Search

Cardiovascular (CV) disease accounts for 1/3 of deaths worldwide and 1/4 of deaths nationwide. Socioeconomic status (SES) affects CV health and outcomes. Previous studies that examined the association of SES and CV outcomes have yielded mixed results. Using a large-scale database, the aim of this study was to assess the magnitude of the association between categorized median household income, an indicator for SES, and nonfatal or fatal acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Using logistic regression models, zip code median household income data from the United States Census Bureau were matched to 1-year rates of hospital readmission for AMI and CV death. Patient outcomes were obtained from the Myocardial Infarction Data Acquisition System, a comprehensive database that includes all patient CV disease admissions to acute care New Jersey hospitals. Our main results indicate that compared with those in the highest household income level ($68,000), patients in the lowest-income group ($43,000) had significantly higher risk for AMI readmission (adjusted odds ratio 1.1388, 95% confidence interval 1.0905 to 1.1893, p = 0) and CV death (odds ratio 1.0479, 95% confidence interval 1.0058 to 1.0917, p = 0.0254) after 1 year. This study also found that the likelihood of AMI readmission increased as household income levels decreased. Our findings suggest that healthcare professionals and policy makers should allocate additional resources to low-income communities to reduce disparities in AMI hospital readmissions and AMI case fatalities.

A surge of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases emerged in northern Taiwan in mid-May 2021. In spite of over one-year preparedness, the medical system in this area suffered from the crisis. Far Eastern Memorial Hospital (FEMH) responded quickly with decreased total hospitalization cases (about 50%) to free manpower and space. With simple construction work, the in-hospital service capacity increases from 11 negative-pressure ward (1 unit) and 2 negative-pressure ICU (1 unit) beds to over 130 ward (5 units) and 58 ICU beds (4 units) without negative-pressure design within 3 weeks. For a period of time, FEMH takes care of 10% of all intensive care services in Taiwan. The vaccination rate of workers reaches 90% since mid-May. The amount of testing performed during the period, including PCR and rapid tests, comprised of more than 20% of tests performed in New Taipei City. Two hotels for mild/asymptomatic COVID patients were handled by FEMH workers. By mid-July, about one-fifth of COVID-19 cases in New Taipei City received services from the FEMH system. With determined leadership and concerted efforts, combined interventions can increase the capacity of medical care within weeks and help society against the COVID-19 epidemic.

The increasing use of biologics is accompanied by a risk of hepatitis B (HBV) and C virus (HCV) reactivation.To determine the predictors of HBV and HCV reactivation in patients with psoriasis receiving biologics.This study screened 2060 patients with psoriasis (3562 treatment episodes) who were taking biologics from 2009 to 2018. There were 359 patients with psoriasis with HBV (561 treatment episodes) and 61 with HCV infection (112 treatment episodes).During 8809 and 1522 person-months of follow-up, 88 treatment episodes for HBV involved HBV reactivation, and 14 episodes of HCV involved reactivation. The reactivation rate was significantly higher in treatment episodes of chronic HBV infection than in that of occult HBV (34.3% vs 3.2%, P = .001) and resolved HBV (34.3% vs 5.0%, P .001). The multivariate analysis revealed that being hepatitis B surface antigen seropositive, being hepatitis B e-antigen seropositive, and tumor necrosis factor-α-inhibitor therapy were risk factors for HBV reactivation, whereas antiviral prophylaxis was effective in reducing the risk of HBV reactivation. No predictors were significantly associated with HCV reactivation.Observational design and a lack of a comparison group.Patients with psoriasis on biologics have a risk of HBV and HCV reactivations, particularly those who are seropositive for hepatitis B surface antigen and hepatitis B e-antigen and undergoing tumor necrosis factor-α-inhibitor therapy.

