Learning roadmap studio : new approaches and strategies for efficient learning and training processes

Learning systems have emerged in a set of different information systems, oriented for different kinds of organizations and institutions, such as learning management systems, knowledge management systems and learning content management systems, which can be integrated or merged with others. From past experience, it has been denoted that strategies and pedagogical processes are tasks that can be created, enriched and boosted by actors who participate in learning and training processes: course managers, teachers and students. The challenge posed to the different actors involved also accelerates the changes that have been happening in education and training, empowering a society based on knowledge. Initiatives such as eLearning (EU Comission 2000), eLearningEurope, eTwinning and Education Observatories are an evidence of this challenge. Platforms, applications, tools and systems must respond to challenges that those actors face nowadays: heterogeneous target audiences, in terms of student profiles, number of participants, differentiated contents and schedules to achieve knowledge, outcomes and competences. Thus, a prototype application, named Learning Roadmap Studio (LRMS), has been developed and deployed at Aveiro Norte Polytechnic School of the University of Aveiro, in order to suppress gaps in learning processes and to power better learning and training. It represents a new challenge for the University of Aveiro for higher education and is already being tested. At its core is the concept of “learning roadmaps” that act upon two fundamental axes: education and learning. For the teachers, it aims at becoming a self-supporting tool that stimulates the organization and management of the course materials (lectures, presentations, multimedia content, and evaluation materials, amongst others). For the students, the learning roadmap aims at promoting self-study and supervised study, endowing the pupil with the capabilities to find the relevant information and to capture the concepts in the study materials. The outcome will be a stimulating learning process together with an organized management of those materials. It is not intended to create new learning management systems. Instead, it is presented as an application that enables the edition and creation of learning processes and strategies, giving primary relevance to teachers, instead of focusing on tools, features and contents

Bragg spectroscopy of a strongly interacting Fermi gas

We present a comprehensive study of the Bose-Einstein condensate to Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BEC-BCS) crossover in fermionic $^6$Li using Bragg spectroscopy. A smooth transition from molecular to atomic spectra is observed with a clear signature of pairing at and above unitarity. These spectra probe the dynamic and static structure factors of the gas and provide a direct link to two-body correlations. We have characterised these correlations and measured their density dependence across the broad Feshbach resonance at 834 G.Comment: Replaced with published versio

Vegetation and the importance of insecticide-treated target siting for control of Glossina fuscipes fuscipes

Control of tsetse flies using insecticide-treated targets is often hampered by vegetation re-growth and encroachment which obscures a target and renders it less effective. Potentially this is of particular concern for the newly developed small targets (0.25 high × 0.5 m wide) which show promise for cost-efficient control of Palpalis group tsetse flies. Consequently the performance of a small target was investigated for Glossina fuscipes fuscipes in Kenya, when the target was obscured following the placement of vegetation to simulate various degrees of natural bush encroachment. Catches decreased significantly only when the target was obscured by more than 80%. Even if a small target is underneath a very low overhanging bush (0.5 m above ground), the numbers of G. f. fuscipes decreased by only about 30% compared to a target in the open. We show that the efficiency of the small targets, even in small (1 m diameter) clearings, is largely uncompromised by vegetation re-growth because G. f. fuscipes readily enter between and under vegetation. The essential characteristic is that there should be some openings between vegetation. This implies that for this important vector of HAT, and possibly other Palpalis group flies, a smaller initial clearance zone around targets can be made and longer interval between site maintenance visits is possible both of which will result in cost savings for large scale operations. We also investigated and discuss other site features e.g. large solid objects and position in relation to the water's edge in terms of the efficacy of the small targets

Multiplicação in vitro de abacaxi ornamental (Ananas comosus).

O abacaxi ornamental Ananas comosus é uma espécie vegetal pertencente à família Bromeliaceae, de grande interesse para paisagistas e floricultores, a utilização da cultura de tecidos proporciona a obtenção de milhares de mudas a partir de uma gema em um pequeno espaço e em um intervalo de tempo relativamente curto.Titulo: Multiplicação [i.e. e enraizamento] in vitro de abacaxi ornamental (Ananas comosus)

Habitat Factors Affecting Trap Success of Swamp Rabbits in Southeastern Arkansas During a Flooding Event

Swamp rabbits (Sylvilagus aquaticus) are found in bottomland hardwood ecosystems that have canopy gaps dispersed throughout. During annual flooding of these ecosystems, swamp rabbits often are displaced to adjacent uplands or higher ground within the bottomlands. Trapping of swamp rabbits is reported to be best during times of flooding. We examined habitat characteristics at trap sites to identify the best suits of habitat characters to target when trapping for swamp rabbits during flooding conditions. We conducted trapping for swamp rabbits during a flooding event from 2 January 2007 to 3 February 2007. A total of 511 trap nights yielded 16 swamp rabbit captures, or an overall capture rate of 3.1%. We reduced the habitat data set using principal component analysis and identified habitat characteristics most important to trapping success using stepwise discriminant function analysis. Variables important for successful trapping of swamp rabbits were canopy cover, percent ground cover of leaves, distance to trees (i.e., tree density), number and stage of decomposition of stumps, diameter at breast height of trees, and distance to temporary water sources. Because some states list swamp rabbits as a species of concern, knowledge of habitat variables most often selected by swamp rabbits during a flooding event may assist with trapping for future studies concerning the species

Multiplicação in vitro de duas cultivares de bananeira.

