Review of Middlemarch in the Twenty-first Century

This set of eight original essays engages afresh with a novel that many readers might claim to know well, in such a way as to make \u27the lights and shadows ... fall with a certain difference\u27 (chap. xxi). Karen Chase is well-known for her own studies of George Eliot, not least George Eliot: \u27Middlemarch\u27 (1991). Here, she confines herself to an introductory essay, which cogently states the brief given to her contributors, to reflect on how Middlemarch can be read in the twenty-first century. \u27Who besides Eliot has been better aware of the alteration of objects given a change in perspective?\u27 she asks rhetorically (p. 4), and proposes some different relativities from those that have been orthodox in discussions of George Eliot\u27s greatest novel, especially in the last half-century. A glancing comparison with Wuthering Heights, for example, gives a new dimension to the ongoing comparisons of George Eliot and \u27the Brontes\u27 . The goal is not novelty for its own sake. Rather, Middlemarch is accorded the status of being ripe for irreverence, \u27something this novel sorely needs after more than a century of worship\u27 (p. 9). Chase describes the unplanned but highly welcome result that Middlemarch is confmned as \u27an open text with illimitable interpretations\u27, by authors who are evidently enjoying themselves in their present engagement with it (p. 9). The team assembled is essentially Anglo-American, four men and four women, mostly high profile Victorianists. The substantial expertise each brings to their commission involves little traversing of old ground, though in some cases (notably Hillis Miller\u27s\u27 A Conclusion in Which Almost Nothing Is Concluded: Middlemarch\u27s Finale \u27), there is explicit moving on from and refinement of earlier positions. Take, for instance, Gillian Beer\u27s tour de force, \u27What\u27s Not in Middlemarch\u27 , which leads off the collection. At least initially stimulated by recent interest in the materiality of texts, Dame Gillian takes us back to the situation of those who read the novel as it came out in its eight book-length parts between December 1871 and December 1872, implicitly interrogating many readings of the novel since. She makes great capital of the advertisements, with wonderful disquisitions on sewing machines, and on manganese, and on chocolate. Her real theme, absences from Middlemarch, is argued by means of subtly disorienting assertions, circling principally through appetite, both gustatory and sexual. Moreover, Beer reminds us in yet another salient recontextualization, \u27The spiritual is absent from this book\u27, commenting further on \u27[t]hat principled denial of religious comfort in Middlemarch the novel ... has become almost invisible to many readers now\u27 (p. 27)

Benefits, Costs, and Financing of Truck-Only Highway Lanes

As increasing amounts of intercity freight are transported by trucking firms, the possibility of constructing truck-only lanes along selected rural Interstate highways warrants consideration. On heavily traveled sections, there is potential for improvements in safety and productivity if such lanes were added. In this paper, we explore the conditions under which investment in truck-only lanes could be considered and what sorts of benefits may accrue to both occupants of passenger vehicles and to operators of heavy trucks. Then we examine the available evidence regarding the nature and magnitude of these benefits to gain insight into the willingness of highway users to pay for these lanes. We conclude that the willingness to pay for truck-only lanes on the part of occupants of passenger vehicles appear to be quite limited and that support for these lanes on the part of trucking firms is likely to depend upon their being allowed to operate longer-combination vehicles (LCVs) on them. Trucking firms could be assessed tolls to travel in truck-only lanes, with these tolls representing some fraction of the increased productivity gained through being allowed to operate LCVs. Finally, we pose several questions that would need to be answered before an investment in truck-only lanes might be considered along a given Interstate segment

Teachers’ Perceptions of an Alternative Evaluation Model

The body of research shows the importance of teacher effectiveness on student achievement. To ensure teacher effectiveness, states have enacted legislation that governs the processes for teacher evaluation. However, these systems have not proven to be as effective as once anticipated. One of the flaws pertains to the evaluation system’s inability to differentiate feedback based on teacher ability. For this reason, the New Jersey Department of Education has provided school districts the option to use an alternative evaluation model, The Reflective Practice Protocol. This option is available to teachers who have been rated as highly effective. The purpose of this study was to explore teachers’ perceptions of this model as a means to gain further perspective as to how they view its role in their growth and learning. A qualitative study was conducted, which included one-on-one interviews with 10 teachers in a suburban K–8 district. The theoretical framework used to guide this study was zone of proximal development and reflection theory. This study shares the findings of these interviews, which indicate that teachers perceive the Reflective Practice Protocol positively and have suggestions for further enhancing the model

