Toward a More Perfect Definition of Learning: Using Biomarkers to Predict and Assess Learning Performance

This study seeks to establish groundwork for a new definition of learning based on neurogenesis capable of guiding future educational policy and practice. The purpose of the research was to: (1) produce separate increases in neurogenesis and intelligence, (2) measure the changes in neurogenesis using protein biomarkers, and (3) correlate increases in levels of the protein biomarkers with increases in intelligence. The study employed a randomized pretest-posttest, control/comparison group research design. Thirty-eight fourth- and fifth-grade students with diverse academic needs were divided into three experimental groups: chess, exercise, and combined; with an additional control group. Pre-post measures included intelligence (RSPM) and two serum proteins (BDNF) and (VEGF). Multiple one-way ANOVAs between the groups with post-hoc Bonferroni pairwise correction discovered significant differences on post-IQ scores (1) between chess and control; (2) between those groups that received chess treatment and those that did not; and (3) between those groups that received chess and/or exercise treatment versus control. Paired sample t-tests found the exercise group and the combined group significantly increased BDNF pre-post. A Pearson Product Moment correlation revealed that the control group had the only significant post-test correlation between RSPM and BDNF (p = .049). Chess and exercise treatment led to increases in intelligence and biomarker levels associated with neurogenesis, as evidenced by increased RSPM and BDNF measures. The results of this research suggest that a novel process whereby protein biomarkers such as BDNF and VEGF may be useful as a potential measure of neurogenesis in young children. This research successfully produced increases in protein biomarkers in an attempt to correlate neurogenesis to intelligence in human subjects. Exercise treatment initiated increases in protein biomarkers, while chess treatment increased intelligence. Both chess and exercise treatment may be beneficial to increase efficiency of neural networks associated with intelligence in a school-age population

How can music visualisation techniques reveal different perspectives on musical structure?

Standard western notation supports the understanding and performance of music, but has limited provisions for revealing overall musical characteristics and structure. This paper presents several visualisers for highlighting and providing insights into musical structures, including rhythm, pitch, and interval transitions, also noting how these elements modulate over time. The visualisations are presented in the context of Shneiderman's Visual Information-Seeking Mantra, and terminology from the Cognitive Dimensions of Music Notations usability framework. Such techniques are designed to make understanding musical structure quicker, easier, less error prone, and take better advantage of the intrinsic pattern recognition abilities of humans

Ultracompact fluorescence smartphone attachment using built-in optics for protoporphyrin-IX quantification in skin

Smartphone-based fluorescence imaging systems have the potential to provide convenient quantitative image guidance at the point of care. However, common approaches have required the addition of complex optical attachments, which reduce translation potential. In this study, a simple clip-on attachment appropriate for fluorescence imaging of protoporphyrin-IX (PpIX) in skin was designed using the built-in light source and ultrawide camera sensor of a smartphone. Software control for image acquisition and quantitative analysis was developed using the 10-bit video capability of the phone. Optical performance was characterized using PpIX in liquid tissue phantoms and endogenously produced PpIX in mice and human skin. The proposed system achieves a very compact form factor (\u3c30 cm3) and can be readily fabricated using widely available low-cost materials. The limit of detection of PpIX in optical phantoms was \u3c10 nM, with good signal linearity from 10 to 1000 nM (R2 \u3e0.99). Both murine and human skin imaging verified that in vivo PpIX fluorescence was detected within 1 hour of applying aminolevulinic acid (ALA) gel. This ultracompact handheld system for quantification of PpIX in skin is well-suited for dermatology clinical workflows. Due to its simplicity and form factor, the proposed system can be readily adapted for use with other smartphone devices and fluorescence imaging applications. Hardware design and software for the system is made freely available on GitHub (https://github.com/optmed/CompactFluorescenceCam)

The Human Tissue-Biomaterial Interface : A Role for PPARγ-Dependent Glucocorticoid Receptor Activation in Regulating the CD163(+) M2 Macrophage Phenotype

In vivo studies of implanted acellular biological scaffolds in experimental animals have shown constructive remodeling mediated by anti-inflammatory macrophages. Little is known about the human macrophage response to such biomaterials, or the nature of the signaling mechanisms that govern the macrophage phenotype in this environment. The cellular events at the interface of a tissue and implanted decellularized biomaterial were examined by establishing a novel ex vivo tissue culture model in which surgically excised human urinary tract tissue was combined with porcine acellular bladder matrix (PABM). Evaluation of the tissue-biomaterial interface showed a time-dependent infiltration of the biomaterial by CD68(+) CD80(-) macrophages. The migration of CD68(+) cells from the tissue to the interface was accompanied by maturation to a CD163(hi) phenotype, suggesting that factor(s) associated with the biomaterial or the wound edge was/were responsible for the active recruitment and polarization of local macrophages. Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) signaling was investigated as candidate pathways for integrating inflammatory responses; both showed intense nuclear labeling in interface macrophages. GR and PPARγ activation polarized peripheral blood-derived macrophages from a default M1 (CD80(+)) toward an M2 (CD163(+)) phenotype, but PPARγ signaling predominated, as its antagonism blocked any GR-mediated effect. Seeding on PABM was effective at polarizing peripheral blood-derived macrophages from a default CD80(+) phenotype on glass to a CD80(-) phenotype, with intense nuclear localization of PPARγ. These results endorse in vivo observations that the infiltration of decellularized biological scaffolds, exemplified here by PABM, is pioneered by macrophages. Thus, it appears that natural factors present in PABM are involved in the active recruitment and polarization of macrophages to a CD163(+) phenotype, with activation of PPARγ identified as the candidate pathway. The harnessing of these natural matrix-associated factors may be useful in enhancing the integration of synthetic and other natural biomaterials by polarizing macrophage activation toward an M2 regulatory phenotype

