5. Curriculum-Based Assessment: Implications for Psychoeducational Practice

The topic of this chapter places me somewhere between Camac the Magnificent and a crystal ball gazer! On the one hand, I am being asked to look into the future and discuss the potential implications of curriculum-based assessment (CBA) for psychoeducational practice. Although my graduate students believe I may have superhuman powers and can be all places at the same time, fortune telling was never one of my talents. On the other hand, like Camac, I obviously believe that CBA is an answer, but I\u27m not sure what the questions are going to be. In this paper I assume that all questions asked have the same answer: Use CBA. When a district decides to adopt CBA as a measurement procedure, impacts are anticipated on the service delivery method, accountability procedures, and role functions within that district. The way in which CBA is adopted, the particular model of CBA employed, and the acceptance of CBA in the district will all play a part in the degree to which each of these aspects of the district are affected. Implementing CBA district wide obviously will have implications that may alter the entire system. Equal impact may be noted when CBA is implemented on an individual basis. A single teacher may choose to use CBA within his or her classroom. A single psychologist may choose to use CBA as a means to enhance service delivery. A single resource room teacher may choose to implement CBA for a particular class. Further, the ways in which CBA are used may not be individualized. A single teacher may choose to provide progress monitoring on long-term goals. A resource room teacher may choose to implement progress monitoring for long-term goals and write IEP objectives using CBA. A psychologist may choose CBA as a mechanism for conducting initial evaluations and recommending intervention strategies. Use of CBA by individuals has implications that are somewhat different than when CBA is used in an entire system. For example, when an individual uses CBA to make eligibility decisions, one obviously cannot use CBA alone but must find a way to integrate CBA and traditional assessments. Additionally, using CBA to identify targets for intervention can be valuable only if the delivery system supports intervention planning rather than educational diagnostic decision making. Recognizing that there are some differences between using CBA with an individual versus large-scale application, I will confine my comments to the implications of CBA when employed on a large-scale, district wide basis

Alemtuzumab preconditioning with tacrolimus monotherapy - The impact of serial monitoring for donor-specific antibody

BACKGROUND. Antibody preconditioning with tacrolimus monotherapy has allowed many renal allograft recipients to be maintained on spaced weaning. METHODS. Of 279 renal allograft recipients transplanted between March 2003 and December 2004, 222 (80%) had spaced weaning (i.e., reduction of tacrolimus monotherapy dosing to every other day, three times a week, twice a week, or once a week) attempted. Routine monitoring for donor-specific antibody (DSA) was begun in September 2004. Mean follow-up is 34±6.5 months after transplantation and 26±8.1 months after the initiation of spaced weaning. RESULTS. One hundred and twenty-two (44%) patients remained on spaced weaning. One- and 2-year actual patient/graft survival was 99%/99%, and 97%/96%. Fifty-six (20%) patients experienced acute rejection after initiation of spaced weaning. One- and 2-year actual patient/graft survival was 100%/98%, and 94%/78%. Forty-two (15%) patients with stable renal function had spaced weaning stopped because of the development of DSA, which disappeared in 17 (40%). One- and 2-year actual patient and graft survival was 100% and 100%. CONCLUSION. Adult renal transplant recipients who are able to be maintained on spaced weaning have excellent outcomes. Patients with stable renal function who have reversal of weaning because of the development of DSA also have excellent outcomes. Routine monitoring for DSA may allow patients to avoid late rejection after spaced weaning. © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc

Towards a Singularity-Proof Scheme in Numerical Relativity

Progress in numerical relativity has been hindered for 30 years because of the difficulties of avoiding spacetime singularities in numerical evolution. We propose a scheme which excises a region inside an apparent horizon containing the singularity. Two major ingredients of the scheme are the use of a horizon-locking coordinate and a finite differencing which respects the causal structure of the spacetime. Encouraging results of the scheme in the spherical collapse case are given.Comment: 9 page

Antilymphoid antibody preconditioning and tacrolimus monotherapy for pediatric kidney transplantation

