Private, Professional, Public: An Investigation of Teacher Identity Development

This dissertation utilizes qualitative research methodology within a queer theoretical framework to investigate the process by which five in-service teachers integrate their private and professional identities to create public identities. Data collection methods included individual interviews, field observations, and artifact analysis. Data analysis focused on the school gender regimes that prescribe the teachers\u27 professional lives; the impact of those gender regimes on the teachers\u27 private identity development, professional identity development, curriculum, pedagogy, and professional relationships; and the identity management strategies each participant utilized in order to integrate his/her respective identities. In addition, data analysis revealed the relative extent to which each teacher had managed to integrate his/her identities to a degree that he/she deemed satisfactory. Various factors that contributed to identity integration resulted in three degrees of integration: each participant utilized hermetic boundaries between his/her private and professional identities, semi-permeable boundaries, or permeable boundaries. Each participant\u27s position along this spectrum of integration is fluid and mutable. Based on these analyses, the findings included the following: (1) School gender regimes affect all participants but present greater challenges for teachers who identify as LGBTQ; (2) All participants, regardless of sexual orientation, utilize identity management strategies to separate or integrate aspects of their private and professional lives; (3) A participant\u27s accumulated years of professional experience and sense of self-confidence exert a greater influence than his/her sexual orientation on his/her degree of identity integration; (4) LGBTQ participants are more likely to develop and cultivate subcultures or communities within the school environment in order to provide themselves and their students with a sense of support and inclusion. ^ The findings of this study suggest the following implications for practice: (1) Queer literacy and queer issues should be integrated into all post-secondary teacher education programs; (2) Teacher educators should be trained in the best practices for educating preservice teachers in queer literacy and queer inclusion; (3) Educators at all levels need to create supportive, compassionate, and inclusive school environments where all teachers and students can express their sexual orientations in professionally appropriate ways without fear of repercussions

Gels under stress: the origins of delayed collapse

Attractive colloidal particles can form a disordered elastic solid or gel when quenched into a two-phase region, if the volume fraction is sufficiently large. When the interactions are comparable to thermal energies the stress-bearing network within the gel restructures over time as individual particle bonds break and reform. Typically, under gravity such weak gels show a prolonged period of either no or very slow settling, followed by a sudden and rapid collapse - a phenomenon known as delayed collapse. The link between local bond breaking events and the macroscopic process of delayed collapse is not well understood. Here we summarize the main features of delayed collapse and discuss the microscopic processes which cause it. We present a plausible model which connects the kinetics of bond breaking to gel collapse and test the model by exploring the effect of an applied external force on the stability of a gel.Comment: Accepted version: 10 pages, 7 figure

Intestinal barrier tightening by a cell-penetrating antibody to Bin1, a candidate target for immunotherapy of ulcerative colitis.

Patients afflicted with ulcerative colitis (UC) are at increased risk of colorectal cancer. While its causes are not fully understood, UC is associated with defects in colonic epithelial barriers that sustain inflammation of the colon mucosa caused by recruitment of lymphocytes and neutrophils into the lamina propria. Based on genetic evidence that attenuation of the bridging integrator 1 (Bin1) gene can limit UC pathogenicity in animals, we have explored Bin1 targeting as a therapeutic option. Early feasibility studies in the dextran sodium sulfate mouse model of experimental colitis showed that administration of a cell-penetrating Bin1 monoclonal antibody (Bin1 mAb 99D) could prevent lesion formation in the colon mucosa in part by preventing rupture of lymphoid follicles. In vivo administration of Bin1 mAb altered tight junction protein expression and cecal barrier function. Strikingly, electrophysiology studies in organ cultures showed that Bin1 mAb could elevate resistance and lowe

Educating Pharmacy Students to Improve Quality (EPIQ) in Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy

Objective. To assess course instructors’ and students’ perceptions of the Educating Pharmacy Students and Pharmacists to Improve Quality (EPIQ) curriculum. Methods. Seven colleges and schools of pharmacy that were using the EPIQ program in their curricula agreed to participate in the study. Five of the 7 collected student retrospective pre- and post-intervention questionnaires. Changes in students’ perceptions were evaluated to assess their relationships with demographics and course variables. Instructors who implemented the EPIQ program at each of the 7 colleges and schools were also asked to complete a questionnaire. Results. Scores on all questionnaire items indicated improvement in students’ perceived knowledge of quality improvement. The university the students attended, completion of a class project, and length of coverage of material were significantly related to improvement in the students’ scores. Instructors at all colleges and schools felt the EPIQ curriculum was a strong program that fulfilled the criteria for quality improvement and medication error reduction education. Conclusion. The EPIQ program is a viable, turnkey option for colleges and schools of pharmacy to use in teaching students about quality improvement

