Do Emergent Leaders Speak Transformational Language: A Study of the Language and Non-Verbal Behavior of Donald Trump and Senator Ted Cruz Announcement for Candidacy Speeches

This study investigated the leadership language found in the initial running for president announcement speeches of Donald Trump and Senator Ted Cruz. This study with the utilization of quantitative content text analysis software, as well as the objective decoding of the facial expressions of the candidates as measured by the Facial Meaning Sensitivity Test (Lethers & English, 1980) will render a greater understanding of the political process. These findings are more empirically based than relying solely on the qualitative viewpoints of the media. The fundamental purpose of the study was to explore the theoretical impact of leadership verbal and limited non-verbal behavior in the candidates in order to infer meaning to their ability to garner their party’s nomination. Approximately, 400 respondents were asked to participate in this study, by going on to a class website and reviewing the operational definitions and the variables as well as given websites to review the announcement speeches and the running total of the issues under review concerning the two candidates. This investigation compared the different usages of transformational, transactional, passive, economic issues, domestic issues, and self-history communications used by both candidates in what some pundits exhort is the most important speech in the candidates’ campaign

Mechanism of inhibition of connexin channels by the quinine derivative N-benzylquininium

The anti-malarial drug quinine and its quaternary derivative N-benzylquininium (BQ+) have been shown to inhibit gap junction (GJ) channels with specificity for Cx50 over its closely related homologue Cx46. Here, we examined the mechanism of BQ+ action using undocked Cx46 and Cx50 hemichannels, which are more amenable to analyses at the single-channel level. We found that BQ+ (300 µM–1 mM) robustly inhibited Cx50, but not Cx46, hemichannel currents, indicating that the Cx selectivity of BQ+ is preserved in both hemichannel and GJ channel configurations. BQ+ reduced Cx50 hemichannel open probability (Po) without appreciably altering unitary conductance of the fully open state and was effective when added from either extracellular or cytoplasmic sides. The reductions in Po were dependent on BQ+ concentration with a Hill coefficient of 1.8, suggesting binding of at least two BQ+ molecules. Inhibition by BQ+ was voltage dependent, promoted by hyperpolarization from the extracellular side and conversely by depolarization from the cytoplasmic side. These results are consistent with binding of BQ+ in the pore. Substitution of the N-terminal (NT) domain of Cx46 into Cx50 significantly impaired inhibition by BQ+. The NT domain contributes to the formation of the wide cytoplasmic vestibule of the pore and, thus, may contribute to the binding of BQ+. Single-channel analyses showed that BQ+ induced transitions that did not resemble pore block, but rather transitions indistinguishable from the intrinsic gating events ascribed to loop gating, one of two mechanisms that gate Cx channels. Moreover, BQ+ decreased mean open time and increased mean closed time, indicating that inhibition consists of an increase in hemichannel closing rate as well as a stabilization of the closed state. Collectively, these data suggest a mechanism of action for BQ+ that involves modulation loop gating rather than channel block as a result of binding in the NT domain

Selection of Inhibitor-Resistant Viral Potassium Channels Identifies a Selectivity Filter Site that Affects Barium and Amantadine Block

BACKGROUND:Understanding the interactions between ion channels and blockers remains an important goal that has implications for delineating the basic mechanisms of ion channel function and for the discovery and development of ion channel directed drugs. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:We used genetic selection methods to probe the interaction of two ion channel blockers, barium and amantadine, with the miniature viral potassium channel Kcv. Selection for Kcv mutants that were resistant to either blocker identified a mutant bearing multiple changes that was resistant to both. Implementation of a PCR shuffling and backcrossing procedure uncovered that the blocker resistance could be attributed to a single change, T63S, at a position that is likely to form the binding site for the inner ion in the selectivity filter (site 4). A combination of electrophysiological and biochemical assays revealed a distinct difference in the ability of the mutant channel to interact with the blockers. Studies of the analogous mutation in the mammalian inward rectifier Kir2.1 show that the T-->S mutation affects barium block as well as the stability of the conductive state. Comparison of the effects of similar barium resistant mutations in Kcv and Kir2.1 shows that neighboring amino acids in the Kcv selectivity filter affect blocker binding. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE:The data support the idea that permeant ions have an integral role in stabilizing potassium channel structure, suggest that both barium and amantadine act at a similar site, and demonstrate how genetic selections can be used to map blocker binding sites and reveal mechanistic features

The Art of Missional Parabling: Leveraging the Narrative Parables of Jesus as Models of Missional Engagement

This research leverages the narrative parables of Jesus as models of missional engagement among postmodern youth. The study includes a review of precedent literature and extensive field research, involving field-based observations, active interviews, and appreciative groups in the context of an evangelistic organization, YL (Knoxville, Tennessee). Grounded theory is employed for purposes of analysis and reveals a number of critical findings. Narrative parabling represents a heuristic model of imaginative engagement that reflects primal cognitive processes. Narrative parables are an effective means of missional communication among late adolescent, secondary oral, digital natives. The narrative parables of Jesus represent identifiable models by which missional leaders can redemptively engage high-schoolers in postmodern culture. Based on these findings, a replicable training program is developed that promises to build capacity for narrative parabling among missional leaders. Further research exploring the efficacy of the parabolic paradigm where gospel communication in contemporary contexts is concerned is recommended. Mentor: Alan R. Weave