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Equipping new teachers in today's society is a noble and challenging task. Of late, many additional licensing standards for teachers create additional responsibilities for universities that provide pedagogy, knowledge, and content for teacher candidates. Identification of best practices that support teacher candidates on the Educative Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) is of interest to many teacher education programs. The purpose of this research was to analyze whether incorporating a "mock edTPA" had beneficial results on the passage of the edTPA. This study spanned fourteen ten-week quarters and included 688 teacher candidates who were preparing to become certificated teachers at a university in Washington State. The questions that were posited were: (1) does a capstone class requiring a mock edTPA benefit students; and (2) which edTPA rubrics are the most challenging, and why are they challenging? This research study found that adding a mock edTPA prior to the student teaching experience did not produce a statistically significant difference in scores when compared to the group who received an embedded curriculum. When comparing the two different time periods, the passing rate was not significantly different and there was little difference in the mean scores of both groups.

Background: Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in domestic cattle is an economically significant malignant neoplasm and has been documented primarily in ocular and periocular tissues, vulva, and perineum. SCCs are often slow-growing and locally invasive, but metastasis is uncommon. Increased risk of developing SCC has been predominantly associated with high levels of sunlight exposure and hypopigmentation (skin and conjunctiva). This manuscript reports a case of ocular and perineal SCC in a Holstein Friesian cow with maxillary sinusitis secondary to tumor invasion. Case Description: An approximately 17-year-old Holstein Friesian cow was presented with a swollen, closed left eye and slow-growing perineal masses. The left eye was exenterated after showing poor response to anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial therapies, and the largest perineal mass was excised. Twelve months later, the cow developed purulent nasal discharge and dyspnea. The animal was euthanized for postmortem investigation due to health deterioration, advanced age, and suspected tumor metastasis. Conclusion: Ocular and perineal SCCs were diagnosed on biopsy and confirmed with immunohistochemistry. Postmortem gross and histological evaluations confirmed SCC invasion in the left maxillary sinus, with a secondary Trueperella pyogenes infection confirmed on aerobic culture. Histological evaluation of the enlarged lymph nodes revealed reactive lymphoid hyperplasia without evidence of tumor metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been postulated that during human fetal development, all cells of the lung epithelium derive from embryonic, endodermal, NK2 homeobox 1-expressing ([NKX2-1.sup.+]) precursor cells. However, this hypothesis has not been formally tested owing to an inability to purify or track these progenitors for detailed characterization. Here we have engineered and developmentally differentiated [NKX2-1.sup.GFP] reporter pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) in vitro to generate and isolate human primordial lung progenitors that express NKX2-1 but are initially devoid of differentiated lung lineage markers. After sorting to purity, these primordial lung progenitors exhibited lung epithelial maturation. In the absence of mesenchymal coculture support, this [NKX2-1.sup.+] population was able to generate epithelial-only spheroids in defined 3D cultures. Alternatively, when recombined with fetal mouse lung mesenchyme, the cells recapitulated epithelial-mesenchymal developing lung interactions. We imaged these progenitors in real time and performed time-series global transcriptomic profiling and single-cell RNA sequencing as they moved through the earliest moments of lung lineage specification. The profiles indicated that evolutionarily conserved, stage-dependent gene signatures of early lung development are expressed in primordial human lung progenitors and revealed a [CD47.sup.hi][CD26.sup.lo] cell surface phenotype that allows their prospective isolation from untargeted, patient-specific PSCs for further in vitro differentiation and future applications in regenerative medicine., Introduction Little is known about the early stages of human lung development, preventing an understanding of whether successful healing from adult lung injury involves recapitulation of embryonic mechanisms and limiting [...]

