Pilot Project: Use of Wikis to Supplement Student Orientation

Background: During the orientation process, new students are often inundated with manuals, maps, and other materials essential to their success as students. The experience can leave students feeling overwhelmed, unable to sift through the substantial amount of information that has been given to them. Wikis, in contrast, are well-suited for facilitating userinteraction with vast amounts of diverse information. [See PDF for complete abstract

Rebuilding Old Empire: BBC and Indigenous Language Broadcasting in Nigeria

Using the framework of postcolonial and critical cultural studies of communication, this essay examines the rise of BBC indigenous language broadcasting in Nigeria. Taking an interdisciplinary approach from the fields of language studies, media studies, and cultural studies, the essay argues that media and communication contact that occurs between colonists and their previous colonies cannot be taken as coincidental or casual; therefore, the need to combine the local and global in theorizing new frameworks for understanding this complex relationship and the power dynamics that occurs alongside it

Occurrence and Toxicity of Hydrocarbon Residues in Crab (Callinectes sapidus) from Contaminated Site

To elucidate seasonal changes in hydrocarbons including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) due to oil spill, tissues of blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) were investigated. Total petroleum hydrocarbons (n-alkanes) concentrations ranged from 0.17-0.32ìg/gdw and 0.28-0.62ìg/gdw during the dry and wet seasons respectively. Thetissues accumulate a complex spectrum dominated by heavier hydrocarbons, alkylsubstituted and PAHs. The impact of biogenic contribution through dietary uptake was related to the elevated levels, particularly of the PAHs. Studies of other site specific, resident organism are recommended in order to be able to establish the extent of toxicity

How Teacher and Student Leader Collaboration Contribute to Learning

The collaboration between teacher and student leader as a possible factor contributing to learning outcomes remains under-researched. To understand the combined efforts of teachers and student leaders toward attaining teaching outcomes, this paper addresses the following questions: What are the value-added dimensions of the teacher toward achieving learning outcomes? How do student leader activities contribute to the achievement of learning outcomes? Without making any claim to tight causal relationships, this paper argues that the effective involvement of student leaders in the teaching process has considerable effects on learning. These effects do not only revolve around student development (for example leadership skills, and citizenship awareness in terms of rights, duties, and responsibilities), but also on the teaching and learning output (Heck, & Hallinger, 1999). Undeniably a common acceptance is that the teacher is permanently the leader while students are mere followers, who do not share teaching and learning behavior when it comes to the exhibition of power and authority within the classroom social environment. Nevertheless, this research reveals how collaboration between teachers and student leaders may improve students’ academic outcomes

Utilizing in Silico and/or Native ESI Approaches to Provide New Insights on Haptoglobin/Globin and Haptoglobin/Receptor Interactions

Haptoglobin (Hp), an acute phase protein, binds free hemoglobin (Hb) dimers in one of the strongest non-covalent interactions known in biology. This interaction protects Hb from causing potentially severe oxidative damage and limiting nitric oxide bioavailability. Once Hb/Hp complexes are formed, they proceed to bind CD163, a cell surface receptor on macrophages leading to complex internalization and catabolism. Myoglobin, (Mb) a monomeric protein, that is normally found in the muscle but can be released into the blood in high concentrations during myocardial injury, is homologous to Hb and shares many conserved Hb/Hp interface residues. Both monomeric Hb and Mb species present potential risks, yet their interactions with Hp have not been extensively studied or are a matter of controversy, respectively. To predict possible interactions of monomeric globins with Hp, we employed a variety of cost and time effective molecular modeling approaches. Native electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI MS) experiments confirm the modeling results and show that monomeric Hb and Mb bind Hp with a stoichiometry of two globin monomers per Hp tetramer. The ESI MS results also demonstrate the success of our computational approaches to Mb/Hp interactions, motivating us to model Hb/Hp/CD163 complexes. Both CD163 bound Ca2+ and specific CD163 acidic residues are known to be essential for binding specific Hp basic residues resulting in Hb/Hp/CD163 complex formation, but the structural details of Hb/Hp/CD163 interactions are unknown. We therefore constructed experimentally driven molecular models of Hb/Hp/CD163 complexes using molecular docking. In order to understand the role of Ca2+ in Hp/CD163 interactions and dynamics, all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were conducted for CD163 models in the presence and absence of Ca2+. The molecular models of Hb/Hp/CD163 suggest that Hp basic residues R252 and K262 each interact with a conserved acidic triad (E27, E28, D94) in CD163 domains 2 and 3. A calcium ion is postulated to stabilize this CD163 acidic cluster facilitating Hp recognition. Consistent with this, MD simulations on isolated CD163 domains suggest that Ca2+ bound at a specific site in CD163 preserves the arrangement of the acidic triad and protein structural stability. Our studies demonstrate how molecular modeling and molecular dynamics aided/correlated with mass spectrometry experiments can elucidate the structural basis and dynamics of interactions between Hp, globins and/or CD163. This approach may be useful for designing therapeutics that utilizes the Hb/Hp/CD263 endocytosis pathway and unraveling novel avenues for possible Hp-therapy administration for diseases or complications arising from Mb toxicity

