A Preliminary Report on Students’ Reflections about Their Learning in an Active Learning Classroom

In the past decades, College Algebra has become a big hurdle for students to graduate or further pursue STEM or related careers. For most of the student population, College Algebra is a terminal course and only a small portion of students take it for further mathematics courses. The traditional content of College Algebra does not serve either group of students well (Mathematical Association of America, 2004; Mathematical Association of America & National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2012). In recent years, at a large Hispanic-serving university, the course design for liberal arts students has been changed. An active-learning curriculum has been implemented, namely Quantitative Reasoning. This curriculum engages students with opportunities to learn math concepts from relevant everyday sources and even their own personally collected data. Students build their own understanding of mathematics by relevant data-based situations experienced through preview activities designed to prepare students for class, collaboration in class discussion and discovery through relevant problem situations, and practice activities extending learning after each lesson. The purpose of this study was to investigate student perceptions of their learning outcomes from an active-learning structured course. That is, what impact does a course design with pre-assignment tasks, authentic problem solving through collaboration in class, and practice assignments after lessons have on diverse student populations in a quantitative reasoning course

Impact of class III obesity on outcomes and complications of transvaginal ultrasound-guided oocyte pickup

Objective: To assess the impact of class III obesity on outcomes and complications of transvaginal ultrasound-guided oocyte pickup (OPU). Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: Hospital-based fertility clinic. Patient(s): All women undergoing OPU procedures during autologous in vitro fertilization (IVF) and oocyte banking cycles, grouped by patient body mass index (BMI: \u3c25, 25–29.9, 30–34.9, 35–39.9, ≥40 kg/m2). Intervention(s): Transvaginal OPU under conscious sedation. Main Outcome Measure(s): Sedation and procedure-related parameters and complications. Result(s): A total of 2,141 OPU procedures in 1,579 patients were analyzed, including 121 OPU procedures in 94 patients with BMI ≥40 kg/m2. There was a statistically significant increase in total fentanyl and midazolam doses and procedure duration as BMI increased. Compared with patients with BMI \u3c25 kg/m2, those with BMI ≥40 kg/m2 were more likely to require additional sedation during the procedure (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.99; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.14–3.49). The rate of difficult access was 28.9% for procedures with BMI ≥40 kg/m2 compared with 5.2% with BMI \u3c25 kg/m2 (aOR 7.57; 95% CI, 4.66–12.29). The OPU was incomplete due to inaccessible follicles through a transvaginal approach in 18.2% of procedures with BMI ≥40 kg/m2 compared with 1.3% with BMI \u3c25 kg/m2 (aOR 16.94; 95% CI, 8.24–34.84). The rates of sedation and procedure-related complications were low, and none occurred in patients with BMI ≥40 kg/m2. Conclusion(s): There was no increased risk of complications for women with class III obesity undergoing OPU with conscious sedation. However, the operator was more likely to encounter difficult access and to incompletely aspirate follicles through a transvaginal approach

Allele frequencies of variants in Ultra Conserved Elements identify selective pressure on transcription factor binding

Ultra-conserved genes or elements (UCGs/UCEs) in the human genome are extreme examples of conservation. We characterized natural variations in 2884 UCEs and UCGs in two distinct populations ; Singaporean Chinese (n=280) and Italian (n=501) by using a pooled sample, targeted capture, sequencing approach. We identify, with high confidence, in these regions the abundance of rare SNVs (MAF<0.5%) of which 75% is not present in dbSNP137. UCEs association studies for complex human traits can use this information to model expected background variation and thus necessary power for association studies. By combining our data with 1000 Genome Project data, we show in three independent datasets that prevalent UCE variants (MAF>5%) are more often found in relatively less-conserved nucleotides within UCEs, compared to rare variants. Moreover, prevalent variants are less likely to overlap transcription factor binding site. Using SNPfold we found no significant influence of RNA secondary structure on UCE conservation. All together, these results suggest UCEs are not under selective pressure as a stretch of DNA but are under differential evolutionary pressure on the single nucleotide level

In vitro fertilization cycles stimulated with follitropin delta result in similar embryo development and quality when compared with cycles stimulated with follitropin alfa or follitropin beta

