Investigating the use of ICT-based concept mapping techniques on creativity in literacy tasks

Abstract The key research question in this small‐scale study focuses on the effects that an ICT (information and communications technologies)‐based concept mapping intervention has on creativity and writing achievement in 10–11‐year‐old primary age pupils. The data shows that pupils using a concept mapping intervention significantly improve their NFER non‐verbal reasoning age‐standardised scores over a control group with a higher baseline whose scores remain constant. Evidence linking this with using ICT‐based concept mapping remains inconclusive. Correlation studies show that writing achievement and creativity are linked and that writing achievement and concept mapping connectivity are linked. However, there is no conclusive evidence for linking concept mapping connectivity with creativity. Findings show that concept mapping components increase post‐test and that concept mapping ability can be evaluated using a connectivity index that may have some predictive value in assessing writing achievement. The findings suggest that ICT‐based concept mapping provides a reliable framework from which to structure writing and that ICT enhances learning and use of this representational technique and provides opportunities for developing innovative and educationally valid practices.     

Morphological aberrations in therapy-resistant partial epilepsy (TRPE). Confocal laser scanning and 3D reconstructions of Lucifer Yellow injected atypical pyramidal neurons in epileptic human cortex

Epileptic temporal and parietal cortices, removed from 6 patients with therapy-resistant (intractable) partial epilepsy (TRPE) during neurosurgery, were studied. Neurons (40-50 in each slice) in laminae I-VI and white matter were injected with Lucifer Yellow (LY). Samples were examined in a confocal laser scanning microscope (BioRad [Richmond, CA] MRC 600), and individual cells were scanned at 0.1-2 microns incremental levels. 2D maximal linear projection was used for overview. Frames (50-60) of scanned neurons were transformed into 3D volumes, using VoxelView software on a Silicone Graphics workstation, and rotated. All samples contained pyramidal neurons with duplicated apical dendrites, additional basal dendrites, or were misplaced in a horizontal position in the white matter. Rarely were such cells observed in normal cases. The relation between the observations and the disease is discussed. The attempt to simultaneously apply immunofluorescence was successful concerning synaptic vesicle antigens. This approach will be used for a detailed study of the synaptology of this disease.     

Therapeutic actions of cyclosporine and anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha in collagen-induced arthritis and the effect of combination therapy

OBJECTIVE: To define the mechanisms of action of 2 novel drugs, cyclosporine and anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha), in collagen-induced arthritis and to determine the effect of combination therapy. METHODS: Type II collagen-immunized DBA/1 mice with established arthritis were treated with cyclosporine alone, anti-TNFalpha alone, cyclosporine plus anti-TNFalpha, or saline. RESULTS: Cyclosporine was found to ameliorate arthritis, suppress interferon-gamma (IFNgamma) production by CD4+ T cells, and reduce TNFalpha expression in arthritic joints. However, cyclosporine did not directly inhibit TNFalpha production by macrophages, indicating that the decrease in TNFalpha expression observed in vivo was probably an indirect consequence of the reduction in type 1 T helper cell activity. Anti-TNFalpha also reduced IFNgamma production by T cells, indicating that TNFalpha is involved in the cellular immune response to collagen. Combined treatment with cyclosporine plus anti-TNFalpha had an additive therapeutic effect. CONCLUSION: Although cyclosporine and anti-TNFalpha target different points in the inflammatory pathway, there is an overlap in the consequences of their actions in vivo.     

Modular algebraic nets to specify concurrent systems

The authors present the basic features of a specification language for concurrent distributed systems, developed at the Department of Information Sciences of the University of Milan, Italy. The language is based on a class of modular algebraic high-level nets, OBJSA nets, which result from the synthesis of superposed automata (SA) nets and of the algebraic specification language OBJ. It is supported by the OBJSA Net Environment (ONE). OBJSA nets stress the possibility of building the system model by composing its components and encourage the incremental development of the specification and its reusability. An OBJSA net consists of an SA net inscribed with terms of an OBJ module. The ONE environment supports the user in producing and executing a specification, hiding from her/him, as much as possible, the technical details of the algebraic part of the specification. The paper provides a complete presentation of OBJSA nets, including a user-oriented introduction, the definition of OBJSA nets (as subclass of SPEC-inscribed nets), of their occurrence rule (the semantics) and of the composition operation. In addition it presents the kernel of the support environment     

