Showing papers by "Andrew J. Martin published in 2014"
TL;DR: In this article, a large-scale study into boarding school and students' motivation, engagement, and psychological well-being was conducted, with the main sample comprised 5,276 high school students (28% boarding students; 72% day students).
Abstract: Boarding school has been a feature of education systems for centuries. Minimal large-scale quantitative data have been collected to examine its association with important educational and other outcomes. The present study represents one of the largest studies into boarding school conducted to date. It investigates boarding school and students’ motivation, engagement, and psychological well-being (e.g., life satisfaction, interpersonal relationships)—controlling for sociodemographic, achievement, personality, and school covariates. The main sample comprised 5,276 high school students (28% boarding students; 72% day students) from 12 high schools in Australia. A subsample of 2,002 students (30% boarding students; 70% day students) had pretest data, enabling analyses of gains or declines in outcomes across the school year. Results indicated predominant parity between boarding and day students on most outcome factors, some modest positive results favoring boarding students, and no notable differences in gains ...
96 citations
TL;DR: It has emerged over the last 20 years that a large number of bacterial moonlighting proteins play important roles in bacteria-host interactions as virulence factors and are therefore potential therapeutic targets in bacterial infections.
Abstract: The phenomenon of protein moonlighting was discovered in the 1980s and 1990s, and the current definition of what constitutes a moonlighting protein was provided at the end of the 1990s. Since this time, several hundred moonlighting proteins have been identified in all three domains of life, and the rate of discovery is accelerating as the importance of protein moonlighting in biology and medicine becomes apparent. The recent re-evaluation of the number of protein-coding genes in the human genome (approximately 19000) is one reason for believing that protein moonlighting may be a more general phenomenon than the current number of moonlighting proteins would suggest, and preliminary studies of the proportion of proteins that moonlight would concur with this hypothesis. Protein moonlighting could be one way of explaining the seemingly small number of proteins that are encoded in the human genome. It is emerging that moonlighting proteins can exhibit novel biological functions, thus extending the range of the human functional proteome. The several hundred moonlighting proteins so far discovered play important roles in many aspects of biology. For example, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), heat-shock protein 60 (Hsp60) and tRNA synthetases play a wide range of biological roles in eukaryotic cells, and a growing number of eukaryotic moonlighting proteins are recognized to play important roles in physiological processes such as sperm capacitation, implantation, immune regulation in pregnancy, blood coagulation, vascular regeneration and control of inflammation. The dark side of protein moonlighting finds a range of moonlighting proteins playing roles in various human diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, HIV and cystic fibrosis. However, some moonlighting proteins are being tested for their therapeutic potential, including immunoglobulin heavy-chain-binding protein (BiP), for rheumatoid arthritis, and Hsp90 for wound healing. In addition, it has emerged over the last 20 years that a large number of bacterial moonlighting proteins play important roles in bacteria–host interactions as virulence factors and are therefore potential therapeutic targets in bacterial infections. So as we progress in the 21st Century, it is likely that moonlighting proteins will be seen to play an increasingly important role in biology and medicine. It is hoped that some of the major unanswered questions, such as the mechanism of evolution of protein moonlighting, the structural biology of moonlighting proteins and their role in the systems biology of cellular systems can be addressed during this period.
92 citations
TL;DR: The aim of this study was to determine risk factors for recurrence of prolapse recurrence, attempting to improve clinical practice by allowing better patient selection prior to surgery.
Abstract: Aims
Female pelvic organ prolapse is a common condition. Prolapse recurrence following surgical treatment is a significant clinical issue. The aim of this study was to determine risk factors for recurrence, attempting to improve clinical practice by allowing better patient selection prior to surgery.
Methods
This was a retrospective study utilising patient records and ultrasound volume imaging data sets obtained in four clinical audits following anterior colporrhaphy ± mesh. Prolapse recurrence was diagnosed clinically and by ultrasound; findings were analysed against potential predictors.