Objective: To study the impact of follitropin delta for ovarian stimulation on embryo development and quality compared with that of follitropin alfa or beta in in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) cycles. Design: Retrospective cohort study Setting: University-affiliated, hospital-based fertility clinic Patient(s): A total of 403 IVF/ICSI cycles were conducted from September 1, 2018 to December 31, 2019. Cycles were grouped on the basis of stimulation with follitropin delta vs. follitropin alfa or beta. Intervention(s): None. Main Outcome Measure(s): Embryo parameters and clinical pregnancy and implantation rates. Result(s): Ovarian stimulation using follitropin delta resulted in no statistically significant difference in day 3 embryo quality between the control group and follitropin delta group (median 0.50 vs. 0.54 for good quality embryos and median 0.25 vs. 0.20 for intermediate quality embryos). Although on initial analysis there was a lower proportion of good quality blastocysts in the follitropin delta group than in the control group (0.11 vs. 0.22), this difference was no longer present when day 3 after fertilization vitrification and transfer cycles were excluded (0.26 vs. 0.33 follitropin delta vs. control). The clinical pregnancy rates and clinical implantation rates were similar in both groups in fresh transfer cycles. Conclusion(s): Stimulation with follitropin delta in IVF/ICSI cycles resulted in similar embryo development and pregnancy rates compared with those of stimulation with follitropin alfa or beta

Using Gamification and Social Incentives to Increase Physical Activity and Related Social Cognition among Undergraduate Students in Shanghai, China

Gamification and social incentives are promising strategies to increase the effectiveness of web-based physical activity (PA) interventions by improving engagement. In this study, we designed a PA intervention integrating gamification and social incentives based on the most popular social networking service in China, WeChat. A controlled trial involving 52 Chinese undergraduate students was implemented to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. Subjects in the intervention group received a 7-week intervention. PA behavior and related social cognitive variables according to the theory of planned behavior were measured at the baseline and after the intervention. Daily physical activity duration was measured during the intervention. The results showed that PA-related subjective norms, perceived behavior control, and intention, as well as self-reported vigorous physical activity and moderate physical activity in the intervention group, were increased after the intervention, compared with the control group (p <0.05). During the intervention, perceived daily physical activity duration in the intervention group was on the rise, while it declined in the control group (p <0.001). The findings indicate that WeChat-based intervention integrating gamification and social incentives could effectively increase subjectively measured PA and related social cognition among Chinese undergraduate students and that it is a promising way to ameliorate the problem of insufficient PA among youths

Inactivation of nuclear GSK3 beta by Ser(389) phosphorylation promotes lymphocyte fitness during DNA double-strand break response

Variable, diversity and joining (V(D)J) recombination and immunoglobulin class switch recombination (CSR) are key processes in adaptive immune responses that naturally generate DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) and trigger a DNA repair response. It is unclear whether this response is associated with distinct survival signals that protect T and B cells. Glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK3 beta) is a constitutively active kinase known to promote cell death. Here we show that phosphorylation of GSK3 beta on Ser(389) by p38 MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) is induced selectively by DSBs through ATM (ataxia telangiectasia mutated) as a unique mechanism to attenuate the activity of nuclear GSK3 beta and promote survival of cells undergoing DSBs. Inability to inactivate GSK3 beta through Ser(389) phosphorylation in Ser(389)Ala knockin mice causes a decrease in the fitness of cells undergoing V(D)J recombination and CSR. Preselection-Tcrb repertoire is impaired and antigen-specific IgG antibody responses following immunization are blunted in Ser(389)GSK3 beta knockin mice. Thus, GSK3 beta emerges as an important modulator of the adaptive immune response.We thank Dr T. Honjo and Dr K. Otsu for the generation of the original AID deficient mice and the p38 flox/flox mice, respectively. We thank C. Charland for flow cytometry analysis and cell sorting, the Vermont Cancer Center DNA Sequencing Facility and the University of Vermont College of Med. Microscopy Imaging Center for their services. We thank Dr D.R. Green and Dr R.C. Budd for helpful discussion regarding the mechanisms of cell death and reagents. This work was supported by NIH grant R01 AI051454 (M.R. and T.M.T.), P20 GM103496 (T.M.T.) NIH grant R37 GM41052 (M.S.K.) and Lake Champlain Cancer Research Organization (M.R.).S

Comparison of fast 3D simulation and actinic inspection for EUV masks with buried defects

ABSTRACT Aerial images for isolated defects and the interactions of defects with features are compared between the Actinic Inspection Tool (AIT) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and the fast EUV simulation program RADICAL. Comparisons between AIT images from August 2007 and RADICAL simulations are used to extract aberrations. At this time astigmatism was the dominant aberration with a value of 0.55 waves RMS. Significant improvements in the imaging performance of the AIT were made between August 2007 and December 2008. A good match will be shown between the most recent AIT images and RADICAL simulations without aberrations. These comparisons will demonstrate that a large defect, in this case 7nm tall on the surface, is still printable even if it is centered under the absorber line. These comparisons also suggest that the minimum defect size is between 1.5nm and 0.8nm surface height because a 1.5nm defect was printable but a 0.8nm was not. Finally, the image of a buried defect near an absorber line through focus will demonstrate an inversion in the effect of the defect from a protrusion of the dark line into the space to a protrusion of the space into the line

Validation of 34betaE12 immunoexpression in clear cell papillary renal cell carcinoma as a sensitive biomarker

Clear cell papillary renal cell carcinoma (CCPRCC) is a recently recognised neoplasm with a broad spectrum of morphological characteristics, thus representing a challenging differential diagnosis, especially with the low malignant potential multicystic renal cell neoplasms and clear cell renal cell carcinoma. We selected 14 cases of CCPRCC with a wide spectrum of morphological features diagnosed on morphology and CK7 immunoreactivity and analysed them using a panel of immunohistochemical markers, focusing on 34 beta E12 and related CKs 1,5,10 and 14 and several molecular analyses such as fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH), array comparative genomic hybridisation (aCGH), VHL methylation, VHL and TCEB1 sequencing and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA). Twelve of 13 (92%) CCPRCC tumours were positive for 34 beta E12. One tumour without 3p alteration by FISH revealed VHL mutation and 3p deletion at aCGH; thus, it was re-classified as clear cell RCC. We concluded that: (1) immunohistochemical expression of CK7 is necessary for diagnostic purposes, but may not be sufficient to identify CCPRCC, while 34 beta E12, in part due to the presence of CK14 antigen expression, can be extremely useful for the recognition of this tumour; and (2) further molecular analysis of chromosome 3p should be considered to support of CCPRCC diagnosis, when FISH analysis does not evidence the common loss of chromosome 3p.Peer reviewe

Primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma: detection of BCL2 gene rearrangements by PCR analysis and FISH

Primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL) has a characteristic clinical presentation, morphology, and immunophenotype, representing a clinically favorable subgroup of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). By gene expression profiling (GEP), PMBCL shares features with classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). Of further interest, BCL6 gene mutations and BCL6 and/or MUM1 expression in a number of PMBCLs have supported an activated B-cell (ABC) origin. Several studies, including GEP, have failed to detect BCL2 gene rearrangements (GRs) in PMBCL. An index case of t(14; 18)+ PMBCL prompted our study of the incidence of BCL2 GRs in PMBCL by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)/fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analyses and its possible clinical impact. Twenty-five retrospectively identified, well-defined PMBCLs (five with cytogenetics) from three institutions were analyzed for a BCL2 GR by PCR/FISH analyses. The formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue blocks of 24 available cases were also analyzed by BCL2 immunohistochemistry (IHC). Of the five with cytogenetics, two had a t(14; 18) (q32; q21). Of the 25 analyzed by PCR, 2 had no amplifiable DNA (aDNA), including 1 t(14; 18)+ case. Of those with aDNA, two showed a BCL2 GR; by FISH analysis, three demonstrated a BCL2 GR. BCL2 protein expression by IHC analysis was variably detected in 21 out of 24 (strongly, uniformly expressed: 6, including all with a t(14; 18) or a BCL2 gene rearrangement; moderately weakly expressed in a subset of the malignant cells: 15). Available clinical follow-up of this BCL2+ subset showed a similar course to the other PMBCL cases. Our results imply that a subset of PMBCL [(4 out of 24 analyzed) in our series] may be of GC origin. A larger study is necessary to determine any clinical significance

Tumor-associated Nonmyelinating Schwann Cell-expressed Nuclear Export Signal Mutation of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Enhances Malignant Phenotypes of Cancer Cells

One of the major obstacles to treating pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is its immunoresistant microenvironment. The functional importance and molecular mechanisms of Schwann cells in PDAC remains largely elusive. We characterized the gene signature of tumor-associated nonmyelinating Schwann cells (TASc) in PDAC and indicated that the abundance of TASc was correlated with immune suppressive tumor microenvironment and the unfavorable outcome of patients with PDAC. Depletion of pancreatic-specific TASc promoted the tumorigenesis of PDAC tumors. TASc-expressed long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) plasmacytoma variant translocation 1