Background Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is characterized by high prevalence, morbidity, and mortality. Diffuse axonal injury (DAI) is a specific type of TBI leading to prolonged consciousness impairment and disability. There is still no standard treatment for DAI, so we introduced traditional Chinese medicine into the treatment of these patients. Case summaries Three patients had TBI after traffic accidents. Their Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores in the intensive care unit (ICU) were E1VEM2-3, E1VEM2-3, and E1VEM2 respectively. All of them were diagnosed with DAI based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Because of continuing consciousness disturbances, their families agreed to combine traditional Chinese medicine and modern medicine treatments through inpatient consultation in Taoyuan General hospital. Two patients took Buyang Huanwu Decoction, and one Tianma Gouteng Decoction twice a day. All of them received 20 min of acupuncture treatments 5 times per week. Acupuncture points included Baihui (GV20), Sishencong (EX-HN1), Shuigou (GV26), Hegu (LI4), and Taichong (LR3). All of them started Traditional Chinese medicine treatment within 2 weeks after TBI. The GCS of all three patients recovered to E4M5V6. Conclusions The early addition of traditional Chinese medicine treatments to Western medical care can improve the prognosis of patients with diffuse axonal injury., Graphical abstract Image 1, Highlights • Traumatic brain injury diagnosed with diffuse axonal injury, the lower GCS, the poorer outcome. This article points out that combining Chinese medicine and modern medicine can lead to better outcome(motor, speech function and GCS score). • Chinese medicine has neuroprotective effect and it’s safe when combining with modern medicine in severe traumatic brain injury in this cases report.

Non-conventional responses in the impedance spectra of a zinc-rich coating system were observed in electrical and electrochemical impedance measurements that have previously been considered to have no effect on the system. Despite the impressive progress in zinc-rich coating systems to control corrosion in metal structures through galvanic effects, some physical properties influencing the responses of electrochemical systems remain unexplored. Electrochemical and non-electrolytic cells on zinc-rich (55 vol%) coatings with multi-wall carbon nanotube systems were analyzed to determine the intrinsic response of the coating with electrical passive and active analogs under electrical conditioning cycles. In the dry condition, the impedance spectra of the carbon nanotube-added zinc-rich coating showed increased electrical resistance of the film under consecutive cyclic testing. The non-conventional response of the increase in impedance was studied by determining the impedance responses under various temperatures and bias potentials and performing a current-voltage method. The non-conventional phenomenon was found to be caused by an increased barrier height between the semiconducting zinc oxide material and metal, which is susceptible to an external electrical field. During immersion, the change in impedance of the zinc-rich primer (ZRP) film under consecutive electrochemical sequences differed from that under natural degradation. This non-conventional response of the ZRP coating was influenced by the applied bias potential. The capacitive behavior influenced by the zinc corrosion products in the coating had a longer relaxation time, thus decreasing the open circuit potential. To understand this phenomenon, we propose a charging-relaxation potential model. In addition, the potential exhibited a change in the electrical resistance of the ZRP film during consecutive electrochemical testing.

This study examined whether aggression among students in China rose or fell during 2003–2016. We applied a cross-temporal meta-analysis of 90 studies using Aggression Questionnaire (Buss & Perry, 1992) responses by 87,319 students (primary school students through senior high students). The results showed less aggression in later years. The decline in aggression was greater among junior high school students than among other students. Otherwise, the decline in aggression did not differ across gender or across regions (Eastern China, Central China, Western China).

Bisphenol A (BPA) epoxy was modified with amine functionalized silane (ASE) and isocyanate functionalized silane (ISE), and the modified epoxides were blended with both tetraethyl orthosilicate oligomers (TEOS oligomers) and titanium dioxide (TiO2). These hybrid networks were characterized by solid state 29Si-NMR, contact angle, crosslink density, pull-off adhesions, and crosshatch adhesion. Corrosion resistance was examined with a salt spray test, a filiform test and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Modified epoxides with addition of TEOS oligomer and TiO2 fillers showed improvement in mechanical properties. The broader degree of cross-linkage was observed in ISE based coatings. In contrast, ASE based coatings had a more uniform crosslink distribution and higher crosslink density. The addition of TiO2 fillers increase the percolation root of ISE epoxide, but was eliminated after blending with TEOS oligomer. With TEOS oligomer addition, crosslinked ISE showed complete condensation and high pull-off adhesion (153 lb/in2). The more homogeneous and higher crosslinked polymer matrix of ASE resulted in a higher diffusion resistance, and as a consequence exhibits good barrier protection under long term immersion conditions compared with the lower cross-linked ISE epoxide.

When members of a classroom community routinely listen to one another and build on one another's ideas, not only do students learn and improve their cognitive and communication skills, but teacher and students develop a disposition to listen, think and talk together. However, such dialogic, classroom talk is rare. In this study we show how a teacher's epistemological commitment (that student ideas matter) combined with oracy practices (safe space for student talk; student ideas drive classroom talk; support multiple perspectives) realized through speculation and reasoning (S&R) words foster dialogic talk. We examined S&R words (think, would, might/maybe, if, so, but, how, why) in 1299 turns of talk in two lessons in one classroom of six 4–5th grade English Language Learners. Statistical discourse analysis showed that S&R words occurred more often during what we refer to as connect episodes (students made personal connections to the content), not after particular types of turns. Close discourse analysis showed how S&R word use cultivated a language of possibility and how management of classroom discourse modality promoted dialogic talk.

