Pandemic Pivot: A Faculty Development Program for Enhanced Remote Teaching

The novel coronavirus COVID-19 has impacted the higher education sector all over the world and has been most disruptive to residential academic institutions that offer mostly, if not wholly, in-person instruction. Of the 1.5 million college faculty members in the United States, about 70% had never taught a virtual course prior to COVID-19 (Hechinger & Lorin, 2020). During spring 2020, colleges had to pivot to remote instruction without much notice for faculty or students to prepare. Some referred to this as “emergency remote teaching” as it did not allow adequate time to thoughtfully plan out a course for a remote format (Hodges, et al., 2020). Institutions turned to web conferencing platforms such as Zoom to allow students and faculty to meet in real time and replicate the face-to-face experience as closely as possible, with mixed results. For some, it offered a space for class connection during a time of isolation from campus. Others experienced Zoom fatigue. Over the summer and fall of 2020, many colleges invested in training programs to help faculty design and deliver their courses in a remote format, beyond just using Zoom (Johnson, 2020). This article describes an online faculty development program that was created for faculty at a residential liberal arts university that, prior to COVID-19, offered the majority of courses on campus in-person. The objective of the program was to help faculty plan out and design their remote courses in the Blackboard Learning Management System using an instructional design framework known as backward design. This program ended up receiving the 2021 Blackboard Catalyst Award for Training and Professional Development

Neuronal sensitivity to TDP-43 overexpression is dependent on timing of induction

Ubiquitin-immunoreactive neuronal inclusions composed of TAR DNA binding protein of 43 kDa (TDP-43) are a major pathological feature of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD-TDP). In vivo studies with TDP-43 knockout mice have suggested that TDP-43 plays a critical, although undefined role in development. In the current report, we generated transgenic mice that conditionally express wild-type human TDP-43 (hTDP-43) in the forebrain and established a paradigm to examine the sensitivity of neurons to TDP-43 overexpression at different developmental stages. Continuous TDP-43 expression during early neuronal development produced a complex phenotype, including aggregation of phospho-TDP-43, increased ubiquitin immunoreactivity, mitochondrial abnormalities, neurodegeneration and early lethality. In contrast, later induction of hTDP-43 in the forebrain of weaned mice prevented early death and mitochondrial abnormalities while yielding salient features of FTLD-TDP, including progressive neurodegeneration and ubiquitinated, phospho-TDP-43 neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions. These results suggest that neurons in the developing forebrain are extremely sensitive to TDP-43 overexpression and that timing of TDP-43 overexpression in transgenic mice must be considered when distinguishing normal roles of TDP-43, particularly as they relate to development, from its pathogenic role in FTLD-TDP and other TDP-43 proteinopathies. Finally, our adult induction of hTDP-43 strategy provides a mouse model that develops critical pathological features that are directly relevant for human TDP-43 proteinopathies

Development of P22 Viral Capsid Nanocomposites as Anti-Cancer Drug, Bortezomib (BTZ), Delivery Nanoplatforms

Genetic and chemical engineering approaches are used to employ P22 viral capsids as nanoplatforms for developing an efficient delivery vehicle. Catechol ligands are chemically attached to the interior surface of P22 viral capsid for subsequent encapsulation of an anticancer drug, bortezomib (BTZ), through boronic acid-diol complexation. For targeted delivery, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)-targeting peptide (SP94, SFSIIHTPILPL) is synthesized and chemically conjugated to the exterior surface of the P22 viral capsid nanocomposites. Effective targeted delivery of synthesized P22 viral capsid nanocomposites is demonstrated by fluorescent cell imaging and the efficacy of delivered P22 viral capsid nanocomposites is evaluated using a cell viability assay.close0

Caged protein nanoparticles for drug delivery

Caged protein nanoparticles possess many desirable features for drug delivery, such as ideal sizes for endocytosis, non-toxic biodegradability, and the ability to functionalize at three distinct interfaces (external, internal, and inter-subunit) using the tools of protein engineering. Researchers have harnessed these attributes by covalently and non-covalently loading therapeutic molecules through mechanisms that facilitate release within specific microenvironments. Effective delivery depends on several factors, including specific targeting, cell uptake, release kinetics, and systemic clearance. The innate ability of the immune system to recognize and respond to proteins has recently been exploited to deliver therapeutic compounds with these platforms for immunomodulation. The diversity of drugs, loading/release mechanisms, therapeutic targets, and therapeutic efficacy are discussed in this review

The reactions of alpha-amino acids and alpha-amino acid esters with high valent transition metal halides: synthesis of coordination complexes, activation processes and stabilization of alpha-ammonium acylchloride cations

Titanium tetrachloride smoothly reacted with a selection of alpha-amino acids (aaH) in affording yellow to orange solid coordination compounds, 1a-d, in 70-78% yields. The salts [NHEt3][TiCl4(aa)], 2a- b, were obtained from TiCl4/aaH/NEt3 (aa = L- phenylalanine, N, N- dimethylphenylalanine), in 60-65% yields. The complex, 3, was isolated from the reaction of L- proline with NbCl5/(NHPr2)-Pr-i, performed in CH2Cl2 at room temperature. The X-ray structure of 3 features a bridging (E)-1,2-bis(3,4-dihydro-2H-pyrrol-5-yl) ethene- 1,2- diolate ligand, resulting from the unprecedented C-C coupling between two proline units. Unusually stable alpha-ammonium acyl chlorides were prepared by the reactions of PCl5/MCln (MCln = NbCl5, WCl6) with L- proline, N, N- dimethylphenylalanine, sarcosine and Lmethionine. MX5 (M - Nb, Ta; X - F, Cl) reacted with L-eucine methylester and L- proline ethylester to give ionic coordination compounds, [MX4L2][ MX6] ( M = Nb, L = Me2CHCH2CH( NH2) CO2Me, X = F, 9; Cl, 11a; M = Nb, X = Cl, L = HNCH2CH3CH3CHCO2Et, 11c; Ta, 11d), in moderate to good yields. [NbCl5( Me2CHCH2CHNH3CO2Me)][ NbCl6], 12, was isolated as a co-product of the reaction of NbCl5 with L- leucine isopropylester, and crystallographically characterized. The reaction of NbCl5 with L- serine isopropylester afforded NbCl3 (OCH2CHNHCO2 Pr-i), 13, in 66% yield. The activation of the ester O-R bond was observed in the reactions of L- leucine methyl ester with NbF5 and L- proline ethyl ester with MBr5 (M = Nb, Ta), these reactions proceeding with the release of EtF and EtBr, respectively. All the metal products were characterized by analytical and spectroscopic methods, while DFT calculations were carried out in order to provide insight into the structural and mechanistic aspects