183 research outputs found
Factors Related to Student Persistence in a New Residential STEM High School: The Case of the Tennessee Governor’s Academy for Mathematics and Science
Public and private sectors are grappling with decreasing numbers of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals as the need for them rises. State-supported STEM residential high schools may be the premier conduit to educate and socialize students in order to prepare for STEM college majors and careers. Gaining understanding of how these schools can nurture students academically and affectively so that they successfully matriculate to university STEM settings is valuable; however, minimal research exists related to the affective domain in relationship to retention at state-supported STEM residential schools. This exploratory, mixed methods case study describes factors that contribute to student persistence in a residential school setting.
This study had four purposes: a) to describe students’ meaning of belonging at a STEM residential school; b) to explore potential relationships between students’ personality traits, expectations fulfillment, and belonging; c) to explore potential relationships between belonging and persistence, expectation fulfillment and persistence, and personality traits and persistence, and d) to describe characteristics of persistors and non-persistors. Participants in the study were the student population of the Tennessee Governor’s Academy for Mathematics and Science (TGA) (n = 41). Following interviews of the population, qualitative analysis of the interviews included pattern coding and creation of an explanatory effects matrix; quantitative analysis of survey data utilized ANOVA, chi-square, and correlation. Results of analyses produced a student-generated, multidimensional definition of belonging and showed that students who perceived they belonged and expressed institutional commitment via ownership of TGA had the highest persistence rate (100%). Quantitative findings showed that students whose expectations for TGA were met or exceeded had a higher sense of belonging, and belonging was associated with higher persistence. The personality traits agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, and work drive were significantly related to belonging, suggesting that sense of belonging may function as a moderator between personality traits and expectation fulfillment.
For future study, a longitudinal design is recommended as well as incorporation of the variable educational practices in relation to the variables expectation fulfillment, personality, belonging, and persistence
Sviluppo di un progetto per il miglioramento della comunicazione interna nel Comune di Pisa
La tesi, primo risultato del progetto: Percorsi Qualita’: Il Comune allo Specchio, sviluppato all’interno del Comune di Pisa utilizzando il modello CAF, propone al Comune un progetto per il miglioramento della comunicazione interna con l’obiettivo di ottenere: sia un sensibile miglioramento immediato della sua efficacia, sia la creazione di meccanismi di feed back che permettano di gestirla, nel tempo, in ottica PDCA
Transcriptomic Characterization, Chemosensitivity and Regulatory Effects of Exosomes in Spontaneous EMT/MET Transitions of Breast Cancer Cells
L'etica del desiderio secondo Frisbee C. C. Sheffield. Traduzione ed osservazioni.
L'aspetto più importante del libro è l'etica del desiderio di Platone.
All'inizio per Platone i desideri includono i valori e le credenze su quello che è essenziale avere o fare e sono una parte importante nelle nostre vite. Cosa e chi si desidera determina la nostra vita in importanti aspetti e influenza la possibilità di felicità. Analizzare i desideri allora è un modo per riflettere sul tipo di persona che dventeremo e sulle possibilità di vivere una vita bella e felice. Se ci si preoccupa di cambiare la vita delle persone per il meglio, allora un modo per farlo è incoraggiarle a riflettere sui loro desideri e considerare gli aspetti che sarebbero buoni da valutare e considerare. Nel Simposio Platone pensava che i nostri desideri sono influenzati dalla cultura e dall'educazione.
Due importanti contesti per lo sviluppo del desiderio maschile erano le relazioni erotico pederastiche e l'istituzione del Simposio greco nel quale tali relazioni tipicamente prendono posto. Le relazioni erotico- pederastiche sono delle relazioni in cui un uomo più vecchio erastes cerca i favori sessuali da un uomo più giovane eromenos in cambio metteva a disposizione formazione sociale, politica e morale. Nella relazioen con un uomo più vecchio il compagno più giovane era tenuto ad imparare ciò che vale perseguire: la sagegzza e il modo in cui vale perseguirla con la pratcia filosofica. Il Simposio e la pederastia erano due istituti regolativi che assecondavano il bisogno di controllare l'eros e di assicurare che potesse portare a benefici sociali positivi. Il Simposio era un luogo per la soddisafazione di ogni desiderio cibo, bevande, sesso, begli spettacoli che i ricchi intellettuali offrivano per divertirsi dopo cena, ma anche un posto in cui i giovani mparavano a regolare i propri desideri nel modo giusto perché il contesto di bei ragazzi, flautiste, musica era visto come un campo efficace per lo sviluppo della virtù perché suscitava i molti desideri che potevano minacciare l'ordine sociale e forniva un contesto appropriato per il loro regolamento.
