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Efficient collaborative learning relies on productive interaction among learners. Previous studies have suggested that group gender composition might affect the group dynamics. While previous studies have generally focused on the learning performance of different gender groups, relatively little effort has been devoted to scrutinising the learning process. Therefore, this study seeks to further explore students' cognitive processing patterns in the collaborative learning process among different gender groups, namely, five female-only groups (4 female students in each group), five male-only groups (4 male students in each group), and five balanced-gender groups (2 male and 2 female students in each group). This study employed quantitative content analysis and lag sequential analysis to explore students' cognitive processing patterns in a Facebook-based online discussion learning activity. A total of 3230 messages in the online discussion were retrieved and analysed. The results indicate that the female-only groups were the most active groups in terms of the messages generated. By contrast, male-only groups were the least active but exhibited a more diverse discussion pattern. Meanwhile, the balanced-gender groups showed the most diverse cognitive transition patterns. Our findings could serve as a guideline for gender grouping and collaborative learning activity design.

Inflammation plays an important role in the defense of the human body. The inflammatory response can suppress the spread of pathogens, accelerate the removal of necrotic cells, and repair the damaged tissues and organs. However, an excessive inflammatory response can be fatal as it may lead to cellular apoptosis, necrosis of tissues and organs, and systemic dysfunction. An inflammatory response occurs when the skin is burned or injured, causing more severe and extensive pathological damage to the injured area. For example, inflammation can damage the coagulation system in the capillaries, resulting in the formation of small blood clots in the affected areas. In severe cases, inflammation can lead to necrosis of the injured area and may even affect other uninjured areas, causing hypoxia and inadequate blood supply. The role of valproic acid (VPA), a histone deacetylase inhibitor, has been increasingly recognized in recent years. Evidence suggests that VPA can effectively alleviate tissue and organ injuries secondary to ischemia and hypoxia, and improve the body's tolerance to ischemia-hypoxia and inflammatory insults, thus increasing the survival rates of the patients. This article reviews the latest research progress made in the mechanisms by which VPA regulates inflammatory response to burns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: After hypovolemic shock caused by severe burns, lipid peroxidation is an important factor in tissue edema and multiorgan dysfunction syndrome (MODS). Many studies have shown that valproic acid (VPA) inhibits lipid peroxidation and reduces tissue and organ injury. Objectives: This study investigated whether the VPA treatment of scalded rats reduced tissue edema by inhibiting lipid peroxidation, thereby improving organ function and survival rate. Materials and Methods: A total of 60 male Sprague-Dawley rats (weighing: 280–300 g) with a 50% total body surface area (TBSA) full-thickness dermal burn were randomly assigned to the following 3 groups (with 20 rats per group): (I) the no infusion resuscitation (NR) group; (II) the sodium lactate Ringer's solution (LR) group; and (III) the sodium valproate Ringer's solution (VR) group. After scalding, the following hemodynamic parameters were measured: Copper2+-Zinc2+-superoxide dismutase (Cu2+-Zn2+-SOD) activity, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARSs), oxidized glutathione (GSSG), reduced glutathione (GSH), and antioxidant enzyme activities. Organ function parameters and water content were also measured. Another 60 male Sprague-Dawley rats were used to observe the 24-h survival rate of the rats using the same scald model and fluid resuscitation. Results: VPA significantly increased the mean arterial pressure (MAP) and cardiac output (CO), and significantly decreased the pulmonary vascular permeability index (PVPI) and extravascular lung water index (ELWI). VPA also increased plasma Cu2+-Zn2+-SOD activity and decreased the plasma TBARS level. VPA reduced the TBARS level and GSSG in various tissues and increased the concentration of GSH. VPA decreased glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase (CAT) activity, but significantly increased glutathione reductase (GR) activity in various tissues. VPA significantly improved organ functions and decreased water content. VPA significantly improved the survival rate, and the 24-h survival rate of the VR group was double that of the LR group. Conclusion: Resuscitation with VPA reduced tissue edema, protected visceral functions, and improved the survival rate of rats with severe burn shock (BS) by alleviating lipid peroxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Instructional strategies can be helpful in facilitating students' knowledge construction and developing advanced cognitive skills. In the context of collaborative learning, instructional strategies as scripts can guide learners to engage in more meaningful interaction. Previous studies have been investigated the benefits of different instructional strategies; nonetheless, relatively little attention has been paid to illustrating the learners' cognitive processing and behavioral patterns in the learning process. Nowadays, with the proliferation of information technology, behavior and interaction of learners can be conveniently documented and analyzed. The aim of this study is to propose a new approach examining the learning process. This study designed a four-week collaborative learning activity involving four widely used instructional strategies, i.e. problem solving, peer assessment, role playing and peer tutoring. Blogs were used to support students' collaboration. A total of 9843 discussion messages were retrieved for data analysis. Quantitative content analysis and lag sequential analysis were employed to explore the content structure and behavioral patterns demonstrated in students' online discussions. The results showed that students exhibited relatively more cognitive process of "understand" under peer assessment and peer tutoring instructional strategies. Meanwhile, students showed relatively more cognitive process of "create" under problem solving and role playing strategies. Implications of the findings and suggestions for subsequent work are discussed.

