DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTIVENESS OF THINK-PAIR-SHARE PROGRAMMING STRATEGIES, CONVENTIONAL METHOD AND LEARNING STYLES ON THE PROGRAMMING ACHIEVEMENTS OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN IJEBU EDUCATION DIVISION, OGUN STATE

This work examined the effects of the think-pair-share programming strategy on students’ achievement in programming. It also determined the moderating effect of learning styles on students’ achievement in programming. The study adopted a pretest-posttest-control group quasi-experimental research design. One hundred and twenty-two (122) students offering computer studies in senior secondary 2 from the two purposively selected public senior secondary schools in Ijebu Education Division of Ogun State constituted the sample. Computer Programming Achievement Test (CPAT, r = 0.760) and Learning Style Inventory (LSI, r= 0.83) were used for data collection.  Data obtained were analysed through inferential statistics of analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) using IBM SPSS Statistics 23. The finding indicated that the think-pair-share programming strategy significantly improved students’ achievement in the programming aspect of computer studies.  It was also found that learning style is not a strong factor in the learning of programming. The findings suggest that teachers should adopt the think-pair-share programming strategy in the teaching and learning of computer programming in senior secondary schools. It is therefore recommended that teacher education programme should include the strategy as one of the methods in the computer science methods courses to enable would-be teachers to master its nitty-gritty, since it worked in the senior secondary school. Also, the government and school authority should organize series of training through workshops and conferences to enable the teachers to acquire the skills to use the strategy.   &nbsp

Synthetic biology routes to bio-artificial intelligence

The design of synthetic gene networks (SGNs) has advanced to the extent that novel genetic circuits are now being tested for their ability to recapitulate archetypal learning behaviours first defined in the fields of machine and animal learning. Here, we discuss the biological implementation of a perceptron algorithm for linear classification of input data. An expansion of this biological design that encompasses cellular 'teachers' and 'students' is also examined. We also discuss implementation of Pavlovian associative learning using SGNs and present an example of such a scheme and in silico simulation of its performance. In addition to designed SGNs, we also consider the option to establish conditions in which a population of SGNs can evolve diversity in order to better contend with complex input data. Finally, we compare recent ethical concerns in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and the future challenges raised by bio-artificial intelligence (BI)

Everolimus Rescue Treatment for Chronic Rejection After Pediatric Living Donor Liver Transplantation: 2 Case Reports

Ueno T., Hiwatashi S., Saka R., et al. Everolimus Rescue Treatment for Chronic Rejection After Pediatric Living Donor Liver Transplantation: 2 Case Reports. Transplantation Proceedings 50, 2872 (2018); https://doi.org/10.1016/J.TRANSPROCEED.2018.03.079.Chronic rejection (CR) remains a challenging complication after liver transplantation. Everolimus, which is a mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor, has an anti-fibrosis effect. We report here the effect of everolimus on CR. Case 1 was a 7-year-old girl who underwent living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) shortly after developing fulminant hepatitis at 10 months of age. Liver function tests (LFTs) did not improve after transplantation despite treatment with tacrolimus + mycophenolate mofetil (MMF). Antithymoglobulin (ATG) and steroid pulse therapy were also ineffective. The patient was diagnosed with CR, and everolimus was started with a target trough level of about 5 ng/mL. LFTs improved and pathological examination showed no progression of hepatic fibrosis. Case 2 was a 10-year-old girl with Alagille syndrome who underwent LDLT at 1 year of age. She had biopsy-proven acute cellular rejection with prolonged LFT abnormalities beginning 3 years after transplantation. She was treated with steroid pulse therapy, followed by MMF, tacrolimus, and prednisolone. Her condition did not improve, even after subsequent ATG administration. CR was suspected based on liver biopsy in the fourth postoperative year, and everolimus was introduced. The target trough level was around 5 ng/mL, but was reduced to 3 ng/mL due to stomatitis. Four years have passed since the initiation of everolimus, and LFTs are stable with no progression of liver biopsy fibrosis. We describe 2 cases in which everolimus was administered for CR. In both cases, LFTs improved and fibrosis did not progress, suggesting that everolimus is an effective treatment for CR after LDLT

