Analysis of receptor (CD46, CD150) usage by measles virus

This is a collaborative paper between Juergen Schneider-Schaulies's group and ours. It shows the differential use of the two measles receptors in various strains.

Computer usage and the validity of self-assessed computer competence among first-year business students

Abstract This study evaluates the reliability of self-assessment as a measure of computer competence. This evaluation is carried out in response to recent research which has employed self-reported ratings as the sole indicator of students’ computer competence. To evaluate the reliability of self-assessed computer competence, the scores achieved by students in self-assessed computer competence tests are compared with scores achieved in objective tests. The results reveal a statistically significantly over-estimation of computer competence among the students surveyed. Furthermore, reported pre-university computer experience in terms of home and school use and formal IT education does not affect this result. The findings call into question the validity of using self-assessment as a measure of computer competence. More generally, the study also provides an up-to-date picture of self-reported computer usage and IT experience among pre-university students from New Zealand and South-east Asia and contrasts these findings with those from previous research.

Social Networks Usage Profile: Descriptive study with students in the University of Murcia

Telematic tools are very important for our lives in the present era and moreover this idea is made more evident if we analyse young people behaviours. However, it seems that the possibilities that these tools allow subjects from a professional point of view, beyond the purely playful aspects, are still not fully exploited both by subjects, neither by educational institutions where they learn. Our work studies the uses of social media in the context of university students. In order to this we have designed a research based on quantitative methodology with a survey. We have applied a questionnaire to students in the University of Murcia. The questionnaire was answered by 487 students in the first half of 2014. The survey results confirm our hypothesis that social networks are part of the basic and habitual tools of communication between the youth of our university and eminently used for leisure purposes, and that the tools used for more academic activities are those allowing greater control of privacy.

Strasheela: Design and usage of a music composition environment based on the Oz programming model

Strasheela provides a means for the composer to create a symbolic score by formally describing it in a rule-based way. The environment defines a rich music representation for complex polyphonic scores. Strasheela enables the user to define expressive compositional rules and then to apply them to the score. Compositional rules can restrict many aspects of the music - including the rhythmic structure, the melodic structure and the harmonic structure - by constraining the parameters (e.g. duration or pitch) of musical events according to some numerical or logical relation. Strasheela combines this expressivity with efficient search strategies.

Systematic Usage of Embedded Modelling Languages in Automated Model Transformation Chains

Annotation of programs using embedded Domain-Specific Languages (embedded DSLs), such as the program annotation facility for the Java programming language, is a well-known practice in computer science. In this paper we argue for and propose a specialized approach for the usage of embedded Domain-Specific Modelling Languages (embedded DSMLs) in Model-Driven Engineering (MDE) processes that in particular supports automated many-step model transformation chains. It can happen that information defined at some point, using an embedded DSML, is not required in the next immediate transformation step, but in a later one. We propose a new approach of model annotation enabling flexible many-step transformation chains. The approach utilizes a combination of embedded DSMLs, trace models and a megamodel. We demonstrate our approach based on an example MDE process and an industrial case study.

Evidence for phosphonate usage in the coral holobiont

Phosphonates are characterized by a stable carbon-phosphorus bond and commonly occur as lipid conjugates in invertebrate cell membranes. Phosphonoacetate hydrolase encoded by the phnA gene, catalyses the cleavage of phosphonoacetate to acetate and phosphate. In this study, we demonstrate the unusually high phnA diversity in coral-associated bacteria. The holobiont of eight coral species tested positive when screened for phnA using degenerate primers. In two soft coral species, Sinularia and Discosoma, sequencing of the phnA gene showed 13 distinct groups on the basis of 90% sequence identity across 100% of the sequence. A total of 16 bacterial taxa capable of using phosphonoacetate as the sole carbon and phosphorus source were isolated; 8 of which had a phnA+ genotype. This study enhances our understanding of the wide taxonomic and environmental distribution of phnA, and highlights the importance of phosphonates in marine ecosystems. The ISME Journal (2010) 4, 45-461; doi:10.1038/ismej.2009.129; published online 3 December 2009

Barriers to student computer usage: staff and student perceptions

Ensuring that all graduates are able to exploit new technologies is a primary goal of all UK universities and a variety of assumptions have underpinned policies designed to promote this goal, This paper explores some of these assumptions through the findings of a. longitudinal study involving a cohort of over 800 university students. The study adopted a student perspective to examine the factors affecting their use of computers over a three year period. Unsurprisingly, the results indicated that situational factors (e.g. access, training and time) influence the extent to which students use computers, but a disparity was found in the importance attributed to these factors by the academic staff, who focused on the needs of their department, and by the students, who focused on their individual needs. Results suggest that increased attention to a student perspective may lead to improved strategic planning in students' use of computers.

Meta analysis of the effects of lithium usage on serum creatinine levels

There is conflicting evidence concerning lithium’s effect on renal function. The aim is to clarify whether lithium affects kidney function and at what stage of treatment any effect may occur. Systematic review identified 23 studies split into three groups on which meta-analysis was performed to identify the following: A) lithium’s effect on renal function in cross-sectional case-control studies, B) studies of renal function before and after commencement on lithium, C) studies of longer term effect in those already established on lithium therapy. Group A showed a statistically significant increase of 5.7 µmol/L in creatinine in the study population compared with controls. Group B showed a non-statistically significant rise in creatinine (2.9 µmol/L) after a mean follow-up of 86 months. Group C showed a statistically significant increase in creatinine of 7.0 µmol/L over a mean duration of 64 months. An increase in creatinine of an average of 1.6 µmol/L/year on lithium was also identified in this group. Any lithium-associated increase in serum creatinine is quantitatively small and of questionable clinical significance. However, routine renal function monitoring of patients on lithium is essential.