Teacher-Student Relationships: Strengthening the Impact of PBIS on Climate

Researchers have emphasized the importance of teacher-student relationships (TSRs), showing that the quality of these relationships can have significant, short and long-term effects on student outcomes and school climate (Baker, Grant & Morlock, 2008; Guess & Bowling, 2013; Hamre & Pianta, 2001). While School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SW-PBIS) also has positive effects on school climate (Bradshaw, Waasdorp & Leaf, 2015), little research has been done to examine how SW-PBIS and TSRs intersect to influence student outcomes and school climate. This presentation will address the integration of these two factors as perceived by practitioners responsible for implementing SW-PBIS. Data will be presented from focus group interviews with SW-PBS teams and mental health professionals (N = 178) from three high-need, low-resource school districts in Georgia. Interviews were conducted to understand how participants perceived barriers and facilitators to SW-PBIS. Of specific interest were SW-PBIS team members’ views about how TSRs influence the implementation and efficacy of SW-PBIS, as well as how SW-PBIS implementation influences TSR quality and school climate. Results indicated that TSRs support positive student behavior in a preventative way that is consistent with the goals of SW-PBIS, while the rituals and routines of SW-PBIS also provide opportunities for positive interactions between teachers and students that enhance positive TSRs. Results also provided some evidence that poor TSRs may work against SW-PBIS goals by contributing to an increase in negative student behaviors. Presenters will discuss the implications of this bidirectional relationship for school professionals who want to improve SW-PBIS implementation and/or TSR quality. Implications from results are especially important for schools that serve diverse communities. Our results described how TSRs can be particularly important for the success of SW-PBIS in light of socioeconomic or racial/ethnic diversity within the student body, as it builds perceived trust between teachers, students and families

Morphing in nature and beyond: a review of natural and synthetic shape-changing materials and mechanisms

Shape-changing materials open an entirely new solution space for a wide range of disciplines: from architecture that responds to the environment and medical devices that unpack inside the body, to passive sensors and novel robotic actuators. While synthetic shape-changing materials are still in their infancy, studies of biological morphing materials have revealed key paradigms and features which underlie efficient natural shape-change. Here, we review some of these insights and how they have been, or may be, translated to artificial solutions. We focus on soft matter due to its prevalence in nature, compatibility with users and potential for novel design. Initially, we review examples of natural shape-changing materials—skeletal muscle, tendons and plant tissues—and compare with synthetic examples with similar methods of operation. Stimuli to motion are outlined in general principle, with examples of their use and potential in manufactured systems. Anisotropy is identified as a crucial element in directing shape-change to fulfil designed tasks, and some manufacturing routes to its achievement are highlighted. We conclude with potential directions for future work, including the simultaneous development of materials and manufacturing techniques and the hierarchical combination of effects at multiple length scales.</p

Search for gravitational-lensing signatures in the full third observing run of the LIGO-Virgo network

Gravitational lensing by massive objects along the line of sight to the source causes distortions of gravitational wave-signals; such distortions may reveal information about fundamental physics, cosmology and astrophysics. In this work, we have extended the search for lensing signatures to all binary black hole events from the third observing run of the LIGO--Virgo network. We search for repeated signals from strong lensing by 1) performing targeted searches for subthreshold signals, 2) calculating the degree of overlap amongst the intrinsic parameters and sky location of pairs of signals, 3) comparing the similarities of the spectrograms amongst pairs of signals, and 4) performing dual-signal Bayesian analysis that takes into account selection effects and astrophysical knowledge. We also search for distortions to the gravitational waveform caused by 1) frequency-independent phase shifts in strongly lensed images, and 2) frequency-dependent modulation of the amplitude and phase due to point masses. None of these searches yields significant evidence for lensing. Finally, we use the non-detection of gravitational-wave lensing to constrain the lensing rate based on the latest merger-rate estimates and the fraction of dark matter composed of compact objects

31st Annual Meeting and Associated Programs of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC 2016) : part two

