Doing Dewey

In this article, I describe and analyze my experience as a teacher of, and a teacher who does, Dewey. In the process I hope to draw a picture of what it means to strive for integrity between theory and practice. I talk about why it matters to work from a theory of education, especially in an age where “clinical practice” is vaunted and theory is viewed as expendable, even as a slightly shameful waste of time. I focus on particular Deweyan principles, primarily the principle of reflection, and illustrate how that theory manifests itself in my practice. I argue that “doing Dewey” is an enactment of philosophy. Finally, I hold that a theory of teaching cannot be separated from the self who practices it

The Effect Of Streptozotocin-induced Diabetes And Thyroid Hormone Alterations On Skeletal Muscle Contractile, Histochemical And Biochemical Properties

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of diabetes-associated hypothyroidism in changes in plantaris muscle contractile, histochemical and biochemical properties. Three experiments were designed to examine this relationship. Experiment I evaluated the time course of diabetes-associated hypothyroidism and examined the effect of daily triiodothyronine (T3) supplementation on serum T3 and thyroxine (T4) levels in the diabetic rat. The effects of diabetes and diabetes in conjunction with T3 supplementation on plantaris muscle contractile, histochemical and biochemical properties were examined in Experiments II and III respectively.;The results of Experiment I indicated that T3 levels exhibited a transient change after diabetes inducement, decreasing within the first week of the diabetic state and returning to normal by week three. In contrast, T4 levels were not significantly affected by the diabetic state until after the second week and remained in a reduced state through fifteen weeks of chronic streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes. Daily supplementation of either 30, 50 or 75 ug/kg body weight of T3 to diabetic animals instigated a normal negative feedback response despite the diabetic state. These data would support the hypothesis that the alterations in thyroid hormone production observed in the diabetic state are a function of either an altered peripheral tissue responsiveness to thyroid hormone levels or a decrease in T4-5{dollar}\sp\prime{dollar}-deiodinase activity.;The effect of diabetes on plantaris muscle functional properties observed in this study was opposite to what would be expected in a hypothyroid state. Muscle temporal parameters were found to be significantly faster while absolute force generating ability was decreased and specific force generating ability was unaltered. These findings would suggest that factors other than thyroid hormone levels are responsible for the decrease in temporal parameters and absolute force generating ability of the plantaris muscle associated with the diabetic state. No consistent differences were observed in histochemical or biochemical properties of skeletal muscle from diabetic rats.;Contractile properties of the plantaris muscle in diabetic rats were not further affected by daily administration of T3. The lack of significant augmentations in temporal and force generating parameters suggests that skeletal muscle exposed to a diabetic-thyrotoxic state is not as affected by changes in serum T3 levels as would be skeletal muscle of a non-insulin deficient animal. Blood serum, histochemical and biochemical data confirmed the presence of a hyperthyroid state despite normal muscle functional parameters.;These data suggest that full expression of thyroid hormone levels is altered in the diabetic state. An interactive effect between insulin and thyroid hormone is postulated. The decline in insulin assoicated with the diabetic state may prevent full expression of thyroid hormone effects. Changes observed in skeletal muscle contractile, histochemical and biochemical properties with diabetes are not a result of diabetes-associated hypothyroidism

A velocity related means for determining pendulum setting on the wingate test of anaerobic power a comparative study.

Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis1982 .R642. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 40-07, page: . Thesis (M.H.K.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1982

Reading Recovery

Reading Recovery is an early, short-term intervention literacy program. It helps the lowest achieving first grade children develop effective and efficient problem solving processes and strategies used by successful children in the classroom. The goal of the program is to bring those children who are having most difficulty developing literacy skills to a level of achievement at or beyond their peers. This way, they can participate in and benefit from regular classroom literacy instruction

Impact of the national home safety equipment scheme ‘Safe At Home’ on hospital admissions for unintentional injury in children under 5: a controlled interrupted time series analysis

Background: Unintentional home injuries are a leading cause of preventable death in young children. Safety education and equipment provision improve home safety practices, but their impact on injuries is less clear. Between 2009 and 2011 a national home safety equipment scheme was implemented in England (Safe At Home), targeting high injury rate areas and socio-economically disadvantaged families with children under 5. This provided a ‘natural experiment’ for evaluating the scheme’s impact on hospital admissions for unintentional injuries.Methods: Controlled interrupted time series analysis of unintentional injury hospital admission rates in small areas (Lower layer Super-Output Areas (LSOAs)) in England where the scheme was implemented (intervention areas, n=9,466)) matched with LSOAs in England and Wales where it was not implemented (control areas, n=9,466), with subgroup analyses by density of equipment provision.Results: 57,656 homes receiving safety equipment were included in the analysis. In the two years after the scheme ended, monthly admission rates declined in intervention areas (-0.33% (-0.47% to -0.18%)) but did not decline in control areas (0.04% (-0.11% to 0.19%), p value for difference in trend=0.001)). Greater reductions in admission rates were seen as equipment provision density increased. Effects were not maintained beyond two years after the scheme ended.Conclusions: A national home safety equipment scheme was associated with a reduction in injury-related hospital admissions in children under 5 in the 2-years after the scheme ended. Providing a higher number of items of safety equipment appears to be more effective in reducing injury rates than providing fewer items

Coupled impacts of climate and land use change across a river-lake continuum: Insights from an integrated assessment model of Lake Champlain\u27s Missisquoi Basin, 2000-2040

