Confidence and Common Challenges: The Effects of Teaching Computational Thinking to Students Ages 10-16

This Action Research Project provides data from three different instructors teaching Computational Thinking (CT) to better understand the effects of CT instruction. The researchers focused on identifying problem-solving strategies used by students, what affect teaching CT has on student confidence and ability to problem solve, and what common challenges can be found at different age levels. The study used student pre and post-reflection to measure understanding and comfort with problem-solving. Researchers taught three common lessons of CT including the following concepts: algorithms, loops, conditional statements, and debugging. For data collection, each student was asked to work on a computer game called Human Resource Machine (HRM) while using video and audio to record themselves. Analysis showed a slight decrease in two categories related to working to find a solution to a difficult problem, and the ability to fix small problems that are part of a larger problem. There was a confidence increase in categories related to the ability to do math, the ability to give directions and the ability to someday build a computer. Two of the research sites were able to further break down the data to analyze the differences in the male vs. the female reflections. While CT is often seen as a separate subject, the analysis also showed that reading comprehension has a strong influence on students’ ability to solve CT problems and should be taught in conjunction with CT to ensure students receive the maximum benefit

Results of an Environmental Scan to Determine the Level of Uncorrected Refractive Error in First Nations Elementary School Children in Ontario

A survey was developed and used to determine the level and quality of vision care services available to First Nations elementary school children across Ontario, and to indirectly determine the level of uncorrected refractive error in First Nations children. Overall, the total survey results showed that 1 child in 4 wore glasses. The results from the survey indicated that remote communities that had a visiting optometrist were more likely to have fewer cases of uncorrected refractive error than non-remote communities. The results suggest that in-community comprehensive eye exams delivered on a regular basis by visiting optometrists would be the most effective way of improving the vision and eye health status of First Nations children

Résultats d’une analyse du milieu visant à déterminer le niveau d’erreur de réfraction non corrigée chez les enfants des écoles primaires des Premières nations de l’Ontario

Un sondage a été élaboré et utilisé pour déterminer le niveau et la qualité des services de soins de la vue offerts aux enfants des écoles primaires des Premières nations de l’Ontario et déterminer indirectement le niveau d’erreurs de réfraction non corrigées chez les enfants des Premières nations. Dans l’ensemble, les résultats du sondage ont révélé que 1 enfant sur 4 portait des lunettes. Les résultats du sondage indiquent que les collectivités éloignées qui reçoivent la visite d’un optométriste sont plus susceptibles d’avoir moins de cas d’erreurs de réfraction non corrigées que les collectivités non éloignées. Les résultats portent à croire que les examens oculaires complets effectués par des optométristes en visite dans la collectivité seraient le moyen le plus efficace d’améliorer la vision et l’état de sante oculaire des enfants des Premières nations

Interaction of Aspirin (Acetylsalicylic Acid) with Lipid Membranes

We studied the interaction of Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) with lipid membranes using x-ray diffraction for bilayers containing up to 50 mol% of aspirin. From 2D x-ray intensity maps that cover large areas of reciprocal space we determined the position of the ASA molecules in the phospholipid bilayers and the molecular arrangement of the molecules in the plane of the membranes. We present direct experimental evidence that ASA molecules participate in saturated lipid bilayers of DMPC (1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) and preferably reside in the head group region of the membrane. Up to 50 mol% ASA molecules can be dissolved in this type of bilayer before the lateral membrane organization is disturbed and the membranes are found to form an ordered, 2D crystal-like structure. Furthermore, ASA and cholesterol were found to co-exist in saturated lipid bilayers, with the ASA molecules residing in the head group region and the cholesterol molecules participating in the hydrophobic membrane core

Enumerating pelvic recurrence following radical cystectomy for bladder cancer: A canadian multi-institutional study

Introduction: We aimed to enumerate the rate of pelvic recurrence following radical cystectomy at university-affiliated hospitals in Canada. Methods: Canadian, university-affiliated hospitals were invited to participate. They were asked to identify the first 10 consecutive patients undergoing radical cystectomy starting January 1, 2005, who had urothelial carcinoma stages pT3/T4 N0-2 M0. The first 10 consecutive cases starting January 1, 2005 who met these criteria were the patients submitted by that institution with information regarding tumour stage, age, number of nodes removed, and last known clinical status in regard to recurrence and patterns of failure. Results: Of the 111 patients, 80% had pT3 and 20% pT4 disease, with 62% being node-negative, 14% pN1, and 27% pN2; 57% had 10 or more nodes removed. Cumulative incidence of pelvic relapse was 40% among the entire group Conclusions: This review demonstrates a high rate of pelvic tumour recurrence following radical cystectomy for pT3/T4 urothelial cancer

Returning to Activity After a Concussion

This education resource is designed to guide individuals with a concussion (or those caring for someone with a concussion) on how to safely reintroduce activity so that you can do the things you need, want, and love to do

Extraction and sensitive detection of toxins A and B from the human pathogen Clostridium difficile in 40 seconds using microwave-accelerated metal-enhanced fluorescence.

