An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Urban Early College High School Teachers\u27 Experiences

Teachers are fundamental to students\u27 performance by fostering relationships and imparting knowledge in the classroom. Dual-credit teachers work for Early College High School (ECHS) programs to assist historically underrepresented students in accelerating their path toward earning college credits and associate degrees while attending high school. Hard-to-staff ECHS programs with underrepresented pupils in lower socioeconomic urban areas suffer high teacher attrition. How urban ECHS teachers define their professional experiences is still being determined, which affects organizational outcomes. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative exploratory study was to investigate and understand the lived experiences of urban ECHS teachers in Texas. This study used phenomenological semistructured interviews and self-administered questionnaires to collect data from the 14 early college high school teacher participants. The exploratory study used interpretative phenomenological analysis as a qualitative research method to identify meaningful themes from patterns found within the data. Four central themes emerged from the investigation: (a) commitment to students, (b) motivation to retain position, (c) commitment to self, and (d) challenges. Participants\u27 accounts of their experiences as ECHS teachers contribute to recognizing and comprehending their values and beliefs. The results indicated that ECHS teachers showed compassion and understanding as they helped students navigate the intricacies of dual enrollment in high school and college. Research demonstrated that an environment conducive to learning enhances students\u27 cognitive, social, and emotional development. Sustaining an all-around favorable school culture affected ECHS instructors\u27 opinions of their jobs and the educational system. Results discussions included new perspectives on the actual experiences of ECHS teachers, the limitations of the study, and implications for ECHS teachers, ECHS supervision, and ECHS environment studies and programs in the future. Preserving a generally positive school climate affected ECHS instructors\u27 opinions of their positions and the educational system. Lastly, the study suggested that improving employee resources for urban ECHS teachers could improve well-being and workforce sustainability in ECHS contexts

Secondary Land to Water Transitions: Turtles as Models for Understanding Morphological Evolution

Transitions between water and land have occurred multiple times in vertebrate evolutionary history. Secondary land-to-water transitions are often accompanied by characteristic evolutionary changes in morphology, including a shift from tubular limbs to flattened flippers. Differences in limb structure across taxa are often attributed to differences in skeletal loading. However, empirical data on loading differences between land and water are lacking, making it difficult to evaluate which mechanistic changes accompany morphological adaptations in lineages that shift from terrestrial to aquatic habitats. I used turtles as a model lineage for examining structural and functional implications of differences in limb bone loading between water and land. My examination is comprised of four studies. First, I compared loading regimes for the femur of semi-aquatic sliders (Trachemys scripta) during walking and swimming. These trials generated empirical data to test assumed loading differences between water and land. As the extent of limb flattening in many secondarily aquatic tetrapods is especially pronounced in the forelimb, compared to the hindlimb, I next compared loading of the humerus during walking and swimming in the semi-aquatic river cooter (Pseudemys concinna). Turtles have transitioned between land and water several times throughout evolutionary history, and such historical transitions may have influenced morphological adaptations of extant taxa. To examine this potential, I compared the swimming kinematics of four turtle species that included two semi-aquatic taxa (Chrysemys picta and T. scripta) and two independently evolved terrestrial specialists (Testudo horsfieldii and Terrapene carolina). This work evaluated the retention of ancestral swimming ability among taxa that have shifted to terrestrial habitats. Finally, it is difficult to assess how differences in loading between land and water may have influenced the morphological diversity of turtle limbs without considering data from taxa that span a complete range of locomotor habits. I collected morphological data from four functionally divergent clades, and calculated allometric comparisons of humerus and femur shape using phylogenetic comparative methods to test for divergence in limb bone morphology among taxa that use different habitats. Together, these studies provide biomechanical, kinematic, and phylogenetic insight to the mechanisms influencing the evolution of limb morphology associated with secondary aquatic invasions

Beyond A Vision For The Future: Tangible Steps To Engage Diverse Participants In Inclusive Field Experiences

Synopsis Recent strides toward improving diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in field biology present a unique opportunity for transdisciplinary exploration of the impacts and state of a topic that has remained hereto largely underexplored and under-discussed in the academic setting. Within current literature, themes of racial and gender inequity, power imbalances, unsafe environments, and underdeveloped infrastructure and resources are widespread. Thus, we organized a symposium that addressed these compelling issues in field biology DEI through a multitude of experiential and academic lenses. This article will orient the reader to the special issue and offer summative goals and outcomes of the symposium that can provide tangible steps toward creating meaningful improvements in the state of DEI and safety in field settings

Iniciativas estaduais de pagamentos por serviços ambientais : análise legal e seus resultados

