Libraries in New England Working to Develop Healthy Communities and Increase Health Literacy

The National Network of Libraries of Medicine, New England Region, created Communities of Interests (COIs) for our network members to come together to learn more about health literacy and be a part of cultivating healthy communities. Each Community of Interest offers an e-newsletter and hosts webinars with presentations by experts in health literacy and creating healthy communities. Topics for programs this year included: 10 Easy Ways You Can Contribute to Health Literacy; How to Contribute to Community Benefit at Your Hospital; a MedlinePlus.gov Train-the-Trainer; Clever Evaluation; and a program day on Health Information Equity. Each COI conducted needs assessment at the beginning of the year. An assessment will be conducted at the end of the first year to identify: knowledge gained; how the new information was put into action; and new educational needs. NN/LM NER Community of Interests create a powerful way to bring librarians together who are interested to increase health literacy and contribute to healthy communities

Spitzer Space Telescope Spectroscopy of Ices toward Low-Mass Embedded Protostars

Sensitive 5-38 μm Spitzer Space Telescope and ground-based 3-5 μm spectra of the embedded low-mass protostars B5 IRS1 and HH 46 IRS show deep ice absorption bands superposed on steeply rising mid-infrared continua. The ices likely originate in the circumstellar envelopes. The CO_2 bending mode at 15 μm is a particularly powerful tracer of the ice composition and processing history. Toward these protostars, this band shows little evidence for thermal processing at temperatures above 50 K. Signatures of lower temperature processing are present in the CO and OCN^- bands, however. The observed CO2 profile indicates an intimate mixture with H_(2)O, but not necessarily with CH_(3)OH, in contrast to some high-mass protostars. This is consistent with the low CH_(3)OH abundance derived from the ground-based L-band spectra. The CO_2 : H_(2)O column density ratios are high in both B5 IRS1 and HH 46 IRS (~35%). Clearly, the Spitzer spectra are essential for studying ice evolution in low-mass protostellar environments and for eventually determining the relation between interstellar and solar system ices

Is the Cepheus E Outflow driven by a Class 0 Protostar?

New early release observations of the Cepheus E outflow and its embedded source, obtained with the Spitzer Space Telescope, are presented. We show the driving source is detected in all 4 IRAC bands, which suggests that traditional Class 0 classification, although essentially correct, needs to accommodate the new high sensitivity infrared arrays and their ability to detected deeply embedded sources. The IRAC, MIPS 24 and 70 microns new photometric points are consistent with a spectral energy distribution dominated by a cold, dense envelope surrounding the protostar. The Cep E outflow, unlike its more famous cousin the HH 46/47 outflow, displays a very similar morphology in the near and mid-infrared wavelengths, and is detected at 24 microns. The interface between the dense molecular gas (where Cep E lies) and less dense interstellar medium, is well traced by the emission at 8 and 24 microns, and is one of the most exotic features of the new IRAC and MIPS images. IRS observations of the North lobe of the flow confirm that most of the emission is due to the excitation of pure H2 rotational transitions arising from a relatively cold (Tex~700 K) and dense (N{H}~9.6E20 cm-2 molecular gas.Comment: 14 pages (pre-print format), including 6 figures. Published in ApJ Special Spitzer Issue (2004

Digital Educational Modules Development For The Career and Technical Cybersecurity Pathways During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Virtual learning has been used now for several decades, but it has never had a bigger impact on student learning than in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. Universities and schools faced shutdowns all around the world, and teachers had to adapt rapidly to online mode of instruction. Many educators were faced with a triage approach with no previous experience in distance learning, a lack of resources for professional development, and already existing shortages of current educational modules that could assist them in their day-to-day jobs. This gap was especially evident in areas such as career and technical education (CTE) in which there was a gap in the training and educational materials available for K-12 teachers in emerging technology fields such as computer science and cybersecurity. These problems are related to various issues, such as the lack of teacher preparation, constant changes in technology, curriculum and educational framework developments led by the various institutions dictating the nature of education, and moreover, the vast growth in the demand for such instruction, which presents challenges in meeting those growing demands. In this paper, the authors present one curriculum development effort for CTE high school programs focused on computer science and cybersecurity via a grant by the Perkins Innovation Project funded by the U.S. Department of Education and supported by engineering technology, electrical engineering, and industrial technology educators

