Sustainable development of education: mutual links of technology and pedagogy

Целью работы является сопоставление трендов развития информационно-коммуникационной среды, глобального образовательного пространства и педагогических идей, явно или опосредованно влияющих на применение ИКТ в образовании. Материалом послужили результаты форсайтов и содержание публикаций в интернете, посвященных перспективам устойчивого развития образования в контексте Инчхонской Декларации ЮНЕСКО «Образование 2030». На основе контент-анализа педагогических публикаций установлено, что современное понимание знания апеллирует к его обобществлению и распространению в глобальной сетевой информационной среде, технологический базис которой стремительно развивается. Учебный процесс в обществе обучения рассматривается как распределенный среди отдельных формальных учебных заведений («университетов мира для одного») и сообществом контента кураторов, в функции которого входит поставлять комментарии, обобщать и содействовать новой информации, которая поддерживает неоформальные образовательные потребности различных пользователей глобальной сети. Описана модель связей субъектов информационного образовательного пространства, включающая кроме преподавателей и студентов также кураторов контента. Аргументирована необходимость развития гуманитарного потенциала человека в информационно-коммуникационной среде и формирования в ней креативного класса людей, делящихся своим экзистенциональным опытом, знаниями и мудростью. Сделан вывод, что без межличностного взаимодействия, без присутствия учащихся в сетевом сообществе, развитие потенциала каждого члена общества в роботизированной среде искусственного интеллекта будет ущербным. Поэтому, в развитии аппаратной и программной базы технологий образования необходимо учитывать психолого-педагогические теории коннективизма, социального обучения, множественного интеллекта и других. The purpose of the paper is to compare the development trends of information and communication environment, the global educational space and pedagogical ideas, which directly or indirectly affect the application of ICT in education. The study has been based on the foresight results and the content of the Internet publications on the prospects for sustainable development of education in the context of UNESCO Incheon Declaration for Education 2030. The content analysis of pedagogical publications has demonstrated that the current understanding of knowledge appeals to its socialization and dissemination in the global network environment, whose technological basis is rapidly growing. The educational process in the Learning Society is regarded as a distributed one among some formal education establishments (“universities of the world for one”) and the community of content curators. The function of content curators is to deliver comments, generalize and promote new information that supports learning needs of different global network users. The relation model of the subjects of the informational and educational space has been described. The model includes lecturers and learners as well as the content curators. The necessity of humanitarian potential development in the informational and communicational environment has been argued as well as the development of a creative class of people who share their existential experience, knowledge and wisdom. The development of every society member in the robot-based artificial intelligence environment has been considered to be defective without any interpersonal interaction and learners’ activity in the online community. Thus, the psychological and pedagogical theories of connectionism, social learning, multiple intelligences, and some others are to be recognized in the development of hardware and software base for education technologies

Effect of nanosized filler on mechanical properties of epoxy compositesafter electron irradiation

Введение нанодисперсных наполнителей в полимеры является перспективным способом получения материалов с улучшенными характеристиками и может способствовать повышению радиационнойстойкости. В данной работе приготовлены образцы из эпоксидной смолы без наполнителя и с наполнителем - нанодисперсным алюминием (0,35 мас. %).Изучены механические характеристики образцов после облучения потоком электронов дозами 30, 100 и 300 кГр. Введение нанопорошка алюминия в эпоксидную смолу привело к повышению устойчивости полимера к радиационному воздействию.The introduction of nanosized fillers in polymers is a promising way to obtain materials with improvedproperties and can enhance the radiation resistance. In this study, the samples were prepared from the epoxy resinwithout filler and filled with nanodispersed aluminum (0.35 wt.%).The mechanical characteristics of the samplesafter irradiation with an electron beam of doses 30, 100 and 300 kGy were studied. The introduction of aluminumnanopowder in epoxy resin resulted in increased resistance to radiation

Modeling of Novel Diagnostic Strategies for Active Tuberculosis – A Systematic Review: Current Practices and Recommendations

