Preserving the Authenticity of Chinese New Year

Project files are comprised of 1 page pdf and presentation recording in mp4 format.This project explores generational gaps in celebrating Chinese New Year, which is arguably the most important holiday in China. Also known as the Spring Festival, traditional rituals include the family reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve, putting up lucky red decorations, and handing out red envelopes to children. In the last decade, many new forms of commemorating Chinese New Year have developed among young people, such as sending virtual red envelopes for online money transfers via WeChat, a popular messaging app, and watching the extravagant Chinese New Year Gala on screens rather than participating in small festivities with family. These technology-driven changes are of particular concern to some elders who think that the younger generation is turning away from traditional family values and customs. The purpose of this project is to examine these cultural changes and question whether the Chinese New Year is losing its authenticity. We debate how far this transition is indicative of a larger restructuring of Chinese society and contrast different generational perspectives by analyzing Western and Chinese news outlets, social media blog posts, and websites. We expect to find that with China’s rapid urbanization, cultural traditions are not lost but simply changed, which some may see as growth, while others interpret it as a disappearing act. Our project has strong social significance, as it points out schisms in Chinese society and issues China faces in its process of modernization

Mobile Learning Initiative through SMS: A Formative Evaluation

Mobile technologies such as mobile phones are becoming cheaper and easy to use. Almost all learners enrolled at the Open University Malaysia (OUM) own mobile phones. In a 2008 study to determine learners’ perceptions toward mobile learning, most (82.8 percent) indicated that they could imagine themselves learning through mobile devices. Hence, in mid-2009, a mobile learning initiative via text messaging was piloted for one of OUM’s first semester courses entitled, “Learning Skills for Open and Distance Learning.” The initiative was expected to provide learners with an enhanced learning environment that will, among others, spur them to perform various learning tasks in a timely manner, feel guided on what or how to learn as well as be reminded on certain aspects of the course. In addition, some of the messages sent were designed to motivate the learners. The main objective of the mobile learning initiative was to complement the print module and the two main modes of learning: face-to-face tutorials and online discussions. To determine learners’ response to the Short Message Service (SMS) messages, a formative evaluation through focus group discussions at six learning centres in the middle of the semester. Feedback and suggestions given were considered and adjustments were made in the implementation of the initiative for the second half of the semester. (Authors' abstract

Benefits of combination of insulin degludec and liraglutide are independent of baseline glycated haemoglobin level and duration of type 2 diabetes

AIM: To evaluate, using post hoc analyses, whether the novel combination of a basal insulin, insulin degludec, and a glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonist, liraglutide (IDegLira), was consistently effective in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), regardless of the stage of T2D progression. METHODS: Using data from the DUAL I extension [insulin‐naïve patients uncontrolled on oral antidiabetic drugs (OADs), n = 1660, 52 weeks] and DUAL II (patients uncontrolled on basal insulin plus OADs, n = 398, 26 weeks) randomized trials, the efficacy of IDegLira was investigated with regard to measures of disease progression stage including baseline glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), disease duration and previous insulin dose. RESULTS: Across four categories of baseline HbA1c (≤7.5–9.0%), HbA1c reductions were significantly greater with IDegLira (1.1–2.5%) compared with IDeg or liraglutide alone in DUAL I. In DUAL II, HbA1c reductions were significantly greater with IDegLira (0.9–2.5%) than with IDeg in all but the lowest HbA1c category. In DUAL I, insulin dose and hypoglycaemia rate were lower across all baseline HbA1c categories for IDegLira versus IDeg, while hypoglycaemia was higher with IDegLira than liraglutide, irrespective of baseline HbA1c. In DUAL II, insulin dose and hypoglycaemia rate were similar with IDegLira and IDeg (maximum dose limited to 50 U) independent of baseline HbA1c. The reduction in HbA1c with IDegLira was independent of disease duration and previous insulin dose but varied depending on pre‐trial OAD treatment. CONCLUSIONS: IDegLira effectively lowered HbA1c across a range of measures, implying suitability for patients with either early or advanced T2D

Greater Motor Evoked Torque in ACLR Patients during Force Reproduction Task Compared to Health Controls

