Diffusion of Revocation: The Movement Away from the Common Core State Standards

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS), released in 2010, represented a new push to standardize curriculum across states and to promote college and career readiness in schools. The federal government’s Race to the Top grant program indirectly created strong incentives for states to adopt the CCSS, and 45 states and the District of Columbia adopted the standards. Since their adoption, many states have shown signs of moving away from the CCSS through bills introduced in state legislatures and Indiana has recently become the first state to officially opt out of the Standards. This paper seeks to examine this movement away from the CCSS and to answer the following research question: what are the factors that are leading states to show signs of backing away from these standards that they have adopted? This paper addresses internal and external factors that could lead to this outcome, including states’ motivation to move away from the CCSS and the legislative obstacles that states may face in this process

Visitor Comments About Montana: 2012 Nonresident Survey

This report provdes an analysis of comments written by nonresident visitors to Montana in 2012. Eight general themes emerged from the comments. Nonresident visitors generally love Montana. Their experiences were positive, they enjoyed the scenery, open space, the friendly people, and they want to return. Full listing of all comments are provided in the appendix

Generation Z: Facts and Fictions

Libraries have long embraced service-oriented, user-centered approaches. Consider Ranganathan’s 1931 theory Five Laws of Library Science, which includes three clearly user-centered tenants (every reader his/her book, every book its reader, save the time of the reader) and two that arguably hint at a user-centered approach (books are for use, the library is a growing organism). Despite such early user-focused theories, early research into information seeking focused not on user needs and behaviors but on “the artifacts and venues of information seeking: books, journals, newspapers, [...] and the like”; this method of investigation persisted through the 1960s (Case, 2002, p. 6). The 1970s, however, heralded a shift toward user-centered investigations. Of particular influence was the work of Brenda Dervin, who challenged ten assumptions she determined dominated and distracted research concerning information seeking. While Dervin’s research focused on adult public library users and their general, everyday information needs, her ten assumptions resonated with academic libraries serving the more formalized information needs of the higher education student. Along with other like-minded researchers and practitioners, Dervin’s challenges of these “flawed” assumptions led to a paradigm shift in both library theory and practice. In the spirit of the ever-evolving library organism and in support of user-centered academic library services, resources, and spaces, the authors propose repurposing Dervin’s ten assumptions and challenges to better reflect and serve today’s traditional higher education student. Even a cursory glance at the literature concerning today’s traditional student will reveal stark differences in the information environment, practices, and behaviors of these students as compared to Dervin’s original population. The proposed study will focus on students entering higher education now--more specifically, the newly identified and emerging Generation Z. Loosely encompassing those born in the mid 1990s through 2010, Generation Z overlaps the Millennials; however, Generation Z can be distinguished from the Millennials in that its members have never lived in a “disconnected world.” The ubiquity of smart mobile devices with direct connections to multitudes of free web authoring services, online social networks, information outlets, and collaborative platforms empowers these students to consume and produce information in ways heretofore unimagined. Likewise, from SMS, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter to Google+ Hangouts, FaceTime, and Skype, this generation is developing an instinctive set of behaviors and expectations about information access, consumption, and creation. Such technologies allow content to be ever-changing, individualized, and personal, requiring students to develop critical skills to recognize and accommodate for these information characteristics. How exactly does this collaborative, individualized, evolving information environment affect Generation Z’s information seeking behaviors? More importantly, do the behaviors and expectations of this new generation call for a new approach to our so-called user-centered services? By examining the literature, conducting student surveys, and observing student behaviors, all through the lens of Dervin’s assumptions, the authors hope to define and challenge similar assumptions about and by Generation Z in order to realize the possible implications of such assumptions on our interactions with these students and the faculty we work with to serve them

The Librarians’ Guide to the Information Literacy Galaxy: Leading Campus Conversations

Sarah Richardson (Business Library Team Leader), Heather Beirne (Reference and Instruction Librarian), Ashley Cole (Reference and Instruction Librarian) and Trenia Napier (Associate Director, Programs & Outreach - Noel Studio for Academic Creativity) @ Eastern Kentucky University Situating librarians as information literacy experts and leaders in pedagogical best practices, presenters led a professional learning community (PLC) to create purposeful campus-wide conversations centered around the ACRL Framework and its place in teaching and learning. PLC faculty participants from across campus partnered with liaison librarians to create new and innovative approaches to developing discipline-specific information literacy skills. This presentation will share the format, unexpected outcomes, and anticipated changes for future iterations of the PLC. Participants will engage in group discussions about the opportunities and obstacles in leading similar campus information literacy initiatives and utilize Padlet to brainstorm take-aways. Participants will: identify opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborations within the context of the ACRL Framework develop strategies for situating librarians as pedagogical leaders in campus-wide information literacy conversations utilize established formats and mediums, such as teaching and learning centers or existing professional development venues, to reach facult

College Opportunity at Risk: An Assessment of the States — State Risk Assessments

A public compact for postsecondary education in the 21st century must have at its core a commitment to educational opportunity. The demands of the knowledge economy and modern democracy require that most Americans have the opportunity to develop critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and technological knowledge and skills

Training University Tutors to Work with Bilingual Students

The purpose of this project was to train university tutors to improve their support of bilingual students (ESL/ELL students). We developed an evidence-based training session that emphasizes university connectedness and cultural inclusion. This one-hour training included background information, tutoring tips, and time for discussion. The majority of tutors (44 out of 47) reported learning something helpful they could use when tutoring. While this intervention was specifically designed to target bilingual students, most evidence-based tips discussed here are applicable to all students. It is crucial to provide tutors with the skills and resources necessary to better connect with their students

