A Trip to the Moon: Personalized Animated Movies for Self-reflection

Self-tracking physiological and psychological data poses the challenge of presentation and interpretation. Insightful narratives for self-tracking data can motivate the user towards constructive self-reflection. One powerful form of narrative that engages audience across various culture and age groups is animated movies. We collected a week of self-reported mood and behavior data from each user and created in Unity a personalized animation based on their data. We evaluated the impact of their video in a randomized control trial with a non-personalized animated video as control. We found that personalized videos tend to be more emotionally engaging, encouraging greater and lengthier writing that indicated self-reflection about moods and behaviors, compared to non-personalized control videos

„A teraz uczę w szkole katolickiej” – doświadczenia początkujących nauczycieli (Early Career Teachers [ECT]) w szkołach katolickich w Lismore i wynikające z nich wnioski odnośnie do wsparcia formacji. Badania pilotażowe

This study is a preliminary investigation of early career teachers (ECT) working in Catholic schools in a large regional Australian diocese. The key aim of the study is to better understand the factors influencing early career teachers, who begin their teaching careers in Catholic schools, and to apprehend their early experiences as teachers to cater for their continuous formation needs. Key findings identify the openness of ECTs to faith-based experiences and the challenges faced in teaching in a Catholic school. Recommendations for early career teacher support and formation are provided considering the findings of this studyNiniejsze opracowanie relacjonuje badania pilotażowe nauczycieli na początkowym etapie kariery (Early Career Teachers [ECT]) w szkołach katolickich w diecezji Lismore w Australii. Głównym celem badań było lepsze poznanie czynników, warunkujących decyzję o rozpoczęciu kariery nauczycielskiej w szkole katolickiej oraz zrozumienie pierwszych doświadczeń, będących udziałem nauczycieli w szkołach katolickich, tak aby lepiej zaspokajać ich bieżące potrzeby formacyjne. Wyniki badań wskazują na otwartość ECT na doświadczenia oparte na wierze oraz wyzwania stojące przed nauczaniem w szkole katolickiej. W świetle wyników badań przedstawiono zalecenia dotyczące wsparcia i formacji nauczycieli na wczesnym etapie kariery

Direct measurement of the mechanical work during translocation by the ribosome.

A detailed understanding of tRNA/mRNA translocation requires measurement of the forces generated by the ribosome during this movement. Such measurements have so far remained elusive and, thus, little is known about the relation between force and translocation and how this reflects on its mechanism and regulation. Here, we address these questions using optical tweezers to follow translation by individual ribosomes along single mRNA molecules, against an applied force. We find that translocation rates depend exponentially on the force, with a characteristic distance close to the one-codon step, ruling out the existence of sub-steps and showing that the ribosome likely functions as a Brownian ratchet. We show that the ribosome generates ∼13 pN of force, barely sufficient to unwind the most stable structures in mRNAs, thus providing a basis for their regulatory role. Our assay opens the way to characterizing the ribosomes full mechano-chemical cycle

‘And Now I’m Teaching in a Catholic School’ – The Experiences of Early Career Teachers (ECT) in Lismore Catholic Schools and What Can Be Learned to Support Their Formation: A Preliminary Study

This study is a preliminary investigation of early career teachers (ECT) working in Catholic schools in a large regional Australian diocese. The key aim of the study is to better understand the factors influencing early career teachers, who begin their teaching careers in Catholic schools, and to apprehend their early experiences as teachers to cater for their continuous formation needs. Key findings identify the openness of ECTs to faith-based experiences and the challenges faced in teaching in a Catholic school. Recommendations for early career teacher support and formation are provided considering the findings of this stud

Contribution of ribosomal residues to P-site tRNA binding

Structural studies have revealed multiple contacts between the ribosomal P site and tRNA, but how these contacts contribute to P-tRNA binding remains unclear. In this study, the effects of ribosomal mutations on the dissociation rate (koff) of various tRNAs from the P site were measured. Mutation of the 30S P site destabilized tRNAs to various degrees, depending on the mutation and the species of tRNA. These data support the idea that ribosome-tRNA interactions are idiosyncratically tuned to ensure stable binding of all tRNA species. Unlike deacylated elongator tRNAs, N-acetyl-aminoacyl-tRNAs and tRNAfMet dissociated from the P site at a similar low rate, even in the presence of various P-site mutations. These data provide evidence for a stability threshold for P-tRNA binding and suggest that ribosome-tRNAfMet interactions are uniquely tuned for tight binding. The effects of 16S rRNA mutation G1338U were suppressed by 50S E-site mutation C2394A, suggesting that G1338 is particularly important for stabilizing tRNA in the P/E site. Finally, mutation C2394A or the presence of an N-acetyl-aminoacyl group slowed the association rate (kon) of tRNA dramatically, suggesting that deacylated tRNA binds the P site of the ribosome via the E site

Measurements of branching fraction ratios and CP-asymmetries in suppressed B^- -> D(-> K^+ pi^-)K^- and B^- -> D(-> K^+ pi^-)pi^- decays

We report the first reconstruction in hadron collisions of the suppressed decays B^- -> D(-> K^+ pi^-)K^- and B^- -> D(-> K^+ pi^-)pi^-, sensitive to the CKM phase gamma, using data from 7 fb^-1 of integrated luminosity collected by the CDF II detector at the Tevatron collider. We reconstruct a signal for the B^- -> D(-> K^+ pi^-)K^- suppressed mode with a significance of 3.2 standard deviations, and measure the ratios of the suppressed to favored branching fractions R(K) = [22.0 \pm 8.6(stat)\pm 2.6(syst)]\times 10^-3, R^+(K) = [42.6\pm 13.7(stat)\pm 2.8(syst)]\times 10^-3, R^-(K)= [3.8\pm 10.3(stat)\pm 2.7(syst]\times 10^-3, as well as the direct CP-violating asymmetry A(K) = -0.82\pm 0.44(stat)\pm 0.09(syst) of this mode. Corresponding quantities for B^- -> D(-> K^+ pi^-)pi^- decay are also reported.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure, accepted by Phys.Rev.D Rapid Communications for Publicatio

The natural wood regime in rivers

International audienc

Search for B_s --> mu+mu- and B_d --> mu+mu- Decays with CDF II

A search has been performed for B_s --> mu+mu- and B_d --> mu+mu- decays using 7/fb of integrated luminosity collected by the CDF II detector at the Fermilab Tevatron collider. The observed number of B_d candidates is consistent with background-only expectations and yields an upper limit on the branching fraction of BF(B_d-->mu+mu-) < 6.0E-9 at 95% confidence level. We observe an excess of B_s candidates. The probability that the background processes alone could produce such an excess or larger is 0.27%. The probability that the combination of background and the expected standard model rate of B_s --> mu+mu- could produce such an excess or larger is 1.9%. These data are used to determine BF(B_s-->mu+mu-) = (1.8^{+1.1}_{-0.9})E-8 and provide an upper limit of BF(B_s -->mu+mu-) < 4.0E-8 at 95% confidence level.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure; version accepted by PR