This study aimed to investigate how different timelines of various dental therapies were related to osteoradionecrosis development under consideration of radiotherapy dosage in patients with oral cancer.A total of 7,107 oral cancer patients were enrolled, including 88 osteoradionecrosis patients treated with low radiotherapy dosages (60 Gy) or high radiotherapy dosages (≥60 Gy), from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database for Catastrophic Illness Patients of Taiwan. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to compare the osteoradionecrosis risk of various dental treatment timelines under different irradiation dosages.In the oral cancer population with low irradiation dosages (60 Gy), performing periodontal therapy combined with irradiation significantly raised the risk of osteoradionecrosis by 2.21-fold. Starting radiotherapy within three months after dental surgery greatly increased the risk of developing osteoradionecrosis by 1.87-fold. The oral cancer patients treated with high radiation doses (≥60 Gy) receiving dental surgery within one month prior to radiotherapy had a significantly raised osteoradionecrosis occurrence by 1.60-fold. While the dental surgery was performed during the radiotherapy course, the risk of osteoradionecrosis was greatly increased by 2.21-fold.For oral cancer patients, performing dental surgery within three months before radiotherapy might significantly induce osteoradionecrosis. Patients that were treated with high irradiation dosages (≥60 Gy) had a higher tendency to develop osteoradionecrosis if they received dental surgery during radiotherapy. Those who were treated with low radiation dosages (60 Gy) and received periodontal therapy during radiotherapy might have an increased risk in developing osteoradionecrosis.

App books are increasingly being used in classrooms and at home. However, little is known how children effectively make meaning with these. Given that app books substantially differ from print or CD ROM books, research specifically on the meaning making process with app books is needed. Grounded in transactional reading and new literacies theories, this observational study examined the relations amongst reader characteristics, app book characteristics, and comprehension outcomes. Fifty-three children in four kindergarten classrooms across two states were individually observed reading a different app book on an iPad six times across the school year and asked questions to elicit their comprehension. Sessions were video-recorded and coded by two coders with high inter-rater reliability. A multivariate outcome, multilevel cross-classification, mixed response analysis showed that specific reader characteristics and transactions between reader and text were linked to better comprehension outcomes. These findings can guide app book reading instruction in early childhood classrooms.

Building on Seymour Papert's view of empowering students by mastering programming, this study conceptualized programming empowerment as consisting of four components: meaningfulness, impact, creative self-efficacy, and programming self-efficacy. A sample of 287 primary school students in grades four to six completed a corresponding survey. Confirmatory factor analysis validated the proposed components of the programming empowerment instrument. A structural equation model indicated that students with greater interest in programming perceived it as more meaningful, had greater impact, had greater creative self-efficacy, and had greater programming self-efficacy. Also, students with attitudes toward collaboration that were more positive than others had greater creative self-efficacy. Boys showed more interest in programming than girls did. Students in higher grade levels than others viewed programming as less meaningful and had lower programming self-efficacy. These results support future studies that evaluate the impacts of interest-driven computational thinking and programming curricula with ample collaboration opportunities.

This meta-analysis of 70 studies of 33,089 Chinese students examines positive and negative parenting styles’ relations with aggression, and their moderators. Children who experienced negative parenting styles showed more aggression, and those who experienced positive parenting styles showed less aggression. Both positive and negative parenting styles’ links with aggression were larger (a) with parental emotional climate rather than parental socializing behaviours, (b) with self-reported rather than other-reported parenting styles, (c) with one aggression measure (BPAQ) than with others, (d) in Eastern China than in Central or Western China, and (e) for college students, smaller for senior high school students, and smallest for junior high school and primary school students. Negative parenting style’s link with aggression was stronger (a) in Central China than in Western China and (b) for males than for females. Also, positive parenting style’s link with aggression was larger for junior high school students than primary school students.

