The Effects of Explicit Reading Strategy Instruction and Cooperative Learning on Reading Comprehension in Fourth Grade Students

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of explicit direct instruction and cooperative learning on reading comprehension in fourth grade students. A quasi-experimental design was used. There were six cognitive and three affective measures used to collect quantitative data. Cognitive measures included California State Test scores, Accelerated Reader test scores, STAR Reading Test scores, Selection Test scores for MacMillan CA Treasures Series, Metacognitive Strategy Index (MSI), and district benchmark assessments. Affective measures included the Motivation to Read Profile (MRP) for both Self-Concept and Value of Reading and an overall enjoyment survey. This study took place at two elementary schools in the suburban San Francisco Bay Area during a six-week period of instruction. Two fourth grade classes from each school site participated in the study. There were 105 participants. One group, which received explicit direct instruction and cooperative learning, consisted of 48 students. The second group, which received explicit direct instruction and independent seat work, consisted of 57 students. The students were taught the reading strategies of generating questions, making connections, summarizing, vocabulary building, and visualizing through explicit direct instruction. These strategies were practiced either independently or in cooperative learning groups. The data showed that students who performed better on the CST, which was used as a covariate, performed better on reading comprehension assessments in cooperative learning environments than students who scored lower on the CST. Students who scored lower on the covariate performed better with explicit direct instruction and independent practice work. Students in the cooperative learning group who scored higher on the covariate also reported a higher usage of reading comprehension strategies. Also, students in the independent work group who scored lower on the covariate reported more enjoyment for explicit direct instruction with independent work activities than higher scoring students. It can be concluded that lower performing readers benefit from explicit direct instruction with independent practice of reading comprehension strategies and higher performing readers benefit from explicit direct instruction with cooperative learning groups to practice reading comprehension strategies

mRECIST for HCC: Performance and novel refinements

Summary In 2010, modified RECIST (mRECIST) criteria were proposed as a way of adapting the RECIST criteria to the particularities of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We intended to overcome some limitations of RECIST in measuring tumour shrinkage with local and systemic therapies, and also to refine the assessment of progression that could be misinterpreted with conventional RECIST 1.1, due to clinical events related to the natural progression of chronic liver disease (development of ascites, enlargement of lymph nodes, etc.). mRECIST has served its purpose since being adopted or included in clinical practice guidelines (European, American and Asian) for the management of HCC; it has also been instrumental for assessing response and time-to-event endpoints in several phase II and III investigations. Nowadays, mRECIST has become the standard tool for measurement of radiological endpoints at early/intermediate stages of HCC. At advanced stages, guidelines recommend both methods. mRECIST has been proven to capture higher objective response rates in tumours treated with molecular therapies and those responses have shown to be independently associated with better survival. With the advent of novel treatment approaches (i.e. immunotherapy) and combination therapies there is a need to further refine and clarify some concepts around the performance of mRECIST. Similarly, changes in the landscape of standard of care at advanced stages of the disease are pointing towards progression-free survival as a potential primary endpoint in some phase III investigations, as effective therapies applied beyond progression might mask overall survival results. Strict recommendations for adopting this endpoint have been reported. Overall, we review the performance of mRECIST during the last decade, incorporating novel clarifications and refinements in light of emerging challenges in the study and management of HCC

Reducing Animal Numbers in a Contact Sentinel Program

Rodent health surveillance using sentinel animals is a critical part of the preventative health program for most laboratory rodent facilities. Introduction of animals through a quarantine area is generally one of the highest biosecurity risk areas in a rodent housing facility. Adequate health surveillance of animals during the quarantine period is critical to prevent introducing unwanted microorganisms

Lack of Effect of Murine Norovirus Infection on a Mouse Model of Bacteria-Induced Colon Cancer

