More Guidance, Better Results? Three-Year Effects of an Enhanced Student Services Program at Two Community Colleges

In a program at Lorain County Community College and Owens Community College in Ohio, low-income students received enhanced counseling and advising services and were eligible to receive a modest stipend for two semesters. The program improved academic outcomes during the second semester and continued to have a positive effect on registration rates in the semester that followed, but it did not have any meaningful effects on academic outcomes in subsequent semesters

The age of the oldest Open Clusters

We determine ages of 71 old Open Clusters by a two-step method: we use main-squence fitting to 10 selected clusters, in order to obtain their distances, and derive their ages from comparison with our own isochrones used before for Globular Clusters. We then calibrate the morphological age indicator delta(V), which can be obtained for all remaining clusters, in terms of age and metallicity. Particular care is taken to ensure consistency in the whole procedure. The resulting Open Cluster ages connect well to our previous Globular Cluster results. From the Open Cluster sample, as well as from the combined sample, questions regarding the formation process of Galactic components are addressed. The age of the oldest open clusters (NGC6791 and Be17) is of the order of 10 Gyr. We determine a delay by 2.0+-1.5 Gyr between the start of the halo and thin disk formation, whereas thin and thick disk started to form approximately at the same time. We do not find any significant age-metallicity relationship for the open cluster sample. The cumulative age distribution of the whole open cluster sample shows a moderately significant (~2sigma level) departure from the predictions for an exponentially declining dissolution rate with timescale of 2.5 Gyr. The cumulative age distribution does not show any trend with galactocentric distance, but the clusters with larger height to the Galactic plane have an excess of objects between 2-4 and 6 Gyr with respect to their counterpart closer to the plane of the Galaxy.Comment: Astronomy & Astrophysics, in pres

Resolving the Uncertainty of Preterm Symptoms: Women’s Experiences With the Onset of Preterm Labor

Objective: To describe expectant women\u27s experiences with the onset of preterm labor. Design: Qualitative, using grounded theory methods. Setting: Southwestern tertiary women\u27s hospital. Participants: Thirty pregnant women who were less than 35 weeks gestation, had experienced preterm labor within the past 7 days, and had no previous experience with preterm labor. Data Source: Taped and transcribed interviews. Results: Themes that emerged from the interview data included the following: recognition and naming of sensations, a consistent pattern of attribution of symptoms, the threat or risk inferred by the attributed cause of the symptom pattern, the associated certainty or uncertainty about these attributions, the process of interpreting and verifying symptom meaning, and the decision to self-manage the symptoms or engage health care assistance. The core process of women experiencing the onset of preterm labor symptoms was identified as resolving the uncertainty of preterm labor symptoms: recognizing and responding to the possibilities. Conclusions: Preterm labor often is not within expectant women\u27s consciousness. They may attribute the symptoms to nonthreatening causes, which results in delays in seeking care for preterm labor. Education about symptom patterns at the onset of preterm labor will increase the probability that women and their health care providers will recognize and interpret the early, subtle symptoms that herald the onset of preterm labor. Uncertainty in illness theory and attribution theory offer frameworks for understanding women\u27s experiences with the onset of preterm labor

Digital Prosopography for Renaissance Musicians: Discovery of Social and Professional Networks

As part of Web 2.0 (Semantic Web), there is a new technology called FOAF (Friend of a Friend), describing relationships between people. We will investigate the applicability of FOAF for describing relationships between musicians of the past, thereby establishing a new biographical tool. Musicians have complex relationships,particularly those between teachers and students and those within ensembles of various sizes. Visual artists may have similar teacher-student relationships, but typically do not create their work together. Dancers may perform together, but they are usually taught in groups. Similarly, athletes may compete in groups, but they do not usually perform in public with their coaches. For this project we will focus specifically on relationships among Renaissance musicians and how to extract the biographical and relational data automatically from existing documents using natural language processing technology, creating a model applicable to other time periods and disciplines

Prospective Abuse and Neglect - The Termination of Parental Rights

Immediately after his December 1985 birth, a newborn baby boy, W.L.P., was taken from his parents, through a Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services (hereinafter HRS) proceeding

Techniques of Atomic Absorption: Direct Determination of Cadmium in Biological Materials and Metal Speciation by Differential Atomization.

