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Educational research must play a critical role in informing practice and policy within pharmacy education. Understanding the educational environment and its impact on students, faculty members, and other stakeholders is imperative for improving outcomes and preparing pharmacy students to meet the needs of 21st century health care. To aid in the design and implementation of meaningful educational research within colleges and schools of pharmacy, this roadmap addresses philosophy and educational language; guidelines for the conduct of educational research; research design, including 4 approaches to defining, collecting, and analyzing educational data; measurement issues; ethical considerations; resources and tools; and the value of educational research in guiding curricular transformation.

Priorities change, and if their evolution goes unnoticed, boundaries begin to break down, and we become bound by the routine of each day. For being only two letters long, the word \"no\" sure is difficult to say sometimes, 'there are countless moments in life when saying \"no\" is the best option, but the words just don't want to come out, and you end up with an overflowing schedule or nagging feelings of dread as the event approaches. Here are some signs t hat you need to start delegating some of your tasks and projects: * You simply don't have time to complete all of the tasks laid out before you. * Someone else at the organization is better suited for a task. * You would like to help a team member gain more experience in a certain area. * New, more important priorities surface, and you'd like to restructure your time. Rest, reflection, and renewal are essential for maintaining mental and physical health, reducing stress, and improving overall well-being.

In a series of laboratory trials, we compared the mosquito larvae predation efficacy of four endemic fish species and the introduced Gambusia holbrooki at different temperatures. Galaxias occidentalis and Galaxias truttaceus, consumed more mosquito larvae at 15 and 20°C and were equally effective consumers of mosquito larvae as G. holbrooki at 25°C. Nannoperca vittata and Bostokia porosa were equally as effective at consuming mosquito larvae as G. holbrooki at 15, 20 and 25°C. G. occidentalis in particular warrant further investigation as a mosquito control agent, not only due to their high consumption of mosquito larvae, but also due to their propensity to kill, but not consume more mosquito larvae than the other four fish species at both 15 and 20°C. For this species, stomach size and digestion rate do not appear to limit the number of mosquito larvae killed. These results indicate that endemic fish species may be more successful than the introduced G. holbrooki at mosquito control.

In a series of laboratory trials, we compared the mosquito larvae predation efficacy of four endemic fish species and the introduced Gambusia holbrooki at different temperatures. Galaxias occidentalis and Galaxias truttaceus, consumed more mosquito larvae at 15 and 20 degree C and were equally effective consumers of mosquito larvae as G. holbrooki at 25 degree C. Nannoperca vittata and Bostokia porosa were equally as effective at consuming mosquito larvae as G. holbrooki at 15, 20 and 25 degree C. G. occidentalis in particular warrant further investigation as a mosquito control agent, not only due to their high consumption of mosquito larvae, but also due to their propensity to kill, but not consume more mosquito larvae than the other four fish species at both 15 and 20 degree C. For this species, stomach size and digestion rate do not appear to limit the number of mosquito larvae killed. These results indicate that endemic fish species may be more successful than the introduced G. holbrooki at mosquito control.

More than two hundred women have played leadership roles in the Appalachian Women’s Alliance since our “Dawning Ceremony” in 1992. Thousands have been touched by our work. Defying traditional stereotypes, the women among us have been black, white, Hispanic, and Native American, poor, working, and middle class, lesbian and straight, with and without traditional education, rural and urban, wageearners, and welfare mothers. This chapter represents the perspectives of three of those women, Edna Gulley, Linda McKinney, and myself, each of whom has been deeply and consistently involved throughout our twenty-year herstory. EDNA: I used to feel like I shouldn’t be

Uranium hexafluoride (UF6) containment cylinders must be emptied and washed every five years in order to undergo recertification, according to ANSI standards. During the emptying of the UF6 from the cylinders, a thin residue, or heel, of UF6 is left behind. This heel must be removed in order for recertification to take place. To remove it, the inside of the containment cylinder is washed with acid and the resulting solution generally contains three or four kilograms of uranium. Thus, before the liquid solution can be disposed of, the uranium must be separated. A modified sodium diuranate (SDU) uranium recovery process was studied to support development of a commercial process. This process was sought to ensure complete uranium recovery, at high purity, in order that it might be reused in the nuclear fuel cycle. An experimental procedure was designed and carried out in order to verify the effectiveness of the commercial process in a laboratory setting. The experiments involved a small quantity of dried UO2F2 powder that was dosed with 3wt% FeF3 and was dissolved in water to simulate the cylinder wash solution. Each experiment series started with a measured amount of this powder mixture which was dissolved in enough water to make a solution containing about 120 gmU/liter. The experiments involved validating the modified SDU extraction process. A potassium diuranate (KDU) process was also attempted. Very little information exists regarding such a process, so the task was undertaken to evaluate its efficacy and determine whether a potassium process yields any significant differences or advantages as compared to a sodium process. However, the KDU process ultimately proved ineffective and was abandoned. Each of the experiments was organized into a series of procedures that started with the UO2F2 powder being dissolved in water, and proceeded through the steps needed to first convert the uranium to a diuranate precipitate, then to a carbonate complex solution, and finally to a uranyl peroxide (UO4) precipitate product. Evaluation of operating technique, uranium recovery efficiency, and final product purity were part of each experiment. Evaluation of a technique for removing fluoride from the diuranate precipitation byproduct filtrate using granular calcite was also included at the end of the uranium recovery testing. It was observed that precipitation of sodium diuranate (SDU) was very nearly complete at a pH of 11-12, using room temperature conditions. Uranium residuals in the filtrate ranged from 3.6 - 19.6 ppm, meaning almost complete precipitation as SDU. It was postulated and then verified that a tailing reaction occurs in the SDU precipitation, which necessitates a digestion period of about 2 hours to complete the precipitation. Further, it was shown, during this phase of the process, that a partial precipitation step at pH 5.5 did not adequately separate iron contamination due to an overlap of uranium and iron precipitations at that condition. Carbonate extraction of the SDU required an extended (3-4 hours) digestion at 40°C and pH 7-8 to complete, with sodium bicarbonate found to be the preferred extractant. The carbonate extraction was also proven to successfully separate the iron contamination from the uranium. Potassium-based chemistry did produce a potassium diuranate (KDU) analogue of SDU, but the subsequent carbonate extraction using either potassium bicarbonate or potassium carbonate proved to be too difficult and was incomplete. The potassium testing was terminated at this step. The uranyl peroxide precipitation was found to operate best at pH 3.5 - 4.0, at room temperature, and required an expected, extended digestion period of 8 -10 hours. The reaction was nearly complete at those conditions, with a filtrate residual ranging from 2.4 to 36.8 ppmU. The uranyl peroxide itself was very pure, with impurity averages at a very low 0.8 ppmNa and 0.004 ppmFe. ASTM maximum levels are 20 ppmNa and 150 ppmFe. Fluoride removal from the SDU precipitation filtrate required multiple passes of the solution through a calcite bed with acid additions to adjust the pH back down to below 6 before each pass to allow the removal reaction to proceed. This result was a modification of the single pass technique that was planned due to the apparent shutdown of the NaF/calcite reaction at pH above about 10. Conclusions drawn from the testing were that the results demonstrated a workable and effective series of processing steps. Techniques developed from the tests will make uranium recovery viable when transferred to the commercial process design.

