Podcast episode 3: Reflections on Travel Seminar to Arizona/Mexico Border

This article and podcast was originally published in The Prophet -- a journal created by and for the students at the Boston University School of Theology (BUSTH) to amplify the voices of STH students by promoting and sharing a range of perspectives on matters of concern including, but not limited to, spiritual practices, faith communities and society, the nature of theology, and current affairs. It serves as a platform for STH students to share their academic work, theological reflections, and life experiences with one another and the wider community.Matt Lewellyn-Otten (MDiv ’18) and Bailey Brawner (MDiv ’18) discuss their experience at the Arizona/Mexico border

The Critical Relationship of Dramtic Play and Literacy Development: Primary Plays Handbook, Activity Packets and Dramatic Play Kits for the Primary Classrooms

Dramatic play is a critical element of programs for young children as a means of acquiring literacy. Literacy-enriched play encourages children\u27s exploration of reading and writing in the world around them. Although child-structured dramatic play is widely recognized as being important, few opportunities are provided for primary educators to incorporate this type of drama into their reading curriculums. This project provides a foundation to implement dramatic play activities in the preschool through third grade reading curriculums

The design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of aplysinopsin analogs as potential neuromodulators

Aplysinopsins are tryptophan-derived natural products that have been isolated from a variety of marine organisms and have been shown to possess a range of biological activities. Initial synthesis of a library of 50 aplysinopsin analogs revealed that of the 12 serotonin receptor subtypes and 34 other CNS receptors, aplysinopsin analogs shoa high affinity for the 5-HT2B and 5-HT2C receptor subtypes, with selectivity for 5-HT2B over 5-HT2C. Bromination at C-4 and C-5 of the indole ring resulted in greater binding affinities, with Ki\u27s as low as 35 nM. In addition, biological evaluation of the MAO-A and MAO-B inhibitory activities of these compounds revealed some potent and selective MAO inhibitors. The most active compound 54, which is brominated at C-6 and methylated at N-2\u27 and N-4\u27, shostrong inhibitory activity at MAO-A (IC50 of 0.0056 uM) and had an SI of 80.24. Compounds 31, 51, and 54 were evaluated in the chick anxiety-depression model to assess their in vivo efficacy. Compound 33 shoa modest antidepressant effect at a dose of 30 nM/kg in the animal model. In an effort to improve the in vivo efficacy of aplysinopsin analogs, we used an in silico ADME predictor (QikProp) to evaluate and design a new series of analogs with improved ADME properties. We also evaluated the metabolic stability of compound 53 and found that the aplysinopsin scaffold does not appear to be overly susceptible to phase I metabolism, with a T1/2 of 61 minutes. We synthesized a new library of 12 analogs and evaluated their affinities at 46 CNS receptors and inhibitory activity at MAO-A and B. We found that N-benzyl aplysinopsin analogs had moderate nanomolar-level affinities for 5-HT2B and 5-HT2C receptor subtypes. C-5 Substituted compounds (88 and 89) had potent and selective inhibitory activity at MAO-A. Compounds 83, 88, and 89 were evaluated in the chick-anxiety depression model to evaluate their in vivo efficacy. Compound 83 shomodest antidepressant activity at a dose of 10 mg/kg and compound 89 shopotent antidepressant activity across all doses (1-10 mg/kg)

Control of lipid organization and actin assembly during clathrin-mediated endocytosis by the cytoplasmic tail of the rhomboid protein Rbd2.

Clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) is facilitated by a precisely regulated burst of actin assembly. PtdIns(4,5)P2 is an important signaling lipid with conserved roles in CME and actin assembly regulation. Rhomboid family multipass transmembrane proteins regulate diverse cellular processes; however, rhomboid-mediated CME regulation has not been described. We report that yeast lacking the rhomboid protein Rbd2 exhibit accelerated endocytic-site dynamics and premature actin assembly during CME through a PtdIns(4,5)P2-dependent mechanism. Combined genetic and biochemical studies showed that the cytoplasmic tail of Rbd2 binds directly to PtdIns(4,5)P2 and is sufficient for Rbd2's role in actin regulation. Analysis of an Rbd2 mutant with diminished PtdIns(4,5)P2-binding capacity indicates that this interaction is necessary for the temporal regulation of actin assembly during CME. The cytoplasmic tail of Rbd2 appears to modulate PtdIns(4,5)P2 distribution on the cell cortex. The syndapin-like F-BAR protein Bzz1 functions in a pathway with Rbd2 to control the timing of type 1 myosin recruitment and actin polymerization onset during CME. This work reveals that the previously unstudied rhomboid protein Rbd2 functions in vivo at the nexus of three highly conserved processes: lipid regulation, endocytic regulation, and cytoskeletal function

