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This study examined the psychometric equivalence of paper-and-pencil and Internet formats of key questionnaires used in couple research. Self-report questionnaires assessing interpersonal constructs (relationship satisfaction, communication/conflict management, partner support, emotional intimacy) and intrapersonal constructs (individual traits, psychological symptoms, contextual influences) were administered to young adults in committed dating relationships. The same measures were administered twice via paper-and-pencil and/or Internet methods over a 2-week period. Method order was counterbalanced among participants, and temporal stability was controlled. Intrapersonal and interpersonal measures generally remained reliable when administered online and demonstrated quantitative and qualitative equivalence across methods. The implications of online administration of questionnaires are discussed, and specific recommendations are made for researchers who wish to transition to online data collection. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose: The prevalence of Congolese refugee women seeking asylum in the USA has recently garnered substantial attention. Many women have fled the Democratic Republic of Congo due to trauma and loss. Likewise, the resettlement process, particularly acculturative stress, may exacerbate mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. By recognizing the centrality of family within Congolese culture, this study aims to investigate cultural beliefs about family among Congolese refugee women in the USA, using acculturative theory as an interpretative lens. Design/methodology/approach: The authors' study centered on understanding the resettlement experiences of 20 Congolese refugee women living within an urban area of Midwest America after their arrival in America since 2011. Through using convenient sampling methods, the authors chose these particular activists as they could provide insight into their stories concerning their journey from Congo to settling down as refugees within Northeast America. During interviews, semi-structured questioning was used to gather responses from participants which were later analyzed through implementing a thematic interpretation process. Findings: Three themes emerged encapsulating cultural beliefs about family: supporting one another; the importance of togetherness; and disciplining our children. These findings provide culturally tailored resources to support Congolese refugee women and their families upon resettlement optimally. Research limitations/implications: The authors' work provides health equity researchers with an opportunity to better understand cultural beliefs among Congolese refugee women. Findings from this study provide an increased understanding of how to provide culturally specific tools to better aid Congolese refugee women and their families upon arrival. Practical implications: The authors' research offers insights for health equity researchers seeking to understand the cultural beliefs of Congolese refugee women. The findings contribute to an enhanced understanding of how to provide culturally specific resources better to support Congolese refugee women and their families upon arrival. Originality/value: The authors verify that, to the best of the authors' knowledge, the paper was written completely independently, and neither the entire work nor any of its parts have been previously published. The authors confirm that the paper has not been submitted to peer review, nor is in the process of peer reviewing, nor has been accepted for publishing in another journal. The authors confirm that the research in their work is original. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zen Buddhists take the bodhisattva vow to save all beings. At Clouds in Water Zen Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, this means engaging in specific activities geared toward eliminating social and systemic injustice while also working to eliminate the causes and conditions of suffering within oneself. At Ryumonji Zen Monastery in Dorchester, Iowa, the bodhisattva vow to save all beings means to wholeheartedly engage in everyday activities, such as doing the dishes, without attachment or aversion; Ryumonji sees no need to engage specifically in socio-political activities. Clouds has a robust program of workshops and retreats on social engagement and participates locally in socio-political activism as part of its Buddhist practice. On the contrary, Ryumonji does not have a distinct program for social engagement but contextualizes every activity as already having a socio-political effect. Ryumonji Zen Monastery and Clouds in Water Zen Center are less than a hundred miles away in the American Midwest and both follow the same Sōtō Zen lineage of the Japanese priest Dainin Katagiri. Yet, they offer two different ways of responding to the world’s suffering. This paper analyzes the differing views and practices for social engagement at Ryumonji and Clouds, revealing differing interpretations of the central Buddhist teachings of interdependence, the bodhisattva vow, and the inseparability of individual and social liberation. It situates the divergent interpretations in their respective rural and urban contexts, regional Midwestern context, and within the larger context of development of Buddhism in America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrahigh-performance concrete (UHPC) is a new class of concrete with far superior mechanical and durability properties compared to conventional concrete. Recently, its use has been growing in both civil and architectural applications, especially in the precast industry. This paper presents the application of UHPC to the production of precast concrete sandwich wall panels commonly used in Northern regions and known as insulated wall panels. Using UHPC in the panel wythes allows for a significant reduction in wythe thickness and, consequently, panel weight, in addition to the elimination of longitudinal and transverse reinforcement, which simplifies production. In this study, four 2.44 m × 1.22 m × 203 mm composite UHPC sandwich wall panels were fabricated by a local precast producer using a nonproprietary UHPC mixture. Panels were tested in flexure to evaluate the degree of composite action when wythe thickness of 32 mm and glass fiber–reinforced polymer (GFRP) shear connectors are used. These panels do not contain any conventional rebars or prestressing strands as they are fully dependent on the presence of random steel fibers in UHPC to provide the tensile resistance. Test results have shown that this new system can achieve a flexural capacity of 92% of that of a fully composite panel while being more flexible and lighter than conventional concrete sandwich wall panels. The composite UHPC sandwich wall panels have a great potential in architectural and structural applications, such as exterior load-bearing walls and cladding panels. This paper investigates the structural behavior of a new system of sandwich wall panels utilizing reduced wythe thicknesses made of ultrahigh-performance concrete (UHPC) and achieving high degree of composite action. Structural performance and production efficiency of this system can have significant impacts on energy-efficient building construction. This new system can achieve a degree of composite action up to 92%, which makes the design efficient for large cladding panels and load bearing exterior walls. A design example is presented comparing a conventional concrete sandwich wall panel made of two 76-mm-thick concrete wythes and 51-mm-thick insulation to a UHPC panel with the same overall thickness of 203 mm but with 32-mm-thick concrete wythes and 140-mm-thick insulation. Both panels are 2.44-m wide and 9.14-m tall and subjected to unfactored wind pressure of 1.44-kPa, which is considerably higher than the typical values used in wall design for midwest states. The significant increase in the insulation thickness of the UHPC panel results in significantly less weight and higher R-value than those of the conventional concrete panel. In addition, the UHPC panel does not have either longitudinal prestressing strands or transverse reinforcing bars, which simplifies panel fabrication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study utilizes provincial panel data from China spanning from 2013 to 2019 and considers indices such as residents' income, employment, housing, education, and medical care to comprehensively measure the welfare index of each province using the coefficient of variation. It also examines the impact and mechanism of digital financial inclusion on welfare and evaluates its influence on welfare imbalance through panel data models and RIF regression. The estimation results of digital financial inclusion on welfare indicate that digital financial inclusion is an important driver elevating the income, employment, housing, education, medical treatment and other welfares of Chinese residents, and the conclusion remains robust after using