History of Mathematics: An Exercise in Strengths

As a leader in strengths-based education, Lee University encourages each new student, since fall of 2003, to take the Gallup StrengthsFinder to determine their top 5 signature themes (out of a possible 34). At Lee, the syllabus for the History of Mathematics course calls for students to write a paper on a mathematician. In the fall of 2009, as an added dimension, students were asked to critically think about and incorporate the strengths they believe that mathematician may have. Each student was required to compare and contrast his or her strengths with those of the mathematician. This was done with the hope that, as aspiring mathematicians, they may be inspired to preserve to make their mark in this history of mathematics, since math is still evolving. In this presentation, through an exercise in strengths, I share 3 examples of how students were inspired by each mathematician

Using Mindfulness/Contemplative Practices to Help Students Focus in Mathematics Classrooms

Can using mindfulness/contemplative practices help students become mindful, focused, and present in the mathematics classroom? In this study, mindfulness/contemplative practices were used in the mathematics classroom to determine if students were encouraged to be mindful, focused, and present or engaged in problem solving. During class time, students engaged in the following 2 contemplative practices: a “Mindful Minute of Deep Breathing” and “Beholding the Mathematics”. The one minute of mindful Deep Breathing took place usually at the beginning of class. Then, during a regular class period, students used Beholding to look more deeply at topics, probe questions, and investigate answers to questions. The survey responses indicated that the mindfulness/contemplative practices were very useful in the mathematics classroom to help students to be mindful (both inside and outside of the classroom), focus on the mathematics taught, and be present or engaged in the problem solving.  

The use of gene interaction networks to improve the identification of cancer driver genes

Bioinformaticians have implemented different strategies to distinguish cancer driver genes from passenger genes. One of the more recent advances uses a pathway-oriented approach. Methods that employ this strategy are highly dependent on the quality and size of the pathway interaction network employed, and require a powerful statistical environment for analyses. A number of genomic libraries are available in R. DriverNet and DawnRank employ pathway-based methods that use gene interaction graphs in matrix form. We investigated the benefit of combining data from 3 different sources on the prediction outcome of cancer driver genes by DriverNet and DawnRank. An enriched dataset was derived comprising 13,862 genes with 372,250 interactions, which increased its accuracy by 17% and 28%, respectively, compared to their original networks. The study identified 33 new candidate driver genes. Our study highlights the potential of combining networks and weighting edges to provide greater accuracy in the identification of cancer driver genes

Effects of ethylenediamine in rodent models of seizure, motor coordination and anxiety

Ethylenediamine (EDA) activates GABAA receptors via both direct and indirect mechanisms. EDA has been shown to reduce seizures caused by systemic injection of proconvulsants in an animal model of generalized tonic–clonic seizures. However, there does not appear to have been any report on the effects of EDA in other seizure models. Hence, we used male Sprague-Dawley rats to test the effects of EDA on topically applied bicuculline (a model of simple partial seizures) and on maximal electroshock (MES, a model of generalized tonic–clonic seizures). We also examined the effects of EDA on motor coordination using a rotarod treadmill, and its potential anxiolytic properties using an elevated plus maze (EPM). EDA at concentrations of 50 μM and above reduced the frequency of epileptiform spikes on an electrocorticogram in a concentration-dependent manner. EDA at 100 and 1000 mg/kg i.p. increased the threshold for inducing limb extension on the MES. EDA did not affect the time spent by rats on the rotarod at 10 or 100 mg/kg, but significantly reduced the time spent at doses of 1000 mg/kg. In the EPM, EDA at 10 or 100 mg/kg significantly increased the frequency of entries and time spent in the open arms. We conclude that EDA has antiepileptic and anxiolytic activity at doses that do not affect motor coordination

Auskultasi paru : pedoman praktis/ Walkins

148 hal.; ill.; 24 cm