Fungal colonization of styroblock containers Plum Creek Nursery, Pablo, Montana

An evaluation of the efficacy of steam treatment on reducing levels of Fusarium, Cylindrocarpon, and Trichoderma within styroblock containers was conducted at the Plum Creek Nursery in Pablo, Montana. Although levels, of both Fusarium and Cylindrocarpon were significantly reduced by cleaning, relatively high populations of both these fungi persisted after cleaning. Fusarium propagules were mostly concentrated at the bottom of styroblock cells as were those of Cylindrocarpon. Levels of Cylindrocarpon were much higher than either Fusarium or Trichoderma. Trichoderma levels were not significantly affected by the cleaning treatment. Seedling height was not correlated with extent of styroblock cell colonization by either Fusarium or Cylindrocarpon. Abundance of pathogenic strains of Fusarium or Cylindrocarpon within the styroblock containers is unknown

Burkholderia gladioli: Five year experience in a cystic fibrosis and lung transplantation center

Background: The impact of infection with Burkholderia gladioli in cystic fibrosis, other chronic airway diseases and immunosuppressed patients is unknown. Methods: A six-year retrospective review of all patients with B. gladioli infection was performed in a tertiary referral center with cystic fibrosis and lung transplantation programs. In addition, a targeted survey of all 251 lung transplant recipients was performed. Available B. gladioli isolates were analyzed via pulsed field gel electrophoresis. Results: Thirty-five patients were culture positive for B. gladioli, including 33 CF patients. No bacteremia was identified. Isolates were available in 18 patients and all were genetically distinct. Two-thirds of these isolates were susceptible to usual anti-pseudomonal antibiotics. After acquisition, only 40% of CF patients were chronically infected (≥2 positive cultures separated by at least 6 months). Chronic infection was associated with resistance to ≥2 antibiotic groups on initial culture and failure of eradication after antibiotic therapy. The impact of acquisition of B. gladioli infection in chronic infection was variable. Three CF patients with chronic infection underwent lung transplantation. One post-transplant patient developed a B. gladioli mediastinal abscess, which was treated successfully. Conclusions: The majority of patients' culture positive for B. gladioli at our center have CF. B. gladioli infection is often transient and is compatible with satisfactory post-lung transplantation outcomes

Burkholderia gladioli: Five year experience in a cystic fibrosis and lung transplantation center

Background: The impact of infection with Burkholderia gladioli in cystic fibrosis, other chronic airway diseases and immunosuppressed patients is unknown. Methods: A six-year retrospective review of all patients with B. gladioli infection was performed in a tertiary referral center with cystic fibrosis and lung transplantation programs. In addition, a targeted survey of all 251 lung transplant recipients was performed. Available B. gladioli isolates were analyzed via pulsed field gel electrophoresis. Results: Thirty-five patients were culture positive for B. gladioli, including 33 CF patients. No bacteremia was identified. Isolates were available in 18 patients and all were genetically distinct. Two-thirds of these isolates were susceptible to usual anti-pseudomonal antibiotics. After acquisition, only 40% of CF patients were chronically infected (≥2 positive cultures separated by at least 6 months). Chronic infection was associated with resistance to ≥2 antibiotic groups on initial culture and failure of eradication after antibiotic therapy. The impact of acquisition of B. gladioli infection in chronic infection was variable. Three CF patients with chronic infection underwent lung transplantation. One post-transplant patient developed a B. gladioli mediastinal abscess, which was treated successfully. Conclusions: The majority of patients' culture positive for B. gladioli at our center have CF. B. gladioli infection is often transient and is compatible with satisfactory post-lung transplantation outcomes

Circulating microRNAs miR-331 and miR-195 differentiate local luminal a from metastatic breast cancer

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer related death in women, with metastasis the principle cause of mortality. New non-invasive prognostic markers are needed for the early detection of metastasis, facilitating treatment decision optimisation. MicroRNA (miRNA) are small, non-coding RNAs regulating gene expression and involved in many cellular processes, including metastasis. As biomarkers, circulating miRNAs (in blood) hold great promise for informing diagnosis or monitoring treatment responses. METHODS: Plasma extracted RNA from age matched local Luminal A (n = 4) or metastatic disease (n = 4) were profiled using Next Generation Sequencing. Selected differentially expressed miRNA were validated on a whole blood extracted miRNA cohort [distant metastatic disease (n = 22), local disease (n = 31), healthy controls (n = 21)]. Area Under the Curve (AUC) in Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analyses was performed. RESULTS: Of 4 miRNA targets tested (miR-181a, miR-329, miR-331, miR-195), mir-331 was significantly over-expressed in patients with metastatic disease, compared to patients with local disease (p \u3c 0.001) or healthy controls (p \u3c 0.001). miR-195 was significantly under-expressed in patients with metastatic disease, compared to patients with local disease (p \u3c 0.001) or healthy controls (p = 0.043). In combination, miR-331 and miR-195 produced an AUC of 0.902, distinguishing metastatic from local breast cancer. CONCLUSIONS: We identified and validated two circulating miRNAs differentiating local Luminal A breast cancers from metastatic breast cancers. Further investigation will reveal the molecular role of these miRNAs in metastasis, and determine if they are subtype specific. This work demonstrates the ability of circulating miRNA to identify metastatic disease, and potentially inform diagnosis or treatment effectiveness