Creative behavior and its relationship to the administrative leadership of secondary school principals in Al- Karkh/2 district in Baghdad governorate

The importance of research lies in the school administration and that the school is the main cell of the educational system and its ultimate goal, and therefore modern education requires the presence of sophisticated leaders represented in educational administration at various levels. Administrative leaderships and the two researchers' belief that the institution’s ability and success or failure depend on a special type of leader who is highly effective and efficient, directing workers ’behavior towards creativity and achievement in order to achieve the goals of the institution in serving the educational bodies, increasing the effectiveness of leadership and developing the creative behavior of secondary school principals in Al-Karkh Al-Thania directorate of education. The aim of the research was to determine the creative behavior of principals and the effectiveness of the administrative leadership of the principals. The two researchers used the descriptive approach in the survey method on a sample of secondary school principals, whose number (20) principle were distributed, and a measure of creative behavior and administrative leadership was prepared. Al-Karkh Al-Thania principles enjoy a good degree of creative behavior as well as they have a good degree of administrative leadership, and the two researchers recommended urging school principals to participate in development courses and conferences that contribute to raising their level in administrative work.

Regulation of the Immune System in Health and Disease by Members of the Bone Morphogenetic Protein Family

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are potent signaling molecules initially described as osteopromoting proteins. BMPs represent one of the members of the larger TGFβ family and today are recognized for their important role in numerous processes. Among the wide array of functions recently attributed to them, BMPs were also described to be involved in the regulation of components of the innate and adaptive immune response. This review focuses on the signaling pathway of BMPs and highlights the effects of BMP signaling on the differentiation, activation, and function of the main cell types of the immune system.

Pulsing Test for Defect of Resistive Word Line in DRAM Main Cell using WGFMU (Waveform Generator Fast Measurement Unit)

In this paper, we compare and describe the difference between the oscilloscope pulsing test and the WGFMU (Waveform Generator Fast Measurement Unit) in analyzing the defect of high resistance in DRAM main cell sample. The nanoprobe system has many constraints in the pulsing analysis utilizing the oscilloscope and pulse generator. There are certain cases where the system cannot support analysis when the saturation current is extremely minimal, such as the DRAM cell. In this paper, we address this constraint and propose a new way to conduct pulsing tests using the WGFMU's arbitrary linear waveform generator in the nanoprobe system.

Petal Cellular Identities

Petals are typified by their conical epidermal cells that play a predominant role for the attraction and interaction with pollinators. However, cell identities in the petal can be very diverse, with different cell types in subdomains of the petal, in different cell layers, and depending on their adaxial-abaxial or proximo-distal position in the petal. In this mini-review, we give an overview of the main cell types that can be found in the petal and describe some of their functions. We review what is known about the genetic basis for the establishment of these cellular identities and their possible relation with petal identity and polarity specifiers expressed earlier during petal development, in an attempt to bridge the gap between organ identity and cell identity in the petal.

Cell therapy for cartilage repair

Regenerative medicine, using cells as therapeutic agents for the repair or regeneration of tissues and organs, offers great hope for the future of medicine. Cell therapy for treating defects in articular cartilage has been an exemplar of translating this technology to the clinic, but it is not without its challenges. These include applying regulations, which were designed for pharmaceutical agents, to living cells. In addition, using autologous cells as the therapeutic agent brings additional costs and logistical challenges compared with using allogeneic cells. The main cell types used in treating chondral or osteochondral defects in joints to date are chondrocytes and mesenchymal stromal cells derived from various sources such as bone marrow, adipose tissue or umbilical cord. This review discusses some of their biology and pre-clinical studies before describing the most pertinent clinical trials in this area.

Molecular Mechanisms of Palmitic Acid Augmentation in COVID-19 Pathologies

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has claimed over 2.7 million lives globally. Obesity has been associated with increased severity and mortality of COVID-19. However, the molecular mechanisms by which obesity exacerbates COVID-19 pathologies are not well-defined. The levels of free fatty acids (FFAs) are elevated in obese subjects. This study was therefore designed to examine how excess levels of different FFAs may affect the progression of COVID-19. Biological molecules associated with palmitic acid (PA) and COVID-19 were retrieved from QIAGEN Knowledge Base, and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis tools were used to analyze these datasets and explore the potential pathways affected by different FFAs. Our study found that one of the top 10 canonical pathways affected by PA was the coronavirus pathogenesis pathway, mediated by key inflammatory mediators, including PTGS2; cytokines, including IL1β and IL6; chemokines, including CCL2 and CCL5; transcription factors, including NFκB; translation regulators, including EEF1A1; and apoptotic mediators, including BAX. In contrast, n-3 fatty acids may attenuate PA’s activation of the coronavirus pathogenesis pathway by inhibiting the activity of such mediators as IL1β, CCL2, PTGS2, and BAX. Furthermore, PA may modulate the expression of ACE2, the main cell surface receptor for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.

