Alterations in autonomic cardiac modulation in response to normobaric hypoxia

Purpose: The present study aimed to determine if autonomic cardiac modulation was influenced by acute exposure to normobaric hypoxia. Method: Ten healthy male lowland dwellers completed five block-randomised single-blinded, crossed-over acute exposures to a normobaric hypoxic environment, each separated by 24 hours’ recovery (20.3%, 17.4%, 14.5%, 12.0% and 9.8% F_IO₂). Supine recordings were made of arterial oxygen saturation and electrocardiogram (ECG). RR intervals from the ECG trace were analysed for time (SDNN, lnrMSSD), frequency (lnVLF, lnLF, lnHF, lnTP, LFnu, and HFnu), and nonlinear (DFA-α1 and SampEn) heart rate variability components. Results: A significant reduction in arterial SaO₂ occurred with reduced F_IO₂, along with a rise in heart rate (Cohen’s d?=?1.16, 95% Confidence Interval [2.64–6.46]), significant at 9.8% F_IO₂. A decrease in autonomic cardiac modulation was also found as shown by a statistically significant (at 9.8% F_IO₂) decrease in lnTP (d?=?1.84 [1.74–1.94]), and SampEn (d?=?0.98 [0.83–1.12]) and an increase in DFA-α₁ (d?=?0.72 [0.60–0.84]) from normoxia at 9.8% F_IO₂. Conclusion: The decrease in variability indicated a reduction in autonomic cardiac modulation. There appears to be a threshold ～9.8% F_IO₂ (～6000?m equiv.), below which significant alterations in autonomic control occur.     

Optical engineering for children – a structured approach

The present paper focuses on the application of a structured template, maximum impact flow (MIF), in order to encourage young students in the area of optics and optical engineering. MIF introduces a template in terms of individual steps and linked functionality and is shown to fuse separate learning tools together into a cohesive unit. Prioritization and teaching structures are also discussed with the promotion of technology identified as a key factor.     

Defining the nature of blended learning through its depiction in current research

ABSTRACT

Blended learning has been a feature of higher education practice and research for almost two decades. This article takes stock of current blended learning research, contributing to the growing number of meta-analyses of higher education and blended learning research more generally, through a review of ninety-seven articles relating to blended learning in higher education published in fifteen journals between 2012 and mid-2017. The review focused on where and when the articles were published; their provenance, scale, scope; methodological approach; the broad research themes; and definition of blended learning used. The review shows that despite its ubiquity, blended learning’s definition is all-encompassing; its spread is global but research is dominated by key players; it is of technical interest; and its research is small-scale, individually focused, seeking to evidence the benefits of blended learning. The article concludes with recommendations of how higher education research could provide institutions with evidence to ensure their ‘best of blends’.     

Special education and general education preservice teachers’ co-teaching experiences: a comparative synthesis of qualitative research

Co-teaching is commonly used to support students with disabilities in inclusive educational settings. However, there is often a gap between the potential effectiveness of co-teaching and actual classroom practice. This study examined preservice teachers’ co-teaching experiences to better understand this gap to identify potential practices for improving teacher training and service delivery. A review of 11 studies revealed that both special education and general education preservice teachers believed that co-teaching practices provided them opportunities to communicate and work collaboratively. Both groups agreed on the significant impact of personality in co-teaching as well as challenges in implementing co-teaching. Furthermore, special education preservice teachers noted that they lacked content knowledge, whereas general education preservice teachers thought they needed more training in the provision of accommodations and modifications. Study limitations, areas for future research, and implications for preservice teacher preparation are discussed.     

The clinical use of motivational messages: an inquiry into the validity of the ARCS model of motivational design

Instruction, even when prepared according to sound instructional design principles, often does not stimulate students' motivation to learn. A motivational intervention, developed according to the processes outlined inthe ARCS model of motivational design, was implemented and tested following the conventions of an embedded single-case study. It was tested with a group of 15 adults participating in a staff development course conducted within the Mozambique Ministry of Education. Results, based on concurrent and discriminant analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data, indicated that the primary treatment, motivational messages, had positive effects on student attitude and performance. It may be concluded that the specific intervention and the ARCS model which provided the basis for designing it provide a sound basis for positively influencing student motivation to learn.     

Adjustment scales for preschool intervention: Extending validity and relevance across multiple perspectives

A series of studies extended psychometric research on the Adjustment Scales for Preschool Intervention (ASPI). The ASPI is a multidimensional measure of preschool emotional and behavioral adjustment for use within formal early childhood educational programs. These studies used a multiple method, multisource approach to provide additional evidence for the reliability and validity of the ASPI. Findings documented inter‐rater reliability of the ASPI across key informants within early childhood educational programs—teachers and teacher assistants. Findings supported concurrent validity of the ASPI with direct observations of preschool classroom adjustment problems and the developmentally salient constructs of temperament and emotion regulation. Implications for policy, practice, and future research are discussed. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 41: 725–736, 2004.     

The virtual class is coming

A long term action research programme initiated in 1987 by the Department of Communication Studies at the Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, is seeking to develop a virtual class. The virtual class is regarded as the critical component of a new educational paradigm for an information society. The action research programme takes the form of a spiral of cyclical attempts to create a virtual class. Each attempt is seen as a syntagmatic episode of a virtual class paradigm attempted in the light of an existing paradigm. The results of each syntagmatic episode are seen as influencing the further development of the paradigm.     

The Representation of Extendedness in Children''s Drawings of Sticks and Discs

Piaget has suggested that the reason why children find it difficult to draw foreshortened views is because they lack any conscious awareness of their own viewpoint. Instead, it is proposed that most of these difficulties derive from the constraints of drawing as a representational system: for example, although a round region shows a true view of a foreshortened stick, it is unsatisfactory as a representation. To test between these alternative proposals, 4-, 7-, and 12-year-olds were asked to draw sticks and discs in foreshortened and nonforeshortened positions. As predicted, fewer 7- and 12-year-olds used a round region to represent a foreshortened stick, compared with children of the same age who used a long region to represent a foreshortened disc. In addition, the 12-year-olds used a different and more effective denotation system compared with the 7-year-olds.