INFLUENCE OF CLASS SIZE ON STUDENTS’ AND TEACHERS’ MOTIVATION DURING INSTRUCTION

This descriptive research investigated influence of class size on the students’ and teachers’ motivation during the instruction. The study objectives focused the effects of class size on the students’ initiation in completing instructional tasks, stimulating them in expressing the ideas freely and in provision of positive feedback to them during the instruction. Three null hypotheses were formulated to observe the significance differences between observed and expected proportion about target objectives. For this purpose, the data were collected from 4th grade students and teachers of 51 government primary schools through observation sheets and questionnaire respectively. Collected data were analysed through mean and chi-square. The major findings indicated that small class size assisted teachers as well as students to exhibit higher level of the motivation and interest during instruction. However, no significant differences noted between the observed and expected proportion about level of initiation, completion of task, rate of stimulation and provision of feedback among students belonging to different level of class size.

Genetic diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis using 24-locus MIRU-VNTR typing and Spoligotyping in Upper Myanmar

Introduction: MIRU-VNTR typing and Spoligotyping are the useful molecular tools for TB epidemiology study. Information regarding genetic diversity and tuberculosis (TB) transmission in Upper Myanmar only is scares. Methodology: We determined the genetic diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and TB transmission from Upper Myanmar TB Reference Laboratory, Mandalay Region, including Mandalay (72), Shan (22), Magway (15), Sagaing (13), Nay Pyi Taw (8), Kachin (7), Chin (2) and Kayah (1). One hundred and forty Mtb isolates were genotyped using 24-locus MIRU-VNTR typing and spoligotyping. Lineage classification and TB transmission analysis were performed. Results: 24-locus MIRU-VNTR typing identified 135 unique profiles and two clusters compared to 35 spoligotyping profiles which contained 12 clusters and 23 unique isolates, Beijing (n=100, 71.4%) was found to be prominent lineage by combine two methods. The expected proportion attributable to recent transmission based on clustering rate was 2.1%. One cluster case was more likely to be in MDR patient. Conclusions: Our findings showed Beijing genotypes were dominant in Upper Myanmar. The usage and analysis of 24-locus MIRU-VNTR typing might prove useful for our broader understanding of TB outbreaks and epidemiology than spoligotyping. The genotypic pattern of this combined method suggests that the lower transmission rate may be due to a higher possibility of reactivation cases in Upper Myanmar.

Anomalies and False Rejections

We use information from over 2 million trading strategies randomly generated using real data and from strategies that survive the publication process to infer the statistical properties of the set of strategies that could have been studied by researchers. Using this set, we compute $t$-statistic thresholds that control for multiple hypothesis testing, when searching for anomalies, at 3.8 and 3.4 for time-series and cross-sectional regressions, respectively. We estimate the expected proportion of false rejections that researchers would produce if they failed to account for multiple hypothesis testing to be about 45%.

Genetic Structure and Interpopulation Differentiation of Eight Pinus sylvestris L. Populations in the Eastern European Plain

A study of the genetic structure and differentiation of eight populations of Pinus sylvestris L. on the Russian Plain showed that the populations of PsI and PsII (D=0.066) are located at the smallest genetic distance, and between the populations of PsI and PsIV (D=0.308) at the greatest genetic distance. On the dendrogram, the studied populations formed four clusters: PsI and PsII; PsIII and PsIV; PsV and PsVI; PsVII and PsVIII. Analysis of the genetic structure of eight populations of P. sylvestris showed that the expected proportion of heterozygous genotypes (HT) for the total sample was 0.320, the expected proportion of heterozygous genotypes in a single population for all loci (HS) was 0.170, therefore, the population subdivision (GST) was high and amounted to 0.468. The studied populations are highly differentiated, since the interpopulation component accounts for 46.8% of the genetic diversity. In all studied populations, the indicator h has values less than 0.3. An analysis of the fraction of rare alleles showed that the genetic structure is less balanced in the populations PsIII (h=0.254) and PsIV (h=0.273). The most balanced genetic structure in the populations of PsVII (h=0.112) and PsVIII (h=0.127). Data on the genetic structure and differentiation of the common pine populations should be taken into account when developing recommendations for preserving their gene pools.