The mortality of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and refractory cardiogenic shock (RCS) is high. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) before percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has shown some favorable results, but this may delay door-to-balloon (D2B) time. Whether the benefit surpasses the risk of longer D2B time remains controversial.From January 2005 to December 2014, there were 46 patients with STEMI RCS who received ECMO and PCI. Comparison was made between patients whose ECMO were setup before (n = 12) and after (n = 34) the coronary angiography.There were no significant differences on the baseline characteristics. The ECMO before PCI group had significantly better six-month survival (58.3% vs. 14.7%, p = 0.006), and the benefit persisted to the end of two-year follow-up (41.7% vs. 11.8%, p = 0.045). The rates of neurological, vascular, or bleeding complications were not different between the groups. ECMO before PCI was associated with a nonsignificant increase of median D2B time (30 min) and decrease of patients achieving D2B time 90 min (9.1% vs. 32.0%). After adjusting for GRACE score, gender, D2B time, complete revascularization, ECMO before PCI and shock index 0.8 before PCI were significantly associated with six-month survival.In STEMI RCS patients, ECMO before PCI improves both short- and long-term outcomes, even if it nonsignificantly increases the D2B time. Our data suggests that ECMO before PCI is a reasonable and safe strategy in this particularly-ill population.

Inspired by the morphologies and function of the root and the stalk of a turnip, which has evolved with the unique pattern of growth for enhancing transport phenomenon, a novel architecture of BiVO4/CuSCN architecture is fabricated on fluorine-doped tin oxide coated glass by initially fabricating bulky BiVO4 film (the root) and subsequently depositing p-type CuSCN nanorods (the stalk). With the creation of BiVO4/CuSCN nanorod heterojunction photoanodes, the photocurrent density increases to 1.78 mA cm−2 compared to 1.22 mA cm−2 of bare BiVO4 at 1.23 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode. More importantly, the onset potential for oxygen evolution reaction exhibits a dramatic cathodic shift (~ 230 mV). The heterojunction also possesses internal quantum efficiency of approximately 50% in the range from 350 to 450 nm with relatively high solar energy conversion efficiency (0.5%) and much higher oxidation efficiency (~ 90%). The unique electrode architecture design favoring the simple water splitting process over conventionally fabricated electrode by providing more active sites and facilitates transportation and consumption of photoinduced holes could open up a new route for the high-efficiency photoanodes.

Previous studies have indicated that paeonol inhibits RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis by inhibiting the ERK, p38, and NF-κB pathway. We modified paeonol to form a new compound, YPH-PA3, and found that it promoted osteoclastogenesis rather than inhibited it the way paeonol does. The aim of this study is to investigate the mechanisms involved in YPH-PA3-promoted osteoclastogenesis. YPH-PA3-promoted differentiation of RAW264.7 cells (human monocytes) into osteoclasts is activated through ERK/p38/JNK phosphorylation, affecting c-FOS, NF-κB, and NFATc2. Real-time quantitative PCR and western blot revealed an increased expression of autophagy-related markers during YPH-PA3-induced osteoclastogenesis. We also demonstrated the relationship between p62/LC3 localization and F-actin ring formation by double-labeling immunofluorescence. Knockdown of p62 small-interfering RNA (siRNA) attenuated YPH-PA3-induced expression of autophagy-related genes. Our study results indicated that p62 may play a role in YPH-PA3-induced autophagy and osteoclastogenesis, which may help to develop a novel therapeutic strategy against osteoclastogenesis-related diseases.

Although many studies show that social support and Internet addiction are negatively correlated, others show a positive correlation. To address this controversy, we investigate the relation between social support and Internet addiction in mainland China with a meta-analysis of 76 articles comprising 47,899 teenagers and young adults. The results show a medium-sized negative correlation between social support and Internet addiction. Furthermore, this medium-sized link differed across measures of Internet addiction, gender, and geography. This negative correlation was smaller when measuring Internet addiction with the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) than when using other measures. In samples with more males, the negative correlation between social support and Internet addiction was larger. The size of the negative correlation coefficient was largest in Eastern China, smaller in Central China, and smallest in Western China.

We describe the interfacial characteristics of a Ti-6Al-4V alloy fabricated using laser powder-bed fusion (L-PBF) upon exposure to a corrosive environment and tribocorrosion conditions. Electrochemical techniques in both the time and frequency domains demonstrated a correlation between the manufacturing process parameters and corrosion properties, and a titanium oxide passive layer produced specific semiconductor n-type properties. The influence of the microstructure on the titanium oxide passive layer was revealed by comparing L-PBF parts with a traditionally manufactured Ti-6Al-4V alloy in Ringer's simulated body solution. Tribocorrosion characterization reflected the endurance of the surface oxide when the process parameters were adjusted. In addition, wearing simultaneously reflected the mechanical condition as the surface repassivate. The production of fragmentation film during wear caused accumulation of the corrosion product and demonstrated the effect of aggressive ions on the chemical and mechanical properties of the passivation film.

