New York State Disability and Employment Status Report, 2009.

This Status Report is intended to provide information on disability in New York State, focusing on the working-age population (16-64 years old, except where noted). The report presents: 1) estimates of disability prevalence overall and among various groups; 2) indications of where disparities exist in employment rate, educational attainment, and financial status between people with and without disabilities; and 3) characteristics of New York State which may influence employment outcomes for people with disabilities

Role of goblet cell protein CLCA1 in murine DSS colitis

Background The secreted goblet cell protein CLCA1 (chloride channel regulator, calcium-activated-1) is, in addition to its established role in epithelial chloride conductance regulation, thought to act as a multifunctional signaling protein, including cellular differentiation pathways and induction of mucus production. Specifically, CLCA1 has recently been shown to modulate early immune responses by regulation of cytokines. Here, we analyze the role of CLCA1, which is highly expressed and secreted by colon goblet cells, in the course of murine dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis. Findings We compared Clca1-deficient and wild type mice under unchallenged and DSS-challenged conditions at various time points, including weight loss, colon weight-length- ratio and histological characterization of inflammation and regeneration. Expression levels of relevant cytokines, trefoil factor 3 and E-cadherin were assessed via quantitative PCR and cytometric bead arrays. Lack of CLCA1 was associated with a more than two-fold increased expression of Cxcl-1- and Il-17-mRNA during DSS colitis. However, no differences were found between Clca1-deficient and wild type mice under unchallenged or DSS-challenged conditions in terms of clinical findings, disease progression, colitis outcome, epithelial defects or regeneration. Conclusions CLCA1 is involved in the modulation of cytokine responses in the colon, albeit differently than what had been observed in the lungs. Obviously, the pathways involved depend on the type of challenge, time point or tissue environment

I Can Intern in France! Student Perceptions of Success during Their International Engineering Internship

This article summarizes responses to an exit interview administered to French International Engineering Program (IEP) students at the University of Rhode Island (URI) upon return from their six-month internship in France. The goal is to determine what are the factors students attribute to their success during their engineering internship in France. The exit interview elicits information from students on their perceptions of : 1) their technical skills to do the engineering work required of them, 2) their French language skills in order to work on a day-to-day basis, and 3) their cross-cultural skills in order to bridge cultural differences. The exit interviews show that students felt that the internship in France was a success. They felt they were well prepared technically for the demands of the internship. They were less confident about their language skills. They felt highly prepared to handle cultural differences. Further probing revealed that students also experienced growth in self-confidence and knowledge of business practices. The article’s conclusions make suggestions for future areas of inquiry into students’ criteria for a successful international engineering internship as well as into the differences between study abroad and internship abroad

The Goblet Cell Protein Clca1 (Alias mClca3 or Gob-5) Is Not Required for Intestinal Mucus Synthesis, Structure and Barrier Function in Naive or DSS- Challenged Mice

The secreted, goblet cell-derived protein Clca1 (chloride channel regulator, calcium-activated-1) has been linked to diseases with mucus overproduction, including asthma and cystic fibrosis. In the intestine Clca1 is found in the mucus with an abundance and expression pattern similar to Muc2, the major structural mucus component. We hypothesized that Clca1 is required for the synthesis, structure or barrier function of intestinal mucus and therefore compared wild type and Clca1-deficient mice under naive and at various time points of DSS (dextran sodium sulfate)-challenged conditions. The mucus phenotype in Clca1-deficient compared to wild type mice was systematically characterized by assessment of the mucus protein composition using proteomics, immunofluorescence and expression analysis of selected mucin genes on mRNA level. Mucus barrier integrity was assessed in-vivo by analysis of bacterial penetration into the mucus and translocation into sentinel organs combined analysis of the fecal microbiota and ex-vivo by assessment of mucus penetrability using beads. All of these assays revealed no relevant differences between wild type and Clca1-deficient mice under steady state or DSS-challenged conditions in mouse colon. Clca1 is not required for mucus synthesis, structure and barrier function in the murine colon

The Role of Study Abroad Curricular Interventions in Engineering Students\u27 Intercultural Competence Development

