Development, Implementation and Evaluation of a Peer Review of Teaching (PRoT) Initiative in Nursing Education

For many years, an area of research in higher education has been emerging around the development and implementation of fair and effective peer evaluation programs. Recently, a new body of knowledge has developed regarding the development and implementation of fair and effective peer evaluation programs resulting in formative and summative evaluations. The purpose of this article is to describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of a peer review of teaching (PRoT) program for nursing faculty, initiated at one small comprehensive university in the northeastern United States. Pairs of nursing faculty evaluated each other’s teaching, syllabi, and course materials after collaborating in a pre-evaluation conference to discuss goals of the classroom visit. Qualitative data gathered in post project focus groups revealed that faculty found their modified PRoT process to be a mutually beneficial experience that was more useful, flexible and collegial, and less stressful than their previous evaluation process

Development, Implementation and Evaluation of a Peer Review of Teaching (PRoT) Initiative in Nursing Education

For many years, an area of research in higher education has been emerging around the development and implementation of fair and effective peer evaluation programs. Recently, a new body of knowledge has developed regarding the development and implementation of fair and effective peer evaluation programs resulting in formative and summative evaluations. The purpose of this article is to describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of a peer review of teaching (PRoT) program for nursing faculty, initiated at one small comprehensive university in the northeastern United States. Pairs of nursing faculty evaluated each other’s teaching, syllabi, and course materials after collaborating in a pre-evaluation conference to discuss goals of the classroom visit. Qualitative data gathered in post project focus groups revealed that faculty found their modified PRoT process to be a mutually beneficial experience that was more useful, flexible and collegial, and less stressful than their previous evaluation process

Profiling Thiol Metabolites and Quantification of Cellular Glutathione Using FT-ICR-MS Spectrometry

We describe preparation and use of the quaternary ammonium-based α-iodoacetamide QDE and its isotopologue *QDE as reagents for chemoselective derivatization of cellular thiols. Direct addition of the reagents to live cells followed by adduct extraction into n-butanol and analysis by FT-ICR-MS provided a registry of matched isotope peaks from which molecular formulae of thiol metabolites were derived. Acidification to pH 4 during cell lysis and adduct formation further improves the chemoselectivity for thiol derivatization. Examination of A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells using this approach revealed cysteine, cysteinylglycine, glutathione, and homocysteine as principal thiol metabolites as well as the sulfinic acid hypotaurine. The method is also readily applied to quantify the thiol metabolites, as demonstrated here by the quantification of both glutathione and glutathione disulfide in A549 cells at concentrations of 34.4 ± 11.5 and 10.1 ± 4.0 nmol/mg protein, respectively

Chemoselective Detection and Discrimination of Carbonyl-Containing Compounds in Metabolite Mixtures by \u3csup\u3e1\u3c/sup\u3eH-Detected \u3csup\u3e15\u3c/sup\u3eN Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

NMR spectra of mixtures of metabolites extracted from cells or tissues are extremely complex, reflecting the large number of compounds that are present over a wide range of concentrations. Although multidimensional NMR can greatly improve resolution as well as improve reliability of compound assignments, lower abundance metabolites often remain hidden. We have developed a carbonyl-selective aminooxy probe that specifically reacts with free keto and aldehyde functions, but not carboxylates. By incorporating 15N in the aminooxy functional group, 15N-edited NMR was used to select exclusively those metabolites that contain a free carbonyl function while all other metabolites are rejected. Here, we demonstrate that the chemical shifts of the aminooxy adducts of ketones and aldehydes are very different, which can be used to discriminate between aldoses and ketoses, for example. Utilizing the 2-bond or 3-bond 15N-1H couplings, the 15N-edited NMR analysis was optimized first with authentic standards and then applied to an extract of the lung adenocarcinoma cell line A549. More than 30 carbonyl-containing compounds at NMR-detectable levels, six of which we have assigned by reference to our database. As the aminooxy probe contains a permanently charged quaternary ammonium group, the adducts are also optimized for detection by mass spectrometry. Thus, this sample preparation technique provides a better link between the two structural determination tools, thereby paving the way to faster and more reliable identification of both known and unknown metabolites directly in crude biological extracts

Polymerization-dependent activation of porcine γδ T-cells by proanthocyanidins

Plant-derived proanthocyanidins (PAC) have been promoted as a natural method of improving health and immune function in livestock. It has previously been shown that PAC are effective agonists for activating ruminant γδ T-cells in vitro, however effects on other livestock species are not yet clear. Moreover, the fine structural characteristics of the PAC which contribute to this stimulatory effect have not been elucidated. Here, we demonstrate activation of porcine γδ T-cells by PAC via up-regulation of CD25 (IL-2Rα) and show that 1) activation is dependent on degree of polymerization (DP), with PAC fractions containing polymers with mean DP >6 significantly more effective than fractions with mean DP <6, whilst flavan-3-ol monomers (the constituent monomeric units of PAC) did not induce CD25 expression and 2) both procyanidin and prodelphinidin-type PAC are effective agonists. Furthermore, we show that this effect of PAC is restricted to the γδ T-cell population within porcine peripheral mononuclear cells as significant CD25 up-regulation was not observed in non γδ T-cells, and no activation (via CD80/86 up-regulation) was evident in monocytes. Our results show that dietary PAC may contribute to enhancement of innate immunity in swine via activation of γδ T-cells