This study documented the standardized tests and informal assessment techniques that school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) reported as most helpful for identifying vocabulary deficits and ...for monitoring progress. Speech-language pathologists (N = 142) working in U.S. public school settings completed an online survey that included multiple-choice, multiple-answer, and open-ended formats. Percentages and frequency counts were reported. For identifying vocabulary deficits, SLPs favored omnibus language tests over vocabulary-specific tests. The most frequently selected informal assessments for identifying vocabulary deficits were language samples and curricular-based measures. For monitoring progress, respondents favored creating their own tasks and using curricular-based measures. Minor differences were noted in the responses of elementary and middle-high school SLPs. Results were compared with evidence-based principles for vocabulary assessment.
Previous research has indicated the benefits of language sample analysis (LSA) as well as significant limitations to wide-scale, standardized implementation. The purpose of this project was to ...advance this line of inquiry by documenting how school-based speech–language pathologists’ (SLPs) perception and use of one computerized LSA program was affected by an 8-month training program. In this descriptive qualitative study, participants completed rating scales before and after training. Data were triangulated with semi-structured interviews and field notes. A content analysis approach was used to develop codes, subthemes, and themes from interviews. Speech–language pathologists preferred their familiar protocols, though their perceptions of computerized LSA shifted by the end of the training. Ultimately, SLPs viewed the depth of information gained from LSA as a benefit for supporting their diagnostic decisions and communicating with the educational team. The primary implementation barrier was time. Results inform features to consider for future training programs.
Population growth, urbanization and climate change will create future challenges for agribusiness. One particularly vexing challenge will be producing more food using less land and water. Aquaponics ...offers the potential to overcome these obstacles, but a lack ofresearch providing insight into managerial decision-making in this industry limits its effectiveness. This research is particularly lacking in the realm of aquaponic technological selection. This study compares the expected profitability of four leading aquaponics production systems. It compares expected net present value for coupled and decoupled aquaponic platforms, with and without a co-product capture for organic fertilizer. Technological choice has a considerable impact on aquaponic profitability.Expected net present value estimates ranged from $87,507 to $156,599 across the four technological combinations considered. Decoupled platforms combined with an organic fertilizer co-product capture provided the highest expected net present value. This result holds under a variety of economic conditions.
In tumors, a subset of CD8+ T cells expressing the transcription factor TCF-1 drives the response to immune checkpoint blockade. We examined the mechanisms that maintain these cells in an ...autochthonous model of lung adenocarcinoma. Longitudinal sampling and single-cell sequencing of tumor-antigen specific TCF-1+ CD8+ T cells revealed that while intratumoral TCF-1+ CD8+ T cells acquired dysfunctional features and decreased in number as tumors progressed, TCF-1+ CD8+ T cell frequency in the tumor draining LN (dLN) remained stable. Two discrete intratumoral TCF-1+ CD8+ T cell subsets developed over time—a proliferative SlamF6+ subset and a non-cycling SlamF6− subset. Blocking dLN egress decreased the frequency of intratumoral SlamF6+ TCF-1+ CD8+ T cells. Conventional type I dendritic cell (cDC1) in dLN decreased in number with tumor progression, and Flt3L+anti-CD40 treatment recovered SlamF6+ T cell frequencies and decreased tumor burden. Thus, cDC1s in tumor dLN maintain a reservoir of TCF-1+ CD8+ T cells and their decrease contributes to failed anti-tumor immunity.
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•Longitudinal scRNA-seq of tumor-specific TCF-1+ CD8+ T cells in KP lung adenocarcinoma•Identified a proliferative Slamf6+ TCF-1+ T cell subset and a non-cycling SlamF6− subset•The lymph node contains a recruitable reservoir of functional TCF-1+ CD8+ T cells•Flt3L+CD40 boosts cDC1, increases TCF-1+CD8+ T cell frequencies, decreases tumor burden
In tumors, TCF-1+ CD8+ T cells drive the response to immune checkpoint blockade. Schenkel, Herbst et al. reveal that, in lung adenocarcinoma, a reservoir of TCF-1+ CD8+ T cells is maintained in tumor draining lymph nodes by conventional type I dendritic cell (cDC1). Decrease of these cDC1 as the tumor progresses contributes to failed anti-tumor immunity.
