Tracking Jesusa: Geographic Information Systems and Character Development in Hasta no verte, Jesús mío

This study examines the uses of mapping software and web tools to produce multimedia annotations of a literary work—in this case Hasta no verte, Jesús mío by Elena Poniatowska—to the end of strengthening student engagement with the text, and cultural and literary contexts. The authors, a professor and a student at Auburn University-Montgomery, photographed scenes of specific sites and landmarks mentioned in the novel, mapped them on Google Maps, then linked the sites with historic photos of the periods indicated in the novel, in preparation for creating a unique website

Associations of Adiponectin with Adiposity, Insulin Sensitivity, and Diet in Young, Healthy, Mexican Americans and Non-Latino White Adults.

Low circulating adiponectin levels may contribute to higher diabetes risk among Mexican Americans (MA) compared to non-Latino whites (NLW). Our objective was to determine if among young healthy adult MAs have lower adiponectin than NLWs, independent of differences in adiposity. In addition, we explored associations between adiponectin and diet. This was an observational, cross-sectional study of healthy MA and NLW adults living in Colorado (U.S.A.). We measured plasma total adiponectin, adiposity (BMI, and visceral adipose tissue), insulin sensitivity (IVGTT), and self-reported dietary intake in 43 MA and NLW adults. Mean adiponectin levels were 40% lower among MA than NLW (5.8 ± 3.3 vs. 10.7 ± 4.2 µg/mL, p = 0.0003), and this difference persisted after controlling for age, sex, BMI, and visceral adiposity. Lower adiponectin in MA was associated with lower insulin sensitivity (R² = 0.42, p < 0.01). Lower adiponectin was also associated with higher dietary glycemic index, lower intake of vegetables, higher intake of trans fat, and higher intake of grains. Our findings confirm that ethnic differences in adiponectin reflect differences in insulin sensitivity, but suggest that these are not due to differences in adiposity. Observed associations between adiponectin and diet support the need for future studies exploring the regulation of adiponectin by diet and other environmental factors

Techno-Invasion: Are Blackberries Blurring the Line Between Work and Home

This paper investigates the psychological costs of mandating information and communication technology (ICT), specifically Blackberries, in the workplace. Based on the literature on workfamily conflict and technostress, we explore whether Blackberries have caused workers to feel techno-invaded, thus interfering with the boundary between work and family. Using survey data from 76 workers at an eastern organization, we use regression analysis to test whether technoinvasion mediates the relationship between work-family conflict and work exhaustion. Results of the survey confirm that negative attitudes are arising from Blackberry usage. However, supplemental qualitative data counteracts this negative finding, suggesting that positive adjustments can advance the benefits of Blackberry usage while minimizing the costs. We end with implications for research and practice

Job Coaching: A Means to Reduce Unemployment and Underemployment in the Deaf Community

Historically, vocational rehabilitation approaches to assisting deaf people to succeed in employment have been lacking. This contributes to unemployment and underemployment among the deaf community. This article discusses barriers to employment experienced by deaf people, the traditional role of vocational rehabilitation services, and service gaps related to job retention and advancement. A model for the provision of job coach services is provided that calls for the coach to be a member of a team providing routine ongoing services. Current and future efforts to develop coach training opportunities are described as well

Annual Survey of Virginia Law: Property Law

This article reviews selected judicial decisions and legislation affecting real property law in Virginia during the past year. Part I discusses some of the more significant cases decided by the Supreme Court of Virginia. Part II discusses some of this year\u27s most significant legislation enacted by the Virginia General Assembly

Losing the Battle: Student and Instructor Perspectives on Attention Loss in the Classroom

Because Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) provide many advantages, such as increasing effectiveness and efficiency, they are becoming extremely common in the classroom. However, alongside these advantages, ICTs have also become a big distraction for many students, thus causing students to use ICTs to slack. Through surveying students and interviewing instructors, we examined two different points of view on whether the presence of ICT causes student’s to lose their attention in the class. We found that the presence of ICTs does have a negative effect on student’s attention, and this loss of attention occurs most often during PowerPoint lectures. We conclude with practical implication and suggestions for remedying slacking in the classroom

THE EFFECTS OF TEACHERS’ ATTITUDES, BEHAVIORS, AND SKILLS ON CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING AND THE MULTICULTURAL CURRICULUM: AN ACTION RESEARCH STUDY OF A CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT GUIDE IN AN ELEMENTARY CLASSROOM

Today’s students are more ethnically diverse than ever, but are taught by teachers who are a majority white. In response to this cultural mismatch, teachers are adopting innovative practices such as culturally responsive teaching. This qualitative research study utilized participatory action research to examine the perceived culturally responsive attitudes, behaviors, and skills of teachers. Next, this research study examined how teachers operationalized culturally responsive teaching and how the culturally responsive teaching professional development guide informed teachers of their culturally responsive practice. Specifically, through three observations of each participant using the theoretical culturally responsive teaching professional development guide individual participant interviews, culturally responsive attitudes, behaviors, and skills were observed and discussed. The theoretical culturally responsive teaching professional development guide was developed from a synthesis of scholarly culturally responsive literature and research. During two focus group meetings the participants revised the theoretical culturally responsive teaching professional development guide into a teacher-friendly culturally responsive teaching tool. Then a semantic analysis was conducted to ensure the participants’ revisions maintained the integrity of the theoretical culturally responsive teaching professional development guide. Resulting from this research study are findings that teachers’ voices should be utilized to create culturally responsive teaching tools, and there is a need for culturally responsive professional development for teachers and administrators

Climate change influences foliar nutrition and metabolism of red maple (Acer rubrum) trees in a northern hardwood forest

© The Author(s), 2022. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Blagden, M., Harrison, J. L., Minocha, R., Sanders-DeMott, R., Long, S., & Templer, P. H. Climate change influences foliar nutrition and metabolism of red maple (Acer rubrum) trees in a northern hardwood forest. Ecosphere, 13(2), (2022): e03859. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3859.Mean annual air temperatures are projected to increase, while the winter snowpack is expected to shrink in depth and duration for many mid- and high-latitude temperate forest ecosystems over the next several decades. Together, these changes will lead to warmer growing season soil temperatures and an increased frequency of soil freeze–thaw cycles (FTCs) in winter. We took advantage of the Climate Change Across Seasons Experiment (CCASE) at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, USA, to determine how these changes in soil temperature affect foliar nitrogen (N) and carbon metabolism of red maple (Acer rubrum) trees in 2015 and 2017. Earlier work from this study revealed a similar increase in foliar N concentrations with growing season soil warming, with or without the occurrence of soil FTCs in winter. However, these changes in soil warming could differentially affect the availability of cellular nutrients, concentrations of primary and secondary metabolites, and the rates of photosynthesis that are all responsive to climate change. We found that foliar concentrations of phosphorus (P), potassium (K), N, spermine (a polyamine), amino acids (alanine, histidine, and phenylalanine), chlorophyll, carotenoids, sucrose, and rates of photosynthesis increased with growing season soil warming. Despite similar concentrations of foliar N with soil warming with and without soil FTCs in winter, winter soil FTCs affected other foliar metabolic responses. The combination of growing season soil warming and winter soil FTCs led to increased concentrations of two polyamines (putrescine and spermine) and amino acids (alanine, proline, aspartic acid, γ-aminobutyric acid, valine, leucine, and isoleucine). Treatment-specific metabolic changes indicated that while responses to growing season warming were more connected to their role as growth modulators, soil warming + FTC treatment-related effects revealed their dual role in growth and stress tolerance. Together, the results of this study demonstrate that growing season soil warming has multiple positive effects on foliar N and cellular metabolism in trees and that some of these foliar responses are further modified by the addition of stress from winter soil FTCs.This research was supported by an NSF Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Grant to Hubbard Brook (NSF 1114804 and 1637685) and an NSF CAREER grant to PHT (NSF DEB1149929). RSD was supported by NSF DGE0947950, a Boston University (BU) Dean's Fellowship, and the BU Program in Biogeoscience. Jamie Harrison was supported by a BU Dean's Fellowship. Megan Blagden was supported by a BU Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program fellowship. This manuscript is a contribution to the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study. Hubbard Brook is part of the LTER network, which is supported by the NSF

School holiday food provision in the UK: a qualitative investigation of needs, benefits, and potential for development

Access to an adequate supply of nutritious food has been recognized as a basic human right. However, many families across the UK face food insecurity, which is thought to be exacerbated during school holidays. To address this issue, some schools and community groups have chosen to roll out holiday clubs, though research into the effectiveness of such interventions is limited and no studies to date have evaluated holiday clubs being organized through schools. In an effort to address some of the limitations in the research literature, the current qualitative investigation utilized semi-structured interviews with staff involved in holiday clubs in school and community venues with the aim of gaging their views on the need for and benefits of holiday food provision in addition to potential areas for development. The investigation revealed that staff perceived many families to be facing food insecurity and isolation during the school holidays, which may be alleviated through holiday club provision. Holiday clubs were viewed as a valuable source of support for children and adults, providing food, activities, and learning experiences. Staff were keen to see them implemented on a wider scale in future but suggested some areas that require attention in any future development of such provision. Findings are discussed in relation to current research, policy, and practice surrounding the health and wellbeing of children and families