Murine norovirus (MNV) is endemic in mouse research facilities in the United States and Europe, with a prevalence as high as 58% to 64%. Because of MNV's orofecal route of infection, clinically silent persistent infections in some mouse strains, and proclivity for macrophage and dendritic cells, its presence in mouse colonies has potential to alter phenotypes in experimental mouse models, particularly those involving inflammation and immunologic responses. Although MNV is subclinical, not causing overt disease in immunocompetent mice, we found that MNV infection can accelerate bacteria-induced inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) progression in Mdr1a^(-/-) mice. The studies presented here examined whether MNV infection also affects the phenotype of a bacterially driven mouse model of inflammation-associated colon cancer in genetically susceptible Smad3^(-/-) mice. In vitro culture of bone-marrow—derived macrophages (BMDM) was used to determine whether MNV4 influenced macrophage cytokine production. For in vivo studies, Smad3-/- mice were infected with MNV4 one week prior to infection with Helicobacter. Mice were monitored for 17 to 32 wk for development of IBD and colon cancer, and tissues were analyzed histopathologically. Although in vitro infection of BMDM with MNV4 led to increased inflammatory cytokine production, infection with MNV4 in vivo did not result in any statistically significant differences in survival, IBD scores, tumor incidence, or tumor phenotype in Smad3^(-/-) mice. In addition, MNV infection alone did not result in IBD or colon cancer. Therefore MNV infection alone or in conjunction with Helicobacter does not alter the development or progression of IBD or colon cancer in Smad3^(-/-) mice

Multimodality Treatment with Conventional Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization and Radiofrequency Ablation for Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background/Aims: To evaluate the efficacy of multimodality treatment consisting of conventional transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in patients with non-resectable and non-ablatable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: In this retrospective study, 85 consecutive patients with HCC (59 solitary, 29 multifocal HCC) received TACE followed by RFA between 2001 and 2010. The mean number of tumors per patient was 1.6 +/- 0.7 with a mean size of 3.0 +/- 0.9 cm. Both local efficacy and patient survival were evaluated. Results: Of 120 treated HCCs, 99 (82.5%) showed a complete response (CR), while in 21 HCCs (17.5%) a partial response was depicted. Patients with solitary HCC revealed CR in 91% (51/56); in patients with multifocal HCC (n = 29) CR was achieved in 75% (48 of 64 HCCs). The median survival for all patients was 25.5 months. The 1-, 2-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were 84.6, 58.7, 37.6 and 14.6%, respectively. Statistical analysis revealed a significant difference in survival between Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) A (73.4 months) and B (50.3 months) patients, while analyses failed to show a difference for Child-Pugh score, Cancer of Liver Italian Program (CLIP) score and tumor distribution pattern. Conclusion: TACE combined with RFA provides an effective treatment approach with high local tumor control rates and promising survival data, especially for BCLC A patients. Randomized trials are needed to compare this multimodality approach with a single modality approach for early-stage HCC. Copyright (C) 2011 S. Karger AG, Base

Headwaters’ Isotopic Signature as a Tracer of Stream Origins and Climatic Anomalies: Evidence from the Italian Alps in Summer 2018

Glaciers are shrinking due to global warming, resulting in a diminishing contribution of ice and snowmelt to headwaters and subsequent consequences to freshwater ecosystems. Within this context, we tested whether water-stable isotopes are spatio-temporal tracers of (i) water in high altitude periglacial environments, being the isotopic signature of surface water inherited from the snow/icemelt, groundwater, and rainfall; and (ii) regional (year-specific) meteorological conditions, being the isotopic signature of precipitations affected by air temperature, humidity and aqueous vapour origin, ascribing stable isotopes to the list of "essential climate variables" (ECVs). To this end, we investigated the ionic and isotopic composition (δ18O and δ2H) of six high-altitude streams and one pond in the Italian Alps (Noce and Sarca basins) during the ablation season in 2018. Differences between habitat types (pond, kryal, rhithral, krenal) were detected. More negative values of δ18O and δ2H were recorded in the kryal and glacio-rhithral sites, dominated by ice and snowmelt, in early summer. Less negative values were recorded in these sites in late summer, as well as in the krenal sites, which were dominated by groundwater and rainfall inputs. The isotopic results also show that the complex alpine orography influences air masses and moisture, ultimately resulting in isotopic differences in the precipitations of neighboring but distinct catchments (Sarca and Noce basins). On average, less negative values were recorded in the Sarca basin, characterized by a higher contribution of precipitation of Mediterranean origin. In general, isotopic results of the entire water population appeared to be strongly influenced by the regional climatic anomaly of 2018, which was anomalously warm. Therefore, the study will provide additional information for the climate change debate, proposing water isotopes as ECVs for assessing change in a warmer future

Effects of robot therapy on upper body kinematics and arm function in persons post stroke: a pilot randomized controlled trial

