An Administrative Guide for Effective Use of Standardized Test Results

The purpose of this project was to develop a reference guide for administrators to use with standardized test data. Standardized tests are regularly given to students in our public schools. Often, the results are published for the community. It is important for the building principal to use these data in positive ways to enhance student growth. The suggestions in the guide are meant to facilitate effective use of standardized test data by administrators

Supporting Career Development and Employment: Benefits Planning, Assistance and Outreach (BPA&O) and Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS)

This training curriculum is dedicated to increasing knowledge and understanding of the Social Security Administration\u27s disability and return to work programs and work incentive provisions as prescribed in the Social Security Act and Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 as well as other federal benefit programs. These informational resources were compiled and edited to provide continuing education and print materials for benefits specialists and protection and advocacy personnel on the interplay of these benefit programs and impact or employment

4-H PetPALS Juvenile Diversion Program Supports At-Risk Youth and Seniors

The 4-H PetPALS Juvenile Diversion Program provides a partnership opportunity with Extension and the juvenile court system to positively impact lives of at-risk youth. At-risk youth are taught by 4-H PetPALS adult volunteer leaders and 4-H PetPALS members to value and respect the human-animal bond, as well as to understand and empathize with senior adults who require skilled nursing care. At-risk youth interact with youth exhibiting positive behaviors, pets that are predictable and inspire confidence in whom they visit, and senior citizens who crave interaction with young people, making a rewarding experience for everyone involved in this program

Allosteric response and substrate sensitivity in peptide binding of the signal recognition particle

We characterize the conformational dynamics and substrate selectivity of the signal recognition particle (SRP) using a thermodynamic free energy cycle approach and microsecond-timescale molecular dynamics simulations. The SRP is a central component of the co-translational protein targeting machinery that binds to the N-terminal signal peptide (SP) of nascent proteins. We determined the shift in relative conformational stability of the SRP upon substrate binding to quantify allosteric coupling between SRP domains. In particular, for dipeptidyl aminopeptidase, an SP that is recognized by the SRP for co-translational targeting, it is found that substrate binding induces substantial changes in the SRP towards configurations associated with targeting of the nascent protein, and it is found that the changes are modestly enhanced by a mutation that increases the hydrophobicity of the SP; however for alkaline phosphotase, an SP that is recognized for post-translational targeting, substrate binding induces the reverse change in the SRP conformational distribution away from targeting configurations. Microsecond-timescale trajectories reveal the intrinsic flexibility of the SRP conformational landscape and provide insight into recent single-molecule studies by illustrating that 10 nm lengthscale changes between FRET pairs occur via the rigid-body movement of SRP domains connected by the flexible linker region. In combination, these results provide direct evidence for the hypothesis that substrate-controlled conformational switching in the SRP provides a mechanism for discriminating between different SPs and for connecting substrate binding to downstream steps in the protein targeting pathway

Interpreting the results of cross-cultural cognitive interviews: a mixed-method approach

Kognitive Interviews werden - in der Regel im Pretest - eingesetzt um zu untersuchen, wie die Befragten Fragen verarbeiten und verstehen. Die Verfasser legen Ergebnisse einer Untersuchung vor, bei der Fragen aus der interkulturell vergleichenden Forschung untersucht wurden. Sie verwenden ein Codierungs-System, das das Verständnis von Schlüsselbegriffen durch die Befragten, die Fähigkeiten der Befragten, sich zur Beantwortung der Fragen notwendige Informationen zu beschaffen, Entscheidungsprozesse bei der Bewertung oder Bearbeitung solcher Informationen und die Vorstellungen berücksichtigt, die ein Befragter mit einer bestimmten Antwort verbindet. Diese Codes wurden auf die unstrukturierten schriftlichen Notizen der Interviewer angewendet. Die Verfasser ergänzen die Codierung und Tabellierung der Ergebnisse durch die schriftlichen Kommentare der Interviewer. Sie fragen zudem nach Merkmalen der Befragten, die einen Einfluss auf die Fragenbeantwortung haben könnten (Geschlecht, Ethnizität, Alter, Sprache). Der Beitrag schließt mit einer Bewertung der Stärken, Schwächen und methodologischen Brauchbarkeit dieses Forschungsansatzes. (ICE

An investigation of benthic recovery and climate change resilience in the Englishman River estuary

SNAPSHOT: A benthic monitoring program will be added in 2018 to the ongoing Englishman River Estuary recovery study, situated on the east coast of Vancouver Island. This will complement investigations which have been ongoing, prior to and following the removal of a berm during 2017. Changes in salinity patterns, flow regimes, channel morphology, elevation, sediment size, and vegetation distribution are being assessed and these variables will be used to map distinctive areas of the estuary. Benthic samples will be collected from representative areas and monitored over the long term. Relative and total abundance, species diversity, biomass, and various derivatives of these data, such as mean body weight, dominant faunal groups by weight and abundance, and species diversity/richness indices will be used to assess changes in the benthos following berm removal, and to determine community resiliency to climate change. The study will be used to develop protocol for a BC coastal wide estuary monitoring program investigating ecosystem resilience to climate change. It is being led by members of the West Coast Conservation Land Management Program and is supported by The Nature Trust of BC, The Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, BC Conservation Foundation and stewardship groups

