Japanese lesson study: a numeracy coach\u27s view

This paper reports findings based on interview data from a professional teacher educator who was a Numeracy Coach for a group of schools that participated in a research project, Implementing structured problem-solving mathematics lessons through Lesson Study. The Numeracy Coach was a highly-skilled professional teacher educator, whose position was such that she was both a support person to the teachers and a participant in the project. Her insights into the processes and effects of Japanese Lesson Study, on teachers, as well as herself, are extremely enlightening, and form the data for this paper. While the evidence is from a single source, the evidence is consistent with other projects into the effectiveness of the Japanese model of Lesson Study. Aspects of the project with implications for teacher professional development are detailed

A team effort in Nepal: experiences from managing a large COVID-19 rehabilitation hospital outbreak

This article is made available for unrestricted research re-use and secondary analysis in any form or be any means with acknowledgement of the original source. These permissions are granted for the duration of the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic

Identifying Signatures of Natural Selection in Tibetan and Andean Populations Using Dense Genome Scan Data

High-altitude hypoxia (reduced inspired oxygen tension due to decreased barometric pressure) exerts severe physiological stress on the human body. Two high-altitude regions where humans have lived for millennia are the Andean Altiplano and the Tibetan Plateau. Populations living in these regions exhibit unique circulatory, respiratory, and hematological adaptations to life at high altitude. Although these responses have been well characterized physiologically, their underlying genetic basis remains unknown. We performed a genome scan to identify genes showing evidence of adaptation to hypoxia. We looked across each chromosome to identify genomic regions with previously unknown function with respect to altitude phenotypes. In addition, groups of genes functioning in oxygen metabolism and sensing were examined to test the hypothesis that particular pathways have been involved in genetic adaptation to altitude. Applying four population genetic statistics commonly used for detecting signatures of natural selection, we identified selection-nominated candidate genes and gene regions in these two populations (Andeans and Tibetans) separately. The Tibetan and Andean patterns of genetic adaptation are largely distinct from one another, with both populations showing evidence of positive natural selection in different genes or gene regions. Interestingly, one gene previously known to be important in cellular oxygen sensing, EGLN1 (also known as PHD2), shows evidence of positive selection in both Tibetans and Andeans. However, the pattern of variation for this gene differs between the two populations. Our results indicate that several key HIF-regulatory and targeted genes are responsible for adaptation to high altitude in Andeans and Tibetans, and several different chromosomal regions are implicated in the putative response to selection. These data suggest a genetic role in high-altitude adaption and provide a basis for future genotype/phenotype association studies necessary to confirm the role of selection-nominated candidate genes and gene regions in adaptation to altitude

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

Critical factors in the adaptation and implementation of Japanese Lesson Study in the Australian context

Worldwide interest in Japanese Lesson Study as a vehicle to improve mathematics teaching practice through professional learning has left largely unanswered questions about the extent to which it can be replicated elsewhere. This paper reports on a small-scale research project, Implementing structured problem solving mathematics through lesson study, carried out in three Australian schools during 2012, and continued in a modified form during 2013 and 2014. Two major aims of the project were to investigate critical factors in the adaptation and effective implementation of (1) structured problem-solving mathematics lessons, and (2) Japanese Lesson Study as a model for teacher professional learning in the Australian context. This paper discusses the specific affordances that contributed to both the implementation of structured problem solving and to teachers\u27 professional learning as a result of their participation in this project, as well as the constraints encountered, and the implications of these for the sustainability of lesson study in the Australian context. Critical factors identified by the teachers as contributing to the success of the project included the opportunities for in-depth lesson planning, the presence of large numbers of observers at the research lessons and the post-lesson discussions, and the insight provided by the &quot; knowledgeable other&quot;. Major constraints included the difficulty in finding suitable problem solving tasks to match the Australian curriculum, and the teaching culture that emphasises small-group rather than whole-class teachin

Teachers’ professional growth through engagement with lesson study

Lesson study is highly regarded as a model for professional learning, yet remains under-theorised. This article examines the professional learning experiences of teachers and numeracy coaches from three schools in a local network of schools, participating in a lesson study project over two research cycles in 2012. It maps the interconnections between their experiences and their beliefs and practices, using Clarke and Hollingsworth&rsquo;s (Teach Educ 18(8):947&ndash;967, 2002)Interconnected Model of Professional Growth. Analysis of interview data and video-recordings of planning meetings, research lessons, and post-lesson discussions reveals the development of teachers&rsquo; collaborative planning skills, increased attention to students&rsquo; mathematical thinking, use of orchestrated whole-class discussion based on anticipated student solutions and focused questioning, and the enhancement of collaborative practices for teacher inquiry. Our findings illuminate the interplay between the External Domain, the Personal Domain, the Domain of Practice, and the Domain of Consequence, in the teaching and learning change environment, and the mediating processes of enactment and reflection. Changes in the domains across the period of the lesson study provide evidence of teachers&rsquo; professional growth, with the iterative processes of enactment and reflection being critical in mediating this professional growth

In vivo label-free optical signatures of chemotherapy response in human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma patient-derived xenografts

Abstract Pancreatic cancer is a devastating disease often detected at later stages, necessitating swift and effective chemotherapy treatment. However, chemoresistance is common and its mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, label-free multi-modal nonlinear optical microscopy was applied to study microstructural and functional features of pancreatic tumors in vivo to monitor inter- and intra-tumor heterogeneity and treatment response. Patient-derived xenografts with human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma were implanted into mice and characterized over five weeks of intraperitoneal chemotherapy (FIRINOX or Gem/NabP) with known responsiveness/resistance. Resistant and responsive tumors exhibited a similar initial metabolic response, but by week 5 the resistant tumor deviated significantly from the responsive tumor, indicating that a representative response may take up to five weeks to appear. This biphasic metabolic response in a chemoresistant tumor reveals the possibility of intra-tumor spatiotemporal heterogeneity of drug responsiveness. These results, though limited by small sample size, suggest the possibility for further work characterizing chemoresistance mechanisms using nonlinear optical microscopy