What secondary English to speakers of other languages (ESOL) teachers know about social and academic language and instructional strategies for limited English proficient students

The purpose of this study was to examine what secondary English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teachers understand about social and academic language, what instructional strategies they use for Limited English Proficient (LEP) students, and how these concepts are operationalized in their daily practice. ^ This was a mixed method study incorporating both quantitative and qualitative data collection and interpretation. Written questionnaires and individual interviews addressed the questions on teachers' definitions of social and academic language and their strategy use. Classroom observations provided verification of their definitions and their descriptions of instruction for academic language. ^ Findings indicated that teachers' definitions of social and academic language were still developing and that there were ambiguities in identifying examples of social and academic language. The use of graphic organizers or visual supports, groups or peer partners, role play or drama, and modeling were the strategies teachers consistently listed for beginner, intermediate, advanced and multiple level classes. Additionally, teachers' descriptions of their instruction were congruent with what was observed in their classroom practice. ^ It appeared that this population of secondary ESOL teachers was in the process of evolving their definitions of social and academic language and were at different stages in this evolution. Teachers' definitions of language influenced their instruction. Furthermore, those who had clear constructs of language were able to operationalize them in their classroom instruction. ^

The role of occupational therapy for individuals living with sickle cell disease

The purpose of the research study was to determine the role occupational therapy plays in the management of sickle cell disease (SCD). A descriptive survey was administered to 39 persons living with or caring for persons living with SCD. This survey was administered at two sickle cell foundations and one hospital. ^ The research study determined that none of the 10.3% of the sample who had rehabilitative therapy received occupational therapy. Furthermore, at least 50% of persons surveyed agreed that SCD affected their activities of daily living; at least 38.5% agreed that work and productive activities were hampered; and at least 18% agreed that play/leisure activities were affected. No one within the sample received gene therapy. ^ It was concluded that occupational therapy is relevant for persons who are disabled by SCD. It is recommended that occupational therapists realize the importance of treating patients with SCD from a more holistic perspective. ^

The role of splicing factors and small nuclear RNAs in spliceosomal formation

Protein coding genes are comprised of protein-coding exons and non-protein-coding introns. The process of splicing involves removal of the introns and joining of the exons to form a mature messenger RNA, which subsequently undergoes translation into polypeptide. The spliceosome is a large, RNA/protein assembly of five small nuclear RNAs as well as over 300 proteins, which catalyzes intron removal and exon ligation. The selection of specific exons for inclusion in the mature messenger RNA is spatiotemporally regulated and results in production of an enormous diversity of polypeptides from a single gene locus. This phenomenon, known as alternative splicing, is regulated, in part, by protein splicing factors, which target the spliceosome to exon/intron boundaries. The first part of my dissertation (Chapters II and III) focuses on the discovery and characterization of the 45 kilodalton FK506 binding protein (FKBP45), which I discovered in the silk moth, Bombyx mori, as a U1 small nuclear RNA binding protein. This protein family binds the immunosuppressants FK506 and rapamycin and contains peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase activity, which converts polypeptides from cis to trans about a proline residue. This is the first time that an FKBP has been identified in the spliceosome. The second section of my dissertation (Chapters IV, V, VI and VII) is an investigation of the potential role of small nuclear RNA sequence variants in the control of splicing. I identified 46 copies of small nuclear RNAs in the 6X whole genome shotgun of the Bombyx mori p50T strain. These variants may play a role in differential binding of specific proteins that mediate alternative splicing. Along these lines, further investigation of U2 snRNA sequence variants in Bombyx mori demonstrated that some U2 snRNAs preferentially assemble into high molecular weight spliceosomal complexes over others. Expression of snRNA variants may represent another mechanism by which the cell is able to fine tune the splicing process.

