Rethinking Mobile Delivery: Using Quick Response Codes to Access Information at Point of Need

posterThis poster covers the use of quick response (QR) codes to provide instant mobile access to information, digital collections, educational offerings, the library website, subject guides, text messages, videos, and personnel in the library. The authors explain the array of uses and the value of using QR codes to push customized information to patrons

Global Citizen, Global Consumer: Study Abroad, Neoliberal Convergence, and the Eat, Pray, Love Phenomenon

This thesis examines the convergence of neoliberal rhetoric across popular media, academic, and institutional discourses, and draws connections between contemporary women's travel literature and common scripts in study abroad promotion. Finding such narratives to be freighted with ethnocentric constructs and tacit endorsements of market-based globalization, I critique the mainstreaming of neoliberal attitudes that depict travel as a commodity primarily valuable for its role in increasing the worth of U.S. American personhood. I question both the prevailing definitions of "global citizenship" and the ubiquitous claims that study abroad prepares students for "success in the global economy" as ideological signifiers of a higher education system that is increasingly corporatized. Utilizing a postcolonial and transnational feminist theoretical framework, the thesis offers a literary analysis of contemporary women's travel memoirs, examining patterns of narcissism and "othering" in their depictions of cross-cultural encounter, and connects these neoliberal trends to consumerism in higher education, study abroad, and post-second wave feminism. Shared themes in the representation of privileged U.S./Western women abroad and the student-consumer model in higher education bespeak a movement toward individual international engagements that reinforce corporate motives for travel and endorse the commodification of global environments, cultures, and people. In hopes of contesting this paradigm, I argue for the reassertion of a social justice-oriented definition of global citizenship and for educational models that foster self-criticism and the decolonization of knowledge

Faculty-Led Study Abroad as Social Justice Praxis: A Phenomenological Case Study

Faculty-led short-term programs are the most popular type of study abroad experience for undergraduate students in the United States. The rise of the FLST model has created new challenges for institutions and faculty. This study undertakes a critical analysis of the practice of faculty-led short-term (FLST) study abroad at U.S. colleges and universities. In particular, it highlights the efforts of faculty who have designed and led justice-centered programs that challenge colonial discourses in study abroad. It advances a critical framework for understanding FLST as a phenomenon in the neoliberal university and discusses the implications for practice in higher education. The creation of new study abroad programs represents a significant investment of time and effort on the part of faculty, and the sustainability of FLST programs depends in large part on the willingness of faculty to engage and, importantly, to reengage in this labor. Most colleges and universities promote study abroad as one facet of an overall goal of campus internationalization, yet rhetorical support is often unmatched by institutional funding, administrative assistance, and recognition for faculty leaders. Applying a Critical University Studies lens to the practice of FLST, this qualitative case study focuses on the lived experiences of faculty leaders, their definitions and justifications of social justice frameworks, and their perspectives on the significance of study abroad to higher education and the academy as workplace. The data that inform the study were collected in semi-structured interviews with 14 Oregon State University faculty members who have developed and directed justice-centered FLST programs. The findings document how faculty innovations in social justice pedagogies are reshaping the role of study abroad and expanding the scope of what can be accomplished in the short-term format. At the same time, findings show that stronger institutional support is needed to sustain these high-impact, transformative learning opportunities for students. The discussion and analysis aim to situate FLST practice within the context of educational labor in the neoliberal university and to prompt new dialogue among stakeholders in higher education

The Rise of the Fringe Financial Services in Winnipeg's North End: Client Experiences, Firm Legitimacy and Community-Based Alternatives

This report documents research undertaken... to examine the rise of fringe financial services in Winnipeg's North End. Fringe financial services include a variety of financial services such as loans and cheque-cashing that are offered by fringe banks. Although fringe banks are becoming more common today they generally operate on the margin of the mainstream banking and credit union system in Canada. Fringe banks include pawnshops, cheque-cashing firms, payday lenders, rent-to-own firms, tax refund advancers, finance companies and 'white-label' automatic teller machine providers. This report explores client experiences with fringe banks, it examines the issue of fringe bank legitimacy and it develops a model and provides a preliminary feasibility assessment of an alternative model to fringe banks for low- income people

