Line Figures Research Articles

The liquid-liquid phase separation signature predicts the prognosis and immunotherapy response in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common and fatal malignancy characterized by poor patient prognosis and treatment outcome. The process of liquid-liquid phase separation in tumour cells alters the dysfunction of biomolecular condensation in tumour cells, which affects tumour progression and treatment. We downloaded the data of HCC samples from TCGA database and GEO database, and used a machine learning method to build a new liquid-liquid phase separation index (LLPSI) by liquid-liquid phase separation related genes. The LLPSI-related column line Figure was constructed to provide a quantitative tool for clinical practice. HCC patients were divided into high and low LLPSI groups based on LLPSI, and clinical features, tumour immune microenvironment, chemotherapeutic response, and immunotherapeutic response were systematically analysed. LLPSI, which consists of five liquid-liquid phase separation-associated genes (MAPT, WDR62, PLK1, CDCA8 and TOP2A), is a reliable predictor of survival in patients with HCC and has been validated in multiple external datasets. We found that the high LLPSI group showed higher levels of immune cell infiltration and better response to immunotherapy compared to the low LLPSI group, and LLPSI can also be used for prognostic prediction in various cancers other than HCC. Invitro experiments verified that knockdown of MAPT could inhibit the proliferation and migration of HCC. The LLPSI identified in this study can accurately assess the prognosis of patients with HCC and identify patient populations that will benefit from immunotherapy, providing valuable insights into the clinical management of HCC.

Visual analysis of the current research status and hotspots of electric burns at home and abroad

Objective: To analyze the literature on electric burns published at home and abroad, and to explore the research hotspots and frontiers of electric burns. Methods: The bibliometric method was used. The Chinese and English literature related to electric burns published in China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang database, VIP database and the core collection of Web of Science database from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2022 were searched respectively, and the CiteSpace 6.2.R2 software was used for analysis. The number of papers, authors, countries, and institutions of Chinese and English literature were counted respectively, and the co-occurrence analysis of keywords and mutation analysis and cluster analysis on the basis of the co-occurrence analysis were conducted, besides, the clustering time line figure was obtained after the keywords were sorted by time to explore the current research status and the evolution process of hotspots in the field of electric burns. Results: A total of 398 English papers were retrieved from the core collection of Web of Science database, and a total of 523 Chinese papers were retrieved from China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang database, and VIP database after duplicate check. From 2013 to 2022, the number of English literature published in the field of electric burns showed a steadily upward trend, and the number of published Chinese literature showed a downward trend and tended to be stable. In Chinese literature, a total of 302 authors as the first author published papers related to electric burns, with 17 core authors published ≥3 papers; in English literature, a total of 320 authors as the first author published papers related to electric burns. Researches on electric burns were carried out in 65 countries, with United States having the most cooperation with other countries and the largest number of papers published. A total of 512 institutions at home and abroad published papers related to electric burns, and the institutions with the largest number of Chinese and English papers were Shanghai Electric Power Hospital in China (n=14) and Hallym University in Korea (n=11), respectively. A total of 1 176 Chinese keywords and 1 068 English keywords were included for co-occurrence analysis after excluding keywords related to the searching words. The top three keywords in frequency in Chinese literature were surgical flap, wound repair, and nursing, and the top three keywords in frequency in English literature were management, epidemiology, and children. Ten clusters were obtained by keyword analysis in Chinese literature, and the largest cluster was wound healing, followed by clinical effects and surgical flaps. Seven clusters were obtained by keyword analysis in English literature, and the largest cluster was reconstructive surgical procedures, followed by chronic pain and shock. The persistent clusters in Chinese literature were wound healing and clinical outcomes, etc., and the prominent nodes in the recent two years were surgical timing, limb electric burns, and hypertrophic scars; the persistent clusters in English literature were reconstructive surgical procedures and chronic pain, etc., and the prominent nodes in the recent two years were predictors and burn management, etc. In Chinese literature, the keyword with the longest duration of mutation (2017-2021) was wrist electric burns, and the keyword with the highest intensity of mutation was flap repair; in English literature, the keyword with the longest duration of the mutation (2019-2022) was voltage, and the keyword with the highest intensity of mutation was prevention. Conclusions: There are similarities and differences in the research directions and hotspots of electric burns at home and abroad. Surgical flap repair is a common research hotspot at home and abroad. At present, domestic research focuses on wound healing, wrist electric burns, and other aspects, while international research focuses on treatment management, epidemiology, reconstruction, and other aspects.

