1524 research outputs found
Sort by
PRODUCTION OF VP3-ONLY AAV2 VLP IN E. COLI
Get PDFAdeno-associated virus (AAV) is a widely used vector for gene therapy. However, few studies have focused on producing AAV-based virus-like particles (VLP) in E. coli. This project aimed to express VP3 of AAV2 or co-express VP3 of AAV2 with other proteins, such as E. coli chaperones and/or assembly-activating protein (AAP) in E. coli under different expression conditions and explore the potential to produce VP3-only VLP of AAV2 in situ in E. coli. The constructed plasmid pET15ΔHis-VP3 was used to express VP3 under different conditions. The results demonstrated that most expressed VP3 was in inclusion bodies in all tested conditions. Although low level of soluble VP3 could be produced in E. coli after optimization, those proteins might be present as monomers or aggregates. To promote the assembly of VP3, the constructed plasmid pET15ΔHis-VP3-AAP was used to co-express VP3 and AAP in E. coli. Assembled VP3-only VLP could be detected with dot blot assays and transmission electron microscopy after co-expression at 30 °C. However, the overall production level of VP3 after co-expression was lower than that after expression of VP3 alone. Therefore, we tried co-expression VP3 with E. coli chaperones (trigger factor, Hsp70 and chaperonin) instead of AAP. It showed that those chaperones were able to facilitate soluble expression of VP3 and prevent its aggregation, but only Hsp70 and chaperonin had small effects on promoting VP3-only VLP assembly. Triple co-expression of VP3, AAP and chaperones using E. coli (BL21 (DE3)) demonstrated that chaperonin could increase the production of VP3-only VLP when triple co-expressing VP3, AAP and chaperonin. Purification of VP3-only VLP of AAV2 was also attempted. Although partial purification could be achieved with polyethylenimine (PEI) precipitation followed by size exclusion chromatography with Sephacryl S-300 HR, further purification was hampered by the low yields. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that the in situ production of VP3-only VLP of AAV2 in E. coli was possible. However, further optimizations of expression conditions as well as purification conditions may be necessary to achieve a high yield of produced VLP
Attitudes Towards Economic Inequality in a Global Perspective: Evidence from the World Value Survey
Get PDFScholars have explored the factors responsible for shaping people’s attitudes towards economic inequality. Yet, this research has focused almost exclusively on Western countries. This is an important limitation: only by looking at the different world regions, scholars can fully elucidate the major factors involved. To address this, the paper examines data from the World Value Survey, a database of representative samples drawn from more than one hundred countries. The analyses reveal that people tolerate economic inequalities more when they have higher salary, are better educated, are male, and live in poorer countries. The data also indicate that a country’s level of income inequality has no impact on the attitude towards economic inequality reported by citizens. Altogether, these findings elucidate the general factors shaping people’s views on inequality worldwide, contributing to understand in which conditions people support egalitarian policies
Target: How a Top Retailer Overseas Global Sourcing Challenges
Get PDFAs one of the largest and most distinguished retailers in the United States, Target Corporation has faced a multitude of global sourcing challenges, as well as other internal and external issues. Through research, Target’s implementation of several processes and systems can be analyzed to explore how it counters the ever-changing market and global supply chains. This includes analyses of its history, business model, supply chain components, and value chains. In conclusion, this comprehensive study provides valuable insights into Target Corporation’s business operations, market positioning, supply chain management, and challenges. By capitalizing on opportunities and fortifying its brand promise, Target has the potential to further enhance its performance and profitability in the retail industry
Increasing Pre-Service Teachers\u27 Awareness of Children Experiencing Homelessness
Get PDFAs homelessness becomes a growing issue in the United States, children experiencing homelessness can be educationally at risk. However, teachers can make a significant difference for these children. In this study, we sought to increase empathy and understanding for children experiencing homelessness for the pre-service teachers whom we teach. Using the windows, mirrors and sliding glass doors framework (Bishop, 1990), we implemented an activity in which pre-service teachers read and discussed children\u27s books portraying different types of homelessness. This paper will articulate how students made connections with the texts and deepened their understanding and empathy about children experiencing homelessness
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TIKTOK USAGE, PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING, EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING, SLEEP QUALITY, AND SLEEP HYGIENE AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
Get PDFSocial media has been a well-researched topic over the past 15 years, with findings supporting its usefulness as well as its harmfulness. Some of these studies have focused on well-being, both psychological and physical, and how social media may impact these aspects. Social media applications such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter have been comprehensively studied in various areas, with many focusing on their impact on mental health. Although these studies have often found that social media usage negatively impacts mental health, there have been some conflicting findings. TikTok, a much newer application, has been far less researched and has only essentially been the focus of studies in the past three years. These studies are beginning to investigate the application’s impact on mental well-being, but more research is required to better determine its impacts. Until recently, few studies had focused on TikTok usage and younger individuals, despite adolescents and young adults being the majority of TikTok users. The following study investigated the relationships between social media applications usage (with a greater focus on TikTok usage), psychological well-being, executive functioning, sleep quality, and sleep hygiene among 469 university students. These topics have not been researched together in a study prior to this. Findings indicated that there are significant negative relationships between TikTok and total social media usage with psychological well-being, Twitter usage and sleep hygiene, and TikTok and total social media usage with executive functioning. Other implications for practice and future research are discussed
EVALUATION OF CULTURAL-LINGUISTIC FACTORS IN SPEECH-LANGUAGE TESTING WITH ENGLISH LEARNERS
Get PDFAs the population of schools increases in diversity, school psychologists are challenged to provide equitable assessments for English Language Learners. However, due to lack of training in non-discriminatory assessment, inconsistent administration practices, and lack of knowledge of language development, in some districts, ELLs are overrepresented in Special Education, including Speech Language Impairment. For fair and a valid assessment, it is imperative that practitioners understand the cultural and linguistic development factors that affect ELL test performance. The Culture-Language Test Classifications, and Culture-Language Interpretive Matrix provide practitioners with information on the degree of cultural loading and linguistic demand required on a test, and provide a tool for interpretation of validity of results to determine the likely presence of disability. Prior research on test performance of ELLs has yielded patterns of expected test performance based on the categories set by the C-LIM based on the expected attenuation of performance due to the degree cultural and linguistic demand. The purpose of this study is to compare the performance of ELLs determined eligible for Speech and Language Impairment to the expected performance to determine whether the obtained test performance is consistent to the predictions of the C-LIM classifications. Results indicate that ELL performance on tests that make up speech-language evaluations, decrease as a function of increasing cultural and linguistic development required in English. When compared to the normative mean, ELLs perform significantly lower across all levels, and effect sizes increase as the C-LIM levels increase which account for the combined effect of culture and language. When compared to the expected performance of ELLs eligible for SLI with a moderate difference in language development and acculturative experiences there is a lack of significant differences, and the effect sizes don’t follow a decreasing, suggesting test performance is as expected by the C-LIM. Additionally, a subtest was identified to have higher language demand than previously classified, and recommendations were made for re-classification to a higher level on the C-LTC and C-LIM. Results from this study highlight the need for complete comprehensive assessment of cultural and linguistic factors to adequately categorize degree of language difference for appropriate test interpretation
TESTING THE EFFICACY OF PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL BOOKLET ABOUT THE MENTAL HEALTH EFFECTS OF DISCRIMINATION
Get PDFThere is a significant relationship between discrimination and mental health (Assari et al., 2017; Brondolo et al., 2009; Paradies et al., 2015). Although there are a high number of individuals who experience discrimination, there are limited data reported on effective ways to lessen the effect that discrimination and racism can have on overall mental health (Brondolo et al., 2009). Although cultural competency is crucial in psychotherapy and helps create an understanding between the mental health provider and client (Sue et al., 1992), previous research has shown that there is still a need for mental health providers to learn more about cultural competency and to understand how to successfully apply it during visits. Psychoeducational tools may facilitate these conversations (Mollen & Ridley, 2021; Chan et al., 2018). We created a psychoeducational booklet that facilitates communication about mental health and discrimination for providers and clients. This study examines the efficacy of this psychoeducational booklet with undergraduate students. The outcomes evaluated include an analysis of self-efficacy managing depression that showed a significant increase from pre-test to post-test, p\u3c .001; a repeated measures regression analysis examining self-efficacy and discrimination that indicated self-efficacy discussing discrimination improving from pre-test to post-test, p\u3c.001; and significant reductions in distress discussing discrimination-related issues, p\u3c.001. Keywords: Discrimination, Racism, Psychoeducation, Inter-racial anxiety, Depression, Mental health stigmatization, Education, Stigmas, Ethnic groups
