Implementation of learning by design in a synchronized online environment to teach educational robotics to inservice teachers.

Teaching educational robotics is of growing interest in K-12 settings. Yet, immense efforts are needed to move the field forward by framing the teaching of robotics with pedagogically sound theories as well as appropriate instructional design models and strategies. To meet this need, the authors designed and implemented an online educational robotics course for inservice teachers who had little or no prior experience in teaching robotics, by applying instructional design factors as well as teaching and facilitation strategies derived from the learning by design (LBD) framework. Action research employing mixed methods was carried out to examine the effects of instructional design factors implemented in the online educational robotics course. An online survey indicated that the participating teachers increased their self-efficacy in robotics, use of problem-solving and collaboration strategies, and confidence in robotics knowledge and teaching. In addition, by the end of the course, the participating teachers demonstrated sufficient robotics content knowledge. As revealed in their reflective essays, they also developed learning strategies, such as case-based reasoning, sketches, trial and error, and evaluating capacity while completing the robotics open-ended project. Further, they realized the constraints of learning educational robotics online and the benefits of collaboration. This study sheds light on the design components of a robotics course grounded in LBD that are effective for preparing teachers in an online environment to implement robotics in their classrooms.

Hands-on, Minds-on, Hearts-on, Social-on: A Collaborative Maker Project Integrating Arts in a Synchronous Online Environment for Teachers.

This article presents a collaborative maker project integrating the arts in a synchronous online environment. Based on the Thinkering, Making, Sharing, and Reflecting (TMSR) model, the four components of hands-on, minds-on, hearts-on, and social-on learning were integrated into an online collaborative maker project involving arts, music, and coding. The authors first describe the theoretical framework of the TMSR model and the design and implementation of the maker project, and then report on the experiences and reflections of the participating teachers, who were enrolled in an online graduate course. Survey results showed that the project fostered the teachers' connectedness, positive emotions, and satisfaction toward the online learning environment. In addition, qualitative data from their reflective essays revealed that the teacher participants experienced all aspects of hands-on, social-on, hearts-on, and minds-on learning in the online environment both as learners and as teachers. Finally, the qualitative themes showed that the teachers acknowledged supportive maker project components that can be applied in their own teaching context. Implications of the findings for art-integrated maker projects in public school settings were also addressed.

Prevalence of Fructose Malabsorption in Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome After Excluding Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Fructose malabsorption (FM) mimics symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and its prevalence has increased. Diagnosing FM in IBS is challenging because of its overlap with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). We assessed the prevalence of FM by comparing patients with IBS with asymptomatic control individuals after excluding SIBO using the glucose hydrogen breath test (HBT). METHODS: Patients diagnosed with IBS and asymptomatic control individuals were enrolled prospectively. Dietary habits were assessed with the Food Frequency Questionnaire. After excluding SIBO, participants underwent HBTs with both 15 g and 25 g of fructose. RESULTS: Thirty-five patients with IBS and 35 age- and sex-matched asymptomatic control individuals were enrolled. The 15-g fructose HBT yielded positive results in 7 of the 35 (20.0%) patients with IBS and in 2 of 35 (5.7%) controls (P = 0.070). The 25-g fructose HBT was positive in 16 of the 35 (45.7%) patients with IBS and in 8 of the 35 (22.9%) controls (P = 0.040). Analysis of the Food Frequency Questionnaire responses showed no significant differences between the 2 groups in dietary intake, although patients with IBS showed a significantly higher mean fiber intake than controls (21.24 ± 11.35 g vs 15.87 ± 7.07 g, respectively, P = 0.040). CONCLUSIONS: The 25-g fructose HBT identified FM in a significantly higher percentage of SIBO-negative patients with IBS than in asymptomatic control individuals, suggesting that FM may correlate with IBS. Education regarding dietary control of foods containing fructose may be useful for the management of patients with IBS.

Association of meal frequency with metabolic syndrome in Korean adults: from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES).