Results
Symptomatic prolapse recurrence was demonstrated in 86 (26%), on clinical examination in 141 (42%) and on ultrasound in 113/334 women (34%). None of the tested predictors were predictive of recurrent symptoms, likely due to a lack of power. However, both levator avulsion and hiatal area on Valsalva were shown to be highly significant predictors of objective prolapse recurrence on clinical examination and ultrasound.
Conclusions
Prolapse recurrence following surgery is a common complaint. The state of the patient's pelvic floor muscle seems to be the strongest determinant.
79 citations
TL;DR: There is merit in widely promoting and fostering academic buoyancies among ADHD and non-ADHD students alike - and that academic buoyancy explains variance in outcomes beyond major intrapersonal factors such as personality, socio-economic status, ethnicity, and the like.
Abstract: Background
Academic buoyancy is students' capacity to successfully overcome setback and challenge that is typical of the ordinary course of everyday academic life. It may represent an important factor on the psycho-educational landscape assisting students who experience difficulties in school and schoolwork.
Aims
This study investigated the role of academic buoyancy in the achievement and cognitive, affective and behavioural engagement of (1) students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and (2) ‘regular’ (or ‘general’) students residing in the same classrooms and schools. The study also sought to extend prior research into academic buoyancy by including previously neglected and potentially influential factors such as personality and socio-economic status.
Sample
Participants were n = 87 high school students with ADHD, n = 3374 non-ADHD peers, and n = 87 randomly drawn non-ADHD students.
Method
Survey-based data were analysed using multigroup (ADHD, non-ADHD, randomly weighted non-ADHD) multivariate (multiple independent/covariate and dependent variables) path analysis.
Results
The findings revealed a significant and positive association between academic buoyancy and outcomes for students with ADHD that generalized to non-ADHD groups. On occasion where academic buoyancy effects differed between the groups, effects favoured students with ADHD. Furthermore, academic buoyancy explained significant variance in outcomes for both groups of students after covariates (age, gender, parent education, language background, socio-economic status, personality) were entered.
Conclusion
It is concluded that there is merit in widely promoting and fostering academic buoyancy among ADHD and non-ADHD students alike – and that academic buoyancy explains variance in outcomes beyond major intrapersonal factors such as personality, socio-economic status, ethnicity, and the like.
75 citations
TL;DR: Impulse control and related disorders (ICRD) are not uncommon in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD), and had a negative impact on QoL and Activity of Daily Living (ADL) scores, after adjusting for the presence of major depressive disorders and PD duration.
72 citations
TL;DR: Beyond the effects of numerous personal and contextual covariates, ADHD has a distinct presence in students' academic adversity and provides direction for educational intervention targeting ADHD and associated factors found to be significant in the study.
Abstract: Students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) experience significant academic difficulties that can lead to numerous negative academic consequences. With a focus on adverse academic outcomes, this study seeks to disentangle variance attributable to ADHD from variance attributable to salient personal and contextual covariates. Responses from 136 students with ADHD and 3,779 non-ADHD peers from 9 high schools were analyzed using logistic regression. Dependent measures included academic failure, grade repetition, school refusal, changing classes and school, school exclusion, and schoolwork noncompletion. Covariates comprised personal (e.g., sociodemographics, personality, prior achievement, specific learning disabilities, motivation) and contextual (e.g., school size, school socioeconomic status, school average achievement) factors. Findings indicated that, after accounting for personal and contextual covariates, ADHD explained significant variance in numerous adversities (schoolwork noncompletion, school suspension, school expulsion, changing schools, grade repetition). Thus, beyond the effects of numerous personal and contextual covariates, ADHD has a distinct presence in students' academic adversity. Also interesting, after accounting for other personal and contextual factors, was academic adversity with which ADHD was not associated. Findings provide direction for educational intervention targeting ADHD and associated factors found to be significant in the study.
65 citations
TL;DR: It is suggested that projected increases in seawater pCO2, associated with OA, will not adversely impact brine algal communities.
