Annotated Bibliography: The Reference Desk: Grand Idea or Gone Down the River?

This bibliography is from a panel presentation at the 2017 ACL Conference. The goal of this panel was to explore different rationales or sets of values that illustrated the continuation of the reference desk and reference service as essential to the success of the academic community. We discovered that “what to do with reference” is far from a settled question. We discovered passionate arguments, diverse models, and an array of data. In this current stage of figuring out the value of academic libraries to the campus as a whole and to students in particular, it seemed that there was limited hard data connecting Reference services to how they met students’ needs. How do we make ourselves valuable, important, essential, and useful? Maybe we need to change our model? If so, how do we examine ourselves and our environment appropriately to make this happen? What factors should we examine? Which ones must we keep? What things can we discard or change? When students come to seek assistance, they generally need the short, instant, and personal help, without having to attend a whole training session or class. Individual and personalized guidance for their immediate need is the most important factor for them. How do libraries provide that

Survey of critical wetlands and riparian areas in Hinsdale County, Colorado

Prepared for: Colorado Dept. of Natural Resources.June 16, 2008.Includes bibliographical references

Leveraging the Science of Learning to Enhance Student Success: An Application of Syfr Learning’s Principles of Practice

The purpose of the current article is to describe a set of empirically validated principles of practice with the potential to enhance student learning and academic performance. Specifically, we provide an overview of Syfr Learning’s principles of practice – a collection of scalable instructional techniques derived from decades of research in the domain of learning science. Further, we provide an illustrative example of the benefits of Syfr Learning’s principles of practice when incorporated into existing curricula in a K-12 setting

The Impact of Library Resource Utilization on Undergraduate Students’ Academic Performance: A Propensity Score Matching Design

This study uses three cohorts of first-time, full-time undergraduate students (N=8,652) at a large, metropolitan, public research university to examine the impact of student use of three library resources (workstations, study rooms, and research clinics) on academic performance. To deal with self-selection bias and estimate this impact more accurately, we used propensity score matching. Using this unique approach allowed us to construct treatment and control groups with similar background characteristics. We found that using a given library resource was associated with a small, but also meaningful, gain in first-term grade point average, net of other factors

Vascular remodeling of the mouse yolk sac requires hemodynamic force

The embryonic heart and vessels are dynamic and form and remodel while functional. Much has been learned about the genetic mechanisms underlying the development of the cardiovascular system, but we are just beginning to understand how changes in heart and vessel structure are influenced by hemodynamic forces such as shear stress. Recent work has shown that vessel remodeling in the mouse yolk sac is secondarily effected when cardiac function is reduced or absent. These findings indicate that proper circulation is required for vessel remodeling, but have not defined whether the role of circulation is to provide mechanical cues, to deliver oxygen or to circulate signaling molecules. Here, we used time-lapse confocal microscopy to determine the role of fluid-derived forces in vessel remodeling in the developing murine yolk sac. Novel methods were used to characterize flows in normal embryos and in embryos with impaired contractility (Mlc2a^(–/–)). We found abnormal plasma and erythroblast circulation in these embryos, which led us to hypothesize that the entry of erythroblasts into circulation is a key event in triggering vessel remodeling. We tested this by sequestering erythroblasts in the blood islands, thereby lowering the hematocrit and reducing shear stress, and found that vessel remodeling and the expression of eNOS (Nos3) depends on erythroblast flow. Further, we rescued remodeling defects and eNOS expression in low-hematocrit embryos by restoring the viscosity of the blood. These data show that hemodynamic force is necessary and sufficient to induce vessel remodeling in the mammalian yolk sa

Influences on the Self-concept of Adolescents with Intellectual Disabilities

The purpose of this study was to examine the self-concept of adolescents with intellectual disabilities (ID). The sample included 51 adolescents with ID, their parents (n = 50), and teachers (n = 12). A mixed methods approach was utilized, with qualitative data used to enrich quantitative results. Individual interviews were conducted with each adolescent and particular emphasis was placed on the perceptions and subjective experiences of the adolescent participants. The relationship among adolescent perception of support, adolescent self-determination, parent perception of child impact, and student-teacher relationship was explored along with the contribution of each of these variables to adolescent global self-worth. Group differences between students in self-contained classrooms and students in resource rooms were also examined. Findings and Conclusions: Significant correlations were found among this constellation of variables. Of primary interest were the favorable associations of global self-worth, psychological empowerment, and classmate support with parent perception of child positive impact and adolescent perception of parent support. Hierarchical linear regression revealed that adolescent perception of parent support and self-determination were significant predictors of global self-worth. These findings expand the literature by emphasizing the role of family support on positive child outcomes for adolescents with ID. When examining the impact of classroom placement, adolescents in self-contained classrooms perceived their classmates as more supportive; whereas, adolescents in resource rooms reported higher self-determination. The mixed methods approach resulted in a depth of understanding regarding the multiple influences on the self-concept of adolescents with ID.Department of Human Development and Family Scienc

Cost-Effectiveness of an Emergency Department Based Early Sepsis Resuscitation Protocol

