Computational thinking (CT) is a key skill in the 21st century. However, it is not clear which is the most effective way to acquire and improve CT. Big research efforts are made to determine which ...pedagogical means should be used. One research trend is based on the idea that teaching programming since Primary Education suffices to improve CT. In our previous work, we proposed and validated a methodology based on metaphors and used of Scratch (MECOPROG) to teach basic programming concepts to children. It is our hypothesis H that by applying MECOPROG, students will develop their CT. To check H, we carried out an experiment with 132 Primary Education Students (9–12 years in age). At the beginning of the experiment, all students were asked to fill in a programming concepts test and two tests to measure their CT. During the sessions, all students were taught according to MECOPROG. Finally, they took the three tests again. A significant increase in the results on all the tests has been measured, supporting the use of metaphors and Scratch to teach computer programming concepts to Primary Education students to develop their CT.
•Computational Thinking can be improved using metaphors and Scratch.•Primary Education students' Computational Thinking can be improved.•Primary Education students can learn basic programming concepts.
Contribution: A methodology based on the learning by teaching approach facilitated by a mobile learning tool for creating tutorials. A study of the impact this methodology has had on the emotional ...well-being of students and its correlation with academic performance has also been carried out. Background: Insufficient resources and the absence of targeted teaching methods for technical content in vocational training may impact academic outcomes and lead to student demotivation. Previous studies indicate that employing active group methodologies contributes to the improvement of educational quality and positively influences the emotional well-being of students. Intended Outcomes: Improved academic performance, motivation levels, and collaborative work among peers, particularly within vocational training cycles. Application Design: A quasi-experimental design with a pre-post assessment of knowledge and emotional states. The study was carried out with 131 vocational training students, with one group following a conventional master class methodology that used practical activities, and another group following the learning by teaching methodology, where students created explanatory tutorials for their peers using a mobile application. Findings: Students who followed the proposed methodology significantly improved learning results compared to those who followed the traditional methodology. This improvement was evident both at the end of the experience and in the final evaluation of the course. Moreover, results revealed that the emotions of enjoyment and pride at the end of the learning process positively correlated with the acquisition of knowledge and that this correlation was more pronounced within the cohort that followed the learning by teaching methodology.
The risk of progression to tuberculosis disease is highest within the first year after
infection (TBI). We hypothesize that people with newly acquired TBI have a unique cytokine/chemokine profile ...that could be used as a potential biomarker.
We evaluated socio-demographic variables and 18 cytokines/chemokines in plasma samples from a cohort of people deprived of liberty (PDL) in two Colombian prisons: 47 people diagnosed with pulmonary TB, 24 with new TBI, and 47 non-infected individuals. We performed a multinomial regression to identify the immune parameters that differentiate the groups.
The concentration of immune parameters changed over time and was affected by the time of incarceration. The concentration of sCD14, IL-18 and IP-10 differed between individuals with new TBI and short and long times of incarceration. Among people with short incarceration, high concentrations of MIP-3α were associated with a higher risk of a new TBI, and higher concentrations of Eotaxin were associated with a lower risk of a new TBI. Higher concentrations of sCD14 and TNF-α were associated with a higher risk of TB disease, and higher concentrations of IL-18 and MCP-1 were associated with a lower risk of TB disease.
There were cytokines/chemokines associated with new TBI and TB disease. However, the concentration of immune mediators varies by the time of incarceration among people with new TBI. Further studies should evaluate the changes of these and other cytokines/chemokines over time to understand the immune mechanisms across the spectrum of TB.
People deprived of liberty (PDL) are at high risk of acquiring Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection (latent tuberculosis infection LTBI) and progressing to active tuberculosis (TB). We sought to ...determine the incidence rates and factors associated with LTBI and active TB in Colombian prisons. Using information of four cohort studies, we included 240 PDL with two-step tuberculin skin test (TST) negative and followed them to evaluate TST conversion, as well as, 2,134 PDL that were investigated to rule out active TB (1,305 among people with lower respiratory symptoms of any duration, and 829 among people without respiratory symptoms and screened for LTBI). Latent tuberculosis infection incidence rate was 2,402.88 cases per 100,000 person-months (95% CI 1,364.62-4,231.10) in PDL with short incarceration at baseline, and 419.66 cases per 100,000 person-months (95% CI 225.80-779.95) in individuals with long incarceration at baseline (who were enrolled for the follow after at least 1 year of incarceration). The TB incidence rate among PDL with lower respiratory symptoms was 146.53 cases/100,000 person-months, and among PDL without respiratory symptoms screened for LTBI the incidence rate was 19.49 cases/100,000 person-months. History of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccination decreased the risk of acquiring LTBI among PDL who were recently incarcerated. Female sex, smoked drugs, and current cigarette smoking were associated with an increased risk of developing active TB. This study shows that PDL have high risk for LTBI and active TB. It is important to perform LTBI testing at admission to prison, as well as regular follow-up to control TB in prisons.
In this paper we address an open key issue during the development of web-based educational systems. In particular, we provide an educational-oriented approach for building personalised e-learning ...environments that focuses on putting the learners' needs in the centre of the development process. Our approach proposes user centred design methodologies involving interdisciplinary teams of software developers and domain experts. It is illustrated in an adaptive e-learning system, where a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) was taken by nearly 400 learners. In particular, we report where user centred design methods can be applied along the e-learning life cycle to designing and evaluating personalisation support through recommendations in learning management systems.
•User centred design translates educators' expertise to the adaptation process.•Adaptation support can be managed along the e-learning life cycle.•Recommendations can enrich LMS with adaptive navigation support.•Learning outcomes in MOOC improve with user centred recommendations.
Objective To determine the gene expression profile in individuals with new latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), and to compare them with people with active tuberculosis (TB) and those exposed to TB ...but not infected. Design A prospective cohort study. Recruitment and follow-up were conducted between September 2016 to December 2018. Gene expression and data processing and analysis from April 2019 to April 2021. Setting Two male Colombian prisons. Participants 15 new tuberculin skin test (TST) converters (negative TST at baseline that became positive during follow-up), 11 people that continued with a negative TST after two years of follow-up, and 10 people with pulmonary ATB. Main outcome measures Gene expression profile using RNA sequencing from PBMC samples. The differential expression was assessed using the DESeq2 package in Bioconductor. Genes with |logFC| >1.0 and an adjusted p-value < 0.1 were differentially expressed. We analyzed the differences in the enrichment of KEGG pathways in each group using InterMiner. Results The gene expression was affected by the time of incarceration. We identified group-specific differentially expressed genes between the groups: 289 genes in people with a new LTBI and short incarceration (less than three months of incarceration), 117 in those with LTBI and long incarceration (one or more years of incarceration), 26 in ATB, and 276 in the exposed but non-infected individuals. Four pathways encompassed the largest number of down and up-regulated genes among individuals with LTBI and short incarceration: cytokine signaling, signal transduction, neutrophil degranulation, and innate immune system. In individuals with LTBI and long incarceration, the only enriched pathway within up-regulated genes was Emi1 phosphorylation. Conclusions Recent infection with MTB is associated with an identifiable RNA pattern related to innate immune system pathways that can be used to prioritize LTBI treatment for those at greatest risk for developing active TB.
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