Este  artigo  apresenta  um  panorama  geral  dos  programas de  Pagamentos  por  Serviços  Ambientais  (PSA)realizados  pelos  governos  estaduais  no  Brasil. Foram  analisadasas  legislações  e  características  destes programas, eos resultados alcançados até janeiro de 2016. A metodologia utilizada foi baseada empesquisas bibliográficas e documentais, além deentrevistas, por e-mail e telefone, com técnicos ligados aos programas estaduais. Osprogramas em andamento são muito diversos e estão em distintas fases de implementação. O valor  gasto  acumulado  com  os  programas  estaduais,  de  2008  até  2015,  foi  de  aproximadamente  R$54,4 milhões,  e a área  preservada  de  76,3  mil  hectares.  Esses  números  estão  aquém  da  necessidade  de preservação   de   matas   nativas   no   país.   Contudo,   são   experiências   pioneiras,   com   dificuldades   de financiamento, que representam os primeiros passos para complementar as políticas de comando e controle com instrumentos econômicos de gestão ambiental no país. O artigo conclui com algumas recomendações para a elaboração de uma Política Nacional de PSA, incluindo simplificação dos procedimentos burocráticose metodológicos, estabelecimento demetas e áreas prioritárias, financiamento estável e diversificado, além da necessidade debuscarsinergias ediálogoscom associações de produtores,lideranças locaise outras instituições envolvidas.This  article  overviewsthe  programs  of  Payments  for  Environmental  Services  (PSA)  carried  out  by state governments in Brazil. The legislation and characteristics of these programs were analyzed,as well as results achieved up toJanuary 2016. The methodology was based on bibliographical and documentary research, ande-mail and telephoneinterviewswith technicians connected to the state programs.The programs in progress are very diverseand are in different stages of implementation. The accumulated amount spent with the state programs, from 2008 to 2015, was approximately R$ 54.4 million, and the preserved area of 76.3 thousand hectares. These numbers fall short of the need to preservenative forests in the country. However, these are pioneering experiences with financing difficulties that represent the first steps to complement the commandand  control  policies  with  economic  instruments  of  environmental  management  in  the  country.The  article concludes with some recommendations for the elaboration of a National PES Policy, including simplification of  bureaucratic  and  methodological  procedures,  establishment  of  targets  and  priority  areas,  stable  and diversified  financing,  and  synergies  anddialogueswith  producer  associations,  local  leaderships  and  other Institutions involved.Este  artigo  apresenta  um  panorama  geral  dos  programas de  Pagamentos  por  Serviços  Ambientais  (PSA)realizados  pelos  governos  estaduais  no  Brasil. Foram  analisadasas  legislações  e  características  destes programas, eos resultados alcançados até janeiro de 2016. A metodologia utilizada foi baseada empesquisas bibliográficas e documentais, além deentrevistas, por e-mail e telefone, com técnicos ligados aos programas estaduais. Osprogramas em andamento são muito diversos e estão em distintas fases de implementação. O valor  gasto  acumulado  com  os  programas  estaduais,  de  2008  até  2015,  foi  de  aproximadamente  R$  54,4 milhões,  e a área  preservada  de  76,3  mil  hectares.  Esses  números  estão  aquém  da  necessidade  de preservação   de   matas   nativas   no   país.   Contudo,   são   experiências   pioneiras,   com   dificuldades   de financiamento, que representam os primeiros passos para complementar as políticas de comando e controle com instrumentos econômicos de gestão ambiental no país. O artigo conclui com algumas recomendações para a elaboração de uma Política Nacional de PSA, incluindo simplificação dos procedimentos burocráticose metodológicos, estabelecimento demetas e áreas prioritárias, financiamento estável e diversificado, além da necessidade debuscarsinergias ediálogoscom associações de produtores,lideranças locaise outras instituições envolvidas

Elevated high-sensitivity troponin does not indicate the presence of coronary artery disease in patients presenting with supraventricular tachycardia

Background: Patients with supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) and patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) often present with similar symptoms (chest pain, shortness of breath), similar electrocar¬diographic changes and elevated high-sensitivity troponin (Tn). It is not clear whether troponin reflects critical CAD or is elevated due to other causes in patients presenting with SVT. The aim of this study was to assess the role of elevated troponin in patients presenting with SVT. Methods: Patients undergoing radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for SVT and simultaneous coronary an¬giography at the Heart Centre Lucerne, Switzerland between January 2010 and October 2014 were in¬cluded in this analysis. Significant CAD was defined as diameter-stenosis ≥ 75% in vessels > 2.0 mm. The level of Tn was compared between patients with the presence or absence of CAD on coronary angi¬ography. A Tn value of ≥ 0.014 μg/L was considered as elevated. Results: During the study period a total of 473 patients underwent RFA for SVT. The study population consisted of 326 patients (69%, mean age 60 ± 12 years) who underwent invasive coronary angiogra¬phy during the same session. The prevalence of significant CAD was 14% (45/326 patients). The highest prevalence of CAD was found in patients with atrial flutter (35%, 18/45 patients). Tn was elevated in 83% (10/12 patients) with significant CAD and in 47% (26/55 patients) without CAD. Conclusions: The prevalence of CAD is low in patients with SVT, which questions the role of routine invasive coronary angiography during RFA. Tn measurement did not reliably exclude or confirm CAD in these patients

Considering Questions Before Methods in Dementia Research With Competing Events and Causal Goals