Protective actions of des-acylated ghrelin on brain injury and blood-brain barrier disruption after stroke in mice

The major ghrelin forms, acylated ghrelin and des-acylated ghrelin, are novel gastrointestinal hormones. Moreover, emerging evidence indicates that these peptides may have other functions including neuro- and vaso-protection. Here, we investigated whether post-stroke treatment with acylated ghrelin or des-acylated ghrelin could improve functional and histological endpoints of stroke outcome in mice after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAo). We found that des-acylated ghrelin (1 mg/kg) improved neurological and functional performance, reduced infarct and swelling, and decreased apoptosis. In addition, it reduced blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption in vivo and attenuated the hyper-permeability of mouse cerebral microvascular endothelial cells after oxygen glucose deprivation and reoxygenation (OGD + RO). By contrast, acylated ghrelin (1 mg/kg or 5 mg/kg) had no significant effect on these endpoints of stroke outcome. Next we found that des-acylated ghrelin's vasoprotective actions were associated with increased expression of tight junction proteins (occludin and claudin-5), and decreased cell death. Moreover, it attenuated superoxide production, Nox activity and expression of 3-nitrotyrosine. Collectively, these results demonstrate that post-stroke treatment with des-acylated ghrelin, but not acylated ghrelin, protects against ischaemia/reperfusion-induced brain injury and swelling, and BBB disruption, by reducing oxidative and/or nitrosative damage

A Peer-Led Electronic Mental Health Recovery App in a Community-Based Public Mental Health Service: Pilot Trial

BACKGROUND: There is an increasing need for peer workers (people with lived experience of mental health problems who support others) to work alongside consumers to improve recovery and outcomes. In addition, new forms of technology (tablet or mobile apps) can deliver services in an engaging and innovative way. However, there is a need to evaluate interventions in real-world settings. OBJECTIVE: This exploratory proof-of-concept study aimed to determine if a peer worker-led electronic mental health (e-mental health) recovery program is a feasible, acceptable, and effective adjunct to usual care for people with moderate-to-severe mental illness. METHODS: Overall, 6 consumers and 5 health service staff participated in the evaluation of a peer-led recovery app delivered at a community-based public mental health service. The peer worker and other health professional staff invited attendees at the drop-in medication clinics to participate in the trial during June to August 2017. Following the intervention period, participants were also invited by the peer worker to complete the evaluation in a separate room with the researcher. Consumers were explicitly informed that participation in the research evaluation was entirely voluntary. Consumer evaluation measures at postintervention included recovery and views on the acceptability of the program and its delivery. Interviews with staff focused on the acceptability and feasibility of the app itself and integrating a peer worker into the health care service. RESULTS: Consumer recruitment in the research component of the study (n=6) fell substantially short of the target number of participants (n=30). However, from those who participated, both staff and consumers were highly satisfied with the peer worker and somewhat satisfied with the app. Health care staff overall believed that the addition of the peer worker was highly beneficial to both the consumers and staff. CONCLUSIONS: The preliminary findings from this proof-of-concept pilot study suggest that a peer-led program may be a feasible and acceptable method of working on recovery in this population. However, the e-mental health program did not appear feasible in this setting. In addition, recruitment was challenging in this particular group, and it is important to note that these study findings may not be generalizable. Despite this, ensuring familiarity of technology in the target population before implementing e-mental health interventions is likely to be of benefit.Funding for the Apple iPads to conduct the program was provided by the Canberra Hospital Foundation and funding to employ the peer worker was provided by ACT Health. This funding applied to the e-mental health program delivery only. The Menzies School of Health Research also provided the Stay Strong app for the current research cost-free. The research study was conducted using in-kind resources at the Centre for Mental Health Research. This includes funding provided by ACT Health for ACACIA: The ACT Consumer and Carer Mental Health Research Unit. The funding support for ACACIA is managed by a separate area from the one involved in program delivery, and the research was conducted independently of program implementation. MB is supported by Medical Research Future Fund fellowship 1150698

Structurally detailed coarse-grained model for Sec-facilitated co-translational protein translocation and membrane integration

We present a coarse-grained simulation model that is capable of simulating the minute-timescale dynamics of protein translocation and membrane integration via the Sec translocon, while retaining sufficient chemical and structural detail to capture many of the sequence-specific interactions that drive these processes. The model includes accurate geometric representations of the ribosome and Sec translocon, obtained directly from experimental structures, and interactions parameterized from nearly 200 μs of residue-based coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations. A protocol for mapping amino-acid sequences to coarse-grained beads enables the direct simulation of trajectories for the co-translational insertion of arbitrary polypeptide sequences into the Sec translocon. The model reproduces experimentally observed features of membrane protein integration, including the efficiency with which polypeptide domains integrate into the membrane, the variation in integration efficiency upon single amino-acid mutations, and the orientation of transmembrane domains. The central advantage of the model is that it connects sequence-level protein features to biological observables and timescales, enabling direct simulation for the mechanistic analysis of co-translational integration and for the engineering of membrane proteins with enhanced membrane integration efficiency