Against the backdrop of preparing students for a digitalized future, supporting pre-service teachers' development of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) has become paramount in ...pre-service teacher education. Whether and how pre-service teachers' acquisition of TPACK could be supported is still an open question, as previous research predominantly relied on correlational data and/or self-report assessments. Based on previous research, we developed subject-specific versions of a TPACK-module to support the acquisition of TPACK. Further purpose of the TPACK-module was to enhance technology-related motivation, as motivational orientations have been documented to be crucial for technology integration. We evaluated the effectiveness of the module by means of a quasi-experimental field study. Pre-service teachers (N = 208), enrolled in five subjects, attended regular semester courses on subject-matter pedagogies. In half of the courses, we randomly implemented subject-specific TPACK-modules (duration: three weeks), in which pre-service teachers were taught in using technology for subject-matter teaching, whereas the control condition attended the regular courses without the TPACK-module. We found that pre-service teachers in the courses with the TPACK-modules acquired more TPACK than those in the control courses without the TPACK-modules. Significant effects were also obtained for pre-service teachers' technology-related self-efficacy and their perceived support for technology integration. The effectiveness of the TPACK-modules could be explained by the obtained support for technology integration. The findings highlight the central need of adequate support for pre-service teachers’ development of technology-related professional knowledge and motivation in teacher education programs.
•We developed a subject-specific intervention to foster pre-service teachers' TPACK.•The intervention was based on evidence-based practices of teacher education.•Effects were tested in a cluster randomized study in 5 subjects across three weeks.•TPACK was measured by test-based instruments.•Effects were obtained for TPACK, self-efficacy, and subjective support.
Gerade in Formationsphasen neuer wissenschaftlicher Disziplinen und Forschungsgebiete sind die Austauschbeziehungen zwischen dem Schönen und dem Wahren, zwischen der Literatur und der Wissenschaft ...besonders intensiv. Zum einen spielen literarische und rhetorische Verfahren in der Produktion des einschlägigen Wissens eine konstitutive Rolle. Zum anderen beziehen ästhetische Debatten, poetologische Bestimmungen und einzelne literarische Texte wesentliche Impulse aus den emergierenden Wissenschaften. Der vorliegende Band geht diesen Wechselwirkungen am Beispiel des Wissens vom Leben nach, wie es sich im langen 19. Jahrhundert entwickelt hat. Damals konstituierte sich das Leben allererst als epistemisches Objekt, und es wurde in der Literatur und Ästhetik nicht weniger thematisiert, bearbeitet und reflektiert als in der Wissenschaft, insbesondere in der aufkommenden Biologie. Die hier versammelten Beiträge analysieren jenes weitverzweigte und spannungsvolle Feld des Lebenswissens unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Dynamisierungstendenzen, die die moderne Vorstellung dessen, was Leben eigentlich sei, maßgeblich prägen.
Ac-Pro-Cys-Lys-Ala-Arg-Ile-DPhe-Pro-Tyr-Gly-Gly-Cys-Arg-NH(,2),(' ) a 13-peptide, has been synthesized and tested for inhibitory activity and stability against trypsin. This peptide contains the ...sequence -DPHe-Pro- which is known to impose a tight (beta)-turn in Gramacidin S. If a similar turn is formed in the 13-peptide, it will be sequentially and conformationally very similar to the portion of the basic pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI) which binds to trypsin. Ac-Pro-Cys(Acm)-Lys(Z)-Ala-Arg(Tos)-Ile-DPhe-Pro-Tyr(Cl(,2)Bzl)-Gly-Gly-Cys(Acm)-Arg(Tos)-Res was prepared by the Merrifield method. The peptide was removed from the resin as a methyl ester, converted to the amide, and partially deprotected with HF. The Acm-groups were removed and the disulfide bond formed by treatment with I(,2) in AcOH. Purification was by Sephadex G-25 chromatography in 10% AcOH. In trypsin assays with tosyl arginine methyl ester as substrate, a K(,i) of 2 x 10('-6) M was obtained after a 10 min incubation of inhibitor and enzyme. Using benzoyl arginine p-nitroanilide as substrate, a K(,i) of 1.8 x 10('-6) M was obtained from a Lineweaver-Burk plot. A half-life of inhibition of 15 min was measured. The partially deprotected peptide (with Acm-groups intact) had a K(,i) of 2.6 x 10('-5) M and a half-life of 11 min.
