Teaching Thinking in the Basic Course

More critical thinking and greater transfer seem to be the rallying cries of educational reformers. Few in the field of communication would dispute the need for critical thinking. The argument, instead, maybe whether we concentrate on logic and/or argumentation as the basis for teaching critical thinking, or choose to look at higher order thinking skills and practical application. This paper provides practical application for teaching thinking in the basic course

Conserved role for 14-3-3ϵ downstream of type I TGFβ receptors

AbstractSchistosoma mansoni receptor kinase-1 (SmRK1) is a divergent type I transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) receptor on the surface of adult parasites. Using the intracellular domain of SmRK1 as bait in a yeast two-hybrid screen we identified an interaction with S. mansoni 14-3-3ϵ. The interaction which is phosphorylation-dependent is not specific to schistosomes since 14-3-3ϵ also binds to TβRI, the human type I TGFβ receptor. 14-3-3ϵ enhances TGFβ-mediated signaling by TβRI and is the first TβRI-interacting non-Smad protein identified that positively regulates this receptor. The interaction of 14-3-3ϵ with schistosome and human TβRI suggests a conserved, but previously unappreciated, role for this protein in TGFβ signaling pathways

Language Contributions to Early Word Reading Success

Title:Identifying kindergarten children at risk for developmental language disorder and dyslexia using a whole-classroom screen. Purpose: The aim of this study was to determineif two whole-classroom screeners of language and literacy skills administered to local kindergarten classrooms can reliably identify children at risk for developmental language disorder (DLD) and dyslexia. Method: Two cohorts of kindergarten children in asingle public-school district (n = 1127) completed two separate 25-minute, whole-classroom screens in the Fall of 2018 and 2019; one targeting grammatical skills (language) and the other targeting phonological and orthographic awareness skills (literacy).A subsample of these children completed an assessment battery of standardized and norm-referenced assessments of nonverbal intelligence, word reading, language, as well as hearing and articulation screenings.Results: The language classroom screen showed acceptable classification accuracy for identifying children at risk forDLD overall(sensitivity = 88% and specificity = 52%). The literacy classroom screen showed acceptable classification accuracy for identifying children at risk for dyslexiaoverall(sensitivity = 81% and specificity = 63%). Conclusion: Whole-classroom screens for language and literacy show potential for efficient identification of children who may benefit from comprehensive assessments for DLD and dyslexia without relying on their parents or teachers to raise concerns.Further, using a whole-classroom screener that can be administered to a large group of children simultaneously under 25 minutes versus current educational practice of a 10-15 minute, individually-administered assessment for each student in a classroom would reduce time and financial burdens on school systems which has important implications for recent U.S. legislation around early identification of dyslexia in all children. Field/subject: Physical/Occupational Therapy & Speech Language Patholog

Vector-borne pathogens of zoonotic concern in hunting dogs of southern Italy

Dogs are commonly exposed to vector-borne pathogens (VBPs), yet few data are available on hunting dogs, which are often at high risk of infection due to their involvement in field activities. To investigate the occurrence of VBPs and evaluate the relative performance of different diagnostic tools, blood and serum samples were collected from hunting dogs (n = 1,433) in rural areas of southern Italy. All samples were tested by Knott's technique for filarioids, serologically (SNAP® 4Dx® Plus) for Anaplasma spp., Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Dirofilaria immitis and Ehrlichia spp. and molecularly (qPCR) for all except B. burgdorferi of the above pathogens plus Babesia spp. and Leishmania infantum. Logistic regression was run to evaluate the statistical associations between the risk of VBP infection and independent variables (such as geographic area of provenience, age class and sex) and K-Cohen formula for assessing the concordance among diagnostic tests. Overall, out of 321 dogs (22.4%) positive to at least one VBP, 28 (1.9%) were infected by filarial species at the Knott's technique. In particular, Acanthocheilonema reconditum was the most prevalent (1.6%), followed by D. immitis (0.2%) and Dirofilaria repens (0.1%). One hundred forty (9.8%) and 231 (16.1%) dogs scored positive to VBPs by serological and molecular methods, respectively. The most prevalent pathogens detected were Ehrlichia spp. (7.3%) with SNAP® 4Dx® Plus, and A. reconditum (7.7%) by qPCR. Statistics revealed a significant association (p < 0.001) between A. reconditum infestation and both Ehrlichia spp. seropositivity and geographical origin of dogs. An agreement of 99.9%, 94.0% and 95.7% for Knott - SNAP® 4Dx® Plus, Knott - qPCR and SNAP® 4Dx® Plus - qPCR for D. immitis was found, respectively. Data demonstrate a high prevalence of VBPs in hunting dogs, indicating that this group of animals is largely exposed to several arthropod vector species and suggesting the transmission risk of pathogens to humans in rural areas of southern Italy. A multi-diagnostic approach and a deeper cooperation among healthcare and stakeholders are required to prevent VBP infections to animals and humans

