"As students become more mobile they increasingly require access to their educational resources anytime and anywhere. University courses are typically managed through learning management systems, which were established to enable access to their educational resources online at any time, but are these enough? We are interested in researching the impact that Facebook can have for online students in an introductory programming course. In particular we want to know whether any learning can occur in Facebook. A programming group was set up on Facebook for our cohort of fully online students who already have access to Blackboard, our University?s learning management system, for them to discuss, chat and brainstorm about programming. We compare the student participation to the two environments: the Blackboard Discussion Forum and the Facebook programming group, over the semester of the course. In this paper we analyse the student postings and identify the similarities and differences of the two environments and we discuss the benefits and drawbacks of each environment. Our primary finding was that Facebook attracted more students (over Blackboard) due to its social and community learning benefits, encouraging students to support one another. Blackboard was viewed as the authoritative and valid medium for official course material. Finally, there is a need for further work to determine how the two media may be better integrated for course delivery.
Maleko, M, Nandi, D, Hamilton, M, D?Souza, D, & Harland, J. (2013) Facebook versus Blackboard for Supporting the Learning of Programming in a Fully Online Course: The Changing Face of Computing Education. DOI 10.1109/LaTiCE.2013.31
There's still one month to go before LG officially unveils its Optimus G successor, but thanks to an anonymous tipster, we have a pretty clear idea of what it'll look like. Similar to the G2 leaks we've seen in the past, this upcoming Android flagship falls more in line with the (LG-made) Nexus 4's rounded-edge design than the blockiness of the original Optimus G. As you can see in the image above, the purported G2's 5.2-inch, 1080p display is surrounded by very little bezel, making it appear near edge-to-edge. LG's also foregoing the three capacitive Android navigation buttons featured on the original G in favor of an onscreen (stock Android-like) arrangement. On back, we can clearly see LG is indeed going forward with that quirky volume rocker placement, which puts the controls just below the camera -- rumored to be a 13-megapixel module.
Further corroborating earlier reports and LG's own official confirmation, our tipster pegs the G2's processor as a Snapdragon 800 clocked at 2.3GHz and paired with 2GB RAM. And although there are no visible signs of carrier branding on its glossy chassis, this particular G2 variant is supposedly headed to Sprint. Which, if true, lines up with the legacy set by the Sprint Optimus G -- a device that also launched free of the Now Network's logo. Apart from a few screens showing the launcher, camera UI and one of LG's various lockscreen options, there's not much more we know about its spec list (i.e. battery size). Though we fully expect more details to leak out in the run-up to August 7th. For now, check out the mini-gallery below and an additional, close up photo of the G2's volume rocker just after the break.
Update: We've received additional photos of the G2's settings menu confirming this model as a Sprint variant running Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.
Update 2: 4Leakz has posted a video (after the break) showing the G2 in action. Reportedly, the phone is "very comfortable" and reminiscent of the Nexus 4, but thinner.
ATTLEBORO, Mass. (AP) ? A man linked to the murder case involving former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez cast him as the triggerman in a police interview, according to documents filed Tuesday in Florida that provide the most damning evidence yet against the star athlete.
The records, obtained by The Associated Press, also show a vehicle wanted in a double killing in Boston a year before had been rented in Hernandez's name.
Hernandez has been charged with murder in the June killing of Boston semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd. The records say Hernandez associate Carlos Ortiz told Massachusetts investigators that another man, Ernest Wallace, said Hernandez shot Lloyd in an industrial park near Hernandez's home in North Attleborough.
The documents were filed in court by the Miramar, Fla., police department to justify a search of Wallace's mother's home in that city.
The records also show that police, while investigating Lloyd's killing, searched in Hernandez's hometown of Bristol, Conn., and found a vehicle wanted in connection with a July 2012 double homicide near a Boston nightclub.
Hernandez has pleaded not guilty in Lloyd's killing. His legal team did not return email messages Tuesday. Wallace faces an accessory to murder charge in the case and has pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors say Hernandez, Wallace and Ortiz drove with Lloyd in a rented Nissan Altima to the industrial park where Lloyd was fatally shot.
Ortiz told police that during the drive Hernandez told Lloyd that Lloyd had been "chilling" with people Hernandez had problems with, the documents say. But Ortiz told police the two men shook hands and the problem seemed smoothed over. However, the Altima soon stopped, and everyone but Ortiz got out to urinate, according to Ortiz's account.
The witness told police he then heard gunshots before Hernandez and Wallace got back into the car without Lloyd and the car sped away.
