Although careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics have expanded in the United States, science literacy skills for K-12 students have declined from 2001 to 2011. Limited research has been conducted on the impact of science enrichment programs on the science literacy skills of K-12 students, particularly in marine science. The purpose of this study was to describe the impact of a marine science summer enrichment camp located in the eastern region of the United States on the ocean literacy skills of middle school students who participated in this camp. Weimar's learner centered teaching approach and the definition and principles of ocean literacy formed the conceptual framework. The central research question focused on how a marine science summer enrichment camp impacted the ocean literacy skills of middle grade students. A single case study research design was used with ten participants including 3 camp teachers, four students, and 3 parents of Grade 6-8 students who participated this camp in 2016. Data were collected from multiple sources including individual interviews of camp teachers, students, and parents, as well as camp documents and archival records. A constant comparative method was used to construct categories, determine emergent themes and discrepant data. Results indicated that the marine science camp positively impacted the ocean literacy skills of middle school students through an emphasis on a learner centered instructional approach. The findings of this study may provide a positive social impact by demonstrating active science literacy instructional strategies for teachers which can motivate students to continue studies in science and science related fields.

Abstract      Refugee children living in refugee camps are a vulnerable population at a high risk of developing mental health problems, behavioural issues, and being exposed to violence or trauma. However, not all children that experience these stressors of displacement develop negative outcomes. Some children adapt to the circumstances and build resilience against the challenges. Because the number of refugee children has risen, the importance of studying the subject and finding protective factors are critical. Therefore the aim of this study was to look into circumstances and interventions that promote mental well-being and resilience in refugee children in the context of a refugee camp, from a holistic perspective. Considering UN global goals the results of this study can be used in expanding resilience-building interventions in order to promote mental well-being around the world, particularly in developing countries.  A qualitative approach was taken through semi-structured interviews to gather data. Two participants working as practitioners in a resilience-building project in the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan were selected through a snowball selection. Through the theories of ecology of child development and the model of the seven Cs of resilience, this study identified resilience-building in several levels, including personal, family and community. Having knowledge about the strengths and development potential of oneself, close family relations, a supportive community and peer groups help children to  build resilience and overcome challenges. The study also found that in order to understand resilience-building in children a holistic approach is required. There are strong links between children, their families, their communities, and their psychosocial well-being. / Abstrakt  Flyktingbarn som bor i flyktingläger är en utsatt grupp som löper stor risk att utveckla psykiska störningar, beteendeproblem och utsättas för våld eller trauma. Trots alla stressorer med att vara flykting anpassar sig en del barn till omständigheterna och visar motståndskraft. Eftersom antalet flyktingbarn har ökat runt om i världen är vikten av att studera ämnet och hitta skyddsfaktorer som leder till motståndskraft avgörande för barnens välmående. Därför var syftet med denna studie att fokusera på omständigheter och interventioner som främjar flyktingbarns psykiska välbefinnande och motståndskraft i kontexten av ett flyktingläger, ur ett holistiskt perspektiv. Med tanke på FN:s globala mål kan resultaten av denna studie användas för att utöka motståndsbyggande interventioner för att främja mentalt välbefinnande hos barn runt om i världen, särskilt i utvecklingsländerna.  