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Individual and Collaborative Reflection in the First-Year Writing Classroom
No full textThis dissertation contributed to ongoing conversations about reflection and writing transfer.This study was guided by a main research question: How might asking students to reflect collaboratively, rather than individually, about their writing, help them make connections between first-year writing and other contexts? While other scholars have examined individual reflection in the writing classroom, this study focused on collaborative reflection and how it differed from or overlapped with individual reflection. I analyzed students’ individual and collaborative reflections from two sections of English 102 to compare the benefits and drawbacks of having students participate in individual written and collaborative spoken reflections. This study examined how asking students to reflect individually on their learning resulted in more in-depth reflections on rhetorical knowledge, while asking students to reflect collaboratively resulted in open conversations about students’ challenges and their attitudes toward writing. The results of this study suggested that it could be useful for writing instructors to ask students to participate in both individual and collaborative reflection because different types of reflection can foster opportunities for writing transfer
Dynamic Molecular Mechanisms and Drug Design of Important Therapeutic Targets
No full textMembrane proteins, such as G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), and soluble proteins play critical roles in a wide range of physiological and pathological cellular processes. GPCRs constitute the largest family of drug targets. The CXCR4 chemokine receptor, in particular, helps promote HIV entry into host cells. Polycystin-1 (PC1) is an atypical GPCR with 11 transmembrane domains. Mutations in the PC1 protein are responsible for the majority cases of a potentially lethal human autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). Moreover, small ubiquitin-like modifiers (SUMO) play an important role in regulation of post-translational modifications. Alterations in the SUMO E1 enzymes is linked to life-threatening neurogenerative disorders, viral infections and cancers. Gaussian accelerated molecular dynamics (GaMD) has been successful in simulating complex biological processes including ligand binding, protein-protein/membrane/nucleic acid interactions, protein folding and GPCR activation. Additionally, Ligand GaMD (LiGaMD) and Peptide GaMD (Pep-GaMD) methods were further developed to model ligand and peptide binding/unbinding, respectively, through improved enhanced sampling. Here, molecular mechanisms of small molecule and peptide mediated activation of important therapeutic targets have been uncovered using powerful computational techniques (including GaMD, LiGaMD, Pep-GaMD, molecular docking and homology modeling) and collaborative experiments
Monetary Policy in New Keynesian DSGE Models
No full textModern macroeconomics relies heavily on the use of New Keynesian Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium (NK-DSGE) models. These models have the dual advantage of combining the rigorous micro-foundations based approach of Real Business Cycle models with Keynesian elements such as monopolistic competition and nominal rigidities. Incorporating nominal price and wage rigidities creates a role for monetary policy in the economy. This feature makes New Keynesian models the ideal choice for analyzing monetary policy dynamics. However, while these models have been widely adopted by economists and are extremely useful for policy analysis, they often ignore or are not designed to accommodate key components, which could play a major role in driving economic dynamics.In that context, the goal of this dissertation is two-fold. First, we examine how monetary policy and the broader economy would be affected once we relax certain common assumptions seen in the standard New Keynesian model. Second, we analyze the choice and design of monetary policy rules. In particular, we explore the welfare implications of adopting alternative monetary policy rules such as labor income targeting and flexible money growth targeting.The dissertation consists of four chapters. In the first chapter, we drop the assumption of a single representative agent and analyze the impact of including non-Ricardian households. We focus on two key areas. The first is the link between monetary policy and consumption inequality in the presence of non-Ricardian households. We find that a contractionary monetary policy shock increases consumption inequality. Part of this increase is due to a novel government transfer channel. This channel becomes significantly stronger when steady state debt is positive. We also find that because of this link, the presence of non-Ricardian households amplifies the impact of monetary policy on output and inflation. The second area relates to the choice of monetary policy rule. We compare six monetary policy rules, including a new labor income targeting rule in which the central bank targets the growth rate of gross nominal labor income. We find that this new monetary policy regime produces the lowest welfare loss.In chapter two, we extend the non-Ricardian household framework to an open economy model with several empirically relevant features such as capital formation, cost of investment adjustment, and risk premium on foreign borrowing. The model is calibrated using data for a developed economy (USA) and a developing economy (India). We find that our earlier results regarding monetary policy, inequality, and the transfer channel hold in this modified framework. In addition to that, we also find that a government consumption shock can increase consumption inequality and that the presence of non-Ricardian households blunts the effects of fiscal policy. Finally, labor income targeting continues to be the superior rule in this model as well. Its performance improves even further if we assume that the central bank places a positive weight on consumption inequality.In chapter three we evaluate the performance of labor income targeting in two standard models. The first model is a small New Keynesian model in which we compare it with the Taylor Rule, Inflation Targeting, Nominal GDP Targeting, and Output Gap Targeting. We find that labor income targeting is the second-best rule after output gap targeting. It works well by reducing the volatility in output gap and wage inflation. Additionally, in contrast to gap targeting, labor income targeting does not suffer from determinacy issues and does not rely upon unobservable variables, thus making it a desirable policy choice. These results are robust to changes in parameter values. Next, we estimate a medium scale model using Bayesian techniques for the US economy and compare the performance of labor income targeting with the estimated Taylor rule. We find that LIT works better in the full sample as well in all the sub samples by generating lower variance for output gap, price inflation, and wage inflation. Our findings suggest that labor income targeting possesses desirable properties and could be a viable monetary policy alternative.Finally, in chapter four we move away from the standard “cashless” models and add money and monetary shocks. We answer two questions: 1) Do money rules increase welfare as opposed to using the conventional Taylor rule? and 2) If so, when do these rules increase welfare? In an economy calibrated to match US data, we find that money rules do outperform the Taylor rule in terms of welfare. Among money rules, we see that a flexible money growth rule generates the highest welfare. This is followed by a modified Taylor rule which incorporates monetary aggregates and then the constant money growth rule. These results are robust to changes in model parameters. Next, we look at the impact of key monetary parameters on the welfare gains. We find that a low currency to deposit ratio, elasticity of substitution, reserves to money supply ratio, ratio of banking activities, and money supply to nominal consumption ratio are associated with higher welfare gains. Furthermore, the gains of using money rules are higher under monetary shocks as opposed to real shocks
Religious Diversity and Conflict in Nigeria: Identity Formation and Economic Development
No full textSome scholarly works have established a link between religious diversity and conflict, indicating that the more religiously diverse a country is, the higher the likelihood of conflict. But the case of religiously diverse Nigeria proves the contrary. Though Nigeria is religiously diverse and experiences conflict, the conflict is only restricted to one region (the north), while other parts of the country (the south) are conflict-free. What explains this variation in conflict within the same country? Previous scholarship has pointed to factors like Islam, religious conservatism, religious dominance, and socioeconomic and political factors as reasons for this variation. However, these studies are insufficient because they focus on the proximate causes of the conflict and do not provide historical analysis and nuance, which I argue is central to understanding the presence of conflict in the north and its absence in the south. Using historical and regional comparative approaches, I argue that this variation in conflict can be explained by different historical experiences tied to identity formation and unequal economic development created by colonialism, which placed northern Nigeria in an economically disadvantaged position compared to southern Nigeria, leading to extreme poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, and poor infrastructure which increase grievances and explain why the north experiences violence than the rest of the country
Influence of demonetization on various sectors of the Indian economy
No full textBackground: India demonetized the currency in November 2016, scrapping 86.9 percent of the currency in circulation. This policy disrupted most economic activities because India was predominantly a cash economy. Purpose: The study aims to analyze the impact of demonetization on the informal-formal sector and the Indian stock markets, where investment reflects investors' confidence. Another purpose is to know the usefulness of demonetization in the proliferation of digitalization. Study design/methodology/approach: The study incorporates primary data to determine the impact on informal and formal workers' income and the acceptance of digitalization in rural-urban areas in Faridabad, Haryana. A survey was conducted, and samples for informal-formal workers and rural-urban households were collected and analyzed using the F test and the ANOVA model using an independent dummy or qualitative variables. The secondary data of