Creating Library Tutorials for Nursing Students

This article describes one librarian's experiences with creating, promoting, and assessing online library tutorials. Tutorials were designed to provide on-demand and accessible library instruction to nursing students at Michigan State University. Topics for tutorials were chosen based on the librarian's liaison experiences and suggestions from nursing faculty. The tutorials were created using Camtasia and required the application of several tools and techniques. Tutorials were promoted through Web pages, the ANGEL course management system, blog posts, librarian interactions, e-mails, and more. In order to assess the tutorials' perceived effectiveness, feedback was gathered using a short survey. Future plans for the nursing tutorials project are also discussed.     

Principal Hiring Practices: Toward a Reduction of Uncertainty

Teachers, parents, and librarians are constantly looking for methods and materials that engage students as readers and motivate them to increase the time they spend reading. In this article we describe findings from a study of middle schoolers’ magazine reading habits that gave us a close look at the power of magazines as supplemental supports for struggling and reluctant readers as well as the specific reasons students gravitate toward magazines for leisure reading. We provide suggestions for the ways in which classroom teachers can leverage student interest in magazine reading to increase independent reading in school, and validate students’ out of school literacies.     

Serious science games, social selves and complex nature of possible selves

Margaret Beier, Leslie Miller, and Shu Wang??s paper, Science games and the development of possible selves examines the effects of game-playing in a serious scientific game on science possible selves identity creation, utilizing a possible selves identification instrument they created. This paper continues the discussion that Beier and colleagues start in the paper by calling into question both the idea that a predictive model of science career choice can be attained by serious science game-playing and the nature of the instrument created and used by Beier and her colleagues to identify participants?? creation of science possible selves. Recommendations include incorporating the idea of possible selves as being complex, dynamic and intertwined with self-concept in interpreting their findings and casting a wider net to capture the phenomena of their participants?? identities and experiences by potentially making use of possible selves identification methodologies from the career training arena.     

The Better Beginnings, Better Futures project: findings from grade 3 to grade 9

Although comprehensive and ecological approaches to early childhood prevention are commonly advocated, there are few examples of long-term follow-up of such programs. In this monograph, we investigate the medium- and long-term effects of an ecological, community-based prevention project for primary school children and families living in three economically disadvantaged neighborhoods in Ontario, Canada. The Better Beginnings, Better Futures (BBBF) project is one of the most ambitious Canadian research projects on the long-term impacts of early childhood prevention programming to date. Bronfenbrenner's ecological model of human development informed program planning, implementation, and evaluation. Using a quasi-experimental design, the BBBF longitudinal research study involved 601 children and their families who participated in BBBF programs when children were between 4 and 8 years old and 358 children and their families from sociodemographically matched comparison communities. We collected extensive child, parent, family, and community outcome data when children were in Grade 3 (age 8–9), Grade 6 (age 11–12), and Grade 9 (age 14–15). The BBBF mandate was to develop programs that would positively impact all areas of child's development; our findings reflect this ecological approach. We found marked positive effects in social and school functioning domains in Grades 6 and 9 and evidence of fewer emotional and behavioral problems in school across the three grades. Parents from BBBF sites reported greater feelings of social support and more positive ratings of marital satisfaction and general family functioning, especially at the Grade 9 follow-up. Positive neighborhood-level effects were also evident. Economic analyses at Grade 9 showed BBBF participation was associated with government savings of $912 per child. These findings provide evidence that an affordable, ecological, community-based prevention program can promote long-term development of children living in disadvantaged neighborhoods and produce monetary benefits to government as soon as 7 years after program completion.     

构建数字化学习的维度

信息技术的进步及学习科学的发展为创建设计良好、以学习者为中心、引人入胜、互动、价格公道、高效、接入方便、灵活、分布合理、便捷的数字化学习环境提供了机遇。在数字化学习的每一发展阶段,周密的分析和调查如何运用互联网的潜能是必要的,以使之与教学设计的原理相一致。 一个有意义的网络学习环境是由许多因素构成的,这些因素既相互关联又相互独立。在思考过建立有效的数字化学习环境必须衡量的因素后,我提出了一个基于Web的学习或数字化学习的基本架构。数字化学习架构的想法起源于这样一个问题:为世界范围的学习或提供最好最有意义的开放灵活的分布式学习环境需要什么?这一架构有八个维度:制度的、教育学的、技术的、界面设计、评价、管理、资源支持以及伦理的（见图）。每一维度又有数     

Efficacy beliefs,job satisfaction,stress and their influence on the occupational commitment of English-medium content teachers in the Dominican Republic

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of efficacy, job satisfaction, job stress and their influence on the occupational commitment of English-medium content teachers. A total of 109 practicing English-medium and Spanish-medium content teachers from the Dominican Republic volunteered to participate in the study. Findings suggest both teacher self-efficacy and collective efficacy measures were inversely but significantly correlated with occupational commitment and positively correlated with job satisfaction. The results also showed significant differences between English-medium and Spanish-medium content teachers’ self-efficacy, job satisfaction, job stress and occupational commitment. These findings have significant implications for advancing theory and practice. Recommendations for further research are discussed.     

