2012-13 Arkansas Test Results

In early August, the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) released the 2012-2013 test score results. The following brief will highlight the results of these tests, compare achievement scores over time, and provide a glimpse of regional achievement results for the following exams: Benchmark Exam (Grades 3-8) End-of-Course Exam (Algebra I, Geometry, Biology, and Grade 11 Literacy). Iowa Test of Basic Skills (Grades 1-9

Evolution of Preprofessional Pharmacy Curricula

Objectives. To examine changes in preprofessional pharmacy curricular requirements and trends, and determine rationales for and implications of modifications. Methods. Prerequisite curricular requirements compiled between 2006 and 2011 from all doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) programs approved by the Accreditation Council of Pharmacy Education were reviewed to ascertain trends over the past 5 years. An online survey was conducted of 20 programs that required either 3 years of prerequisite courses or a bachelor’s degree, and a random sample of 20 programs that required 2 years of prerequisites. Standardized telephone interviews were then conducted with representatives of 9 programs. Results. In 2006, 4 programs required 3 years of prerequisite courses and none required a bachelor’s degree; by 2011, these increased to 18 programs and 7 programs, respectively. Of 40 programs surveyed, responses were received from 28 (70%), 9 (32%) of which reported having increased the number of prerequisite courses since 2006. Reasons given for changes included desire to raise the level of academic achievement of students entering the PharmD program, desire to increase incoming student maturity, and desire to add clinical sciences and experiential coursework to the pharmacy curriculum. Some colleges and schools experienced a temporary decrease in applicants. Conclusions. The preprofessional curriculum continues to evolve, with many programs increasing the number of course prerequisites. The implications of increasing prerequisites were variable and included a perceived increase in maturity and quality of applicants and, for some schools, a temporary decrease in the number of applicants

Genetic Characterization and Linkage Disequilibrium Estimation of a Global Maize Collection Using SNP Markers

A newly developed maize Illumina GoldenGate Assay with 1536 SNPs from 582 loci was used to genotype a highly diverse global maize collection of 632 inbred lines from temperate, tropical, and subtropical public breeding programs. A total of 1229 informative SNPs and 1749 haplotypes within 327 loci was used to estimate the genetic diversity, population structure, and familial relatedness. Population structure identified tropical and temperate subgroups, and complex familial relationships were identified within the global collection. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) was measured overall and within chromosomes, allelic frequency groups, subgroups related by geographic origin, and subgroups of different sample sizes. The LD decay distance differed among chromosomes and ranged between 1 to 10 kb. The LD distance increased with the increase of minor allelic frequency (MAF), and with smaller sample sizes, encouraging caution when using too few lines in a study. The LD decay distance was much higher in temperate than in tropical and subtropical lines, because tropical and subtropical lines are more diverse and contain more rare alleles than temperate lines. A core set of inbreds was defined based on haplotypes, and 60 lines capture 90% of the haplotype diversity of the entire panel. The defined core sets and the entire collection can be used widely for different research targets

Genome Sequence of the Chestnut Blight Fungus Cryphonectria parasitica EP155: A Fundamental Resource for an Archetypical Invasive Plant Pathogen.

Cryphonectria parasitica is the causal agent of chestnut blight, a fungal disease that almost entirely eliminated mature American chestnut from North America over a 50-year period. Here, we formally report the genome of C. parasitica EP155 using a Sanger shotgun sequencing approach. After finishing and integration with simple-sequence repeat markers, the assembly was 43.8 Mb in 26 scaffolds (L50 = 5; N50 = 4.0Mb). Eight chromosomes are predicted: five scaffolds have two telomeres and six scaffolds have one telomere sequence. In total, 11,609 gene models were predicted, of which 85% show similarities to other proteins. This genome resource has already increased the utility of a fundamental plant pathogen experimental system through new understanding of the fungal vegetative incompatibility system, with significant implications for enhancing mycovirus-based biological control

Europe as a multilevel federation

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The Morphological Butcher-Oemler effect in the SDSS Cut&Enhance Galaxy Cluster Catalog