Sorghum Contribution to Increased Income and Welfare of Dryland Farmer Households in Wonogiri, Indonesia

Sorghum is uniquely adapted to dryland and used by the Indonesian government to optimize the utilization of dryland and increase farmers’ incomes. The objective of this study was to analyze the contribution of sorghum to increasing income and the level of welfare of dryland farmer households in Wonogiri, Central Java, Indonesia. The study was conducted from October to December 2022 using a survey method through direct interviews with purposively selected sorghum-growing farmers. A set of questions included household income and expenditure. The average total income and expenditure indicators, poverty line figures, RMW, and ERFHI were used to measure the welfare level of farmer households. The study found that the income derived from sorghum contributes 22.87% to total household income and tends to increase household income by 29.65%. According to the average total income earned, farming households were in a prosperous condition. This can be seen from the total income, which is higher than the total expenditure, the average per capita income higher than the poverty line, the average total income higher than RMW, and the value of ERFHI at 1.25. Income derived from sorghum has increased by 21.43–56.00% from less prosperous households to prosperous ones. The results of this study are expected to contribute to the existing literature on sorghum development and farmers’ income and to be a reference for policy makers in formulating poverty alleviation programs and improving the welfare of farmer households, as well as expanding sorghum development by optimizing the utilization of agroecological, economic and social resources.

The network signature of constellation line figures.

In traditional astronomies across the world, groups of stars in the night sky were linked into constellations-symbolic representations rich in meaning and with practical roles. In some sky cultures, constellations are represented as line (or connect-the-dot) figures, which are spatial networks drawn over the fixed background of stars. We analyse 1802 line figures from 56 sky cultures spanning all continents, in terms of their network, spatial, and brightness features, and ask what associations exist between these visual features and culture type or sky region. First, an embedded map of constellations is learnt, to show clusters of line figures. We then form the network of constellations (as linked by their similarity), to study how similar cultures are by computing their assortativity (or homophily) over the network. Finally, we measure the diversity (or entropy) index for the set of constellations drawn per sky region. Our results show distinct types of line figures, and that many folk astronomies with oral traditions have widespread similarities in constellation design, which do not align with cultural ancestry. In a minority of sky regions, certain line designs appear universal, but this is not the norm: in the majority of sky regions, the line geometries are diverse.

Gorenstein points in {mathbb {P}}^{3} via Hadamard products of projective varieties

We show how to construct a stick figure of lines in {mathbb {P}}^3 using the Hadamard product of projective varieties. Then, applying the results of Migliore and Nagel, we use such a stick figure to build a Gorenstein set of points with given h-vector {varvec{h}}. Since the Hadamard product is a coordinate-wise product, we show, at the end, how the coordinates of the points, in the Gorenstein set, can be directly determined.

Negative Mood States Are Related to the Characteristics of Facial Expression Drawing: A Cross-Sectional Study.

An assessment of mood or emotion is important in developing mental health measures, and facial expressions are strongly related to mood or emotion. This study thus aimed to examine the relationship between levels of negative mood and characteristics of mouth parts when moods are drawn as facial expressions on a common platform. A cross-sectional study of Japanese college freshmen was conducted, and 1,068 valid responses were analyzed. The questionnaire survey consisted of participants’ characteristics, the Profile of Mood States (POMS), and a sheet of facial expression drawing (FACED), and the sheet was digitized and analyzed using an image-analysis software. Based on the total POMS score as an index of negative mood, the participants were divided into four groups: low (L), normal (N), high (H), and very high (VH). Lengths of drawn lines and between both mouth corners were significantly longer, and circularity and roundness were significantly higher in the L group. With increasing levels of negative mood, significant decreasing trends were observed in these lengths. Convex downward and enclosed figures were significantly predominant in the L group, while convex upward figures were significantly predominant and a tendency toward predominance of no drawn mouths or line figures was found in the H and VH groups. Our results suggest that mood states can be significantly related to the size and figure characteristics of drawn mouths of FACED on a non-verbal common platform. That is, these findings mean that subjects with low negative mood may draw a greater and rounder mouth and figures that may be enclosed and downward convex, while subjects with a high negative mood may not draw the line, or if any, may draw the line shorter and upward convex.