En kvalitativ metod genom semistrukturerade intervjuer användes för att samla in data. Två deltagare som arbetade i ett motståndsbyggande projekt (resilience-building project) i flyktinglägret Al-Zaatari i Jordanien valdes ut genom ett snöbollsurval. Genom teorierna om socialekologi för barnens utveckling och modellen sju C om motståndskraft identifierade denna studie att motståndsbyggande hos barn sker på flera nivåer, inklusive personlig, familj och i samhällsnivå. Att ha kunskap om sina styrkor och utvecklingspotentialer, att ha nära familjerelationer och stödjande samhällen och kamratgrupper hjälper barnen att bygga motståndskraft och övervinna utmaningar. Studien fann också att för att förstå motståndsbyggande hos barn krävs ett holistiskt förhållningssätt. Det finns starka kopplingar mellan barn, deras familjer och deras samhällen, och psykosocialt välbefinnande. För att hjälpa barn bygga motståndskraft är därför en dynamisk process nödvändig. / خلاصه کودکان پناهنده ای که در کمپ های پناهندگان زندگی می کنند، جمعیتی آسیب پذیر هستند که در معرض خطر بالای ابتلا به مشکلات سلامت روانی، مسائل رفتاری، و قرار گرفتن در معرض خشونت یا تروما قرار دارند. با این حال، همه کودکانی که این عوامل استرس زای جابجایی را تجربه می کنند، پیامدهای منفی ندارند. برخی از کودکان با شرایط سازگار می شوند و در برابر چالش ها انعطاف پذیری می کنند. از آنجا که تعداد کودکان پناهنده افزایش یافته است، اهمیت تحقیق کردن موضوع و یافتن عوامل محافظتی بسیار مهم است. بنابراین هدف این تحقیق بررسی شرایط و مداخلاتی بود که بهزیستی روانی و تاب‌آوری را در کودکان پناهنده در چارچوب یک اردوگاه پناهندگان، از منظر کل نگر ارتقا می‌دهد. با توجه به اهداف جهانی سازمان ملل، نتایج این مطالعه می‌تواند در گسترش مداخلات تاب‌آوری به  منظور ارتقای بهزیستی روانی در سراسر جهان به‌ ویژه در کشورهای در حال توسعه استفاده شود. برای جمع‌آوری داده‌ها، روش کیفی از طریق مصاحبه‌های نیمه ساختاریافته اتخاذ شده  است. دو شرکت کننده که به عنوان کارآموز در یک پروژه انعطاف پذیری در اردوگاه پناهندگان زعتری در اردن کار می کردند از طریق نمونه گیری گلوله برفی انتخاب شدند. این مطالعه از طریق تئوری‌های بوم‌شناسی رشد کودک و مدل هفت C تاب‌آوری، تاب‌آوری‌ سازی را در سطوح مختلفی از جمله فردی، خانوادگی و اجتماعی شناسایی کرده است .داشتن دانش در مورد نقاط قوت و محتمل رشد خود، روابط نزدیک خانوادگی، جامعه حامی و گروه های همسالان به کودکان کمک می کند تا تاب آوری را ایجاد کنند و بر چالش ها غلبه کنند. این تحقیق همچنین نشان داد که برای تاب‌آوری در کودکان به یک رویکرد جامع نگر نیاز است. پیوندهای محکمی بین کودکان، خانواده‌ها، جوامع و رفاه روانی اجتماعی آنها وجود دارد.

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Yes / Pharmaceutical manipulation of cAMP levels exerts beneficial effects through the regulation of the exchange protein activated by cAMP (EPAC) and protein kinase A (PKA) signalling routes. Recent attention has turned to the specific regulation of EPAC isoforms (EPAC1 and EPAC2) as a more targeted approach to cAMP-based therapies. For example, EPAC2-selective agonists could promote insulin secretion from pancreatic β cells, whereas EPAC1-selective agonists may be useful in the treatment of vascular inflammation. By contrast, EPAC1 and EPAC2 antagonists could both be useful in the treatment of heart failure. Here we discuss whether the best way forward is to design EPAC-selective agonists or antagonists and the current strategies being used to develop isoform-selective, small-molecule regulators of EPAC1 and EPAC2 activity.

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I analyze the behavior of Jews imprisoned in the Treblinka, Sobibór, and Birkenau extermination camps in order to illustrate a systematic process of deception and psychological conditioning, which the Nazis employed during World War II to preclude Jewish resistance to the Final Solution. In Chapter I, I present resistance historiography as it has developed since the end of the war. In Chapter II, I delineate my own argument on Jewish behavior during the Final Solution, limiting my definition of resistance and the applicability of my thesis to behavior in the extermination camp, or closed, environment. In Chapters III, IV, and V, I present a detailed narrative of the Treblinka, Sobibór, and Birkenau revolts using secondary sources and selected survivor testimony. Finally, in Chapter VI, I isolate select parts of the previous narratives and apply my argument to demonstrate its validity as an explanation for Jewish behavior.

