Administrative Response To Unsatisfactory Faculty Performance At Selected Western Community Colleges

This research analyzed administrative response to unsatisfactory faculty performance at 158 Western public community colleges. Participating administrators completed a questionnaire which described nine personnel situations involving unsatisfactory faculty performance. The situations differed as to the length of employment, tenure status, racial background, and political influence of the faculty member; Chi square analysis was used to analyze responses to the nine personnel situations based upon seven institutional variables determined from the questionnaire. Participants were also asked to enclose a copy of their current personnel policy manual. Seventy-six documents were received; Results were as follows: (1) A very narrow range of strategies was used by administrators when confronted with unsatisfactory faculty. Dismissal and counseling were the most frequently employed methods. (2) Dismissal was the strategy of choice in situations describing clearly documented incompetence. Respondents were somewhat less likely to choose this strategy if a minority faculty member or a politically influential faculty member were involved. (3) Counseling was preferred for recently tenured faculty who had become unresponsive, or for unsatisfactory faculty who had been with the institution for many years and had a history of satisfactory performance. (4) No statistically significant differences in administrative response to unsatisfactory faculty performance were found based upon institutional size or history of dismissals within the last five years. (5) Administrators from campuses with tenure were more likely to choose the dismissal response for untenured, unsatisfactory faculty who had been at the college two to three years than were administrators from institutions which did not grant tenure. When the unsatisfactory faculty member was tenured in the same situation, the administrators from institutions with tenure were more likely to select the counseling approach than administrators from non-tenure granting institutions. (6) Nearly 89 percent of the colleges reported that they had written personnel policies. Only 13 colleges reported a lack of written personnel policies. (7) Nearly 72 percent of the surveyed colleges reported faculty dismissals within the last five years. (8) Only two respondents reported unsuccessful dismissal attempts. (9) Sixteen documents addressed the unsatisfactory performer. Thirteen of these documents described professional improvement plans

Watching the Throne: The American Reception of Jay-Z & Kanye

The purpose of this research study was to figure out what reasons cause two of Hip Hop’s biggest artists to be received so differently. Jay-Z and Kanye West are both two very successful African American music businessmen that participate in similar endeavors. Both have dabbled in clothing and shoes, while each has started their respective record labels. A significant factor in their reception was their social upbringing. In order to further assess what contributes to each artist’s popularity, or lack thereof, responses from the American media and the African American community are analyzed

Overcoming Obstacles in Protein Expression in the Yeast Pichia pastoris: Interviews of Leaders in the Pichia Field

The yeast Pichia pastoris (also known as Komagataella pastoris) has been used for over 30 years to produce thousands of valuable, heterologous proteins, such as insulin to treat diabetes and antibodies to prevent migraine headaches. Despite its success, there are some common, stubborn problems encountered by research scientists when they try to use the yeast to produce their recombinant proteins. In order to provide those working in this field with strategies to overcome these common obstacles, nine experts in P. pastoris protein expression field were interviewed to create a written review and video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1oD6k8CdG8). This review describes how each respected scientist addressed a specific challenge, such as identifying high expression strains, improving secretion efficiency and decreasing hyperglycosylation. Their perspective and practical advice can be a tool to help empower others to express challenging proteins in this popular recombinant host

Agency silos, cultural isolation, and integrated floodplain design: the French Slough case study

French Slough provides a challenging but familiar environment for ecosystem recovery. Historical floodplain modification has created chronic water quality and fish passage problems within a 4,000 acre floodplain ecosystem. Levees, pumping, and beaver suppression are required to sustain duck hunting clubs and agricultural operations. Episodic government-led planning efforts have alienated landowners with prolonged processes, heavy with spectators, but always short on capacity. Floodplain regulations are complicated, layered, and political. Sea levels are rising, and population pressures are relentless. What are the tools and relationships necessary to recover the French Slough ecosystem? How can French Slough help us learn about the necessary evolution of our own ecosystem recovery systems? Coordinated Investment is an ongoing initiative staffed by NOAA Restoration Center to use on-the-ground work to cultivate our ecosystem recovery capabilities. The French Slough effort is ostensibly focused on developing systematic methods for permitting ditch management in prior-converted floodplain wetlands following model work by the Whatcom Conservation District. Ultimately French Slough asks us questions about how we allocate capacity, implement authority, manage information, and envision the future

Enhanced heterologous protein production in Pichia pastoris under increased air pressure