Three Essays on Strategic Risk Taking

The three essays that comprise this dissertation collectively explore strategic risk taking. The dissertation is underpinned by the notion that corporate executives take strategic risks not randomly, but based on the expectation that outcomes are more likely to be positive rather than negative. Each essay examines how and why decision makers come to vary in their cognitive evaluation of the acceptability of strategic risk taking. Essay 1 draws from the approach/inhibition theory of power, to explore how power not only provides the means for CEOs to exert their risk preferences, but actually affects what the risk preferences are. Power is theorized to influence CEO cognitions, such that there is a prevailing focus on the upsides of strategic risk taking and a tendency to underestimate the downsides, increasing the proclivity to engage in such actions. Focusing on upsides as opposed to downsides is also evoked in explaining why stock options induce risk taking, thus the possibility that there are interaction (complementary or substitutive) effects with CEO power is also explored in a sample of firms listed in the S&P 1500 from 2003–2007. Essay 2 uses the behavioral agency model, to examine how the risk bearing attributes of specific CEO compensation elements affect the decision to engage in cross-border acquisitions. This subsequently increases the proclivity to engage in cross-border acquisitions. Moderating effects of managerial discretion are also evaluated. The theoretical model is tested in a sample of US firms operating in four industries from 2007–2011. Essay 3 combines the behavioral theory of the firm idea that firm behavior is goal directed and history dependent with arguments from national social culture literature. A multilevel model is presented and tested with a multinational sample of firms operating in the paper products industry. Findings demonstrate outperforming competitors in the past motivates firm R&D investment and that various cultural dimensions (future orientation, institutional collectivism, power distance and uncertainty avoidance) of a firm\u27s home country either encourage or discourage firm R&D investment

Developing a knowledge map at a South African electricity utility

M.Com. (Business Management)The knowledge that people create, possess and share can easily go unnoticed in organisations that do not put effort in identifying it. Knowledge, among other factors, is what people in organisations use to make decisions that can possibly give organisations a competitive advantage. Knowledge, as with other traditionally recognised resources, is a strategic resource that organisations can use to bring about positive change in business. Knowledge can be tacit or explicit and both types need to be managed strategically. Explicit knowledge tends to be easily accessible if it is stored in places such as databases where people can locate it, however, tacit knowledge can be slightly more challenging to access as it lies in the minds of people. Eskom’s Project Development Department (PDD) has 32 project developers who actively develop projects that the organisation will invest in. These projects include electricity generation stations, transmission lines or even pollution mitigating technologies. The project developers work with various stakeholders in and outside of the organisation to ensure that the projects are aligned with the strategic objectives of the organisation. This study aimed to identify the knowledge that the project developers possess and a knowledge audit was conducted on the project developers. The results show that the project developers possess vast amounts of knowledge, skills and are subject matter experts in various fields. The project developers also communicate with various other departments within Eskom when developing projects. A contributing fact to the varying knowledge and skills that the project developers possess is the different projects that each project developer develops. These projects can take up to three years to develop and this can enable a person to acquire knowledge in a specific field of operation. The majority of the project developers also stated that they preferred one on one physical conversations to acquire and share knowledge. Knowledge is gaining recognition as a strategic resource within organisations and strategic management of the knowledge is necessary as it can provide benefits for people and organisations as a whole

Military Operations Research Society (MORS) Oral History Project Interview of Dr. Mark T. Lewellyn

Interviewers: Dr. George Akst, FS, and Dr. Bob Sheldon, FS. The interview was conducted via Zoom on August 9, 2022

A rhetorical situation: Contemporary arguments on the legalization of gambling in America

Lloyd Bitzer\u27s (1992) definition of a rhetorical situation is applied to a historical review of the rhetoric surrounding the legalization of gambling in America. The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 invites rhetoric from tribes, the gaming industry, elected government officials, anti-gambling coalitions, and states. Consistent rhetorical participation by these parties gives significance to gambling in America. A review of the rhetoric on legalized gaming illustrates the vacillating public opinion of legalized gambling in America. This study delineates Indians\u27 poor living condition on reservations as the existing situation initiating rhetorical discourse. While all parties continue to debate their respective positions, Nevadans\u27 concerns lie with deficient regulatory controls on Indian gaming operations. Absent effective gaming policies and regulations, it may be anticipated that organized crime will infiltrate Indian gambling. This infiltration may lead to federal oversight of all legalized gambling in the United States, whether on or off the reservations