Learning How to Teach: How MLIS Students Become Information Literacy Instructors

This poster displays the results of a 2016 survey of current students and recent graduates (2011 or later) of library and information science master's programs in the United States and Canada. The survey gathered data about respondents' ability to teach based on their experiences before and during their degree programs. It also explored how confident students and entry level librarians feel regarding information literacy instruction.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/118064/3/Learning How to Teach Poster (LOEX).pdf-

Risperidone Treatment of Autistic Disorder: Longer-Term Benefits and Blinded Discontinuation After 6 Months

Objective: Risperidone is effective for short-term treatment of aggression, temper outbursts, and self-injurious behavior in children with autism. Because these behaviors may be chronic, there is a need to establish the efficacy and safety of longer-term treatment with this agent. Method: The authors conducted a multisite, two-part study of risperidone in children ages 5 to 17 years with autism accompanied by severe tantrums, aggression, and/or self-injurious behavior who showed a positive response in an earlier 8-week trial. Part I consisted of 4-month open-label treatment with risperidone, starting at the established optimal dose; part II was an 8-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-substitution study of risperidone withdrawal. Primary outcome measures were the Aberrant Behavior Checklist irritability subscale and the Clinical Global Impression improvement scale. Results: Part I included 63 children. The mean risperidone dose was 1.96 mg/day at entry and remained stable over 16 weeks of open treatment. The change on the Aberrant Behavior Checklist irritability subscale was small and clinically insignificant. Reasons for discontinuation of part I included loss of efficacy (N=5) and adverse effects (N=1). The subjects gained an average of 5.1 kg. Part II included 32 patients. The relapse rates were 62.5% for gradual placebo substitution and 12.5% for continued risperidone; this difference was statistically significant. Conclusions: Risperidone showed persistent efficacy and good tolerability for intermediate-length treatment of children with autism characterized by tantrums, aggression, and/or self-injurious behavior. Discontinuation after 6 months was associated with a rapid return of disruptive and aggressive behavior in most subjects

Defining Chlorophyll-a Reference Conditions in European Lakes

The concept of “reference conditions” describes the benchmark against which current conditions are compared when assessing the status of water bodies. In this paper we focus on the establishment of reference conditions for European lakes according to a phytoplankton biomass indicator—the concentration of chlorophyll-a. A mostly spatial approach (selection of existing lakes with no or minor human impact) was used to set the reference conditions for chlorophyll-a values, supplemented by historical data, paleolimnological investigations and modelling. The work resulted in definition of reference conditions and the boundary between “high” and “good” status for 15 main lake types and five ecoregions of Europe: Alpine, Atlantic, Central/Baltic, Mediterranean, and Northern. Additionally, empirical models were developed for estimating site-specific reference chlorophyll-a concentrations from a set of potential predictor variables. The results were recently formulated into the EU legislation, marking the first attempt in international water policy to move from chemical quality standards to ecological quality targets

Creative destruction in science

Drawing on the concept of a gale of creative destruction in a capitalistic economy, we argue that initiatives to assess the robustness of findings in the organizational literature should aim to simultaneously test competing ideas operating in the same theoretical space. In other words, replication efforts should seek not just to support or question the original findings, but also to replace them with revised, stronger theories with greater explanatory power. Achieving this will typically require adding new measures, conditions, and subject populations to research designs, in order to carry out conceptual tests of multiple theories in addition to directly replicating the original findings. To illustrate the value of the creative destruction approach for theory pruning in organizational scholarship, we describe recent replication initiatives re-examining culture and work morality, working parents\u2019 reasoning about day care options, and gender discrimination in hiring decisions. Significance statement It is becoming increasingly clear that many, if not most, published research findings across scientific fields are not readily replicable when the same method is repeated. Although extremely valuable, failed replications risk leaving a theoretical void\u2014 reducing confidence the original theoretical prediction is true, but not replacing it with positive evidence in favor of an alternative theory. We introduce the creative destruction approach to replication, which combines theory pruning methods from the field of management with emerging best practices from the open science movement, with the aim of making replications as generative as possible. In effect, we advocate for a Replication 2.0 movement in which the goal shifts from checking on the reliability of past findings to actively engaging in competitive theory testing and theory building. Scientific transparency statement The materials, code, and data for this article are posted publicly on the Open Science Framework, with links provided in the article

