Increased serum concentrations of Soluble CD40 Ligand as a prognostic marker in patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome

CD40-CD40L interaction plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease. The clinical predictive value of Soluble CD40 Ligand (sCD40L) was evaluated in patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) and Non-Cardiac Chest Pain (NCCP). The levels of serum soluble CD 40 ligand were measured by ELISA in 485 patients admitted to emergency care unit, of which 89 patients were diagnosed as NCCP. The levels of sCD40L were significantly increased in patients with ACS when compared to controls and NCCP. Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) Curve analysis showed sCD40L to be a good discriminator between patients with ischemic heart disease and patients without ischemic heart disease. The area under the curve was found to be 0.940 with 95% CI (0.915 to 0.960) (P<0.0001). The cut off value from the ROC curve was 2.99 ng/ml, above which sCD40L was considered to be positive. Combined assessment of sCD40L, Troponin I and CK-MB enhanced the risk prediction and early classification of patients. sCD40L seems to be a promising biomarker for identification and risk stratification for patients with acute coronary syndrome.     

Imperial Language Educators in these Times: Transnational Voices from Mexico on Nationalisms and Returnee Transnationals

We write from a public university in Mexico’s interior, as 2 language professors from countries with fraught, yet intertwined, sets of histories—Mexico and the United States. Having lived in 2 countries with dramatic increases in nationalist policies, we reflect on having lived abroad through the increases in nationalism in our lived experiences. We also explore our understandings of retornados, the transnational returnees to Mexico, and how these students impact us and our teaching in Mexico in an English teacher education program. We conclude with implications for educators, as well as tempered senses of hope in these fraught political times.     

Scaffolding in technology-enhanced learning environments

Scaffolding has proven an especially interesting and promising area for supporting teaching and learning practices. Particular interest has emerged in scaffolding student learning in technology-enhanced environments. In this paper, we discuss how scaffolding is implemented in technology-enhanced environments, provide an overview of scaffolding processes and techniques in various contexts, and then provide empirically based guidelines for designing scaffolding in technological environments. We examine current research to identify two primary design components, cognitive and interface, and suggest how scaffold design might be improved for more effective use by learners. We conclude by identifying practice and research implications.     

Examining First-Graders’ Developing Understanding of Place Value via Base-Ten Virtual Manipulatives

Early Childhood Education Journal - Place value is a challenging concept in children’s developing understanding of number. In this study we examine how first-grade children’s developing...     

Comparison Between Serum Insulin Levels and Its Resistance With Biochemical,Clinical and Anthropometric Parameters in South Indian Children and Adolescents

There is a rising trend in the prevalence of insulin resistance among obese, overweight children and adolescents. The serum insulin and its correlation with biochemical, clinical and anthropometric parameters were evaluated in 185 children and adolescents (59 control, 52 obese, 49 overweight, 25 congenital heart disease) of age group 10–17 years. The levels of serum insulin were measured by ELISA. Serum insulin levels were found to be significantly increased in children who were obese, overweight and had congenital heart disease, than controls. Serum insulin levels positively correlated with BMI, WHR, and serum C-peptide, serum leptin, total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol, systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Fasting glucose levels were found to be negatively correlated with serum insulin levels. HDL-cholesterol levels were non-significant among the study groups. We identified nine obese children (five girls and four boys) with the features of metabolic syndrome and 69% of obese and overweight children were identified with insulin resistance. Insulin resistance was strongly associated with metabolic syndrome and its components, especially with central obesity and hypertriglyceridemia.     

Three ways of knowing: Agricultural knowledge systems of small-scale farmers in Africa with reference to Kenya

Research carried out in 2011 in Kirinyaga district, Kenya, shows how sense-making theory and methodology can be used to assess the use of local agricultural and external knowledge by small-scale farmers and its effects on small-scale agriculture. Two knowledge systems, the local knowledge system and the external or scientific knowledge system, are considered dominant. The two systems can be synergistic and small-scale farmers have mixed them in their farming activities. Blending systems improve communication, livelihoods, and economies within local communities, and increases their participation in development. Data were collected in focus group discussions with farmers' groups and interviews with individual farmers. Results show that most farmers in Kirinyaga use external agricultural information in their farming practices. A significant number use combined external agricultural information and local knowledge, which forms a third knowledge system. This third system requires the validation of the farmers' innovations and documentation of the knowledge for wider dissemination. Information providers should adopt policies that promote the use of the three knowledge systems by small-scale farmers.     

Evaluating the Consistency of Angoff-Based Cut Scores Using Subsets of Items Within a Generalizability Theory Framework

The Angoff method requires experts to view every item on the test and make a probability judgment. This can be time consuming when there are large numbers of items on the test. In this study, a G-theory framework was used to determine if a subset of items can be used to make generalizable cut-score recommendations. Angoff ratings (i.e., probability judgments) from previously conducted standard setting studies were used first in a re-sampling study, followed by D-studies. For the re-sampling study, proportionally stratified subsets of items were extracted under various sampling and test-length conditions. The mean cut score, variance components, expected standard error (SE) around the mean cut score, and root-mean-squared deviation (RMSD) across 1,000 replications were estimated at each study condition. The SE and the RMSD decreased as the number of items increased, but this reduction tapered off after approximately 45 items. Subsequently, D-studies were performed on the same datasets. The expected SE was computed at various test lengths. Results from both studies are consistent with previous research indicating that between 40–50 items are sufficient to make generalizable cut score recommendations.     

The Quick and the Dirty: The Good,the Bad,and the Ugly of Database Overlap at the Journal Title Level

With the growing predominance of full-text databases, publisher’s searchable websites, Discovery systems, and Google, abstract and index (A&I) databases are becoming less prominent in the academic library’s collection. The A&I databases enable the serious researcher to more carefully refine their search, but given the users’ growing expectations of ease and “good enough,” this may be a need that is of less importance today. For this reason and given the decreasing budgets for collections, librarians are looking at these resources with a more skeptical eye. In addition to traditional evaluation measures, such as costs, usage, and faculty input, we looked at the overlap of indexing coverage. Those who have conducted such overlap studies have approached them at either the journal or article level. Article-level overlap studies demonstrate coverage of selected articles in the databases under study. Conversely, journal-level studies examine the extent of indexing of journals among the selected databases. Both methods are time-consuming and require extensive resources. A simplification of the journal-level method is to compare lists of journals indexed.     

Sustained Dialogue: How students are changing their own racial climate

Sustained Dialogue, used in the past to ease international tensions, is finding its way into colleges and universities that wish to change unhealthy race‐based attitudes and behaviors. The campus approach brings small groups of students from widely different backgrounds together for a year of deep conversation.