Role of Pseudomonas aeruginosa mifSR Two-Component System in Antibiotic Resistance and Biofilm Formation

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen found in a wide variety of environments. It is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in cystic fibrosis patients, and one of the main sources of nosocomial infections in the United States. One of the most prominent features of this pathogen is its wide resistance to antibiotics. P. aeruginosa employs a variety of mechanisms including efflux pumps and the expression of B-lactamases to overcome antibiotic treatment. Two chromosomally encoded lactamases, ampC and poxB, have been identified in P. aeruginosa. Sequence analyses have shown the presence of a two-component system (TCS) called MifSR (MifS-Sensor and MifR-Response Regulator), immediately upstream of the poxAB operon. It is hypothesized that the MifSR TCS is involved in B-lactam resistance via the regulation of poxB. Recently, the response regulator MifR has been reported to play a crucial role in biofilm formation, a major characteristic of chronic infections and increased antibiotic resistance. In this study, mifR and mifSR deletion mutants were constructed, and compared to the wild type parent strain PAOl for differences in growth and B-lactam sensitivity. Results obtained thus far indicate that mifR and mifSR are not essential for growth, and do not confer B-lactam resistance under the conditions tested. This study is significant because biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance are two hallmarks of P. aeruginosa infections, and finding a link between these two may lead to the development of improved treatment strategies.

The potential role of environmental exposures and genomic signaling in development of central nervous system tumors

The etiology of central nervous system tumors (CNSTs) is mainly unknown. Aside from extremely rare genetic conditions, such as neurofibromatosis and tuberous sclerosis, the only unequivocally identified risk factor is exposure to ionizing radiation, and this explains only a very small fraction of cases. Using meta-analysis, gene networking and bioinformatics methods, this dissertation explored the hypothesis that environmental exposures produce genetic and epigenetic alterations that may be involved in the etiology of CNSTs. A meta-analysis of epidemiological studies of pesticides and pediatric brain tumors revealed a significantly increased risk of brain tumors among children whose mothers had farm-related exposures during pregnancy. A dose response was recognized when this risk estimate was compared to those for risk of brain tumors from maternal exposure to non-agricultural pesticides during pregnancy, and risk of brain tumors among children exposed to agricultural activities. Through meta-analysis of several microarray studies which compared normal tissue to astrocytomas, we were able to identify a list of 554 genes which were differentially expressed in the majority of astrocytomas. Many of these genes have in fact been implicated in development of astrocytoma, including EGFR, HIF-1α, c-Myc, WNT5A, and IDH3A. Reverse engineering of these 554 genes using Bayesian network analysis produced a gene network for each grade of astrocytoma (Grade I-IV), and ‘key genes’ within each grade were identified. Genes found to be most influential to development of the highest grade of astrocytoma, Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) were: COL4A1, EGFR, BTF3, MPP2, RAB31, CDK4, CD99, ANXA2, TOP2A, and SERBP1. Lastly, bioinformatics analysis of environmental databases and curated published results on GBM was able to identify numerous potential pathways and geneenvironment interactions that may play key roles in astrocytoma development. Findings from this research have strong potential to advance our understanding of the etiology and susceptibility to CNSTs. Validation of our ‘key genes’ and pathways could potentially lead to useful tools for early detection and novel therapeutic options for these tumors.

Personality and performance: Assessing the mediating role of mental model formation in the personality-performance relationship

Personality has long been linked to performance. Evolutions in this relationship have brought forward new questions regarding the true nature of how personality impacts performance. Both direct and indirect relationships have been proven significant. This study further investigated potential indirect relationships by including a mediating variable, mental model formation, in the personality-performance relationship. Undergraduate students were assessed in a 6-week period, Time 1 - Time 2 experiment. Conceptualizations of personality included measures of the Big 5 model and Self-efficacy, with performance measured by content quiz and overall course scores. Findings showed that the Big 5 personality traits, extraversion and agreeableness, positively and significantly impacted commonality with the instructor's mental model. However, commonality with the instructor's mental model did not impact performance. In comparison, commonality with an expert mental model positively and significantly impacted performance for both the content quiz and overall course score. Furthermore, similarity with an expert mental model positively and significantly impacted overall course performance. Hypothesized full mediation of mental model formation for the personality-performance relationship was not supported due to a lack of direct effect relationships required for mediation. However, a revised conceptualization of results emerged. Findings from the current study point to the novel and unique role mental models play in the personality-performance relationship. While personality traits do impact mental model formation, accuracy in the mental models formed is critical to performance.

