scholarly journals Evolving Structure and Diversity of Human Narratives in the Journal of Stories in Science

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reilly Q. Mach ◽  
Jessica W. Tsai ◽  
Fanuel J. Muindi
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
Target Range ◽  
Racial Groups ◽  
Flesch Reading Ease ◽  
The People ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Ease Score ◽  
Detailed Assessment ◽  
K 12

AbstractFundamentally, science is about people. The stories of the people behind the science are just as important as the results themselves, even though the results are often what get more attention. Despite the growth of databases storing such stories across diverse mediums, a detailed assessment of those databases is missing. To continue innovating science storytelling, we provide the first assessment of the structure and diversity of the narratives published in the Journal of Stories in Science. In this assessment, a total of 170 published stories authored by 158 authors between 2016 and 2020 are analyzed. Majority (67%) of the authors are women from North America and in the life sciences. The narratives most commonly feature authors from academia (e.g., 23% graduate students, 13% post-doctoral fellows and 21% professors). However, there is also a growing number of authors with PhDs that are working outside of academia (15%). Nearly a quarter (23%) of the database authors come from racial groups (African American, Latino, and Hispanic) that have been shown to be underrepresented in health-related sciences in the United States. Using the industry standard Flesch Reading Ease Score, we found that 74% of the stories included in the analysis fall in the target range of 50-70, which represents readability by students in grades 8-12. The analysis here provides the first deep look into one of the databases publishing diverse stories in science using a wide range of mediums. In summary, there is a need for more emphasis on both expanding and studying such databases given the continuous demand for these stories and their inclusion into K-12 curriculums.

scholarly journals Editorial

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. vii-xv
Author(s):  
Ovamir Anjum
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
College Education ◽  
The United States ◽  
Historical Thinking ◽  
Public Intellectual ◽  
Education History ◽  
Racial Groups ◽  
Financial Return ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Related

Historical thinking, a necessary tool for us to make sense of an increasinglycomplex world, is on a path of decline across the world. In a recent NewYorker article entitled “The Decline of Historical Thinking” (February 4,2019), Eric Alterman, an English Professor at CUNY and a public intellectual,bemoaned the nosedive that enrollment in history departments hastaken in universities across the United States. For the past decade, historyhas been declining more rapidly than any other major and across allethnic and racial groups, even as more and more students attend college.The steep decline in history graduates (about a third!) becomes especiallyvisible after 2011, presumably in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisiswhen students and parents at the lower rungs of society began to worryabout the financial return of investment in a college education. History isthe top loser, but it is not the only one; in fact, nearly the same rate of declineis evident in other humanities fields including area studies, languages,philosophy, and, to a slightly lesser extent, social sciences (political science,anthropology, sociology, IR, education). The winners, not surprisingly, areSTEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), particularly computerscience and health related majors.1 This trend is not a great surprise initself. What is unexpected, however, is that the decline is not uniform. Inelite universities in the United States, the humanities majors are thriving;history remains among the top declared majors at Yale, for instance. Theeducated elite, in other words, are becoming systematically differentiatedfrom the vast majority of people (“the demos”) in a powerful democracy,one that still sets intellectual and political trends in the world, and one ...

scholarly journals COVID-19 Trends in Florida – August 10 – November 14, 2020

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebekah D. Jones ◽  
Jacob E. Romer
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
The United States ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
National Database ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Case Data

AbstractLimited research on the prevalence and characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) in K-12 environments has led to a flurry of speculative, qualitative, non-data-driven analysis with potentially dangerous implications for public health policy. Twenty-four US states provide, at a minimum, outbreak data in K-12 schools. Student enrollment across Florida’s 67 districts totals more than 2.67 million, with five of the ten most populated districts in the country in the state. This study uses Florida as a case study in COVID-19 trends in schools. With no state-wide mask mandate, varying levels of virtual-instruction participation, and a range of rural, suburban, and urban environments, Florida represents the wide range of learning environments and COVID-19 approaches to mitigation observed across the country. The Covid Monitor began tracking case data in K-12 schools in July 2020, and has since reported more than 200,000 confirmed cases of the virus in the K-12 environment nationwide – the largest date repository for cases in schools. The Covid Monitor’s national database allows for analysis of the characteristics and trends of cases in schools over time. The results may inform decisions about continued in-person and virtual learning access and promotion across the United States, as well as mitigation measures related to reopening policies across districts responsive to model results. These results also provide a baseline for monitoring trends and evaluating mitigation strategies.Table of Contents SummaryUsing the most comprehensive database of K-12 COVID-19 case data in the country, Florida provides clues for understanding student and staff cases in schools.What’s known on this subjectFlorida schools began reopening to in-person instruction in August and reported 15,393 student and staff cases of COVID-19 as of November 14, 2020. Incidence of COVID-19 cases in K-12 students and staff is of urgent public health concern.What this study addsCOVID-19 cases reported in Florida schools were most influenced by community case rates and percent of students attending face-to-face. Student case rates were highest in high schools (4.5 per 1,000); staff case rates were highest in elementary levels (4.5-4.8).

