Invertebrate models for biomedical research, testing, and education

Invertebrate animals have been used as medicinals for 4,000 years and have served as models for research and teaching since the late 1800s. Interest in invertebrate models has increased over the past several decades as the research community has responded to public concerns about the use of vertebrate animals in research. As a result, invertebrates are being evaluated and recognized as models for many diseases and conditions. Their use has led to discoveries in almost every area of biology and medicine--from embryonic development to aging processes. Species range from terrestrial invertebrates such as nematodes and insects to freshwater and marine life including planarians, crustaceans, molluscs, and many others. The most often used models are the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and the minuscule nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Topics in this article are categorized by biologic system, process, or disease with discussion of associated invertebrate models. Sections on bioactive products discovered from invertebrates follow the models section, and the article concludes with uses of invertebrates in teaching. The models reviewed can serve as references for scientists, researchers, veterinarians, institutional animal care and use committees (IACUCs), and others interested in alternatives to vertebrate animals.     

Biotechnology, inquiry, and public education

Education of our children is arguably society's most important task, profoundly shaping the communities in which we all live. Achievement and success in many facets of our culture depend critically on formal education. Education is widely perceived as the only viable weapon against the poverty, drug abuse, crime and teenage pregnancy that derail many citizens, particularly in the inner cities, from realizing their productive human potential. Beyond its value to individuals, education is the cornerstone of societal advancement.     

Language policy,language ideology,and visual art education for emergent bilingual students

ABSTRACT

In 1968 the Bilingual Education Act marked the first comprehensive federal intervention in the schooling of language minoritized students by creating financial incentives for bilingual education in an effort to address social and educational inequities created by poverty and linguistic isolation in schools. Since that time federal education policies related to language instruction for emergent bilingual students have undergone a number of shifts that reflect changing ideological perspectives on language and citizenship. These shifts, in turn, frame seemingly neutral educational requirements for preservice and practicing art educators related to language and visual art instruction, implicating art educators in ideological stances toward students and families who primarily speak languages other than English. This article reviews the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in its most recent reauthorization as the Every Student Succeeds Act, and offers insight into ideological implications of standards and assessments that impact art educator preparation and art teaching practices with regard to language in the art classroom, including the National Core Arts Standards and the Education Teacher Performance Assessment. Implications regarding ways art education, framed by ideological policies, might support or undermine social and educational inequities educational policies are intended to address are discussed.     

Bioethics, bridge to medical education

INTRODUCTION: Research in education assumes that every intuition regarding the improvement of the educational process is followed by one demonstration and foundation. Creativeness and rigour with the relative implications in the context of research and difficulties are the two main elements. OBJECTIVES AND DIFFICULTIES: The knowledge that features the transition from a PHOG approach in teaching: prejudice, hunches, opinions, guess to an evidence-based education is not easy to collect, to document and to generalize. But this is still not easy to apply in a context that is very difficult to improve, to know and to check. To obtain high quality education research activity is needed, because the costs and consequences of the non quality are very high and serious and the relapsing could be very important from the assistance, social prevention and clinical research point of view. CONCLUSIONS: In the university research is done in everyone's cultural area, but it should also be done in the teaching area. This is important especially in a faculty of medicine where education depends on continuous improvements in assistance and also in the prevention to be carried out through projects aiming at education to health.