Wholehearted affective education : a feminist framework for cultivating courage, connection, and self-care in the college transition

The unique social-emotional needs of academically high achieving young women are often absent from educators' schemas of potentially vulnerable populations. This masked issue in schools, is the consequence of first, a hyper-focus on achievement, and second, hegemonic narratives about gender and success. The purpose of this youth participatory action research (YPAR) project was to unmask the affective crisis of high achieving young women on the precipice of college. Using a community-based approach, student-researchers practiced strong vulnerability, planned educational workshops, and shared courageous stories via public radio. The YPAR process led to complex and nuanced discoveries about courage, connection, and self-care. These discoveries informed a new framework for wholehearted affective education

Adult perceptions of the impact of Kentucky Education Reform Act initiatives on achievement : insights of rural gifted students.

This phenomenological study investigated perceptions regarding the impact of the tenets of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) on the self-reported achievement and underachievement among adults who had been identified and served as gifted students in a rural Kentucky school district between 1994 and 2004. Through a series of interviews of 30 young adults selected through purposive sampling, the study addressed three research questions relating to (a) the perceptions of the former students regarding each of six KERA initiatives--Portfolios [writing and mathematics], Ungraded Primary, KIRIS/CATS assessment, Proficiency as a performance goal, School Based Decision Making [SBDM] council policies--in fostering or impeding self-reported student and adult achievement, (b) the perceptions of the former students regarding related educational experiences and structures perceived as fostering or impeding self-reported student and adult achievement, and (c) the similarities and differences in perceptions between those adults who self-reported sustained achievement and those who reported underachievement. The only KERA initiative credited with positive impact on student and adult achievement was the writing portfolio. The Primary Program, SBDM councils, and Proficiency as a performance goal were identified as initiatives that fostered underachievement and the state assessment and math portfolios had no impact on student achievement. Significant attributes of gifted education and regular education experiences and the impacts on achievement and underachievement were identified. Sustained or pervasive underachievement was reported by 27 of the 30 participants during their middle school experience. Perceptions regarding the KERA initiatives and their rural experiences were the same for those who self-reported achievement and those who reported underachievement. Specific themes and implications are discussed

COMPUTATIONAL MODELING OF GENE REGULATION, GAMETE FORMATION, AND EMBRYO IMPLANTATION

DNA located in genes is transcribed into RNA which is translated into protein. The regulation of transcription and translation is carried out by several factors including a gene’s primary sequence, cis-regulatory elements (CREs) in non-coding DNA regions, epigenetic marks on the histones which compact DNA, and trans-binding factors (or proteins). The differential expression of a gene is crucial for establishing lineage-specific cell identity and phenotypic variability. Mutation or dysregulation may lead to natural variation within a population or aberrant gene expression and disease; trait-associated variation is known to be enriched in putative CREs, supporting their role in the origins of disease. Understanding the mechanisms by which CREs interact with one another and their cellular environment to regulate transcription may inform knowledge of biological pathways and provide a crucial foundation for developing new treatments. Further, because all DNA is passed to an offspring from their parents, it is important to understand not just the outcomes on expression due to coding and non-coding variation, but also how genetic material is passed to future generations. These dissertation chapters apply modeling approaches to large amounts of genetic and gene expression data in order to 1) better understand how the sequence and epigenetic makeup of CREs impact gene expression within hematopoiesis; 2) scan for selfish genetic elements which are preferentially passed to offspring within human sperm samples; and 3) predict implantation success for euploid embryos given gene expression profiles. Our models within Chapters 2-4 describe the impact of CREs within the blood cell lineage, connecting CREs to putative target genes, and establishing that the hematopoietic CREs were enriched for blood-trait associated genetic variation. Within Chapter 5, we find no compelling evidence of selfish genetic elements within a large sample of human sperm. Finally, within Chapter 6, we identify some genes which seem to impact the success of IVF embryo implantation by acting through regulation of translation

Lost Alongside My Daughter with Anorexia Nervosa A Mother’s Story

We used narrative principles to represent the storyof a mother caring for her adolescent daughter hospitalizedwith anorexia nervosa. The data were greeting cards, dailyletters written by the mother to her daughter, and audio-tapedindividual interviews with the mother and daughter. Weidentified themes or categories of information (e.g., settings,relationships, temporality, and voice elements) within themother’s story, and re-storied them into a chronological plotincorporating the mother’s struggle and its resolution.Narrative threads of seeking a clearing, drawing strength,taking stock, ethic of repair, fending off the beast of starvation,and homecoming were identified. Together these threadscomprise the core story of “lost alongside my daughter” thatdescribes the mother’s overarching concern for the daughter’simmediate and future well-being while seeking a pathway tocontribute to her daughter’s care in a meaningful way

Mission description and in-flight operations of ERBE instruments on ERBS and NOAA 9 spacecraft, November 1984 - January 1986

Instruments of the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) are operating on three different Earth orbiting spacecrafts: the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS), NOAA-9, and NOAA-10. An overview is presented of the ERBE mission, in-orbit environments, and instrument design and operational features. An overview of science data processing and validation procedures is also presented. In-flight operations are described for the ERBE instruments aboard the ERBS and NOAA-9. Calibration and other operational procedures are described, and operational and instrument housekeeping data are presented and discussed

