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Developing coaching skills in student support practitioners
No full textThis chapter offers a case study from The Open University, UK exploring how coaching practices might be embedded in other established mechanisms of student support. Our aim is to show how the integration of coaching-informed conversations in student support services might enhance certain interactions with students to aid their progress and achievement. We begin by outlining the steps taken to review the existing skillset of (primarily) guidance practitioners working in the IAG (Information, Advice and Guidance) service. We then move on to share recommendations from a learning and development perspective about how coaching skills might be developed. This chapter will be of interest to leaders of support services in higher education looking to diversify and enhance existing support provision, as well as practitioners in guidance, careers, mental health casework and cognate areas considering continuing professional development in coaching. We seek to provide opportunities for reflection throughout this chapter to ensure readers tailor their approach according to both the needs of their students and their own institutions
The eschewed sinh-arcsinh <i>t</i> distribution
Get PDFRosco et al. (2011) introduced and studied the sinh-arcsinh t (SAS-t) distribution. In this article, we introduce a modified version of that distribution which we call the eschewed sinh-arcsinh t (ESAS-t) distribution. The new proposal proves to be somewhat simpler than the former and, on balance, given the pros and cons listed in the article, we now recommend the ESAS-t distribution over the SAS-t distribution as the preferable version of a sinh-arcsinh t distribution
Marginalized Children's Opportunities to Use Technology for Learning: Role of Gender
Get PDFGirls in South Asia are exposed to different forms of social inequality and discriminatory gender norms which create a barrier to their education. Available research suggests that there is a gender divide in the use of digital technology for learning but remains silent about the factors that cause such a divide. This paper presents the role of gender in marginalised schoolchildren's access to and use of technology for learning in Bangladesh and Nepal. A total of 80 students, 8 teachers and 32 parents participated in the study. Multiple methods of data collection (focus group discussions, interviews and classroom observation) were used to ensure that research questions of the study are addressed with sufficient depth. Findings suggest that gender inequality in the use of digital technology persists in the two countries as traditional socio-cultural structures continue to create barriers to girls’ access to technology. Pedagogical implications of the study are discussed
Genomic characterization and preclinical model development. To expand the therapeutic options for Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma
No full textEpithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE) is an ultra-rare vascular sarcoma marked by TAZ-CAMTA1 (~90%) or YAP-TFE3 (~5%) fusion, leading to Hippo pathway dysregulation. EHE clinical behavior ranges from indolent to highly aggressive, but no biomarkers are known to predict clinical outcome at disease onset. Conventional chemotherapy has limited effectiveness and new treatment options are needed, as well as novel biomarkers of aggressiveness. This PhD project was part of a more extended project focused on preclinical investigations on EHE and involved three tasks:
i) Model generation: 3D spheroids were successfully generated from an already available patient-derived EHE cell line, both in monoculture and in co-culture with fibroblasts, revealing novel insights into the poorly understood interplay between EHE cells and stromal components, as well as providing a platform for future pharmacological and functional studies.
ii) Investigation of novel biomarkers: analysis of two independent patient series revealed a statistically significant correlation between circulating levels of Growth/differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) and EHE aggressiveness, supporting its potential role as prognostic biomarker. Preclinical data demonstrated that GDF-15 is secreted by EHE cells and its levels are reduced following sirolimus treatment, through a mechanism involving 4E eIF4E binding protein 1 (4E-BP1) and Activating Transcription Factor 4 and 5 (ATF4/5). Additionally, microRNA (miRNA) sequencing (miRNA-seq) analysis, validated by a custom-developed digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) workflow, identified distinct alterations in circulating miRNA profiles of EHE patients, particularly in higher aggressive cases, with the clinical potential to improve risk stratification at diagnosis.
