Teacher candidates in the garden

Recent science education reform has led to an increased emphasis on engaging students in inquiry and science practices rather than having them simply memorize scientific facts. However, many teachers of elementary science may themselves have had more traditional science learning experiences, and may therefore be unsure about inquiry-based teaching methods. One way to enhance preservice teachers' comfort with and desire to teach science using a hands-on approach might be to engage them in science learning experiences alongside children during their educator preparation program. The purpose of this article is to share how one faculty member and a cooperating teacher from a partner school involve teacher candidates in working with children in the school's garden, allowing them to personally experience inquiry while witnessing firsthand the potential benefits to children of authentic science learning through garden based activities.     

A Measurement of Electrocardiography and Photoplethesmography in Obese Children

The purpose of this study was to establish heart rate variability normative data on obese children and to comparing the accuracy of two medical technologies photoplethesmography (PPG) with electrocardiography (ECG) while measuring heart rate variability (HRV). PPG is a relatively new technique that holds promise for health care practitioners as an evaluative tool and biofeedback instrument due to its cost and easy administration. This study involved ten children who were recruited for an after-school program designed to reduce obesity. Three-five-minute recordings of HRV were collected while the children were lying in the supine position on a therapy bed. PPG was measured from a thumb sensor and ECG from sensors placed under wristbands on both wrists. The results indicate that PPG is as effective as ECG in measuring the eleven parameters of heart rate variability.     

Heart rate variability analysis

The expansion of heart rate variability analysis has been facilitated by the remarkable development of computer sciences and digital signal processing during the last thirty years. The beat-to-beat fluctuation of the heart rate originates from the momentary summing of sympathetic and parasympathetic influences on the sinus node. According to the extensive associations of the autonomic nervous system, several factors affect heart rate and its variability such as posture, respiration frequency, age, gender, physical or mental load, pain, numerous disease conditions, and different drugs. Heart rate variability can be quantitatively measured by time domain and frequency domain methods that are detailed in the paper. Non-linear methods have not spread in the clinical practice yet. Various cardiovascular and other pathologies as well as different forms of mental and physical load are associated with altered heart rate variability offering the possibility of predicting disease outcome and assessing stress.     

Modern concepts of socialisation for dogs: implications for their behaviour, welfare and use in scientific procedures

The provision of a socialisation and training programme for dogs can lead to an improvement in the quality of the data that are produced from scientific procedures, and also to an improvement in animal welfare. A reduction in the number of animals needed to produce statistically significant data can result from decreasing the variability of the experimental data. The effects of a dog's behaviour can be a major source of random variability. A well socialised, habituated and trained dog should be calm during experimental procedures and, for example, during an ECG measurement, thus providing good quality data. A fearful, poorly socialised dog may also appear to be well-behaved on an examination table, and during an ECG measurement, because of the freezing response. However, there is likely to be a difference in the level of stress that these two individuals experience during the procedures. The stress response can have an impact on vital physiological parameters, such as heart rate. The variability in these parameters and the behaviour exhibited within a group of socialised, habituated and trained dogs that have been well prepared for experimental procedures, should be less than the variability present within a similar group of dogs that have not been prepared for these procedures. This paper describes two socialisation programmes, which were designed in order to compare the heart rates and behaviour of dogs which had received different degrees of socialisation, habituation and training. The behaviour of small groups of dogs from this study was compared with that of dogs on a standard socialisation programme, by using a simple, reproducible behavioural score scheme. The heart rate of the dogs was also measured. The results showed that there was little difference in heart rate between the groups, but that there were significant differences in the scores for key behaviours. There was evidence of a decrease in the variability of the behavioural scores for the groups of dogs that had undergone an intensive socialisation programme. Therefore, a socialisation programme can have a significant effect on behaviour and welfare, and has the potential to improve the quality of the data that are recorded.     