Aquaponics is an agricultural production practice which combines aquaculture, the raising of fish, and hydroponics, a soil-less crop production method, to create a system that symbiotically produces ...both. Compared to conventional open-field agriculture, this practice is highly resource efficient in terms of water and land usage, but has yet to be widely adopted due to a lack of research regarding its economic feasibility. This study compares the two most economically promising aquaponic system designs to determine which would be more profitable at the intermediate-commercial scale. The first of these is the coupled system which continuously circulates water in a closed loop, requiring very little input water to keep the system running. The second is the decoupled system which breaks the continuous loop, incurring higher water costs while improving vegetable yields by ensuring better water quality and allowing for the removal of wastewater. A cost benefit analysis on the two systems–weighing the benefits of investing in aquaponics against the costs–is performed. The two systems were compared at an equal size to determine whether the additional cost of water usage in a dry climate, such as Utah, would outweigh the additional revenue from the higher yields of the decoupled system. Results show that the additional water cost incurred by the decoupled system is not high enough to overcome the higher revenue of the decoupled system.
For forty years, the films of Roberto Rossellini have been cited by film critics and historians as prime examples of "realism" in the cinema. Yet, all too often, the critics and historians who have ...described Rossellini's work as "realist" have demonstrated a vague or incomplete understanding of that term. They have failed to take advantage of the fact that "realism" has a specific historical-aesthetic meaning, one grounded in nineteenth-century pictorial and literary arts. This study reevaluates Rossellini's reputation as a "realist" filmmaker. Providing an historical-aesthetic account of the word "realism," it enables film scholars to approach Rossellini's work from a sounder theoretical basis than has hitherto been available. The thesis is divided into two parts. In the first part, I discuss the term "realism," a nineteenth-century neologism associated with a particular movement in the pictorial and literary arts. I survey the theoretical assumptions and aesthetic practices of that movement, particularly in the area of narrative. From that survey, I extrapolate a model of realist style. I then apply this model to the fiction film narrative. Realist style, I argue, continues to inform many fiction films being produced today. The second part of the study is focused on Rossellini himself. I provide a series of overviews of the director's work--his association with the Italian Neo-realist movement, the trajectory of his career, his ideas on filmmaking, and the assessments of his work by major critics. In the fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters, I analyze three representative works from three phases of Rossellini's career: Paisa, Viaggio in Italia, and La Prise de pouvoir par Louis XIV. I measure each of these works against my model of realist style. My analysis uncovers and examines Rossellini's increasingly ambivalent and attentuated relationship to realism from one phase of his career to the next. The thesis concludes with a discussion of topics for future Rossellini studies.
Background and Purpose
Demand for new antidepressants has resulted in a re‐evaluation of the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs. Several tryptamines found in psilocybin‐containing “magic” ...mushrooms share chemical similarities with psilocybin. Early work suggests they may share biological targets. However, few studies have explored their pharmacological and behavioural effects.
Experimental Approach
We compared baeocystin, norbaeocystin and aeruginascin with psilocybin to determine if they are metabolized by the same enzymes, similarly penetrate the blood–brain barrier, serve as ligands for similar receptors and modulate behaviour in rodents similarly. We also assessed the stability and optimal storage and handling conditions for each compound.
Key Results
In vitro enzyme kinetics assays found that all compounds had nearly identical rates of dephosphorylation via alkaline phosphatase and metabolism by monoamine oxidase. Further, we found that only the dephosphorylated products of baeocystin and norbaeocystin crossed a blood–brain barrier mimetic to a similar degree as the dephosphorylated form of psilocybin, psilocin. The dephosphorylated form of norbaeocystin was found to activate the 5‐HT2A receptor with similar efficacy to psilocin and norpsilocin in in vitro cell imaging assays. Behaviourally, only psilocybin induced head twitch responses in rats, a marker of 5‐HT2A‐mediated psychedelic effects and hallucinogenic potential. However, like psilocybin, norbaeocystin improved outcomes in the forced swim test. All compounds caused minimal changes to metrics of renal and hepatic health, suggesting innocuous safety profiles.
Conclusions and Implications
Collectively, this work suggests that other naturally occurring tryptamines, especially norbaeocystin, may share overlapping therapeutic potential with psilocybin, but without causing hallucinations.
This study sought to evaluate advanced psychometric properties of the 15-item Economic Strain and Resilience in Cancer (ENRICh) measure of financial toxicity for cancer patients.
