The relationships between student perception of constructivist learning environment, self-directed learning readiness, problem-solving skills, and teamwork skills

Constructivism is a recent educational philosophical development. This study was designed to ascertain the level of constructivism implemented in the Industrial technology program as observed by students. The study also sought to determine the level of constructivism students\u27 desire, and the relationship between what they observed and what they preferred. The faculty view of the implementation was also collected. A comparison was made between the faculty view of the level of constructivism and the student view of the amount of constructivism being used.;An instrument for the aspects of constructivism was used for data collection, three parts were an Australian validated and reliable instrument. The fourth part about problem solving was prepared, validated and tested for reliability at Iowa State University. The faculty instrument was a modification of the questions toward faculty perception rather than the student view. Interviews were made with several students, the results confirming what were determined by the instrument.;A high correlation existed between students who observed a higher level of constructivism practices being used with higher scores on problem-solving and teamwork skills than for their peers.;Satisfactory indices of a good fit between a hypothesized model and the observed data led to the development of a structural equation model. This model suggested that student learning in an constructivist environment could improve their self-directed learning readiness, problem-solving skills and teamwork skills

Suppression of inducible cyclooxygenase and nitric oxide synthase through activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ by flavonoids in mouse macrophages

AbstractPeroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)γ transcription factor has been implicated in anti-inflammatory response. Of the compounds tested, apigenin, chrysin, and kaempferol significantly stimulated PPARγ transcriptional activity in a transient reporter assay. In addition, these three flavonoids strongly enhanced the inhibition of inducible cyclooxygenase and inducible nitric oxide synthase promoter activities in lipopolysaccharide-activated macrophages which contain the PPARγ expression plasmids. However, these three flavonoids exhibited weak PPARγ agonist activities in an in vitro competitive binding assay. Limited protease digestion of PPARγ suggested these three flavonoids produced a conformational change in PPARγ and the conformation differs in the receptor bound to BRL49653 versus these three flavonoids. These results suggested that these three flavonoids might act as allosteric effectors and were able to bind to PPARγ and activate it, but its binding site might be different from the natural ligand BRL49653

Establishment of a Knock-In Mouse Model with the SLC26A4 c.919-2A>G Mutation and Characterization of Its Pathology

Recessive mutations in the SLC26A4 gene are a common cause of hereditary hearing impairment worldwide. Previous studies have demonstrated that different SLC26A4 mutations may have different pathogenetic mechanisms. In the present study, we established a knock-in mouse model (i.e., Slc26a4tm1Dontuh/tm1Dontuh mice) homozygous for the c.919-2A>G mutation, which is a common mutation in East Asians. Mice were then subjected to audiologic assessment, a battery of vestibular evaluations, and inner ear morphological studies. All Slc26a4tm1Dontuh/tm1Dontuh mice revealed profound hearing loss, whereas 46% mice demonstrated pronounced head tilting and circling behaviors. There was a significant difference in the vestibular performance between wild-type and Slc26a4tm1Dontuh/tm1Dontuh mice, especially those exhibiting circling behavior. Inner ear morphological examination of Slc26a4tm1Dontuh/tm1Dontuh mice revealed an enlarged endolymphatic duct, vestibular aqueduct and sac, atrophy of stria vascularis, deformity of otoconia in the vestibular organs, consistent degeneration of cochlear hair cells, and variable degeneration of vestibular hair cells. Audiologic and inner ear morphological features of Slc26a4tm1Dontuh/tm1Dontuh mice were reminiscent of those observed in humans. These features were also similar to those previously reported in both knock-out Slc26a4−/− mice and Slc26a4loop/loop mice with the Slc26a4 p.S408F mutation, albeit the severity of vestibular hair cell degeneration appeared different among the three mouse strains

Identification of novel DNA methylation inhibitors via a two-component reporter gene system