Introduction: The field of diagnostics for active tuberculosis (TB) is rapidly developing. TB diagnostic modeling can help to inform policy makers and support complicated decisions on diagnostic strategy, with important budgetary implications. Demand for TB diagnostic modeling is likely to increase, and an evaluation of current practice is important. We aimed to systematically review all studies employing mathematical modeling to evaluate cost-effectiveness or epidemiological impact of novel diagnostic strategies for active TB. Methods: Pubmed, personal libraries and reference lists were searched to identify eligible papers. We extracted data on a wide variety of model structure, parameter choices, sensitivity analyses and study conclusions, which were discussed during a meeting of content experts. Results & Discussion From 5619 records a total of 36 papers were included in the analysis. Sixteen papers included population impact/transmission modeling, 5 were health systems models, and 24 included estimates of cost-effectiveness. Transmission and health systems models included specific structure to explore the importance of the diagnostic pathway (n = 4), key determinants of diagnostic delay (n = 5), operational context (n = 5), and the pre-diagnostic infectious period (n = 1). The majority of models implemented sensitivity analysis, although only 18 studies described multi-way sensitivity analysis of more than 2 parameters simultaneously. Among the models used to make cost-effectiveness estimates, most frequent diagnostic assays studied included Xpert MTB/RIF (n = 7), and alternative nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) (n = 4). Most (n = 16) of the cost-effectiveness models compared new assays to an existing baseline and generated an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). Conclusion: Although models have addressed a small number of important issues, many decisions regarding implementation of TB diagnostics are being made without the full benefits of insight from mathematical models. Further models are needed that address a wider array of diagnostic and epidemiological settings, that explore the inherent uncertainty of models and that include additional epidemiological data on transmission implications of false-negative diagnosis and the pre-diagnostic period

The Impact of Antiretroviral Therapy on Mortality in HIV Positive People during Tuberculosis Treatment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective: To quantify the impact of antiretroviral therapy (ART) on mortality in HIV-positive people during tuberculosis (TB) treatment. Design: We conducted a systematic literature review and meta-analysis. Studies published from 1996 through February 15, 2013, were identified by searching electronic resources (Pubmed and Embase) and conference books, manual searches of references, and expert consultation. Pooled estimates for the outcome of interest were acquired using random effects meta-analysis. Subjects The study population included individuals receiving ART before or during TB treatment. Main Outcome Measures: Main outcome measures were: (i) TB-case fatality ratio (CFR), defined as the proportion of individuals dying during TB treatment and, if mortality in HIV-positive people not on ART was also reported, (ii) the relative risk of death during TB treatment by ART status. Results: Twenty-one studies were included in the systematic review. Random effects pooled meta-analysis estimated the CFR between 8% and 14% (pooled estimate 11%). Among HIV-positive TB cases, those receiving ART had a reduction in mortality during TB treatment of between 44% and 71% (RR = 0.42, 95%CI: 0.29–0.56). Conclusion: Starting ART before or during TB therapy reduces the risk of death during TB treatment by around three-fifths in clinical settings. National programmes should continue to expand coverage of ART for HIV positive in order to control the dual epidemic

