Intercultural Communication Competence and Intercultural Communication Apprehension among Chinese Students Studying in the USA

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The Effect of Team-Based Active Learning and Embedded Tutors in the First Course in Accounting

We evaluate the impact of teams-based active learning mode on student performance in the first course in accounting as compared to a traditional instructor-led passive mode. We find positive results for active learning mode, indicating its impact on the long-term knowledge retention. We also test the effect of embedded (in-class) peer-to-peer tutors in the active learning mode. The averages of all three exams of sections with embedded tutors are all significantly higher than those with no embedded tutors. When controlled for the time spent with traditional outside tutors, the role of the embedded tutors remains significant in Exam 1 and 2

The Effect of Probiotic Supplementation on Gastrointestinal Quality of Life

Purpose. The purpose of this research study was to investigate the effect of Puritan’s Pride probiotic on gastrointestinal quality of life of working adults at the Loma Linda Support Services Building aged 18 to 65 years. Methods. Working adults, 18 to 65 years of age, from the Loma Linda Support Services Building were eligible to participate in the study. Subjects were excluded if they were taking antibiotics or had taken antibiotics within the previous six months. Subjects who consented were given an initial Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GIQLI)12 test and a probiotic supplement for 60 days. Subjects’ body composition was also tested during the initial visit. After the 60 days of supplementation, subjects returned to retake the GIQLI and to retest their body composition. Results. Eleven subjects, 1 male and 10 females, reported for post intervention GIQLI and body composition testing. A mean increase of 10.7 (SD= 11.1) in GIQLI scores was found after probiotic supplementation (p = .009). No significant differences were found in pre and postintervention measurements for BMI, body fat, and weight. The best predictor of postintervention GIQLI scores was preintervention GIQLI scores. Conclusion. There was an improvement in the related gastrointestinal quality of life in our subjects as shown through a significant increase in GIQLI scores and subjects’ commentary. The best predictor of posttest GIQLI scores was pretest GIQLI scores

The role of accelerated growth plate fusion in the absence of SOCS2 on osteoarthritis vulnerability

AimsOsteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent systemic musculoskeletal disorder, characterized by articular cartilage degeneration and subchondral bone (SCB) sclerosis. Here, we sought to examine the contribution of accelerated growth to OA development using a murine model of excessive longitudinal growth. Suppressor of cytokine signalling 2 (SOCS2) is a negative regulator of growth hormone (GH) signalling, thus mice deficient in SOCS2 (Socs2-/-) display accelerated bone growth.MethodsWe examined vulnerability of Socs2-/- mice to OA following surgical induction of disease (destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM)), and with ageing, by histology and micro-CT.ResultsWe observed a significant increase in mean number (wild-type (WT) DMM: 532 (SD 56); WT sham: 495 (SD 45); knockout (KO) DMM: 169 (SD 49); KO sham: 187 (SD 56); p < 0.001) and density (WT DMM: 2.2 (SD 0.9); WT sham: 1.2 (SD 0.5); KO DMM: 13.0 (SD 0.5); KO sham: 14.4 (SD 0.7)) of growth plate bridges in Socs2-/- in comparison with WT. Histological examination of WT and Socs2-/- knees revealed articular cartilage damage with DMM in comparison to sham. Articular cartilage lesion severity scores (mean and maximum) were similar in WT and Socs2-/- mice with either DMM, or with ageing. Micro-CT analysis revealed significant decreases in SCB thickness, epiphyseal trabecular number, and thickness in the medial compartment of Socs2-/-, in comparison with WT (p < 0.001). DMM had no effect on the SCB thickness in comparison with sham in either genotype.ConclusionTogether, these data suggest that enhanced GH signalling through SOCS2 deletion accelerates growth plate fusion, however this has no effect on OA vulnerability in this model

Associations of Hair Dye and Relaxer Use with Breast Tumor Clinicopathologic Features: Findings from the Women’s Circle of Health Study

