Elementary school teachers\u27 perceptions of curriculum-based measures of written expression

Despite evidence indicating the general acceptability of curriculum-based measures (CBM) to teachers (e.g., Eckert, Shapiro, & Lutz, 1995), there has to date been no empirical evidence demonstrating the relative level of acceptability of measures of written expression that might set the stage for their increased adoption by teachers. Results of an exploratory survey designed to assess teacher\u27s perceptions of various measures of written expression are reported. The relative acceptability of the measures for this sample of 335 teachers from several locations throughout the United States, the relationship of the measures to demographics, and directions for future research are discussed. Accessed 25,349 times on https://pareonline.net from March 29, 2006 to December 31, 2019. For downloads from January 1, 2020 forward, please click on the PlumX Metrics link to the right

Zero-field spin-splitting and spin lifetime in n-InSb/In1-xAlxSb asymmetric quantum well heterostructures

The spin-orbit (SO) coupling parameters for lowest conduction subband due to structural (SIA) and bulk (BIA) inversion asymmetry are calculated for a range of carrier densities in [001]-grown delta-doped n-type InSb/In1-xAlxSb asymmetric quantum wells using the established 8 band k.p formalism [PRB 59,8 R5312 (1999)]. We present calculations for conditions of zero bias at 10 K. It is shown that both the SIA and BIA parameters scale approximately linearly with carrier density, and exhibit a marked dependence on well width when alloy composition is adjusted to allow maximum upper barrier height for a given well width. In contrast to other material systems the BIA contribution to spin splitting is found to be of significant and comparable value to the SIA mechanism in these structures. We calculate the spin lifetime for spins oriented along [11-0] based on D'yakonov-Perel mechanism using both the theory of Averkiev et al. [J. Phys.:Condens. Matter 14 (2002)] and also the rate of precession of spins about the effective magnetic field, taking into account all three SO couplings, showing good agreement.Spin lifeime for this direction is largest in the narrow wells over the range of moderate carrier densities considered, which is attributed to the reduced magnitude of the k-cubic BIA parameter in narrow wells. The inherently large BIA induced SO coupling in these systems is shown to have considerable effect on the spin lifetime, which exhibits significant reduction in the maximum spin lifetime compared to previous studies which consider systems with relatively weak BIA induced SO coupling. The relaxation rate of spins oriented in the [001] direction is dominated by the k-linear SIA and BIA coupling parameters and at least an order of magnitude greater than in the [11-0] direction.Comment: 18 pages 12 figure

Nanopore sequencing of a novel bipartite New World begomovirus infecting cowpea.

A new bipartite begomovirus (family Geminiviridae) was detected on cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) plants exhibiting bright golden mosaic symptoms on leaves under field conditions in Brazil. Complete consensus sequences of DNA-A and DNA-B components of an isolate of the virus (PE?088) were obtained by nanopore sequencing and confirmed by Sanger sequencing. The genome components presented the typical genomic organization of New World (NW) begomoviruses. Pairwise sequence comparisons revealed low levels of identity with other begomovirus species previously reported infecting cowpea around the world. Phylogenetic analysis using complete sequences of DNA-A components revealed that the closest relatives of PE?088 (85-87% nucleotide sequence identities) were three legume-infecting begomoviruses from Brazil: bean golden mosaic virus, macroptilium common mosaic virus and macroptilium yellow vein virus. According to the current classification criteria, PE?088 represents a new species in the genus Begomovirus, tentatively named as cowpea bright yellow mosaic virus (CoBYMV)

Diagnosis, pathogenesis and outcome in leucocyte chemotactic factor 2 (ALECT2) amyloidosis

Introduction: Renal biopsy series from North America suggest that leucocyte chemotactic factor 2 (ALECT2) amyloid is the third most common type of renal amyloid. We report the first case series from a European Centre of prevalence, clinical presentation and diagnostic findings in ALECT2 amyloidosis and report long-term patient and renal outcomes for the first time. Methods: We studied the clinical features, diagnostic investigations and the outcome of all patients with ALECT2 amyloidosis followed systematically at the UK National Amyloidosis Centre (NAC) between 1994 and 2015. Results: Twenty-four patients, all non-Caucasian, were diagnosed with ALECT2 amyloidosis representing 1.3% of all patients referred to the NAC with biopsy-proved renal amyloid. Diagnosis was made at median age of 62 years, usually from renal histology; immunohistochemical staining was definitive for ALECT2 fibril type. Median estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) at diagnosis was 33 mL/min/1.73 m2 and median proteinuria was 0.5 g/24 h. Hepatic amyloid was evident on serum amyloid P component (SAP) scintigraphy in 11/24 cases but was not associated with significant derangement of liver function. No patient had evidence of cardiac amyloidosis or amyloid neuropathy. Median follow-up was 4.8 (range 0.5–15.2) years, during which four patients died and four progressed to end-stage renal disease. The mean rate of GFR loss was 4.2 (range 0.5–9.6) mL/min/year and median estimated renal survival from diagnosis was 8.2 years. Serial SAP scans revealed little or no change in total body amyloid burden. Conclusions: ALECT2 amyloidosis is a relatively benign type of renal amyloid, associated with a slow GFR decline, which is reliably diagnosed on renal histology. Neither the molecular basis nor the factors underlying the apparent restriction of ALECT2 amyloidosis to non-Caucasian populations have been determined

