Seductive Details in Educational Materials: Exploring Attention Distraction Using Eye-Tracking

Current advances in technology allow for a great deal of learning intervention materials to be designed by teachers. An active body of research is being conducted on how information is processed from these materials which are often created using electronic media. The design of these materials often includes interesting but irrelevant details which may detract from learning. These are termed “seductive details” and the impact of these inclusions in learning materials is not yet fully understood. Developing a better understanding of what factors play a role in the damaging effects of seductive details can help in the design of learning materials. The primary cognitive explanations to date for the impact of seductive details include working memory capacity (WMC) and distracted attention. These elements do not fully explain the variation in results from prior studies. A primary goal of this study was to explore if the emotional salience of seductive details could help explain whether and how seductive details detract from learning. This experimental study was conducted with 39 undergraduate university students. The design accounted for WMC and directly measured visual attention using eye-tracking. Eye-tracking devices allow for empirical measures of how much time a learner spends attending to seductive details versus pertinent learning materials. The study provided little evidence to suggest the seductive details used in the materials detracted from learning. The evidence suggests learners visually attend to seductive details when they are present, and they are more likely to attend to emotionally salient seductive details than neutrally valenced details

The global dynamics of CDK substrate phosphorylation in a simplified CDK network

Cyclin-CDK complexes initiate S-phase and mitosis, but how these events are temporally separated is not fully understood. In S. pombe a single Cyclin-CDK is sufficient to order the cell cycle. Understanding how and when CDK substrates are phosphorylated, during the cell cycle, will inform how CDK orders cell cycle events. To this end, I have combined in vivo chemical inhibition of CDK and phosphoproteomics to study the behaviour of CDK-mediated phosphorylation. Hundreds of CDK-dependent phosphorylation events have been identified and their cell cycle phosphorylation dynamics quantified. CDK substrates falls into three categories: i) the vast majority become phosphorylated during mitosis, ii) S-phase substrates, which are first phosphorylated at G1/S and are stable until mitosis, and iii) biphasic substrates that increases in phosphorylation at both transitions but peak at G2/M. All three classes are dephosphorylated simultaneously at mitotic exit. S-phase substrates are more sensitive to CDK activity in vivo than mitotic substrates. The causal relationship between CDK activity, substrate phosphorylation, and cell cycle fate is corroborated by the fact that when the timing of substrate phosphorylation is reordered, the order of cell cycle events is correspondingly reorganised. These data argue that rising CDK activity orders the cell cycle via the attainment of substrate-specific thresholds. Low activity results in S-phase substrate phosphorylation, and the initiation of DNA synthesis, whilst higher CDK activity results in mitotic substrate phosphorylation and chromosome segregation. Furthermore, the timing of mitotic substrate phosphorylation during G2/M correlates with sensitivity to CDK activity, indicating that passage through sequential CDK activity thresholds orders substrate phosphorylation, and likely mitotic events, during the entry into mitosis. Phosphoproteomic analysis also indicates that G1/S cyclins contribute mainly to the accumulation of CDK activity, and that phosphorylation by other mitotic kinases is organised into sequential waves, allowing the amplification and diversification of CDK signalling

‘This will not be the first time that the softest hand has proved the strongest’ : the Eastern Division of the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society of the Presbyterian Church in Canada and the fate of Scottish identity, 1876-1914

138 leaves ; 29 cmIncludes abstract and appendices.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 117-136).Scotland’s commitment to the British imperial project after 1707 helped configure ‘Scottishness’ as a decidedly masculine construct, while the methodology developed by historians in the study of Scottish migrant identity since then promotes a male-centric source base. This undermines how Scottish migrant women associated with their Scottish cultural, ethnic and national identities. Through detailed analysis of the composition, operations and rhetoric of the Eastern Division of the Women’s Foreign Missionary Society of the Presbyterian Church in Canada during the society’s lifespan, 1876 to 1914, this thesis investigates the underexplored potential of civic institutions in developing a more nuanced understanding of Scottish identity during Britain’s ‘victorious century’. It also demonstrates how decisions to engage with certain local, national and global issues during the post-Confederation period contributed to the gradual disintegration of the society’s distinctively Scottish identity in favour of increasing identification with Canada before the First World War

People with Dementia, Contributing to Learning and Teaching in Higher Education: Innovative Practice

Patients and service users have a well-established role in teaching and learning on professional qualifying programmes such as such as social work and nursing. However, the role of people with dementia in contributing to educational initiatives at higher educational level remains under explored. Four people with dementia were recruited as Expert by Lived Experience Tutors for the Foundation Degree in Dementia Studies at a University in the United Kingdom. They met students regularly to support their learning. We were interested in researching whether and how this enhanced the ability of students to enable people to live well with dementia. However, we also discovered that the initiative gave insight into psychosocial aspects of dementia, and a new opportunity to explore personhood, co-production and social citizenship. That is the focus of this article