Background Building upon our earlier findings of significant associations between hair dye and relaxer use with increased breast cancer risk, we evaluated associations of select characteristics of use with breast tumor clinicopathology. Methods Using multivariable-adjusted models we examined the associations of interest in a case-only study of 2998 women with breast cancer, overall and stratified by race and estrogen receptor (ER) status, addressing multiple comparisons using Bonferroni correction. Results Compared to salon application of permanent hair dye, home kit and combination application (both salon and home kit application) were associated with increased odds of poorly differentiated tumors in the overall sample. This association was consistent among Black (home kit: OR 2.22, 95 % CI: 1.21–5.00; combination: OR 2.46, 95 % CI: 1.21–5.00), but not White women, and among ER+ (home kit: OR 1.47, 95 % CI: 0.82–2.63; combination: OR 2.98, 95 % CI: 1.62–5.49) but not ER-cases. Combination application of relaxers was associated with increased odds of tumors \u3e2.0 cm vs. \u3c1.0 cm (OR = 1.82, 95 % CI: 1.23–2.69). Longer duration and earlier use of relaxers and combination application of permanent hair dyes and relaxers were associated with breast tumor features including higher tumor grade and larger tumor size, which often denote more aggressive phenotypes, although the findings did not maintain significance with Bonferroni correction. Conclusions These novel data support reported associations between hair dye and relaxer use with breast cancer, showing for the first time, associations with breast tumor clinicopathologic features. Improved hair product exposure measurement is essential for fully understanding the impact of these environmental exposure with breast cancer and to guide risk reduction strategies in the future

Assessing the factor structure of the eating attitude test-26 among undergraduate students in Malaysia

The objective of this study was to assess the factor structure of the 26-item Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26) through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) among 1,084 undergraduate students in Malaysia. The initial findings indicated a lack of support for the proposed three-factor structure. Model modifications were made due to the inadequate initial fit. The fit of the model was significantly improved by excluding items with factor loadings below 0.40 and integrating residual covariances. In conclusion, it is necessary to make contextual modifications to the EAT-26 in order to effectively utilize it among Malaysian undergraduates. This highlights the significance of cultural adaptations in psychological instruments

A missense variant in <i>FTCD</i> is associated with arsenic metabolism and toxicity phenotypes in Bangladesh

Inorganic arsenic (iAs) is a carcinogen, and exposure to iAs via food and water is a global public health problem. iAs-contaminated drinking water alone affects >100 million people worldwide, including ~50 million in Bangladesh. Once absorbed into the blood stream, most iAs is converted to mono-methylated (MMA) and then di-methylated (DMA) forms, facilitating excretion in urine. Arsenic metabolism efficiency varies among individuals, in part due to genetic variation near AS3MT (arsenite methyltransferase; 10q24.32). To identify additional arsenic metabolism loci, we measured protein-coding variants across the human exome for 1,660 Bangladeshi individuals participating in the Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study (HEALS). Among the 19,992 coding variants analyzed exome-wide, the minor allele (A) of rs61735836 (p.Val101Met) in exon 3 of FTCD (formiminotransferase cyclodeaminase) was associated with increased urinary iAs% (P = 8x10-13), increased MMA% (P = 2x10-16) and decreased DMA% (P = 6x10-23). Among 2,401 individuals with arsenic-induced skin lesions (an indicator of arsenic toxicity and cancer risk) and 2,472 controls, carrying the low-efficiency A allele (frequency = 7%) was associated with increased skin lesion risk (odds ratio = 1.35; P = 1x10-5). rs61735836 is in weak linkage disequilibrium with all nearby variants. The high-efficiency/major allele (G/Valine) is human-specific and eliminates a start codon at the first 5´-proximal Kozak sequence in FTCD, suggesting selection against an alternative translation start site. FTCD is critical for catabolism of histidine, a process that generates one-carbon units that can enter the one-carbon/folate cycle, which provides methyl groups for arsenic metabolism. In our study population, FTCD and AS3MT SNPs together explain ~10% of the variation in DMA% and support a causal effect of arsenic metabolism efficiency on arsenic toxicity (i.e., skin lesions). In summary, this work identifies a coding variant in FTCD associated with arsenic metabolism efficiency, providing new evidence supporting the established link between one-carbon/folate metabolism and arsenic toxicity