Thyroid scintigraphy differentiates subtypes of congenital hypothyroidism

IntroductionUK screening for congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is based on dried blood spot Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH). Scintigraphy may identify CH subtypes classified as dysplasia, gland in situ (GIS) and ectopia, but is not performed in all centres. We retrospectively investigated the role of scintigraphy to identify CH subtypes in a single tertiary centre cohort.MethodsBabies who screened positive for CH between 2007 and 2017 were studied (n=418 of 534 783). Scintigraphy outcomes were correlated with TSH and levothyroxine dose. GIS patients were analysed for 3-year outcomes.Results303 patients started levothyroxine. Scintigraphy demonstrated three subtypes: GIS (n=139, 46%) ectopia (n=84, 28%) and dysplasia (n=80, 26%). Three-year follow up demonstrated permanence in 54% of 37 GIS cases.DiscussionThyroid scintigraphy differentiates subtypes of CH and suggests a higher than expected proportion of patients with GIS and ectopia. CH is permanent in half of those with GIS.

Birth weight charts for a Chinese population: an observational study of routine newborn weight data from Chongqing

Background To construct birth weight charts for the Chongqing municipality, China and to identify whether differences in birth weight exist across urban/rural populations, thereby warranting separate charts. Methods Secondary analysis of routinely collected data from 338,454 live infants between 2014 and 2017 in Chongqing municipality. Sex-specific birth weight-for-gestational age centiles were constructed by the lambda-mu-sigma method via the GAMLSS R-based package. This method remodels the skewed birth weight distribution to estimate a normal distribution, allowing any birth weight centile to be generated. A separate set of centiles were created, accounting for urban/rural differences in birth weight. Results The centiles performed well across all gestational ages. For example, 2.37% (n = 4176) of males and 2.26% (n = 3656) of females were classified as below the 2nd centile (expected percentage = 2.28%), 49.75% of males (n = 87,756) and 50.73% of females (n = 82,203) were classified as below the 50th centile (expected proportion = 50%) and 97.52% of males (n = 172,021) and 97.48% of females (n = 157,967) were classified as below the 98th centile (expected proportion = 97.72%). The overall estimated centiles of birth weight for rural infants were higher than the centiles for urban infants at the earlier gestational ages (< 37 gestational weeks). However, this trend was reversed in infants born at term. Conclusion We have constructed a readily utilizable set of birth weight references from a large representative sample of births in Chongqing. The method used to construct the references allows for the calculation of the exact centile for any infant delivered between 28 and 42 completed weeks, which was not possible with previous charts.

It starts at the top: An analysis of female representation in academic medical oncology (MO), radiation oncology (RO), and surgical oncology (SO) program leadership positions.

10520 Background: Female underrepresentation in academic medicine leadership is well-documented; however, oncology specific data are scarce. This study evaluates female leadership representation in academic medical oncology (MO), radiation oncology (RO) and surgical oncology (SO) programs. Furthermore, we examine the impact of female leadership on overall female faculty representation. Methods: A total of 264 (96%) Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education actively accredited MO [144 of 153], RO [93 of 94] and SO [27 of 27] training programs were included. The gender of overall faculty and those in leadership positions (program director and departmental chair/division chief) of each program was determined using hospital websites from 10/01/18 to 01/27/19. The chi-squared goodness-of-fit test was used to examine whether the observed proportion of females in leadership positions deviates significantly from the expected proportion based on the actual proportion of overall female faculty in MO, RO and SO. Two-sample t-tests were used to compare rates of female faculty representation across each program based on the presence/absence of female in a leadership position for MO, RO and SO. Results: Female faculty representation in MO, RO and SO was 37.1% (1,554/4,191), 30.7% (389/1,269) and 38.8% (212/546), respectively. Female representation in leadership positions was 31.5% (82/260), 17.4% (31/178) and 11.1% (5/45), respectively. The observed proportion of females in leadership positions was significantly lower than the expected proportion of females in leadership positions for RO (17.4% vs. 30.7%, p = .0001) and SO (11.1% vs. 38.8%, p = .0001), and demonstrated a trend towards significance for MO (31.5% vs. 37.1%, p = .063). 47.9%, 33% and 18.5% of MO, RO and SO programs had ≥1 female in a leadership position, respectively. Programs that had a female in a leadership position had a higher mean percentage of overall female faculty than those that did not: 41.0% vs 35.0% (p = .0006), 36.0% vs 26.0% (p = .0002) and 39.0% vs 32.0% (p = .348) for MO, RO and SO, respectively. Conclusions: Gender disparity exists in academic MO, RO and SO faculty and is magnified at the leadership level. Programs with a female physician in a leadership position are associated with a higher percentage of female faculty.

