Olfactory Orientation and Navigation in Humans.

Although predicted by theory, there is no direct evidence that an animal can define an arbitrary location in space as a coordinate location on an odor grid. Here we show that humans can do so. Using a spatial match-to-sample procedure, humans were led to a random location within a room diffused with two odors. After brief sampling and spatial disorientation, they had to return to this location. Over three conditions, participants had access to different sensory stimuli: olfactory only, visual only, and a final control condition with no olfactory, visual, or auditory stimuli. Humans located the target with higher accuracy in the olfaction-only condition than in the control condition and showed higher accuracy than chance. Thus a mechanism long proposed for the homing pigeon, the ability to define a location on a map constructed from chemical stimuli, may also be a navigational mechanism used by humans

“We Are The Walking Dead”: Morality in Robert Kirkman’s Comics Series

Despite widespread cultural success, Robert Kirkman’s comics series, The Walking Dead, has received little critical attention in the literary canon. The limited critical attention it has received fails to provide an in-depth examination of the work’s morality. This could be a result of the ever-present influence of Frederic Wertham’s claims in his 1954 work, Seduction of the Innocent. However, when viewed through the frameworks provided by John Gardner’s On Moral Fiction and Wayne C. Booth’s The Company We Keep, Kirkman’s zombie narrative exhibits morality in multi-layered and complex ways with every turn of the page. Through the gothic settings, zombies, and characters found in the series, Kirkman meets the criteria for moral fiction and so provides lasting and significant lessons about how to best live to 21st century audiences. Because of this, a horror comic like The Walking Dead not only deserves but also requires further examination in the literary canon

Proficiency-based High School Diploma Systems in Maine: Implications for Special Education and Career and Technical Education Programming and Student Populations

Document review and interviews were conducted with college admissions\u27 personnel to gather data regarding alignment of proficiency-based diploma systems and college eligibility and entry requirements. In addition, leaders and representative personnel from and Maine businesses and the U.S. military were interviewed to identify postsecondary career entry requirements and attributes of high quality workers. Another area of inquiry in this phase of the study included analysis of data from interviews with leaders and educators in Special Education to examine the perceived challenges, benefits and impacts of this diploma policy on students with identified disabilities and special education programming provided by Maine\u27s public PK-12 school districts. In addition, qualitative case studies of a sample of Maine Career and Technical Education centers and regional vocational programs were conducted. Finally, a single school district case study was incorporated into this phase of the research to closely examine Maine public educators\u27 and school administrators\u27 interpretations and perceptions of establishing standards and defining proficiency levels in content areas and developing district-level policies for proficiency-based high school graduation policies

A Child-Centered Response to the Elkins Family Law Task Force

In Elkins v. Superior Court, 163 P.3d 160 (Cal. 2007), California’s Supreme Court asked the Judicial Council to form a task force to make recommendations to increase “access to justice” in family court, because it was concerned about rules, policies, and procedures that put self-represented litigants at an unfair disadvantage in parentageand dissolution cases. Neither the task force’s report in 2010 nor the legislation that the report inspired the same year addresses children’s due process rights, even though children ordinarily have no access to justice. This Article shows that due process sometimes requires the trial court to appoint counsel for children to obtain the information the court needs to address children’s interests. This Article also explains why trial courts should not construe the new Elkins laws to impose new and unique restrictions on children’s lawyers, and proposes new legislation and court rules to clarify children’s due process rights and minors’ counsel’s ethical duties when custody is at issue in family court

A Child-Centered Response to the Elkins Family Law Task Force

In Elkins v. Superior Court, 163 P.3d 160 (Cal. 2007), California’s Supreme Court asked the Judicial Council to form a task force to make recommendations to increase “access to justice” in family court, because it was concerned about rules, policies, and procedures that put self-represented litigants at an unfair disadvantage in parentageand dissolution cases. Neither the task force’s report in 2010 nor the legislation that the report inspired the same year addresses children’s due process rights, even though children ordinarily have no access to justice. This Article shows that due process sometimes requires the trial court to appoint counsel for children to obtain the information the court needs to address children’s interests. This Article also explains why trial courts should not construe the new Elkins laws to impose new and unique restrictions on children’s lawyers, and proposes new legislation and court rules to clarify children’s due process rights and minors’ counsel’s ethical duties when custody is at issue in family court

Describing and increasing the resiliency of middle grade students in a small charter school

