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Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) plays an important role in various complex human diseases.The development of effective prediction methods to infer the potential associations between lncRNA and diseases will not only help biologists understand the pathogenesis of diseases,but also contribute to the diagnosis,prevention,and treatment of human diseases.In this paper,an ensemble regression decision tree-based lncRNA-disease association method (ERDTLDA) is proposed to solve the lncRNA-disease association problem.First,ERDTLDA uses the open-source data of lncRNA to construct lncRNA,disease similarity matrix,lncRNA-disease association matrix respectively.Then,we obtain lncRNA,disease feature representations from these matrices.Principal component analysis is further exploited for feature extraction.Finally,a CART regression decision tree is used to yield association scores.An ensemble strategy for multiple decision trees is proposed to further improve the accuracy of our model.The results of LOOCV experiments show that the AUC of our method on three real lncRNA-disease datasets are 0.905 5,0.896 9 and 0.912 9 respectively,which are 6.46%,5.4% and 6.02% higher than the existing methods,respectively.Additionally,breast cancer,lung cancer,and gastric cancer are also used as case studies to further verify the accuracy and effectiveness of ERDTLDA.

The main purpose of this paper was to describe how the author, Kuo-Chung Hsu, changed his teaching beliefs and science instruction through participating in a cooperative action research, which is conducted by the author, Jing-Ru Wang. Self-study was adopted to explain and interpret Kuo-Chung Hsu's experience of teaching science in Taiwan island. The current research report involved three parts: firstly, how Kuo-Chung Hsu developed his teaching belief; secondly, the process of transferring Kuo-Chung Hsu teaching belief into practical teaching was provided; thirdly, Kuo-Chung Hsu constructivist instruction was illustrated with a unit of science teaching instruction. In the conclusion of this paper, Kuo-Chung Hsu retrospected to his personal experiences in constructivist instruction, which reflected the process of how a novice teacher became an expert teacher. This research has significant implications for the design of science teacher professional development. (Contains 1 table.)

Momordica charantia L. (M. charantia) is an annual climbing herb in Cucurbitaceae. It is not only a food, but also a drug with a long history of application. This study aims to isolate and identify the chemical constituents form M. charantia and evaluate their inhibiting effect on Hcy-induced proliferation of VSMCs. Silica column chromatography, ODS silica column chromatography, Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography and semi-preparative HPLC were used to obtain one new compound (1). The inhibition on Hcy-induced proliferation of VSMCs 1 was tested through MTT method. As a result, 1 could partially rescue Hcy-induced proliferation of VSMCs at both 5 and 25 μM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to develop a computer-based measure of elementary students' science talk and to report students' benchmarks. The development procedure had three steps: defining the framework of the test, collecting and identifying key reference sets of science talk, and developing and verifying the science talk instrument. The Science Talk Test (STT), consisting of semi-structured items, was developed for a framework of exemplars from inquiry classrooms representing three inquiry components (i.e. identifying questions, designing methods and presenting evidence, and drawing evidence-based conclusions) for two types of science talk (i.e. factually oriented and evaluative discourses). Grades 4 and 6 students (N = 281) were selected from three levels of urbanization representative of Taiwan to verify the STT and to establish performance benchmarks. The STT's reliability, validity, and item parameters were found to be reasonable. Students performed better in the factually oriented talk than in the evaluative talk. Designing methods and presenting evidence was more difficult than the other two types of inquiry talk. Students' science talk ability was predictable with prior scientific knowledge and language ability measures. Practical use of the STT, explicit instruction, and future research are recommended.

This article reports on the development of an online dynamic approach for assessing and improving students' reading comprehension of science texts--the dynamic assessment for reading comprehension of science text (DARCST). The DARCST blended assessment and response-specific instruction into a holistic learning task for grades 5 and 6 students. The DARCST, a layer-cake approach (interspersed responses and feedback) to assessment as learning, takes a graduated-prompts perspective on the criteria for reading comprehension of science text. The item response theory (IRT) analysis and analysis of variance (ANOVA) over an instructional period indicated that the DARCST was applicable for most students with a wide range of reading abilities. Based on the acceptable psychometrics, the DARCST appears to be appropriate for use in middle-years science programs where enhanced science reading is a goal.

