New System Lets Humans Control Mouse Genes With Their Thoughts Scientists have been able to tinker with the genes of other organisms for some time now—that’s nothing new. But controlling genes in another animal using only your thoughts? Sounds a rather insane idea that wouldn’t be out of place in a Sci-Fi movie, but it turns out it’s now possible, thanks to a newly-developed mind-controlled system. As described in the journal Nature Communications, the system works by using brain waves from human participants to activate a light inside a mouse’s brain, which then switches on a particular set of genes. To create the system, scientists from ETH Zurich married up two different technologies that were already in existence. The researchers started off by inserting a gene from a species of bacteria that uses light as a source of energy into designer human kidney cells. Next, the researchers recorded the brain waves of eight volunteers while they were either meditating or concentrating. Read this next: Doubt Raised About Higgs Boson Discovery
Gamification increases engagement and retention levels - HRreview Gamification is on the rise and has become one of business’ recent buzzwords. But what are we talking about? Defined as the use of game design mechanisms in non-gaming contexts, the term gamification was first introduced in 2002 by computer programmer Nick Pelling. The concept, which borrows elements from game thinking, has been recently used to address challenges in different fields, such as recruitment, learning, employee engagement, and retention. Although the idea behind gamification has been around for a while, it is only in the last four years that attention has grown exponentially – up to the point that some critics report an abuse of the term. What seems to be evident is that gamification has brought tangible benefits to business, such as the ability to reach a larger audience, connect with prospective employees, and promote employer branding. The applications listed above should have given a hint of the potential of gamification for business purposes. Article by Sergio Russo
Chronic Pot Smoking Associated With Reduced Gray Matter, But Increased Connections Another study has found that marijuana use is associated with changes in the brain. The study compared the brains of chronic users with non-users and discovered the former had less volume in a region that is involved in decision making and emotional processing. However, they also found that this region showed increased connections with other brain regions in users, suggesting that the brain could be re-wiring itself to make up for the shrinkage. “The changes in connectivity may be considered a way of compensating for the reduction in volume,” said study author Francesca Filbey. “This may explain why chronic users appear to be doing fine, even though an important region of their brain is smaller in terms of volume.” Studies investigating the potential effects of smoking pot on the brain often produce conflicting results, which is probably due to the use of different methodologies. The marijuana smokers were described as chronic users, consuming the drug three times a day on average.
How to Apply Gamification in Education | Tablets For Schools Gamification, and the gamification of education in particular, is a huge and complex area. We have written about gamification in the past (in the form of educational apps that gamify subjects such as maths or languages). But what is the theory behind gamification? And what is the best way for educators to actually create gamified versions of traditional subjects? Here’s a very quick introduction to a trending topic we will explore more in 2014. What is Gamification? Gamification involves introducing game design thinking to areas that aren’t traditionally games. How Does Gamification Work? However, gamification, despite the name, is about much more than making boring subjects “fun” – though this is the common perception. There is also a positive bias toward constant learning – the more the student knows about the subject (ie, the mathematical formulas), the better they become at the game. (*) Image courtesy of Gwyneth Anne Bronwynne The Process of Creating Gamified Learning
Your Testicles Contain More Diverse Proteins Than Any Other Human Organ Almost twenty five years ago, an ambitious international research project was initiated whose goal was to identify and map all of our genes. It took thirteen years to complete the Human Genome Project (HGP), which eventually revealed that we have around 20,000 genes that contain instructions for the production of proteins, or protein coding genes. Proteins are essential components of all living things. They are some of the most structurally complex and functionally sophisticated molecules known to man, and they participate in virtually every process within cells. Although all cells in the body have the same DNA sequences, they don’t all express, or produce, the same proteins. The collection of proteins produced in our bodies is known as the proteome, and while thousands of different proteins have been identified over the years, a comprehensive atlas of the proteins produced in different areas of the body did not exist. [Via New Scientist, BBC News and The Human Protein Atlas]
Defining competencies via Gamification Build out Learning Competencies through a Gamification Strategy – something simple and something that works! Competency development is one of the most foundational and tricky areas of learning. Building out good competencies- which map to good learning, that map to good assessment- allows for a full feedback model that you can use to track learner development and understand and address knowledge gaps. The challenge with delivering training on a competency model after it is built out is that often times it is presented in a way that is much too formal for the average learner to get much use out of. Many times you have built excellent terminal and enabling objectives, fantastic performance objectives and have spent a good deal of time mapping everything to a learning plan with assessments and gap assessment models built in. When it is presented to your learners they fail to see the blood, sweat and tears that went into this plan and many times just don’t see the beauty of your hard work.
Énergie libre : un générateur d’électricité portable produisant de 5 à 15 kW fonctionnant à l’eau ! - Wikistrike Énergie libre : un générateur d’électricité portable produisant de 5 à 15 kW fonctionnant à l’eau ! Cette vidéo est un clip promotionnel de démonstration de la société canadienne GDS Technologie sur ses générateurs électriques fonctionnant à l'eau ! Ne me demandez pas comment cela fonctionne, je n'en ai aucune idée, la vidéo comme le site officiel de la compagnie ne donnant aucune explication sur le principe de fonctionnement. Surement un secret industriel qu'ils souhaitent de pas divulguer. Bien que le modèle présenté génère 3.000 watts, les générateurs à la vente sur le site offrent 5.000, 10.000, et 15.000 watts avec les prix suivants : GDS 5000 : 5.360 $CAD, soit environ 3.570 €. C'est bien trop cher à mon avis, mais nul doute que le prix baissera avec le temps et la concurrence. 15.000 watts, c'est une puissance biens suffisante pour une maison individuelle très confortable possédant même par exemple l'air conditionné et une piscine chauffée. À connaître ! Nota Bene : Source
Gamification in Education: Top 10 Gamification Case Studies that will Change our Future New to Gamification? Check out my post What is Gamification & my Gamification Framework: Octalysis Education Gamification in Action. There’s a lot of potential in the field of Education Gamification. If you ask children, “What is work?” Clearly there should be a way to help kids learn from what they do best – play. No longer viewed as a mundane process for presenting information while testing for retention and understanding, the modern educational challenge involves tasks of engaging students, stimulating their interests, retaining their attention, and maintaining a positive attitude in a nurturing environment Key to these goals is the effort to maintain a rich communications environment that encourages feedback and reinforcement, not only between the instructor/teacher and students, but also between the students themselves. Education Gamification Example #1 – DuoLingo:Learn a language while translating the Web Each student gets an avatar which can be visibly displayed in ClassDojo.
