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Triglyceride glucose (TyG) index and inflammatory markers are reported to have a positive association with metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, no previous study has assessed the value of TyG index and inflammatory markers as predictors of metabolic syndrome in the same study. This study looks at the comparison of the triglyceride index and blood leukocyte indices as predictors of metabolic syndrome in the Chinese population. The study cohort involved 1542 Chinese population without metabolic syndrome. The subjects underwent comprehensive routine health examination in 2011 and returned for a follow-up examination in 2016. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to Chinese Diabetes Society criteria, using body mass index for the replacement of waist circumference. TyG index, total leukocytes, neutrophils, lymphocytes, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were measured. Adjust d logistic models were used to assess the relationship between TyG index, blood leukocyte indices, and incident MetS. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were performed to determine the predictive value of TyG index and blood leukocyte indices for MetS. Results from multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that, in the adjusted model, the subjects with the highest quartile of TyG index and neutrophils had a 3.894- and 1.663-fold increased incidence of MetS ( P  < 0.0001 and P  = 0.027), respectively. No significant association was observed between total leukocytes, lymphocytes, NLR with incident MetS. ROC analysis showed that the AUC of TyG index and neutrophils were 0.674 and 0.568 for incident MetS, respectively. TyG index rather than blood leukocyte indices may have the strongest predictive value in MetS development over a 5-year period.

Background The global aging trend exacerbates the challenge of frailty and cognitive impairment in older adults, yet their combined impact on health outcomes remains under-investigated. This study aims to explore how frailty and psychometric mild cognitive impairment (pMCI) jointly affect all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. Methods The cohort study we examined 2,442 participants aged ≥ 60, is the secondary analysis from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011–2014. Frailty was quantified using a 49-item frailty index, while pMCI was determined by three composite cognition scores one standard deviation (SD) below the mean. The associations between frailty, pMCI, comorbidity, and mortality were assessed using weighted Cox proportional hazards models. Results Of the participants, 31.37% were frail, 17.2% had pMCI, and 8.64% exhibited both conditions. The cohort was stratified into four groups based on frailty and pMCI status. After a median follow-up period of 6.5 years, frail individuals with pMCI had the highest all-cause (75.23 per 1,000 person-years) and CVD (32.97 per 1,000 person-years) mortality rates. Adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for all-cause (3.06; 95% CI, 2.05–4.56) and CVD (3.8; 95% CI, 2.07–6.96) mortality were highest in frail older adults with pMCI compared to those who were non-frail without pMCI. Conclusion Our study highlights the ubiquity of frailty and cognitive impairment in older adults and underscores the heightened risk of mortality associated with their coexistence. These findings suggest the critical need for proactive screening and management of frailty and cognitive function in clinical practice to improve outcomes for the older adults.

Promoting lifelong learning among senior citizens is essential for fostering their confidence and independence. However, the absence of systematic planning and clear definitions of lifelong learning poses challenges in objectively assessing its efficacy. This study aims to establish evaluation criteria and develop a comprehensive health promotion curriculum and evaluation model. The study adopts a mixed methods research approach. In the first phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore the factors influencing motivation and barriers to learning participation. The results identified five primary factors affecting elders’ participation: interpersonal dynamics, adaptation, motivation, interest, and confidence. Based on these findings, the second phase utilized three dimensions—cognitive engagement, physical activity, and social interaction—as the foundation for designing health promotion courses and materials. Appropriate course activities and materials were developed through sensory stimulation and nostalgic experiences to evoke interest. Additionally, a course evaluation scale was constructed based on the analysis of interview results and literature definitions. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was employed to establish the hierarchical structure and influence weights for evaluating health promotion courses. Utilizing Analytic Hierarchy Processing (AHP), the evaluation model prioritizes experience and operation & cognition. Essential evaluation metrics include immersiveness, alignment with course objectives, difficulty level, proficiency in operating skills, and fostering creative imagination. To mitigate seniors’ apprehensions regarding failure and engagement, a phased approach to course design is recommended. This iterative process aims to incrementally cultivate confidence and a sense of security among participants, ensuring sustained involvement in the program.

