St. Cloud State University\u27s Impact on the Local Economy (June 1987)

Economic impact of St. Cloud State on the city of St. Cloud

The Economic Impact of St. Cloud State University on the Local Economy (June 1993)

Economic impact of St. Cloud State on the city of St. Cloud

Mapping the Impacts of COVID-19 on the Work-Life Balance of Academic Librarians Who Are Parents of School-Aged Children

Objective: Academic librarians at three public universities in the Southern United States who are parents of school-aged children have experienced changes in their work, parenting, and the balance between them during the lockdowns, quarantines, and closures necessitated by the current pandemic. Many librarians have been affected by these conditions, and there are variations in the support and guidance provided by institutions, and the impact of governmental policies. Methods: To begin, we selected a purposive sample of 11 public, SACS-accredited universities from the 11 states in the Southeastern U.S. We compiled university policies related to the Federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and other institutional support made available to librarians and other faculty and staff. Since leave policies have been updated since FFCRA provisions ended on December 31, 2020, we compared archived policies with policies in effect in 2021. We reviewed the text of these policies to determine how FFCRA was applied, and whether any other provisions were made for working parents after FFCRA ended. In order to see how these policies were applied in practice, we surveyed librarians at the selected institutions. Results: Our results from the policy review are presented as an interactive table with links to available policy sites. For each institution, it shows whether a guidance page on FFCRA was available in 2020, whether there was an extension of leave after the federal act expired, information on leave specifically related to school closures; and whether policies applied to parents who chose to keep children out of school. As of May 2021, we have received survey responses from seven states. Themes have been drawn from the open-ended answers we have received so far, and several relevant quotes have been broken out to authentically express the experiences of the participants. Discussion: There have been positive and negative impacts resulting from the leave policies, and remote and flexible work arrangements that were implemented in response to the pandemic. Many participants observed a breakdown of boundaries between work and family time, and frequent interruptions to their work. However, most participants were not concerned that promotion or tenure would be impacted, due to policies implemented by their institutions. Participants also indicated that flexible leave policies are well received and have made it possible for them to learn new skills and remain productive

Nonlinear Competition Between Small and Large Hexagonal Patterns

Recent experiments by Kudrolli, Pier and Gollub on surface waves, parametrically excited by two-frequency forcing, show a transition from a small hexagonal standing wave pattern to a triangular ``superlattice'' pattern. We show that generically the hexagons and the superlattice wave patterns bifurcate simultaneously from the flat surface state as the forcing amplitude is increased, and that the experimentally-observed transition can be described by considering a low-dimensional bifurcation problem. A number of predictions come out of this general analysis.Comment: 4 pages, RevTex, revised, to appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Can You Credit This? A Credit-Bearing Information Literacy Course for Graduate Health Science Students

Objective: University of Florida HSCL librarians have long offered information-related instruction through guest lectures in the programs they serve and stand-alone workshops; however, librarians had not taught any credit-bearing courses focused on information literacy prior to 2016. To more fully integrate information-related skills into curricula, librarians developed a one-credit course for graduate students, initially targeting those in basic science programs but expecting that its modular format would allow easy adaptation for other health science programs. After two successful semesters teaching this course, librarians adapted the instructional content to an audience of graduate students in the College of Public Health and Health Professions. Methods: The basic science version of the course covered literature searching, bibliographic citation software, basic NCBI resources, funding sources, data management, and information ethics. In transforming the class for health professional students, librarians replaced the genetic and genomic resources sessions with introductory sessions on systematic reviews and grey literature. Conceptual material fit mapped well to the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Information Literacy Framework. Health professions PhD program coordinators provided feedback on the syllabus and helped inform students about the course. Results: Formal student evaluation data is not yet available; however, informal feedback indicated that the course was incredibly valuable for doctoral students; one student even suggested making the course required. Student quiz scores and class discussion revealed that the choice of topics resonated with students, captured their interests, and fulfilled a need not met by their other courses. Conclusions: Developing and teaching a credit-bearing graduate course on information-related topics is one mechanism for librarians to further integrate into the curricula of their programs and broaden their reach. A course that has been developed and approved by a specific campus unit may prove relevant to other units and easily customized to fit their needs, thus increasing its impact

Neuropsychological Assessment, Neuroimaging, and Neuropsychiatric Evaluation in Pediatric and Adult Patients with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD)

Traditionally, neuropsychological deficits due to Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) have been understudied in adults. We have begun to suspect, however, that symptomatic and asymptomatic Cerebrovascular Events (CVE) may account for an alarming number of deficits in this population. In the current brief review, we critically evaluated the pediatric and adult literatures on the neurocognitive effects of SCD. We highlighted the studies that have been published on this topic and posit that early detection of CVE via neurocognitive testing, neuropsychiatric evaluations, and neuroimaging may significantly reduce adult cognitive and functional morbidities

Lake sedimentary DNA accurately records 20th Century introductions of exotic conifers in Scotland

Summary:Sedimentary DNA (sedDNA) has recently emerged as a new proxy for reconstructing past vegetation, but its taphonomy, source area and representation biases need better assessment. We investigated how sedDNA in recent sediments of two small Scottish lakes reflects a major vegetation change, using well-documented 20th Century plantations of exotic conifers as an experimental system. We used next-generation sequencing to barcode sedDNA retrieved from subrecent lake sediments. For comparison, pollen was analysed from the same samples. The sedDNA record contains 73 taxa (mainly genus or species), all but one of which are present in the study area. Pollen and sedDNA shared 35% of taxa, which partly reflects a difference in source area. More aquatic taxa were recorded in sedDNA, whereas taxa assumed to be of regional rather than local origin were recorded only as pollen. The chronology of the sediments and planting records are well aligned, and sedDNA of exotic conifers appears in high quantities with the establishment of plantations around the lakes. SedDNA recorded other changes in local vegetation that accompanied afforestation. There were no signs of DNA leaching in the sediments or DNA originating from pollen