Aquaporin 3 Water Channel Protein Gene Expression in Squalis Acanthias Dogfish Shark

Aquaporins are a family of membrane proteins that provide channels for the rapid movement of water molecules and some small solutes across the cellular membrane. Since the discovery of the first water channel protein, hundreds of homologous proteins have been found in all forms of life and much has been learned about their complex role in body water homeostasis. This is the first study to use molecular and immunological techniques to demonstrate that an orthologue of mammalian AQP3 is present in the epithelial cells of Squalus acanthias dogfish shark kidney, gills, rectal gland, esophagus, stomach, eye and brain. The full-length Squalus acanthias sequence has 73.8% amino acid identity to human AQP3. Quantitative PCR experiments suggest that constitutive AQP3 expression in the esophagus and kidney may be regulated by external salinity, but the role of AQP3 in water homeostasis of marine elasmobranchs such as Squalus acanthias is yet to be described

Clergy cultural competency : multicultural competency as a prerequisite for ministry in Hawaii

https://place.asburyseminary.edu/ecommonsatsdissertations/1826/thumbnail.jp

Systematics of Neotropical Satyrine Butterflies (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae: Euptychiina) Based on Larval Morphology and DNA Sequence Data and the Evolution of Life History Traits.

Although satyrine butterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae) are highly diverse and found worldwide in most terrestrial habitats, they have received little attention from systematists. This research focuses on one of the largest satyrine groups, the euptychiines, found from central United States to Argentina, with the greatest diversity in the Amazon. The subtribe Euptychiina has a troubled taxonomic history. Most genera were erected without diagnoses and placed within the subtribe without being examined. Before this project was initiated, little was known of their basic biology and morphology. Therefore, considerable attention was given to this area in my research. I describe the larvae of 25 species and discuss morphological characters in detail, with chaetotaxy illustrations. Terminology of many morphological structures were reviewed and new terms proposed. Phylogenetic analyses using larval morphology and DNA sequence data found the subtribe paraphyletic. Five genera were excluded from the subtribe, redefined as Taygetiina. Numerous genera were also determined to be paraphyletic. Branching patterns were strongly supported with the larval data set, which was based on 157 characters taken from all instars. DNA sequence data between COI and EF-1∝ were largely congruent, although saturation and long branch attractions led to unusual groupings in the COI parsimony analyses, mostly resolved in the maximum likelihood tree. Incongruence between the morphological and molecular analyses revolved around placement of one taxon at the base of the ingroup. Placement of Megisto cymela in the ingroup or outgroup did not significantly alter the branching patterns of either data set. Three life history traits were mapped onto the phylogeny. Host use was conserved within the ingroup and diverse among the basal nodes. The ancestral satyrine grass-feeder is not known. Within Taygetiina, the two shifts to bamboo specialization were accompanied by a reduction in instar number. Ancestral reconstructions of these two traits were significantly associated. The selection pressure of predation and parasitism is thought to be a significant, but overlooked, force in the evolution of host use. I propose that the shift to bamboo (enemy-free space) and reduction in instar number (reduced vulnerability) were driven in part by parasitoid and predator pressure

A qualitative study analysing the journey towards an embedded approach to service user involvement

Service user involvement in the design and delivery of education programmes for professionals is a key tenet of current policy. This study used a qualitative approach to explore the experiences of young mothers, students and academics who participated in an initiative aimed to coproduce and deliver a teaching resource focusing on becoming a mother and receiving services. The findings from the focus group interviews suggested that involving service users in student learning can provide an opportunity for open and honest dialogue, where assumptions and stereotypes can be challenged and better understood. It can also encourage users who are often seen as ‘hard to reach’ to be more actively involved in shaping the development of professionals

Workshop: Tagging, Bookmarking and Scholarly References: How Web 2.0 Technologies Benefit the Student, Scholar and Researcher

