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A plan for individualizing instruction in large or small secondary reading classes is presented. The need for adapting reading instruction to individual student differences is discussed with emphasis upon a complete and thorough diagnosis of each student's individual needs. Techniques are outlined for measuring, interpreting, and recording individual differences in intelligence, mode of learning, cognitive style, personality, motivation, interest, cultural and educational background, and reading skills. Success of this program is dependent upon each student's understanding of his own particular reading problem and realizing that something can be done. Specific materials must be available for the student that apply to the remediation of his problem and at his grade level. They should be self-administrating, autoinstructional, and multilevel. In addition, the student must have continuous knowledge of his progress, made possible by a system for daily and quarterly recordkeeping. References are included. (CL)

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Two one-step real-time reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assays for the detection of Zika virus (ZIKV) were developed, based on two different primer design approaches: (1) open source, based on a combination of sequence diversity clustering (phylogeny and principal component analysis) and LAVA algorithm, using 45 whole genome ZIKV sequences retrieved from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database; (2) standard software for LAMP primer design (Primer Explorer V4), using 59 sequences of the ZIKV 3' UTR. The assays were firstly evaluated with External Quality Assessment panels from INSTAND e.V. (Germany) and EVD-LabNet (The Netherlands) including 4 and 12 unknown samples, respectively, and secondly, with 9 human, mosquito, and monkey ZIKV isolates from Africa (Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Uganda) and America (Brazil). The limit of detection as determined by probit analysis was 181 molecules for both RT-LAMP assays, and 100% reproducibility in the assays was obtained for 10

Two one-step real-time reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assays for the detection of Zika virus (ZIKV) were developed, based on two different primer design approaches: (1) open source, based on a combination of sequence diversity clustering (phylogeny and principal component analysis) and LAVA algorithm, using 45 whole genome ZIKV sequences retrieved from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database; (2) standard software for LAMP primer design (Primer Explorer V4), using 59 sequences of the ZIKV 3' UTR. The assays were firstly evaluated with External Quality Assessment panels from INSTAND e.V. (Germany) and EVD-LabNet (The Netherlands) including 4 and 12 unknown samples, respectively, and secondly, with 9 human, mosquito, and monkey ZIKV isolates from Africa (Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Uganda) and America (Brazil). The limit of detection as determined by probit analysis was 181 molecules for both RT-LAMP assays, and 100% reproducibility in the assays was obtained for 103 molecules (4/8 repetitions were positive for 102 molecules). Both assays were specific, amplifying only ZIKV RNA and not cross-detecting other arboviruses included in this study.

Background A single-tube one-step real-time reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay for rapid detection of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) targeting the conserved 6K-E1 target region was developed. The assay was validated with sera collected from a CHIKV outbreak in Senegal in 2015. Methodology/Principal findings A novel design approach by combining Principal Component Analysis and phylogenetic analysis of 110 available CHIKV sequences and the LAMP oligonucleotide design software LAVA was used. The assay was evaluated with an External Quality Assessment panel from the European Network for Diagnostics of "Imported" Viral Diseases and was shown to be sensitive and specific and did not cross-detect other arboviruses. The limit of detection as determined by probit analysis, was 163 molecules, and 100% reproducibility in the assays was obtained for 103 molecules (7/8 repetitions were positive for 102 molecules). The assay was validated using 35 RNA samples extracted from sera, and results were compared with those obtained by quantitative RT-PCR carried out at the Institut Pasteur Dakar, demonstrating that the RT-LAMP is 100% sensitive and 80% specific, with a positive predictive value of 97% and negative predictive value of 100%. Conclusions/Significance The RT-LAMP appeared to show superior performance with material stored for months compared to qRT-PCR and can be therefore recommended for use in infrastructures with poor settings., Author summary Current chikungunya virus (CHIKV) outbreaks highlight the necessity of sensitive techniques to allow the virus detection even at an early stage (before the onset of clinical symptoms). In addition, CHIKV sometimes is misdiagnosed with other pathogens (i.e., dengue virus or malaria), which implies that specific methods have to be developed. Apart from specificity and sensitivity, these techniques have to be affordable for laboratories with very limited resources, and reactions should be easily performed without the need of experienced researchers and expensive equipment. Finally, because of the increase in number of publicly available sequences, the assay should cover all the possible variations observed in those sequences. We have considered all these premises, and we were able to develop a reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) by designing primers using a combination of Principal Component Analysis, phylogenetic analysis and LAVA algorithm. Our assay is specific and does not cross-react with other arboviruses tested, sensitive and has been validated at the Institut Pasteur Dakar, showing very good performance parameters.

This study explored the combined influence of shear flow and nucleating agents on isotactic polypropylene (iPP) crystallisation. The study showed that oriented a-iPP crystals were not necessary to form b-iPP crystals, contrary to the accepted view that the surface of oriented a-iPP crystals provides nucleation sites for an a-iPP to b-iPP growth transition. Instead it was proposed that flow-induced mesomorphic point-like nuclei preferentially nucleates b-iPP. The combined effect of shear flow and nucleant was found to promote g-iPP crystals. The surprising g-iPP nucleation effect was explained by the high density of flow-induced and heterogeneous nuclei present at the start of crystallisation.

The present study presents a method to predict the flow distribution imposed on an injection moulded melt crystallised isotactic polypropylene (iPP) from its experimentally determined morphological distribution. A microrheological model, based on the Doi–Edwards model, was used to calculate the flow-induced free energy for the flow-induced crystallisation. The low limit flow field required to generate the final structures was then obtained. The effect of Cu-phthalocyanine (CuPc), a nucleating agent, on the flow history was also studied. Instead of geometric positions, structural parameters such as molecular orientation and crystallinity were correlated to the flow history of the injection-moulded iPP. The work provides a simple approach to predict flow–structure relationships for complex thermo-mechanical processing treatments, which can then guide the realistic design and control of the flow-induced crystallisation of polymers.