the Indian stock market were empirically tested and forecasted using the Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (ARCH) model. Finding/Conclusions: The empirical analysis reveals that after demonetization, informal workers' earnings dropped significantly, and there is a substantial income disparity between informal-formal workers. A wide gap persists in adopting digital transactions due to low awareness of digital instruments in rural areas compared to urban areas. On the contrary, no significant impact is noticed in the Indian stock market as the forecasted value of shares trading depicts positive growth. The study identifies the gaps in policy implementation. It exposes the implementation of macroeconomic policies ensuring the protection of the interest and livelihood of economically vulnerable populations. The spread of awareness towards electronic transactions may help to promote digitalization Limitations/future research: The study is limited to a few areas. Hence, the scope of future research rests on macro-level data where comparison could be conducted between rural and urban areas across various states in India
Extraction of active, contaminant degrading enzymes from soil
No full textSoil microorganisms play critical roles in the degradation of micro-and nano-pollutants, and the corresponding proteins and enzymes play roles in pollutant recognition, transportation, and degradation. Our ability to study these pathways from soil samples is often complicated by the complex processes involved in extracting proteins from soil matrices. This study aimed to develop a new protein soil extraction protocol that yielded active, intracellular enzymes from the perchlorate degradation pathway, particularly perchlorate reductase. An indirect method, which focused on first separating the cells from the soil matrix, followed by cell lysis and enzyme extraction, was evaluated. The optimized indirect method achieved a final extraction efficiency of the active enzyme and total protein of 15.7 % and 3.3 %, respectively. The final step of separating enzymes from residual soil components resulted in the highest activity and protein losses of 67.7 % ± 14.8 % and 91.8 % ± 1.8 %, respectively. Five buffers, each at different concentrations (0.01 M, 0.05 M, and 0.1 M), were tested to enhance enzyme extraction efficiency. The best extractant requires careful consideration between the highest activity and the quality of the recovered enzymes. Coextraction of humic substances could be minimized by using 0.1 M as compared to 0.01 M and 0.05 M of sodium pyrophosphate; however, this resulted in less recovered activity compared to lower extractant concentrations
Position-specific differences in countermovement vertical jump force-time metrics in professional male basketball players
No full textThe countermovement vertical jump (CVJ) is one of the most commonly implemented non-invasive and time-efficient testing modalities for lower-body neuromuscular performance assessment. With more practitioners having access to portable force plates, the purpose of this study was to examine position-specific differences in CVJ force-time metrics within a cohort of elite professional male basketball athletes. Twenty-eight athletes competing in top-tier European basketball leagues volunteered to participate in the present study. Following familiarization with testing procedures and a standardized warm-up protocol, each athlete performed three maximal-effort CVJ on a uni-axial force plate system with hands on the hips during the entire movement. To minimize the possible influence of fatigue, each jump trial was separated by an approximately 15-s rest interval. The mean value across three jumps was used for performance analysis purposes. The findings of the present study reveal notable position-specific differences during the eccentric phase of the CVJ, with centers having greater braking impulse, mean force, and mean power when compared to guards. However, when normalized by body mass, the observed differences during the eccentric phase of the CVJ were nonexistent. On the other hand, no significant differences in absolute mean and peak force and power were detected during the concentric phase of the CVJ. Yet, when normalized by the player’s body mass, centers demonstrated inferior performance than guards for the same force-time metrics. Overall, these findings may help practitioners obtain a better insight into position-specific differences with regards to CVJ force-time characteristics as well as aid with individually tailored training regimen design
Assessing user preferences for design characteristics of oral dissolvable strips for pediatric HIV medication: a qualitative study
No full textBackground
Current infant antiretroviral therapy formulations pose barriers to daily adherence due to complex weight-based dosing, conspicuous preparation, and poor palatability. These adherence barriers jeopardize adherence, making patients vulnerable to virologic failure, development of drug resistance, and preventable mortality. Our team has previously established proof-of-principle for multi-drug oral dissolvable strips as alternative pediatric antiretroviral formulations with the potential to overcome these challenges and improve pediatric ART adherence and outcomes. The objective of this study was to assess caregiver and provider preferences for oral dissolvable strips and its packaging to inform its development.