Distribution of aromatase in the brain of the African cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni: Aromatase expression, but not estrogen receptors, varies with female reproductive-state

© 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Estrogen synthesis and signaling in the brains of vertebrates has pleotropic effects ranging from neurogenesis to modulation of behaviors. The majority of studies on brain-derived estrogens focus on males, but estrogenic signaling in females likely plays important roles in regulation of reproductive cycling and social behaviors. We used females of the mouth brooding African cichlid fish, Astatotilapia burtoni, to test for reproductive state-dependent changes in estrogenic signaling capacity within microdissected brain nuclei that are important for social behaviors. Expression levels of the rate-limiting enzyme aromatase, but not estrogen receptors, measured by qPCR changes across the reproductive cycle. Gravid females that are close to spawning had higher aromatase levels in all brain regions compared to females with lower reproductive potential. This brain aromatase expression was positively correlated with circulating estradiol levels and ovarian readiness. Using chromogenic in situ hybridization we localized aromatase-expressing cells to ependymal regions bordering the ventricles from the forebrain to the hindbrain, and observed more abundant staining in gravid compared to mouth brooding females in most regions. Staining was most prominent in subpallial telencephalic regions, and diencephalic regions of the preoptic area, thalamus, and hypothalamus, but was also observed in sensory and sensorimotor areas of the midbrain and hindbrain. Aromatase expression was observed in radial glial cells, revealed by co-localization with the glial marker GFAP and absence of co-localization with the neuronal marker HuC/D. Collectively these results support the idea that brain-derived estradiol in females may serve important functions in reproductive state-dependent physiological and behavioral processes across vertebrates

Using A3 thinking to improve the STAT medication process

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/107994/1/jhm2222.pd

A summary of water-quality and salt marsh monitoring, Humboldt Bay, California

This report summarizes data-collection activities associated with the U.S. Geological Survey Humboldt Bay Water-Quality and Salt Marsh Monitoring Project. This work was undertaken to gain a comprehensive understanding ofwater-quality conditions, salt marsh accretion processes, marsh-edge erosion, and soil-carbon storage in Humboldt Bay, California. Multiparameter sondes recorded water temperature, specific conductance, and turbidity at a 15-minute timestep at two U.S. Geological Survey water-quality stations: Mad River Slough near Arcata, California (U.S. Geological Survey station 405219124085601) and (2) Hookton Slough near Loleta, California (U.S. Geological Survey station 404038124131801). At each station, discrete water samples were collected to develop surrogate regression models that were used to compute a continuous time seriesof suspended-sediment concentration from continuously measured turbidity. Data loggers recorded water depth at a 6-minute timestep in the primary tidal channels (Mad River Slough and Hookton Slough) in two adjacent marshes (Mad River marsh and Hookton marsh). The marsh monitoring network included five study marshes. Three marshes (Mad River, Manila, and Jacoby) are in the northern embayment of Humboldt Bay and two marshes (White and Hookton) are in the southern embayment. Surface deposition and elevation change were measured using deep rod surface elevation tables and feldspar marker horizons. Sediment characteristics and soil-carbon storage were measured using a total of 10 shallow cores, distributed across 5 study marshes, collected using an Eijkelkamp peat sampler. Rates of marsh edge erosion (2010–19) were quantified in four marshes (Mad River, Manila, Jacoby, and White) by estimating changes in the areal extent of the vegetated marsh plain using repeat aerial imagery and light detection and ranging (LiDAR)-derived elevation data. During the monitoring period (2016–19), the mean suspended-sediment concentration computed for Hookton Slough (50±20 milligrams per liter [mg/L]) was higher than Mad River Slough (18±7 mg/L). Uncertainty in mean suspended-sediment concentration values is reported using a 90-percent confidence interval. Across the five study marshes, elevation change (+1.8±0.6 millimeters per year[mm/yr]) and surface deposition (+2.5±0.5 mm/yr) were lower than published values of local sea-level rise (4.9±0.8 mm/yr), and mean carbon density was 0.029±0.005 grams of carbon per cubic centimeter. From 2010 to 2019, marsh edge erosion and soil carbon loss were greatest in low-elevation marshes with the marsh edge characterized by a gentle transition from mudflat to vegetated marsh (herein, ramped edge morphology) and larger wind-wave exposure. Jacoby Creek marsh experienced the greatest edge erosion. In total, marsh edge erosion was responsible for 62.3 metric tons of estuarine soil carbon storage loss across four study marshes. Salt marshes are an important component of coastal carbon, which is frequently referred to as “blue carbon.” The monitoring data presented in this report provide fundamental information needed to manage blue carbon stocks, assess marsh vulnerability, inform sea-level rise adaptation planning, and build coastal resiliency to climate change