Abstract: Ocean acidification substantially alters ocean carbon chemistry and hence pH but the effects on sea ice formation and the CO2 concentration in the enclosed brine channels are unknown. Microbial communities inhabiting sea ice ecosystems currently contribute 10–50% of the annual primary production of polar seas, supporting overwintering zooplankton species, especially Antarctic krill, and seeding spring phytoplankton blooms. Ocean acidification is occurring in all surface waters but the strongest effects will be experienced in polar ecosystems with significant effects on all trophic levels. Brine algae collected from McMurdo Sound (Antarctica) sea ice was incubated in situ under various carbonate chemistry conditions. The carbon chemistry was manipulated with acid, bicarbonate and bases to produce a pCO2 and pH range from 238 to 6066 µatm and 7.19 to 8.66, respectively. Elevated pCO2 positively affected the growth rate of the brine algal community, dominated by the unique ice dinoflagellate, Polarella glacialis. Growth rates were significantly reduced when pH dropped below 7.6. However, when the pH was held constant and the pCO2 increased, growth rates of the brine algae increased by more than 20% and showed no decline at pCO2 values more than five times current ambient levels. We suggest that projected increases in seawater pCO2, associated with OA, will not adversely impact brine algal communities.
50 citations
TL;DR: This article found that mastery and personal best (PB) goals explained the bulk of variance in motivation, engagement and academic buoyancy outcomes in middle school students in China, and that PB goals explained unique variance in distinct academic outcomes such that mastery goals appeared more salient in mapping onto motivation factors while PB goals appear more salient on mapping onto engagemen.
Abstract: Prior research has shown personal best (PB) goals to be significantly related to students’ motivation, engagement and achievement. However, research thus far has investigated PB goals only among Western samples and it is unclear to what extent PB goals hold academic merit in the Asian context. It is also unclear whether PB goals explain variance in motivation and engagement beyond that explained by ‘classic’ performance, mastery and avoidance goals. With a sample of 3753 middle school students in China, the present study showed that mastery and PB goals explained the bulk of variance in motivation, engagement and academic buoyancy outcomes. It therefore appears that the effects of PB and ‘classic’ goals derived in Western contexts generalise to the Chinese context. Further, although correlated, mastery and PB goals explain unique variance in distinct academic outcomes such that mastery goals appear more salient in mapping onto motivation factors while PB goals appear more salient in mapping onto engagemen...
46 citations
TL;DR: The effect of levator avulsion on pelvic floor and sexual function an average of 5.2 months after childbirth seems to be limited to a perception of increased vaginal and pelvicfloor muscle laxity, and reduced pelvic floor muscle efficiency.
Abstract: The levator ani is thought to play an important role in sexual function; however, to date little literature has been published on the impact of delivery–related levator trauma on female sexual function. We hypothesised that delivery-related levator trauma has a negative impact on women’s reports of pelvic floor and sexual function postpartum. In 294 primigravid women with a singleton pregnancy, four-dimensional (4D) translabial ultrasound imaging was used to assess delivery–related levator avulsion and levator hiatal over-distension, and postpartum pelvic floor and sexual function was assessed by an in-house validated questionnaire. Associations between questionnaire responses and levator avulsion and hiatal over-distension were investigated using standard linear modelling methods. Levator avulsion was diagnosed in 14 % of women (42 out of 292; 25 unilateral, 17 bilateral) and was found to be significantly associated with lower scores for the pelvic floor integrity and function domain of the questionnaire (P < 0.0005). Avulsion was associated with lower scores for this domain (no avulsion = 2.78, unilateral avulsion = 2.61, bilateral avulsion = 2.29). This association remained significant after controlling for potential confounders (p = 0.013). Avulsion was not associated with any of the other domains of sexual function and levator hiatal over-distension was not associated with scores for any of the questionnaire domains. The effect of levator avulsion on pelvic floor and sexual function an average of 5.2 months after childbirth seems to be limited to a perception of increased vaginal and pelvic floor muscle laxity, and reduced pelvic floor muscle efficiency. The impact of levator hiatal over-distension on postpartum pelvic floor and sexual function appears to be negligible.
