77 research outputs found
Cooling towers among ivory towers : a comparative analysis of research universities, electricity consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions
Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2006.Vita.Includes bibliographical references.The rationale for university sustainability and existing international agreements on sustainability in higher education are reviewed in the context of developing a model to determine the linkages between three environmental impacts. It is proposed that larger university facilities draw more electricity which in turn cause increased greenhouse gas emissions. Using published environmental performance reports and sustainability audits from private and public research universities, facility size, electricity consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions are shown to exhibit strong correlations among each other even when normalized by student body, research population, or facility area. Preliminary analysis of secondary variables measuring financial resources and level of prestige display significant correlations suggest endogenous economic and social factors that contribute to micro-model of university greenhouse gas emissions.by Brian C. Keegan.S.B
Mobilizing the Trump Train: Understanding Collective Action in a Political Trolling Community
Political trolls initiate online discord not only for the lulz (laughs) but
also for ideological reasons, such as promoting their desired political
candidates. Political troll groups recently gained spotlight because they were
considered central in helping Donald Trump win the 2016 US presidential
election, which involved difficult mass mobilizations. Political trolls face
unique challenges as they must build their own communities while simultaneously
disrupting others. However, little is known about how political trolls mobilize
sufficient participation to suddenly become problems for others. We performed a
quantitative longitudinal analysis of more than 16 million comments from one of
the most popular and disruptive political trolling communities, the subreddit
/r/The\_Donald (T\D). We use T_D as a lens to understand participation and
collective action within these deviant spaces. In specific, we first study the
characteristics of the most active participants to uncover what might drive
their sustained participation. Next, we investigate how these active
individuals mobilize their community to action. Through our analysis, we
uncover that the most active employed distinct discursive strategies to
mobilize participation, and deployed technical tools like bots to create a
shared identity and sustain engagement. We conclude by providing data-backed
design implications for designers of civic media
Supporting Instructors in Collaborating with Researchers using MOOClets
Most education and workplace learning takes place in classroom contexts far
removed from laboratories or field sites with special arrangements for
scientific research. But digital online resources provide a novel opportunity
for large scale efforts to bridge the real world and laboratory settings which
support data collection and randomized A/B experiments comparing different
versions of content or interactions [2]. However, there are substantial
technological and practical barriers in aligning instructors and researchers to
use learning technologies like blended lessons/exercises & MOOCs as both a
service for students and a realistic context to conduct research. This paper
explains how the concept of a MOOClet can facilitate research-practitioner
collaborations. MOOClets [3] are defined as modular components of a digital
resource that can be implemented in technology to: (1) allow modification to
create multiple versions, (2) allow experimental comparison and personalization
of different versions, (3) reliably specify what data are collected. We suggest
a framework in which instructors specify what kinds of changes to lessons,
exercises, and emails they would be willing to adopt, and what data they will
collect and make available. Researchers can then: (1) specify or design
experiments that compare the effects of different versions on quantifiable
outcomes. (2) Explore algorithms for maximizing particular outcomes by choosing
alternative versions of a MOOClet based on the input variables available. We
present a prototype survey tool for instructors intended to facilitate
practitioner researcher matches and successful collaborations.Comment: 4 page
Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial
Background
Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy
Phenotypic spectrum and transcriptomic profile associated with germline variants in TRAF7
PURPOSE: Somatic variants in tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 7 (TRAF7) cause meningioma, while germline variants have recently been identified in seven patients with developmental delay and cardiac, facial, and digital anomalies. We aimed to define the clinical and mutational spectrum associated with TRAF7 germline variants in a large series of patients, and to determine the molecular effects of the variants through transcriptomic analysis of patient fibroblasts. METHODS: We performed exome, targeted capture, and Sanger sequencing of patients with undiagnosed developmental disorders, in multiple independent diagnostic or research centers. Phenotypic and mutational comparisons were facilitated through data exchange platforms. Whole-transcriptome sequencing was performed on RNA from patient- and control-derived fibroblasts. RESULTS: We identified heterozygous missense variants in TRAF7 as the cause of a developmental delay-malformation syndrome in 45 patients. Major features include a recognizable facial gestalt (characterized in particular by blepharophimosis), short neck, pectus carinatum, digital deviations, and patent ductus arteriosus. Almost all variants occur in the WD40 repeats and most are recurrent. Several differentially expressed genes were identified in patient fibroblasts. CONCLUSION: We provide the first large-scale analysis of the clinical and mutational spectrum associated with the TRAF7 developmental syndrome, and we shed light on its molecular etiology through transcriptome studies
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