A Study of Methods and Materials as Can Be Applied to the Improvement of Primary Reading in the Bessmay Junior High School

Classwork done by students in the upper grades of the Bessmay Junior High School shows that those students have deficient knowledge of reading. This deficiency has prevented the progress and attainment of success in school work that is to be expected of pupils of these grades; namely, 5-9. Certain factors are evident which indicate that the difficulty might lie in the previous methods of teaching reading that have been employed in the primary grades. The problem to be solved is: What are the most effective methods and materials that may be employed in the Bessmay Junior High School, or other elementary schools with similar problems, for the improvement of primary reading? The purpose of this study is to collect, analyze, and evaluate methods and materials used by a representative number of primary teachers, and to describe the successful experiment performed with a retarded second grade at the Bessmay Junior High Schol with the objective of determining the greatest degree of success aforded by the use of certain methods and materials in teaching reading in the first three grades. It is also the purpose of this study to present this information in a concise form that will be available for those interested in, or working with, groups of children in situations similar to that of the Bessmay Junior High School

HPV biology in VIN: viral biomarkers to predict response to treatment

Biology in VIN: Viral Biomarkers to Predict Response to Treatment I Summary Vulval intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) is a condition of vulval skin that is often chronic in nature. The diagnosis is made histologically and can be delayed due to VINs variable clinical presentation. Frequently reported symptoms of pain and itching can be very distressing for patients. If left untreated, VIN has the potential to become malignant. The current standard treatment for VIN is surgical excision. However this approach is not ideal; it can be disfiguring and lead to significant psychosexual morbidity. There are also potentially, significant post operative complications (e.g. infection) and a high rate of recurrence. Alternative treatments are needed. The efficacy of cidofovir and imiquimod treatment was investigated in the RT3 VIN clinical trial, and complete responses were observed in 57% and 61% of patients respectively. The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) plays a major aetiological role in the development of VIN. To further understanding of HPV pathogenesis in VIN, HPV prevalence, HPV integration, HPV methylation and HPV gene expression were investigated in 167 tissue biopsies from patients participating in the RT3 VIN trial. High HPV prevalence of 98.2% was detected. HPV biology was found to be heterogeneous: HPV integration was detected in 71/136 (52.5%) cases; HPV DNA methylation ranged from 0.0% - 94.4%, and there was variable expression of HPV genes. Strong correlations were found between HPV integration, high levels of methylation, low levels of E2 gene expression and deregulated oncogene expression. Variable HPV biology in VIN 3 meant that HPV characteristics had a potential role as predictive biomarkers. HPV E2 region methylation demonstrated greatest potential. E2 methylation >4% predicted response to cidofovir with 88.2% sensitivity and 84.6% specificity; while E2 methylation <4% predicted response to imiquimod with 70.6% sensitivity and 62.5% specificity. Further investigation of this biomarker in a large prospective study is justified

Pour Me Some Polyphenols

Polyphenols have a positive impact on the overall health of the oral cavity. They can be found in different drinks that are plant-based such as tea, coffee or products containing cocoa. They can be found in plant-based foods like fruits and vegetables. Polyphenols are able to reduce the cariogenic process is what makes them have such an importance in oral health. They play a role in systemic health. The studies provided evidence that polyphenols are able to reduce caries in individuals who are frequently consuming them.https://dune.une.edu/dh_studpost/1015/thumbnail.jp

Development of a model to predict security incidents in high secure psychiatric care. An investigation into ward culture and physical environment

It has been suggested that environmental factors and the organisational culture of a forensic service hold the key to predicting and preventing incidents. However, little empirical research addresses this. This thesis aimed to develop a model that explains which factors of culture and environment impact security incidents in secure care. This can then be used in practice to aid the prediction and management of security incidents. The thesis includes four studies. A systematic literature review of 41 studies and 5 inquiries found that staff characteristics, patient interactions, the physical environment and meaningful recreation were linked to security incidents. It also highlighted a focus on aggressive incidents and a lack of research in high secure psychiatric settings. The second study of the thesis aimed to address these issues. Interviews were conducted with six security staff in high secure psychiatric services to gather detailed information about security incidents in this setting. It was found that aspects of ward culture, such as patient relationships, application of rules, engagement in activity and injustice were perceived to be associated with incidents. However, these factors were not linked to actual incident data in this study. Therefore, the third study aimed to do this. It used questionnaires to assess the perceptions of ward culture of 73 patients and 157 staff members. Record based data was used to assess if these perceptions were associated with the number of incidents on a ward. The study found that lower levels of support from staff and other patients was related to greater numbers of threat and substance incidents. In addition, levels of inappropriate behaviours were higher on wards where patients felt less involved in the service. Finally, this thesis explored the theory that the interpersonal style of staff and perceived fairness may explain why staff-patient relationships and involvement in the service were associated with incidents. Engagement in meaningful activity and the physical environment were also investigated in the final study. Using the same methodology as study three, the final study assessed the perceptions of 151 staff members and 62 patients. It found that higher levels of aggressive and non-aggressive incidents were associated with controlling interpersonal style of staff, lower perceived fairness, and fewer patients involved in off-ward activities. The perception of fair treatment and the number of patients involved in off-ward activities mediated the link between staff interpersonal style and security incidents. Based on these results, the McKenna model of security incident prediction was created. This highlights the features of wards, which increase the likelihood of security incidents. It is proposed that the model can be used to highlight wards in high secure services that are at risk of having high levels of security incidents

Primate cognition in zoos : reviewing the impact of zoo-based research over 15 years