Acculturation of prospective German physical education teachers

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne M Merrem ◽  
Matthew D Curtner-Smith
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Physical Education ◽  
The United States ◽  
Physical Education Teachers ◽  
Physical Education Teacher Education ◽  
The People ◽  
Values And Beliefs ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Teacher Education Faculty ◽  
Teaching Orientations

Studies of prospective physical education teachers’ (PPETs’) acculturation have been useful in terms of facilitating the development of effective physical education teacher education (PETE) programmes because they provide teacher education faculty with a description of incoming recruits’ values and beliefs and an understanding of how these values and beliefs are shaped. Research exclusively focused on the acculturation of PPETs is, however, scarce. Research on pre-service and in-service physical education (PE) teachers that has included an acculturation component has mostly been completed in the United States. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to examine the acculturation of 10 German PPETs. The two research questions we attempted to answer were: (a) “What were the PPETs’ values, beliefs, and perspectives regarding PE?” and (b) “What factors shaped these values, beliefs and perspectives?” Data were collected using three types of interviewing. Analysis involved coding and categorizing data with analytic induction and constant comparison and reducing them to meaningful themes. Findings revealed that eight PPETs had well-developed and comparatively sophisticated conservative teaching orientations primarily focused on teaching traditional German sports. Two PPETs had more progressive teaching orientations in that they favored teaching a wider range of content and were more focused on health-related fitness. The key subsidiary attractors to a career in PE for this group of PPETs were remaining connected to sport and working with young people. Three factors that shaped the PPETs’ values and beliefs were similar to those revealed in previous research. These were family and friends, the apprenticeship of observation, and youth sport. The people and institutions that comprised these factors, however, operated in different modes within the German context. In addition, PPETs’ career choices were solidified by their experiences of teaching, coaching, and officiating, and the type of teaching orientation they possessed reflected the timing of these choices. The study also revealed that the PPETs entered PETE with a solid foundation of beliefs, values and perspectives regarding PE on which faculty could build. Findings also suggested, however, that German PETE faculty may have to deconstruct their charges’ conservative teaching orientations to some extent in order to create space in which to teach them new instructional models. The most important implication of this study for PETE in other countries is that the PPETs’ teaching orientations resulted primarily from a system that did not pit curricular PE against extracurricular sport.

scholarly journals Applications of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Big Data and the Internet of Things to the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scientometric Review Using Text Mining

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (16) ◽  
pp. 8578
Author(s):  
Ignacio Rodríguez-Rodríguez ◽  
José-Víctor Rodríguez ◽  
Niloofar Shirvanizadeh ◽  
Andrés Ortiz ◽  
Domingo-Javier Pardo-Quiles
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Text Mining ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Consequences ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Automatic Process ◽  
Scientometric Analysis ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Current Lines

The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc in every country in the world, with serious health-related, economic, and social consequences. Since its outbreak in March 2020, many researchers from different fields have joined forces to provide a wide range of solutions, and the support for this work from artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging concepts linked to intelligent data analysis has been decisive. The enormous amount of research and the high number of publications during this period makes it difficult to obtain an overall view of the different applications of AI to the management of COVID-19 and an understanding of how research in this field has been evolving. Therefore, in this paper, we carry out a scientometric analysis of this area supported by text mining, including a review of 18,955 publications related to AI and COVID-19 from the Scopus database from March 2020 to June 2021 inclusive. For this purpose, we used VOSviewer software, which was developed by researchers at Leiden University in the Netherlands. This allowed us to examine the exponential growth in research on this issue and its distribution by country, and to highlight the clear hegemony of the United States (USA) and China in this respect. We used an automatic process to extract topics of research interest and observed that the most important current lines of research focused on patient-based solutions. We also identified the most relevant journals in terms of the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrated the growing value of open-access publication, and highlighted the most influential authors by means of an analysis of citations and co-citations. This study provides an overview of the current status of research on the application of AI to the pandemic.

