midline represses Dpp signaling and target gene expression in Drosophila ventral leg development.

Ventral leg patterning in Drosophila is controlled by the expression of the redundant T-box Transcription factors midline (mid) and H15. Here, we show that mid represses the Dpp-activated gene Daughters against decapentaplegic (Dad) through a consensus T-box binding element (TBE) site in the minimal enhancer, Dad13. Mutating the Dad13 DNA sequence results in an increased and broadening of Dad expression. We also demonstrate that the engrailed-homology-1 domain of Mid is critical for regulating the levels of phospho-Mad, a transducer of Dpp-signaling. However, we find that mid does not affect all Dpp-target genes as we demonstrate that brinker (brk) expression is unresponsive to mid. This study further illuminates the interplay between mechanisms involved in determination of cellular fate and the varied roles of mid.

Implementation of an Interprofessional Education Case Study During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Report.

This article discusses the importance of interprofessional education (IPE) programming and provides discussion and student evaluation data on implementation of a virtual IPE COVID-19 patient case study. Represented disciplines included athletic training, clinical psychology, communication sciences and disorders, nursing, nutrition and dietetics, physician assistant, and social work. Faculty committee members from each discipline developed a case study that followed COVID-19 patients in a family and allowed for students to explore cultural considerations within the case. Sixty-four of the 80 students who participated in the event responded to a survey of close-ended and open-ended questions in a predominantly positive manner. Utilizing the experience of this IPE case study and feedback from student participants, we conclude with suggestions for future IPE programming.

The selector genes midline and H15 control ventral leg pattern by both inhibiting Dpp signaling and specifying ventral fate.

mid and H15 encode Tbx20 transcription factors that specify ventral pattern in the Drosophila leg. We find that there are at least two pathways for mid and H15 specification of ventral fate. In the first pathway, mid and H15 negatively regulate Dpp, the dorsal signal in leg development. mid and H15 block the dorsalizing effects of Dpp signaling in the ventral leg. In loss- and gain-of-function experiments in imaginal discs, we show that mid and H15 block the accumulation of phospho-Mad, the activated form of the Drosophila pSmad1/5 homolog. In a second pathway, we find mid and H15 must also directly promote ventral fate because simultaneously blocking Dpp signaling in mid H15 mutants does not rescue the ventral to dorsal transformation in most ventral leg structures. We show that mid and H15 act as transcriptional repressors in ventral leg development. The two genes repress the Dpp target gene Dad, the laterally expressed gene Upd, and the mid VLE enhancer. This repression depends on the eh1 domain, a binding site for the Groucho co-repressor, and is likely direct because Mid localizes to target gene enhancers in PCR-ChIP assays. A mid allele mutant for the repressing domain (eh1), mideh1, was found to be compromised in gain-of-function assays and in rescue of mid H15 loss-of-function. We propose that mid and H15 specify ventral fate through inhibition of Dpp signaling and through coordinating the repression of genes in the ventral leg.

Empowerment training and direct support professionals' attitudes about individuals with intellectual disabilities.

The purpose of this study was to determine if viewing a training video on empowerment of individuals with an intellectual and developmental disability would change the attitudes of direct support professionals (DSPs). Participants were 43 DSPs from a human service provider to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We randomly assigned them to one of two groups. A control group completed the Community Living Attitude Scale (CLAS-MR) without viewing a training video on empowerment until after CLAS-MR completion. The experimental group viewed the video on empowerment and then completed the CLAS-MR. The hypothesis was supported in that DSPs who viewed the video prior to CLAS-MR completion had significantly more empowering attitudes towards individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities compared to the control group.

Prison to society: a mixed methods analysis of coping with reentry.

This research investigates how individuals who reenter society from prison use coping strategies. Participants are incarcerated individuals who recidivated following a previous release from prison (n = 20). Participants examine their most recent reentry experience via an interview. The research question under investigation is, "What themes describe how individuals cope with reentry from prison to society?" Data and results combine qualitative and quantitative analysis methods. The predominant coping strategy for dealing with reentry barriers is avoidance. There is a defined process experienced by participants, which is initial optimism about release, followed by craving substances, facing practical barriers, and/or feeling overwhelmed. This eventually results in avoidance of managing problems and emotions and substance abuse relapse, which culminates in recidivism.