A method was developed for the direct determination of cadmium in biological materials. Determination of metals in biological samples was made difficult by the low concentration, the complex matrix, and the small amount of sample generally available. Current methods for this type of analysis involve either a wet-ashing or a dry-ashing step to break down the organic matrix and concentrate the metals present. These procedures often cause positive and/or negative errors due to contamination of the sample or loss of the metal of interest. The described method avoided these sources of error by eliminating sample pretreatment steps. The method made use of a unique carbon bed atomizer for electrothermal atomic absorption spectroscopy. A sample introduced onto the heated carbon bed was completely decomposed and atomized before being drawn through the lightpath, where atomic absorption was recorded. Use of the carbon bed atomizer efficiently broke down the organic matrix of biological samples, thereby reducing background absorption and eliminating the need for previous ashing steps. The sensitivity of the method (approximatly 10(\u27-13) g) was sufficient so that preconcentration of the sample was unnecessary. Use of the carbon bed atomizer was applied to a study of the cadmium concentrations in whole blood, urine, perspiration, hair, and breath samples collected from a population not occupationaly exposed to the metal. Liquid samples were introduced into the atomizer by placing 1 (mu)l on a 6-mm filter paper disk. This technique immobilized the sample and promoted complete degradation of the matrix. Background signals were reduced to approximately 6-8% absorption. Hair samples were analyzed by dropping 1-cm segments onto the surface of the hot carbon bed. Breath samples were collected by pulling the sample through a bed composed of activated carbon. Data were collected indicating the average cadmium concentration and the range and distribution of cadmium values in blood, urine, sweat, and hair. Comparisons were made between the cadmium concentrations of two or more of these excretory tissues for individuals. Estimates of the average daily excretion of cadmium through each of these tissues were calculated. The total daily excretion of cadmium from the body was estimated to be 180 (mu)g/day, which was approximately equal to the daily intake. The results indicated that the half-life of cadmium in the human body is considerably less than 20-40 years, as is reported in the literature. There has been an increasing demand for analytical techniques which provide not only total metal analysis, but also differentiate between various metal compounds. Such techniques would provide information on the chemical form of a metal in a sample, which has particular significance in toxicological and environmental studies. A technique was developed which used a dual-stage atomizer for atomic absorption spectroscopy to distinguish between different chemical forms of metals. The first stage, consisting of a platinum wire loop, was gradually increased in temperature to vaporize different forms of a metal at their characteristic temperatures. The second stage, which was the carbon bed, was maintained hot to atomize the vaporous metallic species. Absorption traces were obtained for solutions of various lead and cadmium compounds using the platinum loop apparatus. Traces also were obtained for lead and cadmium in whole blood. Differences were observed in the absorption spectra of the various samples

Virgin Islands heritage collection: a global resource sharing model.

pp. 179-18

Integrating virtual reference services into dispersed digital resources: the Everglades Information Network/Ask an Everglades Librarian experience

pp. 105-11

Implementation and Outcomes of the New York State YMCA Diabetes Prevention Program: A Multisite Community-Based Translation, 20102012

Weight loss and physical activity achieved through the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) have been shown to reduce type 2 diabetes risk among individuals with prediabetes. The New York State Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) delivered the 16-week evidence-based model at 14 YMCAs. A mixed methods process and outcomes evaluation was conducted

Twisting tails exposed: the evidence for TCR conformational change

The mechanism by which the ligand occupancy state of the T cell receptor complex is converted into intracellular signaling information has been a controversial topic. Although the majority of structural studies argue against a conformational change, recent studies support the possibility for such a change within the CD3 components of the TCR complex. In this commentary, the evidence for TCR conformational change is reviewed and potential mechanisms for its initiation are explored