Recognizing the Value of Teaching Proverbs: Multicultural Origins of Oral and Written Literacy

The purpose of this paper is to explore the use of multicultural proverbs in interdisciplinary and cross-cultural instruction through the language arts, history and social sciences. Educators can use proverbs to engage students in learning, enhance their understanding of other cultures and languages, and promote a globally-sensitive community

Which School- and Community- Characteristics Lead to Charter School Success?

Charter schools have existed in the United States for thirty years, with mixed results. Research has largely focused on charter school failure and an analysis of what led to the demise. This study aimed to understand characteristics predicting charter school success, alongside those predicting failure. Specifically, it focused on a charter school’s first six years to understand how one successfully establishes a strong foundation, with the expectation that early success will lead to long-term success. To understand characteristics predicting charter school success and failure, a review of existing data determined which charter schools were successful. Then, founding school leaders were surveyed to understand foundational priorities, successes, and struggles. Finally, founding school leaders were interviewed, gathering more data about foundational priorities, successes, and struggles. The results showed academic achievement, business management, school culture, and mission and vision predicted success. Academic achievement resulted from prioritizing people. Therefore, future leaders should prioritize people first, as well as understand how to establish a comprehensive school district

Multicultural Literacy in Education: Meeting the Objectives of the Florida Sunshine State Standards

The purpose of this paper is to show how incorporating multicultural literacy in education can meet the Florida Sunshine State Standards to promote a more equitable approach to classroom discourse and a qualitative teacher-facilitated learning environment for students who reflect a multicultural and global community

Should there be an app for that?:An analysis of interactive applications within longform news stories

The most-read story of 2014 on the website of The New York Times was an interactive news application called “How Y’all, Youse and You Guys Talk.” Interactive applications may provide value to the user experience of digital media, but they cost time and money to produce. In this study, we examined five multimedia news packages that include interactive applications as part of the story presentation and asked 18 millennial tablet computer users to evaluate them. Participants said the interactive applications that were most effective in attracting and retaining their interest maintained the flow of the narrative, provided a personalized or playful alternative to the representation of information in other media, and were produced by credible media organizations that designed their apps for use on mobile devices

A multidisciplinary approach reveals an age-dependent expression of a novel bioactive peptide, already involved in neurodegeneration, in the postnatal rat forebrain

The basal forebrain has received much attention due to its involvement in multiple cognitive functions, but little is known about the basic neuronal mechanisms underlying its development, nor those mediating its primary role in Alzheimer’s disease. We have previously suggested that a novel 14-mer peptide, ‘T14’, could play a pivotal role in Alzheimer’s disease, via reactivation of a developmental signaling pathway. In this study, we have characterized T14 in the context of post-natal rat brain development, using a combination of different techniques. Ex-vivo rat brain slices containing the basal forebrain, at different stages of development, were used to investigate large-scale neuronal network activity in real time with voltage-sensitive dye imaging. Subsequent Western blot analysis revealed the expression profile of endogenous T14, its target alpha7 nicotinic receptor and the familiar markers of Alzheimer’s: amyloid beta and phosphorylated Tau. Results indicated maximal neuronal activity at the earliest ages during development, reflected in a concomitant profile of T14 peptide levels and related proteins. In conclusion, these findings show that the peptide, already implicated in neurodegenerative events, has an age-dependent expression, suggesting a possible contribution to the physiological mechanisms underlying brain maturation

Notch Inhibition via GSI Treatment Elevates Protein Synthesis in C2C12 Myotubes

The role of Notch signaling is widely studied in skeletal muscle regeneration but little is known about its influences on muscle protein synthesis (MPS). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether Notch signaling is involved in the regulation of MPS. C2C12 cells were treated with a γ-secretase inhibitor (GSI), to determine the effect of reduced Notch signaling on MPS and anabolic signaling markers. GSI treatment increased myotube hypertrophy by increasing myonuclear accretion (nuclei/myotube: p = 0.01) and myonuclear domain (myotube area per fusing nuclei: p < 0.001) in differentiating C2C12 cells. GSI treatment also elevated myotube hypertrophy in differentiated C2C12s (area/myotube; p = 0.01). In concert, GSI treatment augmented pmTOR Ser2448 (p = 0.01) and protein synthesis (using SUnSET method) in myotubes (p < 0.001). Examining protein expression upstream of mTOR revealed reductions in PTEN (p = 0.04), with subsequent elevations in pAKT Thr308 (p < 0.001) and pAKT Ser473 (p = 0.05). These findings reveal that GSI treatment elevates myotube hypertrophy through both augmentation of fusion and MPS. This study sheds light on the potential multifaceted roles of Notch within skeletal muscle. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that Notch may modulate the PTEN/AKT/mTOR pathway

GSI Treatment Preserves Protein Synthesis in C2C12 Myotubes

It has been demonstrated that inhibiting Notch signaling through γ-secretase inhibitor (GSI) treatment increases myogenesis, AKT/mTOR signaling, and muscle protein synthesis (MPS) in C2C12 myotubes. The purpose of this study was to determine if GSI-mediated effects on myogenesis and MPS are dependent on AKT/mTOR signaling. C2C12 cells were assessed for indices of myotube formation, anabolic signaling, and MPS following GSI treatment in combination with rapamycin and API-1, inhibitors of mTOR and AKT, respectively. GSI treatment increased several indices of myotube fusion and MPS in C2C12 myotubes. GSI-mediated effects on myotube formation and fusion were completely negated by treatment with rapamycin and API-1. Meanwhile, GSI treatment was able to rescue MPS in C2C12 myotubes exposed to rapamycin or rapamycin combined with API-1. Examination of protein expression revealed that GSI treatment was able to rescue pGSK3β Ser9 despite AKT inhibition by API-1. These findings demonstrate that GSI treatment is able to rescue MPS independent of AKT/mTOR signaling, possibly via GSK3β modulation