Types of Humour Categories Used to Generate and Maintain Interest in Mathematics Among Secondary School Students in South Sudan’s Displaced and Re-settled Communities

While there has been appreciable consensus among humour researchers as well as classroom teachers that the use of humour in the classroom setting can be an effective teaching tool, there is still, however, a dearth of literature available that classroom practitioners could use as a guide in actual practice. Most of the literature currently available tends to address the potential use of classroom humour in general, and does not go into the specifics of exactly “what types of humour forms” are effective. This article addresses this question in the context of a secondary school mathematics classroom in South Sudan’s displaced and re-settled communities, where the lesson plans used in the intervention were infused and laced with instructional humour–humour related to the mathematics concepts being discussed–for the purpose of generating and maintaining student interest in mathematics. Using a researcher constructed observation sheet (RCOS) as the research instrument for capturing the desired qualitative data, five specific literature recommended humour types or categories (namely: mathematical jokes, puns, riddles, related stories and funny-multiple choice items) were used and identified as the ones that generated and maintained interest among the South Sudanese secondary school students. Classroom teachers who would like to use classroom humour for the purpose of motivating and inspiring their students may find the information contained in this article useful, as a practical-reference classroom guide

Humour-Supported Instructional Approach: A Method for Generating and Maintaining Interest in Mathematics for Secondary School Students in South Sudan Re-settled Communities

This article reports the findings from the main study that investigated relative effects of an instructional approach aimed at generating and maintaining interest in mathematics for secondary school students living in South Sudan’s displaced and re-settled communities. The study compared interest-generating effects of two different instructional approaches on two groups of Grade 11 students over a twelve-week period. While the Humour-supported Instructional Approach (H-SIA) was applied to the experimental group (E-group; n = 53), the control group (C-group; n = 59) was taught using Regular Instructional Approach (RIA). No significant differences were found in the two approaches’ effects in generating and maintaining interest. A four (4) week pilot study conducted prior to the main study produced similar results. However, some new insights from the main study suggest that teachers’ teaching traits play a heavier and more central role in both methods than had been initially realised. This led to the conclusion that the two methods (H-SIA and RIA) have similar effects on learner interest. The equivalence appears strongly dependent on the teachers’ teaching traits, characteristics and teaching qualities for marshalling teachers’ teaching techniques or strategies which include humour into their pedagogical toolkit. H-SIA method, however, is more recommended because the literature indicates-and this is confirmed in this study-that the use of humour in the classroom setting provides students with additional reason, motivation and inspiration to learn

Gender dimorphism and age of onset in malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor preclinical models and human patients.

BackgroundGender-based differences in disease onset in murine models of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) and in patients with Neurofibromatosis type-1-(NF-1)-associated or spontaneous MPNST has not been well studied.MethodsForty-three mGFAP-Cre+;Ptenloxp/+;LSL-K-rasG12D/+ mice were observed for tumor development and evaluated for gender disparity in age of MPNST onset. Patient data from the prospectively collected UCLA sarcoma database (1974-2011, n = 113 MPNST patients) and 39 published studies on MPNST patients (n = 916) were analyzed for age of onset differences between sexes and between NF-1 and spontaneous MPNST patients.ResultsOur murine model showed gender-based differences in MPNST onset, with males developing MPNST significantly earlier than females (142 vs. 162 days, p = 0.015). In the UCLA patient population, males also developed MPNST earlier than females (median age 35 vs. 39.5 years, p = 0.048). Patients with NF-1-associated MPNST had significantly earlier age of onset compared to spontaneous MPNST (median age 33 vs. 39 years, p = 0.007). However, expanded analysis of 916 published MPNST cases revealed no significant age difference in MPNST onset between males and females. Similar to the UCLA dataset, patients with NF-1 developed MPNST at a significantly younger age than spontaneous MPNST patients (p < 0.0001, median age 28 vs. 41 years) and this disparity was maintained across North American, European, and Asian populations.ConclusionsAlthough our preclinical model and single-institution patient cohort show gender dimorphism in MPNST onset, no significant gender disparity was detected in the larger MPNST patient meta-dataset. NF-1 patients develop MPNST 13 years earlier than patients with spontaneous MPNST, with little geographical variance

Novel Dedifferentiated Liposarcoma Xenograft Models Reveal PTEN Down-Regulation as a Malignant Signature and Response to PI3K Pathway Inhibition

