Search Results (41)

Quantum computing, with its foundational principles of superposition and entanglement, has the potential to provide significant quantum advantages, addressing challenges that classical computing may struggle to overcome. As data generation continues to grow exponentially and technological advancements accelerate, classical machine learning algorithms increasingly face difficulties in solving complex real-world problems. The integration of classical machine learning with quantum information processing has led to the emergence of quantum machine learning, a promising interdisciplinary field. This work provides the reader with a bottom-up view of quantum circuits starting from quantum data representation, quantum gates, the fundamental quantum algorithms, and more complex quantum processes. Thoroughly studying the mathematics behind them is a powerful tool to guide scientists entering this domain and exploring their connection to quantum machine learning. Quantum algorithms such as Shor’s algorithm, Grover’s algorithm, and the Harrow–Hassidim–Lloyd (HHL) algorithm are discussed in detail. Furthermore, real-world implementations of quantum machine learning and quantum deep learning are presented in fields such as healthcare, bioinformatics and finance. These implementations aim to enhance time efficiency and reduce algorithmic complexity through the development of more effective quantum algorithms. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of the fundamentals of these algorithms is crucial. Full article

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Transarterial therapies represent an important tool in the management of different clinical scenarios, from a patient with a single nodule to a patient with multinodular disease. Up to 30% of patients are diagnosed with intermediate-stage HCC, and transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) represents the mainstay of treatment. Overall survival in patients with HCC undergoing TACE is strongly influenced by obtaining a sustained complete response, which is strongly affected by the HCC’s dimension. Methods: Pressure gradient-driven embolization, achieved by employing a microballoon catheter in the balloon-occluded TACE (bTACE), represents the most novel innovation in the field of transarterial therapies in the last decade. In fact, bTACE, thanks to its ability to redistribute flow towards tumor territories, can allow higher chemotherapeutic drug concentrations, leading to better oncological performance, especially in patients in which standard TACE struggles to obtain a complete response. Conclusions: This technical and diagnostic intraprocedural step-by-step guide, discussed with a review of the existing literature, will enable readers to achieve an optimal procedure and to convey to their patients the full clinical benefits of these procedures. Full article

There is a need for teachers in 4–12th grade to possess strong foundational reading skills to support older students who persistently struggle with reading. The present study examined novice, 4–12th grade teachers’ knowledge of foundational reading skills and their perceptions of and beliefs about teaching reading using the Survey of Reading-Related Knowledge and Perceptions. Participating novice teachers (n = 333) included elementary general education teachers (n = 113), special education elementary teachers (n = 120), secondary general education teachers (n = 73), and special education secondary teachers (n = 27). Survey data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results indicated that novice teachers, on average, scored below 50% on reading-related knowledge items. Novice teachers, on average, self-reported higher scores for their beliefs and perceived ability to teach reading than their actual knowledge of foundational reading skills. Implications for supporting novice teacher knowledge related to foundational reading skills are provided. Full article

Some estimates suggest that one in seven good readers and the majority of children with reading difficulties suffer from oculomotor dysfunction (OMD), an umbrella term for abnormalities in comfortable and accurate fixations, pursuits, and saccades. However, national vision evaluation programs worldwide are often limited to distance visual acuity (dVA), not testing for OMD despite its high prevalence and the ease of detecting it in brief optometric evaluations. We hypothesized that reading acquisition is dependent on good oculomotor functions, and therefore inadequate oculomotor control will be associated with reading difficulties. We retrospectively examined and compared oculomotor evaluations (using DEM and NSUCO) and reading assessments (using standardized national reading norms) of a normative class (28 first graders (6–7 yr. olds)) that were independently obtained while blind to the other assessment. Better oculomotor performance as estimated by DEM was associated with better reading performance, and almost a third (29.6%) of the children were categorized by DEM as having OMD-related difficulties. Control analysis revealed dVA was not positively associated with reading performance. Linear regression analyses further corroborated these findings. Since this study is based on a small cohort and since there are studies suggesting that DEM may actually reflect visual processing speed or cognitive factors rather than oculomotor function, replications are needed to substantiate the direct contribution of oculomotor functions to reading acquisition. Young children struggling with reading may benefit from a comprehensive visual evaluation, including oculomotor testing, to provide a more thorough assessment of their learning-related difficulties. Full article

