Be Our Guest: Crafting a Magical Client Experience

The Client Services team of Valparaiso University’s IT department found inspiration in Disney’s guest service models and has been building a culture of superior service throughout IT. Come along on a magic carpet ride to discover how this new world is transforming delivery of technological services to the campus. From Help Desk to training to assessment, we are increasing satisfaction levels among campus constituents as we meet their needs. We will show how we created a guest service compass that guides our decision-making and service delivery. Further, we will share areas where we learned we were creating our own obstacles in empowering staff to provide service to our guests and how we improvement

Chronoecology of a Cave-dwelling Orb-weaver Spider, Meta ovalis (Araneae: Tetragnathidae)

Circadian clocks enable coordination of essential biological and metabolic processes in relation to the 24-hour light cycle. However, there are many habitats that are not subject to this light cycle, such as the deep sea, arctic regions, and cave systems. This study analyzes the circadian pattern of isolated populations of a subterranean spider, Meta ovalis from two Tennessee caves and five Indiana caves. Locomotor activity was recorded with TriKinetics LAM50 Locomotor Activity Monitor under a 12-hour light (L), 12-hour dark (D) (LD 12:12) cycle preceding total darkness (DD). Significant differences were found within and among populations found in Tennessee cave systems in average free running period and onset of locomotor activity. Selection, drift, and genetic fixation are explored as the causes of variation in the present study, using M. ovalis as the model organism. All five caves in Indiana show little variation, whereas both Tennessee caves show large interindividual variation

The Impact of a Five-day Number Sense Intervention on High School Student\u27s Quantitative Reasoning Skills and Self-efficacy

Understanding numerical quantities and applying this knowledge in practical applications is essential throughout life. A well-developed number sense comes from learning foundational skills and continuing to rely on these skills and concepts in higher mathematical education as well as in adulthood. Prior research shows that K-8 students lack a conceptual understanding of fraction, decimal, and percentage concepts (NCTM, 2009). While there is literature that identifies a deficit in these mathematical areas, there is a need to examine possible activities and interventions that can be performed throughout secondary education courses that support growth in students\u27 conceptual understanding of rational number concepts. The purpose of this research study is to investigate how a five-day rational number sense intervention can affect students’ number sense in the subtopics of fractions, decimals, and percentages as well as their self-efficacy. For this study, 63 students from three different math periods at the same school and taught by the same instructor participated. These 63 students were divided into three groups: a control and two intervention groups. Both intervention groups received five days of instructional activities revolving around various rational number concepts and practical applications. To collect data, a pre-assessment consisting of ten mathematical computation questions, five contextualized mathematical questions, and five self-efficacy questions was used. After the intervention was conducted, an identical post-assessment was administered. Student follow-up interviews (N=4) were conducted to gain additional insight into the effects of the intervention. A dependent t-test compared pre-assessment results to post-assessment results for the computational items. Both intervention groups earned significantly higher scores on the post-test than on the pre-test. The control group did not display any significant score differences between pre- and post-assessment. To examine the contextualized math items, similar dependent t-tests were conducted to compare pre-and post-assessment results. There was a significant improvement in one of the two intervention classes. Analysis of the self-efficacy items showed that students had a significant increase in self-efficacy post-intervention. Implications for improvements, future research, and expanded interventions to support advancing students’ number sense are discussed

A Systematic Literature Review on the Academic and Athletic Identities of Student-Athletes

Academic and athletic identities are related to performance and wellbeing indicators in both the educational and sport domains, respectively. This paper presents a systematic literature review examining empirical research into the academic and athletic identities of student-athletes in dual (education and sport) careers. The 42 records identified in this review suggest that research on the academic and athletic identities of student-athletes has focused on the themes of: identity development, role conflict, career development and motivation, and student-athlete stereotypes. Future research directions are considered, including the need for mixed-methods and longitudinal assessments of academic and athletic identities to assess to dynamic nature of identity development, and to ascertain how these relate to future performance and wellbeing outcomes

Chronoecology of the Cave Dwelling Orb-Weaver Spider, Meta ovalis (Araneae: Tetragnathidae)

Circadian clocks are endogenous time keeping mechanisms that are ubiquitous among animals. They enable coordination of many essential biological and metabolic processes in relation to the 24 hour light cycle on earth. However, there are many habitats on earth that are not subject to this light cycle. This study aims to look at the potential genetic drift of the circadian rhythm of a subterranean spider, Meta ovalis, as well as gathering general natural history information on this under-studied spider. This study will fill general gaps in knowledge of this spider and its habitat, highlight the importance of studying organisms within a subterranean environment, and place importance on cave conservation and acquiring knowledge of these specialized, and sensitive species. This study integrates circadian and foraging theory to evaluate species as circadian specialists and generalists based on how narrowly or widely their activity is spread over the 24 h cycle. We suggest that M. ovalis benefits from a generalist strategy, showing small bursts of focused activity widely dispersed across the 24 h cycle, allowing it to capture prey opportunistically whenever it is available. Live spiders were collected from area caves, monitored in an environment controlled for light and temperature, and returned to their cave of origin. The activity of each spider was analyzed for differences in circadian activity among and between populations to determine if there is a significant drift of the circadian strategy between isolated populations of Meta ovalis. We expect to see a different circadian strategy implemented between populations due to drift from the spiders being isolated from other populations

Murder and Melodrama: The Red Barn Story on Stage

True-crime subjects were compelling material for authors of British nineteenth century melodramas. The "crime melodrama" category developed quickly in the 1820s, redeploying the hallmark conventions of the genre to suit its needs. The story of Maria Marten and William Corder, also known as the Murder in the Red Barn, was one of the most enduring subjects. This paper follows the changing Red Barn story through three nineteenth century adaptations. The oldest extant play dates from the same year as the murder trial and translated the story from press accounts to a stage in London's East End in 1828. The next play demonstrates the ways in which the story was altered again to suit a theatre in Wales. The last, a production script for a touring company, is the least factual but the most sophisticated. These adaptations provide a window into the regional, cultural, and professional expectations for crime melodrama

The large‐scale freshwater cycle of the Arctic

This paper synthesizes our understanding of the Arctic\u27s large‐scale freshwater cycle. It combines terrestrial and oceanic observations with insights gained from the ERA‐40 reanalysis and land surface and ice‐ocean models. Annual mean freshwater input to the Arctic Ocean is dominated by river discharge (38%), inflow through Bering Strait (30%), and net precipitation (24%). Total freshwater export from the Arctic Ocean to the North Atlantic is dominated by transports through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (35%) and via Fram Strait as liquid (26%) and sea ice (25%). All terms are computed relative to a reference salinity of 34.8. Compared to earlier estimates, our budget features larger import of freshwater through Bering Strait and larger liquid phase export through Fram Strait. While there is no reason to expect a steady state, error analysis indicates that the difference between annual mean oceanic inflows and outflows (∼8% of the total inflow) is indistinguishable from zero. Freshwater in the Arctic Ocean has a mean residence time of about a decade. This is understood in that annual freshwater input, while large (∼8500 km3), is an order of magnitude smaller than oceanic freshwater storage of ∼84,000 km3. Freshwater in the atmosphere, as water vapor, has a residence time of about a week. Seasonality in Arctic Ocean freshwater storage is nevertheless highly uncertain, reflecting both sparse hydrographic data and insufficient information on sea ice volume. Uncertainties mask seasonal storage changes forced by freshwater fluxes. Of flux terms with sufficient data for analysis, Fram Strait ice outflow shows the largest interannual variability

Does Change in Isolated Lumbar Extensor Muscle Function Correlate with Good Clinical Outcome?:A Secondary Analysis of Data on Change in Isolated Lumbar Extension Strength, Pain and Disability in Chronic Low Back Pain

Purpose: Secondary analysis of data from studies utilising isolated lumbar extension exercise interventions for correlations among changes in isolated lumbar extension strength, pain, and disability. Materials and methods: Studies reporting isolated lumbar extension strength changes were examined for inclusion criteria including: (1) participants with chronic low back pain, (2) intervention ≥ four weeks including isolated lumbar extension exercise, (3) outcome measures including isolated lumbar extension strength, pain (Visual Analogue Scale), and disability (Oswestry Disability Index). Six studies encompassing 281 participants were included. Correlations among change in isolated lumbar extension strength, pain, and disability. Participants were grouped as “met” or “not met” based on minimal clinically important changes and between groups comparisons conducted. Results: Isolated lumbar extension strength and Visual Analogue Scale pooled analysis showed significant weak to moderate correlations (r = −0.391 to −0.539, all p < 0.001). Isolated lumbar extension strength and Oswestry Disability Index pooled analysis showed significant weak correlations (r = −0.349 to −0.470, all p < 0.001). For pain and disability, isolated lumbar extension strength changes were greater for those “met” compared with those “not met” (p < 0.001–0.008). Conclusions: Improvements in isolated lumbar extension strength may be related to positive and meaningful clinical outcomes. As many other performance outcomes and clinical outcomes are not related, isolated lumbar extension strength change may be a mechanism of action affecting symptom improvement. Implications for Rehabilitation: Chronic low back pain is often associated with deconditioning of the lumbar extensor musculature. Isolated lumbar extension exercise has been shown to condition this musculature and also reduce pain and disability. This study shows significant correlations between increases in isolated lumbar extension strength and reductions in pain and disability. Strengthening of the lumbar extensor musculature could be considered an important target for exercise interventions

Burden of disease and circulating serotypes of rotavirus infection in sub-Saharan Africa: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Two new rotavirus vaccines have recently been licensed in many countries. However, their efficacy has only been shown against certain serotypes commonly circulating in Europe, North America, and Latin America, but thought to be globally important. To assess the potential impact of these vaccines in sub-Saharan Africa, where rotavirus mortality is high, knowledge of prevalent types is essential because an effective rotavirus vaccine is needed to protect against prevailing serotypes in the community. We did two systematic reviews and two meta-analyses of the most recent published data on the burden of rotavirus disease in children aged under 5 years and rotavirus serotypes circulating in countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Eligible studies were selected from PubMed/Medline, Cochrane Library, EmBase, LILACS, Academic Search Premier, Biological Abstracts, ISI Web of Science, and the African Index Medicus. Depending on the heterogeneity, DerSimonian-Laird random-effects or fixed-effects models were used for meta-analyses. Geographical variability in rotavirus burden within countries in sub-Saharan Africa is substantial, and most countries lack information on rotavirus epidemiology. We estimated that annual mortality for this region was 243.3 (95% CI 187.6-301.7) deaths per 100,000 under 5 years (ie, a total of 300,000 children die of rotavirus infection in this region each year). The most common G type detected was G1 (34.9%), followed by G2 (9.1%), and G3 (8.6%). The most common P types detected were P[8] (35.5%) and P[6] (27.5%). Accurate information should be collected from surveillance based on standardised methods in these countries to obtain comparable data on the burden of disease and the circulating strains to assess the potential impact of vaccine introduction