A Framework and Curriculum for Teachers of Adult English Language Literacy Learners: Incorporating Essential Skills and Intervention Plans for ALL/LESLLA Learners

Adult ESL literacy teachers are often perplexed when instructing pre-, non and semi-literate adult ESL learners due to their L1 literacy level, age, and possibly traumatic experiences. Research shows that classroom instruction and assessment should be carefully planned and strategically implemented because of the underlying financial and social ties connecting literacy to Essential Skills (ESs) and socio-economic status. Using Response to Intervention (RtI) approach, this capstone: (1) adapts the components of a literacy framework to guide adult ESL literacy instruction and introduces intervention assessment tools to support students who deviate from the literacy level profile of ability; (2) provides an employment-focused curriculum to pave the way to successful literacy development using materials related to job search, interview skills, starting work and working well with others to improve adult ESL literacy learners’ literacy acquisition and to raise their awareness of Canadian workplace expectations

Investigating the Allosteric Behavior of Malate Dehydrogenase from Escherichia coli

Regulatory mechanisms of malate dehydrogenase from E.coli (eMDH) involving NADH as an allosteric effector were investigated. The reaction was studied in both directions: malate oxidation and oxaloacetate reduction. When malate was the variable substrate, a plot of rate against substrate concentration was sigmoidal in the presence of 0.065 mM NADH, which indicates the presence of an allosteric site for NADH on the enzyme. Binding of NADH at the allosteric site causes conformational changes in the active site and, thereby, changes the catalytic activity of the enzyme. An increase in Km value, from 1.3 to 3.9 mM malate was observed, which indicates a decrease in the enzyme affinity for the substrate. When eMDH was chemically modified with 5\u27-p-flurosulfonyl-benzoyladenosine (FSBA) in the presence of 0.15 mM NADH as a protecting agent, the allosteric behavior was abolished, which suggests that FSBA is modifying specific amino acid residues in the allosteric site and, therefore, preventing NADH from binding. eMDH was inactivated by FSBA in the absence of NADH. The inactivation appears to result from covalent modification of His 177 in the active site, which is believed to be crucial for the catalytic mechanism of eMDH

Investigating the Allosteric Behavior of Malate Dehydrogenase from Escherichia coli

Regulatory mechanisms of malate dehydrogenase from E.coli (eMDH) involving NADH as an allosteric effector were investigated. The reaction was studied in both directions: malate oxidation and oxaloacetate reduction. When malate was the variable substrate, a plot of rate against substrate concentration was sigmoidal in the presence of 0.065 mM NADH, which indicates the presence of an allosteric site for NADH on the enzyme. Binding of NADH at the allosteric site causes conformational changes in the active site and, thereby, changes the catalytic activity of the enzyme. An increase in Km value, from 1.3 to 3.9 mM malate was observed, which indicates a decrease in the enzyme affinity for the substrate. When eMDH was chemically modified with 5\u27-p-flurosulfonyl-benzoyladenosine (FSBA) in the presence of 0.15 mM NADH as a protecting agent, the allosteric behavior was abolished, which suggests that FSBA is modifying specific amino acid residues in the allosteric site and, therefore, preventing NADH from binding. eMDH was inactivated by FSBA in the absence of NADH. The inactivation appears to result from covalent modification of His 177 in the active site, which is believed to be crucial for the catalytic mechanism of eMDH

Directed evolution of phosphotriesterase for detoxification of the nerve agent VX

