Lecture capture using large interactive display systems

There are various software technologies that allow capture and redelivery of lectures. Most of these technologies however rely on the use of proprietary software, often requiring extra efforts from the lecturer in terms of the initial preparation of the lecture material, or in editing and annotating after the lecture to make the material suitable for the students. To review the material students then require access to the proprietary software. This paper describes a system for the lightweight capture of lecture presentations, based on the use of a low-cost large interactive display surface, together with standard Microsoft PowerPoint™ presentation software. The captured version of the presentation includes the original lecture slides, graphical annotations made by the lecturer during the lecture, and the audio recording of the lecture; all saved as a PowerPoint file. In addition, the system adds some annotations and index slides to allow quick and easy access to different segments of the presentation. Presentations can be replayed in part or in full as required, preserving all of the content of the live lecture

The Effect of Salt and Pyrophosphate on the Structure of Meat

Our obective was to determine whether or not salt and pyrophosphate have the same effect on the structure of pieces of meat as they have on isolated myofibrils. Blocks of pig M. longissimus dorsi were incubated in solutions of sodium chloride at pH 5.5 or sodium chloride plus sodium pyrophosphate at pH 5.5 or 8.0. The blocks were obtained from fresh (24h post- mortem) or aged (72h post-mor tem) muscle and incubated for 5 or 24h with minimal agitation. There was considerable uptake of water by the tissue especially at the higher pH and longer times. Electron microscopy of the meat incubated in salt plus pyrophosphate at pH 8.0 revealed complete or nearly complete extraction of the A-band to a depth of at least one fibre from the surface. In meat incubated in salt plus pyrophosphate at pH 5.5 the extraction of the A-band was 1 ess complete and appeared to occur only near the surface. In salt alone no extraction of the A-band occurred. Swelling of myofibrils close to the surface could be detected either by a reduction of density or by greater separation of filaments . Break-up of the Z-line, probably due to mechanical disruption imposed by swelling of myofibrils, was a common feature of the salt treatments. Mitochondria near the surface were grossly swollen, especially with salt plus pyrophosphate at pH 8.0 At low pH amorphous material was observed inside and outside the cell membrane, but at high pH filamentous material was present in these areas

Ligand-dependent Inhibition of CD1d-restricted NKT Cell Development in Mice Transgenic for the Activating Receptor Ly49D

In addition to their CD1d-restricted T cell receptor (TCR), natural killer T (NKT) cells express various receptors normally associated with NK cells thought to act, in part, as modulators of TCR signaling. Immunoreceptor-tyrosine activation (ITAM) and inhibition (ITIM) motifs associated with NK receptors may augment or attenuate perceived TCR signals respectively, potentially influencing NKT cell development and function. ITIM-containing Ly49 family receptors expressed by NKT cells are proposed to play a role in their development and function. We have produced mice transgenic for the ITAM-associated Ly49D and ITIM-containing Ly49A receptors and their common ligand H2-Dd to determine the importance of these signaling interplays in NKT cell development. Ly49D/H2-Dd transgenic mice had selectively and severely reduced numbers of thymic and peripheral NKT cells, whereas both ligand and Ly49D transgenics had normal numbers of NKT cells. CD1d tetramer staining revealed a blockade of NKT cell development at an early precursor stage. Coexpression of a Ly49A transgene partially rescued NKT cell development in Ly49D/H2-Dd transgenics, presumably due to attenuation of ITAM signaling. Thus, Ly49D-induced ITAM signaling is incompatible with the early development of cells expressing semi-invariant CD1d-restricted TCRs and appropriately harmonized ITIM–ITAM signaling is likely to play an important role in the developmental program of NKT cells

Particle Characteristics of Flake-Cut Meat

The size of flake-cut meat is an Important quality determinant of comminuted meat products which. potentially. depends upon a large number of factors. Temperature and whether or not the meat is pre-broken have a major Influence on the resulting particle size distribution, as does aperture size. Meat flaked at -7\u27C produced two to three times more flakes than at -3\u27 C. Under some conditions the particles produced were as little as 0.4 mm thick and characteristically were thicker at one end. High speed photography, used to visualise the cutting action. Indicated that size reduction occurs In a controlled manner providing that the meat ts neither too cold . nor too warm. Above -1 C the meat merely deforms rather than being cut. Single. discrete particles. examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and cryoSEM. unexpectedly did not exhibit the usual features of cleanly-cut meat. The lack of ultrastructural detail was attributed to a smearing of sarcoplasmic fluid produced by a localised. transient rise In temperature during flaking

