The Thinking LMS

What can colleges learn from Facebook? The popular social networking platform certainly seems to have their students’ attention. Yet if Facebook does add unique value as a teaching platform, that value has so far proven limited. Where Facebook has shown unique value is as a data-gathering tool. Never has a website been able to learn so much about its users. And that is where higher education should be taking notes, said Angie McQuaig, director of data innovation at the University of Phoenix, at the 2010 Educause conference on Friday. If Facebook can use analytics to revolutionize advertising in the Web era, McQuaig suggested, colleges can use the same principles to revolutionize online learning. The trick, she said, is individualization. Facebook lets users customize their experiences with the site by creating profiles and curating the flow of information coming through their “news feeds.” In the same motion, the users volunteer loads of information about themselves. “Kevin and I might have the exact same list of friends on Facebook,” McQuaig said, picking on one audience member near the front. “But because we have different interests and different knowledge bases, his home page is going to be completely different from mine, and his experience is going to be very different from mine. And Facebook knows everything that we do, every click… if they know I’m a vegan, they can give me great advertisements [relating to] veganism.” The most successful commercial websites are already moving in this direction, and higher education -- which itself is growing increasingly Web-based -- needs to catch up, McQuaig said. “What we really need to do now is deeply understand our learners,” she said. This is where the University of Phoenix is headed with its online learning platform. In an effort ambitiously dubbed the "Learning Genome Project,” the for-profit powerhouse says it is building a new learning management system (or LMS) that gets to know each of its 400,000 students personally and adapts to accommodate the idiosyncrasies of their “learning DNA.” Unlike analog forms of student profiling -- such as surveys, which are only as effective as the students’ ability to diagnose their own learning needs -- Phoenix’s Learning Genome Project will be designed to infer details about students from how they behave in the online classroom, McQuaig said. If students grasp content more quickly when they learn it from a video than when they have to read a text, the system will feed them more videos. If a student is bad at interpreting graphs, the system will recognize that and present information accordingly — or connect the student with another Phoenix student who is better at graph-reading. The idea is to take the model of personal attention now only possible in the smallest classrooms and with the most responsive professors, make it even more perceptive and precise, and scale it to the largest student body in higher education. “[Each student] comes to us with a set of learning modality preferences,” McQuaig said. The online learning platform Phoenix wants to build, she said, “reject[s] the one-size-fits-all model of presenting content online.” In the age of online education and the personal Web, the standardized curriculum is marked for extinction, McQuaig said; data analytics are going to kill it. Not yet, though. The project is early in the design phase. In fact, Friday was the first time that Phoenix, known for playing its hand close to the chest, had shared the conceptual framework for the Learning Genome Project at a major conference. The company plans to publish research on the topic soon, McQuaig told Inside Higher Ed after her presentation. Also, in order to make the platform as flexible as it needs to be, Phoenix plans to phase out its current in-house learning management system and build the new one with open-source tools. It even plans to share some (but not all) of what it builds with other institutions, she said. Phoenix is certainly not the only institution focusing on how data logged by learning management systems can be used to improve learning. Nor is it the only institution trying to use some of the principles that have made Facebook and Netflix so successful. Two days earlier at Educause, envoys from the South Orange Community College District had unveiled a project called Sherpa (http://www.educause.edu/annual-conference/2010/sherpa-increasing-student-success-recommendation-engine), which uses information about students to recommend courses and services. McQuaig said Phoenix has been in conversations with a number of universities that are working toward similar learner-centered online platforms. There are challenges, McQuaig said. Being so attentive for all its students at once will require a lot of data processing; whether the system — as Phoenix envisions it — can work reliably at scale remains to be seen. In any case, she said, it will be expensive to make. And then there are the inevitable privacy issues: Some Facebook users have become more guarded in recent years about the personal data they feed the system due to concerns about how that data might be used; one could imagine a similar backlash against an online learning platform built on the same principles. A for-profit company that collects data not only on what students like but also on how their minds work might make some people uneasy. (McQuaig later told Inside Higher Ed that Phoenix is committed to "ethical use of the data" and letting students choose how much information they submit.) But that is where online education, and the Internet as a whole, is headed, McQuaig said. And when Phoenix makes a claim about the future of education, many people are inclined to listen. At a time when the company and its for-profit ilk have been portrayed by some in Congress as pariahs, Phoenix is also envied by many traditional colleges for having the predominant brand in the fastest growing sector of higher education. In a preamble to McQuaig’s presentation, the university's provost, Adam Honea, discussed Phoenix’s history as an online pioneer with a conspicuous we-told-you-so subtext. “Historically, I felt that many times we were trying to explain why we were doing what we were doing,” Honea said. Now that everyone else has caught on, he said, Phoenix is looking at the next step. “One of the purposes of this presentation was to share with you our early thoughts and to say, ‘Hey, we’re having a lot of active discussions with scholars and leaders in the field who are interested in building this,' ” McQuaig said, “'and if you’d love to chat with us, we’d love to chat with you.'” Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/10/18/phoenix#ixzz2A4DTnYYY Inside Higher Ed

