Are systemizing and autistic traits related to talent and interest in mathematics and engineering? Testing some of the central claims of the empathizing-systemizing theory.

In two experiments, we tested some of the central claims of the empathizing-systemizing (E-S) theory. Experiment 1 showed that the systemizing quotient (SQ) was unrelated to performance on a mathematics test, although it was correlated with statistics-related attitudes, self-efficacy, and anxiety. In Experiment 2, systemizing skills, and gender differences in these skills, were more strongly related to spatial thinking styles than to SQ. In fact, when we partialled the effect of spatial thinking styles, SQ was no longer related to systemizing skills. Additionally, there was no relationship between the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and the SQ, or skills and interest in mathematics and mechanical reasoning. We discuss the implications of our findings for the E-S theory, and for understanding the autistic cognitive profile.

Mathematical prerequisites for learning statistics in Psychology: Assessing core skills of numeracy and mathematical reasoning among undergraduates.

This study sought to extend earlier work by Mulhern and Wylie (2004) to investigate a UK-wide sample of psychology undergraduates. A total of 890 participants from eight universities across the UK were tested on six broadly defined components of mathematical thinking relevant to the teaching of statistics in psychology - calculation, algebraic reasoning, graphical interpretation, proportionality and ratio, probability and sampling, and estimation. Results were consistent with Mulhern and Wylie's (2004) previously reported findings. Overall, participants across institutions exhibited marked deficiencies in many aspects of mathematical thinking. Results also revealed significant gender differences on calculation, proportionality and ratio, and estimation. Level of qualification in mathematics was found to predict overall performance. Analysis of the nature and content of errors revealed consistent patterns of misconceptions in core mathematical knowledge , likely to hamper the learning of statistics.

Increasing Staff and Student Capacity to Use the Communication Facility in Queen's Online in Order to Support Learning and Teaching on a BSW Programme

In this article the authors explore and evaluate developments in the use of information and communications technologies (ICT) within social work education at Queen's University Belfast since the inception of the new degree in social work. They look at the staff development strategy utilised to increase teacher confidence and competence in use of the Queen's Online virtual learning environment tools as well as the student experience of participation in modules involving online discussions. The authors conclude that the project provided further opportunity to reflect on how ICT can be used as a platform to support a whole course in a systematic and coordinated way and to ensure all staff remained abreast of ongoing developments in the use of ICT to support learning which is a normative expectation of students entering universities. A very satisfying outcome for the leaders is our observation of the emergence of other 'experts' in different aspects of use of ICT amongst the staff team. This project also shows that taking a team as opposed to an individual approach can be particularly beneficial

Molecular detection of exercise-induced free radicals following ascorbate prophylaxis in type 1 diabetes mellitus: a randomised controlled trial

Aims/hypothesis: Patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus are more susceptible than healthy individuals to exercise-induced oxidative stress and vascular endothelial dysfunction, which has important implications for the progression of disease. Thus, in the present study, we designed a randomised double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to test the original hypothesis that oral prophylaxis with vitamin C attenuates rest and exercise-induced free radical-mediated lipid peroxidation in type 1 diabetes mellitus. Methods: All data were collected from hospitalised diabetic patients. The electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopic detection of spin-trapped a-phenyl-tert-butylnitrone (PBN) adducts was combined with the use of supporting markers of lipid peroxidation and non-enzymatic antioxidants to assess exercise-induced oxidative stress in male patients with type 1 diabetes (HbA1c 7.9±1%, n=12) and healthy controls (HbA1c 4.6±0.5%, n=14). Following participant randomisation using numbers in a sealed envelope, venous blood samples were obtained at rest, after a maximal exercise challenge and before and 2 h after oral ingestion of 1 g ascorbate or placebo. Participants and lead investigators were blinded to the administration of either placebo or ascorbate treatments. Primary outcome was the difference in changes in free radicals following ascorbate ingestion. Resuts: Six diabetic patients and seven healthy control participants were randomised to each of the placebo and ascorbate groups. Diabetic patients (n=12) exhibited an elevated concentration of PBN adducts (p<0.05 vs healthy, n=14), which were confirmed as secondary, lipid-derived oxygen-centred alkoxyl (RO•) radicals (a nitrogen=1.37 mT and aßhydrogen=0.18 mT). Lipid hydroperoxides were also selectively elevated and associated with a depression of retinol and lycopene (p<0.05 vs healthy). Vitamin C supplementation increased plasma vitamin C concentration to a similar degree in both groups (p<0.05 vs pre-supplementation) and attenuated the exercise-induced oxidative stress response (p<0.05 vs healthy). There were no selective treatment differences between groups in the primary outcome variable. Conclusions/ interpretation: These findings are the first to suggest that oral vitamin C supplementation provides an effective prophylaxis against exercise-induced free radical-mediated lipid peroxidation in human diabetic blood.

