Development of guidelines for the use of auxiliary personnel in home economics education programs

The purpose of this study was to explore some of the practices of home economics teachers in the use of auxiliary personnel as expressed by city and state supervisors. A second purpose was to discover the beliefs of city and state supervisors regarding the use of auxiliary personnel in home economics programs. A questionnaire was designed and validated to determine these practices and beliefs. Two hundred fifty-nine questionnaires were sent to city and state supervisors. A total of 130 usable questionnaires were returned. The questions proposed for study were: 1. Do you have any auxiliary personnel in the city or state home economics program which you represent? 2. Who are the auxiliary workers being used in home economics classes in your program? 3. How did your program get started? 4. What are the aides doing? 5. What difference do aides make in the total home economics program? 6. What training do the aides have? 7. How are teachers prepared or trained to use aides ? 8. Do you have in your city or state job descriptions for auxiliary workers ? 9. Do you have in your city or state criteria for the hiring of aides ? 10. How do you feel about the concept of teacher aides ? It was assumed that when the results of these questions were tabulated, guidelines for the use of auxiliary personnel in home economics education programs could be developed. Findings Over half (59 percent) of the total number of respondents reported that they did not have auxiliary workers in their programs. Of those programs that did have auxiliary workers over 50 percent indicated that the workers were mostly community residents. Respondents with auxiliary programs indicated that the auxiliary personnel were generally paid and working part time. A little over one third of the programs were started as a result of teacher requests and federal funding. Five categories of activities for auxiliary duties were listed. They were: actual work with students; audio-visual aids; housekeeping; interpreting the program; and secretarial. The respondents were asked to designate how frequently each activity was carried out by the auxiliaries. Most of the programs had auxiliaries who frequently worked with students. Fifty-one percent of the programs had auxiliary workers trained in after school meetings. It could not be determined from the data how the training was conducted or to what extent. About one third of the programs had teachers trained through supervisor-teacher conferences. Again, it could not be determined how the training was conducted or to what extent. Important to note, however, is that nearly one third of the programs had teachers who had no training or preparation for working with aides. The supervisors were asked to indicate how they felt toward particular statements about teacher aide programs. They were given the following choices to indicate their degree of agreement: agreed; had no feeling one way or another; disagreed; undecided or wanted to qualify the statement. Over ninety percent of the respondents agreed that aides should understand how to work with children, that aides should have planning time together with their teachers, and that aides' assignments should grow out of the needs of a given teaching situation. There were three concepts where 50 percent or more of the supervisors disagreed. Those concepts were: it is not necessary for teachers to have training in working with aides; teaching responsibilities require many different levels of skills, all of these must be carried out by the same individual; aides can be a threat with regard to salary increases for the teacher. Supervisors were asked for statements as to what difference aides make in the total home economics program. Most of the responses were brief and in agreement with the literature. In general, they felt that teachers could concentrate more effectively on professional functions when aided. Respondents were also asked if they had job descriptions and criteria for the hiring of aides in their city or state. Although a few supervisors said that they were currently working on developing these items, most of them did not have such descriptions or criteria in their programs. Guidelines After the data were collected and analyzed guidelines for the use of auxiliary personnel in home economics education programs were developed. They were developed in two parts; guidelines for administrators and guidelines for home economics teachers. These guidelines encompass concepts pertaining to aspects of auxiliary personnel programs such as: scope, type of worker, aide training, aide placement, aide qualifications and standards, aide duties, teacher, and teacher training

