Perceptions of Educators Regarding Specialized Instruction for Students With Learning Disabilities: A Case Study

Learning is a challenge for any child, especially a child with a learning disability. With a focus on best practices and teaching techniques, this qualitative case study will examine the perceptions of individuals at a public charter school dedicated to students with learning disabilities. The study takes place at a public charter school located in Florida. I will gather data by conducting seven interviews of the participants within this study. Participants included four teachers, two support staff, and one administrator at the specific school. I found four themes during the coding process and analysis. These themes include collaborative partnerships, professional development, support, and challenges. The majority of those interviewed feel strongly about collaborative partnerships and professional development. These two themes warrant future collaborative partnerships and professional development opportunities for teachers and support staff at the school. Teachers requested support in teaching techniques and best practices. The constant change of federal and state laws requires support staff and teachers to stay on top of things when educating students in this diverse population. This challenge and having enough time to educate students will always be evident with this population

Perceptions of Educators Regarding Specialized Instruction for Students With Learning Disabilities: A Case Study

Learning is a challenge for any child, especially a child with a learning disability. With a focus on best practices and teaching techniques, this qualitative case study will examine the perceptions of individuals at a public charter school dedicated to students with learning disabilities. The study takes place at a public charter school located in Florida. I will gather data by conducting seven interviews of the participants within this study. Participants included four teachers, two support staff, and one administrator at the specific school. I found four themes during the coding process and analysis. These themes include collaborative partnerships, professional development, support, and challenges. The majority of those interviewed feel strongly about collaborative partnerships and professional development. These two themes warrant future collaborative partnerships and professional development opportunities for teachers and support staff at the school. Teachers requested support in teaching techniques and best practices. The constant change of federal and state laws requires support staff and teachers to stay on top of things when educating students in this diverse population. This challenge and having enough time to educate students will always be evident with this population

Untargeted Lipidomic Analysis to Broadly Characterize the Effects of Pathogenic and Non-Pathogenic Staphylococci on Mammalian Lipids

Modification of the host lipidome via secreted enzymes is an integral, but often overlooked aspect of bacterial pathogenesis. In the current era of prevalent antibiotic resistance, knowledge regarding critical host pathogen lipid interactions has the potential for use in developing novel antibacterial agents. While most studies to date on this matter have focused on specific lipids, or select lipid classes, this provides an incomplete picture. Modern methods of untargeted lipidomics have the capacity to overcome these gaps in knowledge and provide a comprehensive understanding of the role of lipid metabolism in the pathogenesis of infections. In an attempt to determine the role of lipid modifying enzymes produced by staphylococci, we exposed bovine heart lipids, a standardized model for the mammalian lipidome, to spent medium from staphylococcal cultures, and analyzed lipid molecular changes by MS/MSALLshotgun lipidomics. We elucidate distinct effects of different staphylococcal isolates, including 4 clinical isolates of the pathogenic species Staphylococcus aureus, a clinical isolate of the normally commensal species S. epidermidis, and the non-pathogenic species S. carnosus. Two highly virulent strains of S. aureus had a more profound effect on mammalian lipids and modified more lipid classes than the other staphylococcal strains. Our studies demonstrate the utility of the applied untargeted lipidomics methodology to profile lipid changes induced by different bacterial secretomes. Finally, we demonstrate the promise of this lipidomics approach in assessing the specificity of bacterial enzymes for mammalian lipid classes. Our data suggests that there may be a correlation between the bacterial expression of lipid-modifying enzymes and virulence, and could facilitate the guided discovery of lipid pathways required for bacterial infections caused by S. aureus and thereby provide insights into the generation of novel antibacterial agents

Impact of gastric per‐oral endoscopic myotomy on static and dynamic pyloric function in gastroparesis patients