We surveyed 515 ...cancer patients in the greater Houston metropolitan area using ENRICh from March 2019 to March 2020. We conducted a series of factor analyses alongside parametric and non-parametric item response theory (IRT) assessments using Mokken analysis and the graded response model (GRM). We utilized parameters derived from the GRM to run a simulated computerized adaptive test (CAT) assessment.
Among participants, mean age was 58.49 years and 278 (54%) were female. The initial round factor analysis results suggested a one-factor scale structure. Negligible levels of differential item functioning (DIF) were evident between eight items. Three items were removed due to local interdependence (Q3>+0.4). The original 11-point numerical rating scale did not function well, and a new 3-point scoring system was implemented. The final 12-item ENRICh had acceptable fit to the GRM (p<0.001; TLI = 0.94; CFI = 0.95; RMSEA = 0.09; RMSR = 0.06) as well as good scalability and dimensionality. We observed high correlation between CAT version scores and the 12-item measure (r = 0.98). During CAT, items 2 (money you owe) and 4 (stress level about finances) were most frequently administered, followed by items 1 (money in savings) and 5 (ability to pay bills). Scores from these four items alone were strongly correlated with that of the 12-item ENRICh (r = 0.96).
These CAT and 4-item versions provide options for quick screening in clinical practice and low-burden assessment in research.
Background
PROs are valuable tools in clinical care to capture patients’ perspectives of their health, symptoms and quality of life. However the COVID-19 pandemic has had profound impacts on all ...aspects of life, in particular healthcare and research. This study explores the views of UK and Irish health professionals, third sector and pharmaceutical industry representatives and academic researchers on the impact of COVID-19 on PRO collection, use and development in clinical practice.
Methods
A volunteer sample took part in a 10 question cross sectional qualitative survey, on the impact of COVID-19, administered online via Qualtrics. Demographic data was descriptively analysed, and the qualitative free text response data was subject to thematic analysis and summarised within the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) framework.
Results
Forty nine participants took part located in a range of UK settings and professions. Participants highlighted staff
strengths
during the pandemic including colleagues’ flexibility and ability to work collaboratively and the adoption of novel communication tools.
Weaknesses
were a lack of staff capacity to continue or start PRO projects and insufficient digital infrastructure to continue studies online.
Opportunities
included the added interest in PROs as useful outcomes, the value of electronic PROs for staff and patients particularly in relation to integration into systems and the electronic patient records. However, these opportunities came with an understanding that digital exclusion may be an issue for patient groups.
Threats
identified included that the majority of PRO research was stopped or delayed and funding streams were cut.
Conclusions
Although most PRO research was on hold during the pandemic, the consensus from participants was that PROs as meaningful outcomes were valued more than ever. From the opportunities afforded by the pandemic the development of electronic PROs and their integration into electronic patient record systems and clinical practice could be a lasting legacy from the COVID-19 pandemic.
is a potentially deadly opportunistic human pathogen.
has evolved a variety of mechanisms to evade detection by the immune system. For example, the conidium surface is covered in a layer of ...1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN) melanin which masks the antigen macrophages use for recognition. DHN melanin also protects conidia from ultraviolet radiation and gives
conidia their characteristic green-grayish color. Here, we conducted genomic analysis of two closely related white-spore natural variants of
in comparison to two closely related green-spore isolates to identify a genetic basis of the white-spore phenotype. Illumina whole-genome resequencing data of the four isolates was used to identify variants that were shared in the white-spore isolates and different from both the green-spore isolates and the Af293 reference genome (which is also a green-spore isolate). We identified 4,279 single nucleotide variants and 1,785 insertion/deletions fitting this pattern. Among these, we identified 64 variants predicted to be high impact, loss-of-function mutations. One of these variants is a single nucleotide deletion that results in a frameshift in
(
), the core biosynthetic gene in the DHN melanin encoding gene cluster. The frameshift mutation in the white-spore isolates leads to a truncated protein in which a phosphopantetheine attachment site (PP-binding domain) is interrupted and an additional PP-binding domain and a thioesterase domain are omitted. Growth rate analysis of white-spore and green-spore isolates at 37°C and 48°C revealed that white-spore isolates are thermosensitive. Growth rate of
Af293 and a
null mutant in the Af293 background suggests
is not directly involved in the thermosensitivity phenotype. Further, our study identified a mutation in a gene (
associated with thermal sensitivity in yeasts which could also be responsible for the thermosensitivity of the white-spore mutants. Overall, we used comparative genomics to identify the mutation and protein alterations responsible for the white-spore phenotype of environmental isolates of
.
