Classification of Spoken Discourse in Teaching the Construction of Mathematical Proof

The purpose of this study is to analyze the patterns of classroom discourse when high school students move from performing prescribed algorithms in order to solve problems for which the process and solution are well-defined to spoken proof, in which ideas are discussed and arguments are formulated and formalized. The study uses a modified version of discourse analysis developed by Arno Bellack and refined for usage in a mathematics classroom by James T. Fey. The analysis framework is supplemented by codes borrowed from Maria Blanton, Despina Stylianou, and M. Manuela David (2009), which is in turn a modified version of a coding system developed by Kruger (1993) and Goos, Galbraith and Renshaw (2002). Twelve mathematics lessons involving two mathematics teachers were recorded, transcribed and coded. Eight of the lessons were classified as “proof-related” and four were designated “non-proof-related.” A lesson designated “proof-related” contained more than half activity that was actively concerned with the construction of proof; whereas a lesson in which no proofs were formulated was designated “non-proof.” Using the codes described above and a variety of qualitative and quantitative measures, the transcripts were examined for constructivist behavior on the part of the teachers and modes of participation on the students’ part. The findings suggest a relationship between a teacher’s beliefs in constructivist principles and the way in which that teacher instructs proof vs. non-proof. More specifically, a teacher who views her/himself as informed by constructivist pedagogical principles may not evince a sharp distinction between her/his teaching of proof vs. non-proof; but a teacher who does not attempt to incorporate constructivist principles on a daily basis may exhibit more constructivist tendencies when teaching proof

Not Just Kids –A Case of Adult IgA Vasculitis

INTRODUCTION: IgA vasculitis, formerly known as HenlochSchonleinPurpura, is generally recognized as the most common form of systemic vasculitis in children, with 90% of cases occurring in the pediatric age group. However, the remaining 10% are noted in adult populations, and often has poorer long term outcomes if not identified and treated quickly. IgAVis commonly associated with streptococcal infections, although additional triggers such as drug ingestions, insect bites, and vaccinations have been described. Symptoms can include palpable purpura, acute abdominal pain, arthralgias, and hematuria. Recognizing the constellation of signs and symptoms is key for expediting appropriate therapy, which may reduce long term renal damage. CASE REPORT: A 27-year-old man with a history of asthma presented to the ED for maculopapular rash, polyarthralgias, and myopathy. Found to be hypertensive (160s/100s) and tachycardic (115) Creatinine 1.3, ESR 13, and CRP \u3e80 History was significant for an upper respiratory illness 10 days prior, camping trip 5 days prior with ingestion of several drugs including cocaine, MDMA, marijuana and psychogenic mushrooms. He was admitted overnight for rheumatologic and infectious disease workup, but discharged the following day with plan for outpatient follow up. Two days later, he again presented to the ED with acute abdominal pain and nausea with multiple episodes of vomiting, and was readmitted. Persistently hypertensive (160s/100s) Worsened purpuric rash Nonpitting edema in upper and lower extremities Creatinine 1.2, normal CBC, ASO titer elevated (957) CT abdomen showed small bowel edema, and EGD/colonoscopy were inconclusive His collective symptoms were reviewed and included the following: Palpable purpura without thrombocytopenia or coagulopathy Arthralgias Abdominal pain IgAVwas hypothesized and skin/renal biopsies were obtained. Skin biopsy: “leukocytoclasticvasculitis with granular IgA deposition in superficial vascular walls” Renal biopsy: “positive mesangial immunofluorescence for IgA” Based on these findings in conjunction with his symptoms and lab findings, he was started on a long steroid taper with plan for close outpatient follow-up. DISCUSSION: IgA vasculitis can affect many organ systems including integumentary, GI, and renal. Although it is most common in children age 5-9, it can affect adults and requires prompt recognition to facilitate appropriate therapy. The classic tetrad of symptoms includes: Palpable purpura without thrombocytopenia and/or coagulopathy Arthralgias Abdominal pain Renal disease These symptoms often present in a predictable order, with purpura noted 4 days prior to other symptoms. Our patient required careful blood pressure management due to his renal involvement (started on ACEI), and steroids were initiated. At time of discharge, his renal function and rash were improving, and abdominal pain had resolved. Although full renal recovery is common in up to 89% of patients, long term renal impairment may occur. Close monitoring is imperative to minimize further renal damage.https://digitalcommons.psjhealth.org/psv_internal/1010/thumbnail.jp

