Student engagement in English 101 at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between student engagement and teaching techniques in English 101 courses at the University of Tennessee - Knoxville. Specifically, the main goals of this study were to determine which techniques are most related to engagement, and whether students and instructors consider the same techniques to be beneficial. Student and instructor surveys were collected from approximately 215 students and nine teachers. Student responses to multiple choice questions have revealed that student engagement is most closely associated with variables related to course organization, feedback and assessment, active learning techniques, and institutional involvement. Additionally, students and instructors mostly agree about the effectiveness of student engagement techniques, with the exception of detailed feedback, which students rate more highly, and use of computer communication, which instructors rate more highly. Furthermore, short answer responses show students and instructors concur that active learning methods and selection of interesting paper topics are techniques currently used to engage students. Students and instructors agree that use of active learning techniques will increase in the future, and instructors also report that they will incorporate more technology in the course. Significantly, the results also demonstrated that many students consider themselves engaged in English 101. Implications for composition pedagogy are provided as well as suggestions for future research

Climate Policy Constraints: Yet Another Negative Reverberation of Russia's War in Ukraine?

Prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Russian government was taking modest but meaningful steps to develop its domestic climate policy, prompted in part by incentives and pressures from the international market. Since then, however, Russia's war in Ukraine has heightened obstacles to addressing climate change: it has reinforced the importance of fossil fuel exports, further stifled climate activism at home, and increased impediments to international cooperation. The war’s longer-term impact on decarbonization remains uncertain

Phenotypic change and induction of cytokeratin expression during in vitro culture of corneal stromal cells

Purpose: Cells of the corneal epithelium and stroma can be distinguished in vivo by different intermediate filaments, cytokeratins for corneal epithelial cells (CEC) and vimentin for keratocytes. Isolated and cultured keratocytes change phenotype, losing expression of keratocyte markers and gaining markers associated with mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC). This study investigates this change in phenotype in relation to intermediate filament expression in cultured corneal stromal cells (CSC) compared to CEC. Methods: Expression of epithelial markers (CK3, CK12, CK19, pan cytokeratin, E-cadherin), keratocyte markers (CD34, vimentin) and MSC markers (CD73, CD90 and CD105) were compared in CEC and CSC by immunocytochemistry and RT-qPCR. Expression was evaluated at different stages of CSC culture and compared to another stromal cell type, extracted from Wharton’s jelly (WJ-MSC). Results: In vivo keratocytes did not express cytokeratins. However, cultured CSC expressed epithelial-associated CK3, CK12 and CK19 but other cytokeratins. Expression of cytokeratins increased as CSC were passaged and decreased as CSC were induced to become quiescent. Comparatively, WJ-MSC, expressed lower levels of CK3, CK12 and CK19, but also stained for pan cytokeratin and expressed KRT5. Conclusions: Cultured CSC undergo phenotypic change during culture, expressing specific cytokeratin filaments normally associated with CEC. Cytokeratin expression begins as cells are cultured on plastic and increases with passage. This discovery may influence the way that differences are discerned between cultured CEC and CSC. Investigators need to be aware that the expression of cytokeratins does not necessarily represent epithelial contamination, and that CEC and CSC may be more related than previously recognised

Research as Inquiry: A Discipline Specific Approach to Information Literacy

https://aquila.usm.edu/textbooks/1003/thumbnail.jp

Research as Inquiry: A Discipline Specific Approach to Information Literacy

https://aquila.usm.edu/textbooks/1003/thumbnail.jp

Inter-relationships between light and respiration in the control of ascorbic acid synthesis and accumulation in Arabidopsis thaliana leaves

The effects of growth irradiance and respiration on ascorbic acid (AA) synthesis and accumulation were studied in the leaves of wild-type and transformed Arabidopsis thaliana with modified amounts of the mitochondrial alternative oxidase (AOX) protein. Plants were grown under low (LL; 50 μmol photons m-2 s-1), intermediate (IL; 100 μmol photons m-2 s-1), or high (HL; 250 μmol photons m-2 s-1) light. Increasing growth irradiance progressively elevated leaf AA content and hence the values of dark-induced disappearance of leaf AA, which were 11, 55, and 89 nmol AA lost g-1 fresh weight h-1, from LL-, IL-, and HL-grown leaves, respectively. When HL leaves were supplied with L-galactone-1,4-lactone (L-GalL; the precursor of AA), they accumulated twice as much AA and had double the maximal L-galactone-1,4-lactone dehydrogenase (L-GalLDH) activities of LL leaves. Growth under HL enhanced dehydroascorbate reductase and monodehydroascorbate reductase activities. Leaf respiration rates were highest in the HL leaves, which also had higher amounts of cytochrome c and cytochrome c oxidase (CCO) activities, as well as enhanced capacity of the AOX and CCO electron transport pathways. Leaves of the AOX-overexpressing lines accumulated more AA than wild-type or antisense leaves, particularly at HL. Intact mitochondria from AOX-overexpressing lines had higher AA synthesis capacities than those from the wild-type or antisense lines even though they had similar L-GalLDH activities. AOX antisense lines had more cytochrome c protein than wild-type or AOX-overexpressing lines. It is concluded that regardless of limitations on L-GalL synthesis by regulation of early steps in the AA synthesis pathway, the regulation of L-GalLDH activity via the interaction of light and respiratory controls is a crucial determinant of the overall ability of leaves to produce and accumulate AA.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y MuseoInstituto de Fisiología VegetalFacultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestale

Combination of selenium and green tea improves the efficacy of chemoprevention in a rat colorectal cancer model by modulating genetic and epigenetic biomarkers

Dietary supplementation of selenium and green tea holds promise in cancer prevention. In this study, we evaluated the efficacies of selenium and green tea administered individually and in combination against colorectal cancer in an azoxymethane (AOM)-induced rat colonic carcinogenesis model and determined the underlying mechanisms of the protection. Four-week old Sprague-Dawley male rats were fed with diets containing 0.5% green tea extract, 1ppm selenium as selenium-enriched milk protein, or combination of 1ppm selenium and 0.5% green tea extract. Animals received 2 AOM (15 mg/kg) treatments to induce colonic oncogenesis. Rats were killed 8 or 30 wk later after the last AOM to examine the effect of dietary intervention on aberrant crypt foci (ACF) formation or tumor development. On sacrifice, colons were examined for ACF and tumors, the mRNA levels of SFRP5 and Cyclin D1, and the proteins levels of ß-catenin, COX-2, Ki-67, DNMT1 and acetyl histone H3. The combination of selenium and green tea resulted in a significant additive inhibition of large ACF formation, this effect was greater than either selenium or green tea alone, P,0.01; the combination also had a significant additive inhibition effect on all tumor endpoints, the effect of the combination diet on tumor incidence, multiplicity and size was greater than selenium or green tea alone, P,0.01. Rats fed the combination diet showed marked reduction of DNMT1 expression and induction of histone H3 acetylation, which were accompanied by restoration of SFRP5 mRNA in normal-appearing colonic crypts. The combination diet also significantly reduced ß-catenin nuclear translocation, Cyclin D1 expression and cell proliferation. These data show, for the first time, that combination of selenium and green tea is more effective in suppressing colorectal oncogenesis than either agent alone. The preventive effect is associated with regulation of genetic and epigenetic biomarkers implicated in colonic carcinogenesis

Proteinase-activated receptor 2 modulates OA-related pain, cartilage and bone pathology

Objective Proteinase-activated receptor 2 (PAR2) deficiency protects against cartilage degradation in experimental osteoarthritis (OA). The wider impact of this pathway upon OA-associated pathologies such as osteophyte formation and pain is unknown. Herein, we investigated early temporal bone and cartilage changes in experimental OA in order to further elucidate the role of PAR2 in OA pathogenesis. Methods OA was induced in wild-type (WT) and PAR2-deficient (PAR2−/−) mice by destabilisation of the medial meniscus (DMM). Inflammation, cartilage degradation and bone changes were monitored using histology and microCT. In gene rescue experiments, PAR2−/− mice were intra-articularly injected with human PAR2 (hPAR2)-expressing adenovirus. Dynamic weight bearing was used as a surrogate of OA-related pain. Results Osteophytes formed within 7 days post-DMM in WT mice but osteosclerosis was only evident from 14 days post induction. Importantly, PAR2 was expressed in the proliferative/hypertrophic chondrocytes present within osteophytes. In PAR2−/− mice, osteophytes developed significantly less frequently but, when present, were smaller and of greater density; no osteosclerosis was observed in these mice up to day 28. The pattern of weight bearing was altered in PAR2−/− mice, suggesting reduced pain perception. The expression of hPAR2 in PAR2−/− mice recapitulated osteophyte formation and cartilage damage similar to that observed in WT mice. However, osteosclerosis was absent, consistent with lack of hPAR2 expression in subchondral bone. Conclusions This study clearly demonstrates PAR2 plays a critical role, via chondrocytes, in osteophyte development and subchondral bone changes, which occur prior to PAR2-mediated cartilage damage. The latter likely occurs independently of OA-related bone changes

Scale Up Isolation of Aaptamine for In Vivo Evaluation Indicates Its Neurobiological Activity is Linked to the Delta Opioid Receptor

Opioid receptors belong to the large superfamily of seven transmembrane-spanning (7TM) G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). As a class, GPCRs are of fundamental physiological importance mediating the actions of the majority of known neurotransmitters and hormones. The Mu, Delta, and Kappa (MOP, DOP, KOP) opioid receptors are particularly intriguing members of this receptor family as they are the targets involved in many neurobiological diseases such as addiction, pain, stress, anxiety, and depression. Recently we discovered that the aaptamine class of marine sponge derived natural products exhibit selective agonist activity in vitro for the DOP versus MOP receptor. Our findings may explain reports by others that aaptamine demonstrates in vivo anti-depressant effects in mouse models using the Porsolt Forced Swim Test. This project involved the extraction of the sponge Aaptos aaptos (a source of 1), establishing a scale up purification procedure to provide sufficient amounts of 1 (30 mg) for a follow up in vivo evaluation and ultimately confirmation of the structure of 1 using LC-MS and 1H NMR. The results our purification scheme, chemical analysis and in vivo evaluation of 1 using the Marble burying test in rodents are reported here in and suggest that the in vivo anti-depressant effects of 1 are linked directly to its agonist effects on the DOP receptor.https://scholar.dominican.edu/ug-student-posters/1008/thumbnail.jp