Sample records for advanced placement biology

  1. The Oral Histories of Six African American Males in Their Ecology of Advanced Placement Biology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Halasa, Katrina Bassam

    2012-01-01

    The major purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the past in order to understand the complex phenomenon of students engaging in science (Newman, Ridenour, Newman, & DeMarco, 2003) specifically through the oral histories of six self-identified African American males enrolled in a high school Advanced Placement Biology class and the…

  2. Payment of Advanced Placement Exam Fees by Virginia Public School Divisions and Its Impact on Advanced Placement Enrollment and Scores

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cirillo, Mary Grupe

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of Virginia school divisions' policy of paying the fee for students to take Advanced Placement exams on Advanced Placement course enrollment, the number of Advanced Placement exams taken by students, the average scores earned and the percent of students earning qualifying scores of 3, 4, or 5…

  3. Four Decades of the Advanced Placement Program.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rothschild, Eric

    1999-01-01

    Reports on the history of the Advanced Placement (AP) program, considering such issues as the program's initiation, changes within the program, its various problems, growth in Advanced Placement, and the program's reach overseas. (CMK)

  4. An analysis of the impact of three high school schedules on student achievement in advanced placement biology classes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arons-Polan, Bonnie

    This study examined the effect of three schedule types on student achievement in Advanced Placement Biology classes. AP Biology test scores from students on three types of full-year schedules were analyzed to assess the impact schedule type had on student achievement. The three schedules included the block and traditional schedules, and the rotating/hybrid, a blend of the former two schedules. The results indicated the variable most closely associated with success on the AP Biology exam was the length of experience the teachers had teaching the course, regardless of schedule type. Although significant differences were seen in mean AP Biology test scores among the three schedule types, this could be explained by the relationship between instructors' experience and schedule type. Regression analysis determined the two strongest predictors of successful performance on the AP Biology exam were instructors' experience and perceived teaching style, regardless of schedule type. It appears that the economically developed suburbs, had teachers with the largest amount of experience teaching AP Biology, and these teachers reported using a direct approach to teaching, using lecture greater than 50% of the time. The results of this study also suggest when restructuring to improve student achievement, educators should examine other variables in addition to the high school schedule. Restructuring the day to allow for longer classes must be accompanied by professional staff development to allow teachers to develop new teaching methods. Most of the teachers in the survey reported using lecture a great deal of the time, regardless of schedule type. Comments from the teachers from the various schedules revealed that the ability to add student centered, inquiry based activities and labs were dependent on adequate class time. No information on whether or not the teachers were given professional development to expand their repertoire of teaching methods when the school adopted a block

  5. Where the girls aren't: High school girls and advanced placement physics enrollment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barton, Susan O'brien

    During the high school years, when many students first have some choice in course selection, research indicates that girls choose to enroll in more math and science courses, take more advanced placement courses, and take more honors courses in English, biology, chemistry, mathematics, and foreign languages than ever before. Yet, not only are boys more likely to take all of the three core science courses (biology, chemistry, and physics), boys enroll in advanced placement physics approximately three times as often as do girls. This study examines the perceptions, attitudes, and aspirations of thirty high school girls enrolled in senior-level science electives in an attempt to understand their high school science course choices, and what factors were influencing them. This is a qualitative investigation employing constructivist grounded theory methods. There are two main contributions of this study. First, it presents a new conceptual and analytical framework to investigate the problem of why some high school girls do not enroll in physics coursework. This framework is grounded in the data and is comprised of three existing feminist perspectives along the liberal/radical continuum of feminist thought. Second, this study illuminates a complex set of reasons why participants avoided high school physics (particularly advanced placement physics) coursework. These reasons emerged as three broad categories related to: (a) a lack of connectedness with physics curriculum and instruction; (b) prior negative experiences with physics and math classroom climates; and (c) future academic goals and career aspirations. Taken together, the findings of this study indicate that the problem of high school girls and physics enrollment---particularly advanced placement physics enrollment---is a problem that cannot be evaluated or considered from one perspective.

  6. Advanced high school biology in an era of rapid change: a summary of the biology panel report from the NRC Committee on Programs for Advanced Study of Mathematics and Science in American High Schools.

    PubMed

    Wood, William B

    2002-01-01

    A recently released National Research Council (NRC) report, Learning and Understanding: Improving Advanced Study of Mathematics and Science in U.S. High Schools, evaluated and recommended changes in the Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and other advanced secondary school science programs. As part of this study, discipline-specific panels were formed to evaluate advanced programs in biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics. Among the conclusions of the Content Panel for Biology were that AP courses in particular suffer from inadequate quality control as well as excessive pressure to fulfill their advanced placement function, which encourages teachers to attempt coverage of all areas of biology and emphasize memorization of facts rather than in-depth understanding. In this essay, the Panel's principal findings are discussed, with an emphasis on its recommendation that colleges and universities should be strongly discouraged from using performance on either the AP examination or the IB examination as the sole basis for automatic placement out of required introductory courses for biology majors and distribution requirements for nonmajors.

  7. Advanced High School Biology in an Era of Rapid Change: A Summary of the Biology Panel Report from the NRC Committee on Programs for Advanced Study of Mathematics and Science in American High Schools

    PubMed Central

    2002-01-01

    A recently released National Research Council (NRC) report, Learning and Understanding: Improving Advanced Study of Mathematics and Science in U.S. High Schools, evaluated and recommended changes in the Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and other advanced secondary school science programs. As part of this study, discipline-specific panels were formed to evaluate advanced programs in biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics. Among the conclusions of the Content Panel for Biology were that AP courses in particular suffer from inadequate quality control as well as excessive pressure to fulfill their advanced placement function, which encourages teachers to attempt coverage of all areas of biology and emphasize memorization of facts rather than in-depth understanding. In this essay, the Panel's principal findings are discussed, with an emphasis on its recommendation that colleges and universities should be strongly discouraged from using performance on either the AP examination or the IB examination as the sole basis for automatic placement out of required introductory courses for biology majors and distribution requirements for nonmajors. PMID:12669097

  8. The oral histories of six African American males in their ecology of Advanced Placement Biology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Halasa, Katrina Bassam

    The major purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the past in order to understand the complex phenomenon of students engaging in science (Newman, Ridenour, Newman, & DeMarco, 2003) specifically through the oral histories of six self-identified African American males enrolled in a high school Advanced Placement Biology class and the oral histories about events that followed during their post high school experiences. To elucidate an understanding of this phenomenon, this research explored the ecology of African American males' descriptions of their school science, their peer school science community, their lived experiences during and after graduation, and their meso-community (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). Many minority and low-income students are less likely to enroll in rigorous courses during high school (Education Trust, 2006). This study is of utmost importance because capturing the informants' oral histories may improve rigorous science education. Many African American male students are attending urban schools with an ever growing achievement gap among their White counterparts (Norman, Ault, Bentz, & Meskimen, 2001); therefore, they are disengaging in science. As a result, African American males are underrepresented in both science careers and achievements in science (Atwater, 2000; National Science Foundation, 1994). The six oral histories highlighted the ecological factors that affected African American males regarding (1) the impact of their relationship with their mothers, (2) the understanding of personal responsibility, (3) the notion of a scientist, (4) the issue of gender being more of an obstacle than race, (5) the understanding that education is valuable, (6) the interactions and influence of relationships with others on their decisions, (7) the development of integrity through the participation in sports, (8) the ecological neighborhood environment influences an image, (9) the enrollment of Advanced Placement Biology course helped the transition

  9. Where Should We Go With Advanced Placement?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lichten, William

    2001-04-01

    This is a review of the Advanced Placement (AP)Program. In disagreement with claims of the College Board, there is firm evidence that the average test performance level has dropped. The College Board's scale and claims for AP qualification disagree seriously with college standards. A majority of tests taken do not qualify. It appears that "advanced placement" is coming closer to "placement." This paper recommends that the College Board's policy, which previously has concentrated on the numbers of participants, should include an emphasis on student performance and program quality. AP could accomplish its goal of reaching a wider range of students by changing along the lines followed in college introductory physics courses: multiple tracks.

  10. AP: A Critical Examination of the Advanced Placement Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sadler, Philip M.; Sonnert, Gerhard; Tai, Robert; Klopfenstein, Kirstin

    2016-01-01

    The Advanced Placement (AP) program was created to enhance the experience of gifted students as they transition from high school to college. "AP: A Critical Examination of the Advanced Placement Program," edited by Philip M. Sadler, Gerhard Sonnert, Robert Tai, and Kirstin Klopfenstein (2010, Harvard Education Press), questions the…

  11. Materials and Area of Study for Advanced Placement Program in American History.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Santos, Peter A.

    This paper describes and evaluates benefits of advanced placement programs and identifies materials which can help high school history classroom teachers develop effective advanced placement programs. An advanced placement program is defined as a program which requires a student to do extensive research and writing throughout the school year.…

  12. Advanced Placement U.S. History: What Happens after the Examination?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Henry, Michael

    1991-01-01

    Discusses a survey of 56 advanced placement (AP) U.S. history teachers. Explores the scope of AP history and types of posttest activities used after Advanced Placement examinations. Concludes that public school courses developed more deeply into post-1960 events than the private schools did. Describes movies, debates, simulations, and local…

  13. An Examination of Perceptions Associated with Enrollment Procedures and Students Placement in Advanced Placement Courses in Northeast Louisiana

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vidrine, Brent

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of the study was to investigate participation rates of minorities and economically disadvantaged students in Advanced Placement programs in selected high schools in Northeast Louisiana. Advanced Placement programs in high schools generally promote higher level education courses. The focus of the investigation was perceptions held by…

  14. A Critical Investigation of Advanced Placement U.S. History Textbooks

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cramer, Gregory J.

    2012-01-01

    This dissertation critically investigates how Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. History textbooks portray key events in Latino/a history. The investigation is made in light of claims made by the College Board, the ACLU, scholars, and federal and state governments that the Advanced Placement program is the path to educational equity for Latino/a…

  15. BIBLIOGRAPHIC GUIDE FOR ADVANCED PLACEMENT, CHEMISTRY.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    WILLIAMS, HARRY; KING, CLYDE

    REFERENCES AND AUDIOVISUAL MATERIALS ARE LISTED IN THIS GUIDE FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL ADVANCED PLACEMENT CHEMISTRY TEACHERS AND LIBRARIANS. BOOKS, PERIODICALS, WALL CHARTS, FILMS, AND FILMSTRIPS ARE INCLUDED. CITATIONS ARE COMPLETE AND INCLUDE INFORMATION PERTINENT TO THE ACQUISITION OF THE MATERIALS. (AG)

  16. A Salute to Advanced Placement Art

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nelson, Kathryn McDonald

    1978-01-01

    Ten years have passed since the original proposal was written to establish Advanced Placement Studio Art and History of Art as one of the 13 College Board AP disciplines. This review includes examples of AP high school students' work. (Author/LBH)

  17. Advanced Placement Academy: Case Study of a Program within a School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Swanson, Julie Dingle; Nagy, Steven

    2014-01-01

    The focus of this study was the first year of implementation of the Advanced Placement Academy (APA), a program within a high school providing honors and Advanced Placement coursework for high-ability African American students with previously limited access to rigorous courses. The qualitative investigation explores practical solutions from…

  18. Advanced Placement Economics. Macroeconomics: Student Activities.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morton, John S.

    This book is designed to help advanced placement students better understand macroeconomic concepts through various activities. The book contains 6 units with 64 activities, sample multiple-choice questions, sample short essay questions, and sample long essay questions. The units are entitled: (1) "Basic Economic Concepts"; (2) "Measuring Economic…

  19. BIBLIOGRAPHIC GUIDE FOR ADVANCED PLACEMENT, LATIN.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    BARRON, ROBERT; ROSELLE, LEONE

    LITERARY AND CRITICAL WORKS, REFERENCE BOOKS, PERIODICALS, RECORDS, FILMS, AND FILMSTRIPS DEALING WITH ROMAN LITERATURE, HISTORY, CIVILIZATION, MYTHOLOGY, AND LANGUAGE ARE INCLUDED IN THIS BIBLIOGRAPHY OF RECOMMENDED READING IN ENGLISH FOR ADVANCED PLACEMENT PROGRAMS IN LATIN. THE LIST IS DIVIDED INTO TWO $500 GROUPS, SO THAT FOR CONVENIENCE IN…

  20. Hispanic Student Performance on Advanced Placement Exams: A Multiyear, National Investigation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jara, Teresa Dianne

    2013-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze the Advanced Placement exams that Hispanic students complete and to compare their overall performance with the performance of White students from 2000 to 2012. A second purpose was to determine which Advanced Placement exams were the most difficult exams for Hispanic students and which Advanced…

  1. Advanced Placement Economics. Teacher Resource Manual.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morton, John S.

    This book, in conjunction with the student activities books for macroeconomics and microeconomics, is designed for teaching the Advanced Placement Economics course. The book contains five units for the microeconomic portion and six units for the macroeconomic portion of the text. Along with the many activities are sample multiple-choice questions,…

  2. Photoelectron Spectroscopy in Advanced Placement Chemistry

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Benigna, James

    2014-01-01

    Photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) is a new addition to the Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry curriculum. This article explains the rationale for its inclusion, an overview of how the PES instrument records data, how the data can be analyzed, and how to include PES data in the course. Sample assessment items and analysis are included, as well as…

  3. Advanced tow placement of composite fuselage structure

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Anderson, Robert L.; Grant, Carroll G.

    1992-01-01

    The Hercules NASA ACT program was established to demonstrate and validate the low cost potential of the automated tow placement process for fabrication of aircraft primary structures. The program is currently being conducted as a cooperative program in collaboration with the Boeing ATCAS Program. The Hercules advanced tow placement process has been in development since 1982 and was developed specifically for composite aircraft structures. The second generation machine, now in operation at Hercules, is a production-ready machine that uses a low cost prepreg tow material form to produce structures with laminate properties equivalent to prepreg tape layup. Current program activities are focused on demonstration of the automated tow placement process for fabrication of subsonic transport aircraft fuselage crown quadrants. We are working with Boeing Commercial Aircraft and Douglas Aircraft during this phase of the program. The Douglas demonstration panels has co-cured skin/stringers, and the Boeing demonstration panel is an intricately bonded part with co-cured skin/stringers and co-bonded frames. Other aircraft structures that were evaluated for the automated tow placement process include engine nacelle components, fuselage pressure bulkheads, and fuselage tail cones. Because of the cylindrical shape of these structures, multiple parts can be fabricated on one two placement tool, thus reducing the cost per pound of the finished part.

  4. Modern Agriculture in Advanced Placement Human Geography.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lanegran, David A.

    2000-01-01

    Discusses the four sections of the Advanced Placement (AP) human geography course focusing on agriculture: (1) development and diffusion of agriculture; (2) major agricultural production regions; (3) rural land use and change; and (4) impacts of modern agricultural change. Includes references and a resource list. (CMK)

  5. 78 FR 19691 - Applications for New Awards; Advanced Placement (AP) Test Fee Program

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-04-02

    ... DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Applications for New Awards; Advanced Placement (AP) Test Fee Program... Information Advanced Placement Test Fee Program. Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year... Program: The AP Test Fee program awards grants to eligible State educational agencies (SEAs) to enable...

  6. 77 FR 8848 - Application for New Awards; Advanced Placement (AP) Test Fee Program

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-02-15

    ... DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Application for New Awards; Advanced Placement (AP) Test Fee Program... Information: Advanced Placement Test Fee Program. Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year... Description Purpose of Program: The AP Test Fee program awards grants to eligible State educational agencies...

  7. Advanced Placement Course Description: Government and Politics, American Comparative: May 1987-May 1988.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    College Entrance Examination Board, Princeton, NJ.

    The Advanced Placement Program is based on the premise that young people can complete college-level studies while in secondary schools. It is an instrument of cooperation that extends the educational opportunities available to students by giving secondary school college-level courses appropriate college credit and placement. Advanced Placement…

  8. Progress in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate in SREB States. Challenge to Lead

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kaye, Rebecca Daugherty

    2006-01-01

    Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) states lead the nation in student participation in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Programs. SREB states know that getting students engaged in a challenging high school curriculum is the most important step they can take to promote college readiness. Advanced Placement (AP) courses and…

  9. The Under-Utilization and Problems Associated with the Advanced Placement Program of Adult High School Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barham, Mary Ann

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the low participation rate among high school students 18 years of age or older in Advanced Placement courses. The subjects in this study were 129 Advanced Placement Students and 129 non-Advanced Placement high school students 18 years of age or older in five high schools in two Louisiana parishes.…

  10. Using Distance Learning to Impact Access of Diverse Learners to Advanced Placement Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fenty, Nicole S.; Allio, Andrea

    2017-01-01

    Distance learning has been used as one method to increase access for students who have otherwise been underrepresented in college preparatory courses like Advanced Placement (AP). This study evaluated the impact of a statewide Virtual Advanced Placement (VAP) program on access to AP courses for students from underrepresented populations. Survey…

  11. CURRICULUM GUIDES IN BIOLOGY--LIFE SCIENCE, BIOLOGY--GENERAL, AND BIOLOGY--ADVANCED PLACEMENT.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    WESNER, GORDON E.; AND OTHERS

    "BIOLOGY--LIFE SCIENCE" IS GEARED TO STUDENTS OF AVERAGE ABILITY, "BIOLOGY--GENERAL" IS OFFERED FOR THOSE WHO HAVE COMPLETED "BIOLOGY--GENERAL" IN GRADES 10 OR 11 AND WHO WISH TO PURSUE COLLEGE LEVEL STUDY WHILE IN GRADE 12. THE NONTECHNICAL "BIOLOGY--LIFE SCIENCE" HAS OUTLINED UNITS IN ORGANIZING FOOD,…

  12. The Disappearing Continent: A Critique of the Revised Advanced Placement European History Examination

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Randall, David

    2016-01-01

    This document extends the National Association of Scholars' (NAS's) critique of the College Board from Advanced Placement U.S. History (APUSH) to Advanced Placement European History (APEH). The College Board distorts APEH in the same way that it distorted the first version of APUSH. The traditional history of Europe tells how Europeans, uniquely,…

  13. Expanding the Scope of Advanced Placement Classes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lim, Victoria

    2008-01-01

    Dr. Paul Dosal of the University of South Florida is not impressed with the way most high school students learn about Latin American history. Dosal believes an advanced placement course in the subject will change that. He's the executive director of ENLACE Florida, a statewide network funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, designed to increase the…

  14. Teaching Melodic Dictation in Advanced Placement Music Theory

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Paney, Andrew S.; Buonviri, Nathan O.

    2014-01-01

    In this study approaches to teaching melodic dictation skills used by Advanced Placement (AP) Music Theory teachers were examined. Twelve high school teachers from four states were interviewed. Four themes emerged from the interview transcripts: cognitive frameworks, processing strategies, rhythm, and course design. Participants generally…

  15. Advanced Placement Economics Improves Both Merit and Equity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Meek, Sally; Morton, John

    2009-01-01

    In 1989, microeconomics and macroeconomics examinations debuted on the Advanced Placement (AP) scene. At that time, many professors of economics were skeptical that college freshmen had the skills and maturity to understand the concepts in principles of economics courses. They thought teaching these concepts to high school students was even more…

  16. Advanced Placement Mathematics Calculus, Grade 12 Curriculum Guide.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scharf, John; And Others

    This document is a guide to the advanced placement program in calculus for grade 12 in the city schools in Warren, Ohio. The program covers analytic geometry, differential and integral calculus of algebraic functions, elementary transcendental functions, and applications of differentiation and integration. The philosophy and aims of the program…

  17. Advanced Placement Course Enrollment and School-Level Characteristics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barnard-Brak, Lucy; McGaha-Garnett, Valerie; Burley, Hansel

    2011-01-01

    The current study examined access to Advanced Placement (AP) courses as a function of these school characteristics (e.g., percentage of ethnic minority and lower socioeconomic status) and then examined AP course enrollment as a function of both access to AP courses and these school characteristics. Using structural equation modeling techniques,…

  18. Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate: Do They Deserve Gold Star Status?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Byrd, Sheila

    2007-01-01

    For many people committed to strong academic standards, the "advanced" high school courses offered through the College Board's Advanced Placement program and, increasingly, the Diploma Programme of the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) represent the curricular gold standard for secondary education. Admissions directors and…

  19. Surviving a Midlife Crisis: Advanced Placement Turns Fifty

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mollison, Andrew

    2006-01-01

    In 1956, 1,220 college-bound juniors and seniors in 104 American high schools took the first Advanced Placement (AP) exams conducted by the Educational Testing Service for the College Board. The AP program was unabashedly elitist and designed to fortify the education of the nation's future leaders in anticipation of Cold War national security…

  20. Clinical evaluation of radiotherapy for advanced esophageal cancer after metallic stent placement

    PubMed Central

    Yu, You-Tao; Yang, Guang; Liu, Yan; Shen, Bao-Zhong

    2004-01-01

    AIM: To evaluate the therapeutic effect of radiotherapy for esophageal cancer after expandable metallic stent placement. METHODS: Ten cases of advanced esophageal cancer were evaluated, 7 having complete obstruction and 3 with digestive-respiratory fistula. Ten nitinol stents were placed at the site of stenosis. Patients were treated with a total dose of 1200 cGy divided into 3 fractions of 400 cGy 4-7 d after stents placement. RESULTS: All the 10 stents were placed successfully at one time. After radiotherapy for advanced esophageal cancer, the survival period of the cases ranged from 14 to 22 mo, with a mean survival of 17 mo. No re-stenosis occurred among all the 10 cases. CONCLUSION: Stent placement combined with radiotherapy for esophageal cancer is helpful to prolong patients’ survival and reduce occurrence of re-stenosis. PMID:15237455

  1. Aspiration, Performance, Reward: The Advanced Placement Program at 40.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rothschild, Eric

    1995-01-01

    The history of the College Entrance Examination Board's Advanced Placement Program is chronicled from its conception in 1951 through early developmental stages and 40 years of implementation. Issues discussed include test development, funding, administration at the institutional level, expansion of curriculum areas and testing options, teacher…

  2. 75 FR 75666 - Advanced Placement (AP) Test Fee Program

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-12-06

    ... DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION [CFDA No. 84.330B] Advanced Placement (AP) Test Fee Program AGENCY: Office... AP Test Fee fiscal year (FY) 2011 competition. SUMMARY: On September 1, 2010, we published in the Federal Register (75 FR 53681) a notice inviting applications for the AP Test Fee FY 2011 competition...

  3. Conceptualizing a Framework for Advanced Placement Statistics Teaching Knowledge

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haines, Brenna

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this article is to sketch a conceptualization of a framework for Advanced Placement (AP) Statistics Teaching Knowledge. Recent research continues to problematize the lack of knowledge and preparation among secondary level statistics teachers. The College Board's AP Statistics course continues to grow and gain popularity, but is a…

  4. The effect of the Advanced Placement Training and Incentive Program on increasing enrollment and performance on Advanced Placement science exams

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ramsey, Susan Brady

    The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of the National Math and Science Initiative's Advanced Placement Training and Incentive Program (APTIP) on the number of students taking AP science courses and their performance. The study evaluated 39 schools over a six-year period in six states that participate in the APTIP. The National Math and Science Initiative provided data for cohort I. A general linear model for repeated measures was used to evaluate the data. Data was evaluated three years prior to the intervention and three years during the intervention, which will actually continue for two more years (2012 and 2013) since cohort I schools were awarded five years of support. Students in APTIP schools enrolled in more AP science exams (AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Environmental Science, and AP Physics-B) over the course of the intervention. The quantity of students earning qualifying scores increased during the intervention years. APTIP is a multi-tiered program that includes seven days of teacher training, three six-hour student prep sessions, school equipment, reduced exam fees, and monetary incentives for students and teachers. This program positively impacted the quantity of enrollment and qualifying scores during the three years evaluated in this study. Increases in the number of female and African American students' test takers their and qualifying scores were seen in all three years of the APTIP intervention. This study supports the premise that the first step to increasing the Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) pipeline is giving access to advanced courses to more students in high schools.

  5. Adapting to large-scale changes in Advanced Placement Biology, Chemistry, and Physics: the impact of online teacher communities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Frumin, Kim; Dede, Chris; Fischer, Christian; Foster, Brandon; Lawrenz, Frances; Eisenkraft, Arthur; Fishman, Barry; Jurist Levy, Abigail; McCoy, Ayana

    2018-03-01

    Over the past decade, the field of teacher professional learning has coalesced around core characteristics of high quality professional development experiences (e.g. Borko, Jacobs, & Koellner, 2010. Contemporary approaches to teacher professional development. In P. L. Peterson, E. Baker, & B. McGaw (Eds.), International encyclopedia of education (Vol. 7, pp. 548-556). Oxford: Elsevier.; Darling-Hammond, Hyler, & Gardner, 2017. Effective teacher professional development. Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute). Many countries have found these advances of great interest because of a desire to build teacher capacity in science education and across the full curriculum. This paper continues this progress by examining the role and impact of an online professional development community within the top-down, large-scale curriculum and assessment revision of Advanced Placement (AP) Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. This paper is part of a five-year, longitudinal, U.S. National Science Foundation-funded project to study the relative effectiveness of various types of professional development in enabling teachers to adapt to the revised AP course goals and exams. Of the many forms of professional development our research has examined, preliminary analyses indicated that participation in the College Board's online AP Teacher Community (APTC) - where teachers can discuss teaching strategies, share resources, and connect with each other - had positive, direct, and statistically significant association with teacher self-reported shifts in practice and with gains in student AP scores (Fishman et al., 2014). This study explored how usage of the online APTC might be useful to teachers and examined a more robust estimate of these effects. Findings from the experience of AP teachers may be valuable in supporting other large-scale curriculum changes, such as the U.S. Next Generation Science Standards or Common Core Standards, as well as parallel curricular shifts in other countries.

  6. Amityville Memorial High School History Journal Advance Placement History.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Howlett, Charles F., Ed.

    The history of Amityville, New York, compiled by 11th and 12th grade advance placement history students, is presented in journal form. Six papers focus on: (1) South Oaks: The Long Island Home; (2) A History of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Amityville; (3) Amityville: A Vacationland; (4) Amityville School System from 1904 to Present;…

  7. AP: A Critical Examination of the Advanced Placement Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sadler, Philip M., Ed.; Sonnert, Gerhard, Ed.; Tai, Robert H., Ed.; Klopfenstein, Kristin, Ed.

    2010-01-01

    With an annual yearly growth rate of 9.3 percent over the last two decades, Advanced Placement courses have become a juggernaut in American high school education. AP courses are routinely perceived as an indicator of educational rigor, and many schools push to enroll low-income or minority students in these courses in the hope of preparing them…

  8. The School Counselor's Role in Addressing the Advanced Placement Equity and Excellence Gap for African-American Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davis, Pamela; Davis, Michael P.; Mobley, Jerry A.

    2014-01-01

    This study describes the collaboration among a school counselor, a school counselor intern, an Advanced Placement Psychology teacher, and a counselor educator to improve African-American access to Advanced Placement (AP) coursework and increase success on the AP Psychology national examination. The team initiated a process that recruited African…

  9. Cities and Urban Land Use in Advanced Placement Human Geography.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ford, Larry R.

    2000-01-01

    Discusses the cities and urban land use section of the Advanced Placement (AP) human geography course, focusing on the: (1) definitions of urbanism; (2) origin and evolution of cities; (3) functional character of contemporary cities; (4) built environment and social space; and (5) responses to urban growth. (CMK)

  10. Advanced Placement Environmental Science and the Curriculum and Community Enterprise for Restoration Science (CCERS) Project in the New York City High School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Birney, Lauren; McNamara, Denise

    2018-01-01

    This paper explores the issue of social justice through the lens of equitable access to Advanced Placement courses in the City of New York High Schools, with focus on Advanced Placement Environmental Science. A critical component of the Advanced Placement Environmental Science course is the incorporation of environmental fieldwork. The National…

  11. Advanced Placement and Rural Schools: Access, Success, and Exploring Alternatives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gagnon, Douglas J.; Mattingly, Marybeth J.

    2016-01-01

    Completing Advanced Placement (AP) coursework is an important part of the selective college admissions process, and access to AP coursework can be viewed as a measure of equal opportunity. Relatively little research has fully examined how access to AP coursework is mediated by school characteristics. Rural schools are at a particular disadvantage…

  12. Advances in circular stapling technique for gastric bypass: transoral placement of the anvil.

    PubMed

    Nguyen, Ninh T; Hinojosa, Marcelo W; Smith, Brian R; Reavis, Kevin M; Wilson, Samuel E

    2008-05-01

    In Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, construction of the gastrojejunostomy is commonly performed using a circular stapler. The initial description for placement of the anvil was via the transoral approach. Although the concept was ingenious, technical difficulty was encountered during passage resulting in complications such as hypopharyngeal perforation and esophageal mucosal injury. As a result, most surgeons subsequently changed their route of anvil placement to the transabdominal approach. Advances in stapler technology now allow the head of the anvil to be pre-tilted, permitting transoral introduction with greater ease and safety. This paper describes this improved method for transoral placement of the anvil during laparoscopic gastric bypass and reoperative bariatric surgery.

  13. Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Programs: A "Fit" for Gifted Learners?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hertberg-Davis, Holly; Callahan, Carolyn M.; Kyburg, Robin M.

    2006-01-01

    Although limited research exists on the appropriateness of Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) Programs for gifted secondary learners, these courses serve as the primary methods of meeting the needs of gifted students in most high schools. This qualitative study employed a grounded theory approach to investigate how…

  14. The Advanced Placement Arms Race and the Reproduction of Educational Inequality

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Klugman, Joshua

    2013-01-01

    Background: Access to Advanced Placement (AP) courses is stratified by class and race. Researchers have identified how schools serving disadvantaged students suffer from various kinds of resource deprivations, concluding that interventions are needed to equalize access to AP courses. On the other hand, the theory of Effectively Maintained…

  15. Melodic Dictation Instruction: A Survey of Advanced Placement Music Theory Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Buonviri, Nathan O.; Paney, Andrew S.

    2015-01-01

    Based on relevant literature and recent qualitative findings, the purpose of this survey research was to identify pedagogical approaches to melodic dictation employed by Advanced Placement (AP) Music Theory teachers across the United States. The researcher-designed survey questions focused on pitch and rhythm skills, instructional resources,…

  16. The Value of Analysis of Standardized Placement Exams: A Case Study of Cell Structure.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blystone, Robert V.

    This study focused on potential pedagological uses of standardized placement exams. A sample of 250 exams of the May 1984 Biology Advanced Placement (AP) exam was obtained and student responses to the question on cell structure were analyzed. The frequency of particular responses to the question is listed and trends and patterns in the responses…

  17. Science and Mathematics Advanced Placement Exams: Growth and Achievement over Time

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Judson, Eugene

    2017-01-01

    Rapid growth of Advanced Placement (AP) exams in the last 2 decades has been paralleled by national enthusiasm to promote availability and rigor of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Trends were examined in STEM AP to evaluate and compare growth and achievement. Analysis included individual STEM subjects and disaggregation…

  18. Advanced Placement U.S. History and the Application of Social Justice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Curry, Katherine A.; Sabina, Lou L.; Loffi, Jon

    2016-01-01

    Recent changes to Advanced Placement U.S. History have sparked a national debate concerning goals and purposes of college level history courses. Critics suggest that the revisions result in a national curriculum that promotes a revisionist history perspective. Defenders claim that revisions are an important step in preparing students for 21st…

  19. SREB States Maintain Lead in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Collins, Crystal

    2009-01-01

    The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) states lead the nation in student participation in Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs. The region also continued to match the nation in the success rates of high school students on AP exams in 2008. SREB's "Challenge to Lead" Goals for Education recognize the…

  20. Preparing Students for Advanced Placement: An Evaluation of the Academic Contributions of Enrollment in Pre-AP Middle School Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Benvenuto, Charles M.

    2017-01-01

    Over the past 20 years, the College Board has expanded its Advanced Placement program to consist of over 30 courses offered to millions of students throughout the United States. While more students are enrolling in AP courses, the percentage of students passing the exams has declined. With students enrolling in the Advanced Placement courses as…

  1. The Effects of Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Programs on Student Achievement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Luo, Samia Merza

    2013-01-01

    This study compared student academic achievement in two college readiness programs, Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) and attempted to determine how well program participation predict student performance compared to variables such as SES, parent education level, GPA, gender, and SAT II scores. Finally, the research…

  2. Perspectives of Advanced Placement U.S. History Teachers in Title I Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rowland, Mark Lance

    2017-01-01

    The College Board's Advanced Placement (AP) Program continues to expand annually with increased numbers of high school students nationwide enrolling in AP courses and taking end-of-course AP exams, in hopes of earning college credit and strengthening high school transcripts. As the College Board promotes increased minority student participation…

  3. Barriers to Advanced Placement for Latino Students at the High-School Level

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walker, Susan A.; Pearsall, Laura D.

    2012-01-01

    In order to gain a better understanding about Latino student underrepresentation in advanced placement (AP) coursework, this investigation explored the factors that inhibit and/or encourage Latino student enrollment in AP coursework at one suburban public high school in the Western United States. Latino high-school students and their parents…

  4. The Advanced Placement English Program in Salt Lake and Granite School Districts.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stratopoulos, Irene Chachas

    The main purposes in examining and evaluating the Advanced Placement English Program in Salt Lake and Granite School Districts were to identify the essential curriculum features of the program, to make suggestions for curriculum improvement, and to determine whether or not the quality of the AP English Program surpassed that of the conventional…

  5. Advanced Placement English in a Solipsistic Era: How Structuralism Can Renew Meaning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rauh, John

    2014-01-01

    Advanced Placement (AP) courses within secondary English education can fail to meet the needs of gifted students in the postmodern era. Because AP courses often are standardized, despite the College Board's efforts to allow freedom in course design, gifted students, as especially attuned to discrepancies between practice and theory, are being…

  6. Action Biology. Advanced Placement for the Second Year. First Edition.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davis, Mary Pitt

    This document provides biology experiments designed for students who have completed a first year biology course. This self contained laboratory booklet contains four sections. In section 1, "Instrumentation in the Study of Cells," discussion sections and suggestions for teacher demonstrations are provided. It also includes some basic materials…

  7. Impact of advanced pharmacy practice experience placement changes in colleges and schools of pharmacy.

    PubMed

    Duke, Lori J; Staton, April G; McCullough, Elizabeth S; Jain, Rahul; Miller, Mindi S; Lynn Stevenson, T; Fetterman, James W; Lynn Parham, R; Sheffield, Melody C; Unterwagner, Whitney L; McDuffie, Charles H

    2012-04-10

    To document the annual number of advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) placement changes for students across 5 colleges and schools of pharmacy, identify and compare initiating reasons, and estimate the associated administrative workload. Data collection occurred from finalization of the 2008-2009 APPE assignments throughout the last date of the APPE schedule. Internet-based customized tracking forms were used to categorize the initiating reason for the placement change and the administrative time required per change (0 to 120 minutes). APPE placement changes per institution varied from 14% to 53% of total assignments. Reasons for changes were: administrator initiated (20%), student initiated (23%), and site/preceptor initiated (57%) Total administrative time required per change varied across institutions from 3,130 to 22,750 minutes, while the average time per reassignment was 42.5 minutes. APPE placements are subject to high instability. Significant differences exist between public and private colleges and schools of pharmacy as to the number and type of APPE reassignments made and associated workload estimates.

  8. Impact of Advanced Grade 8 U.S. History on Participation and Performance in Advanced Placement Social Studies Courses in Grade 9

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maina, Nyambura Susan

    2015-01-01

    At the request of the Office of Curriculum and Instructional Programs, the Office of Shared Accountability examined the impact of offering Advanced Grade 8 U.S. History on enrollment and performance in Advanced Placement (AP) social studies courses in Grade 9. The study compared Grade 9 enrollment and performance in AP U.S. History or AP U.S.…

  9. Perspectives on the Development and Future of Advanced Placement® Human Geography

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hildebrant, Barbara

    2016-01-01

    Advanced Placement (AP) Human Geography faced a number of hurdles that nearly derailed the course before it launched in 2000-2001. A dedicated cadre of geography professionals and high school teachers rose to the challenge and the course remains one of the fastest growing AP courses currently offered by College Board. Seventeen readers and leaders…

  10. TEACHERS' GUIDES. WORLD HISTORY FOR THE ACADEMICALLY TALENTED. ADVANCED PLACEMENT EUROPEAN HISTORY.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    AUGSPURGER, EVERETT F.; AND OTHERS

    PREPARED BY TEACHERS AND SUPERVISORS WORKING WITH A 2-YEAR DEMONSTRATION PROJECT, THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS GUIDES FOR A WORLD HISTORY COURSE (PREHISTORY TO EARLY 20TH CENTURY) FOR THE GIFTED AND AN ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSE IN EUROPEAN HISTORY (ANCIENT CIVILIZATION TO EARLY 20TH CENTURY). STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO STUDY HISTORICAL ISSUES AND DEVELOP…

  11. The Challenge of Advanced Placement Partnerships in the South Texas Border Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blackwell, Deborah L.; Pisani, Jana S.; Pisani, Michael J.

    2007-01-01

    In the year 2000, the Texas Education Agency and the Texas A&M University System teamed up to create an initiative called the University Faculty Fellows Program. Spearheaded by Texas A&M International University in Laredo, the program paired up faculty from the university with area Advanced Placement (AP) teachers in a variety of…

  12. Preparing Students for Advanced Placement Spanish Literature: Content Sequencing of the Reading Skill.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stein, Roger D.

    1985-01-01

    Describes a reading-skill-building curriculum that prepares students to handle the reading in the Advanced Placement Spanish Literature course, a course that treats the works of Borges, Garcia Lorca, Matute, Neruda, and Unamuno. Suggests techniques and texts that aid in the teaching of these skills. (SED)

  13. Her physics, his physics: gender issues in Israeli advanced placement physics classes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zohar, Anat

    2003-02-01

    Gender gaps in physics in favour of boys are more prominent in Israel than in other countries. The main research question is to find out what gender issues are at play in Israeli advanced placement physics classes. Matriculation exam scores from approximately 400 high schools were analysed across 12 years. In addition, semi-constructed interviews were conducted with 50 advanced placement physics students (25 girls and 25 boys). In terms of participation, it was found that the ratio of girls to boys has been unchanged from 1988 to 2000 and is roughly 1:3. In terms of performance, it was found that the final matriculation scores of boys and girls are similar. However, breaking up the final scores into its two components - teachers' given grades and matriculation test scores - showed that boy's test scores are usually higher than girls' test scores, while girls' teachers' given grades are usually higher than boys'. Results from semi-constructed interviews pointed to two factors that are especially unfavourable to many girls: excessive competitiveness and lack of teaching for understanding. Girls' yearning for deep understanding is seen as a form of questing for connected knowledge. It is suggested that instructional methods that foster students' understanding while decreasing competitiveness in physics classes might contribute to girls' participation and performance in advanced physics classes while also supporting the learning of many boys.

  14. Examining the Impact of State Level Merit-Aid Policies on Advanced Placement Participation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kramer, Dennis A., II

    2016-01-01

    This study examines the impact of merit-aid programs on secondary course taking patterns. Specifically, this study uses difference-in-differences to analyze state-level Advanced Placement (AP) participation and examination data pre and post merit-aid adoption. Results indicate increases in AP participation and number of total examinations after…

  15. Class of 2015 Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Exam Participation and Performance. Memorandum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Navarro, Maria V.

    2016-01-01

    This memorandum describes the Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) exams participation and performance of 2013 to 2015 public school graduates in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) and the state of Maryland. The results are disaggregated by demographics and high schools. Students in the MCPS Class of 2015 continued to…

  16. Impact of Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience Placement Changes in Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy

    PubMed Central

    Staton, April G.; McCullough, Elizabeth S.; Jain, Rahul; Miller, Mindi S.; Lynn Stevenson, T.; Fetterman, James W.; Lynn Parham, R.; Sheffield, Melody C.; Unterwagner, Whitney L.; McDuffie, Charles H.

    2012-01-01

    Objective. To document the annual number of advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) placement changes for students across 5 colleges and schools of pharmacy, identify and compare initiating reasons, and estimate the associated administrative workload. Methods. Data collection occurred from finalization of the 2008-2009 APPE assignments throughout the last date of the APPE schedule. Internet-based customized tracking forms were used to categorize the initiating reason for the placement change and the administrative time required per change (0 to 120 minutes). Results. APPE placement changes per institution varied from 14% to 53% of total assignments. Reasons for changes were: administrator initiated (20%), student initiated (23%), and site/preceptor initiated (57%) Total administrative time required per change varied across institutions from 3,130 to 22,750 minutes, while the average time per reassignment was 42.5 minutes. Conclusion. APPE placements are subject to high instability. Significant differences exist between public and private colleges and schools of pharmacy as to the number and type of APPE reassignments made and associated workload estimates. PMID:22544966

  17. Teacher Scaffolding of Academic Language in an Advanced Placement U.S. History Class

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gritter, Kristine; Beers, Scott; Knaus, Robert W.

    2013-01-01

    This article examines teacher scaffolding of academic language in an Advanced Placement United States History (APUSH) course throughout a school year for one student who received a perfect score on the end of year APUSH exam. Data includes four months of observation of teacher instructional strategies to scaffold student writing and vignettes of…

  18. AN ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSE IN ANALYTIC GEOMETRY AND CALCULUS (MATHEMATICS XV X AP).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    DEROLF, JOHN J.; MIENTKA, WALTER E.

    THIS TEXT ON ANALYTIC GEOMETRY AND CALCULUS IS A CORRESPONDENCE COURSE DESIGNED FOR ADVANCED PLACEMENT OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN COLLEGE. EACH OF THE 21 LESSONS INCLUDES READING ASSIGNMENTS AND LISTS OF PROBLEMS TO BE WORKED. IN ADDITION, SUPPLEMENTARY EXPLANATIONS AND COMMENTS ARE INCLUDED THAT (1) PROVIDE ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES OF CONCEPTS AND…

  19. Having the AP Conversation: Why It's Time to Re-Evaluate Advanced Placement Courses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Weaver, Roger

    2010-01-01

    Since its widespread emergence in the mid-1960s, the Advanced Placement (AP) curriculum has successfully established and maintained an identity as the gold standard of transcript currency for college preparatory schools. It is something that nearly all independent school parents and students believe they understand and clearly expect, and it is…

  20. Ethnic and Gender Differences in Advanced Placement Exam Performance: A Multiyear National Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Holmes, Maria Alexander

    2013-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze ethnic and gender differences in Advanced Placement (AP) exam performance of U.S. high school students. Specifically, the extent to which differences exist in overall AP exam performance scores within and between four ethnic groups (i.e., Asian, Black, Hispanic, and White) was investigated. Within…

  1. Implementing the Constructed Scaffold Model: Hands-On Activity Units for Advanced Placement Calculus

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scott, Susan

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of the present action research study is to describe a hands-on activity model, named the Constructed Scaffold Model (CSM), used in an Advanced Placement Calculus class in a southeastern United States suburban high school. Data were collected over an 8-week period during the spring 2017 semester. The teacher-researcher developed a…

  2. Placing Advanced Placement® Human Geography: Its Role in U.S. Geography Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bednarz, Sarah Witham

    2016-01-01

    This article examines Advanced Placement Human Geography (AP HG) in the context of its place in efforts to reform geography education. It presents a critical analysis of the AP program and its curriculum, asserting that it represents "powerful knowledge" as conceptualized by Young. It concludes with a call for research in AP HG aligned…

  3. Engaging High School Students in Advanced Math and Science Courses for Success in College: Is Advanced Placement the Answer?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kelley-Kemple, Thomas; Proger, Amy; Roderick, Melissa

    2011-01-01

    The current study provides an in-depth look at Advanced Placement (AP) math and science course-taking in one school district, the Chicago Public Schools (CPS). Using quasi-experimental methods, this study examines the college outcomes of students who take AP math and science courses. Specifically, this study asks whether students who take AP math…

  4. Class of 2014 Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Exam Participation and Performance. Memorandum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sanderson, Geoffrey T.

    2015-01-01

    Beginning in 2006, Maryland has led the nation as the state with the highest percentage of graduates who earned one or more Advanced Placement (AP) exam scores of 3 or higher. Students in the Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools (MCPS) Class of 2014 continued to outperform students in the state of Maryland on AP examinations based on AP…

  5. Class of 2012 Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Exam Participation and Performance. Memorandum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marks, Susan F.

    2013-01-01

    Students in the Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools (MCPS) Class of 2012 continued to outperform Maryland and the nation on Advanced Placement (AP) examinations based on the "AP Report to the Nation" released by the College Board on February 20, 2013. In 2012, 67.3 percent of MCPS graduates took one or more AP exams. A striking…

  6. Class of 2013 Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Exam Participation and Performance. Memorandum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sanderson, Geoffrey T.

    2014-01-01

    Beginning in 2006, Maryland has led the nation as the state with the highest percentage of graduates who earned one or more Advanced Placement (AP) exam scores of 3 or higher. Students in the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Class of 2013 continued to outperform students in the state of Maryland and the nation on AP examinations, based on…

  7. What Do You Mean You Don't Do Advanced Placement?: Confessions of an Educational Heretic.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Briley, Ron

    2000-01-01

    Explains why Advanced Placement courses are not offered at Sandia Preparatory School, a college preparatory school located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Focuses on the school mission, overall philosophy, and how this relates to the history classroom in particular. (CMK)

  8. Reaching the Next Stephen Hawking: Five Ways to Help Students with Disabilities in Advanced Placement Science Classes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Howard, Lori A.; Potts, Elizabeth A.; Linz, Ed

    2013-01-01

    As the federal government encourages all students to attempt advanced math and science courses, more students with disabilities are enrolling in Advanced Placement (AP) science classes. AP science teachers can better serve these students by understanding the various types of disabilities (whether physical, learning, emotional, or behavioral),…

  9. The relationship between selected standardized test scores and performance in advanced placement math and science exams: Analyzing the differential effectiveness of scores for course identification and placement

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Urbina, Josue N.

