A Good Start: Two-Year Effects of a Freshmen Learning Community Program at Kingsborough Community College

Freshmen in a "learning community" at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, NY, moved more quickly through developmental English requirements, took and passed more courses, and earned more credits in their first semester than students in a control group. Two years later, they were also somewhat more likely to be enrolled in college

Rewarding Persistence: Effects of a Performance-Based Scholarship Program for Low-Income Parents

This report describes the impacts of a performance-based scholarship program with a counseling component on academic success and persistence among low-income parents. Students who participated in the program, which was operated at two New Orleans-area colleges as part of MDRC's multisite Opening Doors demonstration, were more likely to stay in school, get higher grades, and earn more credits

Three\u27s Company: Collaborative Instructional Design on a Librarian-Instructor Team

This session will describe a unique collaboration that resulted in development of a strategic research assignment design supported by relevant information literacy sessions. This effort stems from an existing relationship between research librarians and an instructor who was previously a graduate assistant in Research & Instruction Services and became an instructor of a general education course in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Through this collective, a synergistic arrangement developed where librarians contribute to research assignment design and the instructor contributes to developing the information literacy sessions to prepare students for finding, evaluating, and understanding relevant scholarly articles early in their college career. We will provide suggestions for developing librarian-instructor relationships that help identify student pain points as well as guide the development of customized classroom assignments relevant to beginning a student’s research path. We will also introduce strategies we have found successful in helping students locate and synthesize relevant scholarly articles, in the classroom and online, for more effective information literacy session activities

Consistent deformations method applied to a topological coupling of antisymmetric gauge fields in D=3

In this work we use the method of consistent deformations of the master equation by Barnich and Henneaux in order to prove that an abelian topological coupling between a zero and a two form fields in D=3 has no nonabelian generalization. We conclude that a topologically massive model involving the Kalb-Ramond two-form field does not admit a nonabelian generalization. The introduction of a connection-type one form field keeps the previous result.Comment: 8 pages. To appear in Physics Letters

B∧FB \wedge F Term by Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking in a generalized Abelian Higgs Model

We show that the topological $B \wedge F$ term in $3+1$ dimensions can be generated via spontaneous symmetry breaking in a generalized Abelian Higgs model. Further, we also show that even in $D$ dimensions $( D \geq 3 )$, a $B \wedge F$ term gives rise to the topological massive excitations of the Abelian gauge field and that such a $B \wedge F$ term can also be generated via Higgs mechanism.Comment: 7 pages, RevTeX, IP/BBSR/94-2

Field redefinitions and massive BF models in arbitrary space-time dimensions

We show that the topological massive BF theories can be written as a pure BF term through field redefinitions. The fields are rewritten as power expansion series in the inverse of the mass parameter $m$. We also give a cohomological justification of this expansion through BRST framework. In this approach the BF term can be seen as a topological generator for massive BF theories.Comment: Dedicated to the memory of my father Added some references and corrected typo

Kalirin Decreases Bone Mass Through Effects in Both Osteoclasts and Osteoblasts

poster abstractBone homeostasis is maintained by the balance between osteoclasts which degrade bone and osteoblasts, which form new bone. When the activity of either of these cells is dysregulated, bone loss can ensue, leading to osteoporosis, a disease characterized by low bone mass and an increase in bone fragility and risk of fracture. The activity of osteoclasts and osteoblasts is regulated by local and systemic factors, as well as by key signaling proteins expressed in these cells. Kalirin is a novel GTP-exchange factor protein that plays a role in signaling pathways leading to cytoskeletal remodeling and dendritic spine formation in neurons, but its function in other cells is unknown. Western blotting and real time PCR confirmed that Kalirin is expressed in osteoclasts and osteoblasts, suggesting it may play a role in regulating bone cell function and bone mass. We used micro-CT to examine the bone phenotype of 14 week old female mice lacking Kalirin in all tissues (Kal-KO). Kal-KO mice exhibited a 40% lower trabecular bone volume in the distal femur compared to wild-type (WT) mice (n=9/group, p<0.05). We next quantified osteoclasts in histological sections by counting multinucleated cells expressing tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), a marker of mature osteoclasts. We found 48% higher osteoclast surface/bone surface in trabecular bone of Kal-KO mice, compared to WT mice (n=6/group, p<0.05). Osteoclast differentiation is controlled by osteoblasts, which secrete receptor activator of NF-kB ligand (RANKL), macrophage colony stimulating factor (MCSF) and osteoprotegerin (OPG), a decoy receptor for RANKL. We examined if Kalirin could regulate osteoclast differentiation in vitro. Osteoclasts were generated from the bone marrow of WT or Kal-KO mice by incubation with RANKL and MCSF for 7 days, and TRAP+ multinucleated cells were counted. Consistent with our in vivo studies, osteoclast number was significantly higher in cultures from Kal-KO mice, compared to WT mice. We next examined if Kalirin altered the ratio of secreted RANKL and OPG secreted by osteoblasts. Osteoblasts were generated from the calvaria of 2 day old neonates and the level of secreted RANKL and OPG in conditioned media was quantified by ELISA. Consistent with increased osteoclast differentiation, we found a higher RANKL/OPG ratio in conditioned media from Kal-KO osteoblasts, compared to WT cells. These data confirm a role for Kalirin in the regulation of trabecular bone mass through effects in both osteoclasts and osteoblasts