Nitric oxide activates guanylate cyclase to form cGMP, comprising a signalling system that is believed to be a distinct mechanism for increasing glucose transport and metabolism in skeletal muscle. The effects of a selective cGMP phosphodiesterase inhibitor, zaprinast, on basal glucose utilization was investigated in incubated rat soleus muscle preparations isolated from both insulin-sensitive (lean Zucker; Fa/?) and insulin-resistant (obese Zucker; fa/fa) rats. Zaprinast at 27 μM significantly increased cGMP levels in incubated soleus muscle isolated from lean, but not obese, Zucker rats. Muscles were incubated with 14C-labelled glucose and various concentrations of zaprinast (3, 27 and 243 μM). Zaprinast (at 27 and 243 μM) significantly increased rates of net and 14C-labelled lactate release and of glycogen synthesis in lean Zucker rat soleus muscle; glucose oxidation was also increased by 27 μM zaprinast. In addition, regardless of concentration, the phosphodiesterase inhibitor failed to increase any aspect of 14C-labelled glucose utilization in soleus muscles isolated from obese Zucker rats. The maximal activity of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) was significantly decreased in insulin-resistant obese Zucker muscles. Thus the lack of effect of zaprinast in insulin-resistant skeletal muscle is consistent with decreased NOS activity. To test whether there is a defect in insulin-resistant skeletal muscle for endogenous activation of guanylate cyclase, soleus muscles were isolated from both insulin-sensitive and insulin-resistant Zucker rats and incubated with various concentrations of the NO donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP; 0.1, 1, 5 and 15 mM). SNP significantly increased rates of net and 14C-labelled lactate release, as well as glucose oxidation in muscles isolated from both insulin-sensitive and insulin-resistant rats. A decreased response to SNP was observed in the dose-dependent generation of cGMP within isolated soleus muscles from insulin-resistant rats. A possible link between impaired NO/cGMP signalling and abnormal glucose utilization by skeletal muscle is discussed.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is again attracting significant attention across all areas of social life. One important sphere of focus is education; many policy makers across the globe view lifelong learning as an essential means to prepare society for an “AI future” and look to AI as a way to “deliver” learning opportunities to meet these needs. AI is a complex social, cultural, and material artifact that is understood and constructed by different stakeholders in varied ways, and these differences have significant social and educational implications that need to be explored. Through analysis of thirty-four in-depth interviews with stakeholders from academia, commerce, and policy, alongside document analysis, we draw on the social construction of technology (SCOT) to illuminate the diverse understandings, perceptions of, and practices around AI. We find three different technological frames emerging from the three social groups and argue that commercial sector practices wield most power. We propose that greater awareness of the differing technical frames, more interactions among a wider set of relevant social groups, and a stronger focus on the kinds of educational outcomes society seeks are needed in order to design AI for learning in ways that facilitate a democratic education for all.

HERESA Tarlos, a professor of geography at Orange Coast College in Southern California, teaches her students a foreign language at the same time she teaches them geography. Tarlos, who was educated in Europe and the U.S., is fluent in five languages. Every time she presents a new term to her students, she incorporates the German word for it. She also assigns panels of eight to 10 students to research how geography is taught in other countries, such as Argentina, France, and Thailand. And every two years, she takes a group of American students abroad for summer school in Europe to cities such as Rome, Florence, and Paris. "This is my contribution to global education," Tarlos said. Nancy Kaplan, an English teacher at International School in Staten Island, New York, works with her students to publish an international newspaper that is written by students around the world. "Any time I meet anybody from another country, that's how I build my international reporter base," Kaplan said. "You just have to keep the connections going. You put it in the hands of the students. They know how to connect with technology, and I think the teacher's job is just to help them focus that connection and continue it." These were just two examples of global education that were shared during the panel discussion that kicked off the 2007 PDK Summit on Global Education in Vancouver, British Columbia, on October 18. "This wasn't about a panel and an audience," said panelist Vivien Stewart, the Asia Society's vice president of education. "This was about a group. The people in the audience have as many good ideas as the people on the panel." Lloyd Axworthy, president of the University of Winnipeg and past director of the Liu Center for the Study of Global Issues at the University of British Columbia, agreed. Axworthy moderated the discussion among five global education experts and accepted questions and comments from the audience. "There's an opportuni

This paper shows how University-Industry (UI) liaisons can be studied in light of the emerging and insightful literature on platforms. Applying the concept of platforms to University-Industry programs, this paper describes one industry affiliate program and analyzes its synergistic impact on multidisciplinary involvement and collaboration network development. Insights and recommendations are made for catalyzing mutually beneficial collaborations through research themes as mechanisms for platform orchestration.

I n his office, Thomas Guskey has a poster of a photo from 1989. In the photo, one student is standing in front of four tanks in Tiananmen Square in Beijing. To Guskey, the photo symbolizes courage-the same courage that educators need to call upon. Guskey, the keynote speaker at the 2008 Phi Delta Kappa Summit on High-Performing Educators, urged attendees to become good leaders so they can lead the changes in education. But he warned that forging this path would take courage, similar to the courage displayed by the student in the photo as he stood before the tanks. "Can you imagine the courage it took to do that?" Guskey asked. "That's the kind of stand you have to take. When you do that, it will instill courage in others." Although educators may feel isolated when they try to create change in their organizations, they should remember that they have the knowledge base of the profession behind them, and they know what works and what doesn't, he said. 438 PHI DELTA KAPPAN