Suicide in the Mountain West Region of the United States

Crisis ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 344-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyn M. Pepper
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Population Density ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
The United States ◽  
Racial Groups ◽  
Demographic Groups ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
West Region ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Mountain West

Abstract. Background: The Mountain West region of the United States consistently reports the highest rates of suicide in the country. This pattern could reflect a regional culture-of-suicide script in support of suicide that implicitly influences individual's behavior. Aims: The primary aim of this study was to investigate whether suicide rates are elevated in the Mountain West across a wide range of demographic groups, thereby supporting a regional cultural script. Method: Suicide rates in the Mountain West between 1999 and 2014 were compared to the rest of the country across a wide range of demographic categories and levels of population density using the Center for Disease Control Multiple Causes of Death dataset published on the WONDER online database. Results: Suicide rates are elevated in the Mountain West for men and women, all racial groups, all age groups, and at every level of population density compared to the rest of the country. Limitations: Missing and suppressed data, the use of coroner reports, and the arbitrary nature of state and regional boundaries are all discussed as possible limitations to this study. Conclusion: These findings support a broad culture-of-suicide script that is pervasive in this region across demographic groups and all levels of population density.

Internet-Derived Information on Cleft Lip and Palate for Families with Affected Children

2009 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory Stylianos Antonarakis ◽  
Stavros Kiliaridis
Keyword(s):  
Grade Level ◽  
Cleft Lip ◽  
Cleft Lip And Palate ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Content Quality ◽  
Flesch Reading Ease ◽  
Related Family ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Ease Score ◽  
Family Demands

Objective: To investigate the nature and readability of cleft lip and palate–related family information on the Internet. Materials and Methods: An Internet search for “cleft lip,” “cleft palate,” and “family information” was carried out using three search engines. Within each search, the first 25 relevant websites identified were downloaded and assessed for country of origin, authorship, domain, referencing, links, advertising, mention of orthodontics, illustrations, cleft-specificity, and content. Readability was determined using the Flesch Reading Ease Score, the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, and the Fog Scale Level. Data were analyzed by simple descriptive statistics. Results: The initial search returned in excess of 1,800,000 hits. A total of 49 websites were evaluated, excluding repetitions, with a wide range of information available. The websites assessed were mostly of U.S. origin, with a .org domain, authored by universities/hospitals, not cleft-specific, without advertisements, contained links but not references, mentioned orthodontics even if to a small extent, contained some form of illustrations, and varied greatly in quantity and quality of information presented. A wide range of readability scores was obtained, equating to reading ages from fourth grade to university graduate level, with a mean reading age at the eighth to ninth grade level. Conclusions: Cleft lip and palate–related information for families on the Internet is variable in content, quality, and readability. Clinicians should have the responsibility to guide and help parents with website retrieval, while authors of websites should aim to keep information readable and relevant to family demands.

scholarly journals Poor Readability of COVID-19 Vaccine Information for the General Public: A Lost Opportunity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke S Buthun ◽  
Scott Feeder ◽  
Gregory A Poland
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Adverse Event ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
Average Length ◽  
The United States ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Flesch Reading Ease ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Ease Score ◽  
Vaccine Information

Background: All adults in the Unites States now have access to COVID-19 vaccines. During the vaccination process, Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) fact sheets are provided. Objective: To analyze the ease of reading (i.e., readability) of the EUA-approved fact sheets for the vaccines currently available in the United States, the V-Safe adverse event survey script, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website on COVID-19 vaccines. Design: We analyzed the readability of Pfizer, Moderna, and Janssen EUA fact sheets, as well as the V-Safe survey script and the vaccine-related information on the CDC website. Measurements: Readability factors include the following: average length of paragraphs, sentences, and words; font size and style; use of passive voice; the Gunning-Fog index; the Flesch Reading Ease index; and the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level index. Results: Only the V-Safe adverse event survey script met readability standards for adequate comprehension. The mean readability scores of the EUA fact sheets and the CDC website were as follows: Flesch Reading Ease score (mean 44.35); Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (mean 10.48); and Gunning-Fog index (mean 11.8). These scores indicate that a 10th-12th grade-level education is necessary to comprehend these documents. Conclusion: The average person in the United States would have difficulty understanding the information provided in the EUA fact sheets and CDC COVID-19 vaccine website; however, the V-Safe survey was written at an appropriate reading level. To ensure that the public fully understands information regarding COVID-19 vaccines, simplified information material should be developed.

