Feasibility of a Supplemental Phonological Awareness Intervention via Telepractice for Children with Hearing Loss: A Preliminary Study

The goal of the current study was to examine the feasibility of a telepractice intervention to improve phonological awareness skills in children with hearing loss as compared to a conventional in-person intervention.  Twenty children with hearing loss participated in this study. Two groups of ten children each received a supplemental phonological awareness intervention either via telepractice or an in-person service delivery model. Within each of the two groups, five children were enrolled in preschool or kindergarten and five children were enrolled in first or second grade. The two groups of children demonstrated similar phonological awareness, non-verbal IQ, and vocabulary skills during pre-tests.  After a 12-week intervention children with hearing loss showed improved phonological awareness skills as measured by a standardized post-test. No significant differences were found between the performance of the telepractice group and in-person group. Nor was a significant interaction found between the two age groups (PreK/K vs. 1st /2nd grade) and the two types of service delivery models (in-person vs. telepractice). The results suggest that a telepractice service delivery model is feasible for young children with hearing loss, and that telepractice may be as effective as in-person intervention in improving phonological awareness skills.

Using a Computer Simulation to Teach Science Process Skills to College Biology and Elementary Majors

The Lateblight computer simulation (Arneson and Ticknor, 1990) has been implemented in the general biology laboratory and the science methods course for elementary teachers to reinforce the processes of science and to allow the students to engage, explore, explain, elaborate and evaluate the methods of building concepts in science. The students develop testable hypotheses and then use the program to run experiments and collect data. In addition, they research relevant background information and subsequently present their results in a poster during class

Chloroplast DNA and Nuclear DNA Content Variations among Cultivars of Switchgrass, \u3ci\u3ePanicum virgatum\u3c/i\u3e L.

Switchgrass, Panicum virgatum L., is a native, cross-pollinated, morphologically diverse species with an array of ploidy levels and ecotypes. Switchgrass is found throughout most of the USA and Canada, primarily east of the Rocky Mountains and south of Hudson Bay. The objective of this research was to determine if chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) occur among switchgrass cultivars and experimental strains that differ in ploidy level or ecotype classification. Eighteen switchgrass cultivars or experimental strains representative of reported ecotypes, ploidy levels, and the geographical range of switchgrass were surveyed for cpDNA polymorphisms by means of four restriction endonucleases and 20 sorghum cpDNA probes. One polymorphism was detected which was associated with the lowland-upland ecotype classification. The lowland cultivars contained a restriction site change that was not present in the upland cultivars. The two cytotypes discovered have been designated as the U (upland) or L (lowland) cytotype. The lowland cultivars had 3 pg DNA/nuclei as measured by flow cytometry while the upland types had either 3 or 6 pg DNA/nuclei. There were no cpDNA polymorphisms among the upland cultivars regardless of ploidy level as measured by DNA content. These results demonstrate that cpDNA differs among switchgrasses and that this variation is associated with ecotype variation but not with nuclear DNA content

Antibody-Based Ticagrelor Reversal Agent in Healthy Volunteers.

BACKGROUND: Ticagrelor is an oral P2Y12 inhibitor that is used with aspirin to reduce the risk of ischemic events among patients with acute coronary syndromes or previous myocardial infarction. Spontaneous major bleeding and bleeding associated with urgent invasive procedures are concerns with ticagrelor, as with other antiplatelet drugs. The antiplatelet effects of ticagrelor cannot be reversed with platelet transfusion. A rapid-acting reversal agent would be useful. METHODS: In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 1 trial, we evaluated intravenous PB2452, a monoclonal antibody fragment that binds ticagrelor with high affinity, as a ticagrelor reversal agent. We assessed platelet function in healthy volunteers before and after 48 hours of ticagrelor pretreatment and again after the administration of PB2452 or placebo. Platelet function was assessed with the use of light transmission aggregometry, a point-of-care P2Y12 platelet-reactivity test, and a vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein assay. RESULTS: Of the 64 volunteers who underwent randomization, 48 were assigned to receive PB2452 and 16 to receive placebo. After 48 hours of ticagrelor pretreatment, platelet aggregation was suppressed by approximately 80%. PB2452 administered as an initial intravenous bolus followed by a prolonged infusion (8, 12, or 16 hours) was associated with a significantly greater increase in platelet function than placebo, as measured by multiple assays. Ticagrelor reversal occurred within 5 minutes after the initiation of PB2452 and was sustained for more than 20 hours (P\u3c0.001 after Bonferroni adjustment across all time points for all assays). There was no evidence of a rebound in platelet activity after drug cessation. Adverse events related to the trial drug were limited mainly to issues involving the infusion site. CONCLUSIONS: In healthy volunteers, the administration of PB2452, a specific reversal agent for ticagrelor, provided immediate and sustained reversal of the antiplatelet effects of ticagrelor, as measured by multiple assays. (Funded by PhaseBio Pharmaceuticals; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03492385.)