Using a high-fidelity patient simulator with first-year medical students to facilitate learning of cardiovascular function curves

Students are relying on technology for learning more than ever, and educators need to adapt to facilitate student learning. High-fidelity patient simulators (HFPS) are usually reserved for the clinical years of medical education and are geared to improve clinical decision skills, teamwork, and patient safety. Finding ways to incorporate HFPS into preclinical medical education represents more of a challenge, and there is limited literature regarding its implementation. The main objective of this study was to implement a HFPS activity into a problem-based curriculum to enhance the learning of basic sciences. More specifically, the focus was to aid in student learning of cardiovascular function curves and help students develop heart failure treatment strategies based on basic cardiovascular physiology concepts. Pretests and posttests, along with student surveys, were used to determine student knowledge and perception of learning in two first-year medical school classes. There was an increase of 21% and 22% in the percentage of students achieving correct answers on a posttest compared with their pretest score. The median number of correct questions increased from pretest scores of 2 and 2.5 to posttest scores of 4 and 5 of a possible total of 6 in each respective year. Student survey data showed agreement that the activity aided in learning. This study suggests that a HFPS activity can be implemented during the preclinical years of medical education to address basic science concepts. Additionally, it suggests that student learning of cardiovascular function curves and heart failure strategies are facilitated.     

Typoloagical characteristics of the functional state of regulatory systems in schoolchildren and young athletes (According to Heart Rate Variability Data)

This article is based on the heart rate variability data obtained during a 15-year study of schoolchildren and athletes from 7 to 18 years old. The typological characteristics of the functional state and the adaptive capacity of regulatory systems were determined. It is shown that the functional state, reactivity, and adaptive capacity of regulatory systems depend primarily on the regulation type rather than on age. It is established that different mechanisms of heart rate control are switched in children and athletes with different regulation types during the performance of the same test and physical loads.     

Environments of Learning: Rarámuri Children’s Plant Knowledge and Experience of Schooling,Family, and Landscapes in the Sierra Tarahumara,Mexico

This paper investigates social-environmental factors contributing to differential ethnobotanical expertise among children in Rarámuri (Tarahumara) communities in Chihuahua, Mexico, to explore processes of indigenous ecological education and epistemologies of research. One hundred and four children from two schools (one with a Ráramuri knowledge curriculum and one without) were interviewed about their knowledge of 40 useful plants. Overall, children showed less ethnobotanical expertise than expected and a great deal of variability by age, though most shared knowledge of a core set of culturally and ecologically salient plants. No significant difference was found between girls’ and boys’ knowledge. The overall use-knowledge scores were almost twice as high as naming scores (mean of 40% vs. 24.4%). This supports the conclusion that use-context is more culturally relevant, salient or easier for children to remember than names. The social–environmental factors significant in predicting levels of plant knowledge among children were whether a child attended a Rarámuri or Spanish-instruction school, and, to a lesser extent, age. However, these effects were not strong, and individual variability in expertise is best interpreted using ethnographic knowledge of each child’s family and personal history, leading to a model of ethnobotanical education that foregrounds experiential learning and personal and family interest in useful plants. Though overall plant knowledge may be lower among children today compared to previous generations, a community knowledge structure seems to be reproduced in which a few individuals in each age cohort show great proficiency, and children make the same kinds of mistakes and share specialized names for plants.     

Comparative physiology of postnatal developments of cardiopulmonary reflex.

We analyzed and compared the frequency components of the heart rate variability in human neonate, rat, white chicken, turtle, and frog during the developments. Frequency analysis with autocorrelation-FFT method was applied to the heart rate and respiration waves to calculate the respiration induced frequency component in the power spectra. The comparative analysis of the cardiopulmonary reflex in human and rat neonates resulted in a similar developmental progress. In case of human immature neonate, respiration induced frequency component in the heart rate variability was negligible at day-old 0, and significantly increased at postnatal 1 month. The rat neonates also showed no or negligible respiration induced components until days 8 and it became significant approximately postnatal 1 month. The white chicken also indicated negligible respiration induced component before and a few days after hatching, and became significant after 38 days-old (17 days post hatching). However the frog and the turtle indicated no clear response in entire periods of the development even in adult. The results strongly suggested that gravity may be a possible essential factor of the appearance of the post natal development of the cardiopulmonary reflex.     

