Exploring the relationships of citizens' scientific interest and self-understanding to their learning enjoyment and self-efficacy in science.

The aim of this study was to explore whether citizens' scientific interest and self-understanding relate to their learning enjoyment and self-efficacy in science. The sample participants consisted of 1,657 Taiwanese citizens ranging from 18 to 70 years of age. All participants were asked to complete the 2018 "Taiwan Citizens Science and Technology Literacy Survey" to assess their scientific interest, scientific self-understanding, science learning enjoyment, and scientific self-efficacy. Multiple regression models were used to analyze the data. The important findings included: (1) scientific interest was the most important predictor of science learning enjoyment, while scientific self-understanding was the most important predictor of scientific self-efficacy; and (2) the effects of scientific interest on self-understanding and the effect of science learning enjoyment on scientific self-efficacy each were significantly moderated by respondents' age, with stronger relationships observed in younger citizens than older citizens. This study provides insight into Taiwanese citizens' scientific learning enjoyment and self-efficacy and also informs potential governmental policies and/or societal practices that could be considered to promote scientific literacy.

The effect of gender-friendliness barriers on perceived image in nursing and caring behaviour among male nursing students.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To examine the relationships among nursing students' perceived nursing image, caring behaviours and gender-friendliness barriers to determine whether gender-friendliness barriers affect nursing image and caring behaviour among male nursing students. BACKGROUND: Because caring is typically seen as a feminine trait, male nurses face gender-role strains in the current nursing environment. Gender-friendliness barriers may have an impact on the vital relationship between professional nursing image and caring behaviour. DESIGN: This study used a quantitative and cross-sectional research design. METHODS: Participants were 141 male students who had obtained at least 1 month of clinical practice experience. We collected data using three instruments: The Caring Assessment Report Evaluation Q-sort (CARE-Q), Gender-Friendliness Barriers in Nursing Programs (GFB-NP), and Nursing Image-as a Profession Questionnaire (NIPQ). Data were collected from August 2016-July 2017. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) with bootstrapping was used to test the hypothesis model. RESULTS: The full model results indicated a direct positive and significant path from professional nursing image to caring behaviour (ß = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.32 to 0.61, t = 6.19, p < 0.001). Gender-friendliness barriers had a direct and significant negative relationship between professional nursing image (ß = -0.31, 95% CI = -0.49 to -0.12, t = 3.17, p < 0.01) and caring behaviour (ß = -0.18, 95% CI = -0.35 to -0.02, t = 2.18, p < 0.05). In addition, the variable of student-perceived barriers to gender-friendliness was indirectly and significantly negatively related to caring behaviour (ß = -0.15, 95% CI = -0.27 to -0.05, t = 2.57, p < 0.05) through professional nursing image. CONCLUSION: Male nursing students with a higher nursing image engage in greater caring behaviour. Gender-friendliness barriers, however, decrease students' nursing image and caring behaviour. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: As applied to nursing education, the goal should be to improve male nursing students' caring behaviours and professional nursing image and decrease gender-friendliness barriers.

The effect of a situation model nursing education action program on gender-bias awareness and gender-friendliness barriers in novice nursing students.

AIM: This study presents a workshop on the Situation Model Nursing Education Action program, examines how to promote gender awareness and decrease barriers related to differences in gender friendliness through the implementation of this program and tracks the trends of the relevant variables. DESIGN: Pre- and post-observations and a cohort study were conducted. METHODS: A total of 58 nursing students (42 females and 16 males) were included. Nursing students were offered a gender-care intervention as two 90-minute workshops and surveys that measure gender awareness and gender friendliness were administered. RESULTS: The results concerned gender-bias awareness and gender-friendliness barriers scores across the four weeks of the program intervention, with the generalized estimated difference score compared with the Week 1 baseline. Mean student scores showed that gender-bias awareness was significantly decreased at Week 2 (p < .001) and Week 4 (p < .001) and that mean gender-friendliness barrier scores significantly declined at Week 4 (p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that a faculty professional learning community workshop that facilitates intentional behavioral change can help faculty to become aware of gender bias, which can improve students' gender awareness through clinical case discussion and lead to a decline in barriers to students' gender friendliness.

