Multi-stakeholder Partnership in Teacher Education and Development

While there is a growing interest in offering international teaching practicums to pre-service teachers as an approach to developing teachers\u27 global perspectives on education, however, understanding of the impact of such practice on the host communities is insufficient or absent. This study collected data from multiple sources and, using the Theory of Change framework, examined the impact of pre-service teachers\u27 international practicum on the school and community development in Kenya. Through exploring the context of host communities, the perceptions of Kenyan educators, and the changes that have occurred in Kenyan schools and communities, this study revealed positive development changes in Kenyan schools as the result of hosting pre-service teachers. A model of forming multi-stakeholder global partnership in higher education was presented to make the international teaching practicum a reciprocal professional development opportunity for educators in both sending and receiving countries

Defect Categorization: Making Use of a Decade of Widely Varying Historical Data

This paper describes our experience in aggregating a number of historical datasets containing inspection defect data using different categorizing schemes. Our goal was to make use of the historical data by creating models to guide future development projects. We describe our approach to reconciling the different choices used in the historical datasets to categorize defects, and the challenges we faced. We also present a set of recommendations for others involved in classifying defects

Switchable resolution in soft x-ray tomography of single cells.

The diversity of living cells, in both size and internal complexity, calls for imaging methods with adaptable spatial resolution. Soft x-ray tomography (SXT) is a three-dimensional imaging technique ideally suited to visualizing and quantifying the internal organization of single cells of varying sizes in a near-native state. The achievable resolution of the soft x-ray microscope is largely determined by the objective lens, but switching between objectives is extremely time-consuming and typically undertaken only during microscope maintenance procedures. Since the resolution of the optic is inversely proportional to the depth of focus, an optic capable of imaging the thickest cells is routinely selected. This unnecessarily limits the achievable resolution in smaller cells and eliminates the ability to obtain high-resolution images of regions of interest in larger cells. Here, we describe developments to overcome this shortfall and allow selection of microscope optics best suited to the specimen characteristics and data requirements. We demonstrate that switchable objective capability advances the flexibility of SXT to enable imaging cells ranging in size from bacteria to yeast and mammalian cells without physically modifying the microscope, and we demonstrate the use of this technology to image the same specimen with both optics

Rac1 as a therapeutic target in ovarian cancer

Rac1 is a high value therapeutic target for cancer based on its tumor promoting activities, yet clinical applications targeting Rac1 are in their infancy. High expression and hyperactivation of Rac1 in ovarian cancer, along with our identification of R-ketorolac as a novel Rac1 and Cdc42 selective inhibitor with translational potential, prompt us to test the hypothesis that targeting Rac1 has therapeutic utility for ovarian cancer. Ascites tumor cell samples from ovarian cancer patients in a prospective study receiving racemic ketorolac for clinically indicated use in pain relief were previously reported to show time dependent reduction of Rac1 and Cdc42 activities post-treatment. New RNA seq data of these patient samples reveals significant changes of genes involved in cell adhesion, cytokine-mediated signaling and cytokine production pathways. Conversely, the identified downregulated genes were overexpressed and associated with worse survival in ovarian cancer patients analyzed through The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Among the downregulated genes in the NOD pathway are chemokines and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Follow-up cytokine panels from patients confirm that racemic ketorolac treatment reduces the levels of immunosuppressive cytokines IL-6, IL-10 and RANTES in ascites fluids. Together, these data indicate there may be a benefit to the anti-inflammatory activity of the S- enantiomer, as well as the GTPase inhibitory activity of the R- enantiomer of ketorolac for ovarian cancer treatment

Modelling Future Coronary Heart Disease Mortality to 2030 in the British Isles.

OBJECTIVE: Despite rapid declines over the last two decades, coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality rates in the British Isles are still amongst the highest in Europe. This study uses a modelling approach to compare the potential impact of future risk factor scenarios relating to smoking and physical activity levels, dietary salt and saturated fat intakes on future CHD mortality in three countries: Northern Ireland (NI), Republic of Ireland (RoI) and Scotland. METHODS: CHD mortality models previously developed and validated in each country were extended to predict potential reductions in CHD mortality from 2010 (baseline year) to 2030. Risk factor trends data from recent surveys at baseline were used to model alternative future risk factor scenarios: Absolute decreases in (i) smoking prevalence and (ii) physical inactivity rates of up to 15% by 2030; relative decreases in (iii) dietary salt intake of up to 30% by 2030 and (iv) dietary saturated fat of up to 6% by 2030. Probabilistic sensitivity analyses were then conducted. RESULTS: Projected populations in 2030 were 1.3, 3.4 and 3.9 million in NI, RoI and Scotland respectively (adults aged 25-84). In 2030: assuming recent declining mortality trends continue: 15% absolute reductions in smoking could decrease CHD deaths by 5.8-7.2%. 15% absolute reductions in physical inactivity levels could decrease CHD deaths by 3.1-3.6%. Relative reductions in salt intake of 30% could decrease CHD deaths by 5.2-5.6% and a 6% reduction in saturated fat intake might decrease CHD deaths by some 7.8-9.0%. These projections remained stable under a wide range of sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Feasible reductions in four cardiovascular risk factors (already achieved elsewhere) could substantially reduce future coronary deaths. More aggressive polices are therefore needed in the British Isles to control tobacco, promote healthy food and increase physical activity

Game Theoretic Training Enabled Deep Learning Solutions for Rapid Discovery of Satellite Behaviors

