Madrassa Education in Pakistan: Assisting the Taliban’s Resurgence

The education received in madrassas located in Pakistan is contributing to the Taliban’s resurgence in Afghanistan

Lupus Nephritis: A Synopsis of Pathophysiology and Implications for Advanced Nursing Practice

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) can be described as a chronic, complex, autoimmune disorder (McCance & Huether, 2014). Disproportionately affecting women, and those of Afro-Cuban, Hispanic, Asian, and American Indian descent, SLE has a prevalence of 2.0 to 7.6 cases per 100,000 persons in the United States. Characterized by chaotic autoantibody production, complement alterations, and formation of immune complexes, SLE has the potential to generate devastating damage to multiple organ systems. Formed from the binding of autoantibodies and self-antigens, immune complexes often result in renal damage, a significant complication of the disease. Through careful analysis and synopsis of literature, the writer intends to provide the audience with pathophysiologic concepts defining lupus nephritis (LN). Within ten years of SLE diagnosis, between 50% and 60% of adults diagnosed will go on to develop LN (Richey, 2014). Of those with LN, upwards of 17% will go on to develop end stage renal disease (Bose, Silverman, & Bargman, 2014). The devastating course of this condition prompted the writer’s choice of LN as a topic of interest for the purpose of this project, as she wished to gain valuable knowledge regarding the ailment and implications for advanced nursing practice

Biological Soil Crusts of the Great Plains: A Review

Biological soil crusts (BSCs), or biocrusts, are composed of fungi, bacteria, algae, and bryophytes (mosses, etc.) that occupy bare soil, entwining soil particles with filaments or rootlike structures and/or gluing them together with polysaccharide exudates to form a consolidated surface crust that stabilizes the soil against erosion. BSCs are common in arid and semiarid regions where vascular plant cover is naturally sparse, maximizing the exposure of surface-dwelling organisms to direct sunlight. Although less prominent and less studied there, BSC organisms are also present in more mesic areas such as the Great Plains where they can be found in shortgrass and mixed-grass prairie, in the badlands of several states, where burrowing animals have created patches of bare soil, on damaged road-cuts, strip-mines, gas and oil drill pads, military training areas, heavily grazed areas, and burn scars. Even where BSCs are not readily visible to the naked eye, many of the organisms are still present. BSC organisms are passively dispersed to the Great Plains as airborne organismal fragments, asexual diaspores, or sexual spores that accompany wind-blown dust from as far away as northern China and Mongolia. BSCs can best be studied and managed by 1) acknowledging their presence; 2) documenting their diversity, abundance, and functional roles; and 3) minimizing unnecessary disturbance, particularly when the soils are dry. This paper describes the current knowledge of Great Plains BSCs in an effort to heighten awareness of these cryptic but crucial ecosystem components and to encourage new research initiatives to better understand and manage them in this biome. Some specific actions may include refined taxonomic and ecologic studies of BSC organisms in underexplored areas, particularly those previously less or not recognized as BSC habitat, and incorporation of techniques to sample airborne organisms

Carbon Sequestration Capacities of Different Land Cover Types and Climate Change

Human-caused climate change creates a positive feedback loop that emits more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere instead of being sequestered in the Earth or its oceans. A major contributor to this feedback loop is deforestation in order to use land for agriculture and livestock. This study aims to investigate differences in carbon sequestration capabilities of forests, pastures, and cropland through soil and tree sampling in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The main hypothesis of this study is that forested land will be the most effective at carbon sequestration. The loss on ignition method (LOI) was used to determine the percent organic material in the soil for each land type. The soil in the forest sequestered the most CO2 per unit area at 0.012 tons/m2, followed by the pasture at 0.010 tons/m2, and finally the cropland at 0.009 tons/m2. When including the trees in the total carbon sequestered per unit area the carbon sequestered per unit area was 0.109 tons/m2 with average carbon sequestered per tree being 43644.4 pounds (21.8 tons). These results have implications for land management practices being used to mitigate climate change, as the different land covers sequestered significantly different amounts of CO2

Utility of FMS to Understand Injury Incidence in Sports: Current Perspectives

The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) is a popular movement screen used by rehabilitation, as well as strength and conditioning, professionals. The FMS, like other movement screens, identifies movement dysfunction in those at risk of, but not currently experiencing, signs or symptoms of a musculoskeletal injury. Seven movement patterns comprise the FMS, which was designed to screen fundamental movement requiring a balance between stability and mobility. The 7 movement patterns are summed to a composite FMS score. For an instrument to have wide applicability and acceptability, there must be high levels of reliability, validity, and accuracy. The FMS is certainly a reliable tool, and can be consistently scored within and between raters. Although the FMS has high face and content validity, the criterion validity (discriminant and convergent) is low. Additionally, the FMS does not appear to be studying a single construct, challenging the use of the summed composite FMS score. The accuracy of the FMS in screening for injury is also suspect, with low sensitivity in almost all studies, although specificity is higher. Finally, within the FMS literature, the concepts of prediction and association are conflated, combined with flawed cohort studies, leading to questions about the efficacy of the FMS to screen for injury. Future research on the use of the FMS, either the composite score or the individual movement patterns, to screen for injury or injury risk in adequately powered, well-designed studies are required to determine if the FMS is appropriate for use as a movement screen