    There is a national need to increase the STEM-related workforce. Among factors leading towards STEM careers include the number of advanced high school mathematics and science courses students complete. Florida's enrollment patterns in STEM-related Advanced Placement (AP) courses, however, reveal that only a small percentage of students enroll into these classes. Therefore, screening tools are needed to find more students for these courses, who are academically ready, yet have not been identified. The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which scores from a national standardized test, Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test/ National Merit Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), in conjunction with and compared to a state-mandated standardized test, Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT), are related to selected AP exam performance in Seminole County Public Schools. An ex post facto correlational study was conducted using 6,189 student records from the 2010 - 2012 academic years. Multiple regression analyses using simultaneous Full Model testing showed differential moderate to strong relationships between scores in eight of the nine AP courses (i.e., Biology, Environmental Science, Chemistry, Physics B, Physics C Electrical, Physics C Mechanical, Statistics, Calculus AB and BC) examined. For example, the significant unique contribution to overall variance in AP scores was a linear combination of PSAT Math (M), Critical Reading (CR) and FCAT Reading (R) for Biology and Environmental Science. Moderate relationships for Chemistry included a linear combination of PSAT M, W (Writing) and FCAT M; a combination of FCAT M and PSAT M was most significantly associated with Calculus AB performance. These findings have implications for both research and practice. FCAT scores, in conjunction with PSAT scores, can potentially be used for specific STEM-related AP courses, as part of a systematic approach towards AP course identification and placement. For courses with

  10. Advanced Placement Results, 2013-14. Measuring Up. D&A Report No.15.01

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gilleland, Kevin; Muli, Juliana

    2015-01-01

    Advanced Placement (AP) outcomes for Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) students have continued an upward trend for over 18 years, out-performing the state and the nation in all measures. In 2013-14 there were 13,757 exams taken by 6,955 WCPSS test-takers with almost 76% of the exams resulting in scores at or above 3, outperforming Guilford…

  11. Advanced Placement in Studio Art and Secondary Art Education Policy: Countering the Null Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Graham, Mark A.; Sims-Gunzenhauser, Alice

    2009-01-01

    Because of education reform policy and misconceptions about artistry and artistic assessment, visual art education remains in the margins of high school education. One response to the lack of supportive arts education policy is the Advanced Placement (AP) Studio Art Program, a visual arts assessment at the high school level that engages large…

  12. Outcome and risk factors assessment for adverse events in advanced esophageal cancer patients after self-expanding metal stents placement.

    PubMed

    Rodrigues-Pinto, E; Pereira, P; Coelho, R; Andrade, P; Ribeiro, A; Lopes, S; Moutinho-Ribeiro, P; Macedo, G

    2017-02-01

    Self-expanding metal stents (SEMS) are the treatment of choice for advanced esophageal cancers. Literature is scarce on risk factors predictors for adverse events after SEMS placement. Assess risk factors for adverse events after SEMS placement in advanced esophageal cancer and evaluate survival after SEMS placement. Cross-sectional study of patients with advanced esophageal cancer referred for SEMS placement, during a period of 3 years. Ninety-seven patients with advanced esophageal cancer placed SEMS. Adverse events were more common when tumors were located at the level of the distal esophagus/cardia (47% vs 23%, P = 0.011, OR 3.1), with statistical significance being kept in the multivariate analysis (OR 3.1, P = 0.018). Time until adverse events was lower in the tumors located at the level of the distal esophagus/cardia (P = 0.036). Survival was higher in patients who placed SEMS with curative intent (327 days [126-528] vs. 119 days [91-147], P = 0.002) and in patients submitted subsequently to surgery compared with those who did just chemo/radiotherapy or who did not do further treatment (563 days [378-748] vs. 154 days [133-175] vs. 46 days [20-72], P < 0.001). Subsequent treatment kept statistical significance in the multivariate analysis (HR 3.4, P < 0.001). SEMS allow palliation of dysphagia in advanced esophageal cancer and are associated with an increased out-of-hospital survival, as long as there are conditions for further treatments. Tumors located at the level of the distal esophagus/cardia are associated with a greater number of adverse events, which also occur earlier. © 2016 International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus.

  13. The Effect of Enrollment in Middle School Challenge Courses on Advanced Placement Exams in Social Studies and Science

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Glaude-Bolte, Katherine

    2010-01-01

    Educators seek to guide students through appropriate programs and courses that prepare them for future success, in more advanced coursework and in other challenges of life. Some middle schools offer Challenge, or honors, courses for students who have demonstrated high ability. High schools often offer Advanced Placement (AP) courses, which are…

  14. 75 FR 53681 - Office of Elementary and Secondary Education Overview Information; Advanced Placement (AP) Test...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-09-01

    ... DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Elementary and Secondary Education Overview Information; Advanced Placement (AP) Test Fee Program; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.330B. Dates: Applications Available: September 1, 2010. Deadline for Transmittal of...

  15. Biliary intraductal metastasis from advanced gastric cancer: radiologic and histologic characteristics, and clinical outcomes of percutaneous metallic stent placement.

    PubMed

    Lee, JooYeon; Gwon, Dong Il; Ko, Gi-Young; Kim, Jong Woo; Sung, Kyu-Bo

    2016-06-01

    To investigate the radiologic and histological characteristics of biliary intraductal metastasis of advanced gastric cancer and the clinical outcomes of percutaneous, metallic stent placement. We retrospectively assessed 24 patients with obstructive jaundice related to biliary intraductal metastasis of gastric cancers who underwent PTBD and subsequent metallic stent placement between 2003 and 2012. Intraductal metastases appeared as uniform, concentric, linear (n = 17) or band-like (n = 7), enhanced wall thickening on CT, and 20 patients (83.3 %) had cystic ductal lesions. On pathology specimens, malignant cells scattered in the submucosal layer caused a desmoplastic reaction. The technical and clinical success rate of stent placement was achieved in all 24 patients. The median survival time was 203 days. Stent occlusion was observed in four patients with 49-278 days following stent placement. The median stent patency time was 156 days. The radiologic and histological characteristics of biliary intraductal metastasis of advanced gastric cancer consist of uniform, linear or band-like, enhanced biliary wall thickening and malignant cells scattered in the submucosal layer, together with the desmoplastic reaction without any disruption of the epithelial layer. Uncovered metallic stent placement was also a safe and effective method of palliative treatment in these patients. • The CT findings of intraductal metastasis were linear/band-like, enhanced biliary wall thickening. • The histological finding was malignant cells scattered in the submucosal layer. • It showed a desmoplastic reaction without any disruption of the epithelial layer. • Uncovered metallic stent placement was a safe and effective palliative treatment.

  16. Experiences of High-Achieving High School Students Who Have Taken Multiple Concurrent Advanced Placement Courses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Milburn, Kristine M.

    2011-01-01

    Problem: An increasing number of high-achieving American high school students are enrolling in multiple Advanced Placement (AP) courses. As a result, high schools face a growing need to understand the impact of taking multiple AP courses concurrently on the social-emotional lives of high-achieving students. Procedures: This phenomenological…

  17. Is Increased Access Enough? Advanced Placement Courses, Quality, and Success in Low-Income Urban Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hallett, Ronald E.; Venegas, Kristan M.

    2011-01-01

    This article combines descriptive statistics and interviews with college-bound high school students to explore the connection between increased access and academic quality of Advanced Placement (AP) courses in low-income urban high schools. Results suggest that although moderately more opportunities to take AP courses exist than in previous years,…

  18. Student Participation and Performance on Advanced Placement Exams: Do State-Sponsored Incentives Make a Difference?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jeong, Dong Wook

    2009-01-01

    Many states provide incentives to students, teachers, and schools for the participation and success of students on Advanced Placement (AP) examinations administered by the College Board. The purpose of this article is to examine whether these incentives help students enroll and succeed in AP exams. An analysis of nationally representative AP exam…

  19. The Impact of Advanced Placement Courses on High School Students Taking the Scholastic Aptitude Test.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thomas, L. M.; Thomas, Suzanne G.

    This obtrusive post-hoc quasi-experimental study investigated Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) scores of 111 high school students in grades 10 through 12. Fifty-three students were enrolled in at least one Advanced Placement (AP) course at the time of the study. General factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) tested for significant differences…

  20. The Hawaii Teleschool: An Evaluation of Distance Learning for Advanced Placement Calculus Instruction in "Paradise."

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barker, Bruce O.; Bannon, James

    This paper describes the Hawaii Interactive Television System (HITS) program and provides an evaluation of the first year of broadcasts for the advanced placement (AP) calculus course. HITS allows two-way video-audio interaction among origination sites, but the configuration used by the Department of Education for its Teleschool program is the…

  1. Advanced Placement Human Geography and the Annual Meetings of the National Council for Geographic Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sublett, Michael D.

    2007-01-01

    Members of the National Council for Geographic Education have been instrumental in the creation, launch, and early success of Advanced Placement Human Geography. Annual meetings of the Council have served as a forum for spreading the word about the course and its follow-up national examination and in helping teachers develop content confidence and…

  2. An Investigation of College Students' Perceptions of Advanced Placement® Courses. Research Note 2013-2

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cooney, Siobhan M.; McKillip, Mary E. M.; Smith, Kara

    2013-01-01

    The present study investigates how current college students perceive their experiences in high school Advanced Placement Program (AP) courses. The goal of this research was twofold: We wanted to not only add to the existing literature on outcomes for AP students but also investigate possible benefits for students without success (i.e., a score of…

  3. A Quantitative Comparative Study of Blended and Traditional Models in the Secondary Advanced Placement Statistics Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Owens, Susan T.

    2017-01-01

    Technology is becoming an integral tool in the classroom and can make a positive impact on how the students learn. This quantitative comparative research study examined gender-based differences among secondary Advanced Placement (AP) Statistic students comparing Educational Testing Service (ETS) College Board AP Statistic examination scores…

  4. The Effect of Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate Exam Scores upon College GPA and College Choice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Farmer, Daniel Raymond

    2017-01-01

    This quantitative, causal-comparative and correlational study analyzed students' academic performance in college based on whether the student was classified as an International Baccalaureate student, an Advanced Placement student, or a non-accelerated student (those who did not participate in IB or AP) and how that choice of academic program…

  5. A Lesson Plan for Advanced Placement Human Geography®: A Site Location Exercise for New Businesses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Poleski, Matthew

    2017-01-01

    The lesson described in this article meets several needs for Advanced Placement Human Geography (APHG®) teachers. In the interest of preserving time in the classroom, this lesson is intended to be a capstone assignment, allowing students to synthesize several concepts of the APHG® curriculum, such as demography, economic development, and cultural…

  6. Designing and Implementing a New Advanced Level Biology Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hall, Angela; Reiss, Michael J.; Rowell, Cathy; Scott, Anne

    2003-01-01

    Salters-Nuffield Advanced Biology is a new advanced level biology course, piloted from September 2002 in England with around 1200 students. This paper discusses the reasons for developing a new advanced biology course at this time, the philosophy of the project and how the materials are being written and the specification devised. The aim of the…

  7. The Experiences of Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Diploma Program Participants: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Park, Kelly; Caine, Vera; Wimmer, Randolph

    2014-01-01

    Enriched high school curricula like the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Diploma programs are endorsed as "pathway programs" for postsecondary-bound students. Program participation is perceived to have benefits that appeal to a broad stakeholder group of universities, administrators, teachers, students, and parents. In…

  8. Advanced High School Biology in an Era of Rapid Change: A Summary of the Biology Panel Report from the NRC Committee on Programs for Advanced Study of Mathematics and Science in American High Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wood, William B.

    2002-01-01

    A recently released National Research Council (NRC) report, "Learning and Understanding: Improving Advanced Study of Mathematics and Science in U.S. High Schools", evaluated and recommended changes in the Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and other advanced secondary school science programs. As part of this study,…

  9. Coping, Stress, and Job Satisfaction as Predictors of Advanced Placement Statistics Teachers' Intention to Leave the Field

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCarthy, Christopher J.; Lambert, Richard G.; Crowe, Elizabeth W.; McCarthy, Colleen J.

    2010-01-01

    This study examined the relationship of teachers' perceptions of coping resources and demands to job satisfaction factors. Participants were 158 Advanced Placement Statistics high school teachers who completed measures of personal resources for stress prevention, classroom demands and resources, job satisfaction, and intention to leave the field…

  10. What Does a Student Know Who Earns a Top Score on the Advanced Placement Chemistry Exam?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Claesgens, Jennifer; Daubenmire, Paul L.; Scalise, Kathleen M.; Balicki, Scott; Gochyyev, Perman; Stacy, Angelica M.

    2014-01-01

    This paper compares the performance of students at a high-performing U.S. public school (n = 64) on the advanced placement (AP) chemistry exam to their performance on the ChemQuery assessment system. The AP chemistry exam was chosen because, as the National Research Council acknowledges, it is the "perceived standard of excellence and school…

  11. "Advanced Classes? They're Only for White Kids": How One Kansas School Is Changing the Face of Honors and Advanced Placement Courses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kerr, Roberta

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to obtain an accurate picture of minority student enrollment in honors and advanced placement (AP) classes at Wichita (Kansas) High School East and to develop a plan of action to close the achievement gap between White and non-White students. Prior to this study there was no clear, concise data to move this discussion…

  12. Advanced Placement English Exam Scores: A Comparison of Scores for Hispanic Students from California, Texas, and Arizona

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Koch, Bevan; Slate, John R.; Moore, George W.

    2016-01-01

    We compared the performance of Hispanic students from California, Texas, and Arizona on the two Advanced Placement (AP) English exams (i.e., English Language and Composition and English Literature and Composition) using archival data from the College Board from 1997 through 2012. Pearson chi-square tests yielded statistically significant…

  13. The Advanced Placement Program in Pennsylvania: Implications for Policy and Practice in K-12 and Higher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liekar, Christine Y.

    2012-01-01

    Since the time of Sputnik, American educators and policymakers have recognized the need to raise expectations by increasing rigor in high schools across the United States. Copious studies attest to the fact that students who take Advanced Placement coursework experience success in college (Adelman, 1999; Camara, 2003; College Board, 2005;…

  14. High School Advanced Placement and Student Performance in College: STEM Majors, Non-STEM Majors, and Gender Differences

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ackerman, Phillip L.; Kanfer, Ruth; Calderwood, Charles

    2013-01-01

    Background/Context: The past few decades have seen an explosive growth in high-school student participation in the Advanced Placement program® (AP), with nearly two million exams completed in 2011. Traditionally, universities have considered AP enrollment as an indicator for predicting academic success during the admission process. However, AP…

  15. Effectiveness of Selected Advanced Placement Programs on the Academic Performance and College Readiness of High School Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lewis, Traschell S.

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of selected Advanced Placement (AP) programs on the academic performance and college readiness of high school students. Specifically, the researcher was concerned with ascertaining the effectiveness of social science, math, science, English, music/art and language AP programs on the…

  16. Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Examination Results in Texas, 2009-10. Document No. GE11 601 07

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Texas Education Agency, 2011

    2011-01-01

    This report reviews Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) examination participation and performance in Texas during the 2009-10 school year. Campus-, district-, and state-level examination results for students in Texas public schools are presented, as well as state-level examination results for students in Texas public and…

  17. 77 FR 24480 - Application for New Awards; Advanced Placement (AP) Test Fee Program-Reopening the AP Test Fee...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-04-24

    ... DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Application for New Awards; Advanced Placement (AP) Test Fee Program--Reopening the AP Test Fee Fiscal Year 2012 Competition AGENCY: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), Department of Education. ACTION: Notice reopening the AP Test Fee fiscal year 2012 competition...

  18. The Effects of Behavioral Parent Training on Placement Outcomes of Biological Families in a State Child Welfare System

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Franks, Sabrina B.; Mata, Francesca C.; Wofford, Erin; Briggs, Adam M.; LeBlanc, Linda A.; Carr, James E.; Lazarte, Alejandro A.

    2013-01-01

    Behavioral parent training has proven effective in improving the skill performance of foster caregivers and biological parents of dependent children during role-play assessments. To date, however, no studies have examined the impact of behavioral parenting skills training on child placement outcomes. We conducted a quasi-experimental archival…

  19. The Advanced Placement Program Benefits Mainly Well-Prepared Students Who Pass AP Exams. Issues in College Readiness

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Center for Educational Achievement, 2010

    2010-01-01

    Many policymakers and education leaders have embraced the Advanced Placement (AP) Program as a tool to strengthen the high school curriculum and prepare students for college. The popularity of the AP program among these policy leaders reflects their belief that the traditional high school curriculum has often failed to provide rigorous courses…

  20. A Study of Gender and Performance on Advanced Placement History Examinations. College Board Report No. 91-4.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Breland, Hunter M.; And Others

    Several studies have shown that, on average, women perform slightly better than men on free-response tests, while men perform slightly better on multiple-choice tests. Two advanced placement examinations, United States History (USH) and European History (EH), were chosen for study because previous studies have shown that sex differences on the…

  1. Toward metabolic engineering in the context of system biology and synthetic biology: advances and prospects.

    PubMed

    Liu, Yanfeng; Shin, Hyun-dong; Li, Jianghua; Liu, Long

    2015-02-01

    Metabolic engineering facilitates the rational development of recombinant bacterial strains for metabolite overproduction. Building on enormous advances in system biology and synthetic biology, novel strategies have been established for multivariate optimization of metabolic networks in ensemble, spatial, and dynamic manners such as modular pathway engineering, compartmentalization metabolic engineering, and metabolic engineering guided by genome-scale metabolic models, in vitro reconstitution, and systems and synthetic biology. Herein, we summarize recent advances in novel metabolic engineering strategies. Combined with advancing kinetic models and synthetic biology tools, more efficient new strategies for improving cellular properties can be established and applied for industrially important biochemical production.

  2. Advanced in In Situ Inspection of Automated Fiber Placement Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Juarez, Peter D.; Cramer, K. Elliott; Seebo, Jeffrey P.

    2016-01-01

    Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) systems have been developed to help take advantage of the tailorability of composite structures in aerospace applications. AFP systems allow the repeatable placement of uncured, spool fed, preimpregnated carbon fiber tape (tows) onto substrates in desired thicknesses and orientations. This automated process can incur defects, such as overlapping tow lines, which can severely undermine the structural integrity of the part. Current defect detection and abatement methods are very labor intensive, and still mostly rely on human manual inspection. Proposed is a thermographic in situ inspection technique which monitors tow placement with an on board thermal camera using the preheated substrate as a through transmission heat source. An investigation of the concept is conducted, and preliminary laboratory results are presented. Also included will be a brief overview of other emerging technologies that tackle the same issue. Keywords: Automated Fiber Placement, Manufacturing defects, Thermography

  3. A Phenomenological Study of How High School Advanced Placement Classes Prepared First-Generation College Students for Postsecondary Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Snyder, Scott

    2013-01-01

    This study investigated the lived experiences of first-generation college students and the perceived influence of taking high school Advanced Placement (AP) courses on their college education. The following research questions were addressed: (a) what motivated students to consider going to college, (b) what was their experience in taking AP…

  4. Advancing Prediction of Foster Placement Disruption Using Brief Behavioral Screening

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hurlburt, Michael S.; Chamberlain, Patricia; DeGarmo, David; Zhang, Jinjin; Price, Joe M.

    2010-01-01

    Objective: Behavioral difficulties increase the risk that children will experience negative placement disruptions while in foster care. Chamberlain et al. (2006) found that the Parent Daily Report (PDR), a brief measure of parent-reported child behaviors, was a strong predictor of negative placement changes over 1 year among children receiving…

  5. A Case Study on Teaching the Topic "Experimental Unit" and How It Is Presented in Advanced Placement Statistics Textbooks

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Perrett, Jamis J.

    2012-01-01

    This article demonstrates how textbooks differ in their description of the term "experimental unit". Advanced Placement Statistics teachers and students are often limited in their statistical knowledge by the information presented in their classroom textbook. Definitions and descriptions differ among textbooks as well as among different…

  6. Advanced Placement (AP) Social Studies Teachers' Use of Academic Course Blogs as a Supplemental Resource for Student Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alper, Seth M.

    2013-01-01

    This mixed-methods study investigated the relationship between Advanced Placement (AP) social studies teachers' utilization of academic course blogs and student achievement. Simultaneously, the study examined the participating teachers' perceptions on the use of course blogs and other social media as supplemental learning resources. The…

  7. Soft-Tissue Grafting Techniques Associated With Immediate Implant Placement.

    PubMed

    Bishara, Mark; Kurtzman, Gregori M; Khan, Waji; Choukroun, Joseph; Miron, Richard J

    2018-02-01

    Immediate implant placement often presents challenges in terms of predictably obtaining soft-tissue coverage over the implant site. While delayed implant placement offers the ability for soft tissues to grow and invade the extraction socket making their attachment around implants more predictable, immediate implant placement poses a significant risk of bacterial invasion towards the implant surface as a result of insignificant soft-tissue volume. Soft-tissue grafting techniques have often been proposed for use during immediate implant placement to augment soft-tissue deficiencies, including the use of either palatal connective tissue grafts (CTGs) or collagen-derived scaffolds. However, both of these approaches have significant drawbacks in that CTGs are harvested with high patient morbidity and collagen scaffolds remain avascular and acelluar posing a risk of infection/implant contamination. More recently, platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) has been proposed as an economical and biological means to speed soft-tissue wound healing. In combination with immediate implant placement, PRF offers an easily procurable low-cost regenerative modality that offers an efficient way to improve soft-tissue attachment around implants. Furthermore, the supra-physiological concentration of defense-fighting leukocytes in PRF, combined with a dense fibrin meshwork, is known to prevent early bacterial contamination of implant surfaces, and the biological concentrations of autologous growth factors in PRF is known to increase tissue regeneration. This article discusses soft-tissue grafting techniques associated with immediate implant placement, presents several cases demonstrating the use of PRF in routine immediate implant placement, and further discusses the biological and economic advantages of PRF for the management of soft-tissue grafting during immediate implant placement.

  8. Advanced Placement versus Dual Enrollment: Making the Best Choice for College Selection, Persistence, Early Success, and Time to Completion

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gruman, Daniel H.

    2013-01-01

    A substantial amount of research examines the benefits of high school college-credit attainment programs against non-participation. The growth in popularity of these programs, particularly Advanced Placement (AP) and dual enrollment (DE), has them competing against one another for student attention. However, students, schools, and policymakers do…

  9. High School Students' Attitudes and Beliefs on Using the Science Writing Heuristic in an Advanced Placement Chemistry Class

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Putti, Alice

    2011-01-01

    This paper discusses student attitudes and beliefs on using the Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) in an advanced placement (AP) chemistry classroom. During the 2007 school year, the SWH was used in a class of 24 AP chemistry students. Using a Likert-type survey, student attitudes and beliefs on the process were determined. Methods for the study are…

  10. Strategies for Controlled Placement of Nanoscale Building Blocks

    PubMed Central

    2007-01-01

    The capability of placing individual nanoscale building blocks on exact substrate locations in a controlled manner is one of the key requirements to realize future electronic, optical, and magnetic devices and sensors that are composed of such blocks. This article reviews some important advances in the strategies for controlled placement of nanoscale building blocks. In particular, we will overview template assisted placement that utilizes physical, molecular, or electrostatic templates, DNA-programmed assembly, placement using dielectrophoresis, approaches for non-close-packed assembly of spherical particles, and recent development of focused placement schemes including electrostatic funneling, focused placement via molecular gradient patterns, electrodynamic focusing of charged aerosols, and others. PMID:21794185

  11. Using Computer-Assisted Argumentation Mapping to develop effective argumentation skills in high school advanced placement physics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Heglund, Brian

    Educators recognize the importance of reasoning ability for development of critical thinking skills, conceptual change, metacognition, and participation in 21st century society. There is a recognized need for students to improve their skills of argumentation, however, argumentation is not explicitly taught outside logic and philosophy---subjects that are not part of the K-12 curriculum. One potential way of supporting the development of argumentation skills in the K-12 context is through incorporating Computer-Assisted Argument Mapping to evaluate arguments. This quasi-experimental study tested the effects of such argument mapping software and was informed by the following two research questions: 1. To what extent does the collaborative use of Computer-Assisted Argumentation Mapping to evaluate competing theories influence the critical thinking skill of argument evaluation, metacognitive awareness, and conceptual knowledge acquisition in high school Advanced Placement physics, compared to the more traditional method of text tables that does not employ Computer-Assisted Argumentation Mapping? 2. What are the student perceptions of the pros and cons of argument evaluation in the high school Advanced Placement physics environment? This study examined changes in critical thinking skills, including argumentation evaluation skills, as well as metacognitive awareness and conceptual knowledge, in two groups: a treatment group using Computer-Assisted Argumentation Mapping to evaluate physics arguments, and a comparison group using text tables to evaluate physics arguments. Quantitative and qualitative methods for collecting and analyzing data were used to answer the research questions. Quantitative data indicated no significant difference between the experimental groups, and qualitative data suggested students perceived pros and cons of argument evaluation in the high school Advanced Placement physics environment, such as self-reported sense of improvement in argument

  12. "Having It All" at Sleep's Expense: The Forced Choice of Participants in Advanced Placement Courses and International Baccalaureate Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Foust, Regan Clark; Hertberg-Davis, Holly; Callahan, Carolyn M.

    2008-01-01

    The gifted can suffer from too many demands on their time and attention. This qualitative study tested the theory that advanced placement (AP) and international baccalaureate (IB) participants may feel forced to choose between academic success and social acceptance. The results, however, did not support the theory. Not only did gifted students not…

  13. Development of multiple regression analysis instruments to predict success in advanced placement chemistry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wagner, Kurt Collins

    2001-10-01

    This research asks the fundamental question: "What is the profile of the successful AP chemistry student?" Two populations of students are studied. The first population is comprised of students who attend or attended the South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics, a specialized high school for high ability students, and who have taken the Advanced Placement (AP) chemistry examination in the past five years. The second population is comprised of the 581 South Carolina public school students at 46 high schools who took the AP chemistry examination in 2000. The first part of the study is intended to be useful in recruitment and placement decisions for schools in the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology. The second part of the study is intended to facilitate AP chemistry recruitment in South Carolina public schools. The first part of the study was conducted by ex post facto searches of teacher and school records at the South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics. The second part of the study was conducted by obtaining school participation information from the SC Department of Education and soliciting data from the public schools. Data were collected from 440 of 581 (75.7%) of students in 35 of 46 (76.1%) of schools. Intercorrelational and Multiple Regression Analyses (MRA) have yielded different results for these two populations. For the specialized school population, the significant predictors for success in AP chemistry are PSAT Math, placement test, and PSAT Writing. For the population of SC students, significant predictors for success are PSAT Math, count of prior science courses, and PSAT Writing. Multiple Regressions have been successfully developed for the two populations studied. Recommendations for their application are made.

  14. Advances in in situ inspection of automated fiber placement systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Juarez, Peter D.; Cramer, K. Elliott; Seebo, Jeffrey P.

    2016-05-01

    Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) systems have been developed to help take advantage of the tailorability of composite structures in aerospace applications. AFP systems allow the repeatable placement of uncured, spool fed, preimpregnated carbon fiber tape (tows) onto substrates in desired thicknesses and orientations. This automated process can incur defects, such as overlapping tow lines, which can severely undermine the structural integrity of the part. Current defect detection and abatement methods are very labor intensive, and still mostly rely on human manual inspection. Proposed is a thermographic in situ inspection technique which monitors tow placement with an on board thermal camera using the preheated substrate as a through transmission heat source. An investigation of the concept is conducted, and preliminary laboratory results are presented. Also included will be a brief overview of other emerging technologies that tackle the same issue.

  15. Advanced CD-SEM solution for edge placement error characterization of BEOL pitch 32nm metal layers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Charley, A.; Leray, P.; Lorusso, G.; Sutani, T.; Takemasa, Y.

    2018-03-01

    Metrology plays an important role in edge placement error (EPE) budgeting. Control for multi-patterning applications as new critical distances needs to be measured (edge to edge) and requirements become tighter and tighter in terms of accuracy and precision. In this paper we focus on imec iN7 BEOL platform and particularly on M2 patterning scheme using SAQP + block EUV for a 7.5 track logic design. Being able to characterize block to SAQP edge misplacement is important in a budgeting exercise (1) but is also extremely difficult due to challenging edge detection with CD-SEM (similar materials, thin layers, short distances, 3D features). In this study we develop an advanced solution to measure block to SAQP placement, we characterize it in terms of sensitivity, precision and accuracy through the comparison to reference metrology. In a second phase, the methodology is applied to budget local effects and the results are compared to the characterization of the SAQP and block independently.

  16. Advanced Placement[R] Exam-Taking and Performance: Relationships with First-Year Subject Area College Grades. Research Report 2011-4

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Patterson, Brian F.; Packman, Sheryl; Kobrin, Jennifer L.

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Advanced Placement[R] (AP[R]) exam participation and performance on college grades for courses taken in the same subject area as students' AP Exam(s). Students' first-year college subject area grade point averages (SGPAs) were examined in nine subject areas: mathematics, computer science,…

  17. SNAB: A New Advanced Level Biology Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reiss, Michael J.

    2005-01-01

    Of all the sciences, biology has probably made the most rapid progress in recent years and the need for this to be reflected in a new Advanced Level biology course has long been recognised in the UK. After wide-ranging consultation and successful piloting in over 50 schools and colleges in England and Wales, the new Salters-Nuffield Advanced…

  18. Advanced techniques in placental biology -- workshop report.

    PubMed

    Nelson, D M; Sadovsky, Y; Robinson, J M; Croy, B A; Rice, G; Kniss, D A

    2006-04-01

    Major advances in placental biology have been realized as new technologies have been developed and existing methods have been refined in many areas of biological research. Classical anatomy and whole-organ physiology tools once used to analyze placental structure and function have been supplanted by more sophisticated techniques adapted from molecular biology, proteomics, and computational biology and bioinformatics. In addition, significant refinements in morphological study of the placenta and its constituent cell types have improved our ability to assess form and function in highly integrated manner. To offer an overview of modern technologies used by investigators to study the placenta, this workshop: Advanced techniques in placental biology, assembled experts who discussed fundamental principles and real time examples of four separate methodologies. Y. Sadovsky presented the principles of microRNA function as an endogenous mechanism of gene regulation. J. Robinson demonstrated the utility of correlative microscopy in which light-level and transmission electron microscopy are combined to provide cellular and subcellular views of placental cells. A. Croy provided a lecture on the use of microdissection techniques which are invaluable for isolating very small subsets of cell types for molecular analysis. Finally, G. Rice presented an overview methods on profiling of complex protein mixtures within tissue and/or fluid samples that, when refined, will offer databases that will underpin a systems approach to modern trophoblast biology.

  19. Automatic Correction of Adverb Placement Errors for CALL

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Garnier, Marie

    2012-01-01

    According to recent studies, there is a persistence of adverb placement errors in the written productions of francophone learners and users of English at an intermediate to advanced level. In this paper, we present strategies for the automatic detection and correction of errors in the placement of manner adverbs, using linguistic-based natural…

  20. Filling a Plastic Bag with Carbon Dioxide: A Student-Designed Guided-Inquiry Lab for Advanced Placement and College Chemistry Courses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lanni, Laura M.

    2014-01-01

    A guided-inquiry lab, suitable for first-year general chemistry or high school advanced placement chemistry, is presented that uses only inexpensive, store-bought materials. The reaction of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) with aqueous acetic acid (vinegar), under the constraint of the challenge to completely fill a sealable plastic bag with the…

  1. Students' Perceptions of the Social/Emotional Implications of Participation in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Programs. Research Monograph Series. RM09238

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Foust, Regan Clark; Hertberg-Davis, Holly; Callahan, Carolyn M.

    2009-01-01

    Using qualitative methods, the researchers explored student perceptions of the social and emotional advantages and disadvantages of Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) program participation, differences between the AP and IB programs in those perceptions, and whether or not students report experiencing a "forced-choice…

  2. Advanced Placement® Exam-Taking and Performance: Relationships with First-Year Subject Area College Grades. Research Report No. 2011-4

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Patterson, Brian F.; Packman, Sheryl; Kobrin, Jennifer L.

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Advanced Placement (AP) exam participation and performance on college grades for courses taken in the same subject area as students' AP Exam(s). Students' first-year college subject area grade point averages (SGPAs) were examined in nine subject areas: mathematics, computer science,…

  3. Academic Preparedness and College Preparation Efforts: A Comparative Analysis of Perception of High School Advanced Placement Teachers and College Admissions Personnel

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Driver, Jason Hughes

    2014-01-01

    This study examines the relationship between high school efforts at post-secondary preparation for college bound students and the expectations of college and university admissions personnel. The Advanced Placement (AP) teachers and administrators at a rural Northwest Florida high school were administered a quantitative survey in order to collect…

  4. A First Attempt to Bring Computational Biology into Advanced High School Biology Classrooms

    PubMed Central

    Gallagher, Suzanne Renick; Coon, William; Donley, Kristin; Scott, Abby; Goldberg, Debra S.

    2011-01-01

    Computer science has become ubiquitous in many areas of biological research, yet most high school and even college students are unaware of this. As a result, many college biology majors graduate without adequate computational skills for contemporary fields of biology. The absence of a computational element in secondary school biology classrooms is of growing concern to the computational biology community and biology teachers who would like to acquaint their students with updated approaches in the discipline. We present a first attempt to correct this absence by introducing a computational biology element to teach genetic evolution into advanced biology classes in two local high schools. Our primary goal was to show students how computation is used in biology and why a basic understanding of computation is necessary for research in many fields of biology. This curriculum is intended to be taught by a computational biologist who has worked with a high school advanced biology teacher to adapt the unit for his/her classroom, but a motivated high school teacher comfortable with mathematics and computing may be able to teach this alone. In this paper, we present our curriculum, which takes into consideration the constraints of the required curriculum, and discuss our experiences teaching it. We describe the successes and challenges we encountered while bringing this unit to high school students, discuss how we addressed these challenges, and make suggestions for future versions of this curriculum.We believe that our curriculum can be a valuable seed for further development of computational activities aimed at high school biology students. Further, our experiences may be of value to others teaching computational biology at this level. Our curriculum can be obtained at http://ecsite.cs.colorado.edu/?page_id=149#biology or by contacting the authors. PMID:22046118

  5. A first attempt to bring computational biology into advanced high school biology classrooms.

    PubMed

    Gallagher, Suzanne Renick; Coon, William; Donley, Kristin; Scott, Abby; Goldberg, Debra S

    2011-10-01

    Computer science has become ubiquitous in many areas of biological research, yet most high school and even college students are unaware of this. As a result, many college biology majors graduate without adequate computational skills for contemporary fields of biology. The absence of a computational element in secondary school biology classrooms is of growing concern to the computational biology community and biology teachers who would like to acquaint their students with updated approaches in the discipline. We present a first attempt to correct this absence by introducing a computational biology element to teach genetic evolution into advanced biology classes in two local high schools. Our primary goal was to show students how computation is used in biology and why a basic understanding of computation is necessary for research in many fields of biology. This curriculum is intended to be taught by a computational biologist who has worked with a high school advanced biology teacher to adapt the unit for his/her classroom, but a motivated high school teacher comfortable with mathematics and computing may be able to teach this alone. In this paper, we present our curriculum, which takes into consideration the constraints of the required curriculum, and discuss our experiences teaching it. We describe the successes and challenges we encountered while bringing this unit to high school students, discuss how we addressed these challenges, and make suggestions for future versions of this curriculum.We believe that our curriculum can be a valuable seed for further development of computational activities aimed at high school biology students. Further, our experiences may be of value to others teaching computational biology at this level. Our curriculum can be obtained at http://ecsite.cs.colorado.edu/?page_id=149#biology or by contacting the authors.

  6. Modern technology for landfill waste placement

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hansen, D.L.

    1995-12-31

    The City of Albany, New York, together with the principals of Landfill Service Corporation, proposed in November 1991 to demonstrate the successful practice of biostabilized solid waste placement in the newly constructed, double composite lined Interim Landfill located at Rapp Road in the City of Albany. This is a small facility, only 12 acres in area, which is immediately adjacent to residential neighbors. Significant advancements have been made for the control of environmental factors (odors, vectors, litter) while successfully achieving waste stabilization and air space conservations goals. Also, the procedure consumes a significant quantity of landfill leachate. The benefits ofmore » this practice include a dramatic improvement in the orderlines of waste placement with significant reduction of windblown dust and litter. The biostabilization process also reduces the presence of typical landfill vectors such as flies, crows, seagulls and rodents. All of these factors can pose serious problems for nearby residents to the City of Albany`s Interim landfill site. The physically and biologically uniform character of the stabilized waste mass can result in more uniform future landfill settlement and gas production properties. This can allow for more accurate prediction of postclosure conditions and reduction or elimination of remedial costs attendant to post closure gross differential settlement. Recent research in Europe indicates that aerobic pretreatment of waste also reduces contaminant loading of leachate.« less

  7. A living foundry for Synthetic Biological Materials: A synthetic biology roadmap to new advanced materials.

    PubMed

    Le Feuvre, Rosalind A; Scrutton, Nigel S

    2018-06-01

    Society is on the cusp of harnessing recent advances in synthetic biology to discover new bio-based products and routes to their affordable and sustainable manufacture. This is no more evident than in the discovery and manufacture of Synthetic Biological Materials , where synthetic biology has the capacity to usher in a new Materials from Biology era that will revolutionise the discovery and manufacture of innovative synthetic biological materials. These will encompass novel, smart, functionalised and hybrid materials for diverse applications whose discovery and routes to bio-production will be stimulated by the fusion of new technologies positioned across physical, digital and biological spheres. This article, which developed from an international workshop held in Manchester, United Kingdom, in 2017 [1], sets out to identify opportunities in the new materials from biology era. It considers requirements, early understanding and foresight of the challenges faced in delivering a Discovery to Manufacturing Pipeline for synthetic biological materials using synthetic biology approaches. This challenge spans the complete production cycle from intelligent and predictive design, fabrication, evaluation and production of synthetic biological materials to new ways of bringing these products to market. Pathway opportunities are identified that will help foster expertise sharing and infrastructure development to accelerate the delivery of a new generation of synthetic biological materials and the leveraging of existing investments in synthetic biology and advanced materials research to achieve this goal.

  8. Hepatocellular Carcinoma Complicated by Gastroduodenal Obstruction: Palliative Treatment with Metallic Stent Placement

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lee, Ye Jin; Kim, Jin Hyoung, E-mail: m1fenew@daum.net; Song, Ho-Young

    Purpose: To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of self-expandable metallic stents in seven patients with malignant gastroduodenal obstruction caused by inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: Seven patients with gastroduodenal obstruction caused by advanced HCC underwent metallic stent placement from 2003 to 2010. These patients had total dysphagia (n = 5) or were able to eat only liquids (n = 2) before stent placement. Patients had Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance scores of 2 or 3, and Child-Pugh classification B or C. Results: Stent placement was technically successful in all seven patients (100%) and clinically successful in six (86%). Five patients couldmore » eat a soft diet, and one patient tolerated regular diet after stent placement. Stent-related obstructive jaundice occurred in one patient. One patient had hematemesis 11 days after stent placement. Overall mean survival was 51 days (range, 10-119 days). Stent patency was preserved in six patients with clinical success until death. Conclusion: Placement of a covered self-expandable metallic stent may offer good palliation in patients with gastroduodenal obstruction due to advanced HCC.« less

  9. Advances in Structural Biology and the Application to Biological Filament Systems.

    PubMed

    Popp, David; Koh, Fujiet; Scipion, Clement P M; Ghoshdastider, Umesh; Narita, Akihiro; Holmes, Kenneth C; Robinson, Robert C

    2018-04-01

    Structural biology has experienced several transformative technological advances in recent years. These include: development of extremely bright X-ray sources (microfocus synchrotron beamlines and free electron lasers) and the use of electrons to extend protein crystallography to ever decreasing crystal sizes; and an increase in the resolution attainable by cryo-electron microscopy. Here we discuss the use of these techniques in general terms and highlight their application for biological filament systems, an area that is severely underrepresented in atomic resolution structures. We assemble a model of a capped tropomyosin-actin minifilament to demonstrate the utility of combining structures determined by different techniques. Finally, we survey the methods that attempt to transform high resolution structural biology into more physiological environments, such as the cell. Together these techniques promise a compelling decade for structural biology and, more importantly, they will provide exciting discoveries in understanding the designs and purposes of biological machines. © 2018 The Authors. BioEssays Published by WILEY Periodicals, Inc.

  10. Advanced Biology [Sahuarita High School Career Curriculum Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Christensen, Larry

    This course in advanced biology is entitled "Advanced Genetics" and is one of a series of instructional guides prepared by teachers for the Sahuarita High School (Arizona) Career Curriculum Project. It consists of seven units of study, and 15 behavioral objectives relating to these units are stated. The topics covered include a review of genetics,…

  11. Impact of Group Work and Extended Essay Writing on Online Advanced Placement Program® Student Performance. Research Report. ETS RR-07-22

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Handwerk, Phil

    2007-01-01

    Online high schools are growing significantly in number, popularity, and function. However, little empirical data has been published about the effectiveness of these institutions. This research examined the frequency of group work and extended essay writing among online Advanced Placement Program® (AP®) students, and how these tasks may have…

  12. More Home Schoolers Taking Advanced Placement Tests: Students Seek Outside Validation of Work and Leg Up on College-Admissions Process

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zehr, Mary Ann

    2006-01-01

    When Susan Richman called the College Board in 1992 to ask if her son Jesse could take Advanced Placement tests as a home schooler, a staff member responded that no one had ever asked him that question, but then assured her that home schoolers were welcome to take the tests. Ms. Richman went on to coach Jesse for so many AP exams that he started…

  13. Accuracy and Safety of External Ventricular Drain Placement by Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners in Aneurysmal Acute Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

    PubMed

    Enriquez-Marulanda, Alejandro; Ascanio, Luis C; Salem, Mohamed M; Maragkos, Georgios A; Jhun, Ray; Alturki, Abdulrahman Y; Moore, Justin M; Ogilvy, Christopher S; Thomas, Ajith J

    2018-06-11

    In the current dynamic health environment, increasing number of procedures are being completed by advanced practitioners (nurse practitioners and physician assistants). This is the first study to assess the clinical outcomes and safety of external ventricular drain (EVD) placements by specially trained advanced practitioners. Compare the safety and outcomes of EVD placement by advanced practitioners in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). A cohort comparison study was performed from an aneurysmal SAH database selecting patients treated with EVD from a single major academic institution in the USA between June 2007 and June 2017. Safety, accuracy, and complications of EVD placement were compared between advanced practitioners and neurosurgical physicians (attending neurosurgeon and subspecialty clinical fellow). Statistical analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney test for continuous variables and χ 2 test for categorical variables, with p values set at < 0.05 for significance. We identified 203 patients for this cohort with 238 EVD placements; eighty-seven (36.6%) placements were performed by advanced practitioners and 151 (63.4%) by neurosurgeons. Most of the ventriculostomies were placed in the emergency room (n = 114; 47.9%). Additional procedures performed concurrently with the EVD placements were significantly higher among the physicians' group (21.8 vs. 4.6%; p < 0.001). Bedside placement and usage of Ghajar guide were significantly higher among advanced practitioner's (58.3 vs. 98.9 and 9.9 vs. 64.4%, respectively, with a p < 0.001 for both). There were, however, no significant differences in terms of the number of attempts for insertion, intraprocedural complications, tract hemorrhages, accuracy, infection rates, catheter dislodgments, and need for repositioning/replacement of EVD. After appropriate training, EVD placement can be safely performed by advanced practitioners with an adequate accuracy of placement.

  14. Virtual Transgenics: Using a Molecular Biology Simulation to Impact Student Academic Achievement and Attitudes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shegog, Ross; Lazarus, Melanie M.; Murray, Nancy G.; Diamond, Pamela M.; Sessions, Nathalie; Zsigmond, Eva

    2012-10-01

    The transgenic mouse model is useful for studying the causes and potential cures for human genetic diseases. Exposing high school biology students to laboratory experience in developing transgenic animal models is logistically prohibitive. Computer-based simulation, however, offers this potential in addition to advantages of fidelity and reach. This study describes and evaluates a computer-based simulation to train advanced placement high school science students in laboratory protocols, a transgenic mouse model was produced. A simulation module on preparing a gene construct in the molecular biology lab was evaluated using a randomized clinical control design with advanced placement high school biology students in Mercedes, Texas ( n = 44). Pre-post tests assessed procedural and declarative knowledge, time on task, attitudes toward computers for learning and towards science careers. Students who used the simulation increased their procedural and declarative knowledge regarding molecular biology compared to those in the control condition (both p < 0.005). Significant increases continued to occur with additional use of the simulation ( p < 0.001). Students in the treatment group became more positive toward using computers for learning ( p < 0.001). The simulation did not significantly affect attitudes toward science in general. Computer simulation of complex transgenic protocols have potential to provide a "virtual" laboratory experience as an adjunct to conventional educational approaches.

  15. Synthetic biology: advancing the design of diverse genetic systems

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Yen-Hsiang; Wei, Kathy Y.; Smolke, Christina D.

    2013-01-01

    A main objective of synthetic biology is to make the process of designing genetically-encoded biological systems more systematic, predictable, robust, scalable, and efficient. The examples of genetic systems in the field vary widely in terms of operating hosts, compositional approaches, and network complexity, ranging from a simple genetic switch to search-and-destroy systems. While significant advances in synthesis capabilities support the potential for the implementation of pathway- and genome-scale programs, several design challenges currently restrict the scale of systems that can be reasonably designed and implemented. Synthetic biology offers much promise in developing systems to address challenges faced in manufacturing, the environment and sustainability, and health and medicine, but the realization of this potential is currently limited by the diversity of available parts and effective design frameworks. As researchers make progress in bridging this design gap, advances in the field hint at ever more diverse applications for biological systems. PMID:23413816

  16. Assessing Competing Demands and Charting a Course: A Phenomenological Study of Advanced Placement U.S. History Teachers' Decision Making and Course Planning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Poole, Kerry D.

    2014-01-01

    Florida has experienced some of the greatest growth of Advanced Placement (AP) programs in recent years and student scores on the AP exams have evolved into a highly significant metric in evaluating student proficiency and teacher and school effectiveness. Despite this growth, it is not well known how AP teachers make decisions about the content…

  17. Synthetic biology advances for pharmaceutical production

    PubMed Central

    Breitling, Rainer; Takano, Eriko

    2015-01-01

    Synthetic biology enables a new generation of microbial engineering for the biotechnological production of pharmaceuticals and other high-value chemicals. This review presents an overview of recent advances in the field, describing new computational and experimental tools for the discovery, optimization and production of bioactive molecules, and outlining progress towards the application of these tools to pharmaceutical production systems. PMID:25744872

  18. Computerized Placement Management Software (CPMS): User Manual, Version 3.0.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    College Entrance Examination Board, Princeton, NJ.

    This guide is designed to enable the beginner, as well as the advanced user, to understand and use the Computerized Placement Management Software (CPMS). The CPMS is a system for evaluating information about students and recommending their placement into courses best suited for them. It also tracks their progress and maintains their records. The…

  19. Testing with Feedback Yields Potent, but Piecewise, Learning of History and Biology Facts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pan, Steven C.; Gopal, Arpita; Rickard, Timothy C.

    2016-01-01

    Does correctly answering a test question about a multiterm fact enhance memory for the entire fact? We explored that issue in 4 experiments. Subjects first studied Advanced Placement History or Biology facts. Half of those facts were then restudied, whereas the remainder were tested using "5 W" (i.e., "who, what, when, where",…

  20. Advances in biologic augmentation for rotator cuff repair

    PubMed Central

    Patel, Sahishnu; Gualtieri, Anthony P.; Lu, Helen H.; Levine, William N.

