A review of data analysis for early-childhood period: taxonomy, motivations, challenges, recommendation, and methodological aspects

Early childhood is a significant period when transitions take place in children. This period is a hot topic among researchers who pursue this domain across different scientific disciplines. Many studies addressed social, scientific, medical, and technical topics during early childhood. Researchers also utilized different analysis measures to conduct experiments on the different types of data related to the early childhood to produce research articles. This paper aims to review and analyze the literature related to early childhood in addition to the data analyses and the types of data used. The factors that were considered to boost the understanding of contextual aspects in the published studies related to early childhood were considered as open challenges, motivations, and recommendations of researchers who aimed to advance the study in this area of science. We systematically searched articles on topics related to early childhood, the data analysis approaches used, and the types of data applied. The search was conducted on five major databases, namely, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Web of Science, IEEE Xplore, and PubMed from 2013 to September 2017. These indices were considered sufficiently extensive and reliable to cover our field of the literature. Articles were selected on the basis of our inclusion and exclusion criteria (n = 233). The first portion of studies (n = 103/233) focused on the different aspects related to the development of children in early age. They discussed different topics, such as the body growth development of children, psychology, skills, and other related topics that overlap between two or more of the previous topics or do not fall into any of the categories but are still under development. The second portion of studies (n = 107/233) focused on different aspects associated with health in early childhood. A number of topics were discussed in this regard, such as those related to family health, medical procedures, interventions, and risk that address the health-related aspects, in addition to other related topics that overlap between two or more of the previous topics or do not fall into any of the categories but are still under health. The remaining studies (n = 23/233) were categorized to the other main category because they overlap between the previous two major categories, namely, development and health, or they do not fall into any of the previous main categories. Early childhood is a sensitive period in every child’s life. This period was studied using different means of data analysis and with the aid of different data types to produce different findings from the previous studies. Research areas on early childhood vary, but they are equally significant. This paper emphasizes the current standpoint and opportunities for research in this area and boosts additional efforts toward the understanding of this research field

A systematic literature review on the use of podcasts in education among university students

Technology such as multimedia, particularly podcasts, is becoming more widely used in educational settings. The podcasts have been utilized at many levels of education, including elementary, secondary, and tertiary education. Along with this, many articles were written and published about the use of podcasts in education among university students. Our main objective in this study is to examine the use of podcasts in higher education among university students by systematically searching the Scopus database for papers relevant to the study. Eighteen papers were chosen and retrieved, then meticulously studied to uncover the new themes that have been classified as the result. The review found that podcasts have a favorable impact on university students and help them better understand the learning process. It also highlights the limits in its deployment that need to be addressed in order to improve the teaching and learning process

Benign Yellow Dot Maculopathy: A New Macular Phenotype

PURPOSE: To describe a novel macular phenotype that is associated with normal visual function. DESIGN: Retrospective, observational case series. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-six affected individuals from 23 unrelated families. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of patients who had a characteristic macular phenotype. Subjects underwent a full ocular examination, electrophysiologic studies, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT), and fundus autofluorescence imaging. Genomic analyses were performed using haplotype sharing analysis and whole-exome sequencing. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Visual acuity, retinal features, electroretinography, and whole-exome sequencing. RESULTS: Twenty-six of 36 subjects were female. The median age of subjects at presentation was 15 years (range, 5–59 years). The majority of subjects were asymptomatic and presented after a routine eye examination (22/36 subjects) or after screening because of a positive family history (13/36 subjects) or by another ophthalmologist (1/36 subjects). Of the 3 symptomatic subjects, 2 had reduced visual acuity secondary to nonorganic visual loss and bilateral ametropic amblyopia with strabismus. Visual acuity was 0.18 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) or better in 30 of 33 subjects. Color vision was normal in all subjects tested, except for the subject with nonorganic visual loss. All subjects had bilateral symmetric multiple yellow dots at the macula. In the majority of subjects, these were evenly distributed throughout the fovea, but in 9 subjects they were concentrated in the nasal parafoveal area. The dots were hyperautofluorescent on fundus autofluorescence imaging. The OCT imaging was generally normal, but in 6 subjects subtle irregularities at the inner segment ellipsoid band were seen. Electrophysiologic studies identified normal macular function in 17 of 19 subjects and normal full-field retinal function in all subjects. Whole-exome analysis across 3 unrelated families found no pathogenic variants in known macular dystrophy genes. Haplotype sharing analysis in 1 family excluded linkage with the North Carolina macular dystrophy (MCDR1) locus. CONCLUSIONS: A new retinal phenotype is described, which is characterized by bilateral multiple early-onset yellow dots at the macula. Visual function is normal, and the condition is nonprogressive. In familial cases, the phenotype seems to be inherited in an autosomal dominant manner, but a causative gene is yet to be ascertained

