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The study investigated the difficulties encountered by Grade 11 teachers in teaching Senior High School General Mathematics, the reasons for the problems, and the strategies employed by teachers in overcoming the challenges with an end view of developing training design. The sequential explanatory mixed methods design was used in the study with the aid of a questionnaire checklist and an interview to validate the answers generated by the questionnaires. The study revealed that the challenges in teaching emerged due to time constraints and mastery issues of contents. Though teachers were pedagogically and technologically equipped to teach the course, however, some have poor time management and link to peers to share the best strategies to cope with the problems. Hence, training, as well as seminars and workshops for the unmastered competencies/contents and the competencies with no strategies applied to deal with the difficulties in teaching, are to be provided to Grade 11 General Mathematics teachers by implementing the training design developed by the researchers.

Xiang-Rong Bai,1,* Jing-Rong Cao,2,* Zhi-Zhou Wang,1 Wen-Chao Li,1 Dian-Dian Chen,2 Ran Lou,3 Xin Qu,4 Su-Ying Yan1 1Department of Pharmacy, Xuan Wu Hospital Capital Medical University, National Gerontic Disease Clinical Research Center, Beijing, 100053, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Clinical Laboratory, Xuan Wu Hospital Capital Medical University, National Gerontic Disease Clinical Research Center, Beijing, 100053, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Intensive Medicine, Xuan Wu Hospital Capital Medical University, National Gerontic Disease Clinical Research Center, Beijing, 100053, People’s Republic of China; 4Intensive Care Unit, Department of Neurosurgery, Xuan Wu Hospital Capital Medical University, National Gerontic Disease Clinical Research Center, Beijing, 100053, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Su-Ying Yan, Department of Pharmacy, Xuan Wu Hospital Capital Medical University, National Gerontic Disease Clinical Research Center, No. 45 Changchun Street, Xi Cheng District, Beijing, 100053, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86 10-63012837, Email yansuying10@sina.cnPurpose: Tigecycline is an agent for carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumonia (KPC-KP), given its penetration into lung tissues. Our study focused on the molecular and clinical efficacy of tigecycline for hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) in the ICU.Patients and Methods: A retrospective cohort study of 52 adult KPC-KP HAP patients by searching hospital medical records from January 2018 to December 2020 was established to investigate the epidemiology of KPC-KP infections for tigecycline treatment and the associated clinical efficacy of tigecycline. The KPC-KP isolates underwent multilocus sequence typing. Molecular typing, antimicrobial resistance, and virulence profiling were also analyzed by whole-genome sequencing of KPC-KP.Results: Among 52 patients with KPC-KP, the ICU mortality rate was 14/52 (27%), and there was no significant statistical difference in mortality between the effective group and failure group (p = 0.754). However, the duration of tigecycline was statistically different between the two groups of patients (14.4 vs 10 days, p=0.046). The total bacterial clearance rate was 6/52 (11.5%). There was no significant statistical difference in both groups (p=0.416). Antibiotic resistance genes (aac3iia) and virulence gene (AREO-iutA, Capsule-wzc) were negatively correlated with clinical efficacy (p = 0.011, OR = 1.237).Conclusions: Blakpc was the main carbapenemase in all K. pneumoniae strains. ST11-KL64 KPC-KP was the most common virulence factors in KPC-KP isolates. This study suggested that antibiotic resistance genes (aac3iia) and virulence gene (AREO-iutA, Capsule-wzc) were independent mortality risk factors for patients with Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase-2 producing K. pneumoniae infections, when during the tigecycline treatment. Molecular analysis of K. pneumoniae may provide an option when choosing the antimicrobial treatment.Keywords: Klebsiella pneumoniae, carbapenemase, virulence factors, resistance genes, hospital-acquired pneumonia

Rice industry in the Philippines is beset with environmental, social, and economic concerns resulting in low farmer incomes, lack of food security and meager competitiveness. This study aimed to develop inclusive interventions on rice trading practices involving smallholder farmers. Primary data were derived from baseline interviews from farmers, traders, millers, wholesalers, and retailers to assess trading practices involved in the chain. Stakeholder consultations were also conducted to validate the findings and identify strategies for the initiatives. Based on the results, the major challenges identified include high production and marketing costs of paddy attributed to high material inputs and labor costs. This leads to a low profit margin for smallholder farmers. This gap relates to poor market linkage that limits the ability of farmers to receive higher prices for their produce. Interventions involving the improvement of marketability through market innovation were prioritized to address the gap. Recommendations concerning reducing institutional barriers towards smallholder farmers was provided to broaden adoption of inclusive trading practices and foster a more equitable and sustainable rice value chain.