This study examines the knowledge and preparedness of preservice teachers in India and England regarding the teaching of foundational reading skills. Recognising the critical role of teachers in preventing reading difficulties through explicit instruction in phonics, vocabulary knowledge, and reading comprehension strategies, we aimed to compare preservice teachers’ knowledge in these areas between the two countries. A survey was developed for this study and administered to preservice teachers enrolled in teacher education programs in India and England. The survey assessed their phonics knowledge, pedagogical practices across key reading domains, and confidence in supporting students with reading difficulties in inclusive classrooms. Descriptive analyses indicated that English preservice teachers demonstrated greater familiarity with phonics knowledge and were better prepared in pedagogical practices, particularly in phonics instruction, phonological awareness, and reading fluency. Both groups showed low preparedness in teaching vocabulary knowledge. Notably, Indian preservice teachers reported higher confidence levels in supporting students with reading difficulties despite lower performance in knowledge assessments. These findings suggest a need for enhanced focus on explicit phonics instruction in Indian teacher education programs and increased emphasis on vocabulary instruction in both countries. Implications for early childhood education policy are discussed, particularly with regards to preparing teachers to provide high-quality literacy instruction that supports children’s academic success. Full article

One major difference between more and less successful readers involves their access to complex texts and the conceptual knowledge and extensive vocabulary presented in them. The current research looks at four variations of scaffolded reading instruction on the reading achievement of struggling third-grade readers using informational texts. Social studies texts were selected using Lexile levels to determine the selections’ difficulty; Guided Reading levels were also used when available. Twenty-four students from three different classrooms at a Title One school in the Midwest participated in one of four groups (Wide Reading with instructional level texts, Wide Reading with grade level texts, Repeated Reading with instructional level texts, and Repeated Reading with grade level texts). An analysis of the pretest indicated that the initial ability levels of the four groups were equivalent. This research demonstrated overall gains for the third-grade readers in terms of reading ability while expanding their access to vocabulary and conceptual knowledge, two of the factors underlying the achievement gap. Full article

This article is about how Elsa, a young Sámi girl in Ann-Helén Laestadius’ Stolen, learns to resist hate crimes that seek to sever her roots in traditional Indigenous herding practices. The nine-year old Elsa witnesses the killing of her personal reindeer and is threatened into a decade-long silence by the killer. There are more attacks which we read as the violent enforcement of western linear time on traditional seasonal herding cycles. The novel charts Elsa’s coming-of-age as a rebel able to seek retribution not just for herself and her reindeer but also to fight for a vital future for her culture. We read Stolen together with “revolutionary theory” to show how imposed settler temporality is harmful to sustainable modes of living. We emphasise a range of eco-activist responses to the novel, among them rebel reading itself as one of several forms of political engagement available for the eco-rebel. We consider teaching Stolen at secondary school level focusing on how readers can practice risk-taking engagement with a text while learning “how to read our world now” in solidarity with Elsa’s struggle for her people’s survival within an ecologically and socially just future for all. Ultimately, Elsa’s emergent rebellion suggests forms of activism based on a commitment to ancestry, especially its future. Full article

This article offers a clear and approachable introduction to the evolving landscape of money and the frictions developing between traditional government control and decentralized finance (DeFi). Tailored for readers with a basic awareness of cryptocurrency but limited familiarity with its broader implications, the article demystifies DeFi by explaining its core concepts including blockchain, Centralized Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), and the historical role of government regulation of money through central banking. Against this backdrop, it examines the transformative potential of DeFi, emphasizing the growing tension between the centralized authority of governments and the decentralized ideals driving this new financial model. While governments seek to maintain stability and control, individuals increasingly gravitate toward the more affordable, efficient, and inclusive solutions promised by DeFi. Designed to empower readers with a better grasp of the forces shaping the future of finance, this article underscores the importance of understanding the delicate interplay between governmental oversight and decentralized innovation. As the digital economy expands, this dynamic struggle will influence not only economic policies but also personal financial choices and access to resources. Full article

