Semiotic Analysis of a Science Library: Inclusion and Messaging

Purpose and goalsThe purpose of this study is to investigate what semiotic analysis can discover about how welcoming and inclusive a science library space is for patrons. Semiotic analysis examines the meanings that individuals interpret places as having. It involves the study of objects, which can range from images and words to physical items, and their meanings as individual interpreters understand them (Hall, 1997). We chose to study a science library space because the lack of racial and gender diversity in STEM is a persistent challenge despite the growth in the number of STEM jobs and STEM degrees earned (Pew, 2021). Design, methodology, or approachWe conducted a semiotic analysis of a science and engineering library to determine how well the signs and signifiers in the space reflect its goals. To that end, we examined how diverse groups of patrons might interpret elements in the space, which behaviors are encouraged and discouraged, and whether the space promotes scientific disciplines to its visitors. The space we investigated serves as a case study highlighting the ways in which library spaces can communicate messaging to patrons of various backgrounds. FindingsBased on our semiotic analysis, the library space’s communication to its patrons succeeds more in promoting science and encouraging desired behavior (or discouraging undesired behavior) than in promoting diversity and inclusion. Practical implications or valueIn keeping with universal design, libraries should provide clear and visible signage for the library itself, as well as its elevators, exits, restrooms, quiet study spaces, group study spaces, and browseable stacks. Libraries should provide gender inclusive restrooms and clearly marked spaces for religious reflection. Libraries can make an effort to choose inclusive art and display artifacts to appeal to patrons from a variety of backgrounds. Libraries can learn from our findings that library signage that precludes activities frequently performed by patrons should be accompanied by library signage that directs patrons where they may participate in these activities without disturbing other patrons. This will balance the prescriptive, negative messaging in libraries with positive, inviting messaging. Libraries should consider their priorities in terms of safety versus a feeling of surveillance for patrons when designing study spaces. While glass can help library staff monitor activity in the library, glass walls can also lead to a lack of privacy and a feeling of distrust. Likewise, libraries must make decisions between the security for their materials provided by wired glass and theft detectors versus a more welcoming atmosphere of trust. A science library should be updated with modern, clean, furnishings in good condition to show respect for its patrons and their work. It is important to represent the interests of patrons a library wishes to welcome in a balanced way. A science library should not have a predominance of science items from any particular science discipline it serves, but provide appealing displays from a variety of disciplines representing both the history of science and modern advances. Educational disciplinary displays can incorporate diverse scientists to promote the inclusion of diverse patrons

A Water Demand Prediction Model for Central Indiana

Due to the limited natural water resources and the increase in population, managing water consumption is becoming an increasingly important subject worldwide. In this paper, we present and compare different machine learning models that are able to predict water demand for Central Indiana. The models are developed for two different time scales: daily and monthly. The input features for the proposed model include weather conditions (temperature, rainfall, snow), social features (holiday, median income), date (day of the year, month), and operational features (number of customers, previous water demand levels). The importance of these input features as accurate predictors is investigated. The results show that daily and monthly models based on recurrent neural networks produced the best results with an average error in prediction of 1.69% and 2.29%, respectively for 2016. These models achieve a high accuracy with a limited set of input features

INCREASING HEALTH LITERACY AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AMONG HISPANIC AND LATINO STUDENTS IN DURHAM COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS THROUGH SCHOOL MEALS

Education access and quality is a key social determinant of health that has a major influence on wellbeing (Healthy People 2030, n.d.). Higher levels of education have been shown to lead to increased opportunities, employment, income, and health status (The Lancet Public Health, 2020). Health literacy plays a large role in the decreased health status among those with lower educational attainment. Inadequate health literacy has been shown to have a stronger association with poor health than age, income, employment status, or race (Shahid et al., 2022). Within Durham County, race is highly associated with educational attainment, as over 50% of both Hispanic males and females do not have a high school diploma compared to less than 5% of white males and females (Statistical Atlas, 2018). This proposal will create both a cultural school meal food program as well as a health literacy and English-as-a-second-language (ESL) curriculum within Durham Public Schools (DPS). These proposed programs will create improvements in academic performance and health literacy among Hispanic/Latino youth, leading to long term improvements in the overall health status of Durham County’s greater Hispanic/Latino community.Master of Public Healt

INCREASING HEALTH LITERACY AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AMONG HISPANIC AND LATINO STUDENTS IN DURHAM COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS THROUGH SCHOOL MEALS

Education access and quality is a key social determinant of health that has a major influence on wellbeing (Healthy People 2030, n.d.). Higher levels of education have been shown to lead to increased opportunities, employment, income, and health status (The Lancet Public Health, 2020). Health literacy plays a large role in the decreased health status among those with lower educational attainment. Inadequate health literacy has been shown to have a stronger association with poor health than age, income, employment status, or race (Shahid et al., 2022). Within Durham County, race is highly associated with educational attainment, as over 50% of both Hispanic males and females do not have a high school diploma compared to less than 5% of white males and females (Statistical Atlas, 2018). This proposal will create both a cultural school meal food program as well as a health literacy and English-as-a-second-language (ESL) curriculum within Durham Public Schools (DPS). These proposed programs will create improvements in academic performance and health literacy among Hispanic/Latino youth, leading to long term improvements in the overall health status of Durham County’s greater Hispanic/Latino community. Keywords: Social determinant of health, education, cultural/traditional meals, health literacy, English-as-a-second-language (ESL), Hispanic/Latino students/community, Durham County, North CarolinaMaster of Public Healt

INCREASING HEALTH LITERACY AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AMONG HISPANIC AND LATINO STUDENTS IN DURHAM COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS THROUGH SCHOOL MEALS

