Verification of Theory Based Design Features for Designing Online Instruction for Students with Learning Disabilities and Other Struggling Learners

This study involved a comprehensive review of the literature on multimedia design to identify theory based design principles applicable to online instruction. Seven theories were reviewed. They included Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT), Human Computer Interaction (HCI), Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML), Cognitive Load Theory (CLT), Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Kosslyns's (2007) eight Psychological Principles, and Wicken's (1999) thirteen Principles of Display Design. The focus was on all learners including those with disabilities. Forty theory based design principles, supported by research, were verified through Q methodology model (Brown, 1980; McKeown & Thomas, 1988). Three panels of experts in 1) multimedia theory, 2) design/development of online instruction for all K-12, and 3) design/development of online instruction for students with learning disabilities rated the importance of each principle. The Q-sort involved sorting along the dimensions of a quasi-normal distribution scale. This prevented the experts from placing a disproportionate number of principles in any single category. The response rate for experts was 81.1%. An Analysis of Variance was carried out to ascertain differences among the rating of expert by group and in combination and followed by a Post-Hoc Test. The result showed that only one principle had the p value = .042 between Group 1 Multimedia and Group 2 All K-12 Learners at the p < .05 significant level. The implications are that there was little differentiation between the focus on all students and the focus on students with learning disabilities. A correlation analysis was conducted with the correlation matrix indicating only six observed relationships were very strong. There were three principles with the most positive correlation coefficients ranging from r =.529 to r =.554. In contrast, there were three negative correlations coefficient between principles, ranging from r =.462 to r =.503. These results imply that there was considerable independence among the principles. The factor analysis resulted in five factors being identified i.e., Factor 1: Learner variability, Factor 2: Cognitive strategies, Factor 3: Prerequisites for teaching/learning, Factor 4: Context for learning, and Factor 5: Media presentation

TEST-RETEST RELIABILITY OF PAIRED PREFERENCE TEST FOR THE WEIGHTED SHOES

The purpose of this study was to examine the test-retest reliability of paired preference test for the weighted shoes. Forty participants were recruited and instructed to put on the weighted shoes and choose the preferred one after completing four paired comparisons. During the tests, participants were blind of any information from the shoes. All the participants were invited to repeat the same procedure one week after the first session. The results in first session showed that thirty-two (80%) out of the forty participants preferred Shoe D or E, which centre of mass was close to the rear end of the shoe. The greater intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC=0.81) represents the perfect test-retest reliability of the paired preference test. The test protocol designed in this study could apparently reduce the numbers of the paired comparison under the characteristic of the testing shoe varied systematically, for example the weighted shoes used in this study

Blog Advertising Effectiveness – An Ad Endorser Perspective

Many consumers routinely gather product information and appraisals via the Internet before making purchase decisions. For them, blogs are an important information source. Therefore, enterprises have begun using blogs as a new and effective instrument of product marketing. However, selecting the blog type that optimizes advertising effectiveness is now an important issue in corporate advertising. This study classifies blogs into three types (celebrity blog, expert blog, and typical consumer blog) and defines product type (experience product and search product) and brand awareness (high and low) as two product constructs. The aim is to help enterprises evaluate the type and brand awareness of a product to be promoted and to select the blog type that maximizes advertising effectiveness (perceived risk, ad attitude, brand attitude, and purchase intention) in diffusing product information. A quasi-experiment design was adopted, and twelve experimental contexts were designed. A valid sample of over 2,000 responses was collected to study between-group differences in advertising effectiveness. The analytical results showed between-group difference in advertising effectiveness, which indicated that blog advertising effectiveness varies with different combinations of product constructs and blog types

Hagfish Conservation Needed in Taiwan

Hagfish is the most primitive craniate and is a sister group to vertebrates. The hagfish attracts the interest of fishery biologists and ichthyologists due to its commercial utilization (e.g., for leather products and food) and its diverse specializations. There are about 60 hagfish worldwide species including the shallow-water Eptatretineae and deep-sea Myxininae. Taiwan is a region with a high biodiversity of hagfish species. Eleven species in the genera Myxine, Eptatretus and Paramyxine have been recorded in this region, and they have been the subject of numerous scientific studies, focusing on topics including phylogeny, photo-response behavior, reproductive biology, heavy metal accumulation and muscle proteomics and metabolomics. Based on morphological and molecular evidence, we found that Paramyxine cheni and Eptatretus rubicundus are the most primitive species in the subfamily Eptatretineae, and their conservation deserves special attention. In addition, the overfishing of Taiwanese hagfish has also been noted and is becoming a challenging question with hagfish research in Taiwan

PREFERENCE TEST OF THE WEIGHTED SHOES

The purpose of this study was to use paired comparison approach to test the weighted shoe preference of the subjects. Forty subjects were recruited to put on five different weighted shoes and choose the preferred one after completing four paired comparisons. During the test, subjects were blind of any information from the shoes. The results showed that thirty-two (80%) out of the forty subjects preferred Shoe D or E, which centre of mass was close to the rear end of the shoe. Significant difference was found in shoe preference between the males and females (?24=10.500, p=.033), while was not found between the lighters and heaviers (?24=5.583, p=.233). The mechanism of the gender effect on the preference decision are unclear. The results of the weighted shoe preference test could be applied to athlete training or rehabilitation shoe design to be comfortable for the users

Epigenetics in Traditional Chinese Pharmacy: A Bioinformatic Study at Pharmacopoeia Scale

