Increasing Social Presence Online: Five Strategies for Instructors

As one component of the Community of Inquiry Model, social presence comprises how learners effectively project themselves in a learning environment. Effective cultivation of social presence can lead to more motivated students, success in the class, and, of course, effective online instruction. However, increasing social presence in an online course can be easier said than done. Through a review of literature, this paper briefly overviews the benefits of increased social presence and highlights five research-based strategies for improving social presence in online environments

Knowledge and perception of leprosy amongst high school students in Italy: A survey

This study explores knowledge and perception of leprosy among adolescent Italian high school students. It primarily aimed to survey their knowledge and educate them about the social stigma linked with this infection, both past and present; it also introduced them to the academic research process. Adolescents were selected for the survey to compare the data with a previous survey of adults. The survey was part of an outreach program included in a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions project on medical care for people with leprosy buried in leprosaria cemeteries in medieval Europe

Passing the Gen Z Vibe Check: A Values-Based Approach for Instructional Design

This paper emphasizes the significance of establishing a compelling digital course environment to meet the preferences of Generation Z (Gen Z) students, who prioritize multimedia content, personalization, and on-demand learning as key components to online learning. Educators seeking to enhance online pedagogy will need to consider these preferences in order to address the challenge of aligning instructional design with targeted learning experiences. To that end, this paper uses a literature review and analysis of values to explore the intersection between Gen Z values and preferences and to suggest pedagogical support for aligning online course content to corresponding values

Determining the effect of double-stranded RNA treatment in ovarian cancer

DETERMINING THE EFFECT OF DOUBLE-STRANDED RNA TREATMENT IN OVARIAN CANCER By Charlotte Faye Roberts, B.A. A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Science in Biochemistry at Virginia Commonwealth University.Virginia Commonwealth University, 2011Major Director: Jessica K. Bell, Ph.D.Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology. Epithelial ovarian cancer is a lethal gynecological malignancy. Due to its asymptomatic nature it is typically detected in the latter metastatic stages. Standard treatment protocol involves surgical cytoreduction, followed by a combination of taxane and platinum-based chemotherapeutics. Initially this treatment is successful however, most patients face recurring tumors that over time become resistant to current drug regimens. Thus, novel chemotherapeutic development is necessary. Cancer cells express receptors of the innate immune system, pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that function to alert the host of invading pathogens. PRRs such as toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3), retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I), melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5), and dsRNA-dependent protein kinase receptor (PKR) recognize double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), a viral replication intermediate, and trigger apoptosis. Numerous studies have been conducted on the four dsRNA receptors in cancer. The findings have shown that stimulation of individual or a group of these receptors have led to a multitude of responses such as activation of apoptosis, inhibition of tumorigenic growth, and inhibition of metastasis in several cancer types (prostate, breast, nasopharyngeal, and melanoma cancer). Previous work in the Bell lab has shown that within a panel of ovarian cancer cell lines, one subset upregulates dsRNA receptors upon stimulation with polyinosinic-polyuridylic acid (pI:pC) and leads to apoptosis. A second subset of ovarian cancer cells do not upregulate dsRNA receptors and their survival is not affected by dsRNA treatment. We hypothesize that all or a subset of dsRNA receptors are required to elicit a dsRNA-induced apoptotic response. To test this hypothesis we examined the dsRNA-induced apoptotic response the responding cell lines (CAOV3 and OVCAR3) via three methods: selective ligand assays, transient knockdowns with siRNA, and stable lentiviral knockdowns with shRNA. Then we examined the dsRNA-induced apoptotic response in the non-responders (DOV13 and SKOV3). The first objective was to determine if all or a subset of these four dsRNA receptors were required for the dsRNA-induced apoptotic response. The second objective of this thesis was to examine if dsRNA receptor expression in cell lines resistant to dsRNA-induced apoptosis could restore dsRNA responsiveness. To execute the first objective, we first examined receptor contribution to the dsRNA-induced apoptotic response via a selective antagonist (2- aminopurine) to PKR and a selective agonist (polyadenylic-polyuridylic acid, pA:pU) to TLR3. Inhibition of PKR did not blunt the apoptosis levels in the responders and was determined to be inessential for the dsRNA-induced apoptosis. Selective ligation of TLR3 with pA:pU showed an increase in apoptosis, but not to levels seen with pI:pC. Objective one was also carried out via transient knockdown using siRNA. Knockdowns via this method were less than 70% and the lipid vehicle of one of the transfection reagents was found to be sensitizing to the cells. Stable lentiviral knockdowns with shRNA were utilized to conduct the knockdown assays. By qPCR, lentiviral knockdown of TLR3 showed an 85% decrease and showed a great decrease in the dsRNA-induced apoptotic response in the cell death assay. The lentiviral knockdown of RIG-I showed a 54% decrease via qPCR and did not alter dsRNA-induced apoptotic responses. The lentiviral knockdown of MDA5 could only be assessed via the TLR3/MDA5 double knockdown, and it showed a 53% decrease via qPCR analysis. The cell death assay of the TLR3/MDA5 double knockdown showed a great decrease in the dsRNA-induced response. The work presented in this thesis is the first to address the contribution of all four dsRNA receptors to the dsRNA-induced apoptotic response in one study. In this work, we have found that PKR is not needed for the dsRNA-induced apoptosis. Loss of TLR3 in the responders reduces death, but not back to basal levels. This may be due to the delivery method of pI:pC such that it goes directly to the endosome. Forced expression of the dsRNA receptors (TLR3, MDA5, and RIG-I) can all induce apoptosis to similar levels indicating redundancy. The importance of this work reveals that any of the three dsRNA receptors, TLR3, MDA5, and RIG-I, could be possible targets for individualized chemotherapeutic regimens for women with ovarian cancer expressing these receptors

Comparison of the progression of glomerulosclerosis between Oim-C57BL/6 and Oim-B6C3Fe a/a [abstract]

Abstract only availableOsteogenesis Imperfecta (OI), a heritable connective tissue disorder, resulting from mutations in the type I procollagen genes is characterized by bone deformity and fragility. The OI mouse model (oim) is homozygous for a null mutation in the COL1A2 gene of type I collagen, displaying a bone phenotype mimicking type III OI in humans. These mice also have glomerulosclerosis characterized by α1(I) homotrimeric type I collagen deposition within their glomeruli. Previous studies in our laboratory demonstrate that oim-B6C3Fe a/a mice exhibit accumulation of glomerular fibrillar collagen beginning post-natally by one week of age, showing increasing severity with continued development. Heterozygous (het) mice have an intermediate glomerular phenotype between homozygous (oim) and wildtype (wt) mice. Although the oim mutation on the C57BL/6 mouse background shows a more severe bone phenotype than its B6C3Fe a/a counterpart, the impact on the glomerular progression and severity is unknown. Preliminary morphometry mapping and lesion scoring data suggest the oim mutation on C57BL/6 and B6C3Fe a/a backgrounds exhibit similar glomerulosclerotic lesion progression between one and four months of age. Het mice of both backgrounds exhibited mild lesions, and little progression of the glomerulopathy beyond one month (0.3075 ± 0.23 and 0.712 ± 0.29 for C57BL/6 and B6C3Fe a/a, respectively). Within oim mice, glomerulosclerosis varies in severity as reflected by a large standard deviation. However, both oim-C57BL/6 and oim-B6C3Fe a/a mouse strains exhibit similar patterns of glomerulosclerotic development with age. One month oim-C57BL/6 mice have less affected glomeruli (1.65 ± 0.55) as compared to oim-B6C3Fe a/a mice (2.1 ± 1.0) suggesting slower progression of disease in oim-C57BL/6, although they reach the same severity by four months of age (3.04 ± 0.4 and 3.29 ± 0.49, respectively). This suggests that regardless of strain, glomerulosclerotic lesions progress similarly, and C57BL/6 mice are appropriate for further studies.CAFNR On Campus Research Internshi

A community in transition: Analysis of health and well‐being in people living during and following aridification

This paper considers skeletal and dental lesions to assess the effects of aridification on two skeletal samples from the Bronze Age in what is now the United Arab Emirates (UAE), located on the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. This paper hypothesized that the sample from Qarn al-Harf (QAH) Tomb 6 would show a greater prevalence of skeletal and dental lesions in comparison with that from QAH Tomb 5, because QAH Tomb 6 dates to a period of aridification when compared with the wetter Wadi Suq period (~2000 B.C.). The skeletal remains from two tombs from QAH cemetery are studied: one dated to the transition period from the Umm an-Nar to Wadi Suq period (~2000 B.C.) (Tomb 6, n = 141) and one Wadi Suq period tomb (Tomb 5, n = 44; 2000–1600 B.C.). Skeletal and dental lesions, including carious lesions, antemortem tooth loss, dental enamel hypoplasia, periosteal new bone formation, cribra orbitalia, and porotic hyperostosis, were recorded and used to assess differential lived experience. Findings from the two tombs are compared with five contemporary sites of the Umm an-Nar and Wadi Suq periods. Fisher's exact tests found more statistically significant differences in the prevalence of cribra orbitalia (p = 0.0050) and non-adult mortality (p = 0.0118) for the QAH Tomb 6 skeletal sample than that from QAH Tomb 5. No other skeletal or dental lesions were significantly different according to Fisher's exact tests. While not significant, periosteal new bone formation rates in QAH 6 in conjunction with cribra orbitalia rates suggest individuals were experiencing stressors that were not impacting QAH Tomb 5 individuals. Skeletal and dental lesion rates are not directly attributable to climate change; however, we argue that intense aridification around 2000 B.C. caused desiccated crops and an increased reliance on marine sources for QAH Tomb 6. This reliance likely promoted nutritionally deficient diets manifesting as observed higher rates of cribra orbitalia and periosteal new bone formation

A male adult skeleton from the Han Dynasty in Shaanxi, China (202 BC–220 AD) with bone changes that possibly represent spinal tuberculosis

