Importance of perceptional-motor (and motor) coordination of readiness for beginning reading as viewed from the field of learning disorders

This review was designed to investigate whether children would improve in reading readiness, as measured by standardized tests, through participation in readiness programs which included motor coordination and visual perception activities

Strengthening partnerships between sites and universities: Tips from site directors

NWP [National Writing Project] sites need their sponsoring universities to value the work they do. In this article, four writing project leaders present successful strategies for strengthening the relationship between sites and their universities

Stability of Traveling Waves in Thin Liquid Films Driven by Gravity and Surfactant

A thin layer of fluid flowing down a solid planar surface has a free surface height described by a nonlinear PDE derived via the lubrication approximation from the Navier Stokes equations. For thin films, surface tension plays an important role both in providing a significant driving force and in smoothing the free surface. Surfactant molecules on the free surface tend to reduce surface tension, setting up gradients that modify the shape of the free surface. In earlier work [12, 13J a traveling wave was found in which the free surface undergoes three sharp transitions, or internal layers, and the surfactant is distributed over a bounded region. This triple-step traveling wave satisfies a system of PDE, a hyperbolic conservation law for the free surface height, and a degenerate parabolic equation describing the surfactant distribution. As such, the traveling wave is overcornpressive. An examination of the linearized equations indicates the direction and growth rates of one-dimensional waves generated by small perturbations in various parts of the wave. Numerical simulations of the nonlinear equations offer further evidence of stability to one-dimensional perturbations

Analyzing the Accreditation Venture of the Undergraduate Robotics Engineering Program

This study investigated how prepared the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) Robotics Engineering (RBE) program is to undergo the ABET accreditation process. Students, graduates, and professors associated with the RBE program and ABET accreditation were interviewed and surveyed. Data collected from surveying was used to determine areas in which the RBE program is succeeding as well as areas where the program could improve

Laboratory Diagnosis of \u3cem\u3eClostridium difficile \u3c/em\u3eInfection: Can Molecular Amplification Methods Move Us Out of Uncertainty?

The laboratory diagnosis of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) continues to be challenging. Recent guidelines from professional societies in the United States note that enzyme immunoassays for toxins A and B do not have adequate sensitivity to be used alone for detecting CDI, yet the optimal method for diagnosing this infection remains unclear. Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) that target chromosomal toxin genes (usually the toxin B gene, tcdB) show high sensitivity and specificity, provide rapid results, and are amenable to both batch and on-demand testing, but these tests were not universally recommended for routine use in the recent guidelines. Rather, two-step algorithms that use glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) assays to screen for C. difficile in stool specimens, followed by either direct cytotoxin testing or culture to identify toxin-producing C. difficile isolates, were recommended in one guideline and either GDH algorithms or NAATs were recommended in another guideline. Unfortunately, neither culture nor direct cytotoxin testing is widely available. In addition, this two-step approach requires 48 to 92 hours to complete, which may delay the initiation of therapy and critical infection control measures. Recent studies also show the sensitivity of several GDH assays to be \u3c90%. This review considers the role of NAATs for diagnosing CDI and explores their potential advantages over two-step algorithms, including shorter time to results, while providing comparable, if not superior, accuracy

Human Milk Retains Important Immunologic Properties After Defatting

BackgroundIn neonatal chylothorax, thoracic lymphatic drainage is ineffective. The resultant effusions often require drainage, leading to a loss of immune components. Affected infants can be managed with formula or defatted human milk feedings low in long‐chain triglycerides to decrease lymph production. We hypothesized that there is no significant difference in the immunological profile or antibacterial effect of full‐fat and defatted human milk.MethodsMilk from lactating mothers was divided into 1 aliquot that was defatted via centrifugation with the full‐fat aliquot as control. Macronutrient content was analyzed with mid‐infrared spectroscopy. Flow cytometry was used to measure immune cell populations. Lactoferrin, lysozyme, immunoglobulin (Ig)A, and IgG values were determined using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. The antibacterial properties were determined by inoculating paired full‐fat and defatted milk samples with Escherichia coli or Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria and performing colony counts.ResultsCompared with full‐fat milk, defatted milk demonstrated decreased total energy and fat and increased carbohydrate concentrations. Defatted milk demonstrated a significant decrease in all immune cell populations. There was no difference in IgA, IgG, lysozyme, or lactoferrin concentrations. Both aliquots demonstrated equivalent growth inhibition of E. coli and S. pneumoniae.ConclusionsUnexpectedly, defatted human milk contained significantly less leukocytes than full‐fat milk. IgA, IgG, lysozyme, and lactoferrin concentrations were preserved. The ability of defatted milk to inhibit bacterial growth was unaffected, suggesting that the antibacterial benefits of human milk remain after the defatting process. Further investigation regarding the clinical effect of leukocyte loss in defatted milk is warranted.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/156146/3/jpen1722-supl-0001.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/156146/2/jpen1722_am.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/156146/1/jpen1722.pd

University Woodwind Quintet

Centennial Lecture Hall November 25, 1968 8:15p.m