Community-based mentoring and innovating through Web 2.0

The rise of social software, often termed Web 2.0, has resulted in heightened awareness of the opportunities for creative and innovative approaches to learning that are afforded by network technologies. Social software platforms and social networking technologies have become part of the learning landscape both for those who learn formally within institutions, and for those who learn informally via emergent web-based learning communities. As collaborative online learning becomes a reality, new skills in communication and collaboration are required in order to use new technologies effectively, develop real digital literacy and other 21st century skills

Cartoon planet : micro-reflection through digital cartoons – a case study on teaching and learning with young people

Young learners of today tend to show little enthusiasm for formal schooling. This does not necessarily mean pupils are not interested in learning or developing new skills and competences. In fact, the opposite often happens in the informal settings they belong to. Finding ways of transferring pupil’s informal learning into the school setting is therefore important. This paper gives a brief overview on the development of informal learning activities to encourage young people’s active reflection on their informally acquired competencies through the use of web technologies. The researchers also explore the role of the teacher, and the need of a participatory learning environment in a less formal classroom. Reflections on the experiences and recommendations are also provided

Evaluation of Human Papillomavirus and Chlymdia Tachomatis Infections in the Irish Female Population: Determination of Prevalence in Adults U ndergoing Opportunistic Cervical Screening

Human papillomaviruses and Chlamydia trachomatis are two of the most common sexually transmitted infections worldwide. They can be detected using urine, swab and cervical scrapings from the anogenital region. Liquid-based cervical cytology is fast becoming the method of choice for the preparation of cervical smears, with the major advantage of extra cellular material from which nucleic acids can be extracted and molecular tests performed. In this project, nucleic acid based methods for the detection of HPV and C. trachomatis and the quantitation and typing of HPV from PreservCyt cervical material were established and applied in an epidemiological study of the prevalence of these organisms in the female Irish population. The study was divided into three parts A: -Optimisation of nucleic acid extraction from PreservCyt cervical samples, B:- Development of multiplex PCR for the simultaneous detection of HPV and C. trachomatis and the determination of the prevalence of these organisms and C:- HPV genotyping, quantitation and evaluation of the relationship of these correlates with cervical neoplasia and patient factors including age and smoking status. In the first paper published from this study, three methods for DNA extraction from PreservCyt cervical samples were compared by the downstream PCR amplification of C. trachomatis using the CTP plasmid (201 bp) and MOMP gener (540 bp) primers (Keegan et al, 2005a). C. trachomatis bacterial load was calculated by real-time LightCycler PCR for the amplification of the hsp60 gene (650 bp). The Proteinase K-chelex digestion method and QIAamp method liberated similar bacterial copy numbers however the commercial Q IAamp DNA extraction kit was the most efficient methods for the preparation of DNA for PCR amplification regardless of amplicon size. The second paper published from the study details optimization and evaluation of a multiplex PCR for the simultaneous detection of HPV and C. trachomatis from PreservCyt cervical samples (Keegan et, 2005b). This multiplex was then applied to a cohort of 997 PreservCyt cervical samples from Irish women undergoing opportunistic cervical screening. The prevalence of HPV and C. trachomatis were 20% and 5% respectively. Prevalence was highest for both organisms in the under 25 years age group and decreased with age (P\u3e0.0001). A coinfection rate of 1% was established fro HPV and C. trachomatis. HPV was associated with abnormal cytological smear results and HPV detection was 100% sensitive for the detection of high-grade cervical intraepithelial lesions. C. Trachomatis infection was not associated with abnormal cytology. In the final part of this study (paper in preparation), HPV infections were investigated further in terms of viral load and genotype. HPV viral load was determined by real time quantitative LightCycler PCR. Viral load was higher in women with borderline cytology or CIN lesions than in women with normal smears (P0.0001). A coinfection rate of 1% was established fro HPV and C. trachomatis. HPV was associated with abnormal cytological smear results and HPV detection was 100% sensitive for the detection of high-grade cervical intraepithelial lesions. C. Trachomatis infection was not associated with abnormal cytology. In the final part of this study (paper in preparation), HPV infections were investigated further in terms of viral load and genotype. HPV viral load was determined by real time quantitative LightCycler PCR. Viral load was higher in women with borderline cytology or CIN lesions than in women with normal smears (

Bots as Virtual Confederates: Design and Ethics

The use of bots as virtual confederates in online field experiments holds extreme promise as a new methodological tool in computational social science. However, this potential tool comes with inherent ethical challenges. Informed consent can be difficult to obtain in many cases, and the use of confederates necessarily implies the use of deception. In this work we outline a design space for bots as virtual confederates, and we propose a set of guidelines for meeting the status quo for ethical experimentation. We draw upon examples from prior work in the CSCW community and the broader social science literature for illustration. While a handful of prior researchers have used bots in online experimentation, our work is meant to inspire future work in this area and raise awareness of the associated ethical issues.Comment: Forthcoming in CSCW 201

