An Evaluation of the Teacher Advancement Program (TAP) in Chicago: Year One Impact Report

Based on test scores, teacher records, surveys, and interviews, examines the first-year impact of the TAP program, in which teachers delivering added value to student achievement and quality classroom performance earn extra pay and become mentors

Je ne vais pas parler franais l\u27cole: Preservation of Cajun Culture Through Song

AbstractThe purpose of this dissertation is to identify gaps in existing literature and records of Cajun folksongs, and to validate art song arrangements of this repertoire as a significant contribution to the canon of Cajun music. Though it continues to evolve and thrive as a commercial music genre, Cajun folk music is underrepresented in notated form. Transcription is vital to the preservation of folk music; however, previously published collections of these folksongs offer incomplete analysis. Composer Costas Dafnis arrangements of these songs for voice and piano have the potential to increase their exposure with classical musicians in professional and academic settings, and also to ameliorate existing collections of these songs. Art songs serve as ideal vessels for disseminating folk music. Through the arranging process, a strict lens of analysis isolates rhythmic structure, individual components of melody, and harmonic function in a manner which may illuminate previously unexamined style traits. This process of analysis is its own contribution to the literature of folk traditions, and offers a further contribution by introducing this rich song tradition to a new audience of performers and scholars who are custodians of historical music.The title of this dissertation makes reference to the eradication of the French language from Louisiana schools during the 20th century. Students who used French in spoken or written form were sternly punished and famously asked to write one hundred lines of: I will not speak French in school. Songs became the primary vehicle for oral tradition during and following this French language moratorium

Spitzer Warm Mission Workshop Introduction

The Spitzer Warm Mission Workshop was held June 4–5, 2007, to explore the science drivers for the warm Spitzer mission and help the Spitzer Science Center develop a new science operations philosophy. We must continue to maximize the science return with the reduced resources available, both using (a) the shortest two IRAC channels, and (b) archival research with the rich Spitzer archive. This paper summarizes the overview slides presented to the workshop participant

Piloting the Alcohol Feedback, Reflection, and Morning Evaluation (A-FRAME) Program : A Smartphone-delivered Alcohol Intervention

Many college students engage in heavy drinking and experience negative consequences, but typically show little motivation to change their drinking behavior. Although personalized feedback interventions (PFIs) show promise, improved effect sizes, engagement, and potential for reach are needed. We developed and pilot-tested a theory-based, smartphone-delivered PFI for heavy-drinking college students that incorporated innovations, including a choice of feedback delivered in multiple doses that occur close in time to drinking events. In an open trial, we delivered the 4-week intervention to 18 heavy-drinking students, followed by individual interviews of participants’ experience. Feasibility was demonstrated by high enrollment and response rates, and acceptability was demonstrated by positive participant ratings and interview responses. Results will inform efforts to continue to develop this novel and scalable mobile intervention for alcohol misuse among college students, with potential impact for the public health problem of high-risk drinking

KREX2 Is Not Essential for Either Procyclic or Bloodstream Form Trypanosoma brucei

Background: Most mitochondrial mRNAs in Trypanosoma brucei require RNA editing for maturation and translation. The edited RNAs primarily encode proteins of the oxidative phosphorylation system. These parasites undergo extensive changes in energy metabolism between the insect and bloodstream stages which are mirrored by alterations in RNA editing. Two U-specific exonucleases, KREX1 and KREX2, are both present in protein complexes (editosomes) that catalyze RNA editing but the relative roles of each protein are not known. Methodology/Principal Findings: The requirement for KREX2 for RNA editing in vivo was assessed in both procyclic (insect) and bloodstream form parasites by methods that use homologous recombination for gene elimination. These studies resulted in null mutant cells in which both alleles were eliminated. The viability of these cells demonstrates that KREX2 is not essential in either life cycle stage, despite certain defects in RNA editing in vivo. Furthermore, editosomes isolated from KREX2 null cells require KREX1 for in vitro U-specific exonuclease activity. Conclusions: KREX2 is a U-specific exonuclease that is dispensable for RNA editing in vivo in T. brucei BFs and PFs. This result suggests that the U deletion activity, which is required for RNA editing, is primarily mediated in vivo by KREX1 which is normally found associated with only one type of editosome. The retention of the KREX2 gene implies a non-essential role o

Tucatinib vs Placebo, Both in Combination With Trastuzumab and Capecitabine, for Previously Treated ERBB2 (HER2)-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer in Patients With Brain Metastases: Updated Exploratory Analysis of the HER2CLIMB Randomized Clinical Trial