The paper aims to investigate to what degree curricular interventions impact students\u27 global competency development. The interventions examined are those used by program directors to guide students enrolled in a five-year, dual-bachelor degree international engineering program before, during, and after studying and interning abroad. Currently, for ABET accreditation, every engineering program must demonstrate that its graduates possess “the ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences,” and “the ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental and societal contexts.” [1] According to ABET Executive Director Michael Milligan [2], communication skills, especially the ability to effectively communicate across cultures, are essential to achieve success in the modern workplace. Yet little has been done to define what educational measures are appropriate to accomplish this goal. It is also not clear to what extent global competency is the result of personal attributes, prior experiences, or curricular and extracurricular experiences. Building on previous work [3], [4], [5], [6] we will investigate in what way targeted interventions can impact intercultural competency development in engineering students who spent a year abroad studying & interning in Asia, Europe or Latin America using the language of the country in which they were immersed. The results of a longitudinal study [IRB protocol 1819-164] looking at changes in students’ perceived and developmental orientations along the Intercultural Development Continuum (IDC) and measured by Mitchell Hammer’s internationally validated Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) instrument [7] will be reported. In addition to the quantitative data from the above study we will analyze qualitative student reflections from assignments given to them while enrolled in a six-credit course taught by their faculty directors during students’ six-month internship abroad. Those consist of written reports, journal entries and video assignments. Another set of qualitative data is derived from post study abroad focus group reflections. Both will be analyzed using standard content analysis procedures to triangulate the data

Using Byram\u27s Five Savoirs to Measure the Development of Intercultural Competence in the COVID-19 Era during an Engineering Sojourn Abroad

This paper investigates the intercultural learning of students during a sojourn abroad that was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and their resulting return to the U.S. To measure students’ intercultural development and to characterize students’ comments about their experience abroad, the researchers used Michael Byram’s Intercultural Communicative Competence model and its five savoirs. The comments were elicited at four different moments using different elicitation tools. Comments were evaluated by the researchers who determined their applicability to any of Byram’s five savoirs. The results show that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, intercultural learning took place and students made gains in intercultural competence. Furthermore, the results show that the COVID-19 pandemic impacted different aspects of students’ intercultural learning in different ways at different times, and also extended their learning beyond the intercultural. Of Byram’s five savoirs, knowledge remained free of variation due to the pandemic. For the savoir of attitudes of openness and curiosity, in the before-pandemic portion, students focused on staying open to new experiences in the local culture. During the pandemic, students shifted to a more abstract kind of openness toward the future in general. The savoir linked to the skill of discovery and interaction was the most negatively impacted by the pandemic. For the fourth savoir, the skill of interpreting and relating, students’ reflections during the pandemic showed a more nuanced understanding of societal contexts since they noticed contrasts in how their host and home culture handled pandemic management. The fifth savoir, critical cultural analysis, was positively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic, students shared insights that displayed a somewhat superficial appreciation of cultural difference. In contrast, the examples taken from the during-pandemic portion revealed a deeper intercultural understanding, stemming from their ability to decenter from their home culture and to contrast critically societal norms and values in both the host and home cultures

The MoxFo initiative-Mechanisms of action: Biomarkers in multiple sclerosis exercise studies

background: as exercise exerts neurobiological and immunomodulatory effects, it might also act as a disease-modifying intervention in MS. however, a clear mechanistic link between exercise and disease-modifying effects in MS has yet to be established.objective: establish recommendations for future mechanistic exercise studies in MS.Methods: In regular meetings, members of the mechanisms of action group within the MoXFo (Moving eXercise research Forward in MS) initiative evaluated gaps of knowledge and discussed unmet needs in mechanistic MS research.results: we concluded that biomarkers assessed in translational studies in humans and animals are essential to decipher the underlying mechanisms of exercise in MS. consequently, we defined clear definitions of different types of biomarkers examined in MS exercise studies and operationalized their use to align with the research question and optimal testing time points. Furthermore, we provide key considerations to improve the rigor of translational studies and defined minimal reporting criteria for animal studies.conclusion: the resulting recommendations are intended to improve the quality of future mechanistic exercise studies in MS and consequently lead to a better understanding of therapeutic approaches

Evaluation de l’impact de l’utilisation du diammonium phosphate sur la disponibilité du zinc dans un sol rizicole au Mali