iii) Design and preclinical evaluation of novel therapeutic strategies: in vitro pharmacological investigations uncovered novel potential therapeutic vulnerabilities of EHE, particularly involving the Hippo and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling axes, their reciprocal interplay and their cross-talk with the mammalian or mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway
Catch Me If You Can: The Dynamic Nature of Bias in Machine Learning Applications
No full textBias in machine learning (ML) applications represents systematic differences between expected and actual values of the predicted outputs, such that certain individuals or groups are systematically and disproportionately (dis)advantaged. This paper investigates the dynamic nature of bias in ML applications. We conducted an empirical study of bias in the context of an ML application that assesses applicants' competencies for a given job based on their job interviews. We analysed primary data (27 interviews with 21 members from six departments) and secondary data (e.g., company reports, webinars, and software demonstrations) from the organisation that develops and deploys the application. Drawing on the concept of reflexivity in digitised processes and associated notions of drift and control, we theorise the emergence and evolvement of bias as constituting dynamic relationships among sources of bias and associated effects of drift, and actions of bias mitigation and associated effects of control. We further demonstrate how actions aimed at mitigating bias, while weakening some sources of bias, also create additional sources through unintended side effects. We explain how sources of bias and bias mitigation actions continually (re)shape each other through dynamic and reflexive effects. For HR practitioners and policymakers, we provide actionable insights into bias detection and mitigation in ML‐based job competency assessment
Qualifying optical biometry data before cataract surgery using autoencoders
No full textPurpose
To develop, implement and demonstrate a data driven strategy to identify ‘suspects’ and ‘outliers’ in datasets of biometric measurements taken before cataract surgery.
Methods
A shallow autoencoder with one hidden layer and 3 neurons was trained on a large multicentre dataset (N = 152,397, 9 clinical centres) from the IOLMaster 700 including axial length (AL), central corneal thickness (CCT), anterior chamber depth (ACD), lens thickness (LT) and corneal front surface radius (R). Measurements were identified as ‘suspects’ or ‘outliers’ depending on the mean squared prediction error. Training was performed on 7 of the 9 datasets, and the remaining 2 datasets were used to evaluate the performance of the autoencoder.
Results
Crossvalidation proved that the autoencoder with 3 neurons showed no noticeable overfitting. Measurements were marked as ’suspects’ or ’outliers’ based on the 95% and 99% quantiles as derived from the mean squared error with the training data. After piecewise linear correction of the autoencoder prediction error to correct for trend errors probably due to internal calibrations of the biometer, the autoencoder successfully identified potentially faulty measurements for the 2 test datasets.
Conclusions
Autoencoders are quite popular for different application fields in engineering, and could also help in ophthalmology to identify potentially faulty biometric measurements which could lead to refractive surprises if used for intraocular lens power calculation. Further studies are required to validate this concept with other parameters or datasets from other biometers
Values, emotions and views of the future: democratic deliberation as pathway to inner transformation
No full textVisons of the future are fundamental for achieving transformational socio-environmental change. Whilst a host of methods have been developed for creating future visions and reflecting on underlying values of nature, we examine under-researched aspects of future creation and value reflection. We explore how deliberative democratic processes, illustrated by a case study of citizen panels deliberating on treescapes in three United Kingdom cities, can serve to influence people’s subjective views of the future, with particular attention to the role of values and emotions. The deliberation on values and visions was guided by the IPBES Life Framework. Our findings suggest that these workshops influence the richness and degree of optimism and concern in participants’ views of the future through several mechanisms, including the reinforcement of relevant values and emotions. Our findings contribute to a deeper understanding of future making, its motivational consequences, and the importance of citizen workshops as a pathway to inner transformation
Implementing a law restricting unhealthy food advertising in Portugal: a 13-year journey
No full textIn 2019, Portugal approved a law introducing restrictions on the advertising of unhealthy foods and beverages to children under 16 years of age. This article describes the process of enacting this mandatory regulation, pioneering in Europe, from initial parliamentary discussions in 2012 to the first formal impact evaluation in 2024. Portugal faced significant technical and political challenges, including industry lobby, defining “unhealthy” foods and monitoring and enforcing the law. Despite its limitations, the law stands as a successful example that can support other countries in developing similar regulatory frameworks. Portugal’s experience illustrates the importance of political will and multisectoral collaboration in successfully implementing such restrictions. Further recommendations include clear nutrient profiling, strong monitoring and enforcement mechanisms and maintaining dialogue while anticipating potential opposition