Les enfants en situation de handicap ont souvent besoin de soutien supplémentaire pour favoriser leur intégration sociale et leur bien-être en camps de jour (Brookman, 2003; Edwards & Smith, 1989; Murphy et al., 2008; Siperstein, 2009). Pour répondre à ce besoin, les accompagnateurs d’enfants en situation de handicap doivent avoir une formation adéquate pour les préparer à leur rôle de soutien (Baldwin et al., 2010; Ko et al., 2012; Lawrence et al., 2006; Wahl-Alexander, 2017; Waller et al., 2017). Cette recherche avait pour but de comparer une formation synchrone et une formation autoguidée en ligne du point de vue des habiletés, de l’anxiété et de la détresse psychologique de 34 accompagnateurs dans le cadre d’un essai randomisé contrôlé. L’acceptabilité sociale de la formation autoguidée en ligne a aussi été comparée à celle de la formation synchrone. Les résultats indiquent qu’il n’y avait pas de différence dans les habiletés acquises, l’anxiété et la détresse psychologique des participants entre le pré-test et le post-test, peu importe leur modalité de formation. L’acceptabilité sociale était aussi la même dans les deux groupes de participants. D’autres études doivent être réalisées avec un plus grand échantillon, mais les résultats actuels suggèrent que la formation autoguidée en ligne serait au moins équivalente à la formation synchrone. Pour la pratique psychoéducative, cette conclusion soulève la possibilité de mettre en place de nouvelles modalités d’intervention. / Children with disabilities often need extra support to promote their social integration and well-being in day camps (Brookman, 2003; Edwards & Smith, 1989; Murphy et al., 2008; Siperstein, 2009). To meet this need, counsellors that support children with disabilities must have adequate training to prepare them for this role (Baldwin et al., 2010; Ko et al., 2012; Lawrence et al., 2006; Wahl-Alexander, 2017; Waller et al., 2017). The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a synchronous training and a self-guided online training on the skills and well-being of 34 counsellors using a randomized controlled trial. The social validity of the self-guided online training was also compared to the one of the synchronous training. The results show that there were no differences in the basic skills or the psychological well-being of the participants when comparing both training modalities. Social validity scores were also similar across both groups. The results of this Master’s thesis suggest that the self-guided online training would be at least equivalent to the synchronous training. However, studies with larger sample sizes are needed to replicate these findings. Implications for the field of psychoeducation include initial support for the use of new and diversified intervention methods.

Le canal sodique épithélial, ENaC, est une protéine hétéromérique constituée de trois sous-unités: [alpha], [bêta] et [gamma]. ENaC est exprimé au niveau de la membrane apicale des cellules épithéliales du néphron, du colon distal et des voies aériennes. Au niveau du néphron, l'activité et l'expression de ENaC sont finement régulées par deux hormones: l'aldostérone et la vasopressine, ce qui fait de ENaC un élément clé du maintient de la pression artérielle. ENaC joue également un rôle dans la régulation de la pression artérielle dans le colon distal. Il existe plusieurs mutations du canal directement liées à des troubles graves de la pression artérielle: le syndrome de Liddle et le pseudoaldostéronisme de type I (PHA I). La première pathologie est un gain de fonction du canal provoquant une hypertension précoce et sévère alors que le PHA I est une perte de fonction caractérisée par une diminution de la réabsorption sodium et une hypotension. ENaC est également une cible thérapeutique de choix dans les hypertensions de type 1. Il a récemment été démontré que la sous-unité [alpha] ENaC était impliquée dans l'augmentation de l'activité du canal de cobaye mais pas de rat par deux ligands extra-cellulaires: le cpt-cAMP un analogue perméant de l'AMPc, et le glibenclamide, un inhibiteur des canaux K[indice inférieur ATP]. Notre objectif est de déterminer