scholarly journals The Virtual Field Trip: Investigating How to Optimize Immersive Virtual Learning in Climate Change Education

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustav B. Petersen ◽  
Sara Klingenberg ◽  
Richard E. Mayer ◽  
Guido Makransky
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Transfer Test ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Outcome Expectations ◽  
Training Group ◽  
Change Behavior ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
8Th Grade ◽  
Virtual Field

Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) is being used for educational virtual field trips (VFTs) involving scenarios that may be too difficult, dangerous, or expensive to experience in real life. We implemented an immersive VFT within the investigation phase of an inquiry-based learning (IBL) climate change intervention. Students investigated the consequences of climate change by virtually travelling to Greenland and exploring albedo and greenhouse effects first hand. A total of 102 7th and 8th grade students were randomly assigned to one of two instructional conditions: 1) narrated pre-training followed by IVR exploration or 2) the same narrated training material integrated within the IVR exploration. Students in both conditions showed significant increases in declarative knowledge, self-efficacy, interest, STEM intentions, outcome expectations, and intentions to change behavior from the pre- to post-assessment. However, there was a significant difference between conditions favoring the pre-training group on a transfer test consisting of an oral presentation to a fictitious UN panel. The findings suggest that educators can choose to present important prerequisite learning content before or during a VFT. However, adding pre-training may lead to better transfer test performance, presumably because it helps reduce cognitive load while learning in IVR.

A Comparison of Four Adolescent Language Tests

1987 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 250-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Jane Lieberman ◽  
Ann Marie C. Heffron ◽  
Stephanie J. West ◽  
Edward C. Hutchinson ◽  
Thomas W. Swem
Keyword(s):  
Test Performance ◽  
Sixth Grade ◽  
Significant Discrepancy ◽  
Language Impaired ◽  
Language Functions ◽  
Language Tests ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Sixth Grade Students ◽  
Overall Performance ◽  
Selection Of

Four recently developed adolescent language tests, the Fullerton Test for Adolescents (FLTA), the Test of Adolescent Language (TOAL), the Clinical Evaluation of Language Functions (CELF), and the Screening Test of Adolescent Language (STAL), were compared to determine: (a) whether they measured the same language skills (content) in the same way (procedures); and (b) whether students performed similarly on each of the tests. First, respective manuals were reviewed to compare selection of subtest content areas and subtest procedures. Then, each of the tests was administered according to standardized procedures to 30 unselected sixth-grade students. Despite apparent differences in test content and procedures, there was no significant difference in students' performance on three of the four tests, and correlations among test performance were moderate to high. A comparison of the pass/fail rates for overall performance on the tests, however, revealed a significant discrepancy between the proportions of students identified in need of further evaluation on the STAL (20%) and the proportion diagnosed as language impaired on the three diagnostic tests (60-73%). Clinical implications are discussed.

IPM—A Problem-based Learning Approach

HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 509e-509
Author(s):  
Robert P. Rice
Keyword(s):  
Pest Control ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Ornamental Plants ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Problem Based Learning ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Learning Approach ◽  
Pest Monitoring ◽  
Use Of Resources

The Cal Poly philosophy of “Learn and Understand by Doing” has been integrated with problem-based learning and the use of the latest technology to produce a class that closely simulates real-life pest control situations. Goals of the class, Disease and Pest Control Systems for Ornamental Plants, are to teach students pest monitoring, control and problem solving techniques, the use of resources including the internet and journals, and the use of the latest pest control equipment and application techniques. Students are shown pest situations and then work in groups to diagnose the problem, investigate management strategies, apply control measures, and monitor results. Weekly class presentations inform the class of the various projects and help to teach the class organization and presentation skills. Student evaluations and test performance have demonstrated that students achieve class objectives substantially better with the problem-based learning approach than with the previous lecture-based approach to the class.

scholarly journals Impacts of Climate Change Interacting Abiotic Factors on Growth, aflD and aflR Gene Expression and Aflatoxin B1 Production by Aspergillus flavus Strains In Vitro and on Pistachio Nuts

