Converting Assessment of Traditional Classroom Assignments to the e-Learning Environment

While assessment in an e-classroom continues to develop, with a myriad of advantages and disadvantages, it must be explored to provide assistance to e-instructors so that students receive optimal feedback. Assessment is no longer the periodic formal process of exams and graded activities, which may or may not be discussed with the class; it is now in the context of a one-on-one relationship with the e-instructor and each student in the online course (Meyen, Aust, & Issacson, 2002)

Authentic Credible Leadership: An Examination of Jesus’s Leadership in the Farewell Discourses

This is a study of authentic credibility as demonstrated through John’s description of Jesus’ words and actions in the Farewell Discourses (John 13-17). Identifying the need for further research on the relationship between authentic leadership and credibility (Williams et al., 2018) and building from Kouzes and Posner’s (2011) six disciplines of leader credibility—discover yourself, appreciate constituents, affirm shared values, develop capacity, serve a purpose, and sustain hope—and Hemby’s (2007) on leader credibility, we espouse that moral foundations of authentic leadership promote leader credibility while not dimensioning the need for competence. After a thorough literature review on authentic leadership, the study explored how Jesus modeled authentic credibility in the Farewell Discourses of John 13 – 17. Reconfiguring Kouzes and Posner’s six disciples through the biblical narrative, we identified six themes of authentic credibility modeled by Jesus: prioritizing Kingdom identity, balancing criticism and optimism, valuing truth, intentional follower development, purposeful posture, and sustainable, spiritual hope. The study applied a systematic approach to the Farewell Discourses so that each of the five chapters of the discourses were thoroughly reviewed to provide specific instances where Jesus modeled authentic credibility. The study provides a fresh perspective on authentic credibility by viewing the concept through a biblical, Christian worldview

De novo protein sequence analysis of Macaca mulatta

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Macaca mulatta </it>is one of the most utilized non-human primate species in biomedical research offering unique behavioral, neuroanatomical, and neurobiochemcial similarities to humans. This makes it a unique organism to model various diseases such as psychiatric and neurodegenerative illnesses while also providing insight into the complexities of the primate brain. A major obstacle in utilizing rhesus monkey models for human disease is the paucity of protein annotations for this species (~42,000 protein annotations) compared to 330,210 protein annotations for humans. The lack of available information limits the use of rhesus monkey for proteomic scale studies which rely heavily on database searches for protein identification. While characterization of proteins of interest from <it>Macaca mulatta </it>using the standard database search engines (e.g., MASCOT) can be accomplished, searches must be performed using a 'broad species database' which does not provide optimal confidence in protein annotation. Therefore, it becomes necessary to determine partial or complete amino acid sequences using either manual or automated <it>de novo </it>peptide sequence analysis methods.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The recently popularized MALDI-TOF-TOF mass spectrometer yields a complex MS/MS fragmentation pattern difficult to characterize by manual <it>de novo </it>sequencing method on a proteomics scale. Therefore, PEAKS assisted <it>de novo </it>sequencing was performed on nucleus accumbens cytosolic proteins from <it>Macaca mulatta</it>. The most abundant peptide fragments '<it>b-ions </it>and <it>y-ions</it>', the less abundant peptide fragments '<it>a-ions</it>' as well as the <it>immonium ions </it>were utilized to develop confident and complete peptide sequences <it>de novo </it>from MS/MS spectra. The generated sequences were used to perform homology searches to characterize the protein identification.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The current study validates a robust method to confidently characterize the proteins from an incomplete sequence database of <it>Macaca mulatta</it>, using the PEAKS <it>de novo </it>sequencing software, facilitating the use of this animal model in various neuroproteomics studies.</p

Alternative Splicing of AMPA Subunits in Prefrontal Cortical Fields of Cynomolgus Monkeys Following Chronic Ethanol Self-Administration

Functional impairment of the orbital and medial prefrontal cortex underlies deficits in executive control that characterize addictive disorders, including alcohol addiction. Previous studies indicate that alcohol alters glutamate neurotransmission and one substrate of these effects may be through the reconfiguration of the subunits constituting ionotropic glutamate receptor (iGluR) complexes. Glutamatergic transmission is integral to cortico-cortical and cortico-subcortical communication and alcohol-induced changes in the abundance of the receptor subunits and/or their splice variants may result in critical functional impairments of prefrontal cortex in alcohol dependence. To this end, the effects of chronic ethanol self-administration on glutamate receptor ionotropic AMPA (GRIA) subunit variant and kainate (GRIK) subunit mRNA expression were studied in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) of male cynomolgus monkeys. In DLPFC, total AMPA splice variant expression and total kainate receptor subunit expression were significantly decreased in alcohol drinking monkeys. Expression levels of GRIA3 flip and flop and GRIA4 flop mRNAs in this region were positively correlated with daily ethanol intake and blood ethanol concentrations (BEC) averaged over the 6 months prior to necropsy. In OFC, AMPA subunit splice variant expression was reduced in the alcohol treated group. GRIA2 flop mRNA levels in this region were positively correlated with daily ethanol intake and BEC averaged over the 6 months prior to necropsy. Results from these studies provide further evidence of transcriptional regulation of iGluR subunits in the primate brain following chronic alcohol self-administration. Additional studies examining the cellular localization of such effects in the framework of primate prefrontal cortical circuitry are warranted

Terminal Continuation (TC) RNA Amplification Enables Expression Profiling Using Minute RNA Input Obtained from Mouse Brain