Implications of Institutional Repositories on Contributors' Professional and Publishing Practices: A Survey

An institutional repository is a system for dissemination and stewardship of the intellectual life and scholarship of an institution. It has become a new way for the institutions to contribute to the broader world of scholarship (Giesecke, 2011 Giesecke, J. (2011). Institutional repositories: Keys to success. Journal of Library Administration, 51(5–6), 529–542. Retrieved January 3, 2013, from http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libraryscience/255[Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]). In spite of the global recognition of institutional repositories as an open access scholarly communication channel, institutional repositories are still struggling with the problem of non-participation from contributors in developing countries like India. This study conveys the results of a survey conducted at a minority university of India. The study is an expression of the opinion of 542 faculty members and research scholars pertaining to the possible implications of institutional repositories on their professional and publishing practices. The study is undertaken to: Determine the level of awareness of institutional repository among contributors; identify the reasons for participation and non-participation of contributors; examine the implications of institutional repository on contributors professional and publishing practices; analyze the major obstacles/hindrances in the growth of an institutional repository; and suggest measures for better implementation and development of an institutional repository in future. With the help of the statistical techniques such as chi-square test and weighted mean the study resulted that the majority of the contributors are well aware about the concept of institutional repository, the majority of contributors have not deposited in an institutional repository so far, long term preservation of research materials is the first ranked reason for participation in an institutional repository, copyright and plagiarism concern is the main reason behind contributors’ non-participation in institutional repository, increased accessibility of research output is the major implication of the institutional repository on contributors professional practices, saved cost of publishing in a journal is the biggest implication of institutional repository on contributors publishing practices, and contributors demand more control on ownership, access and security in future for an institutional repository. This article is aimed at the institutions that report low-use and low-deposit repositories. It may be used to convince the contributors about the value of institutional repositories, importance of participating in an institutional repository and possible implications on their professional and publishing practices. The study is also intended at the management of the institutions to take notice of the contributors’ demands for future participation and develop policies accordingly for removing major barriers in the growth of institutional repositories and improving contributions and quality of content in the institutional repositories.     

Impairment of Mitochondrial–Nuclear Cross Talk in Neutrophils of Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Increased leukocyte apoptosis is intrinsically linked to disease patho-physiology, susceptibility to and severity of infections in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. A consistent defect in neutrophil function is considered central to this increased risk for infections. Although redox imbalance is considered a potential mediator of these associated complications, detailed molecular evidence in clinical samples remains largely undetected. The study consisted of three groups (n = 50 each) of Asian Indians: early diagnosed diabetic patients, cases with late-onset diabetic complications and age and gender-matched healthy controls. We evaluated mitochondrial oxidative stress, levels of nuclear DNA damage and apoptosis in peripheral blood neutrophils isolated from T2DM patients. We observed that in both early and late diabetic subjects, the HbA1c levels in neutrophils were altered considerably with respect to healthy controls. Increased oxidative stress observed in both early and late diabetics imply the disentanglement of fine equilibrium of mitochondria-nuclear cross talk which eventually effected the augmentation of downstream nuclear γH2AX activation and caspase-3 expression. It would be overly naïve to refute the fact that mitochondrial deregulation in neutrophils perturbs immunological balance in type 2 diabetic conditions. By virtue of our data, we posit that maneuvering mitochondrial function might offer a prospective and viable method to modulate neutrophil function in T2DM. Nevertheless, similar investigations from other ethnic groups in conjunction with experimental evidences would be a preeminent need. Obviously, our study might aid to comprehend this complex interplay between mitochondrial dysfunction and neutrophil homeostasis in T2DM.     

Aging and social security system in Pakistan: policy challenges,opportunities, and role of China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this research is to highlight the aging and elderly care in Pakistan, a country considered the seventh most populous country in the world with an estimated population of 220 million people (citation, 2017). In 2013, Pakistan signed a MoU with China for 56 billion in US$ to create opportunities for the youngsters, but there was no story of opportunity included for the senior citizens. An attempt has been made to raise awareness of the plight of seniors to the Pakistan Government’s attention; however since there is no formal policy dedicated to elders from the Chinese mega MoU and political instability, only little has been accomplished to better the lives of older adults. Modernization has had a major impact on the life of older Pakistani, and not always a positive effect. This research focuses on the important issues that are making the lives of senior citizens more difficult. The issues include psychological factors, anxiety, physical issues, and environmental issues. The research concludes while many factors are making the lives of senior citizens problematic, seniors are still living a satisfied life because they are not depending on their children or others. Senior citizens demand and desire time with their children and grandchildren. Increases found in elders’ psychological problems are likely correlated with modernization. Unfortunately, the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the mega project remain totally for the younger population with no economic prospects for elders to directly benefit. Thus, the question remains what will be the outcome for Pakistani seniors?