Statistics and the art of Latin prose

I have been investigating various statistical methods of looking for poetical cadences (sentence ends which have rhythm) in Latin prose. Stata was used as my primary software for performing my own analysis, and for checking the analysis of previous scholars. Several methods for determining rhythmicity have been proposed over the last twenty years; I have evaluated the use of some of these, and used others to analyse a particular text by the Venerable Bede (a Northumbrian monk, born in c.672, who wrote Biblical commentaries in Latin, amongst other things). The research method involved Chi-squared tests performed against control texts (examples of Latin prose selected for the type of their cadences). The analysis using Stata provided me with the necessary figures for performing adjustments to avoid overtesting (the Chi-squared test was performed many times on the same material). I found that, when compared to control texts, Bede was significantly more likely than the control texts to use rhythmical cadences, but was equally likely to use metrical cadences. I concluded that Bede used rhythmical cadences in his prose, but may not have used metrical cadences in his prose.

Augmenting the rural health workforce with physician assistants

Health workforce shortages are a global phenomenon and Australia is no exception. Deficiencies are particularly pronounced in general practice, dentistry, nursing and key allied health fields.1,2 Even with the Australian health workforce growing at close to double the rate of the population and despite an increase in medical schools and student numbers, the shortage continues to worsen due to factors such as reductions in work hours, increasing urbanisation and the ageing and feminisation of the workforce.2 A 2005 prediction by the Australian Medical Workforce Advisory Committee estimated a shortage of between 800 and 1300 general practitioner graduates alone by 2013.2 The ageing of the health workforce, increasing life expectancy and the mounting burden of chronic disease are major problems facing all developed nations. Compounding these issues in Australia are the difficulties of caring for significant rural, remote, and Indigenous populations. National and international trends suggest that the shortage and maldistribution of doctors in rural areas is very likely to worsen.2,3 As well, Australia has an increasing reliance on international medical graduates, which poses major moral questions among other dilemmas. Clearly there is a need for change in policy and service delivery models. Simply increasing the number of doctors will not necessarily improve recruitment or retention in general practice and geographically disadvantaged areas. According to Queensland Health there is considerable and ongoing difficulty in recruiting new doctors to rural and remote locations, resulting in a less than adequate rate of replacement for retiring doctors. Many health care advocates and organisations have suggested a variety of innovations to facilitate the needed transformation in the existing system. In 2007 The National Rural Health Alliance (NRHA) declared: We need to redesign the workforce so that services we currently see as ‘medical’ or ‘nursing’ are provided by a broader range of professionals than just doctors and nurses. We will get around the unavoidable shortage of doctors and nurses (given the excessive and escalating level of demand) by redesigning and redistributing the way doctoring and nursing are provided.4 This paper will outline how the introduction of physician assistants (PA) into Australia, may be one strategy to strengthen the health care team and address medical workforce shortages, especially in rural and remote areas

Open Networking Lab: online practical learning of computer networking

Learning to configure computer networks is a topic requiring a substantial practical component and suggesting a pedagogic approach that foregrounds experiential learning. However, providing appropriate computer networking hardware is expensive for classroom labs, and is not viable for individual distance learners. Simulation offers an alternative basis for practical learning and supports a range of modes, from individual distance learning to in-class blended learning. Sophisticated network simulation packages, such as Cisco’s Packet Tracer, have high fidelity to networking devices and can simulate complex network scenarios. Unfortunately their complex interfaces make it difficult for a novice student to engage productively. The Open Networking Lab (ONL) will provide online resources for students of introductory computer networking. It will take an activity-centred approach, supported with video and screencasts, in preference to lengthy text. Practical activity is based on PT Anywhere, a network simulator that provides students with an easy-to-use, browser-based interface over Cisco’s Packet Tracer. PT Anywhere thus provides fully authentic simulation but, by only revealing a subset of features, supports a carefully scaffolded approach to teaching and learning. We report at an early stage in the development of the ONL. Material is being piloted with students at UK Further Education colleges. Evaluation will include observation, surveys and interviews with students and staff; PT Anywhere also provides learning analytics. A further stage of development will culminate in a badged open course on the Open University’s OpenLearn platform. The ONL will provide vocational learning at scale in educational institutions, employment contexts and for individual learners

The Open Networking Lab: an open online course for experiential learning of computer networking