New CT Reveals Inner Structures of Body in Exquisite Detail Computed tomography (CT) is an excellent noninvasive technique to investigate bones and soft tissue structures in a patient. Unfortunately, sometimes imaging can be difficult, as any movement from the patient can result in images that are unclear and need to be redone. This is especially difficult when dealing with patients who are young children, mentally impaired, suffering from motor disease, or are in pain. To ensure these images are clear, these challenging patients may require sedation, which is not desirable. General Electronics sought to facilitate treatment of these patients and improve the imaging process in general with the development of the Revolution CT. CTs use a series of X-ray scans to create ‘slices’ of the patient’s body, which are then stacked to make a complete 3D representation. Additionally, Revolution CT is able to complete the scan using up to 82% less ionizing radiation than traditional CT scanners, which is ideal in use with pediatric and oncology patients.
Gamification in Education The breakthrough happened after the student took the Bartle's Gamer Profile Quiz and we found out that he was a "killer." Off-the-charts killer, but achievement meant nothing to this student. Just like grades. No, we haven't identified the next school shooter, and I sure wish that Bartle hadn't named one of the four gamer profiles "killer" -- but nonetheless, this student identified with this profile. Jane McGonigal mentioned it in her Gaming Can Make a Better World TED Talk when she discussed an epic meaning. My ninth grade students have partnered on an epic quest with grad students at the University of Alaska Southeast and members of the Gamifi-ED OOC to study serious games, create an encyclopedia of serious games, and ultimately to create their own serious game in Minecraft. 1. Game mechanics are part of game theory. 2. As we saw with my "killer" student, there are four game-player types using this psychological evaluation. 3. 4. 5. 6. Endgame: Finding a "Killer" Tool
Une éjection de masse coronale se dirige vers la Terre Une éruption solaire va frapper la Terre Un grand filament de plasma situé dans l'hémisphère nord du soleil a éclaté entre le 2 Septembre 2014 entre 13h et 16h UTC, générant ce qui pourrait être une éjection de masse coronale (CME) dirigée vers la Terre. Bien que l'analyse ne soit pas encore achevée, le SWPC averti qu'il peut y avoir des éléments dirigés vers la Terre. Le Modèle WSA-ENLIL suggère qu'ils atteindront le champ magnétique terrestre le 6 septembre vers 7 h UTC. Tag(s) : #Astronomie - Espace “This Game Sucks”: How to Improve the Gamification of Education (EDUCAUSE Review Sarah "Intellagirl" Smith-Robbins (sabsmith@indiana.edu) is Director of Emerging Technologies and a faculty member at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. With this issue of EDUCAUSE Review, she begins a one-year term as Editor of the New Horizons department. Comments on this article can be posted to the web via the link at the bottom of this page. "Focusing on the ways that entertainment technology engages us can result in methods that we can transfer to any learning situation." Gamification. Education has been a system of status and points since the dawn of the Industrial Age. What Is a Game? The first step is to understand exactly what a game is. A goal: Every game has a win condition: the combination of events and accomplishments that players need to achieve in order to end the game. True gamification requires that all three characteristics be present. Is Higher Education Already a Game? How does the typical higher education system match up to games? Notes 1.
12-Year-Old Receives First 3D Printed Vertebra Implant After a soccer injury revealed a malignant tumor on the spinal cord of a 12-year-old boy from China, he required extensive surgery at Peking University Third Hospital (PUTH). Doctors needed to remove second vertebra to prevent the cancer from spreading, and the bone required an implant afterward. The device used was created with a 3D printer, making the boy the first person ever to receive a vertebral implant crafted in this manner. While there are traditional, pre-fabricated devices that can be implanted into the vertebral column, one made with a 3D printer offers certain advantages. Unlike traditional 3D printers that extrude plastic, this implant was made out of a titanium powder; titanium is a common material to use in orthopedic implants. Following the 5-hour-long surgery, the boy was fitted with a halo that will immobilize his head and neck for the next three months as he recovers.
» Gamification in Education: Epic Win, or Epic Fail? Have you ever felt that each move you made in life was part of a bigger game? These days it just may be, as a trend referred to as “gamification” has swept industries as diverse as marketing, travel, and even education. While turning everything into a game sure seems like fun, it’s not as easy as it sounds. This article will explore the trend towards gamification, as well as some of its criticism.WHAT IS GAMIFICATION? “Games are the most elevated form of investigation.” Gamification is a strategy by which ordinary processes are infused with principles of motivation and engagement inspired by game theory. While games have been a popular activity throughout history, the Internet and social networking have inspired a whole new wave of players actively engaged in daily gameplay. What is it that attracts so many people to become so deeply engaged in these virtual environments? “Game design isn’t just a technological craft. But wait! “Gamification is the wrong word for the right idea.