Philosophical and Pedagogical Patterns of Beliefs among Vietnamese and Australian Mathematics Preservice Teachers: A Comparative Study

Swayed by global pressures and poor international academic standing, Vietnam in 2002 initiated further school-wide curriculum change reflecting a student-centred reform agenda. Initial research on implementation is producing mixed results. One explanation is a mismatch with a Confucian Heritage Culture as a social-constructivist philosophy may counter the traditional widespread teacher-centred classrooms in Vietnam. School mathematics is often regarded as culture-independent as similar topics are taught across nations. We take as a premise that the adoption of the reform agenda is a worthwhile goal. Presented are the findings of a small scale study that set out to explore antecedent philosophical predispositions that may promote or obstruct the reform uptake among Vietnamese secondary mathematics pre-service teachers. Using a mixed-method approach, and a counterpart cohort from Australia for comparison, support for constructivist and traditional mathematics teaching and learning approaches were explored in association with teacher self efficacy. The Australians were expected to reflect reasonable support for a constructivist agenda and the Vietnamese perhaps less so. For both cohorts, the quantitative data reflected strong support for a constructivist framework and a modest rejection of traditional approaches with the latter correlated with teacher self efficacy. Indeed, the Vietnamese cohort conveyed a belief more so than the Australians that mathematics is a creative discipline; likely a reflection of having studied more mathematics. Scale inter-correlations provided apparent philosophical paradoxes worthy of further study. From the qualitative data the Australians do seem to be further down the track in espousing a philosophy that incorporated a constructivist agenda. With further culturally connected professional development the Vietnamese may be better prepared conceptually to apply it

Women’s beliefs about the duration of pregnancy and the earliest gestational age to safely give birth.

Background: American evidence suggests women are not well informed about the optimal duration of pregnancy or the earliest time for safe birth. Similar evidence does not exist in Australia. Aims: To explore pregnant women’s beliefs about the duration of pregnancy and the earliest time for safe birth, and to compare the results with US data. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of pregnant women attending antenatal clinics at four public hospitals in Sydney, Australia, included collection of maternal and pregnancy characteristics, and two questions exploring women’s beliefs about the duration of pregnancy, and the earliest time for safe birth. Responses were grouped as: late preterm (34-36 weeks), early term (37-38 weeks), and full term (39-40 weeks). Results: Of 784 surveyed women, 52% chose 39-40 weeks as the duration of a full term pregnancy, while for the earliest time for safe birth, 10% chose 39-40 weeks and 57% chose 37-38 weeks. Some maternal characteristics were associated with women’s beliefs, including having a medical and/or pregnancy complication, country of birth, level of education, employment status, and attending a tertiary hospital. The associations were different for each question. In comparison with US studies, Australian women were more likely to choose later gestations for both the duration of pregnancy and the earliest time for safe birth. Conclusions: A significant proportion of Australian women believe that full term pregnancy and earliest time for safe birth occur before 39 weeks, suggesting opportunities for antenatal education.The authors would like to thank the women who participated in the survey, and acknowledge the contribution of the research midwives, Jill Milligan, Rachel Reid, Jocelyn Sedgley and Katrina White-Mathews, as well as Dr. Antonia Shand for assisting with participant recruitment. This work was supported by an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Centre for Research Excellence Grant (1001066). CLR is supported by an NHMRC Senior Research Fellowship (#APP1021025)

Alzheimer : pratiques exemplaires en physiothérapie

Travail d'intégration réalisé dans le cadre du cours PHT-6113.Alors que l’âge moyen de la population canadienne est à la hausse, la prévalence des démences augmente de façon alarmante, la maladie d’Alzheimer étant la plus répandue parmi celles-ci. À l’heure actuelle, un demi-million de Canadiens en souffrent. Les spécialistes estiment qu’à ce rythme, la prévalence de cette maladie dégénérative doublera d’ici 25 ans. Cette réalité aura un impact considérable sur la pratique des professionnels de la santé, dont font partie les physiothérapeutes. Ces derniers ont un grand rôle à jouer tant au niveau de la prévention de cette maladie par l’exercice que de l’intervention nécessaire après son diagnostic. La recherche étant très active à ce sujet, ce travail a été rédigé dans le but de fournir les données les plus récentes sur lesquelles s’appuyer dans la cadre d’une pratique exemplaire en physiothérapie. Tout d’abord, le sujet de l’éthique englobant les notions de consentement et d’aptitude sera abordé. Ensuite, vue la fréquence élevée des troubles langagiers chez cette clientèle, les techniques de communication efficaces essentielles à l’établissement du lien thérapeutique seront résumées. Puis, les lignes directrices d’un programme d’exercices seront suggérées dans le cadre d’une approche préventive de la maladie d’Alzheimer. Enfin, devant le fait où les chutes sont trois fois plus fréquentes chez ces patients que chez les personnes âgées saines, les modalités de traitement à privilégier pour les prévenir seront exposées. Dans un contexte où cette maladie atteint un aîné sur onze, il importe que les physiothérapeutes maîtrisent ces quatre aspects inhérents à leur pratique

