Pembinaan prototaip perisian model konstruktivisme Needham - Kecerdasan pelbagai untuk mengatasi kerangka alternatif pelajar dalam konsep perubahan keadaan jirim

Kerangka alternatif merupakan perkara yang menghambat proses pengajaran dan pembelajaran. Ia sukar diubah dengan menggunakan kaedah dan strategi pengajaran biasa. Oleh itu, Needham telah memperkenalkan Model Konstruktivisme 5 Fasa untuk membantu para pendidik menstrukturkan semula idea sedia ada pelajar. Strategi pengajaran dan pembelajaran berfasa ini membolehkan pelajar terlibat secara aktif dalam membina pengetahuan sendiri dengan cara membandingkan maklumat baru dengan pemahaman yang sedia ada. Di samping itu, Howard Gardner menyatakan bahawa setiap pelajar mempunyai kemampuan yang lebih besar dalam proses pembelajaran jika pembelajaran baru adalah berdasarkan kecerdasan mereka. Dengan itu, kajian yang dilakukan ialah untuk membina satu prototaip Model Konstruktivisme Needham-Kecerdasan Pelbagai (KN-KP) yang bertujuan untuk mengatasi kerangka alternatif yang wujud di kalangan pelajar di samping mengoptimumkan proses pengajaran dan pembelajaran dengan mengambil kira persekitaran pembelajaran yang berdasarkan kepada Teori Kecerdasan Pelbagai. Sebagai contoh, konsep perubahan fasa jirim telah dipilih. Dalam kajian ini sembilan modul telah dibina. Modul pertama untuk menentukan jenis kecerdasan pelajar diikuti dengan lapan modul pembelajaran lagi yang bersesuaian dengan pelajar dari jenis kecerdasan bahasa dan verbal, logik-matematik, ruang dan visual, naturalis, muzik, kinestetik, interpersonal, dan intrapersonal. Namun dalam kertas kerja ini aspek pembinaan prototaip akan dibincangkan

Multifunctional Compounds for Activation of the p53‐Y220C Mutant in Cancer

The p53 protein plays a major role in cancer prevention, and over 50 % of cancer diagnoses can be attributed to p53 malfunction. The common p53 mutation Y220C causes local protein unfolding, aggregation, and can result in a loss of Zn in the DNA‐binding domain. Structural analysis has shown that this mutant creates a surface site that can be stabilized using small molecules, and herein a multifunctional approach to restore function to p53‐Y220C is reported. A series of compounds has been designed that contain iodinated phenols aimed for interaction and stabilization of the p53‐Y220C surface cavity, and Zn‐binding fragments for metallochaperone activity. Their Zn‐binding affinity was characterized using spectroscopic methods and demonstrate the ability of compounds L4 and L5 to increase intracellular levels of Zn2+ in a p53‐Y220C‐mutant cell line. The in vitro cytotoxicity of our compounds was initially screened by the National Cancer Institute (NCI‐60), followed by testing in three stomach cancer cell lines with varying p53 status’, including AGS (WTp53), MKN1 (V143A), and NUGC3 (Y220C). Our most promising ligand, L5, is nearly 3‐fold more cytotoxic than cisplatin in a large number of cell lines. The impressive cytotoxicity of L5 is further maintained in a NUGC3 3D spheroid model. L5 also induces Y220C‐specific apoptosis in a cleaved caspase‐3 assay, reduces levels of unfolded mutant p53, and recovers p53 transcriptional function in the NUGC3 cell line. These results show that these multifunctional scaffolds have the potential to restore wild‐type function in mutant p53‐Y220C

