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Effects Of Place-Based Education Professional Development On Adapting Mathematics Lessons
No full textTeachers are required to maintain their teaching certificates by participating in professional development activities offered by their school districts. The experiences from professional development opportunities provide teachers with opportunities to grow their practice with meaningful educational experiences for students. The educational experiences for students are guided by the designated curriculum established by school districts. This study explored how elementary mathematics teachers in a public-school setting interpreted the content they received from professional development sessions when writing lesson plans. Specifically, the study focused on how teachers’ sensemaking of information from professional development on place-based education pedagogy affected the adaptation of existing math lessons to be taught to students. This study inquired about teachers’ sensemaking on adapting existing mathematics lessons using qualitative tools (focus-group discussions and interviews), lesson plans, and classroom observations. Study participants engaged in a process of thinking about incorporating place-based education strategies into mathematics lessons during a professional development series. The researcher gathered evidence from participants as they reflected on their sensemaking on adapting math lessons before, during, and after professional development sessions. The findings from the present study indicate that when teachers make sense of adapting existing mathematics lessons, it could have the potential to generate new ideas for stimulating interest in enhancing existing mathematics lessons. The participants of this study indicated that time is needed to support the likelihood of enhancing lessons through the adaption of new information. With adequate time, teachers could find the appropriate placement for new information without sacrificing exposure to the intended experience with the designated curriculum. In conjunction with the designated curriculum, the participants in the present study felt that new information would need to be grade-level and content appropriate. Another finding indicated that when adapting existing mathematics lessons using new information from professional development, the most effective support is when participants can communicate with individuals who have experience with designing experiences for students in place-based education environments
Microbial Prevalence And Antibiotic Resistance Associated With Urban Food Production Systems
Get PDFDespite the increasing popularity of urban agriculture and farmers’ markets, there is a lack of scientific data on microbial prevalence and antibiotic resistance associated with this unique food production system. The overall goal of this research is to understand antibiotic resistance and microbial prevalence in soil and fresh produce associated with urban agriculture. Specifically, we aim to investigate ARG in association with resistance genes to metals and other compounds in urban agricultural soil as well as antibiotic resistome and Listeria contamination in fresh produce distributed in urban communities.
In the initial phase of this research, soil samples were collected from an urban community garden in Detroit to explore the co-occurrence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARG) and resistance genes to other compounds, including heavy metals and biocides. Total soil DNA was extracted and subjected to metagenomic analysis on ARG, metal resistance genes (MRG), biocide resistance genes (BRG), multi-compound resistance genes (MCRG), and mobile genetic elements (MGE). The most abundant ARGs included multidrug, vancomycin, bacitracin, fosmidomycin, and macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin (MLS) resistance genes. Common MRGs consisted of genes with resistance to copper (dnaK, copA, cueA), arsenic (arsM), multi-metal (recG_BAC0356, ruvB, cueA), iron (acn), and chromium (recG). Multidrug resistance genes (mexF, mexW, multidrug transporter gene), MLS resistance gene (macB), and MCRG (ruvB) showed the most correlations with ARGs and resistance genes to other compounds. The data demonstrate extensive co-occurrence of ARGs, MRGs, BRGs, and MCRGs in urban agricultural soil and suggest the great potential of soil contaminants as co-selection agents for antibiotic resistance.
In the second phase, 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and shotgun metagenomic analysis was performed to investigate microbiome and the antibiotic resistome associated with fresh produce obtained from urban communities. A total of 432 fresh produce samples were collected from six farmers\u27 markets and urban gardens in Michigan and West Virginia, resulting in 109 composite samples. The most prevalent microbial phyla identified were Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Firmicutes. Resistance genes were against a broad spectrum of compounds, including antibiotics (aminocoumarins, aminoglycoside, beta-lactams, fluoroquinolones, fosfomycin, lipopeptides, multi-drug resistance, and oxazolidinone), biocides (biguanide, multi-biocide, peroxide, and phenolic compound), metals (arsenic, copper, zinc, cadmium, and multi-metal resistance), and multi-compound. Market variation was observed for microbiome and antibiotic resistome. ARG abundance is not necessarily correlated to bacterial abundance. The findings suggest possible multiple contamination sources for microbiome and ARG.
The third phase of the study focused on Listeria characterization in fresh produce. L. monocytogenes recovered from fresh produce was subjected to serotype analysis by PCR and genotyping by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). In-silico multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) and core-genome multi-locus sequence typing (cgMLST) were conducted for further gene profiling based on whole genome sequencing (WGS). The prevalence of Listeria spp. was 44.0% (48/109) that included 32 samples positive for L. welshimeri, 13 for L. innocua, and three for L. monocytogenes. Twelve L. monocytogenes isolates of serotype 1/2a and 4b were recovered from radish, potato, and romaine lettuce. Four clonal complexes (CC) were identified and included hypervirulent CC1 (ST1) and CC4 (ST219) of lineage I as well as CC7 (ST7) and CC11 (ST451) of lineage II. Clones CC4 and CC7 were present in the same romaine lettuce sample. CC1 carried Listeria pathogenicity island LIPI-1 and LIPI-3 whereas CC4 contained LIPI-1, LIPI-3, and LIPI-4. CC7 and CC11 had LIPI-1 only. Antibiotic resistance genes fosX, lin, mprF, norB and sul were detected in all L. monocytogenes genomes. This is the first report of hypervirulent CC4 in US food supply. Given its previous implication in foodborne outbreaks in Europe and its recovery in the environment and animals, future research should focus on understanding the contribution of food, animal, and environmental exposure to listeriosis.
To summarize, urban agricultural soil and fresh produce can carry extensive ARG and genes resistant to multiple compounds. The common occurrence of ARG classes in soil and fresh produce suggests that soil may be a likely origin of ARG in fresh produce, though farm and market practices may also play a role. Continued research is essential to explore the interplay of environmental contaminants in shaping antibiotic resistance in soil and fresh produce, and the role of food, animal, and environmental exposure in contributing to foodborne illnesses
Valproate-Induced Inositol Depletion Is A Consequence Of Reduced Mips Expression Mediated By The Henry Regulatory Circuit
No full textInositol is an essential component of cellular functions. Importantly, de novo synthesis of inositol accounts for nearly half of the inositol found in the brain. Valproate, a drug used to treat neurological disorders such as epilepsy, bipolar disorder, and migraines, induces inositol depletion by preventing its synthesis, which is a hypothesized therapeutic mechanism for its mood stabilizing effect. However, the mechanism by which this occurs is not known, but it is likely due to activation of cellular mechanisms that downregulate inositol synthesis. Shortly after treating yeast cells with valproate, there is reduced expression of the protein that facilitates the rate-limiting step of inositol synthesis, myo-inositol-3-phosphate synthase (MIPS). This is a result of the Henry regulatory circuit transcriptionally repressing the INO1 gene that encodes MIPS. Although INO1 transcription eventually recovers, MIPS protein levels remain lower than control levels. Most likely, this is a consequence of another outcome of valproate treatment which rapidly activates Snf1 and inhibits TORC1. These master metabolic regulators control cellular metabolism and the actions of valproate induce catabolism, which reduces the rate of translation and protein synthesis. Therefore, the pleiotropic effects of VPA bring about the initial decrease in MIPS protein levels not only by repressing INO1 transcription but also by preventing its recovery by downregulating translation. These various and independent effects of valproate likely underlie the complex mechanisms that collectively induce the therapeutic effects of valproate treatment
Navigating The Labyrinth: An Analysis Of Gender Bias In Leadership Development Using Natural Language Processing
Get PDFThis study employs a multi-trait, multi-method approach to investigate gender bias in leadership development evaluations in an organizational setting by combining traditional quantitative analyses with natural language processing (NLP) methodologies. Specifically, analysis of 360-degree ratings of leader competency revealed a null effect of leader gender on ratings of Agency and Communion when controlling for leader level, leader work region, rater gender, and rater source. These secondary variables, with the exception of rater gender, demonstrated small yet significant effects on competency ratings. Moreover, dictionary-based NLP and structural topic modeling analyses on narrative developmental feedback comments revealed minimal gender differences in feedback evaluations for hypothesized themes, except for feedback themes related to strategy. In this feedback, male leaders were perceived as being stronger strategic thinkers compared to female leaders, albeit with limited practical significance. Contrary to established literature on gender bias, these results underscore the importance of a nuanced approach to analyzing and understanding how intricate gender dynamics influence leadership evaluations
Large Angle Beamstrahlung Monitor
No full textThe Large Angle Beamstrahlung Monitor (LABM) is an important piece of equipment developed primarily at Wayne State University, its purpose is to monitor the beam parameters in a particle accelerator at the interaction point in order to have more control over the accelerator. The LABM collects visible radiation emitted during or just before beam collisions. The LABM has provided results so far, in the paper “A Neural Network approach to reconstructing SuperKEKB beam parameters from beamstrahlung.” LABM data was used to successfully predict beam parameters. In this thesis we will produce results that are important for upgrading the LABM system, discuss the upgrade itself, and future prospects
Characterization Of Schwann Cells On Electroconductive Polymers
No full textAt present conductive polymers are being tested widely for many neural applications. The inhibitory environment leading to potential disruptions in motor or sensory pathways post an injury or disease requires characterization to design efficient regenerative therapies. The current work was an attempt to utilize multiple cues tested individually in literature to design a multiple cue model. The model incorporates alignment cues obtained through scaffold fabrication technique (electrospinning), scaffold material (0.01% CNT infused into Hyaluronic Acid fibers (HA)), periodic electrical stimulation (ES) cues and growth factor cues derived from cells as a response to ES. The objectives in this thesis were to 1) study the response of healthy Schwann cells derived from a human donor (WT SCs) to the multi cue model, 2) develop a 3D organotypic model to mimic the Plexiform Neurofibroma (pNF); disease condition with multiple benign peripheral nerve sheath tumors and 3) to study the biomolecular changes observed in immortalized healthy Schwann cells (WT SCs) and mutated Schwann cells from peripheral nerve sheath tumors (NF SCs) to electrical stimulation. We hypothesized that WT SCs characterized in our multiple cue model would demonstrate more proregenerative characteristics due to the combination of multiple cues in a single scaffold and delivery of these cues together at the same time. As the second part of this thesis we are interested in developing 3D organoid model to study pNF tumor cell interaction with our HA-CNT nanofiber scaffold as the ECM architecture to hold and culture the cells. The objective of this portion of the thesis is to evaluate the response of NF SCs on HA-CNT nanofibers combined with electrical stimulation in order to combine these cues to test patient specific cells. We believe that in future this platform could be potentially used to test and prescribe different therapeutic drugs specific to patients’ physiology. The cellular behavior of both WT and NF SCs were studied through different techniques including immunofluorescence stains for morphological analysis, Alama Blue for proliferation studies and ELISA assays for growth factor release quantification. The findings from the aforementioned techniques were further confirmed and correlated to specific genes using quantified Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) assays. Our findings on WT cells cultured on HACNT fibers (Hyaluronic Acid Carbon Nanotube) indicated changes in cell morphology compared to control groups of HA and Hydrogels. These results confirmed the effects of biomaterials on cellular morphology. Our stimulation tests further confirmed that cells proliferate faster in the presence of ES and release Neural Growth Factors (NGF). qRT-PCR of the stimulated WT cells expressed NCAM, GFAP, Oct6 and Sox10 genes that correlated to enhanced proliferation and expression of NGF. The NF SCs were unable to respond to ES with similar behavior as WT SCs due to the mutation of neurofibromin (NF+/-) gene. And the most interesting finding of this study was the confirmation of Sox10 gene down regulation in the electrically stimulated NF SCs. As Sox10 dysregulation leads to aberrant proliferation of the mutated SCs in pNF. Our studies offer important insights onto successful utilization of conductive scaffolds with combination of other cues for peripheral nerve regeneration applications and benign nerve sheath tumors causing peripheral neuropathies
Decision-Making Profiles And Job Characteristics: A Latent Profile Analysis Of Decision-Making Styles And Organizational Outcomes
No full textMany researchers agree that understanding individual differences in employee decision making could yield critical insights relevant to selection, training, leadership, and employee development (Blacksmith et al., 2020; Dalal & Brooks, 2013). This study sought to make theoretical and practical contributions to the literature by a) using a person-centered analytical approach to categorize decision makers into unique profiles, and b) exploring how job characteristics and decision profiles interact to predict job satisfaction and job performance.
A latent profile analysis conducted with 335 full-time employees revealed that participants could be sorted into two unique decision-making profiles based on their use of the 5 decision styles outlined in Scott and Bruce’s (1995) General Decision Style Measure. These profiles were: a) an ‘automatic’ profile, in which higher levels of spontaneous and avoidant styles were used, and b) a ‘deliberate’ profile in which high levels of the rational style were used. Profile membership did significantly interact with job characteristics to influence job satisfaction and job performance. Specifically, increasing perceived autonomy improved job satisfaction for both profiles but it had a more extreme impact on those in the deliberate profile. The interaction between autonomy and profile membership was also significant for job performance, but while perceptions of performance improved as autonomy increased for those in the automatic profile, they decreased for those in the deliberate profile. Social support also significantly interacted with profile membership to influence perceptions of job performance, such that those in the automatic profile perceived better performance in roles with high social support.
These findings support a) the more theoretically grounded perspective that individuals use a variety of decision-making styles instead of just one dominant style, and b) that the use and efficacy of certain styles likely depends on a combination of individual preferences and environmental factors
A Design-Focused Approach To First-Year Composition: A Mixed Method Student-Centered Study Of Multimodality
No full textThis dissertation project began with the development of a Design-Focused Approach (DFA) to First-Year Composition (FYC) curriculum largely informed by multimodal pedagogical theory. In the DFA to FYC curriculum, I highlighted the importance of multiliteracy and the demand for multiple modalities for students to effectively communicate in various contexts. Based upon the qualitative data that I collected during the course, via student writing samples and research interviews, I have determined that writing framed as designing allows for students to engage their audiences in a multisensory experience that strengthens their artifact’s situatedness, responsiveness and reflects the students’ identities. Artifacts designed through these means can inform and impact contexts outside the university setting; thus, giving student designers the agency they need to strengthen connections between learning spaces and those they will assume as professionals and citizens. Based on a multimodal theory of writing and design-thinking, the curriculum uniquely positions students to think critically about how to participate in such discourse. The DFA to FYC supports students in a recursive and thoughtful process for generating innovative solutions to problems through meaningful projects. Moreover, a general education composition course (FYC), designed to do this work, reframes university learning outcomes for 21st century literacies. To make the DFA to FYC curriculum and my subsequent findings meaningful, I chose to create a website, Designing.FYC.com, for writing instructors interested in implementing multimodal pedagogy in their own classrooms. Using a comparable mixed-methods approach found in the 2017 Kairos web text, “On Multimodal Composing,” by Alvarez et.al., I first began to document what happened in the DFA to FYC course, then secondly captured my design process during the development of the actual website. I recorded think aloud protocols based on the methodology of Flower and Hayes’s as described in “A Cognitive Process Theory of Writing.” DesignFYC.com contributes to the field of composition studies as it fills a gap for available instructional resources focused on actualizing students’ multimodal praxis. Most notably, the development of the website chronicled through a series of blog posts performs the theoretical work I endorse in the DFA
A New Approach to the Parental Mediation Theory from Adolescents’ Perspective: Inclusion of Participatory Use and Participatory Learning
No full textParents use a variety of mediation strategies, such as rule-setting, instructing, co-using, and monitoring, centered on their intentions to mediate their children’s smartphone use. Common parental aims for mediation often include the facts of ensuring children’s online safety and encouraging children’s involvement to explore online opportunities. Recent literature reiterates that parental mediation theory should also consider parents’ aspirations to be participatory with their adolescents rather than being focused only on parental protection and “good parent” motives. The current study proposes examining the existence of two new parental mediation strategies, participatory use (PU) and participatory learning (PL) intended for sharing and learning, using the data collected from adolescents (N = 420, aged 13–17). The study also explores the other common mediation strategies practiced during adolescent smartphone use. In addition, a structural equation model was tested in order to comprehend the relation of PU and PL to other parental mediation strategies
Lighting in General: Tom Lloyd\u27s Electronic Refractions
Get PDFThis paper describes Tom Lloyd’s light sculptures, specifically those shown in his 1968 exhibition at the Studio Museum in Harlem, Electronic Refractions II, in relation to the Black Arts Movement and minimalist phenomenology. Even while his work’s industrial-style light fixtures and geometric metal structures bear a resemblance to minimal sculpture, they act as foils to the likes of Dan Flavin and his peers’ habitual references to gallery interiors. Moving beyond the white cube, his work harnesses the disorienting effects of lights on the city street. Approaching Lloyd’s relationship to and extension of the phenomenological thrust of artwork in the minimalist field, this essay describes an extra-aesthetic emphasis in Lloyd’s work that rhymes with the artist’s activism as part of the Black Arts Movement and as executive director of the Store Front Museum / Paul Robeson Theater in Jamaica, New York. By proposing a through line between his sculpture, activism, and work with the Black Arts Movement—rather than describe these as contradictory aspects of the artist’s life—it is argued here that the artist offered an innovative translation of Black radical politics into a nonobjective format