Study of the effects of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids: Molecular mechanisms involved in intestinal inflammation

The use of “omics” techniques in combination with model systems and molecular tools allows to understand how foods and food components act on metabolic pathways to regulate transcriptional processes. Polyunsaturated fatty acids have distinctive nutritional and metabolic effects because they give rise to lipid mediated products and affect the expression of various genes involved in intestinal inflammation. The present review focuses on the molecular effects of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids on intestinal inflammatio

Understanding the Effects of Lactose Hydrolysis Modeling on the Main Oligosaccharides in Goat Milk Whey Permeate.

Enzymatic hydrolysis of lactose is a crucial step to improve the efficiency and selectivity of membrane-based separations toward the recovery of milk oligosaccharides free from simple sugars. Response surface methodology was used to investigate the effects temperature (25.9 to 54.1 °C) and amount of enzyme (0.17 to 0.32% w/w) at 1, 2, and 4 h of reaction on the efficiency of lactose hydrolysis by Aspergillus oryzae β-galactosidase, preservation of major goat whey oligosaccharides, and on the de-novo formation of oligosaccharides. Lactose hydrolysis above 99% was achieved at 1, 2, and 4 h, not being significantly affected by temperature and amount of enzyme within the tested conditions. Formation of 4 Hexose (Hex) and 4 Hex 1 Hex and an increased de-novo formation of 2 Hex 1 N-Acetyl-Neuraminic Acid (NeuAc) and 2 Hex 1 N-Glycolylneuraminic acid (NeuGc) was observed in all treatments. Overall, processing conditions using temperatures ≤40 °C and enzyme concentration ≤0.25% resulted in higher preservation/formation of goat whey oligosaccharides

Investigating the potential impact of 1.5, 2 and 3 °C global warming levels on crop suitability and planting season over West Africa

West African rainfed agriculture is highly vulnerable to climate variability and change. Global warming is projected to result in higher regional warming and have a strong impact on agriculture. This study specifically examines the impact of global warming levels (GWLs) of 1.5°, 2° and 3 °C relative to 1971–2000 on crop suitability over West Africa. We used 10 Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase5 Global Climate Models (CMIP5 GCMs) downscaled by Coordinated Regional Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX) Rossby Centre’s regional Atmospheric model version 4, RCA4, to drive Ecocrop, a crop suitability model, for pearl millet, cassava, groundnut, cowpea, maize and plantain. The results show Ecocrop simulated crop suitability spatial representation with higher suitability, observed to the south of latitude 14°N and lower suitability to its north for 1971–2000 for all crops except for plantain (12°N). The model also simulates the best three planting months within the growing season from September-August over the past climate. Projected changes in crop suitability under the three GWLs 1.5–3.0 °C suggest a spatial suitability expansion for legume and cereal crops, notably in the central southern Sahel zone; root and tuber and plantain in the central Guinea-Savanna zone. In contrast, projected decreases in the crop suitability index value are predicted to the south of 14°N for cereals, root and tuber crops; nevertheless, the areas remain suitable for the crops. A delay of between 1-3 months is projected over the region during the planting month under the three GWLs for legumes, pearl millet and plantain. A two month delay in planting is projected in the south, notably over the Guinea and central Savanna zone with earlier planting of about three months in the Savanna-Sahel zones. The effect of GWL2.0 and GWL3.0 warming in comparison to GWL1.5 °C are more dramatic on cereals and root and tuber crops, especially cassava. All the projected changes in simulated crop suitability in response to climatic variables are statistically significant at 99% confidence level. There is also an increasing trend in the projected crop suitability change across the three warming except for cowpea. This study has implications for improving the resilience of crop production to climate changes, and more broadly, to food security in West Africa

