Basic Instruction Research Articles

\u201cAnd Now Close Your Eyes or Lower Your Gaze\u201d: Exploring Novice Meditators and Their Attentional Processes During Meditation

Brief mindfulness meditation practices are associated with a wealth of benefits; however, factors that may influence the success of meditation sessions have rarely been explored. The present study explored the effects of the visual environment as a factor of successful meditation. Eye-tracking techniques were employed to objectively measure attention within three attention-deviating conditions with basic meditation instructions, and the potential influence of personality traits as assessed through administering the HEXACO-60-PI, a self-report measure, to participants. Statistically significant results were uncovered regarding decreased fixation durations and increased state mindfulness scores of participants within the blank screen conditions over the two eyes-open conditions. No significant effect was found regarding fixation counts, which decreased within the blank screen condition. The findings regarding reduced state anxiety did not reach significance and there were no significant differences regarding the six personality types between conditions. The present study offers a step towards understanding how brief mindfulness meditation sessions can be optimised.

Oral Hygiene in a Sample of Children/Adolescents Living in Family-Homes from the Province of Milan (Italy): A Pilot Study.

Objective: This pilot study is a prospective controlled clinical trial, designed to evaluate the short-term clinical results (the plaque index) of an educational/motivational program for home oral hygiene, directed to children and adolescents who live in family-homes. Methods: The setting of the project was the province of Milan (Italy), where two family-homes were selected. The study group included 26 children (16 females and 10 males) aged between 7 and 15 years, of Italian nationality, from the family-home communities. The control group included 26 children (15 females and 11 males, aged between 7 and 15 years) of Italian nationality, matched for age and gender distribution with the study group, that were not in a socially disadvantaged condition. Collection of the plaque index (PI) was performed at t0. Then, all basic oral hygiene instructions were given to all children/adolescents and their educators. Education and motivation were repeated in the same way after 4–7 weeks (T1), and after 10–12 weeks (T2). The PI was taken also at T1 and T2. Results: An improvement in the PI was generally found in both groups, but there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups over time. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed a statistically significant effect of time [F (1, 52) = 90.73, p < 0.001], regardless of the assignment group, in consequence of which the plaque index presented a moderate and significant improvement. Conclusion: The present data confirm the validity of the educational/motivational program to improve oral hygiene in children/adolescents, regardless of the assignment group.

Awareness about COVID-19: Health Literacy Level of LIS Students and Researchers of Universities in Punjab and Chandigarh

Purpose: This study aims to assess the health literacy level of LIS students and researchers about COVID-19. Design/methodology: The online survey method was used to conduct this study. A questionnaire was designed and used to collect data from the respondents. Findings: The findings of the study show that maximum number of the respondents are aware about the symptoms, spread of virus and preventive measures of COVID-19, understand the basic information and follow the basic instructions provided by medical practitioners. It is found that most of respondents believe that they are getting information from reliable resources and are capable of evaluating the information about COVID-19 but also a significant number of respondents are not sure if they are getting information from reliable resources or not. The Internet, television, social media, government websites, WHO and health websites are the most used resources for getting health information by the respondents. Implications: This study will help to know the awareness and health literacy level of budding LIS professionals i.e. students and researchers about COVID-19 because if the LIS professionals are themselves health literate, then only they can make their families and communities health literate. Limitations of the study: The scope of this study is limited to the BLIS and MLIS students and LIS researchers of Punjabi University, Patiala, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar and Panjab University, Chandigarh. Originality/value: This study is based on the primary data collected from the LIS students and researchers to assess their health literacy level about COVID-19.