There is good evidence that targeted reciprocal reading instruction for struggling readers can lead to attainment gains in reading for children aged 9–12 years in England using the FFT Reciprocal Reading instruction programme when training is delivered by the programme developer. However, for programme scale-up, a train-the-trainer delivery approach is required. This study reports the development of a train-the-trainer delivery approach during a Phase-1 pilot to enable the programme’s delivery at greater scale. During the pilot, five trainers were trained to cascade training to 16 English primary schools, which implemented the programme with 217 children. The train-the-trainer approach developed used a workshop and cascade model recommended by both health and education sectors. Trainer and school staff perception feedback was collected during the development process, and independently designed standardised reading tests were used to explore children’s progress during the pilot. Feedback suggests that the train-the-trainer approach developed is implementable in schools, including observable pupil progress in reading. This train-the-trainer delivery approach should now be tested using RCT methodology. Full article

Background: Breast cancer screening through mammography interpretation is crucial for early detection and improved patient outcomes. However, the manual classification of mammograms using the BIRADS (Breast Imaging-Reporting and Data System) remains challenging due to subtle imaging features, inter-reader variability, and increasing radiologist workload. Traditional computer-aided detection systems often struggle with complex feature extraction and contextual understanding of mammographic abnormalities. To address these limitations, this study proposes MammoViT, a novel hybrid deep learning framework that leverages both ResNet50’s hierarchical feature extraction capabilities and Vision Transformer’s ability to capture long-range dependencies in images. Methods: We implemented a multi-stage approach utilizing a pre-trained ResNet50 model for initial feature extraction from mammogram images. To address the significant class imbalance in our four-class BIRADS dataset, we applied SMOTE (Synthetic Minority Over-sampling Technique) to generate synthetic samples for minority classes. The extracted feature arrays were transformed into non-overlapping patches with positional encodings for Vision Transformer processing. The Vision Transformer employs multi-head self-attention mechanisms to capture both local and global relationships between image patches, with each attention head learning different aspects of spatial dependencies. The model was optimized using Keras Tuner and trained using 5-fold cross-validation with early stopping to prevent overfitting. Results: MammoViT achieved 97.4% accuracy in classifying mammogram images across different BIRADS categories. The model’s effectiveness was validated through comprehensive evaluation metrics, including a classification report, confusion matrix, probability distribution, and comparison with existing studies. Conclusions: MammoViT effectively combines ResNet50 and Vision Transformer architectures while addressing the challenge of imbalanced medical imaging datasets. The high accuracy and robust performance demonstrate its potential as a reliable tool for supporting clinical decision-making in breast cancer screening. Full article

Background: Learning to read is a complex linguistic and cognitive process. Despite the ever-growing body of empirical evidence, the complex knowledge and skills needed to teach all children to read have not been passed to trainee and in-service teachers. Methods: This study examined the delivery and evaluation of a short, intense literacy elective course, with 9 h of learning for trainee primary/elementary teachers, focused on the key knowledge areas of phonemic awareness, phonics instruction, fluency, vocabulary, text comprehension, and reading assessment. An open questionnaire was administered to 16 trainee teachers: they completed this same questionnaire prior to beginning the elective and again after. The questionnaire focused on the understanding of quality reading instruction, at-risk readers, and provision for struggling readers. The data were analyzed using a qualitative interpretational analysis (QIA). Results: The lowest levels of understanding at the outset were in reading fluency instruction and reading assessment: these areas then showed the greatest knowledge development. Importantly, by post test, participants increased access to evidence-based literature and resources. Feedback demonstrated the high value placed by the group on this learning. Conclusions: This approach improved trainee teachers’ content knowledge to teach reading in a short time. Initial Teacher Education should increase its focus on reading, a crucial foundation skill. Full article

