Mobile Technology in Facilitating Learning Goals

Mobile and wireless computing technologies have influenced how people interact with each other. For the first time, mobile technology and student lifestyle choices are converging to allow mobile learning (m-learning) to be a viable choice for delivery and execution of coursework material. This study looks at the current research on how asynchronous technology, such as discussion boards, can be enhanced by enabling students to interact with a mobile device. A synthesis of the literature is presented, analysing the issues that may impact on the success of this project and any limitations that may impact on the value of this application. This paper then discusses the advantages of enabling a discussion board with particular focus on whether enabling students to interact with a mobile device will increase the participation and success of discussion boards.UUNZ, New Zealand chool of Computing and Information Systems Athabasca University, Canad

Experiences and reflections of teachers on the use of mixed reality technologies to foster cross-curricular learning opportunities

This study aimed to explore how the purposeful integration of new technology, specifically mixed reality (MR), can support learning across the curriculum through the development of digital artefacts. The study focused on exploring the experiences of teachers at two high schools who were supported by digital technologies teachers and the lead researcher to use digital technologies with students to create MR artefacts in different subject areas

Using emerging technology to draw learning across the curriculum

To drive the wider adoption of STEM in schools, researchers have promoted the benefits of teaching STEM subjects integrated across the curriculum. This integration can support more authentic learning opportunities where learning is framed in real-world application or driven through problem/project based learning. The integration of digital technologies (DT), where the learning moves away from consumption to creation, provides for further application of learning where the development of artefacts can be situated within other subjects. This integration, however, raises new challenges for effective teaching and learning, and while new technologies and approaches can support this practice, this is still evolving. In this study we explore how one high school in New Zealand has integrated the creation of digital artefacts situated, in the digital technologies (DT) class, with learning in the Māori Performing Arts class. The study explores how mixed reality (MR), combined with design thinking approaches, provide new opportunities to integrate learning and support engagement in STEM. Drawing on a participatory action research methodology, this article explores the experiences and perceptions of three teachers as they adopt MR to engage and teach students drawing on critical DT skills

Collaboration of MYC and RUNX2 in lymphoma simulates T‐cell receptor signaling and attenuates p53 pathway activity

MYC and RUNX oncogenes each trigger p53‐mediated failsafe responses when overexpressed in vitro and collaborate with p53 deficiency in vivo. However, together they drive rapid onset lymphoma without mutational loss of p53. This phenomenon was investigated further by transcriptomic analysis of premalignant thymus from RUNX2/MYC transgenic mice. The distinctive contributions of MYC and RUNX to transcriptional control were illustrated by differential enrichment of canonical binding sites and gene ontology analyses. Pathway analysis revealed signatures of MYC, CD3, and CD28 regulation indicative of activation and proliferation, but also strong inhibition of cell death pathways. In silico analysis of discordantly expressed genes revealed Tnfsrf8/CD30, Cish, and Il13 among relevant targets for sustained proliferation and survival. Although TP53 mRNA and protein levels were upregulated, its downstream targets in growth suppression and apoptosis were largely unperturbed. Analysis of genes encoding p53 posttranslational modifiers showed significant upregulation of three genes, Smyd2, Set, and Prmt5. Overexpression of SMYD2 was validated in vivo but the functional analysis was constrained by in vitro loss of p53 in RUNX2/MYC lymphoma cell lines. However, an early role is suggested by the ability of SMYD2 to block senescence‐like growth arrest induced by RUNX overexpression in primary fibroblasts

Exploring medical cannabis use in individuals with a traumatic brain injury

Aim: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a common neurological condition, which can present with a wide range of neuropsychological symptoms. Treating this broad spectrum of symptoms represents a significant medical challenge. In part because of this, there is growing interest in the use of medical cannabis to treat the sequelae of TBI, as medical cannabis has been used to treat multiple associated conditions, such as pain. However, medical cannabis represents a heterogeneous collection of therapies, and relatively little is known about their effectiveness in treating TBI symptoms. The aim of the present study was therefore to assess medical cannabis use in patients with TBI. Methods: In the present study, a retrospective chart review was conducted of patterns of cannabis use and TBI symptoms in individuals who used medical cannabis to treat TBI-related symptoms. All subjects were recruited from a medical cannabis clinic, where cannabis was authorized by physicians, using licensed cannabis products. A total of 53 subjects provided written consent to have their charts reviewed. Results: Neuropsychiatric conditions, including depression, pain, and anxiety were frequent in this group. The most common forms of medical cannabis consumption at intake included smoking, vaping, and oral ingestion. Patients used a combination of high tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)/low cannabidiol (CBD) and low THC/high CBD products, typically 1–3 times per day. Medical cannabis appeared to be relatively well-tolerated in subjects, with few serious side effects. At follow-up, subjects self-reported improvements in TBI symptoms, although these were not statistically significant when assessed using validated questionnaires. Conclusions: Overall findings indicate modest potential benefits of medical cannabis for TBI, but further research will be required to validate these results

