Nudging Students Beyond the FAFSA: The Impact of University Outreach on Financial Aid Behaviors and Outcomes

A growing body of research indicates that proactive outreach from high schools and college access organizations about college preparation tasks, and specifically focusing on completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), results in increased college enrollment. Comparatively less attention has been paid to the role of colleges and universities in this outreach and outreach relating to additional financial aid barriers that students face while applying to college, such as the CSS PROFILE form. In this article we investigated, through an inter-university collaboration, the effect of sending targeted, semi-personalized text messages to students during the college application process about important financial aid deadlines, making salient the specific forms required and prompting students to plan specific times to complete these tasks. The intervention increased CSS PROFILE filing by 3.1-4.3 percentage points, where the estimates and their significance varied depending on the comparison group. Impacts on student enrollment did not accompany these filing impacts. Results from our collaboration support the idea that colleges and universities have an important role to play in outreach to applicants relating to important financial aid tasks. The paper includes a discussion of the promises and challenges of this outreach with recommendations for practitioners

Influenza A Virus (H3N8) in Dogs with Respiratory Disease, Florida

Genetic and antigenic characterization established the uniqueness of this virus circulating in dogs

Influenza A Virus (H3N8) in Dogs with Respiratory Disease, Florida

Genetic and antigenic characterization established the uniqueness of this virus circulating in dogs

Case Report Gastric Intussusceptions in a Red Corn Snake (Pantherophis guttatus) Associated with Cryptosporidiosis

A 3-year-old female red corn snake (Pantherophis guttatus) was presented for a three-week history of anorexia and decreased defecations. On physical examination, a soft midbody intracoelomic swelling was palpated. Transcutaneous coelomic ultrasound revealed a target-like mass on a transverse section of the stomach, suggesting the presence of a gastrointestinal intussusception. On exploratory coeliotomy, a double compounded esophagogastric and gastroduodenal intussusception was diagnosed and reduced surgically. A gastropexy was also performed to prevent recurrence. On histopathology, the gastric glandular mucosa showed moderate to marked proliferation. Diffusely lining the luminal surface of glandular epithelium and free within the lumen were a myriad of protozoa consistent with Cryptosporidium sp. A diagnosis of chronic proliferative gastritis due to Cryptosporidium sp. was made based on these findings. Intussusceptions are rare in reptiles and are infrequently reported in snakes. This is the first report of a double compounded intussusception in a nonmammalian species and the first report of an intussusception involving the stomach in a snake with gastritis due to Cryptosporidium sp

α-Galactosylceramide protects swine against influenza infection when administered as a vaccine adjuvant.

Natural killer T (NKT) -cells activated with the glycolipid ligand α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer) stimulate a wide array of immune responses with many promising immunotherapeutic applications, including the enhancement of vaccines against infectious diseases and cancer. In the current study, we evaluated whether α-GalCer generates protective immunity against a swine influenza (SI) virus infection when applied as an intramuscular vaccine adjuvant. Immunization of newly weaned piglets with UV-killed pandemic H1N1 A/California/04/2009 (kCA04) SI virus and α-GalCer induced high titers of anti-hemagglutinin antibodies and generated virus-specific T cells that localized in intrapulmonary airways and in alveolar walls. Vaccination with α-GalCer resulted in a systemic increase in NKT-cell concentrations, including in the respiratory tract, which was associated with complete inhibition of viral replication in the upper and lower respiratory tract and much reduced viral shedding. These results indicate that NKT-cell agonists could be used to improve swine vaccine formulations in order to reduce the clinical signs of SI infection and limit the spread of influenza viruses amongst commercial pigs