Discerning users of information: A qualitative analysis of student inquiry

A shift is needed in information and digital literacy instruction and assessment led by elementary and secondary school librarians with an emphasis on the evaluation of information sources. The need is in response to widespread societal sharing of mis- and disinformation related to political news including the politicizing of scientific understandings of a disease and the ensuing distrust of the messages of public health officials during the COVID-19 global pandemic. In this article, I create an instructional framework for information evaluation that is grounded in data derived from a qualitative content analysis of published research, standards, and theoretical perspectives and that is confirmed using data derived from examples of middle school students\u27 inquiry research. Three overarching themes resulted from the analysis: blend media and research skills throughout the curriculum, ground information evaluation skills within a guided inquiry information process approach, and embed information evaluation skills in every grade and subject so they are taught beyond the context of news

Geographic profiling survey:a preliminary examination of geographic profilers’ views and experiences

Geographic profiling (GP) is an investigative technique that involves predicting a serial offender’s home location (or some other anchor point) based on where he or she committed a crime. Although the use of GP in police investigations appears to be on the rise, little is known about the procedure and how it is used. To examine these issues, a survey was distributed internationally to police professionals who have contributed GP advice to police investigations. The survey consisted of questions designed to assess: (a) how geographic profiles are constructed, (b) the perceived usefulness and accuracy of GP, (c) whether core GP conditions are examined before profiles are constructed, and (d) the types of cases in which GP is used. The results suggest that geographic profiles are commonly used in operational settings for a wide range of crime types. This appears to be true even when GP conditions are violated. In addition, general perceptions of GP accuracy and usefulness appear to be high, but this is particularly true for respondents who use computerized GP systems (compared with spatial distribution strategies, such as centroids, or educated guesses). Computerized GP systems are also the most commonly used GP approach among our respondents, especially for those who have received formal training in GP. Although preliminary in nature, the results from this study help enhance understanding of how GP is used in police investigations around the world, and under what conditions. The survey also provides directions for future research

Impact of a Less Restrictive Circulation Policy in an Elementary Library

School communities and educational standards clearly recognize that reading is a foundational skill for all learners. In light of this, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL, 2010) notes the critical position of teacher librarians to partner with other educators to promote literacy and provide opportunities for library use. Specifi cally, school libraries are charged with providing “open, non-restricted access to a varied high quality collection of reading materials in multiple formats that refl ect academic needs and personal interests” (para. 6). AASL (2011) supports open access through fl exible scheduling in the library to give students access to materials throughout the school day. The theory behind this position statement posits that the more students read (in both variety and quantity of text), the better readers they become (Krashen, 2004). Research in support of self-selected reading shows that student access to a school library of at least 500 books is associated with higher reading scores (Krashen, 2011, p. 29). Krashen ( 2011) makes a compelling argument for providing greater attention and support to libraries: “The obvious practical implication is that if we are serious about encouraging literacy development, we need to be serious about providing access to reading material” and provide more than “lip service to improving libraries” (p. 28). One aspect of providing greater access to reading material is increasing borrowing privileges. The current study examines how a change in library policy to reduce restrictions on borrowing privileges impacts students’ actual borrowing habits and the loss of books. Teacher librarians who use restrictive circulation policies of one book at a time inhibit students’ access to books, potentially undermining their reading growth. Sadly, the majority of teacher librarians, 71% of respondents in one Iowa survey, allowed kindergarteners to check out only one library book at a time (Johnson & Donham, 2012). Fortunately, 36% of those respondents said they decided to raise their borrowing limits after the survey. However, national K–12 level data reveal policies that limit students’ access to books. An informal online poll administered by Library Media Connection showed that 33% of the teacher librarians who responded said they limited their students to one or two books at a time; an additional 36% limited students to three or four books (“One Question Survey,” 2009). These limitations counter best practices established through research that emphasizes the need for expanded exposure to books in order to support reading growth (AASL, 2010; ALA, 1996; Allington, 2014; Krashen, 2004; Krashen, Lee, & McQuillan, 2012)

Reading Promotion Events Recommended for Elementary Students

One of the major professional goals of teacher librarians is to teach students a love of reading, so that they will independently choose to read throughout their lives

Detomidine and butorphanol for standing sedation in a range of zoo-kept ungulate species

General anesthesia poses risks for larger zoo species, like cardiorespiratory depression, myopathy, and hyperthermia. In ruminants, ruminal bloat and regurgitation of rumen contents with potential aspiration pneumonia are added risks. Thus, the use of sedation to perform minor procedures is justified in zoo animals. A combination of detomidine and butorphanol has been routinely used in domestic animals. This drug combination, administered by remote intramuscular injection, can also be applied for standing sedation in a range of zoo animals, allowing a number of minor procedures. The combination was successfully administered in five species of nondomesticated equids (Przewalski horse [Equus ferus przewalskii; n = 1], onager [Equus hemionus onager; n = 4], kiang [Equus kiang; n = 3], Grevy's zebra [Equus grevyi; n = 4], and Somali wild ass [Equus africanus somaliensis; n = 7]), with a mean dose range of 0.10-0.17 mg/kg detomidine and 0.07-0.13 mg/kg butorphanol; the white (Ceratotherium simum simum; n = 12) and greater one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis; n = 4), with a mean dose of 0.015 mg/kg of both detomidine and butorphanol; and Asiatic elephant bulls (Elephas maximus; n = 2), with a mean dose of 0.018 mg/kg of both detomidine and butorphanol. In addition, the combination was successfully used for standing sedation in six species of artiodactylids: giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata; n = 3), western bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus eurycerus; n = 2), wisent (Bison bonasus; n = 5), yak (Bos grunniens; n = 1), water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis; n = 4) and Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus; n = 5). The mean dose range for artiodactylid species except bongo was 0.04-0.06 mg/kg detomidine and 0.03-0.06 mg/kg butorphanol. The dose in bongo, 0.15-0.20 mg/kg detomidine and 0.13-0.15 mg/kg butorphanol, was considerably higher. Times to first effect, approach, and recovery after antidote were short. The use of detomidine and butorphanol has been demonstrated to be a reliable, safe alternative to general anesthesia for a number of large ungulate species

Effects of Six Weeks of Balance and Strength Training on Measures of Dynamic Balance of Older Adults

Purpose: Reliable tools on measuring outcomes of service-learning (SL) are scarce. This study aimed to develop and test a service-learning assessment tool to measure students’ perceived self-efficacy on program planning related competencies (SL-SEPP) and an overall SL impact scale. Methods: Students in a core Master of Public Health (MPH) course on program planning participated in the study (n=44). Course-based SL projects were incorporated into the learning process. Data from the baseline survey were used to assess the reliability of the 12-item SL-SEPP, and data from the posttest survey were used to assess the 5-item overall SL impact scale at the end of the course. Results: Data showed satisfactory reliability scores, with Cronbach alpha of .87 for the SL-SEPP and .84 for the overall impact scale. Even with this relatively small sample size, preliminary analyses showed that the SL-SEPP was sensitive to detect meaningful changes of self-efficacy scores after the course. Conclusion: This study provides needed pilot data supporting the reliabilities of the SL-SEPP tool. The study has implications for researchers and educators to apply or adapt this tool to assess student self-efficacy outcomes on program planning competencies

At risk of being risky: The relationship between "brain age" under emotional states and risk preference.

Developmental differences regarding decision making are often reported in the absence of emotional stimuli and without context, failing to explain why some individuals are more likely to have a greater inclination toward risk. The current study (N=212; 10-25y) examined the influence of emotional context on underlying functional brain connectivity over development and its impact on risk preference. Using functional imaging data in a neutral brain-state we first identify the "brain age" of a given individual then validate it with an independent measure of cortical thickness. We then show, on average, that "brain age" across the group during the teen years has the propensity to look younger in emotional contexts. Further, we show this phenotype (i.e. a younger brain age in emotional contexts) relates to a group mean difference in risk perception - a pattern exemplified greatest in young-adults (ages 18-21). The results are suggestive of a specified functional brain phenotype that relates to being at "risk to be risky.