Education access and quality is a key social determinant of health that has a major influence on wellbeing (Healthy People 2030, n.d.). Higher levels of education have been shown to lead to increased opportunities, employment, income, and health status (The Lancet Public Health, 2020). Health literacy plays a large role in the decreased health status among those with lower educational attainment. Inadequate health literacy has been shown to have a stronger association with poor health than age, income, employment status, or race (Shahid et al., 2022). Within Durham County, race is highly associated with educational attainment, as over 50% of both Hispanic males and females do not have a high school diploma compared to less than 5% of white males and females (Statistical Atlas, 2018). This proposal will create both a cultural school meal food program as well as a health literacy and English-asa-second-language (ESL) curriculum within Durham Public Schools (DPS). These proposed programs will create improvements in academic performance and health literacy among Hispanic/Latino youth, leading to long term improvements in the overall health status of Durham County’s greater Hispanic/Latino community.Master of Public Healt

INCREASING HEALTH LITERACY AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AMONG HISPANIC AND LATINO STUDENTS IN DURHAM COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS THROUGH SCHOOL MEALS

Education access and quality is a key social determinant of health that has a major influence on wellbeing (Healthy People 2030, n.d.). Higher levels of education have been shown to lead to increased opportunities, employment, income, and health status (The Lancet Public Health, 2020). Health literacy plays a large role in the decreased health status among those with lower educational attainment. Inadequate health literacy has been shown to have a stronger association with poor health than age, income, employment status, or race (Shahid et al., 2022). Within Durham County, race is highly associated with educational attainment, as over 50% of both Hispanic males and females do not have a high school diploma compared to less than 5% of white males and females (Statistical Atlas, 2018). This proposal will create both a cultural school meal food program as well as a health literacy and English-as-a-second-language (ESL) curriculum within Durham Public Schools (DPS). These proposed programs will create improvements in academic performance and health literacy among Hispanic/Latino youth, leading to long term improvements in the overall health status of Durham County’s greater Hispanic/Latino community.Master of Public Healt

INCREASING HEALTH LITERACY AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AMONG HISPANIC AND LATINO STUDENTS IN DURHAM COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS THROUGH SCHOOL MEALS

Education access and quality is a key social determinant of health that has a major influence on wellbeing (Healthy People 2030, n.d.). Higher levels of education have been shown to lead to increased opportunities, employment, income, and health status (The Lancet Public Health, 2020). Health literacy plays a large role in the decreased health status among those with lower educational attainment. Inadequate health literacy has been shown to have a stronger association with poor health than age, income, employment status, or race (Shahid et al., 2022). Within Durham County, race is highly associated with educational attainment, as over 50% of both Hispanic males and females do not have a high school diploma compared to less than 5% of white males and females (Statistical Atlas, 2018). This proposal will create both a cultural school meal food program as well as a health literacy and English-as- a-second-language (ESL) curriculum within Durham Public Schools (DPS). These proposed programs will create improvements in academic performance and health literacy among Hispanic/Latino youth, leading to long term improvements in the overall health status of Durham County’s greater Hispanic/Latino community. Keywords: Social determinant of health, education, cultural/traditional meals, health literacy, English-as-a-second-language (ESL), Hispanic/Latino students/community, Durham County, North CarolinaMaster of Public Healt

Neuronal caspase 2 activity and function requires RAIDD, but not PIDD

Caspase 2 was initially identified as a neuronally expressed developmentally down-regulated gene (HUGO gene nomenclature CASP2) and has been shown to be required for neuronal death induced by several stimuli, including NGF (nerve growth factor) deprivation and Aβ (β-amyloid). In non-neuronal cells the PIDDosome, composed of caspase 2 and two death adaptor proteins, PIDD (p53-inducible protein with a death domain) and RAIDD {RIP (receptor-interacting protein)-associated ICH-1 [ICE (interleukin-1β-converting enzyme)/CED-3 (cell-death determining 3) homologue 1] protein with a death domain}, has been proposed as the caspase 2 activation complex, although the absolute requirement for the PIDDosome is not clear. To investigate the requirement for the PIDDosome in caspase-2-dependent neuronal death, we have examined the necessity for each component in induction of active caspase 2 and in execution of caspase-2-dependent neuronal death. We find that both NGF deprivation and Aβ treatment of neurons induce active caspase 2 and that induction of this activity depends on expression of RAIDD, but is independent of PIDD expression. We show that treatment of wild-type or PIDD-null neurons with Aβ or NGF deprivation induces formation of a complex of caspase 2 and RAIDD. We also show that caspase-2-dependent execution of neurons requires RAIDD, not PIDD. Caspase 2 activity can be induced in neurons from PIDD-null mice, and NGF deprivation or Aβ use caspase 2 and RAIDD to execute death of these neurons

Recommendations for Nanomedicine Human Subjects Research Oversight: An Evolutionary Approach for an Emerging Field

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/96363/1/j.1748-720X.2012.00703.x.pd

Differential Learning for Outliers: A Case Study of Water Demand Prediction

Predicting water demands is becoming increasingly critical because of the scarcity of this natural resource. In fact, the subject was the focus of numerous studies by a large number of researchers around the world. Several models have been proposed that are able to predict water demands using both statistical and machine learning techniques. These models have successfully identified features that can impact water demand trends for rural and metropolitan areas. However, while the above models, including recurrent network models proposed by the authors are able to predict normal water demands, most have difficulty estimating potential deviations from the norms. Outliers in water demand can be due to various reasons including high temperatures and voluntary or mandatory consumption restrictions by the water utility companies. Estimating these deviations is necessary, especially for water utility companies with a small service footprint, in order to efficiently plan water distribution. This paper proposes a differential learning model that can help model both over-consumption and under-consumption. The proposed differential model builds on a previously proposed recurrent neural network model that was successfully used to predict water demand in central Indiana