Closing the (service) gap: exploring partnerships between Aboriginal and mainstream health services

Background: Although effective partnerships between Aboriginal and mainstream health services are critical to improve Aboriginal health outcomes, many factors can cause these partnerships to be tenuous and unproductive. Understanding the elements of best practice for successful partnerships is essential. Methods: A literature review was conducted in 2009 using keyword searches of electronic databases. Sourced literature was assessed for relevance regarding the benefits, challenges, lessons learnt and factors contributing to successful Aboriginal and mainstream partnerships. Key themes were collated. Results: Although there is much literature regarding general partnerships generally, few specifically examine Aboriginal and mainstream health service partnerships. Twenty-four sources were reviewed in detail. Benefits include broadening service capacity and improving the cultural security of healthcare. Challenges include the legacy of Australia’s colonial history, different approaches to servicing clients and resource limitations. Recommendations for success include workshopping tensions early, building trust and leadership. Conclusion: Although successful partnerships are crucial to optimise Aboriginal health outcomes, failed collaborations risk inflaming sensitive Aboriginal–non-Aboriginal relationships. Factors supporting successful partnerships remind us to develop genuine, trusting relationships that are tangibly linked to the Aboriginal community. Failure to invest in this relational process and push forward with ‘business as usual’ can ultimately have negative ramifications on client outcomes. What is known about the topic? Partnerships between different health services have long been recognised as beneficial for broadening service capacity and using resources more effectively to improve client care. The current policy climate particularly recognises partnerships between Aboriginal and mainstream services as offering multiple benefits for improving the cultural and clinical capacity of health service delivery to Aboriginal clients. Yet many challenges face these arrangements, including tensions stemming from historical and current race relations, different ways of working and ongoing Aboriginal disadvantage. What does this paper add? Although partnerships between Aboriginal and mainstream services are strongly advocated for, there is a paucity of research on the challenges in these arrangements and practical suggestions on how to make such partnerships genuinely successful. This paper analyses the results from research, case studies, reports and reviews to identify the factors that challenge and enhance partnerships between Aboriginal and mainstream health services. The collation of this information also enables indicators of best practice to be presented. What are the implications for practitioners? Although there are considerable challenges for Aboriginal and mainstream health services entering into partnerships, this paper offers health service practitioners and managers a summary of lessons learnt and a ‘checklist’ of best practice indicators to assist them in developing, implementing and sustaining a successful collaborative arrangement

Genetic Risk as a Marker of Amyloid-β and Tau Burden in Cerebrospinal Fluid.

BACKGROUND: The search for a biomarker of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology (amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau) is ongoing, with the best markers currently being measurements of Aβ and tau in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and via positron emission tomography (PET) scanning. These methods are relatively invasive, costly, and often have high screening failure rates. Consequently, research is aiming to elucidate blood biomarkers of Aβ and tau. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate a case/control polygenic risk score (PGRS) as a marker of tau and investigate blood markers of a combined Aβ and tau outcome for the first time. A sub-study also considers plasma tau as markers of Aβ and tau pathology in CSF. METHODS: We used data from the EDAR*, DESCRIPA**, and Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) cohorts in a logistic regression analysis to investigate blood markers of Aβ and tau in CSF. In particular, we investigated the extent to which a case/control PGRS is predictive of CSF tau, CSF amyloid, and a combined amyloid and tau outcome. The predictive ability of models was compared to that of age, gender, and APOE genotype ('basic model'). RESULTS: In EDAR and DESCRIPA test data, inclusion of a case/control PGRS was no more predictive of Aβ, and a combined Aβ and tau endpoint than the basic models (accuracies of 66.0%, and 73.3% respectively). The tau model saw a small increase in accuracy compared to basic models (59.6%). ADNI 2 test data also showed a slight increase in accuracy for the Aβ model when compared to the basic models (61.4%). CONCLUSION: We see some evidence that a case/control PGRS is marginally more predictive of Aβ and tau pathology than the basic models. The search for predictive factors of Aβ and tau pathologies, above and beyond demographic information, is still ongoing. Better understanding of AD risk alleles, development of more sensitive assays, and studies of larger sample size are three avenues that may provide such factors. However, the clinical utility of possible predictors of brain Aβ and tau pathologies must also be investigated.*'Beta amyloid oligomers in the early diagnosis of AD and as marker for treatment response'**'Development of screening guidelines and criteria for pre-dementia Alzheimer's disease'.Multiple funders listed on paper

