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A technological trend influencing society is the provision and adoption of digital books. Digital books are used in education in the form of electronic textbooks (e-textbooks). The research question examined in this manuscript is which students' characteristics and attitudes influence their adoption or non-adoption of e-textbooks? The study explores these characteristics and attitudes of students who have made the decision to become either an e-textbook user or nonuser. The empirical analysis is conducted using 1191 student responses to a questionnaire distributed in a mid-sized university in the western United States. Among these 1191 responses, 530 of the students had used an e-textbook and 661 had not used an e-textbook. The e-textbook user and nonuser groups are studied in three different ways. The first is by examining the counts and percentages for five respondent characteristics. The second way is through statistical tests (i.e., t-tests and multiple analysis of variance) on these characteristics across the groups. The results from these analyses did not identify any meaningful differences in characteristics across the user and nonuser groups. The third way was a content analysis performed on an open-ended question (i.e., What factors influenced you on whether to use an e-textbook?) on the questionnaire. The student e-textbook attitudes discovered from the content analysis showed that for e-textbook users, the cost or price of an e-textbook had a significant influence on e-textbook adoption. Two other attitudes influencing e-textbook users' adoption were usability, both positive and negative. The key attitude of nonusers regarding e-textbook adoption is negative e-textbook usability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Lean is a continuous improvement methodology that has succeeded in eliminating waste in a variety of industries. Yet, there is a need for more research on Lean implementation in several under-studied contexts, including crisis situations such as those created by the recent COVID-19 pandemic. This research investigates how Lean programs were impacted by COVID-19, while previous research has primarily explored how Lean was used to solve problems created by the pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: A mixed-method research approach was used to analyze employee feedback on how COVID-19 impacted the Lean programs using data from various levels of four energy-based utilities in the United States. First, an online questionnaire collected qualitative and quantitative data from a broad sample of participants. Then, a follow-up semi-structured interview allowed the elaboration of perceptions related to the research question using a smaller sample of participants. Findings: Out of the 194 responses from the four companies, only 41% of the respondents at least somewhat agreed that COVID-19 impacted the Lean program at their company; of the remaining 59%, 35% indicated they were neutral, while 24% disagreed. The themes from the qualitative portion indicated that, while employees believed their companies had successfully found a new way to do Lean within the constraints of not always being in person, the collaboration and engagement were more challenging to sustain, and COVID-19 also otherwise made it more difficult to implement Lean. Meanwhile, some believed there was no impact on the Lean program. Originality/value: The COVID-19 and Lean peer-reviewed literature published from 2020 to September 2023 focused primarily on using Lean to address problems created by the COVID-19 pandemic vs studying the pandemic's impact on Lean programs. This research partially fills this literature gap in understanding the impact COVID-19 had on Lean initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teenage stress is one of the things that has a significant impact on the healthcare system and both mental and physical health. It is crucial to understand potential remedies for the negative effects of stress and associated health issues in adolescent students. The study fills this vacuum by looking into potential stress-reduction strategies. A sample questionnaire of 35878 items was dispersed among high school students in the United States. Students were given four research questions about stress and were asked to respond with twenty-five points. Based on the study question, both descriptive and inferential statistics were performed. 35878 teenagers answered how often they feel stressed, and 32095, 33306, and 34881 teens answered the other questions. A total of 44.9% of the teens are affected by stress time, 22.4% of the sample talk to friends whenever they are stressed, 45.2% of their resources to online/apps and the following are what stressed the students most; relationships, teachers, other, parents, college and friends. A total of (27.2%) of the students claims that relationships are what stress them most. The two stressful regions were identified as Texas and Florida. Four research hypotheses were tested on the question using inferential statistics. The null hypothesis was rejected while the alternative was accepted in research questions 1, 2 and the null hypothesis was accepted in research question 3 and 4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the United States, direct support professionals (DSPs) support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) so they can live in the community. Thirty years of deinstitutionalization and the development of community living options would not have been possible without DSPs. Although life for people with IDD improved greatly, working conditions, wages/benefits, demands, stress/burnout, and trauma experienced by DSPs have worsened. Turnover and vacancy rates threaten the availability of community supports for too many people with IDD. DSPs from diverse racial, ethnic, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds face significant workplace disparities. These issues were discussed during the Research and Training Center on Community Living's 2022 State of the Science Conference. We propose important research questions needing solutions to continue constructively addressing these critical issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Involving communities in research prioritization is an important component of developing relevant research, policy, and healthcare questions. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to an increased need for research prioritization methods which align with public health protections. The Research Prioritization by Affected Communities (RPAC) protocol is a participatory method which directly involves historically excluded communities in developing and prioritizing research questions. We adapted the RPAC protocol for the virtual environment (RPAC-ve) to understand the research, healthcare delivery, and policy priorities of greatest importance to communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to pregnancy in the United States. RPAC-ve included the use of a web-based platform, sharable documents for listing and ranking research questions, and a scribe to capture a visual representation of RPAC-ve sessions. RPAC-ve is a flexible and effective priority setting method which can be used to engage high risk populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Offshore wind energy development (OWED), while a key strategy for reducing carbon emissions, has potential negative effects to wildlife that should be examined to inform decision making and adaptive management as the industry expands. We present a conceptual framework to guide the long-term study of potential effects to birds and bats from OWED. This framework includes a focus on exposure and vulnerability as key determinants of risk. For birds and bats that are exposed to OWED, there are three main effects of interest that may impact survival and productivity: 1) collision mortality, 2) behavioral responses, including avoidance, displacement, and attraction, and 3) habitat-mediated effects to prey populations. If these OWED effects cause changes in survival and/or breeding success (e.g., fitness), they have the potential for population-level consequences, including changes in population size and structure. Understanding the influence of ecological drivers on exposure and effect parameters can help to disentangle the potential impacts of OWED from other stressors. We use this theoretical framework to summarize existing relevant knowledge and identify current priority research questions (n=22) for the eastern United States, where largescale development of OWED is primarily in the planning and early construction phase. We also identify recommendations for study design and further prioritization of research topics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the United States there are roughly three million births a year, ranging from cesarean to natural births. A major aspect of the birthing process is related to the healing environment, and how that helps or harms healing for the mother and child. Using the theoretical framework, Theory of Supportive Care Settings (TSCS), this study aimed to explore what is necessary to have a safe and sacred healing environment for mothers. Method: This study utilized an updated Qualitative Interpretive Meta-synthesis (QIMS) design called QIMS-DTT [deductive theory testing] to answer the research question, What are mother's experiences of environmental factors contributing to a supportive birthing environment within healthcare settings? Results: Key terms were run through multiple databases, which resulted in 5,688 articles. After title and abstract screening, 43 were left for full-text, 12 were excluded, leaving 31 to be included in the final QIMS. Five main themes emerged from analysis: 1) Service in the environment, 2) Recognizing oneself within the birthing space, 3) Creating connections with support systems, 4) Being welcomed into the birthing space, and 5) Feeling safe within the birthing environment. Conclusions: Providing a warm and welcoming birth space is crucial for people who give birth to have positive experiences. Providing spaces where the person can feel safe and supported allows them to find empowerment in the situation where they have limited control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the relationship between wildfire exposure, social vulnerability, and community resilience across the 26 states east of the Mississippi River. This work centers around one research question: are there spatial differences in wildfire exposure that disproportionately impact disadvantaged communities in the Eastern United States over the recent period (2000–2020)? Employing remotely sensed wildfire data and ancillary datasets, we analyze and map the extensive wildfire exposure in the Eastern United States and compare it with spatial metrics of social vulnerability and community resilience to examine the social burdens of wildfire exposure in the Eastern U.S. A discernible wildfire exposure pattern emerges, with the Southeast bearing the highest exposure levels, largely attributed to human-caused and prescribed burning. By establishing a measure of disadvantaged counties using social vulnerability and community resilience, we identify regions where wildfire exposures could have the most adverse impact—areas characterized by highly vulnerable populations and limited community capacity to respond effectively to potential events. In evaluating wildfire risk, we conclude that considering not only exposure levels but also the inclusion of disadvantaged areas (incorporating social vulnerability and community resilience) is essential for understanding the disparate impact of wildfires on individuals and the communities where they live. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease in the United States (US). Animal models, specifically mouse models have been developed to better elucidate disease mechanisms and test therapeutic strategies for AD. A large portion of effort in the field was focused on developing transgenic (Tg) mouse models through over-expression of genetic mutations associated with familial AD (FAD) patients. Newer generations of mouse models through knock-in (KI)/knock-out (KO) or CRISPR gene editing technologies, have been developed for both familial and sporadic AD risk genes with the hope to more accurately model proteinopathies without over-expression of human AD genes in mouse brains. In this review, we summarized the phenotypes of a few commonly used as well as newly developed mouse models in translational research laboratories including the presence or absence of key pathological features of AD such as amyloid and tau pathology, synaptic and neuronal degeneration as well as cognitive and behavior deficits. In addition, advantages and limitations of these AD mouse models have been elaborated along with discussions of any sex-specific features. More importantly, the omics data from available AD mouse models have been analyzed to categorize molecular signatures of each model reminiscent of human AD brain changes, with the hope to guide future selection of most suitable models for specific research questions to be addressed in the AD field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent research has demonstrated that social justice teacher activist networks provide vital support to teachers of Color, reducing feelings of isolation and providing high-quality professional learning opportunities. Yet, there is a need for broader scaled research that looks across multiple activist