INTRODUCTION OF CANDIDATES AND PUBLIC PERCEPTION - HOW NEWS MEDIA’S INTRODUCTION OF CANDIDATES MAY AFFECT PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF THE CANDIDATE

This study examines the introduction of candidates in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election by examining 1,666 online articles in 3 cable news and 3 online newspapers covering the day before their announcement, the day of announcement, and the day following the announcement. The amount of coverage and tone of the articles was examined to determine the effects of agenda setting, media polarization, and first impressions. Results found variation in the amount of coverage given to candidates; online newspapers generally gave more coverage than online cable news; media polarization occurred slightly in favorable coverage of candidates but all candidates received more favorable than unfavorable articles; and there was no direct connection between media coverage and the candidate’s position in the polls after the first week. Overall, the first impressions of a candidate at their time of announcing candidacy had little effect on the eventual outcome of the 2016 election

Teacher, School, and Student Characteristics, Theoretical Orientations Toward Reading, Attitudes Toward High Stakes Testing, and Reading Performance in Grades K-6

High stakes testing and accountability has become a hotly debated topic among politicians and educators since the bipartisan passing of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act in 2002. With the goal of having all students reading at or above grade level by the end of the 2013-2014 school year Reading First was developed as part of NCLB, to provide schools and teachers with scientific research-based reading instruction. More than districts or schools, it is the classroom teacher that bears the ultimate responsibility for increasing reading performance. Effective teachers of reading must face the demands and challenges of NCLB while meeting the individual needs of the students in the classroom. A theoretical framework for reading methodologies is presented that reflects phonics/skills, whole language, and balanced literacy methods, as well as the characteristics of effective reading teachers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship among teacher, student, and school characteristics, theoretical orientation to reading, attitudes toward high stakes testing, and reading performance of K-6 students. The study examines teacher perspectives of theoretical beliefs about reading instruction and teacher beliefs about high stakes testing. In this study, an exploratory (comparative) and explanatory (correlational) online survey was conducted with one specific descriptive purpose, five exploratory purposes and two explanatory purposes. A simple random sample of 10,000 K-6 public school teachers were invited to participate in the study resulting in a final data producing sample of 102 (1.02% response rate). Data analysis involved descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, independent t tests, Chi Squares tests, and hierarchical multiple regression analysis. Exploratory factor analysis resulted in modification of two reliable and valid scales: The modified 18 -Item Theoretical Orientation to Reading Scale and subscales and the modified 36 - Item Attitudes Toward High Stakes Testing Scale and subscales. In this study, (skills and phonics), student characteristic (ese), and school characteristic (urban) explained 19.6% to 24.8% of the variance in attitudes toward high stakes testing. In this study, 70.4% to 81.0% of the variance in reading performance was explained by school characteristics (school grade, Title I, non-high stakes testing, Reading First), attitudes toward high stakes testing (school climate, impact on mode of instruction, impact on content, and pressure on teachers), student characteristics (non-Hispanic, Hispanic, American Indian race, black race, and white race), and teacher demographics (non-ESOL certification and non-reading certification). There are fewer white students, a greater number of Hispanic, LEPJESOL, and ESE student, and lower reading performance in Title I schools. Teachers\u27 theoretical beliefs in an age of accountability need to be examined to see if teachers have become apathetic about reading instruction or if they have strong philosophical beliefs which impact reading achievement, as effective teachers of reading are flexible in meeting the needs of all of their students. Additional variables to incorporate into the present model and test in additional studies to further explain reading performance include student motivation, ability, parent involvement, tutoring, and teacher professional development. Some implications are that teachers at Title I schools have had the content of their instruction impacted as a result of state mandated testing and teachers are feeling pressure associated with high stakes testing which is having a negative impact on school climate. Teachers need to be highly trained, skilled, and flexible in their approach at delivering reading instruction to meet the diverse needs of all of their students, especially in urban school settings. Reading First schools in this study did not score as high as non-Reading First schools on reading performance. Teachers in Reading First schools favored a more phonics approach to reading instruction. Schools with more Black/African American students that were Title I and Reading First had a higher incidence of not making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). Teachers at schools not making AYP had more negative feelings toward high stakes testing. The instruction at Reading First schools needs to be examined to ensure it is meeting the needs of diverse students and to guarantee its effectiveness in helping schools make AYP. The sanctions being imposed on schools not meeting AYP should be examined for their effectiveness in creating a positive work environment where teachers and students can thrive. This study found that there were more ESOL students in schools involved in high stakes testing and yet there were fewer teachers in schools involved in high stakes testing with their ESOL certification/endorsement. Teachers with reading certification/endorsement had a whole language orientation toward reading while teachers without had a more phonics orientation toward reading. Teachers without ESOL certification/endorsement favored a whole language orientation toward reading while teachers with ESOL certification/endorsement experienced more pressure associated with state mandated assessments. The content of reading certification/endorsement and ESOL certification/endorsement subject area tests needs to be evaluated. This study also found that teachers with ESE students had negative attitudes toward state mandated testing and found the state test was of little value. Teachers of ESE students indicated greater pressure for their students to achieve on state mandated assessments. Teachers need to learn more strategies to use to ensure the academic success of ESE students and the differing types of ESE student disabilities should be taken into account when setting standards for the passing of state mandated tests. Finally, student race was found to impact pressure on teachers, school climate, impact on content, and impact on mode of instruction. Procedures for ensuring that teachers have the proper qualifications for meeting the diversity needs of their students need to be investigated. Students of diversity should be given more high quality tutoring, aftercare, and preschool opportunities for additional instruction support