Clostridium difficile is the primary cause of antibiotic associated diarrhea in humans and is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Thus the rapid and accurate identification of this pathogen in clinical samples, such as feces, is a key step in reducing the devastating impact of this disease. The bacterium produces two toxins, A and B, which are thought to be responsible for the majority of the pathology associated with the disease, although the relative contribution of each is currently a subject of debate. For this reason we have developed a rapid detection assay based on microwave-accelerated metal-enhanced fluorescence which is capable of detecting the presence of 10 bacteria in unprocessed human feces within 40 seconds. These promising results suggest that this prototype biosensor has the potential to be developed into a rapid, point of care, real time diagnostic assay for C. difficile

The Porphyromonas gingivalis/host interactome shows enrichment in GWASdb genes related to Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases

Periodontal disease is of established aetiology in which polymicrobial synergistic ecology has become dysbiotic under the influence of Porphyromonas gingivalis. Following breakdown of the host’s protective oral tissue barriers, P. gingivalis migrates to developing inflammatory pathologies that associate with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Periodontal disease is a risk factor for cardiovascular disorders (CVD), type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM), AD and other chronic diseases, whilst T2DM exacerbates periodontitis. This study analysed the relationship between the P. gingivalis/host interactome and the genes identified in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for the aforementioned conditions using data from GWASdb (P<1E-03) and, in some cases, from the NCBI/EBI GWAS database (P< 1E-05). Gene expression data from periodontitis or P. gingivalis microarray was compared to microarray datasets from the AD hippocampus and/or from carotid artery plaques. The results demonstrated that the host genes of the P. gingivalis interactome were significantly enriched in genes deposited in GWASdb genes related to cognitive disorders, AD and dementia, and its co-morbid conditions T2DM, obesity, and CVD. The P. gingivalis/host interactome was also enriched in GWAS genes from the more stringent NCBI-EBI database for AD, atherosclerosis and T2DM. The misregulated genes in periodontitis tissue or P. gingivalis infected macrophages also matched those in the AD hippocampus or atherosclerotic plaques. Together, these data suggest important gene/environment interactions between P. gingivalis and susceptibility genes or gene expression changes in conditions where periodontal disease is a contributory factor

Several Cancer Susceptibility Variants Also Affect Melanoma Risk

<div><p>Background</p><p>Several regions of the genome show pleiotropic associations with multiple cancers. We sought to evaluate whether 181 single-nucleotide polymorphisms previously associated with various cancers in genome-wide association studies were also associated with melanoma risk.</p><p>Methods</p><p>We evaluated 2,131 melanoma cases and 20,353 controls from three studies in the Population Architecture using Genomics and Epidemiology (PAGE) study (EAGLE-BioVU, MEC, WHI) and two collaborating studies (HPFS, NHS). Overall and sex-stratified analyses were performed across studies.</p><p>Results</p><p>We observed statistically significant associations with melanoma for two lung cancer SNPs in the <i>TERT-CLPTM1L</i> locus (Bonferroni-corrected p<2.8x10^-4), replicating known pleiotropic effects at this locus. In sex-stratified analyses, we also observed a potential male-specific association between prostate cancer risk variant rs12418451 and melanoma risk (OR=1.22, p=8.0x10^-4). No other variants in our study were associated with melanoma after multiple comparisons adjustment (p>2.8e^-4).</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>We provide confirmatory evidence of pleiotropic associations with melanoma for two SNPs previously associated with lung cancer, and provide suggestive evidence for a male-specific association with melanoma for prostate cancer variant rs12418451. This SNP is located near <i>TPCN2</i>, an ion transport gene containing SNPs which have been previously associated with hair pigmentation but not melanoma risk. Previous evidence provides biological plausibility for this association, and suggests a complex interplay between ion transport, pigmentation, and melanoma risk that may vary by sex. If confirmed, these pleiotropic relationships may help elucidate shared molecular pathways between cancers and related phenotypes.</p></div