La dimensione educativa era un'importante caratteristica perché i ragazzi che erano presenti imparavano dalle grandi azioni dei loro predecessori e prendevano ispirazione ad emularli. Il Simposio era un posto in cui la virtù era rafforzata e trasmessa al giovane. L'encomio vale a dire il discorso celebrativo era molto importante, progetatto per presentare l'oratore come qualcuno in possesso di consocenza, che poteva fornire degli esempi per gli ascoltatori ed incoraggiarli ad adottare le pratiche e il comportamento lodevole.
Una cosa di valore da conquistare viene definita kalon vale a dire bella e buona. Se si vuole produrre individui buoni e prosperi allora un modo per assicurarsi quel risultato è incoraggiare l'apprezzamento delle cose belle e buone vale a dire quelle definite kalon, che sono veramente preziose e di valore da perseguire nel contesto della vita umana. Il Simposio era sia un contesto per l'eros che per l'educazione. Le relazioni erotiche che si svolgevano regolarmente nel Simposio erano un modo importante nel quale la virtù era tarsmessa. Il motivo per cui possiamo imparare dagli amanti è che la nostra attrazione per loro ci spinge verso qualcosa di valore che desideriamo realizzare nelle nostre vite: la felicità e insieme a questa speriamo indirizzare le nostre vite verso direzioni più vantaggiose. I benefici positivi che tali relazioni possono portare sono una caratteristica centrale di tutti i discorsi di Agatone. Siamo attratti verso un egnere particolare di amante perché incarna qualcosa ritenuto di valore e in aggiunta si è isnpirati a cercare un lavoroc he si crede darà la felicità
I regimi penitenziari di rigore e i diritti fondamentali del detenuto.
Con questo elaborato si vuole introdurre il concetto di trattamento penitenziario ordinario, i principi fondamentali a cui si uniforma e le modalità di attuazione dello stesso, attraverso una esame delle norme che lo hanno reso ciò che, oggi, effettivamente è, e con uno sguardo al contesto storico che ha determinato la necessità di emanare le varie riforme in materia penitenziaria, per poi passare all’esame dei “provvedimenti di rigore”, con i quali il legislatore deroga alle ordinarie regole di trattamento e che talvolta discordano con i suoi principi base.
L’obiettivo di questo lavoro è, quindi, quello di mettere in evidenza le difficoltà che si incontrano quando occorre emanare provvedimenti, come quelli di rigore, con i quali si deve trovare un equilibrio tra le esigenze di ordine, sicurezza, dentro e fuori dal carcere con la garanzia e la tutela dei diritti del detenuto, difficoltà che non sono state ancora superate
Exosomes secreted from human colon cancer cells influence the adhesion of neighboring metastatic cells: Role of microRNA-210
Cancer-secreted exosomes influence tumor microenvironment and support cancer growth and metastasis. MiR-210 is frequently up-regulated in colorectal cancer tissues and correlates with metastatic disease. We investigated whether exosomes are actively released by HCT-8 colon cancer cells, the role of exosomal miR-210 in the cross-talk between primary cancer cells and neighboring metastatic cells and its contribution in regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET). After 7 d of culture, a subpopulation of viable HCT-8 cells detached the monolayer and started to grow in suspension, suggesting anoikis resistance and a metastatic potential. The expression of key proteins of EMT revealed that these cells were E-cadherin negative and vimentin positive further confirming their metastatic phenotype and the acquisition of anoikis resistance. Metastatic cells, in the presence of adherently growing HCT-8, continued to grow in suspension whereas only if seeded in cell-free wells, were able to adhere again and to form E-cadherin positive and vimentin negative new colonies, suggesting the occurrence of MET. The chemosensitivity to 5 fluorouracil and to FOLFOX-like treatment of metastatic cells was significantly diminished compared to adherent HCT-8 cells. Of note, adherent new colonies undergoing MET, were insensitive to both chemotherapeutic strategies. Electron microscopy analysis demonstrated that adherently growing HCT-8, actually secreted exosomes and that exosomes in turn were taken up by metastatic cells. When exosomes secreted by adherently growing HCT-8 were administered to metastatic cells, MET was significantly inhibited. miR-210 was significantly upregulated in exosomes compared to its intracellular levels in adherently growing HCT-8 cells and correlated to anoikis resistance and EMT markers. Exosomes containing miR-210 might be considered as EMT promoting signals that preserve the local cancer-growth permissive milieu and also guide metastatic cells to free, new sites of dissemination
Role of cholinergic neurons in the motor effects of glucagon-like peptide-2 in mouse colon.
Glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2) reduces
mouse gastric tone and small intestine transit, but its action on
large intestine motility is still unknown. The purposes of the present
study were 1) to examine the influence of GLP-2 on spontaneous
mechanical activity and on neurally evoked responses, by recording
intraluminal pressure from mouse isolated colonic segments; 2) to
characterize GLP-2 mechanism of action; and 3) to determine the
distribution of GLP-2 receptor (GLP-2R) in the mouse colonic
muscle coat by immunohistochemistry. Exogenous GLP-2 (0.1\u2013
300 nM) induced a concentration-dependent reduction of the spontaneous
mechanical activity, which was abolished by the desensitization
of GLP-2 receptor or by tetrodotoxin, a voltage-dependent
Na+-channel blocker. GLP-2 inhibitory effect was not affected by
Nomega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor),
apamin (a blocker of small conductance Ca2+-dependent K+
channels), or [Lys1,Pro2,5,Arg3,4,Tyr6]VIP7\u201328 (a VIP receptor
antagonist), but it was prevented by atropine or pertussis toxin
(PTX), a Gi/o protein inhibitor. Proximal colon responses to electrical
field stimulation were characterized by nitrergic relaxation,
which was followed by cholinergic contraction. GLP-2 reduced
only the cholinergic evoked contractions. This effect was almost
abolished by GLP-2 receptor desensitization or PTX. GLP-2 failed
to affect the contractile responses to exogenous carbachol. GLP-2R
immunoreactivity (IR) was detected only in the neuronal cells of
both plexuses of the colonic muscle coat. More than 50% of
myenteric GLP-2R-IR neurons shared the choline acetyltransferase
IR. In conclusion, the activation of GLP-2R located on cholinergic
neurons may modulate negatively the colonic spontaneous and
electrically evoked contractions through inhibition of acetylcholine
release. The effect is mediated by Gi protein
Nutritionally relevant concentrations of resveratrol and hydroxytyrosol mitigate oxidative burst of human granulocytes and monocytes and the production of pro-inflammatory mediators in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages
GLP-2 receptor expression in excitatory and inhibitory enteric neurons and its role in mouse duodenum contractility.
Background. Glucagon-like peptide 2 (GLP-2), a nutrient-responsive hormone, exerts various actions in the gastrointestinal tract that are mediated by a G-protein
coupled receptor called GLP-2R. A little information is available on GLP-2R expression in enteric neurons and
nothing on the interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC). Methods. We investigated presence and distribution of the GLP-2R in the mouse duodenum by immunohistochemistry
and the potential motor effects of GLP-2 on
the spontaneous and neurally evoked mechanical activity. Key Results. The GLP-2R was expressed by the myenteric and submucosal neurons. Labelling was also
present in nerve varicosities within the circular muscular layer and at the deep muscular plexus (DMP). No immunoreactive nerve fiber was seen within the longitudinal
muscle layer. The GLP-2R-positive neurons
were either excitatory (SP- and choline-acetyltransferase-positive) or inhibitory (vasoactive intestinal polypeptide
and nNOS-positive). The ICC, both at the
myenteric plexus and at theDMP,never expressed GLP-2R but, especially those at the DMP, were surrounded by GLP-2R-positive nerve varicosities co-expressing either excitatory or inhibitory neurotransmitters.
Quantitative analysis demonstrated a consistent prevalence of GLP-2R on the excitatory pathways. In agreement, the functional results showed that the
administration of GLP-2 in vitro caused decrease of the spontaneous contractions mediated by nitric oxide release and reduction of the evoked cholinergic
contractions. Conclusions & Inferences. The present findings indicate that the GLP-2R is expressed by inhibitory and excitatory neurons, the GLP-2 inhibits the muscle contractility likely decreasing cholinergic
neurotransmission and increasing nitric oxide production, and this effect is possibly mediated by the ICC-DMP recruitment
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