An overemphasis on calculus in high school may be harming students, writes Dickinson College professor Jeffrey Forrester.

Are you in your twenties and wonder how you can use the current market crash caused by fears related to the coronavirus pandemic as a way to get into the investment market?

Several of the already existing restrictions on U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos' authority to waive federal education law deal with school funding.

We report the first clinical Escherichia. coli strain EC3000 with concomitant chromosomal colistin and carbapenem resistance. A novel in-frame deletion, 6-11(RPISLR), in pmrB contributing to colistin resistance was verified using recombinant DNA techniques. Although decreased fitness compared to the wild-type (WT) strain or EC3000 revertant (chromosomal replacement of WT pmrB in EC3000), a portion of serially passaged EC3000 strains preserving colistin resistance without selective pressure raises the concern for further spread.

Staphylococcus aureus osteomyelitis is a debilitating infection of bone. Treatment of osteomyelitis is impaired by the propensity of invading bacteria to induce pathologic bone remodeling that may limit antibiotic penetration to the infectious focus. The nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug diflunisal was previously identified as an osteoprotective adjunctive therapy for osteomyelitis, based on the ability of this compound to inhibit S. aureus quorum sensing and subsequent quorum-dependent toxin production. When delivered locally during experimental osteomyelitis, diflunisal significantly limits bone destruction without affecting bacterial burdens. However, because diflunisal's "quorum-quenching" activity could theoretically increase antibiotic recalcitrance, it is critically important to evaluate this adjunctive therapy in the context of standard of care antibiotics. The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of vancomycin to treat osteomyelitis during local diflunisal treatment. We first determined that systemic vancomycin effectively reduces bacterial burdens in a murine model of osteomyelitis, and identified a dosing regimen that decreases bacterial burdens without eradicating infection. Using this dosing scheme, we found that vancomycin activity is unaffected by the presence of diflunisal in vitro and in vivo. Similarly, locally-delivered diflunisal still potently inhibits osteoblast cytotoxicity in vitro and bone destruction in vivo in the presence of sub-therapeutic vancomycin. However, we also found that the resorbable polyurethane foams used to deliver diflunisal serve as a nidus for infection. Taken together, these data demonstrate that diflunisal does not significantly impact standard of care antibiotic therapy for S. aureus osteomyelitis, but also highlight potential pitfalls encountered with local drug delivery.

CYP450 enzymes are involved in biotransformation of chloroquine (CQ), but the role of the different metabolism profiles of this drug has not been properly investigated in relation to P. vivax recurrences. To investigate the influence of CYPs genotypes associated with CQ-metabolism on early recurrence rates of P. vivax, a case-control study was carried out. Cases included patients presenting an early recurrence (CQ-recurrent), defined as recurrence during the first 28 days after initial infection, plasma concentrations of CQ plus desethylchloroquine (DCQ, the major CQ metabolite) higher than 100 ng/mL. A control (CQ-responsive) with no parasite recurrence over the follow-up was also included. CQ and DCQ plasma levels were measured on Day 28. CQ CYPs (CYP2C8, CYP3A4 and CYP3A5) genotypes were determined by real-time PCR. An ex vivo study was conducted to verify CQ and DCQ efficacy in P. vivax isolates. The frequency of alleles associated with normal and slow metabolism was similar between the cases and controls for CYP2C8 (OR=1.45, 95% CI=0.51-4.14, p=0.570), CYP3A4 (OR=2.38, 95% CI=0.92-6.19, p=0.105) and CYP3A5 (OR=4.17, 95% CI=0.79-22.04, p=1.038) genes. DCQ levels were higher than CQ, regardless of the genotype. Regarding the DCQ/CQ rate, there was no difference between groups or between those patients who had a normal or mutant genotype. DCQ and CQ showed similar efficacy ex vivo. CYPs genotypes had no influence on early recurrence rates. Similar efficacy of CQ and DCQ ex vivo could explain the absence of therapeutic failure, despite presence of alleles associated with slow metabolism.

A good grip can mean the difference between life and death for lizards in a hurricane, causing populations hit more frequently by hurricanes to have larger toepads, according to researchers from Washington University and Penn State.

Penn State Law in University Park will host "A Take on the Term" with Sarah Harrington and Erin Murphy, beginning at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, March 5, in the Sutliff Auditorium of the Lewis Katz Building.

California's budget reductions will result in some state curricular materials not reaching the state's schools until 2017 or later, Jack O'Connell says.

Open resources, old textbooks, content controversies: How much do you know about what's happening in the world of curriculum and instruction?

Math teachers are more likely to be using highly-rated curricula than English-language arts teachers, according to a new analysis from the RAND Corporation.

Unless schools do a better job of collecting and analyzing the products of learning, teaching experts say, the drive to align classroom instruction with states' academic standards and testing programs will be incomplete.

Mathematics Vision Project has dismissed the lawsuit after the surprising move the company made this summer to take legal action against one of its most vocal parent critics.

California's proposed curriculum guide in ethnic studies is being sent back for substantial revision after a pileup of criticism that it's anti-Semitic.

In this blended, mix-and-match, do-it-yourself world of education, what is curriculum, and who develops it? How do we know if it works?

Nebraska's education department released an interactive instructional materials map last week, showing what curricula districts have adopted for English-language arts, math, and K-8 science.

If Virginia's proposal is approved, it will become part of a trend: states that are taking a stronger role in helping teachers find high-quality curriculum materials.

A new survey of school districts and CMOs will provide new insights into trends, and complement other data on teachers and principals.

Successful intervention for inborn errors of metabolism (IEMs) is a triumph of modern medicine. For many of these conditions, medical foods are the cornerstone of therapy and the only effective interventions preventing disability or death. Medical foods are designed for patients with limited or impaired capacity to ingest, digest, absorb, or metabolize ordinary foods or nutrients, whereby dietary management cannot be achieved by modification of the normal diet alone. In the United States today, access to medical foods is not ensured for many individuals who are affected despite their proven efficacy in the treatment of IEMs, their universal use as the mainstay of IEM management, the endorsement of their use by professional medical organizations, and the obvious desire of families for effective care. Medical foods are not sufficiently covered by many health insurance plans in the United States and, without insurance coverage, many families cannot afford their high cost. In this review, we outline the history of medical foods, define their medical necessity, discuss the barriers to access and reimbursement resulting from the regulatory status of medical foods, and summarize previous efforts to improve access. The Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children asserts that it is time to provide stable and affordable access to the effective management required for optimal outcomes through the life span of patients affected with IEMs. Medical foods as defined by the US Food and Drug Administration should be covered as required medical benefits for persons of all ages diagnosed with an IEM.

A new study finds that extracurricular activities have differing positive effects for rural boys compared to girls.

This week’s episode of #EntrepreneurCorner features Antoinette Prophy, who talks about starting her own business at the age of 26, and the benefits of surrounding yourself with smart employees.

States don't routinely collect information on districts' materials purchases. If they plan to use curriculum as a lever to improve student learning, they should, a new brief argues.

Accreditation is the highest recognition afforded to museums in the United States.

Businesses that want to stay competitive are adopting a phygital model to address these demands through the holistic integration of offline and online retail.

Crypto may not work long-term as a currency, thanks to volatility and fraud concern issues. But the blockchain technology on which it relies might be here to stay

Reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has apologized after a series of racist tweets appeared on his social media timeline, with the Milwaukee Bucks star later saying that he was a the victim of a large-scale online hack.
Read Full Article at RT.com

As Spain gradually lifts its coronavirus lockdown, some residents were treated to a rare and mesmerizing spectacle as a vast, pure-white veil that covered a local park just burned away before their very eyes, as if by dark magic.
Read Full Article at RT.com

At present, different applicability thresholds exist for welfare provisions like creche, canteen, first-aid, etc. in different Acts.

China’s central bank has started testing its official Bitcoin-like digital currency DCEP, and the bank is now planning to roll out the virtual money payment system soon.

Foreign currency bond issues in India will reach record high in 2014: Moody's Report

A House report found that Americans fleeing Asia and Europe to beat the president’s travel bans faced few temperature checks or other rigorous screenings to see if they were bringing the virus home.

When LSU won the title, the spread won, too. How did we get here and what might be next?

The top overall pick in this year's draft said he hasn't signed his contract with the team as he's in a holding period because of the coronavirus pandemic.

This blog discusses key features of concurrently editing a hierarchical cellview.(read more)

Dassault Systèmes Reports First Quarter Financial Results With Recurring Software, Operating Margin and EPS At the High End of Its Non-IFRS Guidance