Modeling the role of investigator bias, interrogation techniques, and suspect decision -making on the likelihood of confession

The purpose of the current study was to attempt to model various cognitive and social processes that are believed to lead to false confessions. More specifically, this study manipulated the variables of experimenter expectancy, guilt-innocence of the suspect, and interrogation techniques using the Russano et al. (2005) paradigm. The primary measure of interest was the likelihood of the participant signing the confession statement. By manipulating experimenter expectancy, the current study sought to further explore the social interactions that may occur in the interrogation room. In addition, in past experiments, the interrogator has typically been restricted to the use of one or two interrogation techniques. In the present study, interrogators were permitted to select from 15 different interrogation techniques when attempting to solicit a confession from participants. ^ Consistent with Rusanno et al. (2005), guilty participants (94%) were more likely to confess to the act of cheating than innocent participants (31%). The variable of experimenter expectancy did not effect confessions rates, length of interrogation, or the type of interrogation techniques used. Path analysis revealed feelings of pressure and the weighing of consequences on the part of the participant were associated with the signing of the confession statement. The findings suggest the guilt/innocence of the participant, the participant's perceptions of the interrogation situation, and length of interrogation play a pivotal role in the signing of the confession statement. Further examination of these variables may provide researchers with a better understanding of the relationship between interrogations and confessions. ^

The role of *language in early childhood mathematics

Math literacy is imperative to succeed in society. Experience is key for acquiring math literacy. A preschooler's world is full of mathematical experiences. Children are continually counting, sorting and comparing as they play. As children are engaged in these activities they are using language as a tool to express their mathematical thinking. If teachers are aware of these teachable moments and help children bridge their daily experiences to mathematical concepts, math literacy may be enhanced. This study described the interactions between teachers and preschoolers, determining the extent to which teachers scaffold children's everyday language into expressions of mathematical concepts. Of primary concern were the teachers' responsive interactions to children's expressions of an implicit mathematical utterance made while engaged in block play. The parallel mixed methods research design consisted of two strands. Strand 1 of the study focused on preschoolers' use of everyday language and the teachers' responses after a child made a mathematical utterance. Twelve teachers and 60 students were observed and videotaped while engaged in block play. Each teacher worked with five children for 20 minutes, yielding 240 minutes of observation. Interaction analysis was used to deductively analyze the recorded observations and field notes. Using a priori codes for the five mathematical concepts, it was found children produced 2,831 mathematical utterances. Teachers ignored 60% of these utterances and responded to, but did not mediate 30% of them. Only 10% of the mathematical utterances were mediated to a mathematical concept. Strand 2 focused on the teacher's view of the role of language in early childhood mathematics. The 12 teachers who had been observed as part of the first strand of the study were interviewed. Based on a thematic analysis of these interviews three themes emerged: (a) the importance of a child's environment, (b) the importance of an education in society, and (c) the role of math in early childhood. Finally, based on a meta-inference of both strands, three themes emerged: (a) teacher conception of math, (b) teacher practice, and (c) teacher sensitivity. Implications based on the findings involve policy, curriculum, and professional development.

Intracellular Signaling and Trafficking in Cancer: Role of Rab5-GTPase in Migration and Invasion of Breast Cells

Metastasis is characterized pathologically by uncontrolled cell invasion, proliferation, migration and angiogenesis. Steroid hormones, such as estrogen, and growth factors, which include insulin growth factor I/II (IGF-1/IGF-2) therapy has been associated with most if not all of the features of metastasis. It has been determined that IGF-1 increases cell survival of cancer cells and potentiate the effect of E2 and other ligand growth factors on breast cancer cells. However not much information is available that comprehensively expounds on the roles of insulin growth factor receptor (IGFR) and Rab GTPases may play in breast cancer. The latter, Rab GTPases, are small signaling molecules and critical in the regulation of many cellular processes including cell migration, growth via the endocytic pathway. This research involves the role of Rab GTPases, specifically Rab5 and its guanine exchange factors (GEFs), in the promotion of cancer cell migration and invasion. Two important questions abound: Are IGFR stimulation and downstream effect involved the endocytic pathway in carcinogenesis? What role does Rab5 play in cell migration and invasion of cancer cells? The hypothesis is that growth factor signaling is dependent on Rab5 activity in mediating the aggressiveness of cancer cells. The goal is to demonstrate that IGF-1 signaling is dependent on Rab5 function in breast cancer progression. Here, the results thus far, have shown that while activation of Rab5 may mediate increased cell proliferation, migration and invasion in breast cancer cells, the Rab5 GEF, RIN1 interacts with the IGFR thereby facilitating migration and invasion activities in breast cells. Furthermore, endocytosis of the IGFR in breast cancer cells seems to be caveolin dependent as the data has shown. This taken together, the data shows that IGF-1 signaling in breast cancer cells relies on IGF-1R phosphorylation, caveolae internalization and sequestration to the early endosome RIN1 function and Rab5 activation.