The Burrell-Optical-Kepler-Survey (BOKS). I. Survey Description and Initial Results

We present the initial results of a 40 night contiguous ground-based campaign of time series photometric observations of a 1.39 deg^2 field located within the NASA Kepler Mission field of view. The goal of this pre-launch survey was to search for transiting extrasolar planets and to provide independent variability information of stellar sources. We have gathered a data set containing light curves of 54,687 stars from which we have created a statistical sub-sample of 13,786 stars between 14 < r < 18.5 and have statistically examined each light curve to test for variability. We present a summary of our preliminary photometric findings including the overall level and content of stellar variability in this portion of the Kepler field and give some examples of unusual variable stars found within. We present a preliminary catalog of 2,457 candidate variable stars, of which 776 show signs of periodicity. We also present three potential exoplanet candidates, all of which should be observable by the Kepler mission

The CO Molecular Outflows of IRAS 16293-2422 Probed by the Submillimeter Array

We have mapped the proto-binary source IRAS 16293-2422 in CO 2-1, 13CO 2-1, and CO 3-2 with the Submillimeter Array (SMA). The maps with resolution of 1".5-5" reveal a single small scale (~3000 AU) bipolar molecular outflow along the east-west direction. We found that the blueshifted emission of this small scale outflow mainly extends to the east and the redshifted emission to the west from the position of IRAS 16293A. A comparison with the morphology of the large scale outflows previously observed by single-dish telescopes at millimeter wavelengths suggests that the small scale outflow may be the inner part of the large scale (~15000 AU) E-W outflow. On the other hand, there is no clear counterpart of the large scale NE-SW outflow in our SMA maps. Comparing analytical models to the data suggests that the morphology and kinematics of the small scale outflow can be explained by a wide-angle wind with an inclination angle of ~30-40 degrees with respect to the plane of the sky. The high resolution CO maps show that there are two compact, bright spots in the blueshifted velocity range. An LVG analysis shows that the one located 1" to the east of source A is extremely dense, n(H_2)~10^7 cm^-3, and warm, T_kin >55 K. The other one located 1" southeast of source B has a higher temperature of T_kin >65 K but slightly lower density of n(H_2)~10^6 cm^-3. It is likely that these bright spots are associated with the hot core-like emission observed toward IRAS 16293. Since both two bright spots are blueshifted from the systemic velocity and are offset from the protostellar positions, they are likely formed by shocks.Comment: 27 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ, minor typos correcte

Prospectus, April 30, 1980

STUDENT GOV\u27T ELECTIONS TODAY, TOMORROW; Week in Review: World, Nation; Skyrocket interest rates force insurance borrowing; PC student heads to DC; Parkland Teacher Aide Program hosts Recognition Banquet Wed.; Illinois future can be as bright as ever; Arbor Day celebrated last Friday; Dental students to be capped; Males can survive; Women\u27s Program offers workshops; Community colleges can contribute; Open house of woods; Westerners celebrate different May Day; StuGo sponsors spring activities featuring balloons, kites, jazz; Letters to the Editor: Philemon lauded, Faculty thieves; One parent families are discussed; Cheap trick...; and Ted Nugent rock Assembly Hall; Classifieds; Dates to live by; Sports in Review: Baseball, Basketball, Hockey; Garden workshop concludes; Journ instructor gets textbook published; Forum presented Wed.; Track ready for state; Umpires clinic scheduled; Lucy coin sends Cobras to state; Cobras rounding out for sectional; New track gets workout; Parkland Baseball Statisticshttps://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_1980/1028/thumbnail.jp