What is food without love? The micro-politics of food practices in South Asians in Britain, India and Pakistan

This article draws on Morgan’s theorisation of family life as consisting of political, moral, and emotional economies to examine the interplay of women’s control over resources, gender norms, and expectations of intimacy in the context of household food consumption. The research that informs the article focuses on findings from 84 interviews with two South Asian groups: Pakistani Muslim and Gujarati Hindu women with at least one dependent child and from a variety of occupations and household compositions. In examining everyday food consumption, the research demonstrates how gender hierarchies are reproduced by parallel, mutually reinforcing, political, moral, and emotional economies. The women in the study sometimes struggled to subvert gender oppression and negotiate more powerful positions within the household through food management and/or employing manipulative and deceptive tactics. The article argues that, while access to economic resources is important if women are to achieve desirable food and nutritional outcomes, it is not in itself sufficient to meet this aim. Instead, the interplay of resources, gender norms, and conjugal relations are central to household food consumption

Comparison of different technetium-99mlabelled bone tracers for imaging cardiac amyloidosis

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Characterizations of how species mediate ecosystem properties require more comprehensive functional effect descriptors

The importance of individual species in mediating ecosystem process and functioning is generally accepted, but categorical descriptors that summarize species-specific contributions to ecosystems tend to reference a limited number of biological traits and underestimate the importance of how organisms interact with their environment. Here, we show how three functionally contrasting sediment-dwelling marine invertebrates affect fluid and particle transport - important processes in mediating nutrient cycling - and use high-resolution reconstructions of burrow geometry to determine the extent and nature of biogenic modification. We find that individual functional effect descriptors fall short of being able to adequately characterize how species mediate the stocks and flows of important ecosystem properties and that, in contrary to common practice and understanding, they are not substitutable with one another because they emphasize different aspects of species activity and behavior. When information derived from these metrics is combined with knowledge of how species behave and modify their environment, however, detailed mechanistic information emerges that increases the likelihood that a species functional standing will be appropriately summarized. Our study provides evidence that more comprehensive functional effect descriptors are required if they are to be of value to those tasked with projecting how altered biodiversity will influence future ecosystems

Diagnostic sensitivity of abdominal fat aspiration in cardiac amyloidosis

Aims: Congo red staining of an endomyocardial biopsy is the diagnostic gold-standard in suspected cardiac amyloidosis (CA), but the procedure is associated with the risk, albeit small, of serious complications, and delay in diagnosis due to the requirement for technical expertise. In contrast, abdominal fat pad fine needle aspiration (FPFNA) is a simple, safe and well-established procedure in systemic amyloidosis, but its diagnostic sensitivity in patients with suspected CA remains unclear. Methods and results: We assessed the diagnostic sensitivity of FPFNA in 600 consecutive patients diagnosed with CA [216 AL amyloidosis, 113 hereditary transthyretin (ATTRm), and 271 wild-type transthyretin (ATTRwt) amyloidosis] at our Centre. Amyloid was detected on Congo red staining of FPFNAs in 181/216 (84%) patients with cardiac AL amyloidosis, including 100, 97, and 78% of those with a large, moderate, and small whole-body amyloid burden, respectively, as assessed by serum amyloid P (SAP) component scintigraphy (P < 0.001); the deposits were successfully typed as AL by immunohistochemistry in 102/216 (47%) cases. Amyloid was detected in FPFNAs of 51/113 (45%) patients with ATTRm CA, and only 42/271 (15%) cases with ATTRwt CA. Conclusions: FPFNA has reasonable diagnostic sensitivity in cardiac AL amyloidosis, particularly in patients with a large whole-body amyloid burden. Although the diagnostic sensitivity of FPFNA is substantially lower in transthyretin CA, particularly ATTRwt, it may nevertheless sometimes obviate the need for endomyocardial biopsy