A TEXTBOOK CASE: THE CONNECTION BETWEEN TEXTBOOKS, STANDARDIZED TESTING, AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

The textbooks physical presence, though, is marginal compared to their theoretical presence, as textbooks can drive almost every decision a teacher makes when preparing for a day, a week, a month, the year. For example, in my 11th-grade English classes at Grafton High School in York County, Virginia, there are two levels of understanding. One is that I am teaching American literature, its development, importance, people, and purpose; the other is that everything I teach will, in some way, better prepare my students for their SOL test at the end of the year. The textbook has been laid out to accommodate these dual interests, and the ancillary materials like workbooks, test materials, vocabulary guides, and supplementary videos all follow suit. And therein lies a larger point—textbooks serve a distinct purpose, but it’s not necessarily to provide the best, most well-rounded, most useful education to the students using them. Rather, their purpose is to help students pass the state Standards of Learning (SOL) test, and the materials are calibrated to that end. The test is the focus; the SOL is the goal. And the textbooks are produced as much for the Virginia Board of Education, who decides the SOL standards, as for the students who will spend ten months using them. This arrangement impacts a student’s education in multiple ways, few of them for the better

Occurrence of Cryptosporidium Oocysts in Leisure Pools in the UK, 2017, and Modelling of Oocyst Contamination Events

Cryptosporidium is a major cause of diarrhoea outbreaks linked to swimming pools, but little is known about the frequency of contamination. The primary aim was to investigate the occurrence and concentration, through sampling and modelling, of Cryptosporidium oocysts in leisure pools. Secondary aims were to compare detections with operational parameters, provide the evidence-base for guidance, and improve sampling capacity and interpretation for public health investigations. Up to 1000 L pool water was sampled during swim sessions once weekly for 10 weeks from 8 August 2017 at six volunteer pools. Oocysts were detected by microscopy in 12/59 (20%) pool water samples, at least once in each pool; 8/12 (66%) detections were in August when bather loads were highest. At three pools, 1 L filter backwash was sampled weekly and oocysts were detected in 2/29 (7%) samples, following detections in pool water. The probabilities of a bather contaminating the pool ranged from 1 in 1000 to over 1 in 10,000. Monte Carlo analysis showed that when high bather numbers caused contamination on over 70% of days, multiple events per day were more likely than single events. In these generally well-managed leisure pools, Cryptosporidium risk related to high bather loads. We conclude that public awareness campaigns for bather hygiene, and reminding pool operators of current guidance for managing faecal accidents, should be ahead of peak swim season

Fall Protection Training: A Case Study Using Cbt for Latino Construction Workers

Latino construction workers are at an increased risk of worksite injuries and fatalities due to language, cultural barriers, and ineffective training. This case-study investigated computer-based video training (CBT) for scaffold safety. The CBT training was developed using a participatory approach involving direct input from Latino roofers and framers. This paper focuses on evaluation-improvement of training that combined workers’ ideas of a safe work environment with OSHA standards. Researchers investigated the appropriateness and effectiveness of a brief CBT presentation addressing fall protection and scaffold use among Latino roofers. The results indicated that Latino construction workers at a roofing company in Colorado gained knowledge (p-value \u3c0.05) and liked the use of a culturally appropriate educational video as a method of training. The positive reactions to the training intervention are encouraging and support information and communication technologies (ICTs) for training Latino construction workers with lessons learned for follow-up training and evaluation

Quantifying bamboo coral growth rate nonlinearity with the radiocarbon bomb spike : a new model for paleoceanographic chronology development

