Refining an Instrument and Studying Elementary Teachers’ Understanding of the Scope of Engineering

To effectively incorporate engineering into their instruction, K–12 teachers need sufficient knowledge of the engineering discipline. An important component of teachers’ engineering knowledge is their understanding of the nature of engineering: what engineers do, the epistemological underpinnings of engineering, and the relationships between engineering and other fields of study. In this study, we present a quantitative tool that was developed to assess teachers’ knowledge of a particular nature of engineering dimension: the scope of engineering, which describes the demarcation between engineering and non-engineering. This tool was used to assess the knowledge of teachers and engineering graduate students, before and after they participated in a research project focused on improving elementary science and engineering instruction. Our results indicate that the scope of engineering knowledge of all participants, including the engineering graduate students, improved over the course of the project. Unexpectedly, we found that engineering graduate students were no more knowledgeable about the scope of engineering than the teachers in the study. We explore potential reasons for this result, propose recommendations for future use of the scope of engineering instrument, and discuss promising avenues for future instrument development

Enhancing Science for ELLs: Science strategies for English language learners that benefit all students.

Most of us recall the first time we had English Language Learners (ELLs) in our classrooms. What does this child understand? How do I help her feel comfortable when I can’t communicate in the same language? How do I teach academic subjects and monitor progress when he doesn’t speak the language of instruction? How will her peers act toward her? These concerns are often coupled with a fear that spending valuable instructional time helping the ELLs may cause us to neglect the bulk of our class who are not ELLs

Interprofessional Simulation Learning with Nursing and Pharmacy Students: A Qualitative Study

Health science students are increasingly learning in simulated situations within their own disciplines, but interprofessional simulation learning (ISL) does not occur as often and is rarely investigated. This research explored perceptions of undergraduate nursing (n=5) and pharmacy (n=4) students with respect to how ISL contributed to discipline-specific learning, to learning about the other profession, and to the development of interprofessional skills. The students were exposed to three ISL activities with data gathered from observation of the simulation sessions, individual interviews, and field notes. Content analysis was conducted. Student participants described the ISL activities as a positive learning experience. They learned how their professional cultures connected and found the activities contributed to feeling pride in their chosen profession. Many stereotypical perceptions about the other profession were dissipated. The positive outcomes resulting from the ISL activities have significant implications for curriculum content development and program delivery. Keywords: interprofessional simulation learning, nursing, pharmacy, qualitative, undergraduate education _______________ Les étudiants en sciences de la santé se servent de plus en plus de la simulation pour apprendre. Cependant cet apprentissage se fait habituellement au sein de leur propre profession. L’apprentissage par simulation dans un contexte interprofessionnel (ASI) est plus rare et peu de chercheurs se sont penchés sur ce genre de simulation. Dans cet article nous présentons les résultats d\u27un projet de recherche où nous avons exploré les perceptions de cinq étudiantes en sciences infirmières et de quatre étudiant(e)s en pharmacie. En particulier, nous avons cherché à comprendre comment l’ASI a contribué à l’apprentissage de contenu spécifique à la profession de l\u27étudiant, à augmenter sa connaissance d’une autre profession, et au développement d’habiletés interprofessionnelles. Les étudiants furent exposés à trois activités d’ASI. La cueillette de données a inclus l’observation pendant les ASI, les interviews individuels, et les notes de terrain. L’analyse des données a été effectuée par analyse de contenu. Les étudiants ont jugé que l’ASI était une expérience d’apprentissage positive. Ils ont appris que leurs cultures professionnelles étaient semblables et se sont sentis fiers de leur profession. L’ASI a aussi permis d’éliminer des perceptions stéréotypées concernant l’autre profession. Ces résultats ont des implications pour le développement du curriculum et sur la prestation des programmes. Mots clés: apprentissage par simulation, apprentissage interprofessionel sciences infirmières, pharmacie, étude qualitative, éducation au premier cycle universitaire

Promoção da saúde e qualidade de vida entre mães de pré-adolescentes: uma etnografia enfocada

Focused ethnography was used to identify beliefs, values and practices of Health Promotion and Quality of Life among mothers of preadolescents in Argentina. This study described how they influence their preadolescents' choices and protect them from risk behaviors. Data were collected from a purposive sample of 10 mothers, including participant observation, tape recorded interviews, field notes and personal diary, supplemented by genograms and used photographs as an option. Through content and theme analysis, we gained greater understanding of the role of mothers in protecting their children from health risk behaviors. We also identified the meaning of two care patterns and how the term "good life" made sense to them.A etnografia enfocada foi usada para aprender a respeito de crenças, valores e práticas de promoção da saúde e qualidade de vida entre mães de pré-adolescentes na Argentina. Este estudo descreve como as mães influenciam nas escolhas dos pré-adolescentes e protegem os jovens com respeito aos comportamentos de risco. Os dados foram coletados em uma amostra intencional de 10 mães, através da observação participante, entrevistas gravadas e notas de campo, suplementadas por genogramas e por fotografia como opção. O tratamento os dados foi feito mediante análise temática, e permitiu a compreensão do papel de proteção da mãe frente ao comportamento de risco, bem como de 2 padrões de cuidado e dos componentes do bom viver.Se utilizó etnografía enfocada para identificar creencias, valores y prácticas de Promoción de la Salud y Calidad de Vida entre madres de preadolescentes en Argentina. Se describió la influencia materna en las elecciones que hacen los preadolescentes y la protección de los jóvenes ante comportamientos de riesgo. Los datos se obtuvieron de una muestra intencional de 10 madres con observación participante, entrevistas grabadas, notas de campo y diario personal suplementadas con genogramas y fotografías como opción. El análisis temático de los datos condujo al significado del rol materno en la protección de los hijos ante comportamientos de riesgo para la salud. También se identificaron 2 patrones de cuidado y los componentes del "buen vivir"

