Evaluation of the Beacon Community Centers Middle School Initiative: Report on the First Year

Evaluates the first year of an initiative to provide structured after-school and summer programs for fifth- through eighth-graders. Examines the centers' adaptation to the new focus, enrollment and participation levels, and implementation of core goals

How Trust in Commercial Airline Pilots is Affected by Their Perceived Sociability: A Mediation Analysis

Sociability relates to one’s preference to interact with others or remain alone. The current study sought to determine how a pilot’s perceived sociability would relate to consumers’ trust ratings in their pilot using participants from India and the United States. Consumers were presented with one of two scenarios. In the control condition, the pilot was described as sociable, while in the other, the pilot was presented as unsociable. Participants were then asked to rate their trust in the pilot based off of these cues. In general, participants indicated that the pilot who was perceived as unsociable was less trusting compared to the pilot that was perceived as sociable. Americans tended to be more extreme in their trust ratings of the pilots than those participants from India. Finally, affect measures were also collected, and it was found that affect completely mediated the relationship between the sociable/unsociable conditions and trust ratings

Quantitative pharmacologic MRI: Mapping the cerebral blood volume response to cocaine in dopamine transporter knockout mice

The use of pharmacologic MRI (phMRI) in mouse models of brain disorders allows noninvasive in vivo assessment of drug-modulated local cerebral blood volume changes (ΔCBV) as one correlate of neuronal and neurovascular activities. In this report, we employed CBV-weighted phMRI to compare cocaine-modulated neuronal activity in dopamine transporter (DAT) knockout (KO) and wild-typemice. Cocaine acts to block the dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin transporters (DAT, NET, and SERT) that clear their respective neurotransmitters from the synapses, helping to terminate cognate neurotransmission. Cocaine consistently reduced CBV, with a similar pattern of regional ΔCBV in brain structures involved inmediating reward in both DAT genotypes. The largest effects (−20% to −30% ΔCBV) were seen in the nucleus accumbens and several cortical regions. Decreasing response amplitudes to cocaine were noted in more posterior components of the cortico-mesolimbic circuit. DAT KO mice had significantly attenuated ΔCBV amplitudes, shortened times to peak response, and reduced response duration in most regions. This study demonstrates that DAT knockout does not abolish the phMRI responses to cocaine, suggesting that adaptations to loss of DAT and/or retained cocaine activity in other monoamine neurotransmitter systems underlie these responses in DAT KO mice

A Comparison of E-book and Print Book Discovery, Preferences and Usage by Science and Engineering Faculty and Graduate Students at the University of Kansas

See below for the accompanying dataset and the survey instrument used to collect the data.The availability of science and technology e-books through the University of Kansas Libraries is growing rapidly through approval plans, e-book packages, and electronic demand-driven acquisitions. Based on informal conversations with faculty, questions still lingered as to the acceptance of books in the electronic format by faculty and graduate students in the STEM disciplines. To learn more about book format preferences, a survey was distributed via e-mail to 1,898 faculty and graduate students in science and technology at the University of Kansas. The survey included questions focused on print book use, e-book use, format preferences, and demographics. A majority of the 357 respondents indicated a preference for print books indicating many of the oft-repeated comments about the disadvantages of reading books on a computer. Patrons using tablets were more inclined to access e-books. The survey indicated a continuing need to purchase books in both print and electronic formats, and to market the availability of e-books to University of Kansas patrons

Much Ado about Nothing - Why Desert Palace Neither Murdered McDonnell Douglas nor Transformed All Employment Discrimination Cases to Mixed-Motive Essay.

Abstract Forthcoming

¹⁴C AMS at SUERC: improving QA data from the 5 MV tandem AMS and 250 kV SSAMS

In 2003, a National Electrostatics Corporation (NEC) 5MV tandem accelerator mass spectrometer was installed at SUERC, providing the radiocarbon laboratory with 14C measurements to 4–5‰ repeatability. In 2007, a 250kV single-stage accelerator mass spectrometer (SSAMS) was added to provide additional 14C capability and is now the preferred system for 14C analysis. Changes to the technology and to our operations are evident in our copious quality assurance data: typically, we now use the 134-position MC-SNICS source, which is filled to capacity. Measurement of standards shows that spectrometer running without the complication of on-line δ13C evaluation is a good operational compromise. Currently, 3‰ 14C/13C measurements are routinely achieved for samples up to nearly 3 half-lives old by consistent sample preparation and an automated data acquisition algorithm with sample random access for measurement repeats. Background and known-age standard data are presented for the period 2003–2008 for the 5MV system and 2007–2008 for the SSAMS, to demonstrate the improvements in data quality

Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Products: The Emperor Has No Clothes - Pretext Plus Is Alive and Kicking.

Before the Supreme Court’s decision in Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Products, Inc., the Fifth Circuit’s en banc decision in Rhodes v. Guiberson Oil Tools established the proper standard of causation in employment discrimination cases. The plaintiff must prove his or her protected trait was the “determinative reason” for the challenged employment action. Following Reeves, which appeared to overrule Rhodes and the doctrine of pretext plus, the Fifth Circuit struggled with the causation question. Despite the apparent confusion, the Fifth Circuit has largely reaffirmed not only its commitment to the Rhodes pretext-plus analysis, but also the determinative-reason standard for pretext cases. In order to avoid summary judgment, employment plaintiffs are required to introduce sufficient evidence from which a reasonable jury could find employment discrimination. Reeves is not the watershed case many have proclaimed it to be, it merely disapproved of one circuit court panel’s review of the sufficiency of the evidence supporting a jury’s verdict in a single case. Reeves is merely a recitation of St. Mary’s Honor Center v. Hicks concept of “pretext plus,” as such, Rhodes remains good law in the Fifth Circuit. Furthermore, its “determinative-reason” standard of causation in discrimination cases also continues to be valid. Yet, the Fifth Circuit has reconfirmed both concepts. In light of this analysis, the only thing which can truly be said of Reeves is that it was poorly written, as it does nothing to articulate any new theory of law and offers little to clarify any existing law. Notwithstanding Reeves’s alleged overruling of pretext plus, the Court bungled the concept of pretext plus, and by association clearly established employment law concerning plaintiff’s burden of proof. Therefore, as implicitly recognized by subsequent opinions, the Court’s confusing opinion in Reeves adds nothing to the fabric of employment law

Much Ado about Nothing - Why Desert Palace Neither Murdered McDonnell Douglas nor Transformed All Employment Discrimination Cases to Mixed-Motive Essay.

Abstract Forthcoming

Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Products: The Emperor Has No Clothes - Pretext Plus Is Alive and Kicking.

Before the Supreme Court’s decision in Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Products, Inc., the Fifth Circuit’s en banc decision in Rhodes v. Guiberson Oil Tools established the proper standard of causation in employment discrimination cases. The plaintiff must prove his or her protected trait was the “determinative reason” for the challenged employment action. Following Reeves, which appeared to overrule Rhodes and the doctrine of pretext plus, the Fifth Circuit struggled with the causation question. Despite the apparent confusion, the Fifth Circuit has largely reaffirmed not only its commitment to the Rhodes pretext-plus analysis, but also the determinative-reason standard for pretext cases. In order to avoid summary judgment, employment plaintiffs are required to introduce sufficient evidence from which a reasonable jury could find employment discrimination. Reeves is not the watershed case many have proclaimed it to be, it merely disapproved of one circuit court panel’s review of the sufficiency of the evidence supporting a jury’s verdict in a single case. Reeves is merely a recitation of St. Mary’s Honor Center v. Hicks concept of “pretext plus,” as such, Rhodes remains good law in the Fifth Circuit. Furthermore, its “determinative-reason” standard of causation in discrimination cases also continues to be valid. Yet, the Fifth Circuit has reconfirmed both concepts. In light of this analysis, the only thing which can truly be said of Reeves is that it was poorly written, as it does nothing to articulate any new theory of law and offers little to clarify any existing law. Notwithstanding Reeves’s alleged overruling of pretext plus, the Court bungled the concept of pretext plus, and by association clearly established employment law concerning plaintiff’s burden of proof. Therefore, as implicitly recognized by subsequent opinions, the Court’s confusing opinion in Reeves adds nothing to the fabric of employment law

Laboratory And Field Assessment Of Some Kairomone Blends For Host-Seeking \u3ci\u3eAedes Aegypti\u3c/i\u3e

Using laboratory Y-tube olfactometers, the attractiveness of lactic acid and 2 kairomone blends from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and BioGents GmbH (BG) was assessed for attractiveness to Aedes aegypti. Four geographically disparate populations were assessed: North Queensland Australia (NQA), Florida USA, Minas Gerais Brazil (MGB), and Singapore. In descending order, populations were attracted to USE)A, BG blends, and lactic acid. MGB was poorly attracted to lactic acid alone. The blends were less attractive than human odor. Proprietary blends were modified, and their attractiveness was assessed to find the optimum attractive mixture for NQA. Adding acetone to BG, and ammonia and caproic acid to USDA, improved attractiveness in the laboratory. Field attractiveness was assessed by coupling the blends with a newly developed BG-Sentinel Ae. aegypti trap. Trials were carried out using the BG blend, BG blend plus acetone, USDA blend, USDA blend plus ammonia and caproic acid, and a control trap with no kairomones. The traps were highly effective, with mean 24-h collections up to 11.15 Ae. aegypti per trap, and this species made up 91.7% of collections. However, the effectiveness of the unbaited control trap indicated that the BG-Sentinel has visual attractive properties for Ae. aegypti and that the kairomone lures added little to trap performance in NQA