Phosphotriesterase (PTE) isolated from the soil bacterium Flavobacterium sp. is a member of the amidohydrolase superfamily. PTE catalyzes the hydrolysis of a broad spectrum of organophosphate triesters including the insecticide paraoxon, and the chemical warfare agents; GF, sarin, and soman. In addition, PTE has been shown to catalytically hydrolyze the lethal nerve agent, VX. However, the rate of VX hydrolysis is significantly slower. PTE was subjected to directed evolution studies to identify variants with enhanced activity towards VX hydrolysis. First generation libraries targeted amino acid residues in the substrate binding site. The H254A mutation displayed a 4-fold enhancement in kcat and a 2-fold enhancement in kcat/Km over wild type PTE. The double mutant H254Q/H257F was isolated from the second generation libraries and displayed a 10-fold enhancement in kcat and a 3-fold enhancement in kcat/Km. In addition, H254Q/H257F displayed a 9-fold enhancement in kcat/Km for the hydrolysis of the VX analog, demeton-S. An in vivo selection approach utilizing organophosphate triesters as the sole phosphorus source is discussed. The selection is based on co-expressing PTE with the phosphodiesterase (GpdQ) from E. aerogenes. Substrate specificity of GpdQ was investigated using a small library of structurally diverse organophosphate diesters and phosphonate monoesters. Results obtained from the in vivo growth assays showed that GpdQ enabled E. coli to utilize various organophosphate diesters and phosphonate monoesters as the sole phosphorus source. Cells co-expressing PTE and GpdQ were tested for their ability to utilize two different organophosphate triesters as the sole phosphorus source. The results from this experiment indicate that the growth rate is limited by the phosphotriesterase activity. Protein translocation to the periplasm was proven advantageous for in vivo selection since it overcomes the limitation of intercellular delivery of the substrate of interest. Translocation of PTE to the periplasmic space of E. coli was examined. Two signal peptides were tested; the native leader peptide from Flavobacterium sp. and the signal sequence of alkaline phosphatase. The results obtained from cellular fractionation indicated that neither signal peptides were able to translocate PTE to the periplasm and that the protein remained in the cytoplasm

Analyzing Islamic Education Textbook Questions In Secondary Schools In Iraq

Matlamat kajian ini adalah untuk menganalisis soalan-soalan dalam buku teks Pendidikan Islam pada tiga peringkat (gred 1,2,3) di sekolah-sekolah menengah di Iraq mengikut domain kognitif taksonomi Bloom dan untuk memberi cadangan bagi membina dan menambahbaik soalan-soalan dalam ketiga-tiga buku teks tersebut. The study aimed to analyze questions in Islamic education textbooks in the three grades (grade 1,2,3) of secondary schools in Iraq according to Bloom’s taxonomy cognitive domain and to provide recommendations to develop and improve the questions in these three textbooks

Stabilized reverse transcriptase fusion proteins

Stabilized reverse transcriptase fusion proteins including a thermostable reverse transcriptase connected to a stabilizer protein are described. Attaching the stabilizer protein to the thermostable reverse transcriptase stabilizes the fusion protein and can aid in its purification, provide increased solubility, allow for longer storage, or allow the fusion protein to be used under more rigorous conditions such as higher temperature. The stabilized reverse transcriptase fusion protein can also include a linker between the stabilizer protein and the thermostable reverse temperature. The stabilized reverse transcriptase fusion proteins are suitable for use in nucleic acid amplification methods such as the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and other applications involving cDNA synthesis.Board of Regents, University of Texas Syste

The Magnitude of the Child Maltreatment Problem in Alexandria: Governorate Documentation

Child maltreatment (CM) is not always documented or reported, and as such, estimates of the prevalence of violence against children are inaccurate while true rates remain unknown. Researchers have established that physicians have unsatisfactory knowledge, attitudes, and report of CM. The purpose of the present research is to assess the magnitude of CM within the Alexandria Governorate and to formulate a simple graphical guideline for physicians to follow in CM cases. A list was adopted from World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines to record known and suspected CM cases to assess the magnitude of the problem within the governorate and how CM cases are being managed; the checklist was then modified according to the available data. Three hundred ninety-six children had been exposed to different forms of CM in 2019 according to official documentation, mostly boys. In most cases, danger had been confirmed, and a single person was the most common perpetrator. Investigations were conducted in most of the cases, and most of the child victims received psychological support. In terms of prognosis, the child’s circumstances improved in most cases. Our research revealed that child neglect was the most common form of CM reported in Alexandria, with more boys being exposed than girls. A familiar person was the alleged perpetrator in most of the studied cases, mainly a parent. Cases were managed through multidisciplinary approaches, with the coordination of many agencies and continuous follow-up for most victims