Reductively Responsive siRNA-Conjugated Hydrogel Nanoparticles for Gene Silencing

A critical need still remains for effective delivery of RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics to target tissues and cells. Self-assembled lipid- and polymer-based systems have been most extensively explored for transfection with small interfering RNA (siRNA) in liver and cancer therapies. Safety and compatibility of materials implemented in delivery systems must be ensured to maximize therapeutic indices. Hydrogel nanoparticles of defined dimensions and compositions, prepared via a particle molding process that is a unique off-shoot of soft lithography known as PRINT (Particle Replication in Non-wetting Templates), were explored in these studies as delivery vectors. Initially, siRNA was encapsulated in particles through electrostatic association and physical entrapment. Dose-dependent gene silencing was elicited by PEGylated hydrogels at low siRNA doses without cytotoxicity. To prevent disassociation of cargo from particles after systemic administration or during post-fabrication processing for surface functionalization, a polymerizable siRNA pro-drug conjugate with a degradable, disulfide linkage was prepared. Triggered release of siRNA from the prodrug hydrogels was observed under a reducing environment while cargo retention and integrity were maintained under physiological conditions. Gene silencing efficiency and cytocompatibility were optimized by screening the amine content of the particles. When appropriate control siRNA cargos were loaded into hydrogels, gene knockdown was only encountered for hydrogels containing releasable, target-specific siRNAs, accompanied by minimal cell death. Further investigation into shape, size, and surface decoration of siRNA-conjugated hydrogels should enable efficacious targeted in vivo RNAi therapies

Gender essentialism and occupational segregation in insolvency practice

Advances towards egalitarianism in professional recruitment may be offset by processes of occupational re-segregation. Drawing on gender theory this paper investigates horizontal segregation in the UK insolvency profession, as revealed through the lived experiences of female and male practitioners. It is shown that horizontal segregation pervades at different levels of practice and is undergirded by various elements of gender essentialism. Physical essentialism explains why insolvency practice has been traditionally gendered male. Interactional essentialism combines with the management of work-life balance to define the subfields of corporate and personal insolvency as masculine and feminine respectively. Gender essentialist assumptions also pervade the distribution of roles and the allocation of work tasks. Networks are identified as arenas for the reproduction and perpetuation of occupational segregation. The findings indicate the continuing potency of gender in everyday professional life, the limitations of diversity-orientated policies and the complexities of formulating transformative agendas

Expression and Localization of Mitochondrial Ferritin mRNA in Alzheimer's Disease Cerebral Cortex

Mitochondrial ferritin (MtF) has been identified as a novel ferritin encoded by an intron-lacking gene with specific mitochondrial localization located on chromosome 5q23.1. MtF has been associated with neurodegenerative disorders such as Friedreich ataxia and restless leg syndrome. However, little information is available about MtF in Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study, therefore, we investigated the expression and localization of MtF messenger RNA (mRNA) in the cerebral cortex of AD and control cases using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as well as in situ hybridization histochemistry. We also examined protein expression using western-blot assay. In addition, we used in vitro methods to further explore the effect of oxidative stress and β-amyloid peptide (Aβ) on MtF expression. To do this we examined MtF mRNA and protein expression changes in the human neuroblastoma cell line, IMR-32, after treatment with Aβ, H2O2, or both. The neuroprotective effect of MtF on oxidative stress induced by H2O2 was measured by MTT assay. The in situ hybridization studies revealed that MtF mRNA was detected mainly in neurons to a lesser degree in glial cells in the cerebral cortex. The staining intensity and the number of positive cells were increased in the cerebral cortex of AD patients. Real-time PCR and western-blot confirmed that MtF expression levels in the cerebral cortex were significantly higher in AD cases than that in control cases at both the mRNA and the protein level. Cell culture experiments demonstrated that the expression of both MtF mRNA and protein were increased by treatment with H2O2 or a combination of Aβ and H2O2, but not with Aβ alone. Finally, MtF expression showed a significant neuroprotective effect against H2O2-induced oxidative stress (p<0.05). The present study suggests that MtF is involved in the pathology of AD and may play a neuroprotective role against oxidative stress

Hand pressures during arboreal locomotion in captive bonobos (Pan paniscus)

Evolution of the human hand has undergone a transition from use during locomotion to use primarily for manipulation. Previous comparative morphological and biomechanical studies have focused on potential changes in manipulative abilities during human hand evolution, but few have focused on functional signals for arboreal locomotion. Here, we provide this comparative context though the first analysis of hand loading in captive bonobos during arboreal locomotion. We quantify pressure experienced by the fingers, palm and thumb in bonobos during vertical locomotion, suspension and arboreal knuckle-walking. Results show that pressure experienced by the fingers is significantly higher during knuckle-walking compared with similar pressures experienced by the fingers and palm during suspensory and vertical locomotion. Peak pressure is most often experienced at or around the third digit in all locomotor modes. Pressure quantified for the thumb is either very low or absent, despite the thumb making contact with the substrate during all suspensory and vertical locomotor trials. Unlike chimpanzees, the bonobos do not show a rolling pattern of digit contact with the substrate during arboreal knuckle-walking but, instead, digits 3 and 4 typically touch down first and digit 5 almost always made contact with the substrate. These results have implications for interpreting extant and fossilised hand morphology; we expect bonobo (and chimpanzee) bony morphology to primarily reflect the biomechanical loading of knuckle-walking, while functional signals for arboreal locomotion in fossil hominins are most likely to appear in the fingers, particularly digit 3, and least likely to appear in the morphology of the thumb