Impact of Cerebral Microbleeds in Stroke Patients with Atrial Fibrillation

OBJECTIVES: Cerebral microbleeds are associated with the risks of ischemic stroke and intracranial hemorrhage, causing clinical dilemmas for antithrombotic treatment decisions. We aimed to evaluate the risks of intracranial hemorrhage and ischemic stroke associated with microbleeds in patients with atrial fibrillation treated with Vitamin K antagonists, direct oral anticoagulants, antiplatelets, and combination therapy (i.e. concurrent oral anticoagulant and antiplatelet) METHODS: We included patients with documented atrial fibrillation from the pooled individual patient data analysis by the Microbleeds International Collaborative Network. Risks of subsequent intracranial hemorrhage and ischemic stroke were compared between patients with and without microbleeds, stratified by antithrombotic use. RESULTS: A total of 7,839 patients were included. The presence of microbleeds was associated with an increased relative risk of intracranial hemorrhage (aHR 2.74, 95% confidence interval 1.76 - 4.26) and ischemic stroke (aHR 1.29, 95% confidence interval 1.04 - 1.59). For the entire cohort, the absolute incidence of ischemic stroke was higher than intracranial hemorrhage regardless of microbleeds burden. However, for the subgroup of patients taking combination of anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapy, the absolute risk of intracranial hemorrhage exceeded that of ischemic stroke in those with 2-4 microbleeds (25 vs 12 per 1,000 patient-years) and ≥11 microbleeds (94 vs 48 per 1,000 patient-years). INTERPRETATION: Patients with atrial fibrillation and high burden of microbleeds receiving combination therapy have a tendency of higher rate of intracranial hemorrhage than ischemic stroke, with potential for net harm. Further studies are needed to help optimize stroke preventive strategies in this high-risk group. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

SARS in Singapore--predictors of disease severity.

INTRODUCTION: Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) affected 8096 individuals in 29 countries, with 774 deaths. In Singapore, there were 238 cases of SARS with 33 deaths. A retrospective analysis was performed to identify predictors of poor outcome in patients with SARS locally. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Clinical, laboratory and outcome data of 234 patients admitted to Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Singapore General Hospital were collected and analysed. Only data collected at the time of admission were used in the analysis for predictors of poor outcome. Adverse events were defined as admission to the intensive care unit or death. RESULTS: Clinical (temperature, FiO2) and laboratory [leukocyte, lymphocyte, neutrophil, platelet, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), albumin] trends in groups with and without an adversarial event were presented. Fifty patients experienced an adverse event. On univariate analysis, male gender, advanced age, presence of comorbidities, neutrophilia, lymphopaenia, hyponatraemia, hypoalbuminaemia, transaminitis and elevated LDH or C-reactive protein were found to be significant predictors. On multivariate analysis, predictors of poor outcome were increased age [odds ratio (OR) 1.73 for every 10-year increase; 95% CI, 1.35 to 2.21], neutrophilia (OR 1.06 for every 1 x 10(9)/L increase; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.11) and high LDH (OR 1.17 for every 100 U/L increase; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.34). None of the 12 paediatric patients had an adverse event. CONCLUSION: Advanced age, neutrophilia and high LDH predict poor outcomes in patients with SARS

Engineering Properties of Foamed Concrete Containing Water Repellent

Concrete plays a vital role in the construction industry. Over the years, increasing demands from the construction industry had led to the birth of various types of concrete. Foamed concrete is one of the variations of lightweight concrete and yields a high percentage of porosity due to the internal presence of multiple air bubbles. Consequently, foamed concrete is prone to harmful substances’ penetration, which will disrupt its overall durability and the purpose of usage. Hence, water repellent is introduced into foamed concrete in this study and its effect on various engineering properties of foamed concrete will be investigated. The objectives of this study are to obtain optimum water-to-cement ratio for the 1200 kg/m3 foamed concrete and to study the impacts of water repellents on the fresh and engineering properties of foamed concrete. This study was separated into two main research phases. The first phase aimed at determining the optimum water-to-cement ratio for foamed concrete without the presence of water repellents, which was then determined as 0.48. The continuation of this research exhibited the utilization of the obtained optimum water-to-cement ratio from the first phase of the study to delve into the impact analysis of 0.2% and 0.4% calcium stearate (CS) on the fresh and engineering properties of foamed concrete. The incorporation of CS into foamed concrete had affected its mechanical properties in terms of compressive strength. However, it had played a vital role in improving the foamed concrete’s physical properties in terms of absorption, initial surface absorption and sorptivity. It was also found that the recommended dosage for CS incorporation was determined as 0.2% of cement weight as to prevent the adverse effects from overdosing of water repellents

