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This study assessed the psychometric properties of the culturally inclusive instructional design (CIID) scale with 31 items on a 7-point Likert scale. The data were collected from the training (N = 55) and validating samples (N = 80) of K-20 educators. Data analysis employed exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). EFA results revealed a clear five-factor structure, and the CFA results indicated good factor loadings. The reliability indices were 0.95 and 0.94 for the training and validation samples, respectively. The significant correlations among the factors indicated the five subscales measuring on the same CIID construct. In contrast, a non-perfect correlation presented a discriminating power for each subscale measuring the unique dimension of the construct. The study results established the validity and reliability of the instrument to measure culturally inclusive instructional design with implications for the design and development of online learning for cultural inclusivity.

This study investigated the relationship between children's mathematics performance and physical health using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Class of 2010-2011 (ECLS-K 2011). A two-level hierarchical growth curve model was used to explore the relationships between childhood mathematics performance and childhood health taking moderator effects into consideration. The study results indicate that higher body mass index relates to higher kindergarten mathematics performance, holding all else constant. The results of this study have implications for educators, parents, and health providers in understanding the relationship between mathematics performance and health indicators.

According to traditional Chinese medicine theory, tongue coatings reflect changes in the body. The goal of this study was to identify a metabolite or a set of metabolites capable of classifying characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine syndromes in erosive gastritis. In this study, we collected tongue coatings of patients with erosive gastritis with damp-heat syndrome (DHS), liver depression and qi stagnation syndrome (LDQSS), and healthy volunteers. Then, we analyzed the differences in metabolic characteristics between the two groups based on metabolomics. We identified 14 potential biomarkers related to the DHS group, and six metabolic pathways were enriched. The differential pathways included pyrimidine metabolism, pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis, citrate cycle (TCA cycle), pyruvate metabolism, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, and purine metabolism. Similarly, in the LDQSS group, we identified 25 potential biomarkers and 18 metabolic pathways were enriched. The top five pathways were the TCA cycle, sphingolipid metabolism, fatty acid biosynthesis, pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis, and the pentose phosphate pathway. In conclusion, the DHS group and the LDQSS group have different characteristics.

College students experience high levels of anxiety and stress, resulting in academic, interpersonal, and functional challenges. Despite awareness of anxiety and stress amongst students, universities and colleges fail to meet their mental health needs. Neurofeedback (NFB) training, a noninvasive approach designed to regulate brain processes to mitigate anxiety and stress-based symptoms, is an innovative option to help college students. A pre-posttest control group quasi-experimental design was implemented to measure whether a treatment group reported differences in anxiety and stress (as measured by the Beck Anxiety Inventory [BAI], Perceived Stress Scale [PSS], and Social Anxiety Thought [SAT] questionnaire) as compared to a waitlist control group. Results indicated significant decreases in SAT and PSS scores between groups, with no significant difference for BAI scores. Additionally, no significant differences were found over time between groups, regardless of gender. Limitations and future recommendations are explored.

The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of a newly developed modules, Interactive Web-Based Visualization Tools for Gluing Undergraduate Fuel Cell Systems Courses system (IGLU), on learning motivations of engineering students using two samples (n[subscript 1] = 144 and n[subscript 2] = 135) from senior engineering classes. The multivariate analysis results revealed that the participants had a significant increase in their learning motivation after the treatment with the IGLU modules. This result was cross-validated with the two samples, in which the motivation mean posttest scores are significantly higher than the mean pretest scores, systematically (Sample 1: the mean score is increased by 2.09 [0.32, 3.87] points, p = 0.021; Sample 2: the mean score is increased by 1.38 [0.14, 2.61] points, p = 0.029). With the use of instructional technology prevailing in current university courses, the education initiative of the IGLU system and the assessment of its impact on student learning motivation provide us information to improve the modules to serve a more diverse student body. It will greatly help the development of engineering educational curriculum. With regards to the statistical inference, it is desirable to conduct further studies with a quasi-experiment control group design to assess the program effect focusing on student learning and its associations with student learning motivations and learning styles.

This study examines the role of several key features of professional development (PD) in bringing about changes in teachers' mathematical knowledge for teaching. Artifacts (e.g., PD tasks, materials, and agendas) of the PD activities completed by 542 teachers in 21 different Mathematics and Science Partnership programs were coded based on the core features of PD identified in earlier literature. Multilevel analyses examined whether the programs' focus on specific components of teacher knowledge (e.g., knowledge of mathematics teaching) and specific strategies for implementing the PD content (e.g., examining students' work and solving mathematics problems) were related to gains in teachers' mathematical knowledge. The results showed that a focus on curricular content knowledge and examining students' work were significantly related to teachers' learning. Implications for research and teacher education are discussed.

ABSTRACT In eukaryotes, RNA N6‐methyladenosine (m6A) modification and microRNA (miRNA)‐mediated RNA silencing represent two critical epigenetic regulatory mechanisms. The m6A methyltransferase complex (MTC) and the microprocessor complex both undergo liquid–liquid phase separation to form nuclear membraneless organelles. Although m6A methyltransferase has been shown to positively regulate miRNA biogenesis, a mechanism of reciprocal regulation between the MTC and the microprocessor complex has remained elusive. Here, we demonstrate that the MTC and the microprocessor complex associate with each other through the METHYLTRANSFERASE B (MTB)–SERRATE (SE) interacting module. Knockdown of MTB impaired miRNA biogenesis by diminishing microprocessor complex binding to primary miRNAs (pri‐miRNAs) and their respective MIRNA loci. Additionally, loss of SE function led to disruptions in transcriptome‐wide m6A modification. Further biochemical assays and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) assay indicated that SE enhances the liquid–liquid phase separation and solubility of the MTC. Moreover, the MTC exhibited enhanced retention on chromatin and diminished binding to its RNA substrates in the se mutant background. Collectively, our results reveal the substantial regulatory interplay between RNA m6A modification and miRNA biogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the commonly used resampling methods of dealing with small-sample problems, the bootstrap enjoys the widest applications because it often outperforms its counterparts. However, the bootstrap still has limitations when its operations are contemplated. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine an alternative, new resampling method (called S-SMART) and compare the statistical performance of it with that of the bootstrap through an application of them to the most advanced modelling technique, SEM, as an example. The evaluation of the statistical performances of S-SMART and the bootstrap with respect to the standard errors of the parameter estimates was conducted through a Monte Carlo simulation study. This work, while potentially benefiting educational and behavioural research, conceivably would also provide methodological support for other research areas, such as bioinformatics, biology, geosciences, astronomy, and ecology, where large samples are hard to obtain.

This study investigated the effects of economic status and the educational expectations of significant others on early university aspirations and actual university attainment. The study analyzed two-wave longitudinal data collected from 1,595 Taiwanese students in their 9th grade in middle school and in their freshman year at universities. The results revealed that economic status affected neither university aspirations nor university attainment. Among the significant others studied, parental expectations fundamentally affected university aspirations and teacher expectations consistently affected university aspirations and attainment. After considering economic status and educational expectations, early university aspirations remained strongly related to actual university attainment. Future research directions and practical educational approaches are recommended based on the aforementioned results.

This study assessed the needs of urban school leaders for special education preparation in a large public school district in the USA in order to assist the school administrators with improving their knowledge and skills for providing appropriate services to students with disabilities and their families to support inclusive education. The needs survey was created based on the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC 2009) standards for school administrators in the USA and the literature in special education. The validity and reliability of the instrument were verified. The needs assessment measures 10 aspects regarding special education knowledge and skills as indicated by 10 factors in the exploratory factor analysis. Quantitative data analyses on a sample of 289 participants revealed that there were significant differences in the needs of training in special education knowledge based on the school administrators' backgrounds. The current research supports the call for the professional development and inclusive education for school leaders. The findings of the current study indicated that school leaders wanted the knowledge to make them more successful in serving students with disabilities to answer the call for inclusive education.