DNA: From Carrier of Genetic Information to Polymeric Materials

Research has shown that the DNA molecule can not only store genetic information but also serve as a polymeric biomolecule for the fabrication of functional materials. The unique precise molecular recognition capability and sequence programmability, combined with its good biocompatibility and biodegradability, impart the DNA molecule considerable potential for use in the construction of multifunctional materials. Depending on the composition, DNA-based materials have been generally categorized into pure DNA materials that are entirely composed of DNA and hybrid DNA materials that are composed of DNA and other functional compositions. Recently, we have developed a series of DNA-based materials that can be applied in diagnosis and therapy, and this review summarizes the relative work. Although challenges still exist regarding the real applications of DNA-based materials such as the high cost of DNA, the difficulty in scale-up, and the low resistance to nuclease, we believe that these drawbacks will be overcome with the development of technology, and new opportunities will emerge in the field of diagnosis and treatment.     

Student attitudes towards and use of ICT in course study,work and social activity: A technology acceptance model approach

The increasing use of information and communication technology (ICT) in higher education has been explored largely in relation to student experience of coursework and university life. Students' lives and experience beyond the university have been largely unexplored. Research into student experience of ICT used a validated model—the technology acceptance model—to explore the influence of work and social/leisure contexts as well as course study, on attitudes towards and take up of technology. The results suggest that usefulness and ease of use are key dimensions of students' attitudes towards technology in all three contexts but that ICT is perceived most positively in the context of work and technology use at work is an important driver for technology use in other areas.     

新闻语篇信息研究论略

新闻语篇信息的选择和安排具有一定的系统性,涉及到信息的内容及其编排方式。与前者相关的是信息单元,与后者相关的是主位结构和信息结构。具体的研究可以从两个方面展开：一是信息单元的数量与其中新闻要素的组合方式。二是编码程序上,考察主位结构类型及主位成分的语义角色,主位的推进模式;解码程序上,考察主位结构与信息结构的对应关系。探索新闻语篇的信息分布规律,可以提高新闻传播的效果。     

A method to investigate agricultural information use by small‐scale Mauritian cattle keepers

Summary

A study of whether, and how, small‐scale cattle keepers in a selected village in Mauritius were managing information was conducted with respondents in 59 households. A qualitative approach was followed using ethnography based on direct and participant observation, in‐depth semi‐structured interviews and grounded theory. Postulated structures of information were used as a starting point for data collection to identify the actual structures, and associated management practices. An ‘OPI’ approach to respondents was followed, involving an outside ('O'), periphery ('P') and inside (T) approach. These were a succession of interactions of increasing depth. Triangulation gave to the responses more validity and reliability. Recording of data was done after the interviews and away from the households. Content analysis of the data established patterns, concepts and categories of structures to show how the information was being managed. The outcomes included new findings about aspects of financial management by these small‐scale and part‐time cattle keepers, of use to extension programmes. The method is suggested as a structured, formal process to guide extension workers or consultants in their understanding of the situations in which they work.     

论高校图书馆信息化管理

图书馆是高等院校的三大支柱之一，应当受到足够的重视。针对图书馆信息化发展的客观趋势，提出高等院校图书馆是图书馆工作最重要、最基本的内容，实行信息化管理具有十分重要的现实意义。     

Turning Sceptics into Missionaries: the case for compulsory information technology courses

ABSTRACT

This paper considers the problem of persuading reluctant teachers to use information technology in the classroom. Previous work has shown that only a small proportion of teachers integrate information technology into their teaching. Many teachers use the computer only as a side activity for children who have finished their other work, and some avoid the use of it altogether. Different training methods for such teachers have been considered, but often found to be ineffective. The course reported here is a one year 90 hour course offered as an ‘option’ on a two year part‐time B.Ed degree for experienced teachers. Due to the course structure in its last year, the teachers who had made particular choices in the first year of the degree were given no alternative but to take this option. They came with great reluctance and left as missionaries in the field.     

