The Relationship Between Discipline-Specific Subject Matter Knowledge and Discipline-Specific Science Teaching Efficacy of Elementary Teachers

Because a teacher\u27s confidence in their ability to teach science is associated with instructional methods and their persistence in the face of challenges, improving science teaching confidence becomes critical for improving science teaching of young children. Science teaching confidence also varies by discipline for elementary teachers: physical science teaching confidence tends to measure lower than life science. This discrepancy leads to elementary teachers engaging in less effective science teaching practices with physical science than life science. A teacher\u27s subject matter knowledge influences their confidence in their ability to teach that subject. Subject matter knowledge impacts science teaching confidence because when teachers understand their content proficiently, they express confidence in their ability to provide students with accurate and meaningful instruction. Both subject matter knowledge and science teaching confidence are specific to disciplines. Understanding the relationship between discipline-specific knowledge and discipline-specific science teaching confidence will aid in developing teacher development training to improve levels of science teaching confidence by improving discipline-specific subject matter knowledge. However, there is currently little research on the relationship between discipline-specific levels of subject matter knowledge and science teaching confidence. This study sought to understand what, if any, relationship exists between discipline-specific subject matter knowledge and discipline-specific science teaching confidence across physical and life sciences for in-service elementary teachers. Teachers took an online survey to assess their knowledge of physical and life science subjects and their confidence in teaching those subjects. Following the survey, eleven teachers were interviewed to understand their perceived sources of discipline-specific science teaching confidence and how they taught life and physical science in their classrooms. Results show that physical and life science subject matter knowledge are predictive factors of physical science teaching confidence. Teachers tend to measure lower in physical science than life science for both subject matter knowledge and confidence in teaching physical science topics. Teachers with low science knowledge and science teaching confidence tend to rely more on district-provided resources and presentations than those with more knowledge and teaching confidence who adapt lessons to meet student needs. Highly confident teachers are also more likely to hold themselves responsible for student learning outcomes

MEDICAL BENEFIT OF PREEMPTIVE REPORTING OF PHARMACOGENOMIC INFORMATION FROM WHOLE EXOME SEQUENCING

The effectiveness of utilizing individual patient’s whole exome sequencing (WES) genetic information to influence patient care by predicting and preventing possible adverse drug reactions (ADRs) is investigated. Pharmacogenomically relevant variants from WES studies collected into two databases were analyzed to determine the expected medical benefit of reporting the incidental findings when WES studies are performed. One dataset was from UNC Chapel Hill as part of the NCGENES project database; the other was from Columbia University Medical Center’s Whole Exome Research Database. The frequency of possible drug exposure for individuals in the US population was approximated by using data gathered from a database of outpatient drug prescribing, www.imshealth.org using the new prescription number data for 2014. Results were calculated to determine the aggregate number needed to screen (ANNS) to determine need for a change in medical management (different drug prescribing, monitoring, etc). The NCGENES data utilized in this analysis included data from 672 individuals’ genomes. The projected ANNS for this data set was 54.02. The calculated mean ANNS for the simulated data was 54.11, with a 95% confidence interval from 53.94 to 54.30 using Monte Carlo simulation (based on 1000 simulated points). CUMC data utilized in this analysis included data from 2,983 individuals’ genomes. The projected ANNS for this data set was 46.15. Using Monte Carlo simulation, the calculated mean ANNS was 46.00 and the projected 95% confidence interval was from 45.93 to 46.08. Monte Carlo simulation of the error in these values was used to compute a 95% confidence interval, because of the complexity of estimating errors in these calculations. Based on this analysis, the pharmacogenomically relevant impact of using WES based screening is in the range of 46 to 52 persons needed to screen when using incidental findings to dictate an expected change in management. A model implementation plane for incorporating pharmacogenomic information into patient care within a healthcare system is provided and discussed.Doctor of Public Healt

de Branges-Rovnyak spaces: basics and theory

For $S$ a contractive analytic operator-valued function on the unit disk ${\mathbb D}$, de Branges and Rovnyak associate a Hilbert space of analytic functions ${\mathcal H}(S)$ and related extension space ${\mathcal D(S)}$ consisting of pairs of analytic functions on the unit disk ${\mathbb D}$. This survey describes three equivalent formulations (the original geometric de Branges-Rovnyak definition, the Toeplitz operator characterization, and the characterization as a reproducing kernel Hilbert space) of the de Branges-Rovnyak space ${\mathcal H}(S)$, as well as its role as the underlying Hilbert space for the modeling of completely non-isometric Hilbert-space contraction operators. Also examined is the extension of these ideas to handle the modeling of the more general class of completely nonunitary contraction operators, where the more general two-component de Branges-Rovnyak model space ${\mathcal D}(S)$ and associated overlapping spaces play key roles. Connections with other function theory problems and applications are also discussed. More recent applications to a variety of subsequent applications are given in a companion survey article

