Minority Alternative Certification Candidate Perceptions of Praxis Preparation Workshops

More than 40% of public school students in the U.S. are minorities and that figure is growing (National Center for Education Sciences [NCES], 2017; Niederberger, 2015). However, less than 17% of public school teachers are persons of color (Ingersoll & May, 2011). While African American students make up roughly 17% of public school enrollments, only 8% of the teachers are black with African American male teachers making up less than 2% of the teacher workforce (Hawkins, 2013; Latiker, Washington, Johns, Jackson, & Johnson, 2013; Toldson, 2013.). To address the issues of recruitment, development and retention of minority teachers, Grambling State University, a Historically Black College/University (HBCU), redesigned its certification – only, post baccalaureate alternate route program and created a robust Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree program that includes an intensive focus on support (both pre-service and in-service) and professional development. A Transition to Teaching grant from the US Dept. of Education made this effort possible. This article presents an analysis of participant perceptions and satisfaction with a pre-entry support and recruitment strategy – Praxis exam workshops. The workshops were offered during 2012 -2015 to persons pursuing enrollment in the MAT program

Integrated stratigraphy of the Kimmeridge Clay Formation (Upper Jurassic) based on exposures and boreholes in south Dorset, UK

For the purposes of a high-resolution multi-disciplinary study of the Upper Jurassic Kimmeridge Clay Formation, two boreholes were drilled at Swanworth Quarry and one at Metherhills, south Dorset, UK. Together, the cores represent the first complete section through the entire formation close to the type section. We present graphic logs that record the stratigraphy of the cores, and outline the complementary geophysical and analytical data sets (gamma ray, magnetic susceptibility, total organic carbon, carbonate, [delta]13Corg). Of particular note are the new borehole data from the lowermost part of the formation which does not crop out in the type area. Detailed logs are available for download from the Kimmeridge Drilling Project web-site at http://kimmeridge.earth.ox.ac.uk/. Of further interest is a mid-eudoxus Zone positive shift in the [delta]13Corg record, a feature that is also registered in Tethyan carbonate successions, suggesting that it is a regional event and may therefore be useful for correlation. The lithostratigraphy of the cores has been precisely correlated with the nearby cliff section, which has also been examined and re-described. Magnetic-susceptibility and spectral gamma-ray measurements were made at a regular spacing through the succession, and facilitate core-to-exposure correlation. The strata of the exposure and core have been subdivided into four main mudrock lithological types: (a) medium-dark–dark-grey marl; (b) medium-dark–dark grey–greenish black shale; (c) dark-grey–olive-black laminated shale; (d) greyish-black–brownish-black mudstone. The sections also contain subordinate amounts of siltstone, limestone and dolostone. Comparison of the type section with the cores reveals slight lithological variation and notable thickness differences between the coeval strata. The proximity of the boreholes and different parts of the type section to the Purbeck–Isle of Wight Disturbance is proposed as a likely control on the thickness changes

Acute resistance exercise training does not augment mitochondrial remodelling in master athletes or untrained older adults

Background: Ageing is associated with alterations to skeletal muscle oxidative metabolism that may be influenced by physical activity status, although the mechanisms underlying these changes have not been unraveled. Similarly, the effect of resistance exercise training (RET) on skeletal muscle mitochondrial regulation is unclear. Methods: Seven endurance-trained masters athletes ([MA], 74 ± 3 years) and seven untrained older adults ([OC]. 69 ± 6 years) completed a single session of knee extension RET (6 x 12 repetitions, 75% 1-RM, 120-s intra-set recovery). Vastus lateralis muscle biopsies were collected pre-RET, 1 h post-RET, and 48h post-RET. Skeletal muscle biopsies were analyzed for citrate synthase (CS) enzyme activity, mitochondrial content, and markers of mitochondrial quality control via immunoblotting. Results: Pre-RET CS activity and protein content were ∼45% (p < .001) and ∼74% greater in MA compared with OC (p = .006). There was a significant reduction (∼18%) in CS activity 48 h post-RET (p < .05) in OC, but not MA. Pre-RET abundance of individual and combined mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) complexes I-V were significantly greater in MA compared with OC, as were markers of mitochondrial fission and fusion dynamics (p-DRP-1(Ser616), p-MFF(Ser146), OPA-1 & FIS-1, p < .05 for all). Moreover, MA displayed greater expression of p-AMPK(Thr172), PGC1α, TFAM, and SIRT-3 (p < .05 for all). Notably, RET did not alter the expression of any marker of mitochondrial content, biogenesis, or quality control in both OC and MA. Conclusion: The present data suggest that long-term aerobic exercise training supports superior skeletal muscle mitochondrial density and protein content into later life, which may be regulated by greater mitochondrial quality control mechanisms and supported via superior fission-fusion dynamics. However, a single session of RET is unable to induce mitochondrial remodelling in the acute (1h post-RET) and delayed (48 h post-RET) recovery period in OC and MA

Reduction in Recurrent Cardiovascular Events with Prasugrel Compared with Clopidogrel in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndromes from the TRITON-TIMI 38 Trial