Ortiz said he couldn't see who fired the shots because it was dark. Back at Hernandez's home, Ortiz said, Wallace asked him to get a small gun out from under the driver's seat. Ortiz said he did and gave it to Hernandez once they were inside.
Ortiz said he then went to sleep. When he woke up in the afternoon, according to his account, the three men returned the Altima and rented a Chrysler 300 before returning to Hernandez's home. Ortiz and Wallace then went to an apartment in the area that Hernandez and other football players used. Wallace let Ortiz in before leaving for a long time, the documents say. The two then drove to Bristol. Ortiz told police Wallace said Hernandez shot Lloyd.
The gun used in the killing has not been found.
Hernandez, Wallace and Ortiz appear linked through Bristol. Wallace told Florida police he grew up with Hernandez's father. Ortiz's attorney, John Connors, said Tuesday his client, who's athletic and around the age of Hernandez's older brother, is from Bristol.
Meanwhile, eight search warrants were unsealed in Massachusetts after news organizations sought access to them. The warrants reveal the breadth of the investigation, with authorities scouring through everything from Hernandez's house to his phone to the contents of his team locker, which the Patriots emptied into a container after they released him.
A rifle, ammunition and video surveillance equipment were among the items police seized from Hernandez's home.
Records show Hernandez, who played tight end, became "argumentative" during his first encounter with police at his home about five hours after Lloyd's body was found by a jogger. Hernandez told police he had last seen Lloyd in Boston the day before. He asked, "What's with all the questions?" and locked the door behind him.
He then returned with his attorney's business card but didn't respond when police told him they were investigating a death, the records show.
"Mr. Hernandez slammed the door and relocked it behind him," the records read. "Mr. Hernandez did not ask officers whose death was being investigated. Mr. Hernandez's demeanor did not indicate any concern for the death of any person."
Hernandez came out later and agreed to be questioned at a police station.
The documents also say Hernandez called his girlfriend's cellphone and stopped her from speaking with police after they pulled her over and told her Lloyd was dead.
___
Associated Press writers Erika Niedowski in Attleboro and Jay Lindsay in Boston contributed to this report. Anderson reported from Miami.
New Tunisian carrier Syphax Airlines has confirmed its tentative commitment to buy three Airbus A320neo and becomes the first African carrier to order the new engine option version of the popular short-haul airliner.? The deal, which also includes an arrangement for three A320ceo jets, the current production version, represents a significant breakthrough for Airbus in one of the world?s fastest developing markets.?
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"Syphax Airlines is focused on continuing to grow its Tunisian, North Africa and Europe routes, and an expansion of its network to Asia and North America, through its hubs in Tunis and Sfax while offering passengers a luxurious service."
Mohamed Frikha, Chairman and Director General, Syphax Airlines
?Syphax Airlines is focused on continuing to grow its Tunisian, North Africa and Europe routes, and an expansion of its network to Asia and North America, through its hubs in Tunis and Sfax while offering passengers a luxurious service,? said Syphax Chairman and Director General, Mohamed Frikha. ?Adding the A320neo to our fleet means we can achieve all of these goals while benefitting from a 15 per cent fuel saving and cost effectiveness.?
The carrier currently operates two A319s and three A320s from bases in Sfax and Tunis and will shortly commence operating a leased A330-200. ??The first of the new A320ceos are due to arrive in 2015 with the A320neos set to follow from 2019.?
The Syphax Airlines network currently covers a range of destinations across North Africa and Europe but it has ambitious plans to expand to a range of destinations across West Africa and to long-haul destinations, including the likes of Montreal and New York in North America, Rio de Janeiro in South America and Beijing and Tokyo in Asia.
2 mutations triggered an evolutionary leap 500 million years agoPublic release date: 24-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Kevin Jiang Kevin.Jiang@UCHospitals.edu 773-795-5227 University of Chicago Medical Center
Resurrecting ancient proteins in the lab, researchers discover just 2 mutations set the stage for the evolution of modern hormone signaling
Evolution, it seems, sometimes jumps instead of crawls.
A research team led by a University of Chicago scientist has discovered two key mutations that sparked a hormonal revolution 500 million years ago.
In a feat of "molecular time travel," the researchers resurrected and analyzed the functions of the ancestors of genes that play key roles in modern human reproduction, development, immunity and cancer. By re-creating the same DNA changes that occurred during those genes' ancient history, the team showed that two mutations set the stage for hormones like estrogen, testosterone and cortisol to take on their crucial present-day roles.
"Changes in just two letters of the genetic code in our deep evolutionary past caused a massive shift in the function of one protein and set in motion the evolution of our present-day hormonal and reproductive systems," said Joe Thornton, PhD, professor of human genetics and ecology & evolution at the University of Chicago, who led the study.
