Pre-K Counts in Pennsylvania for Youngsters' Early School Success: Authentic Outcomes for an Innovative Prevention and Promotion Initiative

Examines the research base for the efficacy of early childhood education. Evaluates Pennsylvania's Pre-K Counts programs, including participants' characteristics, impact and quality of programs and partnerships, lessons learned, and recommendations

Impact of CONSORT extension for cluster randomised trials on quality of reporting and study methodology : review of random sample of 300 trials, 2000-8

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Design of RNAi reagents for invertebrate model organisms and human disease vectors

RNAi has become an important tool to silence gene expression in a variety of organisms, in particular when classical genetic methods are missing. However, application of this method in functional studies has raised new challenges in the design of RNAi reagents in order to minimize false positive and false negative results. Since the performance of reagents can be rarely validated on a genome-wide scale, improved computational methods are required that consider experimentally derived design parameters. Here, we describe computational methods for the design of RNAi reagents for invertebrate model organisms and human disease vectors, such as Anopheles. We describe procedures on how to design short and long double-stranded RNAs for single genes, and evaluate their predicted specificity and efficiency. Using a bioinformatics pipeline we also describe how to design a genome-wide RNAi library for Anopheles gambiae

Behavioral synthesis from VHDL using structured modeling

This dissertation describes work in behavioral synthesis involving the development of a VHDL Synthesis System VSS which accepts a VHDL behavioral input specification and performs technology independent synthesis to generate a circuit netlist of generic components. The VHDL language is used for input and output descriptions. An intermediate representation which incorporates signal typing and component attributes simplifies compilation and facilitates design optimization.A Structured Modeling methodology has been developed to suggest standard VHDL modeling practices for synthesis. Structured modeling provides recommendations for the use of available VHDL description styles so that optimal designs will be synthesized.A design composed of generic components is synthesized from the input description through a process of Graph Compilation, Graph Criticism, and Design Compilation. Experiments were performed to demonstrate the effects of different modeling styles on the quality of the design produced by VSS. Several alternative VHDL models were examined for each benchmark, illustrating the improvements in design quality achieved when Structured Modeling guidelines were followed