Heterozygous mutations in the cardiac homeobox gene, NKX2-5, underlie familial cases of atrial septal defect (ASD) with severe atrioventricular conduction block. In this study, mice heterozygous for Nkx2-5-null alleles were assessed for analogous defects. Although ASD occurred only rarely, atrial septal dysmorphogenesis was evident as increased frequencies of patent foramen ovale and septal aneurysm, and decreased length of the septum primum flap valve. These parameters were compounded by genetic background effects, and in the 129/Sv strain, septal dysmorphogenesis bordered on ASD in 17% of Nkx2-5 heterozygotes. In a proportion of neonatal heterozygotes, as well as in adults with ASD, we found that the size of the foramen ovale was significantly enlarged and altered in shape, potentially exposing the normally thin septum primum to excessive hemodynamic forces. Therefore, defective morphogenesis of the septum secundum may be one contributing factor in the generation of patent foramen ovale, septal aneurysm, and certain ASDs. Mild prolongation of P-R interval in females and an increased frequency of stenotic bicuspid aortic valves were also features of the Nkx2-5 heterozygous phenotype. Our data demonstrate that the complex effects of Nkx2-5 haploinsufficiency in mice are weaker but convergent with those in humans. As in the mouse, the phenotype of human NKX2-5 mutations may be modulated by interacting alleles.
Improvement of academic library services as an outcome of continuous assessment is an aim of libraries of higher education institutions. Academic libraries are realizing the need to document evidence of their value to the institutions and the patrons they serve. Publications that include assessment research are reaching library decision makers, who seek to apply evidence to improve services or implement best practices that benefit all stakeholders. Following two previous studies that reported longitudinally on front-line library services, this paper investigates current five-year trending of three prestigious academic library journals in the publication of assessment studies. Data for this study were drawn through a content analysis process, in which the investigators selected studies for inclusion using a set of criteria developed in a pilot exercise. After individually examining 649 research articles, published between 2012 and 2016, 126 met the study's selection criteria and were categorized according to the type of service they studied. Papers on information literacy instruction dominated, while reference services, technology, and general assessment studies saw less representation in the three journals. This finding reflects the priority placed upon information literacy instruction and describes how three American library journals are responding to current trends across academic libraries.
For most experienced educators, choosing software for children with disabilities is challenging as the number of programs in our technology rich marketplace increases dramatically. Purchasing titles for entertainment is much less complicated than selecting effective educational materials based upon sound instructional objectives through a systematic review of characteristics of learner and learning environment. This study was designed to investigate the software selection process engaged in by special education teachers. Questionnaires were completed by 144 respondents with a return rate of 69% to (a) identify characteristics perceived as important to consider when determining which programs to select for use by students with high incidence disabilities, and (b) ascertain a list of software titles used in special education classrooms currently. Based upon qualitative data analysis, results indicated ten themes inservice teachers consider when selecting software titles. Those themes include: (a) welcoming; (b) sensory stimulating; (c) learner program design; (d) learner empowerment; (e) technology adaptation; (f ) diversity; (g) individual instructional integration; (h) narration; (i) curriculum encompassing; and (j) teacher functionality. Additionally this paper provides a list of software titles used in classrooms currently and describes implications for integrating a software evaluation component into a methods course.
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