Sex Differences in Tuberculosis Burden and Notifications in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) case notification rates are usually higher in men than in women, but notification data are insufficient to measure sex differences in disease burden. This review set out to systematically investigate whether sex ratios in case notifications reflect differences in disease prevalence and to identify gaps in access to and/or utilisation of diagnostic services. METHODS AND FINDINGS: In accordance with the published protocol (CRD42015022163), TB prevalence surveys in nationally representative and sub-national adult populations (age ≥ 15 y) in low- and middle-income countries published between 1 January 1993 and 15 March 2016 were identified through searches of PubMed, Embase, Global Health, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews; review of abstracts; and correspondence with the World Health Organization. Random-effects meta-analyses examined male-to-female (M:F) ratios in TB prevalence and prevalence-to-notification (P:N) ratios for smear-positive TB. Meta-regression was done to identify factors associated with higher M:F ratios in prevalence and higher P:N ratios. Eighty-three publications describing 88 surveys with over 3.1 million participants in 28 countries were identified (36 surveys in Africa, three in the Americas, four in the Eastern Mediterranean, 28 in South-East Asia and 17 in the Western Pacific). Fifty-six surveys reported in 53 publications were included in quantitative analyses. Overall random-effects weighted M:F prevalence ratios were 2.21 (95% CI 1.92-2.54; 56 surveys) for bacteriologically positive TB and 2.51 (95% CI 2.07-3.04; 40 surveys) for smear-positive TB. M:F prevalence ratios were highest in South-East Asia and in surveys that did not require self-report of signs/symptoms in initial screening procedures. The summary random-effects weighted M:F ratio for P:N ratios was 1.55 (95% CI 1.25-1.91; 34 surveys). We intended to stratify the analyses by age, HIV status, and rural or urban setting; however, few studies reported such data. CONCLUSIONS: TB prevalence is significantly higher among men than women in low- and middle-income countries, with strong evidence that men are disadvantaged in seeking and/or accessing TB care in many settings. Global strategies and national TB programmes should recognise men as an underserved high-risk group and improve men's access to diagnostic and screening services to reduce the overall burden of TB more effectively and ensure gender equity in TB care

Impact of atrial programmed electrical stimulation techniques on unipolar electrogram morphology

Introduction: Intra-atrial conduction abnormalities are associated with the development of atrial fibrillation (AF) and cause morphological changes of the unipolar atrial electrogram (U-AEGM). This study examined the impact of

Estimating the contribution of transmission in primary healthcare clinics to community-wide TB disease incidence, and the impact of infection prevention and control interventions, in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

BACKGROUND: There is a high risk of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) transmission in healthcare facilities in high burden settings. WHO guidelines on tuberculosis (TB) infection prevention and control (IPC) recommend a range of measures to reduce transmission in healthcare settings. These were evaluated primarily based on evidence for their effects on transmission to healthcare workers in hospitals. To estimate the overall impact of IPC interventions, it is necessary to also consider their impact on community-wide TB incidence and mortality. METHODS: We developed an individual-based model of Mtb transmission in households, primary healthcare (PHC) clinics, and all other congregate settings. The model was parameterised using data from a high HIV prevalence community in South Africa, including data on social contact by setting, by sex, age, and HIV/antiretroviral therapy status; and data on TB prevalence in clinic attendees and the general population. We estimated the proportion of disease in adults that resulted from transmission in PHC clinics, and the impact of a range of IPC interventions in clinics on community-wide TB. RESULTS: We estimate that 7.6% (plausible range 3.9%-13.9%) of non-multidrug resistant and multidrug resistant TB in adults resulted directly from transmission in PHC clinics in the community in 2019. The proportion is higher in HIV-positive people, at 9.3% (4.8%-16.8%), compared with 5.3% (2.7%-10.1%) in HIV-negative people. We estimate that IPC interventions could reduce incident TB cases in the community in 2021-2030 by 3.4%-8.0%, and deaths by 3.0%-7.2%. CONCLUSIONS: A non-trivial proportion of TB results from transmission in clinics in the study community, particularly in HIV-positive people. Implementing IPC interventions could lead to moderate reductions in disease burden. We recommend that IPC measures in clinics should be implemented for their benefits to staff and patients, but also for their likely effects on TB incidence and mortality in the surrounding community

The potential impact of COVID-19-related disruption on tuberculosis burden.

Before the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, over 4000 people were dying from tuberculosis (TB) every day. As with past emergencies, the impact of COVID-19 on TB outcomes is a serious cause for concern but is currently unknown. Health system overload, due to high numbers of COVID-19 cases, as well as interventions necessary to limit the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), could result in severe reductions in health service availability and access for the detection and treatment of TB cases. However, physical distancing interventions could also limit Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission outside of households, where most transmission occurs. This has not been adequately explored in concurrent work, and it is currently unclear whether social distancing could compensate for disruptions in TB services, and what the impact of these combined COVID-19 disruption effects on TB burden is likely to be