Applications of Hilbert Module Approach to Multivariable Operator Theory

A commuting $n$-tuple $(T_1, \ldots, T_n)$ of bounded linear operators on a Hilbert space \clh associate a Hilbert module $\mathcal{H}$ over $\mathbb{C}[z_1, \ldots, z_n]$ in the following sense: $$\mathbb{C}[z_1, \ldots, z_n] \times \mathcal{H} \rightarrow \mathcal{H}, \quad \quad (p, h) \mapsto p(T_1, \ldots, T_n)h,$$where $p \in \mathbb{C}[z_1, \ldots, z_n]$ and $h \in \mathcal{H}$. A companion survey provides an introduction to the theory of Hilbert modules and some (Hilbert) module point of view to multivariable operator theory. The purpose of this survey is to emphasize algebraic and geometric aspects of Hilbert module approach to operator theory and to survey several applications of the theory of Hilbert modules in multivariable operator theory. The topics which are studied include: generalized canonical models and Cowen-Douglas class, dilations and factorization of reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces, a class of simple submodules and quotient modules of the Hardy modules over polydisc, commutant lifting theorem, similarity and free Hilbert modules, left invertible multipliers, inner resolutions, essentially normal Hilbert modules, localizations of free resolutions and rigidity phenomenon. This article is a companion paper to "An Introduction to Hilbert Module Approach to Multivariable Operator Theory".Comment: 46 pages. This is a companion paper to arXiv:1308.6103. To appear in Handbook of Operator Theory, Springe

Cancer incidence in relatives of British Fanconi Anaemia patients.

BACKGROUND: Fanconi anemia (FA) is an autosomal recessive DNA repair disorder with affected individuals having a high risk of developing acute myeloid leukaemia and certain solid tumours. Thirteen complementation groups have been identified and the genes for all of these are known (FANCA, B, C, D1/BRCA2, D2, E, F, G, I, J/BRIP1, L, M and N/PALB2). Previous studies of cancer incidence in relatives of Fanconi anemia cases have produced conflicting results. A study of British FA families was therefore carried out to investigate this question, since increases in cancer risk in FA heterozygotes would have implications for counselling FA family members, and possibly also for the implementation of preventative screening measures in FA heterozygotes. METHODS: Thirty-six families took part and data was collected on 575 individuals (276 males, 299 females), representing 18,136 person years. In this cohort, 25 males and 30 females were reported with cancer under the age of 85 years, and 36 cancers (65%) could be confirmed from death certificates, cancer registries or clinical records. RESULTS: A total of 55 cancers were reported in the FA families compared to an estimated incidence of 56.95 in a comparable general population cohort, and the relative risk of cancer was 0.97 (95% C.I. = 0.71-1.23, p = 0.62) for FA family members. Analysis of relative risk for individual cancer types in each carrier probability group did not reveal any significant differences with the possible exception of prostate cancer (RR = 3.089 (95% C.I. = 1.09 - 8.78; Chi2 = 4.767, p = 0.029). CONCLUSION: This study has not shown a significant difference in overall cancer risk in FA families.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

Contemporary Pastoralism in the Dhofar Mountains of Oman

In the Dhofar Mountains of Oman stakeholders are concerned about the social and ecological sustainability of pastoralism. In this study we used interviews with pastoralists to examine the prevailing drivers of pastoralism and how they are changing. We find that people are committed to pastoralism for sociocultural reasons, but also that this commitment is under pressure because of husbandry costs and changing values. We find that capital investment in feedstuff enables pastoralists to overcome the density-dependent regulation of livestock populations. However, high production costs deter investment in marketing and commercialization, and there is little offtake of local livestock. Our study reveals how pastoral values, passed down within households, motivate pastoralism in the face of high husbandry costs, modernization and social change