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Abstract: It is well known that computer‐based formative assessment and timely feedback enhance effective student learning but there is still a debate about what type of feedback should be given, being the text‐based the most used feedback in practice. Although the use of video content as a learning resource has recently increased in both educational and non‐educational contexts, there is very little research on its effectiveness as assessment feedback and the existing results are contradictory. For that reason, we have combined in this work the use of a web‐based formative assessment system (Siette) where we have integrated a specific type of video podcast (“modular teaching mini‐videos”: MTMs) and equivalent illustrated text. We have carried out two experiments with a twofold purpose, first to compare the effect of video feedback versus correct response feedback alone and secondly to compare the effect of video feedback versus equivalent illustrated text feedback. In the context of our research, a Statistic Course at university level, our results show, as expected, that there is a statistically significant positive effect in favor of video feedback over correct response feedback alone. Surprisingly, in contrast to our expectations, based on our context of acquisition of procedural knowledge, there is a statistically non‐significant effect of video feedback versus equivalent illustrated text feedback. From the students’ satisfaction survey, there is not statistically significant differences in the overall score of the activity based on video podcast feedback or equivalent illustrated text, which is an indication that we have really obtained equivalent feedback materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes CECT5344 is a Gram-negative bacterium able to tolerate cyanide and to use it as the sole nitrogen source. We report here the first draft of the whole genome sequence of a P. pseudoalcaligenes strain that assimilates cyanide. Three aspects are specially emphasized in this manuscript. First, some generalities of the genome are shown and discussed in the context of other Pseudomonadaceae genomes, including genome size, G + C content, core genome and singletons among other features. Second, the genome is analysed in the context of cyanide metabolism, describing genes probably involved in cyanide assimilation, like those encoding nitrilases, and genes related to cyanide resistance, like the cio genes encoding the cyanide insensitive oxidases. Finally, the presence of genes probably involved in other processes with a great biotechnological potential like production of bioplastics and biodegradation of pollutants also is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A proteomic approach was used to identify several proteins induced by cyanide in the alkaliphilic bacterium Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes CECT5344, two of them, NitB and NitG, encoded by genes that belong to the nit1C gene cluster. The predicted products of the nit1C gene cluster are a Fis-like σ54-dependent transcriptional activator (NitA), a nitrilase (NitC), an S-adenosylmethionine superfamily member (NitD), an N-acyltransferase superfamily member (NitE), a trifunctional polypeptide of the AIRS/GARS family (NitF), an NADH-dependent oxidoreductase (NitH) and two hypothetical proteins of unknown function (NitB and NitG). RT-PCR analysis suggested that nitBCDEFGH genes were co-transcribed, whereas the regulatory nitA gene was divergently transcribed. Real-time RT-PCR revealed that expression of the nitBCDEFGH genes was induced by cyanide and repressed by ammonium. The P. pseudoalcaligenes CECT5344 nit1C gene cluster was found to be involved in assimilation of free and organic cyanides (nitriles) as deduced for the inability to grow with cyanides showed by the NitA, NitB and NitC mutant strains. The wild-type strain CECT5344 showed a nitrilase activity that allows growth on cyanide or hydroxynitriles. The NitB and NitC mutants only presented low basal levels of nitrilase activity that were not enough to support growth on either free cyanide or aliphatic nitriles, suggesting that nitrilase NitC is specific and essential for cyanide and aliphatic nitriles assimilation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blood pressure (BP) control at recently established goals of <130/80 mm Hg is often difficult to achieve in diabetic patients. This work examines the effect of pioglitazone on 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring in patients with type 2 diabetes and difficult-to-control hypertension. Twenty-seven participants with difficult-to-control hypertension (defined as ambulatory BP monitoring ≥125/75 mm Hg) taking antihypertensive medications (mean, 4.1±0.8 drugs) were enrolled in an open, prospective, blinded end point study of add-on therapy with pioglitazone 30 to 45 mg for 20 weeks. After 20 weeks of treatment, 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring showed significant reductions (from 144±13 to 136±16 mm Hg systolic BP and from 79±9 to 76±10 mm Hg diastolic BP [P =.001]). Treatment was also associated with improvements in insulin sensitivity and glycemic and lipid profile. These findings suggest that pioglitazone could be a therapeutic option in diabetics who still have elevated BP values in spite of receiving treatment with at least 3 antihypertensive drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional (2-D) electrophoresis approach has been used to test protein expression changes in response to cyanide in the alkaliphilic bacterium Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes CECT5344. This is a cyanide-assimilating strain which also grows in media containing cyanide-enriched effluent from the jewellery industry. The bacterium efficiently uses this residue as the sole nitrogen source for aerobic growth under alkaline pH with negligible nitrogen losses as HCN. Cell-free extracts isolated from P. pseudoalcaligenes grown with a jewellery residue, free cyanide or ammonium chloride as nitrogen source were subjected to 2-D electrophoresis and the spot patterns were examined to determine differential protein expression. Electrophoretic plates exhibiting an average of 1000 spots showed significant differences in the expression of about 44 proteins depending on the nitrogen source. Some of these protein spots were analysed by Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). Characterization of five of these proteins reveals that cyanide shock induces proteins related to iron acquisition, regulation of nitrogen assimilation pathways and oxidative stress repairing and protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Left ventricular hypertrophy increases the risk for cardiovascular target organ damage, myocardial infarction, and stroke. The authors assessed the patterns of ventricular adaptation in 107 essential hypertensives whose treatment had been withdrawn and its modification after 1 year of hypertension treatment. Blood pressure decreased from 158 ±17/96 ±12 mm Hg to 137 ±15/83 ±10 mm Hg (mean ± SD; p<0.001); 45% of the patients (49 of 107) had their blood pressure controlled below 140 mm Hg and 90 mm Hg. Although a significant decrease of left ventricular mass index was found in the study, the percentage of patients with normal left ventricular geometry at the completion of the study increased by only 9% (27% to 36%, p >0.05). Left ventricular mass geometry improved in 31% of the patients, remained unaffected in 51%, and worsened in 18%. The data suggest that even while suboptimal antihypertensive treatment reduces left ventricular mass index, either left ventricular hypertrophy or concentric remodeling remains present in a significant number of patients at the end of a 1-year treatment period. The authors conclude that these patients should be considered as a subgroup at high risk and should be treated more aggressively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online peer assessment tasks are very popular and have unique characteristics that improve learning and encourage social interactions in a distance education environment. Unfortunately, social factors have usually been ignored in the process of selecting reviewers for online peer assessment tasks. We hypothesise that this fact could have some influence on the lack of engagement and participation by some learners. For this reason, we propose an approach in which social network analysis techniques, expert criteria, and Bayesian reasoning are applied to select reviewers with the objective of increasing participation in peer review tasks. The approach is divided into two elements. On the one hand, we have developed an influence diagram template that structures a set of proposed social network analysis variables in accordance with expert criteria. This influence diagram template can be easily updated for any course simply by eliciting a minimal set of parameters. On the other hand, we have instantiated the proposed influence diagram template to produce an influence diagram network to quantify the quality of reviewer assignment for an online peer assessment task. In an online experiment, we verified that the consideration of social factors can increase participation in a peer assessment task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]