Marfan Syndrome and Quality of Life in the GenTAC Registry Goldfinger, Judith Z., MD; Preiss, Liliana R., MS; Devereux, Richard B., MD ...
Journal of the American College of Cardiology,
06/2017, Volume:
69, Issue:
23
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Abstract Background Previous small studies suggested reduced quality of life (QOL) for people with Marfan syndrome (MFS) compared with those without MFS. The national registry of GenTAC (Genetically ...Triggered Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms and Cardiovascular Conditions) is a longitudinal observational cohort study of patients with conditions that predispose to thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissections, including MFS. At the time of registry enrollment, GenTAC study participants are asked to complete questionnaires about demographics, medical history, health habits, and QOL. Objectives This study assessed QOL in GenTAC participants with MFS and identify associated factors using self-reported data. Methods QOL was assessed using the 4 subscales of the Physical Component Summary (PCS) of the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36): physical functioning; role limitations due to physical health; bodily pain; and general health. We studied the association of QOL with self-reported demographics, health behaviors, physical impairments, surgeries, comorbid medical conditions, medications, and MFS severity. Results In the GenTAC registry, 389 adults with MFS completed the SF-36. Mean age was 41 years, 51% were men, 92% were white, and 65% were college graduates. The mean PCS composite score was 42.3. In bivariate analysis, predictors of better QOL included college education, marital status, higher household income, private health insurance, full-time employment, moderate alcohol use, fewer prior surgeries, fewer comorbid conditions, absence of depression, and less severe MFS manifestations. In a multivariable analysis, insurance status and employment remained significant predictors of QOL. Conclusions In a large cohort of patients with MFS in the GenTAC registry, health-related QOL was below the population norm. Better QOL was independently associated with socioeconomic factors, not factors related to general health or MFS severity.
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic disorder predominantly affecting people of African descent and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. To improve SCD outcomes, the National ...Heart Lung and Blood Institute funded eight centers to participate in the SCD Implementation Consortium. Sites were required to each recruit 300 individuals with SCD, over 20 months. We aim to describe recruitment strategies and challenges encountered. Participants aged 15–45 years with confirmed diagnosis of SCD were eligible. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the effectiveness of each recruitment strategy. A total of 2432 participants were recruited. Majority (95.3%) were African American. Successful strategies were recruitment from clinics (68.1%) and affiliated sites (15.6%). Recruitment at community events, emergency departments and pain centers had the lowest yield. Challenges included saturation of strategies and time constraints. Effective recruitment of participants in multi-site studies requires multiple strategies to achieve adequate sample sizes.
