Measuring the Transfer Experience: Assessing and Improving Information Literacy Skills for Transfer Students and First-Year Registrants

It is not difficult to imagine that transfer students might have specific experiences and needs when it comes to information literacy (IL) and the library, but it may not be obvious to libraries what those experiences and needs are. Rather than rely on our assumptions, we undertook an assessment project intended to investigate the IL skills and library experiences of transfer students. This allowed us to uncover the ways in which the transfer students at our institution can be better supported by the library. In this chapter, we will describe our process for collecting information about the transfer student experience, which included assessing student work with an IL rubric and surveying students. We will share what we learned from the information we collected, how we applied this to our library’s practices, and ways that the library can work with academic programs to assist in supporting transfer students. This investigation took place at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB), a public, comprehensive, Hispanic-Serving Institution with an enrollment of just under 7,000 FTEs. In Fall 2019, 46 percent of our undergraduates were transfer students, with 93 percent coming from community colleges and the remainder transferring from other types of institutions. Our student population is 51 percent first generation, 50 percent underrepresented minorities, and 32 percent low income

Seven Anion Comparison for the Center and West Hill Slope Systems in the Landscape Evolution Observatory (LEO) Project

The Landscape Evolution Observatory (LEO) consists of 3 theoretically identical, artificial hill slopes, the East, West, and Center slopes, aiming to investigate the movement of water, carbon, and energy. These slopes were designed to be identical in that they were all built to be the same size, and filled with the same amount of the same ‘soil’, which is actually granular basalt with loamy sand properties, with some small clay particle fractions to enhance its ability to hold water and for chemical weathering. With such a complex soil mixture, however, the geochemical differences between slopes at a given point can actually be quite significant. As the rain falls through these landscapes it is interacting with the different geochemistry, which naturally changes what is dissolved in the water. Through analyzing chemical differences from water samples collected from the different slopes, we can begin to develop a unique background for each hill slope, showing the ways in which they differ. To test this, a series of water collection syringes were distributed throughout the three different slopes at comparable collection points, where the water had already fallen through the landscape, so to be able to effectively compare the chemistries of those points on the slopes. This is critical to the project, as by better understanding the unique chemical characteristics of the individual slopes before further experimentation begins, effects that are coming from the experimental changes can be more effectively isolated from systematic differences. This project specifically focused on the comparison of 7 different anions, F-, Cl-, NO2-, Br-, NO3-, SO42-, PO43- , found in rainfall samples on the West and Center slopes. Concentrations of anions in water samples were found using Ion Chromatography. This study has shown that in terms of anion concentration, at comparable collection points, the slopes are far from identical

Novel pectin-carboxymethylcellulose-based double-layered mucin/chitosan microcomposites successfully protect the next-generation probiotic <i>Akkermansia muciniphila</i> through simulated gastrointestinal transit and alter microbial communities within colonic <i>ex vivo</i> bioreactors

The rapid acceleration of microbiome research has identified many potential Next Generation Probiotics (NGPs). Conventional formulation processing methods are non-compatible, leading to reduced viability and unconfirmed incorporation into intestinal microbial communities; consequently, demand for more bespoke formulation strategies of such NGPs is apparent. In this study, Akkermansia muciniphila (A.muciniphila) as a candidate NGP was investigated for its growth and metabolism properties, based on which a novel microcomposite-based oral formulation was formed. Initially, a chitosan-based microcomposite was coated with mucin to establish a surface culture of A.muciniphila. This was followed by ‘double encapsulation’ with pectin (PEC) using a novel Entrapment Deposition by Prilling method to create core–shell double-encapsulated microcapsules. The formulation of A.muciniphila was verified to require no oxygen-restriction properties, and additionally, biopolymers were selected, including carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), that support and enhance its growth; consequently, a high viability (6 log CFU/g) of A.muciniphila microencapsulated in PEC-CMC double-encapsulates was obtained. Subsequently, the high stability of the PEC-CMC double-encapsulates was verified in simulated gastric fluid, successfully protecting and then releasing the A.muciniphila under intestinal conditions. Finally, employing a model of gastrointestinal transit and faecal-inoculated colonic bioreactors, significant alterations in microbial communities following administration and successful establishment of A.muciniphila were demonstrated