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) contamination of food crops pose severe public health risks, particularly in decentralized agricultural systems common in low-resource settings. Effective monitoring tools are critical for mitigating exposure, but their adoption is limited by barriers such as cost, infrastructure, and technical expertise. The objectives of this study were: (1) to evaluate common AFB1 detection methods, including enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and lateral-flow assays (LFA), validated via high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), focusing on their suitability for possible applications in decentralized, low-resource settings; and (2) to conduct a barriers-to-use assessment for commonly available AFB1 detection methods and their applicability in low-resource settings. Among four ELISA kits, the AgraQuant Aflatoxin B1 2/50 ELISA Kit demonstrated the highest accuracy and precision, reliably quantifying AFB1 in maize and tortillas across 5–150 ppb with minimal cross-reactivity. For LFA, a smartphone-based algorithm achieved a high presence/absence accuracy rate of 84% but struggled with concentration prediction. The barriers-to-use analysis highlighted the practicality of low-cost tools like moisture readers for field screening but underscored their qualitative limitations. Advanced methods like HPLC and LC-MS offer greater precision but remain impractical due to their high costs and infrastructure requirements, suggesting a potential role for adapted ELISA or LFA methods as confirmatory approaches. These findings support the development of multi-tiered frameworks integrating affordable field tools with regional or centralized confirmatory testing. Addressing systemic barriers through capacity building, partnerships, and improved logistics will enhance AFB1 monitoring in decentralized systems, protecting public health in vulnerable communities. Full article

Students with reading disabilities form a heterogeneous group: some struggle with accurate and fast reading (dysfluent readers), others with comprehension (poor comprehenders), and some face challenges in both areas (poor readers). Research has indicated a link between executive functioning skills and reading performance; yet, further studies are necessary to fully understand the executive profiles in various types of reading disabilities. The goal of this study was to examine differences in executive functioning among three types of reading disabilities, comparing their performance with that of children without difficulties in either skill (typical readers). Ninety-one students from schools in Portugal participated in the study. The results reveal specific deficits in naming speed and cognitive flexibility in poor readers and dysfluent readers compared to the other groups. Additionally, poor readers exhibited significantly slower processing speed and lower working memory. However, no significant differences were observed in planning. Discriminant function analysis results indicated that the examined executive functions are better at discriminating groups with fluency deficits than those with comprehension difficulties. In conclusion, these results suggest distinct deficit patterns in executive functioning skills across different types of reading disabilities. Taking into account these findings is crucial for effective assessment and intervention with these children. Full article

The indole scaffold is considered a privileged framework in the design and synthesis of several active pharmaceutical ingredients, particularly as promising anticancer agents. Its presence in several bioactive natural compounds has caught the attention of the scientific community, which has been committed to unveiling its biosynthetic pathways and generating multiple derivatives with innovative synthetic routes. The large variety of structural derivatives enhances their use in multiple bioapplications and pharmacological activities. In this review, the reader will have easy access to some examples of natural and synthetic indole derivatives with antimicrobial, antidepressant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antimigraine, and antiemetic activity. However, the main topic of this review is related to cancer and the importance of indole derivatives as promising anticancer drugs. Two of the reasons why cancer is considered a massive problem worldwide are attributed to the struggle to develop target-specific drugs while avoiding drug resistance. Among countless drugs targeting specific proteins involved in tumorigenesis, prompting life quality in the treatment of several cancer types, protein kinases, desoxyribonucleic acid topoisomerases, and P-glycoprotein have been shown to be the main targets when it comes to the development of novel anticancer agents. Furthermore, indole and its derivatives are also studied regarding affinity to other targets related to cancer. This review aims to highlight the utility of the indole scaffold in anticancer drug design, inspiring the creation and synthesis of new derivatives that target specific proteins and address drug resistance challenges. Full article

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon presents a remarkably complex narrator, 15-year-old Christopher Boone. Due to his implied autism spectrum condition, Christopher is possibly the ultimate in “reliable” narrators: he struggles to articulate emotions and is incapable of telling or understanding lies. His point of view (POV) is an extreme form of first-person limited, with Christopher at times seeming (or even yearning) to be more computer than human. The limitations of Christopher’s experience are reflected in his narrative self-presentation, and while, ordinarily, these would damage any sort of achieved authority, they instead underscore the book’s powerful thematic messages. Christopher’s narrative fallibility echoes the developmental stage of its crossover young adult (YA) audience: Curious Incident works with fallibility to establish a strong narrative voice that inspires an empathetic connection between Christopher and his implied reader. This article therefore considers how narrative fallibility is linked to constructions of adolescence in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and further explores the relationship between the narrator and the implied reader(s). Positioned within narratology-based theories and secondary research on Haddon and representations of neurodiversity in YA literature, it provides guidance for teachers and scholars who might question the value of authenticity in this or similar novels. Full article