Outcomes in patients with gunshot wounds to the brain.

Introduction:Gunshot wounds to the brain (GSWB) confer high lethality and uncertain recovery. It is unclear which patients benefit from aggressive resuscitation, and furthermore whether patients with GSWB undergoing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) have potential for survival or organ donation. Therefore, we sought to determine the rates of survival and organ donation, as well as identify factors associated with both outcomes in patients with GSWB undergoing CPR. Methods:We performed a retrospective, multicenter study at 25 US trauma centers including dates between June 1, 2011 and December 31, 2017. Patients were included if they suffered isolated GSWB and required CPR at a referring hospital, in the field, or in the trauma resuscitation room. Patients were excluded for significant torso or extremity injuries, or if pregnant. Binomial regression models were used to determine predictors of survival/organ donation. Results:825 patients met study criteria; the majority were male (87.6%) with a mean age of 36.5 years. Most (67%) underwent CPR in the field and 2.1% (n=17) survived to discharge. Of the non-survivors, 17.5% (n=141) were considered eligible donors, with a donation rate of 58.9% (n=83) in this group. Regression models found several predictors of survival. Hormone replacement was predictive of both survival and organ donation. Conclusion:We found that GSWB requiring CPR during trauma resuscitation was associated with a 2.1% survival rate and overall organ donation rate of 10.3%. Several factors appear to be favorably associated with survival, although predictions are uncertain due to the low number of survivors in this patient population. Hormone replacement was predictive of both survival and organ donation. These results are a starting point for determining appropriate treatment algorithms for this devastating clinical condition. Level of evidence:Level II

Physiotherapy students' perspectives of online e-learning for interdisciplinary management of chronic health conditions: A qualitative study

© 2016 Gardner et al. Background: To qualitatively explore physiotherapy students' perceptions of online e-learning for chronic disease management using a previously developed, innovative and interactive, evidence-based, e-learning package: Rheumatoid Arthritis for Physiotherapists e-Learning (RAP-eL). Methods: Physiotherapy students participated in three focus groups in Perth, Western Australia. Purposive sampling was employed to ensure maximum heterogeneity across age, gender and educational background. To explore students' perspectives on the advantages and disadvantages of online e-learning, ways to enhance e-learning, and information/learning gaps in relation to interdisciplinary management of chronic health conditions, a semi-structured interview schedule was developed. Verbatim transcripts were analysed using inductive methods within a grounded theory approach to derive key themes. Results: Twenty-three students (78 % female; 39 % with previous tertiary qualification) of mean (SD) age 23 (3.6) years participated. Students expressed a preference for a combination of both online e-learning and lecture-style learning formats for chronic disease management, citing flexibility to work at one's own pace and time, and access to comprehensive information as advantages of e-learning learning. Personal interaction and ability to clarify information immediately were considered advantages of lecture-style formats. Perceived knowledge gaps included practical application of interdisciplinary approaches to chronic disease management and developing and implementing physiotherapy management plans for people with chronic health conditions. Conclusions: Physiotherapy students preferred multi-modal and blended formats for learning about chronic disease management. This study highlights the need for further development of practically-oriented knowledge and skills related to interdisciplinary care for people with chronic conditions among physiotherapy students. While RAP-eL focuses on rheumatoid arthritis, the principles of learning apply to the broader context of chronic disease management

DNA mismatch repair gene MSH6 implicated in determining age at natural menopause

The length of female reproductive lifespan is associated with multiple adverse outcomes, including breast cancer, cardiovascular disease and infertility. The biological processes that govern the timing of the beginning and end of reproductive life are not well understood. Genetic variants are known to contribute to ∼50% of the variation in both age at menarche and menopause, but to date the known genes explain <15% of the genetic component. We have used genome-wide association in a bivariate meta-analysis of both traits to identify genes involved in determining reproductive lifespan. We observed significant genetic correlation between the two traits using genome-wide complex trait analysis. However, we found no robust statistical evidence for individual variants with an effect on both traits. A novel association with age at menopause was detected for a variant rs1800932 in the mismatch repair gene MSH6 (P = 1.9 × 10−9), which was also associated with altered expression levels of MSH6 mRNA in multiple tissues. This study contributes to the growing evidence that DNA repair processes play a key role in ovarian ageing and could be an important therapeutic target for infertilit

