Which noncognitive features provide more information about reading performance? A data-mining approach to big educational data

The purpose of this study is to discover which noncognitive variables provide more information about reading performance. To answer this question, data mining based on information gain, decision tree and random forest methods were utilized in the study. The participants of the study consisted of 606,627 15-year-old students (49.8% female) in a total of 78 countries or economies, 37 of which are OECD members. Reading performance and plausible values of reading, the Student, ICT Familiarity, Financial Literacy, Educational Career, Well-Being and Parent Questionnaire data in PISA 2018 were analyzed to answer the research questions. When 108 features were analyzed as independent variables, it was found that SES (home possessions, cultural possessions, and ICT resources at home), metacognitive skills (assessing credibility and summarizing), and liking/enjoying reading were major variables predicting reading performance. The path analysis revealed that these variables explain 53.3% of the variability in reading performance. It is also remarkable that the decision tree model has a 74.61% accuracy value in estimating the reading performance

Careers and Research Performance of PhD Program Graduates of Health Sciences in Turkey

In this review, we aimed to evaluate PhD graduates of the period between 1985-2010 and analyze the status, motivation and positive and negative factors influencing research motivation of graduates in eight disciplines from three graduate schools of Health Sciences in Turkey and to compare with the present status in the world. Some information obtained by web-based survey is the following: The most of graduates (83%) have academic positions in basic sciences departments in the faculty of medicine in universities. 94.2 % of graduates recognized the importance of personal motivation, while 54% of them thought that finding the appropriate research environment was important for research. For 52%, the biggest hindrance to medical research was lack of funding and for 39%, lack of technic personnel for research. The studies in the literature related to PhD graduates pointed out to the following facts: The number of PhD graduates is increasing gradually and the graduates' career choices have changed from academic to non-academic positions, especially in the industry. This is not parallel to our pilot study findings. About the teaching perspective treated in the relevant literature, the concept of "one should be a good researcher, as well as a good teacher" is dominant. PhD graduates in our pilot study mentioned that they had responsibilities in the education activities during their PhD education. We think that these responsibilities are useful for their future academic career. In conclusion, the majority (83%) of graduates from Graduate Schools of Health Sciences in Turkey are enrolled into academic researcher positions in universities. They keep producing funded research work as a first author and publish despite some problems

Assessment of structural protein expression by FTIR and biochemical assays as biomarkers of metabolites response in gastric and colon cancer

Colon and gastric cancers are the widespread benign types of cancers which are synchronous and metachronous neoplasms. In terms of the progression and progress of the disease, metabolic processes and differentiation in protein structures have an important role in for treatment of the disease. In this study we proposed to investigate the metabolic process and the differentiation of protein secondary structure among colon and gastric cancer as well as healthy controls using biochemistry and Fourier Transform InfraRed spectroscopy (FTIR) methods. For this purpose, we measured blood serum of 133 patients, which were conducted upon oncology department (45 colon cancer, 45 gastric cancer and 43 control individuals). The obtained spectroscopic results and biochemical assays showed significant reduction in the amount of functional groups in cancer groups contrary with total protein measurements and structure of protein differences between colon and gastric cancers. Differentiations were visible in serum levels of CEA, CA-125, CA-15-3, CA-19-9 AFP (Alpha fetoprotein) of gastric and colon cancer patients as well as in amide III and secondly described amide I regions. Our findings suggest that amide I bonds in colon cancer cells can be helpful in diagnosis of colon cancer. Indeed, our results showed that metabolic processes were higher in gastric cancer group than in colon cancer. Hence, FTIR spectroscopy and curve-fitting analysis of amide I profile can be successfully applied as tools for identifying quantitative and qualitative changes of proteins in human cancerous blood serum. However, what is very important, in PCA analysis we see, that the scatter plot of PC1 (variability 80%) and PC2 (variability 15%) show that the data related to the control and two cancer groups are clustered together with different magnitudes and directions

Comparison of Lipid Profiles with AP0A1 MspI Polymorphism in Obese Children with Hyperlipidemia

Background: Obesity is a multifactorial, chronic disorder leading. to adverse metabolic effects on plasma lipid levels. Apolipoprotein AI (Apo AI) is the major structural component of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and is involved in the esterification of cholesterol as a cofactor of lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) and thus plays a major role in cholesterol efflux from peripheral cells. The APOA1 gene is associated with changes in lipid metabolism. A common gene polymorphism described in the APOA1 promoter region consists of the exchange of guanine (G) for adenine (A) at a position -75 bp upstream of the transcription origin. The relationship between lipid levels in obese children and the APOA1 MspI polymorphisms, was examined. Materials and Methods: Three separate groups were included, the patient group of obese children with hyperlipidemia; the obese control group (control group I) consisted of obese children without hyperlipidemia: and the healthy control group (control group II) contained healthy children with neither hyperlipidemia nor obesity. The related gene segments were amplified by polymerase chain reaction and determined different patterns were determined using denaturating gradient gel electrophoresis and positive results were confirmed automatic sequence analysis. All the results were analyzed by Proseq and BioEdit computer programmes. Results: The A allele was found to be more frequent in control group I compared to the patient group (p=0.035). Very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), LDL and triglyceride (TG), levels were statistically higher in the patients carrying the GA genotype than in control group I. and body mass index (BMI), VLDL and TG levels were statistically higher than in control group II (p0.05). Additionally, according to the -75 GA genotypes, those in control group I with the GA genotype had elevated total cholesterol levels compared to those with the GG genotype (p<0.010). In conclusion, carrying the A. allele could confer a higher risk of hyperlipidemia in obese children