instrumental variable estimation and replacing the measurement method of welfare. Regional differences reveal that digital financial inclusion has a greater contribution to the welfare in the Midwest. The effect mechanism test shows that digital financial inclusion improves the welfare by creating employment opportunities and plays a greater role in the Midwest, and will also improve the welfare by increasing the welfare expenditure. However, this mechanism will exacerbate the welfare imbalance between the Midwest and East. The estimation results of digital financial inclusion on the welfare imbalance show that digital financial inclusion reduces welfare imbalance between the central and western regions and the eastern regions, as well as within the central and western regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This systematic review aims to give an overview of the diversity of research areas related to human biometeorology in Brazil. The main focus of this paper addresses research trends, represented by published papers with national and international authorship, main contributions and shortcomings, as well as challenges and prospects of research in this area of study. An extensive literature search was conducted in the Scopus, Web of Science, and Science Direct databases so as to identify relevant publication output up to July 2021 related to the research area. The screening resulted in 96 studies chosen for full-text reading. Overall, results indicated a reduced amount of articles on the subject matter published internationally, with noticeable gaps in research in some regions of the country, such as the Amazon region and in the Brazilian Midwest region. Research gaps in relevant areas have been identified with limited output in the climate dimensions of tourism, vector-borne diseases, mortality and morbidity in urban centers. Such gaps should further encourage researchers to engage in research focused on those areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Literature suggests that college (ie, post-secondary) students experience food insecurity (FI) at alarming rates. However, the commonly used FI questionnaires have undergone limited evaluations for accuracy in this sub-population. The objective of this exploratory study was to evaluate if FI estimates among college students differ by survey distribution modality. Methods: A test-retest study was conducted from October to December 2017. A random sample of undergraduate students (N = 343) participated in an online survey. After completing the survey, a random sample of these students (N = 66; 29%) completed the same items in paper-and-pencil format. Responses were compared with percent agreement and kappa (κ) coefficients. Results: Students were less likely to affirm each item on paper-and-pencil questionnaires. Percent agreement ranged from 71.2% to 96.9% across items, and κ coefficients ranged from poor to fair. FI prevalence differed by 15% between online and paper-and-pencil assessments (40.9% and 25.8%, respectively). Percent agreement for FI categorization was 75.8% and κ=0.47. Conclusions: Differing survey modalities resulted in varying FI classifications in a sample of undergraduate students. Though limited by size and representativeness, this supports the need for further testing of FI surveys, as accurate FI estimates are essential to serving college students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As previous research has observed, medical students and physicians alike confront vast amounts of knowledge in their education and practice, such that no one clinician can know everything there is to know about biomedicine. Even before clerkships, medical students learn to cope with this impossibility by prioritizing certain information based on its perceived utility for exams and clinical practice. Many factors can shape this process, including teamwork, wherein individual medical students rely on one another to address gaps in knowledge at the level of the group. This paper will draw on qualitative data from two allopathic medical schools in the American Midwest to demonstrate that peer-to-peer learning, a widely utilized pedagogical modality in North American medical schools, is amongst the earliest places where future physicians learn how to rely on their peers in the profession as they make choices about what to know and what not to know about biomedicine: cultivating a culture of "intraprofessionalism" between students with different knowledges and values, as they prepare to enter the same profession. The paper will also consider how differences in the student populations at two field sites impact intraprofessional development. Drawing on scholarship of peer-based learning strategies and the sociology and anthropology of medical education, the authors argue that peer-to-peer learning is a key site in the professional socialization of medical students toward the effective management of medical knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Treatment for partners of patients diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections (STI), referred to as expedited partner therapy (EPT), is infrequently used in the emergency department (ED). This was a pilot program to initiate and evaluate EPT through medication-in-hand ("take-home") kits or paper prescriptions. In this study we aimed to assess the frequency of EPT prescribing, the efficacy of a randomized best practice advisory (BPA) on the uptake, perceptions of emergency clinicians regarding the EPT pilot, and factors associated with EPT prescribing. Methods: We conducted this pilot study at an academic ED in the midwestern US between August-October 2021. The primary outcome of EPT prescription uptake and the BPA impact was measured via chart abstraction and analyzed through summary statistics and the Fisher exact test. We analyzed the secondary outcome of barriers and facilitators to program implementation through ED staff interviews (physicians, physician assistants, and nurses). We used a rapid qualitative assessment method for the analysis of the interviews. Results: During the study period, 52 ED patients were treated for chlamydia/gonorrhea, and EPT was offered to 25% (95% CI 15%-39%) of them. Expedited partner therapy was prescribed significantly more often (42% vs 8%; P < 0.01) when the interruptive pop-up alert BPA was shown compared to not shown. Barriers identified in the interviews included workflow constraints and knowledge of EPT availability. The BPA was viewed positively by the majority of participants. Conclusion: In this pilot EPT program, expedited partner therapy was provided to 25% of ED patients who appeared eligible to receive it. The interruptive pop-up alert BPA significantly increased EPT prescribing. Barriers identified to EPT prescribing should be the subject of future interventions to improve provision of EPT from the emergency department. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compared the reliability and validity of student scores from paper–pencil and e-based assessments using the "maze" and "silent reading fluency" (SRF) tasks. Forty students who were deaf and hard of hearing and reading between the second and fifth grade reading levels and their teachers (n  = 21) participated. For maze, alternate form reliability coefficients obtained from correct scores and correct scores adjusted for guessing ranged from r  = .61 to.84 (p s  <  .01); criterion-related validity coefficients ranged from r  = .33 to.67 (most p s < .01). For SRF, reliability coefficients obtained from correct scores ranged from r  = .50 to.75 (p s  <  .01); validity ranged from r  = .25 to.72. Differences between student performance on paper–pencil and e-based conditions were generally non-significant for maze; significant differences between conditions for SRF favored the paper–pencil condition. Findings suggest that maze holds promise, with inconclusive results for SRF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Measurement Based Care in Mental Health Initiative launched by the Department of Veterans Affairs in 2016 is an example of an evidence-based practice that uses patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) to improve patient outcomes. The acceptance of measurement-based care (MBC) among Veterans Affairs providers is relatively high. However, there are barriers to MBC for telehealth providers. Health information technologies might afford opportunities to address some of the barriers related to the uptake of MBC. Objective: This paper reports on an implementation effort to integrate MBC into mental health care telehealth practice using eHealth solutions. Methods: Qualitative data were generated from 22 semistructured interviews with psychiatrists (n=4), psychologists (n=3), social workers (n=3), nurses (n=6), a pharmacist (n=1), and administrative staff (n=5) who provide telemental health care through a community-based outpatient clinic in the rural Midwestern United States. The interviews were conducted during the pilot phase of an implementation initiative to increase the adoption of MBC by revising clinic workflows to integrate the use of eHealth technologies. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Time burden and workflow issues were the most common barrier to provider adoption of MBC; sharing and reviewing pencil-and-paper measures and results in the same room was no longer possible in novel telehealth workflows necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Providers voiced concerns about how long it would take to collect, adequately score, interpret, share, and document the PROMs during the telehealth visit. Concerns about time might also correspond to a gap in providers' familiarity with these assessments, greater comfort in assessing symptoms through clinical interviews, and being accustomed to using the assessments as screening tools more so than longitudinal outcome measures. Capacities associated with eHealth technologies may address workflow concerns and promote providers' understanding and use of the measures as tracking tools. Conclusions: The need to use limited appointment time well was a top priority for telemental health providers. eHealth technologies provided operative supports that protect time in appointments by shifting when and how PROMs are collected. Bolstering providers' familiarity with how to use PROMs in the course of treatment may impact providers' buy-in by encouraging them to reconsider how sharing and acting on PROMs could be time well spent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on small businesses, significantly influencing entrepreneurial aspirations and presenting numerous challenges. This calls for additional research into perceptions, intentions, and the challenges faced in this context. This study aims to explore the comprehension of key entrepreneurial concepts among business students in the post-pandemic era. The paper presents an empirical study which employs qualitative in-depth interviews with 34 undergraduate business students from one public university in the Midwest of the United States. The findings reveal a complex view of entrepreneurship that extends beyond traditional business creation, encompassing elements of social innovation and personal fulfillment. Students displayed a generally positive attitude towards entrepreneurship, influenced strongly by their involvement in practical entrepreneurship-related activities and their familial backgrounds. However, they also identified significant barriers, including financial constraints, fear of failure, and a lack of practical experience, which hinder their intentions to pursue entrepreneurial ventures. The study underscores the importance of entrepreneurship education programs incorporating more comprehensive practical experiences, enhancing financial literacy, and providing psychological support to overcome these challenges. These insights contribute to the ongoing discussion on how to effectively support and prepare aspiring entrepreneurs in a changing educational landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how young people, considered as 'fall-away', engage with the 'curriculum complex', a set of relations of adult expert communities, transnational and international corporate and educational organisations, and legislations and policies, aimed at managing and containing the 'wild' student through the employment of correctional practices. This paper examines young people's engagement with the curriculum complex through two inquiries: one in the U.S. Midwest; and another in the northern Philippines. By using vignettes and student conversations from these inquiries, this paper first asks how the curriculum complex figures in classrooms; second, how students respond to it through their bold, playful, and engaged classroom and school curriculum performances; and lastly, how young people through their acts of guileful ruse, widen the curricular opening, and at the same time, expose its illogic and mastery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Independence is the ultimate goal for students with disabilities, including secondary students with autism. One avenue targeted for increasing independence and decreasing prompt-dependency is through self-monitoring. In this study, investigators sought to determine whether a difference exists in levels of task independence when three students with autism complete food preparation tasks while self-monitoring using a low-tech treatment (paper/pencil) and high-tech treatment (iPad). Although both interventions decreased the need for prompting thereby increasing independence, students needed less assistance when using the iPad. Students also maintained their levels of independence in food preparation following summer vacation. Social validity interviews indicated students preferred self-monitoring with the iPad over the paper/pencil. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

5.5 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease or some form of dementia and by mid-century, the number of people living with dementia in the United States is projected to grow to 13.8 million. About half of the persons with dementia currently live at home, 43% require occasional support, 47% daily support, and 10% continuous support; with most of this support provided by informal family caregivers. Caregivers face on-going significant risk throughout the ebb and flow of providing care, as care recipients may lose grasp of their understanding of their circumstances, relying heavily on caregivers for all aspects of support. This support includes prompting and cueing through the multi-step instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) such as meal preparation and house-keeping which require complex cognitive processing and are cognitively demanding. This paper describes the preliminary pilot study work laying the groundwork for ongoing development of a cognitive assistive technology (CAT) to support IADLs in dementia homecare. Through a user-centered design methodology, an online survey for caregivers identified areas of the home with the highest levels of IADL needs, aiding in the development of an 800 sq ft mock-up apartment for preliminary testing of the mobile interface for the CAT tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deployment of carbon management strategies like carbon capture and storage (CCS) and carbon dioxide removal (CDR) at scale will require significant investments in transport infrastructure to deliver CO[sub 2] to reliable storage. While pipeline transport has dominated the conversation due to economic reasons, there is increasing evidence that other modes may become viable alternatives when considering scale, regional opportunities, and social acceptance. This paper assesses the viability of rail for CO[sub 2 ]transport in the United States using market analysis, techno-economic assessment and geographic information systems mapping. We believe rail presents many advantages, notably in existing infrastructure with established right-of-ways, but also as an instrument to address unwanted effects of our energy transition, particularly in coal communities. We find that the strategic replacement of coal as a freight commodity could translate into 100 Mt/yr of CO[sub 2 ]movement by rail by 2050, and support up to 60,000 jobs in that industry. Further, we find that while rail pricing is notoriously volatile, there is strong support for rail being the least cost option over pipeline for volumes under 2 Mt CO[sub 2] per year, which aligns well with smaller, more risk-averse, and distributed carbon management projects that are scheduled to deploy over the next decade. Rail can also be an alternative in regions where CO2 pipeline projects have had limited success, like in the Midwest, where CO2 is captured from ethanol plants that are already serviced by rail networks. Likewise, rail can service roughly 25% of point- source CCS opportunities that are not proximal to projected trunk pipeline networks, of which 94% are located 1-mile from railroad. Finally, rail may be an integral part of CDR development in regions that are not coterminous with geologic storage, particularly in the Western and Northern US. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-impact development practices (LIDs) have been used to reduce the impacts of flash floods in Brazil. However, there is a lack of investigations on their construction costs concerning the effects on the mitigation of flash floods. This paper addresses the construction costs and the runoff reduction by using seven scenarios of LIDs for a 32-km2 basin in the Midwest Brazil region. The LIDs considered were permeable pavement (PP), rainwater harvesting (RWH), and infiltration trenches (IT). The first three LID scenarios considered PP, RWH, and IT techniques, respectively, and the other four used different combinations of the three LIDs. Scenario 3 showed a decrease of 15% in the runoff, achieved at a lower cost using only IT. This result corresponds to a 2.6% runoff reduction per $1 million spent. These analyses may help in the identification of the balance between benefit and cost by local stakeholders for the use of LIDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School gardens and outdoor learning spaces are increasingly available to support authentic, student-centered exploration in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Integrating technology tools into school garden spaces in alignment with modern agricultural practices can support inquiry-based learning in which students engage in science practices such as collecting and analyzing data. However, educators currently lack the necessary knowledge, skills, and instructional support to enact technology-rich, garden-based STEM learning experiences. The Garden TOOLS program was designed to support teachers in leveraging technology to support inquiry-based teaching (IBT) in outdoor learning spaces. In this paper, we examine the impact of combining Garden TOOLS professional development workshops with lesson plan implementation in a practicum setting on elementary pre-service teachers' (PSTs) science teaching self-efficacy. We administered the STEBI-B pre- and post-intervention and assessed change in the STEBI-B subscales, personal science teaching efficacy (PSTE), and science teaching outcome expectancy (STOE). Participants included thirty-nine elementary PSTs enrolled in a 300-level science methods course in the rural Midwest. Garden TOOLS professional development workshop participants saw a statistically significant increase from pre- to post-workshop in their PSTE. Participants who also implemented the Garden TOOLS lesson showed both an increase in PSTE and STOE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This phenomenological qualitative study describes students' experiences and counter‐stories of school climate and how school climate matters for their academic achievement in an urban school district. The study uses a critical race perspective to help understand contextual influences on school climate. Data were collected through eight focus group interviews comprised of students conducted in middle and high schools in a large Midwest urban school district. Themes emerged within each school climate domain: teacher support, teacher expectations, safety, and peer social and emotional competence. The study results describe how students experience and understand school climate—perception of safety in schools with a mix of safe and unsafe home‐community climate—and demonstrate how students acknowledge the relationship between school climate and academic achievement. Urban secondary students are observant of the social‐emotional learning of their peers and maintain awareness of group differences as expressed in their counter‐stories. The findings advanced our understanding of school climate in urban contexts where social‐contextual‐struggles experienced by people of color affect their school experiences. The discussion includes practical implications for educators and administrators and directions for future research. Practitioner points: What is the main issue that the paper addresses? Students' experiences and counter‐stories of school climate and how school climate matters for their academic achievement in an urban school district.What are the main insights that the paper provides? Students acknowledge the relationship between school climate and academic achievement. Urban secondary students are observant of the social‐emotional learning of their peers and maintain awareness of group differences as expressed in their counter‐stories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precision Agriculture (PA) manages field heterogeneities and enables informed site-specific management. While PA helps improve farming efficiency and profitability, challenges prior to and following PA adoption can prevent many farmers from widely using it. This paper aims to understand producers' challenge perceptions using 1119 survey responses from U.S. Midwest farmers. The majority (59%) of respondents have adopted at least one PA technology, while the minority (14%) had not adopted any PA technologies. Cost (equipment and service fee), brand compatibility, and data privacy concerns topped other concerns from the average producer's point of view. Among all producers, 60% regarded PA equipment and service fee as too high, followed by 50% who viewed brand compatibility and data privacy as their major concerns. Producers at more advanced adoption stage indicated reduced concerns in most categories. Yet, there were similar concerns towards data privacy issue regardless of the adoption status. Furthermore, brand compatibility issue is more of a concern for adopters than for non-adopters. Estimation results from partial proportional odds (PPO) models show that factors that frequently affect producers' perceived challenges include adoption status, cropland acres, age, education, information sources, farming goals, soil characteristics, and region variables. Findings from this study can aid PA stakeholders in identifying target groups, tailoring future development, research, and outreach efforts, and ultimately promoting efficient PA usage on a broader scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Next-generation farmers face immense challenges in securing land. In recent years, some state- and federal-level land access policy incentives (LAPIs) have been implemented to address these challenges. In this paper, we assess the Transition Incentives Program (TIP), an initiative of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Conservation Reserve Program that is funded by Congressional farm bills. TIP offers landowners two years of financial incentives for leasing or selling to a beginning or socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher (categories of farmers defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture). In our study, we characterize TIP participants to understand where and how TIP assists beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. Our findings demonstrate that TIP serves some landowners and next-generation farmers, primarily in the Midwest and Mountain West. We demonstrate a spatial mismatch between where next-generation farmers live and high rates of TIP participation. Variable participation may be due to inconsistent outreach and limits to the program design. We identify key barriers and provide insights to improve TIP and other land access programs for next-generation farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper aims: This paper analyzes the work quality and productivity of during the COVID-19 pandemic from five Brazilian regions with three work models: face-to-face, virtual and workshiting. Originality: Despite the number of studies on COVID-19 since the pandemic's beginning, the literature lacks research that demonstrates relationships between productivity and the emergence of problems, illnesses, and adverse situations that compromise worker performance in the routines of these three work models. Research method: The study used an experimental, descriptive, and transversal research design, without identification data Southeast of the participant, as anonymous and exclusive research, with 801 participants from different regions of Brazil (North, Northeast, Midwest, Northeast, and South), with different age groups. The work consisted of work issues focusing on the quality of work pandemic, for issues of analysis of time and productivity problems. The questions were about health issues in 6 parts of the study: mental demographics and increased sleep quality, fear of SARS-CoV-2, exercise, stress, and productivity. Main findings: There was a strong significant relationship between the three work models and five variables: area of activity, work equipment used during quarantine, diseases found during the pandemic, problems reported during quarantine pandemic like sleep, stress, workload performed, and future expectations regarding the work performed and the pandemic. Significant relationships were also found with diseases before the pandemic, those perceived and reported during the pandemic period studied, and the sleep profile before and during. The statistical significance relationship was also strong between the areas of work audience and new diseases during the pandemic. Implications for theory and practice: The research practically validates several other theoretical studies, with guidelines for the scientific community on work behavior for the three work models. The results, together with the relationships found by the statistical analysis of the p-value of the variables, help the public and private authorities to understand and rethink preventive measures in the emergence of new diseases and the optimization of work operations without compromising their quality and productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educators should support multilingual students' translingual writing. However, it can be challenging for teachers to support students' composing in languages that teachers do not speak. Drawing on a community translanguaging lens, this paper explores this issue by asking: How did