Short texts to explain problem — Solution structures — and vice versa

Linguistic analysis of short published reports leads to the presentation of an aigorithm that depicts the problem-solving process in terms of a series of evaluative questions. The work shows how reports enable us to define in detail the various stages of problem solving, and it shows that an understanding of these various stages enables us to recognise information structures in written texts; the writing of brief reports of high-priority information on which the whole thinking process is based is thus seen as a vital part of the problem-solving process. One report is analysed in detail to demonstrate the close relationship between information structures in the text and the real-life thought'action process it describes. There is discussion of how paragraphs, sentences and signals within the sentences enable the writer to communicate the information in a conceptual array that represents the actual thought/action process it describes. Educational implications for inter-sentential coherence, discourse analysis, and writing structures, and control of research through written reports are all discussed.     

The Teacher Education Internet Server: an evolving resource for educators

ABSTRACT

The Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE) is an international organization of teacher educators from all disciplines who are interested in the creation and dissemination of knowledge about the use of information technology in teacher education. The Teacher Education Internet Server (TEIS) has been established by SITE to support professional interchange and academic discourse and will serve as a complement to traditional ways of sharing academic information such as professional journals and conferences. With the evolution and spread of Internet information servers, it is envisioned that TEIS may make worthwhile contributions to use of technology in teacher education. As telecommunications technologies evolve, from FTP to Gopher to the World Wide Web, a major challenge for TEIS remains: to develop guidelines for collaboration at a distance that allow educators from around the world to work together to identify, acquire, and organize information and related materials. The notion of volunteer ‘curators’ for different academic areas is being explored as one possible method for support of such collaboration. It is hoped that the Teacher Education Internet Server will become a useful resource for those integrating technology into teacher education, allowing educators throughout the world to share their work and ideas with their colleagues.     

DNA repair systems

The 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded jointly to Tomas Lindahl, Paul Modrich and Aziz Sancar to honour their accomplishments in the field of DNA repair. Ever since the discovery of DNA structure and their importance in the storage of genetic information, questions about their stability became pertinent. A molecule which is crucial for the development and propagation of an organism must be closely monitored so that the genetic information is not corrupted. Thanks to the pioneering research work of Lindahl, Sancar, Modrich and their colleagues, we now have an holistic awareness of how DNA damage occurs and how the damage is rectified in bacteria as well as in higher organisms including human beings. A comprehensive understanding of DNA repair has proven crucial in the fight against cancer and other debilitating diseases.     

The Synthesis Map Is a Multidimensional Educational Tool That Provides Insight into Students’ Mental Models and Promotes Students’ Synthetic Knowledge Generation

Concept mapping was developed as a method of displaying and organizing hierarchical knowledge structures. Using the new, multidimensional presentation software Prezi, we have developed a new teaching technique designed to engage higher-level skills in the cognitive domain. This tool, synthesis mapping, is a natural evolution of concept mapping, which utilizes embedding to layer information within concepts. Prezi’s zooming user interface lets the author of the presentation use both depth as well as distance to show connections between data, ideas, and concepts. Students in the class Biology of Cancer created synthesis maps to illustrate their knowledge of tumorigenesis. Students used multiple organizational schemes to build their maps. We present an analysis of student work, placing special emphasis on organization within student maps and how the organization of knowledge structures in student maps can reveal strengths and weaknesses in student understanding or instruction. We also provide a discussion of best practices for instructors who would like to implement synthesis mapping in their classrooms.     

Teaching Information Technology to Social Workers

Information technologies have the peculiar property of being central to both social work education and the conduct of social work practice. This article defines information technology and discusses two certanties: (1) the use of newer forms of information technology in social work education, and (2) the curriculum content relating to information technologies. A curriculum decision framework is presented as a backdrop to a short discussion of three areas of competence which must be developed: analytic, practice, and technical. Educational futures in regard to information technology are explored including the use of portable computers and electronic communications. Social work educators are asked to commit themselves to an approach which includes new forms of information technology.     

