Mainstreaming and the Classroom Teacher: A Practical Approach

Classroom teachers have always had exceptional students in regular classrooms; many of these children could not be placed due to overcrowding of special education classes. Some were undiagnosed and unrecognized in terms of specific disability. The parents of others would not allow separation from regular learning settings. Often these handicapped learners in normative educational settings were relegated to marginal roles and ignored. Special learners were sometimes the focus of annoyance of teachers and classmates, who did not understand their disability and could not effectively aid special learning. Much of the time, handicapped children were successfully taught by the ingenious teacher, who utilized make-do arrangements, but was effective in reaching students with special needs. Further, there is research to indicate that some exceptional learners whose disability is not extreme do learn very well in regular classrooms and do not profit educationally or socially by being separated from their more normative peers (Dunn, 1968, Goldstein, Moss and Johnson, 1965)

Odontoameloblastoma with extensive chondroid matrix deposition in a guinea pig

Odontoameloblastomas (previously incorporated within ameloblastic odontomas) are matrix-producing odontogenic mixed tumors and are closely related in histologic appearance to the 2 other types of matrix-producing odontogenic mixed tumors: odontomas and ameloblastic fibro-odontomas. The presence or absence of intralesional, induced non-neoplastic tissue must be accounted for in the diagnosis. Herein we describe a naturally occurring odontoameloblastoma with extensive chondroid cementum deposition in a guinea pig (Cavia porcellus). Microscopically, the mass featured palisading neoplastic odontogenic epithelium closely apposed to ribbons and rings of a pink dental matrix (dentinoid), alongside extensive sheets and aggregates of chondroid cementum. The final diagnosis was an odontoameloblastoma given the abundance of odontogenic epithelium in association with dentinoid but a paucity of pulp ectomesenchyme. Chondroid cementum is an expected anatomical feature of cavies, and its presence within the odontoameloblastoma was interpreted as a response of the ectomesenchyme of the dental follicle to the described neoplasm. Our case illustrates the inductive capabilities of odontoameloblastomas while highlighting species-specific anatomy that has resulted in a histologic appearance unique to cavies and provides imaging and histologic data to aid diagnosis of these challenging lesions

On the suitability of baked clay for archaeomagnetic studies as deduced from detailed rock-magnetic studies

Extensive rock-magnetic investigations have been carried out on baked clays from four kilns (two from Bulgaria and two from Switzerland) found in archaeological sites of different age. Knowledge of the magnetic characteristics of the grains responsible for the archaeomagnetic signal enables us to determine which baked clays have the stablest magnetization and why this is so. This is important in directional studies, but even more so in painstaking palaeointensity studies that require a very careful evaluation of the suitability of the burnt clay material. The proposed rock-magnetic experiments enable the identification of the carriers responsible for the remanence and an adequate interpretation of the experimental results connected with the palaeointensity evaluation. The experimental methods employed are illustrated with the particular results obtained from each of the four kilns studied. The preliminary elucidation of the magnetic mineralogy of the archaeological samples helps first by obtaining a more reliable palaeointensity result, and secondly by explaining some of the discrepancies in the palaeodirectional results. Examples of successful and failed palaeointensity experiments are given in relation to the magnetic properties previously established for each oven. The burnt-clay materials in this present study satisfy the essential condition of carrying a thermoremanence. In spite of that, it is shown that there are many factors that can produce undesirable magnetic properties and thus restrict the suitability of these materials for archaeomagnetic analysis. The most important factors influencing the magnetic behaviour during magneto-diagnostic experiments are: the degree of heating in antiquity, the initial composition of the unbaked material and the burial conditions. The large difference in heating temperatures within a particular archaeological feature is a major cause of variation in magnetic behaviour amongst individual specimens, and so preventing a successful pre-selection of specimens for palaeointensity experiments. Nevertheless, the study has shown a very good coincidence between the determined rock-magnetic characteristics and the success rate in palaeointensity evaluatio