L’utilisation des fertilisants chimiques dans l’agriculture s’est fortement accentuée ce dernier temps au Mali. En effet l’apport régulier du diammonium phosphate (DAP) peut influencer la mobilité du zinc, car les phosphates fixent cet élément. L’étude a pour but d’évaluer l’impact de l’utilisation de ce fertilisant phosphaté sur la disponibilité du zinc. Ainsi pour la caractérisation, l’échantillon est analysé par plusieurs méthodes physico-chimiques : la diffraction des rayons X et la microscopie électronique à balayage. Des essais d’absorption ont été réalisés avec cinq pots numérotés (P0, P1, P2, P3, P4) contenant chacun 1 kg d’échantillon auxquels a été ajouté respectivement 0 ; 2 ; 4 ; 8 et 10 g du fertilisant. D’autres essais ont été conduits avec 3 g d’échantillons prélevés dans le pot P4, auxquels ont été appliqué respectivement 150 ppm, 300 ppm, 450 ppm et 600 ppm de zinc. Il ressort de ce travail que la quantité de Zn retenu est proportionnelle à celle du DAP et que la limite (rétention en 21 jours) = 499,9993 ppm > limite (rétention en 15 jours) = 499,9991 ppm > limite (rétention en 7 jours) = 499,9990 ppm > limite (rétention en 1 jour) = 499,9980 ppm. Cette étude a montré que le diammonium phosphate retient le zinc et influence donc sa biodisponibilité.Mots clés : Sol rizicole, Pana au Mali, rétention du zinc, impact de l’utilisation, Diammonium phosphate. English Title: Estimate the impact of phosphate diammonium usage on the availability of zinc in a rice producing soil in Mali The use of chemical fertilizers in agriculture has highly increased this last time in Mali. In fact the regular contribution of DAP can influence the mobility of zinc, because the phosphate fix this element. The object of this study is to estimate the impact of this phosphate fertilizer on the availability of zinc. So for the characterization, the sample is analysed through several physico-chemical methods: the X rays diffraction and the sweeping electronic microscopy. Some absorbing tests have been carried out with five numbered pots (P0, P1, P2, P3, P4) containing each 1 kg of sample to which has been added respectively 0; 2; 4; 8 and 10 g of the fertilizer. Other tests have conducted with 3 g samples removed from the pot P4, to which has been applied respectively 150 ppm, 300 ppm, 450 ppm and 600 ppm of zinc. As a result of the work the quantity of zinc retained is proportional to the one of DAP and the limit (retention in 21 days) = 499.9993 ppm > limit (retention in 15 days) = 499.9991 ppm > limit (retention in 7 days) = 499.9990 ppm > limit (retention in 1 day) = 499.9980 ppm. This study has shown that the phosphate diammonium retains the zinc and influences in this case its bioavailability.Keywords: Rice producing soil, Pana in Mali, zinc retention, the impact of the usage, phosphate diammonium

Interspecies diversity of chloride channel regulators, calcium-activated 3 genes

Members of the chloride channel regulators, calcium-activated (CLCA) family, have been implicated in diverse biomedical conditions, including chronic inflammatory airway diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cystic fibrosis, the activation of macrophages, and the growth and metastatic spread of tumor cells. Several observations, however, could not be repeated across species boundaries and increasing evidence suggests that select CLCA genes are particularly prone to dynamic species-specific evolvements. Here, we systematically characterized structural and expressional differences of the CLCA3 gene across mammalian species, revealing a spectrum of gene duplications, e.g., in mice and cows, and of gene silencing via diverse chromosomal modifications in pigs and many primates, including humans. In contrast, expression of a canonical CLCA3 protein from a single functional gene seems to be evolutionarily retained in carnivores, rabbits, guinea pigs, and horses. As an accepted asthma model, we chose the cat to establish the tissue and cellular expression pattern of the CLCA3 protein which was primarily found in mucin-producing cells of the respiratory tract and in stratified epithelia of the esophagus. Our results suggest that, among developmental differences in other CLCA genes, the CLCA3 gene possesses a particularly high dynamic evolutionary diversity with pivotal consequences for humans and other primates that seem to lack a CLCA3 protein. Our data also help to explain previous contradictory results on CLCA3 obtained from different species and warrant caution in extrapolating data from animal models in conditions where CLCA3 may be involved