It's About Time: Learning Time and Educational Opportunity in California High Schools

A new study by the UCLA Institute for Democracy, Education and Access (IDEA) found that teachers in high-poverty schools are more likely than their peers in low-poverty schools to report more time lost for academic instruction due to poor access to libraries, technology and qualified substitute teachers. Moreover, economic and social stressors on students -- such as unstable housing, hunger and lack of access to medical or dental care -- also undermine learning time, according to the study

Dissection of NCAD12: Distinctive Characteristics of Domains 1 and 2

The cadherin superfamily of cell surface adhesion molecules have long been recognized for their crucial roles in morphogenesis, and controlled growth and turnover in adult tissues. Neural cadherins (NCAD) are involved in the cell to cell adhesion of neural tissue. Neural cadherin molecules share a common structure with the members of its superfamily including an amino terminal extracellular region, a transmembrane region and a carboxyl-terminal cytoplasmic region. It contains five folded domains in its extracellular region that are seven strand B-barrel modules of the immunoglobulin type. These modular domains are then connected by a seven amino acid sequence known as linker regions. It has been reported that calcium binding and Domains 1 and 2 are essential to adhesion. Previous studies of Epithelial cadherin (ECAD) have characterized the stability as a function of temperature and denaturant concentration. Here, we report studies of the component modules of dissected NCAD 12: the extracellular domains individually (NCAD 1 and NCAD 2) and the two-Domain construct NCAD 12. Ultra violet (UV) spectra of all NCAD constructs were used to determine stock concentrations and molar extinctions coefficients. Thermal denaturation was monitored via circular dicroism (CD) in the presence and absence of calcium. Data showed a stable NCAD 1 with an uncharacteristically high melting temperature. NCAD 2 was very similar to ECAD 2 in that the core domain was quite stable and it is destabilized by the adjacent linker segments. Domain 2 constructs were stabilized by calcium. The primary melting transition for the two-Domain construct, NCAD 12, was similar to the melting transition for NCAD 2, indicating that the stability of the construct is dominated by that of Domain 2. However, NCAD 12 also showed the high temperature melting transition as seen for constructs containing Domain 1. This second transition makes data analysis problematic. Our studies indicate that formation of this “stable” species is reversible and independent of protein and calcium concentration

The role of curcumin in response to BPDE-induced DNA damage in human lung epithelial cells.

Long-term exposure to harmful carcinogens like benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) are linked to lung cancer. Benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide (BPDE), the ultimate carcinogen produced by BaP bioactivation, is believed to play an important role in lung carcinogenesis. The tumor suppressor protein is p53 signals cell cycle arrest, DNA repair, and apoptosis in response to BPDE-induced damage. However, physiological exposure to BPDE fails to activate p53. Although the bioactive principle of turmeric spice, curcumin, shows promising effects against BPDE-induced carcinogenesis, its exact mode of action remains unclear. Therefore the aim of this dissertation was to investigate whether curcumin prevents BPDE-induced DNA damage by regulating p53-mediated cellular responses in A549/LXSN (p53+) and A549/E6 (p53-) cells. I hypothesize that curcumin may reduce BPDE-induced DNA damage by lowering the threshold of p53 activation, thereby inducing p53-mediated mechanisms. Curcumin pretreatment reduced BPDEDNA adducts in a p53-dependent manner. However, p53-regulated proteins XPC and DDB2 did not change with curcumin pretreatment and p53-expression. Curcumin pretreatment did not change the overall repair rate in p53+ cells. Curcumin pretreatment, p53-expression, and BPDE exposure did not significantly change glutathione-S-transferase (GST) levels or activity as well as glutathione (GSH) levels. Curcumin increased levels of p53, phosphorylated p53 at Ser15 (P-p53S15), and CDKN1A, but decreased phosphorylated retinoblastoma at Ser807/811 (P-pRbS807/811) in p53+ cells with lower BPDE exposure. Curcumin and BPDE increased and decreased PpRbS807/ 811, respectively, in p53- cells. BPDE induced S phase arrest in both cell lines. P53+ curcumin pretreated cells escaped S phase arrest earlier with 300 nM BPDE in contrast to BPDE treatment alone. Yet, curcumin did not change S phase arrest in p53+ cells treated with 50 or 100 nM BPDE. P53- cells did not escape S phase arrest 24 h after low (50 and 100 nM) BPDE exposures; p53- curcumin pretreated cells entered S phase arrest earlier. Phosphorylated CHK1 Ser345 (pCHKS345) levels, an indicator of S phase arrest, was higher in p53- cells than p53+ cells; curcumin increased pCHK1 Ser345. Curcumin also induced apoptosis earlier in p53- cells exposed to 300nM BPDE. Therefore, this dissertation shows that curcumin prevents BPDE-induced DNA damage by activating a host of mechanisms independent of p53 expression

Profiling Executive Dysfunction in Adolescents with Autism

Executive Functions (EF) have been assigned a causative role in a number of disorders, including schizophrenia, Tourette syndrome, autism, obsessive compulsive disorder, violent and criminal behavior, and nearly all learning disabilities. While the term executive functions in the professional literature easily yields more than 150 references, empirical research in which executive functions are studied and linked with specific disorders, such as autism, continues to help answer long-held questions about the disorder and adds to the literature base in order to better understand and treat the disorder. The purpose of this study was to review archival data collected using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functions (BRIEF) for the purpose of profiling executive dysfunction for adolescents with autism. The sample was comprised of 76 male and female public middle and high school students with autism spectrum disorder. All participants were assessed using the BRIEF Teacher Form. This study revealed that teachers’ ratings with the BRIEF reflected a high level of executive function deficiency in the behaviors of adolescents with autism. Overall, results of the analyses revealed that most domains of the BRIEF yielded clinically significant results. Students with autism who were educated in inclusion settings appeared to exhibit fewer problem behaviors and therefore appear to be making greater use of executive functions capacities than students who were educated in self-contained settings. The executive function deficits demonstrated by students with autism necessitate involvement in educational programs that address these students’ needs for greater external prompting. This study is limited by the relatively small sample size, narrow age range of the participants, and the highly specialized nature of the programming in a single state