[LANGUAGE=”English”] 1. IntroductionIn 2019, the Ministry of Education of Taiwan introduced new guidelines for the 12-year basic education. The 2019 curriculum guidelines emphasize the importance of inquiry and practice and transdisciplinarity. Student teachers are expected to develop collaborative skills across disciplines; integrate curriculum, instruction, and assessment; and acquire the ability to design and implement inquiry-based courses. However, few empirical studies have examined how teacher education programs have adapted to the new curriculum guidelines or whether adaptation to the guidelines has been effective. In Finland, phenomenon-based learning has emerged as a promising approach, which aligns with the objectives of the 2019 guidelines. This study incorporated phenomenon-based learning into the design and implementation of a dual-practice approach to a teaching practice course. The first part of the course involved an inquiry project to prepare student teachers for the second part of the course, which involved designing and implementing a 5-week microcourse called Inquiry 101 for high school students. The present study examined whether this teaching practice course enhanced student teachers’ transdisciplinary inquiry skills and their ability to integrate curriculum, instruction, and assessment.2. Literature ReviewInquiry-based learning has been promoted across disciplines (Chang et al., 2011; Selby, 2006; VanSledright, 2010; Wineburg, 2001). However, previous studies have shown that in-service teachers might not be adequately prepared for this new pedagogical approach and have highlighted the importance of integrating the new approach into teacher education (Khalaf & Zin, 2018; Levy et al., 2013). Teachers in Taiwan often face greater challenges than those in other countries; they are expected to teach and implement inquiry in a transdisciplinary setting according to the 2019 guidelines. As a curriculum reform, Finland recently introduced phenomenon-based learning, which aims to enhance students’ motivation through their exploration of real-life phenomena rather than by focusing their attention on subject-specific knowledge (Halinen et al., 2015; Lonka et al., 2018). This approach stimulates students’ curiosity and intrinsic motivation and enhances their problem-solving skills. Additionally, it promotes transdisciplinary integration and increases the usefulness of knowledge acquired in class.Integrating phenomenon-based learning into inquiry, which is called the interrogative model, has been developed; it involves the processes of scientific inquiry and knowledge acquisition as “a question and answer process” (Hakkarainen & Sintonen, 2002). Students are guided to differentiate between explanation-seeking and fact-seeking questions. Explanation-seeking questions, such as why and how questions, constitute the core of inquiry-based learning; fact-seeking questions, which primarily consist of who, where, when, which, and what questions, provide the foundation for higher-level explanation-seeking inquiry. In general, inquiry-based learning involves four major phases: (1) identifying a question of interest, (2) formulating a hypothesis, (3) verifying the hypothesis, and (4) drawing a conclusion. These inquiry processes are not linear in practice; they are usually iterative and require revisions. Therefore, support or scaffolding is required to guide students through the inquiry processes, so that they can effectively learn and conduct knowledge construction (Hakkarainen, 1998, 2003; Hakkarainen & Sintonen, 2002; Rahikainen et al., 2001).3. MethodsThe present study evaluated the effectiveness of a dual-practice approach in a teacher education course, which focused on developing preservice teachers’ ability to design and implement transdisciplinary inquiry. This approach was guided by the belief that preservice teachers will teach as they learn (Moilanen, 2015). In the first part of the course, preservice teachers were required to work collaboratively on an inquiry project for 4 weeks. They selected a phenomenon of interest from real life, formulated and verified hypotheses, drew conclusions, and completed a 3000-word report. The purpose of this practice was to familiarize the preservice teachers with phenomenon-based inquiry. In the second part of the course, they designed and implemented a 5-week microcourse called Inquiry 101 for high school students. This study recruited 14 preservice teachers participating in a teaching practice course at a research-intensive university in Taiwan. The Inquiry 101 course was offered in partnership with a local high school. Four classes, with a total of 94 tenth-grade students, were enrolled. Each class had 22-24 students and was taught by a group of three or four preservice teachers. After the completion of the course, feedback sessions were conducted with the principal and mentors from the participating high school along with the preservice teachers. The feedback enabled the preservice teachers to reflect on their teaching and learning processes. Participation in the study was entirely voluntary. Informed consent was obtained from all participants.4. ResultsThe study examined whether a dual-practice approach was effective for improving preservice teachers’ transdisciplinary inquiry skills and their ability to integrate curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Analysis of the inquiry reports revealed that although the preservice teachers were able to propose meaningful and clear research questions, they struggled with formulating and verifying hypotheses. Further analysis of the pre- and post tests revealed that the first part of the course consolidated the preservice teachers’ understanding of inquiry processes; it also enhanced their awareness of formulating hypotheses and using hypotheses to guide reference search. Analysis of reflection journals indicated that the phenomenon-based microcourse enhanced the ability of the preservice teachers to integrate curriculum, instruction, and assessment in a transdisciplinary manner. These findings were supported by the analysis results of lesson plans, video recordings of the classes, and self-evaluations by the preservice teachers. Self-evaluations by both the preservice teachers and students demonstrated that the course improve their ability to differentiate between basic and higher-level questions and to identify questions worth inquiry.5. Concluding RemarksThe teaching practice course examined in this study is expected to serve as a capstone course that helps preservice teachers integrate their learning and inquiry experiences in teacher education. The present study found that the experiences of preservice teachers varied greatly. The findings suggest that a dual-practice approach may be a practical way of preparing preservice teachers for the 2019 curriculum guidelines, which emphasize inquiry and practice to achieve curriculum integration. The participation of preservice teachers in inquiry projects would familiarize them with phenomenon-based inquiry and equip them with the skills needed to design and implement inquiry-based courses. Additionally, microcourses may enhance their ability to integrate curriculum, instruction, and assessment in a transdisciplinary setting.[LANGUAGE=”Chinese”] 108新課綱強調「透過探究與實作達到課程統整的目的」，因此，師資職前教育課程基準要求師資生具備「協同發展跨領域課程教學與評量」及「探究與實作設計與實施」的專業素養。簡言之，即師資生須具備發展「跨學科探究與實作」的「課程教學與評量」之素養。然如何培養師資生這些素養以及成效如何，尚缺實徵研究。近年芬蘭推動「現象為本的學習」或可培養這些素養，研究者據以開發一門「雙實作」的「教育實踐課程」，第一個實作是師資生在大學端親身經歷探究實作的過程，接著進入第二個實作：設計一門「探究入門」微課程，到高中端教學實踐5週。本研究旨在探討教育實踐課程對提升師資生跨學科探究能力，以及跨學科課程教學與評量素養的影響為何？分析量化及質性資料發現：一、使師資生從現象中找出有興趣的問題，親身經歷探究過程，有助於提升其跨學科探究能力；二、師資生從現象切入設計「探究入門」微課程時，已跳脫學科界線，可提升其發展跨學科課程教學與評量的素養；且中學生在探究能力的提問、修正問題與假設上，有明顯進步。根據研究結果，本研究提出教育實踐課程的可行模式，以培養師資生面對108新課綱所需的能力與素養。