Differences in stress-induced modulation of the auditory system between Wistar and Lewis rats

Many aspects of stress-induced physiological and psychological effects have been characterized in people and animals. However, stress effects on the auditory system are less explored and their mechanisms are not well-understood, in spite of its relevance for a variety of diseases, including tinnitus. To expedite further research of stress-induced changes in the auditory system, here we compare the reactions to stress among Wistar and Lewis rats. The animals were stressed for 24 h, and subsequently we tested the functionality of the outer hair cells (OHCs) using distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) and auditory neurons using evoked auditory brainstem responses (ABR). Lastly, using Western blot, we analyzed the levels of plasticity-related proteins in the inferior colliculus, confirming that the inferior colliculus is involved in the adaptive changes that occur in the auditory system upon stress exposure. Surprisingly, the two strains reacted to stress quite differently: Lewis rats displayed a lowering of their auditory threshold, whereas it was increased in Wistar rats. These functional differences were seen in OHCs of the apical region (low frequencies) and in the auditory neurons (across several frequencies) from day 1 until 2 weeks after the experimental stress ended. Wistar and Lewis rats may thus provide models for auditory threshold increase and decrease, respectively, which can both be observed in different patients in response to stress

Differences in Stress-Induced Modulation of the Auditory System Between Wistar and Lewis Rats

Many aspects of stress-induced physiological and psychological effects have been characterized in people and animals. However, stress effects on the auditory system are less explored and their mechanisms are not well-understood, in spite of its relevance for a variety of diseases, including tinnitus. To expedite further research of stress-induced changes in the auditory system, here we compare the reactions to stress among Wistar and Lewis rats. The animals were stressed for 24 h, and subsequently we tested the functionality of the outer hair cells (OHCs) using distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) and auditory neurons using evoked auditory brainstem responses (ABR). Lastly, using Western blot, we analyzed the levels of plasticity-related proteins in the inferior colliculus, confirming that the inferior colliculus is involved in the adaptive changes that occur in the auditory system upon stress exposure. Surprisingly, the two strains reacted to stress quite differently: Lewis rats displayed a lowering of their auditory threshold, whereas it was increased in Wistar rats. These functional differences were seen in OHCs of the apical region (low frequencies) and in the auditory neurons (across several frequencies) from day 1 until 2 weeks after the experimental stress ended. Wistar and Lewis rats may thus provide models for auditory threshold increase and decrease, respectively, which can both be observed in different patients in response to stress

The landscape of somatic copy-number alteration across human cancers

available in PMC 2010 August 18.A powerful way to discover key genes with causal roles in oncogenesis is to identify genomic regions that undergo frequent alteration in human cancers. Here we present high-resolution analyses of somatic copy-number alterations (SCNAs) from 3,131 cancer specimens, belonging largely to 26 histological types. We identify 158 regions of focal SCNA that are altered at significant frequency across several cancer types, of which 122 cannot be explained by the presence of a known cancer target gene located within these regions. Several gene families are enriched among these regions of focal SCNA, including the BCL2 family of apoptosis regulators and the NF-κΒ pathway. We show that cancer cells containing amplifications surrounding the MCL1 and BCL2L1 anti-apoptotic genes depend on the expression of these genes for survival. Finally, we demonstrate that a large majority of SCNAs identified in individual cancer types are present in several cancer types.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and Pacific Northwest Prostate Cancer SPOREs, P50CA90578)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and Pacific Northwest Prostate Cancer SPOREs, R01CA109038))National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and Pacific Northwest Prostate Cancer SPOREs, R01CA109467)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and Pacific Northwest Prostate Cancer SPOREs, P01CA085859)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and Pacific Northwest Prostate Cancer SPOREs, P01CA 098101)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and Pacific Northwest Prostate Cancer SPOREs, K08CA122833

