment was found to delay cell division probably by temporarily preventing entry into the S phase of the cell cycle. This event was parallelled by higher cell cyclic AMP in ethanol treated cells. Experimental cells tended to be poor in content of DNA and RNA; protein results implied a relationship between cell protein, cell cyclic AMP and growth rate. The evidence suggested that elevated cell cyclic AMP was a critical, though not necessarily primary event related to decreased growth, and could have been a response to decreased availability to the cell of crucial nutrients. After approximately 24 hours delay, ethanol treated cells grew normally in a logarithmic fashion. That the cyclic AMP molecule may have played a role in this compensatory mechanism, is discussed. It is suggested that the same molecular mechanisms may be involved in vivo. Further experiments are suggested to examine the specificity of the alcohol interference and to verify the presence of a compensatory mechanism involving enzyme induction