The Application of Stress-Strain Analysis in Routine Control

Many of the empirical strength tests used for determining end use performance of a paper sheet do not give a true indication of actual sheet properties and performance. The empirical tests of burst, tear, and folding endurance were made on eighteen paper samples of different grades of papers. The fundamental tests of tensile strength, elongation, and tensile energy absorption were also made on the same samples using a stress-strain tester. The fundamental tests were used in showing deficiencies and discrepancies in the empirical test values. The discrepancies found indicated a need for increased fundamental testing to be use in predicting the end use performance of a paper sheet in routine control work. Elongation was found to be an important fundamental property showing little significance in the empirical tests. Fundamental properties explained the reasons for one sheet being better than another sheet, but the empirical tests could not. Stress-strain testing used in conjunction with a computer could determine other fundamental properties of the sheet. Stress-strain testing appeared to be an improved approach in predicting end use performance. The fundamental properties obtained from stress-strain testing could be used to make sheet improvements based on sound scientific reasoning

INTRODUCTION OF CANDIDATES AND PUBLIC PERCEPTION - HOW NEWS MEDIA’S INTRODUCTION OF CANDIDATES MAY AFFECT PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF THE CANDIDATE

This study examines the introduction of candidates in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election by examining 1,666 online articles in 3 cable news and 3 online newspapers covering the day before their announcement, the day of announcement, and the day following the announcement. The amount of coverage and tone of the articles was examined to determine the effects of agenda setting, media polarization, and first impressions. Results found variation in the amount of coverage given to candidates; online newspapers generally gave more coverage than online cable news; media polarization occurred slightly in favorable coverage of candidates but all candidates received more favorable than unfavorable articles; and there was no direct connection between media coverage and the candidate’s position in the polls after the first week. Overall, the first impressions of a candidate at their time of announcing candidacy had little effect on the eventual outcome of the 2016 election

Ligand binding and transmembranal signaling of the activating natural killer cell receptor NKp30

