[This Day] On the back of galloping inflation, regulating expenses, and devaluation of the local currency, a total of 23 leading companies on the Nigeria Exchange Limited (NGX), reported a whooping N5.1 trillion operating expenses in the half year (H1) ended June 2024.

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Location: Engineering Library- TK9211.7.Z46 2015

Bridgewater State University is hiring in New Bedford MAStaff Assistant Standards and Evaluation Flight positions available. Visit us to learn more about Bridgewater State University and see our job postings on www.avjobs.com Please reference Avjobs when applying. Tell your friends about Bridgewater State University.

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In 2013-15, the Scottish Government funded 16 projects proposed by criminal justice partners across Scotland to develop community services for women who offend. Developments were based on existing service provision and to ensure changes could be sustained locally at the end of the funding. Funding varied in amount and timeframes. Most of the projects were undertaken by local authority criminal justice social work1 (CJSW) departments with partner providers, including public and third sector agencies. The national evaluation examined how the 16 women’s community justice services (WCJSs) were implemented and to what extent they contributed towards positive outcomes for women. A further aim was to build local capacity for self-evaluation in WCJSs. Findings were drawn from two phases of interviews with practitioners and women, secondary documents, and quantitative data for 1,778 women who were in the WCJSs between April and December 2014. This included outcomes data for 406 women.

This evaluation report is based on feedback from people living with dementia and carers who received an Individual Award from the Life Changes Trust. The Individual Awards Pilot Scheme was run in Argyll & Bute and Edinburgh in 2014-15 and aimed to provide a small amount of additional financial empowerment to a number of individuals whose lives have been affected by dementia, to help improve their well-being and quality of life. A secondary aim of the pilot scheme was to find out what people would spend the Award on when given relatively broad choice, and what benefit that might bring in the short and medium terms.

Evaluation report for the inter-authority learning exchange between Shetland Islands, Falkirk and Glasgow Councils throughcare and aftercare teams. In February 2014 a member of the Throughcare and Aftercare team from Shetland, spent two weeks in each host authority as a means of developing and sharing practice, experience and learning. The report describes the planning process, in-situ experience, and post-exchange learning of participants, it also report highlights the positive learning outcomes and benefits achieved for all participating local authorities. The report identifies ideas for future applications of such a learning and practice exchange model to improve practice for looked after young people and care leavers.

Informational text — resources whose purpose is to inform — is essential to daily life and fundamental to literacy. Unfortunately, young children typically have limited exposure to informational text. Two 9-week randomized controlled trials with 263 first-grade children from low-income communities examined whether free educational videos and digital games from the PBS KIDS show “Molly of Denali” supported children’s ability to use informational text to answer real-world questions. Study 1 found significant positive intervention impacts on child outcomes; Study 2 replicated these findings.

The peptide hormone ghrelin is produced in cardiomyocytes and acts through the myocardial growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR) to promote cardiomyocyte survival. Administration of ghrelin may have therapeutic effects on post–myocardial infarction (MI) outcomes. Therefore, there is a need to develop molecular imaging probes that can track the dynamics of GHSR in health and disease to better predict the effectiveness of ghrelin-based therapeutics. We designed a high-affinity GHSR ligand labeled with ¹⁸F for imaging by PET and characterized its in vivo properties in a canine model of MI. Methods: We rationally designed and radiolabeled with ¹⁸F a quinazolinone derivative ([¹⁸F]LCE470) with subnanomolar binding affinity to GHSR. We determined the sensitivity and in vivo and ex vivo specificity of [¹⁸F]LCE470 in a canine model of surgically induced MI using PET/MRI, which allowed for anatomic localization of tracer uptake and simultaneous determination of global cardiac function. Uptake of [¹⁸F]LCE470 was determined by time–activity curve and SUV analysis in 3 regions of the left ventricle—area of infarct, territory served by the left circumflex coronary artery, and remote myocardium—over a period of 1.5 y. Changes in cardiac perfusion were tracked by [¹³N]NH₃ PET. Results: The receptor binding affinity of LCE470 was measured at 0.33 nM, the highest known receptor binding affinity for a radiolabeled GHSR ligand. In vivo blocking studies in healthy hounds and ex vivo blocking studies in myocardial tissue showed the specificity of [¹⁸F]LCE470, and sensitivity was demonstrated by a positive correlation between tracer uptake and GHSR abundance. Post-MI changes in [¹⁸F]LCE470 uptake occurred independently of perfusion tracer distributions and changes in global cardiac function. We found that the regional distribution of [¹⁸F]LCE470 within the left ventricle diverged significantly within 1 d after MI and remained that way throughout the 1.5-y duration of the study. Conclusion: [¹⁸F]LCE470 is a high-affinity PET tracer that can detect changes in the regional distribution of myocardial GHSR after MI. In vivo PET molecular imaging of the global dynamics of GHSR may lead to improved GHSR-based therapeutics in the treatment of post-MI remodeling.

Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is abundantly expressed in the stroma of most human solid tumors. Clinical-stage radiolabeled FAP ligands are increasingly used as tools for the detection of various cancer lesions. To unleash the full therapeutic potential of FAP-targeting agents, ligands need to remain at the tumor site for several days after administration. We recently described the discovery of OncoFAP, a high-affinity small organic ligand of FAP with a rapid accumulation in tumors and low uptake in healthy tissues in cancer patients. Trimerization of OncoFAP provided a derivative (named TriOncoFAP, or OncoFAP-23) with improved FAP affinity. In this work, we evaluated the tissue biodistribution profile and the therapeutic performance of OncoFAP-23 in tumor-bearing mice. Methods: OncoFAP-23 was radiolabeled with the theranostic radionuclide ¹⁷⁷Lu. Preclinical experiments were conducted on mice bearing SK-RC-52.hFAP (BALB/c nude mice) or CT-26.hFAP (BALB/c mice) tumors. ¹⁷⁷Lu-OncoFAP and ¹⁷⁷Lu-FAP-2286 were included in the biodistribution study as controls. Toxicologic evaluation was performed on Wistar rats and CD1 mice by injecting high doses of OncoFAP-23 or its cold-labeled counterpart, respectively. Results: ¹⁷⁷Lu-OncoFAP-23 emerged for its best-in-class biodistribution profile, high and prolonged tumor uptake (i.e., ~16 percentage injected dose/g at 96 h), and low accumulation in healthy organs, which correlates well with its potent single-agent anticancer activity at low levels of administered radioactivity. Combination treatment with the tumor-targeted interleukin 2 (L19-IL2, a clinical-stage immunocytokine) further expands the therapeutic window of ¹⁷⁷Lu-OncoFAP-23 by potentiating its in vivo antitumor activity. Proteomics studies revealed a potent tumor-directed immune response on treatment with the combination. OncoFAP-23 and ^natLu-OncoFAP-23 exhibited a favorable toxicologic profile, without showing any side effects or signs of toxicity. Conclusion: OncoFAP-23 presents enhanced tumor uptake and tumor retention and low accumulation in healthy organs, findings that correspond to a strongly improved in vivo antitumor efficacy. The data presented in this work support the clinical development of ¹⁷⁷Lu-OncoFAP-23 for the treatment of FAP-positive solid tumors.

The New York state legislature passed a bill that would make the use of state test scores in these evaluations optional, leaving the decision up to districts and making it subject to collective bargaining.

Teacher-evaluation reforms in places like New Mexico, Tennessee, Denver, and the District of Columbia have paid off, says the National Council on Teacher Quality.

Tennessee improved its teacher evaluation and training systems by integrating data and teacher voice, according to a new report. But value-added measures that evaluate teachers based on student test scores remain controversial.

Unless students are randomly assigned to teachers, it's unfair to label teachers.

Mentoring a student-teacher won't hurt a teacher's district evaluation score—in fact, it might even give it a boost, according to a working study.

A new grading system, developed by math teachers at High Tech High, enables students to look at what they've learned, rather than ranking themselves against one another.

Zimbabwe sought to assure citizens that its gold-backed currency would not suffer another steep devaluation and steps were being taken to assure its defence.