teachers talk about and interact with language resources that were new to them while supporting translingual writing in an English-medium classroom? Data were collected using ethnographic and practitioner research methods across 1 year in one second-grade writing workshop in the U.S. Students spoke Spanish, Korean, French, Tagalog, or English, and classroom teachers spoke English and Spanish. Data analysis first involved descriptive coding of videorecorded composing interactions to identify every teacher interaction involving a new-to-them named language. These events were then re-examined using constant comparative coding to identify interactional patterns. This yielded three main findings; teachers: (1) positioned students as language experts and themselves as language learners, (2) drew on shared language resources to support student writing in new-to-teacher languages, and (3) expanded audiences to support student writing in new-to-teacher languages. Implications include pedagogical steps teachers can take to support students' use of new-to-teacher languages while writing, and ideological and social implications of teacher talk about those languages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community-driven research is key to creating evidence-based collaborative systems that meet the multifaceted needs of human trafficking survivors and address oppressions that create vulnerabilities to human trafficking. Programmes and solutions require money and evidenced-informed processes, or they risk investing in systems that will not meet the needs of the intended target populations. This paper reflects on how a community-initiated research project influenced funding to enhance anti-trafficking work in a Midwestern US state. We urge other regions to adopt this model of research and resource allocation in their own anti-trafficking efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the economic factors that influence the decision of a U.S. non-metropolitan daily newspaper to publish or not publish on Sunday. Probit and Tobit models are employed to analyze the entry of 213 small and medium-sized dailies in the Midwestern states into the Sunday-edition market. Variables of market characteristics and those related to inbound circulation penetration yield significant impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Family Team Conference (FTC) has been suggested as a promising practice model to improve child welfare outcomes. However, there is little understanding of developing an effective workforce to ensure FTC fidelity. Using data involving 891 caseworkers who implemented FTC in a Midwestern state, path analysis showed that both effective training and supervision that parallels the same principles of FTC are necessary conditions to enhance FTC fidelity either directly or indirectly by increasing caseworkers' facilitation skills. This paper suggests that organizational readiness and ongoing support are essential for ensuring the high-quality implementation of family-centered practice in the public child welfare system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tropical climate conditions favor landscape evolution and the formation of highly weathered soils under different pedogenic processes due to certain differential properties. Traditional analysis coupled with VNIR-SWIR reflectance spectroscopy and X-ray diffractometry (XRD) analyses can reveal such characteristics. Several researchers cited throughout this study already discussed the possible applications of analyses in this field. All agree that integrated knowledge (holistic) can drive the future of the soil sciences. However, few refer to the potential of soil spectroscopy in deriving pedogenetic information. Thus, this paper aimed to assess pedomorphogeological relationships in a representative toposequence of the Brazilian Midwest using traditional analyses and geotechnologies. We performed landscape observations and soil sampling in the field. The laboratory's physical, chemical, spectral, and mineralogical determinations supported the soil classification according to the World Reference Basis (WRB/FAO) system. Based on the analysis results, we divided five profiles into two soil groups (highly and slightly weathered soils) using Pearson's correlation and hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA). Traditional analyses determined the diagnostic attributes. Spectroscopic readings from 0.35 to 2.5 µm wavelengths and XRD supported identifying soil attributes and properties. Finally, all soil classes were correlated according to correspondent reflectance spectra and primary pedological attributes. There was a strong correlation between spectral oxide features and X-ray diffraction peaks. The HCA based on oxide content and mineral composition validated the previous soil grouping. Thus, we could assess the pedomorphogeological relationships through VNIR-SWIR spectroscopy, XRD, and traditional analyses concerning pedogenic processes through their correlation with soil properties resulting from these processes. However, periodic measurements are required, making orbital sensing a continuous data source for soil monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human service non-profit organisations (HSNPs) looking to improve the representation of clients in the work of their organisation may decide to hire people with lived experience as peer providers. This paper looks at how HSNPs that provide services to sex workers make decisions about hiring those with lived experience of sex work as staff. To address the issue, the following questions were asked: 1) how do HSNPs make the decision to hire sex workers as staff members; and 2) if hired, how are individuals actually involved in the organisation? The study aimed to answer these questions using open-ended interviews with 64 staff in HSNPs in the US Midwest that indirectly or directly provide services to sex workers. Findings indicate that while many organisations hire individuals with lived experience in sex work, the expectations placed on these individuals vary considerably depending on the perceptions other HSNP staff have about sex work. When HSNPs hire individuals with lived experience to further their organisational agendas with respect to sex work, they should include sex workers in a substantive and inclusive way to minimise organisational bias and ensure sex worker views are accurately represented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, under the stationary α‐mixing dependent samples, we develop a novel nonlinear modal regression for time series sequences and establish the consistency and asymptotic property of the proposed nonlinear modal estimator with a shrinking bandwidth h under certain regularity conditions. The asymptotic distribution is shown to be identical to the one derived from the independent observations, whereas the convergence rate (nh3 in which n is the sample size) is slower than that in the nonlinear mean regression. We numerically estimate the proposed nonlinear modal regression model by the use of a modified modal expectation–maximization (MEM) algorithm in conjunction with Taylor expansion. Monte Carlo simulations are presented to demonstrate the good finite sample (prediction) performance of the newly proposed model. We also construct a specified nonlinear modal regression to match the available daily new cases and new deaths data of the COVID‐19 outbreak at the state/region level in the United States, and provide forward predictions up to 130 days ahead (from 24 August 2020 to 31 December 2020). In comparison to the traditional nonlinear regressions, the suggested model can fit the COVID‐19 data better and produce more precise predictions. The prediction results indicate that there are systematic differences in spreading distributions among states/regions. For most western and eastern states, they have many serious COVID‐19 burdens compared to Midwest. We hope that the built nonlinear modal regression can help policymakers to implement fast actions to curb the spread of the infection, avoid overburdening the health system and understand the development of COVID‐19 from some points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: While the ubiquity of social media as a mode of communication, collaboration, connection and creativity has been widely adopted in journalism, entertainment, healthcare and others, the field of education has been more reticent to integrate social media for teaching and learning purposes. This paper aims to summarize research on how social media may support educational aims with specific reference to large classrooms. In addition, the authors provide practical tips on using Twitter from the experience teaching in a typical higher education setting: a large, undergraduate course in a public university. Finally, the authors offer conclusions about how instructors can use social media to support increased engagement, professional development and digital literacy skills. Design/methodology/approach: This paper presents a real-life "case study" of using