The Open Networking Lab project (https://onl.kmi.open.ac.uk/) aims to provide open online resources to enable anyone to learn the basics of computer networking. The project is hosted at The UK Open University and is supported by funding from UfI (www.ufi.co.uk) as part of their ‘VocTech Impact 2017’ funding initiative for vocational learning using digital technologies. Central to the project is the PT Anywhere network simulation software (Mikroyannidis et al. 2017) based on Cisco’s powerful Packet Tracer simulator. Learners can use PT Anywhere to develop their skills in solving computer networking problems. The ultimate aim is to enable as many learners as possible, regardless of prior educational background, to access employment in computer networking - an area which is in high demand from industry. The Open Networking Lab project is developing a Badged Open Course, which will be hosted on the Open University’s OpenLearn platform, where it will be accessible without cost to any learner or educator worldwide. Initial development is being carried out using the ‘sister’ platform OpenLearn Create so that the learning resources can be iteratively developed, piloted and improved prior to launch on OpenLearn itself. The Open Networking Lab course and resources will be evaluated with learners and teachers from Further Education colleges within the Cisco Networking Academy (www.netacad.com). The evaluation will involve hundreds of learners at different colleges within the UK. Data will be gathered from learners using surveys and observation, and from teachers via interviews. PT Anywhere and OpenLearn also provide various kinds of learning analytics. This data, with appropriate ethical considerations, will form a key part of the evaluation. Using PT Anywhere enables an experiential and practical approach to learning (Kolb, 1984; Brown et al., 1989). Learners will be shown, primarily via videos, screencasts and animations, how computer networks are set up and configured. They will then try out these ideas for themselves using the PT Anywhere simulator. Quizzes and other forms of assessment will enable learners to demonstrate that they have gained specific skills; they will then be able to claim corresponding digital badges. This package of activity-based learning should help learners feel motivated and engaged, and enable them to gain a sense of achievement as they progress through the online course. References: Brown, J. S., Collins, A., & Duguid, P. (1989). Situated cognition and the culture of learning. Educational Researcher, 18 (1), 32-42. Kolb, D.A. (1984). Experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Mikroyannidis, A., Gomez-Goiri, A.; Smith, A. and Domingue, J. (2017). Online experimentation and interactive learning resources for teaching network engineering. In: 2017 IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON), 25-28 Apr 2017, Athens, Greece, IEEE, pp. 181–188

The Open Networking Lab: Hands-on Vocational Learning in Computer Networking

An increasingly connected society demands people who can design, set up, monitor and maintain networks of computers and devices. Traditional classroom instruction cannot keep pace with demand, and networking hardware costs can be too high for widespread classroom use. This paper presents the Open Networking Lab, a new UK initiative for supporting hands-on vocational learning in computer networking. The Open Networking Lab will facilitate the development of introductory practical networking skills without using hardware, through the provision of a web-based network simulation package integrated into learning resources and activities. These learning resources will be evaluated by students and lecturers from a cluster of Further Education colleges in the UK and will subsequently be made available to learners worldwide via free and open courseware

Funding models in palliative care: lessons from international experience

Background:Funding models influence provision and development of palliative care services. As palliative care integrates into mainstream health care provision, opportunities to develop funding mechanisms arise. However, little has been reported on what funding models exist or how we can learn from them.Aim:To assess national models and methods for financing and reimbursing palliative care.Design:Initial literature scoping yielded limited evidence on the subject as national policy documents are difficult to identify, access and interpret. We undertook expert consultations to appraise national models of palliative care financing in England, Germany, Hungary, Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United States and Wales. These represent different levels of service development and a variety of funding mechanisms.Results:Funding mechanisms reflect country-specific context and local variations in care provision. Patterns emerging include the following:Provider payment is rarely linked to population need and often perpetuates existing inequitable patterns in service provision.Funding is frequently characterised as a mixed system of charitable, public and private payers.The basis on which providers are paid for services rarely reflects individual care input or patient needs.Conclusion:Funding mechanisms need to be well understood and used with caution to ensure best practice and minimise perverse incentives. Before we can conduct cross-national comparisons of costs and impact of palliative care, we need to understand the funding and policy context for palliative care in each country of interest