THE EFFECT OF MONOPOLY GAME AND TEACHER CREATIVITY ON CIVICS LEARNING ON EMPATHY ATTITUDES OF CLASS VD STUDENTS OF SD INPRES OESAPA KUPANG CITY

This study aims to determine the effect of monopoly game media and teacher creativity on Civics learning on the empathy attitude of grade VD students of SD Inpres Oesapa, Kupang City. The subjects of this study were students of class VD SD Inpres Oesapa Kupang City, totaling 20 people. Sampling used was purposive sampling technique. Data collection tools used in this study were monopoly game media, teacher creativity and student empathy. These three variables use a Likert Scale consisting of 1 to 5 alternative answer choices, using a quantitative approach, while the analytical technique is statistical analysis with the data analysis method used is product moment correlation analysis. The results of the hypothesis test show that there is an effect based on the results of data analysis, a partial test for the Monopoly Game Media variable (X1) obtained a t-count value of 3.755 with a significance value of 0.002 0.05, then Ho is rejected and Ha is accepted, so that H1 (hypothesis 1 ) which reads "there is an influence of Monopoly Game Media on the Empathy Attitude of VD Grade Students of SD Inpres Oesapa, Kupang City is accepted". Based on the results of the partial test for the variable Teacher Creativity (X2), the t-count value is 2.317 with a significance value of 0.033 0.05, then Ho is rejected and Ha is accepted, so H2 (hypothesis 2) which reads "there is an influence on Teacher Creativity in Subjects Civics on Empathy Attitudes of Class VD Elementary School Inpres Oesapa Kupang City is accepted”. Based on the results of the F test, the calculated F is 8.565 and the significance value is 0.003 0.05, it can be concluded that Ho is rejected and Ha is accepted, so H3 (hypothesis 3) which reads "there is an influence of Monopoly Game Media and Teacher Creativity on Empathy Attitudes of Class Students The VD of SD Inpres Oesapa, Kupang city is accepted”. Based on the results of data analysis, the coefficient of determination adjusted R Square of 0.443 was obtained which was used to see the magnitude of the influence of Monopoly Game Media (X1) and Teacher Creativity (X2) on Students' Empathy Attitudes (Y). The magnitude of the coefficient of determination of 0.443 is equal to 44.3%. This figure shows that simultaneously Monopoly Game Media and Teacher Creativity contribute to the Empathy Attitude of Students by 44.3%, while the remaining 55.7% (100% - 44.3%) is influenced by other variables not proposed in this study. like other learning media, namely the game of snakes and ladders and other non-physical games. Also the basic ability to teach teachers, self-development, and an aggressive attitude, never give up

Cyclin D1 Restrains Oncogene-Induced Autophagy by Regulating the AMPK-LKB1 Signaling Axis.

Autophagy activated after DNA damage or other stresses mitigates cellular damage by removing damaged proteins, lipids, and organelles. Activation of the master metabolic kinase AMPK enhances autophagy. Here we report that cyclin D1 restrains autophagy by modulating the activation of AMPK. In cell models of human breast cancer or in a cyclin D1-deficient model, we observed a cyclin D1-mediated reduction in AMPK activation. Mechanistic investigations showed that cyclin D1 inhibited mitochondrial function, promoted glycolysis, and reduced activation of AMPK (pT172), possibly through a mechanism that involves cyclin D1-Cdk4/Cdk6 phosphorylation of LKB1. Our findings suggest how AMPK activation by cyclin D1 may couple cell proliferation to energy homeostasis