The disease caused by has traditionally been difficult to control, resulting in tremendous economic losses in oilseed rape ( ). Identification of important genes in the defense responses is critical for molecular breeding, an important strategy for controlling the disease. Here, we report that a mitogen-activated protein kinase gene, , plays an important role in the defense against in oilseed rape. is highly expressed in the stems, flowers and leaves, and its product is localized in the nucleus. Furthermore, is highly responsive to infection by and treatment with jasmonic acid (JA) or the biosynthesis precursor of ethylene (ET), but not to treatment with salicylic acid (SA) or abscisic acid. Moreover, overexpression (OE) of in and results in significantly enhanced resistance to , whereas resistance is diminished in RNAi transgenic plants. After infection, defense responses associated with ET, JA, and SA signaling are intensified in the -OE plants but weakened in the -RNAi plants when compared to those in the wild type plants; by contrast the level of both H O accumulation and cell death exhibits a reverse pattern. The candidate gene association analyses show that the BnaMPK3-encoding locus is a cause of variation in the resistance to in natural population. These results suggest that is a key regulator of multiple defense responses to , which may guide the resistance improvement of oilseed rape and related economic crops.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacts the learning and teaching experiences of faculty, students, and school staff in all levels of education around the world. While most schools face the challenges of closing down campuses, moving courses online, and relying on technology tools to deliver instructional activities, as one of the few countries with a regular semester schedule, universities in Taiwan have different experiences handling the current situation. This reflective essay aims to share our experiences and learned lessons at National Taiwan University (NTU) about keeping everything going commonly during the uncommon time. This essay will focus on the countermeasures the Center of Teaching and Learning Development (CTLD) and Digital Learning Center (DLC) at NTU had taken on in responding to the change versus unchanged environment. The pandemic impact were discussed from the interrelationships of the university policy, course, and instructor. And our reflections provide five suggestions regarding future precautions to other educational institutions.