Efficacy and safety of chronomodulated irinotecan, oxaliplatin, 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin combination as first- or second-line treatment against metastatic colorectal cancer: Results from the International EORTC 05011 Trial.

The triplet combination of irinotecan, oxaliplatin and fluorouracil is an active frontline regimen in metastatic colorectal cancer, but scarce data exist on its use as salvage treatment. We aimed at assessing its safety and efficacy profiles with its circadian‐based administration (chronoIFLO5) as either first‐ or second‐line treatment, within the time‐finding EORTC 05011 trial. Five‐day chronoIFLO5 was administered every 3 weeks in patients with PS 0, 1 or 2. It consisted of chronomodulated irinotecan (180 mg/sqm), oxaliplatin (80 mg/sqm) and fluorouracil‐leucovorin (2800 and 1200 mg/sqm, respectively). For our study, toxicity and antitumour activity were evaluated separately in first‐ and second‐line settings. Primary endpoints included Grade 3‐4 toxicity rates, best objective response rate (ORR), progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). One‐hundred forty‐nine and 44 patients were treated in first‐line and second‐line settings, respectively, with a total of 1138 cycles with median relative dose intensities of about 90%. Demographics were comparable in the two groups. Thirty‐six (24.7%) and 10 (22.2%) patients experienced at least one episode of severe toxicity in first line and second line, respectively. Frontline chronoIFLO5 yielded an ORR of 62.3% [95% CI: 54.2‐70.4] and resulted in median PFS and OS of 8.7 months [7.5‐9.9] and 19.9 months [15.4‐24.5]. Corresponding figures in second line were 37.5% [22.5‐52.5], 6.7 months [4.8‐8.9] and 16.3 months [11.8‐20.8]. International and prospective evaluation revealed the favourable safety and efficacy profiles of chronoIFLO5, both as frontline and as salvage treatment against metastatic colorectal cancer. In particular, encouraging activity in second line was observed, with limited haematological toxicity.

Biological action identification does not require early visual input for development

Visual input during the first years of life is vital for the development of numerous visual functions. While normal development of global motion perception seems to require visual input during an early sensitive period, the detection of biological motion (BM) does not seem to do so. A more complex form of BM processing is the identification of human actions. Here we tested whether identification rather than detection of BM is experience dependent. A group of human participants who had been treated for congenital cataracts (of up to 18 year duration, CC group) had to identify ten actions performed by human line figures. In addition they performed a coherent motion (CM) detection task, which required identifying the direction of coherent motion amidst the movement of random dots. As controls, developmental cataract reversal individuals (DC group) who had undergone the same surgical treatment as CC group were included. Moreover, normally sighted controls were tested both with vision blurred to match the visual acuity of CC individuals (vision matched (VM) group) and with full sight (sighted control (SC) group). The CC group identified biological actions with an extraordinary high accuracy (on average ∼85% correct) and was indistinguishable from the vision matched control group. By contrast, CM processing impairments of the CC group persisted even after controlling for visual acuity. These results in the same individuals demonstrate an impressive resilience of biological motion processing to aberrant early visual experience and at the same time a sensitive period for the development of coherent motion processing. Significance statement Biological motion is a crucial aspect of human vision, which has been shown to emerge early in human ontogeny. Here we report an astonishing high accuracy in identifying human actions in a unique group of individuals who had regained vision later in life (until the age of 18 years) after being treated for congenital cataracts. By contrast the same individuals were markedly impaired in another non-biological motion tasks requiring the detection of motion coherence in dot kinematograms, even after visual acuity impairments were taken into account. Thus, the present study demonstrates a remarkable resilience of complex biological motion processing capabilities such as the identification of human actions to aberrant early visual experience.

Biological Action Identification Does Not Require Early Visual Input for Development.