Background: Robot-based rehabilitation for persons post-stroke may improve arm function and daily-life activities as measured by clinical scales, but its effects on motor strategies during functional tasks are still poorly investigated. This study aimed at assessing the effects of robot-therapy versus arm-specific physiotherapy in persons post-stroke on motor strategies derived from upper body instrumented kinematic analysis, and on arm function measured by clinical scales. Methods: Forty persons in the sub-acute and chronic stage post-stroke were recruited. This sample included all those subjects, enrolled in a larger bi-center study, who underwent instrumented kinematic analysis and who were randomized in Center 2 into Robot (R_Group) and Control Group (C_Group). R_Group received robot-assisted training. C_Group received arm-specific treatment delivered by a physiotherapist. Pre- and post-training assessment included clinical scales and instrumented kinematic analysis of arm and trunk during a virtual untrained task simulating the transport of an object onto a shelf. Instrumented outcomes included shoulder/elbow coordination, elbow extension and trunk sagittal compensation. Clinical outcomes included Fugl-Meyer Motor Assessment of Upper Extremity (FM-UE), modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) and Functional Independence Measure (FIM). Results: R_Group showed larger post-training improvements of shoulder/elbow coordination (Cohen's d = - 0.81, p = 0.019), elbow extension (Cohen's d = - 0.71, p = 0.038), and trunk movement (Cohen's d = - 1.12, p = 0.002). Both groups showed comparable improvements in clinical scales, except proximal muscles MAS that decreased more in R_Group (Cohen's d = - 0.83, p = 0.018). Ancillary analyses on chronic subjects confirmed these results and revealed larger improvements after robot-therapy in the proximal portion of FM-UE (Cohen's d = 1.16, p = 0.019). Conclusions: Robot-assisted rehabilitation was as effective as arm-specific physiotherapy in reducing arm impairment (FM-UE) in persons post-stroke, but it was more effective in improving motor control strategies adopted during an untrained task involving vertical movements not practiced during training. Specifically, robot therapy induced larger improvements of shoulder/elbow coordination and greater reduction of abnormal trunk sagittal movements. The beneficial effects of robot therapy seemed more pronounced in chronic subjects. Future studies on a larger sample should be performed to corroborate present findings. Trial registration: www.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03530358. Registered 21 May 2018. Retrospectively registered

Duas espécies novas de membracídeos (Hemiptera, Membracidae) da Mata Atlântica do Estado de São Paulo, Brasil

Two species are described: one belonging to the genus Antonae Stål (Smiliinae, Ceresini), Antonae brasiliensis sp. nov., and another to Hypheodana Metcalf (Darninae-Darnini), Hypheodana gargionei sp. nov., both from Campos do Jordão, São Paulo. The genus Antonae Stål is recorded for the first time in Brazil, and Hypheodana, on the other hand, in the Atlantic Forest.Duas espécies são descritas da Mata Atlântica do Estado de São Paulo: uma pertencente ao gênero Antonae Stål (Smiliinae-Ceresini), Antonae brasiliensis sp. nov. e outra a Hypheodana Metcalf (Darninae-Darnini), Hypheodana gargionei sp. nov., ambas de Campos do Jordão, São Paulo. O gênero Antonae é registrado pela primeira vez no Brasil e Hypheodana, por outro lado, para a Mata Atlântica

Duas espécies novas de membracídeos (Hemiptera, Membracidae) da Mata Atlântica do Estado de São Paulo, Brasil

Two species are described: one belonging to the genus Antonae Stål (Smiliinae, Ceresini), Antonae brasiliensis sp. nov., and another to Hypheodana Metcalf (Darninae-Darnini), Hypheodana gargionei sp. nov., both from Campos do Jordão, São Paulo. The genus Antonae Stål is recorded for the first time in Brazil, and Hypheodana, on the other hand, in the Atlantic Forest.Duas espécies são descritas da Mata Atlântica do Estado de São Paulo: uma pertencente ao gênero Antonae Stål (Smiliinae-Ceresini), Antonae brasiliensis sp. nov. e outra a Hypheodana Metcalf (Darninae-Darnini), Hypheodana gargionei sp. nov., ambas de Campos do Jordão, São Paulo. O gênero Antonae é registrado pela primeira vez no Brasil e Hypheodana, por outro lado, para a Mata Atlântica