The TA will focus on evaluating the wind potential of various site/s for government investment in wind energy. A feasibility analysis of viable wind sites will be carried out, which will inform the government on the scale of wind projects and how best to develop this potential. The TA will also fund the equipment for measuring wind speeds and directions to confirm site selection and build capacity for wind energy development in the EA.

Objective:

In this study, we sought to comprehensively evaluate GPT-4 (Generative Pre-trained Transformer)’s performance on the 2022 American Board of Family Medicine’s (ABFM) In-Training Examination (ITE), compared with its predecessor, GPT-3.5, and the national family residents’ performance on the same examination.

ABSTRACTBackground: This analysis aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of eliciting sexual partners from HIV-positive clients using the elicitation box model (where an HIV-positive index can report sexual contacts on paper and insert in a box for a health care provider to contact at a later time) compared to the conventional model (in which a health care provider elicits sexual contacts directly from clients) in Akwa Ibom, Southern Nigeria.Methods: Between March 2021 and April 2022, data were collected from index testing registers at 4 health facilities with a high volume of HIV clients currently on treatment in 4 local government areas in Akwa Ibom State. Primary outcome analyzed was the elicitation ratio (number of partners elicited per HIV-index offered index testing services). Secondary outcomes were the index testing acceptance (index HIV-positive clients accepted index testing service), testing coverage (partners tested for HIV from a list of partners elicited from HIV-index accepted index testing services), testing yield (index partners identified HIV positive from index partners HIV-tested), and linkage rate (index partners identified HIV positive and linked to antiretroviral therapy).Results: Of the total 2,705 index clients offered index testing services, 91.9% accepted, with 2,043 and 439 indexes opting for conventional elicitation and elicitation box models, respectively. A total of 3,796 sexual contacts were elicited: 2,546 using the conventional model (elicitation ratio=1:1) and 1,250 using the elicitation box model (elicitation ratio=1:3). Testing coverage was significantly higher in the conventional compared to the elicitation box model (P<.001). However, there was no significant difference in the testing yield (P=.81) and linkage rate using the conventional compared to elicitation box models (P=.13).Conclusion: The implementation of the elicitation box model resulted in an increase in partner elicitation compared to the conventional model. Increasing the testing coverage by implementing the elicitation box model should be considered.

The development of transforming growth factor βreceptor inhibitors (TGFβRi) as new medicines has been affected by cardiac valvulopathy and arteriopathy toxicity findings in nonclinical toxicology studies. PF-06952229 (MDV6058) selected using rational drug design is a potent and selective TGFβRI inhibitor with a relatively clean off-target selectivity profile and good pharmacokinetic properties across species. PF-06952229 inhibited clinically translatable phospho-SMAD2 biomarker (≥60%) in human and cynomolgus monkey peripheral blood mononuclear cells, as well as in mouse and rat splenocytes. Using an optimized, intermittent dosing schedule (7-day on/7-day off/cycle; 5 cycles), PF-06952229 demonstrated efficacy in a 63-day syngeneic MC38 colon carcinoma mouse model. In the pivotal repeat-dose toxicity studies (rat and cynomolgus monkey), PF-06952229 on an intermittent dosing schedule (5-day on/5-day off cycle; 5 cycles, 28 doses) showed no cardiac-related adverse findings. However, new toxicity findings related to PF-06952229 included reversible hepatocellular (hepatocyte necrosis with corresponding clinically monitorable transaminase increases) and lung (hemorrhage with mixed cell inflammation) findings at ≥ targeted projected clinical efficacious exposures. Furthermore, partially reversible cartilage hypertrophy (trachea and femur in rat; femur in monkey) and partially to fully reversible, clinically monitorable decreases in serum phosphorus and urinary phosphate at ≥ projected clinically efficacious exposures were observed. Given the integral role of TGFβ in endochondral bone formation, cartilage findings in toxicity studies have been observed with other TGFβRi classes of compounds. The favorable cumulative profile of PF-06952229 in biochemical, pharmacodynamic, pharmacokinetic, and nonclinical studies allowed for its evaluation in cancer patients using the intermittent dosing schedule (7-day on/7-day off) and careful protocol-defined monitoring.

