Plug Into the Classroom: Interactive Newsletter

a. In this digital media project, you will discuss your views and visions of family-school relations through video production. The topic should relate to family-school relations, such as family involvement in education, community resources, family diversity and education, school’s strategies working with families, family policies in educational contexts, and so on. In this video, you will share with us about your personal related experience that impacted your life. What made it significant? How has it helped shape who you are today? Additionally, you will propose an innovative idea about your foal topic and promote positive family-school relations. How will your idea better prepare children for tomorrow’s world? b. Google Slides was used to make the main interface of the interactive newsletter, and Google Forms and Google Docs were used to create the links and other resources that were embedded in the newsletter. We used Zoom to record our walk-through and our speech. Adobe Premiere Pro was used to put the entire video together, including editing, adding royalty-free music, transitions, captions, adding gif animations, and adding additional pop-up animations. A text-to-speech program was used to add additional voices at the introduction. c. Our digital project is a film that explains our concept of an interactive newsletter. Our vision was to have a platform where all the students and their families could communicate with their teachers and be updated weekly about what is going on at school. We wanted to provide as much information and opportunities for involvement as possible for all kinds of different families. Our classroom is a family and our students all have something to teach and share. This newsletter provides parents the tools they need to access those opportunities in an easy to navigate platform. Each of these little intentional pieces of the newsletter can work together to create a platform to help aid in developing a community of collaborators consisting of students, parents, and teachers that together make up the learning environment of the classroom

The recognition of proteasomal receptors by Plasmodium falciparum DSK2

One of the pathways by which proteins are targeted for degradation by the proteasome involve transport by shuttle proteins to proteasomal receptors. The malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum has recently been found to possess a similar pathway, with the shuttle protein PfDsk2 being the major player. In this study, we have demonstrated how PfDsk2 and its recognition by proteasomal receptors differ from the mammalian system. Our crystal structure of unbound PfDsk2 UBL domain at 1.30 Å revealed an additional

An Investigation of Xenoglossophobia among Chinese Postgraduates

The learners of English language frequently convey the feeling of anxiety, nervousness and edginess. The realization of EFL (English as a Foreign language), ESL (English as a Second language) or TL (target language) anxiety among university postgraduates is essential. Once understood, the factors causing anxiety, nervousness and jumpiness can be mitigated and desired aims and goals of communicating in EFL and ESL can be attained. This study sets out to examine the English language anxiety or Xenoglossophobia among Chinese postgraduates.  The participants were selected from department of foreign languages of two well-reputed Chinese universities in Wuhan. Besides, students’ three demographic variables have been used to investigate the English language anxiety i.e. age, gender and time span or years spent in learning English language. Apart from that, three pivotal features of FL or SL, namely communication apprehension (CA), fear of negative evaluation (FNA) and  general  feeling  of  anxiety (GFA)  derived  from  Foreign  Language  Classroom  Anxiety  scale (FLCAS) devised by Horwitz were also a part of this investigation which was modified to English Language  Anxiety Scale (ELAS) as the focal point of this investigation is on L2 or EL. The quantitative research technique was employed for collecting data from 116 Chinese postgraduates majoring in English, both male and female whose ages vary from 20 to 26. The results obtained were analyzed utilizing diverse statistical analysis i.e. Pearson correlation, descriptive statistics, and Multiple Regression. The findings revealed that Chinese learners of English majors experience moderate level of anxiety and no significant correlation was found between English language anxiety and demographic factors. Eventually, Chinese postgraduates were found experiencing mainly “GFA” through Multiple Regression analysis in English as a foreign language

