Data Snapshot: EITC Continues to Reach Families in Poor Places

Recent proposals in the House and Senate focus on amplifying the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)—a refundable tax credit for low-income workers—to compensate for growing wage inequity. Authors Andrew Schaefer, Marybeth Mattingly, Kennedy Nickerson, and Jessica Carson find that the share of EITC filers who are families with children is especially high in the poorest counties, including many places throughout the South

Student and Teacher Perceptions of Multiliterate Assignments Utilizing 21st Century Skills

Today’s society requires students to be knowledgeable in both content and skill to be successful. In the secondary classroom it is important to fully prepare students for their futures in the post-secondary classroom or for their career, and through the implementation of Common Core State Standards, this focus has been emphasized in educational pedagogy. This thesis outlines a study and the implications of the perceptions of teachers and students on utilizing 21st century skills in the secondary English classroom through the implementation of multiliterate assignments. This thesis outlines reasons for the study, important terminology to ground the study, the methodology, the results, and conclusions of the study. This research was designed to understand: how student and teachers believe multiliterate assignments impact students’ ability to utilize 21st century skills; how those 21st century skills are present in multiliterate assignments; and what effects the use of 21st century skills have on the mastery of course content. The study focuses on a qualitative approach to analyzing if teachers and students believe that multiliterate assignments help to facilitate the use of the 21st century skills of communication, creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking. Through surveys and reflection data collection, teachers and students indicated that multiliterate assignments do facilitate the use of the four main 21st century skills that are needed for college, career, and life. This research indicates that utilizing multiliterate assignments in the English classroom can benefit students in preparing for life outside of high school

Sex Trafficking Prevention Training for Higher Education Students

Higher education students are vulnerable to being sex trafficked (Campus Law Enforcement-DHS, n.d.). As a means of prevention, an online training was developed for higher education students. The purpose of this training was to provide awareness and education about sex trafficking and promote safety in terms of relationships, jobs, and the internet. The intention of this study was to research the effectiveness of this training in building an understanding of sex trafficking. A convergent mixed methods study was conducted using pre and post surveys to assess awareness around sex trafficking in higher education. The training was found to be effective in educating participants about “discerning legitimate and safe websites and apps.” In addition, participants’ questions and concerns about sex trafficking are included for future course development and awareness training. Ideas for future steps to help prevent sex trafficking are also included. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https:// etd.ohiolink.edu)

Managing Crop tradeoffs: A methodology for comparing the water footprint and nutrient density of crops for food system sustainability

Abstract The relationship between human nutrition and the use of available resources to feed the planet's growing population demands greater attention from decision makers at all levels of governance. Indicators with dual environmental sustainability and food and nutrition security goals can encourage and measure progress towards a more sustainable food system. This article proposes a methodology that supports the development of an approach to assess the water footprint of nutrient-dense foods [m3/kg]. It provides a clear explanation of the methodology, and the use of water footprint benchmark data and corresponding United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrient composition data to apply the process. The study analyzed data for 17 grains, roots and tubers, 9 pulses, 10 nuts and seeds, 17 vegetables, and 27 fruits. Of these, fruits and vegetables are 85% of the bottom quartile for water footprint (i.e., highly water efficient) and 100% of the top quartile for nutrient-density (i.e., very nutrient dense). Spinach is a clear winner, with a very high nutrient-density and low water footprint. The article proposes that this approach can help to establish broad typologies to guide decision makers in distinguishing between win-win, win-lose, and lose-lose scenarios of natural resource use and nutrition security. This resource, if considered along with contributing social, environmental, and economic factors (e.g., local tastes, available water resources, soil fertility, local economies) can promote a food system that offers a diverse range of nutrient-dense foods more sustainably

Determining key research areas for healthier diets and sustainable food systems in Viet Nam