Fertility Tourism

Fertility tourism may be next European boom Effective IVF treatments cheaper in eastern countries BERLIN - European Union expansion could lead to fertility tourism, with couples travelling to the block’s eastern countries where treatment is just as effective but much cheaper, experts said on Wednesday. In Slovenia and Hungary, among the 10 countries that joined the EU last month, pregnancy rates following in-vitro fertilization are higher than in Germany and Britain and treatment is a fraction of the cost. “Discrepancies in prices between countries, particularly between east and west, means that it is vital that potential patients can compare not only prices, but the quality and efficacy of the treatments on offer,” Professor Karl Nygren, of the Sofiahemmet Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden, told a fertility conference. Preliminary data from a report on assisted reproduction technology in Europe by Nygren and Dr. Anders Nyboe Andersen, of the Copenhagen University in Denmark, show doctors in some eastern European countries are performing more fertility treatments than in western nations. Denmark has the highest availability of fertility treatments in Europe, with 1,923 cycles per million of the population in 2001. By comparison Slovenia, which ranked fifth, had 1,222 treatment cycles while the Netherlands had 963 and Britain 593 cycles per million. Decline in multiple births In Britain, the cost of one cycle of IVF ranges from $3,630 to $7,260 but in Hungary and Slovenia it could be half the price. Both countries have good systems of collecting data and the pregnancy rate for IVF per embryo transfer in Slovenia is 36.2 percent and 31.9 percent in Hungary, which surpasses Germany with 28.6 percent and Britain with 28.4 percent. “With EU enlargement and the increasing freedom of movement that this brings, it has become even more important that countries collect accurate and complete data on the assisted reproduction technology carried out in their clinics,” Nygren told the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology meeting. The report also showed a decline in multiple births, which can be dangerous for both the mother and children, after fertility treatments.

Medical Tourism in Romania

General Medicine Quality of care, low prices and easy travel make Romania a popular overseas health care destination for EU people who are seeking surgery and treatment abroad. Medical tourism has been on the increase in Romania over the last few years. Plastic Surgery Romania offers high standards of cosmetic surgery at a fraction of most EU prices. It's an excellent location to consider for affordable cosmetic surgery (breast reduction and augmentation, facelift, rhinoplasty and liposuction). Dental Clinics Dental surgeries in Bucharest, Romania are equipped with up-to-date technology and provide diagnostic services, restorative and prosthetic dentistry as well as cosmetic dentistry and dental implant treatments. http://www.romanianhealth.com/