A primary challenge for any student, scholar or researcher is organizing and managing the massive amount of content readily available in today’s digital world. Several attempts have been made to provide solutions to this problem but many have fallen short of expectations. For example, many of the reference management software programs such as EndNote or RefWorks, as licensed products, are designed to support individual researchers in managing personal reference collections. On the other hand, the Web, and in particular Web 2.0, represents an approach to an evolving use of the Internet as a dynamic, participatory and collaborative medium for finding, organizing, managing, and sharing sources of information. This workshop introduces the use of user-defined tagging and social bookmarking within the context of an online freely available resource (CiteULike) for managing and sharing scholarly sources of information. These Web 2.0 technologies were introduced and implemented in an interdisciplinary NSF funded project focused on teaching students to effectively assess web site validity, engage in collaborative sharing and organization of scientific literature, and utilize technologies they were familiar with, social bookmarking and tagging, to research a scientific question and synthesize their findings. The benefits of sharing scholarly resources to facilitate collaborative work were demonstrated through this project

Student Interaction with Content in Online and Hybrid Courses: Leading Horses to the Proverbial Water

Permutations of traditional and online learning are rapidly advancing along a blended continuum, prompting conjecture that learning and e-learning will soon be indistinguishable. As variations of blended learning evolve, educators worldwide must develop better understanding of how effective interaction with course content impacts engagement and learning. This study compares patterns of access to instructional content in online and hybrid courses offered at a regional university in the United States. Frequency counts and access rates were examined for course content in four categories: core materials, direct support, indirect support, and ancillary materials. Observed results were echoed in responses to a survey of students, who reported selectively accessing course content based upon perceived likelihood of positive impact on performance. Implications for course design are myriad

Student Interaction with Online Course Content: Build It and They Might Come

Online learning continues to expand at educational institutions around the globe. Educators must better understand how interaction with online course content impacts student engagement and learning. Advances in technology amplify the imperative to gain further insights into how delivery of course materials can enhance and support the learning process. This study investigates student patterns of access to instructional resources provided in an asynchronous online digital literacy course offered at a regional university in the United States. Frequency counts and access rates collected from a learning management system were used to assess patterns of student retrieval of course materials in four categories: core materials, direct support, indirect support and ancillary materials. Results were consistent with student survey responses and indicate that students selectively access course content based upon the degree to which they perceive it will positively influence performance and outcomes on assignments and assessments

Combating torture and other ill-treatment: a manual for action [2nd edition]

This manual seeks to support the global efforts to prevent and eradicate torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (other ill-treatment). It is the second edition of Amnesty International’s Combating torture: A manual for action, first published in 2003. It updates the first edition by including recent developments in international law such as new treaties, standards, jurisprudence, findings and observations of human rights bodies, and expert opinions. It is designed to be a practical guide to international and regional standards that prohibit and seek to prevent torture and other ill-treatment worldwide. The manual provides advice on the implementation of these standards, drawing upon the ideas, activities and achievements of anti-torture activists and experts around the world. Amnesty International’s positions on specific issues are also provided. It is hoped that the manual will be of use not only to Amnesty International staff but to anyone working to expose and combat torture and other ill-treatment, including other human rights defenders, lawyers, judges, law enforcement officers and other public officials, legislators, health professionals and the media

Rehabilitation Settings After Joint Replacement: An Application of Multiattribute Preference Elicitation

While advances in medical treatment and technologies have the potential to improve the delivery of health care, their use typically involves making multiple, complex decisions. Patients and their medical providers may share in the decision-making processes and balance a variety of criteria and/or attributes in the pursuit of improved health. This necessitates a stronger understanding of the role of human behavior in health care processes and presents a timely opportunity to use decision analysis tools to contribute to this important aspect of health care operations. This article reports on the application of multiattribute preference elicitation to identify postsurgical rehabilitation setting options for elective hip and knee replacement patients and their discharge planning team prior to placement in these settings. These preferences are analyzed to identify trends in emphases across patients and the discharge planning team, including a comparison with actual outcomes to determine the extent of congruence with each other, an important component of patient-centered care. Variances are identified in what patients and the discharge planning team expected and what actually happened. Reasons for these variances are discussed