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ImportanceGlioblastoma is the most lethal primary brain cancer. Clinical outcomes for glioblastoma remain poor, and new treatments are needed.ObjectiveTo investigate whether adding autologous tumor lysate-loaded dendritic cell vaccine (DCVax-L) to standard of care (SOC) extends survival among patients with glioblastoma.Design, setting, and participantsThis phase 3, prospective, externally controlled nonrandomized trial compared overall survival (OS) in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma (nGBM) and recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM) treated with DCVax-L plus SOC vs contemporaneous matched external control patients treated with SOC. This international, multicenter trial was conducted at 94 sites in 4 countries from August 2007 to November 2015. Data analysis was conducted from October 2020 to September 2021.InterventionsThe active treatment was DCVax-L plus SOC temozolomide. The nGBM external control patients received SOC temozolomide and placebo; the rGBM external controls received approved rGBM therapies.Main outcomes and measuresThe primary and secondary end points compared overall survival (OS) in nGBM and rGBM, respectively, with contemporaneous matched external control populations from the control groups of other formal randomized clinical trials.ResultsA total of 331 patients were enrolled in the trial, with 232 randomized to the DCVax-L group and 99 to the placebo group. Median OS (mOS) for the 232 patients with nGBM receiving DCVax-L was 19.3 (95% CI, 17.5-21.3) months from randomization (22.4 months from surgery) vs 16.5 (95% CI, 16.0-17.5) months from randomization in control patients (HR = 0.80; 98% CI, 0.00-0.94; P = .002). Survival at 48 months from randomization was 15.7% vs 9.9%, and at 60 months, it was 13.0% vs 5.7%. For 64 patients with rGBM receiving DCVax-L, mOS was 13.2 (95% CI, 9.7-16.8) months from relapse vs 7.8 (95% CI, 7.2-8.2) months among control patients (HR, 0.58; 98% CI, 0.00-0.76; P

This essay offers a candid overview of the past one hundred years of preK-fifth grade Spanish language teaching and learning in the United States. Among the topics addressed are numbers of programs, program models, and factors that impact the success of learners and programs.

The communication pattern of Initiation/Response/Follow-Up (IRF) has long been an important instructional sequence in language classrooms. When language teachers combine IRF with the Response to Intervention (RTI) approach, they create a powerful model to evaluate student oral practice and self-assess effectiveness in creating language communities in the classroom. This study reports the analysis of IRF that took place in two foreign language immersion classrooms. Two immersion teachers and a total of 102 students participated. The study also documents the RTI of the participating teachers as they collaboratively analyzed the IRF patterns. The results of the study revealed that combining IRF and RTI can have positive effects on instructional delivery and increased student discourse. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)

The time has come to create a realistic grammar syllabus in the beginning language courses. Yet why do some in the profession insist that all grammar must be taught in the first year of language learning? Abundant data from decades of research on topics such as human memory, chunking, and second language acquisition exist that overwhelmingly support "not" to do so, but rather to frontload language learning with only the necessary grammar to have students communicate at a beginning, appropriate level. The research supports the goal of presenting grammar at the point of need and usage. This position paper will explore (1) how language educators arrived at their current state of affairs, and (2) the support for a realistic, doable grammar syllabus in beginning language courses.

A reconceptualization of the zone of proximal development (ZPD) is proposed by introducing the notion of dialogicality and voice. Drawing on Bakhtin's semiotics, it is argued that the dialogical interactions occurring within the ZPD must be understood in a larger context to go beyond the visible and audible participants. More specifically, in addition to the first voice of the more capable participant and the second voice of the less competent participant, there is a third voice that serves as an immediate agenda of the ZPD. The third voice exerts its influence through the first voice by mediating the latter's intrapsychological functioning. The compatibility between the agenda of the third voice and the developmental goals of the zone determines whether the progression through the ZPD is enhanced or constrained. Standardized testing is given as an example of the third voice with a focus on its compatibility with the developmental goal of the ZPD.

In this study, we explored dimensions of a teacher?s experience with formal language study, time spent abroad, and levels of bilingualism as factors that relate to their personal teaching efficacy beliefs using a purposeful sample of teachers from North and South Carolina working with English Language Learners in the mainstream classroom. Our statistical results from independent sample t-tests and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) support the need for all educators working in diverse classrooms to commit to long-term formal foreign language study.

