Conflict at Pierce College

Journal ArticleThis case was written for use in courses in higher education leadership. It is particularly useful for examining the environment in which decisions are made in higher education institutions. In the case, a young administrator is confronted with an ethical dilemma. She initially receives the support of her superiors in handling the situation, but after she acts she discovers that this support has eroded. The case illustrates the importance of coalition-building as well as the necessity of understanding institutional politics. The case also provides an opportunity to examine and discuss ethics in higher education administration

Gender disparity in engineering: results and analysis from school counselors survey and national vignette

pre-printIn an earlier paper by our group [1] we presented statistical analysis based on 30 years of ACT data illustrating gender disparity in engineering majors and career choices. Obtained results also revealed the presence of a large number of students who are interested in engineering but who may not be adequately prepared to pursue a successful career in this discipline. Because of the role of school counselors as "gate keepers" of both academic information and career planning options, further understanding of the role of school counselors in the longstanding gender disparity in the engineering field has been established as an important avenue for interventions to help reverse a continued declining trend of female participation in STEM related fields. This paper describes results of a survey that is specifically targeted school counselors and their knowledge of engineering and the social influences that may affect their guidance approach for female students. To help delve further into the attitudes of school counselors regarding the issue of gender disparity, a vignette was developed for national distribution, and results from this effort will also presented in this paper

Three Poems from One Fountain

Take a poem and rearrange its words into an alphabetical list; then give this list to a person unfamiliar with the original poem and ask him to construct a second poem out of this material. How similar will the two poems be

Outreach and identity development: New perspectives on college student persistence

pre-printCollege student persistence continues to pose challenges for higher education institutions, despite over 40 years of research. Although persistence is studied from many different angles, the majority of studies examining the causes of and cures for students' departure from college reflect the importance of engagement in the higher education environment. An innovative type of engagement is involving college students in high school outreach. This article reports on a study involving 19 college students who participated in a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded project intended to increase the enrollment and persistence of engineering students, specifically examining how engaging in outreach activities developed participants' views of themselves as engineers. We found that outreach activities incorporated several types of engagement and that participants engaged in outreach began to develop a professional engineering identity, both of which are linked to college student persistence. The study's implications for research and practice are discussed

Will work for a college education: an analysis of the role employment plays in the experiences of first-year college students

Journal ArticleCollege students across the United States struggle with the challenges of balancing work and school. In 2005, 29.5% of full-time students worked over 20 hours a week while attending college, with 70.1% of their part-time counterparts in the workplace for 20 or more hours each week (NCES, 2005). Given the reality of work for college students, higher education researchers and educators must recognize that students work for a variety of reasons and need to consider how this phenomenon impacts students' lives. In an effort to foster such considerations, the authors explored college students' attitudes about working while in college and found that students from different social class backgrounds apply different meanings to the role of work in their lives. Bourdieu's (1977a, 1984, 1993) ideas of social capital, habitus, and taste provide a conceptual framework to examine the findings. Recommendations are provided for student affairs professionals based on data and results

Beyond Domain-Led Conceptualisations of Urban Zero-Carbon Transitions

Rapid, systemic change is needed to achieve zero emissions, but there is uncertainty about how or where to intervene in urban systems. Drawing on the work of Donella Meadows, we apply a Leverage Points Perspective to identify and characterize points of system-level intervention that emerge from a study of climate action in Calgary, Canada, which was unique in applying a mixed set of academic approaches. Reflecting on Meadows’ and other frameworks for conceptualizing complex systems change, we discuss the challenge of conceptualizing change, a task of unique urgency in the context of the climate emergency. Too frequently, we argue, approaches focus attention on specific modes or forms of action seen to have the greatest opportunity for affecting change in place of the complex chains of actors, objects, and processes that collectively are the key to a deep and sustaining transition. We conclude by exploring how the insights of the Leverage Points Perspective and other approaches can be brought together to inform practical action, and by examining how related theoretical work on provisioning systems and applied work on urban Climate Commissions may be drawn on to advance understanding of how to deliver urban systems change

Life cycle assessment of emerging technologies: Evaluation techniques at different stages of market and technical maturity

Life cycle assessment (LCA) analysts are increasingly being asked to conduct life cycleâ based systems level analysis at the earliest stages of technology development. While early assessments provide the greatest opportunity to influence design and ultimately environmental performance, it is the stage with the least available data, greatest uncertainty, and a paucity of analytic tools for addressing these challenges. While the fundamental approach to conducting an LCA of emerging technologies is akin to that of LCA of existing technologies, emerging technologies pose additional challenges. In this paper, we present a broad set of market and technology characteristics that typically influence an LCA of emerging technologies and identify questions that researchers must address to account for the most important aspects of the systems they are studying. The paper presents: (a) guidance to identify the specific technology characteristics and dynamic market context that are most relevant and unique to a particular study, (b) an overview of the challenges faced by early stage assessments that are unique because of these conditions, (c) questions that researchers should ask themselves for such a study to be conducted, and (d) illustrative examples from the transportation sector to demonstrate the factors to consider when conducting LCAs of emerging technologies. The paper is intended to be used as an organizing platform to synthesize existing methods, procedures and insights and guide researchers, analysts and technology developer to better recognize key study design elements and to manage expectations of study outcomes.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154465/1/jiec12954-sup-0001-SuppMat.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154465/2/jiec12954.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154465/3/jiec12954_am.pd