Background The immunological escape of tumors represents one of the main ob- stacles to the treatment of malignancies. The blockade of PD-1 or CTLA-4 receptors represented a milestone in the history of immunotherapy. However, immune checkpoint inhibitors seem to be effective in specific cohorts of patients. It has been proposed that their efficacy relies on the presence of an immunological response. Thus, we hypothesized that disruption of the PD-L1/PD-1 axis would synergize with our oncolytic vaccine platform PeptiCRAd. Methods We used murine B16OVA in vivo tumor models and flow cytometry analysis to investigate the immunological background. Results First, we found that high-burden B16OVA tumors were refractory to combination immunotherapy. However, with a more aggressive schedule, tumors with a lower burden were more susceptible to the combination of PeptiCRAd and PD-L1 blockade. The therapy signifi- cantly increased the median survival of mice (Fig. 7). Interestingly, the reduced growth of contralaterally injected B16F10 cells sug- gested the presence of a long lasting immunological memory also against non-targeted antigens. Concerning the functional state of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), we found that all the immune therapies would enhance the percentage of activated (PD-1pos TIM- 3neg) T lymphocytes and reduce the amount of exhausted (PD-1pos TIM-3pos) cells compared to placebo. As expected, we found that PeptiCRAd monotherapy could increase the number of antigen spe- cific CD8+ T cells compared to other treatments. However, only the combination with PD-L1 blockade could significantly increase the ra- tio between activated and exhausted pentamer positive cells (p= 0.0058), suggesting that by disrupting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis we could decrease the amount of dysfunctional antigen specific T cells. We ob- served that the anatomical location deeply influenced the state of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. In fact, TIM-3 expression was in- creased by 2 fold on TILs compared to splenic and lymphoid T cells. In the CD8+ compartment, the expression of PD-1 on the surface seemed to be restricted to the tumor micro-environment, while CD4 + T cells had a high expression of PD-1 also in lymphoid organs. Interestingly, we found that the levels of PD-1 were significantly higher on CD8+ T cells than on CD4+ T cells into the tumor micro- environment (p < 0.0001). Conclusions In conclusion, we demonstrated that the efficacy of immune check- point inhibitors might be strongly enhanced by their combination with cancer vaccines. PeptiCRAd was able to increase the number of antigen-specific T cells and PD-L1 blockade prevented their exhaus- tion, resulting in long-lasting immunological memory and increased median survival

Reproducibility of ZrO2-based freeze casting for biomaterials.

The processing technique of freeze casting has been intensely researched for its potential to create porous scaffold and infiltrated composite materials for biomedical implants and structural materials. However, in order for this technique to be employed medically or commercially, it must be able to reliably produce materials in great quantities with similar microstructures and properties. Here we investigate the reproducibility of the freeze casting process by independently fabricating three sets of eight ZrO2-epoxy composite scaffolds with the same processing conditions but varying solid loading (10, 15 and 20 vol.%). Statistical analyses (One-way ANOVA and Tukey's HSD tests) run upon measurements of the microstructural dimensions of these composite scaffold sets show that, while the majority of microstructures are similar, in all cases the composite scaffolds display statistically significant variability. In addition, composite scaffolds where mechanically compressed and statistically analyzed. Similar to the microstructures, almost all of their resultant properties displayed significant variability though most composite scaffolds were similar. These results suggest that additional research to improve control of the freeze casting technique is required before scaffolds and composite scaffolds can reliably be reproduced for commercial or medical applications

The Coronal Plane High Tibial Osteotomy. Part II: A Comparison of Axial Rotation with the Opening Wedge High Tibial Osteotomy

The amount of axial rotation in the tibia caused by high tibial osteotomy is relatively unknown. The authors hypothesize that the coronal plane high tibial osteotomy, a novel technique used to treat varus malalignment, alters the axial rotation of the tibia less than the opening wedge high tibial osteotomy. Eight, embalmed, stripped cadaveric tibia–fibula constructs with intact interosseous membranes were randomized to either opening wedge or coronal plane high tibial osteotomies. Sequential valgus corrections of 5°, 10°, and 15° were performed. The Qualisys Track Manager motion capture system was used to measure axial rotation. Student’s t test was used to compare axial rotation between the two groups. A p value of 0.05 was determined to be significant. The coronal plane technique produced rotations about the tibial axis that were statistically significantly smaller than those of the opening wedge technique for all correction angles (1.2° internal rotation (IR) vs 16° external rotation (ER), respectively, at 5° correction; p = 0.02) (3.5° IR vs 21.2° ER at 10° correction; p = 0.04) (4.5° IR vs 23.0° ER at 15° correction; p = 0.01). The coronal plane high tibial osteotomy alters axial rotation of the tibia significantly less than the opening wedge high tibial osteotomy