This exploratory study is the first to identify content differences between youths’ online chats with contact child sex offenders (CCSOs; seek to meet with youths) and those with fantasy child sex offenders (FCSOs; do not meet with youths) using statistical discourse analysis (SDA). Past studies suggest that CCSOs share their experiences and emotions with targeted youths (self-disclosure grooming tactic) and encourage them to reciprocate, to build trust and closer relationships through a cycle of self-disclosures. In this study, we examined 36,029 words in 4,353 messages within 107 anonymized online chat sessions by 21 people, specifically 12 youths and 9 arrested sex offenders (5 CCSOs and 4 FCSOs), using SDA. Results showed that CCSOs were more likely than FCSOs to write online messages with specific words (first person pronouns, negative emotions and positive emotions), suggesting the use of self-disclosure grooming tactics. CCSO’s self-disclosure messages elicited corresponding self-disclosure messages from their targeted youths. These results suggest that CCSOs use grooming tactics that help engender youths’ trust to meet in the physical world, but FCSOs do not.

It has long been a puzzle in cancer treatment that despite the initial appearance of apoptosis, the process could be reversed in some cancer cells and often results in more aggressive tumors and metastasis. The mechanism for this recurrence is yet unknown. Here we report that human mammary carcinoma cells induced to undergo apoptosis could recover with increased tumorigenicity in vitro and in vivo, and induced lymph node metastasis. Specifically, the reversed cells underwent epithelial-to-mesenchymal transitions in the primary tumors in situ, and mesenchymal-to-epithelial transitions in the metastatic cells. Flow cytometry confirmed an elevated percentage of cells carrying cancer stem cells (CSCs) markers (CD44+/CD24-) in the reversed breast cancer cell population, with hypomethylated CD44 promoters and hypermethylated CD24 promoters. More importantly, CSCs were generated anew from non-stem cancer cells after apoptosis reversal possibly through epigenetic modifications. The results from this study can open doors to discovering more effective cancer treatments by suppressing apoptosis reversal.

Applications of lithium ion battery have been hampered by a lack of ideal anode materials in terms of capacity and stability. The emergence of metal chalcogenide as a candidate material has reinvigorated the search of a low cost and high capacity material system. However, debate about the underlying mechanisms and overall appraisal of its usage in lithium ion battery system remains. Here, a comprehensive study on the energy storage mechanism of copper zinc tin sulfide (CZTS) nanowalls possessing ultrahigh rate capability (500 mAh g−1 charged within 60 s) is reported. Structural evolutions along with the accompanying changes in the oxidation state upon charge/discharge were monitored by ex-situ X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. During lithiation, lithium ion reacted with CZTS to form lithium sulfides. At the same time, a sequential conversion reactions of copper, zinc and tin sulfides enabled the CZTS nanowalls to achieve excellent electrochemical performance (1400 mAh g−1 at a current density of 1000 mA g−1 over 400 cycles). Multi-element metal chalcogenides in conjunction with an adhesion-enhancing seed layer and a rational nanostructure design hold the key to such ultrahigh capacity and stable anode materials for next generation energy storage devices.

Modeling stand diameter distribution is useful for many reasons such as predicting future product range. Parameter Prediction Method (PPM) is a commonly used method and has the advantage of interpreting parameters in terms of silvicultural practices and stand dynamics. Past PPM studies have seldom applied variable selection and cross-validation. The goal of this study was to embed a machine learning technique, Boosted Regression Trees (BRT), into PPM to address the knowledge gap. The PPM-BRT framework first applies BRT models to cross-validate and select stand attributes that are influential to the parameters of a probability density function (PDF) and then uses Seemingly Unrelated Regression (SUR) linear models to quantify the relationships. The framework was tested on Taiwania cryptomerioides thinning experiments. The three-parameter Weibull PDF had the best overall fit to the diameter distributions after thinning. The fitted BRT models explained about 76.9–86.8% of variations in the shape, scale, and location parameters. The final set of predictors selected by BRT that highly influenced the three parameters included number of years since thinning and the three moments of residual diameter distribution immediately after thinning. The SUR models showed that the shape and scale parameters were negatively associated with skewness of residual diameter distribution, but the location parameter was positively associated with it. Also, the three parameters were positively associated with number of years since thinning. This suggests that an intensive thinning from below results in a post-harvest diameter distribution that is more positively skewed, less variation in residual diameters, and larger minimum diameter. The diameter distribution would be less skewed and more heterogenous over time likely due to stem exclusion. Our study shows that BRT is more robust than stepwise regression. Future work could explore partially linear model for better integration of machine learning and parametric models.