We investigate the evolution of the fractions of late type cluster galaxies as a function of redshift, using one of the largest, most uniform cluster samples available. The sample consists of 514 clusters of galaxies in the range 0.02<z<0.3 from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Cut & Enhance galaxy cluster catalog. This catalog was created using a single automated cluster finding algorithm on uniform data from a single telescope, with accurate CCD photometry, thus, minimizing selection biases. We use four independent methods to analyze the evolution of the late type galaxy fraction. Specifically, we select late type galaxies based on: restframe g-r color, u-r color, galaxy profile fitting and concentration index. The first criterion corresponds to the one used in the classical Butcher-Oemler analyses. The last three criteria are more sensitive to the morphological type of the galaxies. In all four cases, we find an increase in the fraction of late type galaxies with increasing redshift, significant at the 99.9% level. The results confirm that cluster galaxies do change colors with redshift (the Butcher-Oemler effect) and, in addition, they change their morphology to later-type toward higher redshift -- indicating a morphological equivalent of the Butcher-Oemler effect. We also find a tendency of richer clusters to have lower fractions of late type galaxies. The trend is consistent with a ram pressure stripping model, where richer clusters have more effective ram pressure due to their higher temperature.Comment: 44 pages, 15 figures, accepted for PAS

Secondary 12-Month Ocular Outcomes of a Phase 1 Dosing Study of Bevacizumab for Retinopathy of Prematurity

Importance Lower bevacizumab dosages are being used for type 1 retinopathy of prematurity, but there are limited data on long-term ocular outcomes with lower doses. Objective To evaluate ocular outcomes at 12 months’ corrected age for eyes that received a dose of 0.625 mg, 0.25 mg, 0.125 mg, 0.063 mg, or 0.031 mg of bevacizumab for type 1 retinopathy of prematurity. Design, Setting, and Participants This prospective cohort study used a masked, multicenter, phase 1 dose de-escalation study design and was conducted from April 2016 to October 2017. Study eyes were treated with a dose of 0.25, 0.125, 0.063, or 0.031 mg of bevacizumab; fellow eyes were treated with a dosage 1 level higher than the study eye. Additional treatment after 4 weeks was at investigator discretion. Data analysis occurred from November 2018 to March 2019. Interventions Intravitreous bevacizumab injections of 0.625 mg to 0.031 mg. Main Outcomes and Measures Visual fixation, amblyopia, alignment, nystagmus, cycloplegic refraction, and ocular examinations were assessed at 12 months’ corrected age as preplanned secondary outcomes. The primary outcome 4 weeks after treatment and secondary outcomes after 6 months’ corrected age have been previously reported. Results Forty-six of 61 infants (75%) had a 12-month follow-up examination (46 study eyes and 43 fellow eyes; median [interquartile range] birth weight, 650 [590-760] g). Of 87 eyes with a cycloplegic refraction, 12 (14% [95% CI, 7%-27%]) had myopia of more than −5.00 D spherical equivalent; 2 (2%; [95% CI, 0%-8%]) had hyperopia greater than 5.00 D spherical equivalent; and 5 infants (11% [95% CI, 4%-24%]) had anisometropia greater than 1.50 D spherical equivalent. Abnormalities of the cornea, lens, or anterior segment were reported in 1 eye (1% [95% CI, 0%-6%]), 3 eyes (3% [95% CI, 1%-10%]), and 3 eyes (3% [95% CI, 1%-10%]), respectively. Optic nerve atrophy was identified in 11 eyes (13% [95% CI, 6%-26%]), and 1 eye (1% [95% CI, 0%-6%]) had total retinal detachment. Strabismus was reported in 13 infants (30% [95% CI, 17%-45%]), manifest nystagmus in 7 infants (15% [95% CI, 6%-29%]), and amblyopia in 3 infants (7% [95% CI, 1%-18%]). Overall, 98% of infants had central fixation in each eye (44 of 45 eyes). Conclusions and Relevance In this study of low-dose bevacizumab, the secondary outcomes of high myopia, strabismus, retinal detachment, nystagmus, and other ocular abnormalities at 1 year were consistent with rates reported in other studies with higher dosages

Population Genomics Provide Insights into the Global Genetic Structure of \u3ci\u3eColletotrichum graminicola\u3c/i\u3e, the Causal Agent of Maize Anthracnose

Understanding the genetic diversity and mechanisms underlying genetic variation in pathogen populations is crucial to the development of effective control strategies. We investigated the genetic diversity and reproductive biology of Colletotrichum graminicola isolates which infect maize by sequencing the genomes of 108 isolates collected from 14 countries using restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq) and wholegenome sequencing (WGS). Clustering analyses based on single-nucleotide polymorphisms revealed three genetic groups delimited by continental origin, compatible with short-dispersal of the pathogen and geographic subdivision. Intra- and intercontinental migration was observed between Europe and South America, likely associated with the movement of contaminated germplasm. Low clonality, evidence of genetic recombination, and high phenotypic diversity were detected. We show evidence that, although it is rare (possibly due to losses of sexual reproduction- and meiosis-associated genes) C. graminicola can undergo sexual recombination. Our results support the hypotheses that intra- and intercontinental pathogen migration and genetic recombination have great impacts on the C. graminicola population structure