Correspondence to D Wonderling David.Wonderling@nice.org.uk What you need to know Offer 80 mg atorvastatin (unless contraindicated or previously not tolerated) as soon as possible to people with ...atherothrombotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) 2.0 mmol LDL-C (or 2.6 mmol/L non-HDL) is the most cost effective target for patients with established atherothrombotic CVD Consider ezetimibe for patients with atherothrombotic CVD, even if their cholesterol level is below the target While mortality from acute cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been falling in most developed countries, more people are now living with established CVD, including coronary heart disease, peripheral arterial disease, and stroke or transient ischaemic attack. Targets between 1.4 mmol/L and 1.8 mmol/L have been advocated by specialist societies and expert consensus, based on data from randomised controlled trials (RCTs).56 Achievement of these targets has been poor, and as of September 2023, in England, only about one third of people with CVD who had a cholesterol test in the last 12 months had either LDL-C below 1.8 mmol/L or non-HDL-C below 2.5 mmol/L.7 This article summarises the most recent recommendations from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), first published in 2014, and updated in December 2023, incorporating for the first time LDL-C targets for people with CVD.8 This guideline is the first to incorporate economic modelling and cost effectiveness in the calculation of cholesterol targets, which could mean that it is more easily implemented. Randomised controlled trials have shown consistently that reduction of LDL-C by prescribing statins reduces the risk of major cardiovascular events and cardiovascular mortality by approximately one fifth for each 1 mmol/L reduction in LDL-C.2 For people with established CVD, cost utility analysis in an NHS setting showed that high intensity statins are highly cost effective when compared with no treatment or any other statin regimen.9 Offer atorvastatin 80 mg to people with CVD, whatever their cholesterol level. To inform this new recommendation, a cost utility analysis was developed using estimates of the impact of lipid lowering treatments on LDL-C (from an original network meta-analysis of RCTs),10 combined with estimates of the impact of LDL-C reduction on major cardiovascular events (from a published meta-analysis of statin RCTs).2 The economic model measured the impact of lipid lowering treatments across a range of baseline LDL-C levels (0.3 to 4.0 mmol/L), on reduced admissions to hospital (stroke, myocardial infarction, and cardiovascular procedures), increases in life expectancy, and improvements in quality of life.
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Thermosensitive liposomes (TSLs) whose phase-transition temperature (Tm) lies slightly above body temperature are ideal candidates for controlled drug release via local hyperthermia. ...Recent studies, however, have revealed disruptive shifts in the release temperature Tr in mouse plasma, which are attributed to undefined interactions with blood proteins. Here, we study the effects of four major plasma proteins – serum albumin (SA), transferrin (Tf), apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1) and fibrinogen (Fib) – on the temperature-dependent release of fluorescein di-β-D-galactopyranoside (FDG) from TSLs. The amount of fluorescein released was quantified by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) after hydrolysis of FDG with β-galactosidase (β-Gal). This approach is more sensitive and thus superior to previous release assays, as it is impervious to the confounding effects of Triton on conventional fluorescence measurements. The assay determines the molar release ratio, i.e. the number of molecules released per liposome. We show that shifts in the Tr of release do not reflect protein affinities for the liposomes derived from adsorption isotherms. We confirm a remarkable shift in induced release towards lower temperatures in the presence of mouse plasma. In contrast, exposure to rat or human plasma, or fetal bovine serum (FBS), has no effect on the release profile.
We present measurements and simulations of semiconductor-superconductor heterostructure devices that are consistent with the observation of topological superconductivity and Majorana zero modes. The ...devices are fabricated from high-mobility two-dimensional electron gases in which quasi-one-dimensional wires are defined by electrostatic gates. These devices enable measurements of local and non-local transport properties and have been optimized via extensive simulations to ensure robustness against non-uniformity and disorder. Our main result is that several devices, fabricated according to the design's engineering specifications, have passed the topological gap protocol defined in Pikulin et al. arXiv:2103.12217. This protocol is a stringent test composed of a sequence of three-terminal local and non-local transport measurements performed while varying the magnetic field, semiconductor electron density, and junction transparencies. Passing the protocol indicates a high probability of detection of a topological phase hosting Majorana zero modes as determined by large-scale disorder simulations. Our experimental results are consistent with a quantum phase transition into a topological superconducting phase that extends over several hundred millitesla in magnetic field and several millivolts in gate voltage, corresponding to approximately one hundred micro-electron-volts in Zeeman energy and chemical potential in the semiconducting wire. These regions feature a closing and re-opening of the bulk gap, with simultaneous zero-bias conductance peaks at both ends of the devices that withstand changes in the junction transparencies. The extracted maximum topological gaps in our devices are 20-60 \(\mu\)eV. This demonstration is a prerequisite for experiments involving fusion and braiding of Majorana zero modes.
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