46 citations
TL;DR: The authors investigated multidimensional motivation and engagement among Chinese middle school students in Australia, Hong Kong, and Mainland China, and found that a multi-dimensional model of motivation fit very well for all three groups.
Abstract: The present study investigated multidimensional motivation and engagement among Chinese middle school students in Australia (N = 273), Hong Kong (N = 528), and Mainland China (N = 2106; randomly selected N = 528). Findings showed that a multidimensional model of motivation and engagement fit very well for all three groups. Multi-group invariance tests showed that the number of factors, factor loadings, factor correlations and item uniquenesses were invariant across the three groups – as were inter-correlations with a set of cognate correlates (class participation, school enjoyment, positive intentions, academic buoyancy) – hence no differences of ‘kind’. However, differences of ‘degree’ were indicated through significant mean-level effects between groups, with self-reports favouring Australian Chinese students over Hong Kong and (to a lesser extent) Mainland Chinese students. We propose these findings shed important light on Chinese students’ academic motivation and engagement and also on socio-cultural p...
45 citations
TL;DR: The relationship between five Y-BOCS-derived obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions and the three obsessive–compulsive cognitive domains identified by the obsessive-beliefs questionnaire (OBQ) was examined, finding that symmetry/ordering symptom dimension was associated with increased perfectionism/intolerance of uncertainty, and the unacceptable/taboo thoughts symptom Dimension was associatedwith increased importance/control of thoughts.
Abstract: Several studies have linked obsessive–compulsive symptoms to specific obsessive–compulsive cognitions, however methodologies have varied, and no study has determined obsessive–compulsive symptoms using the most widely used clinician rating scale, the Yale–Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). Considering that almost all studies that used factor analysis to ascertain OCD symptom dimensions were based on the Y-BOCS and that self-report instruments assessing obsessive–compulsive symptoms correlate poorly with the Y-BOCS, there is a need to use the Y-BOCS to examine the relationship between obsessive–compulsive cognitions and obsessive–compulsive symptom dimensions. This study examined the relationship between five Y-BOCS-derived obsessive–compulsive symptom dimensions and the three obsessive–compulsive cognitive domains identified by the obsessive-beliefs questionnaire (OBQ). The symmetry/ordering symptom dimension was associated with increased perfectionism/intolerance of uncertainty, the unacceptable/taboo thoughts symptom dimension was associated with increased importance/control of thoughts and the doubt/checking symptom dimension was associated with increased responsibility/threat estimation. There was no statistical evidence of an association between any OBQ belief sub-scale and the hoarding symptom dimension nor the contamination/cleaning symptom dimension. The findings encourage symptom-based approaches to cognitive-behavioural therapy for some OCD symptoms and call for further research on cognitions associated with contamination/cleaning symptoms and hoarding.
TL;DR: At a mean of four years' follow-up, mesh augmentation was associated with reduced cystocele recurrence, but this effect was limited to patients with levator avulsion.
TL;DR: IMRT was estimated to have a modest long term advantage over 3DCRT in terms of both improved effectiveness and reduced cost, and provides quantitative guidance on the cost effectiveness of IMRT whilst long term trial evidence is awaited.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe the protocol for a phase II multisite randomised controlled trial of a novel model of shared care for the follow-up of men after completing treatment for low-moderate risk prostate cancer.
