A Comparative Study of Methods of Reporting Pupil Progress to Parents in the Elementary Schools

It was the purpose of this study to survey the trends of reporting to parents in selected communities. From this and from the study of literature on the national level, it was hoped that the good points of the cross section could be taken and used as the bases for a new reporting system in Lewiston elementary schools

Current Understanding of Circulating Tumor Cells - Potential Value in Malignancies of the Central Nervous System

Detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the blood via so-called 'liquid biopsies' carries enormous clinical potential in malignancies of the central nervous system (CNS) because of the potential to follow disease evolution with a blood test, without the need for repeat neurosurgical procedures with their inherent risk of patient morbidity. To date studies in non-CNS malignancies, particularly in breast cancer, show increasing reproducibility of detection methods for these rare tumor cells in the circulation. However, no method has yet received full recommendation to use in clinical practice, in part because of lack of a sufficient evidence base regarding clinical utility. In CNS malignancies one of the main challenges is finding a suitable biomarker for identification of these cells, because automated systems such as the widely used Cell Search system are reliant on markers such as the epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) which are not present in CNS tumors. This review examines methods for CTC enrichment and detection, and reviews the progress in non-CNS tumors and the potential for using this technique in human brain tumors

New Insights into the Structure of (1→3,1→6)-β-D-Glucan Side Chains in the Candida glabrata Cell Wall

β-glucan is a (1→3)-β-linked glucose polymer with (1→6)-β-linked side chains and a major component of fungal cell walls. β-glucans provide structural integrity to the fungal cell wall. The nature of the (1–6)-β-linked side chain structure of fungal (1→3,1→6)-β-D-glucans has been very difficult to elucidate. Herein, we report the first detailed structural characterization of the (1→6)-β-linked side chains of Candida glabrata using high-field NMR. The (1→6)-β-linked side chains have an average length of 4 to 5 repeat units spaced every 21 repeat units along the (1→3)-linked polymer backbone. Computer modeling suggests that the side chains have a bent curve structure that allows for a flexible interconnection with parallel (1→3)-β-D-glucan polymers, and/or as a point of attachment for proteins. Based on these observations we propose new approaches to how (1→6)-β-linked side chains interconnect with neighboring glucan polymers in a manner that maximizes fungal cell wall strength, while also allowing for flexibility, or plasticity

FuelCell2010-33214 Evaluating Methods for Infiltration of LSCF Cathodes with Mixed Electric/Ionic Conductors for Improved Oxygen Exchange

ABSTRACT Infiltration methods for improving lanthanum strontium cobalt ferrite (LSCF) cathode performance through catalyst surface modification were evaluated at the U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory. Infiltration of mixed conductors into LSCF cathodes of solid oxide fuel cells promises a low cost method of improving oxygen exchange and performance in these materials at lower temperatures. LSCF cathodes on Nickel-Yttria Stabilized Zirconia (Ni-YSZ) anode supported cells were infiltrated with strontium-doped lanthanum zirconate (LSZ) pyrochlores using two methods. An aqueous solution of nitrate salts was vacuum infiltrated into the cathodes of anode supported button cells, and the cells were heated to form the pyrochlore phase in-situ. This was compared to the efficacy of infiltrating a suspension of pyrochlore nanoparticles. Different dispersants were used to prepare the nanoparticle suspensions at varying concentrations and pH levels, and the results are compared. INTRODUCTION Solid oxide fuel cells have shown promise in power generation both in stand-alone applications and as the enabling component in high efficiency coal-based power with reduced emissions

The transcription factor PPARα is overexpressed and is associated with a favourable prognosis in IDH-wildtype primary glioblastoma

© 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd Aims: PPARα agonists are in current clinical use as hypolipidaemic agents and show significant antineoplastic effects in human glioblastoma models. To date however, the expression of PPARα in large-scale glioblastoma datasets has not been examined. We aimed to investigate the expression of the transcription factor PPARα in primary glioblastoma, the relationship between PPARα expression and patients’ clinicopathological features and other molecular markers associated with gliomagenesis. Methods and results: With protein immunoblotting techniques and reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR, PPARα was found to be significantly overexpressed in glioblastoma compared with control brain tissue (P = 0.032 and P = 0.005). PPARA gene expression was found to be enriched in the classical glioblastoma subtype within The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset. Although not associated with overall survival when assessed by immunohistochemistry, cross-validation with the TCGA dataset and multivariate analyses identified PPARA gene expression as an independent prognostic marker for overall survival (P = 0.042). Finally, hierarchical clustering revealed novel, significant associations between high PPARA expression and a putative set of glioblastoma molecular mediators including EMX2, AQP4, and NTRK2. Conclusions: PPARα is overexpressed in primary glioblastoma and high PPARA expression functions as an independent prognostic marker in the glioblastoma TCGA dataset. Further studies are required to explore genetic associations with high PPARA expression and to analyse the predictive role of PPARα expression in glioblastoma models in response to PPARα agonists

Patterns of impact resulting from a 'sit less, move more' web-based program in sedentary office employees.

PURPOSE: Encouraging office workers to 'sit less and move more' encompasses two public health priorities. However, there is little evidence on the effectiveness of workplace interventions for reducing sitting, even less about the longer term effects of such interventions and still less on dual-focused interventions. This study assessed the short and mid-term impacts of a workplace web-based intervention (Walk@WorkSpain, W@WS; 2010-11) on self-reported sitting time, step counts and physical risk factors (waist circumference, BMI, blood pressure) for chronic disease. METHODS: Employees at six Spanish university campuses (n=264; 42±10 years; 171 female) were randomly assigned by worksite and campus to an Intervention (used W@WS; n=129; 87 female) or a Comparison group (maintained normal behavior; n=135; 84 female). This phased, 19-week program aimed to decrease occupational sitting time through increased incidental movement and short walks. A linear mixed model assessed changes in outcome measures between the baseline, ramping (8 weeks), maintenance (11 weeks) and follow-up (two months) phases for Intervention versus Comparison groups. RESULTS: A significant 2 (group) × 2 (program phases) interaction was found for self-reported occupational sitting (F[3]=7.97, p=0.046), daily step counts (F[3]=15.68, p=0.0013) and waist circumference (F[3]=11.67, p=0.0086). The Intervention group decreased minutes of daily occupational sitting while also increasing step counts from baseline (446±126; 8,862±2,475) through ramping (+425±120; 9,345±2,435), maintenance (+422±123; 9,638±3,131) and follow-up (+414±129; 9,786±3,205). In the Comparison group, compared to baseline (404±106), sitting time remained unchanged through ramping and maintenance, but decreased at follow-up (-388±120), while step counts diminished across all phases. The Intervention group significantly reduced waist circumference by 2.1cms from baseline to follow-up while the Comparison group reduced waist circumference by 1.3cms over the same period. CONCLUSIONS: W@WS is a feasible and effective evidence-based intervention that can be successfully deployed with sedentary employees to elicit sustained changes on "sitting less and moving more"