Enacted task design: tasks as written in the classroom

This paper presents and describes the construct of enacted task design, which considers the way tasks are “written” (designed) by teachers. Two enactments by different teachers based on the same written algebra task were analyzed and compared using the math story framework (Dietiker, 2015). Variations in these stories highlight four dimensions of the teacher’s design work

Prospective Home-use Study on Non-invasive Neuromodulation Therapy for Essential Tremor.

Highlights: This prospective study is one of the largest clinical trials in essential tremor to date. Study findings suggest that individualized non-invasive neuromodulation therapy used repeatedly at home over three months results in safe and effective hand tremor reduction and improves quality of life for many essential tremor patients. Background: Two previous randomized, controlled, single-session trials demonstrated efficacy of non-invasive neuromodulation therapy targeting the median and radial nerves for reducing hand tremor. This current study evaluated efficacy and safety of the therapy over three months of repeated home use. Methods: This was a prospective, open-label, post-clearance, single-arm study with 263 patients enrolled across 26 sites. Patients were instructed to use the therapy twice daily for three months. Pre-specified co-primary endpoints were improvements on clinician-rated Tremor Research Group Essential Tremor Rating Assessment Scale (TETRAS) and patient-rated Bain & Findley Activities of Daily Living (BF-ADL) dominant hand scores. Other endpoints included improvement in the tremor power detected by an accelerometer on the therapeutic device, Clinical and Patient Global Impression scores (CGI-I, PGI-I), and Quality of Life in Essential Tremor (QUEST) survey. Results: 205 patients completed the study. The co-primary endpoints were met (p≪0.0001), with 62% (TETRAS) and 68% (BF-ADL) of \u27severe\u27 or \u27moderate\u27 patients improving to \u27mild\u27 or \u27slight\u27. Clinicians (CGI-I) reported improvement in 68% of patients, 60% (PGI-I) of patients reported improvement, and QUEST improved (p = 0.0019). Wrist-worn accelerometer recordings before and after 21,806 therapy sessions showed that 92% of patients improved, and 54% of patients experienced ≥50% improvement in tremor power. Device-related adverse events (e.g., wrist discomfort, skin irritation, pain) occurred in 18% of patients. No device-related serious adverse events were reported. Discussion: This study suggests that non-invasive neuromodulation therapy used repeatedly at home over three months results in safe and effective hand tremor reduction in many essential tremor patients

Gene Flow in Genetically Modified Wheat

Understanding gene flow in genetically modified (GM) crops is critical to answering questions regarding risk-assessment and the coexistence of GM and non-GM crops. In two field experiments, we tested whether rates of cross-pollination differed between GM and non-GM lines of the predominantly self-pollinating wheat Triticum aestivum. In the first experiment, outcrossing was studied within the field by planting “phytometers” of one line into stands of another line. In the second experiment, outcrossing was studied over distances of 0.5–2.5 m from a central patch of pollen donors to adjacent patches of pollen recipients. Cross-pollination and outcrossing was detected when offspring of a pollen recipient without a particular transgene contained this transgene in heterozygous condition. The GM lines had been produced from the varieties Bobwhite or Frisal and contained Pm3b or chitinase/glucanase transgenes, respectively, in homozygous condition. These transgenes increase plant resistance against pathogenic fungi. Although the overall outcrossing rate in the first experiment was only 3.4%, Bobwhite GM lines containing the Pm3b transgene were six times more likely than non-GM control lines to produce outcrossed offspring. There was additional variation in outcrossing rate among the four GM-lines, presumably due to the different transgene insertion events. Among the pollen donors, the Frisal GM line expressing a chitinase transgene caused more outcrossing than the GM line expressing both a chitinase and a glucanase transgene. In the second experiment, outcrossing after cross-pollination declined from 0.7–0.03% over the test distances of 0.5–2.5 m. Our results suggest that pollen-mediated gene flow between GM and non-GM wheat might only be a concern if it occurs within fields, e.g. due to seed contamination. Methodologically our study demonstrates that outcrossing rates between transgenic and other lines within crops can be assessed using a phytometer approach and that gene-flow distances can be efficiently estimated with population-level PCR analyses