Art of Judgement

We performed this paper at the Judicial Reasoning: Art or Science? conference held at the Australian National University in February 2009. We were performing on at least two levels: as academics and editors of a collection of judicially-authored essays on the art of judging but also, as we proclaimed at the outset, as Jester and Fool. We did not appear in costume as jesters or fools. We did not even appear as fairies, although one of us is well-known at Southern Cross University for donning fairy wings and fairy tales featured in this performance (as did sheep, land rights and playfulness). But then, our audience of judges had also left their costumes behind; there were no wigs or robes. They were in civilian clothes, recognisable only as judges through name tags. They were, in fact, unmasked

Reconceptualising Australia’s transfer pricing rules: An approach based on adopting economic presence as a basis for taxation

Against the background of a global focus on base erosion and profit shifting and well-publicised cases of high profile multinationals minimising their taxable burden in high tax jurisdictions, including the use of transfer pricing as a major tax minimisation strategy, this paper argues for a reconceptualisation of Australia’s Transfer Pricing rules by adopting an approach based on using economic presence as a basis for source based taxation.The approach of the paper is to first discuss and evaluate the evolution of Australia’s transfer pricing legislation. In this part, it will be argued that the most current reforms to Australia’s transfer pricing regime present several fundamental deficiencies. In response to these deficiencies, the second part of the paper advocates a policy response focused on a reconceptualised version of current source rules applying economic presence as a foundation for taxation

Smart UV-C Disinfectant Module

The Smart UV Disinfectant device shall sanitize objects which are 18”x14”x8” or smaller and less than 20 lbs. using UV-C light. This device should contain many safety measures to prevent human and animal exposure to the UV-C light and have no public touchpoints to operate the interface. In order to achieve the first objective, this device shall contain a sanitizing chamber which completely encloses the object to be sanitized to prevent outside exposure with detection of any lifeforms inside of the chamber; for the second objective, it will contain a wireless interface to an Android application which can be used to control the device. Because this device is meant for public areas, its interface should allow many applications to one sanitizing module; however, only one application is expected to be controlling the module at any one time. It should complete a sanitizing cycle in a relatively short period of time, in which the entire object is exposed to UV-C light at an intensity high enough to sanitize

The primacy of client privilege: designing a statutory tax advice privilege for accredited non lawyer tax advisors

There are several types of professional groups that provide tax advice in Australia: lawyers, accountants, and financial advisors, many of whom are registered tax agents. In many cases, the type of advice provided is the same; however, currently whilst lawyers can extend to their clients a blanket legal professional privilege (“LPP”) over confidential tax advice, clients of non-lawyer tax advisors (“NLTAs”) are presently only granted an administrative concession by the Australian Taxation Office (“ATO”) and then only over a limited range of documents. This article argues in favour of the enactment of a separate statutory tax advice privilege in Australia for accredited NLTAs and suggests a framework for determining which taxation professionals should be able to offer a tax advice privilege to their clients

Esophageal Temperature Mapping and Monitoring Sheath

The purpose of this document is to provide a product development summary for an accessory device that joins an esophageal temperature probe and a mapping catheter together to be used during cardiac ablation. Catheter ablation therapy is performed in the left atrium, utilizing extremely hot or cold temperatures to create scar tissue and treat atrial fibrillation and other arrhythmias. The close positioning of the left atria adjacent to the esophagus presents a large risk as the extreme temperatures used during ablation can lead to esophageal damage or fistulas. This device is designed to integrate correlate data from the temperature probe with the esophageal mapping catheter position in order to monitor esophageal temperature and create a map for use in catheter ablation. This document contains an overview of the development for this product. The document comprises the following sections: Introduction, Background, Objectives, Customer Requirements, Design Specifications, Project Management, Prototype Manufacturing Plans, Test Plans, Discussion, and Conclusions

Rethinking norms in educational practices to promote appreciation of variation: Lessons from human anatomy

Across disciplines, teaching approaches and educational resources that are based on norms prevail—a norm is defined as a standard or typical practice, convention, or procedure. Although norms often have a historical basis and may be used to simplify complex content, their frequent use in education often disregards and disvalues variation. Variation can present valuable learning opportunities for students, promoting the development of problem solving and critical thinking skills, and humanizing their learning. An example of norms and variation in the discipline of gross anatomy is the frequent use of the “standard human body” in teaching. This idealized view typically does not account for anatomical variations despite their prevalence across the human population. This practice can contribute to alienation within gross anatomy classrooms, with students not feeling represented in the images and terms that they are exposed to. The main aim of this study is to investigate the impact of anatomical variations in gross anatomy courses to inform the creation of updated educational resources. A scoping review was conducted to explore teaching approaches for, and student outcomes of, including anatomical variations in undergraduate, graduate, and professional gross anatomy courses. Scoping reviews are a valuable approach in educational research to systematically explore available evidence related to a problem, elucidate knowledge gaps, and inform updated inclusive practices. Awareness of the norms present in one’s discipline can inform the intentional inclusion of variations in educational approaches and resources, contributing to the inclusion and appreciation of diversity within and across fields of study