Circulating Proteomic Signatures of Chronological Age

To elucidate the proteomic features of aging in plasma, the subproteome targeted by the SOMAscan assay was profiled in blood samples from 202 females from the TwinsUK cohort. Findings were replicated in 677 independent individuals from the AddNeuroMed, Alzheimer's Research UK, and Dementia Case Registry cohorts. Results were further validated using RNAseq data from whole blood in TwinsUK and the most significant proteins were tested for association with aging-related phenotypes after adjustment for age. Eleven proteins were associated with chronological age and were replicated at protein level in an independent population. These were further investigated at gene expression level in 384 females from the TwinsUK cohort. The two most strongly associated proteins were chordin-like protein 1 (meta-analysis β [SE] = 0.013 [0.001], p = 3.66 × 10−46) and pleiotrophin (0.012 [0.005], p = 3.88 × 10−41). Chordin-like protein 1 was also significantly correlated with birthweight (0.06 [0.02], p = 0.005) and with the individual Framingham 10-years cardiovascular risk scores in TwinsUK (0.71 [0.18], p = 9.9 × 10−5). Pleiotrophin is a secreted growth factor with a plethora of functions in multiple tissues and known to be a marker for cardiovascular risk and osteoporosis. Our study highlights the importance of proteomics to identify some molecular mechanisms involved in human health and agin

Evidence for high bi-allelic expression of activating Ly49 receptors

Stochastic expression is a hallmark of the Ly49 family that encode the main MHC class-I-recognizing receptors of mouse natural killer (NK) cells. This highly polygenic and polymorphic family includes both activating and inhibitory receptor genes and is one of genome's fastest evolving loci. The inhibitory Ly49 genes are expressed in a stochastic mono-allelic manner, possibly under the control of an upstream bi-directional early promoter and show mono-allelic DNA methylation patterns. To date, no studies have directly addressed the transcriptional regulation of the activating Ly49 receptors. Our study shows differences in DNA methylation pattern between activating and inhibitory genes in C57BL/6 and F1 hybrid mouse strains. We also show a bias towards bi-allelic expression of the activating receptors based on allele-specific single-cell RT–PCR in F1 hybrid NK cells for Ly49d and Ly49H expression in Ly49h+/− mice. Furthermore, we have identified a region of high sequence identity with possible transcriptional regulatory capacity for the activating Ly49 genes. Our results also point to a likely difference between NK and T-cells in their ability to transcribe the activating Ly49 genes. These studies highlight the complex regulation of this rapidly evolving gene family of central importance in mouse NK cell function

Aboriginal-mainstream partnerships: Exploring the challenges and enhancers of a collaborative service arrangement for Aboriginal clients with substance use issues

Background: Partnerships between different health services are integral to addressing the complex health needs of vulnerable populations. In Australia, partnerships between Aboriginal community controlled and mainstream services can extend health care options and improve the cultural safety of services. However, although government funding supports such collaborations, many factors can cause these arrangements to be tenuous, impacting the quality of health care received. Research was undertaken to explore the challenges and enhancers of a government initiated service partnership between an Aboriginal Community Controlled alcohol and drug service and three mainstream alcohol rehabilitation and support services. Methods. Sixteen staff including senior managers (n=5), clinical team leaders (n=5) and counsellors (n=6) from the four services were purposively recruited and interviewed. Interviews were semi-structured and explored staff experience of the partnership including the client intake and referral process, shared client care, inter-service communication and ways of working. Results & discussion. Communication issues, partner unfamiliarity, 'mainstreaming' of Aboriginal funding, divergent views regarding staff competencies, client referral issues, staff turnover and different ways of working emerged as issues, emphasizing the challenges of working with a population with complex issues in a persistent climate of limited resourcing. Factors enhancing the partnership included adding a richness and diversity to treatment possibilities and opportunities to explore different, more culturally appropriate ways of working. Conclusion: While the literature strongly advises partnerships be suitably mature before commencing service delivery, the reality of funding cycles may require partnerships become operational before relationships are adequately consolidated. Allowing sufficient time and funding for both the operation and relational aspects of a partnership is critical, with support for partners to regularly meet and workshop arrangements. Documentation that makes clear and embeds working arrangements between partners is important to ameliorate many of the issues that can arise. Given the historical undercurrents, flexible approaches are required to focus on strengths that contribute to progress, even if incremental, rather than on weaknesses which can undermine efforts. This research offers important lessons to assist other services collaborating in post-colonial settings to offer treatment pathways for vulnerable populations. © 2013 Taylor et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd