Implementing Guided Inquiry Learning and Measuring Engagement Using an Electronic Health Record System in an Online Setting

In many courses, practical hands-on experience is critical for knowledge construction. In the traditional lab setting, this construction is easy to observe through student engagement. But in an online virtual lab, there are some challenges to track student engagement. Given the continuing trend of increased enrollment in online courses, learning sciences need to address these challenges soon. To measure student engagement and actualize a social constructivist approach to team-based learning in the virtual lab setting, we developed a novel monitoring tool in an open-source electronic health records system (EHR). The Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) approach is used to engage students in learning. In this paper, we present the practice of POGIL and how the monitoring tool measures student engagement in two online courses in the interdisciplinary field of Health Information Management. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt at integrating POGIL to improve learning sciences in the EHR clinical practice. While clinicians spend over 52% of a patient visit time on computers (called desktop medicine), there is very little focus on learning sciences and pedagogy to train clinicians. Our findings provide an approach to implement learning sciences theory to eHealth use training

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationTactile sensors are a group of sensors that are widely being developed for transduction of touch, force and pressure in the field of robotics, contact sensing and gait analysis. These sensors are employed to measure and register interactions between contact surfaces and the surrounding environment. Since these sensors have gained usage in the field of robotics and gait analysis, there is a need for these sensors to be ultra flexible, highly reliable and capable of measuring pressure and two-axial shear simultaneously. The sensors that are currently available are not capable of achieving all the aforementioned qualities. The goal of this work is to design and develop such a flexible tactile sensor array based on a capacitive sensing scheme and we call it the flexible tactile imager (FTI). The developed design can be easily multiplexed into a high-density array of 676 multi-fingered capacitors that are capable of measuring pressure and two-axial shear simultaneously while maintaining sensor flexibility and reliability. The sensitivity of normal and shear stress for the FTI are 0.74/MPa and 79.5/GPa, respectively, and the resolvable displacement and velocity are as low as 60 µm and 100 µm/s, respectively. The developed FTI demonstrates the ability to detect pressure and shear contours of objects rolling on top of it and capability to measure microdisplacement and microvelocities that are desirable during gait analysis

CORRELATION OF PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF CHONDROITIN SULFATE TO ITS IN-VITRO ABSORPTION AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY

The purpose of this study was to investigate if the molecular weight and degree of sulfation of chondroitin sulfate (CS) has an impact on its in vitro absorption and anti-inflammatory activity. For absorption studies, Caco-2 cells were incubated with eight CS samples of differing molecular weights (7 kDa - 35 kDa). The amount of CS transported into the basolateral side of the Caco-2 monolayer was quantitatively determined to calculate the permeability coefficients (Peff). The permeability coefficients of the eight different CS samples across Caco-2 cell monolayers were assessed. For anti-inflammatory studies, RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cells were pre incubated with the CS samples for an hour followed by addition of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The anti-inflammatory activity of CS samples was measured by the ability of CS samples to inhibit expression of a panel of inflammatory cytokines- tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-á), Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1â) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6). These inflammatory markers were quantitatively measured using ELISA and inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) production was measured using Griess reagent assay. Of the eight samples evaluated, four had a Peff value of 15 x 10-6 cm sec-1 or higher indicating moderate to high absorption. Two of the four samples with higher Peff values were high molecular weight compounds (~ 35 kDa). At concentrations of 5 µg/ml as well as 15 µg/ml, CS samples significantly inhibited expression of LPS induced TNF-á. Expression of IL-6 was inhibited by some of the CS samples at 15 µg/ml concentration but not at 5µg/ml. Under the experimental conditions, IL-1â and NO were not useful in estimating the anti-inflammatory activity of the CS samples. Statistical analysis which examined the relation between molecular weight and each of these inflammatory markers revealed no correlation (p\u3c0.05). Within the CS molecular weight range used in this experiment, the absorption of CS samples did not have a correlation with their molecular weights but, interestingly, correlation was observed between the absorption and percentage of 6-sulfated disaccharide in the CS samples. CS samples used in this study appeared to inhibit some of the inflammatory cytokines but no correlation seemed to exist between the molecular weights and anti-inflammatory activity of these samples

