Scholarly Communication: From Understanding to Engagement

Presentation given at the 2017 CIT conference reporting on the results of the 2016 Innovation in Instructional Technology Grant

Characteristics and Needs of Children and Adolescents Diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Santa Clara County, California

Objective: The study objectives were to examine the characteristics and perceived needs of children and adolescents diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Design: Data were gathered via self-administered questionnaires pertaining to demographics, family history of type 2 diabetes, physical characteristics, lifestyle/exercise behaviors, dietary behaviors and interests in meeting other youth with type 2 diabetes. Subjects and their parents/guardians were asked to complete separate questionnaires and afterwards, each youth participated in a follow-up interview related to diabetes management. Subjects: Participants (N=14) were obtained from a population of youth diagnosed with type 2 diabetes seeking medical care at the Kaiser Santa Teresa Pediatric Endocrine Clinic in Santa Clara, CA. Eleven of the subjects were Latino (79%) and the remaining 3 were Asian American (21%). Subjects ranged in age from 10 to 18 years with a mean age of 13.8 ± 2.3 years. The mean age at diagnosis was 12.7 ± 2.3 years with a range from eightand-a-half years to 17 years when first diagnosed. The mean body mass index (BMI) of the participants was 33.5 ± 6.2 kg/m2 . Statistical Analysis: Descriptive statistics were utilized for all analyses including discrete and continuous data to determine counts, percentages, means, and standard deviations. Results: The youth characteristics in the present study were consistent with previous studies that have examined the demographics, physical characteristics, and family history of type 2 diabetes among youth in the United States. Acanthosis nigricans, a hyperinsulinemic condition, was present in 10 of the 14 (71%) of the youth and most were overweight or obese with a mean BMI of 33.5 ± 6.2 kg/m2 . A positive family history for diabetes was evident in most subjects, however, this positive history did not lead to an increase in diabetes knowledge among youth. Most youth subjects were sedentary and were more likely to make dietary changes than exercise changes to manage their diabetes. Interests in attending youth summer camps or family camps geared towards diabetes education were quite high. As the characteristics and diabetes risk factors of type 2 diabetes among youth continue to be identified, and as it continues to increase in this population, culturally appropriate prevention programs will need to be designed and implemented to address the needs of this unique population

Evaluating Physical Activity Resources to Support Health Equity in Arizona

We evaluated physical activity (PA) resources in lower-income Arizona communities to support the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – Education (SNAP-Ed) in pursuing equitable policy, systems, and environment (PSE) interventions. In 2017, 71 PA resources across 10 counties (65% parks) were rated using the Physical Activity Resource Assessment (PARA) tool. Accessibility was high, but condition scores and attractiveness varied across resources, with no rural/urban differences. Results suggest that Extension SNAP-Ed staff can be agents of change by assessing resource condition where physical activity health inequities may exist and then convening partners to begin to address needed changes

Designing a High-Power Sodium-Ion Battery by in Situ Metal Plating

Sodium ion batteries represent a drop-in technology and a more sustainable alternative to Li-ion, but higher energies and power levels are required to meet the demands required by a greener electrification. Here, the design of an anode-free sodium-ion battery is presented and its performances discussed in terms of reduced mass and high power capabilities. The cell consists of an Iron Hexacyanoferrate - reduced Graphene Oxide composite as cathode material whose synthesis is tailored to achieve minimal structural defects (3%) and water content. Its high-potential redox couple FeLS(C) is stabilized at high rates, granting the full cell with high discharge voltage and power. As negative substrate, a carbon coated aluminum foil was adopted for in situ plating/stripping of Na metal, showing very small voltage hysteresis up to an applied current of 2 mA/cm2. Overall, this simplified full cell architecture can deliver up to 340 Wh/kg and 500 W/kg at nominal 1C retaining 80% in 250 cycles, with the possibility of delivering 9000 W/kg at 20C. Bridging the boundaries between batteries and supercapacitors, this research aims to expand the range of possible applications for Na-ion technology

Opportunities and challenges of the digital lifespan:views of service providers and citizens in the UK

