The Academic Development of Education Faculty: Looking Back, Looking Ahead

A 2003 study about the lives of retired leaders in teacher education reminds us of the significant role that others play in the academic development of professors of education. That study also reveals significant changes in the nature of our work as teacher educators. The authors stress the need for universities to pay greater attention to the academic development needs of beginning teacher educators. Although many research-based universities offer programs for beginning faculty, the focus appears to be on teaching effectiveness. The authors make the case that beginning professors of education are different from those of beginning faculty in other disciplines. An argument is made that many beginning education professors need less support in teaching and service and more in the area of research.En 2003, une étude portant sur la vie de chefs en formation des enseignants et maintenant à la retraite nous rappelle le rôle significatif que jouent les autres dans le développement académique des enseignants en pédagogie. L’étude fait également ressortir les changements importants dans la nature de notre travail comme formateurs d’enseignants. Les auteurs soulignent le besoin pour les universités de porter plus d’attention aux besoins en développement académique de ceux qui débutent comme formateurs d’enseignants. Bien que plusieurs universités orientées vers la recherche offrent des programmes pour les professeurs débutants, l’on semble s’y concentrer sur l’efficacité de l’enseignement. Les auteurs exposent leur point de vue selon lequel les professeurs en pédagogie qui débutent leur carrière ne sont pas comme les professeurs qui débutent dans d’autres disciplines. Ils maintiennent que plusieurs professeurs en pédagogie qui commencent leur carrière ont davantage besoin d’appui dans le domaine de la recherche et moins dans celui de l’enseignement

Detection of mitochondrial DNA heteroplasmy suggests a doubly uniparental inheritance pattern in the mussel Mytella charruana

The unusual type of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) transmission in which females pass on their mtDNA F to both sons and daughters, and males pass on their mtDNA M to their sons, is termed Doubly Uniparental Inheritance (DUI) and has been observed in several bivalve mollusk families, including the Mytilidae. The present study found mitochondrial heteroplasmy in Mytella charruana, a tropical estuarine mytilid, which is most likely due to the occurrence of DUI. Cytochrome oxidase c subunit I (COI) sequences provide evidence for the presence of mtDNA M in the gonad and adductor muscle of male M. charruana. Intraspecific COI mtDNA F and mtDNA M mitotype divergence (p-distances) in M. charruana ranged from 20.5% to 20.8%. COI phylogenetic trees suggest that mtDNA M arose before M. charruana, Perna perna and Mytella guyanensis split, though independently of the DUI event that occurred in the genera Mytilus and Brachidontes. The comparison of COI gene products of mtDNA M among M. charruana and other bivalves, including mytilids, has shown that they all have important differences, suggesting independent evolutionary changes in their male COI lineages.(Detecção de heteroplasmia no DNA mitocondrial sugere um padrão de herança dupla uniparental em mexilhões Mytella charruana). Um tipo de transmissão não usual de herança do DNA mitocondrial (mtDNA), na qual as fêmeas passam os seus mtDNA F aos filhos e às filhas e os machos passam os seus mtDNA M para os seus filhos machos, é conhecido por herança dupla-uniparental e tem sido observada em várias famílias de moluscos bivalves, incluindo a Mytilidae. O presente estudo mostrou a ocorrência de heteroplasmia mitocondrial em Mytella charruana, um mitilídeo estuarino tropical, provavelmente devido a herança dupla uniparental. Sequências da citocromo oxidase c subunidade I (COI) mostraram que o mtDNA M está presente nas gônadas e nos músculos adutores dos machos de M. charruana. As divergências intraespecíficas (distância-p) entre as sequências de COI dos mitótipos mitocondriais mtDNA F e mtDNA M em M. charruana variaram de 20.5% a 20.8%. As árvores filogenéticas baseadas em COI sugerem que o mtDNA M surgiu antes da separação das espécies M. charruana, Perna perna e Mytella guyanensis, independentemente do evento DUI que ocorreu nos gêneros Mytilus e Brachidontes. A comparação dos produtos do gene mtDNA M de M. charruana e de outros bivalves, incluindo mitilídeos, mostrou que eles têm importantes diferenças, sugerindo mudanças evolucionárias independentes em suas linhagens masculinas de COI

Suicide in Brazilian indigenous communities: clustering of cases in children and adolescents by household

OBJECTIVE: To estimate age and sex-specific suicide rates, compare suicide rates between indigenous communities, and quantify the frequency of intrafamilial suicide clustering. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study involving 14,666 indigenous individuals in reservations in Dourados, state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, from 2003 through 2013 using national and local census. RESULTS: The overall suicide rate was 73.4 per 100,000 person-years. Adolescent males aged 15–19 and girls aged 10–14 had the highest rates for each sex at 289.3 (95%CI 187.5–391.2) and 85.3 (95%CI 34.9–135.7), respectively. Comparing the largest reservations, Bororo had a higher suicide rate than Jaguapiru (RR = 4.83, 95%CI 2.85–8.16) and had significantly lower socioeconomic indicators including income and access to electricity. Nine of 19 suicides among children under 15 occurred in household clusters. Compared with adult suicides, a greater proportion of child (OR = 5.12, 95%CI 1.89–13.86, p = 0.001) and adolescent (OR = 3.48, 95%CI 1.29–9.44, p = 0.017) suicides occurred within household clusters. CONCLUSIONS: High rates of suicide occur among children and adolescents in these indigenous reservations, particularly in poor communities. Nearly half of child suicides occur within household clusters. These findings underscore the need for broad public health interventions and focused mental health interventions in households following a suicide