Abstract: Introduction Men with prostate cancer require long-term follow-up to monitor disease progression and manage common adverse physical and psychosocial consequences of treatment. There is growing recognition of the potential role of primary care in cancer follow-up. This paper describes the protocol for a phase II multisite randomised controlled trial of a novel model of shared care for the follow-up of men after completing treatment for low-moderate risk prostate cancer. Methods and analysis The intervention is a shared care model of follow-up visits in the first 12 months after completing treatment for prostate cancer with the following specific components: a survivorship care plan, general practitioner (GP) management guidelines, register and recall systems, screening for distress and unmet needs and patient information resources. Eligible men will have completed surgery and/or radiotherapy for low-moderate risk prostate cancer within the previous 8 weeks and have a GP who consents to participate. Ninety men will be randomised to the intervention or current hospital follow-up care. Study outcome measures will be collected at baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months and include anxiety, depression, unmet needs, prostate cancer-specific quality of life and satisfaction with care. Clinical processes and healthcare resource usage will also be measured. The principal emphasis of the analysis will be on obtaining estimates of the treatment effect size and assessing feasibility in order to inform the design of a subsequent phase III trial. Ethics and dissemination Ethics approval has been granted by the University of Western Australia and from all hospital recruitment sites in Western Australia and Victoria. Results of this phase II trial will be reported in peer-reviewed publications and in conference presentations. Trial Registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry ACTRN12610000938000
01 Jan 2014
TL;DR: In this article, the authors integrate theory and research in the area of interpersonal relationships in the academic context, examining why interpersonal relationships are important, how relationships assist outcomes, and how relationships can be a useful lens through which to understand educational phenomena.
Abstract: The present chapter integrates theory and research in the area of interpersonal relationships in the academic context. It examines why interpersonal relationships are important, how relationships assist outcomes, how relationships can be a useful lens through which to understand educational phenomena, the role of interpersonal relationships in salient achievement motivation theory, recent findings from a multi-study research program, and a summary of ‘connective instruction’ as an approach to building interpersonal relationships into the everyday course of pedagogy.
TL;DR: Adaptability has been recently proposed as cognitive, behavioural, and emotional regulation assisting individuals to effectively respond to change, uncertainty, and novelty as discussed by the authors, which is relevant to students with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.
Abstract: Adaptability has been recently proposed as cognitive, behavioural, and emotional regulation assisting individuals to effectively respond to change, uncertainty and novelty. Given students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have known impairments with regulatory functions, they may be at particular disadvantage as they seek to navigate change, uncertainty, and novelty in their academic lives. This discussion summarises current research of adaptability as relevant to students with ADHD, presents preliminary exploration of data that suggests evidence for the difficulties students with ADHD face with regards to adaptability (particularly in regards to cognitive and behavioural regulation), and concludes with suggestions for counselling, psychological, and educational practices aimed at enhancing the adaptability of students with ADHD.
TL;DR: The study did not demonstrate a QoL benefit for early contact with a PC nurse, and there were non-significant trends for the place of death of early contact PC patients to be other than in an acute hospital, and for greater PC input during their final acute hospital admission.
Abstract: Background: It is not known when in the course of incurable cancer referral to a specialist palliative care service should optimally be made.
Methods: We randomly assigned patients with newly detected incurable metastatic cancer with an estimated survival of less than 12 months to receive either (1) standard oncologic care plus contact from a palliative care nurse who served as a link to palliative care services in the hospital and community (PC) or (2) standard oncologic care alone. Quality of life (QoL) measures were assessed at baseline and monthly thereafter. The primary endpoint was quality of life over time measured by the McGill QOL total score.
Findings: 120 patients were randomized, 60 to each group. Forty four patients had gastrointestinal cancer, 23 lung cancer, 19 gynaecological cancer and 17 breast cancer. The mean time since initial cancer diagnosis was 34 months in the standard care group and 29 months in the early palliative care contact group. There was no evidence that early PC nurse contact reduced symptoms or improved quality of life. If anything, there was a trend towards the opposite. There were non-significant trends for the place of death of early contact PC patients to be other than in an acute hospital, and for greater PC input during their final acute hospital admission. Early contact with palliative care was not found to influence the number of lines of chemotherapy received.
Interpretation: The study did not demonstrate a QoL benefit for early contact with a PC nurse.
