An analysis of teacher efficacy, resident efficacy, and teacher-student relationships with behaviorally challenged youth in residential treatment settings.

This dissertation contributes to the existing body of research investigating teacher efficacy, collective teacher efficacy, academic efficacy, and teacher-student relationships within residential treatment centers (RTCs) for adolescents. While past RTC research identifies a link between positive resident outcomes and supportive relationships with RTC staff members, no prior studies have investigated this link from the perspective of classroom teachers. Additionally, although specialized trainings strengthen interpersonal relationships between RTC residents and staff members, most are directed toward therapeutic and milieu staff, not teachers. The purpose of this study was threefold: (a) to examine whether teachers\u27 individual and collective perceptions of teaching efficacy improved after a specialized training, (b) to identify whether students\u27 perceptions of student-teacher relationship and academic efficacy improved after teachers received a specialized training, and (c) to examine whether individual and collective teacher efficacy has an association with student academic efficacy and the quality of the teacher-student relationship. One hundred seventy-four (boys N = 81, girls N = 93) adolescents enrolled at two different RTCs participated in this study. Several findings emerged: (a) separate trends in teacher efficacy appeared, teacher efficacy increased among teachers working with girls but decreased among those working with boys, (b) collective teacher efficacy among all teachers decreased after the training, (c) no differences in student academic efficacy occurred over time, (d) no differences in students\u27 perceptions of the student-teacher relationship occurred over time, (e) students whose teachers had lower individual but higher collective efficacy scores had higher student-teacher relationship scores, and (f) student academic efficacy was not related to individual or collective teacher efficacy. This study showed that interactions between teachers and students in R TC settings are complex and multifaceted processes. Many results were inconsistent with prior studies, which have primarily examined students in non-RTC settings. This dissertation further emphasizes the need for continued research with students placed in RTCs. Implications for future research include the design of specialized trainings for RTC teachers, the enhancement of efficacy beliefs among RTC teachers and students, and the impact of gender and attachment traits (among both students and teachers) upon efficacy beliefs and teacher-student relationships

Differential lipid dependence of function of bacterial sodium channel homologues

The lipid bilayer is important for maintaining the integrity of cellular compartments and plays a vital role in maintaining the hydrophobic/charged interactions necessary for structure, conformational flexibility and function. Despite the intimate relationship between ion channels and the membranes in which they are embedded, challenges resulting from the dynamic and complex nature of cellular membranes have limited our ability to address the functional role of these interactions. To directly assess lipid dependence of activity, we examined channel function ofthree purified bacterial sodium channel orthologues (NaChBac, NavMs, and NavSp) by cumulative 22Na+ uptake into proteoliposomes containing a 3:1 ratio of POPE and another glycerophospholipid (POPC, POPG, POPS, Cardiolipin (CL), POPA, or PI). We observed a unique lipid dependence for each homologue tested. Common to each was a low level of activity above background (uptake into protein free liposomes) when the second lipid was a zwitterionic lipid such as POPE and POPC. Maximal activity for full-length NaChBac and NavMs proteins was observed in POPE + POPG liposomes. On the other hand, full-length NavSp channels possessed a different lipid dependence, with maximal activity in liposomes containing POPE + PI. No strong lipid dependence was observed for pore-only constructs of NavMs or NavSp, that lacked the S1-S4 segments, suggesting that the lipid dependence of sodium channels may arise from their abilities to affect the voltage-sensing domains. The effect may be maximized by specific lipid-protein interactions that are uniquely favourable in each homologue, giving rise to differing lipid dependences

Sit-to-Stand Symmetry

Asymmetric sit-to-stand (STS) and static standing mechanics may be related to fall risk and function after hip fracture. Even in those individuals who achieve an independent status in rising from STS, asymmetric movement strategies are frequently adopted. Previous research has revealed that the asymmetry is not fully explained by strength deficits alone. Stroke literature suggests that STS asymmetry is a function of perceptual deficits, such as sense of effort, however, this concept has not yet been explored following a hip fracture

The Mechanism of Flexible Controlling as an Innovative Method in Management of Corporate Structures

