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Contains fulltext : 282484.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access)

Experimental systems that faithfully replicate human physiology at cellular, tissue and organ level are crucial to the development of efficacious and safe therapies with high success rates and low cost. The development of such systems is challenging and requires skills, expertise and inputs from a diverse range of experts, such as biologists, physicists, engineers, clinicians and regulatory bodies. Kirkstall Limited, a biotechnology company based in York, UK, organised the annual conference, Advances in Cell and Tissue Culture (ACTC), which brought together people having a variety of expertise and interests, to present and discuss the latest developments in the field of cell and tissue culture and in vitro modelling. The conference has also been influential in engaging animal welfare organisations in the promotion of research, collaborative projects and funding opportunities. This report describes the proceedings of the latest ACTC conference, which was held virtually on 30th September and 1st October 2020, and included sessions on in vitro models in the following areas: advanced skin and respiratory models, neurological disease, cancer research, advanced models including 3-D, fluid flow and co-cultures, diabetes and other age-related disorders, and animal-free research. The roundtable session on the second day was very interactive and drew huge interest, with intriguing discussion taking place among all participants on the theme of replacement of animal models of disease.

Sixty-eight isolates of Ascochyta lentis, the causal agent of ascochyta blight of lentil (Lens culinaris) were obtained from locations around the world. The variability of these cultures for six cultural and seven morphological characters was compared with that of 13 isolates of A. fabae, the causal agent of ascochyta blight of faba bean (Vicia faba). In greenhouse and field trials, lentil and faba bean were inoculated with cultures isolated from both species to assess the degree of host specificity. Multivariate analysis of the cultural and morphological characters could not separate the two species. However, differences in host specificity were clear cut, with isolates infecting only the host from which they were originally isolated. We advocate that A. lentis be synonymized with A. fabae and propose two special forms: A. fabae f. sp. fabae for isolates pathogenic on faba bean and A. fabae f. sp. lentis for isolates pathogenic on lentil., Soixante-huit isolats de VAscochyta lentis, l'agent de la brûlure ascochytique de la lentille (Lens culinaris) ont été obtenus de diverses parties du monde. La variabilité de six caractéristiques culturales et de sept caractéristiques morphologiques de ces isolats a été comparée à celle de 13 isolats de VA. fabae. Ce dernier induit la brûlure ascochytique de la féverole (Viciafaba). Les analyses multivariées des caractéristiques culturales et morphologiques n'ont pu différencier les deux espèces. Lors d'essais en serre et en champ, des plants de lentille et de féverole ont été inoculés avec des souches isolées de ces mêmes espèces. Des différences marquées de spécialisation ont été notées. Les isolats qui provenaient d'une espèce de plante sensible n'ont infecté que cette espèce. Nous proposons A. lentis comme synonyme de A. fabae et l'adoption de deux formes spéciales: A. fabae f. sp. fabae pour les isolats pathogènes de la féverole et A. fabae f. sp. lentis pour les isolats pathogènes de la lentille.

Koli Calling '16: 16th Koli Calling International Conference on Computing Education Research, Koli, Finland - November 24-27, 2016, Contains fulltext : 163078.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)

Koli Calling '16: 16th Koli Calling International Conference on Computing Education Research, Koli, Finland - November 24-27, 2016, Contains fulltext : 163094.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)

© 2015 The Authors. Objective: To examine the impact of efforts to improve nutrition on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands from 1986, especially in Mai Wiru (good food) stores. Methods: Multiple methods were employed. Literature was searched systematically. In 2012, the store-turnover method quantified dietary intake of the five APY communities that have a Mai Wiru store. The price of a standard market basket of basic foods, implementation of store nutrition policy requirements and healthy food checklists were also assessed in all seven APY community stores at intervals from 2012. Results were compared with available data from 1986. Results: Despite concerted efforts and marked achievements, including decreased intake of sugar, increased availability and affordability of healthy foods (particularly fruit and vegetables) and consequent improvement in some nutrient intakes, the overall effect has been a decrease in total diet quality since 1986. This is characterised by increased supply and intake of discretionary foods high in saturated fat, added sugar and salt, particularly sugar sweetened beverages, convenience meals and take-away foods. Conclusions: The documented improvements confirm that residing in these communities can help Aboriginal residents exert control over key aspects of their food supply. However, the overall findings reflect broader changes to the general Australian food supply, and reinforce the notion that, in the absence of supportive regulation and market intervention, adequate and sustained resources are required to improve nutrition and prevent diet-related chronic disease on the APY Lands. Implications: This study also provides insights into food supply/security issues affecting other remote communities and wider Australia.

© 2015 ACM. Educational data mining and learning analytics promise better understanding of student behavior and knowledge, as well as new information on the tacit factors that contribute to student actions. This knowledge can be used to inform decisions related to course and tool design and pedagogy, and to further engage students and guide those at risk of failure. This working group report provides an overview of the body of knowledge regarding the use of educational data mining and learning analytics focused on the teaching and learning of programming. In a literature survey on mining students' programming processes for 2005-2015, we observe a significant increase in work related to the field. However, the majority of the studies focus on simplistic metric analysis and are conducted within a single institution and a single course. This indicates the existence of further avenues of research and a critical need for validation and replication to better understand the various contributing factors and the reasons why certain results occur. We introduce a novel taxonomy to analyse replicating studies and discuss the importance of replicating and reproducing previous work. We describe what is the state of the art in collecting and sharing programming data. To better understand the challenges involved in replicating or reproducing existing studies, we report our experiences from three case studies using programming data. Finally, we present a discussion of future directions for the education and research community.

This paper presents findings from an empirical study of key aspects of the teaching and research priorities, beliefs and behaviours of 72 professorial and associate professorial academics in Science, Information Technology and Engineering across four faculties in three Australian universities. The academics ranked 16 research activities and 16 matched learning and teaching (L&T) activities from three perspectives: job satisfaction, role model behaviour and perceptions of professional importance. The findings were unequivocally in favour of research in all three areas and remarkably consistent across the universities. The only L&T activity that was ranked consistently well was 'improving student satisfaction ratings for teaching', an area in which academics are increasingly held accountable. Respondents also indicated that their seniors encourage research efforts more than L&T efforts. Recommendations include that higher education rewards for quality L&T are maintained or improved and that recognition of L&T research domains is further strengthened. © 2013 HERDSA.

This paper describes the development of a classification scheme that can be used to investigate the characteristics of introductory programming examinations. We describe the process of developing the scheme, explain its categories, and present a taste of the results of a pilot analysis of a set of CS1 exam papers. This study is part of a project that aims to investigate the nature and composition of formal examination instruments used in the summative assessment of introductory programming students, and the pedagogical intentions of the educators who construct these instruments. © 2011 ACM.

An online survey was conducted of recent information and communications technology (ICT) graduates from 21 Australian universities. A range of abilities including personal/interpersonal, cognitive, business and technical were examined in relation to importance in the workplace and university preparation of those abilities. In addition, a set of six open-ended text-response questions concerned with the curriculum and other workplace preparation were asked. Quantitative and qualitative analyses revealed a range of responses that were significantly different according to gender. Amongst the significant findings are that females are more concerned than males with interpersonal communication, the development of people-skills and the people side of ICT. Implications for the ICT curriculum are that it should have more than a narrow male-centred technological focus and include the involvement of people and the effects of ICT on society in general. This broad inclusive pedagogical approach would satisfy the needs expressed by all respondents and contribute to increasing the enrolments of both female and male students in ICT. © 2010 Taylor & Francis.