Manual Transformation: Exploring Adult Transformative Learning Through Hands-on Artmaking

Transformative learning seeks to encourage learners to critically reflect on their assumptions and preconceptions, thereby transforming their existing frameworks and perspectives (Cranton, 1992; Mezirow, 1975). This qualitative study investigates what transformative learning looks like among a diverse group of adult learners at a graduate school of education, who all attended sculpture classes intentionally designed to enable such change. In order to study transformative learning, I will present the abbreviated journeys of five participants. When transformative learning is part of the teacher’s intention, how, if at all, does learning through hands-on artmaking in mixed media sculpture classes transform these adults with regard to their understanding of their identities as artists and learners (“Who am I?”), their approaches to artmaking (“How do I make art?”), and their understanding of art itself (“What is art?”)? Furthermore, the study seeks to understand what aspects of their class experiences contributed to these transformations. The study examines the studio creations of five adults from diverse backgrounds and experiences, reflects on their artmaking processes, and considers what they themselves wrote about their artmaking experiences. Using transformative learning theory as an interpretive framework, the study analyzes semi-structured interviews, retrospective surveys, field notes, artworks, and weekly reflective journals to understand the nature of transformative learning in an intentionally designed sculpture curriculum

Transformative Learning in Sculpture Class: Exploring New Identities as Artists, Approaches to Artmaking, and Understanding of Art

Transformative Learning seeks to encourage learners to critically reflect on their assumptions and preconceptions, thereby transforming their existing frameworks and perspectives. This qualitative study investigates what Transformative Learning looks like in a diverse group of adult learners at a graduate school of education who attended sculpture classes intentionally designed to enable such change. When Transformative Learning is part of the teacher’s intention, how, if at all, does learning through artmaking in mixed media sculpture classes transform these adults with regard to their understanding of their identities as artists and learners (“Who am I?”), their approaches to artmaking (“How do I make art?”), and their understanding of art (“What is art?”)? Furthermore, the study seeks to understand what aspects of their class experiences contributed to these transformations. The study examines the studio creations and artmaking processes of five adults from diverse backgrounds and experiences and analyzes what they reported about their artmaking experiences. Data gathered from semi-structured interviews, retrospective surveys, and class artifacts are organized and analyzed based on three stages of the Transformative Learning cycle—Stability, Reflection, and Transformation. The five participants’ three stages are then discussed according to the participants’ perceptions of their identities as artists, their understanding of art, and their approaches to artmaking, based on the research questions. The findings of the study suggest that the participants experienced heightened levels of Transformative Learning in individualized ways. Data indicate that specific class activities—a gallery trip, in-class artmaking sessions with material and time constraints, and an artist statement exercise—contributed to participants’ transformations over the course of the semester. Once the semester ended, some participants took further actions based on their changed perspectives of artist identities, understanding of art, and approaches to artmaking, which indicates that dramatic shifts and multiple perspectives can be achieved in an art class designed to teach for Transformative Learning

Optical Imaging of Cancer-Related Proteases Using Near-Infrared Fluorescence Matrix Metalloproteinase-Sensitive and Cathepsin B-Sensitive Probes

Cathepsin B and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) play key roles in tumor progression by controlled degradation of extracellular matrix. Consequently, these proteases have been attracted in cancer research, and many imaging probes utilizing these proteases have been developed. Our groups developed cathepsin B and MMP imaging nanoprobes based on polymer nanoparticle platform. Both cathepsin B and MMP imaging probes used near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) dye and dark-quencher to for high sensitivity, and protease-sensitive peptide sequence in each probe authorized high specificity of the probes. We compared the bioactivities of cathepsin B and MMP sensitive probes in cancer-related environments to investigate the biological property of the probes. As a result, cathepsin B probe showed fluorescence recovery after the probe entered the cytoplasm. This property could be useful to evaluate the cytoplasmic targeted delivery by using probe-conjugated nanoparticles in vivo. On the other hand, MMP probe was superior in specificity in vivo and tissue study. This comparative study will provide precise information about peptide-based optical probes, and allow their proper application to cancer diagnosis

Novel method of real-time PCR-based screening for common fetal trisomies

Background The non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT) is based on next generation sequencing (NGS) and is used for screening for fetal trisomy. However, it is time-consuming and technically difficult. Recently, peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probe-based real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was developed. This study aimed to examine the performance of the RT-PCR-based NIPT for screening of common fetal trisomies Methods From stored maternal plasma, RT-PCR was performed using Patio™ NIPT Detection Kit. In melting curve analysis, the height of melting peaks of target chromosome and reference chromosome was calculated as a peak ratio. The adjusted peak ratio of 8 markers with correction factors in each target chromosome was summated and calculated to z-score. The cut-off value for each target chromosome was established for classification (low risk vs. high risk for trisomy) whose performance was obtained in the validation phase. Results 330 plasma samples from pregnant women with normal fetus and 22 trisomy cell-line samples were used to establish the optimal cut-off values for z-score of each target chromosome. In the validation phase, 1023 samples from pregnant women including 22 cases with fetal trisomy and 1001 cases of normal control were used. The RT-PCR-based NIPT showed 95.45% sensitivity [95% confidence interval (CI) 77.16–99.88%], 98.60% specificity (95% CI 97.66–99.23%), and 98.53% accuracy (95% CI 97.59–99.18%) for the identification of trisomy 21, 18, or 13. Of 1023 samples, fifteen cases were mismatched for classification [one case as a false negative (false negative rate: 4.5%) and 14 cases as false positives (false positive rate: 1.4%)]. Conclusion The RT-PCR-based NIPT showed high sensitivity and specificity for the detection of common fetal trisomies and it could be a feasible alternative to NGS-based NIPT.This study was supported by the Technology Innovation Program (or Industrial Strategic Technology Development Program) (N0002392) funded by the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy (MOTIE, Korea). And this work was funded by grants (HI16C0628) from the Korea Health Technology R&D Project through the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), funded by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea. The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

