Educators\u27 Perceptions of a School-Based Antibullying Program in an Elementary School

Bullying is a problem experienced in schools across the country including in the ABC Elementary School in Georgia, where the No Place for Hate antibullying program is in place to address this problem. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand educators\u27 perspectives on their experiences implementing the program. Bandura\u27s social learning theory was used as the conceptual foundation for this study. A content analysis research method based on that of Yin and employing NVivo software was used to analyze interviews. The participants were asked to comment on three main areas: (a) bullying, (b) useful components of the No Place for Hate antibullying program, and (c) resources available for them to use in identifying and responding to bullying. The participants were 10 teachers and 3 administrators at ABC Elementary School who were affiliated with the program. Each participant engaged in a semi structured, face-to-face interview lasting approximately 30 to 45 minutes. Teachers and administrators perceived that the No Place for Hate anti-bullying program at ABC Elementary School helped participants to actively acknowledge and respond to the issue of bullying. However, all felt that a more consistent implementation would increase its effectiveness. Educators may use the results of the study through a professional development as a basis for recommendations concerning vital areas of antibullying programs that schools should improve upon or implement. The results of this study added to the body of knowledge for other schools that use or might use the No Place for Hate antibullying program. Moreover, the results of the study could be used to inform federal and state governments concerning the development of sound policies and programs on addressing bullying that may result in safer educational experiences for students

A leadership journey: How advising shapes an institutional culture

Although we know advising can be conceptualized as a critical component of an integrated and comprehensive student success strategy on a campus, it is often difficult to implement. This chapter will provide a case study of the development and execution of a leadership initiative at an American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) institution to transform advising in service of the goals of student equity and success. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley\u27s advising model grew out of a convergence of a handful of key momentum points including strategic planning processes and the use of emerging data surrounding their students as a majority-minority Hispanic-serving institution. Through these and other momentum points and the approach from leaders, their institutional transformation reflects the importance of the role and shared responsibility for building student success and equity on campus

‘I like to run to feel’: Embodiment and wearable mobile tracking devices in distance running

Many experienced runners consider the use of wearable devices an important element of the training process. A key techno-utopic promise of wearables lies in the use of proprietary algorithms to identify training load errors in real-time and alert users to risks of running-related injuries. Such real-time ‘knowing’ is claimed to obviate the need for athletes’ subjective judgements by telling runners how they have deviated from a desired or optimal training load or intensity. This realist-contoured perspective is, however, at odds with sociological research indicating that users of wearables engage in active ‘data sense-making’ that is highly contextualised. To investigate how athletes use (or not) algorithmic analysis to understand, make sense of, and improve their performance in real-time, we undertook qualitative interviews with distance runners to explore lived experiences of running with wearables. The runners described how they actively interpreted data from wearables, drawing on their own experience, ‘somatic knowledge’, and embodied ways of knowing. This allowed them to assess the relevance and usefulness of data in relation to their own goals, intentions, and feelings. Our findings challenge the techno-utopic promises of real-time and predictive analytics

Helping Babies Survive Training Programs: Evaluating a Teaching Cascade in Ethiopia

Background: 2.6 million neonates die annually; the vast majority of deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The Helping Babies Survive (HBS) programs are commonly used in LMICs to reduce neonatal mortality through education. They are typically disseminated using a train-the-trainer cascade. However, there is little published literature on the extent and cost of dissemination. In 2015, the Ethiopian Ministry of Health and partner organizations implemented a countrywide HBS training cascade for midwives in 169 hospitals.Methods: We quantified the extent of HBS dissemination, and characterized barriers that impeded successful hospital-based training by surveying a representative from each of the 169 participant hospitals. This occurred from September 2017 to April 2018. We also assessed the cost of the training cascade. To assess acquisition of knowledge and skill in the training cascade, multiple-choice question examinations (MCQE) and objective structured clinical evaluations (OSCE) were conducted.Results: Hospital-based training occurred in 132 participant hospitals (78%). 1,146 midwives, 69% of those employed by participant hospitals, received hospital-based training. Barriers included lack of preparation of hospital-based educators and limited logistical support. The cascade cost an average of 2,105 USD per facility or 197 USD per trainee. Knowledge improved and skills were adequate for regional workshop attendees based on MCQE and OSCE performance.Conclusion: The train-the-trainer strategy is an effective and affordable strategy for widespread dissemination of the HBS programs in LMICs. Future studies should assess knowledge and skill acquisition following the variety of pragmatic training approaches that may be employed at the facility-level