Single-cell characterization of a model of poly I:C-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells in severe asthma

Background Asthma has been associated with impaired interferon response. Multiple cell types have been implicated in such response impairment and may be responsible for asthma immunopathology. However, existing models to study the immune response in asthma are limited by bulk profiling of cells. Our objective was to Characterize a model of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with severe asthma (SA) and its response to the TLR3 agonist Poly I:C using two single-cell methods. Methods Two complementary single-cell methods, DropSeq for single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq) and mass cytometry (CyTOF), were used to profile PBMCs of SA patients and healthy controls (HC). Poly I:C-stimulated and unstimulated cells were analyzed in this study. Results PBMCs (n = 9414) from five SA (n = 6099) and three HC (n = 3315) were profiled using scRNA-Seq. Six main cell subsets, namely CD4 + T cells, CD8 + T cells, natural killer (NK) cells, B cells, dendritic cells (DCs), and monocytes, were identified. CD4 + T cells were the main cell type in SA and demonstrated a pro-inflammatory profile characterized by increased JAK1 expression. Following Poly I:C stimulation, PBMCs from SA had a robust induction of interferon pathways compared with HC. CyTOF profiling of Poly I:C stimulated and unstimulated PBMCs (n = 160,000) from the same individuals (SA = 5; HC = 3) demonstrated higher CD8 + and CD8 + effector T cells in SA at baseline, followed by a decrease of CD8 + effector T cells after poly I:C stimulation. Conclusions Single-cell profiling of an in vitro model using PBMCs in patients with SA identified activation of pro-inflammatory pathways at baseline and strong response to Poly I:C, as well as quantitative changes in CD8 + effector cells. Thus, transcriptomic and cell quantitative changes are associated with immune cell heterogeneity in this model to evaluate interferon responses in severe asthma.

Novel Human Lung Tissue Model for the Study of SARS-CoV-2 Entry, Inflammation and New Therapeutics

The development of physiological models that reproduce SARS-CoV-2 infection in primary human cells will be instrumental to identify host-pathogen interactions and potential therapeutics. Here, using cell suspensions from primary human lung tissues (HLT), we have developed a platform for the identification of viral targets and the expression of viral entry factors, as well as for the screening of viral entry inhibitors and anti-inflammatory compounds. We show that the HLT model preserves its main cell populations, maintains the expression of proteins required for SARS-CoV-2 infection, and identifies alveolar type II (AT-II) cells as the most susceptible cell targets for SARS-CoV-2 in the human lung. Antiviral testing of 39 drug candidates revealed a highly reproducible system, and provided the identification of new compounds missed by conventional systems such as VeroE6. Using this model, we also show that interferons do not modulate ACE2 expression, and that stimulation of local inflammatory responses can be modulated by different compounds with antiviral activity. Overall, we present a novel and relevant physiological model for the study of SARS-CoV-2.SynopsisEx vivo physiological systems for the study of SARS-CoV-2-host interactions are scarce. Here, we establish a novel model using primary human lung tissue (HLT) for the analysis of cell tropism and identification of therapeutics.The HLT model preserves main cell subpopulations, including alveolar type-2 cells, and expression of SARS-CoV-2 entry factors ACE2, CD147, and TMPRSS2.The HLT model is readily susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 entry.Antiviral testing in the HLT model allows the identification of new candidates missed by conventional systems.Local inflammation is supported in the HLT model and offers the identification of relevant anti-inflammatory compounds for SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Beyond the Extracellular Vesicles: Technical Hurdles, Achieved Goals and Current Challenges When Working on Adipose Cells

Adipose tissue and its crosstalk with other organs plays an essential role in the metabolic homeostasis of the entire body. Alteration of this communication (i.e., due to obesity) is related to the development of several comorbidities including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, or cancer. Within the adipose depot, adipocytes are the main cell type and thus the main source of secreted molecules, which exert modulating effects not only at a local but also at a systemic level. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have recently emerged as important mediators in cell–cell communication and account for part of the cellular secretome. In recent years, there has been a growing body of research on adipocyte-derived extracellular vesicles (Ad-EVs). However, there is still a lack of standardized methodological approaches, especially regarding primary adipocytes. In this review, we will provide an outline of crucial aspects when working on adipose-derived material, with a special focus on primary adipocytes. In parallel, we will point out current methodological challenges in the EV field and how they impact the transcriptomic, proteomic and functional evaluations of Ad-EVs.

Breeding Targets to Improve Biomass Quality in Miscanthus

Lignocellulosic crops are attractive bioresources for energy and chemicals production within a sustainable, carbon circular society. Miscanthus is one of the perennial grasses that exhibits great potential as a dedicated feedstock for conversion to biobased products in integrated biorefineries. The current biorefinery strategies are primarily focused on polysaccharide valorization and require severe pretreatments to overcome the lignin barrier. The need for such pretreatments represents an economic burden and impacts the overall sustainability of the biorefinery. Hence, increasing its efficiency has been a topic of great interest. Inversely, though pretreatment will remain an essential step, there is room to reduce its severity by optimizing the biomass composition rendering it more exploitable. Extensive studies have examined the miscanthus cell wall structures in great detail, and pinpointed those components that affect biomass digestibility under various pretreatments. Although lignin content has been identified as the most important factor limiting cell wall deconstruction, the effect of polysaccharides and interaction between the different constituents play an important role as well. The natural variation that is available within different miscanthus species and increased understanding of biosynthetic cell wall pathways have specified the potential to create novel accessions with improved digestibility through breeding or genetic modification. This review discusses the contribution of the main cell wall components on biomass degradation in relation to hydrothermal, dilute acid and alkaline pretreatments. Furthermore, traits worth advancing through breeding will be discussed in light of past, present and future breeding efforts.