In this study, college students in a large public university in the U.S. were surveyed regarding what technologies they use most frequently for learning, what technologies they value for learning, ...and how they perceive technology effectiveness to support their learning. The results revealed that technology use and value were closely aligned with laptops and these were detailed as the most used and valued for learning, which underscores the importance of mobile and portable devices in supporting anytime anywhere learning. In terms of using software for learning, search engines, file-sharing tools, digital libraries, videos, and wikis obtained the best results, suggesting that students are adopting self-directed, approaches to their learning. Additionally, collaboration tools were perceived as the most important for learning which highlights the need to design better teaching strategies and learning interactions to support collaborative practices that use technology. Overall, the majority of participants perceived that technology was effective in fostering discussion, collaboration, and interaction. This enable experiential learning, supporting organization, planning, and resource management, and facilitating a personalized learning experience. The results also revealed statistically significant differences between the experiences of undergraduate and graduate students about the effectiveness of technology. Implications for integrating Web 2.0 technologies into teaching and learning practices are discussed.
Production–living–ecological space (PLES) is a recent research hotspot on land planning and regional sustainable development in China. Taking the Yangtze River Delta agglomerations as a case study, ...this paper establishes a spatial-conflict index to identify the PLES conflicts, and then builds a cellular-automaton (CA) Markov model to simulate the PLES pattern in 2030 and to evaluate the influence on PLES conflicts under two scenarios. Results showed that the ecological space (ES) and the living–productive space (LPS) of the Yangtze River Delta agglomerations showed a descending tendency in 2010–2015, whereas ecological–productive space (EPS) and productive–ecological space (PES) reflected a small increase. EPS and PES had squeezed ES and LPS with urbanization and industrial development in this region. Meanwhile, the spatial conflicts of PLES worsened during the period, with the average of the spatial-conflict index (SCI) shifting from 0.283 to 0.522, and seemed to gain momentum. On the basis of scenario analysis for 2030, it was concluded that the “ecological red line policy”, appropriate restriction of urban expansion, and ecological management of the bank of the Yangtze River are helpful in alleviating PLES conflicts, and contribute to spatial structure and harmonizing. The results of this study are expected to provide valuable implications for spatial planning and sustainable development in the Yangtze River delta agglomerations.
Territorial space exhibits multiple functional attributes, which comprise production, living, and ecological functions usually. Optimizing the production-living-ecological space (PLES) has become the ...key to territorial and spatial planning; the scientific identification of the PLES lays a foundation for space optimization and has important guiding significance in territorial spatial zoning. To achieve the integration of macro-scale and micro-scale PLES, with the Urban Agglomeration in Central Yunnan as the research area in this study, the PLES functional identification systems from the administrative unit scale and the grid scale are constructed. The types of PLES are determined by integrating qualitative and quantitative evaluation results and using an improved primacy index model from a composite spatial perspective. On that basis, the division of comprehensive zoning is achieved for land use functions through kernel density analysis. As indicated by the results, the model is capable of reflecting the macro background of the PLES functions in administrative regions while characterizing the micro differences at the grid level in administrative units. There are significant differences in the production, living, and ecological functional spaces in the Urban Agglomeration. Production functions are concentrated in the central and northeastern, living functions are concentrated in the central, and ecological functions are concentrated in the western and northeastern, with significantly consistent or complementary spatial distributions of each other. The PLES of Urban Agglomeration includes production space (PS), ecological space (ES), production-living space (P-LS), production-ecological space (P-ES), living-ecological space (L-ES), and production-living-ecological space (P-L-ES), placing a focus on ES, P-ES, and P-L-ES, which marks significant differences in spatial distribution among different spatial types. The study area is divided into 24 functional zones, which are classified into 6 categories, and optimization paths are proposed. This study will provide a reference for territorial and spatial planning in spatial functional zoning, spatial pattern optimization, and land management applications.