Identification of fusion genes in breast cancer by paired-end RNA-sequencing

Background Until recently, chromosomal translocations and fusion genes have been an underappreciated class of mutations in solid tumors. Next-generation sequencing technologies provide an opportunity for systematic characterization of cancer cell transcriptomes, including the discovery of expressed fusion genes resulting from underlying genomic rearrangements. Results We applied paired-end RNA-seq to identify 24 novel and 3 previously known fusion genes in breast cancer cells. Supported by an improved bioinformatic approach, we had a 95% success rate of validating gene fusions initially detected by RNA-seq. Fusion partner genes were found to contribute promoters (5' UTR), coding sequences and 3' UTRs. Most fusion genes were associated with copy number transitions and were particularly common in high-level DNA amplifications. This suggests that fusion events may contribute to the selective advantage provided by DNA amplifications and deletions. Some of the fusion partner genes, such as GSDMB in the TATDN1-GSDMB fusion and IKZF3 in the VAPB-IKZF3 fusion, were only detected as a fusion transcript, indicating activation of a dormant gene by the fusion event. A number of fusion gene partners have either been previously observed in oncogenic gene fusions, mostly in leukemias, or otherwise reported to be oncogenic. RNA interference-mediated knock-down of the VAPB-IKZF3 fusion gene indicated that it may be necessary for cancer cell growth and survival. Conclusions In summary, using RNA-sequencing and improved bioinformatic stratification, we have discovered a number of novel fusion genes in breast cancer, and identified VAPB-IKZF3 as a potential fusion gene with importance for the growth and survival of breast cancer cells

Telaprevir twice daily is noninferior to telaprevir every 8 hours for patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Background & Aims We performed an open-label, multicenter, phase 3 study of the safety and efficacy of twice-daily telaprevir in treatment-naive patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 infection, including those with cirrhosis. Methods Patients were randomly assigned to groups treated with telaprevir 1125 mg twice daily or 750 mg every 8 hours plus peginterferon alfa-2a and ribavirin for 12 weeks; patients were then treated with peginterferon alfa-2a and ribavirin alone for 12 weeks if their level of HCV RNA at week 4 was <25 IU/mL or for 36 weeks if their level was higher. The primary objective was to demonstrate noninferiority of telaprevir twice daily versus every 8 hours in producing a sustained virological response 12 weeks after the end of therapy (SVR12) (based on a -11% lower limit of the 95% lower confidence interval for the difference between groups). Results At baseline, of 740 patients, 85% had levels of HCV RNA ≥800,000 IU/mL, 28% had fibrosis (F3-F4), 14% had cirrhosis (F4), 57% were infected with HCV genotype 1a, and 71% had the non-CC IL28B genotype. Of patients who were treated with telaprevir twice daily, 74.3% achieved SVR12 compared with 72.8% of patients who were treated with telaprevir every 8 hours (difference in response, 1.5%; 95% confidence interval, -4.9% to 12.0%), so telaprevir twice daily is noninferior to telaprevir every 8 hours. All subgroups of patients who were treated with telaprevir twice daily versus those who were treated every 8 hours had similar rates of SVR12. The most frequent adverse events (AEs) in the telaprevir phase were fatigue (47%), pruritus (43%), anemia (42%), nausea (37%), rash (35%), and headache (26%); serious AEs were reported in 9% of patients. Rates of AEs and serious AEs were similar or slightly higher among patients treated with telaprevir every 8 hours. Conclusions Based on a phase 3 trial, telaprevir twice daily is noninferior to every 8 hours in producing SVR12, with similar levels of safety and tolerability. These results support use of telaprevir twice daily in patients with chronic HCV genotype 1 infection, including those with cirrhosis. ClinicalTrials.gov, Number: NCT0124176

Longitudinal association between hippocampus atrophy and episodic-memory decline in non-demented APOE ε4 carriers.

Introduction: The apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele is the main genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), accelerated cognitive aging, and hippocampal atrophy, but its influence on the association between hippocampus atrophy and episodic-memory decline in non-demented individuals remains unclear. Methods: We analyzed longitudinal (two to six observations) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-derived hippocampal volumes and episodic memory from 748 individuals (55 to 90 years at baseline, 50% female) from the European Lifebrain consortium. Results: The change-change association for hippocampal volume and memory was significant only in ε4 carriers (N = 173, r = 0.21, P = .007; non-carriers: N = 467, r = 0.073, P = .117). The linear relationship was significantly steeper for the carriers [t(629) = 2.4, P = .013]. A similar trend toward a stronger change-change relation for carriers was seen in a subsample with more than two assessments. Discussion: These findings provide evidence for a difference in hippocampus-memory association between ε4 carriers and non-carriers, thus highlighting how genetic factors modulate the translation of the AD-related pathophysiological cascade into cognitive deficits

The genetic organization of longitudinal subcortical volumetric change is stable throughout the lifespan.