<p>Information about UK citizens’ use of digital technologies is often expressed in statistics – x% lack Internet access; y% get online to engage in online banking, update social media sites, or participate in online auctions. There are many social implications to digital technology use, however – individuals may communicate online as a major way to stay in touch with friends and family, and as Internet access rises and government and public sector budgets shrink, online services become an increasingly attractive way for government and public sector service providers to communicate with citizens. This paper presents selected results of an exploratory study designed to investigate the digital personhood of UK citizens through interviews with participants at three life transitions: leaving secondary school, becoming a parent, and retiring from work. Digital personhood in this paper implies identity information online, and some interaction with others around that information. We then report on our presentation of a selection of these results to thirteen stakeholders who represented UK government departments, public sector organisations, and industry. We found that citizen and stakeholder concerns were quite different, especially at the new parent life transition, and that stakeholders tended to <i>underestimate</i> the willingness and ability of citizens to become involved online with the government and public sector, and <i>overestimate</i> citizens’ vulnerability online. Future research should investigate practical strategies for increasing communication between stakeholders and citizens, and also how to encourage stakeholders to work together to benefit their common clientele – the citizens.</p

Digital Photographic Practices as Expressions of Personhood and Identity:Variations Across School Leavers and Recent Retirees

Over the last two decades, digital photography has been adopted by young and old. Many young adults easily take photos, share them across multiple social networks using smartphones, and create digital identities for themselves consciously and unconsciously. Is the same true for older adults? As part of a larger mixed-methods study of online life in the UK, we considered digital photographic practices at two life transitions: leaving secondary school and retiring from work. In this paper, we report on a complex picture of different kinds of interactions with visual media online, and variation across age groups in the construction of digital identities. In doing so, we argue for a blurring of the distinctions between Chalfen’s ‘Kodak Culture’ and Miller and Edwards’ ‘Snaprs’. The camera lens often faces inwards for young adults: tagged ‘Selfies’ and images co-constructed with social network members commonly contribute to their digital identities. In contrast, retirees turn the camera’s lens outwards towards the world, not inwards to themselves. In concluding, we pay special attention to the digital social norms of co-creation of self and balancing convenience and privacy for people of varying ages, and what our findings mean for the future of photo-sharing as a form of self-expression, as today’s young adults grow old and retire

Laparoscopic motor learning and workspace exploration

Background: Laparoscopic surgery requires operators to learn novel complex movement patterns. However, our understanding of how best to train surgeons’ motor skills is inadequate and research is needed to determine optimal laparoscopic training regimes. This difficulty is confounded by variables inherent in surgical practice – e.g. the increasing prevalence of morbidly obese patients presents additional challenges related to restriction of movement due to abdominal wall resistance and reduced intra-abdominal space. The aim of this study was to assess learning of a surgery related task in constrained and unconstrained conditions using a novel system linking a commercially available robotic arm with specialised software creating the novel kinematic assessment tool (Omni-KAT). Methods: We created an experimental tool that records motor performance by linking a commercially available robotic arm with specialised software that presents visual stimuli and objectively measures movement outcome (kinematics). Participants were given the task of generating aiming movements along a horizontal plane to move a visual cursor on a vertical screen. One group received training that constrained movements to the correct plane whilst the other group was unconstrained and could explore the entire ‘action space’. Results: The tool successfully generated the requisite force fields and precisely recorded the aiming movements. Consistent with predictions from structural learning theory, the unconstrained group produced better performance after training as indexed by movement duration (p < .05). Conclusion: The data showed improved performance for participants who explored the entire action space, highlighting the importance of learning the full dynamics of laparoscopic instruments. These findings, alongside the development of the Omni-KAT, open up exciting prospects for better understanding of the learning processes behind surgical training and investigating ways in which learning can be optimised

Rich pictures for stakeholder dialogue:A polyphonic picture book

We describe the design and use of a ‘polyphonic picture book’ for engaging stakeholders and research participants with findings from an interdisciplinary project investigating how UK citizens create and manage online identities at three significant life transitions. The project delivered socio-cultural and technical findings to inform policy-making and service innovation for enhancing digital literacy in online self-representation. The picture book presented findings through multi-perspectival, fictional scenarios about experiences of life transition. We describe our use of the book with our stakeholders in five workshop settings and our evaluation of the visual format for fostering stakeholder dialogue around the findings and their transferability. This paper contributes methodological insights about using visual storytelling to scaffold interpretative, dialogical contexts of research engagement