在高校图书馆服务工作中引入市场营销观念

在知识经济时代,由于网络的发达,高校图书馆作为高校信息中心的地位受到了挑战。在明确自身非营利性组织的前提下,应树立全新的服务观念,以读者的需求为中心,立足有限的资源,应用市场细分的概念,借鉴市场营销观念,在工作中引入市场营销理论,满足读者的需求,不断改进服务工作。以实用型新技术为保证,形成信息传递、使用的全环节整合服务模式,为科研、教学工作提供文献信息资源保障。     

谈高校图书馆信息资源的开发

高校图书馆作为知识信息的集散地，在知识经济时代有着举足轻重的地位和无可替代的作用。当前信息的竞争日趋激烈，各种信息机构严重冲击着图书馆。高校图书馆如何深层次开发信息资源，使图书馆为教学、科研和地区经济建设服务，已成为迫在眉睫的大事。     

Exploring DNA structure with Cn3D

Researchers in the field of bioinformatics have developed a number of analytical programs and databases that are increasingly important for advancing biological research. Because bioinformatics programs are used to analyze, visualize, and/or compare biological data, it is likely that the use of these programs will have a positive impact on biology education. Over the past years, we have been working to help biology instructors introduce bioinformatics activities into their curricula by providing them with instructional materials that use bioinformatics programs and databases as educational tools. In this study, we measured the impact of a set of these materials on student learning. The activities in these materials asked students to use the molecular structure visualization program Cn3D to locate, identify, or analyze diverse features in DNA structures. Both the experimental groups of college and high school students showed significant increases in learning relative to control groups. Further, learning gains by the college students were correlated with the number of activities assigned. We conclude that working with Cn3D was important for improving student understanding of DNA structure. This study is one example of how a bioinformatics program for visualization can be used to support student learning.     

Use of Internet Technologies for Teaching Purposes

With the development of information technologies we observe more and more possibilities for their use in education. The paper deals with general issues in the field of Internet use in education and with its role in so-called distance education. After a brief review of actual issues, the paper describes how novel approaches could be utilized in the case of teaching Computer Communications and Networks at the Faculty of Computer and Information Science. As the plan has not yet been accomplished, its first phase (improved communication/ information flow between students and teacher as well as computer-mediated assignment accomplishing) and the work in progress are described in the paper. Intuitive evaluation of results is given and further steps are described.     

Our Designs and the Social Agendas They Carry

Although the work of learning scientists and instructional designers has brought about countless curricula, designs, and theoretical claims, the community has been less active in communicating the explicit and implicit critical social agendas that result (or could result) from their work. It is our belief that the community of learning scientists is well positioned to build transformative models of what could be, to develop learning and teaching interventions that have impact, and to advance theory that will prove valuable to others. This potential, we argue, would be significantly heightened if we as a community embrace the critical agendas that are central to so many discussions in anthropology, philosophy, or even curriculum development more generally. Instead of simply building an artifact to help individuals accomplish a particular task, or to meet a specific standard, the focus of critical design work is to develop sociotechnical structures that facilitate individuals in critiquing and improving themselves and the societies in which they function, and then we use our understanding of participation with these structures to advance theory. As an example of critical design work, we describe the Quest Atlantis project and the methodology used in its creation.

The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point is to change it. (Karl Marx, 1845/1998)     

Grassroots: Supporting the Knowledge Work of Everyday Life

This article introduces a simple mapping tool called Grassroots, a software product from a longitudinal study examining the use of information communication technologies and knowledge work in communities. Grassroots is an asset-based mapping tool made possible by the Web 2.0 movement, a movement which allows for the creation of more adaptable interfaces by making data and underlying database structures more openly available via syndication and open source software. This article forwards three arguments. First is an argument about the nature of the knowledge work of everyday life, or an argument about the complex technological and rhetorical tasks necessary to solve commonplace problems through writing. Second is an argument about specific technologies and genres of community-based knowledge work, about why making maps is such an essential genre, and about why making asset maps is potentially transformative. Third is an argument about the making of Grassroots itself; a statement about how we should best express, test, and verify our theories about writing and knowledge work.     

Designing Scenarios for Human Action

Designed artifacts unavoidably restructure human activity. In this sense, the design of tools and environments for people to use in their work, as well as of the training and information that support this use, can be seen as the design of human activity. This conception of what it is to design things motivates alternative representations, processes. and tools for design work. This paper describes an approach to the design of computer systems and applications in which scenarios of human-system interaction are a central working design representation. This approach is illustrated by examples from the design of a multimedia information system.