Persistent quadriceps dysfunction following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) may lead to further pathological complication. Quadriceps weakness has been linked to corticospinal excitability. However, it remains unclear how this altered corticospinal excitability contributes to ACLR patients during knee strength tasks when compared to healthy controls. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine force reproduction strategies during isometric knee extension between ACLR patients and healthy controls. METHODS: Five ACLR (20.40±1.67yrs, 72.12±12.87kg, 171.07±7.40cm) participants and five matched healthy controls (21.00±1.73yrs, 65.77±13.61kg, 166.62±11.99cm) performed an isometric force reproduction task. They were instructed to maintain 10% of maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) in response to unexpected Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) over the primary motor cortex, targeting the quadriceps. The TMS stimulations were randomly delivered at two different intensities: 120% and 140% active motor threshold (AMT). Additionally, resting twitch torque (RTT) was measured by delivering TMS stimulations at 100% intensity over the quadriceps. Motor evoked torque (MET, %) was calculated by normalizing the 120% and 140% peak change relative to 10% MVIC by RTT values. Comparisons were made using 2-way ANOVAs with one within factor (intensity, 2 levels) and one between factor (group, 2 levels). RESULTS: A significant TMS intensity by group interaction was observed for MET (F[1,8] = 18.639, p = 0.003). The ACLR group had higher MET than the control group at AMT 140% (196.12±40.83 vs 106.69±34.01%, p = 0.006), while there was no difference at 120% (117.19±36.72 vs 69.06±44.18%, p = 0.098). CONCLUSION: The ACLR group produced similar torque changes to the CONT group at 120% of AMT, but more torque changes at the higher intensity. This may indicate protective neural adaptations responsible for force production, particularly at the corticospinal tract. However, this altered corticospinal excitability may also cause heightened quadriceps contraction during high-intensity tasks, potentially resulting in anterior ACL translation, which could put stress on the ACL and increase the risk of re-tear

Employability Competencies: Employer Expectations and Employer Satisfaction of Open University Malaysia's Graduates

Objectives of the Study The objectives of the study were to: (1) Find out the level of importance attributed by employers to the various employability competencies; (2) Find out the extent to which the employers are satisfied with OUM graduates' competencies; (3) Examine the extent to which the level of employer satisfaction differs from the level of importance attributed to the competencies; and (4) Examine the strengths and opportunities for improvement of OUM graduates with regard to employability competencies

Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Background: Regulatory guidance specifies the need to establish cardiovascular safety of new diabetes therapies in patients with type 2 diabetes in order to rule out excess cardiovascular risk. The cardiovascular effects of semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide 1 analogue with an extended half-life of approximately 1 week, in type 2 diabetes are unknown. Methods: We randomly assigned 3297 patients with type 2 diabetes who were on a standard-care regimen to receive once-weekly semaglutide (0.5 mg or 1.0 mg) or placebo for 104 weeks. The primary composite outcome was the first occurrence of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke. We hypothesized that semaglutide would be noninferior to placebo for the primary outcome. The noninferiority margin was 1.8 for the upper boundary of the 95% confidence interval of the hazard ratio. Results: At baseline, 2735 of the patients (83.0%) had established cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, or both. The primary outcome occurred in 108 of 1648 patients (6.6%) in the semaglutide group and in 146 of 1649 patients (8.9%) in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.74; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.58 to 0.95; P<0.001 for noninferiority). Nonfatal myocardial infarction occurred in 2.9% of the patients receiving semaglutide and in 3.9% of those receiving placebo (hazard ratio, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.51 to 1.08; P=0.12); nonfatal stroke occurred in 1.6% and 2.7%, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.38 to 0.99; P=0.04). Rates of death from cardiovascular causes were similar in the two groups. Rates of new or worsening nephropathy were lower in the semaglutide group, but rates of retinopathy complications (vitreous hemorrhage, blindness, or conditions requiring treatment with an intravitreal agent or photocoagulation) were significantly higher (hazard ratio, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.11 to 2.78; P=0.02). Fewer serious adverse events occurred in the semaglutide group, although more patients discontinued treatment because of adverse events, mainly gastrointestinal. Conclusions: In patients with type 2 diabetes who were at high cardiovascular risk, the rate of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke was significantly lower among patients receiving semaglutide than among those receiving placebo, an outcome that confirmed the noninferiority of semaglutide. (Funded by Novo Nordisk; SUSTAIN-6 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01720446.)Sin financiación72.406 JCR (2016) Q1, 1/155 Medicine, General & InternalUE