Chronic hypertension leads to injury and fibrosis in major organs. Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is one of key molecules in tissue fibrosis, and ⁶⁸Ga-labeled FAP inhibitor-46 (FAPI46) PET is a recently developed method for evaluating FAP. The aim of this study was to evaluate FAP expression and fibrosis in a hypertension model and to test the feasibility of ⁶⁸Ga-FAPI46 PET in hypertension. Methods: Hypertension was induced in mice by angiotensin II infusion for 4 wk. ⁶⁸Ga-FAPI46 biodistribution studies and PET scanning were conducted at 1, 2, and 4 wk after hypertension modeling, and uptake in the major organs was measured. The FAP expression and fibrosis formation of the heart and kidney tissues were analyzed and compared with ⁶⁸Ga-FAPI46 uptake. Subgroups of the hypertension model underwent angiotensin receptor blocker administration and high-dose FAPI46 blocking, for comparison. As a preliminary human study, ⁶⁸Ga-FAPI46 PET images of lung cancer patients were analyzed and compared between hypertension and control groups. Results: Uptake of ⁶⁸Ga-FAPI46 in the heart and kidneys was significantly higher in the hypertension group than in the sham group as early as week 1 and decreased after week 2. The uptake was specifically blocked in the high-dose blocking study. Immunohistochemistry also revealed FAP expression in both heart and kidney tissues. However, overt fibrosis was observed in the heart, whereas it was absent from the kidneys. The angiotensin receptor blocker–treated group showed lower uptake in the heart and kidneys than did the hypertension group. In the pilot human study, renal uptake of ⁶⁸Ga-FAPI46 significantly differed between the hypertension and control groups. Conclusion: In hypertension, FAP expression is increased in the heart and kidneys from the early phases and decreases over time. FAP expression appears to represent fibrosis activity preceding or underlying fibrotic tissue formation. ⁶⁸Ga-FAPI46 PET has potential as an effective imaging method for evaluating FAP expression in progressive fibrosis by hypertension.

²²⁶Ac (t_1/2 = 29.37 h) has been proposed as a theranostic radioisotope leveraging both its diagnostic -emissions and therapeutic α-emissions. ²²⁶Ac emits 158 and 230 keV -photons ideal for quantitative SPECT imaging and acts as an in vivo generator of 4 high-energy α-particles. Because of these nuclear decay properties, ²²⁶Ac has potential to act as a standalone theranostic isotope. In this proof-of-concept study, we evaluated a preclinical ²²⁶Ac-radiopharmaceutical for its theranostic efficacy and present the first ²²⁶Ac-targeted α-therapy study. Methods: ²²⁶Ac was produced at TRIUMF and labeled with the chelator-peptide bioconjugate crown-TATE. [²²⁶Ac]Ac-crown-TATE was selected to target neuroendocrine tumors in male NRG mice bearing AR42J tumor xenografts for SPECT imaging, biodistribution, and therapy studies. A preclinical SPECT/CT scanner acquired quantitative images reconstructed from both the 158 and the 230 keV emissions. Mice in the biodistribution study were euthanized at 1, 3, 5, 24, and 48 h after injection, and internal radiation dosimetry was derived for the tumor and organs of interest to establish appropriate therapeutic activity levels. Mice in the therapy study were administered 125, 250, or 375 kBq treatments and were monitored for tumor size and body condition. Results: We present quantitative SPECT images of the in vivo biodistribution of [²²⁶Ac]Ac-crown-TATE, which showed agreement with ex vivo measurements. Biodistribution studies demonstrated high uptake (>30%IA/g at 5 h after injection) and retention in the tumor, with an estimated mean absorbed dose coefficient of 222 mGy/kBq. [²²⁶Ac]Ac-crown-TATE treatments significantly extended the median survival from 7 d in the control groups to 16, 24, and 27 d in the 125, 250, and 375 kBq treatment groups, respectively. Survival was prolonged by slowing tumor growth, and no weight loss or toxicities were observed. Conclusion: This study highlights the theranostic potential of ²²⁶Ac as a standalone therapeutic isotope in addition to its demonstrated diagnostic capabilities to assess dosimetry in matched ²²⁵Ac-radiopharmaceuticals. Future studies will investigate maximum dose and toxicity to further explore the therapeutic potential of ²²⁶Ac-radiopharmaceuticals.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:

Gadolinium-based contrast agents are widely used for meningioma imaging; however, concerns exist regarding their side effects, cost, and environmental impact. At the standard gadolinium dose, most meningiomas show avid contrast enhancement, suggesting that administering a smaller dose may be feasible. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a lower gadolinium dose on the differentiation between meningiomas and adjacent intracranial tissues.