Maintaining sexual reproduction in a highly competitive world is still one of the major mysteries of biology given the apparently high efficiency of asexual reproduction. Co‐evolutionary theories ...such as the Red Queen hypothesis would suggest that the microbiomes in human reproductive systems, specifically the microbiomes contained in semen and vaginal fluids, should reach some level of homogeneity thanks to arguably the most conspicuous microbiome transmission between two sexes. The long‐term sexual coevolution should favor the dynamic homogeneity or stability, which should also be beneficial for sexual reproduction such as sperm survival or fertilization on physiological/ecological time scale. We present a piece of quantitative evidence in the form of microbial community spatial heterogeneity to support the stability notion by analyzing three big datasets of the human vaginal, semen and gut microbiome. Methodologically, we applied a recent community‐level extension to the classic Taylor's power law, which reached the rare status of ecological law and has found applications beyond biology. Both ecological and evolutionary theories, such as hologenome/holobiont and Red Queen, as well as consideration of first principles, would predict that microbiome transmissions between two sexes should have homogenizing effects on the composition and stability of the microbiomes in human reproductive systems, and therefore have similar variance structures. This is supported by the finding that the power law analysis revealed human vaginal and semen microbiomes exhibited the same scaling parameter size in their community spatial (inter‐individual) heterogeneities, while the both exhibited significantly different heterogeneity scaling parameter size with the human gut microbiome.
In this paper I look back at the emergence of the idea of Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) and consider why they have failed to be widely adapted. I say there was a failure to understand the ...role of technology in the growing commodification and managerialism in education. I point to the links between MOOCs, Open Educational Resources and Open Education and PLEs. I point to a contradiction between commodification and managerialism, with increasingly standardized curricula and credentials and the flourishing of opportunities for learning especially for adults. I say progress in researching, developing and implementing PLEs has to be viewed within the context of the wider development of educational technology and of the education and training system as a whole. Indeed, even this may be too narrow a perspective: one ambition for PLEs has been to support learning outside the formal education system and outside the classroom. I look at the growing use of Learning Analytics and Artificial Intelligence in education and consider how this might support PLEs. Finally, I refer to Neil Selwyn’s idea of Ed-Tech Within Limits’ which would foreground the need to plan future education technology use with a primary aim of ‘coping with finiteness’” and “seek to re-establish technology use in education as a shared and communal activity” as a response to the climate crisis. I suggest this could provide a point of reference for us to rethink Personal Learning Environment encompassing the ideas of equity and encompassing both radical pedagogies and the perspectives of previously marginalized interests and non-powerful groups.
En este artículo, miro hacia atrás en la aparición de la idea de los entornos de aprendizaje personal (PLE) y considero por qué no han podido ser ampliamente adaptados. Digo que no hubo un fracaso para comprender el papel de la tecnología en la creciente mercantilización y gestión en la educación. Señalo los vínculos entre MOOC, recursos educativos abiertos y educación abierta y ples y una contradicción entre la mercantilización y el gerencialismo, con planes de estudio y credenciales cada vez más estandarizados y el florecimiento de oportunidades de aprendizaje, especialmente para los adultos. Digo que el progreso en la investigación, el desarrollo e implementación de PLEs debe verse en el contexto del desarrollo más amplio de la tecnología educativa y del sistema de educación y capacitación en su conjunto. De hecho, incluso esto puede ser una perspectiva demasiado estrecha: una ambición para PLEs ha sido apoyar el aprendizaje fuera del sistema educativo formal y fuera del aula. Observo el uso creciente del análisis de aprendizaje y la inteligencia artificial en la educación y considero cómo esto podría apoyar a PLEs. Finalmente, me refiero a la idea de Neil Selwyn de 'ED-Tech dentro de los límites' que en primer plano la necesidad de planificar el uso de tecnología educativa futura con un objetivo principal de "hacer frente a la finura" y "buscar restablecer el uso de la tecnología en la educación como una actividad compartida y comunitaria” como respuesta a la crisis climática. Sugiero que esto podría proporcionar un punto de referencia para repensar entornos de aprendizaje personal que abarca las ideas de equidad y que abarca tanto las pedagogías radicales como las perspectivas de los intereses previamente marginados y los grupos no potentes.
