Διεπιστημονικό μοντέλο διδασκαλίας STEM: Σχεδιασμός και ανάπτυξη εκπαιδευτικού υλικού με τη χρήση της πλατφόρμας Arduino.

Με την παρούσα εργασία προτείνεται ένας κύκλος τεσσάρων εργαστηρίων, που αποτελούν μια εφαρμογή στην πράξη του μοντέλου διδασκαλίας STEM. Με αφορμή την πραγματοποίηση μετρήσεων για διάφορα ατμοσφαιρικά μεγέθη, η/ο εκπαιδευτικός έχει τη δυνατότητα να συνδυάσει στοιχεία από διαφορετικά επιστημονικά πεδία για να επιτύχει τους εκπαιδευτικούς στόχους και να εισάγει στην εκπαιδευτική διαδικασία εναλλακτικές εκπαιδευτικές τεχνικές. Οι μαθητές διευρύνουν τις δεξιότητές τους, κατακτούν νέες γνώσεις, ανακαλούν παλαιότερες και τις εφαρμόζουν πρακτικά. Κατασκευάζουν, πραγματοποιούν μετρήσεις, ελέγχουν τα αποτελέσματα και επιλύουν προβλήματα. Χρησιμοποιούν τα μαθηματικά (συναρτήσεις, διαγράμματα κ.ά.) για να αξιοποιήσουν τα δεδομένα των αισθητήρων και τα συσχετίζουν με τον προγραμματισμό της διάταξης. Έρχονται σε επαφή με αισθητήρες και ηλεκτρονικά εξαρτήματα, γράφουν κώδικα, αξιολογούν τα δεδομένα και εκμεταλλεύονται το IoΤ για να τα παρουσιάσουν. Αναπτύσσουν πεποιθήσεις και διαμορφώνουν στάσεις για ζητήματα που αφορούν την τεχνολογική πρόοδο, την κλιματική αλλαγή κ.ά. Για την κατασκευή και τον προγραμματισμό της διάταξης χρησιμοποιήθηκε η πλατφόρμα Arduino. Καθώς αναπτύσσεται η εκπαιδευτική ρομποτική, πολλές ερευνητικές ομάδες και εταιρίες υλοποιούν εξειδικευμένα λογισμικά και υλικά για την εφαρμογή του μοντέλου STEM. Σχεδόν 15 χρόνια μετά την κυκλοφορία της πρώτης πλακέτας, τα Arduino εξακολουθούν να αποτελούν τον ιδανικό συνδυασμό ευχρηστίας, δυνατοτήτων και κόστους. Ωστόσο, σήμερα η χρήση τους δεν περιορίζεται μόνο στην εκπαίδευση, αλλά πλέον χρησιμοποιούνται ευρέως από εταιρίες που κατασκευάζουν συστήματα αυτοματισμού, από ερευνητικές ομάδες για την εύκολη κατασκευή αναλώσιμων διατάξεων, αλλά και από μια κοινότητα χρηστών/δημιουργών που διευρύνεται συνεχώς και οι οποίοι σχεδιάζουν, υλοποιούν και τελικά μοιράζονται τις εφαρμογές που αναπτύσσουν.The present work proposes a series of four workshops, that put into practice the STEM teaching model. On the occasion of making measurements for different atmospheric quantities, the teacher has the opportunity to combine elements from different scientific fields to achieve the educational goals and to introduce alternative teaching techniques in the educational process. The students expand their skills, acquire new knowledge, recall old ones and apply them in practice. They build, make measurements, check the results and solve problems. They use mathematics (functions, diagrams, etc.) to utilize sensor data and relate it to device programming. They come into contact with sensors and electronic components, write code, evaluate data, and use the IoT to present it. They develop beliefs and form attitudes on issues related to technological progress, climate change, etc. The Arduino platform was used to build and program the device. As educational robotics develops, many research teams and companies are implementing specialized software and materials to apply the STEM model. Almost 15 years after the release of the first board, the Arduino is still the ideal combination of usability, features and cost. However, today their use is not limited to education, but is now widely used by companies that build automation systems, by research teams for easy construction of consumable devices, but also by an ever-expanding community of users / creators who design, implement and finally share the applications they develop

A retrospective comparison of inhaled milrinone and iloprost in post-bypass pulmonary hypertension

During cardiac operations, weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) may prove challenging as a result of superimposed acute right ventricular dysfunction in the setting of elevated pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR). The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the effect of inhaled milrinone versus inhaled iloprost in patients with persistent pulmonary hypertension following discontinuation of CPB. Eighteen patients with elevated PVR post-bypass were administered inhaled milrinone at a cumulative dose of 50 μg kg−1. These patients were retrospectively matched with 18 patients who were administered 20 μg of inhaled iloprost. Both drugs were administered through a disposable aerosol-generating jet nebulizer device and inhaled for a 15-min period. Hemodynamic measurements were performed before and after cessation of the inhalation period. Both inhaled milrinone and inhaled iloprost induced significant reductions in mean pulmonary artery pressure and PVR and significant increases in cardiac index in patients with post-CPB pulmonary hypertension. The favorable effect of both agents on the pulmonary vasculature was confirmed by echocardiographic measurements. Both agents were devoid of systemic side effects, since mean arterial pressure and systemic vascular resistance were not affected. A decrease in intrapulmonary shunt by inhalation of both agents was also demonstrated. Pulmonary vasodilatation attributed to iloprost seems to be of greater magnitude and of longer duration as compared to that of inhaled milrinone. Both substances proved to be selective pulmonary vasodilators. The greater magnitude and of longer duration vasodilatation attributed to iloprost may be due to its longer duration of action. © 2017, Springer Japan KK

P763Home Monitoring is associated with fewer gastrointestinal bleeding events following ventricular assist device implantation

Abstract Introduction Patients (pts) treated with a continuous flow left ventricular assist device (LVAD) are at increased risk for both bleeding and thromboembolic events. Maintenance of oral anticoagulation (AC) in the therapeutic range is difficult to achieve. Hypothesis Increased frequency of international normalized ratio (INR) home monitoring (HM) decreases the incidence of gastrointestinal bleeding and thromboembolic events (stroke, pump thrombosis) compared to standard of care (SOC). Methods We analyzed the efficacy of outpatient AC monitoring in consecutive pts who underwent VAD implantation at our institution between 2008–2018. Time in therapeutic range (TTR) was defined as percent of time with INR 2.5–2.8. HM pts had biweekly INR measurements using the Coagucheck XS ROCHE, while SOC pts had INR measured every 1–3 weeks. Gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) and thromboembolic events were assessed by retrospective blinded chart review. Logistic regression was used to model the impact of TTR on the risk of GIB and THROMB. Results There were 85 pts: 44 in HM and 40 in SC arm with similar characteristics. SOC patients were more likely to have ischemic cardiomyopathy (63% vs 30%, p=0.006) and an LVAD (60% vs 25%, p=0.002). The use of HM was associated with a 19.7% reduction in the risk of GIB (8.8% vs 28.5%, p=0.043) and a trend towards lower risk of THROMB (6.8% vs 14.9%, p=0.19). HM pts had significantly longer TTR (52±20% vs 39±22%, p=0.007). Each percentage increase in TTR was associated with a 5.2% decrease in the risk of GIB [Odds Ratio (OR) 0.95, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.91–0.99, p=0.009] even after adjustment for aspirin use and monitoring duration (OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.91–0.99, p=0.020). There was a similar decrease in the risk of overall bleeding (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.90–0.98, p=0.008). Conclusions Increased frequency of home INR monitoring achieved a higher TTR and was associated with a 20% reduction in risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. </jats:sec