He Needs to be In a Learning Community – Learning Community, a Place of Respite and Brotherhood while Persisting in College

Black males encounter significant microaggressions and race related challenges as students in Predominantly White Institutions. These encounters negatively impact their college learning and social experiences. In the face of these challenges, college retention rate of Black males falls behind those of other racial and gender groups (Toldson, 2012). Notwithstanding, statistics point to the success and persistence of Black male students in such oppressive environments and the role of learning communities in fostering successful outcomes for students. Using the Community Cultural Wealth (Yosso, 2005) framework, this qualitative study explores the experiences of eight Black males living in a same race same gender learning community while attending a predominantly white institution. Findings from this study highlight brotherhood and respite as contributing to the success, persistence and retention of Black male college students

Effective Classroom Management Strategies

As educators, we often find ourselves in situations where students aren’t always following along with what we say and at times are being a distraction for the class. Having experienced this numerous times, I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to take a look at what strategies are out there and practice applying them to find what works best. The approach I took for this was to complete an autoethnography. An autoethnography is an approach to research and writing that seeks to describe and systemically analyze personal experience in order to understand cultural experience (Ellis, 2004; Holman Jones, 2005). This was a great opportunity for me to take a look at what strategies are out there and see what could work with my class and setting. As a physical education teacher, some of the strategies listed weren’t necessarily applicable because they were more for traditional classroom settings. I was able to apply traditional and not traditional because of this

Psychopathology or Possession: How Ghanaian Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians Understand Mental Illnesses and how Perceived Understandings Vary Depending on if they are Current Students or not

This research investigates the perceptions held by Ghanaian Chrsitians from Pentecostal/Charismatic churches about mental illnesses. The data collected was done through a qualitative method of acquiring information. Interviews were conducted alongside intensive research of existing scholarship that addressed religion and mental health within Ghanaian culture. A total of 5 in depth interviews were carried out with participants ranging from the ages of 20-35. Three participants were current university students at the University of Ghana while the other two were non-students but held degrees. The objective was to make comparisons between the student and non-student groups about their knowledge about mental illnesses within Ghana. However, all participants shared similar ideas regarding mental health perceptions

Aircraft Range Optimization Using Singular Perturbations

An approximate analytic solution is developed for the problem of maximizing the range of an aircraft for a fixed end state. The problem is formulated as a singular perturbation and solved by matched inner and outer asymptotic expansions and the minimum principle of Pontryagin. Cruise in the stratosphere, and on transition to and from cruise at constant Mach number are discussed. The state vector includes altitude, flight path angle, and mass. Specific fuel consumption becomes a linear function of power approximating that of the cruise values. Cruise represents the outer solution; altitude and flight path angle are constants, and only mass changes. Transitions between cruise and the specified initial and final conditions correspond to the inner solutions. The mass is constant and altitude and velocity vary. A solution is developed which is valid for cruise but which is not for the initial and final conditions. Transforming of the independent variable near the initial and final conditions result in solutions which are valid for the two inner solutions but not for cruise. The inner solutions can not be obtained without simplifying the state equations. The singular perturbation approach overcomes this difficulty. A quadratic approximation of the state equations is made. The resulting problem is solved analytically, and the two inner solutions are matched to the outer solution

Effects of Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) vapor inhalation in Sprague-Dawley and Wistar rats.

An inhalation system based on e-cigarette technology produces hypothermic and antinociceptive effects of Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in rats. Indirect comparison of some prior investigations suggested differential impact of inhaled THC between Wistar (WI) and Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats; thus, this study was conducted to directly compare the strains across inhaled and injected routes of administration. Groups (N = 8 per strain) of age-matched male SD and WI rats were prepared with radiotelemetry devices to measure temperature and then exposed to vapor from the propylene glycol (PG) vehicle or THC (25-200 mg/mL of PG) for 30 or 40 min. Additional studies evaluated effects of THC inhalation on plasma THC (50-200 mg/mL) and nociception (100-200 mg/mL) as well as the thermoregulatory effect of intraperitoneal injection of THC (5-30 mg/kg). Hypothermic effects of THC were more pronounced in SD rats, where plasma levels of THC were identical across strains, under either fixed inhalation conditions or injection of a mg/kg equivalent dose. Strain differences in hypothermia were largest after i.p. injection of THC, with SD rats exhibiting dose-dependent temperature reduction after 5 or 10 mg/kg, i.p. and the WI rats only exhibiting significant hypothermia after 20 mg/kg, i.p. The antinociceptive effects of inhaled THC (100, 200 mg/mL) did not differ significantly across the strains. These studies confirm an insensitivity of WI rats, compared with SD rats, to hypothermia induced by THC following inhalation conditions that produced identical plasma THC and antinociception. Thus, quantitative, albeit not qualitative, strain differences may be obtained when studying thermoregulatory effects of THC. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

Building relationships with remote participants through playful technology interactions in online codesign

“Hybrid is here to stay!” If that is so, then how we educate design students and the techniques they learn need to work in a technology-driven online environment as well as face-to-face on campus. Learning codesign typically involves students being in a design studio environment where they create activities using tangible materials, for use in workshops, giving participants hands-on experiences to gather useful design insights. The question is, how does codesign need to be adapted to be effective in an online environment? To identify those elements of codesign that work effectively online, we offer lessons learned from teaching codesign online during the lockdowns and the resulting isolation of academics and students imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. This necessitated rapidly adapting on-campus codesign techniques to online versions using available technologies to engage remote participants in online participatory experiences. We describe codesign activities of design teams who created 24 unique online activities to explore designs for Welcoming Community onto Campus, trialling them in virtual workshops with the local community. Case study method was used to collect and analyse weekly student reflections and educator observations using thematic analysis and basic inductive coding. The unexpected finding is that online codesign activities need to remain tactile and include multisensory qualities. We argue that online codesign needs to focus on building relationships, engaging the senses, keeping it simple and allowing flexible timing. We identify the benefits, challenges and implications for online codesign and provide a checklist for designers wanting to prepare for a hybrid codesign future

A Hot‐Deck Multiple Imputation Procedure for Gaps in Longitudinal Recurrent Event Histories

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/89547/1/j.1541-0420.2011.01558.x.pd

On the treatment of measurement uncertainty in stochastic modeling of basic variables

The acquisition and appropriate processing of relevant information about the considered system remains a major challenge in assessment of existing structures. Both the values and the validity of computed results such as failure probabilities essentially depend on the quantity and quality of the incorporated knowledge. One source of information are onsite measurements of structural or material characteristics to be modeled as basic variables in reliability assessment. The explicit use of (quantitative) measurement results in assessment requires the quantification of the quality of the measured information, i.e., the uncertainty associated with the information acquisition and processing. This uncertainty can be referred to as measurement uncertainty. Another crucial aspect is to ensure the comparability of the measurement results.This contribution attempts to outline the necessity and the advantages of measurement uncertainty calculations in modeling of measurement data-based random variables to be included in reliability assessment. It is shown, how measured data representing time-invariant characteristics, in this case non-destructively measured inner geometrical dimensions, can be transferred into measurement results that are both comparable and quality-evaluated. The calculations are based on the rules provided in the guide to the expression of uncertainty in measurement (GUM). The GUM-framework is internationally accepted in metrology and can serve as starting point for the appropriate processing of measured data to be used in assessment. In conclusion, the effects of incorporating the non-destructively measured data into reliability analysis are presented using a prestressed concrete bridge as case-study

Evaluating Capacity Building for Monitoring & Evaluation in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Performance Monitoring Plan

ABSTRACT Victoria Taffe: Evaluating Capacity Building for Monitoring & Evaluation in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Performance Monitoring Plan(Under the Direction of Lori Evarts)Background/Objectives:This paper will define and describe the benefits of monitoring and evaluation (M&E), explain capacity building for M&E in the context of global health interventions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), and propose a performance monitoring plan (PMP) for a case study of the capacity building provided by US-based non-governmental organization (NGO) MiracleFeet to their implementing partner (IP) in Tanzania. The paper will address the following objectives: 1. To provide a clear example of a PMP, a standard approach for outlining components of an M&E plan, to help global public health leaders think through evaluation approaches to clarify the value of capacity building for M&E2. To provide recommendations and key considerations for global public health leaders who are exploring evaluation of their own M&E capacity building efforts in LMICs3. To contribute to increased clarity and greater understanding within global health of how to assess the value of donor organizations’ capacity building provision for M&E to their in-country IPs.Methods:Before determining an evaluation approach for the PMP, it was essential to first understand the elements and activities that comprise capacity building for M&E. For the purposes of this paper, which focuses on work in global settings, this foundational knowledge was rooted mainly in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Handbook on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluating for Development Results (2009). The UNDP approach to building and ensuring M&E capacity emphasizes a three-level, four-domain structure (UNDP, 2009). Another global resource was the 12 Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) component “capacity areas”, described by MEASURE Evaluation (2017) in their Monitoring and Evaluation Capacity Assessment Toolkit (MECAT) User Guide. The MEASURE Evaluation/UNAIDS model depicts rings of the organizational and human resources as part of the M&E processes as well as the necessary data tools (MEASURE Evaluation, 2017, p.2). At the core is analysis and use of data (i.e. informing decision making) (MEASURE Evaluation, 2017, p.2).Results:A PMP was developed to walk through the capacity building efforts for M&E currently being provided by the non-governmental organization MiracleFeet to their IP in Tanzania. (Several proposed capacity building activities were added to diversify the intervention for evaluation.) The PMP structure includes: ●Background/context●Description of the program/intervention (including the Conceptual Framework) ●Goals and Objectives●A Logic Model●An Indicators Matrix●A Table and Description of data sources for program monitoring●Overview of Outcome/Impact Evaluation design (time frame, sampling, strengths and limitations of evaluation design)●Overview of proposed Economic Evaluation●Overview of Stakeholder Engagement Plan●Plan for Results Dissemination and Use●Conclusions and Recommendations for global public health leaders.  Recommendations:Capacity building must begin with an assessment of the M&E knowledge and abilities of the IP organization and its staff. Additional activities support development of knowledge and abilities, all of which can be evaluated through qualitative and quantitative methods, telling a more detailed story of what’s happening on the ground. This paper provides resources that can help global health leaders organize their thinking about capacity building for M&E and how to best gauge whether their efforts are effective as a result of the activities undertaken.Conclusions:The evaluation of capacity building for M&E is necessary to ensure that an IP’s intervention activities, and the implementation approach, are as effective as possible. Increasing capacity improves organizational learning in real time from their activities through stronger data collection, reporting, and ultimate use to inform decisions; and evaluation ensures overarching organizational learning to improve and strengthen the planning and delivery of future capacity building interventions. The PMP suggests additional activities for inclusion into the current MiracleFeet approach to capacity building for M&E (the intervention). The addition of these activities could be a limitation if it overwhelms the IP and consequently negatively impacts their experience in the other activities or takes too much time away from conducting clinical protocols. Future work could expand the preliminary discussion on cost-effectiveness analysis, which can be conducted for each activity that comprises the capacity building for M&E approach.Master of Public Healt