A Look into Increasing the Number of Veterans and Former Government Employees Converting to Career and Technical Cybersecurity Teachers

The current state of technology with recent explosions in the digital processing of paperwork, computer networking use, and online and virtual approaches to areas, which until very recently had traditional and non-computerized ways of operating, led to a steady increase in the demand for jobs in the area of computer science and cybersecurity. The education system, the pipeline for the incoming workforce, needs to keep up with this tremendous pace in technology and the job market. The current K-12 school system has been extensively challenged to fill out necessary positions in order to address the increasing need for programs that respond to industry and government entity gaps in employment. The COVID-19 pandemic forced a large segment of the economy to swiftly move to virtual working and virtual learning. This further increased the already large demand for cybersecurity jobs and accelerated the pace at which the development of necessary education pathways is required. The education system, on all different levels, needs to adjust to this pace in order to enable a large number of future graduates to fill these new jobs. There is currently a large gap in the number of K-12 level teachers available in the area of career and technical education. One possible solution to this problem may come from a specific segment of the workforce, veterans. This paper will provide an overview of different challenges that many veterans are facing after joining career switcher programs for future teachers

The Dust Emissivity Spectral Index in the Starless Core TMC-1C

In this paper we present a dust emission map of the starless core TMC-1C taken at 2100 microns. Along with maps at 160, 450, 850 and 1200 microns, we study the dust emissivity spectral index from the (sub)millimeter spectral energy distribution, and find that it is close to the typically assumed value of beta = 2. We also map the dust temperature and column density in TMC-1C, and find that at the position of the dust peak (A_V ~ 50), the line-of-sight-averaged temperature is ~7 K. Employing simple Monte Carlo modeling, we show that the data are consistent with a constant value for the emissivity spectral index over the whole map of TMC-1C.Comment: 11 pages, including 5 pages of figures. Accepted to Ap

Mentoring Prospective Engineering Students Through the After School Program Girls in Engineering Focused on Building an Underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle

A number of studies by engineering education researchers have pointed out that all-female teams, rather than mixed teams, result in better forms of participation and interaction in engineering related after-school programs and clubs. In particular, for after-school programs or clubs that form in response to a STEM competition, all-female teams have better chances of developing. One such competition, which will be discussed in this paper, is a regional Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) competition in which students from Blind_Review High School have been participating for many years.For each year’s competition, an all-female team of students enrolled in the Career and Technical Education program at Blind_Review High School, City, State build an underwater autonomous robotic vehicle, for which the robot specifications and competition rules are formulated each year by the MATE regional competition. Any team participating in the competition must have a mentor, and the students must be enrolled in courses within the engineering studies program. This paper will discuss the collaboration developed between the high school and college students, how the mentorship program was delivered, and how the program successfully helped future engineering students to establish their engineering and future STEM identities

The Spitzer c2d Survey of Large, Nearby, Interstellar Clouds. VII. Ophiuchus Observed with MIPS

We present maps of 14.4 deg^2 of the Ophiuchus dark clouds observed by the Spitzer Space Telescope Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS). These high-quality maps depict both numerous point sources and extended dust emission within the star-forming and non–star-forming portions of these clouds. Using PSF-fitting photometry, we detect 5779 sources at 24 μm and 81 sources at 70 μm at the 10 σ level of significance. Three hundred twenty-three candidate young stellar objects (YSOs) were identified according to their positions on the MIPS/2MASS K versus color-magnitude diagrams, as compared to 24 μm detections in the SWIRE extragalactic survey. We find that more than half of the YSO candidates, and almost all those with protostellar Class I spectral energy distributions, are confined to the known cluster and aggregates

Structure and Colors of Diffuse Emission in the Spitzer Galactic First Look Survey