COMMUNICATING MULTILEVEL EVACUATION CONTEXT USING SITUATED AUGMENTED REALITY

Emergency preparedness is a fundamental component of a successful emergency management strategy. This includes a proactive communication strategy that informs all stakeholders of the emergency plan and helps translate that knowledge to real spaces. Communicating multilevel built environments can be difficult, as the architectural complexity creates problems for both visual and mental representations of networks in 3D space. Modern mobile technology offers emerging opportunities for emergency managers to develop and deploy 3D visualizations of multilevel spaces that preserve the topology of those spaces while adding the spatial context that allows the individual to better understand their position within it. In this paper, we present a collection of mixed reality (specifically augmented reality) geovisualizations that overcome the visual limitations associated with the traditional static 2D methods of communicating the evacuation plans of multilevel structures. We demonstrate how this technology can provide spatially contextualized 3D geovisualizations that promote spatial knowledge acquisition and support cognitive mapping. These geovisualizations are designed as a proactive emergency management tool to educate and prepare at risk populations prior to the occurrence of a hazardous event

MicroRNAs in cardiac arrhythmia: DNA sequence variation of MiR-1 and MiR-133A in long QT syndrome.

Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a genetic cardiac condition associated with prolonged ventricular repolarization, primarily a result of perturbations in cardiac ion channels, which predisposes individuals to life-threatening arrhythmias. Using DNA screening and sequencing methods, over 700 different LQTS-causing mutations have been identified in 13 genes worldwide. Despite this, the genetic cause of 30-50% of LQTS is presently unknown. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small (∼ 22 nucleotides) noncoding RNAs which post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression by binding complementary sequences within messenger RNAs (mRNAs). The human genome encodes over 1800 miRNAs, which target about 60% of human genes. Consequently, miRNAs are likely to regulate many complex processes in the body, indeed aberrant expression of various miRNA species has been implicated in numerous disease states, including cardiovascular diseases. MiR-1 and MiR-133A are the most abundant miRNAs in the heart and have both been reported to regulate cardiac ion channels. We hypothesized that, as a consequence of their role in regulating cardiac ion channels, genetic variation in the genes which encode MiR-1 and MiR-133A might explain some cases of LQTS. Four miRNA genes (miR-1-1, miR-1-2, miR-133a-1 and miR-133a-2), which encode MiR-1 and MiR-133A, were sequenced in 125 LQTS probands. No genetic variants were identified in miR-1-1 or miR-133a-1; but in miR-1-2 we identified a single substitution (n.100A> G) and in miR-133a-2 we identified two substitutions (n.-19G> A and n.98C> T). None of the variants affect the mature miRNA products. Our findings indicate that sequence variants of miR-1-1, miR-1-2, miR-133a-1 and miR-133a-2 are not a cause of LQTS in this cohort

P08.36 Radioresistance of glioblastoma stem-like cells is associated with DNA replication stress, which is a promising therapeutic target

