An Investigation of Higher-Order Thinking Skills in Smaller Learning Community Social Studies Classrooms

This study investigated the extent to which higher-order thinking skills are promoted in social studies classes in high schools that are implementing smaller learning communities (SLCs). Data collection in this mixed-methods study included classroom observations and in-depth interviews. Findings indicated that higher-order thinking was rarely promoted in SLC classes. Interview data suggests several factors affecting teaching for higher-order thinking in SLC social studies classrooms. These include: high stakes testing, pacing pressures, teachers\u27 dispositions and training, and teacher autonomy

A Comprehensive Study of ImageNet Pre-Training for Historical Document Image Analysis

Automatic analysis of scanned historical documents comprises a wide range of image analysis tasks, which are often challenging for machine learning due to a lack of human-annotated learning samples. With the advent of deep neural networks, a promising way to cope with the lack of training data is to pre-train models on images from a different domain and then fine-tune them on historical documents. In the current research, a typical example of such cross-domain transfer learning is the use of neural networks that have been pre-trained on the ImageNet database for object recognition. It remains a mostly open question whether or not this pre-training helps to analyse historical documents, which have fundamentally different image properties when compared with ImageNet. In this paper, we present a comprehensive empirical survey on the effect of ImageNet pre-training for diverse historical document analysis tasks, including character recognition, style classification, manuscript dating, semantic segmentation, and content-based retrieval. While we obtain mixed results for semantic segmentation at pixel-level, we observe a clear trend across different network architectures that ImageNet pre-training has a positive effect on classification as well as content-based retrieval

A Research Agenda for (Gender) Troubled Times: Striving for a Better Tomorrow

As we gathered on Zoom to begin this editorial, a typical COVID-19 experience unfolded. Working from our living rooms, kitchens, or closets (Eileen) we checked in as to how each of us was coping, knowing that we were navigating multiple responsibilities and uncertainties. Having assured ourselves that we were all “fine, really, okay,” we proceeded to get down to work, only to have Linda’s kids start vying for her attention because—of course—she’s not just trying to write an editorial, she’s also overseeing the online learning they are supposed to be doing. If we needed it, our shared experience was living proof of how the pandemic has impacted all of our—inevitably gendered—lives. All of us are trying to share our spaces with family members who are attempting to accomplish things in homes that were not designed for the purposes for which they are being tasked. And one of us is trying to do her work at the same time she’s overseeing the care, feeding, and education of two kids. Little did we imagine when we crafted our call for articles for this special issue the profound disjuncture between “the before times” and our current surreal circumstances. The once taken-for-granted institutions in society—work, school, family, government—have been significantly disrupted due to the pandemic. More than ever, due to both the pandemic and the heightened salience of systemic racism, the problematic facets of existing institutions are now exposed. And the resulting inequities are stark. While research published in this issue was not born out of the context of multiple tumultuous global events, including COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter social justice movement, we recognize the unique opportunity we have in this editorial to speak to the current moment

Readability estimates of Books for Young Adults 1974 Honor Listing and the 1975 BYA Book Poll

The Books for Young Adults 1974 Honor Listing and the 1975 BYA Book Poll are reading lists compiled by students participating in the University of Iowa\u27s Books for Young Adults Program. There are no readability levels included. Three readability formulas, Dale-Chall, Flesch, and Fry formulas, were applied to the books on these lists. Each formula is based upon a 100 word sample The number of samples varies according to the formula that was used. Using the three formulas, the results showed that sixty-nine percent of the books fell within the readability levels of grades five through twelve. Forty-one percent of the books tested had a mean readability of 5-6. Fifty-two percent of the books tested did not vary from the mean grade more than plus or minus one grade level

Exploring Patient-Provider Relationships in Preference-Based Health Care Choices

Patient-physician relationship models previously identified in research do not always capture the full range of consumers’ experiences as they engage in difficult, preference-based decisions. Examining the context of individuals seeking infertility treatment, we identify a new Peripheral Model of patient-physician relationship, whereby the physician’s role is perceived as rather inconsequential

Comparison of repeated doses of ivermectin versus ivermectin plus albendazole for the treatment of onchocerciasis: A randomized, open-label, clinical trial

BACKGROUND: Improved treatment for onchocerciasis is needed to accelerate onchocerciasis elimination in Africa. Aiming to better exploit registered drugs, this study was undertaken to determine whether annual or semiannual treatment with ivermectin (IVM; 200 µg/kg) plus albendazole (ALB; 800 mg single dose) is superior to IVM alone. METHODS: This trial was performed in Ghana and included 272 participants with microfilariae (MF), who were randomly assigned to 4 treatment arms: (1) IVM annually at 0, 12, and 24 months; (2) IVM semiannually at 0, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months; (3) IVM+ALB annually; or (4) IVM+ALB semiannually. Microfiladermia was determined pretreatment and at 6, 18, and 36 months. The primary outcome was the proportion of fertile and viable female worms in onchocercomata excised at 36 months. RESULTS: Posttreatment nodule histology showed that 15/135 (11.1%), 22/155 (14.2%), 35/154 (22.7%), and 20/125 (16.0%) living female worms had normal embryogenesis in the IVM annual, IVM semiannual, IVM+ALB annual, and IVM+ALB semiannual groups, respectively (P = .1229). Proportions of dead worms also did not differ between the 4 groups (P = .9198). Proportions of patients without MF at 36 months (1 year after the last treatment) were 35/56 (63%) after annual IVM, 42/59 (71%) after semiannual IVM, 39/64 (61%) after annual IVM+ALB, and 43/53 (81%) after semiannual IVM+ALB. CONCLUSIONS: The combination treatment of IVM plus ALB was no better than IVM alone for sterilizing, killing adult worms, or achieving sustained MF clearance. However, semiannual treatment was superior to annual treatment for achieving sustained clearance of Onchocerca volvulus MF from the skin (P = .024). CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: ISRCTN50035143

An Aspartic Protease of the Scabies Mite Sarcoptes scabiei Is Involved in the Digestion of Host Skin and Blood Macromolecules

BackgroundScabies is a disease of worldwide significance, causing considerable morbidity in both humans and other animals. The scabies mite Sarcoptes scabiei burrows into the skin of its host, obtaining nutrition from host skin and blood. Aspartic proteases mediate a range of diverse and essential physiological functions such as tissue invasion and migration, digestion, moulting and reproduction in a number of parasitic organisms. We investigated whether aspartic proteases may play role in scabies mite digestive processes.Methodology/Principle FindingsWe demonstrated the presence of aspartic protease activity in whole scabies mite extract. We then identified a scabies mite aspartic protease gene sequence and produced recombinant active enzyme. The recombinant scabies mite aspartic protease was capable of digesting human haemoglobin, serum albumin, fibrinogen and fibronectin, but not collagen III or laminin. This is consistent with the location of the scabies mites in the upper epidermis of human skin.Conclusions/SignificanceThe development of novel therapeutics for scabies is of increasing importance given the evidence of emerging resistance to current treatments. We have shown that a scabies mite aspartic protease plays a role in the digestion of host skin and serum molecules, raising the possibility that interference with the function of the enzyme may impact on mite survival