Projective geometry and spatial reasoning for STEM learning

Projective geometry is a prominent area in many fields including art, design, architecture, and mathematics, but how it can contribute to children’s spatial reasoning as well as a supplementary geometry to that of Euclid’s in school mathematics curricula raises the need for further consideration. With emphasis on the dynamic relationship between 2D and 3D objects, projective geometry not only offers important concepts but a meaningful context in which to develop spatial reasoning for STEM learning. In this article, we overview spatial reasoning as it relates to STEM and in particular, mathematics. Making a case for projective geometry, we present activities for the classroom, demonstrating how this mathematics topic connects to and opens new possibilities to promote spatial reasoning for STEM learning in the elementary grades

Layering methodological tools to represent classroom collectivity

Our research is guided by the question: “How might we observe, document, display, and analyze data from a collective systems perspective?” In this research forum, we share new research tools for studying mathematics classrooms, highlight opportunities for observation and analysis by layering these tools, and then illustrate how the layering of tools allows for visual distinctions across lessons and classrooms.Research was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

Factors predicting clinically significant fatigue in women following treatment for primary breast cancer

Cancer-related fatigue is common, complex, and distressing. It affects 70–100% of patients receiving chemotherapy and a significant number who have completed their treatments. We assessed a number of variables in women newly diagnosed with primary breast cancer (BrCa) to determine whether biological and/or functional measures are likely to be associated with the development of clinically significant fatigue (CSF). Two hundred twenty-three women participated in a study designed to document the impact of the diagnosis and treatment of primary breast cancer on function. Forty-four had complete data on all variables of interest at the time of confirmed diagnosis but prior to treatment (baseline) and ≥9 months post-diagnosis. Objective measures and descriptive variables included history, physical examination, limb volume, hemoglobin, white blood cell count, and glucose. Patient-reported outcomes included a verbal numerical rating of fatigue (0–10, a score of ≥4 was CSF), five subscales of the SF-36, Physical Activity Survey, and Sleep Questionnaire. At baseline, the entire cohort (n = 223) and the subset (n = 44) were not significantly different for demographic, biological, and self-reported data, except for younger age (p = 0.03) and ER+ (p = 0.01). Forty-five percent had body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25, 52% were post-menopause, and 52% received modified radical mastectomy, 39% lumpectomy, 52% chemotherapy, 68% radiation, and 86% hormonal therapy. Number of patients with CSF increased from 1 at baseline to 11 at ≥9 months of follow-up. CSF at ≥9 months significantly correlated with BMI ≥ 25, abnormal white blood cell count, and increase in limb volume and inversely correlated with vigorous activity and physical function (p < 0.05). Fatigue increases significantly following the treatment of BrCa. Predictors of CSF include high BMI and WBC count, increase in limb volume, and low level of physical activity. These are remediable

Multiorgan MRI findings after hospitalisation with COVID-19 in the UK (C-MORE): a prospective, multicentre, observational cohort study