Mitochondrial physiology

As the knowledge base and importance of mitochondrial physiology to evolution, health and disease expands, the necessity for harmonizing the terminology concerning mitochondrial respiratory states and rates has become increasingly apparent. The chemiosmotic theory establishes the mechanism of energy transformation and coupling in oxidative phosphorylation. The unifying concept of the protonmotive force provides the framework for developing a consistent theoretical foundation of mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics. We follow the latest SI guidelines and those of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on terminology in physical chemistry, extended by considerations of open systems and thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The concept-driven constructive terminology incorporates the meaning of each quantity and aligns concepts and symbols with the nomenclature of classical bioenergetics. We endeavour to provide a balanced view of mitochondrial respiratory control and a critical discussion on reporting data of mitochondrial respiration in terms of metabolic flows and fluxes. Uniform standards for evaluation of respiratory states and rates will ultimately contribute to reproducibility between laboratories and thus support the development of data repositories of mitochondrial respiratory function in species, tissues, and cells. Clarity of concept and consistency of nomenclature facilitate effective transdisciplinary communication, education, and ultimately further discovery

Mitochondrial physiology

As the knowledge base and importance of mitochondrial physiology to evolution, health and disease expands, the necessity for harmonizing the terminology concerning mitochondrial respiratory states and rates has become increasingly apparent. The chemiosmotic theory establishes the mechanism of energy transformation and coupling in oxidative phosphorylation. The unifying concept of the protonmotive force provides the framework for developing a consistent theoretical foundation of mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics. We follow the latest SI guidelines and those of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on terminology in physical chemistry, extended by considerations of open systems and thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The concept-driven constructive terminology incorporates the meaning of each quantity and aligns concepts and symbols with the nomenclature of classical bioenergetics. We endeavour to provide a balanced view of mitochondrial respiratory control and a critical discussion on reporting data of mitochondrial respiration in terms of metabolic flows and fluxes. Uniform standards for evaluation of respiratory states and rates will ultimately contribute to reproducibility between laboratories and thus support the development of data repositories of mitochondrial respiratory function in species, tissues, and cells. Clarity of concept and consistency of nomenclature facilitate effective transdisciplinary communication, education, and ultimately further discovery

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least $4m$. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the $6.5m$ James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.Comment: Accepted by PASP for the special issue on The James Webb Space Telescope Overview, 29 pages, 4 figure

Surface-Based Analyses of Anatomical Properties of the Visual Cortex in Macular Degeneration

INTRODUCTION: Macular degeneration (MD) can cause a central visual field defect. In a previous study, we found volumetric reductions along the entire visual pathways of MD patients, possibly indicating degeneration of inactive neuronal tissue. This may have important implications. In particular, new therapeutic strategies to restore retinal function rely on intact visual pathways and cortex to reestablish visual function. Here we reanalyze the data of our previous study using surface-based morphometry (SBM) rather than voxel-based morphometry (VBM). This can help determine the robustness of the findings and will lead to a better understanding of the nature of neuroanatomical changes associated with MD. METHODS: The metrics of interest were acquired by performing SBM analysis on T1-weighted MRI data acquired from 113 subjects: patients with juvenile MD (JMD; n = 34), patients with age-related MD (AMD; n = 24) and healthy age-matched controls (HC; n = 55). RESULTS: Relative to age-matched controls, JMD patients showed a thinner cortex, a smaller cortical surface area and a lower grey matter volume in V1 and V2, while AMD patients showed thinning of the cortex in V2. Neither patient group showed a significant difference in mean curvature of the visual cortex. DISCUSSION: The thinner cortex, smaller surface area and lower grey matter volume in the visual cortex of JMD patients are consistent with our previous results showing a volumetric reduction in their visual cortex. Finding comparable results using two rather different analysis techniques suggests the presence of marked cortical degeneration in the JMD patients. In the AMD patients, we found a thinner cortex in V2 but not in V1. In contrast to our previous VBM analysis, SBM revealed no volumetric reductions of the visual cortex. This suggests that the cortical changes in AMD patients are relatively subtle, as they apparently can be missed by one of the methods