Visual input during the first years of life is vital for the development of numerous visual functions. While normal development of global motion perception seems to require visual input during an early sensitive period, the detection of biological motion (BM) does not seem to do so. A more complex form of BM processing is the identification of human actions. Here, we tested whether identification rather than detection of BM is experience dependent. A group of human participants who had been treated for congenital cataracts (CC; of up to 18 years in duration, CC group) had to identify ten actions performed by human line figures. In addition, they performed a coherent motion (CM) detection task, which required identifying the direction of CM amid the movement of random dots. As controls, developmental cataract (DC) reversal individuals (DC group) who had undergone the same surgical treatment as CC group were included. Moreover, normally sighted controls were tested both with vision blurred to match the visual acuity (VA) of CC individuals [vision matched (VM) group] and with full sight [sighted control (SC) group]. The CC group identified biological actions with an extraordinary high accuracy (on average ∼85% correct) and was indistinguishable from the VM control group. By contrast, CM processing impairments of the CC group persisted even after controlling for VA. These results in the same individuals demonstrate an impressive resilience of BM processing to aberrant early visual experience and at the same time a sensitive period for the development of CM processing.

Assessment of Efforts at Expanding Financial Inclusion in Nigeria

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), in October 2012, crafted a National Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS) for achieving 80% overall financial inclusion by year 2020 from the base line figure of 46.3% in 2010. The CBN refreshed/revised the 2012 NFIS in 2018 to address changes in the regulatory and financial technology landscape with a view to accelerate achievement of the strategic objective of 80 per cent financial inclusion by the year 2020. This paper reviews relevant literature to assess efforts at expanding financial inclusion through the strategy encapsulated in NFIS (2018). Data was gathered from published sources (Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access in Nigeria Survey reports, World Bank Global Findex reports, the Central Bank of Nigeria; Interswitch & Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System annual reports) as well as supply-side data derived from statutory returns submitted by financial service providers to their respective regulatory agencies. Evidence from the study show that 2018 financial inclusion targets (products, channels, enablers, financial literacy & other initiatives for youth and gender inclusion) fell short of expectations, indicating that the 2020 targets are unlikely to be met. This study recommends that the identified critical challenges militating against financial inclusion expansion should be addressed. In particular, financial education among all stakeholders in the financial inclusion process should be instituted more purposively.

P4349Simple and rapid estimation of left ventricular longitudinal deformation by tissue-tracking mitral annular displacement in single apical view

Abstract Background Noninvasive assessment of left ventricular (LV) deformation using global longitudinal strain (GLS) has prognostic value in patients with and without preserved ejection fraction (EF). Application of speckle-tracking technology to the mitral annulus provides rapid and easy assessment of displacement of septal and lateral mitral annulus and mid-point of mitral annular line in single apical view (TMAD) even in poor echo-image quality. TMAD may be used as a simple index of LV longitudinal deformation in patients with and without preserved EF (Figure). Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine whether TMAD can be used as a simple index of LV longitudinal deformation in patients with and without preserved EF. Methods The study population consists of 95 patients without segmental wall motion abnormality, significant valvular diseases, and atrial fibrillation in whom both TMAD and GLS measurements were applied by QLAB software (Philips). We estimated GLS from apical 4- and 2-chamber views and apical longitudinal views, and TMAD from apical 4-chamber view. TMAD was automatically and quickly evaluated as the base-to-apex displacement of septal (TMADsep), lateral (TMADlat), and mid-point of annular line (TMADmid) (Figure). The percentage of M-TMAD to LV length from the mid-point of mitral annuls to the apex at end-diastole (%TMADmid) was also calculated. We compared each TMAD values with GLS values by linear regression analysis, and evluated TMAD values by a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis to detect impaired LV longitudinal deformation (|GLS|<12.0%). Results TMAD was successfully assessed in 94 of 95 patients (99%) while GLS was measured in 84 of 95 patients (87%, p=0.0082 vs TMAD). There were good correlations between each TMAD index and |GLS| (TMADsep:r=0.77, TMADlat:r=0.81, TMADmid:r=0.82, %TMADmid:r=0.87). According to ROC curve, the best cut-off values for TMADsep, TMADlat, TMADmid, and %TMADmid in determining LV longitudinal deformation were 6.8mm, 8.0mm, 7.8mm, and 9.5% respectively (Table). Conclusions The present results suggest that rapid and easy assessment of TMAD in single apical view may be used as a simple index of LV longitudinal deformation.

Cell Intrinsic and Extrinsic Mechanisms of Caveolin-1-Enhanced Metastasis.