A PANAS Structure Analysis: On the Validity of a Bifactor Model in Korean College Students

The purpose of this study was to determine the best model fit among the six models in the Korean version of Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (K-PANAS). Therefore, this study compared and analyzed the dimensional structure of this schedule for Korean college students. Specifically, the model fitness of six models, which are under debate, were compared: a single model for K-PANAS, a two-factor model (PA&NA) without any factor correlation, a three-factor model (PA, NA-Afraid, NA-Upset), a two-factor bifactor model, a three-factor bifactor model, and a three-factor bifactor model with error correlation. A total of 875 samples were analyzed, and the results show that best model fit is the three-factor bifactor model with error correlation. We named the general factor of the bifactor model “activation (or arousal).” This findings of this study will provide a richer explanation of emotions for researchers analyzing emotional activation (or arousal), a general factor of emotion, PA, and NA future studies that use PANAS

A PANAS Structure Analysis: On the Validity of a Bifactor Model in Korean College Students

The purpose of this study was to determine the best model fit among the six models in the Korean version of Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (K-PANAS). Therefore, this study compared and analyzed the dimensional structure of this schedule for Korean college students. Specifically, the model fitness of six models, which are under debate, were compared: a single model for K-PANAS, a two-factor model (PA&NA) without any factor correlation, a three-factor model (PA, NA-Afraid, NA-Upset), a two-factor bifactor model, a three-factor bifactor model, and a three-factor bifactor model with error correlation. A total of 875 samples were analyzed, and the results show that best model fit is the three-factor bifactor model with error correlation. We named the general factor of the bifactor model “activation (or arousal).” This findings of this study will provide a richer explanation of emotions for researchers analyzing emotional activation (or arousal), a general factor of emotion, PA, and NA future studies that use PANAS

Assessing the effects of National Health Insurance reimbursement policy revisions for anti-osteoporotic drugs in Korean women aged 50 or older.

IntroductionThe Korean National Health Insurance revised its reimbursement criteria to expand coverage for anti-osteoporotic drug treatments in 2011 (expanding diagnostic criteria and the coverage period for anti-osteoporotic therapy) and 2015 (including osteoporotic fracture patients regardless of bone mineral density). We examined whether the two revisions contributed to an increase in the prescription rates of anti-osteoporotic drugs in Korea.MethodsWe used the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service-National Patient Sample data from 2010 through 2016. A segmented regression analysis of interrupted time series was performed to assess changes in the monthly prescription rates of anti-osteoporotic drugs among women aged 50 or older, defined as the proportion of elderly women prescribed with anti-osteoporotic drugs.ResultsBoth the levels (i.e., abrupt jump or drop) and the trends (i.e., slope) of the prescription rates of anti-osteoporotic drugs in the general population, osteoporotic patients, and osteoporotic fracture patients showed no significant changes after the first revision. However, there was a significant increase in the trends in the general population (β = 0.0166, p = 0.0173) and in osteoporotic patients (β = 0.1128, p = 0.0157) after the second revision. Women aged 65 to 79 years were the most significantly increased group in terms of the treatment proportion after the second revision because the trend was significant after the second revision in all three study populations (β = 0.0300, 0.1212, 0.1392, respectively; p ConclusionsAlthough the two revisions expanded reimbursement coverage, only the second revision on reimbursing based on osteoporotic fracture regardless of bone mineral density was associated with increasing the proportion of post-menopausal women being treated with anti-osteoporotic drugs

Optical Imaging of Cancer-Related Proteases Using Near-Infrared Fluorescence Matrix Metalloproteinase-Sensitive and Cathepsin B-Sensitive Probes

Cathepsin B and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) play key roles in tumor progression by controlled degradation of extracellular matrix. Consequently, these proteases have been attracted in cancer research, and many imaging probes utilizing these proteases have been developed. Our groups developed cathepsin B and MMP imaging nanoprobes based on polymer nanoparticle platform. Both cathepsin B and MMP imaging probes used near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) dye and dark-quencher to for high sensitivity, and protease-sensitive peptide sequence in each probe authorized high specificity of the probes. We compared the bioactivities of cathepsin B and MMP sensitive probes in cancer-related environments to investigate the biological property of the probes. As a result, cathepsin B probe showed fluorescence recovery after the probe entered the cytoplasm. This property could be useful to evaluate the cytoplasmic targeted delivery by using probe-conjugated nanoparticles in vivo. On the other hand, MMP probe was superior in specificity in vivo and tissue study. This comparative study will provide precise information about peptide-based optical probes, and allow their proper application to cancer diagnosis.</p