An Open Networking Lab for practical open education

The Cisco Networking Academy programme (NetAcad) supports education and training in network engineering worldwide. NetAcad works with diverse educational institutions to offer an educational ‘vertical’ from beginner to advanced network engineer. However, as recognised by employment stakeholders, skills shortages in networking remain (Tech Partnership, 2016), particularly at the entry point (vocational levels two/three). NetAcad has been seen as a closed community based on the use of proprietary (Cisco) technology, but since 2013 it has moved towards openness through the release of APIs, free-to-use software/content, and the adoption of open standards. This has been, in part, enabled via scalable engagement projects with diverse stakeholders, including the UK Open University (OU). The OU is an Academy Support Centre (ASC) within NetAcad, supporting the growth and academic development of network engineering. In collaboration with Cisco and funded by the Ufi Charitable Trust, the OU is developing an online Badged Open Course (BOC), as part of the Open Networking Lab project (onl.kmi.open.ac.uk). Using the OU’s OpenLearn Create educational platform (www.open.edu/openlearncreate) under a CC-BY-SA-NC licence, material from the course can be taken and reused. The BOC will provide what is colloquially described as ‘zero to hero’ learning in network engineering and represents approximately 24 hours of study over 8 weeks. The course, which is free and open to all, is aimed at post-16 learners and is intended for use both by individuals engaged in independent study and classroom-based learners. Early versions of the course have been used by a number of UK further education colleges over the past 12 months. These institutions have been using the course with students who are studying towards a vocational qualification but currently have little previous experience of networking. Drawing on Sfard (1998), who argued that acquisition and participation are both necessary for learning, the course is primarily a combination of screencasts (acquisition) followed by experience/practice (participation) with a web-based computer network simulator. With the use of an Open API, integration between Cisco’s freely available and powerful ‘Packet Tracer’ network simulator and any compatible browser is enabled. The web-based network simulator, known as ‘PT Anywhere’ (Mikroyannidis et al., 2017) offers an authentic experience of networking, while developing learners’ confidence. Students can put into immediate practice technological skills learned via the screencasts. Each new practical activity delivers a network with configurable components. Students can follow the instructions, as well as freely exploring the network – adding, removing or modifying components. We will present findings from two large-scale evaluations of different stages of the course development. These evaluations took place with FE colleges using the course, and include student surveys, observations, learning analytics and interviews with staff. We will consider how these findings have shaped the development of the course as it moves towards becoming a BOC, hosted on the OU’s OpenLearn platform (www.open.edu/openlearn) and also accessible via the OU’s OpenSTEM Labs (stem.open.ac.uk/study/openstem-labs). We will discuss with participants the implications of being open to a range of learners with different learning preferences, learning needs and prior experience. References Kolb, D.A. (1984) Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. Prentice-Hall Inc., New Jersey. Mikroyannidis, A., Gomez-Goiri, A., Smith, A. & Domingue, J. (2017) Online Experimentation and Interactive Learning Resources for Teaching Network Engineering. IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON). Athens, Greece http://oro.open.ac.uk/49733/, IEEE Education Society Publications. Sfard, A. (1998). On Two Metaphors for Learning and the Dangers of Choosing just One. Educational Researcher, Vol. 27, No. 2, pp.4-13 Tech Partnership (2016). Factsheet: Demand for Digital specialists [online]. Available at:https://www.tpdegrees.com/globalassets/pdfs/research-2016/factsheet_demandfordigitalspecialists_july16.pdf. [Accessed 30 November 2018]

Unidad de terapia en crisis. “Por lo que estás pasando, estamos a tu servicio”

Seminario Desarrollo de Emprendedores. 2015. Carrera Medicina. . Docente Dra. Ivette Pilarte. - Dr. Erasmo Aguilar.UNIDAD DE TERAPIA EN CRISIS es un emprendimiento social que tiene como finalidad concientizar, dar seguimiento y atender pacientes postraumáticos para mejorar la calidad de vida de estos y reintegrarlos a la sociedad. Teniendo una relación medico-paciente que aporte un bienestar social y genere un mejor estilo de vida en las distintas comunidades del país

Deletions within COL11A1 in Type 2 stickler syndrome detected by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA).

BACKGROUND: COL11A1 is a large complex gene around 250 kb in length and consisting of 68 exons. Pathogenic mutations in the gene can result in Stickler syndrome, Marshall syndrome or Fibrochondrogenesis. Many of the mutations resulting in either Stickler or Marshall syndrome alter splice sites and result in exon skipping, which because of the exon structure of collagen genes usually leaves the message in-frame. The mutant protein then exerts a dominant negative effect as it co-assembles with other collagen gene products. To date only one large deletion of 40 kb in the COL11A1, which was detected by RT-PCR, has been characterized. However, commonly used screening protocols, utilizing genomic amplification and exon sequencing, are unlikely to detect such large deletions. Consequently the frequency of this type of mutation is unknown. CASE PRESENTATIONS: We have used Multiplex Ligation-Dependent Probe Amplification (MLPA) in conjunction with exon amplification and sequencing, to analyze patients with clinical features of Stickler syndrome, and have detected six novel deletions that were not found by exon sequencing alone. CONCLUSION: Exon deletions appear to represent a significant proportion of type 2 Stickler syndrome. This observation was previously unknown and so diagnostic screening of COL11A1 should include assays capable of detecting both large and small deletions, in addition to exon sequencing.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are