A life of leadership, a call to do better: A hermeneutic inquiry into the lived experience of an educator - Raw Data

Eliciting lived experiences, we seek to identify those experiences that have shaped the lived practice of a career and desire to answer: (1) How have experiences informed a career? (2) What does the lived educational experiences of an educator portend for the future of education? This inquiry incorporates the lived past experiences of the co-authors. Additionally, we seek to offer a path forward for the future of the profession that we love and have been grateful to experience. This data was part of a hermeneutic inquiry research project involving myself and my father, Dr. Leonard L. Gregory. The data was recorded utilizing a phone recording and then setting up a zoom meeting whereby the audio was converted onto a word document. From there, the data was uploaded into Dedoose where it was stored and coded for initial themes. The journal entries that I made were from a personal print copy journal. I utilized this journal after the initial round of recordings with my father. I used it to jot down questions that I had from the previous meeting, and we utilized it to make notations of thoughts that we both had afterwards from the meetings we had. The text Conducting Hermeneutic Research: From philosophy to Practice by Nancy J. Moules, et al., was a key influence and outlines the use of my data according to hermeneutic standards

Analysis of the Financial Assurance Plan in the License Application for a Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility

Our purpose is to evaluate the efficiency of the financial assurance plan in the license application\u27 submitted by American Ecology Corporation (AEC) to site, design, and build a new technological facility in Boyd County, Nebraska, for the disposal of low-level radioactive waste (LLRW). Efficiency means the ability to accomplish desired effects. Thus, efficiency considerations begin with social beliefs and ethics in order to know what is desirable. Ethics can be considered a system of guidance designed to assist in living within a society. . . . That we must live together installs the positive requirement of doing good for one another (Anderson and Englehardt 2001, 6-7). Humans in a social system are immersed in obligation to one another (8). Ethics seeks to resolve the problems of what is harm and what is help and to unravel the complexities of moral choice (9). In a socioeconomic system, choices and decisions are about organizational actions. Action is behavior under the governance of some larger understanding . . . (9)

The level and duration of RSV-specific maternal IgG in infants in Kilifi Kenya

Background Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the major cause of lower respiratory tract infection in infants. The rate of decay of RSV-specific maternal antibodies (RSV-matAb), the factors affecting cord blood levels, and the relationship between these levels and protection from infection are poorly defined. Methods A birth cohort (n = 635) in rural Kenya, was studied intensively to monitor infections and describe age-related serological characteristics. RSV specific IgG antibody (Ab) in serum was measured by the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in cord blood, consecutive samples taken 3 monthly, and in paired acute and convalescent samples. A linear regression model was used to calculate the rate of RSV-matAb decline. The effect of risk factors on cord blood titres was investigated. Results The half-life of matAb in the Kenyan cohort was calculated to be 79 days (95% confidence limits (CL): 76–81 days). Ninety seven percent of infants were born with RSV-matAb. Infants who subsequently experienced an infection in early life had significantly lower cord titres of anti-RSV Ab in comparison to infants who did not have any incident infection in the first 6 months (P = 0.011). RSV infections were shown to have no effect on the rate of decay of RSV-matAb. Conclusion Maternal-specific RSV Ab decline rapidly following birth. However, we provide evidence of protection against severe disease by RSV-matAb during the first 6–7 months. This suggests that boosting maternal-specific Ab by RSV vaccination may be a useful strategy to consider

A new, high-resolution global mass coral bleaching database

Episodes of mass coral bleaching have been reported in recent decades and have raised concerns about the future of coral reefs on a warming planet. Despite the efforts to enhance and coordinate coral reef monitoring within and across countries, our knowledge of the geographic extent of mass coral bleaching over the past few decades is incomplete. Existing databases, like ReefBase, are limited by the voluntary nature of contributions, geographical biases in data collection, and the variations in the spatial scale of bleaching reports. In this study, we have developed the first-ever gridded, global-scale historical coral bleaching database. First, we conducted a targeted search for bleaching reports not included in ReefBase by personally contacting scientists and divers conducting monitoring in under-reported locations and by extracting data from the literature. This search increased the number of observed bleaching reports by 79%, from 4146 to 7429. Second, we employed spatial interpolation techniques to develop annual 0.04 degrees x 0.04 degrees latitude-longitude global maps of the probability that bleaching occurred for 1985 through 2010. Initial results indicate that the area of coral reefs with a more likely than not (> 50%) or likely (> 66%) probability of bleaching was eight times higher in the second half of the assessed time period, after the 1997/1998 El Nino. The results also indicate that annual maximum Degree Heating Weeks, a measure of thermal stress, for coral reefs with a high probability of bleaching increased over time. The database will help the scientific community more accurately assess the change in the frequency of mass coral bleaching events, validate methods of predicting mass coral bleaching, and test whether coral reefs are adjusting to rising ocean temperatures

Riparian Shading and Groundwater Enhance Growth Potential for Smallmouth Bass in Ozark Streams

Moderation of stream temperatures by riparian shading and groundwater are known to promote growth and survival of salmonid fishes, but effects of riparian shade and groundwater on to be growth of warmwater stream fishes are poorly understood or assumed to be negligible. We used stream temperature models to relate shading from riparian vegetation and groundwater inflow to summer water temperatures in Missouri Ozark streams and evaluated effects of summer water temperatures on smallmouth bass, Micropterus dolomieu, growth using a bioenergetics model. Bioenergetics model simulations revealed that adult smallmouth bass in non-spring-fed streams have lower growth potential during summer than fish in spring-fed streams, are subject to mass loss when stream temperatures exceed 27°C, and will likely exhibit greater interannual variation in growth during summer if all growth-influencing factors, other than temperature, are identical between the two stream types. Temperature models indicated that increased riparian shading will expand the longitudinal extent of thermal habitat capable of supporting adult smallmouth bass growth in spring-fed stream reaches when mean daily air temperatures exceed 27°C. Optimum growth temperature (22°C) will be present only in spring-fed streams under these conditions. Potential for increasing shade through riparian restoration is greatest for streams \u3c5 m wide and along north–south reaches of larger streams. However, temperature models also indicated that restoring riparian shading to maximum levels throughout a watershed would increase the total stream mileage capable of supporting positive growth of adult smallmouth bass by only 1–6% when air temperatures are at or near average summer maxima; increases in suitable thermal habitat would be greatest in watersheds with higher spring densities. Riparian management for maintenance or restoration of the thermal habitat of adult smallmouth bass during summer should be focused in areas strongly influenced by groundwater. Restoring riparian shading along spring-fed warmwater streams will likely benefit adult smallmouth bass growth and may ultimately influence population sizes

Identification of Problems in Campus Recreation Programs in North America

In campus recreation programs, major problem areas within (a) technology, (b) personnel, and (c) perception and value were identified. The subjects were campus recreation directors throughout North America. The surveyed directors expressed the extent to which they agreed or disagreed with literaturebased, potential problem areas within campus recreation programs. Areas primarily agreed upon as being major problem areas within campus recreation were: the availability of quality officials (61 %), perception of program by institution (49%), and value of program as perceived by higher administration (47%). Generally, in order to improve programs, directors should place an emphasis on attaining and training quality officials and implement a public relations campaign that positively portrays their program

A Survey of Campus Recreation Directors at NIRSA Institutions: Activities Emphasized, Student Participation Patterns, Trends and Future Offerings Contemplated

A survey, using an instrument constructed expressly for this investigation, was conducted of directors of campus recreation at all 682 NIRSA colleges and universities in the United States and Canada to determine the current status of (a) the degree of emphasis institutions currently place on nine categories of sports and recreational activities, (b) the percentage of students, undergraduate and graduate, actually participating in each of these nine categories of activities, (c) future recreational activities and programs, not currently offered to students, but being considered for inclusion within the next 12 months, and (d) future trends in terms of problems (challenges and opportunities) facing college campus recreation departments. Two hundred and sixty-nine schools returned usable surveys for a 39% rate of return. This investigation provides a snapshot of specific current practices and programming offerings of campus Recreation Directors, as well as their opinions in terms of future programming plans and anticipated trends affecting their campus recreation departments. The data were analyzed in light of the locations of the responding institutions within the six regions of NIRSA, the size of the institutions and whether the schools were classified as public or private. The nine categories of recreational activities included: (a) intramurals, (b) club sports, (c) open recreation, (d) outdoor recreation, (e) group exercise/aerobics, (f) aquatics, (g) instructional programming, (h) special events, and (i) youth and family activities