"If those two mutations had not happened, our bodies today would have to use different mechanisms to regulate pregnancy, libido, the response to stress, kidney function, inflammation, and the development of male and female characteristics at puberty," Thornton said.
The findings were published online June 24 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Understanding how the genetic code of a protein determines its functions would allow biochemists to better design drugs and predict the effects of mutations on disease. Thornton said the discovery shows how evolutionary analysis of proteins' histories can advance this goal, Before the group's work, it was not previously known how the various steroid receptors in modern species distinguish estrogens from other hormones.
The team, which included researchers from the University of Oregon, Emory University and the Scripps Research Institute, studied the evolution of a family of proteins called steroid hormone receptors, which mediate the effects of hormones on reproduction, development and physiology. Without receptor proteins, these hormones cannot affect the body's cells.
Thornton's group traced how the ancestor of the entire receptor familywhich recognized only estrogensevolved into descendant proteins capable of recognizing other steroid hormones, such as testosterone, progesterone and the stress hormone cortisol.
To do so, the group used a gene "resurrection" strategy. They first inferred the genetic sequences of ancient receptor proteins, using computational methods to work their way back up the tree of life from a database of hundreds of present-day receptor sequences. They then biochemically synthesized these ancient DNA sequences and used molecular assays to determine the receptors' sensitivity to various hormones.
Thornton's team narrowed down the time range during which the capacity to recognize non-estrogen steroids evolved, to a period about 500 million years ago, before the dawn of vertebrate animals on Earth. They then identified the most important mutations that occurred during that interval by introducing them into the reconstructed ancestral proteins. By measuring how the mutations affected the receptor's structure and function, the team could re-create ancient molecular evolution in the laboratory.
They found that just two changes in the ancient receptor's gene sequence caused a 70,000-fold shift in preference away from estrogens toward other steroid hormones. The researchers also used biophysical techniques to identify the precise atomic-level mechanisms by which the mutations affected the protein's functions. Although only a few atoms in the protein were changed, this radically rewired the network of interactions between the receptor and the hormone, leading to a massive change in function.
"Our findings show that new molecular functions can evolve by sudden large leaps due to a few tiny changes in the genetic code," Thornton said. He pointed out that, along with the two key changes in the receptor, additional mutations, the precise effects of which are not yet known, were necessary for the full effects of hormone signaling on the body to evolve.
###
This work was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
2 mutations triggered an evolutionary leap 500 million years agoPublic release date: 24-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Kevin Jiang Kevin.Jiang@UCHospitals.edu 773-795-5227 University of Chicago Medical Center
Resurrecting ancient proteins in the lab, researchers discover just 2 mutations set the stage for the evolution of modern hormone signaling
Evolution, it seems, sometimes jumps instead of crawls.
A research team led by a University of Chicago scientist has discovered two key mutations that sparked a hormonal revolution 500 million years ago.
In a feat of "molecular time travel," the researchers resurrected and analyzed the functions of the ancestors of genes that play key roles in modern human reproduction, development, immunity and cancer. By re-creating the same DNA changes that occurred during those genes' ancient history, the team showed that two mutations set the stage for hormones like estrogen, testosterone and cortisol to take on their crucial present-day roles.
"Changes in just two letters of the genetic code in our deep evolutionary past caused a massive shift in the function of one protein and set in motion the evolution of our present-day hormonal and reproductive systems," said Joe Thornton, PhD, professor of human genetics and ecology & evolution at the University of Chicago, who led the study.
"If those two mutations had not happened, our bodies today would have to use different mechanisms to regulate pregnancy, libido, the response to stress, kidney function, inflammation, and the development of male and female characteristics at puberty," Thornton said.
The findings were published online June 24 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Understanding how the genetic code of a protein determines its functions would allow biochemists to better design drugs and predict the effects of mutations on disease. Thornton said the discovery shows how evolutionary analysis of proteins' histories can advance this goal, Before the group's work, it was not previously known how the various steroid receptors in modern species distinguish estrogens from other hormones.
The team, which included researchers from the University of Oregon, Emory University and the Scripps Research Institute, studied the evolution of a family of proteins called steroid hormone receptors, which mediate the effects of hormones on reproduction, development and physiology. Without receptor proteins, these hormones cannot affect the body's cells.
Thornton's group traced how the ancestor of the entire receptor familywhich recognized only estrogensevolved into descendant proteins capable of recognizing other steroid hormones, such as testosterone, progesterone and the stress hormone cortisol.