Global climate change (GCC) is projected to bring higher-intensity precipitation and higher-variability temperature regimes to the Northeastern United States. The interactive effects of GCC with anthropogenic land use and land cover changes (LULCCs) are unknown for watershed level hydrological dynamics and nutrient fluxes to freshwater lakes. Increased nutrient fluxes can promote harmful algal blooms, also exacerbated by warmer water temperatures due to GCC. To address the complex interactions of climate, land and humans, we developed a cascading integrated assessment model to test the impacts of GCC and LULCC on the hydrological regime, water temperature, water quality, bloom duration and severity through 2040 in transnational Lake Champlain\u27s Missisquoi Bay. Temperature and precipitation inputs were statistically downscaled from four global circulation models (GCMs) for three Representative Concentration Pathways. An agent-based model was used to generate four LULCC scenarios. Combined climate and LULCC scenarios drove a distributed hydrological model to estimate river discharge and nutrient input to the lake. Lake nutrient dynamics were simulated with a 3D hydrodynamic-biogeochemical model. We find accelerated GCC could drastically limit land management options to maintain water quality, but the nature and severity of this impact varies dramatically by GCM and GCC scenario

An integrated general practice and pharmacy-based intervention to promote the use of appropriate preventive medications among individuals at high cardiovascular disease risk: protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are responsible for significant morbidity, premature mortality, and economic burden. Despite established evidence that supports the use of preventive medications among patients at high CVD risk, treatment gaps remain. Building on prior evidence and a theoretical framework, a complex intervention has been designed to address these gaps among high-risk, under-treated patients in the Australian primary care setting. This intervention comprises a general practice quality improvement tool incorporating clinical decision support and audit/feedback capabilities; availability of a range of CVD polypills (fixed-dose combinations of two blood pressure lowering agents, a statin ± aspirin) for prescription when appropriate; and access to a pharmacy-based program to support long-term medication adherence and lifestyle modification. Methods: Following a systematic development process, the intervention will be evaluated in a pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial including 70 general practices for a median period of 18 months. The 35 general practices in the intervention group will work with a nominated partner pharmacy, whereas those in the control group will provide usual care without access to the intervention tools. The primary outcome is the proportion of patients at high CVD risk who were inadequately treated at baseline who achieve target blood pressure (BP) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels at the study end. The outcomes will be analyzed using data from electronic medical records, utilizing a validated extraction tool. Detailed process and economic evaluations will also be performed. Discussion: The study intends to establish evidence about an intervention that combines technological innovation with team collaboration between patients, pharmacists, and general practitioners (GPs) for CVD prevention. Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN1261600023342

2005- 2008 UNLV McNair Journal

Journal articles based on research conducted by undergraduate students in the McNair Scholars Program Table of Contents Biography of Dr. Ronald E. McNair Statements: Dr. Neal J. Smatresk, UNLV President Dr. Juanita P. Fain, Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. William W. Sullivan, Associate Vice President for Retention and Outreach Mr. Keith Rogers, Deputy Executive Director of the Center for Academic Enrichment and Outreach McNair Scholars Institute Staf

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy

SirT1 modulates the estrogen–insulin-like growth factor-1 signaling for postnatal development of mammary gland in mice

INTRODUCTION: Estrogen and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) play important roles in mammary gland development and breast cancer. SirT1 is a highly conserved protein deacetylase that can regulate the insulin/IGF-1 signaling in lower organisms, as well as a growing number of transcription factors, including NF-κB, in mammalian cells. Whether SirT1 regulates the IGF-1 signaling for mammary gland development and function, however, is not clear. In the present study, this role of SirT1 was examined by studying SirT1-deficient mice. METHODS: SirT1-deficient (SirT1(ko/ko)) mice were generated by crossing a new strain of mice harboring a conditional targeted mutation in the SirT1 gene (SirT1(co/co)) with CMV-Cre transgenic mice. Whole mount and histology analyses, immunofluorescence staining, immunohistochemistry, and western blotting were used to characterize mammary gland development in virgin and pregnant mice. The effect of exogenous estrogen was also examined by subcutaneous implantation of a slow-releasing pellet in the subscapular region. RESULTS: Both male and female SirT1(ko/ko )mice can be fertile despite the growth retardation phenotype. Virgin SirT1(ko/ko )mice displayed impeded ductal morphogenesis, whereas pregnant SirT1(ko/ko )mice manifested lactation failure due to an underdeveloped lobuloalveolar network. Estrogen implantation was sufficient to rescue ductal morphogenesis. Exogenous estrogen reversed the increased basal level of IGF-1 binding protein-1 expression in SirT1(ko/ko )mammary tissues, but not that of IκBα expression, suggesting that increased levels of estrogen enhanced the production of local IGF-1 and rescued ductal morphogenesis. Additionally, TNFα treatment enhanced the level of the newly synthesized IκBα in SirT1(ko/ko )cells. SirT1 deficiency therefore affects the cellular response to multiple extrinsic signals. CONCLUSION: SirT1 modulates the IGF-1 signaling critical for both growth regulation and mammary gland development in mice. SirT1 deficiency deregulates the expression of IGF-1 binding protein-1 and attenuates the effect of IGF-1 signals, including estrogen-stimulated local IGF-1 signaling for the onset of ductal morphogenesis. These findings suggest that the enzymatic activity of SirT1 may influence both normal growth and malignant growth of mammary epithelial cells