    2016-01-01

    Rotator cuff tear is a very common shoulder injury that often necessitates surgical intervention for repair. Despite advances in surgical techniques for rotator cuff repair, there is a high incidence of failure after surgery because of poor healing capacity attributed to many factors. The complexity of tendon-to-bone integration inherently presents a challenge for repair because of a large biomechanical mismatch between the tendon and bone and insufficient regeneration of native tissue, leading to the formation of fibrovascular scar tissue. Therefore, various biological augmentation approaches have been investigated to improve rotator cuff repair healing. This review highlights recent advances in three fundamental approaches for biological augmentation for functional and integrative tendon–bone repair. First, the exploration, application, and delivery of growth factors to improve regeneration of native tissue is discussed. Second, applications of stem cell and other cell-based therapies to replenish damaged tissue for better healing is covered. Finally, this review will highlight the development and applications of compatible biomaterials to both better recapitulate the tendon–bone interface and improve delivery of biological factors for enhanced integrative repair. PMID:27750374

  1. Tagging and purifying proteins to teach molecular biology and advanced biochemistry.

    PubMed

    Roecklein-Canfield, Jennifer A; Lopilato, Jane

    2004-11-01

    Two distinct courses, "Molecular Biology" taught by the Biology Department and "Advanced Biochemistry" taught by the Chemistry Department, complement each other and, when taught in a coordinated and integrated way, can enhance student learning and understanding of complex material. "Molecular Biology" is a comprehensive lecture-based course with a 3-h laboratory once a week, while "Advanced Biochemistry" is a completely laboratory-based course with lecture fully integrated around independent student projects. Both courses emphasize and utilize cutting-edge technology. Teaching across departmental boundaries allows students access to faculty expertise and techniques rarely used at the undergraduate level, namely the tagging of proteins and their use in protein purification. Copyright © 2004 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  2. Tagging and Purifying Proteins to Teach Molecular Biology and Advanced Biochemistry

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roecklein-Canfield, Jennifer A.; Lopilato, Jane

    2004-01-01

    Two distinct courses, "Molecular Biology" taught by the Biology Department and "Advanced Biochemistry" taught by the Chemistry Department, complement each other and, when taught in a coordinated and integrated way, can enhance student learning and understanding of complex material. "Molecular Biology" is a comprehensive lecture-based course with a…

  3. Are Advanced Placement English and First-Year College Composition Equivalent? A Comparison of Outcomes in the Writing of Three Groups of Sophomore College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hansen, Kristine; Reeve, Suzanne; Gonzalez, Jennifer; Sudweeks, Richard R.; Hatch, Gary L.; Esplin, Patricia; Bradshaw, William S.

    2006-01-01

    This study was conducted to obtain empirical data to inform policy decisions about exempting incoming students from a first-year composition (FYC) course on the basis of Advanced Placement (AP) English exam scores. It examined the effect of avoiding first-year writing on the writing abilities of sophomore undergraduates. Two three-page writing…

  4. Introduction to the Special Issue: Advances in island plant biology since Sherwin Carlquist's Island Biology

    PubMed Central

    Traveset, Anna; Fernández-Palacios, José María; Kueffer, Christoph; Bellingham, Peter J.; Morden, Clifford; Drake, Donald R.

    2016-01-01

    Sherwin Carlquist's seminal publications—in particular his classic Island Biology, published in 1974—formulated hypotheses specific to island biology that remain valuable today. This special issue brings together some of the most interesting contributions presented at the First Island Biology Symposium hosted in Honolulu on 7–11 July 2014. We compiled a total of 18 contributions that present data from multiple archipelagos across the world and from different disciplines within the plant sciences. In this introductory paper, we first provide a short overview of Carlquist's life and work and then summarize the main findings of the collated papers. A first group of papers deals with issues to which Carlquist notably contributed: long-distance dispersal, adaptive radiation and plant reproductive biology. The findings of such studies demonstrate the extent to which the field has advanced thanks to (i) the increasing availability and richness of island data, covering many taxonomic groups and islands; (ii) new information from the geosciences, phylogenetics and palaeoecology, which allows us a more realistic understanding of the geological and biological development of islands and their biotas; and (iii) the new theoretical and methodological advances that allow us to assess patterns of abundance, diversity and distribution of island biota over large spatial scales. Most other papers in the issue cover a range of topics related to plant conservation on islands, such as causes and consequences of mutualistic disruptions (due to pollinator or disperser losses, introduction of alien predators, etc.). Island biologists are increasingly considering reintroducing ecologically important species to suitable habitats within their historic range and to neighbouring islands with depauperate communities of vertebrate seed dispersers, and an instructive example is given here. Finally, contributions on ecological networks demonstrate the usefulness of this methodological tool to

  5. Sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma: Biology and treatment advances.

    PubMed

    Mouallem, Nemer El; Smith, Steven C; Paul, Asit K

    2018-06-01

    Sarcomatoid transformation in renal cell carcinoma, so called sacromatoid RCC (sRCC), is associated with an aggressive behavior and a poor prognosis. Current therapeutic approaches are largely ineffective. Recent studies looking into the genomic and molecular characterization of sRCCs have provided insights into the biology and pathogenesis of this entity. These advances in molecular signatures may help development of effective treatment strategies. We herein present a review of recent developments in the pathology, biology, and treatment modalities in sRCC. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Advancing secondary metabolite biosynthesis in yeast with synthetic biology tools.

    PubMed

    Siddiqui, Michael S; Thodey, Kate; Trenchard, Isis; Smolke, Christina D

    2012-03-01

    Secondary metabolites are an important source of high-value chemicals, many of which exhibit important pharmacological properties. These valuable natural products are often difficult to synthesize chemically and are commonly isolated through inefficient extractions from natural biological sources. As such, they are increasingly targeted for production by biosynthesis from engineered microorganisms. The budding yeast species Saccharomyces cerevisiae has proven to be a powerful microorganism for heterologous expression of biosynthetic pathways. S. cerevisiae's usefulness as a host organism is owed in large part to the wealth of knowledge accumulated over more than a century of intense scientific study. Yet many challenges are currently faced in engineering yeast strains for the biosynthesis of complex secondary metabolite production. However, synthetic biology is advancing the development of new tools for constructing, controlling, and optimizing complex metabolic pathways in yeast. Here, we review how the coupling between yeast biology and synthetic biology is advancing the use of S. cerevisiae as a microbial host for the construction of secondary metabolic pathways. © 2011 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Advanced biologically plausible algorithms for low-level image processing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gusakova, Valentina I.; Podladchikova, Lubov N.; Shaposhnikov, Dmitry G.; Markin, Sergey N.; Golovan, Alexander V.; Lee, Seong-Whan

    1999-08-01

    At present, in computer vision, the approach based on modeling the biological vision mechanisms is extensively developed. However, up to now, real world image processing has no effective solution in frameworks of both biologically inspired and conventional approaches. Evidently, new algorithms and system architectures based on advanced biological motivation should be developed for solution of computational problems related to this visual task. Basic problems that should be solved for creation of effective artificial visual system to process real world imags are a search for new algorithms of low-level image processing that, in a great extent, determine system performance. In the present paper, the result of psychophysical experiments and several advanced biologically motivated algorithms for low-level processing are presented. These algorithms are based on local space-variant filter, context encoding visual information presented in the center of input window, and automatic detection of perceptually important image fragments. The core of latter algorithm are using local feature conjunctions such as noncolinear oriented segment and composite feature map formation. Developed algorithms were integrated into foveal active vision model, the MARR. It is supposed that proposed algorithms may significantly improve model performance while real world image processing during memorizing, search, and recognition.

  8. High school and college biology: A multi-level model of the effects of high school biology courses on student academic performance in introductory college biology courses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Loehr, John Francis

    The issue of student preparation for college study in science has been an ongoing concern for both college-bound students and educators of various levels. This study uses a national sample of college students enrolled in introductory biology courses to address the relationship between high school biology preparation and subsequent introductory college biology performance. Multi-Level Modeling was used to investigate the relationship between students' high school science and mathematics experiences and college biology performance. This analysis controls for student demographic and educational background factors along with factors associated with the college or university attended. The results indicated that high school course-taking and science instructional experiences have the largest impact on student achievement in the first introductory college biology course. In particular, enrollment in courses, such as high school Calculus and Advanced Placement (AP) Biology, along with biology course content that focuses on developing a deep understanding of the topics is found to be positively associated with student achievement in introductory college biology. On the other hand, experiencing high numbers of laboratory activities, demonstrations, and independent projects along with higher levels of laboratory freedom are associated with negative achievement. These findings are relevant to high school biology teachers, college students, their parents, and educators looking beyond the goal of high school graduation.

  9. Positionings of Racial, Ethnic, and Linguistic Minority Students in High School Biology Class: Implications for Science Education in Diverse Classrooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ryu, Minjung

    2015-01-01

    In the present study, I analyze ethnographic data from a year-long study of two Advanced Placement (AP) Biology classes that enrolled students with diverse racial, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds. Specifically, I consider participation, positioning, and learning of newcomer Korean students in the focal classes. Building on the notion of figured…

  10. CAM Modalities Can Stimulate Advances in Theoretical Biology

    PubMed Central

    2005-01-01

    Most complementary medicine is distinguished by not being supported by underlying theory accepted by Western science. However, for those who accept their validity, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) modalities offer clues to understanding physiology and medicine more deeply. Ayurveda and vibrational medicine are stimulating new approaches to biological regulation. The new biophysics can be integrated to yield a single consistent theory, which may well underly much of CAM—a true ‘physics of physick’. The resulting theory seems to be a new, fundamental theory of health and etiology. It suggests that many CAM approaches to health care are scientifically in advance of those based on current Western biology. Such theories may well constitute the next steps in our scientific understanding of biology itself. If successfully developed, these ideas could result in a major paradigm shift in both biology and medicine, which will benefit all interested parties—consumers, health professionals, scientists, institutions and governments. PMID:15841271

  11. The Role of Placement History and Current Family Environment in Children's Aggression in Foster Care.

    PubMed

    Perry, Kristin J; Price, Joseph

    2017-04-01

    Predictors of the physical and relational aggressive behavior of children in foster care were examined ( N = 160, 50.9% male, M age = 7.57, SD = 2.39). First, predictors representative of children's placement histories were examined in relation to the children's aggression at T1. Next, predictors representing characteristics of the current family environment were examined in relation to the children's aggression at T2 (four months later). Results revealed that a greater number of prior group home placements and being in a non-kinship home were associated with higher physical aggression at T1. A greater number of prior group home placements, a fewer number of regular home placements, being in a non-kinship home, and prior removal from the home due to neglect were associated with higher relational aggression at T1. The results also revealed that higher foster sibling relational aggression at T1 predicted lower child physical aggression at T2. If foster siblings were biological children of the foster parent, higher levels of a foster sibling's physical aggression at T1 predicted reduced child physical aggression at T2. The opposite pattern was observed if foster siblings were not biological children of the foster parent. Lastly, longer time in the current placement, more children in the home, and the presence of a sibling that was a biological child of the parent predicted higher child relational aggression at T2. These findings provide initial insights into how placement history and current family environment are associated with the physical and relational aggressive behavior of children in foster care.

  12. Kernel-Based Discriminant Techniques for Educational Placement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lin, Miao-hsiang; Huang, Su-yun; Chang, Yuan-chin

    2004-01-01

    This article considers the problem of educational placement. Several discriminant techniques are applied to a data set from a survey project of science ability. A profile vector for each student consists of five science-educational indicators. The students are intended to be placed into three reference groups: advanced, regular, and remedial.…

  13. The Homogeneity of Optimal Sensor Placement Across Multiple Winged Insect Species

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jenkins, Abigail L.

    Taking inspiration from biology, control algorithms can be implemented to imitate the naturally occurring control systems present in nature. This research is primarily concerned with insect flight and optimal wing sensor placement. Many winged insects with halteres are equipped with mechanoreceptors termed campaniform sensilla. Although the exact information these receptors provide to the insect's nervous system is unknown, it is thought to have the capability of measuring inertial rotation forces. During flight, when the wing bends, the information measured by the campaniform sensilla is received by the central nervous system, and provides the insect necessary data to control flight. This research compares three insect species - the hawkmoth Manduca sexta, the honeybee Apis mellifera, and the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Using an observability-based sensor placement algorithm, the optimal sensor placement for these three species is determined. Simulations resolve if this optimal sensor placement corresponds to the insect's campaniform sensilla, as well as if placement is homogeneous across species.

  14. Manufacturing of Smart Structures Using Fiber Placement Manufacturing Processes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Thomas, Matthew M.; Glowasky, Robert A.; McIlroy, Bruce E.; Story, Todd A.

    1996-01-01

    Smart structures research and development, with the ultimate aim of rapid commercial and military production of these structures, are at the forefront of the Synthesis and Processing of Intelligent Cost-Effective Structures (SPICES) program. As part of this ARPA-sponsored program, MDA-E is using fiber placement processes to manufacture integrated smart structure systems. These systems comprise advanced composite structures with embedded fiber optic sensors, shape memory alloys, piezoelectric actuators, and miniature accelerometers. Cost-effective approaches and solutions to smart material synthesis in the fiber-placement process, based upon integrated product development, are discussed herein.

  15. Advancing metabolic engineering through systems biology of industrial microorganisms.

    PubMed

    Dai, Zongjie; Nielsen, Jens

    2015-12-01

    Development of sustainable processes to produce bio-based compounds is necessary due to the severe environmental problems caused by the use of fossil resources. Metabolic engineering can facilitate the development of highly efficient cell factories to produce these compounds from renewable resources. The objective of systems biology is to gain a comprehensive and quantitative understanding of living cells and can hereby enhance our ability to characterize and predict cellular behavior. Systems biology of industrial microorganisms is therefore valuable for metabolic engineering. Here we review the application of systems biology tools for the identification of metabolic engineering targets which may lead to reduced development time for efficient cell factories. Finally, we present some perspectives of systems biology for advancing metabolic engineering further. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Biology First: A History of the Grade Placement of High School Biology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sheppard, Keith; Robbins, Dennis M.

    2006-01-01

    This article outlines the history of the high school "general biology" course and details how biology came to be placed first in the traditional order of science subjects (biology-chemistry-physics). The article briefly discusses the implications of the development of this sequence for the present day biology course.

  17. A Comparison of the Number of Hours of Sleep in High School Students Who Took Advanced Placement and/or College Courses and Those Who Did Not

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jin, Qiushuang; Shi, Qian

    2008-01-01

    This study investigated the association between sleep deprivation and enrollment in Advanced Placement (AP) and/or college courses among high school students. Approximately 4,000 surveys were distributed, and 2,197 completed surveys were returned from students in Grades 9 to 12 at 15 high schools in Iowa. Findings indicated the majority of high…

  18. Glycoengineering in CHO Cells: Advances in Systems Biology.

    PubMed

    Tejwani, Vijay; Andersen, Mikael R; Nam, Jong Hyun; Sharfstein, Susan T

    2018-03-01

    For several decades, glycoprotein biologics have been successfully produced from Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. The therapeutic efficacy and potency of glycoprotein biologics are often dictated by their post-translational modifications, particularly glycosylation, which unlike protein synthesis, is a non-templated process. Consequently, both native and recombinant glycoprotein production generate heterogeneous mixtures containing variable amounts of different glycoforms. Stability, potency, plasma half-life, and immunogenicity of the glycoprotein biologic are directly influenced by the glycoforms. Recently, CHO cells have also been explored for production of therapeutic glycosaminoglycans (e.g., heparin), which presents similar challenges as producing glycoproteins biologics. Approaches to controlling heterogeneity in CHO cells and directing the biosynthetic process toward desired glycoforms are not well understood. A systems biology approach combining different technologies is needed for complete understanding of the molecular processes accounting for this variability and to open up new venues in cell line development. In this review, we describe several advances in genetic manipulation, modeling, and glycan and glycoprotein analysis that together will provide new strategies for glycoengineering of CHO cells with desired or enhanced glycosylation capabilities. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  19. ISAAC Advanced Composites Research Testbed

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wu, K. Chauncey; Stewart, Brian K.; Martin, Robert A.

    2014-01-01

    The NASA Langley Research Center is acquiring a state-of-art composites fabrication capability to support the Center's advanced research and technology mission. The system introduced in this paper is named ISAAC (Integrated Structural Assembly of Advanced Composites). The initial operational capability of ISAAC is automated fiber placement, built around a commercial system from Electroimpact, Inc. that consists of a multi-degree of freedom robot platform, a tool changer mechanism, and a purpose-built fiber placement end effector. Examples are presented of the advanced materials, structures, structural concepts, fabrication processes and technology development that may be enabled using the ISAAC system. The fiber placement end effector may be used directly or with appropriate modifications for these studies, or other end effectors with different capabilities may either be bought or developed with NASA's partners in industry and academia.

  20. The Challenges of Using the WebCAPE Placement Exam in an Advanced Spanish Grammar Class

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Turner, Robert L., III

    2017-01-01

    This study attempts to ascertain if the WebCAPE placement exam can be used to measure improvement in an upper division grammar course. The WebCAPE online placement exam is a widely used instrument designed to help university language programs place students into the basic language course best corresponding to their proficiency level. This is done…

  1. Advanced composite applications for sub-micron biologically derived microstructures

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schnur, J. M.; Price, R. R.; Schoen, P. E.; Bonanventura, Joseph; Kirkpatrick, Douglas

    1991-01-01

    A major thrust of advanced material development is in the area of self-assembled ultra-fine particulate based composites (micro-composites). The application of biologically derived, self-assembled microstructures to form advanced composite materials is discussed. Hollow 0.5 micron diameter cylindrical shaped microcylinders self-assemble from diacetylenic lipids. These microstructures have a multiplicity of potential applications in the material sciences. Exploratory development is proceeding in application areas such as controlled release for drug delivery, wound repair, and biofouling as well as composites for electronic and magnetic applications, and high power microwave cathodes.

  2. Keyword: Placement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cassuto, Leonard

    2012-01-01

    The practical goal of graduate education is placement of graduates. But what does "placement" mean? Academics use the word without thinking much about it. "Placement" is a great keyword for the graduate-school enterprise. For one thing, its meaning certainly gives a purpose to graduate education. Furthermore, the word is a portal into the way of…

  3. Advances in biologically inspired on/near sensor processing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McCarley, Paul L.

    1999-07-01

    As electro-optic sensors increase in size and frame rate, the data transfer and digital processing resource requirements also increase. In many missions, the spatial area of interest is but a small fraction of the available field of view. Choosing the right region of interest, however, is a challenge and still requires an enormous amount of downstream digital processing resources. In order to filter this ever-increasing amount of data, we look at how nature solves the problem. The Advanced Guidance Division of the Munitions Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory at Elgin AFB, Florida, has been pursuing research in the are of advanced sensor and image processing concepts based on biologically inspired sensory information processing. A summary of two 'neuromorphic' processing efforts will be presented along with a seeker system concept utilizing this innovative technology. The Neuroseek program is developing a 256 X 256 2-color dual band IRFPA coupled to an optimized silicon CMOS read-out and processing integrated circuit that provides simultaneous full-frame imaging in MWIR/LWIR wavebands along with built-in biologically inspired sensor image processing functions. Concepts and requirements for future such efforts will also be discussed.

  4. Synthetic biology advances and applications in the biotechnology industry: a perspective.

    PubMed

    Katz, Leonard; Chen, Yvonne Y; Gonzalez, Ramon; Peterson, Todd C; Zhao, Huimin; Baltz, Richard H

    2018-06-18

    Synthetic biology is a logical extension of what has been called recombinant DNA (rDNA) technology or genetic engineering since the 1970s. As rDNA technology has been the driver for the development of a thriving biotechnology industry today, starting with the commercialization of biosynthetic human insulin in the early 1980s, synthetic biology has the potential to take the industry to new heights in the coming years. Synthetic biology advances have been driven by dramatic cost reductions in DNA sequencing and DNA synthesis; by the development of sophisticated tools for genome editing, such as CRISPR/Cas9; and by advances in informatics, computational tools, and infrastructure to facilitate and scale analysis and design. Synthetic biology approaches have already been applied to the metabolic engineering of microorganisms for the production of industrially important chemicals and for the engineering of human cells to treat medical disorders. It also shows great promise to accelerate the discovery and development of novel secondary metabolites from microorganisms through traditional, engineered, and combinatorial biosynthesis. We anticipate that synthetic biology will continue to have broadening impacts on the biotechnology industry to address ongoing issues of human health, world food supply, renewable energy, and industrial chemicals and enzymes.

  5. COURSE OUTLINE AND TEACHING GUIDE FOR ADVANCED STANDING ENGLISH II.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    THOMPSON, PHILLIP

    THE ADVANCED STANDING PROGRAM IN ENGLISH IS DESIGNED TO PREPARE SELECTED STUDENTS FOR THE ADVANCED PLACEMENT CLASSES, WHICH ARE EQUIVALENT OF COLLEGE FRESHMAN ENGLISH, IN HIGH SCHOOL. WHILE KEEPING ADVANCED PLACEMENT NEEDS IN MIND, EMPHASIS IN CURRICULUM IS PLACED ON THE MORE IMPORTANT GOAL OF BETTER COLLEGE PREPARATION IN ENGLISH. THE ADVANCED…

  6. Preparing Future Biology Faculty: An Advanced Professional Development Program for Graduate Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lockwood, Stephanie A.; Miller, Amanda J.; Cromie, Meghan M.

    2014-01-01

    Formal professional development programs for biology graduate students interested in becoming faculty members have come far; however, programs that provide advanced teaching experience for seasoned graduate teaching assistants are scarce. We outline an advanced program that focuses on further training of graduate teaching assistants in pedagogy…

  7. Invited Review Article: Advanced light microscopy for biological space research

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    De Vos, Winnok H.; Beghuin, Didier; Schwarz, Christian J.; Jones, David B.; van Loon, Jack J. W. A.; Bereiter-Hahn, Juergen; Stelzer, Ernst H. K.

    2014-10-01

    As commercial space flights have become feasible and long-term extraterrestrial missions are planned, it is imperative that the impact of space travel and the space environment on human physiology be thoroughly characterized. Scrutinizing the effects of potentially detrimental factors such as ionizing radiation and microgravity at the cellular and tissue level demands adequate visualization technology. Advanced light microscopy (ALM) is the leading tool for non-destructive structural and functional investigation of static as well as dynamic biological systems. In recent years, technological developments and advances in photochemistry and genetic engineering have boosted all aspects of resolution, readout and throughput, rendering ALM ideally suited for biological space research. While various microscopy-based studies have addressed cellular response to space-related environmental stressors, biological endpoints have typically been determined only after the mission, leaving an experimental gap that is prone to bias results. An on-board, real-time microscopical monitoring device can bridge this gap. Breadboards and even fully operational microscope setups have been conceived, but they need to be rendered more compact and versatile. Most importantly, they must allow addressing the impact of gravity, or the lack thereof, on physiologically relevant biological systems in space and in ground-based simulations. In order to delineate the essential functionalities for such a system, we have reviewed the pending questions in space science, the relevant biological model systems, and the state-of-the art in ALM. Based on a rigorous trade-off, in which we recognize the relevance of multi-cellular systems and the cellular microenvironment, we propose a compact, but flexible concept for space-related cell biological research that is based on light sheet microscopy.

  8. Invited review article: Advanced light microscopy for biological space research.

    PubMed

    De Vos, Winnok H; Beghuin, Didier; Schwarz, Christian J; Jones, David B; van Loon, Jack J W A; Bereiter-Hahn, Juergen; Stelzer, Ernst H K

    2014-10-01

    As commercial space flights have become feasible and long-term extraterrestrial missions are planned, it is imperative that the impact of space travel and the space environment on human physiology be thoroughly characterized. Scrutinizing the effects of potentially detrimental factors such as ionizing radiation and microgravity at the cellular and tissue level demands adequate visualization technology. Advanced light microscopy (ALM) is the leading tool for non-destructive structural and functional investigation of static as well as dynamic biological systems. In recent years, technological developments and advances in photochemistry and genetic engineering have boosted all aspects of resolution, readout and throughput, rendering ALM ideally suited for biological space research. While various microscopy-based studies have addressed cellular response to space-related environmental stressors, biological endpoints have typically been determined only after the mission, leaving an experimental gap that is prone to bias results. An on-board, real-time microscopical monitoring device can bridge this gap. Breadboards and even fully operational microscope setups have been conceived, but they need to be rendered more compact and versatile. Most importantly, they must allow addressing the impact of gravity, or the lack thereof, on physiologically relevant biological systems in space and in ground-based simulations. In order to delineate the essential functionalities for such a system, we have reviewed the pending questions in space science, the relevant biological model systems, and the state-of-the art in ALM. Based on a rigorous trade-off, in which we recognize the relevance of multi-cellular systems and the cellular microenvironment, we propose a compact, but flexible concept for space-related cell biological research that is based on light sheet microscopy.

  9. Transpyloric Feeding Tube Placement Using Electromagnetic Placement Device in Children.

    PubMed

    Goggans, Margaret; Pickard, Sharon; West, Alina Nico; Shah, Samir; Kimura, Dai

    2017-04-01

    Transpyloric feeding tubes (TPT) are often recommended in critically ill children. Blind tube placement, however, can be difficult, be time-consuming, and incur multiple radiation exposures. An electromagnetic device (EMD) is available for confirmation of successful placement of TPTs. We conducted a retrospective cohort study to evaluate the efficacy of an EMD for TPT placement in children and determine its impact on placement success, radiation exposure, confirmation time, and cost for tube placement compared with traditional blind TPT placement. Retrospective data were collected in patients receiving a TPT before (pre-EMD group) and after implementation of an EMD (EMD group). Need for radiographic exposure decreased significantly in the EMD group (n = 40) compared with the pre-EMD group (n = 38) (0.6 vs 1.6 x-rays, P < .001). TPTs were placed and confirmed without abdominal x-ray in 21 of 40 patients in the EMD group. There were no serious adverse events such as misplacement into the lung or pneumothorax or perforation injury of the stomach. Successful tube confirmation took a significantly shorter time in the EMD group than in the pre-EMD group (1.45 vs 4.59 hours, P < .0001). There was an estimated cost savings of $245.10 per placement associated with decreased x-ray and fluoroscopy. The use of an EMD in children significantly decreased radiation exposure and confirmation time while maintaining TPT placement success. The use of an EMD can potentially offer large cost savings. Elimination of abdominal x-ray with EMD during TPT placement was achieved without any serious complications in approximately half of the children.

  10. Job Placement Regimes in Europe: Trends and Impacts of Changes. IAB Labour Market Research Topics.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Konle-Seidl, Regina; Walwei, Ulrich

    Trends in job placement in Europe and the effects of advances in information and communication technologies on job placement practices were examined through case studies of France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The case studies revealed that the market shares of public employment services (PES) are generally higher than those…

  11. 2014 Advanced Placement Exam Participation and Performance for Students in Montgomery County Public Schools and Public School Students in the State of Maryland and the Nation. Memorandum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sanderson, Geoffrey T.

    2014-01-01

    The continuing emphasis by Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools (MCPS) on rigorous course taking resulted in MCPS students taking a record-setting 33,662 Advanced Placement (AP) exams in 2014. Additionally, the percentage of AP exams taken by MCPS students who attained scores of 3 or higher (73.9 percent) was 13.0 and 16.7 percentage points…

  12. The Role of Placement History and Current Family Environment in Children’s Aggression in Foster Care

    PubMed Central

    Perry, Kristin J.; Price, Joseph

    2017-01-01

    Predictors of the physical and relational aggressive behavior of children in foster care were examined (N = 160, 50.9% male, M age = 7.57, SD = 2.39). First, predictors representative of children’s placement histories were examined in relation to the children’s aggression at T1. Next, predictors representing characteristics of the current family environment were examined in relation to the children’s aggression at T2 (four months later). Results revealed that a greater number of prior group home placements and being in a non-kinship home were associated with higher physical aggression at T1. A greater number of prior group home placements, a fewer number of regular home placements, being in a non-kinship home, and prior removal from the home due to neglect were associated with higher relational aggression at T1. The results also revealed that higher foster sibling relational aggression at T1 predicted lower child physical aggression at T2. If foster siblings were biological children of the foster parent, higher levels of a foster sibling’s physical aggression at T1 predicted reduced child physical aggression at T2. The opposite pattern was observed if foster siblings were not biological children of the foster parent. Lastly, longer time in the current placement, more children in the home, and the presence of a sibling that was a biological child of the parent predicted higher child relational aggression at T2. These findings provide initial insights into how placement history and current family environment are associated with the physical and relational aggressive behavior of children in foster care. PMID:29551877

  13. Advanced treatment of biologically pretreated coal gasification wastewater by a novel integration of heterogeneous catalytic ozonation and biological process.

    PubMed

    Zhuang, Haifeng; Han, Hongjun; Jia, Shengyong; Hou, Baolin; Zhao, Qian

    2014-08-01

    Advanced treatment of biologically pretreated coal gasification wastewater (CGW) was investigated employing heterogeneous catalytic ozonation integrated with anoxic moving bed biofilm reactor (ANMBBR) and biological aerated filter (BAF) process. The results indicated that catalytic ozonation with the prepared catalyst (i.e. MnOx/SBAC, sewage sludge was converted into sludge based activated carbon (SBAC) which loaded manganese oxides) significantly enhanced performance of pollutants removal by generated hydroxyl radicals. The effluent of catalytic ozonation process was more biodegradable and less toxic than that in ozonation alone. Meanwhile, ANMBBR-BAF showed efficient capacity of pollutants removal in treatment of the effluent of catalytic ozonation at a shorter reaction time, allowing the discharge limits to be met. Therefore, the integrated process with efficient, economical and sustainable advantages was suitable for advanced treatment of real biologically pretreated CGW. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Validating the Use of AP® Exam Scores for College Course Placement. Research Report 2013-2

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Patterson, Brian F.; Ewing, Maureen

    2013-01-01

    The Advanced Placement Program® (AP®) was created to provide access to rigorous, college-level curricula to motivated and prepared high school students. This study evaluated whether the AP Exam scores from the summative exams associated with 10 courses were valid for the placement of students into higher-level college courses in the subject area…

  15. The History of Nontraditional or Ectopic Placement of Reservoirs in Prosthetic Urology.

    PubMed

    Perito, Paul; Wilson, Steven

    2016-04-01

    Reservoir placement during implantation of prosthetic urology devices has been problematic throughout the history of the surgical treatment of erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence. We thought it would be interesting to review the history of reservoir placement leading up to current surgical techniques. To provide an overview of the past and present techniques for reservoir placement and discuss the evolutionary process leading to safe and effective placement of prosthetic reservoirs. We reviewed data pertaining to inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) reservoirs and pressure-regulating balloons (PRB) in a chronological fashion, spanning 25 years. Main outcomes included a historical review of techniques for IPP reservoir and PRB placement leading to the subsequent incremental improvements in safety and efficacy when performing penile implants and artificial urinary sphincters. Prosthetic urologic reservoirs have traditionally been placed in the retropubic space. Over the years, urologists have attempted use of alternative spaces including peritoneal, epigastric, "ectopic," posterior to transversalis, and high submuscular. Current advances in prosthetic urologic reservoir placement allow safe and effective abdominal wall placement of reservoirs. These novel approaches appear to be so effective that urologists may now be able to cease using the traditional retropubic space for reservoir placement, even in the case of virgin pelves. Copyright © 2016 International Society for Sexual Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Observability-Based Guidance and Sensor Placement

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hinson, Brian T.

    Control system performance is highly dependent on the quality of sensor information available. In a growing number of applications, however, the control task must be accomplished with limited sensing capabilities. This thesis addresses these types of problems from a control-theoretic point-of-view, leveraging system nonlinearities to improve sensing performance. Using measures of observability as an information quality metric, guidance trajectories and sensor distributions are designed to improve the quality of sensor information. An observability-based sensor placement algorithm is developed to compute optimal sensor configurations for a general nonlinear system. The algorithm utilizes a simulation of the nonlinear system as the source of input data, and convex optimization provides a scalable solution method. The sensor placement algorithm is applied to a study of gyroscopic sensing in insect wings. The sensor placement algorithm reveals information-rich areas on flexible insect wings, and a comparison to biological data suggests that insect wings are capable of acting as gyroscopic sensors. An observability-based guidance framework is developed for robotic navigation with limited inertial sensing. Guidance trajectories and algorithms are developed for range-only and bearing-only navigation that improve navigation accuracy. Simulations and experiments with an underwater vehicle demonstrate that the observability measure allows tuning of the navigation uncertainty.

  17. [Eleven Patients with Gastric Cancer Who Received Chemotherapy after Stent Placement for Gastric Outlet Obstruction].

    PubMed

    Endo, Shunji; Nakagawa, Tomo; Konishi, Ken; Ikenaga, Masakazu; Ohta, Katsuya; Nakashima, Shinsuke; Matsumoto, Kenichi; Nishikawa, Kazuhiro; Ohmori, Takeshi; Yamada, Terumasa

    2017-01-01

    Endoscopic placement of self-expandable metallic stents is reportedly effective for gastric outlet obstructions due to advanced gastric cancer, and is less invasive than gastrojejunostomy. For patients who have good performance status, we administer chemotherapy after stent placement, although the safety and feasibility of this chemotherapy have not yet been discussed in full. Between 2011 and 2015, 15 patients at our institution underwent endoscopic gastroduodenal stent placement for gastric outlet obstruction due to gastric cancer. Eleven of these patients were administered chemotherapy after stent placement. In our case series, we did not observe any specific adverse event caused by stent placement plus chemotherapy. Adverse events after chemotherapy included anemia of CTCAE Grade 3 in 7 patients. Stent-in-stent placement was needed in 2 patients. Neither stent migration nor perforation was observed. Therefore, chemotherapy after stent placement for gastric outlet obstruction due to gastric cancer was considered safe and feasible. Stent placement is useful not only as palliative care for patients with terminal-stage disease, but also as one of the multimodal therapeutic strategies for gastric cancer.

  18. AdVance male sling

    PubMed Central

    Chung, Amanda S. J.; Suarez, Oscar A.

    2017-01-01

    The AdVance sling (American Medical Systems, Minnetonka, MN, United States of America) is a synthetic transobturator sling, which is a safe and effective minimally invasive treatment for mild to moderate stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in male patients. This article provides a step-by-step description of our technique for placement of the AdVance male sling, including details and nuances gained from surgical experience, advice for avoidance of complications and discussion on management of complications and sling failures. Patient selection is very important, including exclusion and preoperative treatment of urethral stenosis and bladder dysfunction. Previous pelvic radiation is a poor prognostic factor. In brief, the steps of sling placement are: (I) mobilization of the corpus spongiosum (CS); (II) marking and mobilization of the central tendon; (III) passage of the helical trocar needles exiting at the apex of the angle between the CS and inferior pubic ramus; (IV) fixation of the broad part of the sling body to the CS at the previous mark; (V) cystoscopy during sling tensioning; (VI) placement of a Foley urethral catheter; (VII) Subcutaneous tunnelling of the sling arms back toward the midline; (VIII) wound closure. The most common early postoperative complication is urinary retention but long-term retention is extremely rare. Management of sling failures include placement of an artificial urinary sphincter, repeat AdVance sling, urethral bulking agent or ProACT device. PMID:28904900

  19. Advanced systems biology methods in drug discovery and translational biomedicine.

    PubMed

    Zou, Jun; Zheng, Ming-Wu; Li, Gen; Su, Zhi-Guang

    2013-01-01

    Systems biology is in an exponential development stage in recent years and has been widely utilized in biomedicine to better understand the molecular basis of human disease and the mechanism of drug action. Here, we discuss the fundamental concept of systems biology and its two computational methods that have been commonly used, that is, network analysis and dynamical modeling. The applications of systems biology in elucidating human disease are highlighted, consisting of human disease networks, treatment response prediction, investigation of disease mechanisms, and disease-associated gene prediction. In addition, important advances in drug discovery, to which systems biology makes significant contributions, are discussed, including drug-target networks, prediction of drug-target interactions, investigation of drug adverse effects, drug repositioning, and drug combination prediction. The systems biology methods and applications covered in this review provide a framework for addressing disease mechanism and approaching drug discovery, which will facilitate the translation of research findings into clinical benefits such as novel biomarkers and promising therapies.

  20. Leveraging advances in biology to design biomaterials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Darnell, Max; Mooney, David J.

    2017-12-01

    Biomaterials have dramatically increased in functionality and complexity, allowing unprecedented control over the cells that interact with them. From these engineering advances arises the prospect of improved biomaterial-based therapies, yet practical constraints favour simplicity. Tools from the biology community are enabling high-resolution and high-throughput bioassays that, if incorporated into a biomaterial design framework, could help achieve unprecedented functionality while minimizing the complexity of designs by identifying the most important material parameters and biological outputs. However, to avoid data explosions and to effectively match the information content of an assay with the goal of the experiment, material screens and bioassays must be arranged in specific ways. By borrowing methods to design experiments and workflows from the bioprocess engineering community, we outline a framework for the incorporation of next-generation bioassays into biomaterials design to effectively optimize function while minimizing complexity. This framework can inspire biomaterials designs that maximize functionality and translatability.

  1. Advances in neuroscience and the biological and toxin weapons convention.

    PubMed

    Dando, Malcolm

    2011-01-01

    This paper investigates the potential threat to the prohibition of the hostile misuse of the life sciences embodied in the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention from the rapid advances in the field of neuroscience. The paper describes how the implications of advances in science and technology are considered at the Five Year Review Conferences of the Convention and how State Parties have developed their appreciations since the First Review Conference in 1980. The ongoing advances in neurosciences are then assessed and their implications for the Convention examined. It is concluded that State Parties should consider a much more regular and systematic review system for such relevant advances in science and technology when they meet at the Seventh Review Conference in late 2011, and that neuroscientists should be much more informed and engaged in these processes of protecting their work from malign misuse.

  2. PARPs and ADP-ribosylation: recent advances linking molecular functions to biological outcomes

    PubMed Central

    Gupte, Rebecca; Liu, Ziying; Kraus, W. Lee

    2017-01-01

    The discovery of poly(ADP-ribose) >50 years ago opened a new field, leading the way for the discovery of the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) family of enzymes and the ADP-ribosylation reactions that they catalyze. Although the field was initially focused primarily on the biochemistry and molecular biology of PARP-1 in DNA damage detection and repair, the mechanistic and functional understanding of the role of PARPs in different biological processes has grown considerably of late. This has been accompanied by a shift of focus from enzymology to a search for substrates as well as the first attempts to determine the functional consequences of site-specific ADP-ribosylation on those substrates. Supporting these advances is a host of methodological approaches from chemical biology, proteomics, genomics, cell biology, and genetics that have propelled new discoveries in the field. New findings on the diverse roles of PARPs in chromatin regulation, transcription, RNA biology, and DNA repair have been complemented by recent advances that link ADP-ribosylation to stress responses, metabolism, viral infections, and cancer. These studies have begun to reveal the promising ways in which PARPs may be targeted therapeutically for the treatment of disease. In this review, we discuss these topics and relate them to the future directions of the field. PMID:28202539

  3. Customized ATP towpreg. [Automated Tow Placement

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sandusky, Donald A.; Marchello, Joseph M.; Baucom, Robert M.; Johnston, Norman J.

    1992-01-01

    Automated tow placement (ATP) utilizes robotic technology to lay down adjacent polymer-matrix-impregnated carbon fiber tows on a tool surface. Consolidation and cure during ATP requires that void elimination and polymer matrix adhesion be accomplished in the short period of heating and pressure rolling that follows towpreg ribbon placement from the robot head to the tool. This study examined the key towpreg ribbon properties and dimensions which play a significant role in ATP. Analysis of the heat transfer process window indicates that adequate heating can be achieved at lay down rates as high as 1 m/sec. While heat transfer did not appear to be the limiting factor, resin flow and fiber movement into tow lap gaps could be. Accordingly, consideration was given to towpreg ribbon having uniform yet non-rectangular cross sections. Dimensional integrity of the towpreg ribbon combined with customized ribbon architecture offer great promise for processing advances in ATP of high performance composites.

  4. Advances in Neuroscience and the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention

    PubMed Central

    Dando, Malcolm

    2011-01-01

    This paper investigates the potential threat to the prohibition of the hostile misuse of the life sciences embodied in the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention from the rapid advances in the field of neuroscience. The paper describes how the implications of advances in science and technology are considered at the Five Year Review Conferences of the Convention and how State Parties have developed their appreciations since the First Review Conference in 1980. The ongoing advances in neurosciences are then assessed and their implications for the Convention examined. It is concluded that State Parties should consider a much more regular and systematic review system for such relevant advances in science and technology when they meet at the Seventh Review Conference in late 2011, and that neuroscientists should be much more informed and engaged in these processes of protecting their work from malign misuse. PMID:21350673

  5. Recent Advances in the Chemical Biology of Nitroxyl (HNO) Detection and Generation

    PubMed Central

    Miao, Zhengrui; King, S. Bruce

    2016-01-01

    Nitroxyl or azanone (HNO) represents the redox-related (one electron reduced and protonated) relative of the well-known biological signaling molecule nitric oxide (NO). Despite the close structural similarity to NO, defined biological roles and endogenous formation of HNO remain unclear due to the high reactivity of HNO with itself, soft nucleophiles and transition metals. While significant work has been accomplished in terms of the physiology, biology and chemistry of HNO, important and clarifying work regarding HNO detection and formation has occurred within the last 10 years. This review summarizes advances in the areas of HNO detection and donation and their application to normal and pathological biology. Such chemical biological tools allow a deeper understanding of biological HNO formation and the role that HNO plays in a variety of physiological systems. PMID:27108951

  6. Children with Behavioral, Non-Behavioral, and Multiple Disabilities, and the Risk of Out-of-Home Placement Disruption

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Helton, Jesse J.

    2011-01-01

    Objective: This study examined the relative risk of placement disruption for 3-10 year-old children placed in out-of-home care based on the biological relatedness of the placement caregiver and child disability status: no disability, a non-behavioral disability only, a behavioral disability only, or both a non-behavioral and behavioral disability.…

  7. Advances in the Biology and Chemistry of Sialic Acids

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Xi; Varki, Ajit

    2010-01-01

    Sialic acids are a subset of nonulosonic acids, which are nine-carbon alpha-keto aldonic acids. Natural existing sialic acid-containing structures are presented in different sialic acid forms, various sialyl linkages, and on diverse underlying glycans. They play important roles in biological, pathological, and immunological processes. Sialobiology has been a challenging and yet attractive research area. Recent advances in chemical and chemoenzymatic synthesis as well as large-scale E. coli cell-based production have provided a large library of sialoside standards and derivatives in amounts sufficient for structure-activity relationship studies. Sialoglycan microarrays provide an efficient platform for quick identification of preferred ligands for sialic acid-binding proteins. Future research on sialic acid will continue to be at the interface of chemistry and biology. Research efforts will not only lead to a better understanding of the biological and pathological importance of sialic acids and their diversity, but could also lead to the development of therapeutics. PMID:20020717

  8. Side-branch technique for difficult guidewire placement in coronary bifurcation lesion.

    PubMed

    He, Xingwei; Gao, Bo; Liu, Yujian; Li, Zhuxi; Zeng, Hesong

    2016-01-01

    Despite tremendous advances in technology and skills, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of bifurcation lesion (BL) remains a particular challenge for the interventionalist. During bifurcation PCI, safe guidewire placement in the main branch (MB) and the side branch (SB) is the first step for successful procedure. However, in certain cases, the complex pattern of vessel anatomy and the mix of plaque distribution may make target vessel wiring highly challenging. Therefore, specific techniques are required for solving this problem. Hereby, we describe a new use of side-branch technique for difficult guidewire placement in BL. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Advancing the science of forest hydrology A challenge to agricultural and biological engineers

    Treesearch

    Devendra Amatya; Wayne Skaggs; Carl Trettin

    2009-01-01

    For more than a century, agricultural and biological engineers have provided major advances in science, engineering, and technology to increase food and fiber production to meet the demands of a rapidly growing global population. The land base for these technological advances has originated largely from forested lands, which have experienced dramatic declines over the...

  10. Using Advance Organizers to Enhance Students' Motivation in Learning Biology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shihusa, Hudson; Keraro, Fred N.

    2009-01-01

    This study investigated the effect of using advance organizers on students' motivation to learn biology. The research design used was quasi-experimental design where the non-randomised Solomon Four group was adopted. The focus was on the topic pollution. The sample comprised of 166 form three (third grade in the secondary school cycle) students in…

  11. Book review: Advances in reintroduction biology of Australian and New Zealand fauna

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Muths, Erin L.

    2016-01-01

    Review info: Advances in Reintroduction Biology of Australian and New Zealand Fauna. Doug P. Armstrong, Matthew W. Hayward, Dorian Moro, and Philip J. Seddon, editors. 2015. ISBN 978-1486303014. 320 pp.

  12. PATIKAweb: a Web interface for analyzing biological pathways through advanced querying and visualization.

    PubMed

    Dogrusoz, U; Erson, E Z; Giral, E; Demir, E; Babur, O; Cetintas, A; Colak, R

    2006-02-01

    Patikaweb provides a Web interface for retrieving and analyzing biological pathways in the Patika database, which contains data integrated from various prominent public pathway databases. It features a user-friendly interface, dynamic visualization and automated layout, advanced graph-theoretic queries for extracting biologically important phenomena, local persistence capability and exporting facilities to various pathway exchange formats.

  13. The Emory Chemical Biology Discovery Center: leveraging academic innovation to advance novel targets through HTS and beyond.

    PubMed

    Johns, Margaret A; Meyerkord-Belton, Cheryl L; Du, Yuhong; Fu, Haian

    2014-03-01

    The Emory Chemical Biology Discovery Center (ECBDC) aims to accelerate high throughput biology and translation of biomedical research discoveries into therapeutic targets and future medicines by providing high throughput research platforms to scientific collaborators worldwide. ECBDC research is focused at the interface of chemistry and biology, seeking to fundamentally advance understanding of disease-related biology with its HTS/HCS platforms and chemical tools, ultimately supporting drug discovery. Established HTS/HCS capabilities, university setting, and expertise in diverse assay formats, including protein-protein interaction interrogation, have enabled the ECBDC to contribute to national chemical biology efforts, empower translational research, and serve as a training ground for young scientists. With these resources, the ECBDC is poised to leverage academic innovation to advance biology and therapeutic discovery.

