Raising awareness of the accessibility challenges in mathematics MOOCs

MOOCs provide learning environments that make it easier for learners to study from anywhere, at their own pace and with open access to content. This has revolutionised the field of eLearning, but accessibility continues to be a problem, even more so if we include the complexity of the STEM disciplines which have their own specific characteristics. This work presents an analysis of the accessibility of several MOOC platforms which provide courses in mathematics. We attempt to visualise the main web accessibility problems and challenges that disabled learners could face in taking these types of courses, both in general and specifically in the context of the subject of mathematics

Secondary Sex Ratio among Women Exposed to Diethylstilbestrol in Utero

BACKGROUND. Diethylstilbestrol (DES), a synthetic estrogen widely prescribed to pregnant women during the mid-1900s, is a potent endocrine disruptor. Previous studies have suggested an association between endocrine-disrupting compounds and secondary sex ratio. METHODS. Data were provided by women participating in the National Cancer Institute (NCI) DES Combined Cohort Study. We used generalized estimating equations to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the relation of in utero DES exposure to sex ratio (proportion of male births). Models were adjusted for maternal age, child's birth year, parity, and cohort, and accounted for clustering among women with multiple pregnancies. RESULTS. The OR for having a male birth comparing DES-exposed to unexposed women was 1.05 (95% CI, 0.95-1.17). For exposed women with complete data on cumulative DES dose and timing (33%), those first exposed to DES earlier in gestation and to higher doses had the highest odds of having a male birth. The ORs were 0.91 (95% C, 0.65-1.27) for first exposure at ≥ 13 weeks gestation to < 5 g DES; 0.95 (95% CI, 0.71-1.27) for first exposure at ≥ 13 weeks to ≥ 5 g; 1.16 (95% CI, 0.96-1.41) for first exposure at < 13 weeks to < 5 g; and 1.24 (95% CI, 1.04-1.48) for first exposure at < 13 weeks to ≥ 5 g compared with no exposure. Results did not vary appreciably by maternal age, parity, cohort, or infertility history. CONCLUSIONS. Overall, no association was observed between in utero DES exposure and secondary sex ratio, but a significant increase in the proportion of male births was found among women first exposed to DES earlier in gestation and to a higher cumulative dose.National Cancer Institute (N01-CP-21168, N01-CP-51017, N01-CP-01289

Incidence of Leukemia, Lymphoma, and Multiple Myeloma in Czech Uranium Miners: A Case–Cohort Study

OBJECTIVE: Uranium miners are chronically exposed to low levels of radon and its progeny. We investigated whether radon exposure is associated with increased incidence of leukemia, lymphoma, or multiple myeloma in this population. DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective case–cohort study in 23,043 uranium miners and identified a total of 177 incident cases of leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. Detailed information on occupational radon exposure was obtained for the cases and a randomly selected subcohort of 2,393 subjects. We used the proportional hazards model with power relative risk (RR) function to estimate and test the effects of cumulative radon exposures on incidence rates. RESULTS: Incidence of all leukemia combined and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) alone was positively associated with cumulative radon exposure. The RR comparing high radon exposure [110 working level months (WLM); 80th percentile] to low radon exposure (3 WLM; 20th percentile) was 1.75 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.10–2.78; p = 0.014] for all leukemia combined and 1.98 (95% CI, 1.10–3.59; p = 0.016) for CLL. Myeloid leukemia and Hodgkin lymphoma were also associated with radon, but RRs were not statistically significant. There was no apparent association of radon with either non-Hodgkin lymphoma or multiple myeloma. Exposure to radon and its progeny was associated with an increased risk of developing leukemia in underground uranium miners. CLL, not previously believed to be radiogenic, was linked to radon exposure

OLA! A Scenario-Based Approach to Enhance Open Learning Through Accessibility

Open Educational Resources (OER) and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) have not developed with an inherent capacity to attend to the needs of disabled students. In our research, we aim to understand the social, contextual and organisational issues behind these inadequacies. Through this, interventions and best practices can be developed to improve the situation

