46 research outputs found

    An Application of Web-Supported Mental Tools in Technology Education

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    This article presents the pedagogical model “Network Oriented Study with Simulations” (NOSS) using simulation software and the ICT-based tool “Web Orientation Agent” (WOA) (Page et al., 2006) and supporting findings. The NOSS model was developed and implemented in CSCL (computer supported collaborative learning) type learning situations around computers in technology education utilising novel technologies such as case web-supported simulations and to evaluate the effectiveness of those in teaching, studying and learning settings. The preliminary findings appear to support the effectiveness of this pedagogical model with some limitations which are subsequently discussed

    Evaluating bicyclists’ risk perception using video clips: Comparison of frequent and infrequent city cyclists

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    Abstract Hazard and risk perception has been studied extensively among car drivers, and their link to crash involvement is established. Bicyclists, in particular, are vulnerable road users. Better understanding of their risk and hazard perception could help to improve their traffic safety. In this study, we investigated the risk perception of bicyclists in a city environment. Two groups of bicyclists were compared: 19 frequent and 19 infrequent bicyclists. Participants were shown video clips taken with a camera attached to the handlebar of a bicycle, and they were asked to continuously indicate with a slider how much caution the situation needed. The frequent cyclists had more frequent rises in the caution estimate, which suggest that they anticipated or detected more hazards than infrequent cyclists. This is in line with the classical hazard perception results, which link the car driving experience to faster and more accurate hazard perception. The overall level or caution was not directly related to the rise event rate or bicycling frequency. Those cyclists who reported typically cycling faster than others showed elevated overall level of caution on sidewalks compared with others, but there was no difference on bike paths.Hazard and risk perception has been studied extensively among car drivers, and their link to crash involvement is established. Bicyclists, in particular, are vulnerable road users. Better understanding of their risk and hazard perception could help to improve their traffic safety. In this study, we investigated the risk perception of bicyclists in a city environment. Two groups of bicyclists were compared: 19 frequent and 19 infrequent bicyclists. Participants were shown video clips taken with a camera attached to the handlebar of a bicycle, and they were asked to continuously indicate with a slider how much caution the situation needed. The frequent cyclists had more frequent rises in the caution estimate, which suggest that they anticipated or detected more hazards than infrequent cyclists. This is in line with the classical hazard perception results, which link the car driving experience to faster and more accurate hazard perception. The overall level or caution was not directly related to the rise event rate or bicycling frequency. Those cyclists who reported typically cycling faster than others showed elevated overall level of caution on sidewalks compared with others, but there was no difference on bike paths. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

    An application of web-supported mental tools in technology education

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    This article presents the pedagogical model “Network Oriented Study with Simulations” (NOSS) using simulation software and the ICTbased tool “Web Orientation Agent” (WOA) (Page et al., 2006) and supporting findings. The NOSS model was developed and implemented in CSCL (computer supported collaborative learning) type learning situations around computers in technology education utilising novel technologies such as case web-supported simulations and to evaluate the effectiveness of those in teaching, studying and learning settings. The preliminary findings appear to support the effectiveness of this pedagogical model with some limitations which are subsequently discussed

    Neural mechanisms underlying word- and phrase-level morphological parsing

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    How is morphological and morphosyntactic information processed during sentence reading? Are the neural mechanisms underlying word- and phrase-level combinatorial processing overlapping or distinct? Here, electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) responses were recorded simultaneously during silent reading of Finnish sentences. The experimental conditions included 1) well-formed grammatical sentences (correct condition), 2) sentences containing morphosyntactic violations (adjective–noun number agreement violations), 3) morphological violations (incorrect stem allomorph and inflectional suffix combination), and 4) combined violations, containing both morphosyntactic and morphological violations. Signal space and source modeling results showed that morphosyntactic violations elicited a left anterior negativity effect, generated particularly in the left inferior frontal area. Morphological violations elicited a widespread negativity, resembling the N400. The neural sources of this negativity were localized most prominently to the right temporal cortical networks. Furthermore, all violations elicited P600 effects with similar widespread bilateral fronto-temporal neural generators that did not differ between morphosyntactic and morphological conditions. Our findings suggest at least partially distinct subnetworks in the fronto-temporal cortices for morphological and morphosyntactic parsing during the earlier stages of processes (∌400 ms post stimulus onset) and shared neural generators for the later processing stages.Peer reviewe

    Association of income and educational levels with adherence to direct oral anticoagulant therapy in patients with incident atrial fibrillation : A Finnish nationwide cohort study

