The Perpetuation of Institutional Racism through Ethnic and Racial Minority Content in the Curriculum of Schools of Social Work

The author asserts that the effect of assimilation of ethnic and racial minority content into the curriculum of schools of social work may perpetuate institutional racism. Social work education as well as the purpose of the profession itself are viewed as basically one of helping people adjust and accommodate to the dominant and racist institutions of our society. Consequently, the author argues, incorporation of ethnic and racial minority, content into curriculum that serves such a function is likely to serve ends to which it was not intended. Five suggested areas of change in the mission of social work education are briefly noted

Cancer as a Chronic Disease

Cancers which were once fatal are increasingly able to be managed as chronic diseases. While most metastatic cancers in adults may not be curable, they often can be controlled for long periods of time with a succession of treatments. In this chapter in Cancer Concepts: A Guidebook for the Non-Oncologist, we will examine those cancers with longer natural histories and those with extended survivals due to therapeutic advances. Finally, several cases will be presented that exemplify this new paradigm of cancer as a chronic disease.https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/cancer_concepts/1028/thumbnail.jp

A Simple, Rapid Method for Extracting Large Plasmid DNA from Bacteria

We are studying the lateral transfer of transmissible antibiotic resistance plasmids among stream bacteria impacted by fecal runoff from poultry and cattle. Such plasmids are typically large (ca. 40 – 100 kb) and occur in low copy numbers in the cell and have therefore typically been difficult to isolate and therefore to study. Traditional protocols, based upon variations of the standard alkaline-lysis method, are long (ca. 1 1/2 to 2 days) and difficult. Commercial kits designed for the isolation of Baterial Artificial Chromosomes (BACs) can be used and are an improvement; however, these are expensive and still require hours of sustained effort. We have adapted a method published by Rondon et al. (1999), originally designed for the isolation of BAC DNA, for the rapid isolation of large plasmid DNA. In this method, lysis and alkaline denaturation steps are combined, incubation steps are vastly reduced, proteins are removed via a simple ammonium acetate/chloroform step, and the DNA precipitated using a plyethylene glycol/NaCl step. No ethanol precipitation is required. If additional purification is required, extracted DNA can be further processed through a Qiagen Plasmid Mini or Midi column (Qiagen Inc., Valencia CA). The method is rapid (under 1 hour), easy, very inexpensive and has been reliably used by undergraduate students to isolate large (up to 200 kb) native plasmids from a variety of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative genera including _Shigella_, _Klebsiella_, _E. coli_, _Pseudomonas_, _Bacills_, _Streptococcus_, _Staphylococcus_, and _Enterococcus_, as well as BACs from _E. coli_. The protocol is simple and reliable enough to be used for the rapid large-scale visualization of native plasmids and we have used it to visualize and isolate DNA from hundreds of multidrug resistance plasmids exogenously captured from stream sediments, soils, and beach sands.&#xa

Social Workers Who Left the Profession: An Exploratory Study

Why professional social workers leave the field of social work for other types of employment has implications for social work practice and education. The study suggests that economic advantage is but one of the factors involved in choosing other employment

International Study Abroad in Engineering/Industrial Technology: Through the Eyes of Students

Faculty and programs in engineering/industrial technology often promote international exchange and study abroad as a desirable component of a university experience— particularly in this increasingly globalized world. But, what do students who have actually had such experiences perceive? How do they view such experiences, before, during and after the event? The following paper evolved from the experiences of four universities collaborating on an EU-FIPSE funded Atlantis project called DETECT that consist of the partnerships of four Engineering/Technology Educational institutions; Hochschule Darmstadt in Germany, Technological University Dublin in Ireland, and Pennsylvania State University & Purdue University from the USA

Data Visualization for Statistical Analysis and Discovery in Container Surface Characterization at the Nano-Scale and Micro-Scale

Visualization is used for stainless steel container wall and lid cross section characterization. Two specific types of containers are examined: 3013 and SAVY. The container wall examined is from a sample of the inner container of a 3013 container. The inner lid cross section examined is from a SAVY container. Laser confocal microscope data and photographic data are used to determine features of the surfaces. The surface features are then characterized by various feature statistics, such as, maximum depth, area, eccentricity, and others. The purpose of this pilot study is to demonstrate the effectiveness of using the methodology to detect potential corrosion events on the inner container surfaces. The features are used to quantify these corrosion events. An automatic image analysis system uses this methodology to classify images for possible further human analysis by flagging possible corrosion events. A manual image analysis methodology is used to determine the amount of MnS on the SAVY container lid cross section. Visualization is an integral component of the analysis methodology

Lipopolysaccharide-enhanced, Toll-like Receptor 4–dependent T Helper Cell Type 2 Responses to Inhaled Antigen

Allergic asthma is an inflammatory lung disease initiated and directed by T helper cells type 2 (Th2). The mechanism involved in generation of Th2 responses to inert inhaled antigens, however, is unknown. Epidemiological evidence suggests that exposure to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or other microbial products can influence the development and severity of asthma. However, the mechanism by which LPS influences asthma pathogenesis remains undefined. Although it is known that signaling through Toll-like receptors (TLR) is required for adaptive T helper cell type 1 (Th1) responses, it is unclear if TLRs are needed for Th2 priming. Here, we report that low level inhaled LPS signaling through TLR4 is necessary to induce Th2 responses to inhaled antigens in a mouse model of allergic sensitization. The mechanism by which LPS signaling results in Th2 sensitization involves the activation of antigen-containing dendritic cells. In contrast to low levels, inhalation of high levels of LPS with antigen results in Th1 responses. These studies suggest that the level of LPS exposure can determine the type of inflammatory response generated and provide a potential mechanistic explanation of epidemiological data on endotoxin exposure and asthma prevalence