Evidence-Based Equity in Chemical Education

Using Constructivist Grounded Theory (CGT) and reflexive Thematic Analysis (TA) methods, the purpose of this case study was to construct theory about equity for students studying chemistry at public universities in Colorado. Interviews with students (N=12), chemistry instructors (N=9), and equity practitioners (N=9) as well as observations of chemistry classes (N=42) were collected. Along with these interview transcripts and in-class observations, surveys completed by participants were also included as data. Journal entries of a reflexive or memoing nature were written as part of the data analysis procedures. With these data, I explored potential methods of equitable change in chemistry instruction at public universities in Colorado. Overall, twenty theoretical concepts were constructed using the data to address the research questions. The connections and relationships among these concepts make up the theory of equity in chemistry instruction that was constructed. A theory of equity in the context of chemistry instruction could be the basis for instruments such as an equity observation protocol or surveys to measure equity in chemistry courses

Inducers of epithelial mesenchymal transition and cancer stem cells in malignant pleural effusions

The Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) plays a role not only in tumor metastasis but also in tumor recurrence. This process is believed to be tightly linked to the presence of Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) however, it is still not clear which factors could induce EMT and how it could be a source for CSCs. It has been demonstrated that Malignant Pleural Effusion (MPEs) may represent an excellent source to identify markers and molecular mechanisms involved in EMT and CSCs development. Growth factors, cell differentiation markers and molecular adhesion are involved in some of the crucial neoplastic cell events such as proliferation, metastasis, resistance to chemotherapy and EMT. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of which molecular markers can orchestrate EMT and CSCs in MPEs

Pengaruh Model Pembelajaran Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition Dalam Meningkatkan Kemampuan Menulis Rangkuman Buku Nonfiksi Siswa Kelas XI Sman 1 Tigapanah Tahun Pembelajaran 2012/2013

Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui lebih jelas pengaruh model pembelajaran cooperative integrated reading and composition dan model konvensional dalam meningkatkan kemampuan menulis rangkuman buku nonfiksi. Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah seluruh siswa kelas XI SMAN I Tigapanah dengan jumlah 245 siswa. Sampel dalam penelitian ini berjumlah 64 siswa yang diambil secara homogen dengan random control-group design.Instrumen yang digunakan untuk menjaring data adalah penugasan.Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode eksperimen, tepatnya Quasi eksperime

What information could the main actors of liquid biopsy provide? A representative case of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

In non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), there is a consensus regarding the use of liquid biopsy, generally, to detect "druggable" mutations and, in particular, to monitor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatments. However, whether circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are better tools than cell-free DNA (cfDNA), is still a matter of debate, mainly concerning which antigen(s) we should use to investigating simultaneously both epithelial and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transient (EMT) phenotype in the same sample of CTCs. To address this item, we exploited here a single-tube liquid biopsy, to detect both epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM)-positive CTCs and EpCAM-low/negative CTCs, because down-modulation of EpCAM is considered the first step in EMT. Furthermore, we analyzed the DNA from CTCs of four different phenotypes (ctcDNA), according to their EpCAM expression and cytokeratin pattern, and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) by droplet digital PCR (ddPCR), in order to disclose activating and resistancedriving mutations. Liquid biopsy reflected spatial and temporal heterogeneity of the tumor under treatment pressure. We provide the proof-of-concept that the complementary use of ctDNA and ctcDNA represents a reliable, minimally invasive and dynamic tool for a more comprehensive view of tumor evolution

Sex, Race, and Politics in the U.S.: A Call to Action to Address Racial Justice in Sexuality Education

Sex education is not exempt from the evil of systemic racism and white supremacy woven in American Society. In fact, the mythology of white supremacy is based on an idealized goal of the United States (U.S.) as a white nation state that exerts population controls to maintain power over racial and ethnic minority groups through political, economic, and social dominance.State departments of education, individual school districts, and even sex educators themselves must update their sex education provisions and curricula to ensure comprehensive sex education programs utilize a racial justice lens. This will support young people in developing a shared understanding of how racial stereotypes distort public perceptions of sexuality and impact the lived experiences of POC in America. These steps must be taken in order to create a shared responsibility to resist these stereotypes and the racist behaviors and public policies that perpetuate them.Thus, the purpose of this publication is to offer a rationale and a call to action for creating anti-racist sex education programs that purposefully abandon any "color-blind" approaches to sex education. This resource includes: a timeline of historical experiences of racism; an exploration of the formation of racialized sexual identities and how the sexualization of race was used to suppress and impact marginalized communities including Black, Native American or Indigenous, Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Latinx communities; ways that systemic racism has impacted the classroom and student experiences of sex education; and, finally, examples of how sex educators can incorporate anti-racist lessons into programs in alignment with the National Sex Education Standards (NSES), second edition