Caveolin-1 (CAV1) is a scaffolding protein with a controversial role in cancer. This review will initially discuss earlier studies focused on the role as a tumor suppressor before elaborating subsequently on those relating to function of the protein as a promoter of metastasis. Different mechanisms are summarized illustrating how CAV1 promotes such traits upon expression in cancer cells (intrinsic mechanisms). More recently, it has become apparent that CAV1 is also a secreted protein that can be included into exosomes where it plays a significant role in determining cargo composition. Thus, we will also discuss how CAV1 containing exosomes from metastatic cells promote malignant traits in more benign recipient cells (extrinsic mechanisms). This ability appears, at least in part, attributable to the transfer of specific cargos present due to CAV1 rather than the transfer of CAV1 itself. The evolution of how our perception of CAV1 function has changed since its discovery is summarized graphically in a time line figure.

Noise, Economy, and the Emergence of Information Structure in a Laboratory Language.

The acceptability of sentences in natural language is constrained not only grammaticality, but also by the relationship between what is being conveyed and such factors as context and the beliefs of interlocutors. In many languages the critical element in a sentence (its focus) must be given grammatical prominence. There are different accounts of the nature of focus marking. Some researchers treat it as the grammatical realization of a potentially arbitrary feature of universal grammar and do not provide an explicit account of its origins; others have argued, however, that focus marking is a (grammaticalized) functional solution to the problem of efficiently transmitting information via a noisy channel. By adding redundancy to highlight critical elements in particular, focus protects key parts of the message from noise. If this information-theoretic account is true, then we should expect focus-like behavior to emerge even in non-linguistic communication systems given sufficient noise and pressures for efficiency. We tested this in an experiment in which participants played a simple communication game in which they had to click cells on a grid to communicate one of two line figures drawn across the grid. We manipulated the noise, available time, and required effort, and measured patterns of redundancy. Because the lines in many cases overlapped, meaning that only some parts of each line could be used to distinguish it from the other, we were able to compare the extent to which effort was expended on adding redundancy to critical (non-overlapping) and non-critical (overlapping) parts of the message. The results supported the information-theoretic account of focus and shed light on the emergence of information structure in language.

The nature of shape constancy mechanisms as revealed by shape priming.

Five shape priming experiments are reported in which the target was either a five- or six-sided line-drawn figure and participants made a speeded two-alternative forced-choice judgment about the target's number of sides. On priming trials, the target was preceded by a briefly presented smaller line figure (the prime) and performance on these trials was gauged relative to a no-prime condition. In the first two experiments, primes were rendered invisible by the presentation of a backwards visual noise mask, respectively for a short (∼40 ms) or long duration (∼93 ms). No reliable priming effects arose under masked conditions. When these experiments were repeated without the mask, participants were speeded when the prime and target were related by a rigid through-the-plane rotation but not when the prime was a nonrigid, stretched version of the target. The same pattern of priming effects arose when, in a final experiment, novel irregular shapes were used. Collectively, the data reveal the operation of shape constancy mechanisms that are particularly sensitive to shape rigidity. The findings suggest that the visual system attempts to secure a correspondence between the rapid and successive presentations of the prime and the target by matching shapes according to a rigidity constraint.

Employee fraud and misconduct: empirical evidence from a telecommunication company

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine whether policies and procedures, one of the fundamental elements in the internal control environment, are adequate and effective in preventing fraud and unethical practices committed by employees of a company. In addition, this study attempts to assess the awareness and understanding of employees on the existence of relevant company policies and standard operating procedures for internal fraud and misconduct deterrence. Design/methodology/approach Five cases from one Malaysian telecommunication company were randomly selected as a case study. Content analyses were conducted on actual cases of internal fraud and wrongdoings that were investigated and the enforcement that was discharged by the company. Findings This study found that the company has sufficient policies and standard operating procedures to curb internal fraud and wrongdoing. However, they are ineffective and malfunction when responsible personnel violate or override the policies and procedures, irrespective of whether this is caused by carelessness, poor knowledge or clear intention to act dishonestly. Research limitations implications This study was conducted on only one company with a limited number of investigated fraud cases. Access to higher number of fraud cases, particularly those that involved large amount of losses and considered as high-profile cases, were denied because of confidentiality. Practical implications The study found that weak compliance to internal controls provides opportunities for fraud to occur, consistent with the fraud triangle theory. Fraud, committed both outside and inside an organization, can be considered as a worrying problem in the organization because of its severe impact on the reputation and bottom line figures of the company. The study provides important information to management to strengthen their compliance with the internal control system generally and policies and procedures particularly. Originality/value This study is original, as it focuses on the actual fraud cases that occur in the telecommunication industry, which is under-researched in fraud literature, particularly in developing markets such as Malaysia. Prior empirical research on fraud and unethical practices has concentrated on factors that contribute to fraud and the financial and non-financial impacts of fraud in an organization.