Liposarcoma is a type of soft tissue sarcoma that exhibits poor survival and a high recurrence rate. Treatment is generally limited to surgery and radiation, which emphasizes the need for better understanding of this disease. Because very few in vivo and in vitro models can reproducibly recapitulate the human disease, we generated several xenograft models from surgically resected human dedifferentiated liposarcoma. All xenografts recapitulated morphological and gene expression characteristics of the patient tumors after continuous in vivo passages. Importantly, xenograftability was directly correlated with disease-specific survival of liposarcoma patients. Thus, the ability for the tumor of a patient to engraft may help identify those patients who will benefit from more aggressive treatment regimens. Gene expression analyses highlighted the association between xenograftability and a unique gene expression signature, including down-regulated PTEN tumor-suppressor gene expression and a progenitor-like phenotype. When treated with the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway inhibitor rapamycin alone or in combination with the multikinase inhibitor sorafenib, all xenografts responded with increased lipid content and a more differentiated gene expression profile. These human xenograft models may facilitate liposarcoma research and accelerate the generation of readily translatable preclinical data that could ultimately influence patient care

FDG-PET/CT Imaging Predicts Histopathologic Treatment Responses after Neoadjuvant Therapy in Adult Primary Bone Sarcomas

Purpose. The aim of this study was to prospectively evaluate whether FDG-PET allows an accurate assessment of histopathologic response to neoadjuvant treatment in adult patients with primary bone sarcomas. Methods. Twelve consecutive patients with resectable, primary high grade bone sarcomas were enrolled prospectively. FDG-PET/CT imaging was performed prior to the initiation and after completion of neoadjuvant treatment. Imaging findings were correlated with histopathologic response. Results. Histopathologic responders showed significantly more pronounced decreases in tumor FDG-SUVmax from baseline to late follow up than non-responders (64 ± 19% versus 29 ± 30 %, resp.; P = .03). Using a 60% decrease in tumor FDG-uptake as a threshold for metabolic response correctly classified 3 of 4 histopathologic responders and 7 of 8 histopathologic non-responders as metabolic responders and non-responders, respectively (sensitivity, 75%; specificity, 88%). Conclusion. These results suggest that changes in FDG-SUVmax at the end of neoadjuvant treatment can identify histopathologic responders and non-responders in adult primary bone sarcoma patients

Mechanistic understanding of the role of ATRX in senescence provides new insight for combinatorial therapies with CDK4 inhibitors.

Senescence is an irreversible form of growth arrest and is generally considered a favorable outcome of cancer therapies, yet little is known about the molecular events that distinguish this state from readily reversible growth arrest (i.e. quiescence). Recently, we discovered that during therapy induced senescence the chromatin remodeling protein α-thalassemia, mental retardation, X-linked (ATRX) represses Harvey rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (HRAS), and repression of HRAS is necessary to establish senescence, suggesting how new clinical combinations might be used to achieve durable senescence

Psychosocial Needs and Preferences for Care among Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Patients (Ages 15–39): A Qualitative Study

Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) require a multidisciplinary approach to cancer care due to their complex biopsychosocial situations and varied developmental maturity. Currently, age and diagnosis determine referral to pediatric or adult oncology, with differing treatment paradigms and service utilization patterns, contributing to suboptimal improvements in outcomes. Understanding the unique perspectives of AYAs is essential to designing patient-centered AYA services. Thus, we conducted six focus groups with AYAs (n = 25) treated by medical or pediatric oncologists to evaluate: (1) the unique experiences of cancer care as an AYA; (2) AYA-specific information needs and communication preferences; and (3) recommendations for service provision, delivery and accommodations for AYAs. Transcripts were analyzed using inductive thematic content analysis and identified six major themes to inform clinically-actionable recommendations and the development of a patient-reported outcome measure: (1) AYAs experience social isolation and loss of independence; (2) AYAs have an uncertain sense of the future and need conversations around survivorship and long-term and late effects; (3) AYAs desire greater control over discussions with their care team; (4) AYAs need additional navigational and social/caregiver supports; (5) AYAs prefer an inclusive AYA space in the hospital; and (6) LGBTQ+ patients experience distinct concerns as AYA cancer patients. These will form the basis for specific and tailored clinical recommendations to improve AYA cancer care delivery