HOW DO MINDFULNESS AND SELF-COMPASSION ELICIT UNFAVORABLE OUTCOMES? NO MODERATING EFFECT DETECTED
Get PDFThis work investigated the interaction of mindfulness and self-compassion when predicting flourishing. Mindfulness and self-compassion have become increasingly popular for their benefits, but there is much to uncover about how these variables elicit favorable and unfavorable outcomes. We hypothesized that having high levels of mindfulness and self-compassion would elicit the strongest relationships with flourishing. We also hypothesized that having high levels of both mindfulness and self-compassion would prevent either variable from having negative relationships with flourishing. Our survey gauged the mindfulness, self-compassion, and flourishing levels of 180 participants from a large, urban, parochial university undergraduate pool. We used hierarchical linear regression to test for an interaction effect of mindfulness and self-compassion when predicting wellbeing, which would provide evidence for a moderating effect. Our results did not support the presence of this moderation; neither variable strengthened the relationship between the other and flourishing. Also, a lack of either variable did not reverse the relationship between the other and flourishing. Given that mindfulness and self-compassion can sometimes elicit deleterious effects on wellbeing, this study provides evidence that a lack of mindfulness or self-compassion are not responsible for these adverse outcomes
THE IMPACT OF TEACHER DEVELOPMENT, STUDENT SELF-EFFICACY, AND STUDENT ACCESS AND EFFORT ON FOURTH-GRADE MATH ACHIEVEMENT
Get PDFThis study examines the effects of self-efficacy, students’ effort and access to educational resources, and teachers’ development on the achievement of elementary school students in mathematics. Using the 2013 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) restricted data set, this study determined if and how these three aspects individually and in combination affected performance on the fourth-grade NAEP math assessment. The NAEP is referred to as The Nation’s Report Card, guiding educational practice and policy through the assessment of a large, diverse sample from the entire United States (NAEP, 2013a). This non-experimental study addresses the issues of declining test scores in the United States alongside some of the many factors that are thought to contribute to educational achievement (OECD, 2019; NAEP, 2017). By approaching the study through the lens of self-efficacy (Bandura, 1986), constructivism (Bruner, 1960), and mathematical knowledge for teaching (Hill et al., 2005), relevant variables were selected from NAEP, reduced to factors, and used in regression analyses to better understand the ongoing downward trend in international math assessment scores. The findings of this work contribute to the field of education by providing insight into how issues outside the classroom can impact student achievement
AMELIORATING SCHOOL EXPERIENCE WITH RESTORATIVE PRACTICES
Get PDFThe purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental study was to explore the association between school success after the tier-one introduction of a three-tiered restorative practices program. To understand school success, student factors were examined using middle school data from a suburban school district located outside of a large metropolitan city in the northeastern part of the United States. These factors included achievement (Final GPA), attendance (Absences), and suspensions (In-school and Out-of-school) across racial groups. Separate multiple regressions were conducted for each school success factor on racial group for the 2021-2022 and the 2022-2023 school years. By this time, all district staff had been trained in tier-one Community Circles and all students had returned to school for in-person learning after the social isolation period of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results showed that the significant associations found between school success factors and racial groups in year one remained significant in year two. However, improvements were observed for every racial group in the areas of achievement (Final GPA scores) and Out-of-school suspensions; with the greatest improvements occurring for Black students. The results indicate that deep paradigm shifts away from inequity, implicit bias, and exclusion take time to cultivate but that school success factors can be improved for all students when restorative values are present in the school environment. These findings demonstrate that the presence of restorative practices in schools can help educators and school leaders advance equity and improve school experiences for all students, as they traverse the post-pandemic realities in their school communities