Mission description and in-flight operations of ERBE instruments on ERBS, NOAA 9, and NOAA 10 spacecraft

Instruments of the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) are operating on three different Earth-orbiting spacecraft. The Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS) is operated by NASA, and NOAA 9 and NOAA 10 weather satellites are operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This paper is the second in a series that describes the ERBE mission, and data processing and validation procedures. This paper describes the spacecraft and instrument operations for the second full year of in-orbit operations, which extend from February 1986 through January 1987. Validation and archival of radiation measurements made by ERBE instruments during this second year of operation were completed in July 1991. This period includes the only time, November 1986 through January 1987, during which all ERBE instruments aboard the ERBE, NOAA 9, and NOAA 10 spacecraft were simultaneously operational. This paper covers normal and special operations of the spacecraft and instruments, operational anomalies, and the responses of the instruments to in-orbit and seasonal variations in the solar environment

Strategies for Engaging Undergraduate Nursing Students in Reading and Using Qualitative Research

Teaching undergraduate nursing research courses can be challenging. There is substantial research explicating why this is so, but little has been written about strategies to enhance students’ ability to engage in and learn about research, especially in the context of large classes offered over brief periods of time. An important role for those who teach research is to communicate their experiential successes, as these may be of value to other colleagues in the field. In this paper, we share some creative teaching strategies. These strategies include games, cross word puzzles, and projects based on common multimedia data such as commercial advertisements. The activities are designed to help students use what they already know to learn the concepts and terminology used in the research world

The health and welfare of rural and urban cancer survivors in Missouri

INTRODUCTION: An estimated 2.8 million cancer survivors reside in rural areas in the United States. We compared the risk behaviors, psychosocial factors, health outcomes, quality of life, and follow-up care of rural and urban cancer survivors in Missouri. METHODS: We used 2009–2010 Missouri Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data to examine various health outcomes, behaviors, and psychosocial factors among rural and urban cancer survivors and their respective rural and urban counterparts without a cancer history. Cancer survivors also were asked about receipt of survivorship care plan components. Sociodemographic factors, access to medical care, and chronic conditions were examined as potential explanatory factors for differences among the 4 groups. RESULTS: An estimated 9.4% of rural and 7.9% of urban Missourians aged 18 years or older reported a cancer history. Rural survivors reported the highest rates of poor self-reported health, physical distress, and activity limitation; however differences between rural and urban survivors were attributable largely to sociodemographic differences. Both rural and urban cancer survivors reported more fatigue than their respective counterparts without a cancer history. Rural survivors also were less likely to meet Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations for physical activity than their rural controls. The prevalence of smoking among rural survivors was higher than among urban survivors. Only 62% of rural survivors versus 78% of urban survivors reported receiving advice about cancer follow-up care. CONCLUSION: Rural cancer survivors face many health challenges. Interventions to improve quality of life and health behaviors should be adapted to meet the needs of rural cancer survivors

Critical Reading Across the Engineering Disciplines

Engineering students spend a significant amount of time discovering, evaluating, and reading/interpreting information. This book chapter discusses the existing knowledge around undergraduate engineering student information and critical reading practices and presents a case study that provides a successful pedagogical strategy to address these salient issues in the classroom

Understanding Undergraduate Engineering Student Information Access and Needs: Results from a Scoping Review

To the authors knowledge this is the first review to examine the current body of research on how engineering students access, use, and understand information; identify gaps in the literature, and how this can be used to support information literacy education in the engineering disciplines. Engineering students are required to create, problem solve, and improve, using engineering principles to develop their skills in technical, environmental, socioeconomic and political aspects of the engineering process. They are increasingly faced with the availability of rapidly shifting information types, which are gathered from sources like Google and Reddit. Finding and interpreting such information, even when found correctly through sources outside traditional research boundaries (technical documents found online vs. peer review articles through a library catalog), creates a disconnect between students and the desire of librarians or faculty to teach traditional research and information seeking skills. A scoping review was conducted using the Arksey and O’Malley modified framework. Six databases focusing on information, education, and engineering research were searched (LISA, ERIC full-text, ASEE, ScienceDirect, EducationSource, and Scopus). Papers were included if they addressed engineering student information seeking behaviors or needs. Studies that focused on social science or humanities students were excluded. The data were examined to find methodological trends, research areas, gaps in knowledge, and key findings. This review included 44 articles in the final review. Analysis grouped research into four emerging themes: Student information behavior mirrors that of professionals; Design thinking as a guiding force for information behavior; Design work requires the use of a specialized information sources; Methodological and Theoretical approaches. Results demonstrate a significant gap in knowledge around information seeking behavior specific to engineering students. Research into this area should be developed to be more inclusive and diverse, which will help increase recruitment and support of underrepresented groups, and overall will improve student success in engineering. Additional research should be conducted to validate or confirm previous findings, build on existing assessment protocols, develop new protocols and methodologies, and explore the application of new theoretical frameworks. There should be a focus in engaging cross-disciplinary stakeholders in the research process