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Globalization is one of the most significant phenomena of the 21st century, affecting many aspects of human society. In the wave of this influence, higher education institutions in many countries have adjusted themselves in order to prepare their students to be global citizens. However, research shows a need to evaluate whether the integration of global citizenship education is effective among different institutions and contexts. Many scholars are in favor of measuring students' perspectives as a solution. Additionally, although many organizations, such as UNESCO, and other researchers have investigated this issue, the measurement model is mainly designed for large-scale research. Therefore, this study aimed to validate a scale for measuring student perspectives toward global citizenship in a particular context of a university. Notably, the adopted scale measures global citizenship perspectives via three components: social responsibility, global competence, and global civic activism. In the study, each component was measured separately via three smaller measurement models. All the models were validated by using the PLS-SEM approach. The data for validating were collected from 171 students at a private university in Vietnam through an online survey. The result of data analysis suggested that the original scale (which was designed for the context of developed countries) could be employed in the context of developing countries. Nevertheless, some adjustments should be made in term of social responsibility and global competence.

Quality assurance and accreditation has been implemented in Vietnam for nearly twenty years. It is mandatory for all Vietnamese higher education institutions to undertake accreditation including self-assessment. This study aims to investigate the impact of the self-assessment processes on quality enhancement of universities in Vietnam. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 33 participants from three Vietnamese universities located in three major regions: the North, the Central and the South. The interviewees were those who directly involved in the self-assessment processes including institutional leaders, department heads, faculty deans, internal quality assurance staff and lecturers. Thematic analysis identified that there was a number of notable impacts resulting from the implementation of self-assessment on higher education quality. Key impacts were reported in relation to: leadership and management, teaching staff, students and student support, and training programs. The study concludes that self-assessment processes had a positive impact on improving the quality of teaching, learning, program management and student support in Vietnamese universities sampled for the current study.

Objectives: Houttuynia cordata Thunb., a member of the Saururaceae family, has been demonstrated to have potential in the treatment of different diseases. For the first time, aristolactam BII was isolated from the aerial part of Houttuynia cordata Thunb. and the anti-inflammatory effect of the extract and aristolactam BII was evaluated. Methods: After using chromatography to separate and obtain the compound, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance was used to identify the compound. An in vivo model of carrageenan-induced paw edema on mice was performed to test the anti-inflammation of the extract and compound. Furthermore, a ligand docking experiment was performed to determine the binding free energy of aristolactam to inflammatory proteins including COX-1, COX-2. Results: The findings showed that aristolactam BII effectively reduced the severity of the edema, similar to diclofenac, whereas the methanol extract showed low effectiveness. Particularly, the swelling rate of 50 mg/kg aristolactam BII treated mice was only 26.2 ± 7.1% (p < 0.01) after 5 h treatment. The in silico results described that aristolactam BII might inhibit COX-1 and COX-2 via creating h-bonds at the sites of Ser 530 residues. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate the potential anti-inflammatory activity of aristolactam BII. This study would provide more fundamental knowledge about the bioactivities of aristolactam BII isolated from Houttuynia cordata. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During vertebrate eye development, the neuroepithelium of the optic vesicle becomes separated into a domain that gives rise to the neuroretina (NR) and a domain that gives rise to the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). To study how cell-extrinsic and cell intrinsic signals cooperate in this process, we prepared explant cultures of E9.5 mouse optic vesicles and subjected them to two complementary types of experiments: In one, we physically removed the surface ectoderm (SE) which overlies the optic vesicle and normally serves as a source of extrinsic patterning factors, notably FGFs. In the other, we placed acrylic beads coated with FGFs in close proximity to the future RPE. At various time points, the cultures were then sectioned and labeled for a number of transcription factors and differentiation markers, which at the cup stage are specific for either NR or RPE. The experiments indicate that initially, several transcription factors including the future NR factor CHX10 and the future RPE factor MITF are co-expressed. Application of FGFs leads to maintenance of CHX10 and downregulation of MITF expression, and conversely, the removal of the SE to maintenance of MITF and downregulation of CHX10. The change in transcription factor balance is accompanied by a switch in cell fate. After removal of the SE, the future NR develops into an authentic, pigmented RPE, and the normal future RPE exposed to FGFs proliferates like NR and lacks pigmentation. Since in addition MITF mutations lead to an RPE-to-NR transition, we conclude that bipotentiality in the optic neuroepithelium is marked by overlapping gene expression patterns, and that selective gene repression, induced by local extrinsic signals, leads to discrete expression domains, and hence domain specification.

Conjunctival goblet cells primarily synthesize mucins to lubricate the ocular surface, which is essential for normal vision. Notch signaling has been known to associate with goblet cell differentiation in intestinal and respiratory tracts, but its function in ocular surface has yet to be fully characterized. Herein, we demonstrate that conditional inhibition of canonical Notch signaling by expressing dominant negative mastermind-like 1 (dnMaml1) in ocular surface epithelia resulted in complete suppression of goblet cell differentiation during and subsequent to development. When compared with the ocular surface of wild-type mice (OSWt), expression of dnMaml1 at the ocular surface (OSdnMaml1) caused conjunctival epithelial hyperplasia, aberrant desquamation, failure of Mucin 5ac (Muc5ac) synthesis, subconjunctival inflammation and epidermal metaplasia in cornea. In addition, conditional deletion of Notch1 from the ocular surface epithelia partially recapitulated OSdnMaml1 phenotypes. We have demonstrated that N1-ICD (Notch1 intracellular domain) transactivated the mouse Krüppel-like factor 4 (Klf) promoter and that Klf4 directly bound to and significantly potentiated the Muc5ac promoter. By contrast, OSdnMaml1 dampened Klf4 and Klf5 expression, and diminished Muc5ac synthesis. Collectively, these findings indicated that Maml-mediated Notch signaling plays a pivotal role in the initiation and maintenance of goblet cell differentiation for normal ocular surface morphogenesis and homeostasis through regulation of Klf4 and Klf5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photoreception is essential for the development of the visual system, shaping vision's first synapse to cortical development. Here, we find that the lighting environment controls developmental rod apoptosis via Opn4-expressing intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs). Using genetics, sensory environment manipulations, and computational approaches, we establish a pathway where light-dependent glutamate released from ipRGCs is detected via a transiently expressed glutamate receptor (Grik3) on rod precursors within the inner retina. Communication between these cells is mediated by hybrid neurites on ipRGCs that sense light before eye opening. These structures span the ipRGC-rod precursor distance over development and contain the machinery for photoreception (Opn4) and neurotransmitter release (Vglut2 & Syp). Assessment of the human gestational retina identifies conserved hallmarks of an ipRGC-to-rod axis, including displaced rod precursors, transient GRIK3 expression, and ipRGCs with deep-projecting neurites. This analysis defines an adaptive retrograde pathway linking the sensory environment to rod precursors via ipRGCs prior to eye opening. [Display omitted] • Light controls developing rod apoptosis through interactions with Opn4-expressing RGCs • ipRGCs project hybrid neurites into the developing inner retina, close to rods • Rods transiently express Grik3, allowing for signaling between ipRGCs and rods • Hallmarks of this retinal pathway are conserved between developing mice and humans Photoreception is crucial for the development of the visual system. D'Souza et al. identified a developmental light-dependent pathway that induces rod apoptosis through transient excitatory hybrid neurites on ipRGC photoreceptors, which appears conserved across mouse and human development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]