Acquisition and processing of electromyographic signals for the control of a virtual vehicle in real time

This work presents the registration and classification of the electromyographic (EMG) signals of the lower extremities, specifically of the gross muscle, in order to control a virtual vehicle designed in Blender. The system has 4 channels, with a graphic interface, which allows the control of a virtual vehicle. For the processing of the signals, different mathematical tools were used such as: Fourier analysis and wavelet analysis. These techniques were used in order to compress data, obtain characteristic patterns in each set of signals and perform digital filtering. The control of the car consists of 4 commands such as: accelerate, stop, right turn and left turn, which are the basic instructions for the real operation of a car. The results showed that it is possible to use biological signals to perform virtual controls (video game). Likewise, it was verified that the parameterization found for each group of EMG signals was satisfactory, since the percentage of errors of the 4 variables studied was 0.04% for a total of 400 executions. This error percentage corroborates that the system has great potential for possible future applications.

Program Algebra for Turing-Machine Programs

This paper presents an algebraic theory of instruction sequences with instructions for Turing tapes as basic instructions, the behaviours produced by the instruction sequences concerned under execution, and the interaction between such behaviours and Turing tapes provided by an execution environment. This theory provides a setting for the development of theory in areas such as computability and computational complexity that distinguishes itself by offering the possibility of equational reasoning and being more general than the setting provided by a known version of the Turing-machine model of computation. The theory is essentially an instantiation of a parameterized algebraic theory which is the basis of a line of research in which issues relating to a wide variety of subjects from computer science have been rigorously investigated thinking in terms of instruction sequences.

Too sophisticated even for highly educated survey respondents? A qualitative assessment of indirect question formats for sensitive questions

Misreporting of sensitive characteristics in surveys is a major concern among survey methodologists and social scientists across disciplines. Indirect question formats, such as the Item Count Technique (ICT) and the Randomized Response Techniques (RRT), including the Crosswise Model (CM) and the Triangular Model (TM), have been developed to protect respondents’ privacy by design to elicit more truthful answers. These methods have also been praised to produce more valid estimates than direct questions. However, recent research has revealed a number of problems, such as the occurrence of false negatives, false positives, and dependencies on socioeconomic characteristics, indicating that at least some respondents may still cheat or lie when asked indirectly. This article systematically investigates (1) how well respondents comprehend and (2) to what extent they trust the ICT, CM and TM. We conducted cognitive interviews with academics across disciplines, investigating how respondents perceive, think about and answer questions on academic misconduct using these indirect methods. The results indicate that most respondents comprehend the basic instructions, but many fail to understand the logic and principles of these techniques. Furthermore, the findings suggest that comprehension and honest self-reports are unrelated, thus violating core assumptions about the effectiveness of these techniques.

Securing instruction interaction for hierarchical management

Hierarchical management is a typical approach to managing complex information networks (CINs). In hierarchical management, as the only avenue to control information storage, transmission and usage, instruction interaction is often exploited by attackers to threaten CINs security. Now it has become a major challenge to ensure the security of instruction interaction. To address this challenge, in this paper, we propose a security model to manage instruction interaction for the hierarchical management in CINs. First, considering instruction lifecycle, we design five basic instruction operations (i.e., instruction generation, distribution, decomposition, execution, and execution outcome feedback) and formally define their semantics. Then a series of security rules for the basic operations are proposed to monitor and control the instruction interactions. We prove that, through these rules, both controllability and confidentiality can be provided. Finally, case studies demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed model.

Where there is life: Science fiction in Singapore

This article seeks to situate certain works of Singaporean science fiction within their historical circumstances, demonstrating that Singaporean science fiction has historically served as social criticism, challenging both state narratives and foreign readings of the city state along the axis of East and West and “new” and “old”. The argument centres upon four texts: the anonymously-authored series “The Travels of Chang Ching Chong” (1989), Jahan Loh’s Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth (2013), and two texts by Sonny Liew, namely Malinky Robot (2011) and The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye (2015). These texts, I believe, share certain thematic connections: each is interested in the relationship between new and old and foreign and familiar, and each seeks, in different ways, to counter dominant narratives of the time. Accordingly, this article is divided into two imbricated sections. The first examines science fiction responses to popular and state narratives of the West as a source of technological capital both under British rule and after independence. “The Travels of Chang Ching Chong” and the “Ah Huat’s Giant Robot” sections of The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye, I demonstrate, trouble this narrative, offering stories in which Asia provides a source of technological advancement. In the second section I explore popular depictions of hypermodernity in Singapore and the enduring myth of the destruction of “traditional” Asian cultures in the wake of the post-independence industrial turn. Both Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth and Malinky Robot, I argue, complicate this narrative, presenting both hypermodernity and “old Singapore” as fantasy.

