A Multi-University Engineering Summer Study Abroad Program

Following vascular injury, endothelial cells become activated in the attempt to repave the damaged luminal surface. In addition, a physical interaction is established not only among the denuded subendothelial matrix, activated platelets, and circulating inflammatory cells but also with the progenitor cells (PCs).1 Endothelial survival, proliferation, and migration, necessary for re-coverage of exposed lamina, are aided by CD34+ PCs that express the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor-2/kinase-insert domain receptor (KDR). However, whether these cells enter the peripheral circulation as a predefined population or acquire their final antigenic phenotype on homing to the peripheral vasculature remains a matter of debate. See accompanying article on page 408 In this issue of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology , de Boer et al propose that human CD34+/KDR+ cells are generated from circulating CD34+ cells after immobilization on activated platelets.2 By using an ex vivo flow model, the authors show that activated platelets favor the homing of CD34+ cells to sites of vascular injury and that, on cell immobilization, KDR is rapidly translocated from an endosomal compartment to the cell surface. Presumably, PCs shed afterward to “carry the message” into the circulation. It is noteworthy that de Boer et al also report an increased coexpression of KDR on CD34+ cells in type-2 diabetes, which was reduced by aspirin treatment. The authors conclude that their data might have implications for the identification of patients with subclinical vascular injury, on the basis of the hypothesis that activated/injured endothelium provides more opportunity …

Questionnaires to Assess Urinary and Anal Incontinence: Review and Recommendations

THE International Society of Protistologists (ISOP) met online from 26-30 July, 2021. The Program and Abstract book for this is available here (File S1). An in-person international meeting was not possible due to the continued COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting therefore took place using the society's Zoom license, which is available for use by ISOP members for other online protist meetings.

Informed by Complex Dynamic Systems Theory, this study examines the nature of homestay as a situated language learning site, with an eye toward the development of American student guests and Chinese host families’ homestay experiences within the larger context of the study abroad (SA) program and local community. Drawing on data collected from host families and student guests, this study discovers benefits, conflicts, and co-adaptations in homestay; the evolution of host families’ dispositions toward homestay; student guests’ proficiency gains and interactions with hosts and locals; and contextual factors that influence the proficiency gains and interactions. The findings reveal that homestay is a dynamic, self-evolving subsystem, which constantly interacts with other dynamic subsystems, such as the SA program and local community, within the complex social ecosystem of the entire SA environment. This study also provides suggestions for the design and management of the homestay component in the SA program and future research.

"Muir Wood, Prof. David, (born 17 March 1949), Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Bristol, 1995–2009, now Emeritus; Professor of Geotechnical Engineering, University of Dundee, 2009–14, now Emeritus; Professor affilierad, Geotechnical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden, since 2014" published on by Oxford University Press.

Event Abstract Back to Event Gradient based axon growth modelling of different cell types with specific growth features in the spinal cord of hatchling Xenopus tadpole Abul Kalam Al Azad1*, Roman Borisyuk1, Stephen R Soffe2 and Alan Roberts2 1 University of Plymouth, School of Computing and Mathematics, United Kingdom 2 University of Bristol, School of Biology, United Kingdom It is imperative to understand how simple basic mechanisms can allow primary functioning neuronal circuits to develop. To explore the 'functional connectome', we investigate anatomy and electrophysiology of young hatchling Xenopus tadpole's spinal cord. Our bottom-up approach to modelling of neuronal connectivity is based on developmental process of axon growth - we develop a gradient-based mathematical model for axon growth. It is known that in the developing developing vertebrate spinal cord, axons grow under influence of chemical morphogenes released from the dorsal roof plate ('BMP'), ventral floor plate ('Shh') and hindbrain region ('Wnt'). Distribution of these guidance molecules along the spinal cord set up a gradient field which steer the axons in appropriate locations and thus ensure formation of proper connections. The model of axon growth includes a fixed environment of the governing gradients and seven parameters describing the sensitivity of axon to different guidance molecules. Sensitivity parameters are specific for axons of each cell-type and also they are specific for the direction of axon growth (either to head or tail). A stochastic optimization programming technique is implemented to determine the values of these parameters for each cell-type and each direction of axon growth. The cost function provides a fitting of the model to the experimental measurements of axons and takes into account the projection of the axon to the Dorso-Ventral axis as well as the axon tortuisity. The model successfully generates axons of both commissural and non-commissural neurons which include stimulus receiving sensory neurons, sensory infomation processing interneurons and motorneurons. We model axons of seven types of spinal neurons believed to be involved in swimming and struggling behaviour of tadpole. Each neuron has a different axon growth feature, e.g., commissural neurons grow axons ventrally on the same side of the spinal cord at first and turn longitudinally on the other (contralateral) side of the spinal cord and non-commissural neurons grow their axons on the same (ipsilateral) side of spinal cord. This gradient based axon growth will in fact lead to bilogical reconstruction of the connectome of the tadpole's spinal cord. Keywords: computational neuroscience Conference: 4th INCF Congress of Neuroinformatics, Boston, United States, 4 Sep - 6 Sep, 2011. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Computational neuroscience Citation: Azad A, Borisyuk R, Soffe S and Roberts A (2011). Gradient based axon growth modelling of different cell types with specific growth features in the spinal cord of hatchling Xenopus tadpole. Front. Neuroinform. Conference Abstract: 4th INCF Congress of Neuroinformatics. doi: 10.3389/conf.fninf.2011.08.00064 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 17 Oct 2011; Published Online: 19 Oct 2011. * Correspondence: Dr. Abul Kalam Al Azad, University of Plymouth, School of Computing and Mathematics, Plymouth, United Kingdom, abul.azad@plymouth.ac.uk Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Abul Kalam Al Azad Roman Borisyuk Stephen R Soffe Alan Roberts Google Abul Kalam Al Azad Roman Borisyuk Stephen R Soffe Alan Roberts Google Scholar Abul Kalam Al Azad Roman Borisyuk Stephen R Soffe Alan Roberts PubMed Abul Kalam Al Azad Roman Borisyuk Stephen R Soffe Alan Roberts Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

TALKING ABOUT…

With a greater focus on internationalization, today’s business students are encouraged to participate in study abroad programs. For smaller, regional business programs seeking a quality study abroad program, faculty and administrators may view “piggybacking” onto existing programs of larger universities as their only viable option. However, piggyback participation in external programs may require that a university forsake its own standards and objectives, and accept the objectives of other study abroad programs. Building on the experiences of one university’s study abroad program for MBAs, the idea that piggybacking onto other schools is the only means of creating a high quality international experience for students is rejected.

Introduction: John R. Hinnells (SOAS, University of London). Section A: The Religions: 1. Judaism: Alan Unterman (University of Manchester). 2. Christianity: Andrew Walls (University of Edinburgh). 3. Islam: Alford T. Welch (Michigan State University). 4. Zoroastrianism: Mary Boyce (SOAS, University of London). 5. Hinduism: Simon Weightman (SOAS, University of London). 6. Sikhism: W. Owen Cole (Chichester Institute of Higher Education). 7. Jainism: Kendall W. Folkert revised and expanded by John E. Cort (Denision University, Ohio). 8. Buddhism: L. S. Cousins (formerly University of Manchester). 9. Chinese Religions: Michael Saso (Beijing). 10. The Mystic Tradition in China: Michael Saso (Beijing). 11. Japanese Religions: David Reid (Tokyo University). 12. Religions in Primal Societies. i. Native North American Religions: Armin W. Geertz (University of Aarhus). ii. Pacific Religions: B. Colless and P. Donovan (Massey University). iii. African Religions: Aylward Shorter (Freelance Writer). iv. New Religious Movements in Primal Societies: Harold W. Turner (formerly Selly Oak College). 13. Modern Alternative Religions in the West: J. Gordon Melton (Institute for the Study of American Religion, Santa Barbara). 14. Baha'ism: Denis MacEoin: (formerly University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne). Section B: Cross Cultural Issues: 15. Religion and Gender: Ursula King (University of Bristol). 16. Spirituality: Ursula King (University of Bristol). 17. The Study of Diaspora Religion: John R. Hinnells (SOAS, University of London). 18. African Diaspora Religion: Ossie Stuart (St Anthony's College, Oxford). 19. The Australian South Asian Diaspora: P. Billimoria (Deakin University). 20. The Religions of South Asian Communities in Britain: Kim Knott (University of Leeds). 21. The Religions of the South Asian Diaspora in Canada: Harold Coward (University of Victoria, British Columbia). 22. South Asian Religions in the United States: Raymond Brady Williams (Wabash College). 23. Comparative Reflections on South Asian Religion in International Migration: John R. Hinnells (SOAS, University of London). Index.