Know Your Value: Negotiation Skill Development for Junior Investigators in the Academic Environment—A Report from the American Society of Preventive Oncology\u27s Junior Members Interest Group

The American Society of Preventive Oncology (ASPO) is a professional society for multidisciplinary investigators in cancer prevention and control. One of the aims of ASPO is to enable investigators at all levels to create new opportunities and maximize their success. One strategy adopted by ASPO was to develop the Junior Members Interest Group in 1999. The Interest Group membership includes predoctoral fellows, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty members who are provided career development and training opportunities (1). Responsibilities of the members of the Junior Members Interest Group include serving on the ASPO Executive Committee and the Program Planning Committee and organizing professional development sessions at ASPO\u27s annual meeting. As part of the 2014 ASPO annual meeting, the Junior Members Interest Group organized a session entitled “Negotiation Skill Development for Junior Investigators in the Academic Environment.” This interactive session was designed to provide early-career investigators an opportunity to practice their negotiation skills and to receive expert advice and strategies to effectively negotiate new faculty positions in an academic environment. The session focused primarily on negotiating an initial academic appointment from a graduate student or postdoctoral fellow to an assistant professor–level position. In addition to the main focus, the session also covered renegotiation for assistant and associate-level investigators as they navigate through their careers. The session began with an interactive exercise led by Dr. Stephanie A.N. Silvera (Associate Professor of Public Health, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ) where participants engaged in a mock salary negotiation session with another member of the audience (Table 1). Following the negotiation exercise, Dr. Silvera led a debriefing session. Next, four panelists at different levels in their academic careers were invited to provide their personal perspectives on the topic of effective negotiation: Dr. Faith Fletcher (Assistant Professor of Community Health Sciences, the University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL) to provide the perspective of a first-year faculty member; Dr. Stephanie A.N. Silvera (Associate Professor of Public Health, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ) to provide the perspective of a recently tenured faculty member; Dr. Karen Basen-Engquist (Professor of Behavioral Science and Director of the Center for Energy Balance, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX) to provide the perspective of a senior faculty member; and Dr. Peter G. Shields (Professor and Deputy Director of the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, OH) to provide the perspective of a senior faculty member with extensive experience on the employer side of an academic appointment negotiation. This report summarizes the main themes that emerged from the negotiation exercise debriefing, the speakers\u27 advice and recommendations, and responses to audience questions during the session

Treadmill training augmented with real-time visualisation feedback and function electrical stimulation for gait rehabilitation after stroke : a feasibility study

Background:  Stroke rehabilitation often uses the motor relearning concept that require patients to perform active practice of skill-specific training and to receive feedback. Treadmill training augmented with real-time visualisation feedback and functional electrical stimulation may have a beneficial synergistic effect on motor recovery. This study aims to determine the feasibility of this kind of enhanced treadmill training for gait rehabilitation among patients after stroke. Methods:  A system for dynamic visualisation of lower-limb movement based on 3-dimensional motion capture and a computer timed functional electrical stimulation system was developed. Participants received up to 20-min enhanced treadmill training instead of their over-ground gait training once or twice a week for 6 weeks at Coathill hospital, Lanarkshire, United Kingdom. Number of training sessions attended, and training duration were used to assess feasibility. Ankle kinematics in the sagittal plane of walking with and without functional electrical stimulation support of the pre-tibial muscles were also compared and used to confirm the functional electrical stimulation was triggered at the targeted time Results:  Six patients after stroke participated in the study. The majority of participants were male (5/6) with a age range from 30 to 84 years and 4/6 had left hemiplegia. All participants suffered from brain infarction and were at least 3 months after stroke. Number of training sessions attended ranged from 5 to 12. The duration of training sessions ranged from 11 to 20 min. No serious adverse events were reported. The computerised functional electrical stimulation to the pre-tibial muscles was able to reduce plantar flexion angle during the swing phase with statistical significance (p= 0.015 at 80%;p= 0.008 at 90 and 100% of the gait cycle).Conclusions:It is safe and feasible to use treadmill gait training augmented with real-time visual feedback and computer-controlled functional electrical stimulation with patients after stroke in routine clinical practice. Trial registration: NCT03348215. Registered 20 November 2017