Iridescence is a taxonomically widespread form of structural coloration that produces often intense hues that change with the angle of viewing. Its role as a signal has been investigated in multiple species, but recently, and counter-intuitively, it has been shown that it can function as camouflage. However, the property of iridescence that reduces detectability is, as yet, unclear. As viewing angle changes, iridescent objects change not only in hue but also in intensity, and many iridescent animals are also shiny or glossy; these "specular reflections," both from the target and background, have been implicated in crypsis. Here, we present a field experiment with natural avian predators that separate the relative contributions of color and gloss to the "survival" of iridescent and non-iridescent beetle-like targets. Consistent with previous research, we found that iridescent coloration, and high gloss of the leaves on which targets were placed, enhance survival. However, glossy targets survived less well than matt. We interpret the results in terms of signal-to-noise ratio: specular reflections from the background reduce detectability by increasing visual noise. While a specular reflection from the target attracts attention, a changeable color reduces the signal because, we suggest, normally, the color of an object is a stable feature for detection and identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the framework of the modeling package IonoSeis. This software models Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) derived slant total electron content (sTEC) perturbations in the ionosphere due to the interaction of the neutral atmosphere and charged particles in the ionosphere. We use a simplified model to couple the neutral particle momentum into the ionosphere and reconstruct time series of sTEC perturbations that match observed data in both arrival time and perturbation shape. We propagate neutral atmosphere disturbances to ionospheric heights using a three-dimensional ray-tracing code in spherical coordinates called Windy Atmospheric Sonic Propagation (WASP3D), which works for a stationary or non-stationary atmospheric models. The source of the atmosphere perturbation can be an earthquake or volcanic eruption; both couple significant amounts of energy into the atmosphere in the frequency range of a few Millihertz. We demonstrate the output of the code by comparing modeled sTEC perturbation data to the observed perturbation recorded at GNSS station BTNG (Bitung, Indonesia) immediately following the 28 September 2018, Sulawesi-Palu earthquake. With this framework, we provide a software to couple the lithosphere, atmosphere, and ionosphere that can be used to study post-seismic ionospherically-derived signals.

Wild men who caught & sang the sun in flight,/ & learn, too late they grieved it on its way./ Do not go gentle into that good night,// Good men, [...]

The synthesis of arylamines from renewable resources under mild reaction conditions is highly desired for the sustainability of the chemical industry, where the production of hazardous waste is a prime concern. However, to date, there are very few tools in chemists' toolboxes that are able to produce arylamines in a sustainable manner. Herein, a robust one‐pot approach for constructing bio‐based arylamines via a combined photooxidative dearomatization‐rearomatization strategy is presented. The developed methodology enables the synthesis of structurally complex amines in moderate‐to‐good isolated yields using biomass‐derived phenols, natural α‐amino acids, and naphthols under remarkably mild reaction conditions. For the photooxygenation of phenols, a novel chrysazine‐based catalyst system was introduced, demonstrating its efficiency for the synthesis of natural products – hallerone, rengyolone, and the pharmaceutically relevant prodrug DHED. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tree sloths rely on their limb flexors for bodyweight support and joint stability during suspensory locomotion and posture. This study aims to describe the myology of three‐toed sloths and identify limb muscle traits that indicate modification for suspensorial habit. The pelvic limbs of the brown‐throated three‐toed sloth (Bradypus variegatus) were dissected, muscle belly mass was recorded, and the structural arrangements of the muscles were documented and compared with the available myological accounts for sloths. Overall, the limb musculature is simplified by containing muscles with generally long and parallel fascicles. A number of specific and informative muscle traits are additionally observed in the pelvic limb of B. variegatus: well‐developed hip flexors and hip extensors each displaying several fused bellies; massive knee flexors; two heads of the m. adductor longus and m. gracilis; robust digital flexors and flexor tendons; m. tibialis cranialis muscle complex originating from the tibia and fibula and containing a modified m. extensor digitorum I longus; appreciable muscle mass devoted to ankle flexion and hindfoot supination; only m. extensor digitorum brevis acts to extend the digits. Collectively, the findings for tree sloths emphasize muscle mass and organization for suspensory support namely by the hip flexors, knee flexors, and limb adductors, for which the latter two groups may stabilize suspensory postures by exerting appreciable medially‐directed force on the substrate. Specializations in the distal limb are also apparent for sustained purchase of the substrate by forceful digital flexion coupled with strong ankle flexion and supination of the hind feet, which is permitted by the reorganization of several digital extensors. Moreover, the reduction or loss of other digital flexor and ab‐adductor muscles marks a dramatic simplification of the intrinsic foot musculature in B. variegatus, the extent to which varies across extant species of two‐ and three‐toed tree sloths and likely is related to substrate preference/use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Byline: Gordon Gemmill (1), Dylan Thomas (1) Abstract: This study of warrants on the London Stock Exchange examines whether they display particular pricing biases and whether investors understand how to value them at the time of issue. In a sample of 72 warrants on closed-end funds (investment trusts) over the 1985--94 period, more than one third of the 12,673 prices are anomalously low. The other two thirds behave like stock options, with lower volatility when they are in-the-money or have a long time until maturity. Despite their frequent undervaluation, it is rational to add warrants to a new equity issue: an examination of 127 new equity issues (95 with warrants) reveals that attaching warrants significantly increases market value. The reason for this appears to be investor confusion: they do not seem to understand that the more the warrants are worth, the less the value of the ordinary shares. Author Affiliation: (1) Frobisher Crescent, Barbican Centre, City University Business School, London, EC2Y 8HB, England Article History: Registration Date: 15/10/2004