Digital Immigrant Teachers and Their Implementation of Technology

As educators now welcome students who have spent their lives immersed in technology, far removed from the passive learners of the past, a shift has had to occur in order to meet these students’ needs and learning styles. However, many educators who are teaching these students have not spent their lives immersed in technology and must master technology in order effectively teach these students. This qualitative study examined teachers who were born before 1980, Digital Immigrants, who have effectively integrated technology into their instruction of students born after 1980, Digital Natives. Participants were culled from two public school systems through an on-line survey, where participants self-ranked a LoTi level. Participants took part in three in-depth interviews, a classroom observation, and submitted lesson plans for review. The study revealed several participants attitudes had shifted to recognize the crucial role technology plays in their teaching throughout their teaching career, while others had a positive attitude toward technology from the start of their career. The challenges faced by participants were relatively similar in that students themselves posed challenges, along with time and access to technology. Implications of the research suggest it is realistic for Digital Immigrant teachers to effectively implement technology into their teaching of Digital Native students. As technology continues to advance at lightning speed, the knowledge gap between educators and students will remain and it is crucial educators continue to work to bridge the gap, in order to effectively address students’ learning styles and needs. Keywords: Teachers, Technology, Digital Immigrant, Digital Native, Public School, Technology UseChapter I. Introduction 1 -- Introduction 1 -- Statement of the Problem 9 -- Purpose of the Study 10 -- Research Questions 11 -- Conceptual Framework 12 -- Definition of Terms 14 -- Procedures 15 -- Significance of the Study 17 -- Author’s Disclosure 20 -- Limitations of the Study 20 -- Organization of the Study 22 -- Chapter II. Review Of Literature 24 -- The Evolution of Education and Federal Reform in America 24 -- Barriers to Technology Implementation 50 -- Digital Immigrants and Digital Natives 61 -- Implications of Digital Natives 73 -- Chapter III. Methodology 77 -- Research Design 77 -- Setting 79 -- Participants 80 -- Data Collection Procedures 80 -- Selection Criteria 80 -- Selection Procedures 81 -- Data Collection Procedures 83 -- In-Depth Interviews 84 -- Direct Observation 88 -- Field Notes 89 -- Document Review 90 -- Journaling/Memoing 91 -- Instrumentation 91 -- LoTi “Sniff” Test 91 -- In-Depth Interviews 94 -- Observations and Observation Guides 95 -- Data Analysis 96 -- Validity and Credibility 98 -- Limitations 99 -- Ethical Considerations 101 -- Chapter IV. FINDINGS 103 -- Overview of Participants 104 -- Research Questions Addressed 110 -- Summary 145 -- Chapter V. Conclusion 148 -- Discussion 148 -- Interpretation of Findings 151 -- Digital Immigrants’ Attitude Toward Technology 151 -- Digital Immigrants’ Change in Technology Use 152 -- Challenges Faced by Digital Immigrants 153 -- Implications 156 -- Recommendations for Future Research 157 -- Summary and Conclusion 158 -- References 160 -- Appendix A Valdosta State University Qualtrics Survey 175 -- Appendix B Consent to Participate 179 -- Appendix C Interview #1 Guiding Questions 184 -- Appendix D Interview #2 Guiding Questions 187 -- Appendix E Interview #3 Guiding Questions 189 -- Appendix F Interview Reflection Sheet 191 -- Appendix G LoTi "Sniff" Test 193 -- Appendix H Valdosta State IRB 196 -- Appendix I Interview Reflection Sheet 198 -- Appendix J Observation Guide 200Kim, DaesangDowney, StevenBochenko, Michael J.Marciano, Deborah L.Ed.D.Education in Curriculum and Instructio

Genomic and proteomic profiling of responses to toxic metals in human lung cells.

Examining global effects of toxic metals on gene expression can be useful for elucidating patterns of biological response, discovering underlying mechanisms of toxicity, and identifying candidate metal-specific genetic markers of exposure and response. Using a 1,200 gene nylon array, we examined changes in gene expression following low-dose, acute exposures of cadmium, chromium, arsenic, nickel, or mitomycin C (MMC) in BEAS-2B human bronchial epithelial cells. Total RNA was isolated from cells exposed to 3 M Cd(II) (as cadmium chloride), 10 M Cr(VI) (as sodium dichromate), 3 g/cm2 Ni(II) (as nickel subsulfide), 5 M or 50 M As(III) (as sodium arsenite), or 1 M MMC for 4 hr. Expression changes were verified at the protein level for several genes. Only a small subset of genes was differentially expressed in response to each agent: Cd, Cr, Ni, As (5 M), As (50 M), and MMC each differentially altered the expression of 25, 44, 31, 110, 65, and 16 individual genes, respectively. Few genes were commonly expressed among the various treatments. Only one gene was altered in response to all four metals (hsp90), and no gene overlapped among all five treatments. We also compared low-dose (5 M, noncytotoxic) and high-dose (50 M, cytotoxic) arsenic treatments, which surprisingly, affected expression of almost completely nonoverlapping subsets of genes, suggesting a threshold switch from a survival-based biological response at low doses to a death response at high doses