Unplugged Learning in the Kindergarten Computer Science Classroom

The purpose of this action research study was to determine the impact of teaching computer science to kindergarten using only unplugged learning rather than plugged or a mixture of plugged and unplugged learning on engagement. Participants included 71 kindergarten and transitional kindergarten students in a public school in rural central Iowa. Data was collected through behavior and off-task reminder tallies, as well as assessment data over nine classes equal to a trimester’s number of computer science classes. Students were taught using either strictly unplugged methods using games, books, manipulatives, and movement or a plugged/online curriculum using online puzzles and videos, including a couple of unplugged lessons. The study found that unplugged learning positively impacted behavior and off-task behavior. No statistical difference was shown in academic achievement; however, it is noted that more topics were covered in the unplugged group than that of the plugged group over the same amount of time. Overall, unplugged learning in kindergarten computer science class positively impacts engagement. The researcher recommends further studies extending the entire year of kindergarten, further studies extending the research through first grade should be considered as well

ANTENATAL ANXIETY PREDICTING CHILD OUTCOMES IN FRAGILE X SYNDROME

A relationship between maternal anxiety during pregnancy, known as antenatal anxiety, and negative child outcomes has been consistently shown in the literature. Children of mothers who experienced antenatal anxiety have higher rates of physical, behavioral, cognitive, and emotional deficits compared to children whose mothers did not experience clinical levels of anxiety during pregnancy. To date, research on antenatal anxiety and child outcomes is almost exclusively limited to non-clinical populations. Therefore, little is known about the relationship between maternal anxiety during pregnancy and suboptimal cognitive and behavioral development in children with disabilities. Families with fragile X syndrome (FXS) are a unique population with which to examine these relationships, as children with the full mutation have higher rates of problem behavior and cognitive deficits compared to typical children and mothers with the pre- and full-mutation are at an increased risk for developing psychopathology. The current study examines the relationship between maternal antenatal anxiety and child outcomes, specifically problem behavior, autistic symptoms, and HPA axis functioning in children with the full mutation. Results suggested that maternal antenatal anxiety significantly predicted child anxiety/depression. Current maternal anxiety was also predicative of child internalizing behaviors and attention problems. Implications of findings, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed

Modifications and Medications to Improve Alzheimer’s Disease from Type 2 Diabetes

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) are chronic conditions increasing in prevalence that impact the daily lives of those afflicted with them. AD and T2D are linked through the pathophysiology of insulin resistance. Thus, there are intersections that can allow the management of T2D to improve the treatment and prevention of AD. Modifiable risk factors, such as diet and physical activity level, play important roles in the health of T2D patients as well as in preventing AD. Medications traditionally used in the treatment of T2D, such as metformin, pioglitazone, and insulin, are being examined for use in the new context of treating AD. Improving patient education on chronic diseases and modifiable risk factors, as well as continuing research into applications of drugs to treat and prevent AD, can reduce much of the suffering associated with AD and other chronic illnesses, such as T2D

APRT – Another Pattern Recognition Tool

Understanding and using Design Patterns improves software quality through better comprehension of programs for both experienced developers and relative novices. Often design patterns are learned through simplified “toy” programs and exemplars that foreground the structure of the pattern. In production code the objects and methods that comprise the pattern can be hidden within a complex mesh of intra-code relationships. This paper introduces APRT, an ANTLR-based tool that recovers the structure of both static and dynamic patterns from large codebases so that they can be studied in context

The Current State of Healthcare in The United States: Barriers to Healthcare, Quality of Care, and Self-Reported Health

A primary goal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was to increase health insurance coverage, reduce health care costs, and improve quality of care. Insurance coverage expanded, however, the effect of the ACA on barriers to accessing care and quality of care is less apparent. Outcome variables related to barriers (having a usual source of care, delaying care due to cost, forgoing care due to cost) and quality (whether healthcare providers always: showed respect, spent enough time listened, explained; and an overall rating of providers) from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) were examined to evaluate whether barriers to healthcare and quality of care have changed since the implementation of the ACA. The analysis was performed on all adults who participated in MEPS aged 18-64 and on subgroups: young adults aged 18-25 due to the provision expanding coverage from their parents’ insurance; and adults aged 18-64 with a chronic condition and private insurance to assess secular background changes. In all groups, having a usual source of care decreased from 2009 to 2019 while delaying and forgoing care due to cost rose significantly. Quality of care showed differences across race; Whites reported no improvements or slight declines while all other races reported improvements. Results show that barriers to accessing care may have worsened from 2009 to 2019, however, some evidence suggests that the quality of care reported by minority racial groups have improved. It is unknow to what extent barriers to accessing care and quality of care impact health. Mental and physical self-reported health were examined as outcomes associated with barriers to accessing care and quality of care in all adults aged 18 and over who participated in the 2019 MEPS. Most of the sample reported good self-reported health, although the impact of barriers on self-reported health were largely negative, suggesting delaying or forgoing care due to cost is done at the expense of health. High quality of care was positively associated with good self-reported health in Whites. Results suggest that exposure to barriers to accessing care and a negative quality of care may have a negative impact on health

The development and application of a transposon insertion sequencing methodology in Escherichia coli BW25113

Escherichia coli is one of the most studied model organisms in biology. Even with decades of research, there are a substantial number of genes with an as yet unknown function. Previously, to determine the link between gene function and phenotype took significant experimental effort. However, newer methods are capable of providing large amounts of biological data in short timeframes. One such method, transposon insertion sequencing, is a powerful research tool, which couples transposon mutagenesis and next generation sequencing to identify genes that have important or essential functions. Here, three transposon insertion sequencing methods were compared. The techniques were adapted from previously published literature. Based on a number of metrics one technique was shown to be superior for data generation. This method was chosen for application in further transposon-insertion sequencing experiments. Subsequently, the optimised method was used to assess which genes were essential for the viability of the model organism E. coli K12. The results of this work were compared with the literature and other databases of gene essentiality. A high degree of concordance was observed between our datasets and those generated previously through other methods. Indeed, the method described here was shown to have several benefits over previously used approaches. Finally, genes involved with maintenance of the outer membrane were identified by using markers for membrane permeability in tandem with the chosen method. In keeping with previous literature multiple genes involved with many aspects of the cell envelope were reported. Many of the reported genes were shown to be involved with metabolic processes related to the biogenesis and maintenance of the cell envelope