Prevalence of selected infectious disease agents in stray cats in Catalonia, Spain

The objective of the current study was to investigate the prevalence rates of the following infectious agents in 116 stray cats in the Barcelona area of Spain: Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Bartonella species, Borrelia burgdorferi, Chlamydia felis, Dirofilaria immitis, Ehrlichia species, feline calicivirus (FCV), feline herpesvirus-1 (FHV-1), feline leukaemia virus (FeLV), feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), haemoplasmas, Mycoplasma species and Rickettsia species. Serum antibodies were used to estimate the prevalence of exposure to A phagocytophilum, Bartonella species, B burgdorferi, Ehrlichia species and FIV; serum antigens were used to assess for infection by D immitis and FeLV; and molecular assays were used to amplify nucleic acids of Anaplasma species, Bartonella species, C felis, D immitis, Ehrlichia species, FCV, FHV-1, haemoplasmas, Mycoplasma species and Rickettsia species from blood and nasal or oral swabs. Of the 116 cats, 63 (54.3%) had evidence of infection by Bartonella species, FeLV, FIV or a haemoplasma. Anaplasma species, Ehrlichia species or Rickettsia species DNA was not amplified from these cats. A total of 18/116 cats (15.5%) were positive for FCV RNA (six cats), Mycoplasma species DNA (six cats), FHV-1 DNA (three cats) or C felis DNA (three cats). This study documents that shelter cats in Catalonia are exposed to many infectious agents with clinical and zoonotic significance, and that flea control is indicated for cats in the region

Factors associated with Anaplasma spp. seroprevalence among dogs in the United States

Background Dogs in the United States are hosts to a diverse range of ticks and tick-borne pathogens, including A. phagocytophilum, an important emerging canine and human pathogen. Previously, a Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC)-sponsored workshop proposed factors purported to be associated with the infection risk for tick-transmitted pathogens in dogs in the United States, including climate conditions, socioeconomic characteristics, local topography, and vector distribution. Methods Approximately four million test results from routine veterinary diagnostic tests from 2011–2013, which were collected on a county level across the contiguous United States, are statistically analyzed with the proposed factors via logistic regression and generalized estimating equations. Spatial prevalence maps of baseline Anaplasma spp. prevalence are constructed from Kriging and head-banging smoothing methods. Results All of the examined factors, with the exception of surface water coverage, were significantly associated with Anaplasma spp. prevalence. Overall, Anaplasma spp. prevalence increases with increasing precipitation and forestation coverage and decreases with increasing temperature, population density, relative humidity, and elevation. Interestingly, socioeconomic status and deer/vehicle collisions were positively and negatively correlated with canine Anaplasma seroprevalence, respectively. A spatial map of the canine Anaplasma hazard is an auxiliary product of the analysis. Anaplasma spp. prevalence is highest in New England and the Upper Midwest. Conclusions The results from the two posited statistical models (one that contains an endemic areas assumption and one that does not) are in general agreement, with the major difference being that the endemic areas model estimates a larger prevalence in Western Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado. As A. phagocytophilum is zoonotic, the results of this analysis could also help predict areas of high risk for human exposure to this pathogen

A Comparison of Copromicroscopic and Molecular Methods for the Diagnosis of Cat Aelurostrongylosis