CSNL: A cost-sensitive non-linear decision tree algorithm

This article presents a new decision tree learning algorithm called CSNL that induces Cost-Sensitive Non-Linear decision trees. The algorithm is based on the hypothesis that nonlinear decision nodes provide a better basis than axis-parallel decision nodes and utilizes discriminant analysis to construct nonlinear decision trees that take account of costs of misclassification. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated by applying it to seventeen datasets and the results are compared with those obtained by two well known cost-sensitive algorithms, ICET and MetaCost, which generate multiple trees to obtain some of the best results to date. The results show that CSNL performs at least as well, if not better than these algorithms, in more than twelve of the datasets and is considerably faster. The use of bagging with CSNL further enhances its performance showing the significant benefits of using nonlinear decision nodes. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated by applying it to seventeen data sets and the results are compared with those obtained by two well known cost-sensitive algorithms, ICET and MetaCost, which generate multiple trees to obtain some of the best results to date. The results show that CSNL performs at least as well, if not better than these algorithms, in more than twelve of the data sets and is considerably faster. The use of bagging with CSNL further enhances its performance showing the significant benefits of using non-linear decision nodes

Melanoma: What are the gaps in our knowledge?

Jonathan Rees outlines a number of puzzling gaps that remain in our knowledge of the etiology of non-acral melanomas

Household Pesticides and the Risk of Wilms Tumor

BACKGROUND: Previous epidemiologic studies have suggested that exposure to pesticides in utero and during early childhood may increase the risk for development of childhood cancer, including Wilms tumor, a childhood kidney tumor. OBJECTIVES: In this analysis we evaluated the role of residential pesticide exposure in relation to the risk of Wilms tumor in children using data from a North American case–control study. METHODS: The National Wilms Tumor Study Group (NWTSG) collected information on exposure to residential pesticides from the month before pregnancy through the diagnosis reference date using detailed phone interviews from 523 case mothers and 517 controls frequency matched on child’s age and geographic region and identified by list-assisted random digit dialing. Pesticides were grouped according to type of pesticide and where they were used. RESULTS: A slightly increased risk of Wilms tumor was found among children of mothers who reported insecticide use [odds ratio (OR) = 1.4, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.0–1.8; adjusted for education, income, and the matching variables]. Results from all other categories of pesticides were generally close to the null. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the largest case–control study of Wilms tumor to date. We were unable to confirm earlier reports of an increased risk for Wilms tumor among those exposed to residential pesticides during pregnancy through early childhood

Lipoprotein lipase regulates Fc receptor-mediated phagocytosis by macrophages maintained in glucose-deficient medium

During periods of intense activity such as phagocytosis, macrophages are thought to derive most of their energy from glucose metabolism under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. To determine whether fatty acids released from lipoproteins by macrophage lipoprotein lipase (LPL) could substitute for glucose as a source of energy for phagocytosis, we cultured peritoneal macrophages from normal and LPL knockout (LPL-KO) mice that had been rescued from neonatal demise by expression of human LPL via the muscle creatine kinase promoter. Normal and LPL-KO macrophages were cultured in medium containing normal (5 mM) or low (1 mM) glucose, and were tested for their capacity to phagocytose IgG-opsonized sheep erythrocytes. LPL-KO macrophages maintained in 1 and 5 mM glucose phagocytosed 67 and 79% fewer IgG-opsonized erythrocytes, respectively, than macrophages from normal mice. Addition of VLDL to LPL-expressing macrophages maintained in 1 mM glucose enhanced the macrophages' phagocytosis of IgG-opsonized erythrocytes, but did not stimulate phagocytosis by LPL-KO macrophages. Inhibition of secreted LPL with a monoclonal anti-LPL antibody or with tetrahydrolipstatin blocked the ability of VLDL to enhance phagocytosis by LPL-expressing macrophages maintained in 1 mM glucose. Addition of oleic acid significantly enhanced phagocytosis by both LPL-expressing and LPL-KO macrophages maintained in 1 mM glucose. Moreover, oleic acid stimulated phagocytosis in cells cultured in non-glucose-containing medium, and increased the intracellular stores of creatine phosphate. Inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation, but not of glycolysis, blocked the capacity of oleic acid to stimulate phagocytosis. Receptor-mediated endocytosis of acetyl LDL by macrophages from LPL-expressing and LPL-KO mice was similar whether the cells were maintained in 5 or 1 mM glucose, and was not augmented by VLDL. We postulate that fatty acids derived from macrophage LPL-catalyzed hydrolysis of triglycerides and phospholipids provide energy for macrophages in areas that have limited amounts of ambient glucose, and during periods of intense metabolic activity