  14. Novel Advances in Shotgun Lipidomics for Biology and Medicine

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Miao; Wang, Chunyan; Han, Rowland H.; Han, Xianlin

    2015-01-01

    The field of lipidomics, as coined in 2003, has made profound advances and been rapidly expanded. The mass spectrometry-based strategies of this analytical methodology-oriented research discipline for lipid analysis are largely fallen into three categories: direct infusion-based shotgun lipidomics, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-based platforms, and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry-based approaches (particularly in imagining lipid distribution in tissues or cells). This review focuses on shotgun lipidomics. After briefly introducing its fundamentals, the major materials of this article cover its recent advances. These include the novel methods of lipid extraction, novel shotgun lipidomics strategies for identification and quantification of previously hardly accessible lipid classes and molecular species including isomers, and novel tools for processing and interpretation of lipidomics data. Representative applications of advanced shotgun lipidomics for biological and biomedical research are also presented in this review. We believe that with these novel advances in shotgun lipidomics, this approach for lipid analysis should become more comprehensive and high throughput, thereby greatly accelerating the lipidomics field to substantiate the aberrant lipid metabolism, signaling, trafficking, and homeostasis under pathological conditions and their underpinning biochemical mechanisms. PMID:26703190

  15. ISAAC - A Testbed for Advanced Composites Research

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wu, K. Chauncey; Stewart, Brian K.; Martin, Robert A.

    2014-01-01

    The NASA Langley Research Center is acquiring a state-of-art composites fabrication environment to support the Center's research and technology development mission. This overall system described in this paper is named ISAAC, or Integrated Structural Assembly of Advanced Composites. ISAAC's initial operational capability is a commercial robotic automated fiber placement system from Electroimpact, Inc. that consists of a multi-degree of freedom commercial robot platform, a tool changer mechanism, and a specialized automated fiber placement end effector. Examples are presented of how development of advanced composite materials, structures, fabrication processes and technology are enabled by utilizing the fiber placement end effector directly or with appropriate modifications. Alternatively, end effectors with different capabilities may either be bought or developed with NASA's partners in industry and academia.

  16. Safety and Efficacy of Electromagnetic-Guided Bedside Placement of Nasoenteral Feeding Tubes versus Standard Placement.

    PubMed

    Shadid, Husam; Keckeisen, Maureen; Zarrinpar, Ali

    2017-10-01

    Although enteral feeding in critically ill patients has been shown to be beneficial, reliable postpyloric placement of feeding tubes remains a challenge. The standard of care involves blind placement, frequently requiring multiple attempts, and radiographs. To evaluate the effect of electromagnetic-guided bedside placement in reducing time to establishment of feeding, lung placement, use of radiography, and cost, we initiated a prospective trial using electromagnetic-guided bedside placement and compared them to a retrospective cohort. Fifty-three consecutive placements of nasoenteral feeding tubes were made using electromagnetic-guidance on patients requiring enteral nutrition in a surgical intensive care unit at a tertiary care center. Sixty-three placement attempts in the preceding seven months served as controls. There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of age, sex, weight, body mass index, hiatal or ventral hernias, or previous esophageal/gastric operations. The number of radiographs needed per patient, need for fluoroscopy, radiology charge per patient for the tube placement, and time from first attempt at placement to confirmation of postpyloric location were lower for the electromagnetic-guided group. Use of electromagnetic guidance allows reliable and cost-effective postpyloric enteral feeding tube placement compared with blind insertion.

  17. Simulation based optimization on automated fibre placement process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lei, Shi

    2018-02-01

    In this paper, a software simulation (Autodesk TruPlan & TruFiber) based method is proposed to optimize the automate fibre placement (AFP) process. Different types of manufacturability analysis are introduced to predict potential defects. Advanced fibre path generation algorithms are compared with respect to geometrically different parts. Major manufacturing data have been taken into consideration prior to the tool paths generation to achieve high success rate of manufacturing.

  18. Recent advances in food biopeptides: production, biological functionalities and therapeutic applications.

    PubMed

    Saadi, Sami; Saari, Nazamid; Anwar, Farooq; Abdul Hamid, Azizah; Ghazali, Hasanah Mohd

    2015-01-01

    The growing momentum of several common life-style diseases such as myocardial infarction, cardiovascular disorders, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, and atherosclerosis has become a serious global concern. Recent developments in the field of proteomics offering promising solutions to solving such health problems stimulates the uses of biopeptides as one of the therapeutic agents to alleviate disease-related risk factors. Functional peptides are typically produced from protein via enzymatic hydrolysis under in vitro or in vivo conditions using different kinds of proteolytic enzymes. An array of biological activities, including antioxidative, antihypertensive, antidiabetic and immunomodulating has been ascribed to different types of biopeptides derived from various food sources. In fact, biopeptides are nutritionally and functionally important for regulating some physiological functions in the body; however, these are yet to be extensively addressed with regard to their production through advance strategies, mechanisms of action and multiple biological functionalities. This review mainly focuses on recent biotechnological advances that are being made in the field of production in addition to covering the mode of action and biological activities, medicinal health functions and therapeutic applications of biopeptides. State-of-the-art strategies that can ameliorate the efficacy, bioavailability, and functionality of biopeptides along with their future prospects are likewise discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Advances in imaging secondary ion mass spectrometry for biological samples

    DOE PAGES

    Boxer, Steven G.; Kraft, Mary L.; Weber, Peter K.

    2008-12-16

    Imaging mass spectrometry combines the power of mass spectrometry to identify complex molecules based on mass with sample imaging. Recent advances in secondary ion mass spectrometry have improved sensitivity and spatial resolution, so that these methods have the potential to bridge between high-resolution structures obtained by X-ray crystallography and cyro-electron microscopy and ultrastructure visualized by conventional light microscopy. Following background information on the method and instrumentation, we address the key issue of sample preparation. Because mass spectrometry is performed in high vacuum, it is essential to preserve the lateral organization of the sample while removing bulk water, and this hasmore » been a major barrier for applications to biological systems. Furthermore, recent applications of imaging mass spectrometry to cell biology, microbial communities, and biosynthetic pathways are summarized briefly, and studies of biological membrane organization are described in greater depth.« less

  20. NASA Automated Fiber Placement Capabilities: Similar Systems, Complementary Purposes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wu, K. Chauncey; Jackson, Justin R.; Pelham, Larry I.; Stewart, Brian K.

    2015-01-01

    New automated fiber placement systems at the NASA Langley Research Center and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center provide state-of-art composites capabilities to these organizations. These systems support basic and applied research at Langley, complementing large-scale manufacturing and technology development at Marshall. These systems each consist of a multi-degree of freedom mobility platform including a commercial robot, a commercial tool changer mechanism, a bespoke automated fiber placement end effector, a linear track, and a rotational tool support structure. In addition, new end effectors with advanced capabilities may be either bought or developed with partners in industry and academia to extend the functionality of these systems. These systems will be used to build large and small composite parts in support of the ongoing NASA Composites for Exploration Upper Stage Project later this year.

  1. Recent advances in the biological production of mannitol.

    PubMed

    Song, Seung Hoon; Vieille, Claire

    2009-08-01

    Mannitol is a fructose-derived, 6-carbon sugar alcohol that is widely found in bacteria, yeasts, fungi, and plants. Because of its desirable properties, mannitol has many applications in pharmaceutical products, in the food industry, and in medicine. The current mannitol chemical manufacturing process yields crystalline mannitol in yields below 20 mol% from 50% glucose/50% fructose syrups. Thus, microbial and enzymatic mannitol manufacturing methods have been actively investigated, in particular in the last 10 years. This review summarizes the most recent advances in biological mannitol production, including the development of bacterial-, yeast-, and enzyme-based transformations.

  2. Nutritional status and feeding-tube placement in patients with locally advanced hypopharyngeal cancer included in an induction chemotherapy-based larynx preservation program.

    PubMed

    Bozec, Alexandre; Benezery, Karen; Chamorey, Emmanuel; Ettaiche, Marc; Vandersteen, Clair; Dassonville, Olivier; Poissonnet, Gilles; Riss, Jean-Christophe; Hannoun-Lévi, Jean-Michel; Chand, Marie-Eve; Leysalle, Axel; Saada, Esma; Sudaka, Anne; Haudebourg, Juliette; Hebert, Christophe; Falewee, Marie-Noelle; Demard, François; Santini, José; Peyrade, Frédéric

    2016-09-01

    The objective of the study is to evaluate the nutritional status and determine its impact on clinical outcomes in patients with locally advanced hypopharyngeal cancer included in an induction chemotherapy (ICT)-based larynx preservation program without prophylactic feeding-tube placement. All patients with locally advanced (T3/4, N0-3, M0) hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, technically suitable for total pharyngolaryngectomy, treated by docetaxel, cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil (TPF)-ICT for larynx preservation at our institution between 2004 and 2013, were included in this retrospective study. Patients' nutritional status was closely monitored. Enteral nutrition was used if and when a patient was unable to sustain per-oral nutrition and hydration. The impact of nutritional status on clinical outcomes was investigated in univariate and multivariate analysis. A total of 53 patients (42 men and 11 women, mean age = 58.6 ± 8.2 years) were included in this study. Six (11.3 %) patients had lost more than 10 % of their usual body weight before therapy. Compared with patients' usual weight, the mean maximum patient weight loss during therapeutic management was 8.7 ± 4.5 kg. Enteral nutrition was required in 17 patients (32 %). We found no influence of the tested nutritional status-related factors on response to ICT, toxicity of ICT, overall, cause-specific and recurrence-free survival, and on post-therapeutic swallowing outcome. Maximum weight loss was significantly associated with a higher risk of enteral tube feeding during therapy (p = 0.03) and of complications (grade ≥3, p = 0.006) during RT. Without prophylactic feeding-tube placement, approximately one-third of the patients required enteral nutrition. There was no significant impact of nutritional status on oncologic or functional outcomes.

  3. 7. View showing placement of timber deck placement on chord ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    7. View showing placement of timber deck placement on chord and built up construction of top chord and continuous construction through top panel points, eye bar construction on bottom chord - Bridge No. 2.4, Spanning Boiling Fork Creek at Railroad Milepost JC-2.4, Decherd, Franklin County, TN

  4. The link between middle school mathematics course placement and achievement.

    PubMed

    Domina, Thurston

    2014-01-01

    The proportion of eighth graders in United States public schools enrolled in algebra or a more advanced mathematics course doubled between 1990 and 2011. This article uses Early Childhood Longitudinal Study's Kindergarten Cohort data to consider the selection process into advanced middle school mathematics courses and estimate the effects of advanced courses on students' mathematics achievement (n = 6,425; mean age at eighth grade = 13.7). Eighth-grade algebra and geometry course placements are academically selective, but considerable between-school variation exists in students' odds of taking these advanced courses. While analyses indicate that advanced middle school mathematics courses boost student achievement, these effects are most pronounced in content areas closely related to class content and may be contingent on student academic readiness. © 2014 The Author. Child Development © 2014 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

  5. Social Work Program. Field Placement Manual for Social Work Field Placement I, Social Work Field Placement II.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miller, Howard J.; And Others

    This document is a manual for a social work field placement program. The social work field placement is described as a learning experience designed to translate the students' interests, interpersonal abilities, and academic knowledge and theory into the capability of enabling others to solve problems. Expectations of skills to be learned in the…

  6. Optimal sensor placement for deployable antenna module health monitoring in SSPS using genetic algorithm

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Chen; Zhang, Xuepan; Huang, Xiaoqi; Cheng, ZhengAi; Zhang, Xinghua; Hou, Xinbin

    2017-11-01

    The concept of space solar power satellite (SSPS) is an advanced system for collecting solar energy in space and transmitting it wirelessly to earth. However, due to the long service life, in-orbit damage may occur in the structural system of SSPS. Therefore, sensor placement layouts for structural health monitoring should be firstly considered in this concept. In this paper, based on genetic algorithm, an optimal sensor placement method for deployable antenna module health monitoring in SSPS is proposed. According to the characteristics of the deployable antenna module, the designs of sensor placement are listed. Furthermore, based on effective independence method and effective interval index, a combined fitness function is defined to maximize linear independence in targeted modes while simultaneously avoiding redundant information at nearby positions. In addition, by considering the reliability of sensors located at deployable mechanisms, another fitness function is constituted. Moreover, the solution process of optimal sensor placement by using genetic algorithm is clearly demonstrated. At last, a numerical example about the sensor placement layout in a deployable antenna module of SSPS is presented, which by synthetically considering all the above mentioned performances. All results can illustrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed sensor placement method in SSPS.

  7. Content Selection in Advanced Courses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Parker, Walter C.; Lo, Jane C.

    2016-01-01

    Advanced high-school courses, such as Advanced Placement (AP) courses in the United States, present a content selection conundrum of major proportions. Judicious content selection is necessary if students are to learn subject matter meaningfully, but the sheer breadth of tested material in these courses promotes nearly the opposite:…

  8. Stereotype Threat? Male and Female Students in Advanced High School Courses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Corra, Mamadi

    Propositions of stereotype threat theory imply that the social consequences of academic distinction in advanced quantitative areas (such as math and the physical sciences) for women may promote the under representation of female students in advanced quantitative academic courses. The hypothesis that female students will be underrepresented in advanced quantitative (honors and advanced placement math and physical science) courses is tested using academic performance and enrollment data for high school students in a "Student/Parent Informed Choice" (open registration) school district in North Carolina. Results show female students to be overrepresented in both advanced verbal/writing intensive (honors and advanced placement English, foreign language, and social science) and advanced quantitative (honors and advanced placement math and physical science) courses compared to their proportion of the student body. More surprisingly, results also indicate female students (compared to male students) to be overrepresented in advanced courses compared to their proportion of high-performing students. Furthermore, as with patterns observed at the district level, additional analysis of enrollment data for the entire state reveals similar results. Taken together, the findings call into question the prevailing presumption that female students continue to be underrepresented in math and physical science courses. Instead, the changing social context within which females and males experience schooling may provide an explanation for the findings.

  9. Elbow arthroscopy: setup, portal placement, and simple procedures.

    PubMed

    Ahmad, Christopher S; Vitale, Mark A

    2011-01-01

    Elbow arthroscopy has become an accepted treatment for numerous elbow conditions, including loose bodies, lateral epicondylitis, contractures, painful osteophytes, synovitis, osteochondritis dissecans, synovial plica, and osteoarthritis. It is absolutely necessary that the treating surgeon have complete knowledge of elbow anatomy. Three options exist for patient positioning: supine, prone, and lateral decubitus. Standard arthroscopic probes, grasping forceps, punches, and motorized shavers and burrs are used in the procedure. Retractors are essential for visualizing, exposing, and protecting nerves. Specially designed capsular biters can be used to develop a plane between the capsule and the surrounding soft tissues to facilitate capsulotomy and capsulectomy. Among elbow arthroscopists, the sequence of portal placement varies; however, there is little variation in the exact location of portal placement because of neurovascular constraints. Loose body removal and extensor carpi radialis brevis release for lateral epicondylitis are common procedures suitable for the beginning arthroscopist. For beginning and advanced procedures, the surgeon's skill and competence must be at a level consistent with the procedure to avoid complications.

  10. Advances in Biological Science.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oppenheimer, Steven B.; And Others

    1988-01-01

    Reviews major developments in areas that are at the cutting edge of biological research. Areas include: human anti-cancer gene, recombinant DNA techniques for the detection of Huntington disease carriers, and marine biology. (CW)

  11. Development of prognostic model for predicting survival after retrograde placement of ureteral stent in advanced gastrointestinal cancer patients and its evaluation by decision curve analysis.

    PubMed

    Kawano, Shingo; Komai, Yoshinobu; Ishioka, Junichiro; Sakai, Yasuyuki; Fuse, Nozomu; Ito, Masaaki; Kihara, Kazunori; Saito, Norio

    2016-10-01

    The aim of this study was to determine risk factors for survival after retrograde placement of ureteral stents and develop a prognostic model for advanced gastrointestinal tract (GIT: esophagus, stomach, colon and rectum) cancer patients. We examined the clinical records of 122 patients who underwent retrograde placement of a ureteral stent against malignant extrinsic ureteral obstruction. A prediction model for survival after stenting was developed. We compared its clinical usefulness with our previous model based on the results from nephrostomy cases by decision curve analysis. Median follow-up period was 201 days (8-1490) and 97 deaths occurred. The 1-year survival rate in this cohort was 29%. Based on multivariate analysis, primary site of colon origin, absence of retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis and serum albumin >3g/dL were significantly associated with a prolonged survival time. To develop a prognostic model, we divided the patients into 3 risk groups of favorable: 0-1 factors (N.=53), intermediate: 2 risk factors (N.=54), and poor: 3 risk factors (N.=15). There were significant differences in the survival profiles of these 3 risk groups (P<0.0001). Decision curve analyses revealed that the current model has a superior net benefit than our previous model for most of the examined probabilities. We have developed a novel prognostic model for GIT cancer patients who were treated with retrograde placement of a ureteral stent. The current model should help urologists and medical oncologists to predict survival in cases of malignant extrinsic ureteral obstruction.

  12. Advanced nanoelectronic architectures for THz-based biological agent detection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Woolard, Dwight L.; Jensen, James O.

    2009-02-01

    The U.S. Army Research Office (ARO) and the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) jointly lead and support novel research programs that are advancing the state-of-the-art in nanoelectronic engineering in application areas that have relevance to national defense and security. One fundamental research area that is presently being emphasized by ARO and ECBC is the exploratory investigation of new bio-molecular architectural concepts that can be used to achieve rapid, reagent-less detection and discrimination of biological warfare (BW) agents, through the control of multi-photon and multi-wavelength processes at the nanoscale. This paper will overview an ARO/ECBC led multidisciplinary research program presently under the support of the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) that seeks to develop new devices and nanoelectronic architectures that are effective for extracting THz signatures from target bio-molecules. Here, emphasis will be placed on the new nanosensor concepts and THz/Optical measurement methodologies for spectral-based sequencing/identification of genetic molecules.

  13. Selected Studies on Math Placement.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Akst, Geoffrey; Hirsch, Lewis

    1991-01-01

    Drawing from a review of the literature and direct experience, this paper discusses key issues in developmental mathematics placement. First, the controversial practice of mandatory placement is examined, citing research results that support the practice and those that do not. Next, the diversity of developmental math placement standards is…

  14. The price of placements in residential and nursing home care: the effects of contracts and competition.

    PubMed

    Forder, J; Netten, A

    2000-10-01

    A variety of contract types are used in the placement of elderly people in residential and nursing care homes in the UK. Contracts vary according to how and when providers are paid. Among other things, prices can be made contingent on the total quantity of service to be purchased and on production cost characteristics. They can be determined at the time of placement or in advance. The primary objective of this paper is to assess the impact of contract choices on the price of placements. Regression analysis was conducted on a final sample of 1780 publicly funded placements made in 18 local authorities in the UK over a 6-month period ending in early 1996. Controlling factors included in the price analysis were production cost indicators and those measuring market competitiveness. Choices of both quantity and cost contingent contracts were found to be significantly associated with placement prices. The findings support the hypothesis that contract payment arrangements have different risk, insurance and information properties, and so have implications for the performance of residential care providers.

  15. An advanced web query interface for biological databases

    PubMed Central

    Latendresse, Mario; Karp, Peter D.

    2010-01-01

    Although most web-based biological databases (DBs) offer some type of web-based form to allow users to author DB queries, these query forms are quite restricted in the complexity of DB queries that they can formulate. They can typically query only one DB, and can query only a single type of object at a time (e.g. genes) with no possible interaction between the objects—that is, in SQL parlance, no joins are allowed between DB objects. Writing precise queries against biological DBs is usually left to a programmer skillful enough in complex DB query languages like SQL. We present a web interface for building precise queries for biological DBs that can construct much more precise queries than most web-based query forms, yet that is user friendly enough to be used by biologists. It supports queries containing multiple conditions, and connecting multiple object types without using the join concept, which is unintuitive to biologists. This interactive web interface is called the Structured Advanced Query Page (SAQP). Users interactively build up a wide range of query constructs. Interactive documentation within the SAQP describes the schema of the queried DBs. The SAQP is based on BioVelo, a query language based on list comprehension. The SAQP is part of the Pathway Tools software and is available as part of several bioinformatics web sites powered by Pathway Tools, including the BioCyc.org site that contains more than 500 Pathway/Genome DBs. PMID:20624715

  16. Students' perceptions of the non-academic advantages and disadvantages of participation in Advanced Placement courses and International Baccalaureate programs.

    PubMed

    Foust, Regan Clark; Hertberg-Davis, Holly; Callahan, Carolyn M

    2009-01-01

    In-depth interviews of students with qualitative analysis of the responses were used to explore perceptions of the non-academic advantages and disadvantages of Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) program participation, and differences between the AP and IB programs in those perceptions. Results revealed that benefits of participation, including pride in completing more challenging work, similarity and special bonds among participants, better treatment (more respect and responsibility) from teachers, better overall class atmosphere, and preference for AP and IB courses were consistent across schools and between programs. Also consistent were the disadvantages students reported, with marked differences in the intensity of disadvantages between the AP and IB programs. Specifically, as the amount of time students spent in homogeneously grouped settings increased, so did the workload, the intensity of the perceived social/emotional disadvantages of the workload, the perceived range of negative feelings between participants and non-participants, and the perceived negativity of participant strereotypes.

  17. Acute toxicity and chemical evaluation of coking wastewater under biological and advanced physicochemical treatment processes.

    PubMed

    Dehua, Ma; Cong, Liu; Xiaobiao, Zhu; Rui, Liu; Lujun, Chen

    2016-09-01

    This study investigated the changes of toxic compounds in coking wastewater with biological treatment (anaerobic reactor, anoxic reactor and aerobic-membrane bioreactor, A1/A2/O-MBR) and advanced physicochemical treatment (Fenton oxidation and activated carbon adsorption) stages. As the biological treatment stages preceding, the inhibition effect of coking wastewater on the luminescence of Vibrio qinghaiensis sp. Nov. Q67 decreased. Toxic units (TU) of coking wastewater were removed by A1/A2/O-MBR treatment process, however approximately 30 % TU remained in the biologically treated effluent. There is a tendency that fewer and fewer residual organic compounds could exert equal acute toxicity during the biological treatment stages. Activated carbon adsorption further removed toxic pollutants of biologically treated effluent but the Fenton effluent increased acute toxicity. The composition of coking wastewater during the treatment was evaluated using the three-dimensional fluorescence spectra, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The organic compounds with high polarity were the main cause of acute toxicity in the coking wastewater. Aromatic protein-like matters in the coking wastewater with low biodegradability and high toxicity contributed mostly to the remaining acute toxicity of the biologically treated effluents. Chlorine generated from the oxidation process was responsible for the acute toxicity increase after Fenton oxidation. Therefore, the incorporation of appropriate advanced physicochemical treatment process, e.g., activated carbon adsorption, should be implemented following biological treatment processes to meet the stricter discharge standards and be safer to the environment.

  18. Guided bone regeneration using nonexpanded polytetrafluoroethylene membranes in preparation for dental implant placements--a report of 420 cases.

    PubMed

    Barboza, Eliane Porto; Stutz, Bianca; Ferreira, Vinícius Farias; Carvalho, Waldimir

    2010-02-01

    The biologic principle of guided bone regeneration has been successfully used to prevent bone loss in extraction sites. This study comprises 420 cases of alveolar ridge maintenance in preparation for dental implant placements. Nonexpanded polytetrafluoroethylene membranes were positioned over all extraction sites and left intentionally exposed. Lyophilized mineralized bone allografts were used to prevent membrane collapse when buccal bone walls were lost. Membranes were removed at week 4. At the time of implant placements, all sites presented soft tissue compatibility with keratinized gingiva. The mucogingival junction position seemed to be preserved. Exposed nonexpanded polytetrafluoroethylene membranes associated, or not, with bone graft provide tissue formation suitable for implant placement.

  19. Why good placements matter: Pre-placement and placement risk factors associated with mental health disorders in pre-school children in foster care.

    PubMed

    Hillen, Thomas; Gafson, Leonie

    2015-07-01

    Pre-school children placed in local authority care show elevated rates of mental health disorders when compared to the general population. This study investigated risk factors for mental health disorders relating to the period prior to entering care and while in care. A representative sample of 43 children in care aged 0-72 months in an inner London borough underwent comprehensive multidimensional assessments. Presence of emotional, behavioural, attachment and adaptive disorders was ascertained. Exposure to two pre-placement risk factors and six placement risk factors was compared between children with and without a disorder. A total of 26 children (60.5%) had at least one mental health disorder. The two pre-placement risk factors, multiple types of maltreatment and entry into care after the age of 6 months, were both significantly associated with mental health disorders. The three placement risk factors of sudden placement moves, multiple placement moves and child-carer alienation showed a significant association with mental health disorders. There was a strong correlation between the number of risk factors and the number of co-morbid mental health disorders per child (r = .67, p < .001). In conclusion, this study identified five modifiable risk factors related to the quality of safeguarding and fostering services which showed a significant association with pre-school mental health. © The Author(s) 2014.

  20. Choroid plexus papillomas: advances in molecular biology and understanding of tumorigenesis.

    PubMed

    Safaee, Michael; Oh, Michael C; Bloch, Orin; Sun, Matthew Z; Kaur, Gurvinder; Auguste, Kurtis I; Tihan, Tarik; Parsa, Andrew T

    2013-03-01

    Choroid plexus papillomas are rare, benign tumors originating from the choroid plexus. Although generally found within the ventricular system, they can arise ectopically in the brain parenchyma or disseminate throughout the neuraxis. We sought to review recent advances in our understanding of the molecular biology and oncogenic pathways associated with this disease. A comprehensive PubMed literature review was conducted to identify manuscripts discussing the clinical, molecular, and genetic features of choroid plexus papillomas. Articles concerning diagnosis, treatment, and long-term patient outcomes were also reviewed. The introduction of atypical choroid plexus papilloma as a distinct entity has increased the need for accurate histopathologic diagnosis. Advances in immunohistochemical staining have improved our ability to differentiate choroid plexus papillomas from other intracranial tumors or metastatic lesions using combinations of key markers and mitotic indices. Recent findings have implicated Notch3 signaling, the transcription factor TWIST1, platelet-derived growth factor receptor, and the tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand pathway in choroid plexus papilloma tumorigenesis. A combination of commonly occurring chromosomal duplications and deletions has also been identified. Surgical resection remains the standard of care, although chemotherapy and radiotherapy may be considered for recurrent or metastatic lesions. While generally considered benign, these tumors possess a complex biology that sheds insight into other choroid plexus tumors, particularly malignant choroid plexus carcinomas. Improving our understanding of the molecular biology, genetics, and oncogenic pathways associated with this tumor will allow for the development of targeted therapies and improved outcomes for patients with this disease.

  1. A Format for Phylogenetic Placements

    PubMed Central

    Matsen, Frederick A.; Hoffman, Noah G.; Gallagher, Aaron; Stamatakis, Alexandros

    2012-01-01

    We have developed a unified format for phylogenetic placements, that is, mappings of environmental sequence data (e.g., short reads) into a phylogenetic tree. We are motivated to do so by the growing number of tools for computing and post-processing phylogenetic placements, and the lack of an established standard for storing them. The format is lightweight, versatile, extensible, and is based on the JSON format, which can be parsed by most modern programming languages. Our format is already implemented in several tools for computing and post-processing parsimony- and likelihood-based phylogenetic placements and has worked well in practice. We believe that establishing a standard format for analyzing read placements at this early stage will lead to a more efficient development of powerful and portable post-analysis tools for the growing applications of phylogenetic placement. PMID:22383988

  2. A format for phylogenetic placements.

    PubMed

    Matsen, Frederick A; Hoffman, Noah G; Gallagher, Aaron; Stamatakis, Alexandros

    2012-01-01

    We have developed a unified format for phylogenetic placements, that is, mappings of environmental sequence data (e.g., short reads) into a phylogenetic tree. We are motivated to do so by the growing number of tools for computing and post-processing phylogenetic placements, and the lack of an established standard for storing them. The format is lightweight, versatile, extensible, and is based on the JSON format, which can be parsed by most modern programming languages. Our format is already implemented in several tools for computing and post-processing parsimony- and likelihood-based phylogenetic placements and has worked well in practice. We believe that establishing a standard format for analyzing read placements at this early stage will lead to a more efficient development of powerful and portable post-analysis tools for the growing applications of phylogenetic placement.

  3. Electrochemical sensor and biosensor platforms based on advanced nanomaterials for biological and biomedical applications.

    PubMed

    Maduraiveeran, Govindhan; Sasidharan, Manickam; Ganesan, Vellaichamy

    2018-04-30

    Introduction of novel functional nanomaterials and analytical technologies signify a foremost possibility for the advance of electrochemical sensor and biosensor platforms/devices for a broad series of applications including biological, biomedical, biotechnological, clinical and medical diagnostics, environmental and health monitoring, and food industries. The design of sensitive and selective electrochemical biological sensor platforms are accomplished conceivably by offering new surface modifications, microfabrication techniques, and diverse nanomaterials with unique properties for in vivo and in vitro medical analysis via relating a sensibly planned electrode/solution interface. The advantageous attributes such as low-cost, miniaturization, energy efficient, easy fabrication, online monitoring, and the simultaneous sensing capability are the driving force towards continued growth of electrochemical biosensing platforms, which have fascinated the interdisciplinary research arenas spanning chemistry, material science, biological science, and medical industries. The electrochemical biosensor platforms have potential applications in the early-stage detection and diagnosis of disease as stout and tunable diagnostic and therapeutic systems. The key aim of this review is to emphasize the newest development in the design of sensing and biosensing platforms based on functional nanomaterials for biological and biomedical applications. High sensitivity and selectivity, fast response, and excellent durability in biological media are all critical aspects which will also be wisely addressed. Potential applications of electrochemical sensor and biosensor platforms based on advanced functional nanomaterials for neuroscience diagnostics, clinical, point-of-care diagnostics and medical industries are also concisely presented. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Systems Biology-Driven Hypotheses Tested In Vivo: The Need to Advancing Molecular Imaging Tools.

    PubMed

    Verma, Garima; Palombo, Alessandro; Grigioni, Mauro; La Monaca, Morena; D'Avenio, Giuseppe

    2018-01-01

    Processing and interpretation of biological images may provide invaluable insights on complex, living systems because images capture the overall dynamics as a "whole." Therefore, "extraction" of key, quantitative morphological parameters could be, at least in principle, helpful in building a reliable systems biology approach in understanding living objects. Molecular imaging tools for system biology models have attained widespread usage in modern experimental laboratories. Here, we provide an overview on advances in the computational technology and different instrumentations focused on molecular image processing and analysis. Quantitative data analysis through various open source software and algorithmic protocols will provide a novel approach for modeling the experimental research program. Besides this, we also highlight the predictable future trends regarding methods for automatically analyzing biological data. Such tools will be very useful to understand the detailed biological and mathematical expressions under in-silico system biology processes with modeling properties.

  5. Phenol wastewater remediation: advanced oxidation processes coupled to a biological treatment.

    PubMed

    Rubalcaba, A; Suárez-Ojeda, M E; Stüber, F; Fortuny, A; Bengoa, C; Metcalfe, I; Font, J; Carrera, J; Fabregat, A

    2007-01-01

    Nowadays, there are increasingly stringent regulations requiring more and more treatment of industrial effluents to generate product waters which could be easily reused or disposed of to the environment without any harmful effects. Therefore, different advanced oxidation processes were investigated as suitable precursors for the biological treatment of industrial effluents containing phenol. Wet air oxidation and Fenton process were tested batch wise, while catalytic wet air oxidation and H2O2-promoted catalytic wet air oxidation processes were studied in a trickle bed reactor, the last two using over activated carbon as catalyst. Effluent characterisation was made by means of substrate conversion (using high liquid performance chromatography), chemical oxygen demand and total organic carbon. Biodegradation parameters (i.e. maximum oxygen uptake rate and oxygen consumption) were obtained from respirometric tests using activated sludge from an urban biological wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The main goal was to find the proper conditions in terms of biodegradability enhancement, so that these phenolic effluents could be successfully treated in an urban biological WWTP. Results show promising research ways for the development of efficient coupled processes for the treatment of wastewater containing toxic or biologically non-degradable compounds.

  6. Advanced placement math and science courses: Influential factors and predictors for success in college STEM majors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hoepner, Cynthia Colon

    President Obama has recently raised awareness on the need for our nation to grow a larger pool of students with knowledge in science mathematics, engineering, and technology (STEM). Currently, while the number of women pursuing college degrees continues to rise, there remains an under-representation of women in STEM majors across the country. Although research studies offer several contributing factors that point to a higher attrition rate of women in STEM than their male counterparts, no study has investigated the role that high school advanced placement (AP) math and science courses play in preparing students for the challenges of college STEM courses. The purpose of this study was to discover which AP math and science courses and/or influential factors could encourage more students, particularly females, to consider pursuing STEM fields in college. Further, this study examined which, if any, AP math or science courses positively contribute to a student's overall preparation for college STEM courses. This retrospective study combined quantitative and qualitative research methods. The survey sample consisted of 881 UCLA female and male students pursuing STEM majors. Qualitative data was gathered from four single-gender student focus groups, two female groups (15 females) and two male groups (16 males). This study examined which AP math and science courses students took in high school, who or what influenced them to take those courses, and which particular courses influenced student's choice of STEM major and/or best prepared her/him for the challenges of STEM courses. Findings reveal that while AP math and science course-taking patterns are similar of female and male STEM students, a significant gender-gap remains in five of the eleven AP courses. Students report four main influences on their choice of AP courses; self, desire for math/science major, higher grade point average or class rank, and college admissions. Further, three AP math and science courses were

  7. Biological processes for advancing lignocellulosic waste biorefinery by advocating circular economy.

    PubMed

    Liguori, Rossana; Faraco, Vincenza

    2016-09-01

    The actualization of a circular economy through the use of lignocellulosic wastes as renewable resources can lead to reduce the dependence from fossil-based resources and contribute to a sustainable waste management. The integrated biorefineries, exploiting the overall lignocellulosic waste components to generate fuels, chemicals and energy, are the pillar of the circular economy. The biological treatment is receiving great attention for the biorefinery development since it is considered an eco-friendly alternative to the physico-chemical strategies to increase the biobased product recovery from wastes and improve saccharification and fermentation yields. This paper reviews the last advances in the biological treatments aimed at upgrading lignocellulosic wastes, implementing the biorefinery concept and advocating circular economy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. ESL Placement and Schools

    PubMed Central

    Callahan, Rebecca; Wilkinson, Lindsey; Muller, Chandra; Frisco, Michelle

    2010-01-01

    In this study, the authors explore English as a Second Language (ESL) placement as a measure of how schools label and process immigrant students. Using propensity score matching and data from the Adolescent Health and Academic Achievement Study and the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, the authors estimate the effect of ESL placement on immigrant achievement. In schools with more immigrant students, the authors find that ESL placement results in higher levels of academic performance; in schools with few immigrant students, the effect reverses. This is not to suggest a one-size-fits-all policy; many immigrant students, regardless of school composition, generational status, or ESL placement, struggle to achieve at levels sufficient for acceptance to a 4-year university. This study offers several factors to be taken into consideration as schools develop policies and practices to provide immigrant students opportunities to learn. PMID:20617111

  9. Using the Principles of SoTL to Redesign an Advanced Evolutionary Biology Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    deBraga, Michael; Boyd, Cleo; Abdulnour, Shahad

    2015-01-01

    A primary goal of university instruction is the students' demonstration of improved, highly developed critical thinking (CT) skills. However, how do faculty encourage CT and its potential concomitant increase in student workload without negatively impacting student perceptions of the course? In this investigation, an advanced biology course is…

  10. Preoperative short hookwire placement for small pulmonary lesions: evaluation of technical success and risk factors for initial placement failure.

    PubMed

    Iguchi, Toshihiro; Hiraki, Takao; Matsui, Yusuke; Fujiwara, Hiroyasu; Masaoka, Yoshihisa; Tanaka, Takashi; Sato, Takuya; Gobara, Hideo; Toyooka, Shinichi; Kanazawa, Susumu

    2018-05-01

    To retrospectively evaluate the technical success of computed tomography fluoroscopy-guided short hookwire placement before video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery and to identify the risk factors for initial placement failure. In total, 401 short hookwire placements for 401 lesions (mean diameter 9.3 mm) were reviewed. Technical success was defined as correct positioning of the hookwire. Possible risk factors for initial placement failure (i.e., requirement for placement of an additional hookwire or to abort the attempt) were evaluated using logistic regression analysis for all procedures, and for procedures performed via the conventional route separately. Of the 401 initial placements, 383 were successful and 18 failed. Short hookwires were finally placed for 399 of 401 lesions (99.5%). Univariate logistic regression analyses revealed that in all 401 procedures only the transfissural approach was a significant independent predictor of initial placement failure (odds ratio, OR, 15.326; 95% confidence interval, CI, 5.429-43.267; p < 0.001) and for the 374 procedures performed via the conventional route only lesion size was a significant independent predictor of failure (OR 0.793, 95% CI 0.631-0.996; p = 0.046). The technical success of preoperative short hookwire placement was extremely high. The transfissural approach was a predictor initial placement failure for all procedures and small lesion size was a predictor of initial placement failure for procedures performed via the conventional route. • Technical success of preoperative short hookwire placement was extremely high. • The transfissural approach was a significant independent predictor of initial placement failure for all procedures. • Small lesion size was a significant independent predictor of initial placement failure for procedures performed via the conventional route.

  11. Effects of ankle-foot orthoses on mediolateral foot-placement ability during post-stroke gait.

    PubMed

    Zissimopoulos, Angelika; Fatone, Stefania; Gard, Steven

    2015-10-01

    Accurate and precise mediolateral foot placement is important for balance during gait, but is impaired post stroke. Mediolateral foot placement may be improved with ankle-foot orthosis use. The purpose of this study was to determine whether an ankle-foot orthosis improves mediolateral foot-placement ability during post-stroke ambulation. Crossover trial with randomized order of conditions tested. The accuracy and precision of mediolateral foot placement was quantified while subjects targeted four different randomized step widths. Subjects were tested with and without their regular non-rigid ankle-foot orthosis in two separate visits (order randomized). While ankle-foot orthosis use corrected foot and ankle alignment (i.e. significantly decreased mid-swing plantar flexion, p = 0.000), effects of ankle-foot orthosis use on hip hiking (p = 0.545), circumduction (p = 0.179), coronal plane hip range of motion (p = 0.06), and mediolateral foot-placement ability (p = 0.537) were not significant. While ankle-foot orthosis-mediated equinovarus correction of the affected foot and ankle was not associated with improved biomechanics of walking (i.e. proximal ipsilateral hip kinematics or mediolateral foot-placement ability), it may affect other aspects of balance that were not tested in this study (e.g. proprioception, cerebellar, vestibular, and cognitive mechanisms). Studies that investigate the effect of ankle-foot orthosis on gait can help advance stroke rehabilitation by documenting the specific gait benefits of ankle-foot orthosis use. In this study, we investigated the effect of ankle-foot orthosis use on mediolateral foot-placement ability, an aspect of gait important for maintaining balance. © The International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics 2014.

  12. Technological advancements for the detection of and protection against biological and chemical warfare agents.

    PubMed

    Eubanks, Lisa M; Dickerson, Tobin J; Janda, Kim D

    2007-03-01

    There is a growing need for technological advancements to combat agents of chemical and biological warfare, particularly in the context of the deliberate use of a chemical and/or biological warfare agent by a terrorist organization. In this tutorial review, we describe methods that have been developed both for the specific detection of biological and chemical warfare agents in a field setting, as well as potential therapeutic approaches for treating exposure to these toxic species. In particular, nerve agents are described as a typical chemical warfare agent, and the two potent biothreat agents, anthrax and botulinum neurotoxin, are used as illustrative examples of potent weapons for which countermeasures are urgently needed.

  13. Big data mining powers fungal research: recent advances in fission yeast systems biology approaches.

    PubMed

    Wang, Zhe

    2017-06-01

    Biology research has entered into big data era. Systems biology approaches therefore become the powerful tools to obtain the whole landscape of how cell separate, grow, and resist the stresses. Fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe is wonderful unicellular eukaryote model, especially studying its division and metabolism can facilitate to understanding the molecular mechanism of cancer and discovering anticancer agents. In this perspective, we discuss the recent advanced fission yeast systems biology tools, mainly focus on metabolomics profiling and metabolic modeling, protein-protein interactome and genetic interaction network, DNA sequencing and applications, and high-throughput phenotypic screening. We therefore hope this review can be useful for interested fungal researchers as well as bioformaticians.

  14. PARTNERING WITH DOE TO APPLY ADVANCED BIOLOGICAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE TO ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

    EPA Science Inventory

    On February 18, 2004, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy signed a Memorandum of Understanding to expand the research collaboration of both agencies to advance biological, environmental, and computational sciences for protecting human health and the ...

  15. 5 CFR 9901.516 - Internal placement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 5 Administrative Personnel 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Internal placement. 9901.516 Section 9901... PERSONNEL SYSTEM (NSPS) Staffing and Employment External Recruitment and Internal Placement § 9901.516 Internal placement. (a) Determining levels of work and movement within and across career groups. The...

  16. Treatment of winery wastewater by physicochemical, biological and advanced processes: a review.

    PubMed

    Ioannou, L A; Li Puma, G; Fatta-Kassinos, D

    2015-04-09

    Winery wastewater is a major waste stream resulting from numerous cleaning operations that occur during the production stages of wine. The resulting effluent contains various organic and inorganic contaminants and its environmental impact is notable, mainly due to its high organic/inorganic load, the large volumes produced and its seasonal variability. Several processes for the treatment of winery wastewater are currently available, but the development of alternative treatment methods is necessary in order to (i) maximize the efficiency and flexibility of the treatment process to meet the discharge requirements for winery effluents, and (ii) decrease both the environmental footprint, as well as the investment/operational costs of the process. This review, presents the state-of-the-art of the processes currently applied and/or tested for the treatment of winery wastewater, which were divided into five categories: i.e., physicochemical, biological, membrane filtration and separation, advanced oxidation processes, and combined biological and advanced oxidation processes. The advantages and disadvantages, as well as the main parameters/factors affecting the efficiency of winery wastewater treatment are discussed. Both bench- and pilot/industrial-scale processes have been considered for this review. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. VR Placement Policy and Field Office Production. Studies in Placement Monograph No. 5.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pretz, David S.; And Others

    A study examined the relationship between vocational education rehabilitation agency placement policy and field office productivity. A total of 112 counselors and 25 supervisors from twenty-two Division of Vocational Rehabilitation field offices from seven states were given questionnaires covering different facets of placement policy including…

  18. Improvement of quality of life and survival using self-expandable metal stent placement for severe malignant stenosis of the gastric body: a case report.

    PubMed

    Kumagai, Hozumi; Nio, Kenta; Shirakawa, Tsuyoshi; Uchino, Keita; Kusaba, Hitoshi; Isobe, Taichi; Komoda, Masato; Tamura, Shingo; Maeyama, Ryo; Nagai, Eishi; Akashi, Koichi; Baba, Eishi

    2012-09-19

    Advanced gastric carcinoma often decreases quality of life because of upper gastrointestinal tract stenosis. Self-expandable metal stents have been thought to be an effective, minimally invasive treatment for stenosis. However, the effectiveness of self-expandable metal stent placement for carcinomatous stenosis of the gastric body and antrum has not been clarified, and there have been few reports of such cases. A 74-year-old Japanese woman developed stenosis of the gastric body and antrum caused by advanced gastric cancer during first-line chemotherapy. She developed weight loss and poor nutrition due to inadequate intake. Self-expandable metal stent placement for stenosis of the gastric body and antrum ameliorated her symptoms rapidly and improved her general condition and quality of life. Eight days after self-expandable metal stent placement, second-line chemotherapy could be administered safely. Oral intake and nutritional status were maintained for 117 days after self-expandable metal stent placement, and she died of gastric cancer 176 days after self-expandable metal stent placement and initiation of second-line chemotherapy. Self-expandable metal stent placement for carcinomatous stenosis in the gastric body and antrum could be an effective therapeutic strategy for patients with inadequate oral uptake. It may provide rapid improvement of the patient's general condition and oral intake with minimal complications, comparatively long-term symptom relief, and a survival benefit by allowing second-line chemotherapy.

  19. Advanced glycation end-products: a biological consequence of lifestyle contributing to cancer disparity

    PubMed Central

    Turner, David P.

    2015-01-01

    Low income, poor diet, obesity and a lack of exercise are inter-related lifestyle factors that can profoundly alter our biological make-up to increase cancer risk, growth and development. We recently reported a potential mechanistic link between carbohydrate derived metabolites and cancer which may provide a biological consequence of lifestyle that can directly impact tumor biology. Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) are reactive metabolites produced as a by-product of sugar metabolism. Failure to remove these highly reactive metabolites can lead to protein damage, aberrant cell signaling, increased stress responses, and decreased genetic fidelity. Critically, AGE accumulation is also directly affected by our lifestyle choices and shows a race specific, tumor dependent pattern of accumulation in cancer patients. This review will discuss the contribution of AGEs to the cancer phenotype with a particular emphasis on their biological links with the socioeconomic and environmental risk factors that drive cancer disparity. Given the potential benefits of lifestyle changes and the potential biological role of AGEs in promoting cancer, opportunities exist for collaborations impacting basic, translational, epidemiological and cancer prevention initiatives. PMID:25920350

  20. Examining School Counselor Influence on the Placement of Ninth-Grade Students into Mathematics Courses: An Analysis of the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bradley-Lambright, Portia Elizabeth

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this quantitative study was to understand the placement of ninth-grade students within advanced mathematics courses. High school counselors are often criticized for being an ineffective resource in the placement of students of color and low-income students into such classes; even though their professional mandates state that they…

  1. Advances in the analysis of biological samples using ionic liquids.

    PubMed

    Clark, Kevin D; Trujillo-Rodríguez, María J; Anderson, Jared L

    2018-02-12

    Ionic liquids are a class of solvents and materials that hold great promise in bioanalytical chemistry. Task-specific ionic liquids have recently been designed for the selective extraction, separation, and detection of proteins, peptides, nucleic acids, and other physiologically relevant analytes from complex biological samples. To facilitate rapid bioanalysis, ionic liquids have been integrated in miniaturized and automated procedures. Bioanalytical separations have also benefited from the modification of nonspecific magnetic materials with ionic liquids or the implementation of ionic liquids with inherent magnetic properties. Furthermore, the direct detection of the extracted molecules in the analytical instrument has been demonstrated with structurally tuned ionic liquids and magnetic ionic liquids, providing a significant advantage in the analysis of low-abundance analytes. This article gives an overview of these advances that involve the application of ionic liquids and derivatives in bioanalysis. Graphical abstract Ionic liquids, magnetic ionic liquids, and ionic liquid-based sorbents are increasing the speed, selectivity, and sensitivity in the analysis of biological samples.

  2. Study of nanoscale structural biology using advanced particle beam microscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Boseman, Adam J.