The role of parental stigma on self-stigma and help-seeking intentions: Differences between Asian, Asian American, and Caucasian American populations

The current study observed the relation between public stigma, self-stigma, student-perceived mother stigma, student-perceived father stigma, and help-seeking intentions for three ethnic groups: Asians, Asian Americans, and Caucasian Americans. A total of 804 (N = 319 Asians, N = 160 Asian Americans, and N =325 for Caucasian Americans) students at a large Midwestern university completed an online survey in fall 2016 and spring 2017. Data was analyzed using path analyses (MPlus 7.2) and hierarchical multiple regressions (SPSS 22). First, Vogel et al. (2007) stigma model (see Figure 1, 2) was a good fit for Asians, Asian Americans, and Caucasian Americans although self-stigma did not relate to intentions to seek help for Asian Americans. Second, the parent stigma model (see Figure 5), adding on student-perceived mother stigma and student-perceived father stigma to the Vogel et al. (2007) stigma model, was a better fit for Asians, but not for Asian Americans and Caucasian Americans. Last, Asian Americans and Caucasian Americans did not significantly vary on any paths of the parent stigma model. However, Asians did significantly vary from Asian Americans and Caucasian Americans. In particular, the relation of student-perceived mother stigma to self-stigma was significant for Asians but not Asian Americans, the relation of public stigma to help-seeking intentions was significant for Asians but not Caucasian Americans, and the relation of public stigma to self-stigma was significantly stronger for Caucasian Americans than Asians. Results were discussed based on prior research and cultural differences. Limitations, implications, and future studies were discussed

Identification and comparison of crash risk for older drivers

The focus of this research is to identify risk factors for older drivers (drivers of age greater than 65 years) involved in motor vehicle crashes and compare the risk factors with those for other age groups. Developing such risk factors helps in better understanding the causes of crashes involving older drivers. The risk factors are developed based on analyses of network characteristics and other related factors which have an impact on rate of crashes involving older drivers. The factors evaluated include crash severity, collision type, contributing factors, functional class and road class. Other information included in the analyses includes demographic data for the study area by age group, annual vehicle miles of travel, and annual passenger miles of travel by age group. Crash percentages and crash rates based on these factors and measures of exposure are calculated and used to identify risk factors. Descriptive analyses and statistical analyses were used to compare risks across various age groups. The statistical analyses included one-way ANOVA and the Kruskal-Wallis test to compare the crash rates across age groups and to determine the significance of any differences. Data from Clark County, Nevada, are used to demonstrate the application of the methodology; The results from the analysis show that the older drivers, especially those over 75 years of age, have a significantly higher percentage and rate of fatal crashes than those in younger age groups. The analyses based on the collision type show that older drivers have higher proportions of right-turn and left-turn crashes. Based on rates per million vehicle miles of travel (VMT) or per million passenger miles of travel, older drivers have a high proportion of crashes attributed to Failure to yield and Speed related factors. Improper lane change, improper turn, and failure to yield are factors for the older drivers which have higher rates than the average crash rate per million VMT. When functional class is considered, older drivers have higher crash risks on Principal arterials and Minor arterials. The results from analyses based on road characteristics show that the older drivers experience higher proportions of crashes on 6-lane roadways followed by 4-lane roadways. The crash rates appear to be higher on divided roadways than on undivided roadways. These results are valuable in developing strategies to enhance the safety of older drivers in terms of their involvement in motor vehicle crashes. The strategies could focus on education and outreach activities aimed at older drivers as well as engineering design and operational countermeasures.*; *This dissertation is a compound document (contains both a paper copy and a CD as part of the dissertation). The CD requires the following system requirements: Microsoft Office