Toxins ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 385
Author(s):  
Alaa Baazeem ◽  
Alicia Rodriguez ◽  
Angel Medina ◽  
Naresh Magan
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Gene Expression ◽  
Water Stress ◽  
Aspergillus Flavus ◽  
Aflatoxin B1 ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Pistachio Nuts ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Spoilage Fungi

Pistachio nuts are an important economic tree nut crop which is used directly or processed for many food-related activities. They can become colonized by mycotoxigenic spoilage fungi, especially Aspergillus flavus, mainly resulting in contamination with aflatoxins (AFs), especially aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). The prevailing climate in which these crops are grown changes as temperature and atmospheric CO2 levels increase, and episodes of extreme wet/dry cycles occur due to human industrial activity. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of interacting Climate Change (CC)-related abiotic factors of temperature (35 vs. 37 °C), CO2 (400 vs. 1000 ppm), and water stress (0.98–0.93 water activity, aw) on (a) growth (b) aflD and aflR biosynthetic gene expression and (c) AFB1 production by two strains A. flavus (AB3, AB10) in vitro on milled pistachio-based media and when colonizing layers of shelled raw pistachio nuts. The A. flavus strains were resilient in terms of growth on pistachio-based media and the colonisation of pistachio nuts with no significant difference when exposed to the interacting three-way climate-related abiotic factors. However, in vitro studies showed that AFB1 production was significantly stimulated (p < 0.05), especially when exposed to 1000 ppm CO2 at 0.98–0.95 aw and 35 °C, and sometimes in the 37 °C treatment group at 0.98 aw. The relative expression of the structural aflD gene involved in AFB1 biosynthesis was decreased or only slightly increased, relative to the control conditions at elevated CO, regardless of the aw level examined. For the regulatory aflR gene expression, there was a significant (p < 0.05) increase in 1000 ppm CO2 and 37 °C for both strains, especially at 0.95 aw. The in situ colonization of pistachio nuts resulted in a significant (p < 0.05) stimulation of AFB1 production at 35 °C and 1000 ppm CO2 for both strains, especially at 0.98 aw. At 37 °C, AFB1 production was either decreased, in strain AB3, or remained similar, as in strain AB10, when exposed to 1000 ppm CO2. This suggests that CC factors may have a differential effect, depending on the interacting conditions of temperature, exposure to CO2 and the level of water stress on AFB1 production.

scholarly journals Comparison of superficial wound documentation using 2D forensic photography, 3D photogrammetry, Botscan© and VR with real-life examination

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 422-430
Author(s):  
Federico Massini ◽  
Lars Ebert ◽  
Garyfalia Ampanozi ◽  
Sabine Franckenberg ◽  
Lena Benz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gold Standard ◽  
3D Visualization ◽  
Real Life ◽  
The Body ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Forest Plot ◽  
Technical Documentation ◽  
Forensic Photography ◽  
Head Mounted Display ◽  
Significant Difference

AbstractEvidence acquisition, interpretation and preservation are essential parts of forensic case work that make a standardized documentation process fundamental. The most commonly used method for the documentation and interpretation of superficial wounds is a combination of two modalities: two-dimensional (2D) photography for evidence preservation and real-life examination for wound analysis. As technologies continue to develop, 2D photography is being enhanced with three-dimensional (3D) documentation technology. In our study, we compared the real-life examination of superficial wounds using four different technical documentation and visualization methods.To test the different methods, a mannequin was equipped with several injury stickers, and then the different methods were applied. A total of 42 artificial injury stickers were documented in regard to orientation, form, color, size, wound borders, wound corners and suspected mechanism of injury for the injury mechanism. As the gold standard, superficial wounds were visually examined by two board-certified forensic pathologists directly on the mannequin. These results were compared to an examination using standard 2D forensic photography; 2D photography using the multicamera system Botscan©, which included predefined viewing positions all around the body; and 3D photogrammetric reconstruction based on images visualized both on screen and in a virtual reality (VR) using a head-mounted display (HMD).The results of the gold standard examination showed that the two forensic pathologists had an inter-reader agreement ranging from 69% for the orientation and 11% for the size of the wounds. A substantial portion of the direct visual documentation showed only a partial overlap, especially for the items of size and color, thereby prohibiting the statistical comparison of these two items. A forest plot analysis of the remaining six items showed no significant difference between the methods. We found that among the forensic pathologists, there was high variability regarding the vocabulary used for the description of wound morphology, which complicated the exact comparison of the two documentations of the same wound.There were no significant differences for any of the four methods compared to the gold standard, thereby challenging the role of real-life examination and 2D photography as the most reliable documentation approaches. Further studies with real injuries are necessary to support our evaluation that technical examination methods involving multicamera systems and 3D visualization for whole-body examination might be a valid alternative in future forensic documentation.