We investigate the density structure of the interstellar medium using new high-resolution maps of the 8 micron, 24 micron, and 70 micron surface brightness towards a molecular cloud in the Gum Nebula, made as part of the Spitzer Space Telescope Galactic First Look Survey. The maps are correlated with 100 micron images measured with IRAS. At 24 and 70 micron, the spatial power spectrum of surface brightness follows a power law with spectral index -3.5. At 24 micron, the power law behavior is remarkably consistent from the 0.2 degree size of our maps down to the 5 arcsecond spatial resolution. Thus, the structure of the 24 micron emission is self-similar even at milliparsec scales. The combined power spectrum produced from Spitzer 24 micron and IRAS 25 micron images is consistent with a change in the power law exponent from -2.6 to -3.5. The decrease may be due to the transition from a two-dimensional to three-dimensional structure. Under this hypothesis, we estimate the thickness of the emitting medium to be 0.3 pc.Comment: 13 Pages, 3 Figures, to be published in Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series (Spitzer Special Issue), volume 154. Uses aastex v5.

Bullying in Brazilian schools: results from the National School-based Health Survey (PeNSE), 2009

O objetivo deste estudo é identificar e descrever a ocorrência do bullying, episódios de humilhação ou provocação perpetrados pelos colegas da escola, entre estudantes do 9º ano do ensino fundamental de escolas públicas e privadas das 26 capitais dos estados brasileiros e do Distrito Federal. Trata-se de estudo transversal feito com 60.973 escolares de 1.453 escolas públicas e privadas. A análise dos dados aponta que 5,4% (IC95%: 5,1%-5,7%) dos estudantes relataram ter sofrido bullying quase sempre ou sempre nos últimos 30 dias; 25,4% (IC95%: 24,8%-26,0%) foram raramente ou às vezes vítimas de bullying e 69,2% (IC95%: 68,5%-69,8%) não sentiram nenhuma humilhação ou provocação (bullying). A capital com maior frequência de foi Belo Horizonte-MG (6,9%; IC95%: 5,9%-7,9) e a menor foi Palmas-TO (3,5%; IC95%: 2,6%-4,5%). Meninos relatam mais bullying (6,0%; IC95%: 5,5%-6,5%) do que meninas (4,8%; IC95%: 4,4%-5,3%). Não houve diferença entre escolas públicas (5,5%; IC95%: 5,1%-5,8%) e privadas (5,2%; IC95%: 4,6%-5,8%), exceto em Aracaju-SE, onde foi registrada maior ocorrência de bullying em escolas privadas. Os dados mostram urgente necessidade de ações intersetoriais a partir de políticas e práticas educativas que efetivem redução e prevenção da ocorrência do bullying nas escolas.The aim of this study is to identify and describe the occurrence of bullying among students in the 9th year (8th grade) from public and private schools from 26 Brazilian state capitals and the Federal District. It is a cross-sectional study involving 60,973 students and 1,453 public and private schools. Data analysis indicates that 5.4% (IC95%: 5.1%-5.7%) of students reported having suffered bullying almost always or always in the last 30 days, 25.4% (IC95%: 24.8%-26.0%) were rarely or sometimes the victim of bullying and 69.2% (IC95%: 68.5%-69.8%) of students felt no humiliation or provocation at school. The capital with higher frequency of bullying was Belo Horizonte (6.9%; IC95%: 5,9%-7,9%), Minas Gerais, and the lowest was Palmas (3.5%; IC95%: 2.6%-4.5%), Tocantins. Boys reported more bullying (6,0%; IC95%: 5.5%-6.5%) compared with girls (4,8%; IC95%: 4.4%-5.3%). There was no difference between public schools 5.5% (IC95%: 5.1%-5.8%) and private (5.2%) (IC95%: 4.6%-5.8%), except in Aracaju, Sergipe, that show more bullying in private schools. The findings indicate an urgent need for intersectoral action from educational policies and practices that enforce the reduction and prevention of the occurrence of bullying in schools in Brazil