У статті представлений принцип дії механізму гнучкого контролінгу як інноваційного методу управління корпоративними структурами. Розглянуто принципи застосування даного методу як інструменту ефективного управління корпоративними структурами, що дозволяють забезпечити різноманітність і гнучкість процесів управління для досягнення поставлених цілей. Розглянуто особливості контролінгу в управлінні корпоративними структурами в умовах нестабільного економічного середовища. Подано концепцію механізму контролінгу в управлінні корпоративними структурами, яка дозволяє забезпечити необхідну різноманітність процесів управління для досягнення динамічного комплексу цілей. Розглянуто особливості функціонування корпоративних структур у нестабільному ринковому оточенні. На прикладі механізму гнучкого контролінгу як способу адаптації до реалій сформованої нестабільності в економіці України представлена його здатність оперативно і тонко спрямовувати управління корпоративними структурами для прийняття правильних рішень та погодження роботи всіх підсистем підприємства.В статье представлен принцип действия механизма гибкого контроллинга как инновационного метода управления корпоративными структурами. Рассмотрены принципы применения данного метода как инструмента эффективного управления корпоративными структурами, позволяющие обеспечить разнообразие и гибкость процессов управления для достижения поставленных целей. Рассмотрены особенности контроллинга в управлении корпоративными структурами в условиях нестабильной экономической среды. Представлена концепция механизма контроллинга в управлении корпоративными структурами, которая позволяет обеспечить необходимое разнообразие процессов управления для достижения динамического комплекса целей. Рассмотрены особенности функционирования корпоративных структур в нестабильном рыночном окружении. На примере механизма гибкого контроллинга как способа адаптации к реалиям сложившейся нестабильности в экономике Украины представлена его способность оперативно и тонко направлять управление корпоративными структурами для принятия правильных решений и согласования работы всех подсистем предприятия.This article presents the principle of the mechanism controlling the flexible as an innovative method of managing corporate structures. The principles of this method as a tool for the effective management of corporate structures, allowing for variety and flexibility of management processes to achieve their goals. Features of controlling in management of corporate structures in the conditions of the unstable economic environment are considered. The concept of the mechanism of controlling in management of corporate structures which allows to provide a necessary variety of management processes for achievement of a dynamic complex of the purposes is presented. Features of functioning of corporate structures in an unstable market environment are considered. On the example of controlling a flexible mechanism as a way of adapting to the realities of the current instability in the economy of Ukraine, represented by its ability to quickly and subtly direct the management of the corporate structure to make the right decisions and coordination of all sub-systems of the enterprise

Human cytomegalovirus protein pUL36: A dual cell death pathway inhibitor.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is an important human pathogen and a paradigm of intrinsic, innate, and adaptive viral immune evasion. Here, we employed multiplexed tandem mass tag-based proteomics to characterize host proteins targeted for degradation late during HCMV infection. This approach revealed that mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL), a key terminal mediator of cellular necroptosis, was rapidly and persistently degraded by the minimally passaged HCMV strain Merlin but not the extensively passaged strain AD169. The strain Merlin viral inhibitor of apoptosis pUL36 was necessary and sufficient both to degrade MLKL and to inhibit necroptosis. Furthermore, mutation of pUL36 Cys131 abrogated MLKL degradation and restored necroptosis. As the same residue is also required for pUL36-mediated inhibition of apoptosis by preventing proteolytic activation of procaspase-8, we define pUL36 as a multifunctional inhibitor of both apoptotic and necroptotic cell death

Interaction of Cryptococcus neoformans Rim101 and Protein Kinase A Regulates Capsule

Cryptococcus neoformans is a prevalent human fungal pathogen that must survive within various tissues in order to establish a human infection. We have identified the C. neoformans Rim101 transcription factor, a highly conserved pH-response regulator in many fungal species. The rim101Δ mutant strain displays growth defects similar to other fungal species in the presence of alkaline pH, increased salt concentrations, and iron limitation. However, the rim101Δ strain is also characterized by a striking defect in capsule, an important virulence-associated phenotype. This capsular defect is likely due to alterations in polysaccharide attachment to the cell surface, not in polysaccharide biosynthesis. In contrast to many other C. neoformans capsule-defective strains, the rim101Δ mutant is hypervirulent in animal models of cryptococcosis. Whereas Rim101 activation in other fungal species occurs through the conserved Rim pathway, we demonstrate that C. neoformans Rim101 is also activated by the cAMP/PKA pathway. We report here that C. neoformans uses PKA and the Rim pathway to regulate the localization, activation, and processing of the Rim101 transcription factor. We also demonstrate specific host-relevant activating conditions for Rim101 cleavage, showing that C. neoformans has co-opted conserved signaling pathways to respond to the specific niche within the infected host. These results establish a novel mechanism for Rim101 activation and the integration of two conserved signaling cascades in response to host environmental conditions

Analysis of the giant genomes of Fritillaria (Liliaceae) indicates that a lack of DNA removal characterizes extreme expansions in genome size.

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Plants exhibit an extraordinary range of genome sizes, varying by > 2000-fold between the smallest and largest recorded values. In the absence of polyploidy, changes in the amount of repetitive DNA (transposable elements and tandem repeats) are primarily responsible for genome size differences between species. However, there is ongoing debate regarding the relative importance of amplification of repetitive DNA versus its deletion in governing genome size. Using data from 454 sequencing, we analysed the most repetitive fraction of some of the largest known genomes for diploid plant species, from members of Fritillaria. We revealed that genomic expansion has not resulted from the recent massive amplification of just a handful of repeat families, as shown in species with smaller genomes. Instead, the bulk of these immense genomes is composed of highly heterogeneous, relatively low-abundance repeat-derived DNA, supporting a scenario where amplified repeats continually accumulate due to infrequent DNA removal. Our results indicate that a lack of deletion and low turnover of repetitive DNA are major contributors to the evolution of extremely large genomes and show that their size cannot simply be accounted for by the activity of a small number of high-abundance repeat families.Thiswork was supported by the Natural Environment ResearchCouncil (grant no. NE/G017 24/1), the Czech Science Fou nda-tion (grant no. P501/12/G090), the AVCR (grant no.RVO:60077344) and a Beatriu de Pinos postdoctoral fellowshipto J.P. (grant no. 2011-A-00292; Catalan Government-E.U. 7thF.P.)