This work was supported by the European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Program (FP7/2007-2013)/ERC grant agreement no. 609819, SOMICS (EM, EW, ST), UK Economic and Social Research Council studentship 2267016 and the St Leonard’s Research Scholarship from the University of St Andrews (KD).Primate cognition research is reliant on access to members of the study species and logistical infrastructures to conduct observations and experiments. Historically founded in research centers and private collections, and spreading to modern zoos, sanctuaries, and the field, primate cognition has been investigated in diverse settings, each with benefits and challenges. In our systematic review of 12 primatology, animal behavior, and animal cognition journals over the last 15 years, we turn a spotlight on zoos to quantify their current impact on the field and to highlight their potential as robust contributors to future work. To put zoo-based research in context, we compare zoos to three other site types: university-owned or independent research centers, sanctuaries, and field sites. We assess the contributions of zoos across several critical considerations in primate cognition research, including number of investigations, species diversity, sample size, research topic diversity, and methodology. We identified 1,119 publications reporting studies of primate cognition, almost 25% of which report research conducted in zoos. Across publications, zoo-based research has greater species diversity than research centers and covers a diverse range of research topics. Although our review is merely a snapshot of primate cognition research, our findings suggest that zoos may present advantages to researchers regarding species diversity, and lack some of the methodological constraints of field sites, allowing greater ease of access to a diverse range of subjects for cognition investigations. We suggest that zoos have great potential as key contributors for future investigations in primate cognition. Finally, we shed light on the symbiotic relationship that can emerge between researchers and zoos, forming partnerships that bring unique advantages to both parties.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

An Initial Usability Evaluation of the Secure Situation Awareness System

The importance of situation awareness systems in crisis-management scenarios cannot be emphasised enough. These systems enable entire disaster situations to be mapped out in a real-time fashion thereby aiding significantly in human decision-making and the necessary positioning, management and deployment of resources. As a result of the core role these systems play in responding to crises, it is vital that they are highly usable and optimized for human cognition and experience. In this paper we consider this reality in the context of an initial evaluation of the visualisation interface of a situation-awareness tool called Secure Situation Awareness (SSA). Our evaluation seeks to gather useful feedback from potential end-users on the usability of the tool’s interface to feed into the design and development of interfaces for similar systems

Impacts of colonial waterbirds on vegetation and potential restoration of island habitats

Colonial waterbirds have impacted forested island ecosystems throughout their breeding range, changing vegetation, and soil characteristics and bird communities. Our objectives were to (1) determine effects of three levels of colonial waterbird exclusion on overall vegetation diversity and growth, and survival of a candidate restoration species (black elderberry; Sambucus nigra canadensis); (2) investigate effects of different planting techniques on survival and growth of black elderberry; and (3) determine effects of waterbird colonization on soil chemistry. In 2012, we investigated effects of three levels of waterbird exclusion (none control plots [CON]; partial, which excluded waterbirds larger than gulls [PEX]; and full which excluded all waterbirds [FEX]) on bird use, existing vegetation growth and diversity, and survival of planted black elderberry on three islands in Door County, WI, Lake Michigan. In 2013, we evaluated survival of black elderberry established with four planting treatments within three waterbird exclusion treatments on two islands in 2013.We also compared soil chemistry characteristics between islands with and without nesting waterbirds for 2 years. Overall plant growth was greater in exclosures, but elderberry survival was similar among treatments. Soil replacement and weed suppression planting treatments did not affect survival, but generally increased overall elderberry biomass. Soil from nesting islands was more acidic and had greater nutrient concentrations than reference islands. Exclusion or removal of colonial nesting waterbirds from islands may improve overall vegetation growth, but successful restoration of woody vegetation may require significant soil manipulation and planting

Combined HPV 16 E2 and L1 methylation predict response to treatment with cidofovir and imiquimod in patients with vulval intraepithelial neoplasia

BACKGROUND: Topical cidofovir and imiquimod can effectively treat approximately 55% of patients with vulval intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN), thus avoiding the need for surgery. Human papillomavirus (HPV) E⁢2 gene methylation predicts response to treatment but a methylation measurement is only obtainable in approximately 50% of patients. OBJECTIVE: This work aimed to determine if the applicability and predictive power of the E⁢2 methylation assay could be improved by combining it with the components of a host and viral DNA methylation panel (S5) that has been found to predict disease progression in patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. METHODS: HPV E2 methylation and S5 classifier score were measured in fresh tissue samples collected pre-treatment from 132 patients with biopsy-proven VIN grade 3 who participated in a multicentre clinical trial and were randomised to treatment with cidofovir or imiquimod. RESULTS: Combining HPV16 E⁢2 and HPV16 L⁢1 methylation provides a biomarker that is both predictive of response to topical treatment and that can produce a clinically applicable result for all patients. Patients with HPV 16 L⁢1

Disease prevention versus data privacy : using landcover maps to inform spatial epidemic models

The availability of epidemiological data in the early stages of an outbreak of an infectious disease is vital for modelers to make accurate predictions regarding the likely spread of disease and preferred intervention strategies. However, in some countries, the necessary demographic data are only available at an aggregate scale. We investigated the ability of models of livestock infectious diseases to predict epidemic spread and obtain optimal control policies in the event of imperfect, aggregated data. Taking a geographic information approach, we used land cover data to predict UK farm locations and investigated the influence of using these synthetic location data sets upon epidemiological predictions in the event of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. When broadly classified land cover data were used to create synthetic farm locations, model predictions deviated significantly from those simulated on true data. However, when more resolved subclass land use data were used, moderate to highly accurate predictions of epidemic size, duration and optimal vaccination and ring culling strategies were obtained. This suggests that a geographic information approach may be useful where individual farm-level data are not available, to allow predictive analyses to be carried out regarding the likely spread of disease. This method can also be used for contingency planning in collaboration with policy makers to determine preferred control strategies in the event of a future outbreak of infectious disease in livestock