The primary purpose of this study is to explore the knowledge construction behaviour and cognitive patterns involved in students' online discussion using online forum and Facebook (FB). This study employed quantitative content analysis and lag sequential analysis to examine the content and behavioural patterns of 50 students from a private university in Taiwan in their online discussion with a project-based learning activity. Results showed that FB, in contrast to online discussion forum, better facilitated students' social interaction, as they exhibited more off-topic discussion and focusing on the subject of discussion in terms of behavioural continuity. Results also showed that students were primarily sharing knowledge and involving cognitive process of "understanding" during discussion. Nonetheless, more advanced knowledge construction behaviour and cognitive process were not observed in this study. Accordingly, this study suggests that incorporating FB in learning with adequate guidance by the instructor could be beneficial to improve students' engagement.

In recent years, social networking services (SNSs), for example, Facebook, have shown exponential growth in their number of users. Witnessing the popularity of these SNSs, educational researchers have also explored the potential educational value of using SNSs. Despite the few studies that have investigated learners' attitudes toward and the effects of incorporating SNSs in class, limited attention has been paid to examining learners' knowledge and cognitive processes involved in online discussions using SNSs. Although general public interest in life-long learning has been gradually increasing, relatively little attention has been devoted to exploring the application of SNSs in adult and continuing education programs. To promote a better understanding of using SNSs in learning, this study seeks to explore learners' online discussion behaviors in an art course that involved a project-based learning activity using a popular SNS, Facebook, to support students' asynchronous online discussions. The participants in our study included 62 students enrolled in the school of continuing education at a university in northern Taiwan. Adapting the Revised Bloom's Taxonomy as a coding scheme, this study employed a quantitative content analysis (QCA) and lag sequential analysis (LSA) to examine the content and behavioral patterns of students' discussions. The results indicate that the most prominent knowledge dimension in students' discussions is the meta-cognitive knowledge, while the cognitive process is primarily focused on understanding and comprehension. In addition, a moderate proportion of off-topic discussion was found in this study. Considering the different behaviors that may be exhibited by members of varied age and gender, a further analysis based on students' individual differences was conducted. The results showed that, in the context of online discussions, female and older learners are more likely to engage in off-topic discussions. Based on these findings, this study suggests that when conducting online discussion activities using SNSs, instructors should consider the characteristics of adult learners and their individual differences and design their teaching activities accordingly. Implications and limitations of this study are discussed, and pedagogical suggestions for adapting SNSs to teaching activities for adult and continuing education are proposed. (Contains 7 tables and 3 figures.)

Efficient collaborative learning relies on productive interaction among learners. Previous studies have suggested that group gender composition might affect the group dynamics. While previous studies have generally focused on the learning performance of different gender groups, relatively little effort has been devoted to scrutinising the learning process. Therefore, this study seeks to further explore students' cognitive processing patterns in the collaborative learning process among different gender groups, namely, five female-only groups (4 female students in each group), five male-only groups (4 male students in each group), and five balanced-gender groups (2 male and 2 female students in each group). This study employed quantitative content analysis and lag sequential analysis to explore students' cognitive processing patterns in a Facebook-based online discussion learning activity. A total of 3230 messages in the online discussion were retrieved and analysed. The results indicate that the female-only groups were the most active groups in terms of the messages generated. By contrast, male-only groups were the least active but exhibited a more diverse discussion pattern. Meanwhile, the balanced-gender groups showed the most diverse cognitive transition patterns. Our findings could serve as a guideline for gender grouping and collaborative learning activity design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]