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Targeting abnormal DNA methylation represents a therapeutically relevant strategy for cancer treatment as demonstrated by the US Food and Drug Administration approval of the DNA methyltransferase inhibitors azacytidine and 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine for the treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes. But their use is associated with increased incidences of bone marrow suppression. Alternatively, procainamide has emerged as a potential DNA demethylating agent for clinical translation. While procainamide is much safer than 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine, it requires high concentrations to be effective in DNA demethylation in suppressing cancer cell growth. Thus, our laboratories have embarked on the pharmacological exploitation of procainamide to develop potent DNA methylation inhibitors through lead optimization.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We report the use of a DNA methylation two-component enhanced green fluorescent protein reporter system as a screening platform to identify novel DNA methylation inhibitors from a compound library containing procainamide derivatives.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A lead agent IM25, which exhibits substantially higher potency in <it>GSTp1 </it>DNA demethylation with lower cytotoxicity in MCF7 cells relative to procainamide and 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine, was identified by the screening platform.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our data provide a proof-of-concept that procainamide could be pharmacologically exploited to develop novel DNA methylation inhibitors, of which the translational potential in cancer therapy/prevention is currently under investigation.</p

AMiBA Wideband Analog Correlator

A wideband analog correlator has been constructed for the Yuan-Tseh Lee Array for Microwave Background Anisotropy. Lag correlators using analog multipliers provide large bandwidth and moderate frequency resolution. Broadband IF distribution, backend signal processing and control are described. Operating conditions for optimum sensitivity and linearity are discussed. From observations, a large effective bandwidth of around 10 GHz has been shown to provide sufficient sensitivity for detecting cosmic microwave background variations.Comment: 28 pages, 23 figures, ApJ in press

Molecular and clinical analyses of 84 patients with tuberous sclerosis complex

BACKGROUND: Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominant disease characterized by the development of multiple hamartomas in many internal organs. Mutations in either one of 2 genes, TSC1 and TSC2, have been attributed to the development of TSC. More than two-thirds of TSC patients are sporadic cases, and a wide variety of mutations in the coding region of the TSC1 and TSC2 genes have been reported. METHODS: Mutational analysis of TSC1 and TSC2 genes was performed in 84 Taiwanese TSC families using denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) and direct sequencing. RESULTS: Mutations were identified in a total of 64 (76 %) cases, including 9 TSC1 mutations (7 sporadic and 2 familial cases) and 55 TSC2 mutations (47 sporadic and 8 familial cases). Thirty-one of the 64 mutations found have not been described previously. The phenotype association is consistent with findings from other large studies, showing that disease resulting from mutations to TSC1 is less severe than disease due to TSC2 mutation. CONCLUSION: This study provides a representative picture of the distribution of mutations of the TSC1 and TSC2 genes in clinically ascertained TSC cases in the Taiwanese population. Although nearly half of the mutations identified were novel, the kinds and distribution of mutation were not different in this population compared to that seen in larger European and American studies

Role of Pigment Epithelium-Derived Factor in Stem/Progenitor Cell-Associated Neovascularization

Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) was first identified in retinal pigment epithelium cells. It is an endogenously produced protein that is widely expressed throughout the human body such as in the eyes, liver, heart, and adipose tissue; it exhibits multiple and varied biological activities. PEDF is a multifunctional protein with antiangiogenic, antitumorigenic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antithrombotic, neurotrophic, and neuroprotective properties. More recently, PEDF has been shown to be the most potent inhibitor of stem/progenitor cell-associated neovascularization. Neovascularization is a complex process regulated by a large, interacting network of molecules from stem/progenitor cells. PEDF is also involved in the pathogenesis of angiogenic eye disease, tumor growth, and cardiovascular disease. Novel antiangiogenic agents with tolerable side effects are desired for the treatment of patients with various diseases. Here, we review the value of PEDF as an important endogenous antiangiogenic molecule; we focus on the recently identified role of PEDF as a possible new target molecule to influence stem/progenitor cell-related neovascularization