Visual Communications on the Road in Arkansas: Analysis of Secondary Students Videos

In the summer of 2010, the Visual Communications on the Road in Arkansas: Creative Photo and Video Projects to Promote Agriculture program was initiated. The program consisted of a two-week agricultural communications curriculum that would be taught by agricultural science teachers in Arkansas. The curriculum was composed of lessons about photography, writing, and videography, and the program introduced students to digital photography and videography equipment and the proper uses of equipment. Once the curriculum was taught in secondary schools, a mobile classroom unit—consisting of a travel trailer, photography and videography equipment, and laptop computers equipped with editing software—would visit the school to assist students with the creation of short promotional videos about agriculture. The student-created videos were used as a hands-on extension of the curriculum learned in the classroom. Completed videos were posted to YouTube and then analyzed to assess student application of competencies taught in the curriculum. The researchers created a coding sheet to systematically assess all posted videos and inter- and intrarater reliability was maintained. An analysis of data gathered from the video assessment showed that secondary students were able to effectively apply many of the techniques taught in the curriculum through the agricultural videos created. Additional findings and recommendations for application and future research are presented

Measurement of transient smoke emissions from diesel and biodiesel fuel blends in an agricultural tractor

Transient smoke emissions pose potential hazards to human health and the environment. With the increased popularity of biodiesel, there is a need to determine if these fuels produce different levels of particulate matter in exhaust emissions. This study examined the transient smoke emissions of three fuels: No. 2 petroleum diesel fuel (D2, ASTM D 975), a blend of 20% biodiesel and 80% petroleum diesel (B20, ASTM 6751), and a 100% pure biodiesel derived from animal fats (B100, ASTM D 6751). Measurements of smoke emissions were taken using the SAE J1677 snap acceleration test procedure on a John Deere 3203 compact utility tractor. The results indicate there were no statistically significant differences in smoke opacity between the three fuels (p\u3e0.05). The low, non-significant emissions may be due to the diesel engine being EPA Tier II-compliant and the use of ultra-low-sulfur diesel. Recommendations for further study include testing biofuels made of varying feed stocks rather than animal fats, testing steady state load conditions in addition to transient loads, and testing tractors manufactured prior to initiation of EPA tier-compliance standard

Industry professionals’ perceptions of crisis communications educational needs for new professionals and best practices for Second Life© simulations

Crises impacting agriculture cost the nation billions of dollars in expenses and lost revenues annually. Organizations and governmental agencies continue to refocus energies on improving crisis communication plans in an effort to lessen economic impacts of unanticipated events. This study brought together an advisory team of agricultural communications professionals to gather perceptions of crisis communications educational needs for new professionals and to identify the best practices for using Second Life© (SL), a 3-D virtual world, simulations for training. Advisory team members represented the human, crop, animal, and environmental sectors of the agricultural industry. Perceptions were gathered during a roundtable, open-ended discussion using questioning techniques that progressed from comfortable, easy-to-answer questions to those that required analytical thought. Participants’ comments and discussion remarks were analyzed using a technique to compress similar words into like categories and identify emergent themes. Four emergent themes were noted: 1) Pre-Planning; 2) During Crisis Communications / Actions; 3) Post-Crisis Communications / Actions; and 4) Individual Competencies Needed. Furthermore, multiple scenarios including environmental and product/food safety for SL simulations were noted. Findings from this study were used to identify educational objectives for training professionals in agricultural communications dealing with potential crisis situations

Small Molecule Disruptors of the Glucokinase–Glucokinase Regulatory Protein Interaction: 1. Discovery of a Novel Tool Compound for in Vivo Proof-of-Concept

Small molecule activators of glucokinase have shown robust efficacy in both preclinical models and humans. However, overactivation of glucokinase (GK) can cause excessive glucose turnover, leading to hypoglycemia. To circumvent this adverse side effect, we chose to modulate GK activity by targeting the endogenous inhibitor of GK, glucokinase regulatory protein (GKRP). Disrupting the GK-GKRP complex results in an increase in the amount of unbound cytosolic GK without altering the inherent kinetics of the enzyme. Herein we report the identification of compounds that efficiently disrupt the GK-GKRP interaction via a previously unknown binding pocket. Using a structure-based approach, the potency of the initial hit was improved to provide <b>25</b> (AMG-1694). When dosed in ZDF rats, <b>25</b> showed both a robust pharmacodynamic effect as well as a statistically significant reduction in glucose. Additionally, hypoglycemia was not observed in either the hyperglycemic or normal rats

Discovery and Structure-Guided Optimization of Diarylmethanesulfonamide Disrupters of Glucokinase–Glucokinase Regulatory Protein (GK–GKRP) Binding: Strategic Use of a N → S (n_N → σ*_S–X) Interaction for Conformational Constraint

The HTS-based discovery and structure-guided optimization of a novel series of GKRP-selective GK–GKRP disrupters are revealed. Diarylmethane­sulfonamide hit <b>6</b> (hGK–hGKRP IC₅₀ = 1.2 μM) was optimized to lead compound <b>32</b> (AMG-0696; hGK–hGKRP IC₅₀ = 0.0038 μM). A stabilizing interaction between a nitrogen atom lone pair and an aromatic sulfur system (n_N → σ*_S–X) in <b>32</b> was exploited to conformationally constrain a biaryl linkage and allow contact with key residues in GKRP. Lead compound <b>32</b> was shown to induce GK translocation from the nucleus to the cytoplasm in rats (IHC score = 0; 10 mg/kg po, 6 h) and blood glucose reduction in mice (POC = −45%; 100 mg/kg po, 3 h). X-ray analyses of <b>32</b> and several precursors bound to GKRP were also obtained. This novel disrupter of GK–GKRP binding enables further exploration of GKRP as a potential therapeutic target for type II diabetes and highlights the value of exploiting unconventional nonbonded interactions in drug design