A novel methodology named terminal continuation (TC) RNA amplification has been developed to amplify RNA from minute amounts of starting material. Utility of the TC RNA amplification method is demonstrated with two new modifications including obviating the need for second strand synthesis, and purifying the amplification template using column filtration prior to in vitro transcription (IVT). Using four low concentrations of RNA extracted from mouse brain (1, 10, 25 and 50 ng), one round TC RNA amplification was compared to one round amplified antisense RNA (aRNA) in conjunction with column filtration and drop dialysis purification. The TC RNA amplification without second strand synthesis performed extremely well on custom-designed cDNA array platforms, and column filtration was found to provide higher positive detection of individual clones when hybridization signal intensity was subtracted from corresponding negative control hybridization signal levels. Results indicate that TC RNA amplification without second strand synthesis, in conjunction with column filtration, is an excellent method for RNA amplification from extremely small amounts of input RNA from mouse brain and postmortem human brain, and is compatible with microaspiration strategies and subsequent microarray analysis

GABAA receptor subtype involvement in addictive behaviour

GABAA receptors form the major class of inhibitory neurotransmitter receptors in the mammalian brain. This review sets out to summarise the evidence that variations in genes encoding GABAA receptor isoforms are associated with aspects of addictive behaviour in humans, while animal models of addictive behaviour also implicate certain subtypes of GABAA receptor. In addition to outlining the evidence for the involvement of specific subtypes in addiction, we summarise the particular contributions of these isoforms in control over the functioning of brain circuits, especially the mesolimbic system, and make a first attempt to bring together evidence from several fields to understanding potential involvement of GABAA Receptor Subtypes in addictive behaviour. While the weight of the published literature is on alcohol dependency, the underlying principles outlined are relevant across a number of different aspects of addictive behaviour

Development in Rural Texas: An Assessment of TEEX Economic Development Reports

The Development in Rural Texas report provides an evaluation and assessment of economic development recommendations made by the Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX). Due to the nature of its work, TEEX seldom has an opportunity to revisit the communi ties it has worked with in the past. In 2011, the Bush School of Government and Public Service was contacted with the opportunity to assist in evaluating several of the economic development recommendations and plans put in place by TEEX. The Capstone group evaluated ten TEEX reports that were written from 2006 - 2009. Their subjects vary between facility development plans to regional economic development strategies. Providing the context for evaluation was essential before any evaluation could take place. Th is Capstone report provides a brief background on TEEX, as well as steps the organization takes during its “community process” of identifying cities and organizations with which to work. The literature review section is broken down into two parts, one focu sing on rural Texas and the other on economic development. The rural Texas literature review provides several historical definitions of rural, while also highlighting demographics and organizations of importance in Texas. The economic development literatur e review offers an academic background of the theory and approaches to local economic development in the United States. This section also addresses the need to bridge the gap between the evidence found in academia with the results of past community develop ment efforts in order to provide a practical blueprint going forward. The methodology section of this report examines the steps taken by the Capstone team to conduct their research. This work included analyzing historical community data, conducting interv iews with public officials and other individuals involved with the TEEX reports, and making site visits. A demographic breakdown is also provided for each community, which includes economic, population, race/ethnicity and education information. Following t his, the TEEX Hearne Report from 2007 is reviewed, serving as a pilot study and introducing the structure of research undertaken in the remaining reports. Nine individual case studies are presented, each evaluating the work done by TEEX in communities thr oughout Texas between 2006 and 2009, asking the central question: What has happened since TEEX delivered its report. The case studies are: • Beeville – Development Market Study • Brazoria – County Fairgrounds & Expo Market Study • Bastrop – Convention a nd Exhibit Center • Canton – Economic Impact Study • Paris – Feasibility Study of Multi - Purpose Arena • Jacksboro – Economic Development Study • Vernon – Community & Economic Development Initiative • Permian Basin – Economic Development Strategy • Pa ris and Lamar County – Baseline Study Following these case studies, this report provides a series of best practices and recommendations going forward. This section is broken down between facility and community reports provided by TEEX. In summary, the Ca pstone group found that the cities and organizations TEEX works with that have local cooperation, effective leaders, and community involvement have a greater chance of moving forward with any projects or recommendations made. However, given the many variab les influencing community and economic development, it is difficult to assert that these variables, by themselves, made the difference. Causation in these cases is hard to establish. In order to improve upon future projects, the organization should work to wards tying the local economic and political conditions of the community with the report, particularly in cases dealing with site - specific development. Additionally, it is recommended that TEEX provide information detailing potential limitations to the rec ommendations given. The Capstone group would like to sincerely thank all participants who offered their time and knowledge as interviewees for this project.Knowledge Division of the Texas Engineering Extension Servic

Exploring the use of Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) via the YouTube Data Tool: a Novel Netnographic Analysis

© 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of International Society for the Study of Emerging Drugs. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is a tree native to Southeast Asia with long history of traditional medicinal use. The aim of this study was to investigate the nature of self-reported exported experiences as shared on YouTube™ videos. A total of 500 videos with 19,478,180 views and 134, 863 comments emerged from the data scrape extracted via the YouTube Data Tool. 12 out of the 16 most viewed videos emerged from our searches were manually processed and selected for inductive thematic analysis. Kratom use for the self-medication of a number of health conditions was described in the videos, including for opioid dependence/addiction (83.4%), pain (75%), anxiety (67%) and depression (42%), substance use problems (42%) as well as for energy boosting (50%), mood elevation (25%) and nootropic effects (25%). Although most of the described experiences were positive (58%), side-effects such as dependence and withdrawal (50%), nausea (42%), loss of appetite (25%), sedation (25%), loss of motivation (16.7%), headache (16.7%), drowsiness (16.7%), dry mouth and frequent urination (16.7%) were also reported and associated in 25% of the cases to chronic ingestions. Overall, our findings would show that Kratom is used more frequently for self-medication, than as a recreational drug. It also supports the need for more controlled clinical studies to better assess the safety and the efficacy of its use in a therapeutic context.Peer reviewe