Development of an in vitro periodontal biofilm model for assessing antimicrobial and host modulatory effects of bioactive molecules

Background: Inflammation within the oral cavity occurs due to dysregulation between microbial biofilms and the host response. Understanding how different oral hygiene products influence inflammatory properties is important for the development of new products. Therefore, creation of a robust host-pathogen biofilm platform capable of evaluating novel oral healthcare compounds is an attractive option. We therefore devised a multi-species biofilm co-culture model to evaluate the naturally derived polyphenol resveratrol (RSV) and gold standard chlorhexidine (CHX) with respect to anti-biofilm and anti-inflammatory properties.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Methods: An in vitro multi-species biofilm containing &lt;i&gt;S. mitis, F. nucleatum, P. Gingivalis&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;A. Actinomycetemcomitans&lt;/i&gt; was created to represent a disease-associated biofilm and the oral epithelial cell in OKF6-TERT2. Cytotoxicity studies were performed using RSV and CHX. Multi-species biofilms were either treated with either molecule, or alternatively epithelial cells were treated with these prior to biofilm co-culture. Biofilm composition was evaluated and inflammatory responses quantified at a transcriptional and protein level.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Results: CHX was toxic to epithelial cells and multi-species biofilms at concentrations ranging from 0.01-0.2%. RSV did not effect multi-species biofilm composition, but was toxic to epithelial cells at concentrations greater than 0.01%. In co-culture, CHX-treated biofilms resulted in down regulation of the inflammatory chemokine IL-8 at both mRNA and protein level. RSV-treated epithelial cells in co-culture were down-regulated in the release of IL-8 protein, but not mRNA.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Conclusions: CHX possesses potent bactericidal properties, which may impact downstream inflammatory mediators. RSV does not appear to have bactericidal properties against multi-species biofilms, however it did appear to supress epithelial cells from releasing inflammatory mediators. This study demonstrates the potential to understand the mechanisms by which different oral hygiene products may influence gingival inflammation, thereby validating the use of a biofilm co-culture model.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt

The CIDA Variability Survey of Orion OB1. I: the low-mass population of Ori OB 1a and 1b

We present results of a large scale, multi-epoch optical survey of the Ori OB1 association, carried out with the QuEST camera at the Venezuela National Astronomical Observatory. We identify for the first time the widely spread low-mass, young population in the Orion OB1a and OB1b sub-associations. Candidate members were picked up by their variability in the V-band and position in color-magnitude diagrams. We obtained spectra to confirm membership. In a region spanning ~ 68 deg^2 we found 197 new young stars; of these, 56 are located in the Ori OB1a subassociation and 142 in Ori OB1b. Comparison with the spatial extent of molecular gas and extinction maps indicates that the subassociation Ori 1b is concentrated within a ring-like structure of radius ~2 deg (~15 pc at 440 pc), centered roughly on the star epsilon Ori in the Orion belt. The ring is apparent in 13CO and corresponds to a region with an extinction Av>=1. The stars exhibiting strong Ha emission, an indicator of active accretion, are found along this ring, while the center is populated with weak Ha emitting stars. In contrast, Ori OB1a is located in a region devoid of gas and dust. We identify a grouping of stars within a ~3 deg^2 area located in 1a, roughly clustered around the B2 star 25 Ori. The Herbig Ae/Be star V346 Ori is also associated with this grouping, which could be an older analog of sigma Ori. Using using several sets of evolutionary tracks we find an age of 7 - 10 Myr for Ori 1a and of ~4 - 6 Myr for Ori OB1b, consistent with previous estimates from OB stars. Indicators such as the equivalent width of Ha and near-IR excesses show that while a substantial fraction of accreting disks remain at ages ~5 Myr, inner disks are essentially dissipated by 10 Myr.Comment: 44 pages, 12 figures, to appear in the Astronomical Journal. (Abridged abstract - to fit length limit in astroph) Full resolution figures in http://www.cida.ve/~briceno/publications