Observation And Analysis Of Undergraduate Applied Piano Lessons And Individual Practice Sessions

The purpose of this study was to identify what practice strategies were presented by piano teachers in applied lessons and how their students practiced in subsequent practice sessions. Moreover, the study also attempted to identity what practice strategies and applications were associated with the students\u27 performance improvement. Five university piano professors participated in this study. Each participant professor recruited two piano-major (BA, BM, BME) undergraduate students from his or her piano studio, with one student in the first or second year of college (as the lower-level), and the other one in the third or fourth year (as the upper-level). A total of 15 (5 professors and 10 students) participated in this study. Each student participant completed: 1.) a 30-minute practice session on a selected piece prior to the applied lesson; 2.) a 30-minute applied lesson on the selected piece with his or her piano professor; and 3.) two subsequent 30-minute practice sessions after the lesson. A pre-test was conducted after the first practice session and a post-test was conducted after the last practice session. The pre- and post-tests were evaluated by three independent judges to determine performance improvement for each student participant. In addition, the participants (teachers and students) completed a brief survey about their educational background, piano experience, practice habits, and other questions related to this study. All practice sessions and applied lessons were video recorded and analyzed by the researcher. Results suggest that how teachers taught (modeling, talk, demonstrating, communication), and how students practiced (practice strategies, error identification, error correction, concentration) had the greatest impact on students\u27 performance improvement. However, students\u27 sight-reading abilities, years of piano study, practice routine, and practice priority had no effect on students\u27 performance improvement, nor did their teachers\u27 degrees and level of experience. Piano teachers are encouraged to evaluate how practice strategies are presented in their applied lessons and how their students apply the strategies in their practicing

Interface dynamics of table tennis

The purpose of this study was to discussed the Interface Dynamics of Table Tennis. The experiment was conducted based on the imaging principle of hot air flowing. We adopted the imaging principle of hot air flowing through rotating ball to simulate the flow phenomenon generated by air flowing through table tennis after striking by different rackets. The conclusion and suggestion after analyzing and discussing are described below: (1) The rotation of table tennis ball and flow field will change based on the roughness of rackets, which making its own contribution to the existence of changes in the rotation of table tennis ball. (2) It can learn that angle should forward 30 degrees with flat strike, 25 degrees with short particles and 20 degrees with long particles at the rotational speed of 7500 rpm. All flow fields of different rackets are similar

Multi-faced neuroprotectice effects of Ginsenoside Rg1 in an Alzheimer mouse model

There has been no extensive characterization of the effects of Ginsenoside Rg1, a pharmacological active component purified from the nature product ginseng, in an Alzheimer's disease mouse model. The well-characterized transgenic Alzheimer disease (AD) mice over expressing amyloid precursor protein (APP)/Aβ (Tg mAPP) and nontransgenic (nonTg) littermates at age of 6 and 9 months were treated with Rg 1 for three months via intraperitoneal injection. Mice were then evaluated for changes in amyloid pathology, neuropathology and behavior. Tg mAPP treated with Rg1 showed a significant reduction of cerebral Aβ levels, reversal of certain neuropathological changes, and preservation of spatial learning and memory, as compared to vehicle-treated mice. Rg1 treatment inhibited activity of γ-secretase in both Tg mAPP mice and B103-APP cells, indicating the involvement of Rg1 in APP regulation pathway. Furthermore, administration of Rg1 enhanced PKA/CREB pathway activation in mAPP mice and in cultured cortical neurons exposed to Aβ or glutamate-mediated synaptic stress. Most importantly, the beneficial effects on attenuation of cerebral Aβ accumulation, improvement in neuropathological and behavioral changes can be extended to the aged mAPP mice, even to 12–13 months old mice that had extensive amyloid pathology and severe neuropathological and cognitive malfunction. These studies indicate that Rg1 has profound multi-faced and neuroprotective effects in an AD mouse model. Rg1 induces neuroprotection through ameliorating amyloid pathology, modulating APP process, improving cognition, and activating PKA/CREB signaling. These findings provide a new perspective for the treatment of AD and demonstrate potential for a new class of drugs for AD treatment

Multi-faced neuroprotectice effects of Ginsenoside Rg1 in an Alzheimer mouse model