To do so, the group used a gene "resurrection" strategy. They first inferred the genetic sequences of ancient receptor proteins, using computational methods to work their way back up the tree of life from a database of hundreds of present-day receptor sequences. They then biochemically synthesized these ancient DNA sequences and used molecular assays to determine the receptors' sensitivity to various hormones.
Thornton's team narrowed down the time range during which the capacity to recognize non-estrogen steroids evolved, to a period about 500 million years ago, before the dawn of vertebrate animals on Earth. They then identified the most important mutations that occurred during that interval by introducing them into the reconstructed ancestral proteins. By measuring how the mutations affected the receptor's structure and function, the team could re-create ancient molecular evolution in the laboratory.
They found that just two changes in the ancient receptor's gene sequence caused a 70,000-fold shift in preference away from estrogens toward other steroid hormones. The researchers also used biophysical techniques to identify the precise atomic-level mechanisms by which the mutations affected the protein's functions. Although only a few atoms in the protein were changed, this radically rewired the network of interactions between the receptor and the hormone, leading to a massive change in function.
"Our findings show that new molecular functions can evolve by sudden large leaps due to a few tiny changes in the genetic code," Thornton said. He pointed out that, along with the two key changes in the receptor, additional mutations, the precise effects of which are not yet known, were necessary for the full effects of hormone signaling on the body to evolve.
###
This work was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Hemi Wharerimu (6, front) with his sister Kowhai (4), parents Emily and Nathan Wharerimu revisit the heater which burst into flames in Hemi's room at the weekend. Photo by Craig Baxter.
A Dunedin boy has been credited with saving his family from a potentially lethal house fire by alerting them to a burning heater in his bedroom early on Saturday.
Nathan Wharerimu was surprised to be woken by his son Hemi about 2am, shouting about a fire in his bedroom.
Hemi had woken to find his bedroom heater on fire, so he went to the bedroom next door to get his sister, before heading downstairs to raise the alarm to his parents.
Mr Wharerimu said he grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran up the stairs of his Ryehill St house to his son's room where he found an oil fin heater well alight and the room quickly filling with smoke. He put out the fire, but rang the Fire Brigade as a precaution.
''I don't know why Hemi woke up. The fire alarm batteries had gone flat. This was a good lesson for us.
''We're kicking ourselves for not checking. It could have been done quite easily.
''Cleaning up yesterday, it really brought it home that we could have been organising a funeral today.''
He was thankful for his son's actions, and that his family was celebrating a birthday yesterday rather than a fatality.
''Hemi's a hero - he got some treats the next day, that's for sure,'' his relieved father said.
East Otago Fire Risk Management officer Barry Gibson praised Hemi's actions, but stopped short of calling him a hero.
''What he did was the correct thing to do - to get help and then get out safely.''
Mr Gibson said when children found fire, it was common for them to shut the door and ignore the problem.
He said fire safety officers had spent a lot of time educating children about fire safety and what to do in the event of a fire. He believed the Wharerimu family had benefited from that education.
''Teaching them what to do is always going to be helpful at times like this.''
Thirty-one special smoke alarms for deaf children were handed over to the Otago Association for Deaf Children last Friday night. The $500 wireless alarms set off flashing lights and a vibration under the pillow of a sleeping child.
About $12,500 for the alarms was raised by the Green Island and Balmacewen Lions Clubs, Special Rigs for Special Kids, and donated by the Lloyd Morgan Lions Club Charitable Trust. Alan Hughes from the Otago Association for Deaf Children said the portable alarms offered deaf children, especially teenagers, some independence and security.
"As students become more mobile they increasingly require access to their educational resources anytime and anywhere. University courses are typically managed through learning management systems, which were established to enable access to their educational resources online at any time, but are these enough? We are interested in researching the impact that Facebook can have for online students in an introductory programming course. In particular we want to know whether any learning can occur in Facebook. A programming group was set up on Facebook for our cohort of fully online students who already have access to Blackboard, our University?s learning management system, for them to discuss, chat and brainstorm about programming. We compare the student participation to the two environments: the Blackboard Discussion Forum and the Facebook programming group, over the semester of the course. In this paper we analyse the student postings and identify the similarities and differences of the two environments and we discuss the benefits and drawbacks of each environment. Our primary finding was that Facebook attracted more students (over Blackboard) due to its social and community learning benefits, encouraging students to support one another. Blackboard was viewed as the authoritative and valid medium for official course material. Finally, there is a need for further work to determine how the two media may be better integrated for course delivery.
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Public release date: 24-Jun-2013
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