Mass spectrometry-based tear proteomics for noninvasive biomarker discovery

The lacrimal film has attracted increasing interest in the last decades as a potential source of biomarkers of physiopathological states, due to its accessibility, moderate complexity, and responsiveness to ocular and systemic diseases. High-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) has led to effective approaches to tear proteomics, despite the intrinsic limitations in sample amounts. This review focuses on the recent progress in strategy and technology, with an emphasis on the potential for personalized medicine. After an introduction on lacrimal-film composition, examples of applications to biomarker discovery are discussed, comparing approaches based on pooled-sample and single-tear analysis. Then, the most critical steps of the experimental pipeline, that is, tear collection, sample fractionation, and LC-MS implementation, are discussed with reference to proteome-coverage optimization. Advantages and challenges of the alternative procedures are highlighted. Despite the still limited number of studies, tear quantitative proteomics, including single-tear investigation, could offer unique contributions to the identification of low-invasiveness, sustained-accessibility biomarkers, and to the development of personalized approaches to therapy and diagnosis.     

Self‐Assembled pH‐Sensitive Fluoromagnetic Nanotubes as Archetype System for Multimodal Imaging of Brain Cancer

Fluoromagnetic systems are recognized as an emerging class of materials with great potential in the biomedical field. Here, it is shown how to fabricate fluoromagnetic nanotubes that can serve as multimodal probes for the imaging and targeting of brain cancer. An ionic self‐assembly strategy is used to functionalize the surface of synthetic chrysotile nanotubes with pH‐sensitive fluorescent chromophores and ferromagnetic nanoparticles. The acquired magnetic properties permit their use as contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging, and enable the tracking of tumor cell migration and infiltration responsible for metastatic growth and disease recurrence. Their organic component, changing its fluorescence attitude as a function of local pH, targets the cancer distinctive acidity, and allows localizing and monitoring the tumor occurrence and progression by mapping the acidic spatial distribution within biopsy tissues. The fluoromagnetic properties of nanotubes are preserved from the in vitro to the in vivo condition and they show the ability to migrate across the blood brain barrier, thus spontaneously reaching the brain tumor after injection. The simplicity of the synthesis route of these geomimetic nanomaterials combined with their demonstrated affinity with the in vivo condition strongly highlights their potential for developing effective functional materials for multimodal theranostics of brain cancer.     

Sorption of Pb(II), Cr(III), Cu(II), As(III) to peat, and utilization of the sorption properties in industrial waste landfill hydraulic barrier layers

In this study, removal of suspended solids (SS) and turbidity from marble processing wastewaters by electrocoagulation (EC) process were investigated by using aluminium (Al) and iron (Fe) electrodes which were run in serial and parallel connection systems. To remove these pollutants from the marble processing wastewater, an EC reactor including monopolar electrodes (Al/Fe) in parallel and serial connection system, was utilized. Optimization of differential operation parameters such as pH, current density, and electrolysis time on SS and turbidity removal were determined in this way. EC process with monopolar Al electrodes in parallel and serial connections carried out at the optimum conditions where the pH value was 9, current density was approximately 15 A/m², and electrolysis time was 2 min resulted in 100% SS removal. Removal efficiencies of EC process for SS with monopolar Fe electrodes in parallel and serial connection were found to be 99.86% and 99.94%, respectively. Optimum parameters for monopolar Fe electrodes in both of the connection types were found to be for pH value as 8, for electrolysis time as 2 min. The optimum current density value for Fe electrodes used in serial and parallel connections was also obtained at 10 and 20 A/m², respectively. Based on the results obtained, it was found that EC process running with each type of the electrodes and the connections was highly effective for the removal of SS and turbidity from marble processing wastewaters, and that operating costs with monopolar Al electrodes in parallel connection were the cheapest than that of the serial connection and all the configurations for Fe electrode.