There has been no extensive characterization of the effects of Ginsenoside Rg1, a pharmacological active component purified from the nature product ginseng, in an Alzheimer's disease mouse model. The well-characterized transgenic Alzheimer disease (AD) mice over expressing amyloid precursor protein (APP)/Aβ (Tg mAPP) and nontransgenic (nonTg) littermates at age of 6 and 9 months were treated with Rg 1 for three months via intraperitoneal injection. Mice were then evaluated for changes in amyloid pathology, neuropathology and behavior. Tg mAPP treated with Rg1 showed a significant reduction of cerebral Aβ levels, reversal of certain neuropathological changes, and preservation of spatial learning and memory, as compared to vehicle-treated mice. Rg1 treatment inhibited activity of γ-secretase in both Tg mAPP mice and B103-APP cells, indicating the involvement of Rg1 in APP regulation pathway. Furthermore, administration of Rg1 enhanced PKA/CREB pathway activation in mAPP mice and in cultured cortical neurons exposed to Aβ or glutamate-mediated synaptic stress. Most importantly, the beneficial effects on attenuation of cerebral Aβ accumulation, improvement in neuropathological and behavioral changes can be extended to the aged mAPP mice, even to 12–13 months old mice that had extensive amyloid pathology and severe neuropathological and cognitive malfunction. These studies indicate that Rg1 has profound multi-faced and neuroprotective effects in an AD mouse model. Rg1 induces neuroprotection through ameliorating amyloid pathology, modulating APP process, improving cognition, and activating PKA/CREB signaling. These findings provide a new perspective for the treatment of AD and demonstrate potential for a new class of drugs for AD treatment

Interface dynamics of table tennis

The purpose of this study was to discussed the Interface Dynamics of Table Tennis. The experiment was conducted based on the imaging principle of hot air flowing. We adopted the imaging principle of hot air flowing through rotating ball to simulate the flow phenomenon generated by air flowing through table tennis after striking by different rackets. The conclusion and suggestion after analyzing and discussing are described below: (1) The rotation of table tennis ball and flow field will change based on the roughness of rackets, which making its own contribution to the existence of changes in the rotation of table tennis ball. (2) It can learn that angle should forward 30 degrees with flat strike, 25 degrees with short particles and 20 degrees with long particles at the rotational speed of 7500 rpm. All flow fields of different rackets are similar

Interface dynamics of table tennis

The purpose of this study was to discussed the Interface Dynamics of Table Tennis. The experiment was conducted based on the imaging principle of hot air flowing. We adopted the imaging principle of hot air flowing through rotating ball to simulate the flow phenomenon generated by air flowing through table tennis after striking by different rackets. The conclusion and suggestion after analyzing and discussing are described below: (1) The rotation of table tennis ball and flow field will change based on the roughness of rackets, which making its own contribution to the existence of changes in the rotation of table tennis ball. (2) It can learn that angle should forward 30 degrees with flat strike, 25 degrees with short particles and 20 degrees with long particles at the rotational speed of 7500 rpm. All flow fields of different rackets are similar

Study on the efficacy, safety, and biomarkers of nusinersen in type II and III spinal muscular atrophy in children

Introduction/aimsThe time span for the approval of nusinersen to treat SMA remains short. Most studies on the efficacy and safety of this drug within clinical trials, are lacking real-world research data. This study is based on real-world studies of SMA patients in children with type II and III SMA and is committed to objectively evaluating the effectiveness and safety of this drug.MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 18 children with type II and III SMA from January 2022 to June 2023. The motor function assessment scale, SMN protein, platelet, liver and kidney function, and other laboratory indicators of all patients before and after treatment were collected for statistical analysis.ResultsAfter load dose treatment (after 64 days of treatment), compared with baseline, the Revised Upper Limb Module (RULM) of SMA patients showed significant improvement (improvement rate: 44%), confirming the short-term effectiveness of the drug. The increase in cerebrospinal fluid SMN protein was greater in patients with significant improvement in motor function than in patients without improvement in motor function. Compared with baseline, there was no significant increase in AST and ALT levels in SMA patients, indicating that the drug had almost no effect on the liver. After each treatment, thrombocytopenia and partial urinary protein positivity may occur, but it could recover before the next treatment. This indicates that nusinersen is potentially harmful to platelet and renal function, although the effect is weak and reversible.DiscussionNusinersen has shown good efficacy and overall safety, but platelets and urinary protein are still indicators that require long-term monitoring. The increase in cerebrospinal fluid SMN protein was greater in patients with significant improvement in motor function than in patients without improvement in motor function

Perceived chronic social adversity and cyberbullying perpetration among adolescents: the mediating role of rumination and moderating role of mindfulness