Nutrisvelt

Analysis and Control by MBI: Multifrequency Bioelectrical Impedance Weight and Body Mass Index data is helpful, but it is not enough information. Multifrequency Bioelectrical Impedance provides a precise analysis of the body composition in two minutes, in a non-invasive, painless manner, and gives you a leading edge compared to single frequency devices, limited to total body water and fat mass data. Go one step beyond and work with relevant data such as: fat mass at ideal hydration level - fat free dry mass - fat free water ratio - intra and extracellular water - muscular and body frame mass, and much more. How does it work? An electrical current is safely sent through the body at various very low intensities. Its travel speed (impedance) is measured and then interpretated by software using regression equations based on international scientific research and publications as well as on Nutrisvelt's own experimentations. Fat, working like an insulator, slows down the current speed and the fat mass can then be measured. MBI, thanks to lower intensities, also measures extracellular water. The intracellular water can therefore be deducted. The exact measuring of the phase angle also provides precise data about the fat free mass and the bone mass. With over 25 years of experience in the bioelectrical impedance field, Nutrisvelt's R&D department has developped state-of-the-art equipment from single frequency to multifrequency devices. Today, the 2nd generation MBI device, Aminostats BIO-ZM II, offers the latest technology and the most precise hand-held device available on the market. MBI is now a proven technology which is used in the medical, sports, fitness and nutrition fields as well as in weight-loss clinics. Diet Rebalancing using Professional Nutrition Software Nutrisvelt's controlled weight-loss and slimming program emphasizes the necessity to work with individuals on adapting their diet habits to reach long-lasting results in accordance to their objectives. Its strength is then to rely on Nutrilog's utmost technology and 15 years of experience in developing nutrition software for professionals. Aminostats BIO-ZM II is the first and only device to have built-in diet rebalancing software driven by MBI. According to a person's body composition analysis, the software suggests the proper nutritional objective and recommends an individualized nutritional framework adapted to her needs in complete safety. Each time measurements are taken by BIO-ZM II, nutritional objectives can be reassessed and the nutritional framework adapted accordingly. Fat Loss Control with Systemic Food Supplements The diet rebalancing action on fat loss is reinforced from the inside by systemic natural food supplements. The systemic line has been especially formulated using natural dry extracts from the totum (whole) of plants. This process provides higher concentration of active principles and is a guarantee for quality and efficiency of Nutrisvelt products. Why systemic? Systemic means that all natural food supplements formulated by Nutrisvelt are complementary to each other and can be safely taken in association one with the other for added effects, which are: body cleansing drainage circulation (anti-cellulite) transit (flat stomach) fat burning and elimination muscle enhancement and strengthening fat absorption appetite moderator anti-aging/anti-oxidation Dual-Frequency Ultrasounds for a Double Slimming Effect The Nutrisvelt slimming program relies on exclusive dual-frequency ultrasound technology to treat both superficial fat, including cellulite, and deep internal fat. How does it work? There are two types of ultrasounds: high and medium frequency (HMF) ultrasounds and low frequency (LF) ultrasounds. Both are used in the medical and aesthetics fields. HMF ultrasounds, which have a convex stream, are less sensitive to change of tissue density and, therefore, are not refracted. They are mainly used in physiotherapy, non invasive surgery and facial treatments. LF ultrasounds, which have a concave stream, are very sensitive to change of tissue density and, therefore, are immediately refracted. They are mainly used for echography and cellulite treatment. There are also two types of fat: Superficial fat, which is hypodermic fat that eventually transforms into cellulite, parallel and steomatic fat. Deep internal fat, which is mostly visceral fat located around organs in the abdomen. Therefore, there are two types of ultrasound for two types of action on fat: Low frequency ultrasounds for a mechanical action on superficial fat. LF ultrasounds cause a molecular agitation that weakens the cellular membrane of fat cells and liberates fatty acids (through the lipolysis of triglycerides) as well as water into the lymphatic system. They also increase temperature that causes an hypervascularization to restore blood microcirculation. The "jack hammer" effect of LF ultrasounds breaks fibrosis networks of cellulite and LF ultrasounds sonophoresis effect allows active principles of cosmetics to penetrate through the skin for a long-lasting action on fat cells. Medium frequency ultrasounds for an informative action on deep internatl fat. Low intensity MF ultrasounds stimulate the neuro-sympathic system which liberates noradrenaline to cause lipolysis in stimulated areas and all over the body. Each treatment session is twenty minutes. The technique is pain free. Results are visible after two sessions. Oscillating Plate After every ultrasound session, liberated fatty acids must be drained from the lymphatic system to the blood stream. Once in the venous system, fatty acids become available energy to muscles. Although other drainage techniques are efficient, none of them stimulates muscles to use up freed fatty acids. Also, the oscillating plate is free-hand and therefore doesn't need any particular handling. How does it work? The Myotatic Reflex is defined as the reflex contraction of a muscle in response to its own stretching. The myotatic reflex (or stretch reflex) informs the central nervous system on the change of length and speed of the muscle length. As soon as a muscle stretch is noticed and reported, the response is a muscular contraction that enables to keep the initial position. This muscular contraction is fueled by glycogen stored in the muscles and by circulating energy, fatty acids. Main benefits strengthens muscles increases basal metabolic rate favours fat loss fights osteoporosis activates micro-circulation fights cellulite eliminates toxins after each ultrasound session uses up fatty acids liberated by the ultrasound Effects on Cellulite Scientific studies on cellulite have shown that the use of an oscillating plate significantly reduces effects of cellulite more rapidly than other treatment methods. The oscillating plate is the ideal support to the Nutrisvelt Slimming Program, based on analysis, nutritional follow-up, food supplements, ultrasound treatment and drainage.

