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This survey study gathered data from 63 secondary school teachers of six different foreign languages in the state of Utah. The study describes how secondary FL teachers viewed the role of culture in language teaching, the models and methods they used to teach culture, and their attention to culture in their lesson planning, instruction, and assessment. Factors associated with greater or lesser attention to culture as an element of the curriculum are also discussed.

The T/t locus was a major focus of study by mouse geneticists during the 20th century. In the 70s, as the study of cell surface antigens controlling transplantation antigens was taking off, several laboratories hypothesized that alleles of this locus would control cell surface antigens important for embryonic development. One such antigen, the embryonal carcinoma F9 antigen was said to be an example. Other antigens were described on sperm and embryos that were said to be controlled by alleles at the T/t complex. These findings were later found to be false. The history of the findings and their refutation is described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The FOXC2 transcription factor has been tied to a wide range of disease states, serving as a promising prognostic biomarker associated with aggressive basal-like human breast cancers (increased cancer invasion and metastasis). Dysregulation of FOXC2 expression has also been found to promote defects in lymphatic remodeling and hyperplastic lymphedema-distichiasis (LD). Since chronic lymphedema is a forerunner of several malignancies and cancers have been known to arise from poorly healing chronic wounds (e. g., Marjolin ulcers), we examined the effect of Foxc2 dysfunction on skin wound healing. Methods: We used our splinted excisional wounding model that mimics human-like wound healing on wildtype and Foxc2+/− mice (n = 4), which demonstrate incomplete lymphatic vasculature and lymphatic dysfunction. Wound size was measured over the course of 18 days. Tissue was explanted from both groups at post-operative day (POD) 14 and 18 and stained with Masson’s Trichrome to assess scar formation, Picrosirius Red for dermal integrity, or immunofluorescence to assess lymphatic (LYVE1) cell populations. Results: Wildtype mice completely healed by POD 14, while Foxc2+/−mice did not completely heal until POD18. Scar area of healed Foxc2+/−mice (POD 18) was larger than that of healed wild-type mice (POD 14; p = 0. 0294). At POD 14, collagen "bers in the scars of Foxc2+/−mice to be narrower (p = 0. 0117) and more highly aligned (p = 0. 0110), indicating signi"cantly more "brosis in these mice. Collagen "bers in both groups became longer (p = 0. 0116) and wider (p = 0. 0020) from POD 14 to 18, indicating a temporal evolution of "brosis. Foxc2+/−mice also had lower numbers of LYVE1+, F4/80+ and CD4+ cells compared to wildtype mice. Discussion: Individuals over 65 years old are more likely to develop cancer and are highly susceptible to developing chronic wounds. Here, we found that FOXC2, which is tied to cancer metastasis and lymphatic dysregulation, also impairs wound healing and promotes "brotic tissue architecture. With FOXC2 proposed as a potential therapeutic target for cancer metastasis, its downstream systemic effects should be considered against the increased chance of developing nonhealing wounds. Further delineation of the microenvironment, cellular events, and molecular signals during normal and Foxc2-associated abnormal wound healing will improve clinical therapies targeting this important marker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The T/t complex of the mouse attracted many of the major figures of mouse genetics to perform genetic, cytogenetic, physiological, biochemical and molecular biological studies of it. These studies started with the discovery of short tailed mutants (Ts) and recessive lethal developmental mutations (ts) which mapped to the same “locus” in the early 1920s in France. However, due to the non-receptivity of French scientists to genetics, they continued to be studied in mostly Anglophone countries to be joined by a wider international community in the 1970s. These discoveries led to developmental studies of the lethal mutants which provided the origin of mammalian developmental genetics. The fascinating property of transmission ratio distortion (non-50/50 segregation of alleles in offspring of males) elicited tremendous interest. There were false leads (that the region consisted of unusual DNA, that the alleles controlled cell surface antigens on embryonic cells and spermatozoa) and exciting discoveries. This historical review provides a review of this extensive area of research and some of the individuals involved in it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The target article described the ubiquitous and often undefined idea of 'basic tastes' as the basis for sensory coding in taste, and its attendant problems. The commentaries cover the full range of reaction to this argument, from full support, to qualification of the level of analysis to which 'basic tastes' apply and the nature of empirical support, to full denial of either the characterization of the literature or that such characterization reveals any problem. Many commentators, and I, go on to propose other types and sources for taste analysis, which I relate to the 'across-fiber pattern model.'

