How Do Low-Income Chilean Parents Support Their Preschoolers’ Writing and Math Skills in a Grocery Game?

This study examined how parents supported children’s writing and math and whether parents’ support predicted children’s academic skills from the beginning of pre-kindergarten to the end of kindergarten. Two hundred ten Chilean parents from low-income households were observed playing a grocery game with their preschoolers (M = 53 months). The grocery game (a game where dyads make a grocery list together and shop at a pretend store) could be used to foster writing and mathematics. Coders noted how often parents engaged in writing support, provided math support, and displayed directiveness (i.e., taking over the child’s activity). Children’s literacy and math skills were assessed at the beginning of pre-kindergarten and the end of kindergarten. Research Findings. Parents engaged in little writing support but displayed moderate levels of math support and high levels of directiveness in the grocery game. Parents’ math support uniquely predicted gains in children’s math skills, while parents’ directiveness negatively predicted gains in children’s literacy skills. Practice or Policy. Results from this study have the potential to inform parent-focused interventions. Findings highlight the need to provide parents with specific strategies to support their children’s literacy and math development and guidance about embedding these strategies into family routines.     

Technological innovation in developing countries: a review of the literature

The recent literature on the role of science and technology in developing countries is reviewed in order to assess the extent of our current knowledge concerning the sociological factors affecting the development of indigenous scientific and technological innovations. Existing studies provide some preliminary evidence in favor of the hypothesis that inadequate linkages between institutions in the various sectors of developing societies inhibit the development and utilization of indigenous technological innovations.In general, relationships between government research organizations and the potential users of their technological innovations are absent or unsatisfactory. Academic research tends to be oriented toward the interests of the international scientific community. The substantial literature on the problems of indigenous technological transfer in India suggests that inadequate coordination between different sectors of that society is in part responsible for its failure to develop its potential for technological innovation.Recent attempts to stimulate the production and diffusion of indigenous technology in developing countries by creating new types of research institutes in the university and coordinating agencies in the government are discussed. Systematic evaluations of these programs are lacking, but coordinating agencies have often performed poorly because of insufficient power to influence the policies of other organizations.A sociological approach based on interorganizational analysis is suggested for future studies of this problem. This literature identifies the optimal characteristics of coordinating organizations at the government level and of research utilizations systems which link research organizations to their clients at the local level.A bibliography comprising 102 references classified by region is included.     

Rapid bioparticle concentration and detection by combining a discharge driven vortex with surface enhanced Raman scattering

Rapid concentration and detection of bacteria in integrated chips and microfluidic devices is needed for the advancement of lab-on-a-chip devices because current detection methods require high concentrations of bacteria which render them impractical. We present a new chip-scale rapid bacteria concentration technique combined with surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) to enhance the detection of low bacteria count samples. This concentration technique relies on convection by a long-range converging vortex to concentrate the bacteria into a packed mound of 200 μm in diameter within 15 min. Concentration of bioparticle samples as low as 10⁴ colony forming units (CFU)∕ml are presented using batch volumes as large as 150 μl. Mixtures of silver nanoparticles with Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Escherichia coli F-amp, and Bacillus subtilis produce distinct and noticeably different Raman spectra, illustrating that this technique can be used as a detection and identification tool.     

Medical student attitudes to the autopsy and its utility in medical education: A brief qualitative study at one UK medical school

Attending postmortems enables students to learn anatomy and pathology within a clinical context, provides insights into effects of treatment and introduces the reality that patients die. Rates of clinical autopsies have declined and medical schools have cut obligatory autopsy sessions from their curricula making it difficult to assess medical student perceptions of, and attitudes towards, the educational value of autopsy. Our aim was to investigate these perceptions by designing a brief qualitative study comprising nominal technique and focus group discussions with Cambridge Graduate Course students, all of whom had attended autopsies. Three general themes emerged from the focus group discussions: the value of autopsy as a teaching tool and ways the experience could be improved, the initial impact of the mortuary and the autopsy itself, and the “emerging patient”—an emotional continuum running from cadaver to autopsy subject and living patient. Educational benefits of autopsy‐based teaching included greater understanding of anatomy and physiology, greater appreciation of the role of other health care professionals and an enhanced appreciation of psycho‐social aspects of medical practice. Students suggested improvements for ameliorating the difficult emotional consequences of attendance. We conclude that autopsy‐based teaching represents a low‐cost teaching technique which is highly valued by students and has application to many diverse medical specialties and skills. However, careful preparation and organization of sessions is required to maximize potential educational benefits and reduce any negative emotional impact. Anat Sci Educ 7: 87–96. © 2013 American Association of Anatomists.     

