Priviledged Servants: Community Service in Private High Schools

Traditionally, the school has been the primary role model for citizenship development. One method schools may use to convey the roles and models of involved citizens is through community service experiences. Public and private schools throughout the United States include community service as part of the curriculum and/or extracurricular activities. Service promotes responsibility, a caring ethic, and growth of community. Service can improve society through individuals working together and forming a bond with one another. Service provides opportunities to witness the diverse cultures of society. Through service, students may experience affective and cognitive development, form relationships with community members, and relate their schools\u27 commitment to the community. Although current research focuses on the service experiences of public school students, private school students have been consistently noted as being more active in community service (Eberly, 1993; Frase, 1995; Newmann & Rutter, 1985/1986). Therefore, this study examines the impact of community service in private high school settings. The study explores service learning, its connection to civic education, and its effects on students, their communities, and their schools. The central questions are these: What insights do students gain from service experiences? What motivates students to serve? How do students\u27 expectations of service match their experiences? What is the school\u27s role in service? What characteristics make a school service program successful? The research methodology for the study is qualitative to describe and to explore what students experience and internalize from community service

Best Practices for Controlling Tuberculosis - Training in Correctional Facilities: A Mixed Methods Evaluation

According to the literature, identifying and treating tuberculosis (TB) in correctional facilities have been problematic for the inmates and also for the communities into which inmates are released. The importance of training those who can identify this disease early into incarceration is vital to halt the transmission. Although some training has been done by public health authorities for corrections, there is little to no evaluation of such training. The aim of this mixed methods retrospective study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a training to control TB in correctional facilities. The Southeastern National Tuberculosis Center (SNTC) conducted 12 trainings between 2010 and 2014 with custody, medical, and public health staff working in correctional facilities, as well as with TB program staff from health departments. A total of 442 participants quantitatively and qualitatively evaluated the trainings. Gagne-Briggs and tripod models comprised the theoretical framework of the study. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Analysis showed that the usefulness of the training was considered very good to excellent in each of the trainings. Also, many participants stated that they were going to educate others as well, in order to improve the management of TB in their facilities. The results of this study revealed that using systematic training can contribute to promote a more coordinated release of TB-infected inmates into the community, and therefore improve the quality of life of this population group, resulting in the promotion of social change

The role of integrins in mechano-transduction leading to enhanced collagen synthesis in human cardiac fibroblasts

The mechanisms that regulate the development of cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis are poorly understood. Cardiac hypertrophy results from changes in the mechanical environment and is accompanied by increased extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis and remodelling. Collagen types I and III the major constituents of the ECM, have previously been shown to be increased during cardiac hypertrophy. In this study the importance of fibroblast: ECM interactions and subsequent activation of intracellular signalling pathways in the load-induced stimulation of collagen synthesis were investigated. More specifically the role of integrins as mechanotransducers was investigated. The data suggest that an interaction between human cardiac fibroblasts and a fibronectin matrix (rather than collagen or elastin) results in the most effective stimulation of procollagen synthesis when subjected to a cyclical mechanical load. Further, the addition of blocking antibodies to specific fibronectin integrins inhibited collagen synthesis induced by mechanical load, whereas blocking antibodies to a collagen integrin did not. These results suggest that fibronectin integrins act as mechanotransducers, allowing the mechanical stimulus to be transduced into a biochemical event. Conversion of the mechanical stimulus into a biochemical event appears to involve the formation of focal adhesion complexes. More specifically the focal adhesion proteins focal adhesion kinase (FAK), p130Cas, and the cytoskeleton associated protein paxillin, all showed increased tyrosine phosphorylation in response to mechanical load. Inhibitors of protein tyrosine phosphorylation not only prevented mechanical load induced tyrosine phosphorylation but also inhibited collagen synthesis. Inhibition of paxillin phosphorylation also suggests a role for the cytoskeleton in mechanical load activation of procollagen synthesis. Finally, experiments investigating the intracellular signalling pathways activated downstream of the focal adhesion complex showed that the MAP kinase and the phospholipid pathway may play a role in mediating the effects of mechanical load on procollagen synthesis. In conclusion, this thesis has shown for the first time that integrins act as mechanotransducers in human cardiac fibroblasts and that phosphorylation of FAK, as well as paxillin and p130Cas is required for mechanical load to be converted into signalling pathways leading to procollagen synthesis