Shu-Chen Dong,1,* Huan-Huan Sha,1,* Xiao-Yue Xu,1 Tian-Mu Hu,2 Rui Lou,1 Huizi Li,1 Jian-Zhong Wu,1 Chen Dan,1 Jifeng Feng1 1Jiangsu Cancer Hospital and Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research and Nanjing Medical University Affiliated Cancer Hospital, Nanjing 210009, China; 2Department of Biological Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: Glutathione S-transferase π (GSTπ) is a Phase II metabolic enzyme that is an important facilitator of cellular detoxification. Traditional dogma asserts that GSTπ functions to catalyze glutathione (GSH)-substrate conjunction to preserve the macromolecule upon exposure to oxidative stress, thus defending cells against various toxic compounds. Over the past 20 years, abnormal GSTπ expression has been linked to the occurrence of tumor resistance to chemotherapy drugs, demonstrating that this enzyme possesses functions beyond metabolism. This revelation reveals exciting possibilities in the realm of drug discovery, as GSTπ inhibitors and its prodrugs offer a feasible strategy in designing anticancer drugs with the primary purpose of reversing tumor resistance. In connection with the authors’ current research, we provide a review on the biological function of GSTπ and current developments in GSTπ-targeting drugs, as well as the prospects of future strategies. Keywords: tumor resistance, glutathione S-transferase pi, drug treatment

Northern sand lance (Ammodytes dubius) are essential forage fish in most offshore, temperate-to-polar waters on the Northwest Atlantic shelf (NWA), but their population structure and genetic separation from the American sand lance (A. americanus) remain unresolved. We assembled a reference genome for A. dubius (first in the Ammodytidae) and then used low-coverage whole genome sequencing on 262 specimens collected across the species distribution (Mid-Atlantic Bight to Greenland) to quantify genetic differentiation between geographic regions based on single nucleotide polymorphisms. We found strong separation between A. dubius from locations north and south of the Scotian Shelf, largely due to massive genetic differentiation spanning most of chromosomes 21 and 24. Genetic distance increased with geographic distance in the smaller southern cluster but not in the larger northern cluster, where genetic homogeneity appeared across large geographic distances (>103 km). The two genetic clusters coincide with a clear break in winter sea surface temperature, suggesting that differential offspring survival, rather than limited transport, causes a break in realized connectivity. Nuclear and mitochondrial DNA both clearly delineated A. dubius from A. americanus , thereby confirming a species boundary through spatial niche partitioning into inshore (A. americanus) and offshore (A. dubius) sand lance species on the NWA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although psychosocial concerns of patients with sickle cell disease have been described, these descriptions are based primarily on experience with adolescents and children. In addition, there is an absence of [...]

Evolve and resequence (E&R) experiments, in which artificial selection is imposed on organisms in a controlled environment, are becoming an increasingly accessible tool for studying the genetic basis of adaptation. Previous work has assessed how different experimental design parameters affect the power to detect the quantitative trait loci (QTL) that underlie adaptive responses in such experiments, but so far there has been little exploration of how this power varies with the genetic architecture of the evolving traits. In this study, we use forward simulation to build a more realistic model of an E&R experiment in which a quantitative polygenic trait experiences a short, but strong, episode of truncation selection. We study the expected power for QTL detection in such an experiment and how this power is influenced by different aspects of trait architecture, including the number of QTL affecting the trait, their starting frequencies, effect sizes, clustering along a chromosome, dominance, and epistasis patterns. We show that all of these parameters can affect allele frequency dynamics at the QTL and linked loci in complex and often unintuitive ways, and thus influence our power to detect them. One consequence of this is that existing detection methods based on models of independent selective sweeps at individual QTL often have lower detection power than a simple measurement of allele frequency differences before and after selection. Our findings highlight the importance of taking trait architecture into account when designing and interpreting studies of molecular adaptation with temporal data. We provide a customizable modeling framework that will enable researchers to easily simulate E&R experiments with different trait architectures and parameters tuned to their specific study system, allowing for assessment of expected detection power and optimization of experimental