Tegumental surface changes in juvenile Fasciola hepatica in response to treatment in vivo with triclabendazole.

Eight indoor-reared crossbred sheep with no pre-exposure to Fasciola hepatica were infected, by oral gavage, with 200 metacercarial cysts of the triclabendazole (TCBZ)-susceptible Cullompton isolate of F. hepatica. Anthelmintic dosing occurred at 4 weeks post-infection with 10 mg/kg triclabendazole. Two treated sheep were euthanized at 48 h, 72 h and 96 h post-treatment with triclabendazole. Two control sheep were euthanized alongside the 48 h triclabendazole-treated sheep. Juvenile flukes were recovered from each of the sheeps’ liver and processed for scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Flukes were still active 48 h post-treatment and displayed limited morphological disruption. There was some blebbing and sloughing of the tegument around the oral sucker. In several of the specimens, an extra layer had been deposited on the fluke surface, giving it a flattened appearance. At 72 h post-treatment, only one fluke remained alive and the disruption varied in degree. In the majority of flukes, there was severe swelling of the tegument, accompanied by isolated areas of flattening along the lateral margins of the flukes and in the tail region. Limited areas of sloughing occurred in the tail region. In more seriously affected specimens, the syncytium had been stripped away to reveal the basal lamina and some deeper lesions were also observed. By 96 h post-treatment, all the flukes were dead and were grossly disrupted. They were totally devoid of tegument and deep lesions exposed the internal tissues of the fluke.

Seasonality of cutaneous melanoma diagnosis in Northern Ireland with a review

In light-skinned populations, the incidence of cutaneous melanoma is highest in summer and lowest in winter. We analyzed the seasonal variation of melanoma incidence in Northern Ireland from 1984 to 2006 according to the Breslow thickness and body site. We also reviewed earlier studies on seasonal variation in the diagnosis of melanoma. Two-thirds of melanomas in women (2028 cases) and one-third of melanomas in men (1230 cases) were diagnosed on the limbs. In both sexes, pronounced seasonal variations were observed in the incidence of invasive melanomas less than 2mm arising on the limbs. These seasonal variations were mainly noticeable in women of all ages, to a lesser degree in men aged below 50 years, and not in men aged above 50 years. No seasonal variation was observed for melanomas less than 2mm arising on the trunk or the head and neck nor for melanomas 2mm thickness or more, irrespective of the age, sex, and body site. Seasonal variations of thin melanomas were less noticeable in men because of the axial predominance of melanoma occurrence in this sex. The review of 15 earlier studies found by a systematic search of Medline supported the likelihood of our findings. This analysis suggests that ultraviolet radiation has a short-term promotional effect on melanocytes or nevocytes of the limbs, and is not associated with progression from thin to thick melanoma. Melanoma Res 21:144-151 (C) 2011 Wolters Kluwer Health vertical bar Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Response characteristics of optical sensors for oxygen: models based on a distribution in tau(o) or kappa(q)