BACKGROUND: Although previous studies have established a close relationship between caloric intake and metabolic syndrome, there is limited research exploring the impact of meal frequency adjusted by caloric intake on metabolic syndrome (MetS). OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of meal frequency and MetS after adjusting for confounding factors including caloric intake in Korean men and women. METHODS: We analyzed the national representative data of a total 12,389 adults (5171 men, 7218 women) from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2010-2012. Subjects were categorized as eating 3 meals/day (MF3) or 2 or fewer meals/day (MF ≤ 2). Daily caloric intake was calculated using CAN-Pro 4.0 (The Korean Nutrition Society, Seoul, Korea). RESULTS: The prevalence of components of MetS differed significantly according to meal frequency in both men and women. In an unadjusted analysis, the prevalence of MetS in women was significantly higher in the MF3 group than the MF ≤ 2 group (27.5% vs. 17.8%, P < 0.001), whereas the prevalence of MetS in men did not differ between the MF3 and MF ≤ 2 groups (24.6% vs. 22.7%, P = 0.281). However, after adjusting for age, caloric intake, smoking status, alcohol consumption, physical activity, income, and education level, men in the MF ≤ 2 group had an increased risk of metabolic syndrome compared to men in the MF3 group (OR = 1.37, 95%, CI = 1.12-1.67). On the other hand, meal frequency did not affect the risk of metabolic syndrome in women after adjusting for confounding factors including caloric intake (OR = 1.09, 95%, CI = 0.90-1.31). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that lower meal frequency adjusted for caloric intake, physical activity, age, smoking, alcohol, income, and education may be associated with increased risk of MetS in Korean men.

The Effects of Repeated Reading on Reading Fluency for Students With Reading Disabilities.

The purpose of this research was to systematically review the effects of repeated reading (RR) interventions on reading fluency to provide instructional strategies for students with reading disabilities (RD). Correct words per minute were coded as an outcome variable in a search that yielded 34 RR intervention studies from 1990 to 2014 for students with RD in K-12. The estimated overall Hedges' g of the 39 independent effect sizes indicated the positive effects of RR on gains in reading fluency for students with RD, especially at the elementary grade level. The current findings also suggested that a combination of RR and a listening passage preview would be the most effective method for students with RD.

Trends in Texas high school student enrollment in mathematics, science, and CTE-STEM courses.

BACKGROUND: In the context of Texas of the USA, House Bill 5 signifies a major policy shift requiring entering high school students starting in fall 2014 to choose an endorsement, like science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) being one of them, to provide students with earlier exposure to a coherent course sequence. As we barely understand students' choices before the endorsement requirement, this study explored 6 years of data (2008-2013) on high school student enrollment rates in mathematics, science, and career and technical education (CTE)-STEM courses to set out the baseline of the trends in STEM course enrollment in Texas. RESULTS: The enrollment rates of the STEM-related courses had wide variations by types of courses, gender, and race/ethnicity. Overall, student enrollment rates increased across time in selective and advanced mathematics, science, and CTE-STEM courses, which indicates a promising prospect for the STEM pipeline. However, there were exceptions in several courses with gender and racial/ethnic differences in the trends. Gender disparity was greater in advanced science courses than advanced mathematics courses, and collectively, gender gap in CTE-STEM courses increased greater than advanced mathematics and advanced science courses across years. While racial/ethnic differences were constant across years in both advanced mathematics and advanced science courses, the differences were rising in CTE-STEM courses in recent years. CONCLUSIONS: As little is known about students' preferences in course-taking in STEM courses at the state level, the findings on the trends in students' STEM course-taking, disaggregated by gender and race/ethnicity, can provide needed insights on what institutional K-12 changes would be effective for impacting the STEM pipeline.

What's the Clinical Features of Colitis in Elderly People in Long-Term Care Facilities?

BACKGROUND/AIMS: As life expectancy has increased, the number of elderly patients who need long-term care has grown rapidly. Mortality in patients with colitis in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) is increasing. We intend to investigate the main causes of colitis in LTCFs compared to those of colitis in local communities, and to identify the clinical features and risk factors of patients with colitis in LTCFs. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed epidemiology, medical conditions, laboratory values, diagnoses, and clinical courses of elderly patients aged ≥65 who were admitted to the Ewha Womans University hospital with colitis between January 2007 and July 2012. RESULTS: Patients with colitis in LTCFs (n=20) were compared with elderly patients with colitis in local communities (n=154). Fifty-five percent of colitis in LTCFs was caused by Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), 30% was due to ischemic colitis, and 15% was due to non-specific colitis. Non-specific colitis was the most common (63%) in the community group. Clinical outcomes were also significantly different between both groups: higher mortality (10.0% vs. 0.64%, P=0.021), higher requirement for intensive care units care (50.0% vs. 18.8%, P<0.01) in LTCFs group. In univariate analysis, the most significant risk factor for death in patients in LTCFs was decreased mental faculties. CONCLUSIONS: Patients in LTCFs showed worse clinical outcomes and a much higher prevalence of CDI compared to patients from local communities. We suggest early and active evaluation, such as endoscopic examination, for differential diagnosis in patients in LTCFs.

[Clinical characteristics and treatment outcome of colonic diverticulitis in young patients].