TL;DR: It is argued that both infant-directed and read speech can be considered listener-oriented speech styles-each is optimized for the specific needs of its intended listener.
TL;DR: The JavaScript Sequence Alignment Viewer (JSAV) as discussed by the authors is a simple-to-use JavaScript component for displaying sequence alignments on web pages, with configurable coloring schemes, sorting of sequences and dotifying repeated amino acids.
Abstract: The JavaScript Sequence Alignment Viewer (JSAV) is designed as a simple-to-use JavaScript component for displaying sequence alignments on web pages. The display of sequences is highly configurable with options to allow alternative coloring schemes, sorting of sequences and ’dotifying’ repeated amino acids. An option is also available to submit selected sequences to another web site, or to other JavaScript code. JSAV is implemented purely in JavaScript making use of the JQuery and JQuery-UI libraries. It does not use any HTML5-specific options to help with browser compatibility. The code is documented using JSDOC and is available from http://www.bioinf.org.uk/software/jsav/.
12 May 2014
TL;DR: TRUSTFOUND is proposed, a formal foundation and framework for model checking trusted computing platforms that includes a logic for formally modeling platforms, a model of trusted computing techniques and a broad spectrum of threat models that can be used to check platforms on security properties.
Abstract: Trusted computing relies on formally verified trusted computing platforms to achieve high security assurance. In practice, however, new platforms are often proposed without a comprehensive formal evaluation and explicitly defined underlying assumptions. In this work, we propose TRUSTFOUND, a formal foundation and framework for model checking trusted computing platforms. TRUSTFOUND includes a logic for formally modeling platforms, a model of trusted computing techniques and a broad spectrum of threat models. It can be used to check platforms on security propertiesi¾źe.g., confidentiality and attestability and uncover the implicit assumptions that must be satisfied to guarantee the security properties. In our experiments, TRUSTFOUND is used to encode and model check two trusted platforms. It has identified a total of six implicit assumptions and two severe previously-unknown logic flaws from them.
TL;DR: In this article, an experimental study was conducted to assess the role of personal best goal setting in gains or declines in personal best (PB) goals and motivational outcomes, and the experimental results showed that PB goal setting was associated with a positive effect on personal best performance.
Abstract: To build on prior correlational research into personal best (PB) goals and motivational outcomes, an experimental study was conducted to assess the role of PB goal setting in gains (or declines) in...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors compare subcutaneous fat thickness (SFT) with body mass index (BMI) as a marker for pregnancy outcomes and find that SFT at 18.22 weeks gestation is better than BMI at 23.8 weeks.
Abstract: Background
Obesity in pregnancy is associated with a number of adverse outcomes. The effects of central versus general obesity in pregnancy have not been well established.
Aim
To compare subcutaneous fat thickness (SFT) with body mass index (BMI) as a marker for pregnancy outcomes.
Methods
A stratified retrospective cohort study was performed on 1200 pregnancies, selected from a total of 4862 nulliparous, nonsmoking women between 2006 and 2010. SFT was measured on routine ultrasound at 18–22 weeks gestation. BMI and SFT measurements were compared for estimating risks for obesity-related pregnancy outcomes using logistic regression adjusted for maternal age.
Results
The median SFT was 18.2 mm (range 6.3–50.9 mm), the median BMI was 23.8 kg/m2 (range 15.2–52.5), and the correlation between SFT and BMI was 0.53. For every 5 mm increase in SFT and every 5 kg/m2 increase in BMI, the odds ratios for developing gestational diabetes mellitus were 1.40 (CI 1.22–1.61, P < 0.001) and 1.16 (CI 0.95–1.40, P = 0.1), for caesarean section 1.28 (CI 1.16–1.40, P < 0.001) and 1.16 (CI 1.05–1.28, P = 0.003), large for gestational age 1.28 (CI 1.16–1.47, P = 0.001) and 1.10 (CI 0.95–1.28, P = 0.16) and cumulative adverse obesity-related pregnancy outcomes 1.16 (CI 1.10–1.28, P = 0.002) and 1.05 (CI 0.95–1.16, P = 0.45), respectively.