The gold standard method for the diagnosis of cat aelurostrongylosis is the detection of Aelurostrongylus abstrusus first stage larvae with the Baermann's examination. Nevertheless, molecular assays have shown higher diagnostic performances compared to copromicroscopy. This study evaluated the usefulness of an A. abstrusus species-specific PCR on different biological samples collected in clinical settings from 100 privately-owned cats in Italy (n. 60) and Greece (n. 40). A fecal sample was collected from each animal and a pharyngeal swab was also obtained for cats from Italy. All stool samples were subjected to flotation and Baermann's test. The cats were categorized in three groups based on the results of copromicroscopy, i.e., Group A (n. 50 cats with A. abstrusus infection regardless of positivity for other helminths), Group B (n. 25 cats negative for A. abstrusus but positive for at least one of any other helminth), Group C (n. 25 cats negative for any helminth). DNA was extracted from individual aliquots of feces, flotation supernatant, Baermann's sediment and the pharyngeal swab and then subjected to a PCR specific for A. abstrusus. At least one fecal aliquot or the pharyngeal swab scored positive by the A. abstrusus-specific PCR for 48/50 (96%) cats enrolled in Group A; in particular, 38/50 (76%), 35/50 (70%), 41/50 (82%) and 21/25 (84%) DNA extracts from feces, flotation supernatant, Baermann's sediment and pharyngeal swabs were positive by PCR. These results confirm that molecular tools are highly sensitive and specific and indicate that pharyngeal swabs are the most suitable sample for molecular analysis in clinical settings

Measuring the humoral immune response in cats exposed to feline leukaemia virus

Retroviruses belong to an important and diverse family of RNA viruses capable of causing neoplastic disease in their hosts. Feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) is a gammaretrovirus that infects domestic and wild cats, causing immunodeficiency, cytopenia and neoplasia in progressively infected cats. The outcome of FeLV infection is influenced by the host immune response; progressively infected cats demonstrate weaker immune responses compared to regressively infected cats. In this study, humoral immune responses were examined in 180 samples collected from 123 domestic cats that had been naturally exposed to FeLV, using a novel ELISA to measure antibodies recognizing the FeLV surface unit (SU) glycoprotein in plasma samples. A correlation was demonstrated between the strength of the humoral immune response to the SU protein and the outcome of exposure. Cats with regressive infection demonstrated higher antibody responses to the SU protein compared to cats belonging to other outcome groups, and samples from cats with regressive infection contained virus neutralising antibodies. These results demonstrate that an ELISA that assesses the humoral response to FeLV SU complements the use of viral diagnostic tests to define the outcome of exposure to FeLV. Together these tests could allow the rapid identification of regressively infected cats that are unlikely to develop FeLV-related disease

Chromosome-Biased Binding and Gene Regulation by the Caenorhabditis elegans DRM Complex

DRM is a conserved transcription factor complex that includes E2F/DP and pRB family proteins and plays important roles in development and cancer. Here we describe new aspects of DRM binding and function revealed through genome-wide analyses of the Caenorhabditis elegans DRM subunit LIN-54. We show that LIN-54 DNA-binding activity recruits DRM to promoters enriched for adjacent putative E2F/DP and LIN-54 binding sites, suggesting that these two DNA–binding moieties together direct DRM to its target genes. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and gene expression profiling reveals conserved roles for DRM in regulating genes involved in cell division, development, and reproduction. We find that LIN-54 promotes expression of reproduction genes in the germline, but prevents ectopic activation of germline-specific genes in embryonic soma. Strikingly, C. elegans DRM does not act uniformly throughout the genome: the DRM recruitment motif, DRM binding, and DRM-regulated embryonic genes are all under-represented on the X chromosome. However, germline genes down-regulated in lin-54 mutants are over-represented on the X chromosome. We discuss models for how loss of autosome-bound DRM may enhance germline X chromosome silencing. We propose that autosome-enriched binding of DRM arose in C. elegans as a consequence of germline X chromosome silencing and the evolutionary redistribution of germline-expressed and essential target genes to autosomes. Sex chromosome gene regulation may thus have profound evolutionary effects on genome organization and transcriptional regulatory networks.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (grant GM24663)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (grant DK068429)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (grant GM082971)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (grant GM076378

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead