Teachers Who Left the Teaching Profession: A Qualitative Understanding

In this study, the researchers investigated public school teacher attrition in the State of Texas. The study examined the problem by focusing on the predominant reasons teachers give for leaving the profession after working only one year as a teacher. Eight persons who had left the teaching profession after one year teaching were contacted and interviewed concerning their reasons for leaving. The three most influential factors found were lack of administrative support, difficulties with student discipline, and low salary levels. Study findings and implications for policy are discussed

Perceptions of a Glass Ceiling: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Mexican and American Employees

This study asks employees in the United States and Mexico if they believe there is workplace discrimination based on gender, age, or ethnicity. As members of international organizations, the United States and Mexico have agreed to strive for the elimination of employment discrimination. Hypotheses based on Hofstede’s Power Distance Index (PDI) predicted cultural differences in the two countries would result in a higher perception of workplace discrimination from employees in the United States than those in Mexico. The results support the hypotheses; directions are offered for future research

EVALUASI PERHITUNGAN KAPASITAS MENURUT METODE MKJI 1997 DAN METODE PERHITUNGAN KAPASITAS DENGAN MENGGUNAKAN ANALISA PERILAKU KARAKTERISTIK ARUS LALU LINTAS PADA RUAS JALAN ANTAR KOTA (STUDI KASUS MANADO - BITUNG)

Ruas jalan Manado – Bitung sebagai jalan nasional harus dievaluasi untuk dapat dinilai karakteristiknya. Evaluasi kapasitas Ruas Jalan dapat dilakukan dengan menggunakan metode MKJI 1997 dan metode analisa perilaku karakteristik arus lalu lintas dengan metode Greenshields, Greenberg, dan Underwood. Kota Bitung merupakan kota pelabuhan sebagai pintu gerbang masuk dan keluarnya penumpang, barang dan kendaraan dari provinsi Sulawesi Utara. Kota Manado adalah ibukota propinsi Sulawesi Utara yang merupakan pusat kegiatan baik perekonomian, pendidikan, bahkan kegiatan  lainnya. Untuk mengevaluasi ruas jalan yang diteliti yaitu Ruas Jalan Manado - Bitung maka terlebih dahulu harus menentukan Kapasitas Ruas Jalan. Untuk penentuan kapasistas ruas jalan dapat dihitung dengan menggunakan MKJI 1997 dan metode analisa perilaku karakteristik arus lalu lintas seperti volume (flow), kecepatan (speed) dan kepadatan (density), atau dengan menggunakan model Greenshields, Greenberg, dan Underwood yang kemudian dibandingkan dengan kapasitas menggunakan metode MKJI 1997. Kapasitas dengan menggunakan pemodelan Greenshields, Greenberg, dan Underwood didapat dengan terlebih dahulu mencari hubungan matematis antara parameter Volume-Kecepatan-Kepadatan dan koefisien determinasi (R2) yang tertinggi untuk tiga hari survey. Dari hasil pemodelan didapat untuk model Greenshields koefisien tertinggi adalah hari Rabu, 31 Juli 2013 (arah Manado-Bitung) dengan R2 = 0,6386 dengan persamaan Hubungan (S–D), S = 45,9717-0,4541.D dan Kapasitas (VM) = 2835,394 smp/jam. Untuk model Greenberg yang memiliki koefisien determinasi tertinggi adalah hari Sabtu, 03 Agustus 2013 (arah Bitung-Manado) dengan R2 = 0,718686 dengan persamaan Hubungan (S – D), S = 82,3752 - 14,9825.LnD dan Kapasitas (VM) = 1346,124 smp/jam. Untuk model Underwood koefisien determinasi   tertinggi adalah hari Rabu, 31 Juli 2013 dengan R2 = 0,81108 dengan persamaan Hubungan (S – D), S = 49,77676.e-0,00998.D dan Kapasitas (VM) = 1172,17 smp/jam. Untuk perhitungan dengan menggunakan MKJI didapat kapasitas (VM) = 2883 smp/jam. Berdasarkan perhitungan dari ketiga model tersebut yang paling mendekati dengan perhitungan MKJI adalah model Underwood dengan Kapasitas (VM) = 2855.447467 smp/jam. Kata kunci : Kapasitas, Greenshield, Greenberg, Underwoo

Effects of age and sex on cerebrovascular function in the rat middle cerebral artery

BACKGROUND: Although the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of estrogen on cerebrovascular function are well known, the age-dependent deleterious effects of estrogen are largely unstudied. It was hypothesized that age and sex interact in modulating cerebrovascular reactivity to vasopressin (VP) by altering the role of prostanoids in vascular function. METHODS: Female (F) Sprague–Dawley rats approximating key stages of “hormonal aging” in humans were studied: premenopausal (mature multigravid, MA, cyclic, 5–6 months) and postmenopausal (reproductively senescent, RS, acyclic, 10–12 months). Age-matched male (M) rats were also studied. Reactivity to VP (10(−12)–10(−7) M) was measured in pressurized middle cerebral artery segments in the absence or presence of selective inhibitors of COX-1 (SC560, SC, 1 μM) or COX-2 (NS398, NS, 10 μM). VP-stimulated release of PGI(2) and TXA(2) were measured using radioimmunoassay of 6-keto-PGF(1α) and TXB(2) (stable metabolites, pg/mg dry wt/45 min). RESULTS: In M, there were no changes in VP-induced vasoconstriction with age. Further, there were no significant differences in basal or in low- or high-VP-stimulated PGI(2) or TXA(2) production in younger or older M. In contrast, there were marked differences in cerebrovascular reactivity and prostanoid release with advancing age in F. Older RS F exhibited reduced maximal constrictor responses to VP, which can be attributed to enhanced COX-1 derived dilator prostanoids. VP-induced vasoconstriction in younger MA F utilized both COX-1 and COX-2 derived constrictor prostanoids. Further, VP-stimulated PGI(2) and TXA(2) production was enhanced by endogenous estrogen and decreased with advancing age in F, but not in M rats. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to examine the effects of age and sex on the mechanisms underlying cerebrovascular reactivity to VP. Interestingly, VP-mediated constriction was reduced by age in F, but was unchanged in M rats. Additionally, it was observed that selective blockade of COX-1 or COX-2 produced age-dependent changes in cerebrovascular reactivity to VP and that VP-stimulated PGI(2) and TXA(2) production were enhanced by endogenous estrogen in younger F. A better understanding of the mechanisms by which estrogen exerts its effects may lead to new age- and sex-specific therapeutic agents for the prevention and/or treatment of cerebrovascular diseases

Inflammaging and Complement System: A Link Between Acute Kidney Injury and Chronic Graft Damage

The aberrant activation of complement system in several kidney diseases suggests that this pillar of innate immunity has a critical role in the pathophysiology of renal damage of different etiologies. A growing body of experimental evidence indicates that complement activation contributes to the pathogenesis of acute kidney injury (AKI) such as delayed graft function (DGF) in transplant patients. AKI is characterized by the rapid loss of the kidney’s excretory function and is a complex syndrome currently lacking a specific medical treatment to arrest or attenuate progression in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Recent evidence suggests that independently from the initial trigger (i.e., sepsis or ischemia/reperfusions injury), an episode of AKI is strongly associated with an increased risk of subsequent CKD. The AKI-to-CKD transition may involve a wide range of mechanisms including scar-forming myofibroblasts generated from different sources, microvascular rarefaction, mitochondrial dysfunction, or cell cycle arrest by the involvement of epigenetic, gene, and protein alterations leading to common final signaling pathways [i.e., transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), p16ink4a, Wnt/β-catenin pathway] involved in renal aging. Research in recent years has revealed that several stressors or complications such as rejection after renal transplantation can lead to accelerated renal aging with detrimental effects with the establishment of chronic proinflammatory cellular phenotypes within the kidney. Despite a greater understanding of these mechanisms, the role of complement system in the context of the AKI-to-CKD transition and renal inflammaging is still poorly explored. The purpose of this review is to summarize recent findings describing the role of complement in AKI-to-CKD transition. We will also address how and when complement inhibitors might be used to prevent AKI and CKD progression, therefore improving graft function

Rapamycin promotes autophagy cell death of Kaposi’s sarcoma cells through P75NTR activation

The mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor (mTOR-I) Rapamycin, a drug widely used in kidney transplantation, exerts important anti-cancer effects, particularly in Kaposi's Sarcoma (KS), through several biological interactions. In this in vivo and in vitro study, we explored whether the activation of the autophagic pathway through the low-affinity receptor for nerve growth factor, p75NTR, may have a pivotal role in the anti-cancer effect exerted by Rapamycin in S. Our Kimmunohistochemistry results revealed a significant hyper-activation of the autophagic pathway in KS lesions. In vitro experiments on KS cell lines showed that Rapamycin exposure reduced cell viability by increasing the autophagic process, in the absence of apoptosis, through the transcriptional activation of p75NTR via EGR1. Interestingly, p75NTR gene silencing prevented the increase of the autophagic process and the reduction of cell viability. Moreover, p75NTR activation promoted the upregulation of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), a tumour suppressor that modulates the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. In conclusion, our in vitro data demonstrated, for the first time, that in Kaposi's sarcoma, autophagy triggered by Rapamycin through p75NTR represented a major mechanism by which mTOR inhibitors may induce tumour regression. Additionally, it suggested that p75NTR protein analysis could be proposed as a new potential biomarker to predict response to Rapamycin in kidney transplant recipients affected by Kaposi's sarcoma

Age-Related Central Auditory Processing Disorder, MCI, and Dementia in an Older Population of Southern Italy

Objective: We explored the associations of age-related central auditory processing disorder (CAPD) with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia in an older population-based cohort in Apulia, Southern Italy (GreatAGE Study). / Study Design: Cross-sectional data from a population-based study. / Setting: Castellana Grotte, Bari, Italy. / Subjects and Methods: Between 2013 and 2018, MCI, dementia, age-related CAPD (no disabling hearing loss and 65 years. / Results: The prevalences of age-related CAPD, MCI, and dementia were 14.15%, 15.79%, and 3.58%, respectively. Among the subjects with MCI and dementia, 19.61% and 42.37% had age-related CAPD. In the regressive models, age-related CAPD was associated with MCI (odds ratio, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.01-2.21) and dementia (odds ratio, 2.23; 95% CI, 1.12-4.42). Global cognition scores were positively associated with increasing SSI-ICM scores in linear models. All models were adjusted for demographics and metabolic serum biomarkers. / Conclusion: The tight association of age-related CAPD with MCI and dementia suggests the involvement of central auditory pathways in neurodegeneration, but it is not clear which is the real direction of this association. However, CAPD is a possible diagnostic marker of cognitive dysfunction in older patients

Clinical characteristics and outcome of dogs with presumed primary renal lymphoma

Objectives: To characterise the presentation, clinicopathologic data and outcome of 29 dogs with presumed primary renal lymphoma. Materials and methods: Retrospective analysis of medical records of dogs with suspected primary renal lymphoma from 11 institutions. Results: All dogs were substage b, and lethargy and gastrointestinal signs were common presenting complaints, as were azotaemia (n=25; 86%) and erythrocytosis (n=15; 51%) on biochemical testing. Ultrasonography typically revealed bilateral renal lesions (n=23; 79%), renomegaly (n=22; 76%) and abdominal lymphadenopathy (n=14; 48%). Chemotherapy was the only treatment in 23 dogs, of which 11 responded, all considered partial responses. For all dogs the median progression-free survival and median overall survival times were 10 days (range: 1 to 126) and 12 days (range: 1 to 212), respectively, and for dogs that responded to chemotherapy 41 days (range: 10 to 126) and 47 days (range: 10 to 212), respectively. Clinical significance: Primary renal lymphoma in dogs appears to be associated with a poor prognosis and short-lived response to chemotherapy