657 research outputs found
Using reflections to explore student learning during the project component of an advanced laboratory course
We redesigned an advanced physics laboratory course to include a project
component. The intention was to address learning outcomes such as modeling,
design of experiments, teamwork, and developing technical skills in using
apparatus and analyzing data. The course included experimental labs in
preparation for a six-week team project in which students designed and
implemented a research experiment. The final assignment given to students was a
reflective essay, which asked students to discuss their learning and
satisfaction in doing the project. Qualitative analysis of the students'
reflections showed that the majority of the students reported satisfaction and
achievement, functional team dynamics, learning outcomes unique to this
experience, practicing modeling skills, and potential future improvements. We
suggest that reflections are useful as support for student learning as well as
in guiding curricular improvements. Our findings may be useful for other course
redesign initiatives incorporating project-based learning and student
reflections.Comment: This work was presented at the Physics Education Research Conference
held in Washington DC. from August 1-2, 201
Strategies of reducing input sample volume for extracting circulating cell-free nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA in plasma
Background: Circulating cell-free (ccf) DNA in blood has been suggested as a potential biomarker in many conditions regarding early diagnosis and prognosis. However, misdiagnosis can result due to the limited DNA resources in Biobank's plasma samples or insufficient DNA targets from a predominant DNA background in genetic tests. This study explored several strategies for an efficient DNA extraction to increase DNA amount from limited plasma input. Methods: Ccf plasma DNA was extracted with three different methods, a phenol-chloroform-isoamylalcohol (PCI) method, a High Pure PCR Template Preparation Kit method and a method used for single cell PCR in this group. Subsequently, the total DNA was measured by Nanodrop and the genome equivalents (GE) of the GAPDH housekeeping gene and MTATP 8 gene were measured using a multiplex real-time quantitative PCR for the quantitative assessment of nDNA and mtDNA. Results: Instead of 400-800 Ī¼L (routine input in the laboratory), 50 Ī¼Lof plasma input enabled the extraction of ccf DNA sufficient for quantitative analysis. Using the PCI method and the kit method, both nDNA and mtDNA could be successfully detected in plasma samples, but nDNA extracted using protocol for single cell PCR was not detectable in 25% of plasma samples. In comparison to the other two methods, the PCI method showed lower DNA purity, but higher concentrations and more GE of nDNA and mtDNA. Conclusions: The PCI method was more efficient than the other two methods in the extraction of ccf DNA in plasma. Limited plasma is available for ccf DNA analysi
Understanding Contextual Differences in Residential LTC Provision for Cross-National Research : Identifying Internationally Relevant CDEs
Long-term care (LTC) reflects a growing emphasis on person-centered care (PCC), with services oriented around individuals' needs and preferences. Addressing contextual and cultural differences across countries offers important insight into factors that facilitate or hinder application of PCC practices within and across countries. This article takes an international lens to consider country-specific contexts of LTC, describing preliminary steps to develop common data elements that capture contextual differences across LTC settings globally. Through an iterative series of online, telephone, and in-person sessions, we engaged in in-depth discussions with 11 colleague experts in residential LTC and coauthors from six countries (China and Hong Kong, England, Sweden, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States). Our discussions yielded rich narrative describing a vast range in types of LTC settings, leading to our development of a working definition of residential LTC. Scope of services, funding, ownership, and regulations varied greatly across countries and across different residential LTC settings within countries. Moving forward, we recommend expanding our activities to countries that reflect different stages of residential LTC development. Our goal is to contribute to a larger initiative underway by the WE-THRIVE consortium to establish a global research measurement infrastructure that advances PCC internationally.Peer reviewe
Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) family in arthropods : Cloning and expression analysis of two MIF and one D-dopachrome tautomerase (DDT) homologues in Mud crabs, Scylla paramamosain
Acknowledgements This research was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 31172438 and U1205123), the Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province (No. 2012J06008 and 201311180002) and the projects-sponsored by SRF. TW received funding from the MASTS pooling initiative (The Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland) funded by the Scottish Funding Council (grant reference HR09011) and contributing institutions.Peer reviewedPostprin
Federated Learning with Quantum Secure Aggregation
This article illustrates a novel Quantum Secure Aggregation (QSA) scheme that
is designed to provide highly secure and efficient aggregation of local model
parameters for federated learning. The scheme is secure in protecting private
model parameters from being disclosed to semi-honest attackers by utilizing
quantum bits i.e. qubits to represent model parameters. The proposed security
mechanism ensures that any attempts to eavesdrop private model parameters can
be immediately detected and stopped. The scheme is also efficient in terms of
the low computational complexity of transmitting and aggregating model
parameters through entangled qubits. Benefits of the proposed QSA scheme are
showcased in a horizontal federated learning setting in which both a
centralized and decentralized architectures are taken into account. It was
empirically demonstrated that the proposed QSA can be readily applied to
aggregate different types of local models including logistic regression (LR),
convolutional neural networks (CNN) as well as quantum neural network (QNN),
indicating the versatility of the QSA scheme. Performances of global models are
improved to various extents with respect to local models obtained by individual
participants, while no private model parameters are disclosed to semi-honest
adversaries
Divergence Behavior of Thermodynamic Curvature Scalar at Critical Point in the Extended Phase Space of Generic Black Holes
The - phase transition and critical behavior in the extended phase
space of asymptotic Anti-de Sitter (AdS) black holes have been widely
investigated, in which four critical exponents around critical point are found
to be consistent with values in the mean field theory. Recently, another
critical exponent related to divergent correlation length at critical
point is proposed by using thermodynamic curvature scalar in the charged
AdS black hole. In this paper, we develop a method to investigate the divergent
behavior of at critical point, and find that the divergent behavior of
around the critical point expresses a universal property in generic black
holes. We further directly apply this method to investigate black holes in de
Rham-Gabadadze-Tolley (dRGT) massive gravity to check this universality. Those
results shed new lights on the microscopic properties of black holes.Comment: 10 pages, no figure, version accepted by PL
Changes in lung cancer-related serum tumor markers in patients with chronic kidney disease and determination of upper reference limit
AimsTo investigate the changes in lung cancer-related serum tumor markers in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and determine the upper reference limit for patients with different stages.MethodsIncluded inpatients diagnosed with CKD who did not receive dialysis temporarily in our hospital from March to September 2020. Changes in serum CA125, HE4, CYFRA21-1, SCCA, NSE and ProGRP in CKD patients were analyzed. The non-parametric method was used to estimate the upper reference limit of the above indicators in patients with CKD stages 2-5.ResultsThe serum levels of HE4, CYFRA21-1, SCCA, and ProGRP in the CKD group were significantly higher than those in the healthy control group; CA125 and NSE levels were not statistically different. The false positives of SCC, CYFRA21-1, ProGRP, and HE4 increased significantly with the CKD stage. Still, NSE and CA125 did not show a significant increasing trend. Both HE4 and ProGRP have independent upper reference limits from CKD2 to CKD5 stage, namely 220.8 pmol/l and 101.4 pg/ml in the CKD2 stage, 496.7 pmol/l and 168.63 pg/ml in CKD3 stage, 4592.4 pmol/l and 272.8 pmol/l for CKD4 stage, CKD5 stage was 4778.2 pmol/l and 491.6 pmol/l.ConclusionThis study preliminarily determined the upper reference limits of Lung cancer-related tumor markers in patients with different CKD stages and provided laboratory support for the rational use and interpretation of Lung cancer-related tumor markers in special populations
- ā¦