Conventional tools for measuring dietary exposure have well recognized limitations. Measurement of food-derived metabolites in biofluids provides an alternative approach and our aim was to develop an experimental protocol which ensures that extraneous variability does not obscure metabolic signals from ingested foods. Healthy adults consumed a standardized meal in the evening before each test day and collected pooled overnight urine. On each test day of three different studies, urine was collected in the fasted state and at different time points after consumption of a standardized breakfast. Metabolite fingerprinting of samples using Flow Infusion Electrospray-Ionization Mass Spectrometry followed by multivariate data analysis showed strong discrimination between overnight, fasting and postprandial samples, in each study separately and when data from the three studies were pooled. Such differences were robust and highly reproducible within individuals on separate occasions. Urine volume was an efficient data normalization factor for metabolite fingerprinting data. Postprandial urines had a stable chemical composition over a period of 2-4 h after eating a standardized breakfast, suggesting that there is a flexible time window for urine collection. Fasting urine samples provided a stable baseline for universal comparisons with postprandial samples. A dietary exposure biomarker discovery protocol was validated by demonstrating that top-ranked signals discriminating between fasting and 2-4 h postprandial urine samples could be linked to metabolites abundant in some components of the standardized breakfast. We conclude that the protocol developed will have value in the search for biomarker leads of dietary exposure. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11306-011-0289-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The morphology of isotactic polystyrene (iPS) particles which had been compounded into an isotactic polypropylene (iPP) matrix was varied in-situ by selective heat treatment to be either amorphous (iPS amorphous ) or semicrystalline (iPS crystalline ). The influence of iPS morphology on the quiescent and shear-induced isothermal crystallisation of iPP was then studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), in-situ simultaneous small and wide angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) and polarised optical microscopy (POM). In the quiescent condition iPS crystalline was found to selectively nucleate the β phase while iPS amorphous nucleated the α phase of iPP. Compared to the control sample (iPP control ), the presence of both morphologies of iPS increased the number of shear-induced oriented crystal precursors that form as a result of the step shear. During isothermal crystallisation the shear-induced nuclei promote oriented α form crystal growth, accelerate the crystallisation kinetics and ultimately swamp the effect of the nucleating particles present.

Francisella noatunensis subsp. orientalis (Fno) is the causative agent of piscine francisellosis in warm water fish including tilapia. The disease induces chronic granulomatous inflammation with high morbidity and can result in high mortality. Early and accurate detection of Fno is crucial to set appropriate outbreak control measures in tilapia farms. Laboratory detection of Fno mainly depends on bacterial culture and molecular techniques. Recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) is a novel isothermal technology that has been widely used for the molecular diagnosis of various infectious diseases. In this study, a recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) assay for rapid detection of Fno was developed and validated. The RPA reaction was performed at a constant temperature of 42 degreesC for 20 min. The RPA assay was performed using a quantitative plasmid standard containing a unique Fno gene sequence. Validation of the assay was performed not only by using DNA from Fno, closely related Francisella species and other common bacterial pathogens in tilapia farms, but also by screening 78 Nile tilapia and 5 water samples. All results were compared with those obtained by previously established real-time qPCR. The developed RPA showed high specificity in detection of Fno with no cross-detection of either the closely related Francisella spp. or the other tested bacteria. The Fno-RPA performance was highly comparable to the published qPCR with detection limits at 15 and 11 DNA molecules detected, respectively. The RPA gave quicker results in approximately 6 min in contrast to the qPCR that needed about 90 min to reach the same detection limit, taking only 2.7- 3 min to determine Fno in clinical samples. Moreover, RPA was more tolerant to reaction inhibitors than qPCR when tested with field samples. The fast reaction, simplicity, cost-effectiveness, sensitivity and specificity make the RPA an attractive diagnostic 41 tool that will contribute to controlling the infection through prompt on-site detection of Fno.

Many transgenes, particularly those comprising cDNA sequences fail to be expressed when they are introduced into transgenic mice. We have previously shown that this problem can be overcome in the mammary gland by co-integrating a poorly expressed cDNA transgene, comprising the sheep beta-lactoglobulin promoter, with the efficiently expressed, unmodified beta-lactoglobulin gene. In this report we demonstrate that the transcription of the beta-lactoglobulin gene is associated with this effect because co-integration with a non-transcribed beta-lactoglobulin gene fails to rescue expression. By contrast, co-integration with a translationally inactivated beta-lactoglobulin transgene does rescue the expression of the second gene, but without the co-production of beta-lactoglobulin protein.

We aimed to investigate the effects of progesterone on gene expression and function of both myometrium and circulating leukocytes. We recruited women participating in a randomized clinical trial of progesterone to prevent preterm delivery. These participants had a twin pregnancy and were managed in 1 of 2 tertiary referral centers. Participants were treated with progesterone (90 mg vaginally) or placebo from 24 to 34 weeks of pregnancy. The outcome measures were myometrial and leukocyte gene expression and expression of cell surface markers in circulating leukocytes, all quantified ex vivo. Prolonged in vivo administration of progesterone inhibited myometrial expression of connexins 26 and 43, endothelial nitric acid synthase (eNOS), and the prostaglandin receptor EP2 ex vivo. Administration of progesterone also increased numbers of circulating neutrophils while decreasing lymphocyte proportions and decreasing neutrophil CD11b expression. The observed effects of prolonged in vivo administration of progesterone will minimize the ability of the uterus to contract as a synctium and the ability of peripheral blood leukocytes to migrate into the myometrium during parturition. We suggest that these are putative mechanisms by which progesterone might prevent preterm birth in women at high risk.

[No abstract submitted]