Estimation of the superhigh-frequency magnetic permeability of alsifer from the measured permeability of composites

The magnetic permeability of alsifer was restored from the frequency dependences of the dielectric and magnetic permeabilities of powder alsifer (AlSiFe alloy)–wax matrix composites. The permeabilities were measured using the coaxial line technique within a frequency range of 0.05–20 GHz. The effect of the concentration, shape, and size of powder particles on the microwave magnetic properties of composites was considered. A good agreement between the measurement results and the Maxwell–Garnett formula generalized with consideration for the particle shape, the percolation threshold, and the skin-effect was obtained. The found sizes of particles agreed with electron microscopy and granulometry data. Both the frequency and the ferromagnetic resonance line figure of merit (FOM) for lamellar particles proved to be higher than for spherical ones. Alsifer powders were shown to be promising fillers for radioabsorbing materials.

Relationship between neuropsychological tests and driver's license renewal tests in Parkinson's disease

ABSTRACTObjective: To determine whether the standard Spanish driving test (ASDE test) was able to identify patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) at risk of unsafe driving and to examine the relationship between the ASDE test and the Useful Field of View (UFOV) as well as with a battery of neuropsychological tests in drivers with PD.Methods: Thirty-seven patients with PD and 33 controls matched by age and education level were included in an observational study. All participants were active drivers and patients with PD underwent study procedures after taking the medication in the “on” period. Subjects with a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score ≤ 24 were excluded. Neuropsychological tests (Repeatable Battery for Neuropsychological Status [RBANS], Trail Making Test [TMT-A and -B], and Block Design test), driving performance tests (ASDE Driver Test and UFOV), and daytime sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale) were assessed.Results: The PD group performed significantly worse than healthy controls in the ASDE Motor Coordination tests. No significant differences were observed in anticipation speed, multiple reaction time, concentrated attention, and resistance to monotony. All participants successfully completed the UFOV tests. Statistically significant differences between patients with PD and controls were found in processing speed (UFOV1; P =.03) and more patients with PD were found in the categories of higher driving risk levels (P =.03). In addition, patients with PD showed worse scores than healthy controls in visuospatial capacities (Line Orientation), psychomotor speed (Coding and TMT-A), memory (List Recognition, Story Recall), and executive function (TMT-B). The driving tests (ASDE and UFOV) showed a low sensitivity and a high specificity but a higher percentage of patients in the PD group failed in multiple reaction time, concentrated attention, and resistance to monotony. In addition, 18.9% of patients with PD showed a cutoff of 4 for UFOV risk. In the discriminant analysis, Line Orientation (visuospatial/constructive domain) and Figure Recall (delayed memory) were found to be statistically significant with a rate of correct classification of unsafe drivers with PD of 78.2%. In addition, normal results on the Line Orientation item were associated with a 1.5 times higher probability of non-risky driving in the multivariate analysis.Conclusions: At early stages of the disease, about 19% of patients with PD showed difficulties that may affect their driving capabilities. Line Orientation and Figure Recall are useful to alert clinicians to the risk of unsafe driving. For this reason, patients with PD should be evaluated for driving abilities more regularly to determine the extent of deficits that may influence driving performance.

5学年「割合」単元における関係図や線分図をかいたり,よんだりする指導に関する研究

5学年「割合」単元における関係図や線分図をかいたり,よんだりする指導に関する研究

An Investigation of the Factor Structure of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking

Measuring creative abilities of individuals is an increasingly important area in education. The Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) are most commonly used test of divergent thinking to serve this purpose (Plucker & Renzulli, 1999, p. 39). Devised by Torrance and his colleagues (Torrance, 2008), the TTCT has more than 35 language translations available (Millar, 2002) and are enormously popular (Runco & Acar, 2012, p. 67). The TTCT has attracted the attention of many researchers investigating its psychometric features and focusing on the structure of creativity (e.g., Clapham, 1998; Heausler & Thompson, 1988; Hocevar, 1979; Kim, 2006a; Kim, Cramond, & Bandalos, 2006). However, the latent structure of creativity is still controversial. Although some researchers argue that creativity is uni-dimensional, some other researchers suggest that it has more than a single factor structure. This research served as an investigation of whether the two-factor structure established by Kim (2006a) and Kim et al. (2006) holds true for seemingly two new population groups: 8th and 11th graders.Being most widely used divergent tests (Clapham, 2004, p. 829), the major purpose of the TTCT was to individualize instruction (Torrance, 1966, 1974). However, it is mostly used to identify gifted children (Kim, 2006b), although it is also used for research and instructional planning (Kim, 2006b). The TTCT is originally in part on Structure of Intellect model (Krumm, Lemos, & Filippetti, 2014, p. 72). Four dimensions of the TTCT, namely, fluency, originality, elaboration, and flexibility, were adopted from divergent factors (Kim, 2006a). Although the TTCT is based on model, it also differs from test batteries as Guilford's test tasks attempt to elicit as factorially pure mental functioning as possible (Torrance, 2008, p.47). In addition, it differs from the test battery of Wallach and Kogan as Wallach and Kogan activities all attempt to elicit associations (Torrance, 2008, p. 47).The TTCT has six versions. After being published in 1966, it was re-normed in 1974, 1984, 1990, 1998, and 2008. The re-norming process affected the scoring procedures. However, the content of the TTCT did not go through any alteration (Kim, 2006a, 2006b, 2011). The earliest two versions of the TTCT assessed fluency, originality, elaboration, and flexibility.In the 1984 version of the TTCT, flexibility was excluded from the analyses; whereas, abstractness of titles and resistance to premature closure were included in the TTCT (Hebert, Cramond, Neumeister, Millar, & Silvian, 2002; Torrance & Ball, 1984). The reason why Torrance excluded flexibility from the analysis was that there was high correlation between fluency and flexibility (Hebert et al., 2002). A new measure termed creative strengths was included in the scoring in 1984 as well. This measure included thirteen criterion-referenced measures (indicators).The TTCT battery has two different forms: the TTCT Figurai and Verbal, each having two parallel forms (Torrance, 1974, 1990, 1998, 2008). With both measures, the instructions are designed to motivate the respondents to give unusual, detailed responses (Cramond, Matthews-Morgan, Bandalos, & Zuo, 2005, p. 284). The Figural TTCT has a wide range of application ranging from measuring creative skills among young children to identifying creative adults. It includes three picture-based activities: picture construction, picture completion, and repeated figures of lines or circles. This test lasts 30 minutes with each activity being allocated 10 minutes (Torrance, 1990, 1998, 2008).Conceptual FrameworkMany researchers have studied the structure of creativity using the TTCT (e.g., Clapham, 1998; Heausler & Thompson, 1988; Hocevar, 1979; Kim, 2006a; Kim et al., 2006; Krumm et al., 2014). …

Abstract 357: Role of Combinatorial Extracellular Matrix Proteins in Modulating Endothelial Differentiation of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived endothelial cells (iPSC-ECs) are promising for promoting angiogenesis in patients with cardiovascular disease, but a critical bottleneck is the ability to generate iPSC-ECs at high yields. Since endothelial cells physiologically interact with a milieu of basement membrane extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, we aimed to examine the role of combinatorial ECMs in modulating endothelial differentiation using engineered ECM microenvironments. ECMs consisting of (gelatin (G), fibronectin (F), laminin (L), heparan sulfate proteoglycan (H), collagen IV (C), matrigel (M)) and the multi-component combinations thereof were conjugated onto glass slides to generate ECM microarrays composed of 63 unique combinatorial ECMs. Human iPSCs were differentiated on the ECM microarray for 5 days, and differentiation was quantified based on the degree of CD31 staining. Heat map analysis of CD31expression was significantly higher on G+M+L, compared to other combinations across 2 iPSC lines (Figure). RT-PCR further confirmed the upregulation in endothelial markers CD31 (>2-fold) and VE-cadherin (> 4-fold) when differentiated on G+M+L, compared to other ECMs. To elucidate the underlying mechanism, upregulation of endothelial genes were associated with upregulation of integrins (α1, α4, α5, αV, β1, β3, and β4) during the differentiation process. This data suggests a role of ECM-mediated integrin expression in modulating endothelial differentiation. Together, this data suggested that combinatorial ECMs differentially promote endothelial differentiation, in part through integrin-mediated pathways.