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    Low socioeconomic status has been associated with poor outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). However, little is known about socioeconomic disparities in adherence to stroke prevention with direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs). We assessed the hypothesis that AF patients with higher income or educational levels have better adherence to DOACs in terms of treatment implementation and persistence. The used nationwide registry-based FinACAF cohort covers all patients with incident AF starting DOACs in Finland during 2011-2018. The implementation analyses included 74 222 (mean age 72.7 +/- 10.5 years, 50.8% female) patients, and persistence analyses included 67 503 (mean age 75.3 +/- 8.9 years, 53.6% female) patients with indication for permanent anticoagulation (CHA(2)DS(2)-VASc score >1 in men and >2 in women). Patients were divided into income quartiles and into three categories based on their educational attainment. Therapy implementation was measured using the medication possession ratio (MPR), and patients with MPR >= 0.90 were defined adherent. Persistence was measured as the incidence of therapy discontinuation, defined as the first 135-day period without DOAC purchases after drug initiation. Patients with higher income or education were consistently more likely adherent to DOACs in the implementation phase (comparing the highest income or educational category to the lowest adjusted odds ratios 1.18 (1.12-1.25) and 1.21(1.15-1.27), respectively). No association with income or educational levels was observed on the incidence of therapy discontinuation. In conclusion, we observed that income and educational levels both have independent positive association on the implementation of DOAC therapy but no association on therapy persistence in patients with AF.Peer reviewe

    Hydroxychloroquine reduces interleukin-6 levels after myocardial infarction : The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled OXI pilot trial

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    Objectives: To determine the anti-inflammatory effect and safety of hydroxychloroquine after acute myocardial infarction. Method: In this multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled OXI trial, 125 myocardial infarction patients were randomized at a median of 43 h after hospitalization to receive hydroxychloroquine 300 mg (n = 64) or placebo (n = 61) once daily for 6 months and, followed for an average of 32 months. Laboratory values were measured at baseline, 1, 6, and 12 months. Results: The levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) were comparable at baseline between study groups (p = 0.18). At six months, the IL-6 levels were lower in the hydroxychloroquine group (p = 0.042, between groups), and in the on-treatment analysis, the difference at this time point was even more pronounced (p = 0.019, respectively). The high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels did not differ significantly between study groups at any time points. Eleven patients in the hydroxychloroquine group and four in the placebo group had adverse events leading to in-terruption or withdrawal of study medication, none of which was serious (p = 0.10, between groups). Conclusions: In patients with myocardial infarction, hydroxychloroquine reduced IL-6 levels significantly more than did placebo without causing any clinically significant adverse events. A larger randomized clinical trial is warranted to prove the potential ability of hydroxychloroquine to reduce cardiovascular endpoints after myocar-dial infarction. (c) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Peer reviewe

    Deficient H2A.Z deposition is associated with genesis of uterine leiomyoma

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    One in four women suffers from uterine leiomyomas (ULs)-benign tumours of the uterine wall, also known as uterine fibroids-at some point in premenopausal life. ULs can cause excessive bleeding, pain and infertility(1), and are a common cause of hysterectomy(2). They emerge through at least three distinct genetic drivers: mutations in MED12 or FH, or genomic rearrangement of HMGA2(3). Here we created genome-wide datasets, using DNA, RNA, assay for transposase-accessible chromatin (ATAC), chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and HiC chromatin immunoprecipitation (HiChIP) sequencing of primary tissues to profoundly understand the genesis of UL. We identified somatic mutations in genes encoding six members of the SRCAP histone-loading complex(4), and found that germline mutations in the SRCAP members YEATS4 and ZNHIT1 predispose women to UL. Tumours bearing these mutations showed defective deposition of the histone variant H2A.Z. In ULs, H2A.Z occupancy correlated positively with chromatin accessibility and gene expression, and negatively with DNA methylation, but these correlations were weak in tumours bearing SRCAP complex mutations. In these tumours, open chromatin emerged at transcription start sites where H2A.Z was lost, which was associated with upregulation of genes. Furthermore, YEATS4 defects were associated with abnormal upregulation of bivalent embryonic stem cell genes, as previously shown in mice(5). Our work describes a potential mechanism of tumorigenesis-epigenetic instability caused by deficient H2A.Z deposition-and suggests that ULs arise through an aberrant differentiation program driven by deranged chromatin, emanating from a small number of mutually exclusive driver mutations.Peer reviewe
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