Epigenetics is a phenomenon of heritable changes in the chromatin structure of a genomic region, resulting in a transcriptional silent or active state of the region over cell mitosis. Mounting evidence has demonstrated phenotypic consequence of alternations in the patterns of DNA methylation and histone modifications, two of the well-studied epigenetic mechanisms. The epigenome thus represents an interesting therapeutic target. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a system of therapies that has developed through empiricism for over 2100 years and has remained a popular alternative medicine in some Far East Asian populations. We searched 3294 TCM medicinals (TCMMs) containing 48 491 chemicals for chemicals that interact with the epigenetics-related proteins and found that 29.8% of the TCMMs are epigenome- and miRNA-modulating via, mainly, interactions with Polycomb group and methyl CpG-binding proteins. We analyzed 200 government-approved TCM formulas (TCMFs) and found that a statistically significant proportion (99%) of them are epigenome- and miRNA-interacting. The epigenome and miRNA interactivity of the Monarch medicinals is found to be most prominent. Histone modifications are heavily exploited by the TCMFs, many of which are tonic. Furthermore, epigenetically, the Assistant medicinals least resemble the Monarch. We quantified the role of epigenetics in TCM prescription and found that epigenome- and miRNA-interaction information alone determined, to an extent of 20%, the clinical application areas of the TCMFs. Our results provide (i) a further support for the notion of the epigenomes as a drug target and (ii) a new set of tools for the design of TCM prescriptions

THE ANALYSIS OF PULLING FORCE CURVES IN TUG-OF-WAR

The purpose of this study is to analyze the pulling force curves in DFB and AFB movements that produced by elite tug-of-war athletes. The subjects are 11 female high school athletes who have been trained more than two years for tug-of-war. Data is analyzed by paired-sample t-test. The results show that force-related parameters are all different significantly between two movements, and time-related parameters are not significant. The DFB movement has higher value in MaxF, AveF, FS and lower value in MinF. We suggest to avoid the decay of pulling force while adopting DFB movement, and increase MaxF, AveF, and FS while adopting AFB movement. Within the start of 2sec we suggest the team to take the DFB movements in order to produce powerful pulling force, then transform to the AFB movements to keep the team formation

Fluoroquinolone Resistance in Salmonella enterica Serotype Choleraesuis, Taiwan, 2000–2003

Salmonella enterica serotype Choleraesuis is a highly invasive pathogen that infects humans and causes systemic infections that require antimicrobial therapy. Surveillance in Taiwan showed that fluoroquinolone resistance in S. Choleraesuis markedly increased from 2000 to 2003, reaching approximately 70% in 2003

An Intermediate in the evolution of superfast sonic muscles.

Background Intermediate forms in the evolution of new adaptations such as transitions from water to land and the evolution of flight are often poorly understood. Similarly, the evolution of superfast sonic muscles in fishes, often considered the fastest muscles in vertebrates, has been a mystery because slow bladder movement does not generate sound. Slow muscles that stretch the swimbladder and then produce sound during recoil have recently been discovered in ophidiiform fishes. Here we describe the disturbance call (produced when fish are held) and sonic mechanism in an unrelated perciform pearl perch (Glaucosomatidae) that represents an intermediate condition in the evolution of super-fast sonic muscles. Results The pearl perch disturbance call is a two-part sound produced by a fast sonic muscle that rapidly stretches the bladder and an antagonistic tendon-smooth muscle combination (part 1) causing the tendon and bladder to snap back (part 2) generating a higher-frequency and greater-amplitude pulse. The smooth muscle is confirmed by electron microscopy and protein analysis. To our knowledge smooth muscle attachment to a tendon is unknown in animals. Conclusion The pearl perch, an advanced perciform teleost unrelated to ophidiiform fishes, uses a slow type mechanism to produce the major portion of the sound pulse during recoil, but the swimbladder is stretched by a fast muscle. Similarities between the two unrelated lineages, suggest independent and convergent evolution of sonic muscles and indicate intermediate forms in the evolution of superfast muscles

An Intermediate in the evolution of superfast sonic muscles

Background Intermediate forms in the evolution of new adaptations such as transitions from water to land and the evolution of flight are often poorly understood. Similarly, the evolution of superfast sonic muscles in fishes, often considered the fastest muscles in vertebrates, has been a mystery because slow bladder movement does not generate sound. Slow muscles that stretch the swimbladder and then produce sound during recoil have recently been discovered in ophidiiform fishes. Here we describe the disturbance call (produced when fish are held) and sonic mechanism in an unrelated perciform pearl perch (Glaucosomatidae) that represents an intermediate condition in the evolution of super-fast sonic muscles. Results The pearl perch disturbance call is a two-part sound produced by a fast sonic muscle that rapidly stretches the bladder and an antagonistic tendon-smooth muscle combination (part 1) causing the tendon and bladder to snap back (part 2) generating a higher-frequency and greater-amplitude pulse. The smooth muscle is confirmed by electron microscopy and protein analysis. To our knowledge smooth muscle attachment to a tendon is unknown in animals. Conclusion The pearl perch, an advanced perciform teleost unrelated to ophidiiform fishes, uses a slow type mechanism to produce the major portion of the sound pulse during recoil, but the swimbladder is stretched by a fast muscle. Similarities between the two unrelated lineages, suggest independent and convergent evolution of sonic muscles and indicate intermediate forms in the evolution of superfast muscles