BarkBase : Epigenomic Annotation of Canine Genomes

Dogs are an unparalleled natural model for investigating the genetics of health and disease, particularly for complex diseases like cancer. Comprehensive genomic annotation of regulatory elements active in healthy canine tissues is crucial both for identifying candidate causal variants and for designing functional studies needed to translate genetic associations into disease insight. Currently, canine geneticists rely primarily on annotations of the human or mouse genome that have been remapped to dog, an approach that misses dog-specific features. Here, we describe BarkBase, a canine epigenomic resource available at barkbase.org. BarkBase hosts data for 27 adult tissue types, with biological replicates, and for one sample of up to five tissues sampled at each of four carefully staged embryonic time points. RNA sequencing is complemented with whole genome sequencing and with assay for transposase-accessible chromatin using sequencing (ATAC-seq), which identifies open chromatin regions. By including replicates, we can more confidently discern tissue-specific transcripts and assess differential gene expression between tissues and timepoints. By offering data in easy-to-use file formats, through a visual browser modeled on similar genomic resources for human, BarkBase introduces a powerful new resource to support comparative studies in dogs and humans

The Effect of Molecular Subtype and Residual Disease on Locoregional Recurrence in Breast Cancer Patients Treated with Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy and Postmastectomy Radiation

BACKGROUND: The relative contribution of biologic subtype to locoregional recurrence (LRR) in patients who have been treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), mastectomy and postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) is not clearly defined. METHODS: 233 patients with Stage II-III breast cancer received NAC, mastectomy and PMRT between 2000-2009: 53% (n=123) had HR+ (ER or PR+/HER2−), 23% (n=53) had HER2+ (HER2+/HR+ or HR−), and 24% (n=57) had triple negative disease (TN: HR−/HER2−). The 5-year LRR rates were estimated by Kaplan-Meier methods. Cox regression analysis was performed to evaluate covariates associated with LRR. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 62 months. A pathologic complete response (pCR) was seen in 14% of patients. The 5-year LRR rate was 8% in the entire cohort. The LRR rate was 0% in patients with a pCR versus 9% in patients without a pCR (p=0.05). TN disease (HR=4.4, p=0.003) and pathologic node positivity (HR=9.8, p=0.03) were associated with LRR. Patients with TN disease had a higher LRR rate compared to patients with HER2+ and HR+ disease (20% versus 6% and 4%, p=0.005). In patients without a pCR, TN subtype was associated with increased LRR (26% versus 7% HER+ and 4% HR+, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with TN breast cancer had the highest LRR rate after NAC, mastectomy and PMRT. While no LRR was observed in TN patients with pCR, TN patients with residual disease had significantly higher LRR risk. Patients with HR+ and HER2+ breast cancer had favorable LRR rates, regardless of NAC response, likely due to receipt of adjuvant systemic targeted therapies

BarkBase : Epigenomic Annotation of Canine Genomes

Dogs are an unparalleled natural model for investigating the genetics of health and disease, particularly for complex diseases like cancer. Comprehensive genomic annotation of regulatory elements active in healthy canine tissues is crucial both for identifying candidate causal variants and for designing functional studies needed to translate genetic associations into disease insight. Currently, canine geneticists rely primarily on annotations of the human or mouse genome that have been remapped to dog, an approach that misses dog-specific features. Here, we describe BarkBase, a canine epigenomic resource available at barkbase.org. BarkBase hosts data for 27 adult tissue types, with biological replicates, and for one sample of up to five tissues sampled at each of four carefully staged embryonic time points. RNA sequencing is complemented with whole genome sequencing and with assay for transposase-accessible chromatin using sequencing (ATAC-seq), which identifies open chromatin regions. By including replicates, we can more confidently discern tissue-specific transcripts and assess differential gene expression between tissues and timepoints. By offering data in easy-to-use file formats, through a visual browser modeled on similar genomic resources for human, BarkBase introduces a powerful new resource to support comparative studies in dogs and humans