Search

The last 20 years of federal legislation have seen a growth in the requirement that evidence-based practices be used to ensure improved student outcomes. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004) and No Child Left Behind (2001) each require educators to research, develop, and implement new practices aimed at meeting this expectation. The Every Student Succeeds Act, which replaced NCLB in 2015, further emphasizes the requirement to use evidence-based practices and the urgency of this issue. While there is ample research identifying evidence-based practices, these strategies are not making their way into classrooms. This qualitative study examines the research-to-practice gap and strategies to overcome this transference failure. Using multimedia slidecasts and video-analysis, twelve teachers provided detailed reflections and descriptions of their experience. The results of this study support the use of video as a superior tool to memory for self-reflection, the use of multimedia slidecasts as a tool to transfer evidence-based practices, and the Levels of Learning Theory to describe novice teacher development.

Employers are continually looking for graduates who show an understanding of people with diverse cultures, languages, and religions. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine how participation in study abroad enhanced the interculturality of undergraduate business students. Participants included two cohorts of U.S. students participating in a short-term biennial study abroad program in China. The data were student' scores on The Intercultural Effectiveness Scale (IES), a 52-item Likert scale spanning nine dimensions: continuous learning, self-awareness, exploration, interpersonal engagement, world orientation, relationship development, hardiness, positive regard, and emotional resilience. The IES was completed pre and post trip. Additional data were collected from the students' open-ended journals that they wrote while participating in the study abroad program. Quantitative findings revealed that mean scores increased significantly between Time 1 (pre trip) and Time 2 (post trip) for most dimensions of the IES. Qualitative findings showed that three main themes impact student experiences: Travel, Memories, and Culture. Additional qualitative findings revealed that the Enjoyment and Challenges that students experience as part of a formal study abroad curriculum enhanced attainment of learning outcomes.

Background Chronic kidney disease (CKD) presents a significant clinical and economic burden to healthcare systems worldwide, which increases considerably with progression towards kidney failure. The Dapagliflozin and Prevention of Adverse Outcomes in Chronic Kidney Disease (DAPA-CKD) trial demonstrated that patients with or without type 2 diabetes who were treated with dapagliflozin experienced slower progression of CKD versus those receiving placebo. Understanding the effect of long-term treatment with dapagliflozin on the timing of kidney failure beyond trial follow-up can assist informed decision-making by healthcare providers and patients. The study objective was therefore to extrapolate the outcome-based clinical benefits of treatment with dapagliflozin in patients with CKD via a time-to-event analysis using trial data. Methods Patient-level data from the DAPA-CKD trial were used to parameterize a closed cohort-level partitioned survival model that predicted time-to-event for key trial endpoints (kidney failure, all-cause mortality, sustained decline in kidney function and hospitalization for heart failure). Data were pooled with a subpopulation of the Dapagliflozin Effect on Cardiovascular Events – Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction 58 (DECLARE-TIMI 58) trial to create a combined CKD population spanning a range of CKD stages; a parallel survival analysis was conducted in this population. Results In the DAPA-CKD and pooled CKD populations, treatment with dapagliflozin delayed time to first event for kidney failure, all-cause mortality, sustained decline in kidney function and hospitalization for heart failure. Attenuation of CKD progression was predicted to slow the time to kidney failure by 6.6 years [dapagliflozin: 25.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) 19.0–31.5; standard therapy: 18.5, 95% CI 14.7–23.4] in the DAPA-CKD population. A similar result was observed in the pooled CKD population with an estimated delay of 6.3 years (dapagliflozin: 36.0, 95% CI 31.9–38.3; standard therapy: 29.6, 95% CI 25.5–34.7). Conclusion Treatment with dapagliflozin over a lifetime time horizon may considerably delay the mean time to adverse clinical outcomes for patients who would go on to experience them, including those at modest risk of progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remotely piloted aerial application systems (RPAAS) are exponentially increasing globally for pesticide applications. Evaluations of spray coverage, deposits, and droplet size, when implementing various application parameters, are needed to optimize these applications. A RPAAS at 46.8 L ha-1 provided similar or greater coverage and deposits to ground equipment at 93.5 L ha-1 across nozzle types evaluated excluding the XR. The RPAAS at 18.7 L ha-1 had reduced coverage (<9% total coverage) and deposits (<350 total deposits cm-2) regardless of nozzle type evaluated compared to the other two application setups. The top and back WSP locations had considerably greater coverage and deposits than the front WSP location likely due to wind speed and direction being more important drivers for spray dynamics than direction of sprayer travel. Generally, nozzle selection was less critical for coverage and deposits from RPAAS at 18.7 L ha-1. The AITTJ60, AIXR, and TADF nozzle types may be optimum options for RPAAS, particularly at 46.8 L ha-1, as they improved coverage, deposits, and estimated recovery rate while producing the greatest droplet size, thereby reducing spray drift potential. Results of this research demonstrated coverage, deposits, and droplet size from RPAAS at 46.8 L ha-1 can be equivalent to ground spray equipment at 93.5 L ha-1 across a range of nozzle types and therefore, may be viable for effective pesticide applications. Applications using RPAAS at 18.7 L ha-1 resulted in considerably less coverage and deposits across nozzle types evaluated, and would be at risk for reduced pesticide efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CD8 T cells can play both a protective and pathogenic role in inflammation and autoimmune development. Recent studies have highlighted the ability of CD8 T cells to function as T follicular helper (Tfh) cells in the germinal center in the context of infection. However, whether this phenomenon occurs in autoimmunity and contributes to autoimmune pathogenesis is largely unexplored. In this study, we show that CD8 T cells acquire a CD4 Tfh profile in the absence of functional regulatory T cells in both the IL-2-deficient and scurfy mouse models. Depletion of CD8 T cells mitigates autoimmune pathogenesis in IL-2-deficient mice. CD8 T cells express the B cell follicle-localizing chemokine receptor CXCR5, a principal Tfh transcription factor Bcl6, and the Tfh effector cytokine IL-21. CD8 T cells localize to the B cell follicle, express B cell costimulatory proteins, and promote B cell differentiation and Ab isotype class switching. These data reveal a novel contribution of autoreactive CD8 T cells to autoimmune disease, in part, through CD4 follicular-like differentiation and functionality.