Impact of a Diversity Conference on University Curriculum, Recruitment, and Accreditation Efforts

Diversity of students, faculty, administrative staff, community, and curriculum is an asset thought to strengthen and enrich students’ academic experiences. Responding to a charge from a Northern Michigan University president to place diversity at the center of a University Strategic Plan, members of a diversity advisory council proposed a plan to prepare the university and its students for a future in an increasingly diverse and globalized society. Integral to this plan was a diversity conference, UNITED (Uniting Neighbors in the Experience of Diversity), which went from an annual September event to an integral part of the university\u27s academic fabric. Our research describes an eight-year history of the diversity conference, which has hosted more than 12,000 participants and has become a vital component in the curriculum of the university. The research assists in outcomes assessment efforts to determine whether the diversity conference has lived up to its original purpose and perceived importance in the curriculum, recruitment of students, and program accreditation efforts

Successive Study of Diversity Conference Evaluations of Presenters by Race, Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Disability

A Midwestern university’s annual diversity conference hosts about 1,500 attendees from a campus of 9,000 students. Using a successive independent samples design, a series of cross-sectional surveys were conducted to answer the research question, how does a presenter’s race, gender, and ability/disability affect participant responses on conference evaluations. A review of the literature has determined that our research represents the largest and longest empirical study of a higher education diversity conference in the United States. The research is a comparative study of evaluation trends of conference attendees toward diversity conference presenters based on race, gender, and disability over eight years from 2006 to 2013. Ten evaluation items provided qualitative and quantitative data on topics of quality, likes best, shortcomings, meets expectations, and level of appropriateness. Over 4000 evaluations were analyzed over an 8-year period, resulting in a 33% evaluation response rate. Content analysis of evaluation data revealed underlying themes in attendees’ general comments. Threats to validity are discussed. Statistical analyzes include descriptive statistics, Chi-square, and regression analyses of contrasting trends in conference attendees’ evaluations. A trends analysis of diversity conference evaluations articulates the reality that in modern societies, humans may occupy a number of social groups in the same social/political public space, but the perceived diversity of individuals and social groups result in differences in evaluations of quality and performance

Knowledge Gaps of the Health Benefits of Beans among Low-Income Women

Objectives: We determined knowledge of the health benefits of consuming beans, and assessed if awareness varied by acculturation status among Hispanic and non-Hispanic low-income women. Methods: We used a self-administered survey with Iowa women aged 18-65 years who were eligible to receive income-based services through 2 healthcare clinics, a WIC clinic, and Extension Outreach. Chi-square and ANOVA were used to compare bean health benefit knowledge, demographics, health-risk factors, nutrition information seeking, and self-efficacy by acculturation categories. Results: Of the 158 women who completed the survey, 58% were Hispanic, with a mean age of 36 years. In terms of acculturation, 24% were Hispanic-dominant, 30% bicultural, and 46% English dominant. Over 50% of all respondents did not know bean consumption lowered cholesterol, aided blood glucose control, or reduced some cancer risks. Responses for 5 of 7 knowledge statements differed significantly by acculturation. Hispanic-dominant and bicultural women reported significantly better health, higher bean consumption, and less cigarette smoking than English-dominant women. Bicultural and English-dominant women were more likely to use the Internet for nutrition information. Conclusions: There are knowledge gaps about the health benefits of bean consumption among low-income women. Nutrition education to improve their knowledge may lead to increased bean consumption, reducing health disparities and improving nutrition

The Added Value of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Interventions to Mass Drug Administration for Reducing the Prevalence of Trachoma: A Systematic Review Examining

Trachoma is the leading cause of infectious blindness worldwide. The SAFE strategy, the World Health Organization-recommended method to eliminate blinding trachoma, combines developments in water, sanitation, surgery, and antibiotic treatment. Current literature does not focus on the comprehensive effect these components have on one another. The present systematic review analyzes the added benefit of water, sanitation, and hygiene education interventions to preventive mass drug administration of azithromycin for trachoma. Trials were identified from the PubMed database using a series of search terms. Three studies met the complete criteria for inclusion. Though all studies found a significant change in reduction of active trachoma prevalence, the research is still too limited to suggest the impact of the “F” and “E” components on trachoma prevalence and ultimately its effects on blindness

MYB10 and MYB72 are Required for Growth under Iron-Limiting Conditions

Iron is essential for photosynthesis and is often a limiting nutrient for plant productivity. Plants respond to conditions of iron deficiency by increasing transcript abundance of key genes involved in iron homeostasis, but only a few regulators of these genes have been identified. Using genome-wide expression analysis, we searched for transcription factors that are induced within 24 hours after transferring plants to iron-deficient growth conditions. Out of nearly 100 transcription factors shown to be up-regulated, we identified MYB10 and MYB72 as the most highly induced transcription factors. Here, we show that MYB10 and MYB72 are functionally redundant and are required for plant survival in alkaline soil where iron availability is greatly restricted. myb10myb72 double mutants fail to induce transcript accumulation of the nicotianamine synthase gene NAS4. Both myb10myb72 mutants and nas4-1 mutants have reduced iron concentrations, chlorophyll levels, and shoot mass under iron-limiting conditions, indicating that these genes are essential for proper plant growth. The double myb10myb72 mutant also showed nickel and zinc sensitivity, similar to the nas4 mutant. Ectopic expression of NAS4 rescues myb10myb72 plants, suggesting that loss of NAS4 is the primary defect in these plants and emphasizes the importance of nicotianamine, an iron chelator, in iron homeostasis. Overall, our results provide evidence that MYB10 and MYB72 act early in the iron-deficiency regulatory cascade to drive gene expression of NAS4 and are essential for plant survival under iron deficiency