Our understanding of the sense of taste is largely based on research designed and interpreted in terms of the traditional four 'basic' tastes: sweet, sour, salty, and bitter, and now a few more. This concept of basic tastes has no rational definition to test, and thus it has not been tested. As a demonstration, a preliminary attempt to test one common but arbitrary psychophysical definition of basic tastes is included in this article; that the basic tastes are unique in being able to account for other tastes. This definition was falsified in that other stimuli do about as well as the basic words and stimuli. To the extent that this finding might show analogies with other studies of receptor, neural, and psychophysical phenomena, the validity of the century-long literature of the science of taste based on a few 'basics' is called into question. The possible origins, meaning, and influence of this concept are discussed. Tests of the model with control studies are suggested in all areas of taste related to basic tastes. As a stronger alternative to the basic tradition, the advantages of the across-fiber pattern model are discussed; it is based on a rational data-based hypothesis, and has survived attempts at falsification. Such 'population coding' has found broad acceptance in many neural systems. Keywords' across-fiber pattern; basic tastes; distributed neural coding; population coding; psychophysics; receptors; reductionism; systems biology; taste

Cholestatic hepatitis is frequently found in Niemann-Pick C (NPC) disease. We studied the influence of diet and the low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR, Ldlr in mice, known to be the source of most of the stored cholesterol) on liver disease in the mouse model of NPC. [Npc1.sup.-/-] mice of both sexes, with or without the Ldlr knockout, were fed a 18% fat, 1% cholesterol ('high-fat') diet and were evaluated by chemical and histological methods. Bile acid transporters [multidrug resistance protein (Mrps) 1-5; Ntcp, Bsep, and OatP1, 2, and 4] were quantitated by real-time RT-PCR. Many mice died prematurely (within 6 wk) with hepatomegaly. Histopathology showed an increase in macrophage and hepatocyte lipids independent of Ldlr genotype. Non-zone-dependent diffuse fibrosis was found in the surviving mice. Serum alanine aminotransferase was elevated in [Npc1.sup.-/-] mice on the regular diet and frequently became markedly elevated with the high-fat diet. Serum cholesterol was increased in the controls but not the [Npc1.sup.-/-] mice on the high-fat diet; it was massively increased in the [Ldlr.sup.-/-] mice. Esterified cholesterol was greatly increased by the high-fat diet, independent of Ldlr genotype. 7-Glutamyltransferase was also elevated in [Npc.sup.1-/-] mice, more so on the high-fat diet. Mrps 1-5 were elevated in [Npc1.sup.-/-] liver and became more elevated with the high-fat diet; Ntcp, Bsep, and OatP2 were elevated in [Npc1.sup.-/-] liver and were suppressed by the high-fat diet. In conclusion, [Npc1.sup.-/-] mice on a high-fat diet provide an animal model of NPC cholestatic hepatitis and indicate a role for altered bile acid transport in its pathogenesis. Niemann-Pick C; low density lipoprotein receptor knockout; neonatal cholestasis; bile acid transporters; non-zone-dependent fibrosis

The neuropeptide leptin has been shown to selectively modulate rat chorda tympani (CT) responses to sweet tastants. To explore whether other neuropeptides can modulate such responses, rat whole nerve CT responses to NaCl, HCl, quinine HCl, and sucrose were measured while administering cholecystokinin-8 (CCK-8), substance [P.sub.4-11] ([SP.sub.4-11]), or calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). To avoid possible confounding effects on CT responses that take long times to develop, such as those that arise from intraperitoneal injections, we investigated the effects of the above peptides injected into the ipsilateral lingual artery (LA) on CT nerve responses during the initial seconds after a tastant was placed on the tongue. We found that CT responses to NaCl and HCl were increased by CCK-8 and decreased by CGRP. [SP.sub.4-11] had no noticeable effect. Peptide-induced CT responses to quinine HCl or sucrose were too small to accurately detect. These data suggest that at short latencies, after local infusion via the LA, neuropeptides can alter CT responses in a peptide-specific manner. taste; cholecystokinin; calcitonin gene-related peptide; substance P; lingual artery