organizations to add to our understandings of these findings. Focus of Study: Our study examines the network participation characteristics of 26 activist teachers of Color across 14 activist organizations in the United States. Our research questions were: (1) How do activist teachers of Color foster social capital in networks to influence policies and actions in their organizations and beyond? (2) What relationship exists between the participation structures of networks and the involvement of teachers of Color in the activist organizations? Research Design: Our research design used a critical social network research approach informed by Black feminist thought (BFT) and research on teacher activism. Our data included interviews from the 26 teachers and documents from their activist organizations. Our analysis involved a macro-to-micro qualitative network analysis of data, which afforded a broad view of network characteristics and deep descriptions of the stories of a subset of teachers. Conclusions: We found that the teachers of Color who were involved in affinity-based groups and subgroups were often the germinators of policy and action shifts, usually related to racial and intersectional justice in their organization. We call this network phenomenon a germinal network. We explore other features of germinal networks, such as a tendency toward reflexivity and mentorship-seeking and support. This study has implications for future critical research on social networks and the design of radically inclusive and humanizing social infrastructures in education-related organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the principal stratification framework in causal inference, the majority of the literature has focused on binary compliance with an intervention and modelling means. Yet in some research areas, compliance is partial, and research questions—and hence analyses—are concerned with causal effects on (possibly high) quantiles rather than on shifts in average outcomes. Modelling partial compliance is challenging because it can suffer from lack of identifiability. We develop an approach to estimate quantile causal effects within a principal stratification framework, where principal strata are defined by the bivariate vector of (partial) compliance to the two levels of a binary intervention. We propose a conditional copula approach to impute the missing potential compliance and estimate the principal quantile treatment effect surface at high quantiles, allowing the copula association parameter to vary with the covariates. A bootstrap procedure is used to estimate the parameter to account for inflation due to imputation of missing compliance. Moreover, we describe precise assumptions on which the proposed approach is based, and investigate the finite sample behavior of our method by a simulation study. The proposed approach is used to study the 90th principal quantile treatment effect of executive stay‐at‐home orders on mitigating the risk of COVID‐19 transmission in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lake trophic state is a key ecosystem property that integrates a lake's physical, chemical, and biological processes. Despite the importance of trophic state as a gauge of lake water quality, standardized and machine-readable observations are uncommon. Remote sensing presents an opportunity to detect and analyze lake trophic state with reproducible, robust methods across time and space. We used Landsat surface reflectance data to create the first compendium of annual lake trophic state for 55,662 lakes of at least 10 ha in area throughout the contiguous United States from 1984 through 2020. The dataset was constructed with FAIR data principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reproducible) in mind, where data are publicly available, relational keys from parent datasets are retained, and all data wrangling and modeling routines are scripted for future reuse. Together, this resource offers critical data to address basic and applied research questions about lake water quality at a suite of spatial and temporal scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research problem: High turnover rates in long-term nursing facilities exacerbate the existing shortage of caregivers, a trend that will only worsen as the population of the United States ages. Part-time certified nursing assistants (CNAs) provide a significant amount of patient care in these facilities. CNAs also have high annual rates of turnover, which can harm health outcomes and increase the cost of care. In this study, we empirically analyze the effect of scheduling decisions on part-time CNA turnover. We explore three research questions that examine both how much and with whom a CNA is scheduled to work. We seek to empirically answer how (1) hours worked and (2) coworker variability influence turnover for part-time CNAs and if (3) coworker variability moderates the relationship between hours worked and CNA turnover. Methodology/results: Using novel data from one of the nation's largest nursing home organizations, which includes data for 6,221 part-time CNAs at 157 facilities in the United States over a 26-month period, we identify two scheduling levers managers may be able to use to influence turnover. As hours worked increase, turnover first decreases and then increases, demonstrating a nonlinear U-shaped relationship between hours worked and turnover. We also find that high coworker variability increases turnover while also moderating the effects of hours worked on turnover. In post hoc analyses, we demonstrate that high CNA turnover has negative impacts on patient health. Managerial implications: These findings suggest that managers may be able to leverage part-time CNA scheduling to reduce turnover, improving both the quality and cost of care. Specifically, we demonstrate that managers can reduce CNA turnover by increasing hours worked, scheduling coworkers together consistently and doing both simultaneously. Supplemental Material: The online appendices are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2021.0533. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper explores the relationship between federalism and the policy design of labour market policies in two liberal welfare state regimes – Canada and the United States – addressing the following research question: How do variations in policy design intersect with federalism in both countries and how can these variations provide powerful, self-reinforcing or self-undermining feedback effects over time? Combining the literatures on the varieties of federalism, the liberal welfare regime, and policy design and feedback, the paper shows that paying close attention to federalism is necessary to understand diverse national policy designs that produce self-reinforcing feedback effects over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Camera-based mirror systems (CBMSs) are a relatively new technology in the automotive industry, and much of the United States' medium- and heavy-duty commercial fleet has been reluctant to convert from standard glass, or "west coast", mirrors to CBMSs. CBMSs have the potential to reduce the number of truck and passenger vehicle incidents, improving overall fleet safety. CBMSs also have the potential to improve operational efficiency by improving aerodynamics and reducing drag, resulting in better fuel economy, and improving maneuverability. Improvements in overall safety are also possible; the field of view for the driver is potentially 360° with the addition of trailer cameras, allowing for visibility of the rear of the trailer and the front of the truck. These potential improvements seem promising, but the literature on driver surveys clearly shows that there is reluctance to adopt this technology for many reasons. Additionally, more robust testing in the laboratory and in the field is necessary to determine whether CBMSs are adequate to replace standard mirrors on trucks. This analysis provides an overview of key research questions for CBMS testing based on the current literature on the topic (surveys, standards, and previous testing). The purpose of this analysis is to serve as guidance in developing further testing of CBMSs, especially testing involving human subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing prevalence of mental illness and addiction in the United States has drawn considerable attention from grantmakers, which could catalyze the development and delivery of innovative approaches to these complex and difficult-to-treat behavioral health disorders. To assist foundations in meaningful engagement with the field of behavioral health, this article shares the responses of 17 highly experienced behavioral health grantmakers to two research questions: What are the experiences of foundations that have funded behavioral health initiatives? What issues should be considered by foundations contemplating this area of grantmaking support? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This exploratory qualitative study examines the barriers to program implementation faced by state directors overseeing federally funded Migrant Education Programs (MEPs). Drawing on data gathered via in-depth interviews with 25 SDs across the United States the following research question is addressed: According to SDs of MEPs, what are the barriers to program implementation? The findings suggest that SDs experience five main barriers to implementing the MEP: 1) lack of time to dedicate to the program; 2) bureaucratic barriers; 3) lack of funding; 4) stigmas and prejudice; and 5) immigration policies. The findings are discussed along with policy and program recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the relationship between political expediency, perception management, and governmental goals. The subject matter forms the research question of “How a tool such as perception management can be used to politically expedite a government’s interests and goals?” It is understood that these ends can be achieved through the usage of perception management by constructing them from a given audience’s interests and values. The concept of perception management is introduced to the reader and illustrated by the example of the United States government’s knowledge of the Katyń Forest Massacre. This article is presented in two parts – the United States’ initial conclusion that the Nazi party was responsible for the massacre and its later reassignment of fault to the Soviet Union. The first instance which involved the reconstruction of truth, was used to politically advance the United States’ cooperation with the Soviet Union in fighting Hitler’s Germany. The second instance also involved the revelation of truth and was used to justify its fight against the North Korean communists. This article should effectively demonstrate how the practice of perception management has been used historically by the United States government to expediate its political goals. The instrumentalization of Katyń is important as it may inspire the reader to consider why certain events take hold of the media’s attention versus others, and how these events specifically may relate to domestic and international political issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The manuscript reports the results of a study that explored what facilitates and hinders local emergency management program pursuit of accreditation by the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP). This research question is of significance for several reasons, including, (1) leading national emergency management organizations have endorsed The Emergency Management Standard promulgated by EMAP; (2) very few programs are accredited; and, (3) there are only two studies related to accreditation in emergency management and neither examines accreditation in a local context. Analysis of semi-structured interview data from local emergency management program leaders representing some of the largest municipalities in the United States revealed a variety of key themes regarding what facilitates or hinders accreditation pursuit. The complexity of these themes and the context which produces them suggests that widespread accreditation at the local level is not likely in the near future even though many leaders valued the Standard and accreditation. This conclusion is discussed and a variety of avenues that might be pursued if more accreditation of local programs were the goal is offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is an ongoing need for research to support the practice of high quality family medicine. The Family Medicine Discovers Rapid Cycle Scientific Discovery and Innovation (FMD RapSDI) program is designed to build capacity for family medicine scientific discovery and innovation in the United States. Our objective was to describe the applicants and research questions submitted to the RapSDI program in 2019 and 2020. Methods: Descriptive analysis for applicant characteristics and rapid qualitative analysis using principles of grounded theory and content analysis to examine the research questions and associated themes. We examined differences by year of application submission and the applicant's career stage. Results: Sixty-five family physicians submitted 70 applications to the RapSDI program; 45 in 2019 and 25 in 2020. 