Twitter in an educational context common to many in higher education: a large, undergraduate lecture class over the course of one semester. This course focused on the foundations of educational technology and was a requirement of receiving a teaching credential at a large public institution in the Midwest. As a required course, students from a number of different majors were enrolled in the course, including biology, chemistry, mathematics, English, history, world languages, physical education and many more. While these majors were grouped by content-area groups (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math; the humanities; and physical education), for this paper the authors will focus on the part of the course where students were all together in lecture format. Guided by the research above, and pedagogical practices discussed elsewhere (Greenhow and Gleason, 2012), it was decided to use Twitter for a number of different pedagogical purposes, including in-class discussion, increase student engagement with course material, expand student interaction and develop student presence. Findings: The use of Twitter was found to increase student participation, help facilitate conceptual understanding, to foster students' "social presence," and to increase interactions with "real world experts." Twitter provided a way, for example, for students in a large lecture course to participate, and roughly 90 per cent of students did so with Twitter. Likewise, instructors used Twitter as a way to bridge learning across different experiences (i.e. lab activities, lecture and online lesson), while also providing a way to support social presence (letting students share humorous pictures). Finally, Twitter facilitated interaction with content experts including historians, during a lesson on global collaboration. Research limitations/implications: Overall, integrating Twitter into a large, lecture course seemed to suggest a number of positive learning outcomes, including presenting opportunities for student voice and expression, visible participation, the development of social presence and tools to connect different course activities (e.g. lecture, in-class activities and lab activities). For example, much research in this field has begun to explore the educational outcomes associated with social media use, and this study contributes to this emerging field. Here, the authors advocate for using social media to support interactive, collaborative and social learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: We analyzed data from a study to evaluate the effectiveness of the Relationships Under Construction (RUC) sexual risk avoidance education program promoting positive youth development and healthy relationships. METHODS: Twelve schools in the Midwestern region of the United States randomized to the intervention implemented RUC in health or science classes, while control schools collected study measures and implemented the standard curriculum. RESULTS: Post‐randomization analyses revealed significant differences in grade, race/ethnicity, and prior relationship education at baseline between intervention and control students. Subsequent analyses controlled for these differences. We distributed parental notification letters to 641 students, and no parents requested that their adolescent opt out of data collection. We obtained assent and baseline computer‐assisted survey interviews or paper‐and‐pencil instrument forms from 100% of these students. Findings suggest that RUC significantly reduced sexual activity (odds ratio = 0.56, p =.046) at 3‐month follow‐up, compared to those in the control group. RUC also reduced pornography viewing and improved attitudes about delayed gratification, beliefs, decision making, and negative outcome expectations. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that RUC improves sexual attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors among this population of adolescents. Additional research is needed to assess RUC impacts among diverse populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Although the scholarship of teaching and learning literature in the area of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) continues to grow, there is a need for research focused on preservice speech-language pathologists' (SLPs') preparedness for practice and the roles related to AAC they will assume as professionals. The purpose of this study was to explore students' perceptions of learning outcomes and perceived preparedness for roles related to AAC service provision. Method: Forty master's level speech-language pathology students enrolled in two graduate-level AAC courses read about, discussed, and reflected on roles related to AAC at the beginning and end of the course. A mixed-methods approach was used to analyze and compare participants' (a) perceived level of preparedness, self-rated using a Likert scale; (b) reflections on preparedness at the beginning and end of the course; (c) learning priorities at the beginning of the course; and (d) perceptions of learning outcomes at the end of the course. Results: Overall, participants' perceived preparedness improved from the beginning to the end of the course for all roles. Improvements in ratings for the roles of general practice SLP, AAC finder, AAC facilitator/communication partner, and AAC clinical specialist were statistically significant. The data revealed what and how students wanted to learn and the impact of course learning activities on their professional identity development, particularly related to the roles they envision taking on as practicing professionals. Conclusions: The findings have direct implications for teaching and learning in AAC coursework and advancing preservice education in the area of AAC. This study adds to the literature by describing a low-stakes, efficient reflection task that has the potential to impact professional identity development among students and perhaps practitioners as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mounting evidence shows overall insect abundances are in decline globally. Habitat loss, climate change, and pesticides have all been implicated, but their relative effects have never been evaluated in a comprehensive large-scale study. We harmonized 17 years of land use, climate, multiple classes of pesticides, and butterfly survey data across 81 counties in five states in the US Midwest. We find community-wide declines in total butterfly abundance and species richness to be most strongly associated with insecticides in general, and for butterfly species richness the use of neonicotinoid-treated seeds in particular. This included the abundance of the migratory monarch (Danaus plexippus), whose decline is the focus of intensive debate and public concern. Insect declines cannot be understood without comprehensive data on all putative drivers, and the 2015 cessation of neonicotinoid data releases in the US will impede future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While the effectiveness of tutoring‐style videos has been reported in previous studies conducted in laboratories, how these types of videos facilitate students' learning experiences and achievement has not been much explored in prior studies, which prevents discussion on how to design such tutoring‐style videos. Objectives: In this study, we addressed the limitations reported in studies conducted in authentic classes and attempted to explore students' learning patterns and experiences with tutoring‐style videos involving interactions between the instructor and agents. In addition, we attempted to reveal what instructional strategies can be used in tutoring‐style videos to enhance students' engagement and achievement. Methods: The study took place in an undergraduate introductory biology class offered at a university located in the Midwest of the United States. The same instructor taught two sections of this course which lasted for 15 weeks during a Spring semester. The two sections were randomly assigned to an experimental group in which participants watched tutoring‐style videos and a control group with participants watching traditional videos. The experiment was administered in a module lasting two and a half weeks focused on microbiology. Surveys and tests were conducted to determine whether the tutoring‐style videos had a positive impact on student engagement and achievement. In addition, a video content analysis was carried out to elicit insights on how to design effective tutoring‐style videos. Results: For students' emotional engagement and perceived usefulness, no significant difference was found between the two groups, even though the descriptive statistics indicated slightly higher scores from the experimental group than the control group on both subscales. In terms of achievement, the participants reported significantly more learned concepts from watching rich‐interactions in the tutoring‐style videos than the participants in the control group; and they also reported a significantly smaller number of learned concepts from watching one‐interactions in the videos than the control group participants. We also found that instruction in the tutoring‐style videos used effective strategies for facilitating students' participation and cognitive processing. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that tutoring‐style videos can be effective learning materials by allowing students to engage in interactions between instructors and agents in the videos. The more instructional strategies used to facilitate the interactions between the instructor and the agents, the higher engagement can be expected from viewers. Our study would inform the design and development of effective tutoring‐style videos. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: One‐on‐one tutoring is the gold standard in teaching.Tutoring‐style videos are found to be effective in teaching as well. What this paper adds: Tutoring‐style videos that film rich interactions lead to better learning.Tutoring‐style videos that film limited interactions are ineffective.Students who see agents in tutoring‐style videos as helpful perform better. Implications for practice and/or policy: Tutoring‐style videos should film rich interactions of tutoring sessions.Strategies should be used in videos to facilitate perceived agents' usefulness.Tutoring sessions filmed in videos should encourage a participatory atmosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the emergence of social distancing, the shutdown of schools and restaurants, and increased anxieties about in- person farmers markets in early 2020, local farmers and food distributors quickly pivoted to digital tools to manage their farms and connect with buyers. In this paper, we explore the role of a seemingly simple digital tool in shaping alternative agrarian relations during the pandemic- induced local food boom: the spreadsheet. Through interviews with farmers and food distributors across urban, periurban, and rural landscapes in the United States (U.S.), we show how spreadsheets and other digital tools have helped farmers manage demand during the COVID- 19 pandemic while also presupposing costs, benefits, and efficiencies for these alternative agricultural food spaces. Ultimately, many local farmers found themselves pursuing goals of simplicity, labor efficiency, and expansion- oriented growth as they made sense of their farm data. Reflecting on these values, and the spreadsheet data underlying them, became a point of tension for farmers who place a high importance on diversification, stability, and interpersonal interactions. By attending to how these data are tracked, we gain deeper insights into how farmers and other stakeholders think about agrarian futures: who does the work, what gets planted, who's buying, and who benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of significant environmental changes, the urgency of adopting green innovation has become increasingly apparent as a central mechanism for adjusting industrial structures in China. This transition serves not only as a crucial way to address pressing environmental challenges, but also as a fundamental strategy to improve the ecological efficiency of urban areas. Existing research mainly keeps a close eye on the unidirectional relationship between variables such as technological innovation and environmental protection. There is less relevant literature that has researched the cointegration relationship among green innovation, industrial structure, and eco-efficiency of cities. The essential role of green innovation and industrial structure in reaching a higher eco-efficiency of city are discussed in this research and the relationship among these three variables are analyzed by the evidence from cities in China from 2011 to 2019. The fact that the variables are cointegrated in the long run is evidenced by the results for the full sample. The sub-sample results report that in the eastern region, green innovation, industrial structure upgrading, and industrial structure rationalization could improve urban eco-efficiency. However, in Midwest regions where economic development is relatively backward, green innovation's effect on urban eco-efficiency is not in a significant positive way. The results obtained in this paper have implications for different cities in China to formulate corresponding policies on green innovation, industrial structure, and urban eco-efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: The rising prices of medical infusions have resulted in the increased utilization of policies for payors to manage costs. These policies can be disruptive to the continuity of care, and health systems should develop a systematic strategy to address market changes and prevent patient leakage. (2) Methods: A quality improvement study was conducted by an interdisciplinary workstream to assess the current state of infusion services in an academic medical center in the Midwest and to provide recommendations for immediate access improvement and long-term system planning. An organizational assessment of the value stream was completed, which analyzed the available infusion capacity, billing strategy, patient mix/volumes, payor mix, staffing levels, and current policies. The interventions implemented after developing the infusion system strategy were triaging patients to the appropriate site of care to increase infusion capacity and eliminating paper orders in one of the health system's Infusion Centers. (3) Results: Patients receiving medical infusions for oncologic conditions warrant unique considerations in evaluating the Infusion Center's efficiency due to the infusion regimen's length, complexity, and tolerability. The management of the payor site of care also poses a challenge for health systems to triage patients effectively without fragmenting care. (4) Conclusions: An organizational strategy around infusion services must include broad stakeholder representation to address the clinical, operational, and financial challenges to provide timely care to patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe the implementation of evidence‐based, individualized coping plans and to compare the rates of child anxiety, child cooperation, and parent anxiety before and after implementation of these coping plans for children receiving recurring BoNT‐A injections emphasizing the role of Certified Child Life Specialists (CCLSs) within the interdisciplinary team approach. Design and Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted for children receiving BoNT‐A injections at a Physical Medicine clinic pre‐ and post‐implementation of the coping plan. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate care plan implementation, child cooperation, child anxiety, and parent anxiety. Results: Post‐implementation of coping care plans, children experienced improved cooperation during BoNT‐A injections. Parental anxiety decreased once coping plans were implemented. Documentation improved after the implementation of coping plans specific to areas involving cooperation, child's anxiety and distress, and parental anxiety and distress. It was also noted that there was an increase in child anxiety assessments within documentation. Practice Implications: CCLS were able to utilize their expertise to collaboratively create individualized coping care plans to increase child's cooperation and decrease parental anxiety during BoNT‐A injections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Intimate partner violence (IPV) and substance use disorder (SUD) frequently co-occur and are rarely addressed together despite evidence indicating benefits of combined interventions. Both are linked to trauma. Scholars have theorized attention to trauma may facilitate engagement with IPV and SUD but have not studied this potential empirically. Methods: Using service system level quantitative data on organizations focused on IPV or SUD (n = 281) in a midwestern city in the United States and semi-structured interviews with policymakers, funders, and practitioners in both areas (n = 27), this paper uses grounded theory to explore whether attention to trauma facilitates attention to IPV and SUD. Results: While quantitative data suggest addressing trauma and both IPV and SUD are associated at the service system level, analysis of interview data indicates greater complexity. Despite consensus on trauma-informed care's potential, competing understandings of temporality (when trauma occurs in relation to IPV or SUD), different liabilities associated with addressing trauma, and different intervention approaches combine to limit engagement by both IPV and SUD organizations. Rather than adopting trauma-informed care, both types of organizations more typically engage trauma selectively, offering discrete services rather than holistic intervention. Findings have implications for addressing co-occurring IPV, SUD, and trauma and for practice, policy, education, and research. Conclusions: There is need for greater consensus about what it means to address trauma, increased investments in practitioner education and training around intersections of IPV, SUD, and