Characterizing the cancer genome in lung adenocarcinoma

Somatic alterations in cellular DNA underlie almost all human cancers(1). The prospect of targeted therapies(2) and the development of high-resolution, genome-wide approaches(3-8) are now spurring systematic efforts to characterize cancer genomes. Here we report a large-scale project to characterize copy-number alterations in primary lung adenocarcinomas. By analysis of a large collection of tumours ( n = 371) using dense single nucleotide polymorphism arrays, we identify a total of 57 significantly recurrent events. We find that 26 of 39 autosomal chromosome arms show consistent large-scale copy-number gain or loss, of which only a handful have been linked to a specific gene. We also identify 31 recurrent focal events, including 24 amplifications and 7 homozygous deletions. Only six of these focal events are currently associated with known mutations in lung carcinomas. The most common event, amplification of chromosome 14q13.3, is found in similar to 12% of samples. On the basis of genomic and functional analyses, we identify NKX2-1 ( NK2 homeobox 1, also called TITF1), which lies in the minimal 14q13.3 amplification interval and encodes a lineage-specific transcription factor, as a novel candidate proto-oncogene involved in a significant fraction of lung adenocarcinomas. More generally, our results indicate that many of the genes that are involved in lung adenocarcinoma remain to be discovered.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/62944/1/nature06358.pd

The landscape of somatic copy-number alteration across human cancers

A powerful way to discover key genes playing causal roles in oncogenesis is to identify genomic regions that undergo frequent alteration in human cancers. Here, we report high-resolution analyses of somatic copy-number alterations (SCNAs) from 3131 cancer specimens, belonging largely to 26 histological types. We identify 158 regions of focal SCNA that are altered at significant frequency across multiple cancer types, of which 122 cannot be explained by the presence of a known cancer target gene located within these regions. Several gene families are enriched among these regions of focal SCNA, including the BCL2 family of apoptosis regulators and the NF-κB pathway. We show that cancer cells harboring amplifications surrounding the MCL1 and BCL2L1 anti-apoptotic genes depend upon expression of these genes for survival. Finally, we demonstrate that a large majority of SCNAs identified in individual cancer types are present in multiple cancer types

The United States COVID-19 Forecast Hub dataset

Academic researchers, government agencies, industry groups, and individuals have produced forecasts at an unprecedented scale during the COVID-19 pandemic. To leverage these forecasts, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) partnered with an academic research lab at the University of Massachusetts Amherst to create the US COVID-19 Forecast Hub. Launched in April 2020, the Forecast Hub is a dataset with point and probabilistic forecasts of incident cases, incident hospitalizations, incident deaths, and cumulative deaths due to COVID-19 at county, state, and national, levels in the United States. Included forecasts represent a variety of modeling approaches, data sources, and assumptions regarding the spread of COVID-19. The goal of this dataset is to establish a standardized and comparable set of short-term forecasts from modeling teams. These data can be used to develop ensemble models, communicate forecasts to the public, create visualizations, compare models, and inform policies regarding COVID-19 mitigation. These open-source data are available via download from GitHub, through an online API, and through R packages

Evaluation of individual and ensemble probabilistic forecasts of COVID-19 mortality in the United States

Short-term probabilistic forecasts of the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States have served as a visible and important communication channel between the scientific modeling community and both the general public and decision-makers. Forecasting models provide specific, quantitative, and evaluable predictions that inform short-term decisions such as healthcare staffing needs, school closures, and allocation of medical supplies. Starting in April 2020, the US COVID-19 Forecast Hub (https://covid19forecasthub.org/) collected, disseminated, and synthesized tens of millions of specific predictions from more than 90 different academic, industry, and independent research groups. A multimodel ensemble forecast that combined predictions from dozens of groups every week provided the most consistently accurate probabilistic forecasts of incident deaths due to COVID-19 at the state and national level from April 2020 through October 2021. The performance of 27 individual models that submitted complete forecasts of COVID-19 deaths consistently throughout this year showed high variability in forecast skill across time, geospatial units, and forecast horizons. Two-thirds of the models evaluated showed better accuracy than a naïve baseline model. Forecast accuracy degraded as models made predictions further into the future, with probabilistic error at a 20-wk horizon three to five times larger than when predicting at a 1-wk horizon. This project underscores the role that collaboration and active coordination between governmental public-health agencies, academic modeling teams, and industry partners can play in developing modern modeling capabilities to support local, state, and federal response to outbreaks