Studying causal exposure effects on dementia is challenging when death is a competing event. Researchers often interpret death as a potential source of bias, although bias cannot be defined or assessed if the causal question is not explicitly specified. Here we discuss 2 possible notions of a causal effect on dementia risk: the “controlled direct effect” and the “total effect.” We provide definitions and discuss the “censoring” assumptions needed for identification in either case and their link to familiar statistical methods. We illustrate concepts in a hypothetical randomized trial on smoking cessation in late midlife, and emulate such a trial using observational data from the Rotterdam Study, the Netherlands, 1990–2015. We estimated a total effect of smoking cessation (compared with continued smoking) on 20-year dementia risk of 2.1 (95% confidence interval: −0.1, 4.2) percentage points and a controlled direct effect of smoking cessation on 20-year dementia risk had death been prevented of −2.7 (95% confidence interval: −6.1, 0.8) percentage points. Our study highlights how analyses corresponding to different causal questions can have different results, here with point estimates on opposite sides of the null. Having a clear causal question in view of the competing event and transparent and explicit assumptions are essential to interpreting results and potential bias.</p

Identification of a Pre-Contact Polar Bear Victim at Native Point, Southampton Island, Nunavut, Using 3D Technology and a Virtual Zooarchaeology Collection

The skeletal remains of an adult Sadlermiut woman with obvious trauma to her cranial and post-cranial skeleton were excavated from Native Point (KkHh-1), Southampton Island, Nunavut, in 1954. In order to determine the possible cause of this damage, we first documented the skeletal injuries using traditional bioarchaeological techniques. We then created a three-dimensional model of the cranium and mandible to permit better visualization and analysis of the cranial lesions, some of which were obscured by post-depositional weathering. This model was imported into a virtual environment in order to compare the lesions with the craniodental structure of four Arctic carnivore species available as digital models through the Virtual Zooarchaeology of the Arctic Project (VZAP), an online comparative faunal collection. We eliminated all but the polar bear (Ursus maritimus) using this process, which suggested that an individual of this species was responsible for the skeletal trauma. We further identified a minimum number of “bites” on the cranium, some with overlapping lesions, which suggested a possible attack sequence. Use of a virtual environment and an online comparative collection were critical to this process and represent a new technique for evaluating past skeletal trauma and its causes.En 1954, lors de travaux archéologiques sur le site Native Point (KkHh-1), île Southampton, Nunavut, les restes du squelette d’une femme adulte de la culture Sadlermiut portant des signes évidents de traumatismes crânien et post-crânien avaient été excavés. Dans le but de déterminer les causes possibles de ces dommages, nous avons d’abord documenté les lésions squelettiques à l’aide de techniques bio-archéologiques traditionnelles. Ensuite, nous avons créé un modèle en trois dimensions du crâne et de la mandibule pour permettre de bien visualiser et analyser les lésions crâniennes, notamment parce que certaines d’entre elles étaient obscurcies par l’érosion post-dépositionnelle. Ce modèle a été importé dans un environnement virtuel afin de comparer les lésions à la structure cranio-dentaire de quatre espèces carnivores provenant de l’Arctique dont les modèles figurent déjà dans la collection ostéologique comparative en ligne du projet VZAP (Virtual Zooarchaeology of the Arctic Project). Nous avons ainsi éliminé tous les carnivores à l’exception de l’ours polaire (Ursus maritimus), laissant penser qu’un membre de cette espèce serait responsable des traumatismes du squelette de cette femme. Nous avons également identifié des morsures sur le crâne de cette femme, suggérant une possible séquence d’attaques, ne serait-ce que par la présence d’une série de lésions qui se chevauchent. L’utilisation d’un environnement virtuel et d’une collection comparative virtuelle a joué un rôle déterminant dans ce processus et représente une nouvelle technique pour évaluer les traumatismes squelettiques anciens et leurs causes

UK landscape ecology: trends and perspectives from the first 25 years of ialeUK

Context The 25th anniversary of the founding of the UK chapter of the International Association for Landscape Ecology (ialeUK) was marked in 2017. Objectives To assess trends in UK landscape ecology research over ialeUK’s first 25 years, to compare these trends to changes elsewhere in the world, and to consider how ialeUK can continue to support landscape ecology research and practice. Methods A database of conference abstracts was compiled and examined in combination with a questionnaire that surveyed existing and former active members of ialeUK. Results Across 1992–2017 we observe noticeable trends including the declining roles of statutory bodies, the development of the ecosystem services concept, and a decrease in use of empirical methods. Analysis of questionnaire results highlighted four key areas: Developing new researchers; Facilitating conferences for networking, learning and discussion; Linking policy with practice; and Driving the continued growth of landscape ecology as a discipline. Challenges were also noted, especially regarding the adoption of a wider understanding of landscape ecological principles in management. Conclusions Increases in qualitative research, decreases in studies explicitly examining connectivity/fragmentation and an absence of landscape genetics studies in the UK are seemingly distinct from US landscape ecology and elsewhere around the world, based on published accounts. ialeUK has had success in increasing the role of landscape ecology in policy and practice, but needs to continue to aim for improved collaboration with other landscape-related professional bodies and contributions to wider sustainability agendas