Doctors of Tomorrow Toolkit

Medical Schoolhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/148200/1/steenberghk.pd

A Phenomenological Study on the Experiences of Educators of English Language Learners Who Have Self-Determined to Overcome Obstacles to Implementing Best Practices

While the English language learner (ELL) population continues to grow at a rapid rate in the United States, teachers find themselves ill-equipped to meet the needs of these students. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe how teachers experience and overcome challenges in the acquisition and implementation of best practices for meeting the academic needs of English language learners in the general education setting. The central question of this study was: How do classroom teachers experience and overcome challenges in the acquisition and implementation of best practices to meet the needs of English language learners? The theories guiding this study were Deci and Ryan’s self-determination theory (SDT) and Krashen’s second language acquisition theory (SLA). For this study, self-determination was defined as doing what needs to be done, despite obstacles and challenges. English as a second language (ESL) is defined as the teaching program used to educate non-native English speakers in the school setting. The study was conducted with teachers who have experience with ELLs. Data were collected through questionnaires, efficacy surveys, interviews, and letters of advice. The key findings of this study indicate that teachers are motivated to overcome obstacles to educating ELLs through three avenues: feelings of success in working with the families of ELLs, empathy toward ELLs, and effectively implementing strategies and resources which led to increased self-efficacy. Implications of this study include creating programs for teachers which focus on opportunities for success in meeting student needs. There were indications of a need for intense pre-service training and early professional development experiences for teachers in educating diverse learners to increase feelings of high self-efficacy early in teachers’ tenures

17β-Estradiol responsiveness of MCF-7 laboratory strains is dependent on an autocrine signal activating the IGF type I receptor

BACKGROUND: Human MCF-7 cells have been studied extensively as a model for breast cancer cell growth. Many reports have established that serum-starved MCF-7 cells can be induced to proliferate upon the sole addition of 17β-estradiol (E2). However, the extent of the mitogenic response to E2 varies in different MCF-7 strains and may even be absent. In this study we compared the E2-sensitivity of three MCF-7 laboratory strains. RESULTS: The MCF-7S line is non-responsive to E2, the MCF-7 ATCC has an intermediate response to E2, while the MCF-7 NKI is highly E2-sensitive, although the levels and activities of the estrogen receptor (ER) are not significantly different. Both suramin and IGF type I receptor blocking antibodies are able to inhibit the mitogenic response to E2-treatment in MCF-7 ATCC and MCF-7 NKI cells. From this we conclude that E2-induced proliferation is dependent on IGF type I receptor activation in all three MCF-7 strains. CONCLUSIONS: The results presented in this article suggest that E2-responsiveness of MCF-7 cells is dependent on the secretion of an autocrine factor activating the IGF-IR. All three strains of MCF-7 breast cancer cells investigated do not respond to E2 if the IGF-RI-pathway is blocked. Generally, breast cancer therapy is targeted at inhibiting estrogen action. This study suggests that inhibition of IGF-action in combination with anti-estrogen-treatment may provide a more effective way in treatment or even prevention of breast cancer

Increasing Resistance and Reducing Vulnerability to Invasive Species at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Invasive plant species pose a significant threat to long-term ecosystem health, especially as new invasives continue to arise. Current invasive management strategies mainly focus on reducing or eliminating single species through chemical and physical removal methods. However, these reactive approaches are often costly, time intensive, and lack long-term success. Many practitioners are increasingly interested in a preemptive, resistance-based approach to management that focuses on actively reducing an ecosystem’s vulnerability to invasion. Such an approach allows practitioners to address multiple invasives at once, increasing the efficiency, costeffectiveness, and overall sustainability of managing invasive species. We aimed to meet the widespread need for improved understanding and ability to implement this alternative systemsbased management approach, specifically as it applies to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (SBDNL). We used three main sources to inform our recommendations: 1) review of current research on resistance and vulnerability to invasion, 2) analysis of existing monitoring and spatial data at SBDNL related to vulnerability, and 3) perspectives and experiences of on the ground practitioners.Master of ScienceSchool for Environment and SustainabilityUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/167363/3/IncreasingResistancetoInvasiveSpecies_376.pd

Gambling Problems among Community Cocaine Users

Cocaine use is highly prevalent and a major public health problem. While some studies have reported frequent comorbidity problems among cocaine users, few studies have included evaluation of gambling problems. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of gambling problems and compare those who were at-risk gamblers with non-problem gamblers in terms of mental health problems, substance use problems, and some risk factors (i.e. family antecedents, erroneous perceptions and coping strategies) among individuals who smoke or inject cocaine. METHOD: A total of 424 smoked or injected cocaine users recruited through community-based programs in Montreal, Quebec completed the questionnaire, including the Canadian Pathological Gambling Index, the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI), the CAGE, and the Severity Dependence Scale (SDS). RESULTS: Of the sample, 18.4 % were considered at-risk gamblers, of whom 7.8 % had problems gambling and 10.6 % were moderate-risk gamblers. The at-risk group was more likely to have experienced a recent phobic disorder and alcohol problems than the non-problem group. A multivariate analysis showed that, compared to those who were non-problem gamblers, the at-risk ones were more likely to have lost a large sum of money when they first started gambling, believed that their luck would turn, and gambled in reaction to painful life events. These results indicate the need to include routines for screening to identify gambling problem among cocaine user