Background Guidelines recommend that sepsis be treated with an early resuscitation protocol, such as early goal directed therapy (EGDT). Our objective was to assess the cost-effectiveness of implementing EGDT as a routine protocol. Design Prospective before and after study. Setting Large urban hospital ED with >110,000 visits/year. Patients The target population was patients with consensus criteria for septic shock. We excluded those with age <18 yrs, no aggressive care desired, or need for immediate surgery. Interventions Clinical and cost data were prospectively collected on two groups: 1) patients from 1 yr before and 2) 2 yrs after implementing EGDT as standard-of-care. Before phase patients received nonprotocolized care at attending discretion. The primary outcomes were one year mortality, discounted life expectancy, and quality adjusted life years (QALYs). Using costs and QALYs, we constructed an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio and performed a net monetary benefit (NMB) analysis, producing the probability that the intervention was cost-effective given different values for the willingness to pay for a QALY. Results 285 subjects, 79 in the before and 206 in the after phases, were enrolled. Treatment with EGDT was associated with an increased hospital cost of $7028 and an increase in both discounted sepsis-adjusted life expectancy and QALYs of 1.5 and 1.3 yrs, respectively. EGDT use was associated with a cost of$5397 per QALY gained and the NMB analysis indicates a 98% probability (p = .038) that EGDT is cost-effective at a willingness to pay of $50,000 per QALY. Conclusion Implementation of EGDT in the ED care of severe sepsis patients is cost effective

Saltwater intrusion induces shifts in soil microbial diversity and carbon use efficiency in a coastal grassland ecosystem

Salt accumulation and salinisation of coastal soils is a global issue. Further, climate change is likely to increase the amount of land affected by salinity due to the increasing frequency and severity of coastal flooding and brackish water ingress. The impact of this on the ability of soils to deliver ecosystem services, particularly carbon (C) storage, however, remains unclear. We hypothesized that coastal inundation would negatively affect C storage by lowering plant C inputs and by placing greater osmotic stress on the microbial community leading to a reduced C use efficiency (CUE). Here, we use a coastal grassland ecosystem, which is becoming increasingly subjected to sea and brackish water flooding, to explore the relationship between plant/microbial growth and CUE along a natural salinity gradient. To reflect steady state conditions, we traced the turnover and partitioning of a low (ambient) dose and high (growth stimulation) dose of 14C-labelled glucose into microbial anabolic and catabolic pools, from which microbial CUE was calculated. This was supported by measurements of the diversity of the bacterial community across the salinity gradient using 16S metabarcoding. Our results showed that coastal flooding significantly reduced plant growth (p < 0.005), increased soil C content (p < 0.05) and induced an increase in microbial CUE under low glucose-C conditions (p < 0.05). Conversely, no significant difference in CUE or microbial growth was apparent when a high glucose-C dose was used. Soil bacterial community alpha (α) diversity increased with soil salinity while beta (β) diversity also shifted in response to the higher saline conditions. Our analysis suggests that the largest impact of coastal flooding on soil C cycling was the inability of the plant community to adapt, leading to higher plant residue inputs as well as the decline in soil structure. Conversely, the microbial community had adapted to the increased salinity, resulting in only small changes in the uptake and metabolic partitioning of C

The role of negative urgency in risky alcohol drinking and binge-eating in United Kingdom male and female students

Identifying students at risk of developing binge-eating and alcohol use disorders is a priority in the United Kingdom (UK). Although relationships between negative urgency (impulsive behavior during times of negative emotion), risky drinking, and binge-eating have been established in students from other countries, these links have yet to be replicated in male and female UK students. UK students aged 18–30 (n = 155) completed the: (1) the Urgency, Pre-meditation, Perseverance, Sensation Seeking (UPPS-P) negative urgency subscale; (2) Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT); and (3) Binge-Eating Scale (BES). For categorical analysis, participants were assigned to one of four groups as a function of AUDIT and BES clinical cut-off scores: (1) no risk (28%); (2) risky drinkers (47%); (3) binge-eaters (6%); and (4) risky drinkers + binge-eaters (19%). For dimensional analysis, across students with non-zero AUDIT and BES scores (n = 141), BES, AUDIT, gender, and their interactions were entered as predictors in the same block of a regression. UPPS-P negative urgency was the dependent variable. Categorical results indicated that binge-eaters with and without risky drinking endorsed significantly higher negative urgency than students with no risk. Dimensional results showed that although higher BES and AUDIT scores were positively linked to higher negative urgency, but only the BES was significantly associated. Furthermore, BES shared substantially more variance with negative urgency than the AUDIT, and the BES-negative urgency relationship was stronger in male students than female students. High risk students may benefit the most from interventions that help regulate negative emotion

Influence of Social Media Posts on Service Performance

Purpose Much research regarding social media posts and relevancy has resulted in mixed findings. Furthermore, the mediating role of relevancy has not previously been examined. This paper aims to examine the correlating relationship between types of posts made by hotels and the resulting occupancy rates. Then, the mediating role of relevancy is examined and ways that posts can increase/decrease relevancy of the post to potential hotel users. Design/methodology/approach Within the context of the hotel industry, three studies were conducted – one including hotel occupancy data from a corporate chain – to examine the impact of social media posts on relevancy and intentions to stay at the hotel. Experimental studies were conducted to explain the results of the real-world hotel data. Findings The findings show that relevancy is an important mediator in linking social media posts to service performance. A locally (vs nationally) themed post can decrease both the relevancy of a post and the viewer’s intentions to stay at a hotel. This relationship, however, can be weakened if a picture is included with the post, as a visual may increase self-identification with a post. Originality/value These results have important theoretical and practical implications as social media managers attempt to find the best ways to communicate to their customers and followers. Specifically, there are lower and upper limits to how many times a hotel should be posting to social media. The data also show many hotels post about local events, such as school fundraisers or a job fair, that can be harmful to stay intentions, likely due to the irrelevant nature of local posts to customers who are likely to stay in a hotel. National posts are seen as more relevant and likely to increase stay intentions, and the inclusion of a picture can help local posts seem more relevant