Resiliency is a term used to describe personal or environmental characteristics that foster a process of successful adjustment and transformation regardless of the risk and hardship (Benard, 1995). Certain youth have been shown to be deficient in resiliency based on the way particular factors impact their lives and their ability to successfully cope with these factors (Long et al, 2006). Factors that can be instrumental in causing youth to be deficient in resiliency are a lack of involvement in extracurricular activities, disengagement from school, and harsh parenting styles (Greene & Conrad, 2001; Demmert, 1994; Strand & Peacock, 2002; Borden, Perkins, Stone, & Villarruel, 2005; Arrington & Wilson, 2000; Lafromboise, 1988). However, all youth can possess life attributes that help them to become more resilient. Such attributes as high self-esteem, adult involvement, feeling connected with school, involvement in community, strong sense of identity, and religious faith are known as protective factors (HeavyRunner & Morris, 1997; Garrett, 1995; Strand & Peacock, 2002; Garmezy, 1991; Blum & Rinehart, 1997; Ralabate & Klotz, 2007; Werner, 1989). When the protective factors outweigh the risk factors youth are able to demonstrate resiliency. Furthermore, when youth are exposed to certain external elements, such crime, substance abuse, and suicide (Greene 2001; Williams 2001), they tend to have more negative outcomes related to overall resiliency. A case study was conducted to assess the risk and protective factors present in the lives of four middle grade charter school students. Observations, interviews, archival records, and a formal resiliency scale were used and triangulated. This information was then analyzed and coded to aid in discovering themes for factors related to resiliency. A plan to increase each student’s protective factors and decrease his or her risk factors was developed and presented to the charter school

Exploration of a rare population of Chinese chestnut in North America: stand dynamics, health and genetic relationships

With the transport of plants around the globe, exotic species can readily spread disease to their native relatives; however, they can also provide genetic resistance to those relatives through hybrid breeding programmes. American chestnut (Castanea dentata) was an abundant tree species in North America until its decimation by introduced chestnut blight. To restore chestnut in North America, efforts are ongoing to test putative blight-resistant hybrids of Castanea dentata and Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima), but little is known about the ecology of C. mollissima. In a forest in northeastern USA in which C. mollissima has become established, we explored questions of stand dynamics, health and genetic relationships of C. mollissima offspring to an adjacent parent orchard. We found that C. mollissima was adapted and randomly distributed among native species in this relatively young forest. The genetics of the C. mollissima population compared with its parents indicated little effect of selection pressure as each of the parent trees contributed at least one offspring. The ease with which this exotic species proliferated calls to question why C. mollissima is rare elsewhere in forests of North America. It is likely that a time window of low animal predation allowed seedlings to establish, and the shallow soil at this site limited the maximum forest canopy height, permitting the characteristically short-statured C. mollissima to avoid suppression. Our results indicate that because C. mollissima exhibited pioneer species characteristics, hybrids between C. mollissima and C. dentata have the potential to be successful pioneer species of future forests in North America, and we challenge the paradigm that exotic tree species are wholly detrimental to native biodiversity. We contend that exotic tree species should be assessed not only by their level of threat to native species, but also by their potential positive impacts on ecosystems via hybrid breeding programmes

Project Summary

Summary of the project, Advancing Digital Equity in Public Libraries: Assessing Library Patrons’ Problem Solving in Technology Rich Environments. The purpose of the research was to examine and understand the digital problem solving processes of vulnerable adults

Observing Digital Problem Solving Checklist

This adaptable tool was developed from research findings from a 3 year research study exploring digital problem solving. It is intended to be used by a librarian/staff/volunteer during an in-person interview and observation context. It is designed to better understand how to shape interactions with a library user when they come into the library for assistance that requires gathering, exploring, and making sense of online resources. The tool can be used to support individual or small group interactions. It contains a series of questions that provide insight into the knowledge and experiences of the library user as well as the level of support the individual or small group may need to successfully engage in digital problem solving in a variety of contexts

Analyzing and Interpreting data from PIAAC’s Problem Solving in Technology Rich Environments (PSTRE) Assessment and Library Use Survey: Quantitative Results

This document contains an explanation of the quantitative analysis conducted using data from a researcher-designed library use survey and PIAAC\u27s PSTRE survey accessed through OECD\u27s Education and Skills Online portal. Data were collected in two phases and are presented using descriptive statistics and through a latent class analysis. The latent class analysis allowed for the examination of the relationship between library activities, library website use, and PSTRE scores. Results indicated that library website use is strong predictor of higher PSTRE scores and competency in digital problem solving