Bioarchaeological data for tuberculosis (TB) have been published very sporadically in China or the rest of East Asia. To explore the history of TB in this area, 85 skeletons excavated from the Liuwei Cemetery in Shaanxi, China (202 BC–220 AD) were macroscopically examined to record TB related bone changes. These skeletons represented inhabitants of Maolingyi, an urban area that had a high population density during the Han Dynasty (202 BC–220 CE). Seventeen of the 85 skeletons had spines that were well enough preserved to observe evidence of spinal disease. Among them, a male skeleton aged around 30 years (M34-E) manifested multiple lytic lesions in the eleventh thoracic to second lumbar vertebral bodies (T11 to L2). TB was considered a possible diagnosis for the spinal lesions observed, with differential diagnoses of brucellosis and typhoid. The dense population and overcrowding in urban Maolingyi were considered the potential social risk factors for TB found at this site. The findings of this study contribute to limited knowledge about the history of TB in East Asia and suggest a relationship between population density and the spread of TB in Maolingyi at that time. However, the lack of published bioarchaeological data of TB in East Asia hinders understanding the transmission of TB within Asia and its link to the rest of the world. Further intensive review of archaeological skeletons in Asia is urgently needed

An improved method for surface immobilisation of RNA: application to small Non-Coding RNA - mRNA pairing

Characterisation of RNA and its intermolecular interactions is increasing in importance as the inventory of known RNA functions continues to expand. RNA-RNA interactions are central to post-transcriptional gene regulation mechanisms in bacteria, and the interactions of bacterial small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) with their mRNA targets are the subject of much current research. The technology of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is an attractive approach to studying these interactions since it is highly sensitive, and allows interaction measurements to be recorded in real-time. Whilst a number of approaches exist to label RNAs for surface-immobilisation, the method documented here is simple, quick, efficient, and utilises the high-affinity streptavidin-biotin interaction. Specifically, we ligate a biotinylated nucleotide to the 3' end of RNA using T4 RNA ligase. Although this is a previously recognised approach, we have optimised the method by our discovery that the incorporation of four or more adenine nucleotides at the 3' end of the RNA (a poly-A-tail) is required in order to achieve high ligation efficiencies. We use this method within the context of investigating small non-coding RNA (sRNA)-mRNA interactions through the application of surface technologies, including quantitative SPR assays. We first focus on validating the method using the recently characterised Escherichia coli sRNA-mRNA pair, MicA-ompA, specifically demonstrating that the addition of the poly-A-tail to either RNA does not affect its subsequent binding interactions with partner molecules. We then apply this method to investigate the novel interactions of a Vibrio cholerae Qrr sRNA with partner mRNAs, hapR and vca0939; RNA-RNA pairings that are important in mediating pathogenic virulence. The calculated binding parameters allow insights to be drawn regarding sRNA-mRNA interaction mechanisms

An Acute Increase of Dietary Protein Intake Elicits Positive Cellular Metabolic Adaptations in Healthy Males

There is emerging literature demonstrating that restricting dietary carbohydrate (CHO) intake might upregulate cellular markers of mitochondrial biogenesis. Mitochondria quantity and density has been linked with increased endurance performance, reduction in type 2 diabetes and improved insulin sensitivity. A number of transcriptional cellular markers have been identified as key regulators of this process. PURPOSE: To determine the influence of 7 days dietary manipulation on resting metabolic rate (RMR), body composition and transcriptional markers of mitochondrial biogenesis. METHOD: Forty-six healthy male participants (mean ± SD; age (years), body mass (kg), height (cm); 28 ± 5, 75.6 ± 11.1, 178.0 ± 4.9, respectively) were recruited and randomised to one of four conditions: energy matched high protein (PRO-EM), energy restricted high protein (PRO-ER), energy matched high carbohydrate (CHO-EM) or energy restricted high carbohydrate (CHO-ER). Macronutrient ratios (PRO:CHO:FAT) of 40:30:30 and 60:10:30 were used for high protein and high carbohydrate conditions, respectively. Calorific intake for energy restricted groups was matched to RMR. Participants visited the laboratory on 3 occasions across 15 days. On days 0, 7 and 15 participants completed assessments of body composition (DEXA) and RMR (indirect calorimetry), prior to providing a muscle biopsy from the vastus lateralis for later analysis of transcriptional markers via real-time polymerase chain reaction. Between days 1 & 7 and 7 & 14 participants consumed their habitual and prescribed diets, respectively. Laboratory testing was completed following an overnight fast and at the same time of day on each occasion. RESULTS: No difference in RMR was observed in any group across all time points. AMPK, PGC-1a, SIRT1 and PPAR expression was increased in the PRO-ER group (1.32, 1.20, 1.45 and 1.41 fold, respectively). Transcriptional markers were not affected in either CHO group. The CHO-ER group demonstrated a greater loss in lean mass relative to the PRO-EM (-2.22 vs -0.35%,) and body mass loss relative to both CHO-EM and PRO-EM (-2.85 vs -0.95 vs -1.47%) (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: A restriction energy intake combined with increased protein consumption for 7 days increases transcriptional markers of mitochondrial biogenesis