41% of applicants were in practice for five years or less (n = 27), 18% (n = 12) were in in practice 6–10 years, and 40% (n = 26) were ≥ 11 years in practice. With significant diversity in questions, the most common themes were studies of new innovations (n = 20, 28%), interventions to reduce cost (n = 20, 28%), improving screening or diagnosis (n = 19, 27%), ways to address mental or behavioral health (n = 18, 26%), and improving care for vulnerable populations (n = 18, 26%). Conclusion: Applicants proposed a range of research questions and described why family medicine is optimally suited to address the questions. Applicants had a desire to develop knowledge to help other family physicians, their patients, and their communities. Findings from this study can help inform other family medicine research capacity building initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Context: The landscape of English-medium independent schools today is increasingly multilingual, challenging traditional monolingual norms of English testing and teaching. Multilingual learners—students who are able to navigate school in more than one language—are more vulnerable to the negative impacts of standardized tests in English because in many schools, these assessments are used solely to determine students' proficiency for placement, labeling, or tracking purposes. International schools provide a useful context in which to investigate the intersection of language and equity. As independent institutions situated in complex transnational and postcolonial linguistic ecosystems, international schools determine their own local policies and programs for English language assessment and support. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study: This article is about the relationship between testing and teaching, and how educators describe this relationship within a particular network of international schools. Examining the relationship between English language assessment and instruction for multilingual learners helps to describe pathways toward more inclusive schools. Inquiring into how schools can build on the assets of multilingual learners requires rethinking the monolingual norm of English as an exclusive path for learning and a marker of privilege. Additionally, studying a global network of schools illustrates how resources that were developed in the United States can be used more globally: at the classroom level, within a whole-school context, and across a transnational educational consortium. Research Design: I use a mixed-methods analysis to investigate how educators describe programs that serve multilingual learners. I analyze school-based narratives written by educators across a global consortium of 500 international schools to inquire into the relationship between testing and teaching. Findings/Results: Within this particular global network, I found that educators describe links between English language assessments and other program components: an asset-based approach, professional learning, and school-wide systems to serve multilingual learners. I explain how a systemic approach to connecting assessments and instruction can contribute to more equitable schools for multilingual learners. Additionally, by comparing schools that recently joined the network and schools that had been members for three or more years, I identified a developmental trajectory, moving from a primary focus on English language assessments to increased collaborative practices for serving a multilingual school community. Conclusions/Recommendations: This initial research has important implications for independent schools and educators of multilingual learners. Understanding how the global and the local integrate illustrates how schools can adapt rather than adopt new assessments and instructional resources: both changing and being changed by new tools. By describing the impact of an English language assessment tool and an associated community of practice on school-wide systems to better serve multilingual learners, this study has the potential to inform future school improvement efforts. Although critical questions remain about the role of multilingualism in independent schools, this study provides a lens through which to understand the movement of ideas and practices across diverse spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An individual might have a net worth of $10,000 and believe they are in great shape financially, while another individual might have $100,000 and feel otherwise. Could personality explain this disparity between perception and reality of their financial situation? This study answers this research question using data from the 2018 Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Findings from this study show that conscientious and extraverted consumers believe they are doing better than they are. Conversely, consumers who exhibit traits relating to neuroticism, openness to experience, and agreeableness think their financial situation is worse than it is. These findings have implications for consumers, professional advisors, and policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of the New Tech Network (NTN) design on several academic measures was tested on ninth graders in four schools in one state located in the Southeastern United States. Research questions explored the extent to which achievement test scores, dual credits earned, and dropout rates differed between ninth grade students in high fidelity NTN schools and similar students in traditional schools. A quasi-experimental design using student-level variables from the state's PowerSchool database was conducted in order to test hypotheses related to the research questions. Results suggest that, when implemented with fidelity to the model, there was a significant effect of NTN on achievement test scores as students in NTN schools scored higher on both the End of Course (EOC) Math and English Language Arts (ELA) tests compared to students in control schools. This effect remained after controlling for poverty, race, and preexisting achievement level. Students in NTN schools also were slightly more likely to earn dual credit compared to similar students in control schools. However, there was no effect of NTN participation on dropout rate as students in NTN schools were more likely to be retained in their current grade level and not moving to the next grade level compared to students in control schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: The Crouse decision from 1838 laid precedent to the positioning of prisons as sites where education takes place. With a massive expansion of youth carceral facilities since then, alongside the prison-schools within them, we continually rely on prison-school spaces as places where youth are brought to experience education and punishment. While the wider population of youth who are incarcerated in the United States has significantly reduced since the year 2000, the reduction of incarcerated Girls of Color has not. Many incarcerated Girls of Color are also