Strong selective sweeps before 45,000BP displaced archaic admixture across the human X chromosome

The X chromosome in non-African populations has less diversity and less Neanderthal introgression than expected. We analyzed X chromosome diversity across the globe and discovered seventeen chromosomal regions, where haplotypes of several hundred kilobases have recently reached high frequencies in non-African populations only. The selective sweeps must have occurred more than 45,000 years ago because the ancient Ust’-Ishim male also carries its expected proportion of these haplotypes. Surprisingly, the swept haplotypes are entirely devoid of Neanderthal introgression, which implies that a population without Neanderthal admixture contributed the swept haplotypes. It also implies that the sweeps must have happened after the main interbreeding event with Neanderthals about 55,000 BP. These swept haplotypes may thus be the only genetic remnants of an earlier out-of-Africa event.One Sentence SummaryAfter humans expanded out of Africa, the X chromosome experienced a burst of extreme natural selection that removed Neanderthal admixture.

The collaborative roots of corruption

Cooperation is essential for completing tasks that individuals cannot accomplish alone. Whereas the benefits of cooperation are clear, little is known about its possible negative aspects. Introducing a novel sequential dyadic die-rolling paradigm, we show that collaborative settings provide fertile ground for the emergence of corruption. In the main experimental treatment the outcomes of the two players are perfectly aligned. Player A privately rolls a die, reports the result to player B, who then privately rolls and reports the result as well. Both players are paid the value of the reports if, and only if, they are identical (e.g., if both report 6, each earns €6). Because rolls are truly private, players can inflate their profit by misreporting the actual outcomes. Indeed, the proportion of reported doubles was 489% higher than the expected proportion assuming honesty, 48% higher than when individuals rolled and reported alone, and 96% higher than when lies only benefited the other player. Breaking the alignment in payoffs between player A and player B reduced the extent of brazen lying. Despite player B's central role in determining whether a double was reported, modifying the incentive structure of either player A or player B had nearly identical effects on the frequency of reported doubles. Our results highlight the role of collaboration—particularly on equal terms—in shaping corruption. These findings fit a functional perspective on morality. When facing opposing moral sentiments—to be honest vs. to join forces in collaboration—people often opt for engaging in corrupt collaboration.

ESTUDIO DE LAS POBLACIONES DE CABALLITOS DE MAR EN DOS ZONAS DE LA COSTA NORTE DE LA HABANA Y PINAR DEL RÍO, CUBA

Se presentan los resultados sobre el estudio de las poblaciones de caballitos de mar en dos estaciones ubicadas en la costa norte de La Habana y Pinar del Río, Cuba. Se llevaron a cabo censos visuales mediante buceo libre, utilizando el método de transectos lineales, entre los meses de abril del 2004 y junio del 2005. Se obtuvieron la densidad media para las especies Hippocampus reidi (Ginsburg, 1933) e Hippocampus erectus (Perry, 1810), así como la densidad media por estaciones y por época del año. La especie H. reidi fue la más abundante y la mayor densidad se encontró en la estación de Las Cuarenta 0.0109 ind/m2. No se encontraron diferencias entre la densidad en época de lluvia y seca para las especies. Los machos y las hembras de H. reidi mostraron tallas similares (LT). Se supone un comportamiento monógamo de la especie H. reidi, debido a la proporción sexual encontrada, muy similar a la proporción esperada de 1:1. ABSTRACT This paper presents the results of the study on seahorse populations at two stations located in the north coast of La Habana and Pinar del Río, Cuba. Visual census were conducted by free divers, using the linear transect method between April 2004 and June 2005. Mean density was obtained for the species Hippocampus reidi (Ginsburg, 1933) and Hippocampus erectus (Perry, 1810), by stations and by seasons of the year. H. reidi was the most abundant species and the biggest density was present in Las Cuarenta station 0.0109 ind/m2. No differences were found regarding density between the rainy and dry seasons for the studied species. Male and female H. reidi showed similar sizes (LT). A monogamous behavior of the species H. reidi is inferred due to the sexual proportion found, which is very similar to the expected proportion of 1:1