BDNF/TrkB axis activation promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Background: Neurotrophins (NT) belongs to a family of growth factors which promotes neurons survival and differentiation. Increasing evidence show that NT and their receptor are expressed in lung tissues suggesting a possible role in lung health and disease. Here we investigated the expression and functional role of the TrkB/BDNF axis in idiopathic pulmonary fibrotic lung (myo)fibroblasts. Methods: Lung fibroblast were isolated from IPF patients and characterized for the expression of mesenchymal markers in comparison to normal lung fibroblasts isolated from non-IPF controls. Results: BDNF treatment promoted mesenchymal differentiation and this effect was counteracted by the TrkB inhibitor K252a. In this regard, we showed that K252a treatment was able to control the expression of transcription factors involved in epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). Accordingly, K252a treatment reduced matrix metalloproteinase-9 enzyme activity and E-cadherin expression while increased cytoplasmic β-catenin expression. Conclusions: Our results suggest that BDNF/TrkB axis plays a role in EMT promoting the acquisition of (myo)fibroblast cell phenotype in IPF. Targeting BDNF/TrkB seems to represent a viable approach in order to prevent EMT dependent lung fibrosis

Il decreto di Antimaco, Aristofane e la Costituzione degli Ateniesi pseudosenofontea

In order to bring Aristophanes to justice after the staging of the Babylonians, Cleon might have appealed to Antimachus’ decree against the “attack by name in comedy” (κωμῳδεῖν ἐξ ὀνόματος). The alleged hint in pseudo-Xenophon’s Athen. Pol. 1.18 to the abrogation of this decree may bear witness to the case’s historical reality

Primary Cardiac Angiosarcoma in a Young Woman

A 30-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with severe shortness of breath. A transthoracic echocardiogram showed moderate pericardial effusion with a lesion in the right atrium, confirmed by chest CT scan and cardiac RMN. Pleural and middle lobe involvement occurred within one month. Middle lobe biopsy was performed and pathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of metastatic angiosarcoma. After two months, because of recurrent pleural effusions, chemical pleurodesis was performed. Chemotherapy was started but the patient died four months after the diagnosis. This case highlights the misdiagnosis at initial clinical presentation, available diagnostic approaches and therapeutic options for cardiac angiosarcoma

A Cloud-based System to Protect Against Industrial Multi-risk Events☆

Abstract Industrial areas frequently present a high concentration of production operations which are source of anthropic risks. For this reason Smart Public Safety is receiving an increasing attention from industry, research and authorities. Moreover, due the consequences of global warming, these areas could be subject to risk events with increased probability with respect to the past. Information technologies enable an innovative approach towards safety management, which relies on the evolution of tools for environmental monitoring and citizens' interaction. This work presents the preliminary results of the Italian research project SIGMA - sensor Integrated System in cloud environment for the Advanced Multi-risk Management. The proposed system includes a continuous monitoring of the different information sources, thus reducing human control as much as possible. At the same time, the communication system manages multiple data flows in a flexible way, adapting itself to different working scenarios, enabling smarter applications. SIGMA intends to acquire, integrate and compute heterogeneous data, coming from various sensor networks in order to provide useful insights for the monitoring, forecasting and management of risk situations through services provided to citizens and businesses, both public and private. Based on the integration of different interoperating components, the system is able to provide a complete emergency management framework through simulations/optimizations and heterogeneous data manipulation tools. The prototype solution is detailed by a use case application in an industrial area located in the region of Sicily, Italy. In particular, web based modular applications connected through SIGMA allow the monitoring of the industrial environment through data gathering from different sensor networks, such as outdoor sensors mounted in the surroundings of large industrial areas, and support of the design of the logistics network aimed at covering the industrial risks