A case series on the potential effect of omega-3-fatty acid supplementation on 24-h heart rate variability and its circadian variation in children with attention deficit (hyperactivity) disorder

Attention deficit disorder with and without hyperactivity (ADHD) in children is associated with decreased 24-h heart rate variability (HRV). Previous research has shown that supplementation of omega-3-fatty acid increases HRV. Here, we aimed to investigate whether the supplementation of omega-3-fatty acids would increase 24-h HRV in an uncontrolled case series of children with ADHD. HRV was recorded in 18 children and adolescents (age 13.35 ± 2.8 years) before and after omega-3 supplementation. Preliminary results indicate that omega-3 supplementation in children with AD(H)D may reduce mean heart rate and increase its variability. Future studies would do well to implement randomized, placebo-controlled designs with greater methodological rigor.     

“因材施教”与“循序渐进”——微生物学教学中的“以人为本”教育观浅析

通过分析提出"因材施教"和"循序渐进"是"以人为本"教育观在高校人才培养过程中的具体贯彻和体现;结合微生物学教学实践,从"教"与"学"两个方面阐述了:课堂教学要以学生为中心因材施教,实施基于学生需求和认知能力的教学内容和方法;学生学习要循序渐进,发挥教师主导作用,建立实验与课堂协调促进机制,实现阶段性提高等具体措施,从而进一步阐明了全面落实"以人为本"教育观于微生物学教学的重要性和现实意义。     

Analysis of the heart rate variability using stress tests

A new parameter, CS _n (t) (CardStress), a quantitative characteristic of the changes in the cardiovascular regulatory mechanisms based on the relative decrease in the heart rate variability during a functional test, is proposed. Analysis of the heart rate variability was performed in patients exposed to non-steady-state (acutely increasing) normobaric hypoxic hypoxia induced by rebreathing. The new parameter was compared with traditional methods used to analyze tachograms (such as the windowed Fourier spectral transform and histograms).     

The use of spiroarteriocardiorhythmography as a functional test for estimating the state of the cardiorespiratory system in adults and children

The heart rate, peripheral arterial blood pressure (BP), and respiration parameters were simultaneously recorded in adult subjects and young schoolchildren in two modes of testing: using a mask with airflow sensors that did not restrict air inflow but increased the pulmonary dead space and without the mask. It was demonstrated that wearing the mask was a functional test for the state of the cardiorespiratory system in both age groups; however, the responses of the children’s and adults’ bodies differed from each other, probably, because of the functional immaturity of the sympathetic component of the autonomic control. In adults, the parameters of the cardiovascular system did not change, except that the heart rate variability spectrum was redistributed toward an enhancement of the high-frequency component. In children, testing with the mask on decreased the systolic BP; increased the heart rate; and, as evidenced by the spectral characteristics of BP variability, activated the sympathetic nervous system.     

Influence of cognitive load on the body functional state in children aged 9 to 12 years during early stages of puberty

This article analyzes heart rate variability (HRV), the glucocorticoid function of adrenal glands, and brain electrical activity (EA) in children aged 9 to 12 years to study their functional state during early stages of puberty. The cognitive load (mental arithmetic) caused low-frequency waves in the heart rate spectrum in all subjects, regardless of the puberty stage and gender. With respect to the age range under study, the hormonal response to the arithmetic test, expressed in a decrease in the level of cortisol, was observed in boys only at the third stage of puberty. The visual analysis of the background electrical encephalogram showed frequent generalized bilateral and synchronous changes in the electrical activity (EA) in the form of diencephalic signs in children. The features of the relationship between the autonomic nervous system and the hypothalamic pituitary-adrenal system have been revealed in children aged 9 to 12 years during cognitive load. The closest correlations between HRV indices and cortisol levels have been found in girls at the first stage and boys at the third stage of puberty.     

Conductive education at the Pet? Institute,Budapest.

