UNDERSTANDING OF THE ‘NATURE OF SCIENCE’ AMONG UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AT MUTAH UNIVERSITY IN JORDAN

The current study aimed at investigating Understanding of the ‘Nature of Science’ among undergraduate Students at Mutah University in Jordan and its relation with some variables. The sample of the study consisted of 392 undergraduate students, 274 females and 118 males who were chosen randomly from faculty of science and faculty of educational sciences in the academic year (2013/2014). To collect data, instrument which consisted of 23 items arranged into 5 domains covering various aspects of the nature of science was applied. The results showed that the level of understanding the nature of science among science and educational science students was of medium level with mean percentage (59.36). There were statistical differences found in the understanding of the nature of science among students due to the variable of student’s gender in favor of females, while the results showed no statistical differences attributed to variable of college. The research ended by suggesting several recommendations and further studies related to the nature of science for improving the teaching of NOS in high schools and college classrooms

Developmental hypomyelination in Wolfram syndrome: New insights from neuroimaging and gene expression analyses

Wolfram syndrome is a rare multisystem disorder caused by mutations in WFS1 or CISD2 genes leading to brain structural abnormalities and neurological symptoms. These abnormalities appear in early stages of the disease. The pathogenesis of Wolfram syndrome involves abnormalities in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondrial dynamics, which are common features in several other neurodegenerative disorders. Mutations in WFS1 are responsible for the majority of Wolfram syndrome cases. WFS1 encodes for an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) protein, wolframin. It is proposed that wolframin deficiency triggers the unfolded protein response (UPR) pathway resulting in an increased ER stress-mediated neuronal loss. Recent neuroimaging studies showed marked alteration in early brain development, primarily characterized by abnormal white matter myelination. Interestingly, ER stress and the UPR pathway are implicated in the pathogenesis of some inherited myelin disorders like Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease, and Vanishing White Matter disease. In addition, exploratory gene-expression network-based analyses suggest that WFS1 expression occurs preferentially in oligodendrocytes during early brain development. Therefore, we propose that Wolfram syndrome could belong to a category of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by ER stress-mediated myelination impairment. Further studies of myelination and oligodendrocyte function in Wolfram syndrome could provide new insights into the underlying mechanisms of the Wolfram syndrome-associated brain changes and identify potential connections between neurodevelopmental disorders and neurodegeneration

Effectiveness of Analogy Instructional Strategy on Undergraduate Student’s Acquisition of Organic Chemistry Concepts in Mutah University, Jordan

This study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of analogy instructional strategy on undergraduate students’ acquisition of organic chemistry concepts in Mutah University, Jordan. A quasi-experimental design was used in the study; Participants were 97 students who enrolled in organic chemistry course at the department of chemistry during the academic year (2015–2016) at Mutah University in Jordan, both classes of the same teacher, one was randomly considered to be the experimental group (n=38) while the other was considered to be the control group (n=44). Ten analogies were used in the experimental group, the topics of alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, ethers, carbonyl compounds, aldehydes, ketones and carboxylic acids have been studied in chemistry course. All of the analogies were prepared by the researcher. During four-week period; each group received an equal amount of instruction. The chemical concepts achievement test consisted of 20 multiple-choice questions was administered as pre-test, post-test. The results showed that the students in the experimental group showed significantly greater achievement than the students in the control group. Keywords: Analogy, Instructional Strategies, Organic Chemical Concepts, Undergraduate Students

Coronary artery calcification and plaque characteristics in people living with HIV: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Studies have reported that people living with HIV have higher burden of subclinical cardiovascular disease, but the data are not adequately synthesized. We performed meta-analyses of studies of coronary artery calcium and coronary plaque in people living with HIV. Methods and Results We performed systematic search in electronic databases, and data were abstracted in standardized forms. Study-specific estimates were pooled using meta-analysis. 43 reports representing 27 unique studies and involving 10 867 participants (6699 HIV positive, 4168 HIV negative, mean age 52 years, 86% men, 32% Black) were included. The HIV-positive participants were younger (mean age 49 versus 57 years) and had lower Framingham Risk Score (mean score 6 versus 18) compared with the HIV-negative participants. The pooled estimate of percentage with coronary artery calcium \u3e0 was 45% (95% CI, 43%-47%) for HIV-positive participants, and 52% (50%-53%) for HIV-negative participants. This difference was no longer significant after adjusting for difference in Framingham Risk Score between the 2 groups. The odds ratio of coronary artery calcium progression for HIV-positive versus -negative participants was 1.64 (95% CI, 0.91-2.37). The pooled estimate for prevalence of noncalcified plaque was 49% (95% CI, 47%-52%) versus 20% (95% CI, 17%-23%) for HIV-positive versus HIV-negative participants, respectively. Odds ratio for noncalcified plaque for HIV-positive versus -negative participants was 1.23 (95% CI, 1.08-1.38). There was significant heterogeneity that was only partially explained by available study-level characteristics. Conclusions People living with HIV have higher prevalence of noncalcified coronary plaques and similar prevalence of coronary artery calcium, compared with HIV-negative individuals. Future studies on coronary artery calcium and plaque progression can further elucidate subclinical atherosclerosis in people living with HIV

