The Nature of the Knowledge Base of Adult Education: The Example of Adult Education Participation

Adult educators have yet to consider the value of borrowing knowledge from other disciplines. . .tunnel vision exists

Synthesis and characterization of triorganophosphinegold (I) thiolates

Aims to synthesize a range of novel triorganophosphinegold(I) 6-mercaptopurinate complexes and to evaluate their potential anti-arthritic activityThesis (M.Sc.) -- University of Adelaide, Dept. of Chemistry, 199

NEPC Review: The State Education Agency: At the Helm, Not the Oar

This sincere and well-written but methodologically and politically unsophisticated report argues states should step aside from any direct involvement in the reform business and hand it over to an &ldquo;ecosystem of nonprofit organizations.&rdquo; The report makes five assertions about State Education Agencies (SEAs): they suffer from a lack of human resources; their procurement practices are cumbersome and time-consuming; they suffer from antiquated rulemaking; they are undermined by statewide politics; and they suffer from &ldquo;institutional sclerosis.&rdquo; These claims set the stage for the report&rsquo;s basic recommendation: &ldquo;The SEA should not attempt to implement the nuts and bolts of school improvement, but instead create an environment in which a variety of other organizations can fill the void.&rdquo; In place of expanding the authority of the SEAs, the report suggests a&ldquo;4Cs&rdquo; model of operation: control, contract, cleave and create. Drawing on secondary materials, the report&rsquo;s claims about the failures of the SEAs are strong but unsubstantiated by data independent from advocacy. Privatizing educational reform is an idea whose time has not come, and most likely never will, because it&rsquo;s an abstraction based on a model of American education disconnected from the democratic ethos that animates public education. Public education is a public good; it is the loom by which citizens together weave the social contract.</p

Anti-Arthritic Activity in Rats of Some Phosphinegold(I) Thionucleobases and Related Thiolates

A number of phosphinegold(I) thiolates where, generally, the thiolate is derived from a thionucleobase, have been screened for anti-arthritic activity in Dark Agouti rats, a gold sensitive model for arthritis. Potency and toxicity data showed that, generally, the Ph3P derivatives and species based on thiopurines were the most effective and that with other complexes enhanced activity was accompanied by greater toxicity

The Development and Testing of a Tool for Analysis of Computer-Mediated Conferencing Transcripts

Interaction by means of computer-mediated communications (CMC) is widel

Retromer-dependent lysosomal stress in Parkinson's disease

While causative mutations in complex disorders are rare, they can be used to extract a biological pathway whose pathogenicity can generalize to common forms of the disease. Here we begin by relying on the biological consequences of mutations in LRRK2 and VPS35, genetic causes of autosomal-dominant Parkinson's disease, to hypothesize that 'Retromer-dependent lysosomal stress' represents a pathway that can generalize to idiopathic Parkinson's disease. Next, we outline a series of studies that can test this hypothesis, including the development of biomarkers of pathway dysfunction. If validated, the hypothesis can suggest a unified mechanism of disease and might inform future diagnostic and therapeutic investigations. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Understanding the endo-lysosomal network in neurodegeneration'.</p

Evidence of sequestration of triclabendazole and associated metabolites by extracellular vesicles of <i>Fasciola hepatica</i>

Fascioliasis is a neglected zoonotic disease that infects humans and ruminant species worldwide. In the absence of vaccines, control of fascioliasis is primarily via anthelminthic treatment with triclabendazole (TCBZ). Parasitic flatworms, including Fasciola hepatica, are active secretors of extracellular vesicles (EVs), but research has not been undertaken investigating EV anthelmintic sequestration. Adult F. hepatica were cultured in lethal and sub-lethal doses of TCBZ and its active metabolites, in order to collect EVs and evaluate their morphological characteristics, production and anthelmintic metabolite content. Transmission electron microscopy demonstrated that F. hepatica exposed to TCBZ and its metabolites produced EVs of similar morphology, compared to non-TCBZ exposed controls, even though TCBZ dose and/or TCBZ metabolite led to measurable structural changes in the treated F. hepatica tegument. qNano particle analysis revealed that F. hepatica exposed to TCBZ and its metabolites produced at least five times greater EV concentrations than non-TCBZ controls. A combined mass spectrometry and qNano particle analysis confirmed the presence of TCBZ and the TCBZ–sulphoxide metabolite in anthelmintic exposed EVs, but limited TCBZ sulphone was detectable. This data suggests that EVs released from adult F. hepatica have a biological role in the sequestration of TCBZ and additional toxic xenobiotic metabolites

Fellows’ Education Letters to the President

Fifteen educational scholars have produced a collection of letters to President-elect Obama. Each letter briefly sets forth an idea or proposal to help create a more productive and equitable educational system. The letters cover the gamut of key policy issues facing the next administration, including reading instruction, No Child Left Behind, the expansion of preschool availability, charter schools, special education, the effects of poverty, and the teaching of English learners. These proposals should be thought of as the tips of empirical icebergs – beneath the letters lies a research base to guide policymaking throughout Obama's time in office