disabled. Thus, it is within this context that we explore the prison-school space as a site that is intended to provide robust educational opportunities. Focus of Study: In this article, we repositioned disabled incarcerated Girls of Color as knowledge generators and as experts well positioned to describe existing prison-school practices and alternatives to prison-school. Through the conceptual frames of forgotten places and the destructive practices within, we focused on the lived experiences of disabled incarcerated Girls of Color in SYRAD, a Midwestern maximum-security youth prison, to address our main research question: What are the education experiences of disabled Girls of Color in prison-schools? Research Design: Our qualitative study is part of a larger project that included 14 disabled incarcerated Girls of Color. Throughout the year, the girls were enrolled in a credit-bearing course with the principal investigator and research team. Our full corpus of data included interviews with the girls (23) and adults in the youth prison (6); classroom observations (25); education journey maps (10); focus groups (4); field notes (20); and classroom artifacts (21). For this study, we mainly focused on the initial interviews with the girls in which they discussed topics related to their experiences in a prison and prison-school. Conclusions/Recommendations: Our analyses showcased that prison-schools do not offer robust educational opportunities as claimed by the Crouse decision. Instead, the collective experiences of disabled incarcerated Girls of Color in our study were saturated with destructive prison-school practices. Three main findings emerged in our analysis that framed prison-school educational spaces as "concentrated sinks" of destructive practices: (1) curricular reduction, (2) remedial pedagogy, and (3) relational antagonism. Further, the girls offered robust explications on why naming and describing destructive practices is important, especially "when you carry a lot" as an incarcerated disabled Girl of Color in a forgotten place of prison-school. These findings led us to the need for an eventual abolition of prisons and prison-school spaces that can be anchored in a DisCrit abolitionist imaginary in the meantime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Community-based harm reduction vending machines (HRVM) are not new to the field of public health; numerous countries have implemented them in response to the needs of people who use drugs over the last three decades. However, until recently, few existed in the United States. Given the rapidity with which communities are standing up harm reduction vending machines, there is a pressing need for a consolidated examination of implementation evidence. This scoping review summarizes existing literature using multiple implementation science frameworks. Methods: The scoping review was conducted in five stages including (1) Identify the research question; (2) Identify relevant studies; (3) Select the publications based on inclusion/exclusion criteria; (4) Review and extract data; and, (5) Summarize results. PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were searched and authors screened publications in English from any year. Data were extracted by applying implementation constructs from RE-AIM and the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Both frameworks provided a useful lens through which to develop knowledge about the facilitators and barriers to HRVM implementation. The review is reported according to PRISMA guidelines. Results: After applying the full inclusion and exclusion criteria, including the intervention of interest ("vending machines") and population of interest ("people who use drugs"), a total of 22 studies were included in the scoping review. None of the studies reported on race, making it difficult to retroactively apply a racial equity lens. Among those articles that examined effectiveness, the outcomes were mixed between clear effectiveness and inconclusive results. Evidence emerged, however, to address all CFIR constructs, and positive outcomes were observed from HRVM's after-hour availability and increased program reach. Recommendations: HRVM implementation best practices include maximizing accessibility up to 24 h, 7 days a week, offering syringe disposal options, ensuring capability of data collection, and allowing for anonymity of use. Organizations that implement HRVM should establish strong feedback loops between them, their program participants, and the broader community upfront. Considerations for future research include rigorous study designs to evaluate effectiveness outcomes (e.g. reduced drug overdose deaths) and examination of HRVM reach among ethnic and racial communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present scholarship on cross‐boundary organizations of local governments often splinters its focus and investigates narrow species of organizations with specific powers or unique policy domains. However, many organizations share common governance structures and mechanisms. Investigating these commonalities from a broader perspective permits stronger cross‐pollination of knowledge and sharpens generalizable theories of governance and administration. In this article, I first provide easily and unambiguously measurable criteria capturing a genus I term Regional Public Sector Organizations (RPSOs). These criteria rely on a rescaled common definition of International Governmental Organizations (IGOs). In the United States, this broad genus includes many species of public authorities, regional councils, and policy‐specific organizations. Terminology may differ in other nations, but the underlying idea sustains. The second contribution is five research questions largely inspired by IGO scholarship. Considering the parallels of RPSOs to IGOs can chart a rigorous, empirical path toward more coherent theoretical conversations on regional governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In light of the disproportionate impacts of climate change on marginalized communities, there is merit in seeking to understand any differences in climate change beliefs and reporting behaviors for news professionals of non-White ethnicities. Unsurprisingly, considering the greater environmental hazards that many minority communities contend with, there is a racial gap in environmental concern in the United States. This disparity in concern extends to climate change. There is a clear and troubling lack of diversity in the American newsroom. Women and people of color are dramatically underrepresented in all positions. Understanding the viewpoints of minority news professionals is essential for both diversifying the newsroom and for incorporating their perspectives into news content as a whole. In this paper