Arthritis and cognitive impairment in older adults

Adults aged 65 or older with arthritis may be at increased risk for cognitive impairment [cognitive impairment but not dementia (CIND) or dementia]. Studies have found associations between arthritis and cognition impairments; however, none have examined whether persons with arthritis develop cognitive impairments at higher rates than those without arthritis. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, we estimated the prevalence of cognitive impairments in older adults with and without arthritis, and examined associations between arthritis status and cognitive impairments. We calculated incidence density ratios (IDRs) using generalized estimating equations to estimate associations between arthritis and cognitive impairments adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, marital status, education, income, depression, obesity, smoking, the number of chronic conditions, physical activity, and birth cohort. The prevalence of CIND and dementia did not significantly differ between those with and without arthritis (CIND: 20.8%, 95% CI 19.7-21.9 vs. 18.3%, 95% CI 16.8-19.8; dementia: 5.2% 95% CI 4.6-5.8 vs. 5.1% 95% CI 4.3-5.9). After covariate control, older adults with arthritis did not differ significantly from those without arthritis for either cognitive outcome (CIND IDR: 1.6, 95% CI = 0.9-2.9; dementia IDR: 1.1, 95% CI = 0.4-3.3) and developed cognitive impairments at a similar rate to those without arthritis. Older adults with arthritis were not significantly more at risk to develop cognitive impairments and developed cognitive impairments at a similar rate as older adults without arthritis over 6 years

Lapsilähtöinen pedagogiikka varhaiskasvattajien kanssa konstruoituna

Tämä artikkeli esittelee lapsilähtöistä pedagogiikkaa yhdessä konstruoituna varhaiskasvatuksen ammattilaisten kanssa. Tarkastelun kohteena ovat lapsilähtöisen pedagogiikan ilmenemismuodot, sekä laadukas lapsilähtöinen pedagogiikka. Osallistujajoukko koostuu lapsilähtöiseen pedagogiikkaan sitoutuneista kasvattajista Virosta, Englannista, Yhdysvalloista ja Suomesta. Teoriaohjaava sisällönanalyysi perustuu viikon ajalta kerätylle 29 pedagogiselle päiväkirjalle joista löysimme 351 lapsilähtöistä episodia. Lapsilähtöisen pedagogiikan teoreettinen kehys perustuu kolme ydinkomponentille: lapsi toiminnan subjektina, edestakainen vuorovaikutus sekä kehkeytyvä opetussuunnitelma. Aineistossa edestakainen vuorovaikutus perustuu aikuisen aktiiviseen rooliin, jossa lasten elämismaailmat sekä intressit kohtaavat. Opettajilla on valmiuksia tarjota sisältöjä, mutta erityisesti joustaa toiminnasta opetussuunnitelman kehkeytymiseksi. Lapsilähtöisyys ei ole sidottu yksinomaan lapsen aloitteisiin, eikä yksittäisiin toimintamuotoihin. Laadukkaassa lapsilähtöisessä pedagogiikassa aikuinen harkitsee rooliaan erityisellä herkkyydellä palvellen teoillaan lapsen tilannekohtaisia intressejä. This paper is a showcase of child-initiated pedagogies as co-constructed with early childhood education practitioners in four countries: Finland, England, Estonia and the USA. The paper also seeks to construe high-quality child-initiated pedagogies. The committed practitioners of child-initiated pedagogies were asked to document a week of their in form of pedagogical diary. The data consists of 29 pedagogical diaries, out of which 351 child-initiated episodes were extracted. An abductive content analysis was performed on the data with the help of child-initiated framework consisting of three core components: child as a subject, reciprocal dialogue and emergent curriculum. The results emphasize the active roles of a practitioner in enabling reciprocal dialogue. Child-initiated pedagogies are not restricted by the type of activity, nor solely by child's initiative. High-quality child-initiated episodes show deep commitment and meaningfulness, attained through careful consideration of adult role and structural flexibility.</p