The features of two popular models used to describe the observed response characteristics of typical oxygen optical sensors based on luminescence quenching are examined critically. The models are the 'two-site' and 'Gaussian distribution in natural lifetime, tau(o),' models. These models are used to characterise the response features of typical optical oxygen sensors; features which include: downward curving Stern-Volmer plots and increasingly non-first order luminescence decay kinetics with increasing partial pressures of oxygen, pO(2). Neither model appears able to unite these latter features, let alone the observed disparate array of response features exhibited by the myriad optical oxygen sensors reported in the literature, and still maintain any level of physical plausibility. A model based on a Gaussian distribution in quenching rate constant, k(q), is developed and, although flawed by a limited breadth in distribution, rho, does produce Stern-Volmer plots which would cover the range in curvature seen with real optical oxygen sensors. A new 'log-Gaussian distribution in tau(o) or k(q)' model is introduced which has the advantage over a Gaussian distribution model of placing no limitation on the value of rho. Work on a 'log-Gaussian distribution in tau(o)' model reveals that the Stern-Volmer quenching plots would show little degree in curvature, even at large rho values and the luminescence decays would become increasingly first order with increasing pO(2). In fact, with real optical oxygen sensors, the opposite is observed and thus the model appears of little value. In contrast, a 'log-Gaussian distribution in k(o)' model does produce the trends observed with real optical oxygen sensors; although it is technically restricted in use to those in which the kinetics of luminescence decay are good first order in the absence of oxygen. The latter model gives a good fit to the major response features of sensors which show the latter feature, most notably the [Ru(dpp)(3)(2+)(Ph4B-)(2)] in cellulose optical oxygen sensors. The scope of a log-Gaussian model for further expansion and, therefore, application to optical oxygen sensors, by combining both a log-Gaussian distribution in k(o) with one in tau(o) is briefly discussed.

Quotients, exactness, and nuclearity in the operator system category

We continue our study of tensor products in the operator system category. We define operator system quotients and exactness in this setting and refine the notion of nuclearity by studying operator systems that preserve various pairs of tensor products. One of our main goals is to relate these refinements of nuclearity to the Kirchberg conjecture. In particular, we prove that the Kirchberg conjecture is equivalent to the statement that every operator system that is (min,er)-nuclear is also (el,c)-nuclear. We show that operator system quotients are not always equal to the corresponding operator space quotients and then study exactness of various operator system tensor products for the operator system quotient. We prove that an operator system is exact for the min tensor product if and only if it is (min,el)-nuclear. We give many characterizations of operator systems that are (min,er)-nuclear, (el,c)-nuclear, (min,el)-nuclear and (el,max)-nuclear. These characterizations involve operator system analogues of various properties from the theory of C*-algebras and operator spaces, including the WEP and LLP.

Staffing, status and subject knowledge: what does the construction of citizenship as a new curriculum subject in England tell us about the nature of school subjects?

Almost a decade ago, the new subject of citizenship was created in the English National Curriculum and several universities were funded to train teachers in this new subject. This presented a rare challenge, namely how to train people to teach a subject that did not exist in schools, and in which they were unlikely to have a specialist degree. In this article we have taken the opportunity afforded by the
tenth birthday of the report in which Crick recommended this curriculum reform to reflect on that experience from the perspective of teacher educators. Through reflecting on the case study of citizenship education in England we highlight several themes that are of more general interest to teacher educators. The key issues that have emerged in this case study relate to the general problems of translating central policy into classroom practice; the nature and aims of subjects in the curriculum; and the identities of teachers in secondary schools. The article illustrates how teacher educators responded to the formidable challenge of creating (or at least contributing to) a new subject and a subject community.

Fundus autofluorescence in patients with retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) tears: an in-vivo evaluation of RPE resurfacing

Aim: Investigate RPE resurfacing by changes in fundus autofluorescence (AF) in patients with retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) tears secondary to age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Methods: A retrospective case series of patients presenting with RPE tears from 1 March 2008 to 1 April 2011. The pattern and area of AF signal distribution in RPE tears were evaluated. The change in the size of the area of debrided RPE over the follow-up period was used as the main outcome measure. A reduction in this area was termed “RPE resurfacing”, and an enlargement termed “progression of RPE cell loss”.

Results; Thirteen patients (14 eyes) with RPE tears (mean age 82 years) were included in this study. The mean baseline area of reduced AF signal was 4.1 mm2 (range 0.33–14.9, median 0.29). “Resurfacing” of the RPE occurred in ten eyes and “progression of RPE cell loss” in four eyes after a median follow-up of 11.5 months (range, 1–39). The mean area of healing was 2.0 mm2, and progression was 1.78 mm2.

Conclusion: A consistent AF pattern was observed in patients with RPE tears. RPE resurfacing over the area of the RPE tear occurred, to a varying degree, in the majority of the cases.