The Ultra-Potent and Selective TLR8 Agonist VTX-294 Activates Human Newborn and Adult Leukocytes

Background: Newborns display distinct immune responses that contribute to susceptibility to infection and reduced vaccine responses. Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists may serve as vaccine adjuvants, when given individually or in combination, but responses of neonatal leukocytes to many TLR agonists are diminished. TLR8 agonists are more effective than other TLR agonists in activating human neonatal leukocytes in vitro, but little is known about whether different TLR8 agonists may distinctly activate neonatal leukocytes. We characterized the in vitro immuno-stimulatory activities of a novel benzazepine TLR8 agonist, VTX-294, in comparison to imidazoquinolines that activate TLR8 (R-848; (TLR7/8) CL075; (TLR8/7)), with respect to activation of human newborn and adult leukocytes. Effects of VTX-294 and R-848 in combination with monophosphoryl lipid A (MPLA; TLR4) were also assessed. Methods: TLR agonist specificity was assessed using TLR-transfected HEK293 cells expressing a NF-κB reporter gene. TLR agonist-induced cytokine production was measured in human newborn cord and adult peripheral blood using ELISA and multiplex assays. Newborn and adult monocytes were differentiated into monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MoDCs) and TLR agonist-induced activation assessed by cytokine production (ELISA) and co-stimulatory molecule expression (flow cytometry). Results: VTX-294 was ∼100x more active on TLR8- than TLR7-transfected HEK cells (EC50, ∼50 nM vs. ∼5700 nM). VTX-294-induced TNF and IL-1β production were comparable in newborn cord and adult peripheral blood, while VTX-294 was ∼ 1 log more potent in inducing TNF and IL-1β production than MPLA, R848 or CL075. Combination of VTX-294 and MPLA induced greater blood TNF and IL-1β responses than combination of R-848 and MPLA. VTX-294 also potently induced expression of cytokines and co-stimulatory molecules HLA-DR and CD86 in human newborn MoDCs. Conclusions: VTX-294 is a novel ultra-potent TLR8 agonist that activates newborn and adult leukocytes and is a candidate vaccine adjuvant in both early life and adulthood

Cytoreductive surgery for patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to identify favorable preoperative characteristics and examine the impact of secondary cytoreductive surgery on survival for patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian carcinoma. METHODS: Patients who underwent cytoreductive surgery for recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer were identified in our surgical database for the period 1988-2004. Patient charts were reviewed and data collected regarding patient demographics, surgical management, preoperative evaluation, perioperative complications, and oncologic outcome. RESULTS: Eighty-five patients met eligibility criteria. Preoperative factors that correlated with improved survival were disease-free interval of greater than 12 months (por=1 cm (p CONCLUSION: When selecting patients for secondary cytoreduction, the most significant preoperative factors are disease-free interval and success of a prior cytoreductive effort. Once secondary cytoreductive surgery is attempted, the most important factor for improved survival is optimal cytoreduction. Of equal importance is counseling regarding the significant risk for bowel surgery, colostomy, and complications

Building Leadership Capacity: How One Massachusetts School District Facilitates and Sustains Teacher Growth

Thesis advisor: Lauri JohnsonDistrict leadership has been found to have a measurable effect on student achievement by creating conditions within which teachers and administrators frame their daily work with children. The superintendent is uniquely poised to build the needed infrastructure of support and assure its alignment with the philosophy and mission of the district and, in turn, with the work of the school. By attending to the habits and conditions that allow a staff to work as a unit, superintendents are able to contribute to the development of a community of professional learners within and among district schools. This qualitative case study analyzed district leadership practices that support ongoing teacher growth in a Massachusetts school district by examining the work of the superintendent and the impact of his leadership on the ongoing development of a community of professional learners at the district and school level. Data included interviews with teachers and administrators, artifact analyses, and observations of district meetings. Findings reveal the superintendent's use of a PLC process to model and provide support to school-level leaders by encouraging broad-based participation in the skillful work of leadership; establishing a clear vision which resulted in program coherence; fostering a system of inquiry-based accountability that informed decision making and practice; and nurturing organizational relationships that involved high district engagement and low bureaucratization which supported school-based collaborative teacher growth.Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2014.Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education.Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education

Structural characterization of gas-phase cysteine and cysteine methyl ester complexes with zinc and cadmium dications by infrared multiple photon dissociation spectroscopy

Contains fulltext : 149638.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access

Chamber Formation and Morphogenesis in the Developing Mammalian Heart

AbstractIn this study we challenge the generally accepted view that cardiac chambers form from an array of segmental primordia arranged along the anteroposterior axis of the linear and looping heart tube. We traced the spatial pattern of expression of genes encoding atrial natriuretic factor, sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase, Chisel, Irx5, Irx4, myosin light chain 2v, and β-myosin heavy chain and related these to morphogenesis. Based on the patterns we propose a two-step model for chamber formation in the embryonic heart. First, a linear heart forms, which is composed of “primary” myocardium that nonetheless shows polarity in phenotype and gene expression along its anteroposterior and dorsoventral axes. Second, specialized ventricular chamber myocardium is specified at the ventral surface of the linear heart tube, while distinct left and right atrial myocardium forms more caudally on laterodorsal surfaces. The process of looping aligns these primordial chambers such that they face the outer curvature. Myocardium of the inner curvature, as well as that of inflow tract, atrioventricular canal, and outflow tract, retains the molecular signature originally found in linear heart tube myocardium. Evidence for distinct transcriptional programs which govern compartmentalization in the forming heart is seen in the patterns of expression of Hand1 for the dorsoventral axis, Irx4 and Tbx5 for the anteroposterior axis, and Irx5 for the distinction between primary and chamber myocardium