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Skeptics of Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and Trend for International Math and Science Study (TIMSS) argue that while US elementary and high school students are behind their peers in other nations, the US workforce is still excellent because of the high quality post-secondary educational institutions in the US. However, the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) indicates that US adults are in fact far behind their international peers in literacy, numeracy, and technology-based problem solving. Through the use of data mining, this study explored the possible association between PIAAC scores and several constructs. Since the US, Canada, and New Zealand were considered culturally similar nations, according to cluster analysis, patterns between PIAAC scores and selected constructs were analyzed by a variety of big data analytical methods, including cluster analysis, bootstrap forest, boosted tree, and data visualization. Given that PIAAC used multiple computerized adaptive testing, the consequential plausible values were randomly selected when the ensemble approach was used. Additionally, model comparison was utilized to decide between bagging and boosting in order to select the optimal model for each sample. In these samples, cultural engagement, readiness to learn, and social trust, respectively emerged as strong predictors for learning outcomes as they were assessed by PIAAC.

Background: Psoriasis is a frequent form of chronic inflammation in dermatology that is unmistakably linked to the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its elements. This study was to explore the current status and new developments in the global research, and the holistic landscape of this field more intuitively through bibliometric analysis of scientific output and activity. Methods: Publications regarding psoriasis and MetS were searched and chosen from the database of the Web of Science Core Collection. Excel 2019, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace software were utilized to conduct bibliometric analysis. Results: There were 1096 publications included. The scientific outputs in this field had increased from 2004 to 2022, and the expansion could continue in the following years. The United States contributed the most publications (241, 21.99%) and had the most citation frequency (13,489 times). The University of California System was the most productive affiliation. Girolomoni G., Armstrong A.W., Gisondi P. and Gelfand J.M. were key and influential researchers. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology published the greatest number of articles (65 articles). By analyzing keyword frequency and clustering, we have identified the following areas of research interest and frontiers: prevalence, risk, association, gene expression, waist circumference, adipose tissue inflammation, vascular inflammation, cardiovascular disease, psoriatic arthritis, and fibrosis. Conclusion: This bibliometric analysis elucidates research domain of psoriasis and MetS, portraying present hotspots and future emerging trends. This field has generated significant interest and displays potential for further growth. The United States has made distinguished contributions, and currently dominates this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The influx of non‐European immigrants since 1965 ushered the development and use of acculturation measures in immigrant health studies. A Short Acculturation Scale for Filipino Americans (ASASFA) represents a validated, unidirectional ethnic‐specific measure used with first‐generation FAs. ASASFA's psychometric properties with adult U.S.‐born children—the second generation—remain unexplored. This study determined (a) the factor structure of ASASFA with adult U.S.‐born FAs and (b) the predictors of their acculturation scores. A secondary analysis was conducted on ASASFA data from a mental health survey of 116 U.S.‐born FAs. Exploratory factor and parallel analyses showed a two‐factor solution: language use and preference (Factor 1) and ethnic social relations (Factor 2). Ordinary least squares regression indicated gender and ethnic self‐identification predict Factor 1 scores; self‐identification solely predicts Factor 2 scores. Results demonstrate ASASFA's validity and parsimony, supporting its use in FA health studies when lengthy bidirectional acculturation measures become impractical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many American authors expressed their concern that US competitiveness in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is losing ground. Using the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2007 data, this study investigated how academic self-concept and instrumental motivation influence science test performance among East Asian and American students. Jackknife regression modelling indicated that in East Asia science competency is not tied to enjoying science or estimated ability while in the US both variables are negatively correlated with performance. Additionally, the test performance of the East Asian students does not seem to be boosted by the perception of the role of science in career advancement, but this perception could significantly predict the test performance of their American counterparts. It is the conviction of the author that these findings related to student-level factors could lead to practical implications for educational policies and pedagogical strategies, such as placing emphasis on daily applications of science. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In order to correlate the mutations inside the entiregyrAandgyrBgenes with the level of resistance to ofloxacin (OFX) and moxifloxacin (MFX) in isolates of multidrug-resistantMycobacterium tuberculosis(MDR-TB), a total of 111 isolates were categorized into OFX-susceptible (MIC, ≤2 μg/ml) and low-level (MIC, 4 to 8 μg/ml) and high-level (MIC, ≥16 μg/ml) OFX-resistant isolates and MFX-susceptible (MIC, ≤0.5 μg/ml) and low-level (MIC, 1 to 2 μg/ml) and high-level (MIC, ≥4 μg/ml) MFX-resistant isolates. Resistance-associated mutations inside thegyrAgene were found in 30.2% of OFX-susceptible and 72.5% and 72.2% of low-level and high-level OFX-resistant isolates and in 28.6% of MFX-susceptible and 58.1% and 83.9% of low-level and high-level MFX-resistant isolates. Compared with OFX-susceptible isolates, low-level and high-level OFX-resistant isolates had a significantly higher prevalence of mutations atgyrAcodons 88 to 94 (17.0%, 65.0%, and 72.2%, respectively;P< 0.001) and a higher prevalence of thegyrBG512R mutation (0.0%, 2.5%, and 16.7%, respectively;P= 0.006). Similarly, compared with MFX-susceptible isolates, low-level and high-level MFX-resistant isolates had a significantly higher prevalence of mutations atgyrAcodons 88 to 94 (14.3%, 51.6%, and 80.6%, respectively;P< 0.001) as well as a higher prevalence of thegyrBG512R mutation (0.0%, 0.0%, and 12.9%, respectively;P= 0.011). D94G and D94N mutations ingyrAand the G512R mutation ingyrBwere correlated with high-level MFX resistance, while the D94A mutation was associated with low-level MFX resistance. The prevalence of mutations atgyrAcodons 88 to 94 and thegyrBG512R mutation were higher among fluoroquinolone (FQ)-susceptible East Asian (Beijing) and Indo-Oceanic strains than they were among Euro-American strains, implying that molecular techniques to detect FQ resistance may be less specific in areas with a high prevalence of East Asian (Beijing) and Indo-Oceanic strains., (Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.)