Thiophen-basierte konjugierte acetylenische Polymere mit dualen aktiven Zentren für effiziente Cokatalysator-freie photoelektrochemische Wasserreduktion im alkalischen Medium

AbstractKonjugierte Polymere sind attraktive Materialien für die photoelektrochemische Wasserstoffentwicklungsreaktion (PEC‐HER) unter neutralen oder sauren Bedingungen. Jedoch zeigen sie im alkalischen Medium immer noch eine geringe PEC‐HER‐Leistung aufgrund des Fehlens von Wasserdissoziations‐Zentren. Hier zeigen wir, dass durch Anpassung des konjugierten acetylenischen Polymers (CAPs) von Poly(diethinylthieno[3,2‐b]thiophen) (pDET) zu Poly(2,6‐diethinylbenzo[1,2‐b:4,5‐b′]dithiophen (pBDT) und Poly(diethinyldithieno[3,2‐b:2′,3′‐d]thiophen) (pDTT) hocheffiziente aktive Wasserdissoziations‐Zentren in CAPs eingeführt werden können. Infolgedessen zeigen auf Cu‐Substrat gewachsene pDTT und pBDT Benchmark‐Photostromdichten von 170 μA cm−2 und 120 μA cm−2 (bei 0,3 V vs. RHE; pH 13), die 4,2‐ bzw. 3‐mal höher sind als die von pDET. DFT‐Rechnungen und elektrochemische Operando‐Resonanz‐Raman‐Spektroskopie zeigen, dass die elektronenangereicherten Cβ der äußeren Thiophenringe von pDTT die aktiven Zentren für die Wasserdissoziation sind, während die ‐C≡C‐Bindungen als aktive Zentren für die Wasserstoffentwicklung fungieren

Xylitol gummy bear snacks: a school-based randomized clinical trial

Background: Habitual consumption of xylitol reduces mutans streptococci (MS) levels but the effect on Lactobacillus spp. is less clear. Reduction is dependent on daily dose and frequency of consumption. For xylitol to be successfully used in prevention programs to reduce MS and prevent caries, effective xylitol delivery methods must be identified. This study examines the response of MS, specifically S. mutans/sobrinus and Lactobacillus spp., levels to xylitol delivered via gummy bears at optimal exposures. Methods: Children, first to fifth grade (n = 154), from two elementary schools in rural Washington State, USA, were randomized to xylitol 15.6 g/day (X16, n = 53) or 11.7 g/day (X12, n = 49), or maltitol 44.7 g/ day (M45, n = 52). Gummy bear snacks were pre-packaged in unit-doses, labeled with ID numbers, and distributed three times/day during school hours. No snacks were sent home. Plaque was sampled at baseline and six weeks and cultured on modified Mitis Salivarius agar for S. mutans/sobrinus and Rogosa SL agar for Lactobacillus spp. enumeration. Results: There were no differences in S. mutans/sobrinus and Lactobacillus spp. levels in plaque between the groups at baseline. At six weeks, log10 S. mutans/sobrinus levels showed significant reductions for all groups (p = 0.0001): X16 = 1.13 (SD = 1.65); X12 = 0.89 (SD = 1.11); M45 = 0.91 (SD = 1.46). Reductions were not statistically different between groups. Results for Lactobacillus spp. were mixed. Group X16 and M45 showed 0.31 (SD = 2.35), and 0.52 (SD = 2.41) log10 reductions, respectively, while X12 showed a 0.11 (SD = 2.26) log10 increase. These changes were not significant. Post-study discussions with school staff indicated that it is feasible to implement an in-classroom gummy bear snack program. Parents are accepting and children willing to consume gummy bear snacks daily. Conclusion: Reductions in S. mutans/sobrinus levels were observed after six weeks of gummy bear snack consumption containing xylitol at 11.7 or 15.6 g/day or maltitol at 44.7 g/day divided in three exposures. Lactobacillus spp. levels were essentially unchanged in all groups. These results suggest that a xylitol gummy bear snack may be an alternative to xylitol chewing gum for dental caries prevention. Positive results with high dose maltitol limit the validity of xylitol findings. A larger clinical trial is needed to confirm the xylitol results. Trial registration: [ISRCTN63160504].Supported by Grant No. U54DE14254 from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, and Grant No. 90YD0188 from the Office of Head Start