Professor Emeritus E. Wynn Jones MRCVS, FRCVS, PhD

1 Department of Pediatrics, Section of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas, United States of America, 2 Texas State Guard, Medical Brigade, Uvalde, Texas, United States of America, 3 Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi, United States of America, 4 Department of Chemistry, Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi, United States of America

Highway authorities in the United Kingdom and around the world are being challenged to deliver best value in highway maintenance and management. But what is best value, and how can it be delivered? This study explains the concept of best value and argues that, to be able to deliver, authorities must have a best value process in place that involves measuring their performance and then acting on the evidence they gain from their measurement. It introduces the use of a new approach to performance measurement that draws on the measurement of softer issues such as business culture and customer perceptions as well as the traditional hard measures; it is the actions that measurement stimulates that make the difference and not the measurement itself. The approach is based on work carried out at the University of Bristol, United Kingdom, and has been developed in work for U.K. highway authorities by Halcrow Group along with supply-chain partners. The need for a common language of measurement is explained. The common language creates understanding, providing a line of sight to the overall goals of the authority, and enables the authority to demonstrate continuous improvement—an essential element of best value delivery. The study demonstrates how this approach can be used for managing highway maintenance contracts and provides a practical example of how a performance measurement regime can be developed.

Erratum to “TNFR-associated factor-2 (TRAF-2) in Alzheimer’s disease” [Culpan et al. (Neurobiol Aging 2009 July;30(7):1052-60)

This study examined whether students develop cultural competence in classrooms and study abroad programs by comparing three groups of students: students in a Cross-Cultural Human Development Class (CCHD), Study Abroad programs (SA), and the control group. Participants were 106 undergraduate students from a predominantly White institution in the United States. CCHD students took a semester-long course in culture and human development, and SA students attended a short-term study abroad program. Students took pre- and post-surveys to examine their cultural competence skills. The results demonstrated that the cultural competence skills of the SA students were significantly improved after the program. CCHD students also demonstrated similarly increased cultural competence after completing the semester long course emphasizing cultural diversity, while the control group did not show an increase in cultural competence. Implications for teaching courses in cross-cultural psychology are discussed.

NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract Developing Engineers with an Entrepreneurial Spirit Introduction Since the passage of the Bayh Dole Act in 1980, there has been an increase in activities in technology transfer nationwide according to the Council on Governmental Relations.1 The significant changes in the handling of Intellectual Property has enabled exclusive licensing by the universities enhancing the ability of university personnel to participate in the commercialization of technology. Over 300 public universities in the United State have since created some form of Entrepreneurship program. In 2000, under the leadership of Dean A. Wayne Bennett, Mississippi State University’s Bagley College of Engineering recognized the need to promote such a program. The Jack Hatcher Engineering Entrepreneurship Certificate Program at Mississippi State University was initiated on February 7, 2001, with a primary investment of $1.25 million. Since its inception as the first endowed (entrepreneurship) program on the land-grant institution’s campus, the original endowment has grown to $1.5 million. Jack Hatcher, a native of Mississippi, is a 1949 civil engineering graduate from Mississippi State University who also holds a master’s degree from Georgia Tech. Hatcher founded and sold the second largest metal building company in the United States and served as CEO of Robertson –Ceco. He has remained involved in this program since the beginning as both a mentor and advisor. In March 2001, Gerald Nelson was appointed director of the entrepreneurship program, and in May 2002, he was appointed to the Hatcher Chair for Engineering Entrepreneurship. Gerald Nelson and Robert Taylor co-authored the “Mississippi State University Engineering Entrepreneurship Program,” which was presented by Dr. Taylor at the 2003 ASEE conference. This paper will focus briefly on an overview of the program to date, but will primarily address the long-term goals, the culture adjustment that is ongoing, and the strengths and weaknesses of such an endeavor. The Vision The vision statement for this program was a combination of the shared visions of Mr. Hatcher, Dean Wayne Bennett and the Director: Vision of the Jack Hatcher Engineering Entrepreneurship Program • The engineering student who is in business can receive the education and experience to pursue a technical/business career. • The entrepreneurship program provides a forum for learning Jack Hatcher and experiencing business firsthand from professionals. • The certificate process builds teamwork and communication skills in interdisciplinary project teams. • The student who desires to launch a business is provided with foundational knowledge, experience, and mentoring.