The chapter presents a game theoretic training model enabling a deep learning solution for rapid discovery of satellite behaviors from collected sensor data. The solution has two parts, namely, Part 1 and Part 2. Part 1 is a PE game model that enables data augmentation method, and Part 2 uses convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for satellite behavior classification. The sensor data are propagated with the various maneuver strategies from the proposed space game models. Under the PE game theoretic framework, various satellite behaviors are simulated to generate synthetic datasets with labels for the training to detect space object behaviors. To evaluate the performance of the proposed PE model, a CNN model is designed and implemented for satellite behavior classification. Python 3 and TensorFlow are used in this implementation. The simulation results show that the trained machine learning model can efficiently and correctly classify the satellite behaviors up to 99.8%

Sex Differences in Primary and Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in China

Background: Despite improvements in diagnostic and therapeutic interventions to combat cardiovascular disease (CVD) in recent decades, there are significant ongoing access gaps and sex disparities in prevention that have not been adequately quantified in China. Methods: A representative, cross-sectional, community-based survey of adults (aged ≥45 years) was conducted in 7 geographic regions of China between 2014 and 2016. Logistic regression models were used to determine sex differences in primary and secondary CVD prevention, and any interaction by age, education level, and area of residence. Data are presented as adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs. Results: Of 47 841 participants (61.3% women), 5454 (57.2% women) had established CVD and 9532 (70.5% women) had a high estimated 10-year CVD risk (≥10%). Only 48.5% and 48.6% of women and 39.3% and 59.8% of men were on any kind of blood pressure (BP)-lowering medication, lipid-lowering medication, or antiplatelet therapy for primary and secondary prevention, respectively. Women with established CVD were significantly less likely than men to receive BP-lowering medications (OR, 0.79 [95% CI, 0.65-0.95]), lipid-lowering medications (OR, 0.69 [95% CI, 0.56-0.84]), antiplatelets (OR, 0.53 [95% CI, 0.45-0.62]), or any CVD prevention medication (OR, 0.62 [95% CI, 0.52-0.73]). Women with established CVD, however, had better BP control (OR, 1.31 [95% CI, 1.14-1.50]) but less well-controlled low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (OR, 0.66 [95% CI, 0.57-0.76]), and were less likely to smoke (OR, 13.89 [95% CI, 11.24-17.15]) and achieve physical activity targets (OR, 1.92 [95% CI, 1.61-2.29]). Conversely, women with high CVD risk were less likely than men to have their BP, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and bodyweight controlled (OR, 0.46 [95% CI, 0.38-0.55]; OR, 0.60 [95% CI, 0.52-0.69]; OR, 0.55 [95% CI, 0.48-0.63], respectively), despite a higher use of BP-lowering medications (OR, 1.21 [95% CI, 1.01-1.45]). Younger patients (<65 years) with established CVD were less likely to be taking CVD preventive medications, but there were no sex differences by area of residence or education level. Conclusions: Large and variable gaps in primary and secondary CVD prevention exist in China, particularly for women. Effective CVD prevention requires an improved overall nationwide strategy and a special emphasis on women with established CVD, who have the greatest disparity and the most to benefit

Hippocampal and cortical mechanisms at retrieval explain variability in episodic remembering in older adults

Age-related episodic memory decline is characterized by striking heterogeneity across individuals. Hippocampal pattern completion is a fundamental process supporting episodic memory. Yet, the degree to which this mechanism is impaired with age, and contributes to variability in episodic memory, remains unclear. We combine univariate and multivariate analyses of fMRI data from a large cohort of cognitively normal older adults (N=100) to measure hippocampal activity and cortical reinstatement during retrieval of trial-unique associations. Trial-wise analyses revealed that (a) hippocampal activity scaled with reinstatement strength, (b) cortical reinstatement partially mediated the relationship between hippocampal activity and associative retrieval, (c) older age weakened cortical reinstatement and its relationship to memory behaviour. Moreover, individual differences in the strength of hippocampal activity and cortical reinstatement explained unique variance in performance across multiple assays of episodic memory. These results indicate that fMRI indices of hippocampal pattern completion explain within-and across-individual memory variability in older adults

Pan-Cancer Analysis of lncRNA Regulation Supports Their Targeting of Cancer Genes in Each Tumor Context

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are commonly dys-regulated in tumors, but only a handful are known toplay pathophysiological roles in cancer. We inferredlncRNAs that dysregulate cancer pathways, onco-genes, and tumor suppressors (cancer genes) bymodeling their effects on the activity of transcriptionfactors, RNA-binding proteins, and microRNAs in5,185 TCGA tumors and 1,019 ENCODE assays.Our predictions included hundreds of candidateonco- and tumor-suppressor lncRNAs (cancerlncRNAs) whose somatic alterations account for thedysregulation of dozens of cancer genes and path-ways in each of 14 tumor contexts. To demonstrateproof of concept, we showed that perturbations tar-geting OIP5-AS1 (an inferred tumor suppressor) andTUG1 and WT1-AS (inferred onco-lncRNAs) dysre-gulated cancer genes and altered proliferation ofbreast and gynecologic cancer cells. Our analysis in-dicates that, although most lncRNAs are dysregu-lated in a tumor-specific manner, some, includingOIP5-AS1, TUG1, NEAT1, MEG3, and TSIX, synergis-tically dysregulate cancer pathways in multiple tumorcontexts