Conductive education, which was developed at the Petö Institute in Budapest, has been publicised incorrectly as a method of treatment for children with cerebral palsy. From the results of information given and our own observations during a week''s visit to the institute we conclude that a minority of carefully selected children with cerebral palsy and spina bifida, who have a relatively good prognosis, are educated at the institute; the education is carried out with appropriate medical, surgical, and orthotic intervention; and the children probably function better as a result of the intensive programme than do similar children in Britain in areas where therapy is scarce. They seem to achieve, however, what we would expect similar children in Britain to do when facilities are adequate. Though our findings do not therefore justify using public funds to refer children to the institute, some (self selected) families benefit from a visit, particularly from the positive attitudes of the staff. The role of the conductor and the integration of programmes into a classroom setting have much to recommend them, and conductive education, if successfully transferred to Britain, might be beneficial to a wider range of children than in Hungary.     

Heart Rate Variability in Healthy Six- to Sixteen-Year-Old Children

To study the age-related features of heart rate variability in children between the age of 6 to 16 years, cardiac rhythmograms of 5400 children were analyzed. It was found that parameters of the heart rate (M, SDNN, RMSSD, TF, VLF, and HF) in these children increase with age, changing in a wavelike way from year to year. Gender differences were observed in parameter M beginning from the age of 9; in parameters TF, VLF, and LF, the differences were observed beginning from the age of 11; and in parameters SDNN, RMSSD, and HF, the differences were observed from the age of 12 years. No differences between 16-year-old boys and girls in all the parameters of heart rate variability were found. It was shown that parameter VLF derived from ECG epochs of less than 5-min is suitable for physiological and clinical assessment. The obtained values of the parameters can be used in practice as reference standard.     

What’s in the body? Children’s annotated drawings

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a study of children’s ideas of the body’s internal structure. Children between four and 13 years (N = 170) individually produced drawings. During each drawing session the children explained their drawings to a facilitator and added written labels either by themselves or, if they were too young to write, with the facilitator’s help. The results provide an updated comprehensive picture of children in different age groups and their views on the internal structure of the body. The type and numbers of organs drawn are similar to those documented in previous studies. However, in comparison to recent studies, the children drew more organs, the brain was indicated almost as often as the heart, and the Valentine heart was frequently used as a symbol. In contrast with previous research, children drew connections between organs. This result calls for caution regarding conclusions made from decontextualized questions. The importance of providing children with the opportunity to clarify their drawings is emphasised since it otherwise becomes a question of the researcher’s interpretation. The connections they draw, and explanations they give to their drawings, have interesting implications for understanding children’s ideas, and hence both for teaching and learning and for science education research.     

Influence of examination stress and psychoemotional characteristics on the blood pressure and heart rate regulation in female students

During the semester and immediately before an examination, changes in the heart rate variability, blood pressure, and state anxiety induced by examination stress, as well as the dependence of these changes on the probabilistic prediction and actual examination mark, were investigated. Before an examination, most students exhibited an increase in state anxiety, diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate; the last of these is connected with an increase in the LF/HF ratio. The behavior of the cardiovascular system of the students (who were females) under psychoemotional stress varied considerably depending on how well they were prepared for the examination and on the subjective prediction of success. The importance of the type of heart rate regulation during the semester for the progress of examination stress was established.     

Changes in the Heart Rate Parameters under the Influence of Academic School Activities in Adolescents with Mental Retardation

Examination of seventh-grade schoolchildren revealed that changes in the heart rate parameters observed during a day or a week in mentally retarded (MR) adolescents have some specific features as compared with values in healthy children of the same age. Appreciable variations of power in all frequency bands and a pronounced decrease in the low-frequency spectrum power at the end of the day were characteristic of MR schoolchildren. In the middle of the week, the tone of the sympathetic nervous system dropped, while adaptive changes in the level of psychoemotional tension were not observed. In healthy adolescents, the heart rate parameters were stable throughout a school day or week, whereas psychoemotional tension rose in the middle of the week. These results provide a basis for modification of the learning regimen in correctional schools. Heart rate analysis may be used for assessing the efficiency of the academic process in children with learning problems.     

