Isolation of target DNA using synergistic magnetic bead transport and electrokinetic flow

The advent and dissemination of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies such as Illumina''s sequencing platforms has brought forth vast reductions in the cost, time, and technical difficulties associated with DNA and RNA sequencing. Despite this trend, the workflow required to generate nucleic acid libraries for sequencing remains time-consuming and laborious. The following research proposes a method for simplifying and streamlining this process by replacing the manual washing steps of the common magnetic bead-based cleanup with a novel microfluidic method by integrating magnetic separation and electrokinetic purification (MSEP). Requiring no pumps, pipette mixing, vortexing, or centrifugation, MSEP relies on selective adsorption of target DNA onto the magnetic beads with subsequent transport of beads through a microchannel undergoing an antiparallel electroosmotic flow. The synergetic flow conditions were optimized using a simple electrohydrodynamic flow model. This work demonstrates that MSEP is as effective in eliminating adapter-dimers from the post-ligation library mix as the manual method while also greatly reducing the hands-on time and amount of pipetting required. Although MSEP has been applied specifically toward NGS library preparation at this time, it has the potential to be adapted and employed for any bead-based separation scheme, namely, solid phase extraction, sequence-specific hybridization, and immunoprecipitation on a microscale.     

CHRISTIANITY AND DOGMATISM REVISITED: A STUDY AMONG FIFTEEN AND SIXTEEN YEAR OLDS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

A sample of 802 adolescents between the ages of fifteen and sixteen years completed an Anglicized form of the Dommert revision of the Rokeach Dogmatism Scale and the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity, together with the Junior Eysenck Personality Inventory. The data demonstrate that attitude toward Christianity and dogmatism are unrelated constructs, although both are related, in different ways, to Eysenck's major dimensions of personality.     

Validity of alternative approaches for the identification of learning disabilities: operationalizing unexpected underachievement

This article reviews the validity of models based on (a) aptitude-achievement discrepancies, (b) low achievement, (c) intraindividual differences, and (d) response to instruction for the classification and identification of learning disabilities (LD). Models based on aptitude-achievement discrepancies and intraindividual differences showed little evidence of discriminant validity. Low achievement models had stronger discriminant validity but do not adequately assess the most significant component of the LD construct, unexpected underachievement. All three of these status models have limited reliability because of their reliance on a measurement at a single time point. Models that incorporate response to instruction have stronger reliability and validity but cannot represent the sole criterion for LD identification. Hybrid models combining low achievement and response to instruction most clearly capture the LD construct and have the most direct relation to instruction. The assessment of students for LD must reflect a stronger underlying classification that takes into account relations with other developmental disorders as well as the reliability and validity of the underlying classification and resultant identification system.     

LITERACY AND ELDERS: WHAT WE KNOW AND WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW

Little research has been done on the literacy needs and interests of elders. Consequently, many programs of literacy training for elders are based upon inadequate and inaccurate information. The authors review recent literature about literacy and the aged and offer some suggestions for future investigations. They maintain that there is a need for empirical research into the perceptions of reading and writing held by the elderly themselves. Specifically, this research should: (1) assess the reading/writing needs and interests of the elderly; and (2) examine what effect societal expectations of the elderly have on their reading/writing behavior and interests.     

Haptoglobin Polymorphism and Association with Complications in Ghanaian Type 2 Diabetic Patients

There is scanty information on the role of genetic factors, especially those relating to haptoglobin (Hp) phenotypes in the expression of complications among diabetes mellitus patients in Ghana. In this study, we investigated whether there is any association between Hp phenotypes and diabetic complications and to determine if association of the Hp phenotypes with diabetic complications in Ghanaian diabetics differ from those in Caucasians. A total of 398 participants were randomly recruited into the study. These comprised diabetic patients numbering 290 attending a diabetes Clinic in Ghana and 108 non-diabetic controls from the same community. Analyses of the results indicate that most of the diabetics with complications were of the Hp 2–2 (35%) and Hp 2–1 (23.9%) phenotypes. Fewer diabetics were found to be of the Hp 2–1 M phenotype. The controls were mostly of Hp 1–1 and Hp 2–1 M phenotypes. The odds ratio of having complications in a diabetic with an Hp 2–2 phenotype was 18.27 times greater than that for Hp 0–0. Hp 2–2 phenotype with its poor antioxidant activity may therefore be a useful predictor for the propensity of an individual to develop diabetes complications.     

Cognitive implications of learning to read

This paper explores possible cognitive consequences of the experience of learning to read. Whilst it is written mostly with young learners in Europe and N. America in mind, much may also bear on the experience of learning later in life and in different cultural contexts. The perspective is intentionally broad, recognizing that literacy has complex social and personal significance and arguing that the conditions of learning combine with the degree of technical mastery to affect thinking powers and conceptions of language, of learning, and of authority. Reference is made to existing literature on learning to read, but much of the argument opens up issues for further exploration rather than demonstrating effects with any certainty.     

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BIBLE READING AND ATTITUDE TOWARD SUBSTANCE USE AMONG 13-15 YEAR OLDS

The relationship between Bible reading and attitude toward drug use is examined among a sample of 25,888 teenagers, 13-15 year olds, throughout England and Wales. Information about sex, age, personality, belief in God, and church attendance was also considered. The conclusion is that Bible reading makes a small but significant contribution to promoting a negative attitude toward drug use among this age group.     

The Impact of Library Media Specialists on Students and How It Is Valued by Administrators and Teachers: Findings from the Latest Studies in Colorado and Idaho

School library media specialists wear many hats within their school libraries, classrooms, and districts. Whether these roles are formally acknowledged or not, library media specialists (LMSs) are functioning as co-teachers, curriculum designers, website managers, technology troubleshooters, administrators, and in-service staff development providers. In an era of decreased funding and increased budget-trimming, however, positions for qualified LMS librarians are especially vulnerable. This article presents the result of a multistate survey of administrators and teachers perceptions with regards to their impact on the school’s learning process.