The Role of Splicing Factors and Small Nuclear RNAS in Spliceosomal Formation

Protein coding genes are comprised of protein-coding exons and non-protein-coding introns. The process of splicing involves removal of the introns and joining of the exons to form a mature messenger RNA, which subsequently undergoes translation into polypeptide. The spliceosome is a large, RNA/protein assembly of five small nuclear RNAs as well as over 300 proteins, which catalyzes intron removal and exon ligation. The selection of specific exons for inclusion in the mature messenger RNA is spatio-temporally regulated and results in production of an enormous diversity of polypeptides from a single gene locus. This phenomenon, known as alternative splicing, is regulated, in part, by protein splicing factors, which target the spliceosome to exon/intron boundaries. The first part of my dissertation (Chapters II and III) focuses on the discovery and characterization of the 45 kilodalton FK506 binding protein (FKBP45), which I discovered in the silk moth, Bombyx mori, as a U1 small nuclear RNA binding protein. This protein family binds the immunosuppressants FK506 and rapamycin and contains peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase activity, which converts polypeptides from cis to trans about a proline residue. This is the first time that an FKBP has been identified in the spliceosome. The second section of my dissertation (Chapters IV, V, VI and VII) is an investigation of the potential role of small nuclear RNA sequence variants in the control of splicing. I identified 46 copies of small nuclear RNAs in the 6X whole genome shotgun of the Bombyx mori p50T strain. These variants may play a role in differential binding of specific proteins that mediate alternative splicing. Along these lines, further investigation of U2 snRNA sequence variants in Bombyx mori demonstrated that some U2 snRNAs preferentially assemble into high molecular weight spliceosomal complexes over others. Expression of snRNA variants may represent another mechanism by which the cell is able to fine tune the splicing process.

Understanding the role of Dimethylsulfoniopropionate as a Potential Chemotactic Cue for Coral-Associated Bacteria

Most reef-building corals are known to engage in symbiosis not only with unicellular dinoflagellates from the genus, Symbiodinium, but they also sustain highly complex symbiotic associations with other microscopic organisms such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses. The details of these non-pathogenic interactions remain largely unclear. The impetus of this study is to gain a better understanding of the symbiotic interaction between marine bacteria and a variety of coral species representative of differing morphologies. Studies have shown that certain bacterial orders associate specifically with certain coral species, thus making the symbiotic synergy a non-random consortium. Consequently both corals and bacteria may be capable of emitting chemical cues that enables both parties to find one another and thus creating the symbiosis. One potential chemical cue could be the compound DMSP (Dimethylsulfoniopropionate) and its sulphur derivatives. Reef-building corals are believed to be the major producers of the DMSP and its derivatives during times of stress. As a result corals could potentially attract their bacterial consortium depending on their DMSP production. Corals may be able to adapt to fluctuating environmental conditions by changing their bacterial communities to that which may aid in survival. The cause of this attraction may stem from the capability of a variety of marine bacteria to catabolize DMSP into different metabolically significant pathways, which may be necessary for the survival of these mutualistic interactions. To test the hypothesis that coral-produced DMSP play a role in attracting symbiotic bacteria, this study utilized the advent of high-through sequencing paired with bacterial isolation techniques to properly characterize the microbial community in the stony coral Porites astreoides. We conducted DMSP swarming and chemotaxis assays to determine the response of these coral-associated bacterial isolates towards the DMSP compound at differing concentrations. Preliminary data from this study suggests that six out of the ten bacterial isolates are capable of conducting unidirectional motility; these six isolates are also capable of conducting swarming motility in the direction of an increasing DMSP concentration gradient. This would indicate that there is a form of positive chemotaxis on behalf of the bacteria towards the DMSP compound. By obtaining a better understanding of the dynamics that drive the associations between bacterial communities and corals, we can further aid in the protection and conservation processes for corals. Also this study would further elucidate the significance of the DMSP compound in the survival of corals under times of stress.