Natural killer cells (NK cells) are effector lymphocytes of the innate immune system, which are able to recognize and eliminate virus-infected and malignantly transformed cells. Therefore, they play an important role for the containment of pathophysiological processes. An understanding of the molecular mechanisms that lead to NK cell activation is crucial to enhance the effectivity of NK cell-based anti-cancer therapies. Effector functions are regulated by a variety of germline-encoded activating and inhibitory receptors on the surface of the NK cell. One of the major activating NK cell receptors is NKp30, belonging to the natural cytotoxicity receptors (NCRs). NKp30 is a functional receptor in humans and primates (macaques and chimpanzees) as well as on rat NK cell subsets. In contrast, it is only present as a pseudogene with two premature stop-codons in mouse. The only exception is the mouse strain Mus caroli, where two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) eliminate the premature stop-codons. The evolutionary reasons for the development of the murine NKp30 pseudogene are currently unknown. For signaling, NKp30 associates with immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif (ITAM)-containing adaptor proteins like CD3ζ or FcεRIγ. Until now, the mechanism how ligand binding at the ectodomain of NKp30 is communicated to the adaptor protein CD3ζ is still unknown. Therefore, the molecular details of receptor activation as well as the role of the murine NKp30 pseudogene were analyzed in this thesis. Formerly, it was shown that the stalk domain of NKp30, a 15 amino acid sequence stretch between the immunoglobulin (Ig) domain and the transmembrane domain, is important for ligand binding and signaling. Therefore, in this thesis, mutated NKp30 variants were produced as full length receptors in A5-GFP reporter cells or NKp30::hIgG1-Fc (NKp30-Fc) fusion proteins in HEK 293T/17 cells and subsequently analyzed in binding studies (surface plasmon resonance, SPR) and signaling reporter assays. Surprisingly, analysis of NKp30/NKp46 tandem mutants showed that despite the existence of a conserved sequence motif in the membrane-proximal region, the stalk domains of NKp30 and NKp46 are not exchangeable without drastic deficiencies in folding, plasma membrane targeting and/or ligand-induced receptor signaling. Additionally, it was shown that the stalk domain of NKp30 is very sensitive to sequence alterations, as alanine substitution of any of the stalk amino acids led to impaired ligand binding and/or signaling capacity. Mutation of the arginine on amino acid position 143 to alanine (R143A) had the most drastic effect. Based on further mutational studies, N-glycosylation mapping and plasma membrane targeting studies, the existence of two interconvertible types of NKp30/CD3ζ complexes can be hypothesized: (1) a signaling incompetent structural NKp30/CD3ζ complex and (2) a ligand-induced signaling competent NKp30/CD3ζ complex. Furthermore, it can be proposed, that ligand binding at the Ig-fold of NKp30 triggers translocation of amino acid R143 of the stalk domain from the interface between membrane and extracellular region more deeply into the lipid bilayer to enable alignment with oppositely charged aspartate residues within CD3ζ and activation of CD3ζ signaling. Although several cellular and pathogen-derived NKp30 ligands have been identified in the last years, there is evidence for the existence of further, yet unknown cellular ligands. This assumption is based on former studies that showed binding of NKp30-Fc fusion proteins to tumor cell lines that do not express the cellular NKp30 ligands B7-H6 and BAG-6 on their surface. Therefore, in the present thesis, a screening method was established, based on transduction of ligand-bearing cell lines with a genome-wide shRNA library. After shRNA knockdown of putative ligands, cells were decorated with NKp30-Fc fusion proteins and sorted for reduced NKp30 ligand expression (fluorescence activated cell sorting, FACS). shRNA sequences were amplified from genomic DNA of the cells by PCR and subsequently analyzed via deep sequencing. The same screening method was additionally implemented for the identification of ligands of the other two NCRs, NKp44 and NKp46. Interestingly, inspite of the high number of advantages in contrast to conventional screening strategies, the existence of further cellular proteinaceous NCR ligands could not be confirmed with this screening. There are different suggestions about the evolutionary appearance of the NCRs. Divergence from a common ancestor (at least in case of NKp30 and NKp44) might have led to an increase in complexity and fine-tuning of the immune system. Different studies suggest development of the NKp46 gene from a common NCR ancestor or from a common ancestor with the KIR genes. Interestingly, murine NKp46 is a functional protein, while NKp30 is only present as a pseudogene and NKp44 is completely lost in mouse. To shed light on the evolutionary reasons for the development of the murine NKp30 pseudogene, the two premature stop codons in the extracellular domain of the M. musculus NKp30 gene sequence were repaired and the protein was expressed as full length receptor in A5-GFP reporter cells and as soluble mNKp30-Fc fusion protein in HEK 293T/17 cells. Interestingly, the full length receptor as well as the mNKp30-Fc fusion protein were intracellularly retained. Repair of the three N-linked glycosylation sites in the extracellular region of mNKp30 (mNKp30-glyco) led to the secretion of the Fc fusion protein, while the full length receptor stayed intracellularly retained. As shown previously, association with CD3ζ impacts plasma membrane targeting and retention of human NKp30. Therefore, failure of mNKp30 to assemble with CD3ζ might be the reason for intracellular retention of the full length receptor. Furthermore, the mNKp30-glyco-Fc fusion protein showed specific binding to P815 murine mastocytoma cells. This speaks for the existence of a cancer- or mast cell-related mNKp30-glyco ligand. Altogether, these were the first experiments to show expression and functional analysis of a putative mNKp30 on protein level. Based on these data, the present thesis provides deeper insight into the function of the major activating NK cell receptor NKp30. This might contribute to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms that lead to NK cell activation, and this knowledge is crucial to enhance the effectivity of related treatments like anti-cancer and anti-viral therapies