A very high density floating electrode flexible sensor array for high-resolution measurements of contact forces

pre-printWe present the development, fabrication and testing results of a new high-density flexible sensor array (HDFA) suitable of recording three-axis stresses with high spatial resolution. The new HDFA consists of 676 (26×26) sensing cells fabricated on top of a high-density flex circuit substrate. Each sensing cell is implemented using four floating comb electrodes separated from the flex substrate by a thin layer of a compressible PDMS film. Each sensing cell measures 2.77×2.55 mm2 thus packing 2704 capacitors in an area of ~ 50 cm2. The HDFA is read using a high-speed switched-capacitor circuit with a 13-bit resolution at full frame rates of 100 Hz (~0.8Mb/s). The new array is capable of detecting contact line displacements as low as 35 μm and contact line velocities as low as 38 μm/s

A high-resolution flexible tactile imager system based on floating comb electrodes

pre-printFlexible high-resolution contact force imagers are needed in many applications for robotic grippers and gait analysis, but its intrinsic intimate contact requirement often causes breaking of top metallization layers and failure in a short time. The use of floating electrodes has significantly improved the reliability of traditional quad-cell capacitive tactile sensing devices. In this paper we present a new type of high-resolution (676-sensors) flexible pressure/shear imager array based on floating combs. Each sensing cell consists of two sets of orthogonal comb electrodes connected in a differential capacitance configuration. The shear sense direction (+x, -x, +y, -y) is determined by the amount of asymmetric comb overlap. Pressure readouts are obtained from the net capacitance of the cell. The new comb configuration multiplies the shear capacitive signal by the number of combs per cell. The imager is read using a high-speed switched-capacitor circuit with a 12-bit resolution at full frame rates of 100 Hz (~ 0.8Mb/s)

EXPLORATION OF MICROORGANISMS AS A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF XANTHINE OXIDASE INHIBITORS: AN UPDATED REVIEW

Nowadays the prevalence of hyperuricemia has significantly increased in which serum uric acid levels are exceeding the normal range. Gout is the predominant clinical implication of the hyperuricemia, but many clinical investigations have confirmed that hyperuricemia is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), hypertension, diabetes, and many other diseases. The xanthine oxidase (XO) converts hypoxanthine to xanthine and ultimately to uric acid, and the irreversibly accumulated uric acid causes hyperuricemia associated with gout. Hence specific and selective xanthine oxidase inhibitors (XOI) are potentially powerful tools for inactivating target XO in the pathogenic process of hyperuricemia (Gout). The objective of the current study was to overview the various XOI isolated from the microorganisms. Microorganisms have been employed for several decades for the large-scale production of a variety of bio-chemicals ranging from alcohol to antibiotics and as well as enzyme inhibitors. Currently available XOI (allopurinol and febuxostat) for the treatment of gout have been exhibiting serious side effects. Thus, there is a need to search for new molecules to treat hyperuricemia and its associated disorders. At present, microbes have been unexplored in the development of successful products for the management of XO-related diseases. Hence, the present review focused on novel XOI produced from various microbial species such as Actinobacteria, lichens, bacteria, endophytic fungi and mushrooms, which can be expected to play an important role in the ongoing transition from the empirical screening to the real rational drug design.Â

Analysis of Adsorbed Contaminants of CaF/sub 2/ Surfaces by Infrared Laser Induced Desorption

157 nm photolithography technologies are currently under development and have been accepted as the leading candidate for fabrication of the next generation semiconductor devices after 193 nm. At this and shorter wavelengths, molecular contamination of surfaces becomes a serious problem as almost all molecules absorb at 157 nm and below. The light transmitted by a photolithographic tool can be significantly decreased by the presence of a few monolayers adsorbed on its many optical surfaces. We have developed a laser induced desorption, electron impact ionization, time-of-flight mass spectrometer (LID TOFMS) to study contaminants on 157nm and other ultraviolet optics, e.g., polished CaF2. The LID TOFMS of CaF2(100) samples showed water ions, hydrocarbon ions, oxygen-containing hydrocarbon ions, as well as alkali metal ions (Na+,K+). For multiple irradiations of one site at fixed laser fluence, the ion intensities decreased as the number of pulses increased, suggesting that surface contaminants were being removed. A degenerate threshold model that assumes preferential adsorption at surface defects was employed to quantitatively analyze the LID data. Desorption thresholds for water and hydrocarbons were obtained from this model. © 2004 American Vacuum Societ