The specification and design of an interactive virtual environment for use in teacher training

In this paper, we examine the rationale behind the specification and design of an interactive, virtual environment, optimized for particular task-based learning activities and the dissemination of information. The software we describe represents a typical British primary school, for use in training Information and Communications Technology (ICT)co-ordinators at primary level. By documenting our ongoing evaluation of both this resource and the technologies used in its implementation, we provide a detailed description of the production process of a prototype piece of software. This highlights the importance of pedagogy, new technologies and project management, and should be of particular interest to multimedia designers and academics preparing to develop innovative learning applications

A role for detailed assessment of hippocampal function in studies of Alzheimer’s Disease

The hippocampus is one of the first cortical regions to exhibit Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) pathology. The spatially-related firing of hippocampal place cells provides the cellular basis for spatial memory, and this is impaired relatively early in AD, yet few studies examine place cell activity in AD mouse models. Furthermore, current spatial navigation paradigms for rodents are not suited to tracking the progressive impairment seen in AD. This project aimed to address these gaps; the results provide initial support for the hypothesis that AD pathology disrupts hippocampal function which manifests as altered place cell activity and spatial behaviour. Chapter 3 outlines experiments validating a novel behavioural test of hippocampal function, the ‘Honeycomb Maze’, specifically designed to overcome the limitations of other tasks. Wild-type rats and mice rapidly learnt to navigate to a hidden goal, and a lesion study demonstrated the key contribution made by the hippocampus. Task difficulty was scalable through altering maze parameters, with difficult choices exhibiting a greater reliance on hippocampal processing. The findings suggest the Honeycomb Maze provides a reliable means of assessing hippocampal function in rodents and is well suited for application to studies of AD. Chapter 4 provides an in-depth characterisation of hippocampal pyramidal cell activity in an APP knock-in model of AD. Electrophysiological recordings were performed in the left CA1 subregion of four 15-month-old, freely moving, APPNL-G-F mice and four age-matched wild-type controls. Significantly fewer APPNL-G-F pyramidal cells exhibited spatial firing, and deficits were present in rate and temporal coding of spatial information. APPNL-G-F spatial cells had lower spatial information content, larger place fields, reduced phase-locking to the theta rhythm of the local field potential, and a reduction in theta phase precession. Despite the small sample size, a positive correlation was identified between amyloid β plaque burden and pyramidal cell spatial information in APPNL-G-F mice

Examining Mobile Technology in Higher Education: Handheld Devices In and Out of the Classroom

This study followed an innovative introduction of mobile technology (i.e., BlackBerry® devices) to a graduate level business program and documented students’ use of the technology from the time students received the devices to the end of their first term of study. Students found the BlackBerry® device easy to use, and were optimistic regarding its potential role as an instructional tool. Students were self-directed in their use of the devices and found ways to use them within and outside of their classroom even when specific uses were not provided by instructors. Students used their devices most frequently for communication purposes outside the classroom through applications such as BlackBerry Messenger. Overall, although supporting a modest positive view toward this initial introduction to mobile technology as a learning tool, classroom instructional use was more limited than student-directed use in and outside the classroom. A comprehensive examination of the instructional pedagogy that best supports the potential of mobile technology as a self-directed learning tool is necessary to address the limitations seen in this implementation

The psychological basis of a nation-wide program for rural outdoor recreation

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston Universit

Ethical behaviour: the means for creating and maintaining better reputations in arts organisations

Arts organisations, unsure of the level of continued government funding available and confronted with the need ever to improve, are seeking new ideas upon which they can focus. At a time when leadership and governance in arts organisations have changed in line with cultural expectations, how is their ethical stance assessed? How does their ethical stance impact on reputation? The challenge to build a good reputation starts at the top of the organisation; however, traditionally, one type of arts organisation, art museums, has focused on the activities level. In an age of globalisation, economic restructuring and technological change, museums therefore may be seen as a contradiction. Traditionally seen as temples for the muses, today&rsquo;s museums are being challenged to be ethical for society and to build their reputation. As a solution, proposes a cooperative model of cultural organisational ethics that attempts to provide a framework by which arts organisations can put in place ethical artefacts that enhance organisational reputation, rather than detract from it.<br /

The Effects of Formaldehyde on the Frequency of Reversion of the white-ivory Mutant of Drosophila melanogaster

This study is an analysis of the effects of formaldehyde, a chemical which is both recombinogenic and mutagenic, on white-ivory (wi) a highly mutable allele of the white locus of Drosophila. Formaldehyde is shown to significantly increase the reversion frequency of wi. The results of this investigation differ from earlier observations in three respects: (1) there is a positive correlation between RNA (ribonucleic acid) concentration and reversion frequency in the presence of formaldehyde, but reversion does not appear to be totally RNA dependent; (2) female germ cells are more sensitive than those of the male; and ( 3) a cluster of revertants has been recovered. These indicate that formaldehyde-induced wi reversion may involve a different mechanism than that proposed for formaldehyde-induced sex-linked lethals. Different mechanisms have been proposed to account for the induction of sex-linked lethals and for the increase in recombination. Formaldehyde-induced reversion of white-ivory follows the parameters of recombination

Digital printing of titanium dioxide for dye sensitized solar cells

Silicon solar cell manufacturing is an expensive and high energy consuming process. In contrast, dye sensitized solar cell production is less environmentally damaging with lower processing temperatures presenting a viable and low cost alternative to conventional production. This paper further enhances these environmental credentials by evaluating the digital printing and therefore additive production route for these cells. This is achieved here by investigating the formation and performance of a metal oxide photoelectrode using nanoparticle sized titanium dioxide. An ink-jettable material was formulated, characterized and printed with a piezoelectric inkjet head to produce a 2.6 µm thick layer. The resultant printed layer was fabricated into a functioning cell with an active area of 0.25 cm2 and a power conversion efficiency of 3.5%. The binder-free formulation resulted in a reduced processing temperature of 250 °C, compatible with flexible polyamide substrates which are stable up to temperatures of 350 ˚C. The authors are continuing to develop this process route by investigating inkjet printing of other layers within dye sensitized solar cells