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The clinical course and the most appropriate management of colonic diverticulitis in young patients are currently unresolved. This retrospective study was designed to compare young patients (≤40 years) with older patients (>40 years) regarding clinical characteristics of acute colonic diverticulitis and to determine whether differences exist in treatment outcome. METHODS: Three-hundred sixty eight patients presenting with acute colonic diverticulitis from March 2001 through April 2011 at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital were reviewed retrospectively. The differences in clinical characteristics, treatment modality and recurrence between each group were analyzed. RESULTS: Two-hundred and six patients were aged 40 years or younger and 162 patients were older than 40 years. The older group was diagnosed more frequently with severe diverticulitis. Surgical treatment was significantly more frequent in the older group than in the younger group (15.4% vs. 4.4%, p<0.001). No significant difference was found in preatment modality between the two groups in patients with recurrence. The difference in recurrence between groups was not statistically significant. In multivariate analysis, left colonic diverticulitis was significantly associated with severe diverticulitis (OR, 14.651; 95% CI, 4.829-44.457) and emergency surgery (OR, 13.745; 95% CI, 4.390-43.031). CONCLUSIONS: When patients with colonic diverticulitis are treated conservatively, young age is no longer an independent risk factor for subsequent poor outcome. Diverticulitis in young patients does not have a particularly aggressive or fulminant course. Therefore, we recommend that diverticulitis management should be based on the severity and location of the disease, and not on the age of the patient.

[The effect of aspirin alone or aspirin plus additional antiplatelets therapy on upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage].

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The increasing incidence of cardiovascular disease has led to an increase in the frequency of upper gastrointestinal (GI) hemorrhage due to the use of antiplatelet agents. This study examined the clinical characteristics of patients with upper GI hemorrhage who were administered aspirin alone or a combination treatment of antiplatelet agents. METHODS: A 656 patients who underwent drug-eluting coronary stenting at Ewha Mokdong Hospital in 2008 were divided into three groups according to the antiplatetlet agents used after the intervention; groups of aspirin alone, aspirin plus clopidogrel, and aspirin, and clopidogrel plus another antiplatelet agent, respectively. Patients admitted with GI hemorrhage in the same period without a medication history of antiplatelet or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were used as the control hemorrhage group. The medical records were reviewed. RESULTS: Significant GI symptoms were observed in 21.1% of total patients, of whom 48.2% had ulcers. The upper GI hemorrhage rate was 3.8%. There was no significant difference in the hemorrhage rate between three groups. Compared to the control hemorrhage group, the endoscopic variables of the antiplatelet-related hemorrhage group were not significantly different. However, the Helicobacter pylori infection rate was lower, the admission period was longer, and the mortality rate was higher in the antiplatelet-related hemorrhage group (p<0.05, respectively). There was no direct association between restarting or discontinuance of antiplatelets after the hemorrhage event and mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Adding other antiplatelet agents to aspirin did not increase the hemorrhage rate. However, active diagnostic and therapeutic efforts are recommended in patients with GI symptoms during antiplatelet therapy.

Circadian rhythm of serum vaspin in healthy male volunteers: relation to meals.

CONTEXT: Visceral adipose tissue-derived serine protease inhibitor (vaspin) is a novel adipokine with insulin-sensitizing effects. However, the physiological role for vaspin in human metabolic regulation remains to be established. OBJECTIVE: We studied the 24-h profiles of circulating vaspin concentrations in relation to meal ingestion in normal adults. DESIGN: Blood samples were drawn 39 times throughout a 24-h period from 10 healthy male subjects provided with meals on a fixed schedule. On a separate day, four subjects were fasted and then provided with an unexpected meal to clarify the effect of meal consumption on serum vaspin levels. Serum vaspin concentrations were determined by ELISA. RESULTS: Serum vaspin levels were highest in the early morning before breakfast and fell to trough levels within 2 h after breakfast. Serum vaspin levels also showed a preprandial rise and postprandial fall at lunch and dinner, although at lesser degrees than at breakfast. Intermeal vaspin concentrations reached a nadir in the mid-afternoon and showed a nocturnal rise, with peak nighttime vaspin levels being approximately 250% of nadir levels. Unscheduled food ingestion after a prolonged fast significantly reduced serum vaspin levels, suggesting that energy intake itself has a suppressive effect on serum vaspin levels. The diurnal pattern of serum vaspin concentrations was exactly reciprocal to that of insulin and of glucose. CONCLUSION: Serum vaspin levels have a meal-related diurnal variation, suggesting a role for vaspin in metabolic regulation. However, the reciprocal relationship between serum vaspin and insulin may negate the importance of vaspin as an physiological insulin sensitizer.