Intercultural Communication in Brazil: An Approach to Engage Multicultural North Dakota State University Students in Study Abroad

Intercultural Communication in Brazil (IC Brazil) is a course-embedded program aimed at multicultural students by building off of the curriculum in one of the general education requirement courses at North Dakota State University (NDSU). It has been designed to fit within the confines of NDSU’s existing study abroad structure and uses a targeted approach to student recruitment that can be utilized by other faculty-leaders at NDSU, universities, and members of the IE field. IC Brazil is an experiential learning course-embedded program that contains on-campus learning, fieldwork in Rio de Janeiro, and course reflections upon the students’ return. IC Brazil students study the theories of intercultural communication by Edward Hall and Geert Hofstede at NDSU and use this knowledge in various activities in Brazil. A general education requirement faculty member has been chosen as the program leader based on their network of students. The program’s alumni will later serve as student-to-student peer advisors for future recruitment for IC Brazil. Other universities can adapt NDSU’s targeted approach to multicultural student recruitment and expansion of course-embedded programs as a tool for their internationalization efforts. Keywords: North Dakota State University, intercultural communication, Brazi

A Pilot Study of Student Perceptions of Embedded Library Instruction

Research in the field of education strongly supports that collaboration among professionals in the field will enhance students’ educational experiences. While this is true at all levels of education it is particularly true in higher education where professionals from various areas of expertise work together to ensure their shared students receive instructional supports that will allow the students to reach their fullest potential. The reality is that many instructors become primarily focused on their own courses as opposed to reaching out to colleagues whose knowledge and skills might act as a complement to their own. The result of which means that college students are left to seek out the individuals who are best able to help them to be successful when meeting assignment requirements. While there is a value to this approach the benefits of college professionals working together closely can offer invaluable support to the students not only as they meet the objectives established in their courses, but as they develop their networking and collaborative skills – skills they will take with them beyond their college experiences. One of the key collaborators essential to any teachers’ success as they head out into field is librarians. Introducing them to academic librarians throughout their college experiences is the first step in fostering this lifelong practice

Congenital Cytomegalovirus Reference Material: A Content Analysis of Coverage and Accuracy

Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the leading cause of birth defects and developmental delays in the United States. However, only 13–22 % of women in the United States have heard of CMV. This research assessed (1) the quantity and accuracy of CMV information included on pregnancy-related websites and reference books, and (2) whether CMV information was included less often than information about other birth defects or infections. A content analysis of 37 pregnancy reference books and seven websites was conducted. The data collection instrument represented categories describing CMV, transmission, and prevention. CMV subject matter experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reviewed the instrument. Each book and website was coded independently by two different coders. Twenty-one reference books and seven websites included CMV content. CMV was less likely to be included as a topic than other infections or birth defects. There were fewer sentences about CMV than toxoplasmosis, Down syndrome, or HIV. Book length was associated with increased likelihood of including CMV. How to prevent CMV transmission was discussed only half the time. Though limited, nearly all the CMV information was accurate. Pregnancy-related reference books and websites contain limited CMV information. Books are less likely to include CMV as compared to other infections and birth defects. Most of the CMV information is accurate. There is inadequate coverage given to prevention of CMV transmission, which may contribute to CMV remaining a continued leading cause of birth defects in the United States

Charter Dialogue Revisited – Or Much Ado About Metaphors

This article is a sequel to the 1997 article “The Charter Dialogue Between Courts and Legislatures (Or Perhaps The Charier of Rights Isn\u27t Such A Bad Thing After All).” In the present article, the authors review various academic critiques of their “dialogue” theory, which postulates that Charter decisions striking down laws arc not the last word, but rather the beginning of a “dialogue,” because legislative bodies are generally able to (and generally do) enact sequel legislation that accomplishes the main objective of the unconstitutional law. The authors also examine the Supreme Court of Canada\u27s dicta on the “dialogue” phenomenon, and update the data on which their 1997 article was based. They conclude that the dialogue phenomenon is alive and well and that the critique of the original article is largely “much ado about metaphors

Associations of Perirenal Fat Thickness with Renal and Systemic Calcified Atherosclerosis.