A banana, Musa spp., é uma das frutas mais consumidas no mundo e na maioria dos países tropicais, a micropropagação de ápices caulinares constitui-se em importante ferramenta para obtenção de mudas de banana com alto padrão de qualidade, bem como para clonagem em massa de genótipos-elites. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a eficiência da multiplicação in vitro de duas cultivares de bananeira (Caipira e Pioneira) em cinco subcultivos, em meio MS (Murashige & Skoog, 1962), suplementado com 30 g L-1 de sacarose, 3 g L-1 de gelrite, 2 mg L-1 de BAP e pH 5,8 em sala de crescimento a 25ºC ± 2ºC, com iluminação artificial com intensidade luminosa de 2000 lux e fotoperíodo de 16 horas. As cultivares Caipira e Pioneira apresentam taxas de multiplicação absoluta e acumulada similares. Contudo, a cultivar Caipira, em média, mostra taxas de multiplicação absoluta mais uniforme ao longo dos subcultivos. Em média, a eficiência da multiplicação, especialmente da cultivar Caipira, é crescente até o subcultivo 4

Comparative Genomics of Two Sequential <i>Candida glabrata</i> Clinical Isolates.

&lt;i&gt;Candida glabrata&lt;/i&gt; is an important fungal pathogen which develops rapid antifungal resistance in treated patients. It is known that azole treatments lead to antifungal resistance in this fungal species and that multidrug efflux transporters are involved in this process. Specific mutations in the transcriptional regulator &lt;i&gt;PDR1&lt;/i&gt; result in upregulation of the transporters. In addition, we showed that the &lt;i&gt;PDR1&lt;/i&gt; mutations can contribute to enhance virulence in animal models. In this study, we were interested to compare genomes of two specific &lt;i&gt;C. glabrata&lt;/i&gt; -related isolates, one of which was azole susceptible (DSY562) while the other was azole resistant (DSY565). DSY565 contained a &lt;i&gt;PDR1&lt;/i&gt; mutation (L280F) and was isolated after a time-lapse of 50 d of azole therapy. We expected that genome comparisons between both isolates could reveal additional mutations reflecting host adaptation or even additional resistance mechanisms. The PacBio technology used here yielded 14 major contigs (sizes 0.18-1.6 Mb) and mitochondrial genomes from both DSY562 and DSY565 isolates that were highly similar to each other. Comparisons of the clinical genomes with the published CBS138 genome indicated important genome rearrangements, but not between the clinical strains. Among the unique features, several retrotransposons were identified in the genomes of the investigated clinical isolates. DSY562 and DSY565 each contained a large set of adhesin-like genes (101 and 107, respectively), which exceed by far the number of reported adhesins (63) in the CBS138 genome. Comparison between DSY562 and DSY565 yielded 17 nonsynonymous SNPs (among which the was the expected &lt;i&gt;PDR1&lt;/i&gt; mutation) as well as small size indels in coding regions (11) but mainly in adhesin-like genes. The genomes contained a DNA mismatch repair allele of &lt;i&gt;MSH2&lt;/i&gt; known to be involved in the so-called hyper-mutator phenotype of this yeast species and the number of accumulated mutations between both clinical isolates is consistent with the presence of a &lt;i&gt;MSH2&lt;/i&gt; defect. In conclusion, this study is the first to compare genomes of &lt;i&gt;C. glabrata&lt;/i&gt; sequential clinical isolates using the PacBio technology as an approach. The genomes of these isolates taken in the same patient at two different time points exhibited limited variations, even if submitted to the host pressure

A random walker on a ratchet potential: Effect of a non Gaussian noise

We analyze the effect of a colored non Gaussian noise on a model of a random walker moving along a ratchet potential. Such a model was motivated by the transport properties of motor proteins, like kinesin and myosin. Previous studies have been realized assuming white noises. However, for real situations, in general we could expect that those noises be correlated and non Gaussian. Among other aspects, in addition to a maximum in the current as the noise intensity is varied, we have also found another optimal value of the current when departing from Gaussian behavior. We show the relevant effects that arise when departing from Gaussian behavior, particularly related to current's enhancement, and discuss its relevance for both biological and technological situations.Comment: Submitted to Europ.Phys. J. B (LaTex, 16 pgs, 8 figures