Underestimating Capable Readers

Capable and gifted readers are often held back in grade level basal reading texts, regardless of their reading ability, for fear that essential skills may be missed (Allen and Swearingen, 1987; Carr, 1984). The abilities of these students are often underestimated (Bennett and Desforges, 1988)

Early Holocene Occupation at the West Lost River Site, Klamath County, Oregon

Excavations at the West Lost River Site (35KL972) provide new insights on early Holocene occupation of southwestern Oregon. The article focuses on the artifacts and specimens recovered from the site

Kepler Archive Manual

A description of Kepler, its design, performance and operational constraints may be found in the Kepler Instrument Handbook (KIH, Van Cleve Caldwell 2016). A description of Kepler calibration and data processing is described in the Kepler Data Processing Handbook (KDPH, Jenkins et al. 2016; Fanelli et al. 2011). Science users should also consult the special ApJ Letters devoted to early Kepler results and mission design (April 2010, ApJL, Vol. 713 L79-L207). Additional technical details regarding the data processing and data qualities can be found in the Kepler Data Characteristics Handbook (KDCH, Christiansen et al. 2013) and the Data Release Notes (DRN). This archive manual specifically documents the file formats, as they exist for the last data release of Kepler, Data Release 25(KSCI-19065-002). The earlier versions of the archive manual and data release notes act as documentation for the earlier versions of the data files

Scalable Multiprocessor for High-Speed Computing in Space

A report discusses the continuing development of a scalable multiprocessor computing system for hard real-time applications aboard a spacecraft. "Hard realtime applications" signifies applications, like real-time radar signal processing, in which the data to be processed are generated at "hundreds" of pulses per second, each pulse "requiring" millions of arithmetic operations. In these applications, the digital processors must be tightly integrated with analog instrumentation (e.g., radar equipment), and data input/output must be synchronized with analog instrumentation, controlled to within fractions of a microsecond. The scalable multiprocessor is a cluster of identical commercial-off-the-shelf generic DSP (digital-signal-processing) computers plus generic interface circuits, including analog-to-digital converters, all controlled by software. The processors are computers interconnected by high-speed serial links. Performance can be increased by adding hardware modules and correspondingly modifying the software. Work is distributed among the processors in a parallel or pipeline fashion by means of a flexible master/slave control and timing scheme. Each processor operates under its own local clock; synchronization is achieved by broadcasting master time signals to all the processors, which compute offsets between the master clock and their local clocks

Role of the Cyclooxygenase Pathway in Chemotherapy-Induced Oral Mucositis: A Pilot Study

Goals Oral mucositis can be a significant and dose-limiting complication of high-dose cancer therapy. Mucositis is a particularly severe problem in patients receiving myeloablative chemotherapy prior to bone marrow or hematopoetic stem cell transplant (HSCT). The cyclooxygenase (COX) pathway mediates tissue injury and pain through upregulation of pro-inflammatory prostaglandins, including prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and prostacyclin (PGI2). The objective of this small (n=3) pilot study was to examine the role of the COX pathway in causing mucosal injury and pain in chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis. Materials and methods We collected blood, saliva, and oral mucosal biopsy specimens from three autologous HSCT patients at the following time-points before and after administration of conditioning chemotherapy: Day −10, +10, +28, and +100, where day 0 is day of transplant. RNA extracted from full-thickness tissue samples was measured by RT-PCR for the following: COX-1, COX-2, microsomal prostaglandin E synthase (mPGES), IL-1β, and TNF-α. Blood and saliva samples were measured by ELISA for PGE2 and PGI2, which are markers of COX activity. Severity of oral mucositis was determined using the Oral Mucositis Index. Severity of pain due to oral mucositis was measured using a Visual Analog Scale. Relationships between the different variables were examined using Spearman rank correlation coefficients. Main results Mean mucositis and pain scores increased significantly after administration of chemotherapy and then gradually declined. The correlation between changes in mucositis and pain scores was strong and statistically significant. The following additional correlations were statistically significant: between tissue COX-1 and pain; between tissue mPGES and pain; between salivary PGE1 and pain; between salivary PGI2 and pain. Other relationships were not statistically significant. Conclusions Our finding of significant associations of pain scores with tissue COX-1 and mPGES, as well as salivary prostaglandins, is suggestive of a role for the cyclooxygenase pathway in mucositis, possibly via upregulation of pro-inflammatory prostaglandins. However, our small sample size may have contributed to the lack of significant associations between COX-2 and other inflammatory mediators with mucosal injury and pain. Thus, additional studies with larger numbers of subjects are warranted to confirm the involvement of the cyclooxygenase pathway in chemotherapy-induced mucositis

On Technological and Immunological Benefits of Multivalent Single-Injection Microsphere Vaccines

Purpose. With the aim of developing multivalent vaccines for single-injection, we examined the feasibility of combining antigens in biodegradable microspheres. Such vaccines are expected to improve vaccination coverage by reducing the number of vaccination sessions required to generate immunity. Methods. Mono- and multivalent vaccines of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) conjugate, diphtheria toxoid (DT), tetanus toxoid (TT), and pertussis toxin (PT) in poly (lactic acid) and poly(lactic-coglycolic acid) microspheres were prepared by spray drying, and the influence of coencapsulated antigens and excipients on antigen loading, release, and stability was examined. Two tetravalent formulations were tested in guinea pigs. Results. Monovalent Hib and PT vaccines showed loading efficiencies of 10% (Hib) and 30% (PT) in both polymers. The loading efficiencies increased upon addition of trehalose and, even more, when the antigens were coencapsulated in di- and trivalent combinations. Highest loading efficiencies (>80%) were achieved with trivalent formulations (DT + PT + Hib) that also contained coencapsulated albumin. The percentage of antigen released during 24 h of incubation was typically 10-40% and decreased as loading efficiency increased. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) data revealed that TT, DT, and PT remained antigenic throughout the encapsulation and subsequent release processes. Finally, all antigens maintained their immunogenicity, since strong and sustained antibody responses were elicited after a single injection of tetravalent microsphere vaccines (DT + TT + PT + Hib) in guinea pigs. Conclusions. This study reveals technologic benefit as well as an immunological potential of multivalent single-injection microsphere vaccines. The results support our hypothesis that coencapsulation of several antigens may intrinsically improve entrapment of antigenic and immunogenic antigen probably by virtue of increased protein concentration during microencapsulation leading to mutual stabilization of the component