Pulmonary Arterial Pressure Management Based on Oral Medicine for Pediatric Living Donor Liver Transplant With Portopulmonary Hypertension

Ueno T., Hiwatashi S., Saka R., et al. Pulmonary Arterial Pressure Management Based on Oral Medicine for Pediatric Living Donor Liver Transplant With Portopulmonary Hypertension. Transplantation Proceedings 50, 2614 (2018); https://doi.org/10.1016/J.TRANSPROCEED.2018.03.068.Pediatric living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) in patients with advanced portopulmonary hypertension (PoPH) is associated with poor prognoses. Recently, novel oral medications, including endothelin receptor antagonists (ERAs), phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitors, and oral prostacyclin (PGI2) have been used to treat PoPH. Pediatric patients with PoPH who underwent LDLT from 2006 to 2016 were enrolled. Oral pulmonary hypertension (PH) medication was administered to control pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP). Four patients had PoPH. Their ages ranged from 6 to 16 years, and their original diseases were biliary atresia (n = 2), portal vein obstruction (n = 1), and intrahepatic portal systemic shunt (n = 1). For preoperative management, 2 patients received continuous intravenous PGI2 and 2 oral medications (an ERA alone or an ERA and a PDE5 inhibitor), and 2 received only oral drugs (an ERA and a PDE5 inhibitor). One patient managed only with intravenous PGI2 died. In the remaining 3 cases, intravenous PGI2 or NO was discontinued before the end of the first postoperative week. Postoperative medications were oral PGI2 alone (n = 1), an ERA alone (n = 1), or the combination of an ERA and a PDE5 inhibitor (n = 1). An ERA was the first-line therapy, and a PDE5 inhibitor was added if there was no effect. New oral PH medications were effective and safe for use in pediatric patients following LDLT. In particular, these new oral drugs prevent the need for central catheter access to infuse PGI2

Plant parasitic nematodes in ICRISAT Chickpea Fields

In a survey of 5 fields of chickpeas in Andhra Pradesh, India, Helicotylenchus indicus, Helicotylenchus retusus, Heterodera cajani, Heterodera sp., Hoplolaimus seinhorsti, Pratylenchus sp., Rotylenchulus reniformis and Tylenchorhynchus sp. populations were highest in fields in which sorghum and various other crops had been grown during the past 5 year

Gateway vectors for efficient artificial gene assembly in vitro and expression in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Protein interactions in Xenopus germ plasm RNP particles

Hermes is an RNA-binding protein that we have previously reported to be found in the ribonucleoprotein (RNP) particles of Xenopus germ plasm, where it is associated with various RNAs, including that encoding the germ line determinant Nanos1. To further define the composition of these RNPs, we performed a screen for Hermes-binding partners using the yeast two-hybrid system. We have identified and validated four proteins that interact with Hermes in germ plasm: two isoforms of Xvelo1 (a homologue of zebrafish Bucky ball) and Rbm24b and Rbm42b, both RNA-binding proteins containing the RRM motif. GFP-Xvelo fusion proteins and their endogenous counterparts, identified with antisera, were found to localize with Hermes in the germ plasm particles of large oocytes and eggs. Only the larger Xvelo isoform was naturally found in the Balbiani body of previtellogenic oocytes. Bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) experiments confirmed that Hermes and the Xvelo variants interact in germ plasm, as do Rbm24b and 42b. Depletion of the shorter Xvelo variant with antisense oligonucleotides caused a decrease in the size of germ plasm aggregates and loosening of associated mitochondria from these structures. This suggests that the short Xvelo variant, or less likely its RNA, has a role in organizing and maintaining the integrity of germ plasm in Xenopus oocytes. While GFP fusion proteins for Rbm24b and 42b did not localize into germ plasm as specifically as Hermes or Xvelo, BiFC analysis indicated that both interact with Hermes in germ plasm RNPs. They are very stable in the face of RNA depletion, but additive effects of combinations of antisense oligos suggest they may have a role in germ plasm structure and may influence the ability of Hermes protein to effectively enter RNP particles