This study used a Chinese-language version of the Index of Science Reading Awareness (ISRA) to investigate metacognitive awareness and the Reading Comprehension of Science Test (RCST) to explore comprehension of science text by Taiwanese students. Structural equation modeling (SEM) results confirmed the validity of the underlying models of metacognitive awareness and comprehension of science text. First, the Interactive-Constructivist Model of Reading (ICMR) comprises three clusters of knowledge, in which the comprehension of science text was affected by metacognitive awareness and prior knowledge about language and science; second, the effect of prior knowledge on the RCST was mediated by metacognitive awareness of science reading. The implications of these findings for science curriculum aiming to activate students' prior knowledge and raise students' metacognitive awareness on science reading are discussed; as well, directions for future research are provided.

This study used a Chinese-language version of the Index of Science Reading Awareness to explore the science reading metacognition and comprehension of Taiwanese students. Structural equation modelling results confirmed the underlying model comprised three clusters of metacognitive knowledge: beliefs and confidence in science reading, knowledge of structure of science text, and knowledge of science reading strategies. The main contribution of the current research was to provide evidence about the relationship between metacognitive awareness and comprehension of science text. In addition, data comparisons to Canadian (British Columbia) benchmarks from the original development revealed that metacognitive awareness of science reading deteriorated from elementary to middle school in both countries, and there were no significant differences of metacognitive awareness of science reading between Canadian and Taiwanese students. Instructional suggestions for raising students' metacognitive awareness on science reading were discussed.

This study reports on the process of developing a test to assess students' reading comprehension of scientific materials and on the statistical results of the verification study. A combination of classic test theory and item response theory approaches was used to analyze the assessment data from a verification study. Data analysis indicates the test has satisfactory validity and reliability. The Reading Comprehension of Science Test (RCST) components have a wide range of difficulty, which suggests that the RCST is appropriate for a relatively large percentage of students. Based on the accepted relationships among science, language, and literacy, integrated literacy-science instructions are highly recommended.

This study aimed to examine whether the relationships among family resources, school climate, learning participation, science attitude, and science achievement are different between primary school students and junior high school students within one educational system. The subjects included 4,181 Grade 4 students and 5,074 Grade 8 students who participated in TIMSS 2003 in Taiwan. Using structural equation modeling, the results showed that family resources had significant positive effects for both groups of learners. Furthermore, a context effect for the structural relationship between school climate, learning participation, and science achievement was revealed. In the primary school context, Grade 4 students who perceived positive school climate participated in school activities more actively, and had better science performance. However, in the secondary school context, learning participation had a negative impact and led to lower science achievement. The implications about this result in relation to the characteristics of the two educational contexts in Taiwan were further discussed. (Contains 4 tables and 3 figures.)

This study examined the differential impacts of an inquiry-based instruction on conceptual changes across levels of prior knowledge and reading ability. The instrument emphasized four simultaneously important components: conceptual knowledge, reading ability, attitude toward science, and learning environment. Although the learning patterns and effect size analyses indicated that students from all subgroups demonstrated substantial gains on weather concepts, students from the low prior conceptual knowledge group demonstrated greater gains in conceptual knowledge than subgroups with more prior knowledge; and these gains remained stable 3 weeks after the instruction ceased. However, students from the low language proficiency group showed the least gains in conceptual knowledge. Students' prior knowledge and reading ability were found to be positively and significantly associated to conceptual development. Recent perspectives on the role of language in science education and suggestions that support learning during instruction are briefly described.

This study utilized responses from Taiwanese preservice elementary teachers to describe and analyze their conceptions about the assessment of science learning and the extent that these conceptions were coherent with their views of learning science. A methodological framework of phenomenography was used for the study. The results revealed that the preservice teachers' mode of assessment was coherent with a traditional view of learning but their performance mode of assessment was not well developed. Improving preservice teachers' conception of assessment requires clarifying and reconstructing their conceptions of and coherence between assessment, curriculum, pedagogy, and learning. (Contains 1 figure.)

The purpose of the study was to describe the development and application of an instrument to identify various dimensions of the learning environment, as perceived by elementary and middle school students in Taiwan. The instrument, the New Constructivist Learning Environment Scales, includes four dimensions: attitude concerning instruction, interaction, scientific inquiry, and understanding. Data analysis indicates that the instrument developed in this study has satisfactory validity and reliability measures. Data from the New Constructivist Learning Environment Scales reveal three major findings: compared with the other aspects, scientific inquiry is the least frequent in both the elementary and middle school science classrooms in Taiwan; transitional deterioration regarding the science learning environments was found from elementary to middle schools in two areas--interaction and understanding; and multiple regression indicated that the students' attitudes were associated with the dimensions of understanding and interaction. Qualitative data analysis based on classroom observation and interviews of students and their science teachers confirm and enrich these findings. (Contains 5 tables and 1 note.)

This study has resulted in an elementary science methods course that facilitates the identification and description of the changes in students' conceptions and understanding of inquiry teaching, and the cultural influences, reflections, and situational factors influencing these changes. Written responses to open-ended questions, reflective journals, teaching plans, and videotapes of lessons were used as data sources. Results of the written responses and the lesson plans indicated that an elementary science methods course with social-constructivist and reflective assessment strategies appears to enhance methods students' conceptual changes regarding inquiry teaching. The significance of this study lies in the provision of insights into three apparent explanations: impacts of cultural myths, conditions for critical reflection, and unit design as performance of understanding. By identifying the elementary methods students' reflections and situations, the elementary science methods course provides knowledge for teacher educators about how such students expressed their conceptions and understanding of inquiry teaching and, therefore, potentially provides indications about appropriate teaching strategies for science methods courses.

The purpose of the study was to explore students' alternative conceptions and their associative thinking regarding internal transport in plants through administration of a refined diagnostic test. Questions of associative thinking and explanation were added to form a third tier of the previous two-tier test. The study found three terms related to alternative conceptions: capillary action, minerals, and nutrients produced by photosynthesis. The students' associative thinking related to these three terms suggested that: (1) capillary action is linked to a hair-water relation, (2) minerals are in the nutrients group, and (3) oxygen is linked to nutrients. Finally, issues regarding the impacts of language on conceptual learning are discussed under three strands: effects of language, Chinese language, and textbook language.

This article provides a model for the professional development of elementary science teachers. The model focused on integrating different domains of knowledge into science teaching, including the knowledge of the science curriculum, especially scientific inquiry, teacher's knowledge, and students' knowledge. The two case studies in this article revealed that the teachers construct their knowledge in a social context. The constant reflections on the experiences helped them to generate alternative teaching approaches. The findings suggest that the model of the project had two functions. First, it provides a useful strategy to help science teachers to bridge the gap between theories of teaching and their own teaching practices. Second, it provides a social learning environment for learning how to teach science.

This study is intended to develop an assessment instrument to investigate students' understandings about internal transport in plants and human circulatory system. A refined process of a two-tier diagnostic test was used to develop the instrument. Finally, three versions of the Internal Transport in Plants and the Human Circulatory System test were developed for different educational levels: elementary, secondary and high school level. The test-retest reliability, the degree of difficulty, and the range of discrimination were found to be reasonable for all three versions. The statistical variances across educational levels of the verification samples and the test applications are discussed. The students' major alternative conceptions on internal transport of plants and human were classified into three attributes of explanations: interconnectedness, language and anthropomorphism. Based on the nature of students' explanations, card-sorting with justification, learning cycle and concept mapping were recommended for in-depth learning of the concept.