VectorBase: a home for invertebrate vectors of human pathogens

VectorBase () is a web-accessible data repository for information about invertebrate vectors of human pathogens. VectorBase annotates and maintains vector genomes providing an integrated resource for the research community. Currently, VectorBase contains genome information for two organisms: Anopheles gambiae, a vector for the Plasmodium protozoan agent causing malaria, and Aedes aegypti, a vector for the flaviviral agents causing Yellow fever and Dengue fever

Psychometric properties of the Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI): assessment in a UK research volunteer population

Objectives Questionnaires are essential for measuring tinnitus severity and intervention-related change but there is no standard instrument used routinely in research settings. Most tinnitus questionnaires are optimised for measuring severity but not change. However, the Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) claims to be optimised for both. It has not however been fully validated for research purposes. Here we evaluate the relevant psychometric properties of the TFI, specifically the questionnaire factor structure, reproducibility, validity and responsiveness guided by quality criteria for the measurement properties of health-related questionnaires. Methods The study involved a retrospective analysis of data collected for 294 members of the general public who participated in a randomised controlled trial of a novel tinnitus device (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01541969). Participants completed up to eight commonly used assessment questionnaires including the TFI, Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), Tinnitus Handicap Questionnaire (THQ), a Visual Analogue Scale of loudness (VAS-Loudness), Percentage Annoyance question, the Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck's Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and the World Health Organisation Quality of Life-Bref (WHOQOL-BREF). A series of analyses assessed the study objectives. Forty four participants completed the TFI at a second visit (within 7–21 days and before receiving any intervention) providing data for reproducibility assessments. Results The 8-factor structure was not fully confirmed for this general (non-clinical) population. Whilst it was acceptable standalone subscale, the ‘auditory’ factor showed poor loading with the higher order factor ‘functional impact of tinnitus’. Reproducibility assessments for the overall TFI indicate high internal consistency (α = 0.80) and extremely high reliability (ICC: 0.91), whilst agreement was borderline acceptable (93%). Construct validity was demonstrated by high correlations between scores on the TFI and THI (r = 0.82) and THQ (r = 0.82), moderate correlations with VAS-L (r = 0.46), PR-A (r = 0.58), BDI (r = 0.57), BAI (r = 0.39) and WHOQOL (r = −0.48). Floor effects were observed for more than 50% of the items. A smallest detectable change score of 22.4 is proposed for the TFI global score. Conclusion Even though the proposed 8-factor structure was not fully confirmed for this population, the TFI appears to cover multiple symptom domains, and to measure the construct of tinnitus with an excellent reliability in distinguishing between patients. While the TFI may discriminate those whose tinnitus is not a problem, floor effects in many items means it is less appropriate as a measure of change in this subgroup. Further investigation is needed to determine whether these effects are relevant in other populations

Dissolving the dichotomies between online and campus-based teaching: a collective response to The manifesto for teaching online (Bayne et al. 2020)

This article is a collective response to the 2020 iteration of The Manifesto for Teaching Online. Originally published in 2011 as 20 simple but provocative statements, the aim was, and continues to be, to critically challenge the normalization of education as techno-corporate enterprise and the failure to properly account for digital methods in teaching in Higher Education. The 2020 Manifesto continues in the same critically provocative fashion, and, as the response collected here demonstrates, its publication could not be timelier. Though the Manifesto was written before the Covid-19 pandemic, many of the responses gathered here inevitably reflect on the experiences of moving to digital, distant, online teaching under unprecedented conditions. As these contributions reveal, the challenges were many and varied, ranging from the positive, breakthrough opportunities that digital learning offered to many students, including the disabled, to the problematic, such as poor digital networks and access, and simple digital poverty. Regardless of the nature of each response, taken together, what they show is that The Manifesto for Teaching Online offers welcome insights into and practical advice on how to teach online, and creatively confront the supremacy of face-to-face teaching