Tucatinib; Càncer de mama metastàtic; Metàstasis cerebralTucatinib; Cáncer de mama metastásico; Metástasis cerebralTucatinib; Metastatic Breast cancer; Brain metastasesImportance: It is estimated that up to 50% of patients with ERBB2 (HER2)-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) will develop brain metastases (BMs), which is associated with poor prognosis. Previous reports of the HER2CLIMB trial have demonstrated that tucatinib in combination with trastuzumab and capecitabine provides survival and intracranial benefits for patients with ERBB2-positive MBC and BMs. Objective: To describe overall survival (OS) and intracranial outcomes from tucatinib in combination with trastuzumab and capecitabine in patients with ERBB2-positive MBC and BMs with an additional 15.6 months of follow-up. Design, setting, and participants: HER2CLIMB is an international, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial evaluating tucatinib in combination with trastuzumab and capecitabine. The 612 patients, including those with active or stable BMs, had ERBB2-positive MBC previously treated with trastuzumab, pertuzumab, and trastuzumab emtansine. The study was conducted from February 23, 2016, to May 3, 2019. Data from February 23, 2016, to February 8, 2021, were analyzed. Interventions: Patients were randomized 2:1 to receive tucatinib (300 mg orally twice daily) or placebo (orally twice daily), both in combination with trastuzumab (6 mg/kg intravenously or subcutaneously every 3 weeks with an initial loading dose of 8 mg/kg) and capecitabine (1000 mg/m2 orally twice daily on days 1-14 of each 3-week cycle). Main outcomes and measures: Evaluations in this exploratory subgroup analysis included OS and intracranial progression-free survival (CNS-PFS) in patients with BMs, confirmed intracranial objective response rate (ORR-IC) and duration of intracranial response (DOR-IC) in patients with measurable intracranial disease at baseline, and new brain lesion-free survival in all patients. Only OS was prespecified before the primary database lock. Results: At baseline, 291 of 612 patients (47.5%) had BMs. Median age was 52 years (range, 22-75 years), and 289 (99.3%) were women. At median follow-up of 29.6 months (range, 0.1-52.9 months), median OS was 9.1 months longer in the tucatinib-combination group (21.6 months; 95% CI, 18.1-28.5) vs the placebo-combination group (12.5 months; 95% CI, 11.2-16.9). The tucatinib-combination group showed greater clinical benefit in CNS-PFS and ORR-IC compared with the placebo-combination group. The DOR-IC was 8.6 months (95% CI, 5.5-10.3 months) in the tucatinib-combination group and 3.0 months (95% CI, 3.0-10.3 months) in the placebo-combination group. Risk of developing new brain lesions as the site of first progression or death was reduced by 45.1% in the tucatinib-combination group vs the placebo-combination group (hazard ratio, 0.55 [95% CI, 0.36-0.85]). Conclusions and relevance: This subgroup analysis found that tucatinib in combination with trastuzumab and capecitabine improved OS while reducing the risk of developing new brain lesions, further supporting the importance of this treatment option for patients with ERBB2-positive MBC, including those with BMs.This study was sponsored by Seagen Inc, Bothell, Washington, in collaboration with Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, a subsidiary of Merck & Co, Inc, Rahway, New Jersey

The Spitzer Warm Mission Science Prospects

After exhaustion of its cryogen, the Spitzer Space telescope will still have a fully functioning two-channel mid-IR camera that will have sensitivities better than any other ground or space-based telescopes until the launch of JWST. This document provides a description of the expected capabilities of Spitzer during its warm mission phase, and provides brief descriptions of several possible very large science programs that could be conducted. This information is intended to serve as input to a wide ranging discussion of the warm mission science, leading up to the Warm Mission Workshop in June 2007

Reading problems of the bottom third: grades one through six

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

Factors associated with hepatitis B testing among cambodian american men and women.

Cambodian Americans have an elevated risk of liver cancer. This health disparity is attributable to high rates of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Our study examined factors associated with HBV testing among Cambodian men and women. A population-based survey was conducted in the Seattle area. The Health Behavior Framework guided our survey instrument development. We attempted to interview a man and a woman in each household. The sample included 300 men and 367 women. About one-half of the male (45%) and female (54%) respondents had been tested for HBV. Two factors were independently associated with testing among men and women: a doctor had recommended testing and had asked a doctor for testing. Knowing that someone who looks and feels healthy can spread HBV was independently associated with testing among men. Low levels of HBV testing remain a public health problem among Cambodians. Interventions should improve patient-provider communication by encouraging providers who serve Cambodians to recommend HBV testing, as well as by empowering Cambodians to ask for testing

Lessons learned in extended-extended Spitzer Space Telescope operations

The Spitzer Space Telescope is executing the ninth year of extended operations beyond its 5.5-year prime mission. The project anticipated a maximum extended mission of about four years when the first mission extension was proposed. The robustness of the observatory hardware and the creativity of the project engineers and scientists in overcoming hurdles to operations has enabled a substantially longer mission lifetime. This has led to more challenges with an aging groundsystem due to resource reductions and decisions made early in the extended mission based on a shorter planned lifetime. We provide an overview of the extended mission phases, challenges met in maintaining and enhancing the science productivity, and what we would have done differently if the extended mission was planned from the start to be nearly twice as long as the prime mission