Introducing original methods for integrating sociocultural and discourse studies into science and engineering education, this book provides a much-needed framework for how to conduct qualitative ...research in this field. The three dimensions of learning identified in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) create a need for research methods that examine the sociocultural components of science education. With cutting-edge studies and examples consistent with the NGSS, this book offers comprehensive research methods for integrating discourse and sociocultural practices in science and engineering education and provides key tools for applying this framework for students, pre-service teachers, scholars, and researchers.
ABSTRACT
Engineering offers new educational opportunities for students, yet also poses challenges about how to conceptualize the disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and science and ...engineering practices of the disciplinary fields of engineering. In this paper, we draw from empirical studies of engineering in professional and school settings to propose a set of epistemic practices of engineering that can inform curriculum development, teacher education, and research in science and engineering education. We examine the ways that these practices emerge from the work of engineering and serve to guide problem solving across a range of engineering fields. The proposed epistemic practices for education take into consideration social contexts of engineering, the salience of evidence for decision making, the types of tools and strategies used to construct knowledge, and need for creativity and innovation. The article concludes with suggestions for research in engineering education.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Background: In our published randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 3-period crossover trial, healthy adult men (n = 21) consumed bars containing no supplemental fiber (placebo; NFC), ...polydextrose (21 g/d), and soluble corn fiber (SCF; 21 g/d) for 21 d each. Fecal specimens were collected between days 16 and 21 for fermentative end-product analysis and 16S ribosomal RNA bacterial gene amplification for bacterial taxa identification. Fiber supplementation decreased fecal putrefaction compounds and shifted abundances of several bacterial taxa.Objective: The objective was to perform whole-genome shotgun 454 pyrosequencing on the same fecal specimens collected in that clinical trial to obtain comprehensive fecal bacterial genome sequencing coverage and explore the full range of bacterial genetic information in the fecal microbiome, thereby using a systematic approach to study the impact of dietary fiber supplementation on fecal metabolites, bacterial taxa, and bacterial metagenomes.Design: Fecal samples were subjected to whole-genome shotgun 454 pyrosequencing to identify both fecal bacterial populations present and their functional genetic capacity.Results: Whole-genome shotgun sequencing results revealed that fiber consumption shifted the Bacteroidetes:Firmicutes ratio, increasing the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes 12 ± 2% and 13 ± 2% with polydextrose and SCF, respectively, compared with NFC. Bivariate correlations showed a positive correlation between the Bacteroidetes:Firmicutes ratio and total dietary fiber intake but not body mass index. Principal coordinates analysis of Bray-Curtis distances indicated that bacterial gene composition was more similar in participants consuming fibers (polydextrose and SCF combined) in comparison with NFC. Shifts in bacterial gene abundances after polydextrose and SCF supplementation included genes associated with carbohydrate, amino acid, and lipid metabolism, as well as metabolism of cofactors and vitamins.Conclusion: This study conveys novel information about the impact of dietary fiber supplementation on the phylogenetic structure and functional capacity of the fecal microbiome of healthy adults. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02091349.
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CMK, GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
To describe the proportion of children screened by the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT), identify characteristics associated with screen completion, and examine associations between ...autism spectrum disorder (ASD) screening and later ASD diagnosis.
We examined data from children attending 18- and 24-month visits between 2013 and 2016 from 20 clinics within a health care system for evidence of screening with the M-CHAT and subsequent coding of ASD diagnosis at age >4.75 years. We interviewed providers for information about usual methods of M-CHAT scoring and ASD referral.
Of 36 233 toddlers, 73% were screened and 1.4% were later diagnosed with ASD. Hispanic children were less likely to be screened (adjusted prevalence ratio APR: 0.95, 95% confidence interval CI: 0.92-0.98), and family physicians were less likely to screen (APR: 0.12, 95% CI: 0.09-0.15). Compared with unscreened children, screen-positive children were more likely to be diagnosed with ASD (APR: 10.3, 95% CI: 7.6-14.1) and were diagnosed younger (38.5 vs 48.5 months,
< .001). The M-CHAT's sensitivity for ASD diagnosis was 33.1%, and the positive predictive value was 17.8%. Providers routinely omitted the M-CHAT follow-up interview and had uneven referral patterns.
A majority of children were screened for ASD, but disparities exist among those screened. Benefits for screen-positive children are improved detection and younger age of diagnosis. Performance of the M-CHAT can be improved in real-world health care settings by administering screens with fidelity and facilitating timely ASD evaluations for screen-positive children. Providers should continue to monitor for signs of ASD in screen-negative children.
By engaging in the epistemic practices of a disciplinary area, students are able to build their capacity for learning and expand their repertoire for reasoning. These epistemic practices are ...intrinsic to knowledge-producing communities and need to be examined from a sociocultural perspective. In this paper, I describe epistemic practices and the related topics of epistemic and ontological cognition and epistemic tools. I consider the epistemological commitments of the communities constructing knowledge and the spheres of application for epistemics in education. These epistemic domains of education are each illustrated with examples from curriculum design. The value and limitations of the perspective are discussed. In a post-script, I answer common questions about the uses of epistemic practices in education.
The purpose of the study is to examine the associations of youth physical activity and screen time with weight status and cardiorespiratory fitness in children and adolescents, separately, utilizing ...a nationally representative sample. A total of 1,113 participants (692 children aged 6-11 yrs; 422 adolescents aged 12-15 yrs) from the 2012 NHANES National Youth Fitness Survey. Participants completed physical activity and screen time questionnaires, and their body mass index and cardiorespiratory fitness (adolescents only) were assessed. Adolescents completed additional physical activity questions to estimate daily MET minutes. Children not meeting the screen time guideline had 1.69 times the odds of being overweight/obese compared to those meeting the screen time guideline, after adjusting for physical activity and other control variables. Among adolescent, screen time was significantly associated with being overweight/obese (odds ratio = 1.82, 95% confidence interval: 1.06-3.15), but the association attenuated toward the borderline of being significant after controlling for physical activity. Being physically active was positively associated with cardiorespiratory fitness, independent of screen time among adolescents. In joint association analysis, children who did not meet physical activity nor screen time guidelines had 2.52 times higher odds of being overweight/obese than children who met both guidelines. Adolescents who did not meet the screen time guideline had significantly higher odds ratio of being overweight/obese regardless of meeting the physical activity guideline. Meeting the physical activity guideline was also associated with cardiorespiratory fitness regardless of meeting the screen time guideline in adolescents. Screen time is a stronger factor than physical activity in predicting weight status in both children and adolescents, and only physical activity is strongly associated with cardiorespiratory fitness in adolescents.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Engineering design provides unique ways to include epistemic tools to support collaborative sense‐making, reasoning with evidence, and assessing knowledge. Engineering design processes often require ...students to apply science concepts to solve problems. We draw from five engineering curricular units that engaged students in specific epistemic practices of engineering: constructing models and prototypes, making trade‐offs between criteria and constraints, and communicating through uses of conventionalized verbal, written, and symbolic models. Through analysis of curriculum products, student artifacts, and classroom discourse, we show how engaging in such practices requires the use of epistemic tools that shape, and are shaped by, the knowledge construction work of the members of the classrooms. The epistemic tools foster creating, sharing, and assessing knowledge claims. Six principles of practice for education demonstrate how such tools can be educative. These principles evince how epistemic tools support goal‐directed, concerted activity that can support the learning of disciplinary knowledge and practice and offer the potential to increase student agency.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has recently emerged as a minimally invasive "liquid biopsy" tool in precision medicine. ctDNA-genomic DNA fragments that are released into the bloodstream after the ...active secretion of microvesicles or tumor cell lysis reflects tumor evolution and the genomic alterations present in primary and/or metastatic tumors. Notably, ctDNA analysis might allow the stratification of patients, the monitoring of the therapeutic response, and the establishment of an opportunity for early intervention independent of detection by imaging modalities or clinical symptoms. As oncology moves towards precision medicine, the information in ctDNA provides a means for the individual management of the patient based on their tumor's genetic profile. This review presents current evidence on the potential role for ctDNA in helping to guide individualized clinical treatment decisions for patients with melanoma, castration-resistant prostate cancer, breast cancer, metastatic colorectal cancer, and non-small cell lung cancer.
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