Methods
Guided by concepts of user-centered design, we conducted key informant interviews with 30 HIV care providers and focus group discussions targeting caregivers of children < 10 years of age living with HIV at 3 Kenyan hospitals. Key informant interviews and focus group discussions were audio recorded, translated/transcribed verbatim, and hand coded for a-priori and emergent themes.
Results
A total of 30 providers and 72 caregivers (caring for 83 children, aged 5 months to 18 years) participated in the study. Caregivers and providers expressed a strong desire for an easier way to administer medication, especially among children too young to swallow tablets whole, and expressed enthusiasm around the idea of oral dissolvable strips. Key preferences included a pleasant taste; one strip per dose; small size with rapid dissolution; clear markings and instructions; and no special storage requirements. For packaging, stakeholders preferred individually wrapped strips within a dispenser. The individual packaging should be durable, waterproof, and easy to dispose of in communal spaces. They should also be easy to open, with clear indications where to open. The packaging holding the strips should be durable, re-usable, accommodating of various refill frequencies, and easy to use for children as young as 6.
Discussion
The concept of oral dissolvable strips was highly acceptable to caregivers of children living with HIV and HIV care providers. By engaging stakeholders in an iterative design process starting from the early phases of design and development, we will maximize the likelihood of developing a product that is acceptable to the caregiver and infant, therefore leading to sustainable adherence.
Supplementary Information
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12913-023-10078-6
Creatine as a Therapeutic Target in Alzheimer's Disease
No full textA grant from the One-University Open Access Fund at the University of Kansas was used to defray the author's publication fees in this Open Access journal. The Open Access Fund, administered by librarians from the KU, KU Law, and KUMC libraries, is made possible by contributions from the offices of KU Provost, KU Vice Chancellor for Research & Graduate Studies, and KUMC Vice Chancellor for Research. For more information about the Open Access Fund, please see http://library.kumc.edu/authors-fund.xml.Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease, affecting approximately 6.5 million older adults in the United States. Development of AD treatment has primarily centered on developing pharmaceuticals that target amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques in the brain, a hallmark pathological biomarker that precedes symptomatic AD. Though recent clinical trials of novel drugs that target Aβ have demonstrated promising preliminary data, these pharmaceuticals have a poor history of developing into AD treatments, leading to hypotheses that other therapeutic targets may be more suitable for AD prevention and treatment. Impaired brain energy metabolism is another pathological hallmark that precedes the onset of AD that may provide a target for intervention. The brain creatine (Cr) system plays a crucial role in maintaining bioenergetic flux and is disrupted in AD. Recent studies using AD mouse models have shown that supplementing with Cr improves brain bioenergetics, as well as AD biomarkers and cognition. Despite these promising findings, no human trials have investigated the potential benefits of Cr supplementation in AD. This narrative review discusses the link between Cr and AD and the potential for Cr supplementation as a treatment for AD
Introduction to the Forum: Standards and World History
No full textWorld historians largely reject Eurocentric approaches to history by embracing a global approach to course content focusing on connections and exchanges across time and space. But this can lead to a multitude of organizational frameworks and an even greater diversity of content selection. There is no consensus vision amongst world historians for what content, organization, scope, sequence, or interpretive framework is optimal for a world history education. The vibrancy of the field of world history is therefore in tension with the bureaucratic process of K-12 education in the United States, in which every state produces mandated guidelines known as standards that legally enforce a particular vision for world history education. This forum explores the conceptual, political, and practical questions that arise from the production of state standards.
Despite the headline-grabbing attention that controversies over standards can easily generate, we should perhaps start by exploring the extent to which these documents directly affect the teaching of world history. At a recent panel in the Midwest History Association conference on the subject of Difficult Histories, I asked veteran world history teachers Tom Barker and Eileen Orzoff-Baranyk about the effect state standards had on their day-to-day teaching styles. They both replied that, though they 1 of course drew upon state standards, their teaching was much more informed by their own expertise and background on the subject. Indeed, they suggested that unless there was a statewide standardized test or a district common assessment on the subject, standards documents are difficult to enforce. This accords well with research from educators, which indicate that teachers can be resistant to sweeping changes in how they do their work