Open Access Kent State (OAKS)

Biomaterials cover and are an integral part of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine fields. They are crucial to mimic endogenous tissue responses and help to eliminate high research costs and ethical concerns that come with 2D systems and animal models. In this study, we present a co-culturing system wherein neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) and oligodendrocyte (MO3.13) cell lines grow within both a caprolactone-based 3D elastomer and liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) scaffolding. We also demonstrate that LCE scaffolds promote maturation and differentiation of both cell lines alone, and in co-culturing fashion as they provide a suitable 3D in vitro environment to study myelination. Additionally, we validate that these scaffolds are suitable for primary cell growth and proliferation using neurons, oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) and astrocytes. Our data suggest that responsive LCE scaffolds can effectively impact cellular function, differentiation, and myelination of co-cultured cell lines, allowing the mimicry of a more endogenous environment and providing support for long term studies to manipulate cellular crosstalk.

With the rapid aging of the U.S. population, the mobility impairment is becoming a more and more challenging issue that affects a large number of individuals. The research presented in this paper aims at helping the mobility-challenged individuals with a novel robotic companion, which is a walker-type mobile robot capable of accompanying the human user and keeping user at the center for protection and possible power assistance. The robotic companion is equipped with a 3D computer vision system, which provides a unique capability of sensing the human-robot relative position/orientation without physical contact or the need for wearable sensors. As such, the robotic companion enables the user to walk freely with minimum disturbance to his/her normal gait, relieving the user from the physical and cognitive loads associated with the use of traditional assistive devices. For the development of the robotic companion, the authors designed and fabricated a low-cost, differentially steered mobile robotic platform, and also developed a unique image processing system to extract the position/orientation information from the 3D camera-captured images. Furthermore, an advanced motion control system was developed for the robotic companion, which provides novel solutions to the unique challenges such as sway reduction and noise reduction in digital differentiation. To quantify the performance, component and system-level experimentation was conducted, and the results demonstrated that robotic companion and its key components function as desired and the system is expected to reduce the user load and improve the user mobility in real-world scenarios.

The current meta-analysis quantifies the average effect of worked examples on mathematics performance from elementary grades to postsecondary settings and to assess what moderates this effect. Though thousands of worked examples studies have been conducted to date, a corresponding meta-analysis has yet to be published. Exclusionary coding was conducted on 8033 abstracts from published and grey literature to yield a sample of high quality experimental and quasi-experimental work. This search yielded 43 articles reporting on 55 studies and 181 effect sizes. Using robust variance estimation (RVE) to account for clustered effect sizes, the average effect size of worked examples on mathematics performance outcomes was medium with g = 0.48 and p = 0.01. Moderators assessed included example type (correct vs. incorrect examples alone or in combination with correct examples), pairing with self-explanation prompts, and timing of administration (i.e., practice vs. skill acquisition). The inclusion of self-explanation prompts significantly moderated the effect of examples yielding a negative effect in comparison to worked examples conditions that did not include self-explanation prompts. Worked examples studies that used correct examples alone yielded larger effect sizes than those that used incorrect examples alone or correct examples in combination with incorrect examples. The worked examples effect yields a medium effect on mathematics outcomes whether used for practice or initial skill acquisition. Correct examples are particularly beneficial for learning overall, and pairing examples with self-explanation prompts may not be a fruitful design modification. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased negative emotions and decreased positive emotions globally. Left unchecked, these emotional changes might have a wide array of adverse impacts. To reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions, we tested the effectiveness of reappraisal, an emotion-regulation strategy that modifies how one thinks about a situation. Participants from 87 countries and regions (n = 21,644) were randomly assigned to one of two brief reappraisal interventions (reconstrual or repurposing) or one of two control conditions (active or passive). Results revealed that both reappraisal interventions (vesus both control conditions) consistently reduced negative emotions and increased positive emotions across different measures. Reconstrual and repurposing interventions had similar effects. Importantly, planned exploratory analyses indicated that reappraisal interventions did not reduce intentions to practice preventive health behaviours. The findings demonstrate the viability of creating scalable, low-cost interventions for use around the world.

Objectives. -To investigate cerebral perfusion as a potential mechanism of exercise-related cognitive improvements and to further associate cognition and cerebral perfusion in Parkinson's disease. Equipment and methods. - Cerebral perfusion was measured continuously at rest and during a cognitive task using near-infrared spectroscopy before and after a multifaceted exercise program in thirteen individuals with Parkinson's disease. Results. - Cognitive function was not significantly impaired in our group of Parkinson's disease participants at baseline. Cerebral perfusion (69.91%+/- 2.43) was significantly greater during cognitive testing than while resting (68.12% +/- 2.42) (P <= 0.001). Our results are inconclusive with respect to the effect of exercise on cognitive dysfunction in PD. (C) 2019 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Implementing computer science education in an elementary classroom is at the forefront of computing education. Nevertheless, the literature on K-12 Computer Science (CS) education offers limited guidance for developing elementary CS curricula that lead to multiple career paths through project-based learning. Particularly, more research is needed on culturally responsive elementary school computing that leverages students' cultural references to create a more equitable CS education that acknowledges one's identity, culture, or background in the curriculum planning. This paper offers an approach for designing culturally responsive computing for upper elementary students from a highly diverse, low socio-economic school district using a research-practice approach. The approach can be adapted for other schools that face unique diversity and curricular challenges.