Factor Analysis of the Persian Version of the Voice Disability Coping Questionnaire

Voice disorders can affect the quality of life and coping mechanisms and also coping mechanisms can affect the way in which patients deal with their voice problems. People with voice disorders need to use coping strategies to deal with the problems caused by their voice disorder. The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties and cultural adaptation of the Voice Disability Coping Questionnaire in the Iranian population. The translation and cross-cultural adaptation procedures were performed according to the basic rules and instructions set by the International Quality of Life Assessment Project. Two hundred and forty-eight adults (218 patients with voice disorder and 30 healthy controls) were participated in the study. Face and content validity, clinical validity, and construct validity of the questionnaire were investigated by modern psychometric methods. Quantitative methods were used to measure content validity and all items were detected applicable. This means that the final version was clear and easy to answer. Clinical validity shows that the Persian version of VDCQ can distinguish between patients and healthy controls (P < 0.001). The construct validity of the VDCQ was tested in a cross-sectional study. The questionnaire was analyzed by exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Investigation of initial communality and after extraction of factors by Varimax rotation method showed that the share of items for all items in the questionnaire except item 12, is higher than 0.5. Therefore, item 12 should be removed from the questionnaire (Table 3). Based on the confirmatory factor analysis model, items 2 and 10, whose factor load were less than 0.4, were excluded from the questionnaire (Fig. 1). For reliability the Cronbach's alpha coefficient and ICC were obtained as 0.82 and 0.99, respectively. The results of studying the role of items in the reliability of the VDCQ showed that all items increase internal consistency. Based on modern statistical analysis conducted in this study, the original 15 item questionnaire was reduced to 12 item. The 12 item questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool for quantifying coping strategies in people with voice disorder.

The Effects of a Teaching Program Mixing Basic Skills Training and Comprehension Instruction with 7-8 Year-Old International School Students

&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of two different teaching programs, one skill based, one mixed skill and content based with 7-8 year-old international school students (N=36). Group 1 (N=12) received a basic skills training in 2x40 mins sessions, Group 2 (N=12) received 1x40 mins basic skills training and 1x40 mins text comprehension instruction for a duration of twelve weeks. Group 3 (N=12) did not receive any additional training to their mainstream curriculum. The findings suggest that direct instruction of decoding appears to be effective, moreover appears to have indirect effect on sentence comprehension. Spelling results are somewhat ambiguous. Significant progress in text comprehension remained specific to the training. The study concludes that explicit, focused instruction of decoding, and text comprehension in a small group setting has real benefits.&lt;/p&gt;

Reduction in Surgical Site Infections Through Obstetrics–Surgical Services Collaboration

St. Jude Medical Center had always enjoyed excellent patient outcomes. However, it was noted that during a 1-year period, there was a rise in the infection rate for cesareans and this was cause for concern. It was discovered that there could be several variables causing the rise in infections, and a plan for education in surgical asepsis was designed to decrease the risk of infection to patients. It was identified that customs and practices that existed in the labor and delivery unit would benefit from a formal review of the structure and processes of surgical aseptic technique. An educational practicum was designed and implemented to provide basic instruction and practice in the perioperative environment. The obstetrics and surgical services departments collaborated to create a program that addressed the knowledge gap caused by lack of consistent perioperative nursing training among the labor and delivery unit nursing staff. Perioperative nurses who had completed preceptorship training were selected and paired with their labor and delivery unit counterparts. Each labor nurse completed a minimum of 16 hours of direct instruction in the main operating room (OR) prior to validation during a cesarean birth. Thirty labor and delivery unit nurses and scrub technologists have completed OR rotations and achieved competency, as documented by the competency validation checklist. This has resulted in a significant decrease in cesarean infections as well as an increased number of personnel available to provide care for women undergoing an emergency cesarean. Since its implementation, the rates of infection and foreign body retention have decreased significantly, and the collaboration between the two departments has resulted in improved patient outcomes. In addition, a complicated, life-threatening cesarean birth was carried out successfully due to the finely honed collaboration between the surgical services and obstetrics departments. By identifying knowledge gaps in perioperative nursing practice, the risk of developing a surgical site infection was significantly decreased.