scholarly journals Apixaban concentration variability and relation to clinical outcomes in real-life patients with atrial fibrillation

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alenka Mavri ◽  
Nina Vene ◽  
Mojca Božič-Mijovski ◽  
Marko Miklič ◽  
Lisbeth Söderblom ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Clinical Outcomes ◽  
Thromboembolic Event ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Individual Variability ◽  
Blood Samples ◽  
Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass ◽  
Peak Blood

AbstractIn some clinical situations, measurements of anticoagulant effect of apixaban may be needed. We investigated the inter- and intra-individual apixaban variability in patients with atrial fibrillation and correlated these results with clinical outcome. We included 62 patients receiving either 5 mg (A5, n = 32) or 2.5 mg (A2.5, n = 30) apixaban twice-daily. We collected three trough and three peak blood samples 6–8 weeks apart. Apixaban concentration was measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass-spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) and by anti-Xa. Patients on A2.5 were older, had lower creatinine clearance, higher CHA2DS2VASc (4.7 ± 1.0 vs. 3.4 ± 1.7) and lower trough (85 ± 39 vs. 117 ± 53 ng/mL) and peak (170 ± 56 vs. 256 ± 91 ng/mL) apixaban concentrations than patients on A5 (all p < 0.01). In patients on A5, LC–MS/MS showed a significant difference between through levels and between peak levels (p < 0.01). During apixaban treatment, 21 patients suffered bleeding (2 major). There was no association between bleeding and apixaban concentrations or variability. Four patients who suffered thromboembolic event had lower peak apixaban concentrations than patients without it (159 ± 13 vs. 238 ± 88 ng/mL, p = 0.05). We concluded, that there was a significant intra- and inter-individual variability in apixaban trough and peak concentrations. Neither variability nor apixaban concentrations were associated with clinical outcomes.

scholarly journals Analysis of livestock breeders’ perceptions and their adaptation measures to climate change in Morocco‘s arid rangelands

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Wadii Snaibi
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Climate Data ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Eastern Morocco ◽  
Climate Analysis

AbstractThe high plateaus of eastern Morocco are already suffering from the adverse impacts of climate change (CC), as the local populations’ livelihoods depend mainly on extensive sheep farming and therefore on natural resources. This research identifies breeders’ perceptions about CC, examines whether they correspond to the recorded climate data and analyses endogenous adaptation practices taking into account the agroecological characteristics of the studied sites and the difference between breeders’ categories based on the size of owned sheep herd. Data on perceptions and adaptation were analyzed using the Chi-square independence and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Climate data were investigated through Mann-Kendall, Pettitt and Buishand tests.Herders’ perceptions are in line with the climate analysis in term of nature and direction of observed climate variations (downward trend in rainfall and upward in temperature). In addition, there is a significant difference in the adoption frequency of adaptive strategies between the studied agroecological sub-zones (χ2 = 14.525, p <.05) due to their contrasting biophysical and socioeconomic conditions, as well as among breeders’ categories (χ2 = 10.568, p < .05) which attributed mainly to the size of sheep flock. Policy options aimed to enhance local-level adaptation should formulate site-specific adaptation programs and prioritise the small-scale herders.