design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selection can create complex patterns of adaptive differentiation among populations in the wild that may be relevant to management. Atlantic cod in the Northwest Atlantic are at a fraction of their historical abundance and a lack of recovery within the Gulf of Maine has created concern regarding the misalignment of fisheries management structures with biological population structure. To address this and investigate genome‐wide patterns of variation, we used low‐coverage sequencing to perform a region‐wide, whole‐genome analysis of fine‐scale population structure. We sequenced 306 individuals from 20 sampling locations in U.S. and Canadian waters, including the major spawning aggregations in the Gulf of Maine in addition to spawning aggregations from Georges Bank, southern New England, the eastern Scotian Shelf, and St. Pierre Bank. With genotype likelihoods estimated at almost 11 million loci, we found large differences in haplotype frequencies of previously described chromosomal inversions between Canadian and U.S. sampling locations and also among U.S. sampling locations. Our whole‐genome resolution also revealed novel outlier peaks, some of which showed significant genetic differentiation among sampling locations. Comparisons between allochronic winter‐ and spring‐spawning populations revealed highly elevated relative (FST) and absolute (dxy) genetic differentiation near genes involved in reproduction, particularly genes associated with the brain‐pituitary‐gonadal axis, which likely control timing of spawning, contributing to prezygotic isolation. We also found genetic differentiation associated with heat shock proteins and other genes of functional relevance, with complex patterns that may point to multifaceted selection pressures and local adaptation among spawning populations. We provide a high‐resolution picture of U.S. Atlantic cod population structure, revealing greater complexity than is currently recognized in management. Our genome‐scan approach likely underestimates the full suite of adaptive differentiation among sampling locations. Nevertheless, it should inform the revision of stock boundaries to preserve adaptive genetic diversity and evolutionary potential of cod populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A broadband multilayer beam‐steering antenna array with a modified mushroom‐like radiating element is introduced. The two‐layer aperture‐coupled array consists of four equal sets of mushroom‐like elements, each of which is made of 16 unit cells in a 4 × 4 configuration. The feeding network is a modified quasi‐Butler matrix, which benefits from improved double‐box branch line couplers. The network has an isolation bandwidth between 4 and 7.9 GHz (65%) and a transmission bandwidth from 4.8 to 7.1 GHz (39%), which operates acceptably in most of the C‐band, especially at wireless local area network and Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS). A broadband Butler matrix uses broadband 3 dB couplers and a middle network. The geometry of the element and feeding network is utilized in array form to enhance the impedance bandwidth and radiation efficiency of the antenna. The results show that the antenna impedance bandwidth covers 3.82 to 8.2 GHz (port 1) and 3.8 to 8.28 GHz (port 2) for Snn ≤ −10 dB, which covers the C‐band fully (4–8 GHz). Moreover, it has a 3 dB gain‐bandwidth of 2.25 GHz that extends from 4.65 to 6.9 GHz with a peak value of 13.65 dBi. The antenna array has a 3 dB axial ratio bandwidth of 1.65 GHz that extends from 4.9 to 6.55 GHz and involves wireless local area network (5.15–5.825 GHz) and ITS (5.795–6.400 GHz). The radiation efficiency of the array for both port excitations is in excess of 75% when circular polarization is achieved. Two firing beams at elevation angles of 20° and −35° are obtained for ports 1 and 2 upon excitation, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinical trials have shown the effect of rivastigmine in behavioral disturbances and activities of daily living (ADL) for Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients in the nursing home setting. The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of rivastigmine (COG) on behavioral disturbances, activities of daily living (ADL), and the cognitive functioning in this population in a real world setting. A prospective study was conducted among AD patients on rivastigmine between March 2001 and January 2002 at 10 nursing facilities in New Jersey. Patient demographics, medication, comorbidities, behavior disturbances, ADL, and COG data were collected on a quarterly basis using Clinical Evaluation Questionnaire and the Minimum Data Set (MDS). Overall, this study found no worsening of behavioral disturbances and rivastigmine resulted in a short-term memory improvement among 89% of the patients. This study confirms the potential benefits of rivastigmine in cognition, and behavior of AD patients in nursing homes.