The Long Wait for an Improbable Death: A Look at Delays in Executions in Kansas and Possible Reforms to Capital Punishment

This article uses Kansas as a case study to show how in Kansas, as in many other states in the United States, the execution of a death sentence is so improbable, and the delays that precede it so extraordinary, that any arguable deterrent or retributive effect capital punishment might once have had has been severely diminished. This article considers possible reforms to the capital punishment system aimed at reducing the delay between sentencing and execution, and the risks that would accompany those reforms. This article also considers whether capital punishment should still be considered a viable option for states in this position

A phase I/II trial to evaluate the safety, feasibility and activity of salvage therapy consisting of the mTOR inhibitor Temsirolimus added to standard therapy of Rituximab and DHAP for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large cell B-Cell lymphoma - the STORM trial

Background: The current standard treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large cell B-Cell lymphoma (DLBCL) primarily consists of intensified salvage therapy and, if the disease is chemo-sensitive, high dose therapy followed with autologous stem cell transplantation. In the rituximab era however, this treatment approach has shown only limited benefit. In particular, patients relapsing after rituximab-containing primary treatment have an adverse prognosis, especially if this occurs within the first year after therapy or if the disease is primarily refractory. Therefore there is an ultimate need for improved salvage treatment approaches. Methods/design: The STORM study is a prospective, multicentre phase I/II study to evaluate the safety, feasibility and activity of salvage therapy consisting of the mTOR inhibitor temsirolimus added to the standard therapy rituximab and DHAP for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL. The primary objective of the phase I of the trial is to establish the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of temsirolimus in combination with rituximab and DHAP. The secondary objective is to demonstrate that stem cells can be mobilized during this regimen in patients scheduled to proceed to high dose therapy. In phase II, the previously established maximum tolerated dose of temsirolimus will be used. The primary objective is to evaluate the overall response rate (ORR) in patients with relapsed DLBCL. The secondary objective is to evaluate progression free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and toxicity. The study will be accompanied by an analysis of lymphoma subtypes determined by gene expression analysis (GEP). Discussion: The STORM trial evaluates the safety, feasibility and activity of salvage therapy consisting of the mTOR inhibitor temsirolimus added to standard therapy of rituximab and DHAP for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL. It also might identify predictive markers for this treatment modality

Fluid fibres in true 3D ferroelectric liquids

We demonstrate an exceptional ability of a high-polarisation 3D ferroelectric liquid to form freely-suspended fluid fibres at room temperature. Unlike fluid threads in modulated smectics and columnar phases, where translational order is a prerequisite for forming liquid fibres, recently discovered ferroelectric nematic forms fibres with solely orientational molecular order. Additional stabilisation mechanisms based on the polar nature of the mesophase are required for this. We propose a model for such a mechanism and show that these fibres demonstrate an exceptional non-linear optical response and exhibit electric field-driven instabilities