The Mediating Role of Bullying and Victimisation on the Relationship Between Problematic Internet Use and Substance Abuse Among Adolescents in the UK: The Parent–Child Relationship as a Moderator

Over the last decade, research into the negative effects of problematic internet use has greatly increased. The current study adopted a mediation-moderation model in exploring the relationship between problematic internet use and substance abuse (drinking, drug use, and smoking tobacco cigarettes) among 1,613 adolescents (aged 10–16) in the UK. The findings of the study revealed a significant positive correlation between problematic internet use and substance abuse, which is mediated by traditional and cyber bullying and victimisation. Furthermore, the parent–child relationship was found to be a protective factor that moderated the correlation between problematic internet use and substance abuse and the correlation between problematic internet use and traditional bullying. The study emphasises the critical need to reduce problematic internet use among adolescents as a risk factor for involvement in bullying as perpetrators and victims, in addition to substance abuse. Furthermore, the findings of the study highlight the importance of a good parent–child relationship as a protective factor among adolescents. In light of the findings of the study, interventions for reducing problematic internet use taking into account bullying and the parent–child relationship are needed among adolescents

Giant Spontaneous Femoral Artery Pseudoaneurysm Treated with Covered Stents : Report of a rare presentation and review of literature

We report the case of a 62-year-old woman who presented with a one-month history of a pulsatile mass, with no antecedent trauma or intervention. Imaging showed a large pseudoaneurysm (PSA) of the distal portion of the left superficial femoral artery. The PSA was treated successfully with endovascular placement of covered stents

Utilizing Object Compression for Better J2ME Remote Method Invocation in 2.5G Networks

This paper introduces two new Java 2 Platform Micro Edition (J2ME) Remote Method Invocation (RMI) packages. These packages make use of serialized object compression and encryption in order to respectively minimize the transmission time and to establish secure channels. The currently used J2ME RMI package does not provide either of these features. Our packages substantially outperform the existing Java package in the total time needed to compress, transmit, and decompress the object for General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) networks, often called 2.5G networks, even under adverse conditions. The results show that the extra time incurred to compress and decompress serialized objects is small compared to the time required to transmit the object without compression in GPRS networks. Existing RMI code for J2ME can be obliviously used with our new packages

Prevalence of meropenem susceptibility among Gram-negative pathogens isolated from intensive care units in Jordan

Meropenem is a relatively new carbapenem in some Middle Eastcountries; our aim is to evaluate its susceptibility in gram-negative pathogens isolatedfrom ICU patients and to identify the prevalence of ICU bacterial isolates identifiedas pathogens based on CDC-NHSN definition for pathogens in the affected organs

Pre-operative Over-investigation of Routine Tests Prior to Elective Surgeries

Background: Previous studies stressed on the burden raised by routine pre-operative test ordering, which should be based on the assessment of patient physical status. In a tertiary hospital in Jordan, we aim to study the compliance with guidelines regarding pre-operative routine testing prior to an elective surgery, cholecystectomy, and calculate the estimated cost from non-compliance with the guidelines.Methods: We included laparoscopic cholecystectomy (through ICD-9 code) to represent an elective surgery. For each surgery done from the period 1/1/2016 to 31/12/2016, data regarding preoperative investigations, admission history note, operative and discharge note were obtained. Tests that are considered routine investigations are Complete blood count (CBC), kidney function tests (KFT), electrolytes, chest X-ray, electrocardiogram, coagulation studies, and urine-analysis. We classified patients who underwent cholecystectomy according to the latest version of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status system to assess the need for routine tests, then we calculated the number and cost of excess tests.Results: A total 382 routine, non-emergent laparoscopic cholecystectomy surgeries were performed. 319 (83.5%) of patients were classified as ASA-1, 60 (15.7%) were classified as ASA-2, and only 3 (0.8%) were classified as ASA-3. Age was a significant determinant in obtaining chest X-ray ordering and findings (p< 0.001) and electrolytes ordering and findings (p= 0.001). Total routine tests cost for elective cholecystectomy during 2016 was 16,021$. Regarding operative compilations, only 14 (3.7%) complication occurred, all of which were bleeding related.Conclusion: Oversighting routine preoperative test ordering before elective cholecystectomy will significantly reduce the cost without increasing post-operative complications

Differential PI3Kδ Signaling in CD4+ T-cell Subsets Enables Selective Targeting of T Regulatory Cells to Enhance Cancer Immunotherapy

Copyright ©2017, American Association for Cancer Research.Peer reviewedPostprin