This paper describes the development and field test of the Laboratory Data Analysis Instrument (LDAI), aimed at diagnosing first-year students’ understanding of data analysis procedures. The design of this student-centered instrument is based on difficulties related to students’ data analysis skills required in an introductory physics laboratory. Difficulties were determined from previous literature, observations in laboratory classes, and interviews with students. The LDAI is single-context based, consisting of 30 multiple-choice and true/false questions embedded in a real laboratory report from a real laboratory. It was validated by seven experts: three physics professors, one science education lecturer, and three experienced laboratory instructors. Administration to 77 participants resulted in a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.702. The LDAI is a promising step toward having a valid and reliable diagnostic instrument that can be used by laboratory instructors in undergraduate physics laboratories.
Despite its benign, natural course, colic is a significant problem in babies and imparts a psychological and physical burden to parents. This study has examined the relief of colic symptoms when using BornFree ActiveFlow baby bottles by comparing observed symptoms of 30 otherwise healthy newborns (ages 2-21 weeks) who had all been diagnosed as having colic symptoms. Twenty of the babies were switched to feeding with BornFree bottles (the experimental group), while the other 10 babies continued feeding with bottles by other manufacturers (the control group). A significant improvement was exhibited in the experimental group after 1 week of feeding with BornFree bottles, with a further significant improvement in the second week. Although they had different venting systems, the control group maintained the same level of colic symptoms as in the beginning of the study. We conclude that using BornFree baby bottles can effectively reduce colic symptoms in diagnosed babies.
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