The authors investigated the impact of professional development programs for English-as-a-second-language (ESL) teachers on their classroom practice and on the way that teacher efficacy and organizational support at the school level relate by interacting with years of teaching experience. The authors collected data by using questionnaires administered to 90 elementary and secondary teachers participating in ESL training programs. Results based on multiple-regression analyses indicated that teacher efficacy and organizational support significantly predict level of professional development impact without interacting with years of teaching experience. Appended are: (A) Modified Teacher Efficacy Scale; (B) Organizational Support Scale; (C) Impact Scale; and (D) Teacher Background Questionnaire. (Contains 4 tables.)

Provides a rationale for Foreign Language in the Elementary School (FLES) program evaluation, and discusses the development and use of the FLES Program Evaluation Inventory (FPEI). Questionnaires are provided for duplication, and step-by-step instructions are given for the administration, tabulation, and reporting of the five different forms. (nine references) (GLR)

The history of foreign languages in the elementary school (FLES) in the United States reveals six reasons, not commonly acknowledged, for declining enrollment in the 1950s and 1960s. A checklist for self-evaluation of new and existing programs based on those reasons is presented. (53 references) (Author/MSE)

Describes the development and testing of a multifaceted Foreign Language in the Elementary School program evaluation instrument that would efficiently provide essential data regarding such aspects as teacher qualifications, goals and objectives, pedagogy, articulation, homework and grades, parent support, workload, at-risk students, and student satisfaction. (CB)

The staphylococcal nuclease gene in Pseudomonas putida was integrated into the chromosomes of different poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate) (PHA) producers to derive a commercially viable solution to the viscosity problem in PHA processing. A rapid increase in the viscosity of the cell lysate which hampers filtration and centrifugation of PHAs as a new resource for plastic materials. Staphylococcal nuclease is easily expressed in Pseudomonas strains that produce PHA and is directed to the periplasm without diminishing PHA production or strain stability.

A new class of small-molecule competitive inhibitors of human Cdc25 dual-specificity phosphatases and noncompetitive inhibitors of PTP1B protein serine/threonine phosphatase (PTPase) that are easily synthesized were found. Evidence was also found that PP2A and Cdc25 phosphatases have overlapping but distinct inhibitor specificity. These compounds are small and have chemical structures which are different from that of known PTP1 B or Cdc25 inhibitors.

Reports on the current progress of implementing the Basic Education Program wherein all school systems in North Carolina schools (K-12) will have a foreign language program by 1995, and students will be required to study a foreign language in grades K-5. The history, legislation, program implementation, and teacher training involved is discussed. (GLR)

Non-replicative integrational plasmids containing butyrate kinase (buk) and phosphotransacetylase (pta) gene fragments were used to inactivate buk and pta in Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824. Inactivation of the pta gene on the chromosome reduced pta and acetate kinase activity as well as acetate production, while inactivation of the buk gene minimized buk activity and butyrate production but increased butanol production.

The genes encoding phosphotransacetylase (PTA) and acetate kinase (AK) from Clostridium acetobutylicum are cloned and sequenced to find the features of these enzymes. The AK and PTA show elevated activities on cell extracts from Escherichia coli and C. acetobutylicum harboring the subclone. The pta and ack genes lie near the pta upstream in the clostridial chromosome. While pta gene encodes a protein of 333 amino acid residues, ack encodes a polypeptide of 401 residues. The pta gene has an operon arrangement with a single transcriptional start site lying 70 bp upstream of the start codon.

Cloning and sequence analysis of clustered genes encoding the enzymes beta-hydroxybutyryl-coenzyme A (CoA) dehydrogenase, crotonase, and butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase from Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824 were performed to gain a better understanding of clostridial metabolism and the factors controlling its expression. The molecular mass and amino acid sequence of the genes encoding each enzyme were determined. Primer extension analysis was also performed to identify the promoter region of the gene cluster.

Reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) facilitates the examination of intracellular concentrations of coenzyme A (CoA) and the roles of its derivatives in the metabolic pathways for Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824. Levels of acetyl-CoA and free CoA decreases and that of butyryl CoA increases during the transition from the acidogenic to the stationary growth phase or solventogenic. There is a reduction in the activity of the acid pathway enzyme and a quick rise in the activity of the solvent pathway enzyme.