Conclusion
SFT at 18–22 weeks gestation is better than BMI as a marker for obesity-related pregnancy outcomes. As SFT is considered a surrogate measure for visceral fat, these results suggest that central obesity is a stronger risk factor than general adiposity in pregnancy.
TL;DR: In this article, the roles of academic buoyancy, academic resilience, and adaptability in assisting students with ADHD to more effectively navigate adversity and change in their academic lives are discussed.
Abstract: Adversity and change are two realities of life—including academic life. How students respond to adversity and change shapes their pathways at school and beyond. As detailed below, students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at particular risk in their efforts to successfully navigate adversity and change in their lives. Academic buoyancy and academic resilience are two factors that are relevant to successfully handling adversity; adaptability is a factor relevant to successfully handling change (and uncertainty, transition, variability, and novelty). This discussion explores the roles of academic buoyancy, academic resilience, and adaptability in assisting students with ADHD to more effectively navigate adversity and change in their academic lives.
TL;DR: This article investigated relations between Presage, Process and Product variables in the Australian secondary education context, using a wider range of Presage variables than is typical, as well as a novel set of outcomes (class participation, homework completion, and educational aspirations).
Abstract: Biggs’ 3P (Presage–Process–Product) model, a key framework in Student Learning Theory, provides a powerful means of understanding relations between students’ perceptions of the teaching and learning environment, learning strategies, and learning outcomes. While influential in higher education, fewer tests of the model in secondary education contexts have been conducted. We investigated relations between Presage, Process and Product variables in the Australian secondary education context, using a wider range of Presage variables than is typical, as well as a novel set of outcomes (class participation, homework completion, and educational aspirations). Australian students (N = 5,198) from 13 high schools participated in the study, completing a paper-based survey in class. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test for construct validity of scales. Structural equation modeling was used to determine the fit of the hypothesised 3P model to the data, and estimate direct and indirect effects between Presage, Process and Product variables. Across the Presage variables, academic self-efficacy and perceived teacher support had the strongest direct effects on outcome variables, as well as the strongest indirect effects through the Product variables. Demographic (e.g., age, gender, parental education) and personological (e.g., Big five personality measures) covariates were generally less salient. The present study illustrates the utility of the 3P model in contemporary secondary education settings. Building academic self-efficacy and positive perceptions of teacher support should enhance both the Processes and Products of learning in secondary settings.
TL;DR: This paper investigated the structural and concurrent validity of a recently developed, short, trait-descriptor-based Big Five measure with a large sample of Australian adolescents using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and the more recently developed exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM).
TL;DR: In this paper, the role of arts-related information and communication technology (ICT) use in students' problem-solving skill and science and mathematics achievement was examined, and it was shown that the effects of arts related ICT use on achievement were primarily mediated by problem solving skills.
Abstract: Drawing on the Programme for International Student Assessment 2003 data set comprising over 190,000 15-year-old students in 25 countries, the current study sought to examine the role of arts-related information and communication technology (ICT) use in students’ problem-solving skill and science and mathematics achievement. Structural equation modeling indicated that the quality of arts-related ICT use positively predicted problem-solving skill, whereas the quantity of arts-related ICT use negatively predicted problem-solving skill. Importantly, however, there was an interaction between quality and quantity of ICT use such that the detrimental effect of the frequency of arts-related ICT use was more pronounced among students with low-quality ICT use than for those with high- and moderate quality ICT use. Analyses also showed that the effects of arts-related ICT use on achievement were primarily mediated by problem-solving skill. Findings hold educational implications for practitioners, policy makers, and researchers seeking to optimize the cognitive and academic benefits of ICT in the arts and the school more broadly.
16 Dec 2014
TL;DR: NeuronVisor enforces decentralized attestations to capture trust dependency among interacting software components inside the cloud, and determines a single cRoT for each cloud application, which hides the cloud's internal by presenting a uniform interface for attesting to the trustworthiness of the entire cloud application and all its dependent services inside theCloud TCB.