The complementary value of analytical elemental and molecular data for archaeological relics recovered from a burial deposition is illustrated here with the non‐destructive analysis of bone specimens ...from an early human ancestor, known as Mrs Ples. Discovered in 1947 by Robert Broom in the Sterkfontein Cave system, forming part of the Cradle of Humankind in Gauteng Province, South Africa, a skull from Australopithecus africanus dated to 2.1 Mya has been identified as a Hominidae precursor to Homo sapiens. The ability to record novel compositional and structural data from such specimens without any form of chemical or mechanical pretreatment is fundamentally necessary for the preservation of such unique relics while affording conservators the information needed to undertake restoration and the adoption of conservation strategies. Our analyses revealed information about the state of preservation of the samples as well as their depositional context. Raman microspectroscopic mapping produced data on the spatial distribution of phosphate, quartz, carbon, calcite and manganese dioxide signatures on the bone fragments. Extensive deposits of pyrolusite, manganese(II) oxide, on the bone specimens are attributed to hydrogeological processes from ground water irrigation of the skeletal remains in the depositional environment; the identification of distinct quartz‐ and calcite‐rich areas may arise from taphonomic and/or depositional processes. Raman spectroscopic signatures of the organic proteinaceous component of the prehistoric bone are not observed, indicating the degradation of endogenous organics or, if present, were masked by exogeneous materials. The identification of carbon could additionally reflect the remains of biodegradative processes that have operated in the burial site. Elemental mapping using X‐ray fluorescence and variable pressure scanning electron microscopy imaging and spatially resolved energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy provided complementary information about the samples. The result is a comprehensive characterisation of the samples' morphology, elemental and molecular composition from the micro scale to the macroscale, using entirely non‐destructive analytical techniques.
The complementary value of analytical elemental and molecular data for archaeological relics recovered from a burial deposition is illustrated here with the non‐destructive analysis of bone specimens from an early human ancestor. The ability to record novel compositional and structural data from such specimens without any form of chemical or mechanical pretreatment is fundamentally necessary for the preservation of such unique relics while affording conservators the information needed to undertake restoration and the adoption of conservation strategies.
(1) Background: Clarify the coordinated development level of production, living, and ecological spaces in the underdeveloped areas of China and their relationship with the intensity of human ...activity. Explore and address the problems that are likely to be faced when developing these areas and improve the quality of China’s new urbanization development. Promote the coordinated and sustainable development of the economy, society and ecology in underdeveloped areas. Guizhou Province is located in southwest China; the landform is broken and complex. Its economic development level is low. It is one of the representatives of underdeveloped areas in China. Therefore, Guizhou Province of China was selected as the study area. (2) Methods: This paper constructs the evaluation index system of the production–living–ecological space (PLES) functional system in China’s underdeveloped areas, and uses the coupling coordination degree model to measure the development coordination level of the study area. The human activity intensity model was used to calculate the human activity intensity in the study area. Response index is introduced to analyze the relationship between the spatial function coupling coordination degree and the intensity of human activities. (3) Results: Before 2015, the level of functional coupling coordination degree of production–living–ecological space (PLES) in the study area fluctuated, and after 2015, it showed a stable and coordinated development trend. The intensity of human activity continues to increase, and the interaction between human activity and local production–living–ecological space (PLES) function coupling coordination is intense. (4) Conclusions: human activity is a significant factor affecting regional, coordinated and sustainable development. In less developed areas, the impact of human activity is more obvious. Human activity, in combination with the theory of the human–land relationship and the moderate intensity of human activity, are important ways to improve the coordinated and sustainable development of underdeveloped regions.
