Tips for Getting Started Accessing Data: Available Data on Housing for Nebraska

We are a national mission-driven financial institution that creates opportunity for underserved people and places through partnerships. We marshal the capital, analytics, and expertise necessary to build strong, healthy, and more equitable communities. Since 1985, Reinvestment Fund has made $2.7 billion in cumulative investments and loans. We are supported by 830 investors that include individuals, foundations, religious institutions, financial institutions, civic organizations and government

Personal Inquiry: lessons learned

The paper describes a school trial carried out to support inquiry learning between formal and informal settings supported by personal mobile technology. The aim of the school trial was to explore how a first version of the PI Toolkit facilitates secondary school students in performing a personally relevant scientific inquiry both in a science classroom as well as at home. An analysis of classroom video and interviews has resulted in a set of incidents from which we have derived design guidelines and challenges for implementing technology-supported inquiry learning where personal technology is used and within which personally relevant investigations are conducted by students

Herbicide-Resistant Soybeans in Arkansas: Lessons Learned and Future Direction

In Arkansas Delta soybean production, glyphosate resistant (GR) Palmer amaranth has significantly impacted weed management. The incidence of herbicide resistant (HR) weeds has farreaching crop science, economic, and communications implications, which have been explored by the corresponding expertise of our research team members to form a comprehensive literature review. The review was used to develop policy recommendations to address current and future HR genetically modified (GM) crop use and the associated issues. The review of crop science research indicated an overall increase in herbicide application, as well as an increase in weed management programs focused around glyphosate rather than the application of multiple herbicides. The review also revealed some management methods have potential to resolve the problem, including alternating herbicide application, avoiding sub-lethal rates, using “burn down” herbicides prior to planting, crop rotation, tillage, and zero tolerance weed policies. The use of fewer herbicides rather than multiple types creates a monopolistic edge for the companies producing those few herbicides, allowing greater market control. Crisis communication methods, including developing internal readiness, conducting needs assessments, developing a relevant message, and conveying the message through appropriate channels, can be used to develop a response to the issue that will best communicate necessary information to the target audience. The team used these findings to formulate policy recommendations, which include management, economic, and communication plans that may provide a starting point to address the issue

Digital Opportunities Within the Aboriginal Teacher Education Program: A Study of Preservice Teachers' Attitudes and Proficiency in Technology Integration

This article explores changes that occurred in preservice teachers' thinking about the use of educational technology in a post-secondary, Aboriginal, elementary teacher education program. The research explores relationships associated with changes in preservice teachers' attitudes and perceived proficiency with technology integration. Quantitative results indicate significant increases in several attitude constructs as well as overall computer proficiency over the course of the project. Supplemental qualitative analysis reveals participants' perception of technology integration as a contributing factor in this positive change. The findings from this study represent a research effort to better prepare teachers to meet the educational needs of Aboriginal students in a 21st century context. Cet article explore l’évolution dans les idées des stagiaires quant à l’emploi des technologies éducatives dans un programme postsecondaire de formation pour enseignants autochtones à l’élémentaire. La recherche porte sur des rapports associés aux changements dans les attitudes des stagiaires et leur perception de leur compétence relative à l’intégration technologique. Les résultats quantitatifs révèlent des augmentations significatives tant dans les attitudes que la compétence technologique globale au cours du projet. Une analyse qualitative supplémentaire indique que la perception des participants quant à l’intégration technologique constitue un facteur contributif dans ce changement positif. Les résultats de cette étude représentent un effort de recherche visant une meilleure préparation des enseignants de sorte à répondre aux besoins pédagogiques des étudiants autochtones au 21e siècle

The importance of scale in the development of ecosystem service indicators?

Understanding the interactions between ecosystems and their underlying environmental constraints, the services which they provide, and the people benefiting from those services, are essential for the effective management and sustainability of socio-ecosystems (ecosystems which support and are impacted upon by humans). Ecosystem service (ES) indicators attempt to provide a means of measuring service provision, but the scale at which they are developed is likely to impact on how they can be used to influence the effective management of socio-ecosystems. This paper compares science and practice in the development of service measures at contrasting scales in: (a) an active research project, focused on local catchment management to improve water quality at Loweswater in the English Lake District, and (b) a science-based study developing national scale indicators of water quality using the Countryside Survey dataset. The paper explores different approaches taken towards the production of ecological measures, which inform on either single or multiple ES delivery across the land/water interface, dependent on scale. It considers how scale impacts on the process of gathering data and on the types of data which can contribute to ES indicators. It further reflects on how service indicators representing different scales of study may be used and by whom. Local scales, in this case the catchment scale, provide a valuable socio-ecological unit for exploring ES delivery, but the extent to which ecosystem service indicators may be used by local actors is uncertain. Larger scale studies may be confined to single services by virtue of data availability but can provide useful policy tools for targeting action. The paper concludes that ‘scale’ is an important consideration when developing ES indicators. It also concludes that questions around the utility of such indicators should consider the relevance of scale and how it relates to governance

Commissioning ShARCS: the Shane Adaptive optics infraRed Camera-Spectrograph for the Lick Observatory 3-m telescope

We describe the design and first-light early science performance of the Shane Adaptive optics infraRed Camera-Spectrograph (ShARCS) on Lick Observatory's 3-m Shane telescope. Designed to work with the new ShaneAO adaptive optics system, ShARCS is capable of high-efficiency, diffraction-limited imaging and low-dispersion grism spectroscopy in J, H, and K-bands. ShARCS uses a HAWAII-2RG infrared detector, giving high quantum efficiency (>80%) and Nyquist sampling the diffraction limit in all three wavelength bands. The ShARCS instrument is also equipped for linear polarimetry and is sensitive down to 650 nm to support future visible-light adaptive optics capability. We report on the early science data taken during commissioning.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures. Presented at SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation conference, paper 9148-11

The Association between Y-Balance and the Delos Postural Proprioceptive System in Professional Basketball Players

Background/Purpose: Lower extremity injury is common in professional basketball. The Y-Balance Test (YBT) and the Delos Postural Proprioceptive System (DPPS) have been purported to assess dynamic postural control and balance, which has been associated with injury in elite athletics. It has been reported that performance on balance assessments is influenced by many factors that include mobility, strength, and proprioception. The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the relationship between DPPS and YBT performance in professional basketball players. Methods: 13 professional basketball players (age=25.5 yrs +/- 3.9, height = 2.00 m +/- .079 weight = 99.89 kg +/- 12.38, BMI = 24.66 +/- 1.89) participated. YBT and Delos Measurements were completed as part of preseason mobility screening prior to the 2018-19 NBA season. A Friedman’s ANOVA was used to investigate the differences between the DPPS and YBT, using individuals scoring below 1SD on both the static and dynamic Delos cutoff score (90) for both left and right lower extremities. The ICC was used to investigate the relationship between (right or left) dynamic and static Delos scores to scores on the respective y-balance test. Results: The Delos Static and Dynamic tests for the right side were statistically different than the YBT composite scores. The ICC for the Delos static (right) score was -.910 and the Delos dynamic (right) score was -.999 with a 95% confidence interval from -7.127 to .962 (F(2,10)=.671,p Conclusion: This exploratory study suggests that the direct correlation between the YBT and the DPPS should be further investigated. The YBT may be an assessment that is more sensitive to factors related to strength and mobility while the DPPS may be more representative of proprioceptive function. Clinical Relevance: Balance and mobility is influenced by many factors. Understanding the association between the Delos and Y-Balance can give clinicians a better understanding of the utility and value these assessments when working with elite athletes.https://ecommons.udayton.edu/dpt_symposium/1001/thumbnail.jp

Genome-Wide Analyses for Osteosarcoma in Leonberger Dogs Reveal the CDKN2A/B Gene Locus as a Major Risk Locus

Dogs represent a unique spontaneous cancer model. Osteosarcoma (OSA) is the most common primary bone tumor in dogs (OMIA 001441-9615), and strongly resembles human forms of OSA. Several large- to giant-sized dog breeds, including the Leonberger, have a greatly increased risk of developing OSA. We performed genome-wide association analysis with high-density imputed SNP genotype data from 273 Leonberger cases with a median age of 8.1 [3.1–13.5] years and 365 controls older than eight years. This analysis revealed significant associations at the CDKN2A/B gene locus on canine chromosome 11, mirroring previous findings in other dog breeds, such as the greyhound, that also show an elevated risk for OSA. Heritability (h2SNP) was determined to be 20.6% (SE = 0.08; p-value = 5.7 × 10−4) based on a breed prevalence of 20%. The 2563 SNPs across the genome accounted for nearly all the h2SNP of OSA, with 2183 SNPs of small effect, 316 SNPs of moderate effect, and 64 SNPs of large effect. As with many other cancers it is likely that regulatory, non-coding variants underlie the increased risk for cancer development. Our findings confirm a complex genetic basis of OSA, moderate heritability, and the crucial role of the CDKN2A/B locus leading to strong cancer predisposition in dogs. It will ultimately be interesting to study and compare the known genetic loci associated with canine OSA in human OSA

Serious mismatches continue between science and policy in forest bioenergy

Abstract In recent years, the production of pellets derived from forestry biomass to replace coal for electricity generation has been increasing, with over 10 million tonnes traded internationally?primarily between United States and Europe but with an increasing trend to Asia. Critical to this trade is the classification of woody biomass as ?renewable energy? and thus eligible for public subsidies. However, much scientific study on the net effect of this trend suggests that it is having the opposite effect to that expected of renewable energy, by increasing atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide for substantial periods of time. This review, based on recent work by Europe's Academies of Science, finds that current policies are failing to recognize that removing forest carbon stocks for bioenergy leads to an initial increase in emissions. Moreover, the periods during which atmospheric CO2 levels are raised before forest regrowth can reabsorb the excess emissions are incompatible with the urgency of reducing emissions to comply with the objectives enshrined in the Paris Agreement. We consider how current policy might be reformed to reduce negative impacts on climate and argue for a more realistic science-based assessment of the potential of forest bioenergy in substituting for fossil fuels. The length of time atmospheric concentrations of CO2 increase is highly dependent on the feedstocks and we argue for regulations to explicitly require these to be sources with short payback periods. Furthermore, we describe the current United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change accounting rules which allow imported biomass to be treated as zero emissions at the point of combustion and urge their revision to remove the risk of these providing incentives to import biomass with negative climate impacts. Reforms such as these would allow the industry to evolve to methods and scales which are more compatible with the basic purpose for which it was designed.Non peer reviewe