Magic City Gospel

Magic City Gospel is a collection of poems that explores themes of race and identity with a special focus on racism in the American South. Many of the poems deal directly with the author’s upbringing in Birmingham, Alabama, the Magic City, and the ways in which the history of that geographical place informs the present. Magic City Gospel confronts race and identity through pop culture, history, and the author’s personal experiences as a black, Alabama-born woman. Magic City Gospel is, in part, influenced by the biting, but softly rendered truth and historical commentary of Lucille Clifton, the laid-back and inventive poetry of Terrance Hayes, the biting and unapologetically feminist poetry of Audre Lorde, and the syncopated, exact, musical poetry of Kevin Young. These and other authors like Tim Siebles, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Major Jackson influence poems as they approach the complicated racial and national identity of the author

Maternal Gestational Weight Gain: Perceptions of Overweight and Obese Pregnant Women

poster abstractBackground: Adverse maternal and infant outcomes can arise from excessive maternal gestational weight gain. Overweight and obese women are most at risk for excessive gestational weight gain. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has established gestational weight gain ranges for pregnant women based on their pre-pregnancy BMI. Pregnant women’s perceptions of IOM recommendations, however, have not been well documented in the literature. Objective: This study was to explore (1) if pregnant women had received weight gain advice from care providers; (2) preferred weight gain amount by pregnant women and why; and (3) how possible to achieve IOM recommended weight gain. Design: Quantitative and qualitative content analyses were used. Participants: 13 overweight and obese pregnant women (77% African American, 23% were first pregnancy) participated in this study. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted and audio-taped. Quantitative content analysis involved calculating frequencies and percentages. Qualitative content analysis included coding transcribed interviews and identifying common themes from codes. Results: 69% of study participants did not receive weight gain advice from care providers; 54% of the women whose preferred weigh gain was not in accordance with IOM recommendations. Study participants reported two reasons why they chose their preferred weight gain amount: it would be hard to lose extra weight and the weight gain is for the health of the baby. Study participants voiced different levels of confidence in achieving IOM recommended weight gain, from possible to needing support, difficult to stay within the recommended range, out of personal control, and creating additional stress. Conclusions: Findings indicate that missed opportunities from care providers to educate pregnant women about proper weight gain. Although many pregnant women do not want to put on extra pounds, they need education about proper weight gain based on individual BMI status as well as support to help them achieve IOM recommendations

Bacterial community profiles and Vibrio parahaemolyticus abundance in individual oysters and their association with estuarine ecology

Oysters naturally harbor the human gastric pathogen Vibrio parahaemolyticus, but the nature of this association is unknown. Because microbial interactions could influence the accumulation of V. parahaemolyticus in oysters, we investigated the composition of the microbiome in water and oysters at two ecologically unique sites in the Great Bay Estuary, New Hampshire using 16s rRNA profiling. We then evaluated correlations between bacteria inhabiting the oyster with V. parahaemolyticus abundance quantified using a most probable number (MPN) analysis. Even though oysters filter-feed, their microbiomes were not a direct snapshot of the bacterial community in overlaying water, suggesting they selectively accumulate some bacterial phyla. The microbiome of individual oysters harvested more centrally in the bay were relatively more similar to each other and had fewer unique phylotypes, but overall more taxonomic and metabolic diversity, than the microbiomes from tributary-harvested oysters that were individually more variable with lower taxonomic and metabolic diversity. Oysters harvested from the same location varied in V. parahaemolyticus abundance, with the highest abundance oysters collected from one location. This study, which to our knowledge is the first of its kind to evaluate associations of V. parahaemolyticus abundance with members of individual oyster microbiomes, implies that sufficient sampling and depth of sequencing may reveal microbiome members that could impact V. parahaemolyticus abundance