we sought to answer three research questions about the relationship between race/ethnicity and news professional's interest in, perceptions of, and experience with local climate change reporting. In this essay we report survey results from 616 participants who identified themselves as professional journalists, and who provided both their race/ethnicity and whether they reported on climate change within the last 12 months. This segmentation approach allowed us to compare news professionals from different racial/ethnic groups with similar levels of climate reporting experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased electronic filing, or e-filing, of nonprofit data in the United States and abroad quickens public availability, eliminates dependence on third-party proprietary datasets, and broadens access to information offering insight into previously neglected topics. On the other hand, increasingly open data require researchers to independently ensure data quality, understand limitations, and consider how data availability shapes research questions. As electronic filing becomes mandatory in the United States and more widespread elsewhere, this research considers how expanded e-filer data impact nonprofit research approaches and opportunities while assessing the generalizability and limits of existing e-filed data in the United States. While the data suggest increasing compliance with e-filing, analyses show that older nonprofits with greater capacity and sophisticated financial characteristics are historically more likely to e-file. Further, particular subsectors are more likely to e-file than others. Therefore, using existing e-filed IRS Form 990s for panel data analysis presents some generalizability concerns, although this will improve over time. Moving forward, e-filing and machine-readable access requirements bode well for both quantitative and qualitative nonprofit research, while the United States' experience provides helpful lessons for other research settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sub‐national governments across the United States implement a variety of policies to address large societal problems and needs. Many policies are picked up or adopted in other states. This process is called policy diffusion and allows researchers to analyse and compare the social, political, and contextual characteristics that lead to adopting certain policies, as well as the efficacy of these policies once adopted. In this paper, we introduce PDViz, a visual analytics approach that allows social scientists to dynamically analyse the policy diffusion history and underlying patterns. It is designed for analysing and answering a list of research questions and tasks posed by social scientists in prior work. To evaluate our system, we present two usage scenarios and conduct interviews with domain experts in political science. The interviews highlight that PDViz provides the result of policy diffusion patterns that align with their domain knowledge as well as the potential to be a learning tool for students to understand the concept of policy diffusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we examined how the explicit instructional use of paraphrasing guidelines can help international graduate students who are non-native English speakers to paraphrase information in text sources. This case study involved 14 graduate students enrolled in an academic writing class at a university in the northwest United States. Data were collected through seven sources: a background questionnaire, video of instruction, pretest, posttest, student task documents, stimulated recall interviews, and teacher interviews, which together addressed the three research questions. The data show that the participants' perceptions of using the guidelines were positive and that their paraphrases in the posttest had improved according to the guidelines. The study concludes that the use of the guidelines should be accompanied by meaningful support through explicit instruction and sufficient practice over time. The implications of this study include recommendations for paraphrasing instruction and future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The objectives of this study were to identify consensus priority research questions according to members of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), and to explore differences in priorities according to specific membership subgroups.Methods: A modified Delphi study was conducted including active members of SAGES. An initial list of research questions was compiled by members of 26 SAGES Committees and Task Forces, and was further refined by the SAGES Delphi Task Force. The questions were divided into five research categories: (1) Surgical Outcomes; (2) Education, Training, and Simulation; (3) Health Services Research; (4) New Technology; and (5) Artificial Intelligence. Delphi respondents were asked to rank each question with regards to its importance in the field of gastrointestinal and endoscopic surgery (1-low; 5-high). "Priority" was defined as a single-round mean score of ≥ 3.5, and "consensus" as a single-round standard deviation < 1.0. Subgroup analyses were performed according to a priori selected respondent characteristics.Results: The total number of respondents for each round was: Round 1 (n = 407); Round 2 (n = 569); Round 3 (n = 273). In each round, the majority of respondents were male (Round 1: 77.4%; Round 2: 77.1%; Round 3: 76.7%), self-identified as academic (vs. community) surgeons (Round 1: 57.1%; Round 2: 61.1%; Round 3: 60.2%), and practiced in North America (Round 1: 71.8%; Round 2: 70.8%; Round 3: 75.9%). A total of 29 out of 122 research questions met criteria for both "priority" and "consensus"-Surgical Outcomes, n = 6; Education, Training, and Simulation, n = 9; Health Services Research, n = 5; New Technology, n = 5; and Artificial Intelligence, n = 4.Conclusions: Consensus priority research questions in gastrointestinal and endoscopic surgery were identified across five different research categories. These results can provide direction and areas of interest for funding and investigation for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Contemporary dominant discourses surrounding (un)documented migration in the United States are commonly divided into two polarized frames: those immigrants who are hard workers seeking a better life, and others who are border-crossing criminals. For teachers in the Southeast, developing an understanding of immigrants becomes critically important as new demographic trends and anti-immigration rhetoric have resulted in the implementation of restrictive laws, policies, and practices. In this article, we move beyond pedagogical strategies that address students' linguistic needs and explore what teachers know and say about immigration, along with what they know about undocumented and DACAmented students. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the ways in which exposure to counternarratives of undocumented or DACAmented youth and families altered the frames in which teachers viewed immigration and undocumented and DACAmented immigrants. Research Design: The researchers used qualitative methods to collect a series of narratives in the form of I-essays from 71 preservice teachers over four semesters. The narratives were then used as a tool of communication in exploring two research questions: (1) What were teachers' perceptions of undocumented immigrants, given the racialized context in the Southeast? (2) How did counternarratives presented in multiple formats challenge the dominant essentialized view of undocumented immigrants? Narrative data from participants were analyzed using an inductive analysis approach. Findings: The findings support how the use of critical conversations around immigration and exposure to the lives of youth and families through the use of film and narratives can support the development of teachers as undocumented allies. Conclusions: We argue that preservice (ESL) teachers need to be knowledgeable about immigration laws, statuses, policies, and practices in order to be prepared to serve their students' needs and to aid them in mapping out alternative routes/resources. For our participants, their views were challenged to reflect a deeper understanding of immigration, particularly around what it means to be an undocumented immigrant in an area of the United States that has experienced new immigrant growth. This study has significant implications for teacher preparation programs and further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The overall rate of flood zone development in US steadily decreased from 2001 to 2019. • US counties with high settlement in flood zones cluster near rivers or coasts. • Counties suffering more from floods tended to have less development in flood zones. • Urban communities exhibit higher exposure and sensitivity to floods than rural ones. Extracting baseline information on flood exposure and its temporal evolution is essential to formulate flood risk reduction strategies. At present, comprehensive, long-term spatial-temporal flood exposure research in the United States is lacking. The objective of the study is to evaluate county-wide flood exposure in the US and unravel its spatial-temporal dynamics from 2001 to 2019 to answer three research questions via hypothesis testing. First, how have human settlement areas exposed to flood threats in the US changed over the past two decades? Second, has the occurrence of floods and their resulting damage influenced the growth of developed areas in flood zones? Third, do disparities exist in the sensitivity to flood threats among urban-rural communities? Results show that the overall rate of development in flood zones in the contiguous United States has steadily decreased from 2001 to 2019. The Local Moran's I analysis discovers pockets of emerging, expanding, shrinking, and changing clusters of communities that show a rapid increase or decrease of developed areas within flood zones over time. Most counties that experienced more frequent flooding events demonstrate greater responsiveness to flood hazards by avoiding development in flood zones. Finally, urban communities exhibit a higher exposure and sensitivity to flood hazards compared to rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past decade has seen an acceleration, globally, in the development of alternative protein products that resemble animal meat products. These products include cultivated and plant-based meat, as well as those derived through fermentation processes. Proponents of alternative proteins claim that they offer opportunities to tackle multiple socio-environmental challenges. However, their development also presents many challenges, which require careful analysis. To this end, this paper addresses the research question: To what extent can the socio-technical transitions literature explain the current state and future potential of plant-based meat and cultivated meat products, including the impacts and challenges associated with these emerging technologies? This paper reviews the literature on alternative proteins from a socio-technical transitions perspective applying the Multi Level Perspective and the Strategic Niche Management approaches, and identifies a research agenda of knowledge gaps and research questions. The review is focused on the United States due to its central role in the development of these technologies. The agenda identifies key questions that can be asked of alternative proteins using a socio-technical transitions framework, and maps them to the niche level, the niche-regime interactions level, and to the heuristic dynamics of the Multi Level Perspective. The findings suggest that meeting the full potential of these technologies requires public investment and long term planning, open access research, more strategic funding, efforts to advance regulation and social legitimacy, innovation in business models, and learning from social movements, other industries, and the visions of fringe stakeholders. This paper demonstrates that examining the scaling and trajectory of alternative proteins from a socio-technical sustainability transitions perspective could offer useful and important lessons and insights into the current and future role of these technologies. • A review of the alt-protein literature from a socio-technical transitions perspective. • The multi-level perspective and the strategic niche management approach are used. • A research agenda for cultivated meat and plant-based meat is identified. • Alt-protein niches are interacting with and challenging the animal meat regime. • Actors, institutions, and processes interact to influence alt-protein trajectories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is not a critique of the Sciulli article (2005) but, instead, indicates some current and contemporary research questions about professionalism considered to be important to researchers in the field from North America, Europe and worldwide. The article begins by offering an alternative, more pragmatic, view of the definitional question and argues that most researchers have accepted definitional uncertainty and moved on. Current research questions include a reappraisal and reassessment of professionalism as a normative value - and a move away from market closure as the dominant paradigm. In addition, there are new directions in the analysis that focus on the discourse of professionalism as a mechanism for the control of work and workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]