Introduction: The multiorgan impact of moderate to severe coronavirus infections in the post-acute phase is still poorly understood. We aimed to evaluate the excess burden of multiorgan abnormalities after hospitalisation with COVID-19, evaluate their determinants, and explore associations with patient-related outcome measures. Methods: In a prospective, UK-wide, multicentre MRI follow-up study (C-MORE), adults (aged ≥18 years) discharged from hospital following COVID-19 who were included in Tier 2 of the Post-hospitalisation COVID-19 study (PHOSP-COVID) and contemporary controls with no evidence of previous COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid antibody negative) underwent multiorgan MRI (lungs, heart, brain, liver, and kidneys) with quantitative and qualitative assessment of images and clinical adjudication when relevant. Individuals with end-stage renal failure or contraindications to MRI were excluded. Participants also underwent detailed recording of symptoms, and physiological and biochemical tests. The primary outcome was the excess burden of multiorgan abnormalities (two or more organs) relative to controls, with further adjustments for potential confounders. The C-MORE study is ongoing and is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04510025. Findings: Of 2710 participants in Tier 2 of PHOSP-COVID, 531 were recruited across 13 UK-wide C-MORE sites. After exclusions, 259 C-MORE patients (mean age 57 years [SD 12]; 158 [61%] male and 101 [39%] female) who were discharged from hospital with PCR-confirmed or clinically diagnosed COVID-19 between March 1, 2020, and Nov 1, 2021, and 52 non-COVID-19 controls from the community (mean age 49 years [SD 14]; 30 [58%] male and 22 [42%] female) were included in the analysis. Patients were assessed at a median of 5·0 months (IQR 4·2–6·3) after hospital discharge. Compared with non-COVID-19 controls, patients were older, living with more obesity, and had more comorbidities. Multiorgan abnormalities on MRI were more frequent in patients than in controls (157 [61%] of 259 vs 14 [27%] of 52; p&lt;0·0001) and independently associated with COVID-19 status (odds ratio [OR] 2·9 [95% CI 1·5–5·8]; padjusted=0·0023) after adjusting for relevant confounders. Compared with controls, patients were more likely to have MRI evidence of lung abnormalities (p=0·0001; parenchymal abnormalities), brain abnormalities (p&lt;0·0001; more white matter hyperintensities and regional brain volume reduction), and kidney abnormalities (p=0·014; lower medullary T1 and loss of corticomedullary differentiation), whereas cardiac and liver MRI abnormalities were similar between patients and controls. Patients with multiorgan abnormalities were older (difference in mean age 7 years [95% CI 4–10]; mean age of 59·8 years [SD 11·7] with multiorgan abnormalities vs mean age of 52·8 years [11·9] without multiorgan abnormalities; p&lt;0·0001), more likely to have three or more comorbidities (OR 2·47 [1·32–4·82]; padjusted=0·0059), and more likely to have a more severe acute infection (acute CRP &gt;5mg/L, OR 3·55 [1·23–11·88]; padjusted=0·025) than those without multiorgan abnormalities. Presence of lung MRI abnormalities was associated with a two-fold higher risk of chest tightness, and multiorgan MRI abnormalities were associated with severe and very severe persistent physical and mental health impairment (PHOSP-COVID symptom clusters) after hospitalisation. Interpretation: After hospitalisation for COVID-19, people are at risk of multiorgan abnormalities in the medium term. Our findings emphasise the need for proactive multidisciplinary care pathways, with the potential for imaging to guide surveillance frequency and therapeutic stratification

Spatial Thinking and Children's Drawings

Non UBCUnreviewedAuthor affiliation: University of AlbertaFacult

Mathematics Curriculum Change: Identifying Parental Expectations

Parents’growing concerns about the current approaches to learning mathematics in elementary school have drawn public attention in Canada. Rather than dismiss such concerns, understanding parent perceptions and garnering their support is essential to ongoing curriculum transformation and students’ success in mathematics learning. Using phenomenography, we examined parents’ perceptions of the current mathematics curriculum and their children’s experiences as expressed in community-based focus groups and individual interviews. Parents responded based on their past experiences, their views of children’s current experiences and their future aspirations for their children. Our analysis of parents’ perspectives revealed that their concerns and critiques were grounded in the expectations they held for their children’s mathematics learning. In particular, parental expectations fell into three categories: students need the opportunity to reach expected goals of mathematics learning; essential supports must be in place to reach expected goals; and, home-school communication is necessary for parent understanding and engagement. We suggest that by understanding the specific expectations that underlie parents’ concerns, teachers can engage in conversations that begin with affirming mutual expectations and respecting parents’ personal experiences to lead to partnering with parents as they realize their agency in their children’s learning

Segmental Limb Volume Change as a Predictor of the Onset of Lymphedema in Women With Early Breast Cancer

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146851/1/pmr21098.pd

Exploring Species Boundaries of Thelesperma (Astaraceae) on Gypsum Using Phylogenetic and Morphometric Analysis

Gypsum is a naturally occurring mineral that exists as surface outcrops in some regions of the world and that is a relatively harsh environment for plant life. Nevertheless, such outcrops host numerous plant species that grow only on the substrate gypsum and are adapted to nutrient-poor conditions. Thelesperma is a genus of thirteen species in the sunflower family that often occupy gypsum in the Chihuahuan Desert region of northern Mexico and southwestern USA, including one species restricted to gypsum. The evolutionary relationships of these populations along with all other species of Thelesperma were constructed by generating DNA sequences of the nuclear ITS (1A/4) region and two chloroplast regions (the ndhF/rpl32 and rpl32/trnL spacer regions). This sequence data revealed that populations of T. longipes and T. megapotamicum possessed diverse sequences that grouped into a few distinct clades, possibly representing new species. Therefore, the current study aims to test whether individual clades of these two species are morphologically coherent but distinctive from each other, confirming that they are separate species through morphometric analysis of vegetative and reproductive characters. Herbarium samples will be used for morphometric analysis