Cities worldwide are facing the dual pressures of growing population and land expansion, leading to the intensification of conflicts in urban productive-living-ecological spaces (PLES). Therefore, ...the question of "how to dynamically judge the different thresholds of different indicators of PLES" plays an indispensable role in the studies of the multi-scenario simulation of land space changes and needs to be tackled in an appropriate way, given that the process simulation of key elements that affect the evolution of urban systems is yet to achieve complete coupling with PLES utilization configuration schemes. In this paper, we developed a scenario simulation framework combining the dynamic coupling model of Bagging-Cellular Automata (Bagging-CA) to generate various environmental element configuration patterns for urban PLES development. The key merit of our analytical approach is that the weights of different key driving factors under different scenarios are obtained through the automatic parameterized adjustment process, and we enrich the study cases for the vast southwest region in China, which is beneficial for balanced development between eastern and western regions in the country. Finally, we simulate the PLES with the data of finer land use classification, combining a machine learning and multi-objective scenario. Automatic parameterization of environmental elements can help planners and stakeholders understand more comprehensively the complex land space changes caused by the uncertainty of space resources and environment changes, so as to formulate appropriate policies and effectively guide the implementation of land space planning. The multi-scenario simulation method developed in this study has offered new insights and high applicability to other regions for modeling PLES.
Cannabis consumption during adolescence has been reported as a risk factor for psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) and schizophrenia. However, brain developmental processes associated with ...cannabis-related PLEs are still poorly described.
A total of 706 adolescents from the general population who were recruited by the IMAGEN consortium had structural magnetic resonance imaging scans at both 14 and 19 years of age. We used deformation-based morphometry to map voxelwise brain changes between the two time points, using the pairwise algorithm in SPM12b. We used an a priori region-of-interest approach focusing on the hippocampus/parahippocampus to perform voxelwise linear regressions. Lifetime cannabis consumption was assessed using the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and other Drugs (ESPAD), and PLEs were assessed with the Comprehensive Assessment Psychotic-like experiences (CAPE) tool. We first tested whether hippocampus/parahippocampus development was associated with PLEs. Then we formulated and tested an a priori simple mediation model in which uncus development mediates the association between lifetime cannabis consumption and PLEs.
We found that PLEs were associated with reduced expansion within a specific region of the right hippocampus/parahippocampus formation, the uncus (p = .002 at the cluster level, p = .018 at the peak level). The partial simple mediation model revealed a significant total effect from lifetime cannabis consumption to PLEs (b = 0.069, 95% CI = 0.04-0.1, p =2 × 10
), as well as a small yet significant, indirect effect of right uncus development (0.004; 95% CI = 0.0004-0.01, p = .026).
We show here that the uncus development is involved in the cerebral basis of PLEs in a population-based sample of healthy adolescents.
Aim
Interoception is the ability to sense internal bodily changes and research indicates that it may play a role in the development of mental illness. In recent years, preliminary evidence has shown ...that interoception is impaired in people with psychosis. Interoceptive sensibility, a meta‐cognitive aspect of interoception, has never been studied across the psychosis continuum. The present study aimed at assessing interoceptive sensibility in youth with psychotic‐like experiences.
Method
We invited a sample of young adults (N = 609; age 19–21 years) to complete an online survey that included a measure of interoceptive sensibility (the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness‐2) and the Community Assessment of Psychotic Experiences‐Positive Scale −15 (CAPE‐P15). Using the recommended cutoff for the CAPE‐P15, the overall sample was divided into two groups (high/low risk for psychosis).
Results
Significant group differences were observed in several dimensions of interoceptive sensibility. A logistic regression analysis indicated that scores in the subscales of Not‐Distracting, Not‐Worrying, Attention‐Regulation, Emotional Awareness, Body Listening, and Trusting significantly predicted increased risk for psychosis.
Conclusion
Abnormal interoceptive sensibility may be a vulnerability marker for psychosis. These results, however, await further validation from additional comprehensive, longitudinal studies. Enhanced interoceptive sensibility has been reported following contemplative training, thus creating opportunities for future interventions to delay or prevent psychotic illness.
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