XMM-Newton and optical follow-up observations of three new polars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

We report follow-up XMM-Newton and optical observations of three new polars found in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Simple modeling of the X-ray spectra, and consideration of the details of the X-ray and optical lightcurves corroborate the polar nature of these three systems and provide further insights into their accretion characteristics. During the XMM-Newton observation of SDSS J072910.68+365838.3, X-rays are undetected apart from a probable flare event, during which we find both the typical hard X-ray bremsstrahlung component and a very strong line O VII (E=0.57 keV), but no evidence of a soft blackbody contribution. In SDSS J075240.45+362823.2 we identify an X-ray eclipse at the beginning of the observation, roughly in phase with the primary minimum of the optical broad band curve. The X-ray spectra require the presence of both hard and soft X-ray components, with their luminosity ratio consistent with that found in other recent XMM-Newton results on polars. Lastly, SDSS J170053.30+400357.6 appears optically as a very typical polar, however its large amplitude optical modulation is 180 degrees out of phase with the variation in our short X-ray lightcurve.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in the ApJ (January 2005

Talk Debt to Me: An Applied Linguistics Approach to Exploring College Student Preferences for Student Loan Debt Letters

Although student loan debt has been rigorously studied over the past several decades, scant research has investigated how institutions of higher education communicate debt to current and former student borrowers. As COVID-19 forced the United States Department of Education to cancel the Annual Student Loan Acknowledgement as part of a student’s signing of the master promissory note (MPN), there are no other mechanisms for students to be aware of their student loan debt beyond a debt letter from their institution or reviewing their National Student Loan Debt System (NSLDS) portal. This applied linguistics study surveyed 2,030 current student loan borrowers attending U.S. institutions of higher education to explore their preferences for receiving a student loan debt letter. Results suggest students of Color and first-generation in college students strongly prefer shorter, simpler letters, while there were no statistically significant preferences by gender. Implications for research and practice will be addressed

Unveiling a Rich System of Faint Dwarf Galaxies in the Next Generation Fornax Survey

We report the discovery of 158 previously undetected dwarf galaxies in the Fornax cluster central regions using a deep coadded $u, g$ and $i$-band image obtained with the DECam wide-field camera mounted on the 4-meter Blanco telescope at the Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory as part of the {\it Next Generation Fornax Survey} (NGFS). The new dwarf galaxies have quasi-exponential light profiles, effective radii $0.1\!<\!r_e\!<\!2.8$ kpc and average effective surface brightness values $22.0\!<\!\mu_i\!<\!28.0$ mag arcsec$^{-2}$. We confirm the existence of ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs) in the Fornax core regions that resemble counterparts recently discovered in the Virgo and Coma galaxy clusters.~We also find extremely low surface brightness NGFS dwarfs, which are several magnitudes fainter than the classical UDGs. The faintest dwarf candidate in our NGFS sample has an absolute magnitude of $M_i\!=\!-8.0$\,mag. The nucleation fraction of the NGFS dwarf galaxy sample appears to decrease as a function of their total luminosity, reaching from a nucleation fraction of $>\!75\%$ at luminosities brighter than $M_i\!\simeq\!-15.0$ mag to $0\%$ at luminosities fainter than $M_i\!\simeq\!-10.0$ mag. The two-point correlation function analysis of the NGFS dwarf sample shows an excess on length scales below $\sim\!100$ kpc, pointing to the clustering of dwarf galaxies in the Fornax cluster core.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures. Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. Download the high-resolution version of the paper from the following link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/xb9vz8s29wlzjgf/ms.pdf?dl=