Exploring the contributions of the academic library to student learning

Journal ArticleMost recently, as part of our multiyear Value of Academic Libraries Initiative, ACRL joined with three partners ? the Association for Institutional Research, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, and the Council of Independent Colleges ? to convene two national summits in late 2011. These summits, ?Demonstrating Library Value: A National Conversation,? were the basis of a project made possible by a National Leadership Collaborative Planning Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. We invited community college, college, and university chief academic officers, senior institutional researchers, and academic librarians to share their best thinking and advice in dialogue with representatives from accreditation commissions and higher education organizations. We learned from participants about the data campus administrators would like librarians to provide and what collaborative assistance is available through institutional research offices in order to determine the professional competencies that librarians need

The bound mu+ mu- system

We consider the hyperfine structure, the atomic spectrum and the decay channels of the bound mu+ mu- system (dimuonium). The annihilation lifetimes of low-lying atomic states of the system lie in the nanosecond range range. The decay rates could be measured by detection of the decay products (high energy photons or electron-positron pairs). The hyperfine structure splitting of the dimuonic system and its decay rate are influenced by electronic vacuum polarization effects in the far time-like asymptotic region. This constitutes a previously unexplored kinematic regime. We evaluate next--to-leading order radiative corrections to the decay rate of low-lying atomic states. We also obtain order alpha^5 corrections to the hyperfine splitting of the 1S and 2S levels.Comment: 10 figures (eps format) attached, Scheduled tentatively by PRA for Nov/Dec 199

Protection of pregnant women at work in Switzerland: implementation and experiences of maternity protection legislation

Objectives. Like most industrialized countries, Switzerland has introduced legislation to protect the health of pregnant workers and their unborn children from workplace hazards. This study aims to assess legislation’s degree of implementation in the French-speaking part of Switzerland and understand the barriers to and resources supporting its implementation. Methods. Data were collected using mixed methods: (1) an online questionnaire send to 333 gynecologist-obstetricians (GOs) and 637 midwives; (2) exploratory semi-structured interviews with 5 workers who had had a pregnancy in the last 5 years. Results. Questionnaire response rates were 32% for GOs and 54% for midwives. Data showed that several aspects of the implementation of maternity protection policies could be improved. Where patients encounter workplace hazards, GOs and midwives estimated that they only received a risk assessment from the employer in about 5% and 2% of cases, respectively. Preventive leave is underprescribed: 32% of GOs reported that they “often” or “always” prescribed preventive leave in cases involving occupational hazards; 58% of GOs reported that they “often” or “always” prescribed sick leave instead. Interviews with workers identified several barriers to the implementation of protective policies in workplaces: a lack of information about protective measures and pregnancy rights; organizational problems triggered by job and schedule adjustments; and discrepancies between some safety measures and their personal needs. Conclusions. Results demonstrate the need to improve the implementation and appropriateness of maternity protection legislation in Switzerland. More research is required to identify the factors affecting its implementation

Neurobiology of social behavior abnormalities in autism and Williams syndrome

Social behavior is a basic behavior mediated by multiple brain regions and neural circuits, and is crucial for the survival and development of animals and humans. Two neuropsychiatric disorders that have prominent social behavior abnormalities are autism spectrum disorders (ASD), which is characterized mainly by hyposociability, and Williams syndrome (WS), whose subjects exhibit hypersociability. Here we review the unique properties of social behavior in ASD and WS, and discuss the major theories in social behavior in the context of these disorders. We conclude with a discussion of the research questions needing further exploration to enhance our understanding of social behavior abnormalities