Search

Background: The number line task assesses the ability to estimate numerical magnitudes. People vary greatly in this ability, and this variability has been previously associated with mathematical skills. However, the sources of individual differences in number line estimation and its association with mathematics are not fully understood. Aims: This large-scale genetically sensitive study uses a twin design to estimate the magnitude of the effects of genes and environments on: (1) individual variation in number line estimation and (2) the covariation of number line estimation with mathematics. Samples: We used over 3,000 8- to 16-year-old twins from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Russia, and a sample of 1,456 8- to 18-year-old singleton Russian students. Methods: Twins were assessed on: (1) estimation of numerical magnitudes using a number line task and (2) two mathematics components: fluency and problem-solving. Results: Results suggest that environments largely drive individual differences in number line estimation. Both genes and environments contribute to different extents to the number line estimation and mathematics correlation, depending on the sample and mathematics component. Conclusions: Taken together, the results suggest that in more heterogeneous school settings, environments may be more important in driving variation in number line estimation and its association with mathematics, whereas in more homogeneous school settings, genetic effects drive the covariation between number line estimation and mathematics. These results are discussed in the light of development and educational settings.

In 1983, the National Commission on Excellence in Education in the United States issued a report called "A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform." This report and other policy initiatives such as the No Child Left Behind Legislation recommended that the individual states institute assessments to hold schools accountable. This research explored the potential impact of impending standardised testing on teaching science in elementary schools in one school district in Florida. We explored the teachers' concerns about the upcoming high-stakes tests in science, possible impact on their curriculum and what changes, if any, will be made in the approach to science teaching and learning in their classrooms. As the teachers look toward the implementation of high-stakes testing in science, they have recognised the need to teach science. This recognition is not borne out of the importance of science learning for elementary school children, but rather out of fear of failure and the effects of tangible rewards or punishments that accompany highstakes testing. In anticipation, the teachers are preparing to align their teaching to the science standards while aggressively searching for test preparatory materials. Schools are also involved in professional development and structural changes to facilitate teaching of science.

Presents a structural framework for the sociological analysis of special education. Describes special education as one of the ways in which schools perform their reproductive task by differentiating children and allocating them to different educational treatments. Employs the framework to analyze the different histories of special education in England and the United States. (KH)

Congenital syphilis (CS) has been consistently on the rise in the United States since 2012, despite long-standing recommendations for routine testing and treatment of pregnant women. CS is associated with miscarriage, stillbirth, early infant death, and organ dysfunction in the newborn. Prevention is the optimal goal; however, early identification of infected infants is imperative to reduce the risk of serious, long-term complications. Clinicians must possess adequate knowledge of CS and the potentially life-threatening conditions that can arise to provide immediate and effective care. This case study portrays the clinical presentation of an infant with CS and the management of the multisystem effects of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pharmaceutical industry lies at the intersection of patent law, antitrust law, federal and state regulations, and complex markets. For the past several decades, courts and commentators have analyzed issues presented by brand-name and generic drug companies in the "small molecule" setting. But just as they have begun to comprehend the multiple moving parts, a new frontier has arisen involving large molecules known as "biologics". Biologics differ from small-molecule drugs along multiple axes. They are more expensive, costing hundreds of millions of dollars to develop. They cannot be precisely replicated, followed by "biosimilars" rather than generics. They are governed not by the Hatch-Waxman Act but by the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act. And they present a blank slate on which issues of innovation and competition will be hammered out in the decades to come. Given that biologics promise revolutionary advances like treatments for previously incurable diseases and cancer regimens offering substantial benefits over chemotherapy, the stakes could not be higher. The small-molecule setting has been replete with collusive behavior such as "reverse payment" agreements by which brands and generics settle patent litigation and unilateral conduct by which brands modify their drugs to block generics, file frivolous government petitions, manipulate the regulatory regime, and deny materials generics need to enter the market. How likely are these (or other) forms of conduct to appear in the biologics industry? And if these behaviors occur, how should antitrust law respond? This Article addresses these questions, offering an antitrust framework for the conduct most likely to arise. In particular, it concludes that in the biologics setting, "citizen petitions," the disparagement of biosimilars, and collusion between biologics and biosimilars will be more frequent and that "product hopping" and reverse-payment settlements will be less typical. This Article also recommends utilizing an antitrust analysis similar to what courts have applied in the small-molecule setting and applying a modestly more deferential analysis for citizen petitions. Antitrust finds itself at a unique and crucial moment: poised at the precipice of a new industry but able to draw on decades of case law in an analogous setting that has addressed issues of competition and innovation. It is far from obvious how much courts can--or should--take from that setting. This Article assists in this task by determining which antitrust principles and doctrines should be exported to the biologics setting while appreciating the differences that counsel against such extrapolation. Given the importance of life-saving cancer treatments and an impending $400 billion market, there is no time to waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the author discusses various reports within the issue related to the antitrust suit involving pharmaceutical firm Actavis Inc. including the U.S. Supreme Court's decision, the no-authorized-generic clauses and the issues of reverse-payment settlement.