Vietnamese food systems are undergoing rapid transformation, with important implications for human and environmental health and economic development. Poverty has decreased, and diet quality and undernutrition have improved significantly since the end of the Doi Moi reform period (1986-1993) as a result of Viet Nam opening its economy and increasing its regional and global trade. Yet poor diet quality is still contributing the triple burden of malnutrition, with 25 percent stunting among children under age 5, 26 percent and 29 percent of women and children, respectively, anemic, and 21 percent of adults overweight. Agricultural production systems have shifted from predominantly diverse smallholder systems to larger more commercialized and specialized systems, especially for crops, while the ‘meatification’ of the Vietnamese diet is generating serious trade-offs between improved nutrition and sustainability of the Vietnamese food systems. The food processing industry has developed rapidly, together with food imports, resulting in new and processed food products penetrating the food retail outlets, trending towards an increase in the Westernized consumption patterns that are shifting nutrition-related problems towards overweight and obesity and, with it, an increase of non-communicable disease-related health risks. While regulatory policies exist across the food system, these are not systematically implemented, making food safety a major concern for consumers and policy makers alike. Where data exists, it is not easy to aggregate with data from across food system dimensions, making it difficult for Viet Nam to make an informed analysis of current and potential food system trade-offs. In our research, we reviewed existing literature and data, and applied a food systems framework to develop an initial food systems profile for Viet Nam and to identify a comprehensive set a of research questions to fill current data gaps identified through the review. Insights on these would provide the comprehensive evidence needed to inform policy makers on how to develop new food systems policies for Viet Nam, and further refine and improve existing policies to achieve better quality diets and more sustainable food systems in Viet Nam. Based on these, we then engaged with stakeholders to develop research priorities in the Viet Nam context and identified 25 priority research questions. This paper aims to stimulate such reflections by clearly outlining key areas for research, government policy, and development programs on priority investment to build the evidence base around inclusive food systems interventions that aim to result in healthier diets and more sustainable food systems for Viet Nam

The environmental effects of diluted bitumen on eelgrass (Zostera marina)

Canada has the third largest oil reserves in the world, most of which exists in the form of bitumen in the oil sands of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. Plans are underway to increase the export of petroleum products such as diluted bitumen (dilbit) and crude oil to overseas markets, highlighting the potential risk of a spill into the Canadian marine environment. Information on the toxicity of dilbit to key marine species is needed to understand and evaluate risk, and to develop chemical management plans. Little information exists regarding the toxic effects of most petroleum products to intertidal vascular plants. This project seeks to determine the lethal and sublethal toxicity of environmentally relevant concentrations of dilbit to eelgrass (Zostera marina), an intertidal vascular plant species and a keystone species in the Pacific Northwest. Eelgrass was collected from the intertidal zone of an uncontaminated site in the Strait of Georgia, near Boundary Bay, British Columbia. A short-term, 9-d exposure and a long-term 28-d exposure of shoots to multiple concentrations of a water-accommodated fraction (WAF) of dilbit and seawater were performed. Endpoints assessed in shoots from the short-term exposure included: electrolyte leakage, reactive oxygen species (ROS), activity of catalase and superoxide dismutase, and protein oxidation. Shoots from the long-term exposure were assessed for endpoints including: plant growth, chlorophyll-a content, effective quantum yield of Photosystem II. Plant tissue was also assessed for discoloration and infection. Data from both short-term and long-term exposures is currently being analyzed

Does Gender Raise the Ethical Bar? Exploring the Punishment of Ethical Violations at Work

We investigate whether women are targets of more severe punishment than men following ethical violations at work. Using a large sample of working adults, Study 1 finds that ethical behavior is more strongly prescribed for women than for men. Women face intensified ethical prescriptions, relative to a gender-neutral person. Study 2 experimentally tests whether women are punished more severely than men. Study 2 also tests the scope of our theory by asking whether women are punished more for errors in general, or only for ethical violations. Study 3 examines our effect in the field by examining how severely attorneys are punished for violating the American Bar Association’s ethical rules. Female attorneys are punished more severely than male attorneys, after accounting for a variety of factors. Study 3 also provides evidence that the gender make-up of the decision-making group that allots punishment serves to moderate the extent of discriminatory punishments. When a larger percentage of women sat on the judges’ panels overseeing attorney disciplinary hearings, disparities in allotted punishment between men and women were smaller. Our research documents a new prescriptive stereotype faced by women and helps to explain gender disparities in organizations. It highlights punishment severity as a novel mechanism by which institutions derail women’s careers more than men’s

Identification of possible cow grazing behaviour indicators for restricted grass availability in a pasture-based spring calving dairy system

peer-reviewedPrecision livestock farming uses biosensors to measure different parameters of individual animals to support farmers in the decision making process. Although sensor development is advanced, there is still little implementation of sensor-based solutions on commercial farms. Especially on pasture-based dairy systems, the grazing management of cows is largely not supported by technology. A key factor in pasture-based milk production is the correct grass allocation to maximize the grass utilization per cow, while optimizing cow performance. Currently, grass allocation is mostly based on subjective eye measurements or calculations per herd. The aim of this study was to identify possible indicators of insufficient or sufficient grass allocation in the cow grazing behaviour measures. A total number of 30 cows were allocated a restricted pasture allowance of 60% of their intake capacity. Their behavioural characteristics were compared to those of 10 cows (control group) with pasture allowance of 100% of their intake capacity. Grazing behaviour and activity of cows were measured using the RumiWatchSystem for a complete experimental period of 10 weeks. The results demonstrated that the parameter of bite frequency was significantly different between the restricted and the control groups. There were also consistent differences observed between the groups for rumination time per day, rumination chews per bolus and frequency of cows standing or lying