BackgroundFunctional Lumen Imaging Probe (EndoFLIP) tests typically measure static pyloric parameters, but the pylorus exhibits phasic variations on manometry. Dynamic changes in pyloric function have not been quantified using EndoFLIP, and the impact of Gastric Per‐Oral Endoscopic Myotomy (G‐POEM) on static and dynamic pyloric activity in gastroparesis is unknown.MethodsEndoFLIP balloon inflation to 30, 40, and 50 mL was performed to measure mean, maximum, and minimum values and variability in pyloric diameter and distensibility before and after G‐POEM in 20 patients with refractory gastroparesis. The impact of phasic contractions on these pyloric measures was compared.Key ResultsG‐POEM increased mean (P < .0001) and maximum (P = .0002) pyloric diameters and mean (P = .02) and maximum (P = .02) pyloric distensibility on 50 mL EndoFLIP inflation but not intraballoon pressures or minimum diameters or distensibility. Temporal variability of pyloric diameter (P = .02) and distensibility (P = .02) also increased after G‐POEM. Phasic coupled contractions propagating from the antrum through the pylorus were observed in 37.5% of recordings; other phasic activity including isolated pyloric contractions were seen in 23.3%. Variability of pyloric diameter and distensibility tended to be higher during recordings with phasic activity. Some pyloric responses to G‐POEM were influenced by age, gastroparesis etiology, gastric emptying, and prior botulinum toxin injection.Conclusions & InferencesPyloric activity exhibits dynamic changes on EndoFLIP testing in gastroparesis. G‐POEM increases maximal but not minimal diameter and distensibility with increased variations, suggesting this therapy enhances pyloric opening but may not impair pyloric closure. Phasic pyloric contractions contribute to variations in pyloric activity.We employed Functional Lumen Imaging Probe (EndoFLIP)tests toshowincreases in pyloric diameter and variability of diameter after gastricperoralendoscopicmyotomy(G‐POEM ingastroparesis patients (left graphs). Variability of pyloric activity was noted before and after G‐POEM which was partly due to propagated antropyloriccontractions (3‐D plot on right) detected by EndoFLIP.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/163489/2/nmo13892_am.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/163489/1/nmo13892.pd

Shell Neurons of the Master Circadian Clock Coordinate the Phase of Tissue Clocks Throughout the Brain and Body

Background: Daily rhythms in mammals are programmed by a master clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). The SCN contains two main compartments (shell and core), but the role of each region in system-level coordination remains ill defined. Herein, we use a functional assay to investigate how downstream tissues interpret region-specific outputs by using in vivo exposure to long day photoperiods to temporally dissociate the SCN. We then analyze resulting changes in the rhythms of clocks located throughout the brain and body to examine whether they maintain phase synchrony with the SCN shell or core. Results: Nearly all of the 17 tissues examined in the brain and body maintain phase synchrony with the SCN shell, but not the SCN core, which indicates that downstream oscillators are set by cues controlled specifically by the SCN shell. Interestingly, we also found that SCN dissociation diminished the amplitude of rhythms in core clock gene and protein expression in brain tissues by 50–75 %, which suggests that light-driven changes in the functional organization of the SCN markedly influence the strength of rhythms in downstream tissues. Conclusions: Overall, our results reveal that body clocks receive time-of-day cues specifically from the SCN shell, which may be an adaptive design principle that serves to maintain system-level phase relationships in a changing environment. Further, we demonstrate that lighting conditions alter the amplitude of the molecular clock in downstream tissues, which uncovers a new form of plasticity that may contribute to seasonal changes in physiology and behavior

The usefulness of rapid diagnostic tests in the new context of low malaria transmission in zanzibar.