Asthma and gender impact accumulation of T cell subtypes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The "Th2 hypothesis for asthma" asserts that an increased ratio of Th2:Th1 cytokine production plays an important pathogenic role in asthma. Although widely embraced, the hypothesis has been challenged by various empirical observations and has been described as overly simplistic. We sought to establish whether CD3+CD28-mediated and antigen-independent accumulation of type 1 and type 2 T cells differs significantly between nonasthmatic and asthmatic populations.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>An ex vivo system was used to characterize the regulation of IFN-γ-producing (type 1) and IL-13-producing (type 2) T cell accumulation in response to CD3+CD28 and IL-2 stimulation by flow cytometry.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>IL-13-producing T cells increased in greater numbers in response to antigen-independent stimulation in peripheral blood lymphocytes from female atopic asthmatic subjects compared with male asthmatics and both male and female atopic non-asthmatic subjects. IFN-γ⁺T cells increased in greater numbers in response to either antigen-independent or CD3+CD28-mediated stimulation in peripheral blood lymphocytes from atopic asthmatic subjects compared to non-asthmatic subjects, regardless of gender.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We demonstrate that T cells from asthmatics are programmed for increased accumulation of both type 2 and type 1 T cells. Gender had a profound effect on the regulation of type 2 T cells, thus providing a mechanism for the higher frequency of adult asthma in females.</p

Detection of Babesia divergens in southern Norway by using an immunofluorescence antibody test in cow sera

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The incidence of bovine babesiosis, caused by <it>Babesia divergens </it>(Apicomplexa: Piroplasmida) has decreased markedly since the 1930 s, but may re-emerge as a consequence of climate change and changes in legislation and pasturing practices. This is a potentially serious disease, with both economical and animal welfare consequences. Therefore, there is a need to survey the distribution of <it>B. divergens</it>.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We tested sera from 306 healthy pastured cows from 24 farms along the southern Norwegian coast by using an indirect immunofluorescence IgG antibody test (IFAT). Fractions of seropositive cows were compared by calculating 95% CI.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The results of this test showed that 27% of the sera were positive for <it>B. divergens </it>antibodies. The fraction of antibody-positive sera that we detected showed a two-humped distribution, with a high fraction of positives being found in municipalities in the western and eastern parts of the study area, while the municipalities between these areas had few or no positive serum samples.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Neither the farmers' observations nor the Norwegian Dairy Herd Recording System give an adequate picture of the distribution of bovine babesiosis. Serological testing of cows by using IFAT is a convenient way of screening for the presence of <it>B. divergens </it>in an area.</p

Childhood chronic anterior uveitis associated with vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC): successful treatment with topical tacrolimus. Case series

Uveitis treatment involves topical corticosteroids along with cycloplegic-mydriatics. Particularly severe cases may require systemic corticosteroids and immunosuppressive drugs. Vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) treatment consists of a brief period of topical corticosteroids and/or cyclosporine. In patients refractory to traditional treatment, the use of 0.1% topical ophtalmic FK- 506 (tacrolimus) ointment has been occasionally reported

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever: epidemiological trends and controversies in treatment

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus has the widest geographic range of all tick-borne viruses and is endemic in more than 30 countries in Eurasia and Africa. Over the past decade, new foci have emerged or re-emerged in the Balkans and neighboring areas. Here we discuss the factors influencing CCHF incidence and focus on the main issue of the use of ribavirin for treating this infection. Given the dynamics of CCHF emergence in the past decade, development of new anti-viral drugs and a vaccine is urgently needed to treat and prevent this acute, life-threatening disease

3D visualization of movements can amplify motor cortex activation during subsequent motor imagery

A repetitive movement practice by motor imagery (MI) can influence motor cortical excitability in the electroencephalogram (EEG). This study investigated if a realistic visualization in 3D of upper and lower limb movements can amplify motor related potentials during subsequent MI. We hypothesized that a richer sensory visualization might be more effective during instrumental conditioning, resulting in a more pronounced event related desynchronization (ERD) of the upper alpha band (10–12 Hz) over the sensorimotor cortices thereby potentially improving MI based brain-computer interface (BCI) protocols for motor rehabilitation. The results show a strong increase of the characteristic patterns of ERD of the upper alpha band components for left and right limb MI present over the sensorimotor areas in both visualization conditions. Overall, significant differences were observed as a function of visualization modality (VM; 2D vs. 3D). The largest upper alpha band power decrease was obtained during MI after a 3-dimensional visualization. In total in 12 out of 20 tasks the end-user of the 3D visualization group showed an enhanced upper alpha ERD relative to 2D VM group, with statistical significance in nine tasks.With a realistic visualization of the limb movements, we tried to increase motor cortex activation during subsequent MI. The feedback and the feedback environment should be inherently motivating and relevant for the learner and should have an appeal of novelty, real-world relevance or aesthetic value (Ryan and Deci, 2000; Merrill, 2007). Realistic visual feedback, consistent with the participant’s MI, might be helpful for accomplishing successful MI and the use of such feedback may assist in making BCI a more natural interface for MI based BCI rehabilitation