Immunization Administration: Answers to Common Questions

This article addresses lingering questions related to the basic CPT instructions for reporting immunization administration and related diagnosis codes.

Using jupyter notebooks in a big data programming course

In a Big Data Programming course, students often need basic instruction in a new programming language, i.e. Python, Scala, R. Traditional programming language instruction involves a textbook and an...

Associations between Fine Motor and Mathematics Instruction and Kindergarten Mathematics Achievement

ABSTRACTResearch Findings: This study investigates the role of fine motor and mathematics instruction in mathematics achievement in an international sample of kindergarteners from the United States and China. Multilevel modeling was used to assess the interaction between students’ entering skills and classroom time spent on basic math, higher-order math and fine-motor instruction. For American children, the effect of basic math and higher-order math instruction on student achievement depended on entering skills; however, fine motor instruction had negative average effects on student achievement and did not depend on students’ entering skills. Instruction time was not a significant predictor of achievement for Chinese students. Practice or Policy: Though fine motor skills have a robust correlation with mathematics achievement, a causal link has not been established. Our study indicates that time spent in fine motor instruction does not advance mathematics achievement in kindergarten and in fact may weaken mathematics achievement, given the limited time in the instructional day. American teachers in our sample who spent more time in fine-motor instruction tended to spend less time on basic math and higher-order mathematics instruction. Educators should weigh instructional trade-offs carefully and work to tailor instruction to students’ skill levels.

Making Ethics Education Matter: A Novel Approach for Enhancing Ethics Education in a Medical School

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. Basic instruction in medical ethics has been viewed as an important component of medical education for more than three decades. However, the logistics of determining when and how such education should occur have proven to be complicated. The authors review past and current postulates regarding bioethics education in medical schools. They then discuss the use of a novel, longitudinal curricular that is designed to strengthen recognition, discernment, and resolution of ethical problems throughout medical training. The model provides both in person and on-line instruction, as well as the option for medical students to obtain a Bioethics Certificate. Quotes from students are used to shed light on the ethical journey that medical students undertake and their enthusiasm for innovative coursework that prepares them for the moral challenges that accompany the provision of healthcare.

Effect of Brand Equity on the Performance of Distributors in Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC

The rapid growth of fast moving consumer goods market in Nigeria has brought competition, making firms to focus on the performance of distributors or loose to competitors. In order for fast moving consumer goods companies such as Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC to grow and ensure profitability, product distribution become critical. The objective of this study is to assess the effect of brand equity on the performance of distributors in Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC focusing on the north central region of Nigeria. The study is a survey research, data were collected using self-administered questionnaire, and the formulated hypotheses tested using multiple regressions with the help of SPSS IBM 23. The findings of the study revealed that the level of performance of distributors in Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC is greatly influenced by factors such as Product’s brand acceptance and product perceive quality which increases market share of the company. The study concluded that the positive effect of brand equity on performance of distributors in Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC is very high. And therefore recommended that creating intensive awareness about the Company activities will improve the Performance of distributors, requisite quality measures such as date of manufacture, expiry date, basic instruction on how to use the product and the production ingredients or contents that make up the product will create confidence in the mind of customers. Also, measures such as quantity and quality increase, effective distribution channels and affordability will increase customer’s satisfaction.