BACKGROUND\ud \ud We assessed if histidine-rich-protein-2 (HRP2) based rapid diagnostic test (RDT) remains an efficient tool for Plasmodium falciparum case detection among fever patients in Zanzibar and if primary health care workers continue to adhere to RDT results in the new epidemiological context of low malaria transmission. Further, we evaluated the performance of RDT within the newly adopted integrated management of childhood illness (IMCI) algorithm in Zanzibar.\ud \ud METHODS AND FINDINGS\ud \ud We enrolled 3890 patients aged ≥2 months with uncomplicated febrile illness in this health facility based observational study conducted in 12 primary health care facilities in Zanzibar, between May-July 2010. One patient had an inconclusive RDT result. Overall 121/3889 (3.1%) patients were RDT positive. The highest RDT positivity rate, 32/528 (6.1%), was found in children aged 5-14 years. RDT sensitivity and specificity against PCR was 76.5% (95% CI 69.0-83.9%) and 99.9% (95% CI 99.7-100%), and against blood smear microscopy 78.6% (95% CI 70.8-85.1%) and 99.7% (95% CI 99.6-99.9%), respectively. All RDT positive, but only 3/3768 RDT negative patients received anti-malarial treatment. Adherence to RDT results was thus 3887/3889 (99.9%). RDT performed well in the IMCI algorithm with equally high adherence among children <5 years as compared with other age groups.\ud \ud CONCLUSIONS\ud \ud The sensitivity of HRP-2 based RDT in the hands of health care workers compared with both PCR and microscopy for P. falciparum case detection was relatively low, whereas adherence to test results with anti-malarial treatment was excellent. Moreover, the results provide evidence that RDT can be reliably integrated in IMCI as a tool for improved childhood fever management. However, the relatively low RDT sensitivity highlights the need for improved quality control of RDT use in primary health care facilities, but also for more sensitive point-of-care malaria diagnostic tools in the new epidemiological context of low malaria transmission in Zanzibar.\ud \ud TRIAL REGISTRATION\ud \ud ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01002066

Selected In-Season Nutritional Strategies to Enhance Recovery for Team Sport Athletes: A Practical Overview

Team sport athletes face a variety of nutritional challenges related to recovery during the competitive season. The purpose of this article is to review nutrition strategies related to muscle regeneration, glycogen restoration, fatigue, physical and immune health, and preparation for subsequent training bouts and competitions. Given the limited opportunities to recover between training bouts and games throughout the competitive season, athletes must be deliberate in their recovery strategy. Foundational components of recovery related to protein, carbohydrates, and fluid have been extensively reviewed and accepted. Micronutrients and supplements that may be efficacious for promoting recovery include vitamin D, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, creatine, collagen/vitamin C, and antioxidants. Curcumin and bromelain may also provide a recovery benefit during the competitive season but future research is warranted prior to incorporating supplemental dosages into the athlete's diet. Air travel poses nutritional challenges related to nutrient timing and quality. Incorporating strategies to consume efficacious micronutrients and ingredients is necessary to support athlete recovery in season

Characterizing the diurnal patterns of errors in the prediction of evapotranspiration by several land‐surface models: An NACP analysis

Land‐surface models use different formulations of stomatal conductance and plant hydraulics, and it is unclear which type of model best matches the observed surface‐atmosphere water flux. We use the North American Carbon Program data set of latent heat flux (LE) measurements from 25 sites and predictions from 9 models to evaluate models' ability to resolve subdaily dynamics of transpiration. Despite overall good forecast at the seasonal scale, the models have difficulty resolving the dynamics of intradaily hysteresis. The majority of models tend to underestimate LE in the prenoon hours and overestimate in the evening. We hypothesize that this is a result of unresolved afternoon stomatal closure due to hydrodynamic stresses. Although no model or stomata parameterization was consistently best or worst in terms of ability to predict LE, errors in model‐simulated LE were consistently largest and most variable when soil moisture was moderate and vapor pressure deficit was moderate to limiting. Nearly all models demonstrate a tendency to underestimate the degree of maximum hysteresis which, across all sites studied, is most pronounced during moisture‐limited conditions. These diurnal error patterns are consistent with models' diminished ability to accurately simulate the natural hysteresis of transpiration. We propose that the lack of representation of plant hydrodynamics is, in part, responsible for these error patterns. Key Points Land‐surface models produce subdaily patterns of latent heat flux error Error patterns are characterized by the stomatal conductance formulation used Current models lack a mechanism to simulate hysteretic transpirationPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/108341/1/jgrg20246.pd

Effects of a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Intervention Trial to Improve Disease Outcomes in Children with Inflammatory Bowel Disease:

Studies testing the efficacy of behavioral interventions to modify psychosocial sequelae of IBD in children are limited. This report presents outcomes through a six month follow up from a large RCT testing the efficacy of a cognitive-behavioral intervention for children with IBD and their parents