trauma, and additional supports to incentivize movement from a trauma services approach towards meaningful implementation of trauma-informed care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large‐scale excavations in the first half of the twentieth century conducted by Glenn A. Black at Angel Mounds were viewed as moving archaeology away from its antiquarian roots toward legitimate scientific practice. Although this transformation led to innovative field methods, amassed collections of unprecedented size and depth, and created foundational archaeological programs and knowledge, the past and the peoples who occupied it became increasingly objectified and marginalized. How did archaeological practice on such an expansive scale remove from history the people whose heritage is memorialized at a national historic landmark? And how has this history impacted archaeological practice today? To address these questions, I draw on personal letters and published accounts for insights into the interests and problematic aspects of Black's archaeological practices before turning to a consideration of some present‐day continuities, challenges, and ways forward. The issues and biases revealed in the case of Black's early 20th century archaeological praxis are not unique for the time. Nonetheless, underlying problems of objectification and racism challenge us to not only confront legacy biases and the harm they have caused, but to work toward ethical ways to use such collections now and in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shares findings of a qualitative study on professional learning with in-service teachers during COVID-19. From 2020–2023, the authors facilitated comprehensive literacy professional learning with in-service teachers from 40 schools in the Midwest U.S. Our work aimed to center teachers as experts and be responsive to teachers' social, emotional, and professional needs. Drawing on framework for adaptability, we analyzed formative assessments, interview transcripts, and written reflections to understand teachers' perspectives on professional learning and their praxis during COVID-19. Data revealed that participants perceived an increased need for professional learning on differentiation and focus on growth and joy. Against the backdrop of a neoliberal fixation on teacher accountability that increases stress among teachers on top of a traumatic global pandemic, we attempted to center teachers as experts and attend to teachers' socioemotional needs by offering flexible pathways with online options and offering in-person sessions for cultivating community. Future research on teacher education for in-service teachers can provide greater insight into teacher perceptions of their professional learning needs post/COVID-19, as well as how we center teachers as knowledgeable professionals in order to challenge hierarchical power structures and deficit discourses in ways that promote their professional, social, and emotional wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper stems from a larger body of work undertaken as part of a postgraduate research study on co-operating primary teachers' experiences of the school placement process in Ireland. Given that co-operating teachers play a key role in the initial teacher education process in Ireland (Teaching Council, 2013), the paper focuses on the types of engagement and interaction currently evident in the practice of a select number of co-operating primary teachers who intermittently host and work with student teachers in classrooms and schools. The factors which inhibit the development of significant pedagogy-focussed interactions are also explored. Through using a qualitative methodological and analytical lens, findings indicate that there are a range of factors which constrain engagement, and that co-operating teachers rely heavily on verbal pedagogic discussion to interact with student teachers. Participants also emphasised the challenges to engaging with student teachers as a result of uncertainty or unwillingness from the perspective of either party. The implications of this research are considered in terms of future research to extend the findings presented herein, and the current national priority to develop a formalised programme of co-operating teacher professional development in the Irish context (Teaching Council, 2019). While the research was conducted prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic has underlined the key role of cooperating teachers in the placement process and has highlighted the need to formally acknowledge and support them in their work with students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Borderline personality (BP) is an understudied risk factor for dating violence. Based on indications that BP may be an important predictor in non-clinical samples, this study explored theoretically derived pathways in the etiology of college student dating violence (CDV) through BP. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 783 college students from a large Midwestern American university. Participants completed a paper-and-pencil survey that included measures of CDV, childhood maltreatment, maternal relationship quality, attachment insecurity and BP. A fully recursive path model was estimated using the maximum likelihood estimator in Mplus 7.4 to simultaneously examine the pathways to CDV perpetration and victimization. One quarter of the sampled college students reported perpetrating and/or experiencing dating violence in the year prior to the study, with a large proportion of these participants (85%) indicating that they were both perpetrators and victims. BP was positively associated with both CDV perpetration (β =.17; p ≤.01) and victimization (β =.20; p ≤.01). Results showed that a lower quality of relationship with one's mother while growing up was strongly associated with the risk of CDV through developmental pathways involving attachment insecurity and BP. While these findings would not be surprising in a clinical sample of batterers, they are particularly interesting in the context of a non-clinical, generally well-adjusted sample of college students that typically involve less severe forms of situational couple violence. Future research on the etiology of situational couple violence, including CDV, should consider the role of BP and its antecedents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precipitation (P) gauge undercatch (PUC) is an important source of error when using observed meteorological datasets for hydrologic modeling studies in regions with cold and windy winters. Preliminary simulations using the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) hydrological model forced with different meteorological datasets showed significant underprediction of simulated streamflow throughout the domain. A new hybrid gridded meteorological dataset at 1/16° resolution based on observed station data was assembled over the U.S. Midwest and Great Lakes region from 1915 to 2021 at a daily time step. Correction of primary station data using existing techniques is generally difficult or infeasible in the United States due to missing station metadata and lack of local wind speed (WS) measurements. We developed and tested several different postprocessing adjustment techniques using regridded WS obtained from the NCEP–NCAR reanalysis. The most effective approach corrected rain or mixed P using WS alone, and P as snow using a regressed snow-to-P ratio from a group of wind-shielded reference stations (to account for different and generally unknown snow measurement techniques). The PUC-corrected gridded products were validated against high-quality shielded stations and corrected Global Historical Climatology Network stations with in situ WS, showing good overall agreement. Observed monthly streamflow at 40 river basins was also compared to hydrologic model simulations forced by datasets with and without PUC corrections. The best PUC-corrected dataset produced improvements in streamflow simulations in at least 80% of the streamflow locations for three validation metrics (r2, Nash–Sutcliff efficiency, bias in the mean), demonstrating its value for hydrometeorological studies in the greater Midwest region. Significance Statement: Many applications in hydrology require in situ precipitation (P) measurements, which are known to have a systematic low bias due to the effects of wind, also known as precipitation undercatch (PUC). Addressing PUC is problematic in the United States due to limited access to detailed station metadata (SMD) and local wind speed (WS) measurements. In this paper we develop a set of procedures to create gridded precipitation datasets for the U.S. Midwest region that incorporate corrections for PUC without needing either (i) detailed SMD or (ii) local WS measurements. Among other tests, results in 40 test basins throughout the Midwest show substantial improvements in simulated streamflow in 32 out of 40 basins when PUC corrections are included in meteorological driving datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]