De la lingüística a las aulas: ideologías en la educación peruana

Taking into account the notion of symbolic market and the view of education as an instrument for social distinction (Bourdieu 2002, 2008a, 2008b, 2013), we approach in this paper the linkages between linguistics and education in Peru. With this view in mind, we analyse the language ideologies that Jose Jimenez Borja (1901-1982) and Luis Hernan Ramirez (1926-1997) displayed in their academic work. Both scholars have been influential in Peruvian basic education and university instruction, respectively. Our account shows that linguistics has taken a share in disseminating a hierarchic and discriminatory agenda in Peruvian schools and universities. Paramount for this process is a set of ideologies that are still prevailing in Hispanic countries, both in common sense and in the academia. We suggest that a critical and historical approach to the relationship between linguistics and education can enrich the articulation between both fields, in Peru and Latin America.

Physical Performance of Participants of Sports Education Camps for Children with Visual Impairments

Introduction: Youths with visual impairments (i.e., those who are blind or have low vision) often demonstrate reduced involvement in sports and related negative effects. This study looked at data from sports education camps to see whether involvement in this short-term intervention positively affected the performance of component sports skills such as running, throwing, and catching. Methods: This study is a secondary analysis of interview and performance data taken at sports education camps in one of 12 U.S. states in the years 1989, 1996, and 2000–2010. Data included questions about students’ attitudes toward and involvement in physical activities and sports. Skill performance measured before and after each camp included standing long jump, overarm softball throw, underarm softball throw, and goalball throw. Results: First-time attendees at the sports education camps demonstrated significant improvement in overarm throw, underarm throw, and standing long jump. Boys had slightly greater increases in standing long jump and overarm throw, and girls had a larger increase in underarm throw. Participants who initially felt safe running improved more in overarm throw and those who initially felt unsafe running improved more in underarm throw and standing long jump. Girls and those who initially felt unsafe running had a significant increase in goalball throwing speed. Discussion: The sports education camp model of short-term intervention for basic sports skill instruction is highly effective in improving physical performance for students who are visually impaired. Implications for practitioners: Students with visual impairments who are demonstrating negative effects from not being active or involved in sports might positively benefit from involvement in a sports education camp.

THE VIRGIN MARY AS LADY GRAMMAR IN THE MEDIEVAL WEST

The Virgin Mary, as Mother of the Word, has long been associated with early literacy training in the medieval West, an association that, as this article argues, connects her to The Marriage of Philology and Mercury's Lady Grammar. While Gary P. Cestaro has demonstrated the ways in which representations of Lady Grammar became more maternal throughout the medieval period, this article demonstrates how and why the Virgin Mother took on the persona of Lady Grammar in both verbal and material arts from the High to the Late Middle Ages. It explores the famous sculptures of the Virgin and Lady Grammar on the Royal Portal at Chartres Cathedral, the writings of grammatical theorists that led to these depictions, and the thirteenth-century artes poetriae that portray Mary as a Christian Grammatica. From St. Augustine's declaration that grammar is a “guardian” to the claims of Gervais of Melkley, John of Garland, and Eberhard the German that Mary is the mother of beautiful expressions, grammatical thought and practice in the medieval West led to a characterization of the Virgin, guardian of the Word in her womb and parent to Wisdom, as the supreme teacher and exemplar of Latin. Adopting Lady Grammar's iconography of the nourishing breast, classroom text, and punitive whip, the Virgin Mary is not only connected to basic Latin instruction but also comes to embody its principles.

Number Systems Used in PLC

This paper introduces the basic hardware and software components of a programmable logic controller (PLC). It describes the general architecture and basic instruction set common to all PLCs. Basic programming techniques and logic designed are covered. It also describes the operating features of the PLC, the advantages of the PLC over the Hard-wired control systems, practical applications, troubleshooting and maintenance of PLCs. So, in this series we can describe the major components of any PLC, interpret PLC specifications, convert conventional relay logic to a PLC language, operate and program a PLC for a given application, and apply troubleshooting techniques.