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Virtual simulations are a very useful educational resource to improve the teaching of chemistry. Their use makes it possible to facilitate the comprehension of concepts, promotes the development of scientific competences and even improves student attitudes toward chemistry. However, it is important to point out that a simulation by itself is not enough to improve student learning. Methodological design is a crucial aspect in order for its classroom use to be significant. Simulations must form part of an instructional sequence that promotes said learning, and thus the role of the instructor is key. This work conducts a systematic review with the aim of analyzing how to apply the use of simulations in the teaching of chemistry in secondary schools, delving deeper into the way in which simulations are used from a methodological perspective, in order to improve the learning processes and results. In this sense, it was found that there is an improvement in learning on both the level of content comprehension and in scientific competences. Guided research is also identified as the most effective methodology for the application of simulations in the classroom. With a look to the future, it is suggested that there is a need to conduct research on the continued use of simulations in the classroom, as well as their characteristics and the instructional methods used.

Research on the relationships between the main constructs underlying inquiry-based learning is rarely reported in mathematics education research. Considering this as a complex problem which is worth to be investigated, the present study aims to provide some empirical evidences that might serve as an insight to support further investigations on the relationships between attitudes towards mathematics and inquiry-based learning approaches. Thus, this study adopts a descriptive research design where no variables are manipulated but observed and measured in order to identify changes depicted in data collection. An instructional design focusing on the nature of mathematical inquiry is carried out with the participation of 304 secondary and high school students, and a clustering approach is used to look at how participants are grouped around certain attitudinal profiles before and after such mathematical practice. The results show how the heterogeneity of attitudinal profiles present in the classroom evolves positively in terms of perceived usefulness of mathematics and mathematical self-concept as perception of competence in mathematics. This fact provides some basis that might be used for further research on the idea that certain forms of development in "inquiry-based mathematics education (IBME)" based on greater immersion in the nature and culture of mathematics can help students to improve their attitudes towards mathematics.

Background: Peers constitute an important developmental context for adolescent academic behaviour providing support and resources to either promote or discourage attitudes and behaviours that contribute to school success. When looking for academic help, students may prefer specific partners based on their social goals regarding academic performance. Aims: Based on the social goals for wanting to achieve academically (e.g., studying to be with friends, increasing/maintaining their own social status), we examine the extent to which adolescents' selection of preferred academic partners (with whom they would like to study) is driven by peers' academic performance, prosocial behaviour and friendships. Moreover, as high-achieving students play an important role in academic settings, whether they are more likely to prefer to study with similar high-achieving peers and friends was examined. Sample: A total of 537 seventh-grade students from 13 classes over three waves. Methods: Longitudinal social network analyses (RSiena). Results: Adolescents were more likely to select high achievers, friends and prosocial peers as preferred academic partners. Furthermore, high achievers were more likely to choose other high achievers and friends as preferred academic partners. Conclusions: Adolescents are likely to prefer as study partners someone they can learn from and who is more approachable, cooperative and friendly. Regarding high achievers, they would choose not only academic partners with similar academic interests and motivations to help them boost their academic achievement but also classmates with whom they like to spend time and share personal issues.

Current approaches to supporting students in the transition to elementary school fail to meet the needs of Latinx immigrant children and their families in the United States. Typical approaches place the responsibility on families to help their children adapt to the expectations of their teacher, classroom, and school without recognizing the specific barriers to participation faced by Latinx immigrant parents. In this article, we describe these barriers and consider the ways community-based practice can support and prioritize co-constructed partnerships among teachers, schools, parents, and communities.

Tree growth and longevity trade-offs fundamentally shape the terrestrial carbon balance. Yet, we lack a unified understanding of how such trade-offs vary across the world's forests. By mapping life history traits for a wide range of species across the Americas, we reveal considerable variation in life expectancies from 10 centimeters in diameter (ranging from 1.3 to 3195 years) and show that the pace of life for trees can be accurately classified into four demographic functional types. We found emergent patterns in the strength of trade-offs between growth and longevity across a temperature gradient. Furthermore, we show that the diversity of life history traits varies predictably across forest biomes, giving rise to a positive relationship between trait diversity and productivity. Our pan-latitudinal assessment provides new insights into the demographic mechanisms that govern the carbon turnover rate across forest biomes.

Although Artificial Intelligence (AI) is notable in education, the studies on its specific application in university science education are still incipient. At the same time, the research demonstrates a critical need to systematize AI pillars to provide a coherent and clear structure to guide the development, implementation, and understanding of this technology in various fields, but very little progress has been made in the field of university science education. Therefore, the present study was aimed at exploring the essential pillars of AI for university science education. This scoping review followed the Arksey and O'Malley methodology, which unfolds five stages; based on established criteria 89 texts were finally selected and included in the study. Ten pillars were found: (1) AI Ethics, (2) AI Didactic Integration (AI-DI), (3) Machine Learning (ML), (4) Deep Learning (DL), (5) Active Learning (AL), (6) Intelligent Prediction (AI-IP), (7) Natural Language Processing (NLP), (8) Augmented reality and Virtual reality (AR/VR), (9) Artificial Neural Network (ANN), and (10) Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS). The study provides a comprehensive synthesis of current trends and advances in this field, highlighting good practices that provide empirical evidence, highlighting ethical, pedagogical, and technical challenges associated with the application of AI in science education, which can contribute to the formation of an aware and ethical educational community in the use of AI.