From Nollywood to the World: A Cultural Studies and Critical Discourse Analysis of Nollywood Films on Netflix

This study examines the transnationalization of the Nollywood industry in the rise of streaming platforms like Netflix. As nonwestern film industries begin to find global audiences beyond their local space, ideological underpinnings of these industries also continue to shift and become more apparent. The need to compete for global capital while retaining the cultural flavor of the South has been a major challenge of many transnational media industries. Taking Nollywood as a case study, this study argues that the production of Nollywood films on Netflix goes beyond the quest to find global market, instead economic interest, the need to appeal to global audience by producing multicultural relevant content and promulgating a Nigerian identity that non-African audience can understand are important areas that should be considered. Contextualized within the theories of cultural studies and political economy and the method of critical discourse analysis, the study accentuates the changing discourse of the new Nollywood cinema and what it means for critical cultural scholarship of media and communication, especially in the Global South

Reinventing Black Womanhood: Alternative Media and Identity Discourse in the 2019 Chicago Mayoral Race

This paper examines how a Chicago-based alternative medium covered the 2019 Chicago’s mayoral race. The study uses critical discourse analysis and the theory of Black feminism to argue for the need to examine the multiple identities of Black women and how such identities determine their representation in socio-cultural and political spaces. The findings from this study show that agency is a major part of media coverage and that the identities of Black women are better represented when the women are portrayed as agents in their own stories. These findings provide an alternative narrative to the discourse of Black womanhood which has been racialized and perverted

Curriculum Framework for Entrepreneurial Innovation among Special Needs Students in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

The development of inclusive curricula for entrepreneurial education faces challenges due to the diversity of learners’ needs, particularly among students with disabilities. This study presented a curriculum framework that integrated artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance entrepreneurial innovation for special needs students. Grounded in constructivism, experiential learning, differentiated instruction, and entrepreneurship education theories, the framework combined academic rigor with practical application. Using an Entrepreneurship-by-Design methodology, the study identified creativity, financial literacy, adaptive problem-solving, and resilience as core competencies. AI technologies were positioned as enablers of accessibility and inclusion through simulations, adaptive platforms, and assistive tools. The framework demonstrated applicability across diverse cultural and economic contexts, showing how mobile-based AI solutions reduced barriers in low-resource environments, while immersive AI applications such as virtual reality enriched practice in technologically advanced settings. Findings indicated that AI personalized learning, reduced barriers to participation, and fostered self-efficacy among learners with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and mobility or communication impairments. Beyond individual benefits, the framework contributes to societal equity by broadening innovation ecosystems and aligning with policy objectives such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The study concluded that AI-enhanced entrepreneurship education has the potential to transform special needs students into active innovators and recommended institution-wide adoption, policy reform, cross-sector collaboration, and longitudinal evaluation to ensure sustainable impact