Woman is man\u27s best friend and her own worst enemy : jury bias

The Supreme Court recently ruled that no jury could be chosen on the basis of sex. This study was conducted to determine whether jury biases exist in the sentencing of murder cases. It was therefore hypothesized that women would judge female murderers more severely than their male counterpart. The severity of sentences were determined by the participants\u27 marks on a severity of sentence scale. These participants evaluated both domestic and mutilation murder cases, each of which varied in the gender of the accused. Using a 2X2 ANOVA in the evaluation of the results, no significant differences were found between the participants\u27 ratings of the two genders, yet, in support of previous results, females were found to rate mutilation murders significantly more severe. These results could be used during jury selection to minimize jury bias by excluding biased individuals from the jury, thus protecting the right to a fair trial

Using Alphabet Knowledge to Track the Emergent Literacy Skills of Children in Head Start

Having strong alphabet knowledge early in life is a powerful predictor of long-term reading and academic outcomes. Upon tracking the alphabet knowledge of 172 children enrolled in their first year of Head Start, we identified that most of the children could name fewer than 10 letters at the beginning of the academic year. Approximately, one third of the children with low alphabet knowledge in fall made significant progress and demonstrated mastery of 10 or more letters in spring. For the children who started the year knowing fewer than 10 letters, receptive vocabulary was the best predictor of who would make gains in alphabet knowledge throughout the year. In addition, most children who entered Head Start knowing fewer than 10 letters knew letters from their first names and the letters A, B, or O. Implications for the management of emergent literacy skills for children at-risk for academic difficulties are discussed

Online Pre-laboratory Exercises Enhance Student Preparedness for First Year Biology Practical Classes

Effective preparation prior to a practical class is essential if meaningful learning is to occur. If effective preparation does not occur, then students are at risk of “information overload” as they attempt to simultaneously come to terms with novel technical or manipulative tasks as well as learning new concepts. We designed on-line multi-media pre-laboratory exercises (Pre-labs) to support dissection-based practicals in a first year biology unit. The aim of this study was to gauge the effectiveness of the Pre-labs in improving students’ perceptions of their preparedness for practical classes. We surveyed the students before and after introduction of the Pre-labs, and monitored use of the Pre-labs on the class on-line learning site. The surveys showed that 68% of students reported they like to “see or be shown what to do”. In the initial survey, only 15% of students reported doing a substantial amount of preparation for practical classes. However, the majority of students used the “visual” Pre-labs regularly, and reported finding them ‘very useful’ in preparing them for the practical class, and 47 % (compared with an initial 22.4%) reported being well-prepared for class. Better preparation should lead to enhanced learning outcomes for students as well as better meeting ethical guidelines for instructors designing practicals based on animal specimens

Seeing is understanding: the use of online prelaboratory exercises to enhance learning in Zoology practicals

Cognitive load theory suggests that a student’s learning will be inhibited if ‘the instructional materials overwhelm a learner’s cognitive resources’ (Cook 2006, p.1076): the less prior knowledge a learner has, the more susceptible they are to overload. Cognitive load theory provides the basis for a number of instructional design rules. These include the use of multiple representations, and the use of dual mode presentations (e.g. verbal plus visual). In our first year Zoology practical classes, we have observed that many students have difficulty visualising what they will do in class from reading a set of written instructions. Thus they are less well prepared, and less able to take full advantage of the learning experiences offered by the practical exercises. When that exercise involves a dissection, there are ethical implications (ANZCCART 2005). We therefore prepared a series of prelaboratory exercises to support each of our dissection-based practical classes. These are PowerPoint shows illustrating the procedure for each stage of the dissection, with written comments and questions designed to highlight key learning concepts: they are loaded into our online learning site the week before the relevant practical. To gauge the impact of this initiative, we surveyed our students before releasing the first prelaboratory, and in the penultimate week of semester. The surveys were designed to elicit information on how well-prepared they feel for their classes, and what type of preparation they do: 68% commented that they ‘like to see or be shown what I have to do’. We also sought feedback from the demonstrators about the types of questions being asked by the students to gauge the effectiveness of the prelaboratories in helping the students conceptualise what they would be doing in class. Preliminary analysis suggests that the prelaboratories were enthusiastically embraced by the students, and that there may be enhanced learning outcomes