The aim of this work is to test whether the use of a transparent capsule affects the residual capsule weight after inhalation as a surrogate of the inhaled delivered dose for patients with non-reversible chronic airway disease. Researchers conducted an observational cross-sectional study with patients using a single-dose dry powder inhaler. The weight of the capsule was measured with a precision microbalance before and after inhalation. Ninety-one patients were included, of whom 63 (69.2%) used a transparent capsule. Inhalation with a transparent capsule achieved a weight decrease of 30.1% vs 8.6% for devices with an opaque capsule (P <0.001). These data reinforce the need to provide patients with mechanisms that verify the correct inhalation technique.

There must be hundreds of typewriters in the hall, their collective clacks a tidal wave of soulless automation, rising up to greet agent Kiran Estevez as she enters, pistol and flashlight in hands. Exploring rooms to the side, Alan Wake 2: The Lake House’s star finds whiteboards and documents revealing the typewriter’s purpose: to mimic Wake’s writing. Pages are graded along criteria such as ‘style’, ‘tone’, and ‘content’, then “fed into the algorithm” as references until “near-identical stories” to Wake’s can be produced.

“If Jules could simply cut the painter open and pull the painting out of him, he would,” reads one of the real Alan’s typewritten pages. That’s Jules Marmont, the obsessive head of the titular FBC centre. The Marmonts - Jules and his wife Diana - are running experiments to forcibly and synthetically create works of art, aiming to mimic creative passion convincingly enough for the paranatural entity inside Cauldron Lake to respond, as it has in the past.

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Cyera, the Israel-founded, U.S.-based cybersecurity unicorn that uses artificial intelligence to build what’s known as data security posture management — a full assessment and picture of where a customers’ data has been created, where it is stored, and how it is used — has been on a growth tear in the last year, picking up […]

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Cybersecurity continues to command a lot of attention from enterprises looking for better protection from malicious hackers, and VCs want in on the action. In the latest example, TechCrunch has learned and confirmed that Upwind — a specialist in assessing and securing cloud infrastructure — is closing in on a $100 million round at a […]

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Casual mobile games have reached a fever pitch of interest with consumers, and so too with investors, who are rushing to back the biggest and most promising startups building these quick hits of engagement and diversion. In the latest development, a startup out of London called Tripledot — the company behind a popular Solitaire app, […]

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AI search engine Perplexity is in fundraising talks and hopes to raise around $500 million at an $8 billion valuation, according to The Wall Street Journal. If a deal happens with those terms, it would more than double Perplexity’s valuation from its $3 billion valuation when it raised from SoftBank over the summer. The WSJ […]

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The NFT auction marketplace OpenSea had a blockbuster 2021 and as a result is seeing its private valuation grow more quickly than almost any other startup. The crypto firm announced late Tuesday that it closed a $300 million Series C round led by Paradigm and Coatue. The raise valued the startup at a massive $13.3 […]

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Adyen lost $13 billion in market cap last month when investors scrambled to sell shares after the payments company missed quarterly revenue targets. But it’s not the only one facing the music in fintech. Shares in SumUp, a privately-held European payment technology business that focuses on point-of-sale transactions, are currently being sold in inside sales […]

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Five things to know about China's move to devalue its currency, which will likely have a ripple effect through financial markets as well as in politics.

The stock market plays an important role in the financial system. Millions of Indians invest in the stock market every year, hoping to earn good returns on their investments. However, investing in stocks can be tricky, as stock prices do not always reflect the true value or worth of a company.