Structuring Creativity: Successful Strategies for Using Creative Activities in the Classroom

From the political to the environmental, the 21st century presents a dizzying array of challenges for current and future generations. Society needs people who have the confidence to explore unique ideas and the willingness to take risks in shaping and sharing those ideas. Where will we prepare and encourage people to be creative? Is it in our universities? How can faculty members help our students learn to envision new, unusual and, in fact, creative solutions to ensure a better life for all? The purpose of this chapter is twofold: first, to show how three faculty members from three different disciplines structured their curriculum to foster creative thinking and, then, second, to offer a set of key principles derived from these activities that faculty members can consider when incorporating creative activities into their own classes

The economic impact of chronic fatigue syndrome

BACKGROUND: Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a chronic incapacitating illness that affects between 400,000 and 800,000 Americans. Despite the disabling nature of this illness, scant research has addressed the economic impact of CFS either on those affected or on the national economy. METHODS: We used microsimulation methods to analyze data from a surveillance study of CFS in Wichita, Kansas, and derive estimates of productivity losses due to CFS. RESULTS: We estimated a 37% decline in household productivity and a 54% reduction in labor force productivity among people with CFS. The annual total value of lost productivity in the United States was $9.1 billion, which represents about$20,000 per person with CFS or approximately one-half of the household and labor force productivity of the average person with this syndrome. CONCLUSION: Lost productivity due to CFS was substantial both on an individual basis and relative to national estimates for other major illnesses. CFS resulted in a national productivity loss comparable to such losses from diseases of the digestive, immune and nervous systems, and from skin disorders. The extent of the burden indicates that continued research to determine the cause and potential therapies for CFS could provide substantial benefit both for individual patients and for the nation

p120-Catenin Mediates Inflammatory Responses in the Skin

SummaryAlthough p120-catenin regulates adherens junction (AJ) stability in cultured cells, genetic studies in lower eukaryotes have not revealed a role for this protein in vivo. Using conditional targeting in mice, we show that p120 null neonatal epidermis exhibits reduced intercellular AJ components but no overt disruption in barrier function or intercellular adhesion. As the mice age, however, they display epidermal hyperplasia and chronic inflammation, typified by hair degeneration and loss of body fat. Using skin engraftments and anti-inflammatory drugs, we show that these features are not attributable to reductions in junctional cadherins and catenins, but rather NFkB activation. Both in vivo and in vitro, p120 null epidermal cells activate nuclear NFkB, triggering a cascade of proinflammatory NFkB targets. Although the underlying mechanism is likely complex, we show that p120 affects NFkB activation and immune homeostasis in part through regulation of Rho GTPases. These findings provide important new insights into p120 function

Collaborative Assessment and Survey Administration: A MISO Survey Case Study

The Managing Information Services Outcomes (MISO) Survey was originally developed in 2005 at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, USA by staff from a consortium of higher education institutions to assess library and technology services using a single instrument. Since then, the survey has grown and changed under the collaborative management of an all-volunteer team of library and IT professionals from various participating institutions throughout the United States. The survey has been implemented at 171 institutions. This chapter reviews the guiding principles, ongoing partnerships, and the value of working across departments, across campuses, and across cohorts of participating institutions to leverage local expertise, reduce costs, and create a culture of collaboration and assessment. In an environment where libraries are increasingly dependent on information technology, assessing library services in the context of IT brings layered intelligence to data-informed decision making. -- Chapter 9, p. 17

Engaging northern rural and Indigenous students : case studies using One Health and principles of educational resilience

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