    This work investigates developmental and structural biology at the nanoscale using current advancements in particle beam microscopy. Typically the examination of micro- and nanoscale features is performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), but in order to decrease surface charging, and increase resolution, an obscuring conductive layer is applied to the sample surface. As magnification increases, this layer begins to limit the ability to identify nanoscale surface structures. A new technology, Helium Ion Microscopy (HIM), is used to examine uncoated surface structures on the cuticle of wild type and mutant fruit flies. Corneal nanostructures observed with HIM are further investigated by FIB/SEM to provide detailed three dimensional information about internal events occurring during early structural development. These techniques are also used to reconstruct a mosquito germarium in order to characterize unknown events in early oogenesis. Findings from these studies, and many more like them, will soon unravel many of the mysteries surrounding the world of developmental biology.

  3. Determinants of High Schools' Advanced Course Offerings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Iatarola, Patrice; Conger, Dylan; Long, Mark C.

    2011-01-01

    This article examines the factors that determine a high school's probability of offering Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses. The likelihood that a school offers advanced courses, and the number of sections that it offers, is largely driven by having a critical mass of students who enter high school with…

  4. Humanitarian engineering placements in our own communities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    VanderSteen, J. D. J.; Hall, K. R.; Baillie, C. A.

    2010-05-01

    There is an increasing interest in the humanitarian engineering curriculum, and a service-learning placement could be an important component of such a curriculum. International placements offer some important pedagogical advantages, but also have some practical and ethical limitations. Local community-based placements have the potential to be transformative for both the student and the community, although this potential is not always seen. In order to investigate the role of local placements, qualitative research interviews were conducted. Thirty-two semi-structured research interviews were conducted and analysed, resulting in a distinct outcome space. It is concluded that local humanitarian engineering placements greatly complement international placements and are strongly recommended if international placements are conducted. More importantly it is seen that we are better suited to address the marginalised in our own community, although it is often easier to see the needs of an outside populace.

  5. Placement and Follow-up.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shippen, Samuel Joseph, Ed.; Wasil, Raymond A., Ed.

    This document contains a compilation of original manuscripts written by competent authorities in the field of job placement services for students. Viewing placement as both a product and an integral part of a developmental process, these papers are divided into the following six topical areas: (1) information, (2) exploration, (3) counseling, (4)…

  6. 28 CFR 551.24 - Child placement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Child placement. 551.24 Section 551.24... Birth Control, Pregnancy, Child Placement, and Abortion § 551.24 Child placement. (a) The Warden may not permit the inmate's new born child to return to the institution except in accordance with the Bureau of...

  7. 28 CFR 551.24 - Child placement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Child placement. 551.24 Section 551.24... Birth Control, Pregnancy, Child Placement, and Abortion § 551.24 Child placement. (a) The Warden may not permit the inmate's new born child to return to the institution except in accordance with the Bureau of...

  8. 28 CFR 551.24 - Child placement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Child placement. 551.24 Section 551.24... Birth Control, Pregnancy, Child Placement, and Abortion § 551.24 Child placement. (a) The Warden may not permit the inmate's new born child to return to the institution except in accordance with the Bureau of...

  9. 28 CFR 551.24 - Child placement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Child placement. 551.24 Section 551.24... Birth Control, Pregnancy, Child Placement, and Abortion § 551.24 Child placement. (a) The Warden may not permit the inmate's new born child to return to the institution except in accordance with the Bureau of...

  10. 28 CFR 551.24 - Child placement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Child placement. 551.24 Section 551.24... Birth Control, Pregnancy, Child Placement, and Abortion § 551.24 Child placement. (a) The Warden may not permit the inmate's new born child to return to the institution except in accordance with the Bureau of...

  11. Metabolic engineering of Bacillus subtilis fueled by systems biology: Recent advances and future directions.

    PubMed

    Liu, Yanfeng; Li, Jianghua; Du, Guocheng; Chen, Jian; Liu, Long

    By combining advanced omics technology and computational modeling, systems biologists have identified and inferred thousands of regulatory events and system-wide interactions of the bacterium Bacillus subtilis, which is commonly used both in the laboratory and in industry. This dissection of the multiple layers of regulatory networks and their interactions has provided invaluable information for unraveling regulatory mechanisms and guiding metabolic engineering. In this review, we discuss recent advances in the systems biology and metabolic engineering of B. subtilis and highlight current gaps in our understanding of global metabolism and global pathway engineering in this organism. We also propose future perspectives in the systems biology of B. subtilis and suggest ways that this approach can be used to guide metabolic engineering. Specifically, although hundreds of regulatory events have been identified or inferred via systems biology approaches, systematic investigation of the functionality of these events in vivo has lagged, thereby preventing the elucidation of regulatory mechanisms and further rational pathway engineering. In metabolic engineering, ignoring the engineering of multilayer regulation hinders metabolic flux redistribution. Post-translational engineering, allosteric engineering, and dynamic pathway analyses and control will also contribute to the modulation and control of the metabolism of engineered B. subtilis, ultimately producing the desired cellular traits. We hope this review will aid metabolic engineers in making full use of available systems biology datasets and approaches for the design and perfection of microbial cell factories through global metabolism optimization. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Genetic Algorithm Approaches for Actuator Placement

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Crossley, William A.

    2000-01-01

    This research investigated genetic algorithm approaches for smart actuator placement to provide aircraft maneuverability without requiring hinged flaps or other control surfaces. The effort supported goals of the Multidisciplinary Design Optimization focus efforts in NASA's Aircraft au program. This work helped to properly identify various aspects of the genetic algorithm operators and parameters that allow for placement of discrete control actuators/effectors. An improved problem definition, including better definition of the objective function and constraints, resulted from this research effort. The work conducted for this research used a geometrically simple wing model; however, an increasing number of potential actuator placement locations were incorporated to illustrate the ability of the GA to determine promising actuator placement arrangements. This effort's major result is a useful genetic algorithm-based approach to assist in the discrete actuator/effector placement problem.

  13. Recent biologic and genetic advances in neuroblastoma: Implications for diagnostic, risk stratification, and treatment strategies.

    PubMed

    Newman, Erika A; Nuchtern, Jed G

    2016-10-01

    Neuroblastoma is an embryonic cancer of neural crest cell lineage, accounting for up to 10% of all pediatric cancer. The clinical course is heterogeneous ranging from spontaneous regression in neonates to life-threatening metastatic disease in older children. Much of this clinical variance is thought to result from distinct pathologic characteristics that predict patient outcomes. Consequently, many research efforts have been focused on identifying the underlying biologic and genetic features of neuroblastoma tumors in order to more clearly define prognostic subgroups for treatment stratification. Recent technological advances have placed emphasis on the integration of genetic alterations and predictive biologic variables into targeted treatment approaches to improve patient survival outcomes. This review will focus on these recent advances and the implications they have on the diagnostic, staging, and treatment approaches in modern neuroblastoma clinical management. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. SPOT-A SENSOR PLACEMENT OPTIMIZATION TOOL FOR ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    journal article This paper presents SPOT, a Sensor Placement Optimization Tool. SPOT provides a toolkit that facilitates research in sensor placement optimization and enables the practical application of sensor placement solvers to real-world CWS design applications. This paper provides an overview of SPOT’s key features, and then illustrates how this tool can be flexibly applied to solve a variety of different types of sensor placement problems.

  15. Advanced glycation end-products: a biological consequence of lifestyle contributing to cancer disparity.

    PubMed

    Turner, David P

    2015-05-15

    Low income, poor diet, obesity, and a lack of exercise are interrelated lifestyle factors that can profoundly alter our biologic make up to increase cancer risk, growth, and development. We recently reported a potential mechanistic link between carbohydrate-derived metabolites and cancer, which may provide a biologic consequence of lifestyle that can directly affect tumor biology. Advanced glycation end-products (AGE) are reactive metabolites produced as a by-product of sugar metabolism. Failure to remove these highly reactive metabolites can lead to protein damage, aberrant cell signaling, increased stress responses, and decreased genetic fidelity. Critically, AGE accumulation is also directly affected by our lifestyle choices and shows a race-specific, tumor-dependent pattern of accumulation in cancer patients. This review will discuss the contribution of AGEs to the cancer phenotype, with a particular emphasis on their biologic links with the socioeconomic and environmental risk factors that drive cancer disparity. Given the potential benefits of lifestyle changes and the potential biologic role of AGEs in promoting cancer, opportunities exist for collaborations affecting basic, translational, epidemiologic, and cancer prevention initiatives. ©2015 American Association for Cancer Research.

  16. To Fly or Not to Fly: Teaching Advanced Secondary School Students about Principles of Flight in Biological Systems

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pietsch, Renée B.; Bohland, Cynthia L.; Schmale, David G., III.

    2015-01-01

    Biological flight mechanics is typically taught in graduate level college classes rather than in secondary school classes. We developed an interdisciplinary unit for advanced upper-level secondary school students (ages 15-18) to teach the principles of flight and applications to biological systems. This unit capitalised on the tremendous…

  17. Advances in In-Situ Inspection of Automated Fiber Placement Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Juarez, Peter D.; Cramer, K. Elliott; Seebo, Jeffrey P.

    2016-01-01

    The advent of Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) systems have aided the rapid manufacturing of composite aerospace structures. One of the challenges that AFP systems present is the uniformity of the deposited prepreg tape layers, which are prone to laps, gaps, overlaps and twists. The current detection modus operandi involves halting fabrication and performing a time consuming visual inspection of each tape layer. Typical AFP systems use a quartz lamp to heat the base layer to make the surface tacky as it deposits another tape layer. The idea was proposed to use the preheated base layer as a through transmission heat source and to inspect the newly added tape layer using a thermographic camera. As a preliminary study of this concept a laboratory proof of concept device was designed and constructed to simulate the through transmission heat source. Using the proof of concept device, we inspected an AFP-built uncured composite specimen with artificial manufacturing defects. This paper will discuss the results of this preliminary study and the implications involved with deploying a full-scale AFP inspection system.

  18. Advanced Level Biology Teachers' Attitudes towards Assessment and Their Engagement in Assessment for Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bramwell-Lalor, Sharon; Rainford, Marcia

    2015-01-01

    This paper reports on a Mixed Methods study involving an investigation into the attitudes of advanced level biology teachers towards assessment and describes the teachers' experiences while being engaged in Assessment for Learning (AfL) practices such as sharing of learning objectives and peer- and self-assessment. Quantitative data were collected…

  19. Comparison of Point Placement by Veterinary Professionals with Different Levels of Acupuncture Training in a Canine Cadaver Model.

    PubMed

    Yang, Toni; Shmalberg, Justin; Hochman, Lindsay; Miscioscia, Erin; Brumby, Meghan; McKenna, Kelsey; Roth, Amber

    2017-10-01

    Veterinary acupuncture is becoming increasingly implemented for various disease processes, with growing numbers of veterinarians pursuing advanced training to meet the rising demand for this relatively new intervention. Accurate acupoint placement remains challenging, with individual practitioners relying on varying methods of point identification, often compounded by the transpositional nature of points for companion animals. The aim of this study was to assess for differences in acupuncture needle placement of select points between veterinary professionals with three different levels of acupuncture training in an academic teaching environment. Seven participants placed a total of six acupoints on a canine cadaver. Digital radiography was used to document each participant's point placement. Each participant's point location was then compared to a control "correct" point, and the distance between the two points was measured. A significant difference in placement accuracy was identified between the participants when grouped by training level (p = 0.03). These results indicate that veterinary patients receiving acupuncture treatment from veterinarians with different levels of training may subsequently experience varying effects, although further studies are warranted on more specific acupoint description as well as the clinical implications of needle placement accuracy. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  20. Atom Probe Tomographic Analysis of Biological Systems Enabled by Advanced Specimen Preparation Approaches

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Perea, D. E.; Evans, J. E.

    2017-12-01

    The ability to image biointerfaces over nanometer to micrometer length scales is fundamental to correlating biological composition and structure to physiological function, and is aided by a multimodal approach using advanced complementary microscopic and spectroscopic characterization techniques. Atom Probe Tomography (APT) is a rapidly expanding technique for atomic-scale three-dimensional structural and chemical analysis. However, the regular application of APT to soft biological materials is lacking in large part due to difficulties in specimen preparation and inabilities to yield meaningful tomographic reconstructions that produce atomic scale compositional distributions as no other technique currently can. Here we describe the atomic-scale tomographic analysis of biological materials using APT that is facilitated by an advanced focused ion beam based approach. A novel specimen preparation strategy is used in the analysis of horse spleen ferritin protein embedded in an organic polymer resin which provides chemical contrast to distinguish the inorganic-organic interface of the ferrihydrite mineral core and protein shell of the ferritin protein. One-dimensional composition profiles directly reveal an enhanced concentration of P and Na at the surface of the ferrihydrite mineral core. We will also describe the development of a unique multifunctional environmental transfer hub allowing controlled cryogenic transfer of specimens under vacuum pressure conditions between an Atom Probe and cryo-FIB/SEM. The utility of the environmental transfer hub is demonstrated through the acquisition of previously unavailable mass spectral analysis of an intact organometallic molecule made possible via controlled cryogenic transfer. The results demonstrate a viable application of APT analysis to study complex biological organic/inorganic interfaces relevant to energy and the environment. References D.E. Perea et al. An environmental transfer hub for multimodal atom probe tomography

  1. Standard Transistor Array (STAR). Volume 1: Placement technique

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cox, G. W.; Caroll, B. D.

    1979-01-01

    A large scale integration (LSI) technology, the standard transistor array uses a prefabricated understructure of transistors and a comprehensive library of digital logic cells to allow efficient fabrication of semicustom digital LSI circuits. The cell placement technique for this technology involves formation of a one dimensional cell layout and "folding" of the one dimensional placement onto the chip. It was found that, by use of various folding methods, high quality chip layouts can be achieved. Methods developed to measure of the "goodness" of the generated placements include efficient means for estimating channel usage requirements and for via counting. The placement and rating techniques were incorporated into a placement program (CAPSTAR). By means of repetitive use of the folding methods and simple placement improvement strategies, this program provides near optimum placements in a reasonable amount of time. The program was tested on several typical LSI circuits to provide performance comparisons both with respect to input parameters and with respect to the performance of other placement techniques. The results of this testing indicate that near optimum placements can be achieved by use of the procedures incurring severe time penalties.

  2. Placement Stability, Cumulative Time in Care, and Permanency: Using Administrative Data from CPS to Track Placement Trajectories

    PubMed Central

    Hélie, Sonia; Poirier, Marie-Andrée; Esposito, Tonino; Turcotte, Daniel

    2017-01-01

    Objectives: The Quebec Youth Protection Act was amended in 2007. The main goal of this reform was to improve placement stability for children who are removed from their home for their protection. Among several legal provisions introduced was the establishment of maximum age-specific durations of out-of-home care, after which a plan must be established to provide stability for children placed in substitute care by finding permanent homes for them. The purpose of this study is (1) to examine trends in placement use and placement stability since the reform and (2) to document the current frequency of each type of placement setting, the cumulative time in care before the exit to permanency, and the sustainability of the permanency outcome. Methods: The study relies on 3 entry cohorts of all children investigated who received protection measures in the province of Quebec during 3 specific time frames before and after the reform (n = 9620, 8676, 8425). Cohorts were observed for a period varying from 3 to 4 years. Administrative data from all 16 child protection agencies were used to track placement trajectory indicators and to compare cohorts. Results: There has been a decrease in the proportion of children receiving protection measures who were placed in care since the reform, and placement in kinship care has become more frequent among children placed. Placement stability improved slightly after the reform. Overall, for infants, the most frequent type of permanency attained is adoption, while reunification is the option most often indicated for older children. Some children are at a greater risk of experiencing unstable placement trajectories: young children have a high rate of reunification breakdown, some wait a long time to be adopted, and adolescents are frequently removed from the substitute care setting where they were supposed to stay until the age of 18. Conclusions: The results suggest interesting avenues for policy makers and service providers to improve the

  3. Students' clinical experience on outreach placements.

    PubMed

    Smith, M; Lennon, M A; Robinson, P G

    2010-02-01

    Primary care outreach placements increasingly feature in UK undergraduate dental curricula. The profile of clinical work undertaken on placement may differ from traditional hospital-based programmes and between outreach settings. An appreciation of any differences could inform curriculum development. To compare the profiles of clinical work experienced on a traditional hospital-based programme and outreach placements in different settings. One dental hospital and eight existing primary care block placements in England. Subjects were four cohorts of senior dental students in one UK dental school. Departmental records provided data on students' clinical experience in different settings and their achievement of placement learning objectives. Descriptive statistics for groups were compared. (1) Counts of patients encountered and of clinical procedures completed in the following categories: simple plastic restorations, endodontics, cast restorations, dentures, extractions and children's dentistry. (2) Student perceptions of placement learning reported via Likert scales. Outreach students encountered twice as many patients and typically completed about three times as much clinical work as students in the hospital, e.g. 44 cf 16 simple plastic restorations, seven cf two endodontic procedures. There were variations in profiles by setting. For example, amalgam being more likely to be used on outreach especially in the General Dental Service; more children's dentistry in community services and more extractions in Dental Access Centres. Students reported learning outcomes generally being achieved (average 94%) although with some variation by setting. Dental outreach training greatly increases the quantity of students' clinical experience in everyday dentistry compared to a hospital-based programme. Placements also increase awareness of service delivery and develop clinical skills. There are appreciable variations between outreach settings possibly reflecting their purposes

  4. The Effects of Using Concept Mapping for Improving Advanced Level Biology Students' Lower- and Higher-Order Cognitive Skills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bramwell-Lalor, Sharon; Rainford, Marcia

    2014-01-01

    This paper reports on teachers' use of concept mapping as an alternative assessment strategy in advanced level biology classes and its effects on students' cognitive skills on selected biology concepts. Using a mixed methods approach, the study employed a pre-test/post-test quasi-experimental design involving 156 students and 8 teachers from…

  5. Network placement optimization for large-scale distributed system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ren, Yu; Liu, Fangfang; Fu, Yunxia; Zhou, Zheng

    2018-01-01

    The network geometry strongly influences the performance of the distributed system, i.e., the coverage capability, measurement accuracy and overall cost. Therefore the network placement optimization represents an urgent issue in the distributed measurement, even in large-scale metrology. This paper presents an effective computer-assisted network placement optimization procedure for the large-scale distributed system and illustrates it with the example of the multi-tracker system. To get an optimal placement, the coverage capability and the coordinate uncertainty of the network are quantified. Then a placement optimization objective function is developed in terms of coverage capabilities, measurement accuracy and overall cost. And a novel grid-based encoding approach for Genetic algorithm is proposed. So the network placement is optimized by a global rough search and a local detailed search. Its obvious advantage is that there is no need for a specific initial placement. At last, a specific application illustrates this placement optimization procedure can simulate the measurement results of a specific network and design the optimal placement efficiently.

  6. Molecular cell biology and advanced microscopy: an interview with Joshua Z. Rappoport.

    PubMed

    Rappoport, Joshua Z

    2018-05-01

    Dr Joshua Z Rappoport, PhD, speaks to Nawsheen Boodhun, Managing Editor. Rappoport completed his bachelor's degree in Biology at Brown University (RI, USA). He then went on to earn a PhD from the Program in Mechanisms of Disease and Therapeutics at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine Graduate School of Biological Sciences of New York University (USA). Rappoport spent the early parts of his career working as a postdoctoral researcher at the Laboratory of Cellular Biophysics based in The Rockefeller University (NY, USA). He was subsequently recruited as a tenured faculty member to work as part of the School of Biosciences at the University of Birmingham (UK). 2014 marked the return of Rappoport to the USA, where he is currently a Research Professor in Molecular Cell Biology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine (IL, USA). He is also the Director of the Center for Advanced Microscopy (CAM) and Nikon Imaging Center (NIC), a large core facility consisting of eight members of staff that support around 200 different laboratories.

  7. CT-Guided Placement of a Drainage Catheter Within a Pelvic Abscess Using a Transsacral Approach

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Iguchi, Toshihiro; Asami, Shinya; Kubo, Shinichiro

    2007-11-15

    A 66-year-old man underwent CT-guided drainage catheter placement within a pelvic abscess with a diameter of 46 mm. We performed the drainage by a transsacral approach because it was considered the safest and most feasible approach. An 8G bone marrow biopsy needle was used to penetrate the sacrum to create a path for subsequent drainage catheter insertion. After withdrawal of the biopsy needle, a 6 Fr catheter was advanced into the abscess cavity through the path using the Seldinger technique. Except for bearable pain, no procedure-related complications occurred. Twenty-nine days after the placement, the catheter was withdrawn safely and themore » abscess cavity had shrunk remarkably.« less

  8. A novel endobronchial approach to massive hemoptysis complicating silicone Y-stent placement for tracheobronchomalacia

    PubMed Central

    Ryu, Changwan; Boffa, Daniel; Bramley, Kyle; Pisani, Margaret; Puchalski, Jonathan

    2018-01-01

    Abstract Rationale: Airway stabilization for severe, symptomatic tracheobronchomalacia (TBM) may be accomplished by silicone Y-stent placement. Common complications of the Y-stent include mucus plugging and granulation tissue formation. Patient concerns: We describe a rare case of massive hemoptysis originating from a silicone Y-stent placed for TBM. Diagnoses: An emergent bronchoscopy showed an actively bleeding, pulsatile vessel at the distal end of the left bronchial limb of the Y-stent. It was felt that the bleeding was caused by, or at least impacted by, the distal left bronchial limb of the Y-stent eroding into the airway wall. Interventions: We hypothesized that placement of oxidized regenerated cellulose (ORC) would provide initial hemostasis, and the subsequent placement of a biocompatible surgical sealant would lead to definitive resolution. Outcomes: ORC provided sufficient hemostasis and the subsequent synthetic polymer reinforced the tissue for complete cessation of the bleed. Lessons: The combined use of ORC and a biocompatible surgical sealant provided long-term management for life-threatening hemoptysis, and potentially morbid procedures such as embolization or surgery were avoided by advanced endobronchial therapy. PMID:29465600

  9. Synthetic biology and molecular genetics in non-conventional yeasts: Current tools and future advances.

    PubMed

    Wagner, James M; Alper, Hal S

    2016-04-01

    Coupling the tools of synthetic biology with traditional molecular genetic techniques can enable the rapid prototyping and optimization of yeast strains. While the era of yeast synthetic biology began in the well-characterized model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae, it is swiftly expanding to include non-conventional yeast production systems such as Hansenula polymorpha, Kluyveromyces lactis, Pichia pastoris, and Yarrowia lipolytica. These yeasts already have roles in the manufacture of vaccines, therapeutic proteins, food additives, and biorenewable chemicals, but recent synthetic biology advances have the potential to greatly expand and diversify their impact on biotechnology. In this review, we summarize the development of synthetic biological tools (including promoters and terminators) and enabling molecular genetics approaches that have been applied in these four promising alternative biomanufacturing platforms. An emphasis is placed on synthetic parts and genome editing tools. Finally, we discuss examples of synthetic tools developed in other organisms that can be adapted or optimized for these hosts in the near future. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Humanitarian Engineering Placements in Our Own Communities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    VanderSteen, J. D. J.; Hall, K. R.; Baillie, C. A.

    2010-01-01

    There is an increasing interest in the humanitarian engineering curriculum, and a service-learning placement could be an important component of such a curriculum. International placements offer some important pedagogical advantages, but also have some practical and ethical limitations. Local community-based placements have the potential to be…

  11. Flipped Classrooms for Advanced Science Courses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tomory, Annette; Watson, Sunnie Lee

    2015-12-01

    This article explains how issues regarding dual credit and Advanced Placement high school science courses could be mitigated via a flipped classroom instructional model. The need for advanced high school courses will be examined initially, followed by an analysis of advanced science courses and the reform they are experiencing. Finally, it will conclude with an explanation of flipped classes as well as how they may be a solution to the reform challenges teachers are experiencing as they seek to incorporate more inquiry-based activities.

  12. Characteristics of the Social Support Networks of Maltreated Youth: Exploring the Effects of Maltreatment Experience and Foster Placement.

    PubMed

    Negriff, Sonya; James, Adam; Trickett, Penelope K

    2015-08-01

    Little is known about the social support networks of maltreated youth or how youth in foster care may compare with those who remain with their parent(s). Social network characteristics and perceived social support were examined between (1) maltreated and comparison youth, (2) maltreated youth who remained with their biological parent, those with a foster parent, or a those with a kin caregiver, and (3) youth in stable placements and those who have changed placements. Data came from a sample of 454 adolescents (241 boys, 9-13 years old at enrollment) who took part in a longitudinal study of child maltreatment. Participants completed three assessments approximately 1 year apart. Results showed that on average, maltreated adolescents named significantly fewer people in their network than comparison adolescents. At Time 2, comparison adolescents reported more same-aged friends. In the maltreatment group, youth with a foster parent reported significantly more older friends than maltreated youth with a kin caregiver. Fewer maltreated youth named a biological parent on the social support questionnaire at all three time points. More youth in kinship care described their caregiver as supportive than those in foster care. These findings indicate that despite heterogeneous placement histories, social support networks among maltreated youth were very similar.

  13. Characteristics of the Social Support Networks of Maltreated Youth: Exploring the Effects of Maltreatment Experience and Foster Placement

    PubMed Central

    Negriff, Sonya; James, Adam; Trickett, Penelope K.

    2014-01-01

    Little is known about the social support networks of maltreated youth or how youth in foster care may compare with those who remain with their parent(s). Social network characteristics and perceived social support were examined between (1) maltreated and comparison youth, (2) maltreated youth who remained with their biological parent, those with a foster parent, or a those with a kin caregiver, and (3) youth in stable placements and those who have changed placements. Data came from a sample of 454 adolescents (241 boys, 9–13 years old at enrollment) who took part in a longitudinal study of child maltreatment. Participants completed three assessments approximately 1 year apart. Results showed that on average, maltreated adolescents named significantly fewer people in their network than comparison adolescents. At Time 2, comparison adolescents reported more same-aged friends. In the maltreatment group, youth with a foster parent reported significantly more older friends than maltreated youth with a kin caregiver. Fewer maltreated youth named a biological parent on the social support questionnaire at all three time points. More youth in kinship care described their caregiver as supportive than those in foster care. These findings indicate that despite heterogeneous placement histories, social support networks among maltreated youth were very similar. PMID:26388678

  14. Design and Manufacturing of Tow-Steered Composite Shells Using Fiber Placement

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wu, K. Chauncey; Tatting, Brian F.; Smith, Brett H.; Stevens, Randy S.; Occhipiniti, Gina P.; Swift, Jonathan B.; Achary, David C.; Thornburgh, Robert P.

    2009-01-01

    Advanced composite shells that may offer the potential to improve the structural performance of future aircraft fuselage structures were developed under this joint NASA-industry collaborative effort. Two cylindrical shells with tailored, tow-steered layups and continuously varying fiber angle orientations were designed and built at the National Center for Advanced Manufacturing - Louisiana Partnership. The shells were fabricated from unidirectional IM7/8552 graphite-epoxy pre-preg slit tape material fiber-placed on a constant-diameter mandrel. Each shell had the same nominal 8-ply [plus or minus 45/plus or minus Theta]s layup, where the nominal fiber angle in the tow-steered plies varied continuously from 10 degrees along the crown to 45 degrees on each side, then back to 10 degrees on the keel. One shell was fabricated with all 24 tows placed during each pass of the fiber placement machine, resulting in many tow overlaps on the shell surface. The fiber placement machine's individual tow cut/restart capability was also used to manufacture a second shell with tow drops and a more uniform laminate thickness. This paper presents an overview of the detailed design and manufacturing processes for these shells, and discusses issues encountered during their fabrication and post-cure evaluation. Future plans for structural testing and analyses of the shells are also discussed.

  15. Advancing beyond AP Courses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hammond, Bruce G.

    2009-01-01

    A quiet revolution is picking up steam in the nation's private secondary schools, with broad implications for college admissions and for teaching and learning on both sides of the transition from high school to college. About 50 of the nation's leading college-preparatory schools have opted out of the College Board's Advanced Placement (AP)…

  16. Mathematics Placement at the University of Illinois

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ahlgren Reddy, Alison; Harper, Marc

    2013-01-01

    Data from the ALEKS-based placement program at the University of Illinois is presented visually in several ways. The placement exam (an ALEKS assessment) contains precise item-specific information and the data show many interesting properties of the student populations of the placement courses, which include Precalculus, Calculus, and Business…

  17. Recent Advances in the Chemistry and Biology of Naturally Occurring Antibiotics

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Jason S.; Edmonds, David J.; Estrada, Anthony A.

    2009-01-01

    Lead-in Ever since the world-shaping discovery of penicillin, nature’s molecular diversity has been extensively screened for new medications and lead compounds in drug discovery. The search for anti-infective agents intended to combat infectious diseases has been of particular interest and has enjoyed a high degree of success. Indeed, the history of antibiotics is marked with impressive discoveries and drug development stories, the overwhelming majority of which have their origins in nature. Chemistry, and in particular chemical synthesis, has played a major role in bringing naturally occurring antibiotics and their derivatives to the clinic, and no doubt these disciplines will continue to be key enabling technologies for future developments in the field. In this review article, we highlight a number of recent discoveries and advances in the chemistry, biology, and medicine of naturally occurring antibiotics, with particular emphasis on the total synthesis, analog design, and biological evaluation of molecules with novel mechanisms of action. PMID:19130444

  18. Product placement of computer games in cyberspace.

    PubMed

    Yang, Heng-Li; Wang, Cheng-Shu

    2008-08-01

    Computer games are considered an emerging media and are even regarded as an advertising channel. By a three-phase experiment, this study investigated the advertising effectiveness of computer games for different product placement forms, product types, and their combinations. As the statistical results revealed, computer games are appropriate for placement advertising. Additionally, different product types and placement forms produced different advertising effectiveness. Optimum combinations of product types and placement forms existed. An advertisement design model is proposed for use in game design environments. Some suggestions are given for advertisers and game companies respectively.

  19. Automated fiber placement: Evolution and current demonstrations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Grant, Carroll G.; Benson, Vernon M.

    1993-01-01

    The automated fiber placement process has been in development at Hercules since 1980. Fiber placement is being developed specifically for aircraft and other high performance structural applications. Several major milestones have been achieved during process development. These milestones are discussed in this paper. The automated fiber placement process is currently being demonstrated on the NASA ACT program. All demonstration projects to date have focused on fiber placement of transport aircraft fuselage structures. Hercules has worked closely with Boeing and Douglas on these demonstration projects. This paper gives a description of demonstration projects and results achieved.

  20. Endoscopic-Assisted Burr Hole Reservoir and Ventricle Catheter Placement.

    PubMed

    Antes, Sebastian; Tschan, Christoph A; Heckelmann, Michael; Salah, Mohamed; Senger, Sebastian; Linsler, Stefan; Oertel, Joachim

    2017-05-01

    Accurate positioning of a ventricle catheter is of utmost importance. Various techniques to ensure optimal positioning have been described. Commonly, after catheter placement, additional manipulation is necessary to connect a burr hole reservoir or shunt components. This manipulation can lead to accidental catheter dislocation and should be avoided. Here, we present a new technique that allows direct endoscopic insertion of a burr hole reservoir with an already mounted ventricle catheter. Before insertion, the ventricle catheter was slit at the tip, shortened to the correct length, and connected to the special burr hole reservoir. An intracatheter endoscope was then advanced through the reservoir and the connected catheter. This assemblage allowed using the endoscope as a stylet for shielded ventricular puncture. To confirm correct placement of the ventricle catheter, the endoscope was protruded a few millimeters beyond the catheter tip for inspection. The new technique was applied in 12 procedures. The modified burr hole reservoir was inserted for first-time ventriculoperitoneal shunting (n = 1), cerebrospinal fluid withdrawals and drug administration (n = 2), or different stenting procedures (n = 9). Optimal positioning of the catheter was achieved in 11 of 12 cases. No subcutaneous cerebrospinal fluid collection or fluid leakage through the wound occurred. No parenchymal damage or bleeding appeared. The use of the intracatheter endoscope combined with the modified burr hole reservoir provides a sufficient technique for accurate and safe placement. Connecting the ventricle catheter to the reservoir before the insertion reduces later manipulation and accidental dislocation of the catheter. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Take me where I want to go: Institutional prestige, advisor sponsorship, and academic career placement preferences.

    PubMed

    Pinheiro, Diogo L; Melkers, Julia; Newton, Sunni

    2017-01-01

    Placement in prestigious research institutions for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) PhD recipients is generally considered to be optimal. Yet some doctoral recipients are not interested in intensive research careers and instead seek alternative careers, outside but also within academe (for example teaching positions in Liberal Arts Schools). Recent attention to non-academic pathways has expanded our understanding of alternative PhD careers. However, career preferences and placements are also nuanced along the academic pathway. Existing research on academic careers (mostly research-centric) has found that certain factors have a significant impact on the prestige of both the institutional placement and the salary of PhD recipients. We understand less, however, about the functioning of career preferences and related placements outside of the top academic research institutions. Our work builds on prior studies of academic career placement to explore the impact that prestige of PhD-granting institution, advisor involvement, and cultural capital have on the extent to which STEM PhDs are placed in their preferred academic institution types. What determines whether an individual with a preference for research oriented institutions works at a Research Extensive university? Or whether an individual with a preference for teaching works at a Liberal Arts college? Using survey data from a nationally representative sample of faculty in biology, biochemistry, civil engineering and mathematics at four different Carnegie Classified institution types (Research Extensive, Research Intensive, Master's I & II, and Liberal Arts Colleges), we examine the relative weight of different individual and institutional characteristics on institutional type placement. We find that doctoral institutional prestige plays a significant role in matching individuals with their preferred institutional type, but that advisor involvement only has an impact on those with a

  2. Take me where I want to go: Institutional prestige, advisor sponsorship, and academic career placement preferences

    PubMed Central

    Pinheiro, Diogo L.; Newton, Sunni

    2017-01-01

    Placement in prestigious research institutions for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) PhD recipients is generally considered to be optimal. Yet some doctoral recipients are not interested in intensive research careers and instead seek alternative careers, outside but also within academe (for example teaching positions in Liberal Arts Schools). Recent attention to non-academic pathways has expanded our understanding of alternative PhD careers. However, career preferences and placements are also nuanced along the academic pathway. Existing research on academic careers (mostly research-centric) has found that certain factors have a significant impact on the prestige of both the institutional placement and the salary of PhD recipients. We understand less, however, about the functioning of career preferences and related placements outside of the top academic research institutions. Our work builds on prior studies of academic career placement to explore the impact that prestige of PhD-granting institution, advisor involvement, and cultural capital have on the extent to which STEM PhDs are placed in their preferred academic institution types. What determines whether an individual with a preference for research oriented institutions works at a Research Extensive university? Or whether an individual with a preference for teaching works at a Liberal Arts college? Using survey data from a nationally representative sample of faculty in biology, biochemistry, civil engineering and mathematics at four different Carnegie Classified institution types (Research Extensive, Research Intensive, Master’s I & II, and Liberal Arts Colleges), we examine the relative weight of different individual and institutional characteristics on institutional type placement. We find that doctoral institutional prestige plays a significant role in matching individuals with their preferred institutional type, but that advisor involvement only has an impact on those with a

  3. [Biology and immunotherapy advance of interleukin 2 and interleukin 15-review].

    PubMed

    Chen, Guang-Hua; Wu, De-Pei

    2009-08-01

    IL-2 and IL-15 play an important roles in regulating the lymphocyte function and homeostasis. Advances in understanding of the cellular and molecular biology of IL-2 and IL-15 and their receptor complex have provided rationale to better utilize them to expand and activate immune effectors in patients with cancer. These two cytokines stimulate similar responses from lymphocytes in vitro, but play markedly distinct roles in lymphoid biology in vivo. Their distinct physiological functions can be ascribed to distinct signaling pathways initiated by distinct cytokine receptor subunits, differential expression patterns of their receptors. Recently, the discovery of a novel mechanism of IL-15 cytokine signaling, trans-presentation, has provided insights into the divergent ways of these cytokine function. Although their heterotrimeric receptors have two receptor subunits in common, these two cytokines have contrasting roles in adaptive immune responses. The unique role of interleukin 2 is in the elimination of self-reactive T cells to prevent autoimmunity. By contrast, interleukin 15 is dedicated to the prolonged maintenance of memory T-cell responses to pathogens. As discussed in this article, the biology of IL-2 and IL-15 two cytokines will affect the development of novel treatment for malignancies and autoimmune diseases.

  4. Advanced oxidation process-biological system for wastewater containing a recalcitrant pollutant.

    PubMed

    Oller, I; Malato, S; Sánchez-Pérez, J A; Maldonado, M I; Gernjak, W; Pérez-Estrada, L A

    2007-01-01

    Two advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), ozonation and photo-Fenton, combined with a pilot aerobic biological reactor at field scale were employed for the treatment of industrial non-biodegradable saline wastewater (TOC around 200 mgL(-1)) containing a biorecalcitrant compound, alpha-methylphenylglycine (MPG), at a concentration of 500 mgL(-1). Ozonation experiments were performed in a 50-L reactor with constant inlet ozone of 21.9 g m(-3). Solar photo-Fenton tests were carried out in a 75-L pilot plant made up of four compound parabolic collector (CPC) units. The catalyst concentration employed in this system was 20 mgL(-1) of Fe2+ and the H2O2 concentration was kept in the range of 200-500mgL(-1). Complete degradation of MPG was attained after 1,020 min of ozone treatment, while only 195 min were required for photo-Fenton. Samples from different stages of both AOPs were taken for Zahn-Wellens biocompatibility tests. Biodegradability enhancement of the industrial saline wastewater was confirmed (>70% biodegradability). Biodegradable compounds generated during the preliminary oxidative processes were biologically mineralised in a 170-L aerobic immobilised biomass reactor (IBR). The global efficiency of both AOP/biological combined systems was 90% removal of an initial TOC of over 500 mgL(-1).

  5. Angioplasty and stent placement - carotid artery

    MedlinePlus

    ... medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002953.htm Angioplasty and stent placement - carotid artery To use the sharing features ... to remove plaque buildup ( endarterectomy ) Carotid angioplasty with stent placement Description Carotid angioplasty and stenting (CAS) is ...

  6. Next Generation Risk Assessment: Incorporation of Recent Advances in Molecular, Computational, and Systems Biology (Final Report)

    EPA Science Inventory

    EPA announced the release of the final report, Next Generation Risk Assessment: Incorporation of Recent Advances in Molecular, Computational, and Systems Biology. This report describes new approaches that are faster, less resource intensive, and more robust that can help ...

  7. Mathematics Placement at Cottey College.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Callahan, Susan

    In response to the large numbers of students who were failing or dropping out of basic algebra and calculus classes, Cottey College, in Missouri, developed a math placement program in 1982 using Basic Algebra (BA) and Calculus Readiness (CR) tests from the Mathematical Association of America's Placement Testing Program. Cut off scores for the…

  8. CT-guided thermocouple placement for hyperthermia treatment.

    PubMed

    Banerian, K G; Roberts, J L; Borrego, J C; Martinez, A

    1990-05-01

    There is a well-documented synergistic cytotoxic effect when heat is combined with ionizing radiation. An integral component of hyperthermia treatments is the placement of thermocouple probes used for thermal dosimetry. With the surge in interest in the clinical use of hyperthermia, our department is performing an increasing number of thermocouple placements under computed tomographic (CT) guidance. We describe our technique for CT-guided thermocouple placement with two different systems: a trocar introduction system and a peel-away needle introduction system. We discuss the rationale for thermocouple placement, our early experience with this technique, and some potential complications.

  9. The Effects of Using Concept Mapping for Improving Advanced Level Biology Students' Lower- and Higher-Order Cognitive Skills

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bramwell-Lalor, Sharon; Rainford, Marcia

    2014-03-01

    This paper reports on teachers' use of concept mapping as an alternative assessment strategy in advanced level biology classes and its effects on students' cognitive skills on selected biology concepts. Using a mixed methods approach, the study employed a pre-test/post-test quasi-experimental design involving 156 students and 8 teachers from intact classes. A researcher-constructed Biology Cognitive Skills Test was used to collect the quantitative data. Qualitative data were collected through interviews and students' personal documents. The data showed that the participants utilized concept mapping in various ways and they described positive experiences while being engaged in its use. The main challenge cited by teachers was the limited time available for more consistent use. The results showed that the use of concept mapping in advanced level biology can lead to learning gains that exceed those achieved in classes where mainly traditional methods are used. The students in the concept mapping experimental groups performed significantly better than their peers in the control group on both the lower-order (F(1) = 21.508; p < .001) and higher-order (F(1) = 42.842, p < .001) cognitive items of the biology test. A mean effect size of .56 was calculated representing the contribution of treatment to the students' performance on the test items.

  10. A Cognitive Model of College Mathematics Placement

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1989-08-01

    study focused on the precalculus -- calculus placement decision. The Cognitive model uses novel, or analysis level, placement test items in an attempt to...relative to the requirements of a precalculus course. Placement test scores may be partitioned to give analysis and non-analysis subtest scores which can...67 5.1.1 1989 Intercorrelations ....................................................................... 67 5.1.2 1989 Precalculus -Calculus

  11. Biological Features of the Soil: Advanced Crop and Soil Science. A Course of Study.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miller, Larry E.

    The course of study represents the third of six modules in advanced crop and soil science and introduces the agriculture student to biological features of soil. Upon completing the two day lesson, the student will: (1) realize the vast amount of life present in the soil, (2) be able to list representative animal and plant life in the soil by size,…

  12. Panel 4: Recent Advances in Otitis Media in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Genetics, and Animal Models

    PubMed Central

    Li, Jian-Dong; Hermansson, Ann; Ryan, Allen F.; Bakaletz, Lauren O.; Brown, Steve D.; Cheeseman, Michael T.; Juhn, Steven K.; Jung, Timothy T. K.; Lim, David J.; Lim, Jae Hyang; Lin, Jizhen; Moon, Sung-Kyun; Post, J. Christopher

    2014-01-01

    Background Otitis media (OM) is the most common childhood bacterial infection and also the leading cause of conductive hearing loss in children. Currently, there is an urgent need for developing novel therapeutic agents for treating OM based on full understanding of molecular pathogenesis in the areas of molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, and animal model studies in OM. Objective To provide a state-of-the-art review concerning recent advances in OM in the areas of molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, and animal model studies and to discuss the future directions of OM studies in these areas. Data Sources and Review Methods A structured search of the current literature (since June 2007). The authors searched PubMed for published literature in the areas of molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, and animal model studies in OM. Results Over the past 4 years, significant progress has been made in the areas of molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, and animal model studies in OM. These studies brought new insights into our understanding of the molecular and biochemical mechanisms underlying the molecular pathogenesis of OM and helped identify novel therapeutic targets for OM. Conclusions and Implications for Practice Our understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of OM has been significantly advanced, particularly in the areas of inflammation, innate immunity, mucus overproduction, mucosal hyperplasia, middle ear and inner ear interaction, genetics, genome sequencing, and animal model studies. Although these studies are still in their experimental stages, they help identify new potential therapeutic targets. Future preclinical and clinical studies will help to translate these exciting experimental research findings into clinical applications. PMID:23536532

  13. Maternal history of adoption or foster care placement in childhood: a risk factor for preterm birth.

    PubMed

    Bublitz, Margaret H; Rodriguez, Daniel; Polly Gobin, Asi; Waldemore, Marissa; Magee, Susanna; Stroud, Laura R

    2014-10-01

    The objective of the study was to assess the impact of maternal history of adoption or foster care placement in childhood on the risk for preterm birth (PTB), controlling for other known risk factors for PTB. Participants were 302 pregnant women from a low-income, diverse sample drawn from 2 intensive prospective studies of maternal mood and behavior and fetal and infant development. Gestational age was determined by best obstetric estimate. Maternal history of adoption or foster care placement prior to age 18 years was determined by maternal report. Other maternal characteristics, including maternal medical conditions, psychosocial characteristics, and health behaviors, were measured during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. The odds of delivering preterm (gestational age <37 weeks) were approximately 4 times greater among women with a history of childhood adoption or foster care placement compared with women who were never placed out of the home during childhood. This association remained significant after adjusting for other known risk factors for PTB including maternal medical conditions, psychosocial characteristics, and negative health behaviors in pregnancy. Findings suggest that a history of adoption/foster care placement is an important risk factor for PTB and may be comparable with other established risk factors for PTB including prior history of PTB, body mass index, African-American race, and advanced maternal age. More studies are needed to understand why women with placement histories may be at increased risk to deliver preterm. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Advanced treatment of biologically pretreated coal gasification wastewater by a novel integration of heterogeneous Fenton oxidation and biological process.

    PubMed

    Xu, Peng; Han, Hongjun; Zhuang, Haifeng; Hou, Baolin; Jia, Shengyong; Xu, Chunyan; Wang, Dexin

    2015-04-01

    Laboratorial scale experiments were conducted in order to investigate a novel system integrating heterogeneous Fenton oxidation (HFO) with anoxic moving bed biofilm reactor (ANMBBR) and biological aerated filter (BAF) process on advanced treatment of biologically pretreated coal gasification wastewater (CGW). The results indicated that HFO with the prepared catalyst (FeOx/SBAC, sewage sludge based activated carbon (SBAC) which loaded Fe oxides) played a key role in eliminating COD and COLOR as well as in improving the biodegradability of raw wastewater. The surface reaction and hydroxyl radicals (OH) oxidation were the mechanisms for FeOx/SBAC catalytic reaction. Compared with ANMBBR-BAF process, the integrated system was more effective in abating COD, BOD5, total phenols (TPs), total nitrogen (TN) and COLOR and could shorten the retention time. Therefore, the integrated system was a promising technology for engineering applications. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Treatment planning for prostate focal laser ablation in the face of needle placement uncertainty

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cepek, Jeremy, E-mail: jcepek@robarts.ca; Fenster, Aaron; Lindner, Uri

    2014-01-15

    Purpose: To study the effect of needle placement uncertainty on the expected probability of achieving complete focal target destruction in focal laser ablation (FLA) of prostate cancer. Methods: Using a simplified model of prostate cancer focal target, and focal laser ablation region shapes, Monte Carlo simulations of needle placement error were performed to estimate the probability of completely ablating a region of target tissue. Results: Graphs of the probability of complete focal target ablation are presented over clinically relevant ranges of focal target sizes and shapes, ablation region sizes, and levels of needle placement uncertainty. In addition, a table ismore » provided for estimating the maximum target size that is treatable. The results predict that targets whose length is at least 5 mm smaller than the diameter of each ablation region can be confidently ablated using, at most, four laser fibers if the standard deviation in each component of needle placement error is less than 3 mm. However, targets larger than this (i.e., near to or exceeding the diameter of each ablation region) require more careful planning. This process is facilitated by using the table provided. Conclusions: The probability of completely ablating a focal target using FLA is sensitive to the level of needle placement uncertainty, especially as the target length approaches and becomes greater than the diameter of ablated tissue that each individual laser fiber can achieve. The results of this work can be used to help determine individual patient eligibility for prostate FLA, to guide the planning of prostate FLA, and to quantify the clinical benefit of using advanced systems for accurate needle delivery for this treatment modality.« less

  16. Recent advances in medical device triage technologies for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear events.