DRACO: A new drug that could cure everything from colds to HIV

Breakthrough: A new drug that could cure everything from colds to HIV Our most powerful antibiotics can kill many different kinds of bacterial infections at once, but we're still searching for a single all-purpose drug that kills viruses. We may have just discovered it. Technically speaking, any drug that is used to treat a virus is known as an antiviral, and we use them to treat HIV, hepatitis, and certain flu strains. But those antivirals all have to be very specifically designed to take down one particular virus. The situation is even worse for vaccines, which don't exist for some diseases (and aren't practical for others, like the common cold) and need to be constantly redesigned to remain effective against evolving viral strains. Creating a single antiviral drug that could kill lots of different viruses is a longstanding dream of medical researchers. Beyond all the obvious benefits of such an honest-to-goodness wonder drug, an all-purpose antiviral would give us a much better chance of fighting back against outbreaks of exotic viruses like SARS and swine flu. As a minor but still rather nice bonus, it could also be that long awaited cure for the common cold. According to MIT research scientist Todd Rider, we're closer to such an antiviral than ever before. He's developed a drug named Draco, which he says has successfully vanquished 15 different viruses in lab trials on mice and human tissue. Those viruses include a quite literal murderer's row: dengue fever, polio, the swine flu, and the particularly nasty Ebola virus. And, yes, the common cold has also been tested, and Draco was able to get rid of it as well. So how does Draco work? According to Rider, it combines his backgrounds in engineering and biology, wiring together a pair of proteins. The first protein detects that a virus has entered a cell, which triggers the second protein. In turn, that protein acts as a kill switch, destroying the infected cell to cut off the spread of the virus. That sacrifice represents a grimly practical solution, and so far, it seems to be working. This is a seriously intriguing result, but there's some room for skepticism here. One cautious voice is that of Cambridge researcher Leo James, whose own antiviral research involves supercharging the immune system. He points out that Rider's results are highly unusual, and as such needs to be replicated by scientists elsewhere before we have a really good understanding of what's really going on here. Either way, even though Rider has already put Draco to work on human tissue, that doesn't mean we're ready for human testing. There's a long road ahead for this drug, which will require tests on multiple rounds of larger animals before it's ready for human trials. Because viruses and human cells become so closely intertwined during an infection, it can be hard to control for all the side effects of an antiviral. A good example of this is interferon, which was hailed a potential antiviral wonder drug back in the 1950s. Interferon works by detecting infections and sending signals to other cells to build up their defenses in preparation for an attack. The problem is that the drug also sends white blood cells racing to the infection. That's great news for more serious infections like hepatitis, for which interferon is still used today. But for more mild infections, like a cold, the inflammation, fever, and pain caused by the interferon cure is worse than the virus itself. Draco has some similarities to interferon - they're both protein-based, which means Draco could also provoke an immune response. According to Rider, there's been no immune response so far in the mice who have received the drug. That's good news, but it may not directly correlate to the experience humans would have with the drug. If Draco or one of the other antivirals works out, it would change the face of global health overnight. The ability to cure minor infections like the common cold could save people from a few days each year of ill health - which across an entire population would add up to a vastly more efficient workforce. And, looking even more broadly, the existence of an all-purpose antiviral would do a lot to reduce the health scares caused by new viral outbreaks, equipping us with a ready-made tool for the next big pandemic.