Understanding the role of Dimethylsulfoniopropionate as a Potential Chemotactic Cue for Coral-Associated Bacteria

Most reef-building corals are known to engage in symbiosis not only with unicellular dinoflagellates from the genus, Symbiodinium, but they also sustain highly complex symbiotic associations with other microscopic organisms such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses. The details of these non-pathogenic interactions remain largely unclear. The impetus of this study is to gain a better understanding of the symbiotic interaction between marine bacteria and a variety of coral species representative of differing morphologies. Studies have shown that certain bacterial orders associate specifically with certain coral species, thus making the symbiotic synergy a non-random consortium. Consequently both corals and bacteria may be capable of emitting chemical cues that enables both parties to find one another and thus creating the symbiosis. One potential chemical cue could be the compound DMSP (Dimethylsulfoniopropionate) and its sulphur derivatives. Reef-building corals are believed to be the major producers of the DMSP and its derivatives during times of stress. As a result corals could potentially attract their bacterial consortium depending on their DMSP production. Corals may be able to adapt to fluctuating environmental conditions by changing their bacterial communities to that which may aid in survival. The cause of this attraction may stem from the capability of a variety of marine bacteria to catabolize DMSP into different metabolically significant pathways, which may be necessary for the survival of these mutualistic interactions. To test the hypothesis that coral-produced DMSP play a role in attracting symbiotic bacteria, this study utilized the advent of high-through sequencing paired with bacterial isolation techniques to properly characterize the microbial community in the stony coral Porites astreoides. We conducted DMSP swarming and chemotaxis assays to determine the response of these coral-associated bacterial isolates towards the DMSP compound at differing concentrations. Preliminary data from this study suggests that six out of the ten bacterial isolates are capable of conducting unidirectional motility; these six isolates are also capable of conducting swarming motility in the direction of an increasing DMSP concentration gradient. This would indicate that there is a form of positive chemotaxis on behalf of the bacteria towards the DMSP compound. By obtaining a better understanding of the dynamics that drive the associations between bacterial communities and corals, we can further aid in the protection and conservation processes for corals. Also this study would further elucidate the significance of the DMSP compound in the survival of corals under times of stress.

The Immunomodulatory Role of Alcohol on HIV-Infected Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cells

Alcohol is known to induce inflammation in the presence of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In our previous studies, we revealed that alcohol induces cannabinoid receptors which play a role in the regulation of inflammatory cytokine production in monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MDDC). However, the ability of alcohol to alter MDDC function during HIV infection has not been clearly elucidated yet. To study the potential impact of alcohol on HIV-infected MDDC (confirmed by p24 ELISA), monocytes were isolated from commercially available buffy coats and cultured for 7 days with GM-CSF and IL-4. MDDC were infected with HIV- 1Ba-L and treated with different concentrations of alcohol (0.1% band 0.2%) for 4-7 days. MDDC phenotype, endocytosis, cytokine production, and ability to transmit HIV to T cells were analyzed. Uninfected CD4+ T cells were co-cultured for 7 days with either infected/treated MDDC or the supernatants from infected/treated MDDC. Inflammatory cytokine arrays were performed using supernatants from HIV-infected MDDC treated with alcohol. Results showed that HIV positive MDDC treated with alcohol had higher levels of infection compared to untreated HIV positive controls. CD4+ T cells exposed to HIV-infected MDDC acquired 100-fold higher levels of p24 compared to CD4+ T cells exposed to only supernatants. CD4+ T cells exposed to HIV-infected and alcohol-treated MDDC had higher levels of infection compared to controls. Cytokine array data show dysregulation of cytokine production by alcohol. In addition, MDDC phenotype and endocytic capacity were altered in the alcohol treated MDDC. Our results indicate a crucial role of MDDC in HIV transmission to T cells and provide insights into the inflammatory role alcohol exerts on dendritic cell function in the context of HIV infection. Supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism award R00AA021264, the National Institute on Drug Abuse award R01DA034547, and the Institute on NeuroImmune Pharmacology at FIU.

The Moderating Role of Personality on Workplace Conflict and Outcomes

The purpose of this study was twofold. The first was to further clarify and expand or understanding of the relationship between interpersonal conflict, incivility, and their roles as stressors in the stressor-strain relationship. The second goal was to examine how neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, trait anger, and sphere specific locus of control moderate the stressor-strain relationship between task conflict, relationship conflict, incivility and workplace and health outcomes. The results suggest that extraversion, neuroticism, conscientiousness, agreeableness, trait anger, and locus of control play significant roles in how workplace aggression affects individuals. These findings suggest that occupations that experience a high level of workplace aggression should consider incorporating these personality traits into their selection system as a way of limiting or reducing the effects workplace aggression can have on individual health, wellbeing, and job outcomes.