    PubMed

    Lansdowne, Krystal; Scully, Christopher G; Galeotti, Loriano; Schwartz, Suzanne; Marcozzi, David; Strauss, David G

    2015-06-01

    In 2010, the US Food and Drug Administration (Silver Spring, Maryland USA) created the Medical Countermeasures Initiative with the mission of development and promoting medical countermeasures that would be needed to protect the nation from identified, high-priority chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) threats and emerging infectious diseases. The aim of this review was to promote regulatory science research of medical devices and to analyze how the devices can be employed in different CBRN scenarios. Triage in CBRN scenarios presents unique challenges for first responders because the effects of CBRN agents and the clinical presentations of casualties at each triage stage can vary. The uniqueness of a CBRN event can render standard patient monitoring medical device and conventional triage algorithms ineffective. Despite the challenges, there have been recent advances in CBRN triage technology that include: novel technologies; mobile medical applications ("medical apps") for CBRN disasters; electronic triage tags, such as eTriage; diagnostic field devices, such as the Joint Biological Agent Identification System; and decision support systems, such as the Chemical Hazards Emergency Medical Management Intelligent Syndromes Tool (CHEMM-IST). Further research and medical device validation can help to advance prehospital triage technology for CBRN events.

  17. Recent advances in chromaffin cell biology: summing up the last International Symposium on Chromaffin Cell Biology.

    PubMed

    Cárdenas, Ana M

    2004-01-01

    The International Symposium on Chromaffin Cell Biology (ISCCB) brings together a group of approximately 150 scientists from around the world who meet every 2 years to discuss recent advances in our understanding of biogenesis and motion of secretory vesicles, synthesis, storage and release of secreted products (catecholamines, chromogranins, ATP), and mechanisms involving the excitation-secretion coupling, membrane ion channels, intracellular calcium homeostasis and exocytosis. The development of new technologies that allow an accurate measurement of catecholamines, vesicle motion, exocytosis, etc. are also analyzed. The 12th ISCCB, organized by Ricardo Borges, took place on September 20-26, 2003, in La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain. In this article we describe the most recent and significant contributions to the 12th ISCCB.

  18. Artificial Intelligence based technique for BTS placement

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alenoghena, C. O.; Emagbetere, J. O.; Aibinu, A. M.

    2013-12-01

    The increase of the base transceiver station (BTS) in most urban areas can be traced to the drive by network providers to meet demand for coverage and capacity. In traditional network planning, the final decision of BTS placement is taken by a team of radio planners, this decision is not fool proof against regulatory requirements. In this paper, an intelligent based algorithm for optimal BTS site placement has been proposed. The proposed technique takes into consideration neighbour and regulation considerations objectively while determining cell site. The application will lead to a quantitatively unbiased evaluated decision making process in BTS placement. An experimental data of a 2km by 3km territory was simulated for testing the new algorithm, results obtained show a 100% performance of the neighbour constrained algorithm in BTS placement optimization. Results on the application of GA with neighbourhood constraint indicate that the choices of location can be unbiased and optimization of facility placement for network design can be carried out.

  19. Dental hygiene student experiences in external placements in Australia.

    PubMed

    Taylor, Jane A; Hayes, Melanie J; Wallace, Linda

    2012-05-01

    While placements in external locations are being increasingly used in dental education globally, few studies have explored the student learning experience at such placements. The purpose of this study was to investigate student experiences while on external placement in a baccalaureate dental hygiene program. A self-reporting questionnaire was distributed to final-year dental hygiene students (n=77) at the University of Newcastle, Australia, in 2010. The questionnaire included questions regarding the type of placement, experiences offered, supervision, resources available, and lasting impressions. Responding students were generally positive about their external placement experience and indicated that the majority of facilities provided them with the opportunity to provide direct patient care and perform clinical tasks typical of a practicing hygienist. However, there was a statistically significant difference in their opinions about discipline-focused and community placements. Students indicated that their external placement experience provided opportunities to learn more about time and patient management, including hands-on experience with specific clinical tasks. Ongoing evaluations are necessary to ensure that external placements meet both student needs and intended learning outcomes within dental hygiene programs.

  20. [Recent advances of synthetic biology for production of functional ingredients in Chinese materia medica].

    PubMed

    Su, Xin-Yao; Xue, Jian-Ping; Wang, Cai-Xia

    2016-11-01

    The functional ingredients in Chinese materia medica are the main active substance for traditional Chinese medicine and most of them are secondary metabolites derivatives. Until now,the main method to obtain those functional ingredients is through direct extraction from the Chinese materia medica. However, the income is very low because of the high extraction costs and the decreased medicinal plants. Synthetic biology technology, as a new and microbial approach, can be able to carry out large-scale production of functional ingredients and greatly ease the shortage of traditional Chinese medicine ingredients. This review mainly focused on the recent advances in synthetic biology for the functional ingredients production. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

  1. A linear programming approach for placement of applicants to academic programs.

    PubMed

    Kassa, Biniyam Asmare

    2013-01-01

    This paper reports a linear programming approach for placement of applicants to study programs developed and implemented at the college of Business & Economics, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. The approach is estimated to significantly streamline the placement decision process at the college by reducing required man hour as well as the time it takes to announce placement decisions. Compared to the previous manual system where only one or two placement criteria were considered, the new approach allows the college's management to easily incorporate additional placement criteria, if needed. Comparison of our approach against manually constructed placement decisions based on actual data for the 2012/13 academic year suggested that about 93 percent of the placements from our model concur with the actual placement decisions. For the remaining 7 percent of placements, however, the actual placements made by the manual system display inconsistencies of decisions judged against the very criteria intended to guide placement decisions by the college's program management office. Overall, the new approach proves to be a significant improvement over the manual system in terms of efficiency of the placement process and the quality of placement decisions.

  2. Brevard District Plan for Placement and Follow-Up.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thomas, Olive W.

    The Brevard District Plan for placement and follow-up is intended for all secondary students, including dropouts, disadvantaged, adult students, and graduates. The areas of placement may be in gainful employment, educational institutions, or a combination of both. The plan specifies procedures for implementing placement and stipulates the type of…

  3. Immediate placement of endosseous implants into the extraction sockets.

    PubMed

    Ebenezer, Vijay; Balakrishnan, K; Asir, R Vigil Dev; Sragunar, Banu

    2015-04-01

    Implant by definition "means any object or material, such as an alloplastic substance or other tissue, which is partial or completely inserted into the body for therapeutic, diagnostic, prosthetic, or experimental purpose." The placement of a dental implant in an extraction socket at the time of extraction or explantation is known as immediate implant placement whereas delayed placement of implant signifies the implant placement in edentulous areas where healing has completed with new bone formation after the loss of tooth/teeth. Recent idea goes by "why late when it can be done immediately." There are several advantages of immediate placement of implants, and lots of studies have been done. In this article, the advantages and disadvantages of immediate versus delayed placement of implants have been reviewed.

  4. Field Placement Treatments: A Comparative Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Parkison, Paul T.

    2008-01-01

    Field placement within teacher education represents a topic of interest for all preservice teacher programs. Present research addresses a set of important questions regarding field placement: (1) What pedagogical methodologies facilitate deep learning during field experiences? (2) Is there a significant difference in treatment effect for…

  5. Long-Term Effects of Pre-Placement Risk Factors on Children's Psychological Symptoms and Parenting Stress Among Families Adopting Children From Foster Care.

    PubMed

    Nadeem, Erum; Waterman, Jill; Foster, Jared; Paczkowski, Emilie; Belin, Thomas R; Miranda, Jeanne

    2017-06-01

    This exploratory longitudinal study examined behavioral outcomes and parenting stress among families with children adopted from foster care, taking into account environmental and biological risk factors. Child internalizing and externalizing problems and parenting stress were assessed in 82 adopted children and their families at 2 months post-placement, 12 months post-placement, and then yearly until 5 years post-placement. A history of abuse/neglect predicted significantly higher externalizing and internalizing problems at a borderline level of statistical significance. In the initial stages after placement, externalizing problems were significantly higher among children who were 4 years or older at placement versus those who were younger than 4, although differences were no longer significant 5 years post-placement. Statistical trends in parenting stress reflected reduced stress in the first 12 months followed by a plateau for parents who adopted older children and greater stress for parents who adopted younger children. Familiar limitations for observational cohort data apply. Nonetheless, the availability of longitudinal follow-up on a sizable sample of children adopted from foster care adds insight to the psychological dynamics for adoptive families and suggests that families of children adopted from the foster care system may have unique needs for ongoing support around behavioral issues.

  6. Mathematics Placement Test: Typical Results with Unexpected Outcomes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ingalls, Victoria

    2011-01-01

    Based on the results of a prior case-study analysis of mathematics placement at one university, the mathematics department developed and piloted a mathematics placement test. This article describes the implementation process for a mathematics placement test and further analyzes the test results for the pilot group. As an unexpected result, the…

  7. Alternative Placements in Initial Teacher Education: An Evaluation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Purdy, Noel; Gibson, Ken

    2008-01-01

    The paper evaluates a programme of short alternative placements for final-year B.Ed. students in Northern Ireland, which aims to broaden student teachers' experience and develop their transferable skills. The alternative placement programme is set first in an international context of evolving pre-service field placements and then set in a local…

  8. Videolaparoscopic Catheter Placement Reduces Contraindications to Peritoneal Dialysis

    PubMed Central

    Santarelli, Stefano; Zeiler, Matthias; Monteburini, Tania; Agostinelli, Rosa Maria; Marinelli, Rita; Degano, Giorgio; Ceraudo, Emilio

    2013-01-01

    ♦ Background: Videolaparoscopy is considered the reference method for peritoneal catheter placement in patients with previous abdominal surgery. The placement procedure is usually performed with at least two access sites: one for the catheter and the second for the laparoscope. Here, we describe a new one-port laparoscopic procedure that uses only one abdominal access site in patients not eligible for laparotomic catheter placement. ♦ Method: We carried out one-port laparoscopic placement in 21 patients presenting contraindications to blind surgical procedures because of prior abdominal surgery. This technique consists in the creation of a single mini-laparotomy access through which laparoscopic procedures and placement are performed. The catheter, rectified by an introducer, is inserted inside the port. Subsequently, the port is removed, leaving the catheter in pelvic position. The port is reintroduced laterally to the catheter, confirming or correcting its position. Laparotomic placement was performed in a contemporary group of 32 patients without contraindications to blind placement. Complications and long-term catheter outcome in the two groups were evaluated. ♦ Results: Additional interventions during placement were necessary in 12 patients of the laparoscopy group compared with 5 patients of the laparotomy group (p = 0.002). Laparoscopy documented adhesions in 13 patients, with need for adhesiolysis in 6 patients. Each group had 1 intraoperative complication: leakage in the laparoscopy group, and intestinal perforation in the laparotomy group. During the 2-year follow-up period, laparoscopic revisions had to be performed in 6 patients of the laparoscopy group and in 5 patients of the laparotomy group (p = 0.26). The 1-year catheter survival was similar in both groups. Laparoscopy increased by 40% the number of patients eligible to receive peritoneal dialysis. ♦ Conclusions: Videolaparoscopy placement in patients not eligible for blind surgical

  9. PASS--Placement/Advisement for Student Success.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shreve, Chuck; Wildie, Avace

    In 1985-86, Northern Michigan College (NMC) used funds received from the United States Department of Education to develop a system of assessment, advisement, and placement--Placement/Advisement for Student Success (PASS), an integrated system designed to improve student retention. PASS currently consists of three components: summer orientation,…

  10. Cyanobacterial Metabolite Calothrixins: Recent Advances in Synthesis and Biological Evaluation

    PubMed Central

    Xu, Su; Nijampatnam, Bhavitavya; Dutta, Shilpa; Velu, Sadanandan E.

    2016-01-01

    The marine environment is host to unparalleled biological and chemical diversity, making it an attractive resource for the discovery of new therapeutics for a plethora of diseases. Compounds that are extracted from cyanobacteria are of special interest due to their unique structural scaffolds and capacity to produce potent pharmaceutical and biotechnological traits. Calothrixins A and B are two cyanobacterial metabolites with a structural assembly of quinoline, quinone, and indole pharmacophores. This review surveys recent advances in the synthesis and evaluation of the biological activities of calothrixins. Due to the low isolation yields from the marine source and the promise this scaffold holds for anticancer and antimicrobial drugs, organic and medicinal chemists around the world have embarked on developing efficient synthetic routes to produce calothrixins. Since the first review appeared in 2009, 11 novel syntheses of calothrixins have been published in the efforts to develop methods that contain fewer steps and higher-yielding reactions. Calothrixins have shown their potential as topoisomerase I poisons for their cytotoxicity in cancer. They have also been observed to target various aspects of RNA synthesis in bacteria. Further investigation into the exact mechanism for their bioactivity is still required for many of its analogs. PMID:26771620

  11. Immediate placement of endosseous implants into the extraction sockets

    PubMed Central

    Ebenezer, Vijay; Balakrishnan, K.; Asir, R. Vigil Dev; Sragunar, Banu

    2015-01-01

    Implant by definition “means any object or material, such as an alloplastic substance or other tissue, which is partial or completely inserted into the body for therapeutic, diagnostic, prosthetic, or experimental purpose.” The placement of a dental implant in an extraction socket at the time of extraction or explantation is known as immediate implant placement whereas delayed placement of implant signifies the implant placement in edentulous areas where healing has completed with new bone formation after the loss of tooth/teeth. Recent idea goes by “why late when it can be done immediately.” There are several advantages of immediate placement of implants, and lots of studies have been done. In this article, the advantages and disadvantages of immediate versus delayed placement of implants have been reviewed. PMID:26015721

  12. How do we facilitate international clinical placements for nursing students: A cross-sectional exploration of the structure, aims and objectives of placements.

    PubMed

    Browne, Caroline A; Fetherston, Catherine M

    2018-07-01

    International clinical placements provide undergraduate students with a unique and complex clinical learning environment, to explore cultural awareness, experience different health care settings and achieve clinical competencies. Higher education institutions need to consider how to structure these placements to ensure appropriate and achievable aims and learning outcomes. In this study we described the structure, aims and learning outcomes associated with international clinical placement opportunities currently undertaken by Australian undergraduate nursing students in the Asia region. Forty eight percent (n = 18) of the institutions invited responded. Eight institutions met the inclusion criteria, one of which offered three placements in the region, resulting in 10 international placements for which data were provided. An online survey tool was used to collect data during August and September 2015 on international clinical placements conducted by the participating universities. Descriptive data on type and numbers of placements is presented, along with results from the content analysis conducted to explore data from open ended questions on learning aims and outcomes. One hundred students undertook 10 International Clinical Placements offered in the Asian region by eight universities. Variations across placements were found in the length of placement, the number of students participating, facilitator to student ratios and assessment techniques used. Five categories related to the aims of the programs were identified: 'becoming culturally aware through immersion', 'working with the community to promote health', 'understanding the role of nursing within the health care setting', 'translating theory into professional clinical practice', and 'developing relationships in international learning environments'. Four categories related to learning outcomes were identified: 'understanding healthcare and determinants of health', 'managing challenges', 'understanding the

  13. Intracranial placement of a new, compliant guide catheter: technical note.

    PubMed

    Park, Min S; Stiefel, Michael F; Fiorella, David; Kelly, Michael; McDougall, Cameron G; Albuquerque, Felipe C

    2008-09-01

    We describe our initial experience with the use of a novel, compliant guide catheter designed for placement within the cranial vasculature in a series of seven patients who were treated for various intracranial pathologies. Seven patients were deemed to have either tortuous supra-aortic, intracranial, and/or extracranial vasculature or to require additional microcatheter support as the result of lesion location. The patients were treated, in part, with the 6-French Neuron delivery catheter (Penumbra, Inc., San Leandro, CA) at the authors' two institutions. The guide catheter was positioned in various distal locations within the intracranial internal carotid artery or external carotid artery. Three patients were treated for unruptured intracranial aneurysms, 2 patients for intracranial atherosclerosis, 1 patient for an arteriovenous malformation, and 1 patient for a pseudoaneurysm. All lesions were successfully treated through a microcatheter advanced in a coaxial fashion through the guide catheter. There were no complications related to the positioning of the catheter. Distal intra- or extracranial placement of a specially designed, compliant guide catheter can be performed safely and may improve access and microcatheter stability in patients with tortuous vessels or difficult-to-reach lesions.

  14. Preparing ESP Learners for Workplace Placement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wood, David

    2009-01-01

    Engineering students in North American universities often participate in cooperative education placements in workplaces as part of the requirements for their degrees and professional certification. Students for whom English is an L2 often experience difficulties in these placements due to the fact that while their academic language ability may be…

  15. Handbook for Job Search/Vocational Placement.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rumbaugh, Welcome A.; And Others

    This manual is intended for use by secondary school and two-year college personnel engaged in placement work, career education, and guidance. It contains five sections, nineteen short appendixes, and fifteen brochures and reproducible items. Outlined in the first section are secondary and postsecondary job search and placement concepts and a…

  16. Advanced Coursework Rates by Ethnicity: An 11-Year, Statewide Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fowler, Janis C.

    2013-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine advanced coursework completion rates, Advanced Placement (AP)/International Baccalaureate (IB) testing rates, AP/IB exam passage rates, and the percentage of AP/IB exam scores at or above the criterion that may exist among Texas public high school students from 2001 to 2012 to ascertain (a) the…

  17. Inferior Vena Cava Filter Placement and Removal

    MedlinePlus

    ... Professions Site Index A-Z Inferior Vena Cava Filter Placement and Removal During Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) ... benefits vs. risks? What is Inferior Vena Cava Filter Placement and Removal? In an inferior vena cava ...

  18. Math Placement in California's Public Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gao, Niu; Adan, Sara

    2016-01-01

    Last year, the California Legislature passed a new law--the California Mathematics Placement Act--to address widespread concern over equity in the math placement process. The law is aimed at improving the measurement of student performance in order to move more students successfully through the high school curriculum. In this context, researchers…

  19. Fiducial Marker Placement

    MedlinePlus

    ... such as stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) , or proton therapy . Fiducial markers are small ... Proton Therapy Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) and Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) Images related to Fiducial Marker Placement Sponsored ...

  20. The Role of Advanced High School Coursework in Increasing STEM Career Interest

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sadler, Philip M.; Sonnert, Gerhard; Hazari, Zahra; Tai, Robert

    2014-01-01

    Several avenues are open to students who wish to study advanced science or mathematics in high school, which include Advanced Placement courses and teacher-designed courses unaffiliated with organized programs. We employ a retrospective cohort study of 4,691 nationally representative college students at 34 randomly selected, colleges and…

  1. Advanced Course Enrollment and Performance among English Learner Students in Washington State. REL 2017-187

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hanson, Havala; Bisht, Biraj; Motamedi, Jason Greenberg

    2016-01-01

    Taking advanced high school courses (for example, honors, Advanced Placement, and dual-credit courses that offer college credits in high school) can help prepare students for postsecondary education and careers. English learner students, however, face unique obstacles to taking advanced courses because they must divide their time between acquiring…

  2. 32 CFR 1656.10 - Job placement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 32 National Defense 6 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Job placement. 1656.10 Section 1656.10 National....10 Job placement. (a) Selective Service will maintain a job bank for the exclusive purpose of placing ASWs in alternative service jobs. (b) An ASW who has identified his own job in accordance with § 1656.5...

  3. 32 CFR 1656.10 - Job placement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 32 National Defense 6 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Job placement. 1656.10 Section 1656.10 National....10 Job placement. (a) Selective Service will maintain a job bank for the exclusive purpose of placing ASWs in alternative service jobs. (b) An ASW who has identified his own job in accordance with § 1656.5...

  4. 32 CFR 1656.10 - Job placement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 32 National Defense 6 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Job placement. 1656.10 Section 1656.10 National....10 Job placement. (a) Selective Service will maintain a job bank for the exclusive purpose of placing ASWs in alternative service jobs. (b) An ASW who has identified his own job in accordance with § 1656.5...

  5. 32 CFR 1656.10 - Job placement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 32 National Defense 6 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Job placement. 1656.10 Section 1656.10 National....10 Job placement. (a) Selective Service will maintain a job bank for the exclusive purpose of placing ASWs in alternative service jobs. (b) An ASW who has identified his own job in accordance with § 1656.5...

  6. 32 CFR 1656.10 - Job placement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 32 National Defense 6 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Job placement. 1656.10 Section 1656.10 National....10 Job placement. (a) Selective Service will maintain a job bank for the exclusive purpose of placing ASWs in alternative service jobs. (b) An ASW who has identified his own job in accordance with § 1656.5...

  7. 25 CFR 23.83 - Assistance in locating biological parents of Indian child after termination of adoption.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Assistance in locating biological parents of Indian child... biological parents of Indian child after termination of adoption. Upon the request of a child placement... biological parents or prior Indian custodians of an adopted Indian child whose adoption has been terminated...

  8. 25 CFR 23.83 - Assistance in locating biological parents of Indian child after termination of adoption.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Assistance in locating biological parents of Indian child... biological parents of Indian child after termination of adoption. Upon the request of a child placement... biological parents or prior Indian custodians of an adopted Indian child whose adoption has been terminated...

  9. 25 CFR 23.83 - Assistance in locating biological parents of Indian child after termination of adoption.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2012-04-01 2011-04-01 true Assistance in locating biological parents of Indian child... biological parents of Indian child after termination of adoption. Upon the request of a child placement... biological parents or prior Indian custodians of an adopted Indian child whose adoption has been terminated...

  10. 25 CFR 23.83 - Assistance in locating biological parents of Indian child after termination of adoption.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Assistance in locating biological parents of Indian child... biological parents of Indian child after termination of adoption. Upon the request of a child placement... biological parents or prior Indian custodians of an adopted Indian child whose adoption has been terminated...

  11. 25 CFR 23.83 - Assistance in locating biological parents of Indian child after termination of adoption.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Assistance in locating biological parents of Indian child... biological parents of Indian child after termination of adoption. Upon the request of a child placement... biological parents or prior Indian custodians of an adopted Indian child whose adoption has been terminated...

  12. Structural Assessment of Advanced Composite Tow-Steered Shells

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wu, K. Chauncey; Stanford, Bret K.; Hrinda, Glenn A.; Wang, Zhuosong; Martin, Robert a.; Kim, H. Alicia

    2013-01-01

    The structural performance of two advanced composite tow-steered shells, manufactured using a fiber placement system, is assessed using both experimental and analytical methods. The fiber orientation angles vary continuously around the shell circumference from 10 degrees on the shell crown and keel, to 45 degrees on the shell sides. The two shells differ in that one shell has the full 24-tow course applied during each pass of the fiber placement system, while the second shell uses the fiber placement system s tow drop/add capability to achieve a more uniform shell wall thickness. The shells are tested in axial compression, and estimates of their prebuckling axial stiffnesses and bifurcation buckling loads are predicted using linear finite element analyses. These preliminary predictions compare well with the test results, with an average agreement of approximately 10 percent.

  13. The effects of a test-taking strategy intervention for high school students with test anxiety in advanced placement science courses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Markus, Doron J.

    Test anxiety is one of the most debilitating and disruptive factors associated with underachievement and failure in schools (Birenbaum, Menucha, Nasser, & Fadia, 1994; Tobias, 1985). Researchers have suggested that interventions that combine multiple test-anxiety reduction techniques are most effective at reducing test anxiety levels (Ergene, 2003). For the current study, involving 62 public high school students enrolled in advanced placement science courses, the researcher designed a multimodal intervention designed to reduce test anxiety. Analyses were conducted to assess the relationships among test anxiety levels, unit examination scores, and irregular multiple-choice error patterns (error clumping), as well as changes in these measures after the intervention. Results indicate significant, positive relationships between some measures of test anxiety and error clumping, as well as significant, negative relationships between test anxiety levels and student achievement. In addition, results show significant decreases in holistic measures of test anxiety among students with low anxiety levels, as well as decreases in Emotionality subscores of test anxiety among students with high levels of test anxiety. There were no significant changes over time in the Worry subscores of test anxiety. Suggestions for further research include further confirmation of the existence of error clumping, and its causal relationship with test anxiety.

  14. A novel endobronchial approach to massive hemoptysis complicating silicone Y-stent placement for tracheobronchomalacia: A case report.

    PubMed

    Ryu, Changwan; Boffa, Daniel; Bramley, Kyle; Pisani, Margaret; Puchalski, Jonathan

    2018-02-01

    Airway stabilization for severe, symptomatic tracheobronchomalacia (TBM) may be accomplished by silicone Y-stent placement. Common complications of the Y-stent include mucus plugging and granulation tissue formation. We describe a rare case of massive hemoptysis originating from a silicone Y-stent placed for TBM. An emergent bronchoscopy showed an actively bleeding, pulsatile vessel at the distal end of the left bronchial limb of the Y-stent. It was felt that the bleeding was caused by, or at least impacted by, the distal left bronchial limb of the Y-stent eroding into the airway wall. We hypothesized that placement of oxidized regenerated cellulose (ORC) would provide initial hemostasis, and the subsequent placement of a biocompatible surgical sealant would lead to definitive resolution. ORC provided sufficient hemostasis and the subsequent synthetic polymer reinforced the tissue for complete cessation of the bleed. The combined use of ORC and a biocompatible surgical sealant provided long-term management for life-threatening hemoptysis, and potentially morbid procedures such as embolization or surgery were avoided by advanced endobronchial therapy.

  15. Do Work Placements Improve Final Year Academic Performance or Do High-Calibre Students Choose to Do Work Placements?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jones, C. M.; Green, J. P.; Higson, H. E.

    2017-01-01

    This study investigates whether the completion of an optional sandwich work placement enhances student performance in final year examinations. Using Propensity Score Matching, our analysis departs from the literature by controlling for self-selection. Previous studies may have overestimated the impact of sandwich work placements on performance…

  16. Advanced Academic Participation: A Longitudinal Analysis of Ethnicity Gaps in Suburban Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kettler, Todd; Hurst, Luke T.

    2017-01-01

    Participation in advanced academic programs such as Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) has been associated with higher student achievement and college readiness. In addition, AP and IB are widely recommended and implemented as services for gifted and talented students. Students who participate in these programs tend to be…

  17. Some ozone advanced oxidation processes to improve the biological removal of selected pharmaceutical contaminants from urban wastewater.

    PubMed

    Espejo, Azahara; Aguinaco, Almudena; Amat, Ana M; Beltrán, Fernando J

    2014-01-01

    Removal of nine pharmaceutical compounds--acetaminophen (AAF), antipyrine (ANT), caffeine (CAF), carbamazepine (CRB), diclofenac (DCF), hydrochlorothiazide (HCT), ketorolac (KET), metoprolol (MET) and sulfamethoxazole (SMX)-spiked in a primary sedimentation effluent of a municipal wastewater has been studied with sequential aerobic biological and ozone advanced oxidation systems. Combinations of ozone, UVA black light and Fe(III) or Fe3O4 constituted the chemical systems. During the biological treatment (hydraulic residence time, HRT = 24 h), only AAF and CAF were completely eliminated, MET, SMX and HCT reached partial removal rates and the rest of compounds were completely refractory. With any ozone advanced oxidation process applied, the remaining pharmaceuticals disappear in less than 10 min. Fe3O4 or Fe(III) photocatalytic ozonation leads to 35% mineralization compared to 13% reached during ozonation alone after about 30-min reaction. Also, biodegradability of the treated wastewater increased 50% in the biological process plus another 150% after the ozonation processes. Both untreated and treated wastewater was non-toxic for Daphnia magna (D. magna) except when Fe(III) was used in photocatalytic ozonation. In this case, toxicity was likely due to the ferryoxalate formed in the process. Kinetic information on ozone processes reveals that pharmaceuticals at concentrations they have in urban wastewater are mainly removed through free radical oxidation.

  18. 38 CFR 21.252 - Job development and placement services.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Job development and... 38 U.S.C. Chapter 31 Employment Services § 21.252 Job development and placement services. (a) General. Job development and placement services may include: (1) Direct placement assistance by VA; (2...

  19. 38 CFR 21.252 - Job development and placement services.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Job development and... 38 U.S.C. Chapter 31 Employment Services § 21.252 Job development and placement services. (a) General. Job development and placement services may include: (1) Direct placement assistance by VA; (2...

  20. 38 CFR 21.252 - Job development and placement services.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Job development and... 38 U.S.C. Chapter 31 Employment Services § 21.252 Job development and placement services. (a) General. Job development and placement services may include: (1) Direct placement assistance by VA; (2...

  1. 38 CFR 21.252 - Job development and placement services.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Job development and... 38 U.S.C. Chapter 31 Employment Services § 21.252 Job development and placement services. (a) General. Job development and placement services may include: (1) Direct placement assistance by VA; (2...

  2. K.s. Micro-implant placement guide.

    PubMed

    Sharma, K; Sangwan, A

    2014-09-01

    A one of the greatest concerns with orthodontic mini-implants is risk of injury to dental roots during placement is, especially when they are inserted between teeth. Many techniques have been used to facilitate safe placement of interradicular miniscrews. Brass Wires or metallic markers are easy to place in the interproximal spaces, but because their relative positions may be inconsistent in different radio -graphic views, they are not always accurate. K.S. micro implant placement guide suggested in this article is simple design and easy in fabrication, required minimal equipment for fabrication and does not disturb the existing appliance system, clearly located in the radiograph and the mini-screw can be easily inserted through the guide reducing the chance of implant misplacement.

  3. Placement education pedagogy as social participation: what are students really learning?

    PubMed

    Kell, Clare

    2014-03-01

    This paper draws on empirical fieldwork data of naturally occurring UK physiotherapy placement education to make visible how education is actually carried out and suggest what students may be learning through their placement interactions. The data challenge everyone involved in placement education design and practice to consider the values and practices students are learning to perpetuate through placement education experiences. The researcher undertook an ethnomethodologically informed ethnographic observation of naturally occurring physiotherapy placement education in two UK NHS placement sites. This study adopted a social perspective of learning to focus on the minutiae of placement educator, student and patient interaction practices during student-present therapeutic activities. Two days of placement for each of six senior students were densely recorded in real-time focussing specifically on the verbal, kinesics and proxemics-based elements of the participants' interaction practices. Repeated cycles of data analysis suggested consistent practices irrespective of the placement, educators, students or patients. The data suggest that placement education is a powerful situated learning environment in which students see, experience and learn to reproduce the physiotherapy practices valued by the local placement. Consistently, placement educators and students co-produced patient-facing activities as spectacles of physiotherapy-as-science. In each setting, patients were used as person-absent audiovisual teaching aids from which students learnt to make a case for physiotherapy intervention. The paper challenges physiotherapists and other professions using work-placement education to look behind the rhetoric of their placement documentation and explore the reality of students' learning in the field. The UK-based physiotherapy profession may wish to consider further the possible implications of its self-definition as a 'science-based healthcare profession' on its in

  4. Clinical placements in mental health: a literature review.

    PubMed

    Happell, Brenda; Gaskin, Cadeyrn J; Byrne, Louise; Welch, Anthony; Gellion, Stephen

    2015-01-01

    Gaining experience in clinical mental health settings is central to the education of health practitioners. To facilitate the ongoing development of knowledge and practice in this area, we performed a review of the literature on clinical placements in mental health settings. Searches in Academic Search Complete, CINAHL, Medline and PsycINFO databases returned 244 records, of which 36 met the selection criteria for this review. Five additional papers were obtained through scanning the reference lists of those papers included from the initial search. The evidence suggests that clinical placements may have multiple benefits (e.g. improving students' skills, knowledge, attitudes towards people with mental health issues and confidence, as well as reducing their fears and anxieties about working in mental health). The location and structure of placements may affect outcomes, with mental health placements in non-mental health settings appearing to have minimal impact on key outcomes. The availability of clinical placements in mental health settings varies considerably among education providers, with some students completing their training without undertaking such structured clinical experiences. Students have generally reported that their placements in mental health settings have been positive and valuable experiences, but have raised concerns about the amount of support they received from education providers and healthcare staff. Several strategies have been shown to enhance clinical placement experiences (e.g. providing students with adequate preparation in the classroom, implementing learning contracts and providing clinical supervision). Educators and healthcare staff need to work together for the betterment of student learning and the healthcare professions.

  5. Utilisation of the healthcare system for authentic early experience placements.

    PubMed

    Hays, Richard B

    2013-01-01

    Authentic early experience in clinical contexts adds interest and relevance to basic medical education, and is regarded positively by both learners and teachers. However, with the recent expansion of medical education, the healthcare system appears close to reaching its capacity for student supervision. This study explores the utilisation of the healthcare system for early clinical placements. A secondary analysis was conducted of data from the Medical Schools Outcomes Database, collected from the 2010 annual questionnaire, focusing on the timing, duration and location of clinical placements during 2009 within the first half of basic medical education programs in Australia. Data was received for 67% of Australian medical students, reporting a total of 16 812 early clinical placements that occupied 97 319 days of supervised time in a wide variety of hospital, general practice and Indigenous health contexts, both urban and rural, across the Australian healthcare system. These early placements occupied about 16% of total clinical placement time for all students in all training years during 2009. The majority of these placements were for only a few hours or days; exceptions were longitudinal placements in regional and rural communities at a minority of schools. Early clinical placements may pose significant resource costs for placement providers, particularly supervision time and expertise. As medical education expands and the teaching capacity of the Australian healthcare system appears to reach its limits, it may be necessary to allocate placements according to their specific learning outcomes, prioritise more acute settings for more senior students, and increase capacity in less acute health and social care settings.

  6. Advances in downstream processing of biologics - Spectroscopy: An emerging process analytical technology.

    PubMed

    Rüdt, Matthias; Briskot, Till; Hubbuch, Jürgen

    2017-03-24

    Process analytical technologies (PAT) for the manufacturing of biologics have drawn increased interest in the last decade. Besides being encouraged by the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) PAT initiative, PAT promises to improve process understanding, reduce overall production costs and help to implement continuous manufacturing. This article focuses on spectroscopic tools for PAT in downstream processing (DSP). Recent advances and future perspectives will be reviewed. In order to exploit the full potential of gathered data, chemometric tools are widely used for the evaluation of complex spectroscopic information. Thus, an introduction into the field will be given. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Brand placement and consumer choice: an in-store experiment.

    PubMed

    Sigurdsson, Valdimar; Saevarsson, Hugi; Foxall, Gordon

    2009-01-01

    An in-store experiment was performed to investigate the effects of shelf placement (high, middle, low) on consumers' purchases of potato chips. Placement of potato chips on the middle shelf was associated with the highest percentage of purchases. The results confirm the importance of item placement as a factor in consumers' buying behavior.

  8. Recent advances and industrial viewpoint for biological treatment of wastewaters by oleaginous microorganisms.

    PubMed

    Huang, Chao; Luo, Mu-Tan; Chen, Xue-Fang; Xiong, Lian; Li, Xiao-Mei; Chen, Xin-De

    2017-05-01

    Recently, technology of using oleaginous microorganisms for biological treatment of wastewaters has become one hot topic in biochemical and environmental engineering for its advantages such as easy for operation in basic bioreactor, having potential to produce valuable bio-products, efficient wastewaters treatment in short period, etc. To promote its industrialization, this article provides some comprehensive analysis of this technology such as its advances, issues, and outlook especially from industrial viewpoint. In detail, the types of wastewaters can be treated and the kinds of oleaginous microorganisms used for biological treatment are introduced, the potential of industrial application and issues (relatively low COD removal, low lipid yield, cost of operation, and lack of scale up application) of this technology are presented, and some critical outlook mainly on co-culture method, combination with other treatments, process controlling and adjusting are discussed systematically. By this article, some important information to develop this technology can be obtained. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Emergency Shelter Placement of Rural Children: Placement and Discharge Patterns.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Van Hook, Mary

    1994-01-01

    Examines patterns associated with placement and subsequent discharge of rural children in emergency shelter care. Suggests that the growing numbers of children being placed out of their homes, runaway adolescents, and homeless children, underscore the importance of identifying children likely to be referred for emergency services, as those…

  10. BRAND PLACEMENT AND CONSUMER CHOICE: AN IN-STORE EXPERIMENT

    PubMed Central

    Sigurdsson, Valdimar; Saevarsson, Hugi; Foxall, Gordon

    2009-01-01

    An in-store experiment was performed to investigate the effects of shelf placement (high, middle, low) on consumers' purchases of potato chips. Placement of potato chips on the middle shelf was associated with the highest percentage of purchases. The results confirm the importance of item placement as a factor in consumers' buying behavior. PMID:20190939

  11. Brand Placement and Consumer Choice: An in-Store Experiment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sigurdsson, Valdimar; Saevarsson, Hugi; Foxall, Gordon

    2009-01-01

    An in-store experiment was performed to investigate the effects of shelf placement (high, middle, low) on consumers' purchases of potato chips. Placement of potato chips on the middle shelf was associated with the highest percentage of purchases. The results confirm the importance of item placement as a factor in consumers' buying behavior.…

  12. 25 CFR 26.25 - What constitutes a complete Job Placement Program application?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false What constitutes a complete Job Placement Program... JOB PLACEMENT AND TRAINING PROGRAM Job Placement Services § 26.25 What constitutes a complete Job Placement Program application? To be complete, a Job Placement Program application must contain all of the...

  13. 25 CFR 26.25 - What constitutes a complete Job Placement Program application?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2012-04-01 2011-04-01 true What constitutes a complete Job Placement Program... JOB PLACEMENT AND TRAINING PROGRAM Job Placement Services § 26.25 What constitutes a complete Job Placement Program application? To be complete, a Job Placement Program application must contain all of the...

  14. 25 CFR 26.25 - What constitutes a complete Job Placement Program application?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false What constitutes a complete Job Placement Program... JOB PLACEMENT AND TRAINING PROGRAM Job Placement Services § 26.25 What constitutes a complete Job Placement Program application? To be complete, a Job Placement Program application must contain all of the...

  15. 25 CFR 26.25 - What constitutes a complete Job Placement Program application?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false What constitutes a complete Job Placement Program... JOB PLACEMENT AND TRAINING PROGRAM Job Placement Services § 26.25 What constitutes a complete Job Placement Program application? To be complete, a Job Placement Program application must contain all of the...

  16. Understanding Successful Sandwich Placements: A Bourdieusian Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clark, Martyn; Zukas, Miriam

    2016-01-01

    Sandwich placements and other integrated work and study schemes are increasingly advocated as a key means by which universities can promote students' employability. However, there is little understanding of how successful placements work in terms of facilitating learning and development. Drawing on three longitudinal case studies of students who…

  17. Apoptosis: a four-week laboratory investigation for advanced molecular and cellular biology students.

    PubMed

    DiBartolomeis, Susan M; Moné, James P

    2003-01-01

    Over the past decade, apoptosis has emerged as an important field of study central to ongoing research in many diverse fields, from developmental biology to cancer research. Apoptosis proceeds by a highly coordinated series of events that includes enzyme activation, DNA fragmentation, and alterations in plasma membrane permeability. The detection of each of these phenotypic changes is accessible to advanced undergraduate cell and molecular biology students. We describe a 4-week laboratory sequence that integrates cell culture, fluorescence microscopy, DNA isolation and analysis, and western blotting (immunoblotting) to follow apoptosis in cultured human cells. Students working in teams chemically induce apoptosis, and harvest, process, and analyze cells, using their data to determine the order of events during apoptosis. We, as instructors, expose the students to an environment closely simulating what they would encounter in an active cell or molecular biology research laboratory by having students coordinate and perform multiple tasks simultaneously and by having them experience experimental design using current literature, data interpretation, and analysis to answer a single question. Students are assessed by examination of laboratory notebooks for completeness of experimental protocols and analysis of results and for completion of an assignment that includes questions pertaining to data interpretation and apoptosis.

  18. Synthetic biology: insights into biological computation.

    PubMed

    Manzoni, Romilde; Urrios, Arturo; Velazquez-Garcia, Silvia; de Nadal, Eulàlia; Posas, Francesc

    2016-04-18

    Organisms have evolved a broad array of complex signaling mechanisms that allow them to survive in a wide range of environmental conditions. They are able to sense external inputs and produce an output response by computing the information. Synthetic biology attempts to rationally engineer biological systems in order to perform desired functions. Our increasing understanding of biological systems guides this rational design, while the huge background in electronics for building circuits defines the methodology. In this context, biocomputation is the branch of synthetic biology aimed at implementing artificial computational devices using engineered biological motifs as building blocks. Biocomputational devices are defined as biological systems that are able to integrate inputs and return outputs following pre-determined rules. Over the last decade the number of available synthetic engineered devices has increased exponentially; simple and complex circuits have been built in bacteria, yeast and mammalian cells. These devices can manage and store information, take decisions based on past and present inputs, and even convert a transient signal into a sustained response. The field is experiencing a fast growth and every day it is easier to implement more complex biological functions. This is mainly due to advances in in vitro DNA synthesis, new genome editing tools, novel molecular cloning techniques, continuously growing part libraries as well as other technological advances. This allows that digital computation can now be engineered and implemented in biological systems. Simple logic gates can be implemented and connected to perform novel desired functions or to better understand and redesign biological processes. Synthetic biological digital circuits could lead to new therapeutic approaches, as well as new and efficient ways to produce complex molecules such as antibiotics, bioplastics or biofuels. Biological computation not only provides possible biomedical and

  19. Factors influencing radiation therapy student clinical placement satisfaction

    PubMed Central

    Bridge, Pete; Carmichael, Mary-Ann

    2014-01-01

    Introduction: Radiation therapy students at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) attend clinical placements at five different clinical departments with varying resources and support strategies. This study aimed to determine the relative availability and perceived importance of different factors affecting student support while on clinical placement. The purpose of the research was to inform development of future support mechanisms to enhance radiation therapy students’ experience on clinical placement. Methods: This study used anonymous Likert-style surveys to gather data from years 1 and 2 radiation therapy students from QUT and clinical educators from Queensland relating to availability and importance of support mechanisms during clinical placements in a semester. Results: The study findings demonstrated student satisfaction with clinical support and suggested that level of support on placement influenced student employment choices. Staff support was perceived as more important than physical resources; particularly access to a named mentor, a clinical educator and weekly formative feedback. Both students and educators highlighted the impact of time pressures. Conclusions: The support offered to radiation therapy students by clinical staff is more highly valued than physical resources or models of placement support. Protected time and acknowledgement of the importance of clinical education roles are both invaluable. Joint investment in mentor support by both universities and clinical departments is crucial for facilitation of effective clinical learning. PMID:26229635

  20. Factors influencing radiation therapy student clinical placement satisfaction

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bridge, Pete; Carmichael, Mary-Ann

    Introduction: Radiation therapy students at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) attend clinical placements at five different clinical departments with varying resources and support strategies. This study aimed to determine the relative availability and perceived importance of different factors affecting student support while on clinical placement. The purpose of the research was to inform development of future support mechanisms to enhance radiation therapy students’ experience on clinical placement. Methods: This study used anonymous Likert-style surveys to gather data from years 1 and 2 radiation therapy students from QUT and clinical educators from Queensland relating to availability and importance of support mechanismsmore » during clinical placements in a semester. Results: The study findings demonstrated student satisfaction with clinical support and suggested that level of support on placement influenced student employment choices. Staff support was perceived as more important than physical resources; particularly access to a named mentor, a clinical educator and weekly formative feedback. Both students and educators highlighted the impact of time pressures. Conclusions: The support offered to radiation therapy students by clinical staff is more highly valued than physical resources or models of placement support. Protected time and acknowledgement of the importance of clinical education roles are both invaluable. Joint investment in mentor support by both universities and clinical departments is crucial for facilitation of effective clinical learning.« less

  1. Recent advances and future directions in the management of knee osteoarthritis: Can biological joint reconstruction replace joint arthroplasty and when?

    PubMed Central

    Paschos, Nikolaos K

    2015-01-01

    In this article, a concise description of the recent advances in the field of osteoarthritis management is presented. The main focus is to highlight the most promising techniques that emerge in both biological joint replacement and artificial joint arthroplasty. A critical view of high quality evidence regarding outcome and safety profile of these techniques is presented. The potential role of kinematically aligned total knee replacement, navigation, and robotic-assisted surgery is outlined. A critical description of both primary and stem cell-based therapies, the cell homing theory, the use of biologic factors and recent advancements in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine is provided. Based on the current evidence, some thoughts on a realistic approach towards answering these questions are attempted. PMID:26495242

  2. Sequential ozone advanced oxidation and biological oxidation processes to remove selected pharmaceutical contaminants from an urban wastewater.

    PubMed

    Espejo, Azahara; Aguinaco, Almudena; García-Araya, J F; Beltrán, Fernando J

    2014-01-01

    Sequential treatments consisting in a chemical process followed by a conventional biological treatment, have been applied to remove mixtures of nine contaminants of pharmaceutical type spiked in a primary sedimentation effluent of a municipal wastewater. Combinations of ozone, UVA black light (BL) and Fe(III) or Fe₃O₄ catalysts constituted the chemical systems. Regardless of the Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP), the removal of pharmaceutical compounds was achieved in 1 h of reaction, while total organic carbon (TOC) only diminished between 3.4 and 6%. Among selected ozonation systems to be implemented before the biological treatment, the application of ozone alone in the pre-treatment stage is recommended due to the increase of the biodegradability observed. The application of ozone followed by the conventional biological treatment leads high TOC and COD removal rates, 60 and 61%, respectively, and allows the subsequent biological treatment works with shorter hydraulic residence time (HRT). Moreover, the influence of the application of AOPs before and after a conventional biological process was compared, concluding that the decision to take depends on the characterization of the initial wastewater with pharmaceutical compounds.