An Investigation of Xenoglossophobia among Chinese Postgraduates

The learners of English language frequently convey the feeling of anxiety, nervousness and edginess. The realization of EFL (English as a Foreign language), ESL (English as a Second language) or TL (target language) anxiety among university postgraduates is essential. Once understood, the factors causing anxiety, nervousness and jumpiness can be mitigated and desired aims and goals of communicating in EFL and ESL can be attained. This study sets out to examine the English language anxiety or Xenoglossophobia among Chinese postgraduates.  The participants were selected from department of foreign languages of two well-reputed Chinese universities in Wuhan. Besides, students’ three demographic variables have been used to investigate the English language anxiety i.e. age, gender and time span or years spent in learning English language. Apart from that, three pivotal features of FL or SL, namely communication apprehension (CA), fear of negative evaluation (FNA) and  general  feeling  of  anxiety (GFA)  derived  from  Foreign  Language  Classroom  Anxiety  scale (FLCAS) devised by Horwitz were also a part of this investigation which was modified to English Language  Anxiety Scale (ELAS) as the focal point of this investigation is on L2 or EL. The quantitative research technique was employed for collecting data from 116 Chinese postgraduates majoring in English, both male and female whose ages vary from 20 to 26. The results obtained were analyzed utilizing diverse statistical analysis i.e. Pearson correlation, descriptive statistics, and Multiple Regression. The findings revealed that Chinese learners of English majors experience moderate level of anxiety and no significant correlation was found between English language anxiety and demographic factors. Eventually, Chinese postgraduates were found experiencing mainly “GFA” through Multiple Regression analysis in English as a foreign language

Soil Quality Variation under Different Land Use Types in Haramosh Valley, Gilgit, Pakistan

Soil quality is a fundamental component of environmental quality and impact of land use is also a keydetrimental factor in today’s rapid urbanization era. The study aims to evaluate the effects of different land-use type on selected soil quality indicators. Sixty soil samples were collected from various land use types, i.e, pasture, forest and agriculture from a depth of 0-15cm. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that the land use type significantly affected the soil’s physical and chemical properties. The moisture content was significantly higher (p<0.001) in the pasture (41.7%) than the forest (26.2%) and lowest in agricultural land (14.4%). The soil pH was significantly higher or slightly alkaline for agriculture (7.8), while for pasture (6.5) and forest (6.1), it was found to be slightly acidic. Electric conductivity (EC) and bulk density (BD) did not vary significantly with land use type, but the EC followed the decreasing order: forest (203.7μS/cm) < pasture (235μS/cm) < agriculture (328.7μS/cm). The soil organic matter (SOM) and soil organic carbon (SOC) significantly (p<0.05) differed with land use type and found in the order: forest (3.0%, 1.3 %) > pasture land (2.9%, 1.2%) > arable land (2.5%, 1.1%). NO3-N, available P and exchangeable K did not vary significantly across land use types. However, mean values were higher for agriculture (10.2mg/kg, 4.5mg/kg, 66mg/kg) than forest (10mg/kg,3.5mg/kg, 60mg/kg) and pasture (9.8mg/kg, 4.3, 60.2mg/kg). Alpine soils are good ecological indicators because of vulnerability to environmental change, therefore, regular monitoring of soil properties along with carbon stocks is essential to maintain soil health, enhance agricultural productivity and sustain agroecosystems

Physical Activity Levels And Junk Food Intake Among School Going Adolescents In A North Indian City

Introduction: Physical activity and diet go hand in hand for the maintenance of good health. This becomes even more important in school-going adolescent students as they are readily exposed to a wide variety of junk food items inside or around their school premises and lead increasingly sedentary lifestyles as they progress through their academics. Aim and Objective: Toassess the junk food intake and physical activity level among school-going adolescents. Material and Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 800 school-based adolescents aged 12 to 14 years at AMU High Schools, Aligarh. Students were asked about their physical activity and dietary habits by disseminating a self-reported questionnaire. The data were analyzed in SPSS version 20.0. Results: The majority of the adolescents had a moderate level of physical activity (53%), while 23% of the students had high and 24% had low physical activity levels. On the analysis of the students’ dietary habits, it was found that a staggering 70.75% of students had more than the recommended intake of junk food items. The association between physical activity and junk food intake was found to be significant. Conclusion: More emphasis should be given to limiting junk food intake, increasing healthy food intake, and motivating the students to be more physically active. This can be done by encouraging the family as well as teachers at the school level and creating more spaces for children to be physically active at the community level

Emergence of Members of TRAF and DUB of Ubiquitin Proteasome System in the Regulation of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

The ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) plays an imperative role in many critical cellular processes, frequently by mediating the selective degradation of misfolded and damaged proteins and also by playing a non-degradative role especially important as in many signaling pathways. Over the last three decades, accumulated evidence indicated that UPS proteins are primal modulators of cell cycle progression, DNA replication, and repair, transcription, immune responses, and apoptosis. Comparatively, latest studies have demonstrated a substantial complexity by the UPS regulation in the heart. In addition, various UPS proteins especially ubiquitin ligases and proteasome have been identified to play a significant role in the cardiac development and dynamic physiology of cardiac pathologies such as ischemia/reperfusion injury, hypertrophy, and heart failure. However, our understanding of the contribution of UPS dysfunction in the plausible development of cardiac pathophysiology and the complete list of UPS proteins regulating these afflictions is still in infancy. The recent emergence of the roles of TNF receptor-associated factor (TRAFs) and deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) superfamily in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy has enhanced our knowledge. In this review, we have mainly compiled the TRAF superfamily of E3 ligases and few DUBs proteins with other well-documented E3 ligases such as MDM2, MuRF-1, Atrogin-I, and TRIM 32 that are specific to myocardial hypertrophy. In this review, we also aim to highlight their expression profile following physiological and pathological stimulation leading to the onset of hypertrophic phenotype in the heart that can serve as biomarkers and the opportunity for the development of novel therapies

C-type natriuretic peptide regulates endochondral bone growth through p38 MAP kinase-dependent and – independent pathways

BACKGROUND: C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) has recently been identified as an important anabolic regulator of endochondral bone growth, but the molecular mechanisms mediating its effects are not completely understood. RESULTS: We demonstrate in a tibia organ culture system that pharmacological inhibition of p38 blocks the anabolic effects of CNP. We further show that CNP stimulates endochondral bone growth largely through expansion of the hypertrophic zone of the growth plate, while delaying mineralization. Both effects are reversed by p38 inhibition. We also performed Affymetrix microarray analyses on micro-dissected tibiae to identify CNP target genes. These studies confirmed that hypertrophic chondrocytes are the main targets of CNP signaling in the growth plate, since many more genes were regulated by CNP in this zone than in the others. While CNP receptors are expressed at similar levels in all three zones, cGMP-dependent kinases I and II, important transducers of CNP signaling, are expressed at much higher levels in hypertrophic cells than in other areas of the tibia, providing a potential explanation for the spatial distribution of CNP effects. In addition, our data show that CNP induces the expression of NPR3, a decoy receptor for natriuretic peptides, suggesting the existence of a feedback loop to limit CNP signaling. Finally, detailed analyses of our microarray data showed that CNP regulates numerous genes involved in BMP signaling and cell adhesion. CONCLUSION: Our data identify novel target genes of CNP and demonstrate that the p38 pathway is a novel, essential mediator of CNP effects on endochondral bone growth, with potential implications for understanding and treatment of numerous skeletal diseases

A genomic glimpse of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases in malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Plasmodium </it>parasites are causative agents of malaria which affects >500 million people and claims ~2 million lives annually. The completion of <it>Plasmodium </it>genome sequencing and availability of PlasmoDB database has provided a platform for systematic study of parasite genome. Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (<it>aaRS</it>s) are pivotal enzymes for protein translation and other vital cellular processes. We report an extensive analysis of the <it>Plasmodium falciparum </it>genome to identify and classify <it>aaRSs </it>in this organism.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Using various computational and bioinformatics tools, we have identified 37 <it>aaRS</it>s in <it>P. falciparum</it>. Our key observations are: (i) fraction of proteome dedicated to <it>aaRS</it>s in <it>P. falciparum </it>is very high compared to many other organisms; (ii) 23 out of 37 <it>Pf-aaRS </it>sequences contain signal peptides possibly directing them to different cellular organelles; (iii) expression profiles of <it>Pf-aaRSs </it>vary considerably at various life cycle stages of the parasite; (iv) several <it>PfaaRSs </it>posses very unusual domain architectures; (v) phylogenetic analyses reveal evolutionary relatedness of several parasite <it>aaRS</it>s to bacterial and plants <it>aaRSs</it>; (vi) three dimensional structural modelling has provided insights which could be exploited in inhibitor discovery against parasite <it>aaRSs</it>.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We have identified 37 <it>Pf-aaRSs </it>based on our bioinformatics analysis. Our data reveal several unique attributes in this protein family. We have annotated all 37 <it>Pf-aaRSs </it>based on predicted localization, phylogenetics, domain architectures and their overall protein expression profiles. The sets of distinct features elaborated in this work will provide a platform for experimental dissection of this family of enzymes, possibly for the discovery of novel drugs against malaria.</p