Pichia pastoris is a widely used host for the production of heterologous proteins. In this case, high cell densities are needed and oxygen is a major limiting factor. The increased air pressure could be used to improve the oxygen solubility in the medium and to reach the high oxygen demand of methanol metabolism. In this study, two P. pastoris strains producing two different recombinant proteins, one intracellular (β-galactosidase) and other extracellular (frutalin), were used to investigate the effect of increased air pressure on yeast growth in glycerol and heterologous protein production, using the methanol AOX1-inducible system. Experiments were carried out in a stainless steel bioreactor under total air pressure of 1 bar and 5 bar. The use of an air pressure raise of up to 5 bar proved to be applicable for P. pastoris cultivation. Moreover, no effects on the kinetic growth parameters and methanol utilization (Mut) phenotype of strains were found, while an increase in recombinant β-galactosidase-specific activity (ninefold) and recombinant frutalin production was observed. Furthermore, the air pressure raise led to a reduction in the secreted protease specific activity. This work shows for the first time that the application of an air pressure of 5 bar may be used as a strategy to decrease protease secretion and improve recombinant protein production in P. pastoris.The authors acknowledge the financial support provided by FCT (grant SFRH/BD/47371/2008 to Marlene Lopes and grant SFRH/BDP/63831/2009 to Carla Oliveira), by FCT Strategic Project PEst-OE/EQB/LA0023/2013 and by the Project "BioInd - Biotechnology and Bioengineering for improved Industrial and Agro-Food processes, REF. NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000028" Co-funded by the Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (ON.2 - O Novo Norte), QREN, FEDER

Endosome to Golgi Retrieval of the Vacuolar Protein Sorting Receptor, Vps10p, Requires the Function of the VPS29, VPS30, and VPS35 Gene Products

Mutations in the S. cerevisiae VPS29 and VPS30 genes lead to a selective protein sorting defect in which the vacuolar protein carboxypeptidase Y (CPY) is missorted and secreted from the cell, while other soluble vacuolar hydrolases like proteinase A (PrA) are delivered to the vacuole. This phenotype is similar to that seen in cells with mutations in the previously characterized VPS10 and VPS35 genes. Vps10p is a late Golgi transmembrane protein that acts as the sorting receptor for soluble vacuolar hydrolases like CPY and PrA, while Vps35p is a peripheral membrane protein which cofractionates with membranes enriched in Vps10p. The sequences of the VPS29, VPS30, and VPS35 genes do not yet give any clues to the functions of their products. Each is predicted to encode a hydrophilic protein with homologues in the human and C. elegans genomes. Interestingly, mutations in the VPS29, VPS30, or VPS35 genes change the subcellular distribution of the Vps10 protein, resulting in a shift of Vps10p from the Golgi to the vacuolar membrane. The route that Vps10p takes to reach the vacuole in a vps35 mutant does not depend upon Sec1p mediated arrival at the plasma membrane but does require the activity of the pre-vacuolar endosomal t-SNARE, Pep12p. A temperature conditional allele of the VPS35 gene was generated and has been found to cause missorting/secretion of CPY and also Vps10p to mislocalize to a vacuolar membrane fraction at the nonpermissive temperature. Vps35p continues to cofractionate with Vps10p in vps29 mutants, suggesting that Vps10p and Vps35p may directly interact. Together, the data indicate that the VPS29, VPS30, and VPS35 gene products are required for the normal recycling of Vps10p from the prevacuolar endosome back to the Golgi where it can initiate additional rounds of vacuolar hydrolase sorting

Robert Matijašić, Povijest hrvatskih zemalja u kasnoj antici od Dioklecijana do Justinijana

Introduction Pichia pastoris is a methylotrophic yeast that has been genetically engineered to express heterologous. In recent 20 years, over 700 proteins from bacteria to humans have been produced in this yeast. MBP (maltose binding protein) has been utilized as a translational fusion partner to improve the expression of foreign proteins made in E. coli. We initially explored whether MBP would serve as an expression enhancer and purification tag in Pichia pastoris, a popular eukaryotic host for heterologous protein expression. Methods SDS-PAGE and Western analysis were applied to analyze the protein expression. The secreted fusion proteins were purified by the amylose resin, digested by trypsin or endoproteinase Asp-N, and subjected to mass spectrometric analysis. Preliminary results When MBP was fused as an N-terminal partner to several cargo proteins (the two proteins were separated by a Factor Xa protease site) expressed in this yeast, proteolysis occurred between the two peptides and only MBP reached the extracellular region, which suggested that the fusion protein had been proteolyzed between MBP and cargo proteins. Furthermore, western analysis indicated the fusion proteins had been cleaved inside the yeast. Mass spectrometry analysis of MBP-FXa-FKBP12 demonstrated the Cterminus of that fusion protein was IEGR, the FXa sequence. Extensive mutagenesis of this spacer region between MBP and FKBP12 could not inhibit the cleavage. Mass spectrometric data indicated different C-termini in these mutant proteins, suggesting that different cleavage sites were used in the MBP fusions. These results provide new insights into the role of proteases in this expression system