scholarly journals Online Readability of COVID-19 Health Information

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy P Worrall ◽  
Mary J Connolly ◽  
Aine O'Neill ◽  
Murray O'Doherty ◽  
Kenneth P Thornton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Digital Media ◽  
Health Information ◽  
General Public ◽  
Information Source ◽  
The United States ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Flesch Reading Ease ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Ease Score

Abstract Introduction: The internet is now the first line source of health information for many people worldwide. In the current Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic, health information is being produced, revised, updated and disseminated at an increasingly rapid rate. The general public are faced with a plethora of misinformation regarding COVID-19 and the readability of online information has an impact on their understanding of the disease. The accessibility of online healthcare information relating to COVID-19 is unknown.Methods: The Google® search engine was used to collate the first twenty webpage URLs for three individual searches for ‘COVID’, ‘COVID-19’, and ‘coronavirus’ from Ireland, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. The Gunning Fog Index (GFI), Flesch-Kincaid Grade (FKG) Score, Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES), Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) score were calculated to assess the readability.Results: There were poor levels of readability webpages reviewed, with only 17.2% of webpages at a universally readable level. There was a significant difference in readability between the different webpages based on their information source (p <0.01). Public Health organisations and Government organisations provided the most readable COVID-19 material, while digital media sources were significantly less readable. There were no significant differences in readability between regions.Conclusion: Much of the general public have relied on online information during the pandemic. Information on COVID-19 should be made more readable, and those writing webpages and information tools should ensure universal accessibility is considered in their production. Governments and healthcare practitioners should have an awareness of the online sources of information available, and ensure that readability of our own productions is at a universally readable level which will increase understanding and adherence to health guidelines.

scholarly journals Telessaúde: avaliação de websites sobre triagem auditiva neonatal na Língua Portuguesa

CoDAS ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 526-533 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliana Nogueira Chaves ◽  
Ana Lívia Libardi ◽  
Raquel Sampaio Agostinho-Pesse ◽  
Marina Morettin ◽  
Kátia de Freitas Alvarenga
Keyword(s):  
Web Site ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
Evaluation Form ◽  
Flesch Reading Ease ◽  
De Se ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Ease Score ◽  
Site Evaluation

RESUMO Objetivo: Verificar os aspectos de qualidade técnica e o conteúdo doswebsites sobre triagem auditiva neonatal na Língua Portuguesa. Métodos: Dezoito fonoaudiólogos, convidados de acordo com critérios de inclusão, selecionaram os descritores para a pesquisa dos websitespor meio da Técnica Delphi. Posteriormente, foram inseridos no Google Trends a fim de se acrescentar os termos possíveis de utilização pelos pais na busca de informações na internet sobre o assunto. Em seguida, foram inseridos no Google para pesquisa dos websites . Foram utilizados os seguintes instrumentos de avaliação: lista de tópicos sobre triagem auditiva neonatal, fórmula Flesch Reading Ease Score ,questionário Health-Related Web Site Evaluation Form Emory e o PageRank . Resultados: Os tópicos mais abordados nos 19 websites foram sobre os objetivos e benefícios da triagem auditiva neonatal, assim como o processo de diagnóstico audiológico. Os menos discutidos foram sobre o resultado falso-negativo, desenvolvimento da audição e da linguagem, resultado falso-positivo, acompanhamento audiológico, interpretação dos resultados - "Passa" / "Não passa", reteste e protocolo. Prevaleceu um nível de leitura dos textos considerado difícil, sendo os aspectos de qualidade técnica considerados de melhor qualidade os relacionados ao conteúdo, público, navegação e estrutura. Os resultados também demonstraram não existir uma cultura de inserir links noswebsites nacionais, o que os fizeram ser considerados de pouca relevância no Google. Conclusões: Os websites diferiram quanto aos aspectos abordados, assim como, há necessidade de revisar o nível de leitura dos conteúdos e os aspectos de qualidade técnica referentes à precisão e atualização das informações, autoria e links .

Health Communication: Implications for Diverse Populations

2011 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-19
Author(s):  
Amy Hasselkus
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Communication ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Good Health ◽  
The United States ◽  
Poor Health ◽  
Health Care Decisions ◽  
Diverse Backgrounds ◽  
Health Related

The need for improved communication about health-related topics is evident in statistics about the health literacy of adults living in the United States. The negative impact of poor health communication is huge, resulting in poor health outcomes, health disparities, and high health care costs. The importance of good health communication is relevant to all patient populations, including those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Efforts are underway at all levels, from individual professionals to the federal government, to improve the information patients receive so that they can make appropriate health care decisions. This article describes these efforts and discusses how speech-language pathologists and audiologists may be impacted.

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