Lapsilähtöinen pedagogiikka varhaiskasvattajien kanssa konstruoituna

This paper is a showcase of child-initiated pedagogies as co-constructed with early childhood education practitioners in four countries: Finland, England, Estonia and the USA. The paper also seeks to construe high-quality child-initiated pedagogies. The committed practitioners of child-initiated pedagogies were asked to document a week of their in form of pedagogical diary. The data consists of 29 pedagogical diaries, out of which 351 child-initiated episodes were extracted. An abductive content analysis was performed on the data with the help of child-initiated framework consisting of three core components: child as a subject, reciprocal dialogue and emergent curriculum. The results emphasize the active roles of a practitioner in enabling reciprocal dialogue. Child-initiated pedagogies are not restricted by the type of activity, nor solely by child’s initiative. High-quality child-initiated episodes show deep commitment and meaningfulness, attained through careful consideration of adult role and structural flexibility.Tämä artikkeli esittelee lapsilähtöistä pedagogiikkaa yhdessä konstruoituna varhaiskasvatuksen ammattilaisten kanssa. Tarkastelun kohteena ovat lapsilähtöisen pedagogiikan ilmenemismuodot, sekä laadukas lapsilähtöinen pedagogiikka. Osallistujajoukko koostuu lapsilähtöiseen pedagogiikkaan sitoutuneista kasvattajista Virosta, Englannista, Yhdysvalloista ja Suomesta. Teoriaohjaava sisällönanalyysi perustuu viikon ajalta kerätylle 29 pedagogiselle päiväkirjalle joista löysimme 351 lapsilähtöistä episodia. Lapsilähtöisen pedagogiikan teoreettinen kehys perustuu kolme ydinkomponentille: lapsi toiminnan subjektina, edestakainen vuorovaikutus sekä kehkeytyvä opetussuunnitelma. Aineistossa edestakainen vuorovaikutus perustuu aikuisen aktiiviseen rooliin, jossa lasten elämismaailmat sekä intressit kohtaavat. Opettajilla on valmiuksia tarjota sisältöjä, mutta erityisesti joustaa toiminnasta opetussuunnitelman kehkeytymiseksi. Lapsilähtöisyys ei ole sidottu yksinomaan lapsen aloitteisiin, eikä yksittäisiin toimintamuotoihin. Laadukkaassa lapsilähtöisessä pedagogiikassa aikuinen harkitsee rooliaan erityisellä herkkyydellä palvellen teoillaan lapsen tilannekohtaisia intressejä

The effects of varying humidity on copper sulfide film formation.

Detailed experiments involving extensive high resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed significant microstructural differences between Cu sulfides formed at low and high relative humidity (RH). It was known from prior experiments that the sulfide grows linearly with time at low RH up to a sulfide thickness approaching or exceeding one micron, while the sulfide initially grows linearly with time at high RH then becomes sub-linear at a sulfide thickness less than about 0.2 microns, with the sulfidation rate eventually approaching zero. TEM measurements of the Cu2S morphology revealed that the Cu2S formed at low RH has large sized grains (75 to greater than 150 nm) that are columnar in structure with sharp, abrupt grain boundaries. In contrast, the Cu2S formed at high RH has small equiaxed grains of 20 to 50 nm in size. Importantly, the small grains formed at high RH have highly disordered grain boundaries with a high concentration of nano-voids. Two-dimensional diffusion modeling was performed to determine whether the existence of localized source terms at the Cu/Cu2S interface could be responsible for the suppression of Cu sulfidation at long times at high RH. The models indicated that the existence of static localized source terms would not predict the complete suppression of growth that was observed. Instead, the models suggest that the diffusion of Cu through Cu2S becomes restricted during Cu2S formation at high RH. The leading speculation is that the extensive voiding that exists at grain boundaries in this material greatly reduces the flux of Cu between grains, leading to a reduction in the rate of sulfide film formation. These experiments provide an approach for adding microstructural information to Cu sulfidation rate computer models. In addition to the microstructural studies, new micro-patterned test structures were developed in this LDRD to offer insight into the point defect structure of Cu2S and to permit measurement of surface reaction rates during Cu sulfidation. The surface reaction rate was measured by creating micropatterned Cu lines of widths ranging from 5 microns to 100 microns. When sulfidized, the edges of the Cu lines show greater sulfidation than the center, an effect known as microloading. Measurement of the sulfidation profile enables an estimate of the ratio of the diffusivity of H2S in the gas phase to the surface reaction rate constant, k. Our measurements indicated that the gas phase diffusivity exceeds k by more than 10, but less than 100. This is consistent with computer simulations of the sulfidation process. Other electrical test structures were developed to measure the electrical conductivity of Cu2S that forms on Cu. This information can be used to determine relative vacancy concentrations in the Cu2S layer as a function of RH. The test structures involved micropatterned Cu disks and thin films, and the initial measurements showed that the electrical approach is feasible for point defect studies in Cu2S

‘Maintaining balance and harmony’: Javanese perceptions of health and cardiovascular disease

Community intervention programmes to reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors within urban communities in developing countries are rare. One possible explanation is the difficulty of designing an intervention that corresponds to the local context and culture