DNA mismatch repair gene MSH6 implicated in determining age at natural menopause

notes: PMCID: PMC3976329This is a freely-available open access publication. Please cite the published version which is available via the DOI link in this record.The length of female reproductive lifespan is associated with multiple adverse outcomes, including breast cancer, cardiovascular disease and infertility. The biological processes that govern the timing of the beginning and end of reproductive life are not well understood. Genetic variants are known to contribute to ∼50% of the variation in both age at menarche and menopause, but to date the known genes explain <15% of the genetic component. We have used genome-wide association in a bivariate meta-analysis of both traits to identify genes involved in determining reproductive lifespan. We observed significant genetic correlation between the two traits using genome-wide complex trait analysis. However, we found no robust statistical evidence for individual variants with an effect on both traits. A novel association with age at menopause was detected for a variant rs1800932 in the mismatch repair gene MSH6 (P = 1.9 × 10(-9)), which was also associated with altered expression levels of MSH6 mRNA in multiple tissues. This study contributes to the growing evidence that DNA repair processes play a key role in ovarian ageing and could be an important therapeutic target for infertility.UK Medical Research CouncilWellcome Trus

Particulate matter exposure during pregnancy is associated with birth weight, but not gestational age, 1962-1992: a cohort study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Exposure to air pollutants is suggested to adversely affect fetal growth, but the evidence remains inconsistent in relation to specific outcomes and exposure windows.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Using birth records from the two major maternity hospitals in Newcastle upon Tyne in northern England between 1961 and 1992, we constructed a database of all births to mothers resident within the city. Weekly black smoke exposure levels from routine data recorded at 20 air pollution monitoring stations were obtained and individual exposures were estimated via a two-stage modeling strategy, incorporating temporally and spatially varying covariates. Regression analyses, including 88,679 births, assessed potential associations between exposure to black smoke and birth weight, gestational age and birth weight standardized for gestational age and sex.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Significant associations were seen between black smoke and both standardized and unstandardized birth weight, but not for gestational age when adjusted for potential confounders. Not all associations were linear. For an increase in whole pregnancy black smoke exposure, from the 1^st(7.4 μg/m³) to the 25^th(17.2 μg/m³), 50^th(33.8 μg/m³), 75^th(108.3 μg/m³), and 90^th(180.8 μg/m³) percentiles, the adjusted estimated decreases in birth weight were 33 g (SE 1.05), 62 g (1.63), 98 g (2.26) and 109 g (2.44) respectively. A significant interaction was observed between socio-economic deprivation and black smoke on both standardized and unstandardized birth weight with increasing effects of black smoke in reducing birth weight seen with increasing socio-economic disadvantage.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The findings of this study progress the hypothesis that the association between black smoke and birth weight may be mediated through intrauterine growth restriction. The associations between black smoke and birth weight were of the same order of magnitude as those reported for passive smoking. These findings add to the growing evidence of the harmful effects of air pollution on birth outcomes.</p

The FANCM:p.Arg658* truncating variant is associated with risk of triple-negative breast cancer

Abstract: Breast cancer is a common disease partially caused by genetic risk factors. Germline pathogenic variants in DNA repair genes BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2, ATM, and CHEK2 are associated with breast cancer risk. FANCM, which encodes for a DNA translocase, has been proposed as a breast cancer predisposition gene, with greater effects for the ER-negative and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtypes. We tested the three recurrent protein-truncating variants FANCM:p.Arg658*, p.Gln1701*, and p.Arg1931* for association with breast cancer risk in 67,112 cases, 53,766 controls, and 26,662 carriers of pathogenic variants of BRCA1 or BRCA2. These three variants were also studied functionally by measuring survival and chromosome fragility in FANCM−/− patient-derived immortalized fibroblasts treated with diepoxybutane or olaparib. We observed that FANCM:p.Arg658* was associated with increased risk of ER-negative disease and TNBC (OR = 2.44, P = 0.034 and OR = 3.79; P = 0.009, respectively). In a country-restricted analysis, we confirmed the associations detected for FANCM:p.Arg658* and found that also FANCM:p.Arg1931* was associated with ER-negative breast cancer risk (OR = 1.96; P = 0.006). The functional results indicated that all three variants were deleterious affecting cell survival and chromosome stability with FANCM:p.Arg658* causing more severe phenotypes. In conclusion, we confirmed that the two rare FANCM deleterious variants p.Arg658* and p.Arg1931* are risk factors for ER-negative and TNBC subtypes. Overall our data suggest that the effect of truncating variants on breast cancer risk may depend on their position in the gene. Cell sensitivity to olaparib exposure, identifies a possible therapeutic option to treat FANCM-associated tumors