Aims: In the TRITON-TIMI 38 trial, greater platelet inhibition with prasugrel reduced the first occurrence of the primary endpoint (cardiovascular death, MI, or stroke) compared with clopidogrel in patients with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) undergoing planned percutaneous coronary intervention. We hypothesized that prasugrel would reduce not only first events but also recurrent primary endpoint events and therefore total events compared with clopidogrel. Methods and results: Poisson regression analysis was performed to compare the number of occurrences of the primary endpoint between prasugrel and clopidogrel in TRITON-TIMI 38. Landmark analytic methods were used to evaluate the risk of a recurrent primary endpoint event following an initial non-fatal endpoint event. Among patients with an initial non-fatal event, second events were significantly reduced with prasugrel compared to clopidogrel (10.8 vs. 15.4%, HR 0.65, 95% CI 0.46–0.92; P = 0.016), as was CV death following the non-fatal event (3.7 vs. 7.1%, HR 0.46, 95% CI 0.25–0.82; P = 0.008). Overall there was a reduction of 195 total primary efficacy events with prasugrel vs. clopidogrel (rate ratio 0.79, 95% CI 0.71–0.87; P < 0.001). Recurrent bleeding events occurred infrequently (TIMI major non-CABG bleeds: four with prasugrel and two with clopidogrel). Study drug discontinuation was frequent following the initial major bleeding event (42% of patients discontinued study drug). Conclusion: While standard statistical analytic techniques for clinical trials censor patients who experience a component of the primary composite endpoint, total cardiovascular events remain important to both patients and clinicians. Prasugrel, a more potent anti-platelet agent, reduced both first and subsequent cardiovascular events compared with clopidogrel in patients with ACS

Platelets kill intraerythrocytic malarial parasites and mediate survival to infection

Platelets play a critical role in the pathogenesis of malarial infections by encouraging the sequestration of infected red blood cells within the cerebral vasculature. But platelets also have well-established roles in innate protection against microbial infections. We found that purified human platelets killed Plasmodium falciparum parasites cultured in red blood cells. Inhibition of platelet function by aspirin and other platelet inhibitors abrogated the lethal effect human platelets exert on P. falciparum parasites. Likewise, platelet-deficient and aspirin-treated mice were more susceptible to death during erythrocytic infection with Plasmodium chabaudi. Both mouse and human platelets bind malarial-infected red cells and kill the parasite within. These results indicate a protective function for platelets in the early stages of erythrocytic infection distinct from their role in cerebral malaria

Locations of three repetitive sequence families found in BALB/c adult β-globin clones

Three different repeat sequences have been mapped within the cloned EcoRI fragments that Contain the adult β-globin genes from the BALB/c (Hd

Projected effects of disruptions to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention services during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic among Black/African American men who have sex with men in an Ending the HIV Epidemic priority jurisdiction

BACKGROUND: Disruptions in access to in-person human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) preventive care during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may have a negative impact on our progress towards the Ending the HIV Epidemic goals in the United States. METHODS: We used an agent-based model to simulate HIV transmission among Black/African American men who have sex with men in Mississippi over 5 years to estimate how different reductions in access affected the number of undiagnosed HIV cases, new pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) starts, and HIV incidence. RESULTS: We found that each additional 25% decrease in HIV testing and PrEP initiation was associated with decrease of 20% in the number of cases diagnosed and 23% in the number of new PrEP starts, leading to a 15% increase in HIV incidence from 2020 to 2022. CONCLUSIONS: Unmet need for HIV testing and PrEP prescriptions during the COVID-19 pandemic may temporarily increase HIV incidence in the years immediately after the disruption period

The L1Md long interspersed repeat family in the mouse: almost all examples are truncated at one end

Caractérisation d'un grand élément répétitif détecté en sept localisations différentes dans le locus globine β de la souris Balb/C. Cette répétition possède la même extrémité de l'élément conservé alors que l'autre extrémité se termine en un point différent chez chaque membre de cette famille de répétitions

Adolescent Expectations of Early Death Predict Adult Risk Behaviors

Only a handful of public health studies have investigated expectations of early death among adolescents. Associations have been found between these expectations and risk behaviors in adolescence. However, these beliefs may not only predict worse adolescent outcomes, but worse trajectories in health with ties to negative outcomes that endure into young adulthood. The objectives of this study were to investigate perceived chances of living to age 35 (Perceived Survival Expectations, PSE) as a predictor of suicidal ideation, suicide attempt and substance use in young adulthood. We examined the predictive capacity of PSE on future suicidal ideation/attempt after accounting for sociodemographics, depressive symptoms, and history of suicide among family and friends to more fully assess its unique contribution to suicide risk. We investigated the influence of PSE on legal and illegal substance use and varying levels of substance use. We utilized the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) initiated in 1994–95 among 20,745 adolescents in grades 7–12 with follow-up interviews in 1996 (Wave II), 2001–02 (Wave III) and 2008 (Wave IV; ages 24–32). Compared to those who were almost certain of living to age 35, perceiving a 50–50 or less chance of living to age 35 at Waves I or III predicted suicide attempt and ideation as well as regular substance use (i.e., exceeding daily limits for moderate drinking; smoking ≥ a pack/day; and using illicit substances other than marijuana at least weekly) at Wave IV. Associations between PSE and detrimental adult outcomes were particularly strong for those reporting persistently low PSE at both Waves I and III. Low PSE at Wave I or Wave III was also related to a doubling and tripling, respectively, of death rates in young adulthood. Long-term and wide-ranging ties between PSE and detrimental outcomes suggest these expectations may contribute to identifying at-risk youth