Background. The impact of the various components of metabolic syndrome (MetS) on chronic kidney disease has been conflicting. We aim to investigate the association between MetS and microalbuminuria and identify the major contributing components of MetS that result in microalbuminuria in the Chinese aged population. Methods. A total of 674 adults aged 55–98 years (males: 266; mean age: 66.5±7.5 years) were studied. MetS was defined by the 2004 Chinese Diabetes Society criteria and microalbuminuria by urine albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR) ≥3 mg/mmoL. Results. The prevalence of microalbuminuria was gradually increased with increasing number of MetS components (P<0.05). In multivariate regression, after adjusting for age and sex, MetS was the strongest correlate of microalbuminuria (OR = 1.781, 95% CI = 1.226–2.587; P<0.05) followed by the fasting plasma glucose (FPG) (OR = 1.217, 95% CI = 1.044–1.092; P<0.05), systolic blood pressure (SBP) (OR = 1.011, 95% CI = 1.107–1.338; P<0.05), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (OR = 0.576, 95% CI = 0.348–0.953; P<0.05). Conclusions. MetS is independently associated with microalbuminuria in the Chinese aged population. Elevated FPG is the most predominant component of metabolic syndrome associated with microalbuminuria followed by elevated SBP and reduced HDL-C.

This study investigates the relationship between three discourse synthesis skills (i.e., quotation, summarization, and connection) and students’ overall integrated writing performance in Chinese, students’ first language, and English, their second language. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that 63.6% of the variance in students’ overall Chinese integrated writing performance was accounted for by the three discourse synthesis skills, with connection and summarization contributed almost equally to the overall scores. In the English test, the three skills explained 47.9% of the variance. Cross-linguistic facilitation of the L1 discourse synthesis skills to the overall L2 integrated writing performance was observed, although the predictive strength of the three skills was comparatively low. Eye-tracking data together with subsequent stimulated-recall interviews illuminated the differences in students’ approaches to discourse synthesis. Findings of the study support the decisive role of discourse synthesis abilities in both L1 and L2 integrated writing assessments. Implications for writing instruction are discussed.

Integrated writing skills that emphasize integrated use of language skills and multiple source materials have attracted increasing attention in language education globally and locally in Hong Kong. This study examines teachers’ conceptions of integrated writing skills and interviewed twenty-five Chinese language teachers. Three conceptions emerged from the data, representing writing as a composite of disconnected parts (Category1), a logical inquiry (Category 2), and a developmental process (Category 3). As the categories move up, the alignment between teachers’ conceptions and the curriculum objectives increases accordingly, with the purpose of writing instruction ranging from fulfilling examination requirements, enhancing reasoning skills, to developing integrated use of language skills. The findings also reveal that although the development of integrated writing skills has been a critical component of the Chinese language curriculum since the first public examination in 2007, teachers’ receptivity toward it still varied greatly. Insufficient professional training, the legitimacy of integrated writing as a curriculum component, and the fossilization of the public examination were the factors that accounted for the differing attitudes among the teachers. The discourse of integrated writing in the Hong Kong context has been centered around high-stakes testing. The unbalanced discourse resulted in an oversimplified view that conflated the teaching and learning of integrated writing with integrated writing assessment. The study contributes to the conversation between integrated writing curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Implications for teacher professional development are discussed.

Background. Serum bilirubin is a potent endogenous antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties. Several cross-sectional studies have reported that bilirubin was negatively associated with metabolic syndrome. However, in recent longitudinal studies, the relations between bilirubin and metabolic syndrome are inconsistent. Moreover, previous studies mainly focused on serum total bilirubin which is the sum of direct bilirubin and indirect bilirubin. For these reasons, the longitudinal effect of bilirubin subtypes on incident metabolic syndrome was evaluated in Chinese men. Methods. The study cohort involved 1339 Chinese men without metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome was defined by the American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (AHA/NHLBI) criteria, using BMI for the replacement of waist circumference. Results. There are 117 incident metabolic syndrome cases (8.7%) during 5 years of follow-up among 1339 metabolic syndrome-free participants at baseline. After adjusting for age, drinking, smoking, physical activity, TG, and LDL-C, the odd ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for MetS incidence in the second, third, and fourth quartiles versus the first quartile of DBil concentration were 1.00 (0.61–1.63), 0.57 (0.32–1.02), and 0.51 (0.28–0.92) (Ptrend=0.031), respectively. Conclusions. Our findings support the negative association between direct bilirubin and incident metabolic syndrome in healthy Chinese men over 5-year period.