The Cognitive Daisy – a novel method for recognising the cognitive status of older adults in residential care: Innovative practice

The Cognitive Daisy (COG-D) is an innovative assessment system created to provide healthcare staff with an instant snapshot of the cognitive status of older adults in residential care. The COG-D comprises a flower head consisting of 15 colour coded petals depicting information about: visual-spatial perception, comprehension, communication, memory and attention. This study confirmed the practicality of the COG-D protocol for assessing cognition in a sample of 33 older adults living in residential care and endorsed the use of the COG-D as a tool for recognising the cognitive status of care home residents

Designing out waste: an exploratory study of circular business models

The circular economy is an emerging model that experts believe is able to resolve the conflict between resource constraints, environmental degradation and economic growth. In short, it is a model for an economy designed to work in harmony with the environment by designing out waste, relying on renewable energy and embracing diversity and systems thinking. Many have claimed that companies will lead the transition to a circular economy. However, much is still not understood about how companies can prosper in a circular economic system. In this study, I first review the literature to propose a definition for a circular business model. I define it as the rationale of how an organization creates and delivers value to customers and captures value for itself while it simultaneously designs out waste, relies on renewable energy, thinks in systems, and embraces diversity to build organizational resilience. A thorough review of the literature reveals that the elements of circular business models are often discussed by isolating one business model element such as product as service systems as revenue models. Since isolated elements alone cannot effectively design out waste, I argue that a more holistic, systems thinking perspective is needed. In the empirical part of this study, I explore how companies use the business model to design out waste and operate in a circular economic system using a more holistic framework. I investigate the business models of four companies-Patagonia, Rype Office, Splosh and Desso-and analyze them using the business model canvas as a research lens. My analysis shows that all of the cases studied need at least seven (of nine) business model elements to design out waste. The results indicate that to support circularity companies must design the business model holistically, focusing on several business model elements simultaneously. This explorative study takes the first steps in the long journey to understanding circular business models. It provides support for a holistic approach and clues for further research. Yet, in the domain of circular business models, many opportunities remain for future research

Reparations for Harms Experienced in Residential Aged Care

This paper explores the possibility of reparations for harms suffered by people in residential aged care, focusing on experiences of people with dementia. We first explain how systemic and structural harms occur within residential aged care and outline how they constitute human rights violations. Using Australia as a case study, we then consider the limitations of court-based approaches to pursuit of redress and the current absence of redress from policy responses. We then propose an expansive and multifaceted notion of redress as reparations, where governments, residential aged care operators, medical and legal professionals, and civil society engage in ongoing recognition of harms and specific actions to prevent recurrence. By drawing on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Van Boven Principles, we consider the application to aged care of the framework of access to justice and reparations for human rights violations. This framework encompasses inclusive and accessible processes to access reparations for individuals in such forms as compensation and rehabilitation, and collective reparations, including apologies and public education. In order to ensure that reparations support the prevention of further harm in aged care, the design of redress could form part of broader government strategies directed toward increasing funding and access to community-based support, care, and accommodation, and enhancing the human rights of people with dementia

Sustaining people with dementia or mild cognitive impairment in employment: A systematic review of qualitative evidence

Introduction The World Health Organization estimates that 10% of the 35.6 million people worldwide with dementia are aged under 65 years. In an ageing workforce this has implications for employers, employees, and statutory and third sector services. Limited research has been conducted into this emerging global issue. Method This systematic review, employing the methodology of the Joanna Briggs Institute, aimed to identify and synthesise the best available qualitative evidence regarding the needs, experiences and perspectives of people with early onset dementia or mild cognitive impairment who were either in employment or wished to gain employment. Results Of 69 studies identified, eight met the inclusion criteria. From these, four themes emerged: disease progression and recognition; the emotional impact of change; the employer's management of the worker; and changes to the worker role. Conclusion There are health benefits to the individual with dementia or mild cognitive impairment of continuing to engage in meaningful occupation. Retirement policy changes have resulted in an ageing workforce with concurrent risk factors for dementia. A lack of understanding of reasonable adjustments and sheltered employment opportunities was evident from the literature. This review highlights the potential for occupational therapists to engage this client group in vocational rehabilitation

Young onset dementia: Public involvement in co-designing community-based support

Whilst the support requirements of people diagnosed with young onset dementia are well-documented, less is known about what needs to be in place to provide age-appropriate care. To understand priorities for service planning and commissioning and to inform the design of a future study of community-based service delivery models, we held two rounds of discussions with four groups of people affected by young onset dementia (n = 31) and interviewed memory services (n = 3) and non-profit service providers (n = 7) in two sites in England. Discussions confirmed published evidence on support requirements, but also reframed priorities for support and suggested new approaches to dementia care at the community level. This paper argues that involving people with young onset dementia in the assessment of research findings in terms of what is important to them, and inviting suggestions for solutions, provides a way for co-designing services that address the challenges of accessing support for people affected by young onset dementia