Applying metrological techniques to satellite fundamental climate data records

Quantifying long-term environmental variability, including climatic trends, requires decadal-scale time series of observations. The reliability of such trend analysis depends on the long-term stability of the data record, and understanding the sources of uncertainty in historic, current and future sensors. We give a brief overview on how metrological techniques can be applied to historical satellite data sets. In particular we discuss the implications of error correlation at different spatial and temporal scales and the forms of such correlation and consider how uncertainty is propagated with partial correlation. We give a form of the Law of Propagation of Uncertainties that considers the propagation of uncertainties associated with common errors to give the covariance associated with Earth observations in different spectral channels

The Transition from Practitioner to Professor: The Struggle of New Faculty to Find their Place in the World of Academia

Becoming a college professor brings both the feeling of self-accomplishment and discernment regarding this prestigious achievement. Most doctoral candidates are practitioners in the eld of public education and will hopefully transition from a principalship to the oce of a college professor. While this journey is lled with personal attainment, some of the doctoral graduates experience a variety of struggles along the way to their positions in higher education. This study examined this journey for some of those who have made the move. The questions posed to the participants centered on the benefits, disadvantages, and suggestions on ways to assist fellow completers who have decided to take a position in higher education. Four primary struggles were identied as a result of the study: (1) struggle with the role, (2) struggle with self, (3) cultural struggle, and (4) future struggles. Through a narrative approach, the participants addressed their feelings regarding the move to a professorship, struggles they faced along the way and the impact the professional change had on their lives

Once-weekly semaglutide for patients with type 2 diabetes:a cost-effectiveness analysis in the Netherlands

Objective Choosing therapies for type 2 diabetes that are both effective and cost-effective is vital as healthcare systems worldwide aim to maximize health of the population. The present analysis assessed the cost-effectiveness of once-weekly semaglutide (a novel glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist) versus insulin glargine U100 (the most commonly used basal insulin) and versus dulaglutide (an alternative once-weekly GLP-1 receptor agonist), from a societal perspective in the Netherlands. Research design and methods The IQVIA CORE Diabetes Model was used to project outcomes for once-weekly semaglutide 0.5 mg and 1 mg versus insulin glargine U100, once-weekly semaglutide 0.5 mg versus dulaglutide 0.75 mg, and once-weekly semaglutide 1 mg versus dulaglutide 1.5 mg. Clinical data were taken from the SUSTAIN 4 and SUSTAIN 7 clinical trials. The analysis captured direct and indirect costs, mortality, and the impact of diabetes-related complications on quality of life. Results Projections of outcomes suggested that once-weekly semaglutide 0.5 mg was associated with improved quality-adjusted life expectancy by 0.19 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) versus insulin glargine U100 and 0.07 QALYs versus dulaglutide 0.75 mg. Once-weekly semaglutide 1 mg was associated with mean increases in quality-adjusted life expectancy of 0.27 QALYs versus insulin glargine U100 and 0.13 QALYs versus dulaglutide 1.5 mg. Improvements came at an increased cost versus insulin glargine U100, with incremental cost-effectiveness ratios from a societal perspective of _4988 and _495 per QALY gained for once-weekly semaglutide 0.5 mg and 1 mg, respectively, falling below Netherlands-specific willingness-to-pay thresholds. Improvements versus dulaglutide came at a reduced cost from a societal perspective for both doses of once-weekly semaglutide. Conclusions Once-weekly semaglutide is cost-effective versus insulin glargine U100, and dominant versus dulaglutide 0.75 and 1.5 mg for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, and represents a good use of healthcare resources in the Netherlands

Euler buckling in red blood cells: An optically driven biological micromotor

We investigate the physics of an optically-driven micromotor of biological origin. A single, live red blood cell, when placed in an optical trap folds into a rod-like shape. If the trapping laser beam is circularly polarized, the folded RBC rotates. A model based on the concept of buckling instabilities captures the folding phenomenon; the rotation of the cell is simply understood using the Poincar\`e sphere. Our model predicts that (i) at a critical intensity of the trapping beam the RBC shape undergoes large fluctuations and (ii) the torque is proportional to the intensity of the laser beam. These predictions have been tested experimentally. We suggest a possible mechanism for emergence of birefringent properties in the RBC in the folded state