© The Author(s), 2017. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here under a nonexclusive, irrevocable, paid-up, worldwide license granted to WHOI. It is made available for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers 125 (2017): 26-39, doi:10.1016/j.dsr.2017.04.006.Bamboo corals, long-lived cold water gorgonin octocorals, offer unique paleoceanographic archives of the intermediate ocean. These Isididae corals are characterized by alternating gorgonin nodes and high Mg-calcite internodes, which synchronously extend radially. Bamboo coral calcite internodes have been utilized to obtain geochemical proxy data, however, growth rate uncertainty has made it difficult to construct precise chronologies for these corals. Previous studies have relied upon a tie point from records of the anthropogenic Δ14C bomb spike preserved in the gorgonin nodes of live-collected corals to calculate a mean radial extension rate for the outer ~50 years of skeletal growth. Bamboo coral chronologies are typically constructed by applying this mean extension rate to the entire coral record, assuming constant radial extension with coral age. In this study, we aim to test this underlying assumption by analyzing the organic nodes of six California margin bamboo corals at high enough resolution (<0.5 mm) to identify the Δ14C bomb spike, including two tie points at 1957 and 1970, plus coral collection date (2007.5) for four samples. Radial extension rates between tie points ranged from 10 to 204 μm/year, with a decrease in growth rate evident between the 1957-1970 and 1970- 2007.5 periods for all four corals. A negative correlation between growth rate and coral radius (r = -0.7; p = 0.03) was determined for multiple bamboo coral taxa and individuals from the California margin, demonstrating a decline in radial extension rate with specimen age and size. To provide a mechanistic basis for these observations, a simple mathematical model was developed based on the assumption of a constant increase in circular cross sectional area with time to quantify this decline in radial extension rate with coral size between chronological tie points. Applying the area-based model to our Δ14C bomb spike time series from individual corals improves chronology accuracy for all live-collected corals with complete Δ14C bomb spikes. Hence, this study provides paleoceanographers utilizing bamboo corals with a method for reducing age model uncertainty within the anthropogenic bomb spike era (~1957-present). Chronological uncertainty is larger for the earliest portion of coral growth, particularly for skeleton precipitated prior to bomb spike tie points, meaning age estimations for samples living before 1957 remain uncertain. Combining this technique with additional chronological markers could improve age models for an entire bamboo coral. Finally, the relative consistency in growth rate in similarly-aged corals of the same depth and location supports the hypothesis that skeletal growth may be limited by local environmental conditions.This research was made possible by National Science Foundation Award #1420984 to M. LaVigne and a Clare Boothe Luce Fellowship to M. Frenkel

“You’ve got to settle down!”: Mothers’ perceptions of physical activity in their young children

Abstract Background Mothers are important mediators of children’s physical activity (PA) level and risk of obesity, however previous studies of maternal perceptions of child PA have been limited. Furthermore, it is unknown if maternal perceptions of child PA are predicted by family, mother and child characteristics. Therefore objectives of this study were to 1) evaluate maternal perceptions of PA in their children and 2) test associations of family, mother and child characteristics with these perceptions. Methods 278 low-income mothers of children (mean age 70.9 months) participated in an audio-taped semi-structured interview. Transcripts were systematically analyzed using the constant comparative method and themes were generated. A coding scheme to classify the themes appearing in each transcript was developed and reliably applied. Anthropometrics were measured. Demographics and questionnaires (the Confusion, Hubbub and Order Scale, The Parenting Scale, and the Child Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ)) were collected. Logistic regression models were used to test the associations of family, mother and child characteristics with each theme. Results In this sample of low-income United States mothers, two themes emerged: 1) Mothers perceive their children as already very active (87.8 %, n = 244), predicted by the child being younger, the child not being overweight, and higher child CBQ Activity Level; and 2) Mothers view their children’s high activity level as problematic (27.0 %, n = 75), predicted by lower Parenting Laxness, the child being male and lower child CBQ Inhibitory Control. Conclusions Low-income United States mothers have unique perceptions of PA in their children; these beliefs are associated with characteristics of the child and mother but not characteristics of the family. Further understanding of contributors to maternal perceptions of child PA may inform future childhood obesity interventions. The influence of these perceptions on physical activity outcomes in low-income children should be pursued in future research.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/114383/1/12887_2015_Article_466.pd

Suppressors of cytokine signaling: Relevance to gastrointestinal function and disease

AbstractBackground & Aims: The suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) proteins are a family of Src homology 2 domain-containing proteins. Currently, there are 8 members of the SOCS family, of which a number have been implicated strongly in the negative regulation of cytokine signal transduction pathways. Methods: This review focuses on recent discoveries about 4 SOCS family members, SOCS-1, -2, and -3, and cytokine-inducible SH2-domain containing (CIS), and provides more limited information about other SOCS family members. Results: A large number of cytokines and growth factors are now known to induce SOCS proteins. In turn, SOCS inhibit the actions of a growing number of cytokines and growth factors in vitro or in vivo. SOCS proteins exert their inhibitory effects at the level of activation of janus kinases (JAKs) or by competing with transcription factors for binding sites on activated cytokine receptors. SOCS proteins also may mediate the ubiquitination and subsequent degradation of the SOCS protein and its bound signaling complex. Genetic modification of SOCS genes in mice has revealed crucial roles in the negative regulation of a number of important physiologic parameters including interferon γ activity, growth, blood cell production, and placental development. Conclusions: Information about SOCS action in gastrointestinal function and disease is only just emerging, but available data indicate a role in growth of gastrointestinal tissues, inflammatory bowel disease, and cancer.GASTROENTEROLOGY 2002;123:2064-208

Machine Learning Establishes Single-Cell Calcium Dynamics as an Early Indicator of Antibiotic Response

Changes in bacterial physiology necessarily precede cell death in response to antibiotics. Herein we investigate the early disruption of Ca2+ homeostasis as a marker for antibiotic response. Using a machine learning framework, we quantify the temporal information encoded in single-cell Ca2+ dynamics. We find Ca2+ dynamics distinguish kanamycin sensitive and resistant cells before changes in gross cell phenotypes such as cell growth or protein stability. The onset time (pharmacokinetics) and probability (pharmacodynamics) of these aberrant Ca2+ dynamics are dose and time-dependent, even at the resolution of single-cells. Of the compounds profiled, we find Ca2+ dynamics are also an indicator of Polymyxin B activity. In Polymyxin B treated cells, we find aberrant Ca2+ dynamics precedes the entry of propidium iodide marking membrane permeabilization. Additionally, we find modifying membrane voltage and external Ca2+ concentration alters the time between these aberrant dynamics and membrane breakdown suggesting a previously unappreciated role of Ca2+ in the membrane destabilization during Polymyxin B treatment. In conclusion, leveraging live, single-cell, Ca2+ imaging coupled with machine learning, we have demonstrated the discriminative capacity of Ca2+ dynamics in identifying antibiotic-resistant bacteria. &nbsp;</p

Transmission Spectra of Transiting Planet Atmospheres: Model Validation and Simulations of the Hot Neptune GJ 436b for JWST

We explore the transmission spectrum of the Neptune-class exoplanet GJ 436b, including the possibility that its atmospheric opacity is dominated by a variety of non- equilibrium chemical products. We also validate our transmission code by demonstrating close agreement with analytic models that use only Rayleigh scattering or water vapor opacity. We find broad disagreement with radius variations predicted by another published model. For GJ 436b, the relative coolness of the planet's atmosphere, along with its implied high metallicity, may make it dissimilar in character compared to "hot Jupiters." Some recent observational and modeling efforts suggest low relative abundances of H2O and CH4 present in GJ 436b's atmosphere, compared to calculations from equilibrium chemistry. We include these characteristics in our models and examine the effects of absorption from methane-derived higher order hydrocarbons. Significant absorption from HCN and C2H2 are found throughout the infrared, while C2H4 and C2H6 are less easily seen. We perform detailed simulations of JWST observations, including all likely noise sources, and find that we will be able to constrain chemical abundance regimes from this planet's transmission spectrum. For instance, the width of the features at 1.5, 3.3, and 7 microns indicates the amount of HCN versus C2H2 present. The NIRSpec prism mode will be useful due to its large spectral range and the relatively large number of photo-electrons recorded per spectral resolution element. However, extremely bright host stars like GJ 436 may be better observed with a higher spectroscopic resolution mode in order to avoid detector saturation. We find that observations with the MIRI low resolution spectrograph should also have high signal-to-noise in the 5 - 10 micron range due to the brightness of the star and the relatively low spectral resolution (R ~ 100) of this mode.Comment: 33 pages, 12 figures, Accepted to Ap

Cognitive and behavioral predictors of light therapy use

Objective: Although light therapy is effective in the treatment of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and other mood disorders, only 53-79% of individuals with SAD meet remission criteria after light therapy. Perhaps more importantly, only 12-41% of individuals with SAD continue to use the treatment even after a previous winter of successful treatment. Method: Participants completed surveys regarding (1) social, cognitive, and behavioral variables used to evaluate treatment adherence for other health-related issues, expectations and credibility of light therapy, (2) a depression symptoms scale, and (3) self-reported light therapy use. Results: Individuals age 18 or older responded (n = 40), all reporting having been diagnosed with a mood disorder for which light therapy is indicated. Social support and self-efficacy scores were predictive of light therapy use (p's<.05). Conclusion: The findings suggest that testing social support and self-efficacy in a diagnosed patient population may identify factors related to the decision to use light therapy. Treatments that impact social support and self-efficacy may improve treatment response to light therapy in SAD. © 2012 Roecklein et al