Librarians: Key Partners in a State-Wide Book Distribution Outreach Program

Book distribution programs targeted at young children and their families that include the children own-ing the books have been in existence for a long time. Results are provided from a multi-year program evaluation of a unique, state-wide book distribution program developed in 1997 by the Idaho Commis-sion for Libraries called My First Books. The program is unique among book distribution programs because it relies on local librarians to deliver and showcase the books each month during the academic year in a variety of public and private early childhood care and education settings. My First Books thus becomes a powerful mechanism for library outreach to local childcare and education facilities, parents and caregivers of young children, and the children themselves. Program evaluation results reveal a highly popular and effective program for all of these constituencies that fits well within the resources available in public libraries of all sizes throughout Idaho

Background Pressure Profiles for Sonic Boom Vehicle Testing in the NASA Glenn 8- by 6-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel

In an effort to identify test facilities that offer sonic boom measurement capabilities, an exploratory test program was initiated using wind tunnels at NASA research centers. The subject of this report is the sonic boom pressure rail data collected in the Glenn Research Center 8- by 6-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel. The purpose is to summarize the lessons learned based on the test activity, specifically relating to collecting sonic boom data which has a large amount of spatial pressure variation. The wind tunnel background pressure profiles are presented as well as data which demonstrated how both wind tunnel Mach number and model support-strut position affected the wind tunnel background pressure profile. Techniques were developed to mitigate these effects and are presented

Enhanced Storytimes: Effects on Parent/Caregiver Knowledge, Motivation, and Behaviors

The article offers information regarding the released of the Every Child Ready @ your library initiative\u27s second edition of the Public Library Association and the Association for Library Service to Children in 2011. It states that the initiative features five practices based in high-quality oral language development in children such as reading, writing, and talking. It mentions that the initiative will help children in early literacy development and will educate caregivers and parents

Rosie 2 Inter-professional Training Pack

A 37 page training pack with literature reviw and worksheets to support the simulation Rosie

Surveying Public Research 2 University Libraries’ Programs Supporting Digital Scholarship: A Report

Librarians at Ball State University designed and distributed a survey to libraries personnel at all public R2 research universities to assess the nature of university libraries’ engagement with digital scholarship, digital humanities, or digital research. Project researchers received 36 usable responses to the survey from individuals at 26 institutions, for an individual response rate of 12% and an institutional response rate of 35%. This report communicates core data and findings as a result of the survey project. Included is data regarding services and expertise offered by the libraries, the nature of libraries’ collaborations with researchers, technology infrastructure to support digital scholarship/digital research/digital humanities, and the nature of libraries’ participation in scholarship and public presentation regarding digital scholarship/digital research/digital humanities

Characterization and Quantification of Isoprene-Derived Epoxydiols in Ambient Aerosol in the Southeastern United States

Isoprene-derived epoxydiols (IEPOX) are identified in ambient aerosol samples for the first time, together with other previously identified isoprene tracers (i.e., 2-methyltetrols, 2-methylglyceric acid, C5-alkenetriols, and organosulfate derivatives of 2-methyltetrols). Fine ambient aerosol collected in downtown Atlanta, GA and rural Yorkville, GA during the 2008 August Mini-Intensive Gas and Aerosol Study (AMIGAS) was analyzed using both gas chromatography/quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and gas chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC/TOFMS) with prior trimethylsilylation. Mass concentrations of IEPOX ranged from ~1 to 24 ng m^(−3) in the aerosol collected from the two sites. Detection of particle-phase IEPOX in the AMIGAS samples supports recent laboratory results that gas-phase IEPOX produced from the photooxidation of isoprene under low-NO_x conditions is a key precursor of ambient isoprene secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation. On average, the sum of the mass concentrations of IEPOX and the measured isoprene SOA tracers accounted for about 3% of the organic carbon, demonstrating the significance of isoprene oxidation to the formation of ambient aerosol in this region

Mapping Community College Finance Systems to Develop Equitable and Effective Finance Policy

This HCM Strategists report describes the diversity and complexity of community college state finance systems, and how to identify the often competing incentives within them, by comparing the systems of three very different states: California, Ohio, and Texas. The authors conducted extensive research, engaged with state policymakers, and created an analytical framework to fill a major gap in existing research, which largely focuses on individual elements of community college funding or policy rather than how they all add up. The report’s maps of the California, Ohio, and Texas finance systems include: the share of total funding from each of three main revenue streams (state appropriations, tuition, and recurring local revenue); the policies that control how those revenues are generated, distributed, and used; the combined incentives for colleges; and the distinct equity implications for institutions and for students. Key Findings Even though each of the three state’s finance systems includes a student-centered funding formula, the percentage of total revenue directly tied to student outcomes ranges widely: from 3% in Texas and 8% in California to 42% in Ohio. These differences are due to the intersection of the formula’s design, the share of total funding the formula controls, and the prominence of other funding streams. All three state finance systems strongly incentivize community colleges to focus on enrollment, with 80% of total revenue tied to enrollment in California, 40% in Ohio, and 46% in Texas. Relying on local revenue does not necessarily lead to inequitable funding between colleges. Some states, such as California, have policies that level the funding playing field, while others do not. Net incentives for community colleges to increase equity in student outcomes are highest in Ohio and lowest in Texas, while California’s finance system prioritizes equity in student access

Encouraging Rural Health Clinics to Provide Mental Health Services: What are the options?

Key Findings: Approximately 6% of independent and 2% of provider-based RHCs offer mental health services. 38% of study RHCs reported their mental health services were not profitable but continued to provide them in response to community and patient needs. An important factor in the development of RHC mental health services is the presence of a local champion who spearheads the development effort

Estimating the proportion of metabolic health outcomes attributable to obesity: a cross-sectional exploration of body mass index and waist circumference combinations

BACKGROUND: Recent evidence suggests that a substantial subgroup of the population who have a high-risk waist circumference (WC) do not have an obese body mass index (BMI). This study aimed to explore whether including those with a non-obese BMI but high risk WC as \u27obese\u27 improves prediction of adiposity-related metabolic outcomes. METHODS: Eleven thousand, two hundred forty-seven participants were recruited. Height, weight and WC were measured. Ten thousand, six hundred fifty-nine participants with complete data were included. Adiposity categories were defined as: BMI(N)/WC(N), BMI(N)/WC(O), BMI(O)/WC(N), and BMI(O)/WC(O) (N = non-obese and O = obese). Population attributable fraction, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), and odds ratios (OR) were calculated. RESULTS: Participants were on average 48 years old and 50 % were men. The proportions of BMI(N)/WC(N), BMI(N)/WC(O), BMI(O)/WC(N) and BMI(O)/WC(O) were 68, 12, 2 and 18 %, respectively. A lower proportion of diabetes was attributable to obesity defined using BMI alone compared to BMI and WC combined (32 % vs 47 %). AUC for diabetes was also lower when obesity was defined using BMI alone (0.62 vs 0.66). Similar results were observed for all outcomes. The odds for hypertension, dyslipidaemia, diabetes and CVD were increased for those with BMI(N)/WC(O) (OR range 1.8-2.7) and BMI(O)/WC(O) (OR 1.9-4.9) compared to those with BMI(N)/WC(N). CONCLUSIONS: Current population monitoring, assessing obesity by BMI only, misses a proportion of the population who are at increased health risk through excess adiposity. Improved identification of those at increased health risk needs to be considered for better prioritisation of policy and resources