Technological advances have enabled colleges and universities to administer course evaluations online, forgoing the traditional paper-and-pencil methods. Consequently, many of these institutions have encountered low response rates, and little research is available on this topic. To increase understanding about course evaluation participation in the online environment, this study examined over 22,000 undergraduates to whom the university administered almost 135,000 evaluations. Multilevel models were constructed to analyze the data, nesting course evaluations within students. Several variables emerged as significant predictors of participation, some of which were consistent with previous research and aligned with theories of survey nonresponse. In this study, respondents to SETs were typically female, with a GPA at or above 3.0, over 25 years of age, were first-year or senior students, not African American or Asian, and in a realistic major. However, characteristics of the course also tended to influence participation. Submissions of SETs were more likely if the course and student's major were in the same department; an A, B, or C grade also increased the likelihood of response. Implications for research and practical applications for institutions are also addressed, including ways to combat survey fatigue, increase the salience of the survey, and increase the number of opportunities that a student has to complete course evaluations.

Many approved drugs bind to G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs). A challenge in targeting GPCRs is that different ligands preferentially activate different signaling pathways. Two papers show how biased signaling arises for the angiotensin II type 1 receptor that couples to two signaling partners (G proteins and arrestins). Suomivuori et al. used large-scale atomistic simulations to show that coupling to the two pathways is through two distinct GPCR conformations and that extracellular ligands favor one or the other conformation. Wingler et al. present crystal structures of the same receptor bound to ligands with different bias profiles. These structures show conformational changes in and around the binding pocket that match those observed in simulations. This work could provide a framework for the rational design of drugs that are more effective and have fewer side effects. Science , this issue p. 881 , p. 888 Atomic-level molecular dynamics reveals how arrestin bias and G protein bias arise at the angiotensin II type 1 receptor. Biased signaling, in which different ligands that bind to the same G protein–coupled receptor preferentially trigger distinct signaling pathways, holds great promise for the design of safer and more effective drugs. Its structural mechanism remains unclear, however, hampering efforts to design drugs with desired signaling profiles. Here, we use extensive atomic-level molecular dynamics simulations to determine how arrestin bias and G protein bias arise at the angiotensin II type 1 receptor. The receptor adopts two major signaling conformations, one of which couples almost exclusively to arrestin, whereas the other also couples effectively to a G protein. A long-range allosteric network allows ligands in the extracellular binding pocket to favor either of the two intracellular conformations. Guided by this computationally determined mechanism, we designed ligands with desired signaling profiles.

Many approved drugs bind to G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs). A challenge in targeting GPCRs is that different ligands preferentially activate different signaling pathways. Two papers show how biased signaling arises for the angiotensin II type 1 receptor that couples to two signaling partners (G proteins and arrestins). Suomivuori et al. used large-scale atomistic simulations to show that coupling to the two pathways is through two distinct GPCR conformations and that extracellular ligands favor one or the other conformation. Wingler et al. present crystal structures of the same receptor bound to ligands with different bias profiles. These structures show conformational changes in and around the binding pocket that match those observed in simulations. This work could provide a framework for the rational design of drugs that are more effective and have fewer side effects. Science , this issue p. 881 , p. 888 Crystal structures elucidate how ligands select among signaling conformations of a G protein–coupled receptor. Biased agonists of G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) preferentially activate a subset of downstream signaling pathways. In this work, we present crystal structures of angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) (2.7 to 2.9 angstroms) bound to three ligands with divergent bias profiles: the balanced endogenous agonist angiotensin II (AngII) and two strongly β-arrestin–biased analogs. Compared with other ligands, AngII promotes more-substantial rearrangements not only at the bottom of the ligand-binding pocket but also in a key polar network in the receptor core, which forms a sodium-binding site in most GPCRs. Divergences from the family consensus in this region, which appears to act as a biased signaling switch, may predispose the AT1R and certain other GPCRs (such as chemokine receptors) to adopt conformations that are capable of activating β-arrestin but not heterotrimeric G q protein signaling.