UXperimentation: The Library as Design Studio

The university and seminary’s work and workplaces evolve within emerging digital ecologies, such as mobile communication, digital fabrication, and cloud hosting. At Abilene Christian University (ACU) in Abilene, TX, we have driven this transformation of educational spaces and curriculum with 1-to-1 and BYOD smartphone and tablet initiatives, and through construction of an interdisciplinary makerspace. Now our provision of personalized access to Adobe Creative Cloud for all students and faculty is again reorienting library spaces and practices with a focus on User Experience (UX). This paper explores: 1) the relation of UXD to library research and instruction. 2) an ecology for UXD and other design thinking in university academic support services, and 3) a trajectory beyond computer labs, media studios, and digital scholarship centers as library learning space

ATLA as Community of Faith: Surveying Members’ Relationship to Religious Faith and ATLA

This paper reports the result of an online survey, entitled “ATLA as a Community of Faith,” which was distributed to ATLA’s 519 members in May 2015. The results of the survey show the diversity of religious beliefs and practices among members of ATLA. The survey also provides evidence that the vast majority of the members of ATLA are professing practitioners of the Christian faith

Investigating the Effects of Urban Coyotes on Free-Range Cats in Culver City, California Using Occupancy Analyses of Camera Trap Data

As a habitat generalist, coyotes are known to thrive in urban environments given the abundance and diversity of suitable food sources throughout the cityscape. Within Southern California, cats have been found to comprise a higher proportion of coyote diet than in other urban areas throughout the country. However, it is unclear what factors are contributing to these higher rates of cat depredation by coyotes in the Los Angeles region. While previous research suggests that coyote presence may have a negative effect on free-range cat distributions, few studies have determined whether urban green spaces affect coyote or free-range cat occurrence within a dominantly urban landscape. For this study, we set up 20 camera traps across a range of green spaces and residential sites in Culver City, California. Using data collected for six months, we conducted a preliminary analysis of the influence of green space on coyote and cat occupancy. Coyotes exhibited a preference for sites with higher green space values, while cats appeared largely unaffected by the proportion of green space. Unlike other cities where there is strong partitioning of the landscape by coyotes and cats, our cat distributions indicated substantial overlap with coyotes. We suggest that this pattern of overlap, as well as evidence of green space use by free-range cats, may be responsible for the increased rates of cat depredation by coyotes in Culver City

18-Beta-Glycyrrhetinic Acid Causes Increased Pigment Production and Decreased Adherence in Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Biofilms

Infections caused by Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are an ever growing concern in the health care field.  While MRSA is most known for its resistance to beta-lactams (i.e. penicillin), it has also acquired resistance to a number of other antibiotics.  MRSA plays a major role in chronic wounds due to its ability to form a biofilm, resulting in severe infections.  Biofilms are naturally more resistant to antibiotics than planktonic cells which can be due to their extracellular polymeric substance and slow growing nature, as well as metabolic differences.  This has resulted in biofilms becoming a major focus in the biomedical field.  As MRSA rapidly acquires resistance to currently available antibiotics, there is an urgent need to develop novel antimicrobials. 18?-Glycyrrhetinic acid (GRA) is a compound isolated from Glycyrrhiza glabra and has been shown to be an effective antimicrobial against Staphylococcal planktonic cells; however, investigations on biofilm activity appear to be lacking. Our studies show GRA to have minimal to no effect on biofilm bacterial counts; however, post-treatment observations included an increase in yellow pigment and decreased adherence of biofilms. S. aureus pigments play an important role in virulence, including oxidative stress that may be introduced by antimicrobials like GRA. Crystal violet staining of GRA treated biofilms showed a quantified reduction in adherence compared to controls. This suggests that GRA may cause biofilm dispersal and therefore increased susceptibility to current antimicrobials. 1H NMR metabolomics is being conducted to investigate these results and other metabolic changes in GRA treated biofilms

Interdisciplinary Collaborative Practice in Early Childhood

Young children often present with challenging behaviors such as tantrums, aggression, and noncompliance. Rates of expulsion for behavior concerns in early childhood are alarming and can have long-term negative implications for children and their families (Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center, 2022). Implementation of a systematic multi-tiered system of supports framework can improve behavioral outcomes of young children. To effectively meet child and family needs within these frameworks, it is integral for members of the team to collaborate. Interdisciplinary teams within early childhood might include families, teachers, school psychologists, behavior analysts, speech language pathologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists and other related mental health and medical providers. The Interprofessional Education Collaborative outlined competencies for interdisciplinary collaborative practice that are organized within four domains: values and ethics, roles/responsibilities, interdisciplinary communication, and teams/teamwork. To facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration (IC) in practice, it is important to provide opportunities for collaboration across disciplines within coursework and field experiences. In this paper, we provide an example of an interdisciplinary training program to support behavioral and mental health needs of children. The training includes graduate students in applied behavior analysis, school psychology, and special education. Scholars participating in the program complete coursework for their specific programs in addition to joint coursework, seminars, and practicum activities in school settings. Throughout the program, scholars gain knowledge and skills in eight competencies identified for the program. Based on the literature and our training experience, we also outline insights and actions for training at the university-level and practitioner-level to implement interdisciplinary teaming