The COVID-19 pandemic drastically affected higher education and higher education students around the world, but few studies of college students' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic have been conducted in Latin America. This study describes the COVID-19-related experiences and perspectives of Peruvian college students. We surveyed 3,427 full-time college students (average age: 23 years) attending a multi-campus Peruvian university in fall 2020. Participants were recruited through the digital platform of the learning management system at their university, email, and social media. We asked participants how they were managing risks related to COVID-19; the continuity of social, educational, and work activities; and the psychological and economic impacts of the pandemic on their lives. Since March 2020, 73.0% of participants reported COVID-19-related symptoms, but only 33.9% were tested for COVID-19. During the national quarantine imposed by the Peruvian government (March 15-June 30, 2020), 64.3% of participants remained in their house. Furthermore, while 44.0% of participants were working in February 2020 (95% CI: [41.7%, 46.4%]), only 23.6% (95% CI: [21.7%, 25.7%]) were working immediately after the pandemic began (i.e., at the end of April 2020). Participants were more stressed about the health and educational implications of COVID-19 for Peruvian society and their families than about themselves. The public health, economic, and educational implications of COVID-19 on college students are continuing to unfold. This study informed Peruvian higher education institutions' continued response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the progressive return to postpandemic activities, as well as other future pandemics and other crises.

Culturally responsive teaching (CRT) was introduced over 30 years ago and remains an educational framework used to guide instruction today. Although research has evidenced its utility and positive impact, little is known about available tools to guide practitioners in assessing and monitoring their implementation of CRT practices. This systematic review aimed to identify and describe available assessment tools that incorporate dimensions of CRT. Systematic search procedures produced 18 tools educators can access and use to assess the implementation of CRT in the classroom. All 18 instruments are self-reported, and a few include alternate forms of evaluation, such as an observational section. All tools located encompass aspects of the CRT framework, including self-efficacy, cultural competence, belonging, and relationship building. Results indicated that nearly half of the tools reviewed (44%) focus on educator self-efficacy of CRT (i.e., I know I can do X), several (28%) focus on educators' action or implementation of CRT (i.e., I do X), and many (28%) focus on educators' cultural humility or competence (i.e., I understand how to support X). Limitations and implications for research and practice are discussed.

Vitamin A deficiency remains prevalent on a global scale, including in regions where maize constitutes a high percentage of human diets. One solution for alleviating this deficiency has been to increase grain concentrations of provitamin A carotenoids in maize (Zea mays ssp. mays L.)-an example of biofortification. The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) developed a Carotenoid Association Mapping panel of 380 inbred lines adapted to tropical and subtropical environments that have varying grain concentrations of provitamin A and other health-beneficial carotenoids. Several major genes have been identified for these traits, 2 of which have particularly been leveraged in marker-assisted selection. This project assesses the predictive ability of several genomic prediction strategies for maize grain carotenoid traits within and between 4 environments in Mexico. Ridge Regression-Best Linear Unbiased Prediction, Elastic Net, and Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Spaces had high predictive abilities for all tested traits (β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, provitamin A, lutein, and zeaxanthin) and outperformed Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator. Furthermore, predictive abilities were higher when using genome-wide markers rather than only the markers proximal to 2 or 13 genes. These findings suggest that genomic prediction models using genome-wide markers (and assuming equal variance of marker effects) are worthwhile for these traits even though key genes have already been identified, especially if breeding for additional grain carotenoid traits alongside β-carotene. Predictive ability was maintained for all traits except lutein in between-environment prediction. The TASSEL (Trait Analysis by aSSociation, Evolution, and Linkage) Genomic Selection plugin performed as well as other more computationally intensive methods for within-environment prediction. The findings observed herein indicate the utility of genomic prediction methods for these traits and could inform their resource-efficient implementation in biofortification breeding programs.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies suggest that dietary vitamin C is inversely associated with gastric cancer (GC), but most of them did not consider intake of fruit and vegetables. Thus, we aimed to evaluate this association within the Stomach cancer Pooling (StoP) Project, a consortium of epidemiological studies on GC. METHODS: Fourteen case-control studies were included in the analysis (5362 cases, 11,497 controls). We estimated odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between dietary intake of vitamin C and GC, adjusted for relevant confounders and for intake of fruit and vegetables. The dose-response relationship was evaluated using mixed-effects logistic models with second-order fractional polynomials. RESULTS: Individuals in the highest quartile of dietary vitamin C intake had reduced odds of GC compared with those in the lowest quartile (OR: 0.64; 95% CI: 0.58, 0.72). Additional adjustment for fruit and vegetables intake led to an OR of 0.85 (95% CI: 0.73, 0.98). A significant inverse association was observed for noncardia GC, as well as for both intestinal and diffuse types of the disease. The results of the dose-response analysis showed decreasing ORs of GC up to 150-200 mg/day of vitamin C (OR: 0.54; 95% CI: 0.41, 0.71), whereas ORs for higher intakes were close to 1.0. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of our pooled study suggest that vitamin C is inversely associated with GC, with a potentially beneficial effect also for intakes above the currently recommended daily intake (90 mg for men and 75 mg for women).

Abstract Introduction Obesity is one of the biggest modern health issues worldwide. Owing to the failure of both behavioral and pharmacological measures, the surgical approach has been established as the main conduct to follow, with bariatric surgery being one of the most effective and safe procedures. One of the bases for the optimal analgesic strategy is the use of adjuvants during the perioperative period. One of the main drugs in use is lidocaine. Aim To evaluate postoperative pain after perioperative lidocaine infusion in patients undergoing bariatric surgery and describe the presence of nausea and vomiting during the first 24 h. Methods This was a retrospective study of patients who underwent laparoscopic bariatric surgery at ABC Medical Center. Two study arms were established: a group of patients who received lidocaine infusion and a control group. The presence of pain, nausea, or vomiting was evaluated upon admission to the recovery area and 1 h and 24 h after the intervention. The normal distribution of the data was first verified via the Shapiro–Wilk test. The data are presented as medians for quantitative variables and as frequencies for qualitative variables. Results A total of 50 surgeries were performed, with a significant correlation between lidocaine infusion and lower pain values at 1 h (p = 0.04). Similarly, there was a marked trend in the presence of nausea in control group 4 (18.6%) vs. 15 (53.5%). Conclusions Our data suggest that the use of intraoperative lidocaine infusion is limited in postoperative pain management; nonetheless, it significantly improves the incidence of postoperative nausea.

Drawing on evidence and example legislation, this policy research brief identifies school-based policy options for Texas to prevent and mitigate toxic stress caused by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). The term ACEs refers to the 10 common categories of adversity included in a landmark study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Kaiser Permanente (Felliti et al., 1998). These include physical, emotional, or sexual abuse; physical or emotional neglect; and household challenges such as living with a person who is experiencing mental illness (Felliti et al., 1998). Of great concern is that even before the COVID-19 pandemic, ACEs were already widespread in the state, cutting across lines of race and income and potentially affecting constituents from every region and demographic group (Texas Department of State Health Services, n.d.). Over the past two years, COVID-19-related school and child-care center closures coupled with an economic recession have increased children's risk of hunger, homelessness, and neglect (Welch & Haskins, 2020). The effects of ACEs are particularly concerning in Texas which is home to over 7.5 million children under 18--more than any state other than California--and children under 18 make up more than 25% of the population of Texas--more than any other state other than Utah (Population Reference Bureau, n.d.). Therefore, Texas's school-based policies to mitigate the effects of toxic stress are particularly consequential now and in the future. The purpose of this policy research brief is to identify and describe nationwide legislative efforts to help Texas school district officials and Texas policymakers consider legislative remedies to reduce or mitigate the detrimental impact of ACEs.

The present research focuses on analyzing how fourth-grade elementary school students (ages 9 to 10) solve and interpret the result of non-routine problems, precisely division measurement and division-partition with remainder. The methodology is qualitative, with a descriptive and interpretative approach. The information was collected using a questionnaire consisting of three problems (two of quotitive division and one of partitive division) and a clinical interview. The results showed the importance of using the division, multiplication, and addition algorithms to give a realistic answer to the problems. In the same way, it was possible to demonstrate the graphic strategy combined with counting to give a realistic answer to the problem. However, students were found to use division correctly but without an interpretation of the remainder or quotient. Likewise, they struggled to choose the correct procedure to solve the problem. These data suggest including realistic problems in mathematics classrooms to make sense of mathematical concepts in real life or the student's context. Likewise, this study provides implications on the mathematical problems that the teacher proposes in the classroom, where not only the division algorithm should be taught mechanically, nor focus on posing routine problems that lead the student to use a single heuristic resolution strategy. Essentially, the teacher is required to include real-world problems, where the student can awaken creativity to represent in different ways the understanding of a problem and, therefore, different strategies to solve it. In addition, that the student has the ability to check the result of the problem, with the conditions, situations or circumstances imposed by reality or everyday life. [This is a reprint of an article originally published in "Mathematics Teaching Research Journal" v14 n5 p159-180 Win 2022.]