Age-dependent heart rate variability in preschool children living under the conditions of the European Arctic region

The results of analysis of specific characteristics of the heart rate variability (HRV) regulation in preschool children living under the Arctic high-latitude conditions are presented. The principal ageand gender-specific differences in the HRV regulation have been inferred from the intergroup evaluations of the HRV indicators in boys and girls. A functional developmental delay has been shown in 2.5-year-old girls compared with boys of the same age group. The applied orthostatic test has shown lower reserve capacities in children of the senior group compared with the junior group. It has been shown that the mechanisms of the regulation of cardiac rhythm in girls experience higher strain during orthostasis as compared with boys. The division of children into age groups with an age difference of one year has allowed the detection of the tendency towards basically different responses to functional loads during orthostasis. The mean HRV values characteristic of four- to six-year-old children living in the Arctic are presented. It has been shown that the children living at middle latitudes have a higher adaptive potential compared with the children living in high-latitude Arctic areas.     

存在睡眠呼吸异常的慢病患者呼吸影响心率变异性的初步分析*

目的: 基于整体整合生理学医学理论提出的呼吸引起循环指标变异的假说,分析研究存在睡眠呼吸异常的慢病患者睡眠期间呼吸和心率变异之间的相关关系。方法: 纳入存在睡眠呼吸异常且呼吸暂停低通气指数（AHI）≥15次/小时的慢病患者11例,签署知情同意书后完成标准化症状限制性极限运动的心肺运动试验（CPET）和睡眠呼吸监测,计算分析病人睡眠期间波浪式呼吸（OB）期与正常平稳呼吸期的呼吸鼻气流、心电图R-R间期心率变异的规律。结果: 存在睡眠呼吸异常的慢病患者CPET峰值摄氧量（Peak VO₂）和无氧阈（AT）为（70.8±13.6）%pred和（71.2±6.1）%pred;CPET有5例存在运动诱发的波浪式呼吸（EIOB）,6例为呼吸不稳定,提示整体功能状态低于正常人。本组慢病患者AHI为每小时（28.8±10.0）次,睡眠呼吸异常总时间占睡眠总时间的比值为（0.38±0.25）;OB周期的平均时间长度为（51.1±14.4）s。本组慢病患者正常平稳呼吸期的呼吸周期数与心率变异周期数的比值（B-n/HRV-B-n）为1.00±0.04,每个呼吸周期节律的心率变异平均幅度（HRV-B-M）为（2.64±1.59） bpm,虽然低于正常人（P<0.05）,但却与无睡眠呼吸异常的慢病患者相似（P>0.05）;HRV-B-M的变异度CV（HRV-B-M的SD/x）为( 0.33±0.11）,期间血氧饱和度（SpO₂）虽略低,但并无明显规律性下降与上升。本组慢病患者的OB期间呼吸周期数与心率变异周期数（OB-B-n/OB-HRV-B-n）比值为（1.22±0.18）,OB期每个呼吸周期节律的心率变异平均幅度（OB-HRV-B-M）为（3.56±1.57）bpm及其变异度（OB-CV =OB-HRV-B-M的SD/x）为（0.59±0.28）,每个OB周期节律的心率变异平均幅度（OB-HRV-OB-M）为（13.75±4.25）bpm,OB期间低通气时SpO₂出现明显的下降,OB期间SpO₂平均变异幅度（OB-SpO₂-OB-M）为（4.79±1.39）%,OB期的OB-B-n/OB-HRV-B-n比值、OB-HRV-OB-M比其正常平稳呼吸期对应指标显著增大（P<0.01）。OB-HRV-B-M虽然与正常平稳呼吸期HRV-B-M相比差异无统计学意义（P>0.05）,但其变异度OB-CV却显著增大（P<0.01）。结论: 睡眠呼吸异常的慢病患者OB期的心率变异幅度大于其正常平稳呼吸期,当呼吸模式发生改变时心率变异也发生明显改变,其平稳呼吸期的呼吸周期数与心率变异周期数的比值与正常人以及无睡眠呼吸异常的慢病患者相同,证实心率变异为呼吸源性;而其OB期间心率变异周期数相对于呼吸周期减少直接源于此时的低通气或者呼吸暂停,心率变异也是呼吸源性。