Step count for 7th and 8th grade students in structured and unstructured physical education classes

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-61
Author(s):  
Necip Demirci ◽  
Refika Yilmaz ◽  
Ayda Karaca
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Physical Education ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
School Type ◽  
School Students ◽  
Step Counts ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
8Th Grade ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Type Data

The aim of the study was to analyze step counts of middle school students in structured and unstructured physical education classes (PE) according to age, gender, and school type. Data were collected on a sample of 74 students, 40 7th and 34 8th grade students recruited from private and public middle schools. Omron HJ-112 pedometers were used in this study to obtain step counts. There were statistically significant differences between boys and girls in the step counts in both structured and unstructured PE. A significant difference was observed between school types in step counts during structured PE in both genders, while no significant difference was found for unstructured PE. Significant difference was found between step counts of only boys of different grades in unstructured PE. Boys made more steps than girls both in structured and unstructured PE. In structured PE, 7th grade boys reached a higher number of steps than 8th grade boys.

scholarly journals Developing a model of climate change behavior among adolescents

2018 ◽  
Vol 151 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 589-603 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn T. Stevenson ◽  
M. Nils Peterson ◽  
Howard D. Bondell
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Change Behavior

scholarly journals Assessment of in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

2021 ◽  
pp. 105-114
Author(s):  
Sarah Alaa Mohsen ◽  
Fatma Ahmed El Deeb ◽  
Ehab Sayed Ramadan ◽  
Mai Abd El-Raouf Eissa
Keyword(s):  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Age Of Onset ◽  
Neuropsychological Test ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Group I ◽  
Significant Difference

Background: Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common and potentially debilitating disorder. Neuropsychological assessment provides unique complementary information that is critical for evaluating higher cortical abilities. This study aimed to assess the neuropsychological functions in OCD patients which can then point to the brain structures or pathways and to study the correlation between these assessments and different clinical variables. Methods: This cross-sectional case control study had included sixty patients who were divided into two groups, Group I: thirty OCD patients diagnosed by DSM-IV and Group II: thirty healthy controls who were recruited from the community, matched with patients’ age, gender, and education. Results: The age of onset in our study was 19.13 ± 0.35 years, the mean duration was 7.44 ± 3.88 years, 40% of the studied cases had severe OCD symptoms and 33.3% of them were compulsive cleaners. There was a high significant difference between the two groups regarding WCST in favor of the control group. There was a high significant difference between the two groups regarding ROCF where the control group showed better results than the OCD patients. Conclusions: Neuropsychological test performance remains an informative and objective means of investigation, especially when applied to psychiatric disorders. The executive functions in OCD patients were impaired in comparison to the normal study subjects.

scholarly journals Effect of Eight Weeks Water Resistance Training with Dark Chocolate Supplementation on the Balance of the Elderly

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Mousavi ◽  
Farshad Ghazalian
Keyword(s):  
Resistance Training ◽  
Water Resistance ◽  
Training Group ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Dark Chocolate ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Group Water ◽  
Age Range

Introduction: Improving balance in the daily lives of the elderly plays an important role, especially in reducing their risk of falling. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of eight weeks water resistance training with dark chocolate supplementation on the balance of the elderly.Methods: In this study, 38 elderly people with an age range of 73-60 years were randomly divided into four groups. Participants in groups, included water resistance training and water resistance training + dark chocolate, performed water resistance training for eight weeks. In this period, groups of dark chocolate and water resistance training + dark chocolate, consumed 6 pieces of dark chocolate 83%, 5 gr per day, and the control group did not have any training or supplementation. The stork test (flamingo) was used to assess balance. The results of covariance analysis (ANOVA) showed that there was a statistically significant difference between the four groups. Data were evaluated using Excel and SPSS-25 (p≤ 0.05). Results: The adjusted means after eliminating the effect of pre-test scores showed that the water resistance-training group had a higher mean than the other three groups and the weakest scores belonged to the control group. The results of other groups were as followed: experimental group 18.77, chocolate group 16.88, combined group (water resistance training + dark chocolate) 17.24 and control group 9.77. The results of Benferoni test showed that there was a significant difference between the water resistance training group and the control group (p = 0.006). Conclusion: According to the results of this study, it seems that eight weeks of water resistance training and dark chocolate supplementation can improve the balance and quality of life of the elderly.

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