Many studies have demonstrated that combining nerve conduits with neural stem cells or growth factors can repair peripheral nerve injury in rodents. However, nerve damage does occur with longer gaps in human than in rodents, thus findings from rodent studies are difficult to translate to clinical practice. Minipigs have a longer gap that is more closely applicable to the challenge of human nerve grafting in extensive traumatic nerve damage. In this study, human amniotic fluid stem cells (AFSCs) and polylactate nerve conduits were used to repair sciatic nerve injury in minipigs. The AFSCs exhibited the properties of mesenchymal stem cells with a propensity toward neural stem cells. Measurements of compound muscle action potential implied that administration of conduits with AFSCs was beneficial in function recovery in the minipig model compared with conduits alone. The results of diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DTI) based fiber tractography assay in the minipig model suggest that combining AFSCs with conduits could expedite the repair of sciatic nerve injury. Further, MR-based DTI provides an effective and non-invasive method to visualize the sciatic nerve and to monitor the regeneration progress of injured nerve in a longitudinal study.

Purpose This study compared the executive function (EF) performance induced by moderate-intensity continuous exercise (MICE) versus high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE), under two exercise modalities (i.e., running vs. cycling), and explored whether the changes in EF performance were related to the hemodynamics response of the cerebral prefrontal area of the brain. Methods In a randomized cross-over design, 16 male participants completed 4 main trials, i.e., 40 min of moderate-intensity continuous running (MICR) or cycling (MICC) with 60% maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max), 33 min of high-intensity interval running (HIIR) or cycling (HIIC). For HIIR or HIIC trials, the exercise intensity was 60% VO2max for the first 5 min, followed by four 4-minute bouts of exercise at 90% VO2max, separated by 3-minute active recovery at 60% VO2max. EF was assessed via the Eriksen Flanker task (EFT) before (Pre), immediately after (Post 0), and 10 min after exercise (Post 10). Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) measured oxygenated hemoglobin (O2Hb) and deoxygenated hemoglobin (HHb) concentrations in the prefrontal area. Each main trial measured the concentrations of blood glucose and lactate, heart rate, and rate of perceived exertion. Results (1) Compared to the reaction time in EFT during the pretest, the corresponding reaction time was shorter at Post 10 (P Conclusion Compared to the pretest, EF was greater after the 10-minute rest during recovery but not immediately after exercise. The different HIIE or MICE protocols adopted in the present study may elicit minor differences regarding their effects on EF.

Students' information and communication technology (ICT) skills might support their learning processes and outcomes—or distract from them. As past studies showed mixed results, this meta-analysis examined 50 effect sizes from 45 studies of 70,350 students' ICT literacy and academic achievement in primary schools, secondary schools, and universities. Students with greater ICT literacy often had substantially higher academic achievement, moderated by several attributes. The positive link between ICT literacy and academic achievement was strongest (a) among students in senior high school, followed by elementary school, junior high school, and lowest in university; (b) among females rather than males (c) for applied skills in ICT literacy rather than theoretical ones; (d) on assignments, followed by course grades, tests, quizzes, other assessments and lowest on grade point average (GPA); and (e) in randomized controlled experiments, compared to stratified or convenience samples.

Recent years have witnessed the generation of a massive amount of spatialtextual data. In view of this, a new type of query coined spatial keyword query has been proposed to deal with the location-based services with additional keyword constraint. This paper studies one of the most popular spatial keyword queries called Top-k Spatial Keyword Query(TkSKQ). Explicitly speaking, given a set of objects, a TkSKQfinds the k objects that are closest to the querier with each of these k objects satisfying all the keywords specified by the query. This kind of query is of paramount importance in a variety of application domains such as location-based recommendation and advertisement.The state-of-art algorithm for processing a TkSKQis highly sensitive to the number of query keywords specified in the query such that its performance degrades significantly with an increase in the number of keywords. To remedy this drawback, this paper proposes a novel mechanism that utilizes an additional keyword list to enhance the efficiency of the existing solution. Based on this indexing technique, our algorithm needs only traverse a single quadtree when processing a TkSKQ. Moreover, we study how to prioritize the keywords in the vocabulary so as to optimize the performance of our technique. Furthermore, we deal with a generalized version of the TkSKQproblem, called HkSKQ. A similar technique can also be useful for solving HkSKQ. Experimental results on both synthetic and real data reveal the superiority of our proposed scheme.