Development and aging of the cerebral cortex show similar topographic organization and are governed by the same genes. It is unclear whether the same is true for subcortical regions, which follow fundamentally different ontogenetic and phylogenetic principles. We tested the hypothesis that genetically governed neurodevelopmental processes can be traced throughout life by assessing to which degree brain regions that develop together continue to change together through life. Analyzing over 6000 longitudinal MRIs of the brain, we used graph theory to identify five clusters of coordinated development, indexed as patterns of correlated volumetric change in brain structures. The clusters tended to follow placement along the cranial axis in embryonic brain development, suggesting continuity from prenatal stages, and correlated with cognition. Across independent longitudinal datasets, we demonstrated that developmental clusters were conserved through life. Twin-based genetic correlations revealed distinct sets of genes governing change in each cluster. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms-based analyses of 38,127 cross-sectional MRIs showed a similar pattern of genetic volume-volume correlations. In conclusion, coordination of subcortical change adheres to fundamental principles of lifespan continuity and genetic organization

Dose response of the 16p11.2 distal copy number variant on intracranial volume and basal ganglia.

Carriers of large recurrent copy number variants (CNVs) have a higher risk of developing neurodevelopmental disorders. The 16p11.2 distal CNV predisposes carriers to e.g., autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia. We compared subcortical brain volumes of 12 16p11.2 distal deletion and 12 duplication carriers to 6882 non-carriers from the large-scale brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging collaboration, ENIGMA-CNV. After stringent CNV calling procedures, and standardized FreeSurfer image analysis, we found negative dose-response associations with copy number on intracranial volume and on regional caudate, pallidum and putamen volumes (β = -0.71 to -1.37; P &lt; 0.0005). In an independent sample, consistent results were obtained, with significant effects in the pallidum (β = -0.95, P = 0.0042). The two data sets combined showed significant negative dose-response for the accumbens, caudate, pallidum, putamen and ICV (P = 0.0032, 8.9 × 10-6, 1.7 × 10-9, 3.5 × 10-12 and 1.0 × 10-4, respectively). Full scale IQ was lower in both deletion and duplication carriers compared to non-carriers. This is the first brain MRI study of the impact of the 16p11.2 distal CNV, and we demonstrate a specific effect on subcortical brain structures, suggesting a neuropathological pattern underlying the neurodevelopmental syndromes

Asymmetric thinning of the cerebral cortex across the adult lifespan is accelerated in Alzheimer’s disease

© 2021, The Author(s). Aging and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are associated with progressive brain disorganization. Although structural asymmetry is an organizing feature of the cerebral cortex it is unknown whether continuous age- and AD-related cortical degradation alters cortical asymmetry. Here, in multiple longitudinal adult lifespan cohorts we show that higher-order cortical regions exhibiting pronounced asymmetry at age ~20 also show progressive asymmetry-loss across the adult lifespan. Hence, accelerated thinning of the (previously) thicker homotopic hemisphere is a feature of aging. This organizational principle showed high consistency across cohorts in the Lifebrain consortium, and both the topological patterns and temporal dynamics of asymmetry-loss were markedly similar across replicating samples. Asymmetry-change was further accelerated in AD. Results suggest a system-wide dedifferentiation of the adaptive asymmetric organization of heteromodal cortex in aging and AD

Self-reported sleep relates to hippocampal atrophy across the adult lifespan: results from the Lifebrain consortium.

