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If the concepts used in curriculum, textbooks, classroom teaching, and assessment are not consistent, students may have difficulty in understanding the concepts of science correctly and this may lead to the formation of misconceptions. The purpose of this study is to measure the alignment of science concepts by analyzing the semantic networks of curriculum, textbooks, classroom teaching, and student assessment with respect to the contents on meiosis as covered in Life Science I. The semantic network method using the NetMiner 4.0 program was applied. 11 concepts were extracted from the curriculum commentary. The textbook presented 36 concepts; classroom teaching presented 54 concepts; a total of 23 concepts were presented from assessment. With respect to alignment of relevant concepts, 6 (gamete, chromosome, meiosis, gene, daughter cell and cell division) were linked to all 4 sources (curriculum, textbooks, classroom teaching, and assessment). These concepts are mainly used to explain the process of meiosis. It is concluded that the key concepts of meiosis exhibited alignment in curriculums, textbooks, classroom teaching and assessment. However, there are many concepts used only in textbooks and classroom teaching. The greater number of concepts in textbooks and teaching can become one of the causes of a deficit in learning.

Teachers are highly reliant on textbooks for teaching. In the Republic of Korea, science textbooks help students to understand scientific terms through inquiry activities. However, there is a lack of analysis on whether the inquiry activities suggested in these textbooks appropriately cover the terms included in the main text. Therefore, this study assesses the life science units included in widely used lower secondary school science textbooks in the Republic of Korea by analysing the connection between the terms presented in the inquiry activities and the main text using the NetMiner 4.0 programme. The results reveal that the life science units included in the lower secondary school science textbooks are well structured for learning life science terms through the inquiry activities, as the terms presented in the inquiry activities and the main text are well connected. However, the number of terms included in each unit greatly differs and needs to be supplemented with the optimization of the number of terms per unit. The results provide basic data for the future development of lower secondary school science textbooks. Future research should analyse how the terms used in inquiry activities and the main text are connected in real science classes.

This study examined a network of concepts used in the curriculum, textbooks, instruction, and assessment in relation to somatic cell division and investigated the alignment of science concepts used in them. Textbooks and teachers' instruction and evaluation questions were collected to analyse the alignment between the concepts and the conceptual network used in the curriculum, textbooks, instruction, and assessment on the basis of the national science curriculum in the Republic of Korea. The findings of this study suggest that the concept of a cell was used as a linkage, and a lack of conceptual linkage prevailed between the curriculum, textbooks, instruction, and assessment in the somatic cell division unit. In comparison with the curriculum, a rapid increase in the number of concepts presented in classes led to a complicated conceptual network. As the conceptual network was complex and ambiguous, the concepts that students can learn are more likely to be ambiguous. Therefore, the conceptual network could be instrumental for facilitating students' conceptual understanding of somatic cell division. The alignment of concepts and conceptual linkage in the teaching of somatic cell division could contribute to improving conceptual associations between the curriculum, textbooks, instruction, and assessment.

Science inquiry activities carried out in a small group are learner-centered activities operating under the premise of collaborative interaction between members through various types of communication and consultation in the process of resolving issues. The changes in the types of interactions in the three exploratory activities targeting science-gifted students were analyzed using the Social Network Analysis (SNA). As a result of analyzing eight small groups, it was possible to divide the interaction types into two groups, namely, the alienation retaining type--where the type of interactions was retained from start to end--and the alienation changing type where the types of interactions changed. First, regarding active interactions between three members, the remaining students turned out to be alienated and could not participate in further inquiry activities. Second, changes of types occurred in accordance with the leaders' central positions. On the basis of this study, it is expected that future analyses will show how the type of interaction changes according to the level of inquiry or familiarity status with the inquiry topics. In addition, it is expected that studies about guidance and feedback of teachers and new students' participation in the interactions will follow.

Cultivation of microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria is often not included in scientific inquiries conducted in school because of the difficulty of manufacturing a suitable medium. A method using dry rehydratable film to reduce the need to manufacture a suitable medium and shorten incubation time was developed as an efficient microbial testing method. Using this method, students can easily perform experiments on microorganisms in schools where time and space are limited. For example, we carried out an inquiry on the possibility of drinking refrigerated milk that is already past its expiration date. Through this activity, we could raise issues related to the current shelf-life labeling system implemented in Korea. In addition, the method can measure microorganisms in several ways through air, direct contact, and indirect contact, making the procedure easier to use in scientific activities at school.

The article focuses on diagnosis of chronic myeloid leukaemia, when most patients present at chronic phase total white cell count is typically high with variable haemoglobin and platelet count that is low, normal and high. Topics include examines commencement of tyrosine kinase inhibitor is the main treatment modality for CML in chronic and accelerated phase, cytopaenia or worse cytopaenia occurs during the first few weeks or months.

Background: Prognostication of myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) has always been challenging, even with the advent of Janus kinase 2 (JAK2 V617F) molecular studies. The survival pattern of patients diagnosed with MPN in developing countries is still undetermined. Materials and methods: The national MPN registry conducted from 2009 to 2015 in Malaysia provided a comprehensive insight into the demographics, clinical characteristics and laboratory parameters of patients diagnosed with MPN nationwide. The study analysed the survival patterns and mortality outcomes and risk among 671 patients diagnosed with essential thrombocythaemia (ET), polycythaemia vera (PV), primary myelofibrosis (PMF) and unclassified MPN (MPN-U). Mortality status was traced and confirmed until the end of December 2018, with right censoring applied to patients alive beyond that. Results: The analysed cohort consisted of 283 (42.2%) ET, 269 (40.1%) PV, 62 (9.2%) PMF and 57 (8.5%) MPN-U incident cases with diagnosis made between 2007 and 2015. The majority of patients were male (52.3%) and Malay (48.9%), except for ET, in which the majority of patients were female (60.1%) and of Chinese origin (47.0%). Female patients were found to have significantly better overall survival (OS) rates in ET (p = 0.0285) and MPN-U (p = 0.0070). Patients with JAK2 V617F mutation were found to have marginally inferior OS over time. Multivariable Cox regression identified patients with increased age [hazard ratio (HR) 1.055, 95% CI 1.031; 1.064], reduced haemoglobin (HB) level (HR 0.886, 95% CI 0.831; 0.945, p = 0.0002), being male (HR 1.545, 95% CI 1.077; 2.217, p = 0.0182), and having MPN-U (HR 2.383, 95% CI 1.261; 4.503, p = 0.0075) and PMF (HR 1.975, 95% CI 1.054; 3.701, p = 0.0335) at increased risk for worse mortality outcomes. Conclusion: Myeloproliferative neoplasm reduces patient survival. The degree of impact on survival varies according to sub-type, sex, bone marrow fibrosis and HB levels. The JAK2 V617F mutation was not found to affect the survival pattern or mortality outcome significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]