Introduction: The inevitability of tumour recurrence in glioblastoma (GBM) patients despite multi-modality treatment consisting of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, is reflected by a median survival of only 14 months. Tumour recurrence is thought to be driven by a small population of glioblastoma stem-like cells (GSCs) that are resistant to conventional therapies. DNA damage response (DDR) pathways have been shown to be up-regulated in GSCs and implicated in radioresistance and treatment failure. However the precise cause of enhanced DDR signalling in GSCs and the extent to which these signalling networks contribute to therapy resistance remains elusive. The objectives of this study were to investigate the underlying cause of DDR upregulation and treatment resistance in GSCs with a view to identifying novel and promising therapeutic targets. Materials and Methods: A panel of primary patient derived GBM cell lines cultured under conditions to enrich for or deplete the tumour stem cell population (GSC vs bulk respectively) were utilised in order to investigate enhanced GSC DDR under basal conditions and in response to ionising radiation. Confirmatory studies were also performed in cells sorted for the putative GSC marker CD133. The effects of a panel of small molecule DDR inhibitor agents on cell survival in GSC and bulk cells were quantified. Results: GSCs exhibited higher levels of total and activated DDR targets ATR, CHK1, ATM and PARP1 under basal conditions and were radioresistant compared to paired bulk populations. This was not due to increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Instead, we show that RPA is significantly higher in replicating GSCs and confirm by DNA fibre assays that GSCs and CD133+ cells have increased numbers of stalled replication forks, fewer new origins and slower DNA replication compared to bulk or CD133- populations, demonstrating for the first time that replication stress (RS) is a hallmark of GSCs. We identify increased expression of long neural genes as a likely mechanism for RS and DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) in GSCs and show that their radioresistance is reversed by dual inhibition of key RS and DDR proteins ATR and PARP. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the novel finding that replication stress is a hallmark of GSCs and resonates with recently published studies in neural progenitor cells showing that RS preferentially induces DNA DSB in long neural genes. Taken together, we implicate RS as a driver of enhanced DDR in GSCs and identify novel therapeutics with potential to improve clinical outcomes by overcoming the radioresistance of GB

Fermi Surface as the Driving Mechanism for Helical Antiferromagnetic Ordering in Gd-Y Alloys

The first direct experimental evidence for the Fermi surface (FS) driving the helical antiferromagnetic ordering in a gadolinium-yttrium alloy is reported. The presence of a FS sheet capable of nesting is revealed, and the nesting vector associated with the sheet is found to be in excellent agreement with the periodicity of the helical ordering.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Annotations for Rule-Based Models

The chapter reviews the syntax to store machine-readable annotations and describes the mapping between rule-based modelling entities (e.g., agents and rules) and these annotations. In particular, we review an annotation framework and the associated guidelines for annotating rule-based models of molecular interactions, encoded in the commonly used Kappa and BioNetGen languages, and present prototypes that can be used to extract and query the annotations. An ontology is used to annotate models and facilitate their description

Anti-inflammatory and anti-invasive effects of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone in human melanoma cells

Alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) is known to have pleiotrophic functions including pigmentary, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and immunoregulatory roles in the mammalian body. It is also reported to influence melanoma invasion with levels of alpha-, beta- and gamma-MSH correlated clinically with malignant melanoma development, but other studies suggest alpha-MSH acts to retard invasion. In the present study, we investigated the action of alpha-MSH on three human melanoma cell lines (HBL, A375-SM and C8161) differing in metastatic potential. alpha-melanocyte-simulating hormone reduced invasion through fibronectin and also through a human reconstructed skin composite model for the HBL line, and inhibited proinflammatory cytokine-stimulated activation of the NF-kappaB transcription factor. However, A375-SM and C8161 cells did not respond to alpha-MSH. Immunofluorescent microscopy and Western blotting identified melanocortin-1 receptor (MC-1R) expression for all three lines and MC-2R on HBL and A375-SM lines. Receptor binding identified a similar affinity for alpha-MSH for all three lines with the highest number of binding sites on HBL cells. Only the HBL melanoma line demonstrated a detectable cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) response to alpha-MSH, although all three lines responded to acute alpha-MSH addition (+(-)-N(6)-(2-phenylisopropyl)-adenosine (PIA)) with an elevation in intracellular calcium. The nonresponsive lines displayed MC-1R polymorphisms (C8161, Arg (wt) 151/Cys 151; A375-SM, homozygous Cys 151), whereas the HBL line was wild type. Stable transfection of the C8161 line with wild-type MC-1R produced cells whose invasion was significantly inhibited by alpha-MSH. From this data, we conclude that alpha-MSH can reduce melanoma cell invasion and protect cells against proinflammatory cytokine attack in cells with the wild-type receptor (HBL).Journal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tSCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe