Professional Development, What\u27s the Point? An Insider\u27s Perspective of a 6-day Professional Development Opportunity for Faith Based Youth Workers

The Arts, Recreation and Worship Conference is an experiential 6-day event focused on recreation, worship, community, creativity and the arts. It is designed for those who want to deepen their creativity, broaden their leadership skills and experience personal spiritual renewal. ARW is connected to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and welcomes pastors, educators, youth workers, church volunteers, camp and conference professionals, recreation workers of all denominations and anyone interested in the arts, recreation and worship to participate in the workshop (recreationworkshop.org). Because limited information exists about the ways in which faith based youth leaders meet their professional development needs, and a limited body of research exists about core competencies that are impacted by faith based youth leaders professional development programs, the impact of professional development on the ways in which faith based youth leaders implement their programs, and the impact of professional development on faith based youth leaders job-related motivation, there is an opportunity to fill this gap by examining potential change in faith based youth leaders as a result of their participation in a professional development program. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to assess the immediate and long-term impacts that a 6-day professional development program has on a faith based youth leader\u27s core competencies, the implementation of their programs and their motivation toward their job. Data collected as a result of this study will be shared with ARW board members in hopes of providing information to adapt conference programs to better serve faith based youth leaders\u27 professional development needs

Gene expression profiling and network analysis of peripheral blood monocytes in a chronic model of allergic asthma

The Aspergillus fumigatus mouse model of asthma mimics the characteristics of human fungal asthma, including local and systemic inflammation. Monocyte/macrophage lineage cells direct innate immune responses and guide adaptive responses. To identify gene expression changes in peripheral blood monocytes in the context of fungal allergy, mice were exposed to systemic and intranasal inoculations of fungal antigen (sensitized), and naïve and sensitized animals were challenged intratracheally with live A. fumigatus conidia. Microarray analysis of blood monocytes from allergic versus non-allergic mice showed ≥ twofold modulation of 45 genes. Ingenuity pathway analysis revealed a network of these genes involved in antigen presentation, inflammation, and immune cell trafficking. These data show that allergen sensitization and challenge affects gene expression in peripheral monocytes.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/79085/1/j.1348-0421.2010.00242.x.pd

Determining the amount of sheets in a stack of paper by using a pressure stamp

The paper will investigate the quality of an easy measuring procedure for determining the amount of sheets in a stack of paper.One of the central questions is the comparability of the height of a loaded stack consisting of a single sheet, a small stack or a high stack of sheets. Here two approaches were examined to constitute the different deformation behavior of a single sheet and a stack of paper.Experiments showed that deformation of the lowest and the highest surface of paper is not relevant and can be neglected if the stack of paper has more than 20 single sheets. Also experiments with different pressure stamps showed the spreading of a punctual charged load in the form of a cone to a bigger area while going down in the stack of paper. This has a high influence to the deformation allocation inside a stack of paper.The interesting reference factor - thickness of a loaded sheet - for the measuring procedure will even in high stacks not converge to a constant value. Analysis of the measurement data certifies this effect. Measuring the height of a stack of paper is not possible in required accuracy with the procedure due to the low quality of the measured reference factor.While comparing the calculated amount of sheets with the correct amount of sheets, a linear correlation between these values is conspicuous. Upgrading the easy measuring procedure with this linear correlation guides to a satisfactory measurement result. The use of the respective regression parameters is needed. The deviation to the exact amount of sheets can be lowered compared to the easy measuring procedure for example at 400 sheets, by factor 10 to 0.2 percent.The procedure can be used for measuring the amount of sheets in a stack of paper with a high accuracy

Industrial use for the "nip-inducted effect" to separate sheets

This paper introduces an analytical method for the explanation of the nip inducted effect. This effect is known for a long term as a disturbance effect in the web handling industry. Here it is used for breaking bindings between the surface of sheets. The nip inducted effect causes a displacement of layers due to rolling a cylinder over a stack of sheets, known in the winding process of paper coils.The developed model is based on the assumption that the kinematic processes of the nip inducted effect are explainable with a gear of hollow cylinders. It is shown how the geometry of a hollow cylinder is attuned. The geometry and the translation of the gear will be influenced by the material parameters of the promoted paper.The analytical model will be discussed with the results of Pfeiffer and sorted in the existing knowledge about the nip inducted effect.The model is explained on the example of a developed machine for breaking bindings between the surfaces of paper sheets.Another focus is set on the measurement of the reversible extension of paper. These measurements are important for the industrial use of the nip inducted effect

Movement of layers and induced tension in the nip area between drum and paper layers

During paper manufacture and processing production losses occur during winding of machine-wide paper rolls and finished rolls due to winding faults. During the winding process at least one drum (steel or rubber-covered) is in contact with the winding roll and creates a nip area where tension and shifting of layers are induced. This process in the nip area with several layers of paper is not known in detail but the knowledge would be helpful to improve winding processes

Reciprocal regulation of PKA and rac signaling

Activated G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and receptor tyrosine kinases relay extracellular signals through spatial and temporal controlled kinase and GTPase entities. These enzymes are coordinated by multifunctional scaffolding proteins for precise intracellular signal processing. The cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) is the prime example for compartmentalized signal transmission downstream of distinct GPCRs. A-kinase anchoring proteins tether PKA to specific intracellular sites to ensure precision and directionality of PKA phosphorylation events. Here, we show that the Rho-GTPase Rac contains A-kinase anchoring protein properties and forms a dynamic cellular protein complex with PKA. The formation of this transient core complex depends on binary interactions with PKA subunits, cAMP levels and cellular GTP-loading accounting for bidirectional consequences on PKA and Rac downstream signaling. We show that GTP-Rac stabilizes the inactive PKA holoenzyme. However, β-adrenergic receptor-mediated activation of GTP-Rac–bound PKA routes signals to the Raf-Mek-Erk cascade, which is critically implicated in cell proliferation. We describe a further mechanism of how cAMP enhances nuclear Erk1/2 signaling: It emanates from transphosphorylation of p21-activated kinases in their evolutionary conserved kinase-activation loop through GTP-Rac compartmentalized PKA activities. Sole transphosphorylation of p21-activated kinases is not sufficient to activate Erk1/2. It requires complex formation of both kinases with GTP-Rac1 to unleash cAMP-PKA–boosted activation of Raf-Mek-Erk. Consequently GTP-Rac functions as a dual kinase-tuning scaffold that favors the PKA holoenzyme and contributes to potentiate Erk1/2 signaling. Our findings offer additional mechanistic insights how β-adrenergic receptor-controlled PKA activities enhance GTP-Rac–mediated activation of nuclear Erk1/2 signaling

P2Y12 receptor modulation of ADP‐evoked intracellular Ca2+ signalling in THP‐1 human monocytic cells

Background and purpose: The Gi‐coupled, ADP‐activated P2Y12 receptor is well characterised as playing a key role in platelet activation via crosstalk with P2Y1 in ADP‐evoked intracellular Ca2+ response. There is limited knowledge on the role of P2Y12 in ADP‐evoked Ca2+ responses in other blood cells. Here we investigate the role of P2Y12 receptor activation in modulation of ADP‐evoked Ca2+ responses in human THP‐1 monocytic cells. Experimental approach: A combination of intracellular Ca2+ measurements, RT‐PCR, immunocytochemistry, leukocyte isolation and siRNA‐mediated gene knockdown were used to identify the role of P2Y12 receptor activation. Key results: ADP‐evoked intracellular Ca2+ responses (EC50 2.7 M) in THP‐1 cells were abolished by inhibition of phospholipase C (U73122) or sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+‐ATPase (thapsigargin). Loss of ADP‐evoked Ca2+ responses following treatment with MRS2578 (IC50 200 nM) revealed a major role for P2Y6 in mediating ADP‐evoked Ca2+ responses. ADP‐evoked responses were attenuated either with pertussis toxin treatment, or P2Y12 inhibition with two chemically distinct antagonists (ticagrelor, IC50 5.3 M; PSB‐0739, IC50 5.6 M). ADP‐evoked responses were suppressed following siRNA‐mediated P2Y12 gene knockdown. The inhibitory effects of P2Y12 antagonists were fully reversed following adenylate cyclase inhibition (SQ22536). P2Y12 receptor expression was confirmed in freshly isolated human CD14+ monocytes. Conclusion and implications: Taken together, these data suggest that P2Y12 activation positively regulates P2Y6‐mediated intracellular Ca2+ signalling through suppression of adenylate cyclase activity in human monocytic cells