Glutamate indicators with improved activation kinetics and localization for imaging synaptic transmission

iGluSnFR variants with improved signal-to-noise ratios and targeting to postsynaptic sites have been developed, enabling the analysis of glutamatergic neurotransmission in vivo as illustrated in the mouse visual and somatosensory cortex. The fluorescent glutamate indicator iGluSnFR enables imaging of neurotransmission with genetic and molecular specificity. However, existing iGluSnFR variants exhibit low in vivo signal-to-noise ratios, saturating activation kinetics and exclusion from postsynaptic densities. Using a multiassay screen in bacteria, soluble protein and cultured neurons, we generated variants with improved signal-to-noise ratios and kinetics. We developed surface display constructs that improve iGluSnFR's nanoscopic localization to postsynapses. The resulting indicator iGluSnFR3 exhibits rapid nonsaturating activation kinetics and reports synaptic glutamate release with decreased saturation and increased specificity versus extrasynaptic signals in cultured neurons. Simultaneous imaging and electrophysiology at individual boutons in mouse visual cortex showed that iGluSnFR3 transients report single action potentials with high specificity. In vibrissal sensory cortex layer 4, we used iGluSnFR3 to characterize distinct patterns of touch-evoked feedforward input from thalamocortical boutons and both feedforward and recurrent input onto L4 cortical neuron dendritic spines

Dominant activating RAC2 mutation with lymphopenia, immunodeficiency, and cytoskeletal defects

Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 2 (RAC2), through interactions with reduced NAD phosphate oxidase component p67 phox , activates neutrophil superoxide production, whereas interactions with p21-activated kinase are necessary for fMLF-induced actin remodeling. We identified 3 patients with de novo RAC2[E62K] mutations resulting in severe T- and B-cell lymphopenia, myeloid dysfunction, and recurrent respiratory infections. Neutrophils from RAC2[E62K] patients exhibited excessive superoxide production, impaired fMLF-directed chemotaxis, and abnormal macropinocytosis. Cell lines transfected with RAC2[E62K] displayed characteristics of active guanosine triphosphate (GTP)-bound RAC2 including enhanced superoxide production and increased membrane ruffling. Biochemical studies demonstrated that RAC2[E62K] retains intrinsic GTP hydrolysis; however, GTPase-activating protein failed to accelerate hydrolysis resulting in prolonged active GTP-bound RAC2. Rac2+/E62K mice phenocopy the T- and B-cell lymphopenia, increased neutrophil F-actin, and excessive superoxide production seen in patients. This gain-of-function mutation highlights a specific, nonredundant role for RAC2 in hematopoietic cells that discriminates RAC2 from the related, ubiquitous RAC1

Evaluation and Management of Deficiency of Adenosine Deaminase 2: An International Consensus Statement

IMPORTANCE: Deficiency of adenosine deaminase 2 (DADA2) is a recessively inherited disease characterized by systemic vasculitis, early-onset stroke, bone marrow failure, and/or immunodeficiency affecting both children and adults. DADA2 is among the more common monogenic autoinflammatory diseases, with an estimate of more than 35 000 cases worldwide, but currently, there are no guidelines for diagnostic evaluation or management. OBJECTIVE: To review the available evidence and develop multidisciplinary consensus statements for the evaluation and management of DADA2. EVIDENCE REVIEW: The DADA2 Consensus Committee developed research questions based on data collected from the International Meetings on DADA2 organized by the DADA2 Foundation in 2016, 2018, and 2020. A comprehensive literature review was performed for articles published prior to 2022. Thirty-two consensus statements were generated using a modified Delphi process, and evidence was graded using the Oxford Center for Evidence-Based Medicine Levels of Evidence. FINDINGS: The DADA2 Consensus Committee, comprising 3 patient representatives and 35 international experts from 18 countries, developed consensus statements for (1) diagnostic testing, (2) screening, (3) clinical and laboratory evaluation, and (4) management of DADA2 based on disease phenotype. Additional consensus statements related to the evaluation and treatment of individuals with DADA2 who are presymptomatic and carriers were generated. Areas with insufficient evidence were identified, and questions for future research were outlined. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: DADA2 is a potentially fatal disease that requires early diagnosis and treatment. By summarizing key evidence and expert opinions, these consensus statements provide a framework to facilitate diagnostic evaluation and management of DADA2