Background: Impairment of gas and substrate exchange through the placenta leads to fetal hypoxia and growth restriction. Oxygenation of vital organs is maintained with preferential perfusion at the expense of less vital organs, challenging the fetal cardiovascular system. Objectives: To identify cardiovascular compromise in preterm small for gestational age (SGA) infants using the cardiac biomarker B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), which indicates the workload of the myocardium. Methods: In this retrospective case-control study, 26 SGA infants born at less than 32 weeks of gestation from October 2009 to October 2010 were matched for gestational age and month of birth with 26 appropriate for gestational age (AGA) infants. Antenatal Doppler ultrasound was used to identify fetal hemodynamic changes by determination of the pulsatility index (PI) of the middle cerebral artery (MCA-PI), umbilical artery (UA-PI) and veins of the ductus venosus (DV-PIV). These indices were compared with BNP levels obtained within 6 h after birth. Results: Antenatal PIs of MCA, UA and DV were significantly related to elevated BNP levels after birth in SGA infants, but not in AGA infants (SGA: MCA-PI = r2 0.23, p < 0.05; UA-PI = r2 0.46, p < 0.01; DV-PIV = r2 0.31, p < 0.05). Furthermore, signs of perinatal (chronic) asphyxia coincided with elevated levels of BNP. SGA was related to more postnatal cardiocirculatory complications. No significant relations between postnatal cardiac ultrasound measurements, placenta size and BNP were found. Conclusion: BNP levels were elevated early after birth in SGA infants and corresponded positively with Doppler indices of circulatory compromise. This suggests an increased workload of the myocardium. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Objectives To test the fetal profile (FP) line, defined as the line that passes through the anterior border of the mandible and the nasion, as a reference line for forehead and mandible anomalies. Methods Volumes of 248 normal and 24 pathological fetuses (16-36 and 19-37 weeks' gestation, respectively) were analysed retrospectively. When the FP line passes anteriorly, across or posteriorly to the frontal bone, this was defined as 'negative', 'zero' or 'positive', respectively. When the FP line was positive the distance ( F distance) between the FP line and the frontal bone was measured. Results No cases with a negative FP line were found in the normal fetuses. Before 27 weeks' gestation the FP line was always 'zero' except in one case. After 27 weeks' gestation the FP line was 'positive' in up to 25% ( F distance (mean, range): 2.8, 2.1-3.6 mm). The FP line correctly identified 13 cases with retrognathia, 5 cases with frontal bossing and 3 cases with a sloping forehead. Conclusion Although large prospective studies are needed, the FP line may be a useful tool to detect second trimester profile anomalies such as retrognathia, sloping forehead and frontal bossing with the possibility of quantifying the latter. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to examine the factors influencing fieldwork educators' ability and willingness to supervise Level II occupational therapy students in hospital-based settings. Qualitative focus groups were used to explore the perceptions of occupational therapists in four urban hospitals in Nebraska. The study presents the issues facing fieldwork supervisors and their suggestions on how to improve the fieldwork process. Both personal and professional factors influenced occupational therapists' willingness to accept students, while facility constraints were the primary reason occupational therapists would not accept Level II students. Fieldwork educators believe that their facilities need structured fieldwork programs and that students need more formalized fieldwork preparation at their academic institutions. Themes highlight the need for continued collaborative endeavors between academic fieldwork coordinators and fieldwork educators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate parents' opinions about enrolling their premature baby into several research studies in the few days after birth. Methodology: A questionnaire was given to parents of premature babies in the neonatal intensive core unit who had been invited to loin several studies (two to seven). Results: Alt 50 mothers and 42 of 48 fathers completed the questionnaire independently; 28% had been asked to join two studies, 32% three, 24% four, 14% five, and 2% six studies. There were 61 babies with mean (SD) geslational age 26.9 (1.6) weeks and birth weight 877(249) g. Nearly three quarters (71%) of the parents thought it was very good for their baby to be in a hospital that was carrying out a lot of research. Most (93%) thought that their baby would get the same or better care in a study. Only 15% thought their baby was too small for research studies. Almost all (98%) wanted to be involved in the decision about their baby joining a study. Only 22% were worried about the number of studies; 10% would not enrol their baby in any studies, but 74% were willing for their baby to join two or more studies, and 10% would enrol in all the studies. Most (94%) believed that their baby's participation would improve care of future babies. Conclusions: Most of these parents were willing to loin several studies. The majority were not worried about their baby participating in the studies. The profession needs to be aware that parents are supportive of neonatal research and participation in multiple studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consider a weighted transitive graph, where each vertex is assigned a positive weight. Given a positive integer k, the maximum k-covering problem is to find k disjoint cliques covering a set of vertices with maximum total weight. An 0( kn)-time algorithm to solve the problem in a transitive graph is proposed, where n is the