The Disruptive Qualities of Linked Data in the Library Environment: Analysis and Recommendations

Libraries are looking for a better way to encode and share their data. Christensen's disruptive technologies theory provides a framework for evaluating linked data and thinking about future uses of library technology. Because of its lack of use and technical weaknesses, linked data is not yet poised to emerge as a disruptive innovation. It has the potential, however, to become disruptive and should be explored first in spin-offs that supplement library data or provide access to other electronic content. Library systems under development should focus on remaining nimble and open to unforeseen future technologies and uses.     

Assessment of total body water and its compartments in elite judo athletes: comparison of bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy with dilution techniques

Bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy (BIS) is an inexpensive and non-invasive technique to measure total body water (TBW), extracellular water (ECW), and intracellular water (ICW). The purpose of this study was to validate TBW, ECW and ICW assessed by BIS, using dilution techniques as the reference method (REF) in elite judo athletes. Thirty-two Portuguese elite male judo athletes were evaluated during a period of weight stability. TBW, ECW and ICW were assessed by BIS (Xitron 4000). Deuterium and bromide dilution techniques were used as the criterion method for measuring TBW and ECW, while ICW was calculated as the difference between the two. BIS explained 96%, 77% and 94% of the total variability from REFs for TBW, ECW and ICW, respectively. BIS also demonstrated high precision (ρ ≥ 0.88) and accuracy (C_b = 0.98), with a minimum concordance coefficient correlation of 0.87 for ECW. The mean bias demonstrated that BIS slightly overestimated the REF in 1.1 kg (2.3%), 0.3 kg (1.6%) and 0.8 kg (2.7%) for TBW, ECW and ICW, respectively. The 95% limits of agreement ranged from ?1.2 to 3.3 kg in TBW, from ?1.8 to 2.4 kg in ECW and from ?1.0 to 2.6 kg in ICW. A non-significant trend was found between the difference and the mean of reference and alternative methods. These findings highlight the efficacy of BIS as a valid non-biased tool for the assessment of TBW and its compartments in elite male judo athletes, during a period of weight stability.     

Forget EPSSs: How You Can Marshal Mobile Geographic Information Systems (GISs) and Spatial Awareness for Performance Improvement

Mobile geolocation applications identify global coordinates of mobile devices and can be enriched with performance‐context data. This technology has potential to integrate job aids, learning bursts, and parts of manuals with work tools (such as checklists) at the point of performance to better support individual and team performance. Emerging uses of mobile geolocation allow human performance technologists to move from generic electronic performance support systems (EPSSs) to spatial support systems. These increase the potential for performers to access more context‐aware information at the time and space in which the actions occur. Mobile geolocation can also automatically send data about the performance to enterprise databases so that actions taken and the use of training or job aids at the point of performance can be tracked. This article explores how mobile geolocation functionality can be orchestrated to support performance, enrich enterprise databases, and aid human performance technologists.     

Student attitudes toward cadaveric dissection at a UK medical school

A more humanistic approach toward dissection has emerged. However, student attitudes toward this approach are unknown and the influences on such attitudes are little understood. One hundred and fifty-six first-year medical students participated in a study examining firstly, attitudes toward the process of dissection and the personhood of the cadaver and secondly, the extent to which gender, anxiety, exposure to dissection, bereavement and prior experience of a dead body influenced these attitudes. Attitudes toward dissection were assessed by of levels of agreement toward eleven statements and by selection of adjectives describing possible feelings toward dissection. Students were asked about recent bereavement, whether they had seen a dead body prior to starting their course and exposure to dissection when completing the questionnaire. Validated instruments were used to measure disposition toward generalized anxiety (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) and toward death anxiety (Collett-Lester Death Anxiety Scale). Between 60% and 94% of students held positive attitudes toward the process of dissection and over 70% of students selected 2 or fewer negative adjectives. Students' attitudes toward the personhood of the cadaver were more disparate. Disposition toward anxiety (particularly death anxiety), and exposure to dissection, influenced attitudes. Female gender and recent bereavement exerted a negative influence. Students with higher levels of anxiety experienced more negative feelings and those recently bereaved were less enthusiastic about dissection. Anticipation of dissection may be worse than reality. Sensitive preparation of students prior to entering the dissecting room for the first time may be beneficial.     

A roadmap for forming successful interdisciplinary education research collaborations: a reflective approach

Current literature about interdisciplinary education research is focused on three points: conceptual definitions of interdisciplinarity, the need for interdisciplinary research to tackle the advent of problem-based research and the positive curriculum outcomes to be gained from interdisciplinary research. While this research is important, it does not always include an account of the often complex and politicised interactions that might affect the outcomes of interdisciplinary research groups. This paper provides one possible ‘roadmap’ for successful interdisciplinary collaboration. It is based on a reflective case study of the authors’ own formation of an interdisciplinary research group and the practical resolutions to both the theoretical and the practical issues involved in achieving interdisciplinarity in education research.