Changes to the gut microbiome in young children showing early behavioral signs of autism

The human gut microbiome has increasingly been associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which is a neurological developmental disorder, characterized by impairments to social interaction. The ability of the gut microbiota to signal across the gut-brain-microbiota axis with metabolites, including short-chain fatty acids, impacts brain health and has been identified to play a role in the gastrointestinal and developmental symptoms affecting autistic children. The fecal microbiome of older children with ASD has repeatedly shown particular shifts in the bacterial and fungal microbial community, which are significantly different from age-matched neurotypical controls, but it is still unclear whether these characteristic shifts are detectable before diagnosis. Early microbial colonization patterns can have long-lasting effects on human health, and pre-emptive intervention may be an important mediator to more severe autism. In this study, we characterized both the microbiome and short-chain fatty acid concentrations of fecal samples from young children between 21 and 40 months who were showing early behavioral signs of ASD. The fungal richness and acetic acid concentrations were observed to be higher with increasing autism severity, and the abundance of several bacterial taxa also changed due to the severity of ASD. Bacterial diversity and SCFA concentrations were also associated with stool form, and some bacterial families were found with differential abundance according to stool firmness. An exploratory analysis of the microbiome associated with pre-emptive treatment also showed significant differences at multiple taxonomic levels. These differences may impact the microbial signaling across the gut-brain-microbiota axis and the neurological development of the children

From Report Card to Criminal Record: The Impact of Policing Oakland Youth

In the name of public safety, Black children in Oakland are being arrested at vastly disproportionate rates. This derails their opportunities for educational success while failing to ensure our children's safety. From Report Card to Criminal Record: The Impact of Policing Oakland Youth describes the various and overlapping law enforcement agencies which police Oakland's children. It reveals disturbing trends in disproportionate arrests and law enforcement contacts with youth of color, coupled with the underfunding of counselors, mental health professionals, and others whose presence could work to reduce the need for law enforcement. The information contained in this report comes from data obtained directly from Oakland Unified School District, the Oakland School Police Department, the Oakland Police Department, and Alameda County Probation

Characterization of the alpha-i adrenergic receptors in the thoracic aorta of control and aldosterone hypertensive rats: Correlation of radioligand binding with potassium efflux and contraction.

ABSTRACT and 8.0±0.1)andcontrol (7.9 ± 0.2 and 8.1 ± 0.1) rats whether measured by contraction or 42K efflux. The pA2 value for the selective alpha-i antagonist prazosin (9.8 ± 0.1 to 10.7 ± 02) and the a!pha-2 antagonist yohimbine(6.6 ± 0.2 to 7.4 ± 0.2) was similar in AHR and control groups using both norepinephnne and phenylephrine as agonists. The rank order of potency was prasozin > phentolamine > yohimbine in both groups. and an increased sensitivity to NE, reflected in the lower NE ECso of 2.4 ± 0.5 nM (P < .001). These difference

Fecal sample collection methods and time of day impact microbiome composition and short chain fatty acid concentrations

Associations between the human gut microbiome and health outcomes continues to be of great interest, although fecal sample collection methods which impact microbiome studies are sometimes neglected. Here, we expand on previous work in sample optimization, to promote high quality microbiome data. To compare fecal sample collection methods, amplicons from the bacterial 16S rRNA gene (V4) and fungal (ITS2) region, as well as short chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentrations were determined in fecal material over three timepoints. We demonstrated that spot sampling of stool results in variable detection of some microbial members, and inconsistent levels of SCFA; therefore, sample homogenization prior to subsequent analysis or subsampling is recommended. We also identify a trend in microbial and metabolite composition that shifts over two consecutive stool collections less than 25 h apart. Lastly, we show significant differences in bacterial composition that result from collecting stool samples in OMNIgene·Gut tube (DNA Genotec) or Stool Nucleic Acid Collection and Preservation Tube (NORGEN) compared to immediate freezing. To assist with planning fecal sample collection and storage procedures for microbiome investigations with multiple analyses, we recommend participants to collect the first full bowel movement of the day and freeze the sample immediately after collection

The microbiome of the gastrointestinal tract of a range-shifting marine herbivorous fish

Globally, marine species\u27 distributions are being modified due to rising ocean temperatures. Increasing evidence suggests a circum-global pattern of poleward extensions in the distributions of many tropical herbivorous species, including the ecologically important rabbitfis