Statistical Reporting of American Library Developments by the Federal Government

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Letter From Anne Schick Hall to Eleanor Snell, April 13, 1970

This letter from Anne Schick, Ursinus College Class of 1957, congratulates Eleanor Snell on the occasion of her retirement from Ursinus College.https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/snell_docs/1065/thumbnail.jp

Retention and performance during COVID-19: Prosociality perception, social isolation, and online engagement

The experiences of university students impacted by COVID-19 and circumstances surrounding their experiences, help inform the future of higher education in the United States. In the uncertain and rapidly evolving higher education system, understanding retention patterns of students has become increasingly complex. This study examined how self-perceived prosociality and self-perceived social isolation among university students in an online education environment relate to the intention to re-enroll in university and their academic achievement (Grade Point Average; GPA). Ninety-seven university and community college students completed an online survey. Based on previous literature, we expected women to report higher prosociality perceptions than men (e.g., Mavroveli & Sánchez-Ruiz, 2011; Ruckmani & Balachandra, 2015). We also expected online engagement to mediate the relationships between prosociality perceptions and GPA and retention intention, and between social isolation and GPA and retention intention, respectively. Except for the gender differences hypothesis, all other study hypotheses were not supported. Areas for future research include additional changes in higher education and student stressors. This study adds to the literature bridging educational and psychological research and highlights areas of potential growth for college students’ academic performance

Measurement of Protein in Nearshore Marine Sediments

Proteinaceous material in marine sediments which is available to proteolytic hydrolysis has been measured using a new method. This technique utilizes Coomassie Blue dye binding, which has the advantage of being sensitive only to larger polypeptides. Substantial interferences from other sedmentary organic substances are overcome by using a standard additions approach in conjunction with enzymatic digestion of the protein. Although tedious, the technique provides acceptable precision and accuracy. Measurements of protein in surficial nearshore sediments of the Gulf of Maine and St. Croix yield values ranging from 0.1 to 2.2 mg g-1, which account for a minor fraction of total nitrogen or acid-hydrolyzable amino acids. Protein decreases downcore at a faster rate than either of these 2 indicators of nitrogenous material, indicating the greater lability of the truly proteinaceous material. Biomass comprises a minor portion of the measured protein

Line tensions, correlation lengths, and critical exponents in lipid membranes near critical points

Membranes containing a wide variety of ternary mixtures of high chain-melting temperature lipids, low chain-melting temperature lipids, and cholesterol undergo lateral phase separartion into coexisting liquid phases at a miscibility transition. When membranes are prepared from a ternary lipid mixture at a critical composition, they pass through a miscibility critical point at the transition temperature. Since the critical temperature is typically on the order of room temperature, membranes provide an unusual opportunity in which to perform a quantitative study of biophysical systems that exhibit critical phenomena in the two-dimensional Ising universality class. As a critical point is approached from either high or low temperature, the scale of fluctuations in lipid composition, set by the correlation length, diverges. In addition, as a critical point is approached from low temperature, the line tension between coexisting phases decreases to zero. Here we quantitatively evaluate the temperature dependence of line tension between liquid domains and of fluctuation correlation lengths in lipid membranes in order to extract a critical exponent, nu. We obtain nu=1.2 plus or minus 0.2, consistent with the Ising model prediction nu=1. We also evaluate the probability distributions of pixel intensities in fluoresence images of membranes. From the temperature dependence of these distributions above the critical temperature, we extract an independent critical exponent beta=0.124 plus or minus 0.03 which is consistent with the Ising prediction of beta=1/8.Comment: 22 pages, 7 figure

Experimental Acute Exposure to Thirdhand Smoke and Changes in the Human Nasal Epithelial Transcriptome: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance:No previous studies have shown that acute inhalation of thirdhand smoke (THS) activates stress and survival pathways in the human nasal epithelium. Objective:To evaluate gene expression in the nasal epithelium of nonsmoking women following acute inhalation of clean air and THS. Design, Setting, and Participants:Nasal epithelium samples were obtained from participants in a randomized clinical trial (2011-2015) on the health effects of inhaled THS. In a crossover design, participants were exposed, head only, to THS and to conditioned, filtered air in a laboratory setting. The order of exposures was randomized and exposures were separated by at least 21 days. Ribonucleic acid was obtained from a subset of 4 healthy, nonsmoking women. Exposures:By chance, women in the subset were randomized to receive clean air exposure first and THS exposure second. Exposures lasted 3 hours. Main Outcomes and Measures:Differentially expressed genes were identified using RNA sequencing with a false-discovery rate less than 0.1. Results:Participants were 4 healthy, nonsmoking women aged 27 to 49 years (mean [SD] age, 42 [10.2] years) with no chronic diseases. A total of 389 differentially expressed genes were identified in nasal epithelium exposed to THS, while only 2 genes, which were not studied further, were affected by clean air. Enriched gene ontology terms associated with stress-induced mitochondrial hyperfusion were identified, such as respiratory electron transport chain (q = 2.84 × 10-3) and mitochondrial inner membrane (q = 7.21 × 10-6). Reactome pathway analysis identified terms associated with upregulation of DNA repair mechanisms, such as nucleotide excision repair (q = 1.05 × 10-2). Enrichment analyses using ingenuity pathway analysis identified canonical pathways related to stress-induced mitochondrial hyperfusion (eg, increased oxidative phosphorylation) (P = .001), oxidative stress (eg, glutathione depletion phase II reactions) (P = .04), and cell survival (z score = 5.026). Conclusions and Relevance:This study found that acute inhalation of THS caused cell stress that led to the activation of survival pathways. Some responses were consistent with stress-induced mitochondrial hyperfusion and similar to those demonstrated previously in vitro. These data may be valuable to physicians treating patients exposed to THS and may aid in formulating regulations for the remediation of THS-contaminated environments

Photodissolution and Other Photochemical Changes upon Irradiation of Algal Detritus

Several recent lines of literature point toward strong photoreactivity of phytoplanktonic detritus. We examined effects of irradiation of algal membrane fragments in various stages of decay, with emphasis on transfer of materials from solid to dissolved phase (photodissolution). After simulated solar irradiation for 24 h, up to several tens of percent of particulate organic matter converted to photodissolved organic matter (PDOM). Prior microbial decay enhanced PDOM production. PDOM had initially high C:N ratios, which decreased with irradiation time. Dissolved organic nitrogen dominated nitrogen photodissolution, followed by minor photoammonification and negligible nitrite plus nitrate production. Chromophoric particulate organic matter bleached at visible wavelengths and underwent dissolution, creation, and bleaching at ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths, resulting in net loss of color in particulates and net gain of largely UV-absorbing PDOM that also exhibited humic-type fluorescence. Solid phase proteinaceous material became less accessible to proteases after microbial decay but regained this accessibility upon irradiation. Irradiation under anoxic conditions roughly halved production of PDOM, including chromophores and humic fluorophores. Oxygen enhancement of these reactions, along with production of peroxides, implies a strong role for photosensitization. Pigments, unsaturated lipids, and tryptophan emerged as likely sources of reactive oxygen species. Lipid peroxides appeared as a reactive intermediate product. If these reactions in the ocean scale to pigment loss as found in our experiments, at least 5-15% of particulate organic matter could undergo photodissolution before settling in some planktonic environments. This photodissolution would enhance remineralization by photic zone microbial communities and thus upper ocean elemental recycling

Effect of Mentoring in a Corporate Environment

Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for The Master of Education Degree in the College of Education and Human Service Professions, University of Minnesota Duluth, 2009Committee names: Mary Ann Marchel (Chair), Julie Williams. This item has been modified from the original to redact the signatures present.This phenomenological study explores the role of mentoring and its effect on leaders and their leadership development in a corporate environment. Implemented in conjunction with a leadership development program, a group of six junior leaders were assigned a mentor. With both mentors and mentees informed of the expectations, mentoring sessions occurred bi-weekly over a period in excess of 90 days. Following the mentoring period, both mentees and mentors were interviewed as to their experience from a personal and professional leadership development perspective.University of Minnesota Duluth. College of Education and Human Service Profession