  3. Recent advances in understanding the biology of marginal zone lymphoma

    PubMed Central

    Zucca, Emanuele

    2018-01-01

    There are three different marginal zone lymphomas (MZLs): the extranodal MZL of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) type (MALT lymphoma), the splenic MZL, and the nodal MZL. The three MZLs share common lesions and deregulated pathways but also present specific alterations that can be used for their differential diagnosis. Although trisomies of chromosomes 3 and 18, deletions at 6q23, deregulation of nuclear factor kappa B, and chromatin remodeling genes are frequent events in all of them, the three MZLs differ in the presence of recurrent translocations, mutations affecting the NOTCH pathway, and the transcription factor Kruppel like factor 2 ( KLF2) or the receptor-type protein tyrosine phosphatase delta ( PTPRD). Since a better understanding of the molecular events underlying each subtype may have practical relevance, this review summarizes the most recent and main advances in our understanding of the genetics and biology of MZLs. PMID:29657712

  4. Screw Placement and Osteoplasty Under Computed Tomographic-Fluoroscopic Guidance in a Case of Advanced Metastatic Destruction of the Iliosacral Joint

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Trumm, Christoph Gregor, E-mail: christoph.trumm@med.lmu.de; Rubenbauer, Bianca; Piltz, Stefan

    We present a case of combined surgical screw placement and osteoplasty guided by computed tomography-fluoroscopy (CTF) in a 68-year-old man with unilateral osteolytic destruction and a pathological fracture of the iliosacral joint due to a metastasis from renal cell carcinoma. The patient experienced intractable lower back pain that was refractory to analgesia. After transarterial particle and coil embolization of the tumor-feeding vessels in the angiography unit, the procedure was performed under general anesthesia by an interdisciplinary team of interventional radiologists and trauma surgeons. Under intermittent single-shot CTF, two K wires were inserted into the left iliosacral joint from a lateralmore » transiliac approach at the S1 level followed by two self-tapping surgical screws. Continuous CTF was used for monitoring of the subsequent polymethylmethacrylate injection through two vertebroplasty cannulas for further stabilization of the screw threads within the osteolytic sacral ala. Both the screw placement and cement injection were successful, with no complications occurring during or after the procedure. With additional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory and opioid medication, the patient reported a marked decrease in his lower back pain and was able to move independently again at the 3-month follow-up assessment. In our patient with intolerable back pain due to tumor destruction and consequent pathological fracture of the iliosacral joint, CTF-guided iliosacral screw placement combined with osteoplasty was successful with respect to joint stabilization and a reduction in the need for analgesic therapy.« less

  5. Private Placement Debt Financing for Public Entities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Holman, Lance S.

    2010-01-01

    Private placement financing is a debt or capital lease obligation arranged between a municipality or a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization and a single sophisticated institutional investor. The investor can be a bank, insurance company, finance company, hedge fund, or high-net worth individual. Private placement financing is similar to…

  6. Patterns of out-of-home placement decision-making in child welfare.

    PubMed

    Chor, Ka Ho Brian; McClelland, Gary M; Weiner, Dana A; Jordan, Neil; Lyons, John S

    2013-10-01

    Out-of-home placement decision-making in child welfare is founded on the best interest of the child in the least restrictive setting. After a child is removed from home, however, little is known about the mechanism of placement decision-making. This study aims to systematically examine the patterns of out-of-home placement decisions made in a state's child welfare system by comparing two models of placement decision-making: a multidisciplinary team decision-making model and a clinically based decision support algorithm. Based on records of 7816 placement decisions representing 6096 children over a 4-year period, hierarchical log-linear modeling characterized concordance or agreement, and discordance or disagreement when comparing the two models and accounting for age-appropriate placement options. Children aged below 16 had an overall concordance rate of 55.7%, most apparent in the least restrictive (20.4%) and the most restrictive placement (18.4%). Older youth showed greater discordant distributions (62.9%). Log-linear analysis confirmed the overall robustness of concordance (odd ratios [ORs] range: 2.9-442.0), though discordance was most evident from small deviations from the decision support algorithm, such as one-level under-placement in group home (OR=5.3) and one-level over-placement in residential treatment center (OR=4.8). Concordance should be further explored using child-level clinical and placement stability outcomes. Discordance might be explained by dynamic factors such as availability of placements, caregiver preferences, or policy changes and could be justified by positive child-level outcomes. Empirical placement decision-making is critical to a child's journey in child welfare and should be continuously improved to effect positive child welfare outcomes. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Recent advances of molecular toolbox construction expand Pichia pastoris in synthetic biology applications.

    PubMed

    Kang, Zhen; Huang, Hao; Zhang, Yunfeng; Du, Guocheng; Chen, Jian

    2017-01-01

    Pichia pastoris: (reclassified as Komagataella phaffii), a methylotrophic yeast strain has been widely used for heterologous protein production because of its unique advantages, such as readily achievable high-density fermentation, tractable genetic modifications and typical eukaryotic post-translational modifications. More recently, P. pastoris as a metabolic pathway engineering platform has also gained much attention. In this mini-review, we addressed recent advances of molecular toolboxes, including synthetic promoters, signal peptides, and genome engineering tools that established for P. pastoris. Furthermore, the applications of P. pastoris towards synthetic biology were also discussed and prospected especially in the context of genome-scale metabolic pathway analysis.

  8. 25 CFR 26.26 - What Job Placement services may I receive?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false What Job Placement services may I receive? 26.26 Section 26.26 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR HUMAN SERVICES JOB PLACEMENT AND TRAINING PROGRAM Job Placement Services § 26.26 What Job Placement services may I receive? As determined by...

  9. 25 CFR 26.26 - What Job Placement services may I receive?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false What Job Placement services may I receive? 26.26 Section 26.26 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR HUMAN SERVICES JOB PLACEMENT AND TRAINING PROGRAM Job Placement Services § 26.26 What Job Placement services may I receive? As determined by...

  10. 25 CFR 26.26 - What Job Placement services may I receive?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2012-04-01 2011-04-01 true What Job Placement services may I receive? 26.26 Section 26.26 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR HUMAN SERVICES JOB PLACEMENT AND TRAINING PROGRAM Job Placement Services § 26.26 What Job Placement services may I receive? As determined by...

  11. 25 CFR 26.26 - What Job Placement services may I receive?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false What Job Placement services may I receive? 26.26 Section 26.26 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR HUMAN SERVICES JOB PLACEMENT AND TRAINING PROGRAM Job Placement Services § 26.26 What Job Placement services may I receive? As determined by...

  12. 25 CFR 26.26 - What Job Placement services may I receive?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false What Job Placement services may I receive? 26.26 Section 26.26 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR HUMAN SERVICES JOB PLACEMENT AND TRAINING PROGRAM Job Placement Services § 26.26 What Job Placement services may I receive? As determined by...

  13. [Advance in molecular biology of Dendrobium (Orchidaceae)].

    PubMed

    Li, Qing; Li, Biao; Guo, Shun-Xing

    2016-08-01

    With the development of molecular biology, the process in molecular biology research of Dendrobium is going fast. Not only did it provide new ways to identify Dendrobium quickly, reveal the genetic diversity and relationship of Dendrobium, but also lay the vital foundation for explaining the mechanism of Dendrobium growth and metabolism. The present paper reviews the recent process in molecular biology research of Dendrobium from three aspects, including molecular identification, genetic diversity and functional genes. And this review will facilitate the development of this research area and Dendrobium. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

  14. 33 CFR 183.566 - Fuel pumps: Placement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Fuel pumps: Placement. 183.566...) BOATING SAFETY BOATS AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT Fuel Systems Manufacturer Requirements § 183.566 Fuel pumps: Placement. Each fuel pump must be on the engine it serves or within 12 inches of the engine, unless it is a...

  15. Comprehensive Approach to Pupil Planning: Stage II - Planning and Placement (Includes Planning and Placement Team Meeting Agenda). Experimental Edition.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vlasak, Frances Stetson; Kaufman, Martin J.

    Presented is Stage II of the Comprehensive Approach to Pupil Planning (CAPP) System, a three-stage model for planning educational interventions in the regular and special education classrooms and for guiding placement decisions. The guide focuses on the evaluation services performed by the Planning and Placement Team (PPT) with sections on the…

  16. Dry Ribbon for Heated Head Automated Fiber Placement

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hulcher, A. Bruce; Marchello, Joseph M.; Hinkley, Jeffrey A.; Johnston, Norman J.; Lamontia, Mark A.

    2000-01-01

    Ply-by-ply in situ processes involving automated heated head deposition are being developed for fabrication of high performance, high temperature composite structures from low volatile content polymer matrices. This technology requires (1) dry carbon fiber towpreg, (2) consolidation of towpreg to quality, placement-grade unidirectional ribbon or tape, and (3) rapid, in situ, accurate, ply-by-ply robotic placement and consolidation of this material to fabricate a composite structure. In this study, the physical properties of a candidate thermoplastic ribbon, PIXA/IM7, were evaluated and screened for suitability in robotic placement. Specifically, towpreg was prepared from PIXA powder. Various conditions (temperatures) were used to convert the powder-coated towpreg to ribbons with varying degrees of processability. Ribbon within preset specifications was fabricated at 3 temperatures: 390, 400 and 410 C. Ribbon was also produced out-of-spec by purposely overheating the material to a processing temperature of 450 C. Automated placement equipment at Cincinnati Milacron and NASA Langley was used to fabricate laminates from these experimental ribbons. Ribbons were placed at 405 and 450 C by both sets of equipment. Double cantilever beam and wedge peel tests were used to determine the quality of the laminates and, especially, the interlaminar bond formed during the placement process. Ribbon made under conditions expected to be non-optimal (overheated) resulted in poor placeability and composites with weak interlaminar bond strengths, regardless of placement conditions. Ribbon made under conditions expected to be ideal showed good processability and produced well-consolidated laminates. Results were consistent from machine to machine and demonstrated the importance of ribbon quality in heated-head placement of dry material forms. Preliminary screening criteria for the development and evaluation of ribbon from new matrix materials were validated.

  17. The Re-Placement Test: Using TOEFL for Purposes of Placement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moglen, Daniel

    2015-01-01

    This article will consider using TOEFL scores for purposes of placement and advising for international graduate students at a northern California research university. As the number of international students is on the rise and the funds for the graduate ESL program are diminishing, the way in which the university is handling the influx of…

  18. Predictors of professional placement outcome: cultural background, English speaking and international student status.

    PubMed

    Attrill, Stacie; McAllister, Sue; Lincoln, Michelle

    2016-08-01

    Placements provide opportunities for students to develop practice skills in professional settings. Learning in placements may be challenging for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) students, international students, or those without sufficient English proficiency for professional practice. This study investigated whether these factors, which are hypothesized to influence acculturation, predict poor placement outcome. Placement outcome data were collected for 854 students who completed 2747 placements. Placement outcome was categorized into 'Pass' or 'At risk' categories. Multilevel binomial regression analysis was used to determine whether being CALD, an international student, speaking 'English as an additional language', or a 'Language other than English at home' predicted placement outcome. In multiple multilevel analysis speaking English as an additional language and being an international student were significant predictors of 'at risk' placements, but other variables tested were not. Effect sizes were small indicating untested factors also influenced placement outcome. These results suggest that students' English as an additional language or international student status influences success in placements. The extent of acculturation may explain the differences in placement outcome for the groups tested. This suggests that learning needs for placement may differ for students undertaking more acculturative adjustments. Further research is needed to understand this and to identify placement support strategies.

  19. Film Processing Module for Automated Fiber Placement

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hulcher, A. Bruce

    2004-01-01

    This viewgraph presentation describes fiber placement technology which was originally developed by Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) for the fabrication of fiber composite propellant tanks. The presentation includes an image of the MSFC Fiber Placement Machine, which is a prototype test bed, and images of some of the machine's parts. Some possible applications for the machines are listed.

  20. Self-aligned quadruple patterning-compliant placement

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nakajima, Fumiharu; Kodama, Chikaaki; Nakayama, Koichi; Nojima, Shigeki; Kotani, Toshiya

    2015-03-01

    Self-Aligned Quadruple Patterning (SAQP) will be one of the leading candidates for sub-14nm node and beyond. However, compared with triple patterning, making a feasible standard cell placement has following problems. (1) When coloring conflicts occur between two adjoining cells, they may not be solved easily since SAQP layout has stronger coloring constraints. (2) SAQP layout cannot use stitch to solve coloring conflict. In this paper, we present a framework of SAQP-aware standard cell placement considering the above problems. When standard cell is placed, the proposed method tries to solve coloring conflicts between two cells by exchanging two of three colors. If some conflicts remain between adjoining cells, dummy space will be inserted to keep coloring constraints of SAQP. We show some examples to confirm effectiveness of the proposed framework. To our best knowledge, this is the first framework of SAQP-aware standard cell placement.

  1. The Effect of Product Placement Marketing on Effectiveness of Internet Advertising

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liao, Hsiu-Li; Liu, Su-Houn; Pi, Shih-Ming; Chen, Hui-Ju

    Compared to the traditional way of doing advertising, such as ad Banners, internet product placement is now emerging as a promising strategy for advertisers to do their job effectively in this Web 2.0 era. Therefore, this study focuses on the effectiveness of product placement advertising on the Internet. The results show that product prominence (Subtle or Prominent) and presentation of the advertising (Video or Images) significantly impacts the effectiveness of product placement advertising on the Internet, including brand impression, advertising attitude, and intention to click. Product prominence and presentation of the advertisement have an interactive impact. Our findings indicated that presenting the product through videos will enhance higher levels of advertising attitude, brand impression, and intention to click than presenting it through still images. Subtle placements will increase the level of advertising attitude and intention to click more so than prominent placements. But prominent placements increase the brand impression more than the subtle placements.

  2. This is Advertising! Effects of Disclosing Television Brand Placement on Adolescents.

    PubMed

    van Reijmersdal, Eva A; Boerman, Sophie C; Buijzen, Moniek; Rozendaal, Esther

    2017-02-01

    As heavy media users, adolescents are frequently exposed to embedded advertising formats such as brand placements. Because this may lead to unwitting persuasion, regulations prescribe disclosure of brand placements. This study aimed to increase our understanding of the effects of disclosing television brand placements and disclosure duration on adolescents' persuasion knowledge (i.e., recognition of brand placement as being advertising, understanding that brand placement has a persuasive intent and critical attitude toward brand placement) and brand responses (i.e., brand memory and brand attitude). To do so, an earlier study that was conducted among adults was replicated among adolescents aged 13-17 years (N = 221, 44 % female). The present study shows that brand placement disclosure had limited effects on adolescents' persuasion knowledge as it only affected adolescents' understanding of persuasive intent, did not mitigate persuasion, but did increase brand memory. These findings suggest that brand placement disclosure has fundamentally different effects on adolescents than on adults: the disclosures had less effects on activating persuasion knowledge and mitigating persuasion among adolescents than among adults. Implications for advertising disclosure regulation and consequences for advertisers are discussed.

  3. Simultaneous Umbilical Hernia Repair with Transumbilical Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Placement.

    PubMed

    Montalbano, Michael J; Loukas, Marios; Oakes, W Jerry; Tubbs, R Shane

    2017-01-01

    Recently, placement of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt via a transumbilical approach has been reported. Herein, we report the repair of an umbilical hernia via the same incision and introduction of the distal end of a ventricultoperitoneal shunt into the peritoneal cavity in 3 patients. A case illustration is included. Both hernia repair and placement of the distal end of the ventriculoperitoneal shunt were uncomplicated in our small case series. To our knowledge, simultaneous repair of an umbilical hernia followed by transumbilical shunt placement has not been reported. As umbilical hernias are so common in infants, this finding, based on our experience, should not exclude placement of peritoneal tubing in the same setting. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  4. Emerging: An Art Field Placement's Impact on Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Averett, Paige; Spence, Christina Hall

    2018-01-01

    This exploratory study examined the experiences of 9 stakeholders in an art gallery field placement during their social work education. The study sought to understand how the nontraditional field placement prepared students for practice. In addition, personality traits of students that best fit the placement was examined. Findings suggest that…

  5. A comparison of the number of hours of sleep in high school students who took advanced placement and/or college courses and those who did not.

    PubMed

    Jin, Qiushuang; Shi, Qian

    2008-12-01

    This study investigated the association between sleep deprivation and enrollment in Advanced Placement (AP) and/or college courses among high school students. Approximately 4,000 surveys were distributed, and 2,197 completed surveys were returned from students in Grades 9 to 12 at 15 high schools in Iowa. Findings indicated the majority of high school students were sleep deprived. Sleep deprivation was significantly associated with enrollment in AP/college courses. Results indicated that enrollment in AP/college courses had a greater impact on younger students than older students. Compared with non-AP/college course takers, AP/college course takers slept approximately 20 minutes less per night. Specifically, 9th- and 10th-grade AP/college course takers slept approximately 1 hour less and 40 minutes less, respectively. In addition, students enrolled in two or more AP/college classes received 1 hour less and 30 minutes less among 10th and 11th graders, respectively. These results provide useful information on adolescent sleep patterns for school nurses.

  6. ESL Placement and Schools: Effects on Immigrant Achievement.

    PubMed

    Callahan, Rebecca; Wilkinson, Lindsey; Muller, Chandra; Frisco, Michelle

    2009-05-01

    In this study, the authors explore English as a Second Language (ESL) placement as a measure of how schools label and process immigrant students. Using propensity score matching and data from the Adolescent Health and Academic Achievement Study and the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, the authors estimate the effect of ESL placement on immigrant achievement. In schools with more immigrant students, the authors find that ESL placement results in higher levels of academic performance; in schools with few immigrant students, the effect reverses. This is not to suggest a one-size-fits-all policy; many immigrant students, regardless of school composition, generational status, or ESL placement, struggle to achieve at levels sufficient for acceptance to a 4-year university. This study offers several factors to be taken into consideration as schools develop policies and practices to provide immigrant students opportunities to learn.

  7. Rotation placements help students' understanding of intensive care.

    PubMed

    Abbott, Lisa

    2011-07-01

    It is vital that children's nursing students are fit for practice when they qualify and are able to meet various essential skills as defined by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). To gain the knowledge and skills required, students need placements in areas where high dependency and potentially intensive care are delivered. Efforts to maximise the number of students experiencing intensive care as a placement have led to the development of the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) rotation, increasing placements on the PICU from 5 to 40 per cent of the student cohort per year. The lecturer practitioner organises the rotation, providing credible links between university and practice areas, while supporting students and staff in offering a high-quality placement experience. Students say the rotation offers a positive insight into PICU nursing, helping them develop knowledge and skills in a technical area and creating an interest in this specialty.

  8. A review of soft-tissue sarcomas: translation of biological advances into treatment measures

    PubMed Central

    Mann, Michael J; Tolani, Bhairavi

    2018-01-01

    Soft-tissue sarcomas are rare malignant tumors arising from connective tissues and have an overall incidence of about five per 100,000 per year. While this diverse family of malignancies comprises over 100 histological subtypes and many molecular aberrations are prevalent within specific sarcomas, very few are therapeutically targeted. Instead of utilizing molecular signatures, first-line sarcoma treatment options are still limited to traditional surgery and chemotherapy, and many of the latter remain largely ineffective and are plagued by disease resistance. Currently, the mechanism of sarcoma oncogenesis remains largely unknown, thus necessitating a better understanding of pathogenesis. Although substantial progress has not occurred with molecularly targeted therapies over the past 30 years, increased knowledge about sarcoma biology could lead to new and more effective treatment strategies to move the field forward. Here, we discuss biological advances in the core molecular determinants in some of the most common soft-tissue sarcomas – liposarcoma, angiosarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, Ewing’s sarcoma, and synovial sarcoma – with an emphasis on emerging genomic and molecular pathway targets and immunotherapeutic treatment strategies to combat this confounding disease. PMID:29785138

  9. Better Prepared, Better Placement: An Online Resource for Health Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grace, Sandra; O'Neil, Ross

    2014-01-01

    Despite calls for better preparation of students and supervisors for clinical placement, few dedicated pre-placement resources have been developed. The aim of this project was to design, pilot, and evaluate an online resource to prepare health students and supervisors for clinical placements. Development of an online resource was informed by the…

  10. Virtual surgery simulation versus traditional approaches in training of residents in cervical pedicle screw placement.

    PubMed

    Hou, Yang; Shi, Jiangang; Lin, Yanping; Chen, Huajiang; Yuan, Wen

    2018-06-01

    The cervical screw placement is one of the most difficult procedures in spine surgery, which often needs a long period of repeated practices and could cause screw placement-related complications. We performed this cadaver study to investigate the effectiveness of virtual surgical training system (VSTS) on cervical pedicle screw instrumentation for residents. A total of ten novice residents were randomly assigned to two groups: the simulation training (ST) group (n = 5) and control group (n = 5). The ST group received a surgical training of cervical pedicle screw placement on VSTS and the control group was given an introductory teaching session before cadaver test. Ten fresh adult spine specimens including 6 males and 4 females were collected, and were randomly allocated to the two groups. The bilateral C3-C6 pedicle screw instrumentation was performed in the specimens of the two groups, respectively. After instrumentation, screw positions of the two groups were evaluated by image examinations. There was significantly statistical difference in screw penetration rates between the ST (10%) and control group (62.5%, P < 0.05). The acceptable rates of screws were 100 and 50% in the ST and control groups with significant difference between each other (P < 0.05). In addition, the average screw penetration distance in the ST group (1.12 ± 0.47 mm) was significantly lower than the control group (2.08 ± 0.39 mm, P < 0.05). This study demonstrated that the VSTS as an advanced training tool exhibited promising effects on improving performance of novice residents in cervical pedicle screw placement compared with the traditional teaching methods.

  11. Cracking the nodule worm code advances knowledge of parasite biology and biotechnology to tackle major diseases of livestock.

    PubMed

    Tyagi, Rahul; Joachim, Anja; Ruttkowski, Bärbel; Rosa, Bruce A; Martin, John C; Hallsworth-Pepin, Kymberlie; Zhang, Xu; Ozersky, Philip; Wilson, Richard K; Ranganathan, Shoba; Sternberg, Paul W; Gasser, Robin B; Mitreva, Makedonka

    2015-11-01

    Many infectious diseases caused by eukaryotic pathogens have a devastating, long-term impact on animal health and welfare. Hundreds of millions of animals are affected by parasitic nematodes of the order Strongylida. Unlocking the molecular biology of representatives of this order, and understanding nematode-host interactions, drug resistance and disease using advanced technologies could lead to entirely new ways of controlling the diseases that they cause. Oesophagostomum dentatum (nodule worm; superfamily Strongyloidea) is an economically important strongylid nematode parasite of swine worldwide. The present article reports recent advances made in biology and animal biotechnology through the draft genome and developmental transcriptome of O. dentatum, in order to support biological research of this and related parasitic nematodes as well as the search for new and improved interventions. This first genome of any member of the Strongyloidea is 443 Mb in size and predicted to encode 25,291 protein-coding genes. Here, we review the dynamics of transcription throughout the life cycle of O. dentatum, describe double-stranded RNA interference (RNAi) machinery and infer molecules involved in development and reproduction, and in inducing or modulating immune responses or disease. The secretome predicted for O. dentatum is particularly rich in peptidases linked to interactions with host tissues and/or feeding activity, and a diverse array of molecules likely involved in immune responses. This research progress provides an important resource for future comparative genomic and molecular biological investigations as well as for biotechnological research toward new anthelmintics, vaccines and diagnostic tests. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Social Learning in a Longitudinal Integrated Clinical Placement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roberts, Chris; Daly, Michele; Held, Fabian; Lyle, David

    2017-01-01

    Recent research has demonstrated that longitudinal integrated placements (LICs) are an alternative mode of clinical education to traditional placements. Extended student engagement in community settings provide the advantages of educational continuity as well as increased service provision in underserved areas. Developing and maintaining LICs…

  13. Integrated Analyses Resolve Conflicts over Squamate Reptile Phylogeny and Reveal Unexpected Placements for Fossil Taxa

    PubMed Central

    Reeder, Tod W.; Townsend, Ted M.; Mulcahy, Daniel G.; Noonan, Brice P.; Wood, Perry L.; Sites, Jack W.; Wiens, John J.

    2015-01-01

    Squamate reptiles (lizards and snakes) are a pivotal group whose relationships have become increasingly controversial. Squamates include >9000 species, making them the second largest group of terrestrial vertebrates. They are important medicinally and as model systems for ecological and evolutionary research. However, studies of squamate biology are hindered by uncertainty over their relationships, and some consider squamate phylogeny unresolved, given recent conflicts between molecular and morphological results. To resolve these conflicts, we expand existing morphological and molecular datasets for squamates (691 morphological characters and 46 genes, for 161 living and 49 fossil taxa, including a new set of 81 morphological characters and adding two genes from published studies) and perform integrated analyses. Our results resolve higher-level relationships as indicated by molecular analyses, and reveal hidden morphological support for the molecular hypothesis (but not vice-versa). Furthermore, we find that integrating molecular, morphological, and paleontological data leads to surprising placements for two major fossil clades (Mosasauria and Polyglyphanodontia). These results further demonstrate the importance of combining fossil and molecular information, and the potential problems of estimating the placement of fossil taxa from morphological data alone. Thus, our results caution against estimating fossil relationships without considering relevant molecular data, and against placing fossils into molecular trees (e.g. for dating analyses) without considering the possible impact of molecular data on their placement. PMID:25803280

  14. Integrated analyses resolve conflicts over squamate reptile phylogeny and reveal unexpected placements for fossil taxa.

    PubMed

    Reeder, Tod W; Townsend, Ted M; Mulcahy, Daniel G; Noonan, Brice P; Wood, Perry L; Sites, Jack W; Wiens, John J

    2015-01-01

    Squamate reptiles (lizards and snakes) are a pivotal group whose relationships have become increasingly controversial. Squamates include >9000 species, making them the second largest group of terrestrial vertebrates. They are important medicinally and as model systems for ecological and evolutionary research. However, studies of squamate biology are hindered by uncertainty over their relationships, and some consider squamate phylogeny unresolved, given recent conflicts between molecular and morphological results. To resolve these conflicts, we expand existing morphological and molecular datasets for squamates (691 morphological characters and 46 genes, for 161 living and 49 fossil taxa, including a new set of 81 morphological characters and adding two genes from published studies) and perform integrated analyses. Our results resolve higher-level relationships as indicated by molecular analyses, and reveal hidden morphological support for the molecular hypothesis (but not vice-versa). Furthermore, we find that integrating molecular, morphological, and paleontological data leads to surprising placements for two major fossil clades (Mosasauria and Polyglyphanodontia). These results further demonstrate the importance of combining fossil and molecular information, and the potential problems of estimating the placement of fossil taxa from morphological data alone. Thus, our results caution against estimating fossil relationships without considering relevant molecular data, and against placing fossils into molecular trees (e.g. for dating analyses) without considering the possible impact of molecular data on their placement.

  15. Has Modern Biology Entered the Mouth? The Clinical Impact of Biological Research.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baum, Bruce J.

    1991-01-01

    Three areas of biological research that are beginning to have an impact on clinical medicine are examined, including molecular biology, cell biology, and biotechnology. It is concluded that oral biologists and educators must work cooperatively to bring rapid biological and biomedical advances into dental training in a meaningful way. (MSE)

  16. Towards advanced biological detection using surface enhanced raman scattering (SERS)-based sensors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hankus, Mikella E.; Stratis-Cullum, Dimitra N.; Pellegrino, Paul M.

    2010-08-01

    The Army has a need for an accurate, fast, reliable and robust means to identify and quantify defense related materials. Raman spectroscopy is a form of vibrational spectroscopy that is rapidly becoming a valuable tool for homeland defense applications, as it is well suited for the molecular identification of a variety of compounds, including explosives and chemical and biological hazards. To measure trace levels of these types of materials, surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), a specialized form of Raman scattering, can be employed. The SERS enhancements are produced on, or in close proximity to, a nanoscale roughened metal surface and are typically associated with increased local electromagnetic field strengths. However, before application of SERS in the field and in particular to biological and other hazard sensing applications, significant improvements in substrate performance are needed. In this work, we will report the use of several SERS substrate architectures (colloids, film-over-nanospheres (FONs) and commercially available substrates) for detecting and differentiating numerous endospore samples. The variance in spectra as obtained using different sensing architectures will also be discussed. Additionally, the feasibility of using a modified substrate architecture that is tailored with molecular recognition probe system for detecting biological samples will be explored. We will discuss the progress towards an advanced, hybrid molecular recognition with a SERS/Fluorescence nanoprobe system including the optimization, fabrication, and spectroscopic analysis of samples on a commercially available substrate. Additionally, the feasibility of using this single-step switching architecture for hazard material detection will also be explored.

  17. Angioplasty and stent placement - heart

    MedlinePlus

    PCI; Percutaneous coronary intervention; Balloon angioplasty; Coronary angioplasty; Coronary artery angioplasty; Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty; Heart artery dilatation; Angina - stent placement; Acute coronary ...

  18. Percutaneous Irreversible Electroporation of Locally Advanced Pancreatic Carcinoma Using the Dorsal Approach: A Case Report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Scheffer, Hester J., E-mail: hj.scheffer@vumc.nl; Melenhorst, Marleen C. A. M., E-mail: m.melenhorst@vumc.nl; Vogel, Jantien A., E-mail: j.a.vogel@amc.uva.nl

    Irreversible electroporation (IRE) is a novel image-guided ablation technique that is increasingly used to treat locally advanced pancreatic carcinoma (LAPC). We describe a 67-year-old male patient with a 5 cm stage III pancreatic tumor who was referred for IRE. Because the ventral approach for electrode placement was considered dangerous due to vicinity of the tumor to collateral vessels and duodenum, the dorsal approach was chosen. Under CT-guidance, six electrodes were advanced in the tumor, approaching paravertebrally alongside the aorta and inferior vena cava. Ablation was performed without complications. This case describes that when ventral electrode placement for pancreatic IRE is impaired,more » the dorsal approach could be considered alternatively.« less

  19. Fluoroscopic Placement of Double-Pigtail Ureteral Stents

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Gregory L.

    2001-01-01

    Purpose: Double-pigtail ureteral stent is placed cystoscopically after ureteroscopy. We describe a technique for fluoroscopic placement of ureteral stents and demonstrate its use in a non-randomized prospective study. Materials and methods: Double-pigtail stents were placed either fluoroscopically or cystoscopically in 121 consecutive patients. In the fluoroscopic method, the stent was placed over a guide wire using a stent pusher without the use of cystoscopy. Conversely, stents were placed through the working channel of the cystoscope under vision. The procedure, stent length, width, type, method, ureteral dilation, and use of a retrieval string were noted. Results: A wide range of stent sizes were used. The success with fluoroscopic placement of double-pigtail ureteral stents was 100% (89 of 89 cases). No stents migrated or required replacement. Stents were placed after ureteroscopic laser lithotripsy (53/89) and ureteroscopic tumor treatment (22/89). Cystoscopic visualization was used in 32 additional procedures requiring precise control (15 ureteral strictures and nine retrograde endopyelotomy). Conclusions: The fluoroscopic placement of ureteral stents is a safe and simple technique with a very high success rate. We have used cystoscopic placement only after incisional procedures such as retrograde endopyelotomy, stricture or ureterotomy. PMID:18493562

  20. Electromagnetic-guided placement of nasoduodenal feeding tubes versus endoscopic placement: a randomized, multicenter trial.

    PubMed

    Kappelle, Wouter F W; Walter, Daisy; Stadhouders, Paul H; Jebbink, Hendrik J A; Vleggaar, Frank P; van der Schaar, Peter J; Kappelle, Jan Willem; van der Tweel, Ingeborg; Van den Broek, Medard F M; Wessels, Frank J; Siersema, Peter D; Monkelbaan, Jan F

    2018-01-01

    Electromagnetic-guided placement (EMP) of a nasoduodenal feeding tube by trained nurses is an attractive alternative to EGD-guided placement (EGDP). We aimed to compare EMP and EGDP in outpatients, ward patients, and critically ill patients with normal upper GI anatomy. In 3 centers with no prior experience in EMP, patients were randomized to placement of a single-lumen nasoduodenal feeding tube either with EGDP or EMP. The primary endpoint was post-pyloric position of the tube on abdominal radiography. Patients were followed for 10 days to assess patency and adverse events. The analyses were performed according to the intention-to-treat principle. In total, 160 patients were randomized to EGDP (N = 76) or EMP (N = 84). Three patients withdrew informed consent, and no abdominal radiography was performed in 2 patients. Thus, 155 patients (59 intensive care unit, 38%) were included in the analyses. Rates of post-pyloric tube position between EGDP and EMP were comparable (79% vs 82%, odds ratio 1.16; 90% confidence interval, 0.58-2.38; P = .72). Adverse events were observed in 4 patients after EMP (hypoxia, GI blood loss, atrial fibrillation, abdominal pain) and in 4 after EGDP (epistaxis N = 2, GI blood loss, hypoxia). Costs of tube placements were lower for EMP compared with EGDP: $519.09 versus $622.49, respectively (P = .04). Success rates and safety of EMP and EGDP in patients with normal upper GI anatomy were comparable. Lower costs and potential logistic advantages may drive centers to adopt EMP as their new standard of care. (Clinical trial registration number: NTR4286.). Copyright © 2018 American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. A neuromechanical strategy for mediolateral foot placement in walking humans.

    PubMed

    Rankin, Bradford L; Buffo, Stephanie K; Dean, Jesse C

    2014-07-15

    Stability is an important concern during human walking and can limit mobility in clinical populations. Mediolateral stability can be efficiently controlled through appropriate foot placement, although the underlying neuromechanical strategy is unclear. We hypothesized that humans control mediolateral foot placement through swing leg muscle activity, basing this control on the mechanical state of the contralateral stance leg. Participants walked under Unperturbed and Perturbed conditions, in which foot placement was intermittently perturbed by moving the right leg medially or laterally during the swing phase (by ∼50-100 mm). We quantified mediolateral foot placement, electromyographic activity of frontal-plane hip muscles, and stance leg mechanical state. During Unperturbed walking, greater swing-phase gluteus medius (GM) activity was associated with more lateral foot placement. Increases in GM activity were most strongly predicted by increased mediolateral displacement between the center of mass (CoM) and the contralateral stance foot. The Perturbed walking results indicated a causal relationship between stance leg mechanics and swing-phase GM activity. Perturbations that reduced the mediolateral CoM displacement from the stance foot caused reductions in swing-phase GM activity and more medial foot placement. Conversely, increases in mediolateral CoM displacement caused increased swing-phase GM activity and more lateral foot placement. Under both Unperturbed and Perturbed conditions, humans controlled their mediolateral foot placement by modulating swing-phase muscle activity in response to the mechanical state of the contralateral leg. This strategy may be disrupted in clinical populations with a reduced ability to modulate muscle activity or sense their body's mechanical state.

  2. 25 CFR 26.4 - Who administers the Job Placement and Training Program?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Who administers the Job Placement and Training Program... PLACEMENT AND TRAINING PROGRAM General Applicability § 26.4 Who administers the Job Placement and Training Program? The Job Placement and Training Program is administered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs or a...

  3. The Placement Handbook. A Guide for the Competitive Employment of the Handicapped.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Horn, Adelaide; Drury, Stephen

    This handbook stresses those components that are considered peripheral to the placement process but that must precede the actual placement. The philosophy of placement upon which this guide is based appears first. Discussions follow of the basic components of the process of training and placement of handicapped individuals, including a varied…

  4. 34 CFR 300.115 - Continuum of alternative placements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... EDUCATION OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES State Eligibility Least Restrictive Environment (lre) § 300.115... placements is available to meet the needs of children with disabilities for special education and related... 34 Education 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Continuum of alternative placements. 300.115 Section...

  5. Student Transcript-Enhanced Placement Study (STEPS). Technical Report

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Willett, Terrence

    2013-01-01

    Prior research suggests that using high school transcripts may improve English and math placement accuracy at colleges. Between 2012 and 2013, the Research and Planning Group for California Community Colleges (RP Group) conducted the Student Transcript Enhanced Placement Study (STEPS) in partnership with the California Community Colleges…

  6. Placement of Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mathur, Sarup R.; Jolivette, Kristine

    2012-01-01

    Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (E/BD) receive educational and related services within a continuum of placement options per the Individual with Disabilities Education Act. The continuum of placement options ranges from fully included general education type classrooms to more restrictive environments such as alternative education…

  7. Advances in systems biology: computational algorithms and applications.

    PubMed

    Huang, Yufei; Zhao, Zhongming; Xu, Hua; Shyr, Yu; Zhang, Bing

    2012-01-01

    The 2012 International Conference on Intelligent Biology and Medicine (ICIBM 2012) was held on April 22-24, 2012 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. The conference featured six technical sessions, one tutorial session, one workshop, and 3 keynote presentations that covered state-of-the-art research activities in genomics, systems biology, and intelligent computing. In addition to a major emphasis on the next generation sequencing (NGS)-driven informatics, ICIBM 2012 aligned significant interests in systems biology and its applications in medicine. We highlight in this editorial the selected papers from the meeting that address the developments of novel algorithms and applications in systems biology.

  8. FtsZ Placement in Nucleoid-Free Bacteria

    PubMed Central

    Pazos, Manuel; Casanova, Mercedes; Palacios, Pilar; Margolin, William; Natale, Paolo; Vicente, Miguel

    2014-01-01

    We describe the placement of the cytoplasmic FtsZ protein, an essential component of the division septum, in nucleoid-free Escherichia coli maxicells. The absence of the nucleoid is accompanied in maxicells by degradation of the SlmA protein. This protein, together with the nucleoid, prevents the placement of the septum in the regions occupied by the chromosome by a mechanism called nucleoid occlusion (NO). A second septum placement mechanism, the MinCDE system (Min) involving a pole-to-pole oscillation of three proteins, nonetheless remains active in maxicells. Both Min and NO act on the polymerization of FtsZ, preventing its assembly into an FtsZ-ring except at midcell. Our results show that even in the total absence of NO, Min oscillations can direct placement of FtsZ in maxicells. Deletion of the FtsZ carboxyl terminal domain (FtsZ*), a central hub that receives signals from a variety of proteins including MinC, FtsA and ZipA, produces a Min-insensitive form of FtsZ unable to interact with the membrane-anchoring FtsA and ZipA proteins. This protein produces a totally disorganized pattern of FtsZ localization inside the maxicell cytoplasm. In contrast, FtsZ*-VM, an artificially cytoplasmic membrane-anchored variant of FtsZ*, forms helical or repetitive ring structures distributed along the entire length of maxicells even in the absence of NO. These results show that membrane anchoring is needed to organize FtsZ into rings and underscore the role of the C-terminal hub of FtsZ for their correct placement. PMID:24638110

  9. FtsZ placement in nucleoid-free bacteria.

    PubMed

    Pazos, Manuel; Casanova, Mercedes; Palacios, Pilar; Margolin, William; Natale, Paolo; Vicente, Miguel

    2014-01-01

    We describe the placement of the cytoplasmic FtsZ protein, an essential component of the division septum, in nucleoid-free Escherichia coli maxicells. The absence of the nucleoid is accompanied in maxicells by degradation of the SlmA protein. This protein, together with the nucleoid, prevents the placement of the septum in the regions occupied by the chromosome by a mechanism called nucleoid occlusion (NO). A second septum placement mechanism, the MinCDE system (Min) involving a pole-to-pole oscillation of three proteins, nonetheless remains active in maxicells. Both Min and NO act on the polymerization of FtsZ, preventing its assembly into an FtsZ-ring except at midcell. Our results show that even in the total absence of NO, Min oscillations can direct placement of FtsZ in maxicells. Deletion of the FtsZ carboxyl terminal domain (FtsZ*), a central hub that receives signals from a variety of proteins including MinC, FtsA and ZipA, produces a Min-insensitive form of FtsZ unable to interact with the membrane-anchoring FtsA and ZipA proteins. This protein produces a totally disorganized pattern of FtsZ localization inside the maxicell cytoplasm. In contrast, FtsZ*-VM, an artificially cytoplasmic membrane-anchored variant of FtsZ*, forms helical or repetitive ring structures distributed along the entire length of maxicells even in the absence of NO. These results show that membrane anchoring is needed to organize FtsZ into rings and underscore the role of the C-terminal hub of FtsZ for their correct placement.

  10. Building biological foundries for next-generation synthetic biology.

    PubMed

    Chao, Ran; Yuan, YongBo; Zhao, HuiMin

    2015-07-01

    Synthetic biology is an interdisciplinary field that takes top-down approaches to understand and engineer biological systems through design-build-test cycles. A number of advances in this relatively young field have greatly accelerated such engineering cycles. Specifically, various innovative tools were developed for in silico biosystems design, DNA de novo synthesis and assembly, construct verification, as well as metabolite analysis, which have laid a solid foundation for building biological foundries for rapid prototyping of improved or novel biosystems. This review summarizes the state-of-the-art technologies for synthetic biology and discusses the challenges to establish such biological foundries.

  11. From birth mothers to first mothers: toward a compassionate understanding of the life-long act of adoption placement.

    PubMed

    Coleman, Priscilla K; Garratt, Debbie

    2016-01-01

    Women who place a child for adoption have historically been far less actively researched than the other individuals in the adoption triad (adoptees and adoptive parents). They often have unmet psychological needs related to the decision to place for adoption, the placement experience, and as they endeavor to move forward post-adoption. In this review an effort is made to provide a description and analysis of the professional literature on women's placement experiences, with attention to methodological challenges inherent in deriving valid results. Next an overview of the results of a mixed method pilot study on birth mothers' decision-making and adjustment is shared. Finally, the most pressing future research needs on the topic of adoption placement from the birth mother's perspective are outlined. Data sources and extraction: Employing the following search terms: adoption, open-adoption, closed adoption, birth-mother, biological mother, relinquishment, and adoption placement, an exhaustive search for empirical journal articles, reviews, and edited book chapters was conducted yielding over 80 publications. Sources spanning a 50 year period (1974-2014) were identified via MEDLINE, PUBMED, and PsycINFO. Based on an in-depth analysis of the best available evidence on the psychological lives of women who choose adoption, an argument is made for more focused research attention and enhanced sensitivity to the unmet needs of birth mothers in our communities. As the experiences of birth mothers are more fully understood, more substantive and compassionate counseling before, during, and after adoption will become more feasible.

  12. 46 CFR 111.01-3 - Placement of equipment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Placement of equipment. 111.01-3 Section 111.01-3 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING ELECTRIC SYSTEMS-GENERAL REQUIREMENTS General § 111.01-3 Placement of equipment. (a) Electric equipment must be arranged...

  13. 46 CFR 111.01-3 - Placement of equipment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Placement of equipment. 111.01-3 Section 111.01-3 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING ELECTRIC SYSTEMS-GENERAL REQUIREMENTS General § 111.01-3 Placement of equipment. (a) Electric equipment must be arranged...

  14. 46 CFR 111.01-3 - Placement of equipment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Placement of equipment. 111.01-3 Section 111.01-3 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING ELECTRIC SYSTEMS-GENERAL REQUIREMENTS General § 111.01-3 Placement of equipment. (a) Electric equipment must be arranged...

  15. Curriculum for Training Job Placement Personnel in Michigan.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ferris State Coll., Big Rapids, MI. Center for Occupational Education.

    A study was conducted to determine what job placement specialists need, as professionals, to be better equipped to serve the employment-seeking population. Survey information was gathered from four sets of sources: job placement personnel; business and industry; a nationwide survey of programs; organizations, training, and curriculum existing in…

  16. 7 CFR 15b.24 - Evaluation and placement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... Education § 15b.24 Evaluation and placement. (a) Placement evaluation. A recipient that operates a public... speaking skills, the test results accurately reflect the student's aptitude or achievement level or..., manual or speaking skills (except where those skills are the factors that the test purports to measure...

  17. 7 CFR 15b.24 - Evaluation and placement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... Education § 15b.24 Evaluation and placement. (a) Placement evaluation. A recipient that operates a public... speaking skills, the test results accurately reflect the student's aptitude or achievement level or..., manual or speaking skills (except where those skills are the factors that the test purports to measure...

  18. 46 CFR 111.01-3 - Placement of equipment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Placement of equipment. 111.01-3 Section 111.01-3 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING ELECTRIC SYSTEMS-GENERAL REQUIREMENTS General § 111.01-3 Placement of equipment. (a) Electric equipment must be arranged...

  19. 46 CFR 111.01-3 - Placement of equipment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Placement of equipment. 111.01-3 Section 111.01-3 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING ELECTRIC SYSTEMS-GENERAL REQUIREMENTS General § 111.01-3 Placement of equipment. (a) Electric equipment must be arranged...

  20. 7 CFR 15b.24 - Evaluation and placement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... Education § 15b.24 Evaluation and placement. (a) Placement evaluation. A recipient that operates a public... speaking skills, the test results accurately reflect the student's aptitude or achievement level or..., manual or speaking skills (except where those skills are the factors that the test purports to measure...

  1. 7 CFR 15b.24 - Evaluation and placement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... Education § 15b.24 Evaluation and placement. (a) Placement evaluation. A recipient that operates a public... speaking skills, the test results accurately reflect the student's aptitude or achievement level or..., manual or speaking skills (except where those skills are the factors that the test purports to measure...

  2. 46 CFR 130.460 - Placement of machinery alarms.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Placement of machinery alarms. 130.460 Section 130.460..., AND MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT AND SYSTEMS Automation of Unattended Machinery Spaces § 130.460 Placement of machinery alarms. (a) Visible and audible alarms must be installed at the pilothouse to indicate...

  3. 46 CFR 130.460 - Placement of machinery alarms.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Placement of machinery alarms. 130.460 Section 130.460..., AND MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT AND SYSTEMS Automation of Unattended Machinery Spaces § 130.460 Placement of machinery alarms. (a) Visible and audible alarms must be installed at the pilothouse to indicate...

  4. 46 CFR 130.460 - Placement of machinery alarms.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Placement of machinery alarms. 130.460 Section 130.460..., AND MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT AND SYSTEMS Automation of Unattended Machinery Spaces § 130.460 Placement of machinery alarms. (a) Visible and audible alarms must be installed at the pilothouse to indicate...

  5. 46 CFR 130.460 - Placement of machinery alarms.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Placement of machinery alarms. 130.460 Section 130.460..., AND MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT AND SYSTEMS Automation of Unattended Machinery Spaces § 130.460 Placement of machinery alarms. (a) Visible and audible alarms must be installed at the pilothouse to indicate...

  6. Piezoceramic Actuator Placement for Acoustic Control of Panels

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bevan, Jeffrey S.; Turner, Travis L. (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    Optimum placement of multiple traditional piezoceramic actuators is determined for active structural acoustic control of flat panels. The structural acoustic response is determined using acoustic radiation filters and structural surface vibration characteristics. Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) control is utilized to determine the optimum state feedback gain for active structural acoustic control. The optimum actuator location is determined by minimizing the structural acoustic radiated noise using a modified genetic algorithm. Experimental tests are conducted and compared to analytical results. Anisotropic piezoceramic actuators exhibits enhanced performance when compared to traditional isotropic piezoceramic actuators. As a result of the inherent isotropy, these advanced actuators develop strain along the principal material axis. The orientation of anisotropic actuators is investigated on the effect of structural vibration and acoustic control of curved and flat panels. A fully coupled shallow shell finite element formulation is developed to include anisotropic piezoceramic actuators for shell structures.

  7. Piezoceramic Actuator Placement for Acoustic Control of Panels

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bevan, Jeffrey S.