Investigation of Spillover Effect to Enhance Hydrogen Storage

Hydrogen is an attractive energy option because of its lowenvironmental impact, but a critical problem is its low energydensity, which makes it difficult to store. For example, the USDepartment of Energy (DOE) hydrogen plan for fuel cell poweredvehicles requires a gravimetric density of 6.5 wt%. There are severalexisting hydrogen storage methods, including compressed gas,liquefaction, metal hydrides, and physisorption, but at present, noneof these technologies comes close to achieving the targets set by theDOE. Although chemical storage methods have been claimed to be themost promising hydrogen storage technology, and activated carbons thebest adsorbent, as mentioned, chemical storage methods are still farfrom the desired targets. In order to try to bring these chemicalstorage methods closer to desired targets, research must be done tofind ways to maximize chemical storage potential using differentmaterials. Recently, there has been a resurgence of interest in thepotential of carbon materials. In order to try to move these hydrogenstorage goals further toward the goals of the DOE, numerousexperiments were done in altering the current materials to try tomaximize the hydrogen storage potential. Hydrogen Spillover, onemethod currently being considered, is where a metal catalystdissociates hydrogen molecules into atomic hydrogen, which thenmigrates down toward the carbon surface and is adsorbed onto thecarbon receptor. Experiments were done to compare the spillovereffects of multiple precious metals. Also, the use of basic highsurface area activated carbon (MSC-30) was compared to similaractivated carbons with Boron doping, with hopes of seeing anenhancement of that spillover effect. Unfortunately, no significantincreases on the current storage capacity via spillover of ~1.2wt%were achieved

Mapping Fashion in the \u27City by the Sea\u27: Shopping Districts in Newport, Rhode Island

Newport, Rhode Island is internationally recognized for both its prime location on Narragansett Bay and its storied history. Nicknamed the ‘City by the Sea,’ it is famous for its world-class sailing, colonial New England architecture, Gilded Age mansions, trendy restaurants and bars, and nearby beaches. Cultural tourism is a multi-million dollar business for Rhode Island, especially for Newport, where shopping is fourth on the list of revenue generators. The relationship of an American resort city’s geographical setting, built environment, and cultural heritage to its fashion retail sector has not been explored. Acknowledging that fashion contributes to a city’s image, the authors review Newport’s history, provide a profile of Newport today, map Newport’s nine shopping districts, and analyze Newport’s fashion retail sector on the various streets, squares, wharves, and piers. Such an analysis may prove useful to retailers in other resort cities—both small independent boutique owners and national chain stores—as well as city planners and tourism boards

Investigation into the effect of mannan-rich fraction supplementation on the metagenome of broiler chickens

Antibiotic resistance is regarded as one of the most serious threats to human health worldwide. The rapid increase in resistance rates has been attributed to the extensive use of antibiotics since they became commercially available. The use of antibiotics as growth promotors has been banned in numerous regions for this reason. Mannan-rich fraction (MRF) has been reported to show similar growth-promoting effects to antibiotics. We investigated the effect of MRF on the microbial community, resistome and metabolic pathways within the caecum of commercial broilers at two different timepoints within the growth of the broiler, day 27 and day 34. The data indicated an overall increase in health and economic gain for the producer with the addition of MRF to the diet of the broilers. The only significant difference across the microbial composition of the samples was in the richness of the microbial communities across all samples. While all samples harboured resistance genes conferring resistance to the same classes of antibiotics, there was significant variation in the antimicrobial resistance gene richness across time and treatment and across combinations of time and treatment. The taxa with positive correlation comprised Bacilli and Clostridia. The negative correlation taxa were also dominated by Bacilli, specifically the Streptococcus genera. The KEGG-pathway analysis identified an age-related change in the metabolism pathway abundances of the caecal microflora. We suggest that the MRF-related increases in health and weight gain in the broilers may be associated with changes in the metabolism of the microbiomes rather than the microbial composition. The resistome variations across samples were correlated with specific genera. These data may be used to further enhance the development of feed supplements to reduce the presence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) within poultry. While the ARGs of greatest concern to human or animal health were not detected in this study, it has identified the potential to reduce the presence of ARGs by the increase in specific genera

Stigma in the context of schools: analysis of the phenomenon of stigma in a population of university students