number of vertices. Based on the proposed algorithm the weighted version of a number of problems in VLSI layout (e.g., k-layer topological via minimization), computational geometry (e.g., maximum multidimensional k-chain), graph theory (e.g., maximum k-independent set in interval graphs), and sequence manipulation (e.g., maximum increasing k-subsequence) can be solved in O(kn), where n is the input size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High amount of copper is toxic to most organisms, but endophytic fungi can develop survival strategies to tolerate and respond to environmental stressors such as heavy metal contaminants. While high copper induces oxidative stress, it is still unclear which genes are associated with copper tolerance. Here, we performed a metatranscriptome analysis of endophytic fungi isolated from a black nightshade plant Solanum nigrum L. growing on mine tailings of a gold processing area. Initial screening revealed the presence of a copper-tolerant strain of Fusarium oxysporum , designated as IB-SN1W, which tolerated up to 1000 ppm and 300 ppm copper in solid and liquid media, respectively. Differential gene expression analysis by RNA sequencing showed that 23% of contigs are uniquely expressed in the copper-treated fungus. These genes are involved in copper ion import, polyamine transport, oxidoreductase activity, and oxidative stress response. Catalase transcripts were also highly upregulated in IB-SN1W compared to a non-tolerant F. oxysporum strain. Catalase inhibition decreased copper-tolerance in IB-SN1W, while the addition of antioxidants prevented the copper-dependent growth inhibition in the non-tolerant strain. Overall, these results suggest that oxidative stress response contributes to copper tolerance in F. oxysporum. [Display omitted] • Fusarium oxysporum IB-SN1W is tolerant to high copper concentrations. • Copper response show gene enrichment for copper ion and polyamine transport. • Catalase is upregulated in IB-SN1W vs. a non copper-tolerant F. oxysporum strain. • Antioxidants restore the growth of non-tolerant F. oxysporum in high copper. • Inhibition of catalase decreases the growth of IB-SN1W in copper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While recent advances in band theory and sample growth have expanded the series of extremely large magnetoresistance (XMR) semimetals in transition-metal dipnictides TmPn2 (Tm = Ta, Nb; P n = P, As, Sb), the experimental study on their electronic structure and the origin of XMR is still absent. Here, using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy combined with first-principles calculations and magnetotransport measurements, we performed a comprehensive investigation on MoAs2, which is isostructural to the TmPn2 family and also exhibits quadratic XMR. We resolve a clear band structure well agreeing with the predictions. Intriguingly, the unambiguously observed Fermi surfaces (FSs) are dominated by an open-orbit topology extending along both the [100] and [001] directions in the three-dimensional Brillouin zone. We further reveal the trivial topological nature of MoAs2 by bulk parity analysis. Based on these results, we examine the proposed XMR mechanisms in other semimetals, and conclusively ascribe the origin of quadratic XMR in MoAs2 to the carriers motion on the FSs with dominant open-orbit topology, innovating in the understanding of quadratic XMR in semimetals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By employing angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy combined with first-principles calculations, we performed a systematic investigation on the electronic structure of LaBi, which exhibits extremely large magnetoresistance (XMR), and is theoretically predicted to possess band anticrossing with nontrivial topological properties. Here, the observations of the Fermi-surface topology and band dispersions are similar to previous studies on LaSb [L.-K. Zeng, R. Lou, D.-S. Wu, Q. N. Xu, P.-J. Guo, L.-Y. Kong, Y.-G. Zhong, J.-Z. Ma, B.-B. Fu, P. Richard, P. Wang, G. T. Liu, L. Lu, Y.-B. Huang, C. Fang, S.-S. Sun, Q. Wang, L. Wang, Y.-G. Shi, H. M. Weng, H.-C. Lei, K. Liu, S.-C. Wang, T. Qian, J.-L. Luo, and H. Ding, Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 127204 (2016)], a topologically trivial XMR semimetal, except the existence of a band inversion along the Γ-X direction, with one massless and one gapped Dirac-like surface state at the X and G points, respectively. The odd number of massless Dirac cones suggests that LaBi is analogous to the time-reversal Z2 nontrivial topological insulator. These findings open up a new series for exploring novel topological states and investigating their evolution from the perspective of topological phase transition within the family of rare-earth monopnictides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy combined with first-principles calculations, we reveal that the topmost unit cell of ZrSnTe crystal hosts two-dimensional (2D) electronic bands of the topological insulator (TI) state, although such a TI state is defined with a curved Fermi level instead of a global band gap. Furthermore, we find that by modifying the dangling bonds on the surface through hydrogenation, this 2D band structure can be manipulated so that the expected global energy gap is most likely to be realized. This facilitates the practical applications of 2D TI in heterostructural devices and those with surface decoration and coverage. Since ZrSnTe belongs to a large family of compounds having the similar crystal and band structures, our findings shed light on identifying more 2D TI candidates and superconductor-TI heterojunctions supporting topological superconductors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the poem "The Old Gum Tree," by Mary Lou R. Sibley. First Line: I walked with children when I was young. Last Line: And we grow closer to God and His Heavenly fold.