    2000-01-01

    Optimum placement of multiple traditional piezoceramic actuators is determined for active structural acoustic control of flat panels. The structural acoustic response is determined using acoustic radiation filters and structural surface vibration characteristics. Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) control is utilized to determine the optimum state feedback gain for active structural acoustic control. The optimum actuator location is determined by minimizing the structural acoustic radiated noise using a modified genetic algorithm. Experimental tests are conducted and compared to analytical results. Anisotropic piezoceramic actuators exhibit enhanced performance when compared to traditional isotropic piezoceramic actuators. As a result of the inherent isotropy, these advanced actuators develop strain along the principal material axis. The orientation of anisotropic actuators is investigated on the effect of structural vibration and acoustic control of curved and flat panels. A fully coupled shallow shell finite element formulation is developed to include anisotropic piezoceramic actuators for shell structures.

  8. Quantitative biological surface science: challenges and recent advances.

    PubMed

    Höök, Fredrik; Kasemo, Bengt; Grunze, Michael; Zauscher, Stefan

    2008-12-23

    Biological surface science is a broad, interdisciplinary subfield of surface science, where properties and processes at biological and synthetic surfaces and interfaces are investigated, and where biofunctional surfaces are fabricated. The need to study and to understand biological surfaces and interfaces in liquid environments provides sizable challenges as well as fascinating opportunities. Here, we report on recent progress in biological surface science that was described within the program assembled by the Biomaterial Interface Division of the Science and Technology of Materials, Interfaces and Processes (www.avs.org) during their 55th International Symposium and Exhibition held in Boston, October 19-24, 2008. The selected examples show that the rapid progress in nanoscience and nanotechnology, hand-in-hand with theory and simulation, provides increasingly sophisticated methods and tools to unravel the mechanisms and details of complex processes at biological surfaces and in-depth understanding of biomolecular surface interactions.

  9. First magnetic resonance imaging-guided aortic stenting and cava filter placement using a polyetheretherketone-based magnetic resonance imaging-compatible guidewire in swine: proof of concept.

    PubMed

    Kos, Sebastian; Huegli, Rolf; Hofmann, Eugen; Quick, Harald H; Kuehl, Hilmar; Aker, Stephanie; Kaiser, Gernot M; Borm, Paul J A; Jacob, Augustinus L; Bilecen, Deniz

    2009-05-01

    The purpose of this study was to demonstrate feasibility of percutaneous transluminal aortic stenting and cava filter placement under magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guidance exclusively using a polyetheretherketone (PEEK)-based MRI-compatible guidewire. Percutaneous transluminal aortic stenting and cava filter placement were performed in 3 domestic swine. Procedures were performed under MRI-guidance in an open-bore 1.5-T scanner. The applied 0.035-inch guidewire has a PEEK core reinforced by fibres, floppy tip, hydrophilic coating, and paramagnetic markings for passive visualization. Through an 11F sheath, the guidewire was advanced into the abdominal (swine 1) or thoracic aorta (swine 2), and the stents were deployed. The guidewire was advanced into the inferior vena cava (swine 3), and the cava filter was deployed. Postmortem autopsy was performed. Procedural success, guidewire visibility, pushability, and stent support were qualitatively assessed by consensus. Procedure times were documented. Guidewire guidance into the abdominal and thoracic aortas and the inferior vena cava was successful. Stent deployments were successful in the abdominal (swine 1) and thoracic (swine 2) segments of the descending aorta. Cava filter positioning and deployment was successful. Autopsy documented good stent and filter positioning. Guidewire visibility through applied markers was rated acceptable for aortic stenting and good for venous filter placement. Steerability, pushability, and device support were good. The PEEK-based guidewire allows either percutaneous MRI-guided aortic stenting in the thoracic and abdominal segments of the descending aorta and filter placement in the inferior vena cava with acceptable to good device visibility and offers good steerability, pushability, and device support.

  10. Control of human gait stability through foot placement.

    PubMed

    Bruijn, Sjoerd M; van Dieën, Jaap H

    2018-06-01

    During human walking, the centre of mass (CoM) is outside the base of support for most of the time, which poses a challenge to stabilizing the gait pattern. Nevertheless, most of us are able to walk without substantial problems. In this review, we aim to provide an integrative overview of how humans cope with an underactuated gait pattern. A central idea that emerges from the literature is that foot placement is crucial in maintaining a stable gait pattern. In this review, we explore this idea; we first describe mechanical models and concepts that have been used to predict how foot placement can be used to control gait stability. These concepts, such as for instance the extrapolated CoM concept, the foot placement estimator concept and the capture point concept, provide explicit predictions on where to place the foot relative to the body at each step, such that gait is stabilized. Next, we describe empirical findings on foot placement during human gait in unperturbed and perturbed conditions. We conclude that humans show behaviour that is largely in accordance with the aforementioned concepts, with foot placement being actively coordinated to body CoM kinematics during the preceding step. In this section, we also address the requirements for such control in terms of the sensory information and the motor strategies that can implement such control, as well as the parts of the central nervous system that may be involved. We show that visual, vestibular and proprioceptive information contribute to estimation of the state of the CoM. Foot placement is adjusted to variations in CoM state mainly by modulation of hip abductor muscle activity during the swing phase of gait, and this process appears to be under spinal and supraspinal, including cortical, control. We conclude with a description of how control of foot placement can be impaired in humans, using ageing as a primary example and with some reference to pathology, and we address alternative strategies available to

  11. Variables associated with feeding tube placement in head and neck cancer.

    PubMed

    Cheng, Sara S; Terrell, Jeffrey E; Bradford, Carol R; Ronis, David L; Fowler, Karen E; Prince, Mark E; Teknos, Theodoros N; Wolf, Gregory T; Duffy, Sonia A

    2006-06-01

    To identify clinical factors associated with enteral feeding tube placement in a head and neck cancer population. A self-administered survey was given to patients being treated for head and neck cancer while they were waiting to be seen in 1 of 4 otolaryngology clinics. The post hoc analysis presented here combines survey and chart review data to determine clinical and demographic variables associated with feeding tube placement. Four otolaryngology clinics. Otolaryngology clinic patients being treated for head and neck cancer. Enteral feeding tube placement. Of the 724 patients eligible for this study, 14% (n = 98) required enteral feeding tube placement. Multivariate analysis found the following variables to be independently associated with feeding tube placement: oropharynx/hypopharynx tumor site (odds ratio [OR], 2.4; P = .01), tumor stage III/IV (OR, 2.1; P = .03), flap reconstruction (OR, 2.2; P = .004), current tracheotomy (OR, 8.0; P<.001), chemotherapy (OR, 2.6; P<.001), and increased age (OR, 1.3; P = .02). In addition, there was a curvilinear relationship between time since treatment and feeding tube placement, with about 30% having a feeding tube at 1 month posttreatment, tapering down during the first 3 years to about 8% and leveling off thereafter. Identification of factors associated with an increased risk of feeding tube placement may allow physicians to better counsel patients regarding the possibility of feeding tube placement during treatment. Since feeding tube placement has been linked to decreased quality of life in head and neck cancer, such counseling is an integral part of the clinical management of these patients.

  12. Placement Mentors Making Sense of Research-Based Knowledge

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Raaen, Finn Daniel

    2017-01-01

    Placement mentors' role increasingly implies demonstrating to student teachers how research-based knowledge in combination with experience-based knowledge may be relevant in teachers' professional work. This is a challenge. Placement mentors are often unsure how to make sense of research-based knowledge. Frequently there is a mismatch between what…

  13. Mathematics Course Placement Using Holistic Measures: Possibilities for Community College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ngo, Federick; Chi, W. Edward; Park, Elizabeth So Yun

    2018-01-01

    Background/Context: Most community colleges across the country use a placement test to determine students' readiness for college-level coursework, yet these tests are admittedly imperfect instruments. Researchers have documented significant problems stemming from overreliance on placement testing, including placement error and misdiagnosis of…

  14. Strategic Plan for Student Placement Services. Preliminary Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dickson, C. R.; Garber, M.

    A proposal is presented for the integration and consolidation of Student Placement Services with the Co-operative Education Division at Mohawk College in Ontario. Developed in response to an announcement by the Canadian Employment and Immigration Commission that it would withdraw all support for student placement services at the college by 1991,…

  15. Continuation of Pilot Program for Training Placement Personnel.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Southern Illinois Univ., Carbondale. Dept. of Vocational Education Studies.

    Twelve members of school faculty and staff participated in a refined competency-based continuation of a pilot program to train individuals to function as placement coordinators in their schools in southern Illinois. Participants enrolled in a weekly placement seminar on campus for the 1978-79 academic year and in a continuous supervised internship…

  16. Teacher Placement, Mobility, and Occupational Choices after Teaching

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Feng, Li

    2014-01-01

    Teachers' initial placement has important implications for student achievement and the distribution of teachers among schools. This paper combines data from a US Baccalaureate and Beyond longitudinal study with school and school district information from the Common Core of Data to study the effects of initial school placement on teacher mobility.…

  17. 40 CFR 82.108 - Placement of warning statement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 18 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Placement of warning statement. 82.108....108 Placement of warning statement. The warning statement shall be placed so as to satisfy the requirement of the Act that the warning statement be “clearly legible and conspicuous.” The warning statement...

  18. 40 CFR 82.108 - Placement of warning statement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 17 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Placement of warning statement. 82.108....108 Placement of warning statement. The warning statement shall be placed so as to satisfy the requirement of the Act that the warning statement be “clearly legible and conspicuous.” The warning statement...

  19. 40 CFR 82.108 - Placement of warning statement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 18 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Placement of warning statement. 82.108....108 Placement of warning statement. The warning statement shall be placed so as to satisfy the requirement of the Act that the warning statement be “clearly legible and conspicuous.” The warning statement...

  20. 40 CFR 82.108 - Placement of warning statement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 18 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Placement of warning statement. 82.108....108 Placement of warning statement. The warning statement shall be placed so as to satisfy the requirement of the Act that the warning statement be “clearly legible and conspicuous.” The warning statement...

  1. 40 CFR 82.108 - Placement of warning statement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 17 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Placement of warning statement. 82.108....108 Placement of warning statement. The warning statement shall be placed so as to satisfy the requirement of the Act that the warning statement be “clearly legible and conspicuous.” The warning statement...

  2. Advanced biological activated carbon filter for removing pharmaceutically active compounds from treated wastewater.

    PubMed

    Sbardella, Luca; Comas, Joaquim; Fenu, Alessio; Rodriguez-Roda, Ignasi; Weemaes, Marjoleine

    2018-04-28

    Through their release of effluents, conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) represent a major pollution point sources for pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) in water bodies. The combination of a biological activated carbon (BAC) filter coupled with an ultrafiltration (UF) unit was evaluated as an advanced treatment for PhACs removal at pilot scale. The BAC-UF pilot plant was monitored for one year. The biological activity of the biofilm that developed on the granular activated carbon (GAC) particles and the contribution of this biofilm to the overall removal of PhACs were evaluated. Two different phases were observed during the long-term monitoring of PhACs removal. During the first 9200 bed volumes (BV; i.e., before GAC saturation), 89, 78, 83 and 79% of beta-blockers, psychiatric drugs, antibiotics and a mix of other therapeutic groups were removed, respectively. The second phase was characterized by deterioration of the overall performances during the period between 9200 and 13,800 BV. To quantify the respective contribution of adsorption and biodegradation, a lab-scale setup was operated for four months and highlighted the essential role played by GAC in biofiltration units. Physical adsorption was indeed the main removal mechanism. Nevertheless, a significant contribution due to biological activity was detected for some PhACs. The biofilm contributed to the removal of 22, 25, 30, 32 and 35% of ciprofloxacin, bezafibrate, ofloxacin, azithromycin and sulfamethoxazole, respectively. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Evaluating the Role of Prophylactic Gastrostomy Tube Placement Prior to Definitive Chemoradiotherapy for Head and Neck Cancer

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Chen, Allen M., E-mail: allen.chen@ucdmc.ucdavis.ed; Li Baoqing; Lau, Derick H.

    2010-11-15

    Purpose: To determine the effect of prophylactic gastrostomy tube (GT) placement on acute and long-term outcome for patients treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced head and neck cancer. Methods and Materials: One hundred twenty consecutive patients were treated with chemoradiotherapy for Stage III/IV head and neck cancer to a median dose of 70 Gy (range, 64-74 Gy). The most common primary site was the oropharynx (66 patients). Sixty-seven patients (56%) were treated using intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Seventy patients (58%) received prophylactic GT placement at the discretion of the physician before initiation of chemoradiotherapy. Results: Prophylactic GT placement significantly reducedmore » weight loss during radiation therapy from 43 pounds (range, 0 to 76 pounds) to 19 pounds (range, 0 to 51 pounds), which corresponded to a net change of -14% (range, 0% to -30%) and -8% (range, +1% to -22%) from baseline, respectively (p < 0.001). However, the proportion of patients who were GT-dependent at 6- and 12-months after treatment was 41% and 21%, respectively, compared with 8% and 0%, respectively, for those with and without prophylactic GT (p < 0.001). Additionally, prophylactic GT was associated with a significantly higher incidence of late esophageal stricture compared with those who did not have prophylactic GT (30% vs. 6%, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Although prophylactic GT placement was effective at preventing acute weight loss and the need for intravenous hydration, it was also associated with significantly higher rates of late esophageal toxicity. The benefits of this strategy must be balanced with the risks.« less

  4. Research: Hyperactivity, Placement Centers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nation's Schools and Colleges, 1975

    1975-01-01

    A diet that emphasizes the elimination of food containing artificial coloring and flavoring from meals served to hyperactive children has met with success in preliminary studies; college placement centers are advised to shift their emphasis from job research and counseling. (Author/MLF)

  5. Life cycle assessment for dredged sediment placement strategies.

    PubMed

    Bates, Matthew E; Fox-Lent, Cate; Seymour, Linda; Wender, Ben A; Linkov, Igor

    2015-04-01

    Dredging to maintain navigable waterways is important for supporting trade and economic sustainability. Dredged sediments are removed from the waterways and then must be managed in a way that meets regulatory standards and properly balances management costs and risks. Selection of a best management alternative often results in stakeholder conflict regarding tradeoffs between local environmental impacts associated with less expensive alternatives (e.g., open water placement), more expensive measures that require sediment disposal in constructed facilities far away (e.g., landfills), or beneficial uses that may be perceived as risky (e.g., beach nourishment or island creation). Current sediment-placement decisions often focus on local and immediate environmental effects from the sediment itself, ignoring a variety of distributed and long-term effects from transportation and placement activities. These extended effects have implications for climate change, resource consumption, and environmental and human health, which may be meaningful topics for many stakeholders not currently considered. Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) provides a systematic and quantitative method for accounting for this wider range of impacts and benefits across all sediment management project stages and time horizons. This paper applies a cradle-to-use LCA to dredged-sediment placement through a comparative analysis of potential upland, open water, and containment-island placement alternatives in the Long Island Sound region of NY/CT. Results suggest that, in cases dealing with uncontaminated sediments, upland placement may be the most environmentally burdensome alternative, per ton-kilometer of placed material, due to the emissions associated with diesel fuel combustion and electricity production and consumption required for the extra handling and transportation. These results can be traded-off with the ecosystem impacts of the sediments themselves in a decision-making framework. Published by

  6. Infant Placement in Canadian Child Maltreatment-Related Investigations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tonmyr, Lil; Williams, Gabriela; Jack, Susan M.; MacMillan, Harriet L.

    2011-01-01

    This study examined factors associated with decisions in favour of out-of-home placement following investigations involving infants at risk of maltreatment. We used data from a sample of children less than 1 year of age (n = 763) investigated by child welfare services across Canada in 2003. We tested unadjusted relationships with placement using…

  7. Measuring the Benefits of a Psychology Placement Year

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reddy, Peter; Moores, Elisabeth

    2006-01-01

    Placement programmes are considered to provide students with an induction into the work environment and a valuable learning experience. Aston University maintains one of the highest success rates of any UK university for graduate employment and it is thought that the placement year plays a large role in this success. However, the benefits of…

  8. Impact of an international workplace learning placement on personal and professional development.

    PubMed

    Davies, Kerryn; Curtin, Michael; Robson, Kristy

    2017-04-01

    Workplace learning (WPL) placements are a mandatory part of occupational therapy courses. There is some evidence that suggests WPL placements in international settings are beneficial for students' learning, and personal and professional development. The aim of this study was to explore the impact an international WPL placement in Vietnam had on the perceived personal and professional development of a group of Australian occupational therapy graduates. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to explore the perceptions of how participation in the Charles Sturt University School of Community Health's Vietnam placement influenced the personal and professional development of occupational therapy graduates. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine graduates who participated in the Vietnam placement when they were final year occupational therapy students. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and individually analysed to identify key themes. Two major themes emerged from the analysis: becoming resourceful, resilient and confident, and becoming respectful of difference. The participants indicated that participation in the Vietnam placement had a positive impact on their personal and professional development. Participants indicated that the Vietnam placement enabled them to develop their resourcefulness, resilience, reasoning skills, cultural competence, confidence and independence, beyond what they felt would have achieved on a domestic placement. For these reason these participants found the placement a beneficial and worthwhile experience. © 2016 Occupational Therapy Australia.

  9. Foster care placement change: The role of family dynamics and household composition

    PubMed Central

    Waid, Jeffrey; Kothari, Brianne H.; Bank, Lew; McBeath, Bowen

    2016-01-01

    Sibling co-placement and kinship care have each been shown to protect against the occurrence of placement change for youth in substitute care. However, little is known about the effects of different combinations of sibling placement and relative caregiver status on placement change. Nor does the field fully understand how family dynamics may differ in these households. Utilizing data from the Supporting Siblings in Foster Care study, this paper examines family dynamics across four typologies of living composition, and tests the effects of living composition membership on the odds of experiencing a placement change over an 18-month period of time. Findings suggest that across living composition typologies, children who were placed separately from their siblings in non-relative care were more likely to be older, have more extensive placement histories, and experience more placement changes both prior to and during the study than were children in other living composition groups. Family living composition was found to influence the occurrence of placement change. Specifically, children co-placed in kinship care were least likely to experience movement; however, sibling co-placement in non-relative care was also protective. Results reveal the need to conduct additional research into the experiences of children in different family living arrangements, and tailor case management services and supports to children in substitute care accordingly. Implications and future directions are discussed. PMID:27990039

  10. Using DNA Technology to Explore Marine Bacterial Diversity in a Coastal Georgia Salt Marsh

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dong, Yihe; Guerrero, Stella; Moran, Mary Ann

    2008-01-01

    An important aspect of teaching biology is to expose students to the concept of biodiversity. For this purpose, bacteria are excellent examples. The advanced placement (AP) biology class at Cedar Shoals High School in Athens, Georgia, learned how to explore bacterial biodiversity using molecular fingerprinting. They collected marine water samples,…

  11. Bringing the Real World into the Biology Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lewis, Jenny

    2006-01-01

    This study followed a small but diverse group of biology teachers through the first two years of the pilot for a new Advanced Level Biology course--Salters-Nuffield Advanced Biology. SNAB aims to modernise A-level Biology using real world contexts and examples as the starting point, promoting conceptual understanding rather than factual recall,…

  12. Clinical placements in general practice: relationships between practice nurses and tertiary institutions.

    PubMed

    Peters, Kathleen; Halcomb, Elizabeth J; McInnes, Susan

    2013-05-01

    As a practice-based discipline a key component of undergraduate nurse education is clinical practice experience. The quality of clinical experiences has a significant impact on the students' ability to function competently post graduation. The relationship between higher education institutions (HEIs) and health service placement providers impacts upon the quality of clinical placements. In Australia, the growth of primary care nursing and the shortage of acute clinical places has prompted HEIs to explore the placement of students in general practice. Given the increasing attention being paid to non-traditional clinical placements, it is timely to explore how universities are establishing relationships and models of clinical placement. This paper uses qualitative research methods to explore the perspectives of 12 Australian general practice nurses who have experience in facilitating undergraduate clinical placements about the relationships between HEIs and nurses. Findings are presented in the following three themes: (1) Appropriate preparation for placement: They don't know what primary health really means, (2) Seeking greater consultation in the organisation of clinical placements: they've got to do it one way for everyone, and (3) Uncertainty and lack of support: I had no contact with the university. Clinical placements in general practice can be an innovative strategy providing non-traditional, yet high quality, teaching and learning experiences for undergraduate nursing students. To optimise the quality of these placements, however, it is essential that HEIs provide appropriate support to the practice nurses mentoring these students. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Industrialization of Biology. A Roadmap to Accelerate the Advanced Manufacturing of Chemicals

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Friedman, Douglas C.

    The report stresses the need for efforts to inform the public of the nature of industrial biotechnology and of its societal benefits, and to make sure that concerns are communicated effectively between the public and other stakeholders. In addition to scientific advances, a number of governance and societal factors will influence the industrialization of biology. Industry norms and standards need to be established in areas such as read/write accuracy for DNA, data and machine technology specifications, and organism performance in terms of production rates and yields. An updated regulatory regime is also needed to accelerate the safe commercialization of newmore » host organisms, metabolic pathways, and chemical products, and regulations should be coordinated across nations to enable rapid, safe, and global access to new technologies and products.« less

  14. Advances in three-dimensional rapid prototyping of microfluidic devices for biological applications

    PubMed Central

    O'Neill, P. F.; Ben Azouz, A.; Vázquez, M.; Liu, J.; Marczak, S.; Slouka, Z.; Chang, H. C.; Diamond, D.; Brabazon, D.

    2014-01-01

    The capability of 3D printing technologies for direct production of complex 3D structures in a single step has recently attracted an ever increasing interest within the field of microfluidics. Recently, ultrafast lasers have also allowed developing new methods for production of internal microfluidic channels within the bulk of glass and polymer materials by direct internal 3D laser writing. This review critically summarizes the latest advances in the production of microfluidic 3D structures by using 3D printing technologies and direct internal 3D laser writing fabrication methods. Current applications of these rapid prototyped microfluidic platforms in biology will be also discussed. These include imaging of cells and living organisms, electrochemical detection of viruses and neurotransmitters, and studies in drug transport and induced-release of adenosine triphosphate from erythrocytes. PMID:25538804

  15. The sensitivity of motor response to needle nerve stimulation during ultrasound guided interscalene catheter placement.

    PubMed

    Fredrickson, Michael J

    2008-01-01

    Neurostimulation during single shot interscalene block has a significant false negative motor response rate. Compared with tangential needle approaches for single shot block, interscalene catheter (ISC) placement commonly involves Tuohy needles inserted longitudinally to the brachial plexus. This study aimed to determine the sensitivity of neurostimulation during ultrasound-guided ISC needle placement, and the feasibility of an ultrasound-guided ISC needle endpoint. One hundred fifty-five consecutive nonstimulating ISCs were placed with the needle tip position confirmed by the sonographic spread of 5 mL dextrose 5%. Catheter advancement was then blind 2 to 3 cm past the needle tip. A 0.8 mA electrical stimulus at 2 Hz was applied throughout. When a satisfactory image was obtained, neurostimulation was ignored and the minimum motor response amplitude noted. If imaging was equivocal, a brief appropriate motor response at 0.8 mA was sought. A sustained response at <0.5 mA was only sought if imaging was suboptimal. Prior to surgery conducted under general anesthesia, 30 mL ropivacaine 0.5% was administered through the ISC. Catheter success was defined as a recovery room numerical rating pain score of placements, of which 96% were successful. Sustained twitches at <0.5 mA were obtained in 12 (8%) patients, 6 (4%) of these deliberately sought because of suboptimal imaging. Catheter success overall was 95%. This study suggests that the false negative motor response rate for longitudinal ISC needle placement is higher than the false negative response rate associated with tangential needle approach interscalene block. An ultrasound guided ISC needle endpoint is a feasible alternative to a neurostimulation endpoint.

  16. Ketorolac for Pain Control With Intrauterine Device Placement: A Randomized Controlled Trial

    PubMed Central

    Ngo, Lynn L.; Ward, Kristy K.; Mody, Sheila K.

    2015-01-01

    Objective To evaluate intramuscular ketorolac compared to placebo saline injection for pain control with intrauterine device (IUD) placement. Methods We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial between July 2012 and March 2014. Patients received ketorolac 30mg or placebo saline intramuscular injection 30 minutes prior to IUD placement. The primary outcome was pain with IUD placement on a 10cm visual analog scale (VAS). Sample size was calculated to provide 80% power to show a 2.0cm difference (α=0.05) in the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included pain with study drug injection, speculum insertion, tenaculum placement, uterine sounding, and at 5 and 15 minutes after IUD placement. Results A total of 67 women participated in the study, 33 in the ketorolac arm and 34 in the placebo arm. There were no differences in baseline demographics including age, BMI, and race. There were no differences in median pain scores for IUD placement in the placebo versus ketorolac groups (5.2cm vs 3.6cm, p=0.99). There was a decrease in median pain scores at 5 minutes (2.2cm vs 0.3cm, p=<0.001) and 15 minutes (1.6cm vs 0.1cm, p=<0.001) after IUD placement but no difference for all other time points. Nulliparous participants (n=16, 8 per arm) had a decrease in pain scores with IUD placement (8.1cm vs 5.4cm, p=0.02). In this study, 22% of participants in the placebo group and 18% in the ketorolac group reported injection pain was as painful as IUD placement. Conclusions Ketorolac does not reduce pain with IUD placement but does reduce pain at 5 and 15 minutes after placement. PMID:26241253

  17. Ketorolac for Pain Control With Intrauterine Device Placement: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

    PubMed

    Ngo, Lynn L; Ward, Kristy K; Mody, Sheila K

    2015-07-01

    To evaluate intramuscular ketorolac compared with placebo saline injection for pain control with intrauterine device (IUD) placement. We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial between July 2012 and March 2014. Patients received 30 mg ketorolac or placebo saline intramuscular injection 30 minutes before IUD placement. The primary outcome was pain with IUD placement on a 10-cm visual analog scale. Sample size was calculated to provide 80% power to show a 2.0-cm difference (α=0.05) in the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included pain with study drug injection, speculum insertion, tenaculum placement, uterine sounding, and at 5 and 15 minutes after IUD placement. A total of 67 women participated in the study, 33 in the ketorolac arm and 34 in the placebo arm. There were no differences in baseline demographics including age, body mass index, and race. There were no differences in median pain scores for IUD placement in the placebo compared with ketorolac groups (5.2 compared with 3.6 cm, P=.99). There was a decrease in median pain scores at 5 minutes (2.2 compared with 0.3 cm, P≤.001) and 15 minutes (1.6 compared with 0.1 cm, P≤.001) after IUD placement but no difference for all other time points. Nulliparous participants (n=16, eight per arm) had a decrease in pain scores with IUD placement (8.1 compared with 5.4 cm, P=.02). In this study, 22% of participants in the placebo group and 18% in the ketorolac group reported injection pain was as painful as IUD placement. Ketorolac does not reduce pain with IUD placement but does reduce pain at 5 and 15 minutes after placement. ClinicalTrials.gov; www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01664559. I.

  18. Impact of Anticoagulation in Elderly Patients With Pulmonary Embolism That Undergo IVC Filter Placement: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

    PubMed

    Falatko, John M; Dalal, Bhavinkumar; Qu, Lihua

    2017-12-01

    Anticoagulation is the primary treatment for pulmonary embolism (PE). Inferior vena cava (IVC) filters are an adjunctive intervention to prevent recurrent pulmonary embolism. Long-term outcomes in elderly patients with contraindications to anticoagulation after IVC filter placement for prevention of recurrent pulmonary embolism have yet to be assessed. Patients ≥60years of age, that had an IVC filter placed between 1 January, 2008 and 2 February, 2013, with a primary diagnosis of pulmonary embolism, were included. Patients that died during index hospitalisation, were discharged to hospice, or had active malignancy were excluded. The primary endpoint was overall survival. Patients were divided depending on whether they were treated with an approved anticoagulant for VTE or had no anticoagulant. Of the 152 patients identified, 55 were not anti-coagulated after IVC filter placement. The incidence of death was 0.4 per 1000 filter days and 0.7 per 1000 filter days in the anti-coagulated and untreated groups respectively (p-value=0.06). After statistical correction for co-morbid conditions, the effect of anticoagulation was not significant (HR 0.82 CI 0.49-1.37, p-value 0.46). Age was a significant confounder that was associated with death. Increased BMI was protective. Indications for IVC filter placement were numerous, but similar between the two groups. Treatment with an approved anticoagulant is recommended after IVC filter placement for prevention of recurrent PE, however its effect may be attenuated by advanced age. In elderly patients that have undergone IVC filter placement for prevention of recurrent PE, survival may be more dependent on age and co-morbid conditions than exposure to anticoagulation. Copyright © 2017 Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons (ANZSCTS) and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. 25 CFR 26.12 - Who provides the Job Placement and Training?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Who provides the Job Placement and Training? 26.12 Section 26.12 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR HUMAN SERVICES JOB PLACEMENT AND TRAINING PROGRAM General Applicability § 26.12 Who provides the Job Placement and Training? The...

  20. 25 CFR 26.12 - Who provides the Job Placement and Training?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Who provides the Job Placement and Training? 26.12 Section 26.12 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR HUMAN SERVICES JOB PLACEMENT AND TRAINING PROGRAM General Applicability § 26.12 Who provides the Job Placement and Training? The...

  1. 25 CFR 26.12 - Who provides the Job Placement and Training?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Who provides the Job Placement and Training? 26.12 Section 26.12 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR HUMAN SERVICES JOB PLACEMENT AND TRAINING PROGRAM General Applicability § 26.12 Who provides the Job Placement and Training? The...

  2. Measuring the Value of Placements to Employers: A Cost-Benefit Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wond, Tracey; Rambukwella, Shan

    2018-01-01

    This article explores the concept and measurement of placement value, underexplored in theory and practice to date. The article makes a theoretical contribution to the placement value discourse by examining and articulating the placement value concept. It also offers a practical contribution by exploring a piloted tool to evaluate employer…

  3. Confirmation of gastric tube bedside placement with the sky blue method.

    PubMed

    Imamura, Takashi; Maeda, Hajime; Kinoshita, Hidetoshi; Shibukawa, Yasuko; Suda, Kiyomi; Fukuda, Yutaka; Goto, Aya; Nagasawa, Katsutoshi

    2014-02-01

    The purpose was to review our experiences and determine if applying the sky blue method is reliable in confirming gastric tube (GT) placement in neonates. The study population consisted of 44 infants (55 placements) who were admitted to the Takeda General Hospital between April 2012 and March 2013 and who required GT exchange. The sky blue method using indigo carmine (IC) was indicated for planned tube exchange only. Diluted IC was injected into the gastric space via the old GT just before the tube exchange. The tube was exchanged using a standard method. Then, we checked whether the diluted IC could be collected through the new GT or not. The reasons for GT placement were a gestational age of < 35 weeks in 31 (56.4%), poor sucking or swallowing disorders in 17 (30.4%), and respiratory disorders in 7 (12.7%) of the 55 placements. GT placement using the sky blue method was considered successful in 52 placements (94.4%), with the remaining 3 placements (5.6%) considered to be failures due to the inability to obtain IC from the gastric space. No adverse events were observed during the tube exchange period. Based on the results, the sky blue method can be considered to be reliable method for the confirmation of GT placement. These results also suggest that the number of radiologic evaluations performed to confirm correct replacement of the GT in infants can be reduced in the future.

  4. Percutaneous Intraductal Radiofrequency Ablation Combined with Biliary Stent Placement for Nonresectable Malignant Biliary Obstruction Improves Stent Patency but not Survival.

    PubMed

    Wang, Jianfeng; Zhao, Lizhen; Zhou, Chuanguo; Gao, Kun; Huang, Qiang; Wei, Baojie; Gao, Jun

    2016-04-01

    Although radiofrequency (RF) ablation has been accepted as a curative treatment modality for solid organ tumors, intraductal RF ablation for malignant biliary obstruction has not been widely described. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and efficacy (in terms of stent patency and survival) of intraductal RF ablation combined with biliary stent placement for nonresectable malignant biliary obstruction. A search of the nonresectable malignant extrahepatic biliary obstruction database (179 patients) identified 18 consecutive patients who were treated with biliary intraluminal RF ablation during percutaneous transhepatic cholangiodrainage and inner stent placement (RF ablation group) and 18 patients who underwent inner stent placement without biliary intraluminal RF ablation (control group). The patients were matched for tumor type, location of obstruction, tumor stage, and Child-Pugh class status. Primary endpoints included safety, stent patency time, and survival rates. The secondary endpoint was effectiveness of the technique. The RF ablation and control groups were closely matched in terms of age, diagnosis, presence of metastases, presence of locally advanced tumor, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade, and chemotherapy regimen (all P > 0.05). The technical success rate for both groups was 100%. The median time of stent patency in the RF ablation and control groups were 5.8 (2.8-11.5) months and 4.5 (2.4-8.0) months, respectively (Kaplan-Meier analysis: P = 0.03). The median survival times in the RF ablation and control groups were 6.1 (4.8-15.2) months and 5.8 (4.2-16.5) months, with no significant difference according to Kaplan-Meier analysis (P = 0.45). In univariate and multivariate analyses, poorer overall survival was associated with advanced age and presence of metastases (P < 0.05). Intraductal RF ablation combined with biliary stent placement for nonresectable malignant biliary obstruction is safe

  5. Approach and Instrument Placement Validation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ator, Danielle

    2005-01-01

    The Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) from the 2003 flight mission represents the state of the art technology for target approach and instrument placement on Mars. It currently takes 3 sols (Martian days) for the rover to place an instrument on a designated rock target that is about 10 to 20 m away. The objective of this project is to provide an experimentally validated single-sol instrument placement capability to future Mars missions. After completing numerous test runs on the Rocky8 rover under various test conditions, it has been observed that lighting conditions, shadow effects, target features and the initial target distance have an effect on the performance and reliability of the tracking software. Additional software validation testing will be conducted in the months to come.

  6. Evolution of and projections for automated composite material placement equipment in the aerospace industry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McCarville, Douglas A.

    2009-12-01

    As the commercial aircraft industry attempts to improve airplane fuel efficiency by shifting from aluminum to composites (reinforced plastics), there is a concern that composite processing equipment is not mature enough to meet increasing demand and that delivery delays and loss of high tech jobs could result. The research questions focused on the evolution of composite placement machines, improvement of machine functionality by equipment vendors, and the probability of new inventions helping to avoid production shortfalls. An extensive review of the literature found no studies that addressed these issues. Since the early twentieth century, exploratory case study of pivotal technological advances has been an accepted means of performing historic analysis and furthering understanding of rapidly changing marketplaces and industries. This qualitative case study investigated evolution of automated placement equipment by (a) codifying and mapping patent data (e.g., claims and functionality descriptions), (b) triangulating archival data (i.e., trade literature, vender Web sites, and scholarly texts), and (c) interviewing expert witnesses. An industry-level sensitivity model developed by the author showed that expanding the vendor base and increasing the number of performance enhancing inventions will most likely allow the industry to make the transition from aluminum to composites without schedule delays. This study will promote social change by (a) advancing individual and community knowledge (e.g., teaching modules for students, practitioners, and professional society members) and (b) providing an empirical model that will help in the understanding and projection of next generation composite processing equipment demand and productivity output.

  7. Abduction of Arm Facilitates Correction of Kinked Peel-Away Sheath During Subclavian Central Line Placement.

    PubMed

    Kim, Sunghoon

    2015-12-01

    A tunneled central line catheter placement using a subclavian vein approach can be complicated by an occurrence of peel-away sheath kink which prevents the advancement of the catheter through the sheath. The kink is created due to the angular junction of subclavian and brachiocephalic veins which meet at 90 degree angle. A technique is described which corrects the peel-away sheath kink by extending the subclavian/brachiocephalic vein angle to greater than 90 degrees by abducting the patient's arm. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. A model-based reasoning approach to sensor placement for monitorability

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chien, Steve; Doyle, Richard; Homemdemello, Luiz

    1992-01-01

    An approach is presented to evaluating sensor placements to maximize monitorability of the target system while minimizing the number of sensors. The approach uses a model of the monitored system to score potential sensor placements on the basis of four monitorability criteria. The scores can then be analyzed to produce a recommended sensor set. An example from our NASA application domain is used to illustrate our model-based approach to sensor placement.

  9. 25 CFR 26.12 - Who provides the Job Placement and Training?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2012-04-01 2011-04-01 true Who provides the Job Placement and Training? 26.12 Section 26.12 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR HUMAN SERVICES JOB PLACEMENT AND TRAINING PROGRAM General Applicability § 26.12 Who provides the Job Placement and Training? The Bureau or a...

  10. Hollow mandrin facilitates external ventricular drainage placement.

    PubMed

    Heese, O; Regelsberger, J; Kehler, U; Westphal, M

    2005-07-01

    Placement of ventricular catheters is a routine procedure in neurosurgery. Ventricle puncture is done using a flexible ventricular catheter stabilised by a solid steel mandrin in order to improve stability during brain penetration. A correct catheter placement is confirmed after removing the solid steel mandrin by observation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow out of the flexible catheter. Incorrect placement makes further punctures necessary. The newly developed device allows CSF flow observation during the puncture procedure and in addition precise intracranial pressure (ICP) measurement. The developed mandrin is hollow with a blunt tip. On one side 4-5 small holes with a diameter of 0.8 mm are drilled corresponding exactly with the holes in the ventricular catheter, allowing CSF to pass into the hollow mandrin as soon as the ventricle is reached. By connecting a small translucent tube at the distal portion of the hollow mandrin ICP can be measured without loss of CSF. The system has been used in 15 patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) or intraventricular haemeorrhage (IVH) and subsequent hydrocephalus. The new system improved the external ventricular drainage implantation procedure. In all 15 patients catheter placement was correct. ICP measurement was easy to perform immediately at ventricle puncture. In 4 patients at puncture no spontaneous CSF flow was observed, therefore by connecting a syringe and gentle aspiration of CSF correct placement was confirmed in this unexpected low pressure hydrocephalus. Otherwise by using the conventional technique further punctures would have been necessary. Advantages of the new technique are less puncture procedures with a lower risk of damage to neural structures and reduced risk of intracranial haemorrhages. Implantation of the ventricular catheter to far into the brain can be monitored and this complication can be overcome. Using the connected pressure monitoring tube an exact measurement of the opening

  11. Foster care assessment: A study of the placement decision process in Flanders.

    PubMed

    Vanderfaeillie, Johan; Pijnenburg, Huub; Damen, Harm; Van Holen, Frank

    2015-11-01

    Family foster care placement decision-making has a weak scientific underpinning. Mostly a 'variable-oriented approach' is taken, which requires a lot of information that is not always available. The identification of clusters of foster children with similar characteristics may be a more viable decision strategy. In this study we investigated if foster children could indeed be clustered, which problems were identified at the time of placement, and the influence of placement history. It proved possible to group foster children into two clusters: (1) young children with familial problems and few behavioral problems, and (2) older children with prominent child problems and behavioral problems. For foster children with and without placement history, problems associated with placement proved identical. Considering that a foster care placement did not result in fundamental change in the problems present at time of placement, the importance is stressed of approaching foster care assessment as part of a decision making process which looks back as well as forward. Placement decisions should be based on an appraisal of the appropriateness of foster placement as a solution for the child. In conjunction with this appraisal a decision is required on how parents can be supported toward reunification. Or--if this is not an option--whether long term foster care is the best option for the child and if so, what conditions need to be met. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Alternate row placement is ineffective for cultural control of Meloidogyne incognita in cotton

    PubMed Central

    2008-01-01

    The objective of this study was to determine if planting cotton into the space between the previous year's rows reduces crop loss due to Meloidogyne incognita compared to planting in the same row every year. Row placement had a significant (P ≤ 0.05) effect on nematode population levels only on 8 July 2005. Plots receiving 1,3-dichloropropene plus aldicarb had lower nematode population levels than non-fumigated plots on 24 May and 8 July in 2005, but not in 2004. The effect of nematicide treatment on nematode populations was not affected by row placement. Row placement did not have a significant effect on root galling or yield in 2004 or 2005. Nematicide treatment decreased root galling in all years, and the decrease was not influenced by row placement. Yield was increased by nematicide application in 2004 and 2005, and the increase was not affected by row placement. Percentage yield loss was not affected by row placement. Changing the placement of rows reduced nematode population levels only on one sampling date in one year, but end-of-season root galling and lint yield were not affected by changing the placement of rows, nor was the effect of fumigation on yield influenced by row placement. Therefore, row placement is unlikely to contribute to M. incognita management in cotton. PMID:19440259

  13. A Comparison of the Effects of an Advanced Organizer and/or Behavioral Objectives on the Achievement of Disadvantaged Biology Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kahle, Jane Butler

    The use of an advanced organizer (a generalizable, encompassing concept) prior to an individualized instructional sequence in a self-paced, audiotutorial learning format was accompanied by gains in individual unit achievement and in retention by disadvantaged biology students. Although behavioral objectives generally were shown to make no…

  14. The Interpretation of Cellular Transport Graphics by Students with Low and High Prior Knowledge

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cook, Michelle; Carter, Glenda; Wiebe, Eric N.

    2008-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine how prior knowledge of cellular transport influenced how high school students in the USA viewed and interpreted graphic representations of this topic. The participants were Advanced Placement Biology students (n = 65); each participant had previously taken a biology course in high school. After assessing…

  15. Merkel cell carcinoma - recent advances in the biology, diagnostics and treatment.

    PubMed

    Czapiewski, Piotr; Biernat, Wojciech

    2014-08-01

    Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an uncommon primary cutaneous carcinoma with neuroendocrine differentiation. Since recent discovery of MCCs strong association with Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV), there has been a rapid increase in the understanding of the carcinomas genetics, molecular biology and pathogenesis. In our study, we reviewed recent advances and controversies concerning MCC histogenesis, epidemiology, diagnostic and prognostic markers. We analyzed the association of MCPyV with MCC and the possible new targets for therapy. We also examined English-based literature regarding MCC pathogenesis published between 2008 and 2013, which lead to a deeper understanding of the topic. Our study showed that the association of MCPyV strongly influences the course of MCC. Additionally, it has been shown that a immunological response to MCPyV may in the future give hope to identify new therapeutic strategies in treatment of this fatal malignancy. This article is part of a Directed Issue entitled: Rare Cancers. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. 26 CFR 31.3506-1 - Companion sitting placement services.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ....3506-1 Companion sitting placement services. (a) Definitions—(1) Companion sitting placement service... agency that places babysitters with individuals who desire babysitting services. X furnishes all the.... B performs the services four days a week in A's home and follows specific instructions given by A...

  17. A Coordinated and Comprehensive School-Based Career Placement Model: Volume III of a Research Project to Develop a Coordinated Comprehensive Placement System.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wisconsin Univ., Madison. Center for Studies in Vocational and Technical Education.

    Volume 3 presents a descriptive outline of the Wisconsin school-based career placement model. The two major objectives for the model are: (1) to maximize the individual student's competencies for independent career functioning and (2) to maximize the availability of career placement options. For orderly transition, each student must receive the…

  18. Biological Activation of Inert Ceramics: Recent Advances Using Tailored Self-Assembled Monolayers on Implant Ceramic Surfaces

    PubMed Central

    Böke, Frederik; Schickle, Karolina; Fischer, Horst

    2014-01-01

    High-strength ceramics as materials for medical implants have a long, research-intensive history. Yet, especially on applications where the ceramic components are in direct contact with the surrounding tissue, an unresolved issue is its inherent property of biological inertness. To combat this, several strategies have been investigated over the last couple of years. One promising approach investigates the technique of Self-Assembled Monolayers (SAM) and subsequent chemical functionalization to create a biologically active tissue-facing surface layer. Implementation of this would have a beneficial impact on several fields in modern implant medicine such as hip and knee arthroplasty, dental applications and related fields. This review aims to give a summarizing overview of the latest advances in this recently emerging field, along with thorough introductions of the underlying mechanism of SAMs and surface cell attachment mechanics on the cell side. PMID:28788687

  19. IBPRO - A Novel Short-Duration Teaching Course in Advanced Physics and Biology Underlying Cancer Radiotherapy.

    PubMed

    Joiner, Michael C; Tracey, Monica W; Kacin, Sara E; Burmeister, Jay W

    2017-06-01

    This article provides a summary and status report of the ongoing advanced education program IBPRO - Integrated course in Biology and Physics of Radiation Oncology. IBPRO is a five-year program funded by NCI. It addresses the recognized deficiency in the number of mentors available who have the required knowledge and skill to provide the teaching and training that is required for future radiation oncologists and researchers in radiation sciences. Each year, IBPRO brings together 50 attendees typically at assistant professor level and upwards, who are already qualified/certified radiation oncologists, medical physicists or biologists. These attendees receive keynote lectures and activities based on active learning strategies, merging together the clinical, biological and physics underpinnings of radiation oncology, at the forefront of the field. This experience is aimed at increasing collaborations, raising the level and amount of basic and applied research undertaken in radiation oncology, and enabling attendees to confidently become involved in the future teaching and training of researchers and radiation oncologists.

  20. First Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Guided Aortic Stenting and Cava Filter Placement Using a Polyetheretherketone-Based Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Compatible Guidewire in Swine: Proof of Concept

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kos, Sebastian, E-mail: skos@gmx.d; Huegli, Rolf; Hofmann, Eugen

    The purpose of this study was to demonstrate feasibility of percutaneous transluminal aortic stenting and cava filter placement under magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guidance exclusively using a polyetheretherketone (PEEK)-based MRI-compatible guidewire. Percutaneous transluminal aortic stenting and cava filter placement were performed in 3 domestic swine. Procedures were performed under MRI-guidance in an open-bore 1.5-T scanner. The applied 0.035-inch guidewire has a PEEK core reinforced by fibres, floppy tip, hydrophilic coating, and paramagnetic markings for passive visualization. Through an 11F sheath, the guidewire was advanced into the abdominal (swine 1) or thoracic aorta (swine 2), and the stents were deployed. Themore » guidewire was advanced into the inferior vena cava (swine 3), and the cava filter was deployed. Postmortem autopsy was performed. Procedural success, guidewire visibility, pushability, and stent support were qualitatively assessed by consensus. Procedure times were documented. Guidewire guidance into the abdominal and thoracic aortas and the inferior vena cava was successful. Stent deployments were successful in the abdominal (swine 1) and thoracic (swine 2) segments of the descending aorta. Cava filter positioning and deployment was successful. Autopsy documented good stent and filter positioning. Guidewire visibility through applied markers was rated acceptable for aortic stenting and good for venous filter placement. Steerability, pushability, and device support were good. The PEEK-based guidewire allows either percutaneous MRI-guided aortic stenting in the thoracic and abdominal segments of the descending aorta and filter placement in the inferior vena cava with acceptable to good device visibility and offers good steerability, pushability, and device support.« less