Objective: Heavy post-transplant immunosuppression may contribute to long-term immunosuppression dependence by subverting tolerogenic mechanisms; thus, we sought to determine if this undesirable consequence could be mitigated by pretransplant lymphoid depletion and minimalistic post-transplant monotherapy. Study design: Lymphoid depletion in 17 unselected pediatric recipients of live (n = 14) or deceased donor kidneys (n = 3) was accomplished with antithymocyte globulin (ATG) (n = 8) or alemtuzumab (n = 9). Tacrolimus was begun post-transplantation with subsequent lengthening of intervals between doses (spaced weaning). Maintenance immunosuppression, morbidity, graft function, and patient/graft survival were collated. Results: Steroids were added temporarily to treat rejection in two patients (both ATG subgroup) or to treat hemolytic anemia in two others. After 16 to 31 months (mean 22), patient and graft survival was 100% and 94%, respectively. The only graft loss was in a nonweaned noncompliant recipient. In the other 16, serum creatinine was 0.85 ± 0.35 mg/dL and creatinine clearance was 90.8 ± 22.1 mL/1.73 m2. All 16 patients are on monotherapy (15 tacrolimus, one sirolimus), and 14 receive every other day or 3 times per week doses. There were no wound or other infections. Two patients developed insulin-dependent diabetes. Conclusion: The strategy of lymphoid depletion and minimum post-transplant immunosuppression appears safe and effective for pediatric kidney recipients. © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Event Horizons in Numerical Relativity I: Methods and Tests

This is the first paper in a series on event horizons in numerical relativity. In this paper we present methods for obtaining the location of an event horizon in a numerically generated spacetime. The location of an event horizon is determined based on two key ideas: (1) integrating backward in time, and (2) integrating the whole horizon surface. The accuracy and efficiency of the methods are examined with various sample spacetimes, including both analytic (Schwarzschild and Kerr) and numerically generated black holes. The numerically evolved spacetimes contain highly distorted black holes, rotating black holes, and colliding black holes. In all cases studied, our methods can find event horizons to within a very small fraction of a grid zone.Comment: 22 pages, LaTeX with RevTeX 3.0 macros, 20 uuencoded gz-compressed postscript figures. Also available at http://jean-luc.ncsa.uiuc.edu/Papers/ Submitted to Physical Review

Event Horizons in Numerical Relativity II: Analyzing the Horizon

We present techniques and methods for analyzing the dynamics of event horizons in numerically constructed spacetimes. There are three classes of analytical tools we have investigated. The first class consists of proper geometrical measures of the horizon which allow us comparison with perturbation theory and powerful global theorems. The second class involves the location and study of horizon generators. The third class includes the induced horizon 2-metric in the generator comoving coordinates and a set of membrane-paradigm like quantities. Applications to several distorted, rotating, and colliding black hole spacetimes are provided as examples of these techniques.Comment: 23 double column pages including 28 figures. Higher quality figures (big size!) available upon request (jmasso OR [email protected]

The 3D Grazing Collision of Two Black Holes

We present results for two colliding black holes (BHs), with angular momentum, spin, and unequal mass. For the first time gravitational waveforms are computed for a grazing collision from a full 3D numerical evolution. The collision can be followed through the merger to form a single BH, and through part of the ringdown period of the final BH. The apparent horizon is tracked and studied, and physical parameters, such as the mass of the final BH, are computed. The total energy radiated in gravitational waves is shown to be consistent with the total mass of the spacetime and the final BH mass. The implication of these simulations for gravitational wave astronomy is discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 7 figures, revte

The Role of the Receptor for Advanced Glycation End-Products in a Murine Model of Silicosis

Background: The role of the receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) has been shown to differ in two different mouse models of asbestos and bleomycin induced pulmonary fibrosis. RAGE knockout (KO) mice get worse fibrosis when challenged with asbestos, whereas in the bleomycin model they are largely protected against fibrosis. In the current study the role of RAGE in a mouse model of silica induced pulmonary fibrosis was investigated. Methodology/Principal Findings: Wild type (WT) and RAGE KO mice received a single intratracheal (i.t.) instillation of silica in saline or saline alone as vehicle control. Fourteen days after treatment mice were subjected to a lung mechanistic study and the lungs were lavaged and inflammatory cells, protein and TGF-β levels in lavage fluid determined. Lungs were subsequently either fixed for histology or excised for biochemical assessment of fibrosis and determination of RAGE proteinand mRNA levels. There was no difference in the inflammatory response or degree of fibrosis (hydroxyproline levels) in the lungs between WT and RAGE KO mice after silica injury. However, histologically the fibrotic lesions in the RAGE KO mice had a more diffuse alveolar septal fibrosis compared to the nodular fibrosis in WT mice. Furthermore, RAGE KO mice had a significantly higher histologic score, a measure of affected areas of the lung, compared to WT silica treated mice. A lung mechanistic study revealed a significant decrease in lung function after silica compared to control, but no difference between WT and RAGE KO. While a dose response study showed similar degrees of fibrosis after silica treatment in the two strains, the RAGE KO mice had some differences in the inflammatory response compared to WT mice. Conclusions/Significance: Aside from the difference in the fibrotic pattern, these studies showed no indicators of RAGE having an effect on the severity of pulmonary fibrosis following silica injury. © 2010 Ramsgaard et al