OBJECTIVES: Poor sleep is associated with multiple age-related neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric conditions. The hippocampus plays a special role in sleep and sleep-dependent cognition, and accelerated hippocampal atrophy is typically seen with higher age. Hence, it is critical to establish how the relationship between sleep and hippocampal volume loss unfolds across the adult lifespan. METHODS: Self-reported sleep measures and MRI-derived hippocampal volumes were obtained from 3105 cognitively normal participants (18-90 years) from major European brain studies in the Lifebrain consortium. Hippocampal volume change was estimated from 5116 MRIs from 1299 participants for whom longitudinal MRIs were available, followed up to 11 years with a mean interval of 3.3 years. Cross-sectional analyses were repeated in a sample of 21,390 participants from the UK Biobank. RESULTS: No cross-sectional sleep-hippocampal volume relationships were found. However, worse sleep quality, efficiency, problems, and daytime tiredness were related to greater hippocampal volume loss over time, with high scorers showing 0.22% greater annual loss than low scorers. The relationship between sleep and hippocampal atrophy did not vary across age. Simulations showed that the observed longitudinal effects were too small to be detected as age-interactions in the cross-sectional analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Worse self-reported sleep is associated with higher rates of hippocampal volume decline across the adult lifespan. This suggests that sleep is relevant to understand individual differences in hippocampal atrophy, but limited effect sizes call for cautious interpretation

Education and Income Show Heterogeneous Relationships to Lifespan Brain and Cognitive Differences Across European and US Cohorts.

Higher socio-economic status (SES) has been proposed to have facilitating and protective effects on brain and cognition. We ask whether relationships between SES, brain volumes and cognitive ability differ across cohorts, by age and national origin. European and US cohorts covering the lifespan were studied (4-97 years, N = 500 000; 54 000 w/brain imaging). There was substantial heterogeneity across cohorts for all associations. Education was positively related to intracranial (ICV) and total gray matter (GM) volume. Income was related to ICV, but not GM. We did not observe reliable differences in associations as a function of age. SES was more strongly related to brain and cognition in US than European cohorts. Sample representativity varies, and this study cannot identify mechanisms underlying differences in associations across cohorts. Differences in neuroanatomical volumes partially explained SES-cognition relationships. SES was more strongly related to ICV than to GM, implying that SES-cognition relations in adulthood are less likely grounded in neuroprotective effects on GM volume in aging. The relatively stronger SES-ICV associations rather are compatible with SES-brain volume relationships being established early in life, as ICV stabilizes in childhood. The findings underscore that SES has no uniform association with, or impact on, brain and cognition

Glucose effects on long-term memory performance : duration and domain specificity.

Rational; Previous research has suggested that long term- verbal declarative memory is particularly sensitive to enhancement by glucose loading, however investigation of glucose effects on certain memory domains has hitherto been neglected. Therefore domain specificity of glucose effects merits further elucidation. Objectives; The aim of the present research was to provide a more comprehensive investigation of the possible effects of glucose administration on different aspects of memory by i) contrasting the effect of glucose administration on different memory domains (implicit/ explicit memory; verbal/ non-verbal memory, recognition/ familiarity processes), ii) investigating whether potential effects on memory domains differ depending on the dose of glucose administered (25g versus 60g), iii) exploring the duration of the glucose facilitation effect (assessment of memory performance 35 min and 1 week after encoding). Methods; a double blind, between- subjects design was used to test the effects of administration of 25 and 60g glucose on memory performance. Results; Implicit memory was improved following administration of 60g of glucose. Glucose supplementation failed to improve face recognition performance but significantly improved performance of word recall and recognition following administration of 60g of glucose. However, effects were not maintained one-week following encoding. Conclusions; Improved implicit memory performance following glucose administration has not been reported before. Furthermore the current data tentatively suggest that level of processing may determine the required glucose dosage to demonstrate memory improvement and that higher dosages may be able to exert effects on memory pertaining to both hippocampal and non-hippocampal brain regions