FUTIs: an In-Person or Online Graphing, Bioinformatics, and Scientific Literacy Exercise That Explores the Presence of Antibiotic Resistance in Foodborne Urinary Tract Infections.

We developed a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) that gives students an opportunity to practice the process of science in a context that intersects with their everyday lives: purchasing grocery store chicken. Student mastery of concepts was assessed by pre- and postassessment questions and lab report worksheets that guided them through the process of writing a scientific paper. Learning to produce graphs from large data sets and comparing the results with published data emphasized quantitative reasoning, while working as a group and writing helped students practice scientific communication. Most students (>90%) met the learning objectives, and students in both groups reported feeling more confident producing graphs and figures; they also showed large gains in confidence and interest in bioinformatics. Lab protocols require biosafety level 2 safety guidelines; however, students in an online or dry lab setting can use the compiled data sets and whole-genome sequences to complete the objectives. Group discussions and essay prompts at the end encourage students to use evidence-based arguments to make decisions that impact the global issue of antimicrobial resistance.

Effectiveness of Smartphone-Based Physical Activity Interventions on Individuals' Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review.

DESIGN: A systematic review. Data Sources. 114 studies were gathered using the following search descriptors: ("mobile phone" OR "smartphone" OR "cell phone" OR "mobile device" OR "mobile apps" OR "mHealth") AND ("exercise" OR "physical activity" OR "physical fitness" OR "motor activity") AND ("physiological outcomes" OR "weight outcomes" OR "psychological outcomes" OR "health" OR "health behavior"). Seven databases were used including databases such as Academic Search Premier and PubMed. PRISMA guidelines were followed in this review. Eligibility Criteria for Selecting Studies. The 20 articles included in this review met the following inclusion criteria: (1) randomized and controlled trials, (2) involving an outcome variable measured by accelerometer, and (3) intervention enforced by a smartphone application. RESULTS: Overall, 56% of the studies reviewed in this paper resulted in successful interventions. Of the 19 articles that examined the first individual health outcome of physical and physiological outcomes, 11 interventions resulted in a positive effect on one of the following parameters: MVPA/step count, sedentary behavior, cardiorespiratory fitness, and blood pressure. Six interventions examined the effects on the second individual health outcome, weight-related outcomes. Five of these interventions observed significant positive effects from mobile application interventions on weight and waist circumference. Six articles evaluated the effectiveness of smartphone-based physical activity interventions on the third and final individual health outcome, psychological outcomes, with four resulting in significant positive outcomes in self-efficacy, life enjoyment/satisfaction, and intrinsic PA motivation. CONCLUSION: The findings in this review suggest that mobile application physical activity interventions, compared to unguided exercise activities, can effectively improve certain health outcomes for individuals such as physical/physiological and weight-related outcomes. It was found that research in the area of effectiveness of mobile application interventions on specific psychosocial health outcomes such as self-efficacy, life enjoyment, and intrinsic PA motivation is limited. Thus, the effect of mobile health applications remains unclear for psychosocial outcomes. Due to this limitation, more research is warranted to confirm the findings of this review.