Digital health tools to support parents with parent-infant sleep and mental well-being

Digital technology is increasingly important in people’s lives, particularly for new parents as it allows them to access information, stay connected to peers and offers them seductive solutions for improving infant sleep and parental well-being. Digital technology has been developed to support parents in the following four ways: (1) providing digital information on infant sleep, (2) offering targeted support for night-time care, (3) managing infant sleep and (4) monitoring infant sleep and safety. Evidence on the effectiveness of these strategies is varied and there are concerns regarding the reliability of information, use of personal data, commercial exploitation of parents, and the effects of replacing caregiver presence with digital technology

He Who Dares Not Offend Cannot Be Honest: United Nations Human Rights Committee Jurisprudence and Defamation Laws Under the ICCPR

This paper focuses on United Nations Human Rights Committee jurisprudence addressing the legality of defamation laws under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (“ICCPR”). It first presents an overview of the treaty’s framework for interpreting Article 19, which protects the right to freedom of opinion and expression, and identifies recognized restrictions of Article 19, including by means of defamation laws. The paper then analyzes the Committee\u27s relevant jurisprudence to determine how Article 19’s normative framework has been interpreted and applied in practice. In particular, it focuses on the application of Article 19(3)’s balancing test for resolving conflicts of rights, and how that test is deployed by the Committee to determine when limits imposed by States’ on the right to freedom of expression are permissible under the ICCPR. The paper concludes with the authors’ observations on how the HRC’s jurisprudence might serve as a framework for evaluating defamation laws in the digital arena moving forward

EscapED: A Framework for Creating Educational Escape Rooms and Interactive Games to For Higher/Further Education

Game-based learning (GBL) is often found to be technologically driven and more often than not, serious games for instance, are conceptualised and designed solely for digital platforms and state of the art technologies. To encourage a greater discussion on the potential benefits and challenges of a more holistic approach to developing GBL that promote human centered interactions and play for learning, the authors present the escapED programme. The escapED programme was conceived following the recent entertainment trend of escape rooms and is used for developing non-digital GBL approaches within education. escapED aids the design and creation of educational Escape Rooms and Interactive Gaming Experiences for staff and students in further/higher education settings. The paper first presents a pilot study that was used to assess the feasibility and acceptance of University teaching staff of embedding interactive GBL into a higher education environment. The authors then present the escapED theoretical framework that was used to create the prototype game for the pilot study as a tool to aid future design and development of on-site interactive experiences. The paper also presents an external developer report of using the escapED framework to develop a prototype game for teaching research methods to Southampton University students. Finally, the authors present a discussion on the use of the escapED framework so far and plans for future work and evaluation in order to provide engaging alternatives for learning and soft skills development amongst higher education staff andstudents

Multiagency approaches to preventing sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI): a review and analysis of UK policies

Background Recent reviews of sudden unexpected deaths in infancy (SUDI) in England recommend a multiagency working (MAW) approach to prevention but lack clear guidance around how this might be implemented.Aims In England, local authorities commission and oversee public health services. This review examines how local authority policies address implementation of MAW for SUDI prevention to understand local variations and identify strengths and weaknesses.Methods Using a comprehensive list of all metropolitan, county, unitary councils and London boroughs in England, we systematically searched local authority websites for relevant published documents and submitted freedom of information (FOI) requests where policies or guidance for SUDI prevention had not been sourced online. We extracted data from documents using a standardised form to summarise policy contents which were then collated, described and appraised.Findings We searched the websites of 152 council and London boroughs, identifying 36 relevant policies and guidelines for staff. We submitted 116 FOI requests which yielded 64 responses including six valid documents: 45% (52/116) of local authorities did not respond. Seventeen councils shared the same guidance under safeguarding partnerships; removal of duplicates resulted in 26 unique documents. Only 15% (4/26) of the documents included a detailed plan for how MAW approaches were to be implemented despite 73% (19/26) of the documents mentioning the importance of engaging the MAW in raising awareness of safe sleep for babies with vulnerable families. Five areas of variation were identified across policies: (1) scope, (2) responsibilities, (3) training, (4) implementation and (5) evaluation.Conclusions There are discrepancies between local authorities in England in whether and how MAW for SUDI prevention is carried out. Strengths and weaknesses of approaches are identified to inform future development of MAW for SUDI prevention