Propranolol 0.2% eye micro-drops for retinopathy of prematurity : a prospective phase IIb study

Background: Oral propranolol reduces retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) progression, although not safely. Propranolol 0.1% eye micro-drops administered to newborns with stage 2 ROP are well-tolerated, but not sufficiently effective. Methods: A multi-center open-label trial was conducted to assess the safety and efficacy of propranolol 0.2% eye micro-drops in newborns with stage 1 ROP. The progression of the disease was evaluated with serial ophthalmologic examinations. Hemodynamic, respiratory, biochemical parameters, and propranolol plasma levels were monitored. Demographic and perinatal characteristics, co-morbidities and co-intervention incidences, together with ROP progression, were compared with a historical control group in the same centers participating in the trial. Results: Ninety-eight newborns were enrolled and compared with the historical control group. Populations were not perfectly homogeneous (as demonstrated by the differences in the Apgar score and the different incidence rate in surfactant administration and oxygen exposure). The progression to ROP stage 2 or 3 plus was significantly lower than the incidence expected on the basis of historical data (Risk Ratio 0.521, 95% CI 0.297- 0.916). No adverse effects related to propranolol were observed and the mean propranolol plasma level was significantly lower than the safety cutoff of 20 ng/mL. Unexpectedly, three newborns treated with oral propranolol before the appearance of ROP, showed a ROP that was unresponsive to propranolol eye micro-drops and required laser photocoagulation treatment. Conclusion: Propranolol 0.2% eye micro-drops were well-tolerated and appeared to reduce the ROP progression expected on the basis of a comparison with a historical control group. Propranolol administered too early appears to favor a more aggressive ROP, suggesting that a \u3b2-adrenoreceptor blockade is only useful during the proliferative phase. Further randomized placebo-controlled trials are required to confirm the current results

Iranian Male and Female Learners' Creativity in News Translation From A Sociolinguistic Perspective

Purpose: This article investigates the difference between Iranian male and female learners' creativity and their use of translation strategies in news translation from a sociolinguistic perspective. Approach/Methodology/Design: In terms of the sample, 50 (24 male and 26 female) M.A students of the English Translation at Islamic Azad University, Marvdasht Branch were randomly selected as participants of the study. Abedi's Creativity Test (1983) was used to differentiate male and female students' creativity. The test included 60 questions and was designed based on four different subcategories of creativity. Saibua's Model (1985) was used to assess the strategies applied in the process of translation by male and female translators. Findings: There is no significant difference between Iranian male and female students' level of creativity and their use of translation strategies in news translation at P ≤ 0.05. Practical Implications: The results can be used to uncover the difference between male and female learners' levels of creativity in transferring source text to target text. Various news translators can draw on the results of this study as a guideline to solve problems that could occur when translating because the strategies mentioned in this study are applicable. In addition, the results may be helpful for the translators of any kind of text because the concepts of these strategies can be adapted or applied for almost every type of text. Originality/value: The study investigates the difference between male and female learners' ability to transfer ST to TT by using translation strategies

Recursive Fuzzy Predictions of Future Patient Paths to Support Clinical Decision Making in ICU

Non peer reviewe