The article presents observations on the feeding habits of wild birds, particularly the Dark-eyed Junco. Topics discussed include gleaning tree seeds from birch, hemlock, pine and tamarack, other bird species feeding on tree seeds, the less aggressive conflict between males and females, the communal feeding at seed-rich areas, the limit to its chosen space to avoid fighting and encroachment, and the warning to encroaching birds by way of exposing the white outer tail feathers with variations.

The article focuses on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) and post-grant opposition that allow any party to challenge a patent after it is issued. It discusses the challenges associated with the U.S. Patent Act including PTO examination, litigation and reexamination of patents. It also examines several benefits of post-grant opposition which includes targeting of valuable patents, increasing an access to competitors' information and reducing the number of invalid patents.

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) remains a significant cause of newborn and infant mortality in the United States. Newborn intensive care unit nurses have a unique opportunity to influence infant outcomes through parent education regarding SIDS prevention. Recently, studies have shown that verbal and written education is not enough impact to alter some parental decisions on sleep position. Parents of premature infants are more than twice as likely to place their infants prone after discharge from a neonatal intensive care unit. These data suggest that parents are more likely to practice what they observe health care providers do than what they say. The unit practice council of a large metropolitan level II newborn intensive care unit used quality improvement processes to affect a change in unit culture to one of safety and quality by implementing evidence-based practice related to SIDS prevention into parent discharge education through a combination of modeling care with traditional teaching strategies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Twitter provides various types of location data, including exact Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates, which could be used for infoveillance and infodemiology (ie, the study and monitoring of online health information), health communication, and interventions. Despite its potential, Twitter location information is not well understood or well documented, limiting its public health utility. Objective: The objective of this study was to document and describe the various types of location information available in Twitter. The different types of location data that can be ascertained from Twitter users are described. This information is key to informing future research on the availability, usability, and limitations of such location data. Methods: Location data was gathered directly from Twitter using its application programming interface (API). The maximum tweets allowed by Twitter were gathered (1% of the total tweets) over 2 separate weeks in October and November 2011. The final dataset consisted of 23.8 million tweets from 9.5 million unique users. Frequencies for each of the location options were calculated to determine the prevalence of the various location data options by region of the world, time zone, and state within the United States. Data from the US Census Bureau were also compiled to determine population proportions in each state, and Pearson correlation coefficients were used to compare each state's population with the number of Twitter users who enable the GPS location option. Results: The GPS location data could be ascertained for 2.02% of tweets and 2.70% of unique users. Using a simple text-matching approach, 17.13% of user profiles in the 4 continental US time zones were able to be used to determine the user's city and state. Agreement between GPS data and data from the text-matching approach was high (87.69%). Furthermore, there was a significant correlation between the number of Twitter users per state and the 2010 US Census state populations (r = 0.97, P < .001). Conclusions: Health researchers exploring ways to use Twitter data for disease surveillance should be aware that the majority of tweets are not currently associated with an identifiable geographic location. Location can be identified for approximately 4 times the number of tweets using a straightforward text-matching process compared to using the GPS location information available in Twitter. Given the strong correlation between both data gathering methods, future research may consider using more qualitative approaches with higher yields, such as text mining, to acquire information about Twitter users' geographical location.