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

A Reference Based Typology and Ecological Assessment System for Irish Lakes - Preliminary Investigation - Final Report

Information on the ecology of 201 lakes was successfully collected. The resulting dataset is the most extensive on lake ecology in the Republic of Ireland. The typology is to be used as the reporting typology for Ireland. Comparison of the typologies developed at the individual element level indicated that they were at least as successful as the default typology system of the WFD (system A). The relative benefits of using the typologies developed at individual element level versus the overall typology level should be further considered. Owing to the uncertainty associated with background (reference) nutrient concentration estimates, it may be preferable to apply a correction factor based on background nutrient status after the application of an ecological assessment metric. This would also be likely to improve transparency. The biological elements: fish and phytobenthos were not considered in this study but should be incorporated at the earliest opportunity. The success of the ecological assessment metrics developed was found to vary with the biological elements. Some elements such as phytoplankton and macrophytes were clearly more useful in detecting pressure. The performance of the invertebrate trophic score for littoral macroinvertebrates had limited success (r2 = 0.43) and needs further development. The response of littoral macroinvertebrates to eutrophication pressure may be complex, perhaps owing to the non-uniform substrate, diverse communities or complex food web. The relationship between profundal invertebrates and eutrophication pressure was also concluded to require further work. The complicating influence of depth and stratification on the effects of eutrophication may make it difficult to develop an assessment system that can be used in all situations. Focusing on a limited depth range such as the sub-littoral as well as the profundal zone may help extract the influence of stratification and depth from that of eutrophication. Most ecological change was found to take place at an early stage of nutrient enrichment; generally between 10 and 20 ug l-1 TP. Ecological status boundaries need to reflect this. Ecological assessment metrics were developed for eutrophication only. It is recommended to complement current data with a separate study whose site selection is stratified across a range of known acidification and hydromorophological pressures in Ireland. Further chemical and physical characterisation of lakes is necessary and should be carried out by the River Basin Districts. Reference conditions were unavailable or poorly represented for certain lake types; mainly in the 20 to 100 mg l-1 CaCO3 alkalinity band. A palaeolimnological project focusing on biological elements such as phytoplankton, chironomids and macrophytes would help to characterise reference conditions for these types. This would complement ongoing work by the EPA funded project INSIGHT, which aims to test the validity of many of the reference lakes selected by this project using palaeolimnological techniques. Fundamental research into the functioning of aquatic ecosystems at third level should be supported to provide a basis for continued refinement of ecological assessment techniques. Work should be immediately carried out to refine metrics, develop estimates of uncertainty in assessment and an excerise on integrating assessment, based on all biological elements should be performed.JRC.H.5-Rural, water and ecosystem resource

Predicting lake alkalinity and depth for classifying Irish lakes using the Water Framework Directive typology.

Presentation given to the Annual Meeting of Irish Freshwater Biologists, Trinity College Dublin, March 4th, 2016.<br

funzone

Abstract: This paper documents the development and use of groupwork as a strategy for inclusion and social skills training in the curriculum of a special school, which is also the site of a fieldwork practice teaching unit for social workers in training. The groupwork model was developed for work with 16-18 year old people with learning disabilities, as one day a week in their school curriculum. The article examines the groupwork model. The issues that arose are explored, as are the implications and applications of such collaborative ways of working

Water Framework Directive Intercalibration Technical Report: Northern Lake Macrophyte ecological assessment methods

One of the key actions identified by the Water Framework Directive (WFD; 2000/60/EC) is to develop ecological assessment tools and carry out a European intercalibration (IC) exercise. The aim of the Intercalibration is to ensure that the values assigned by each Member State to the good ecological class boundaries are consistent with the Directive’s generic description of these boundaries and comparable to the boundaries proposed by other MS. In total, 83 lake assessment methods were submitted for the 2nd phase of the WFD intercalibration (2008-2012) and 62 intercalibrated and included in the EC Decision on Intercalibration (EC 2013). The intercalibration was carried out in the 13 Lake Geographical Intercalibration Groups according to the ecoregion and biological quality element. In this report we describe how the intercalibration exercise has been carried out in the Northern Lake Macrophyte groupJRC.H.1-Water Resource