Abstract: Security issues have become a significant barrier to the adoption of cloud computing services. Most existing security enhancements lack a well defined Root-of-Trust RoT. Models for Trusted Clouds have been proposed, which establish RoT inside the cloud and vouch for the trustworthiness of the cloud services. However, these are often impractical due to cloud's dynamics and complexity. In this paper, we present the NeuronVisor, an abstract Cloud Root-of-Trust cRoT framework. NeuronVisor enforces decentralized attestations to capture trust dependency among interacting software components inside the cloud, and determines a single cRoT for each cloud application. This cRoT hides the cloud's internal by presenting a uniform interface for attesting to the trustworthiness of the entire cloud application and all its dependent services inside the cloud the Cloud TCB. Our simulations show that, for more than 98i¾ź% times, one interrogation to the dynamically formed cRoT is able to identify the properties of more than 90i¾ź% of the nodes hosting a cloud application and its cloud TCB. Meanwhile, NeuronVisor achieves higher fault detection rate than the prevalent centralized cloud attestation scheme CEN. It still achieves the same fault detection rate with CEN even when 90i¾ź% of the NeuronVisors are constantly tampered with and maliciously collaborating with each other.
TL;DR: This study supports the suggestion that microbial exudation of organic carbon within the sea-ice habitat is associated with vertical and temporal changes in brine physicochemistry.
Abstract: Antarctic fast ice provides a habitat for diverse microbial communities, the biomass of which is mostly dominated by diatoms capable of growing to high standing stocks, particularly at the icewater interface. While it is known that ice algae exude organic carbon in ecologically significant quantities, the mechanisms behind its distribution and composition are not well under- stood. This study investigated extracellular organic carbon dynamics, microbial characteristics, and ice algal photophysiology during a bottom-ice algal bloom at McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Over a 2 wk period (November to December 2011), ice within 15 cm from the icewater interface was collected and sliced into 9 discrete sections. Over the observational period, the total concen- trations of extracellular organic carbon components (dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and total carbohydrates (TCHO) — the sum of monosaccharides (CHOMono) and polysaccharides (CHOPoly)) increased, and were positively correlated with algal biomass. However, when normalised to chlorophyll a, the proportion of extracellular organic carbon components substantially decreased from initial measurements. Concentrations of DOC generally consisted of <20% TCHO, typically dominated by CHOMono, which decreased from initial measurements. This change was coincident with improved algal photophysiology (maximum quantum yield) and an increase in sea-ice brine volume fraction, indicating an increased capacity for fluid transport between the brine channel matrix and the underlying sea water. Our study supports the suggestion that microbial exudation of organic carbon within the sea-ice habitat is associated with vertical and temporal changes in brine physicochemistry.
TL;DR: Remarkably similar antibody sequences can bind completely different antigens, suggesting that evolving the ability to bind a protein can result from very subtle sequence changes.
Abstract: Protein moonlighting is the property of a number of proteins to have more than one function. However, the definition of moonlighting is somewhat imprecise with different interpretations of the phenomenon. True moonlighting occurs when an individual evolutionary protein domain has one well-accepted role and a secondary unrelated function. The 'function' of a protein domain can be defined at different levels. For example, although the function of an antibody variable fragment (Fv) could be described as 'binding', a more detailed definition would also specify the molecule to which the Fv region binds. Using this detailed definition, antibodies as a family are consummate moonlighters. However, individual antibodies do not moonlight; the multiple functions they exhibit (first binding a molecule and second triggering the immune response) are encoded in different domains and, in any case, are related in the sense that they are a part of what an antibody needs to do. Nonetheless, antibodies provide interesting lessons on the ability of proteins to evolve binding functions. Remarkably similar antibody sequences can bind completely different antigens, suggesting that evolving the ability to bind a protein can result from very subtle sequence changes.