The toxic chewing-gum

Here is a list of the most common ingredients in the most popular chewing gum products on the market: Sorbitol, Xylitol, Mannitol, Maltitol Gum Base Glycerol Natural and Artificial Flavors Hydrogenated Coconut Oil and Starch Aspartame –Acesulfame Soy Lecithin Colors (titanium oxide, blue 2 lake, red 40) BHT Malic Acid, Citric Acid Every time you chew gum, your brain is tricked into thinking that you are eating food. Therefore, it sends signals to your stomach, pancreas and other organs involved in digestion to prepare for this “food”. Your salivary glands and pancreas will begin to emit enzymes, which are necessary to digest food and absorb nutrients from food. Constant emission of enzymes over time will deplete enzymes and over time this process can slow down. If you are not breaking down and absorbing food properly over time, you will get disease because the body needs nutrients to rebuild and thrive. A Great Alternative for Fresh Breath A great alternative to chewing gum is to carry around a small bottle of organic food grade peppermint oil and when you would like fresh breath, just put one drop in your mouth and you will have achieved the same effect. You can find many food grade oils that are wonderful for helping you have fresh breath.

CO-4 grass, melia dubia, can generate substantial power

Released by Tamil Nadu Agriculture University (TNAU) during 2008, CO4 exhibits phenomenal biomass yield,” says Dr. G. Kumaravelu, senior Scientific Adviser for Biomass and Bioenergy programme of an international Chennai based business conglomerate called Archean group and former member, State Planning Commission. This grass can be grown in most soil types, except in heavy clay, highly alkaline and water logged areas. The slips for growing this grass are being produced by the Agricultural/Veterinary University and interested farmers. “To verify its utility for power production, 5 to 6 months old, mature grass crop was harvested and weighed. The yellow mature stem, with more fibre and lignin content yielded around 200 dry metric tonnes per hectare. An sppropriate practice package has been arrived at, within a year, by our trials using biofertilizers, nutrients, biochar and chemical fertilizers with drip irrigation to ensure sustained high yield. About 2,000 acres of grass cultivation can supply raw material to run one 10 MW biomass electric power mill, continuously, all through the year without break,” says Dr. Kumaravelu. Archean — a multinational company — is going to grow this grass along with another fast growing tree, Melia Dubia, as intercrop in several hundred acres in different parts of Tamil Nadu. “I had demonstrated last year, that about 100 metric tonnes per hectare of biomass could be harvested from one year drip irrigated melia dubia plantations. That again is a comparable world record for tree species.This woody biomass also releases energy of over 4000 Kcal / Kg. Together, both these highest biomass yielders could be used to generate substantial power for our State,” he explains. The State Government, accepting the innovation in principle, announced in the Assembly, that they would help in setting up a 10 MW power. Source: http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/agriculture/article3408600.ece