Predicting the composition of red wine blends using an array of Multicomponent peptide-based sensors

Differential sensing using synthetic receptors as mimics of the mammalian senses of taste and smell is a powerful approach for the analysis of complex mixtures. Herein, we report on the effectiveness of a cross-reactive, supramolecular, peptide-based sensing array in differentiating and predicting the composition of red wine blends. Fifteen blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, in addition to the mono varietals, were used in this investigation. Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) showed a clear differentiation of blends based on tannin concentration and composition where certain mono varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon seemed to contribute less to the overall characteristics of the blend. Partial Least Squares (PLS) Regression and cross validation were used to build a predictive model for the responses of the receptors to eleven binary blends and the three mono varietals. The optimized model was later used to predict the percentage of each mono varietal in an independent test set composted of four tri-blends with a 15% average error. A partial least square regression model using the mouth-feel and taste descriptive sensory attributes of the wine blends revealed a strong correlation of the receptors to perceived astringency, which is indicative of selective binding to polyphenols in wine

Four years after the implementation of antimicrobial stewardship program in Jordan: evaluation of program’s core elements

ObjectivesTo combat antimicrobial resistance, the World Health Organization (WHO) urged healthcare organizations in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) to implement the core elements of the antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs. In response, Jordan took action and developed a national antimicrobial resistance action plan (NAP) in 2017 and commenced the AMS program in all healthcare facilities. It is paramount to evaluate the efforts to implement the AMS programs and understand the challenges of implementing a sustainable and effective program, in Low-Middle Income Country (LMIC) contexts. Therefore, the aim of this study was to appraise the compliance of public hospitals in Jordan to the WHO core elements of effective AMS programs after 4 years of commencement.MethodsA cross-sectional study in public hospitals in Jordan, using the WHO AMS program core elements for LMICs was carried out. The questionnaire comprised 30 questions that covered the program’s six core elements: leadership commitment, accountability and responsibility, AMS actions, education and training, monitoring, and evaluation, and reporting and feedback. A five-point Likert scale was employed for each question.ResultsA total of 27 public hospitals participated, with a response rate of 84.4%. Adherence to core elements ranged from (53%) in the leadership commitment domain to (72%) for AMS procedure application (actions). Based on the mean score, there was no significant difference between hospitals according to location, size, and specialty. The most neglected core elements that emerged as top priority areas were the provision of financial support, collaboration, access, as well as monitoring and evaluation.ConclusionThe current results revealed significant shortcomings in the AMS program in public hospitals despite 4 years of implementation and policy support. Most of the core elements of the AMS program were below average, which requires hospital leadership commitment, and multifaceted collaborative actions from the concerned stakeholders in Jordan

DIVERSITY OF BACILLUS GENOTYPES IN SOIL SAMPLES FROM EL-OMAYED BIOSPHERE RESERVE IN EGYPT

Sequencing of the 16S rDNA hypervariant region was applied to determine the presence and composition of Bacillus species in 40 soil samples randomly collected from different habitats in El-Omayed biosphere reserve, Egypt. Although purified cultures showed 18 different phenotypes that were morphologically distinct on a sporulation medium plate, only 4 different nucleotide sequences designated Seq A, B, C and D were revealed. Computational analysis of DNA sequence data suggested that 17 of these isolates are closely related members of the Bacillus cereus/thuringiensis group (Seq B, C and D) and one isolate is belonging to the Bacillus subtilis group (Seq A). Further phenotypic investigations confirmed the diversity of the 17 novel Bacillus cereus/thuringiensis isolates and indicated that the new Bacillus subtilis group isolate is a Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain. A simple phenotypic discrimination key that can be applied for distinguishing between such closely related Bacillus cereus/thuringiensis members is presented