Tympanic membrane temperature and emotional dispositions in preschool-aged children: a methodological study

Tympanic membrane (TM) temperature asymmetry has been proposed as a phenotypic marker of vulnerability to negative emotionality in children. Little is known about the stability of TM temperatures or how readily one can obtain a reliable index of the phenotype. TM temperatures were collected from 3- to 5-year-old children ( N =73) over 5 months ( Mdn= 34 samples). Seven to 10 samples needed to be aggregated to achieve reliable measures (αs>.70). Using reliable estimates, TM asymmetry remained stable over time, r (72)=.72, p< .01; 70% of the children had warmer left TMs; and TM asymmetry correlated as predicted with measures of children's emotionality. TM asymmetry may be a phenotypic marker of vulnerability to negative emotionality, but measures obtained on one occasion may not reliably index the phenotype.     

Promoting Early Literacy and Student Investment in the African Storybook

ABSTRACT

Research has found that reading achievement is strongly associated with opportunities for children to engage actively with print. This article addresses research on a digital initiative called the African Storybook, which provides a website with over 1,000 openly licensed children’s picture storybooks in more than 150 African languages, as well as the official languages of English, French, and Portuguese (africanstorybook.org). The article draws on a 2014 study conducted in Uganda that sought to examine the extent to which teachers and children were invested in the African Storybook stories. Of central interest in this article is the extent to which teachers sought to encourage young children to engage actively with the African Storybook stories. The findings suggest that use of the stories promoted greater ownership of meaning for the young readers, as well as shifts of identity for both students and teachers.     

Library project management in a collaborative web-based working environment

This paper discusses the emerging paradigm of project management performed in a web-based working environment. It highlights how project management and its associated features are strongly linked to fulfilling quality and value criteria for customers, and it examines how collaborative working environments can greatly reduce the administrative burden of managing large projects, especially and almost paradoxically, when resources are limited. Specifically, the paper examines the application of a project management methodology (PRINCE2) together with the use of a collaborative web-based working environment over a number of pilot projects at Leeds University Library. It describes the pilot phase of a library management decision to run a series of major Library projects using project management methodology, while continuing to run other projects through the existing locally developed planning mechanisms and describes the pitfalls of these latter alternatives, less sophisticated project management tools, and describes the main issues that this change in practice has brought to light. It draws preliminary conclusions about the effectiveness of this change in practice in one of the UK's largest academic libraries.     

The Presence of Academic Health Sciences Libraries on Facebook: The Relationship Between Content and Library Popularity

Social networks such as Facebook allow libraries to be proactive in reaching their users. While some libraries have popular Facebook pages, it remains unclear what attracts users to these pages. This study evaluates relationships between libraries’ Facebook page content and popularity. An analysis of 72 academic health sciences libraries’ Facebook pages showed positive correlations between number of library fans and number of tabs, photos, events, and wall posts on Facebook. Libraries posting videos had significantly more fans than libraries without them. This study contributes to an understanding of correlations between content and popularity on Facebook, with implications for library outreach.     

Knowledge translation and research careers: Mode I and Mode II activity among health researchers

Defining knowledge translation activities using Gibbons and Nowotny's Mode I and II forms of knowledge production, health researcher (N = 240) characteristics are compared with their knowledge translation activities. Applied researchers (n = 168) engaged in more Mode II activity (p < .001), perceived their work as having more impact (p < .001), and reported higher levels of relational capital (p < .001) when compared to basic researchers (n = 72). Those from medical schools (n = 128) had more publications (p = .004) as did applied researchers in medical school compared to applied researchers from other faculties (p = .001). These findings provide early empirical insights into emerging tensions in environments where Mode I and Mode II activities co-exist; tensions that may extract unintended costs from researchers. Such costs may be paid in the currency not only of tenure and promotion, but also of successful grant and career scientist award acquisition.