Background Students have stereotyped views about people with mental illness. In particular, they believe that these persons are incurable, dangerous, unpredictable and responsible for their condition. This study aims to investigate the levels of public stigma in an Italian university population. Methods The Attribution Questionnaire 27 - Italian Version (AQ-27-I) was administered to a sample of students from the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. After examining the psychometric characteristics of the AQ-27-I (Cronbach’s Alpha and Confirmatory Factor Analysis), multiple linear regression analyses were carried out to identify the predictors of stigmatizing attitudes in this population. Results Three hundred and eleven students completed the questionnaire, with a response rate of 32.81 % (out of the 948 contacted by email). The AQ-27-I showed good psychometric properties with an α = .68, and the fit indices of the models that partially supported the factor structure and paths. The two variables identified as possible predictors of stigmatizing attitudes (total score of AQ-27-I) were age and time spent reading newspapers. Conclusions Antistigma campaigns are needed in university contexts, targeted in particular to students in health professions

One Server for the Price of Two: Simple and Fast Single-Server Private Information Retrieval

We present SimplePIR, the fastest single-server private information retrieval scheme known to date. SimplePIR’s security holds under the learning-with-errors assumption. To answer a client’s query, the SimplePIR server performs fewer than one 32-bit multiplication and one 32-bit addition per database byte. SimplePIR achieves 10 GB/s/core server throughput, which approaches the memory bandwidth of the machine and the performance of the fastest two-server private-information-retrieval schemes (which require non-colluding servers). SimplePIR has relatively large communication costs: to make queries to a 1 GB database, the client must download a 121 MB hint about the database contents; thereafter, the client may make an unbounded number of queries, each requiring 242 KB of communication. We present a second single-server scheme, DoublePIR, that shrinks the hint to 16 MB at the cost of slightly higher per-query communication (345 KB) and slightly lower throughput (7.4 GB/s/core). Finally, we apply our new private-information-retrieval schemes, together with a novel data structure for approximate set membership, to the task of private auditing in Certificate Transparency. We achieve a strictly stronger notion of privacy than Google Chrome’s current approach with modest communication overheads: 16 MB of download per month, along with 150 bytes per TLS connection

Safety and anti-tumour activity of the IgE antibody MOv18 in patients with advanced solid tumours expressing folate receptor-alpha: a phase I trial

All antibodies approved for cancer therapy are monoclonal IgGs but the biology of IgE, supported by comparative preclinical data, offers the potential for enhanced effector cell potency. Here we report a Phase I dose escalation trial (NCT02546921) with the primary objective of exploring the safety and tolerability of MOv18 IgE, a chimeric first-in-class IgE antibody, in patients with tumours expressing the relevant antigen, folate receptor-alpha. The trial incorporated skin prick and basophil activation tests (BAT) to select patients at lowest risk of allergic toxicity. Secondary objectives were exploration of anti-tumour activity, recommended Phase II dose, and pharmacokinetics. Dose escalation ranged from 70 μg–12 mg. The most common toxicity of MOv18 IgE is transient urticaria. A single patient experienced anaphylaxis, likely explained by detection of circulating basophils at baseline that could be activated by MOv18 IgE. The BAT assay was used to avoid enrolling further patients with reactive basophils. The safety profile is tolerable and maximum tolerated dose has not been reached, with evidence of anti-tumour activity observed in a patient with ovarian cancer. These results demonstrate the potential of IgE therapy for cancer

Film as architectural theory

Publications on architectural theory have predominantly taken on the form of text-based books, monographs, and articles. With the rise of transdisciplinary and practice-based research in architecture, new opportunities are opening up for other forms of architectural theory, such as film-based mediums, which promise to expand and alter the convention of the written practice of theory. Two possible types of filmic theory are presented here. One follows the method of ethnographic documentary filmmaking inspired by Sarah Pinkfilm-based mediums, which promise to expand and alter thellows the line of art house filmmaking inspired by Kathryn Rameyyn Rameyg inspired by Sarah Pinkfilm-based mediums, which promise to expand ae to expand ad mediums, which promise to expand a convention of the written practice of theory. or constructing knowledge, new discourses on filmic theory can be opened up. It is argued here that film as architectural theory is part of this new discourse, broadening the audience’u engagement with architecture through not only “readership” but also “viewership.