The effect of gender role orientation on student nurses' caring behaviour and critical thinking.

AIM: We explored the impact of gender role orientation (masculinity and femininity) on student nurses' caring behaviour and critical thinking. BACKGROUND: Caring and critical thinking are at the core of professional nursing education. Previous studies revealed inconsistent findings regarding the impact of gender roles on caring behaviour and critical thinking. DESIGN AND METHODS: We employed a quantitative correlational study. Nursing students (N = 449; female = 310, male = 139) who had at least had one month of clinical practice experience were recruited from four universities in Taiwan. Students' ages ranged from 19 to 29 years (Mean age = 21.24 years, SD = 1.28). Data were collected from August 2016 to July 2017, using three questionnaires: Taiwan Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CTDI), Caring Assessment Report Evaluation Q-sort Scale (CARE-Q), and Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI). Partial least squares structural equation modelling and generalized linear models were conducted to test the research model and hypotheses. RESULTS: Findings indicated that students who reported higher caring and masculinity presented greater critical thinking (ß = .37 and ß = 0.24, respectively; ps < .001). Students' gender, age, femininity, or clinical practice experience, however, were not significantly associated with critical thinking (ß = -0.01, ß = 0.09, ß = .10, and ß = 0.01, respectively; ps > .05). In addition, students who reported higher masculinity and femininity presented greater caring behaviour (ß = .22 and ß = 0.38, respectively; ps < .001). Students' gender, age or clinical practice experience were not significantly associated with caring behaviour (ß = .04, ß = .03, and ß = -0.05, respectively; ps > 0.05). The findings confirmed a direct influence of caring and masculinity on critical thinking. Masculinity indirectly affected critical thinking via caring behaviour. Caring and masculinity accounted for 34.4% of the variance in critical thinking, and masculinity and femininity accounted for 29.1% of the variance in caring behaviour. CONCLUSION: Our study confirms the effect of age, gender role, and caring behaviour on critical thinking. We recommend that the cultivation of nursing care behaviour focus on students' gender role orientation. In addition, clinical nurse educators, when working with male students on patient caring, should consider their gender role orientation and support male nursing students' ways of presenting caring behaviours.

Lapatinib induces autophagic cell death and differentiation in acute myeloblastic leukemia.

Lapatinib is an oral-form dual tyrosine kinase inhibitor of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR or ErbB/Her) superfamily members with anticancer activity. In this study, we examined the effects and mechanism of action of lapatinib on several human leukemia cells lines, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML), chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells. We found that lapatinib inhibited the growth of human AML U937, HL-60, NB4, CML KU812, MEG-01, and ALL Jurkat T cells. Among these leukemia cell lines, lapatinib induced apoptosis in HL-60, NB4, and Jurkat cells, but induced nonapoptotic cell death in U937, K562, and MEG-01 cells. Moreover, lapatinib treatment caused autophagic cell death as shown by positive acridine orange staining, the massive formation of vacuoles as seen by electronic microscopy, and the upregulation of LC3-II, ATG5, and ATG7 in AML U937 cells. Furthermore, autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine and knockdown of ATG5, ATG7, and Beclin-1 using short hairpin RNA (shRNA) partially rescued lapatinib-induced cell death. In addition, the induction of phagocytosis and ROS production as well as the upregulation of surface markers CD14 and CD68 was detected in lapatinib-treated U937 cells, suggesting the induction of macrophagic differentiation in AML U937 cells by lapatinib. We also noted the synergistic effects of the use of lapatinib and cytotoxic drugs in U937 leukemia cells. These results indicate that lapatinib may have potential for development as a novel antileukemia agent.