A comprehensive electrochemical characterization was performed for different compositions of LiMnPO4 electrodes with additions of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Electrochemical testing based on DC and AC techniques helped to perform a quantitative analysis to corroborate the influence of the activation processes at the interface and the overall performance of the cathodes. The step-control process for the composite/electrolyte interface is influenced by the MWCNTs content at different bias potentials. The threshold saturation of MWCNTs was determined experimentally by materials characterization, electrochemical techniques, and theoretically by probability-deterministic transmission line modeling (TLM). TLM was coupled with the LiMnPO4 particle size distribution and the electrode microstructural variability to quantify interfacial mechanisms.

This paper investigates the continuous all k -nearest neighbor (CAkNN) problem in a pervasive and mobile computing environment, which is a spatial query that continuously monitors kNN results for all mobile users in the network for a specified period of time. This problem is characterized by the fact that a single movement of a node may result in that several users have to re-compute their kNN results. The affected nodes are the moving node itself and its Reverse-kNN (RkNN) nodes at both the previous and the new locations. This paper proposes the use of a bucket point-region quadtree to index mobile users. This structure is unique in that it can be readily reorganized for maintenance purpose when nodes move. In addition, it helps to quickly determine an appropriate search radius for each of these nodes. In this paper, we have proposed two novel RkNN techniques that are tailored for the structure with only small maintenance overhead. These techniques enable us to integrate kNN and RkNN searching operations together so as to facilitate continuous monitoring of the query result. Based on the notion of maximum prune distance, we present two algorithms to offer true continuity for a CAkNN query. Simulation results show that our algorithms outperform existing solutions by a significant margin.

A simple direct, scalable and reproducible approach for preparing photoelectrochemically active BiVO4 films on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrates by hydrothermal method using a mixing solvent of ethylene glycol/water was presented for the first time. As-prepared BiVO4 thin films were found to have pure monoclinic scheelite structure with a compact, irregular microstructured morphology and strong absorption in the visible-light region with estimated bandgap of 2.4 eV. When applied as an electrode material for water splitting in borate electrolyte solution, a significantly enhanced stability, coupled with a 15-fold increase in photocurrent density (ca. 1.04 mA cm−2) are observed compared to those of conventional hydrothermal synthesized films. The BiVO4 prepared with mixed solvent gave a substantial enhancement of the incident photon to current efficiency (IPCE) and absorbed photon to current efficiency (APCE) during light driven oxygen evolution reaction.

Acid fibroblast growth factor (aFGF) has shown neuroprotection in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) models in previous studies, yet its mechanism is still uncertain. Here we report that the efficacy of Tat-haFGF14–154 is markedly increased when loaded cationic liposomes for intranasal delivery are intranasally administered to APP/PS1 mice. Our results demonstrated that liposomal Tat-haFGF14–154 treatment significantly ameliorated behavioral deficits, relieved brain Aβ burden, and increased the expression and activity of disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain-containing protein 10 (ADAM10) in the brain. Tat-haFGF14–154 antagonized Aβ1–42-induced cell death and structural damage in rat primary neurons in an ADAM10-dependent manner, which, in turn, was promoted by the activation of XBP1 splicing and modulated by the PI3K-CREB pathway. Both knockdown of ADAM10 and inhibition of PI3K (LY294002) negated Tat-haFGF14–154 rescue. Thus, Tat-haFGF14–154 activates the IRE1α/XBP1 pathway of the unfolded protein response (UPR) against the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress induced by Aβ, and, subsequently, the nuclear translocation of spliced XBP1 (XBP1s) promotes transcription of ADAM10. These results highlight the important role of ADAM10 and its activation through the PI3K-CREB-IRE1α/XBP1 pathway as a key factor in the mechanism of neuroprotection for Tat-haFGF14–154.

Video use in teacher education can improve teacher/student learning, but teacher educators' extent/uses of video, or what supports or hinders their uses, have not been documented. This study explores these issues. 208 teacher educators’' survey responses regarding their practices across 977 teacher-education courses during one academic year were analyzed using multilevel, multivariate outcome analyses to identify relations between explanatory variables (institutional supports or barriers, teacher-educator characteristics, course attributes, educator beliefs, and video properties) and types of video uses (self-reflection, peer discussion, professor-led discussion, case studies, and multimedia). Findings show often infrequent/unvaried use of video. More frequent/varies video methods are needed.

Fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1) binds and activates FGF receptors, thereby regulating cell proliferation and neurogenesis. Human FGF1 gene 1B promoter (−540 to +31)-driven SV40 T antigen has been shown to result in tumorigenesis in the brains of transgenic mice. FGF1B promoter (−540 to +31)-driven green fluorescent protein (F1BGFP) has also been used in isolating neural stem cells (NSCs) with self-renewal and multipotency from developing and adult mouse brains. In this study, we provide six lines of evidence to demonstrate that FGF1/FGFR signaling is implicated in the expression of Aurora A (AurA) and the activation of its kinase domain (Thr288 phosphorylation) in the maintenance of glioblastoma (GBM) cells and NSCs. First, treatment of FGF1 increases AurA expression in human GBM cell lines. Second, using fluorescence-activated cell sorting, we observed that F1BGFP reporter facilitates the isolation of F1BGFP(+) GBM cells with higher expression levels of FGFR and AurA. Third, both FGFR inhibitor (SU5402) and AurA inhibitor (VX680) could down-regulate F1BGFP-dependent AurA activity. Fourth, inhibition of AurA activity by two different AurA inhibitors (VX680 and valproic acid) not only reduced neurosphere formation but also induced neuronal differentiation of F1BGFP(+) GBM cells. Fifth, flow cytometric analyses demonstrated that F1BGFP(+) GBM cells possessed different NSC cell surface markers. Finally, inhibition of AurA by VX680 reduced the neurosphere formation of different types of NSCs. Our results show that activation of AurA kinase through FGF1/FGFR signaling axis sustains the stem cell characteristics of GBM cells. Implications This study identified a novel mechanism for the malignancy of GBM, which could be a potential therapeutic target for GBM.

According to Self-Determination Theory (SDT), teacher motivation affects student motivation indirectly via teaching practices that support the satisfaction of students’ basic psychological needs, but studies have not shown evidence of this entire sequence. We tested the complete model: teacher motivation (autonomous, controlled, and amotivation) → perceived need-supportive practices (autonomy support, structure, and involvement) → student need satisfaction (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) → student motivation (autonomous, controlled, and amotivation) → student academic achievement. South Korean 5th and 6th graders (N = 697) and their 35 teachers participated in this study. A multi-level structural equation model showed evidence supporting: 1) a positive link between teacher and student autonomous motivation, and, 2) its mediation by student perceived need-supportive practices and student autonomy and competence. We discussed further conceptual and empirical consideration with the results. .

Background & Aims We compared rates of relapse of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection between patients with HBV genotype B vs genotype C infection after cessation of entecavir or tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) therapy. All patients included in the study were HB e antigen (HBeAg)-negative. Methods We performed a retrospective study of 460 HBeAg-negative patients without cirrhosis in Taiwan who had stopped entecavir or TDF treatment for at least 12 months; data were collected from 2007 through 2016. All patients fulfilled the stopping criteria proposed by the APASL 2012 guidelines. Patients were evaluated every 1–3 months during the first 6 months after stopping therapy and then every 3 months until their last hospital visit; HB surface antigen (HBsAg) was measured in serum samples collected before treatment, after 12 months of treatment, and at the end of treatment. Virologic relapse was defined as a serum level of HBV DNA >2000 IU/mL after the cessation of treatment; clinical relapse was defined as increase in alanine aminotransferase more than 2-fold the upper limit of normal (40 U/L) and level of HBV DNA >2000 IU/mL after stopping treatment. Results Significantly higher proportions of patients with HBV genotype B infection had virologic and clinical relapse and retreatment than patients with HBV genotype C infection, among all patients and among patients matched by propensity sore. Patients who discontinued TDF therapy had significantly higher rates and earlier times of virologic and clinical relapse than patients who discontinued entecavir therapy, among all patients and propensity score-matched patients. Multivariate analysis showed that TDF therapy, old age, HBV genotype B, and higher end of treatment HBsAg level were independently associated with virologic and clinical relapse. Five-year rates of virologic and clinical relapse were low (19.2% and 15.4%, respectively) in patients with a combination of end of treatment level of HBsAg of 100 IU/mL or less and HBV genotype C infection. Rates of off-therapy HBsAg loss, development of hepatocellular carcinoma, and hepatic decompensation did not differ significantly between patients with HBV genotypes B vs C infection or between the entecavir vs TDF groups. Conclusions Higher proportions of HBeAg-negative patients with HBV genotype B infection have virologic and clinical relapse and retreatment than patients with HBV genotype C infection, after cessation of entecavir or TDF therapy.