Engineering Properties of Foamed Concrete Containing Water Repellent

Concrete plays a vital role in the construction industry. Over the years, increasing demands from the construction industry had led to the birth of various types of concrete. Foamed concrete is one of the variations of lightweight concrete and yields a high percentage of porosity due to the internal presence of multiple air bubbles. Consequently, foamed concrete is prone to harmful substances’ penetration, which will disrupt its overall durability and the purpose of usage. Hence, water repellent is introduced into foamed concrete in this study and its effect on various engineering properties of foamed concrete will be investigated. The objectives of this study are to obtain optimum water-to-cement ratio for the 1200 kg/m3 foamed concrete and to study the impacts of water repellents on the fresh and engineering properties of foamed concrete. This study was separated into two main research phases. The first phase aimed at determining the optimum water-to-cement ratio for foamed concrete without the presence of water repellents, which was then determined as 0.48. The continuation of this research exhibited the utilization of the obtained optimum water-to-cement ratio from the first phase of the study to delve into the impact analysis of 0.2% and 0.4% calcium stearate (CS) on the fresh and engineering properties of foamed concrete. The incorporation of CS into foamed concrete had affected its mechanical properties in terms of compressive strength. However, it had played a vital role in improving the foamed concrete’s physical properties in terms of absorption, initial surface absorption and sorptivity. It was also found that the recommended dosage for CS incorporation was determined as 0.2% of cement weight as to prevent the adverse effects from overdosing of water repellents

Modeling the El Niño Southern Oscillation with Neural Differential Equations

We use a Neural Ordinary Differential Equation to model and predict the seasonal to interannual variability of El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). We train our neural network model using partial observations involving only sea surface temperature data. Our approach is computationally inexpensive, it reproduces the main seasonal features of ENSO, and exhibits robust predictions skills.

Early interventions for tentorial dural arteriovenous fistula

Dural arteriovenous fistulae (DAVF) constitute 10–15% of all intracranial vascular malformations. As a subtype of DAVF, tentorial DAVF are even rarer, but their aggressive nature warrants early intervention. With regards to symptoms, 70–88% of the cases present with bruits or tinnitus, 60–74% with intracranial haemorrhages, 23–42% with central nerve deficits, 14–17% with cranial nerve deficits, and finally 8–25 % with headaches. Here we report three cases of tentorial DAVF with a primary manifestation of headaches: the first patient is a 44-year-old woman who presented with a severe, persistent sharp occipital headache for 1 day. She deteriorated quickly after admission and required emergency posterior fossa decompression for evacuation of an acute right cerebellar haematoma. Intra-operative and pathological findings suggested a cerebellar arteriovenous malformation. She subsequently underwent transarterial embolisation and surgical excision of the lesion. A review of the histopathological features will be presented. The second case is a 61-year-old male with a 3–4-day history of headache and vomiting prior to presenting to the emergency department with acute delirium secondary to subarachnoid haemorrhage in the posterior fossa. The third case is a 55-year-old woman with moderate, recurrent generalised headaches for 4–5 years. She was managed expediently with transarterial embolisation and had a good outcome. In view of the poor prognosis associated with DAVF rupture, early diagnosis and treatment is warranted to achieve favourable outcomes

A new species of moray eel (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) from Taiwan, with comments on related elongate unpatterned species

Loh, Kar-Hoe, Shao, Kwang-Tsao, Ho, Hsuan-Ching, Lim, Phaik-Eem, Chen, Hong-Ming (2015): A new species of moray eel (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) from Taiwan, with comments on related elongate unpatterned species. Zootaxa 4060 (1), DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4060.1.