BackgroundsThe prevalence of cyberbullying has brought about many adverse effects on adolescents’ mental health. Although current studies have shown that perceived chronic social adversity (PCSA) is closely related to cyberbullying perpetration among adolescents, the underlying mechanism of the relationship between the two remains relatively unclear. This study investigated the association of PCSA, rumination, mindfulness, and cyberbullying perpetration among adolescents, building upon the general strain theory, the general aggressive model, and the limited resource of self-control theory.MethodsA sample of 477 Chinese high school students (Mage = 15.84 years, SDage = 0.67, 49.69% female) completed the Perceived Chronic Social Adversity Questionnaire, the Ruminative Responses Scale, the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure, and the cyberbullying subscale of the Revised Cyber Bullying Inventory. The current study constructed a moderated mediation model to examine the relationship between PCSA and cyberbullying perpetration among adolescents and assessed the mediating role of rumination and the moderating role of mindfulness.ResultsThe results revealed a significant positive correlation between PCSA and cyberbullying perpetration. Rumination mediated the relationship between PCSA and cyberbullying perpetration, whereas mindfulness moderated the latter half of the mediation pathway. Specifically, compared to adolescents with higher mindfulness, the association between rumination and cyberbullying perpetration is greater for adolescents with lower mindfulness.ConclusionThe results further deepen our understanding of the mechanisms linking subjective perception of negative life events and cyberbullying perpetration among adolescents from the interaction of multiple factors, thus providing a basis for future interventions to encourage adolescents to properly cope with social adversity and promote positive mental health to reduce the risk of cyberbullying

Even Einstein Struggled: Effects of Learning About Great Scientists’ Struggles on High School Students’ Motivation to Learn Science

Students’ beliefs that success in science depends on exceptional talent negatively impact their motivation to learn. For example, such beliefs have been shown to be a major factor steering students away from taking science and math courses in high school and college. In the present study, we tested a novel story-based instruction that models how scientists achieve through failures and struggles. We designed this instruction to challenge this belief, thereby improving science learning in classroom settings. A demographically diverse group of 402 9th and 10th grade students read 1 of 3 types of stories about eminent scientists that described how the scientists (a) struggled intellectually (e.g., made mistakes in investigating scientific problems, and overcame the mistakes through effort), (b) struggled in their personal life (e.g., suffered family poverty and lack of parental support but overcame it), or (c) made great discoveries (a control condition, similar to the instructional material that appears in many science textbooks, that did not describe any struggles). Results showed that participation in either of the struggle story conditions improved science learning postintervention, relative to that of students in the control condition. Additionally, the effect of our intervention was more pronounced for low-performing students. Moreover, far more students in either of the struggle story conditions felt connected to the stories and scientists than did students in the control condition. The use of struggle stories provides a promising and implementable instructional approach that can improve student motivation and academic performance in science and perhaps other subjects as well

Efficient Prodrug Activator Gene Therapy by Retroviral Replicating Vectors Prolongs Survival in an Immune-Competent Intracerebral Glioma Model.

Prodrug activator gene therapy mediated by murine leukemia virus (MLV)-based retroviral replicating vectors (RRV) was previously shown to be highly effective in killing glioma cells both in culture and in vivo. To avoid receptor interference and enable dual vector co-infection with MLV-RRV, we have developed another RRV based on gibbon ape leukemia virus (GALV) that also shows robust replicative spread in a wide variety of tumor cells. We evaluated the potential of GALV-based RRV as a cancer therapeutic agent by incorporating yeast cytosine deaminase (CD) and E. coli nitroreductase (NTR) prodrug activator genes into the vector. The expression of CD and NTR genes from GALV-RRV achieved highly efficient delivery of these prodrug activator genes to RG-2 glioma cells, resulting in enhanced cytotoxicity after administering their respective prodrugs 5-fluorocytosine and CB1954 in vitro. In an immune-competent intracerebral RG-2 glioma model, GALV-mediated CD and NTR gene therapy both significantly suppressed tumor growth with CB1954 administration after a single injection of vector supernatant. However, NTR showed greater potency than CD, with control animals receiving GALV-NTR vector alone (i.e., without CB1954 prodrug) showing extensive tumor growth with a median survival time of 17.5 days, while animals receiving GALV-NTR and CB1954 showed significantly prolonged survival with a median survival time of 30 days. In conclusion, GALV-RRV enabled high-efficiency gene transfer and persistent expression of NTR, resulting in efficient cell killing, suppression of tumor growth, and prolonged survival upon CB1954 administration. This validates the use of therapeutic strategies employing this prodrug activator gene to arm GALV-RRV, and opens the door to the possibility of future combination gene therapy with CD-armed MLV-RRV, as the latter vector is currently being evaluated in clinical trials