les sites d'interaction des ces ligands avec ENaC ce qui permettra de mieux comprendre la relation structure/fonction de la boucle extra-cellulaire. Des techniques de biologie moléculaire nous ont permis de construire des sous-unités [alpha] chimériques contenant des séquences de rat et de cobaye. Ces chimères ont été coexprimées dans l'ovocyte de xénope avec les sous-unités [bêta] rat et [gamma] rat et les courants macroscopiques ont été enregistré en voltage clamp à deux électrodes. Nous avons ainsi déterminé que les régions centrales et terminales de la boucle extra-cellulaire de la sous-unité [alpha]gp conféraient une sensibilité partielle au cpt-cAMP. La réalisation de mutants nous a permis d'identifier cinq acides aminés dans la région terminale de la boucle dont une isoleucine en position 510 indispensable à l'activation du canal par le cpt-cAMP. Nous avons montré en patch clamp en configuration"outside out" que cette augmentation du courant macroscopique résultait d'une augmentation de la NPo du canal et non de sa conductance unitaire. Concernant l'interaction entre le glibenclamide et la sous-unité [alpha], nous avons employé la même approche que pour le cpt-cAMP. Nos résultats préliminaires indiquent que la totalité de la boucle extra-cellulaire est impliquée dans l'interaction avec le glibenclamide. Comme pour le cpt-cAMP, la région terminale de la boucle extra-cellulaire confère la plus grande sensibilité au ligand. Cependant, nous n'avons pas identifié tous les acides aminés interagissant avec le glibenclamide. Nous soupçonnons l'isoleucine 510 de jouer un rôle dans cette interaction.

Secretion of appropriate amounts of insulin from pancreatic β-cells is crucial for glucose homeostasis. The β-cells release insulin in response to glucose and other nutrients, hormones and neurotransmitters, which trigger intracellular signaling cascades, that result in exocytotic fusion of insulin-containing vesicles with the plasma membrane. Increases of the intracellular concentration of calcium ions ([Ca2+]i) trigger exocytosis, whereas the messenger cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) amplifies various steps of the secretion process. The protein Epac2 mediates some effects of cAMP, but little is known about its regulation in β-cells. In this study, the spatio-temporal dynamics of Epac2 was investigated in insulin-secreting MIN6-cells and primary β-cells using various cell signaling biosensors and live-cell fluorescence microscopy approaches. Increases in the cAMP concentration triggered translocation of Epac2 from the cytoplasm to the plasma membrane. Oscillations of cAMP induced by glucose and the insulin-releasing hormone GLP-1 were associated with cyclic translocation of Epac2. Analyses of Epac2 mutants showed that the high-affinity cyclic nucleotide-binding domain and Ras-association domains were crucial for the translocation, whereas neither the DEP domain, nor the low-affinity cAMP-binding domain were required for membrane binding. However, the latter domain targeted Epac2 to insulin granules at the plasma membrane, which promoted their priming for exocytosis. Depolarization-induced elevations of [Ca2+]i also stimulated Epac2 translocation, but the effects were complex and in the presence of high cAMP concentrations, [Ca2+]i increases often reduced membrane binding. The stimulatory effect of Ca2+ was mediated by increased Ras activity, while the inhibitory effect reflected reduced concentrations of the membrane phospholipid PtdIns(4,5)P2. Anti-diabetic drugs of the sulfonylurea class, suggested to directly activate Epac2, induced translocation indirectly by depolarizing β-cells to increase [Ca2+]i. Epac2 is an activator of Rap GTPases, and its translocation increased Rap activity at the plasma membrane. It is concluded that the subcellular localization of Epac2 is controlled by a complex interplay between cAMP, Ca2+ and PtdIns(4,5)P2 and that the protein controls insulin release by binding to the exocytosis machinery. These results provide new insights into the regulation of β-cell function and may facilitate the development of new anti-diabetic drugs that amplify insulin secretion.