BackgroundWe investigated associations between perirenal fat thickness and atherosclerotic calcification in six different vascular beds.MethodsUsing a community-based cohort (n=3,919), perirenal fat thickness was estimated from computed tomography scans. It was classified as Q1 (the lowest quartile) to Q4 (the highest quartile) in each sex. Calcification in the carotid arteries, coronary arteries, thoracic aorta, abdominal aorta, iliac arteries, and renal arteries was evaluated.ResultsPerirenal fat thickness was associated with older age (P<0.01) and a higher prevalence of obesity, hypertension, and dyslipidemia (P<0.01 for all). Perirenal fat thickness was independently associated with renal arterial calcification even after adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking history, and family history of heart diseases in first-degree relatives (odds ratio [OR] per quartile of perirenal fat thickness, 1.25; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09 to 1.44). Compared to Q1, the odds of renal arterial calcification in Q4 was about two times higher (OR, 2.05; 95% CI, 1.29 to 3.25). After adjustment for renal arterial calcification and atherosclerotic risk factors, the only other vascular bed where perirenal fat thickness showed a significant association with calcification was the abdominal aorta (OR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.00 to 1.23; P=0.045).ConclusionPerirenal fat thickness was independently associated with vascular calcification in the renal artery and abdominal aorta

A New Alliance for Service Learning and Community Engagement To Cultivate Citizens with an Ecocentric Vision of Justice

As instructors at [University], a core conviction informs the service learning and community engagement (SLCE) courses we have designed: we cannot have thriving human communities, robust democratic citizenship, and authentic community/civic engagement when the ecological systems upon which all life depends, now and in the future, are ignored and ruined. Institutions of higher education need to use sustainability as an organizing tenet for SLCE and to achieve this, intentional collaboration must be made between SLCE and a sister discipline: sustainability in higher education (SHE). This article presents prototypes for SLCE-SHE partnerships. The preliminary qualitative data from these SLCE courses at [University] shows that strategic SLCE-SHE alliances cultivate the attitudes, goals, and learning outcomes sought by both disciplines in creative and perhaps, more adequate ways. When SLCE seriously attends to ecological sustainability -- when it becomes intentionally ecocentric -- place-engaged, ecologically literate, planetary citizens who value eco-social justice can be cultivated

Formal controls, neighborhood disadvantage, and violent crime in U.S. cities: Examining (un)intended consequences

Purpose This study examines the intended and unintended effects of formal social controls on violent crime within and across U.S. cities. Methods Using data from the National Neighborhood Crime Study, we assess whether greater police arrest activity and jail incarceration risk are associated with lower violent crime rates across cities. We also investigate whether greater use of these formal social controls exacerbates the relationship between extreme neighborhood disadvantage and violent crime. Results Results from multilevel analyses show that some formal controls (jail incarceration risk) reduce violent crime across cities, but other formal controls (police arrest activity) amplify the relationship between extreme neighborhood disadvantage and violent crime within cities. Conclusions Two main conclusions can be drawn from our analyses. First, we found evidence that some formal controls do reduce violent crime, while others do not. Second, our results support scholars\u27 arguments that formal controls have unintended consequences (e.g., Clear, 2007, 2008; Rose & Clear, 1998), specifically, by amplifying the effect of extreme neighborhood disadvantage on violent crime

Reinforcing Pediatric Nutrition Recommendations Using Low-Cost Resources to Reduce Impacts of Childhood Obesity

A statistical correlation has been made between the incidence of childhood obesity, comorbid conditions such as hypertension and diabetes, and food insecurity (Arnold et al., 2020). These studies conclude that increasing the availability of healthy food resources can combat childhood obesity and its complications (Trude et al., 2018). To increase knowledge and availability of healthy food resources, this project surveyed 212 pediatric patients for elevated body mass index (BMI) and food insecurity using the Hunger Vital Signs questionnaire on admission to the pediatric unit. Patients with elevated BMI and food insecurity were provided with nursing-led education on free and low-cost healthy food resources and family-oriented health programs. The project results concluded that 62 of 212 patients met the BMI and food insecurity criteria and only 28 of those received project education over a 12-week implementation period. Significantly fewer Spanish-speaking patients received the education, despite a higher rate of elevated BMI and food insecurity. Strategies were provided to help increase compliance with the proposed education, decreasing care gaps identified in Spanish-speaking patients who met project criteria.D.N.P