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Ask any English department chair, writing program administrator, undergraduate or graduate studies director, and we imagine they have opinions--and possible stories of controversy or conflict--of their experiences with the requirements [...]

In the foreword to The Naylor Report on Undergraduate Research in Writing Studies, Jenny Olin Shanahan calls for greater access to undergraduate research (UGR) for underserved students. Stressing the 'moral [...]

Organic soil amendments are increasingly promoted as a sustainable alternative to synthetic fertilizers and as a tool for building soil quality through improved chemical, physical, and biological properties. However, short-term yield response to organic amendments is highly variable. A meta-analysis of 53 studies was conducted to (i) develop a global estimate of first-season crop yield response to organic amendments, and (ii) determine the effect of crop type, amendment characteristics, soil properties, cultural practices, and climate on the magnitude of this yield response. Yield response ratios were calculated (organic amendment yield compared to a non-fertilized control) and differences among groups were determined using 95% bootstrap confidence intervals (CI). Across all studies, crop yield increased 43±7% (95% CI) in the first-season after an organic amendment. Yield response was greatest for leafy crops (71±26% increase) and lowest for root/tuber/bulb crops (29±10% increase). Poultry manure/compost was the most commonly used amendment and provided a yield increase of 76±21%. In contrast, plant-based amendments increased yield by only 27±9%. Amendment application rate alone was not an effective predictor of yield response, and there were not enough studies available to explore the possible interaction between amendment type and rate. Yield benefits of organic amendments were muted in soils with high organic matter and in arid climates. These results help identify options for maximizing the agronomic value of organic amendments, and suggest research is needed to improve agronomic efficiency of amendments in arid regions with poor soil quality.

Hereditary angioedema due to C1 inhibitor deficiency (HAE) is a rare inborn error of immunity that presents with episodic swelling. Management is multifaceted and includes on-demand treatment of swelling episodes, short-term prophylaxis to prevent swelling episodes from procedures, and long-term prophylaxis (LTP) to prevent angioedema on an ongoing basis. All approved on-demand therapies are parenteral, necessitating patient training for home administration, particularly intravenous C1 inhibitor. These complexities can result in care gaps for rural HAE patients. We conducted a cross-sectional study at our Angioedema Center of Reference and Excellence to assess the care provided to urban and rural patients. The proportion of patients receiving LTP, proportion of patients diagnosed as children, and disease control measured using the Angioedema Control Test (AECT) were collected. Logistic and Poisson regression models adjusted for age and sex were used to compare the two groups. The proportion using LTP was similar at 62% and 61% in urban and rural patients, respectively (odds ratio [OR] 1.01 (CI 95% 0.34-2.99)). Among urban patients, 52% were diagnosed as children compared to 60% among rural residents (1.43 (0.37-5.56)). The mean (IQR) AECT score was 14.0 (8.5-15.5) in urban patients and 13.0 (10.0-14.0) in rural patients (Poisson β -0.001 (-0.23-0.23). These data indicate that rural patients received similar high-quality care. We attribute these findings to the centralized care model employed in which HAE patients in the region are seen at a single comprehensive care clinic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article draws on examples of student interviews incorporating multiple modalities to explore the writing lives of students as part of a larger project focusing on participants' experiences of writing within and beyond the university. We explain this innovative, iterative research method combining multiple texts and maps, characterizing it as a kind of triangulation operating inside the frame of the interview. Through students' triangulated multiple representations, the interviewer learns about, and from, students' tacit knowledge of their experiences as it is made explicit through multiple modalities: visual as well as linguistic (oral and written). Our study suggests that engaging students in multiple modalities allows researchers to get a more comprehensive understanding of participants' experiences. Moreover, as we demonstrate from our findings, students found that the mapping activity helped them understand their own writing and the relationships among their spheres of writing more fully. We argue for the value of engaging research participants in multiple modalities as a way of eliciting tacit knowledge through triangulating the data in the discourse-based interview.

Children's narrative abilities in the preschool years have been found to predict their later literacy skills. Mothers' verbalizations during shared personal narratives with their preschoolers have been shown to facilitate children's development of narrative skills. The present study sought to extend the literature by investigating mothers' use of two types of questions (information requests, "yes/no" questions) and two types of confirmation (praise, repetition of child content) when discussing past events with their preschoolers, as a function of child age and gender. Study participants were 32 American mothers and their preschoolers, who were either 3 years of age or 5 years of age. Mother-preschooler dyads were audiotaped discussing three past events which they had shared. Results indicated that mothers provided significantly more information requests and repetition of child content when co-constructing narratives with 3-year-olds than with 5-year-olds. Overall, the results are consistent with the literature regarding parental sensitivity to children's specific needs for task assistance in the early childhood period.

This program profile describes a restructure of the PhD exam intended to enhance graduate-level instruction and advisement within the Rhetoric and Composition program at Georgia State University. We explain how a mix of institutional constraints and mentorship opportunities drove revisions to our doctoral exams and processes of doctoral advisement. Shifting away from a gatekeeping model to a heuristic-based approach, the revised exam is intended to decrease time-to-degree and to better support students' job preparedness. Our reflections on these programmatic changes speak to the necessity of graduate programs in Rhetoric and Composition to not simply replicate the models of doctoral studies through which we were educated and to instead imagine new possibilities.

LatinX youth in the U.S. are disproportionately affected by HIV and STIs, commonly attributed to a lack of diagnostic testing and regular physician consultations to address sexual health. These disparities have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This meta-analysis seeks to assess the efficacy of behavioral interventions among LatinX youth in the U.S. that aim to increase engagement in sexual health services (i.e., STI/HIV testing, physician consultations). Following PRISMA guidelines, seven electronic databases were searched. We systematically extracted data with a coding form, and effect sizes were obtained from each study on HIV/STI testing outcomes and physician consultation. Moderator analyses were run for demographic and intervention characteristics. Of nine included studies, the interventions created a small-to-moderate effect on increased engagement of sexual health services (d+=0.204, 95 % CI=0.079, 0.329). Moderator analyses showed that interventions including the following characteristics were most efficacious at facilitating care services: community-based or online setting, access to diagnostic testing, social media/remote components, parental involvement, and longer session duration. This meta-analysis provides informative results regarding behavioral interventions that have proven efficacious in facilitating engagement in sexual health services among LatinX youth. Most prominently, interventions that are remote or through social media, community-based, and incorporated parents had large positive effects. These findings prove useful for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic situation and provide guidance for targeting LatinX youth to engage them in sexual health services as primary and secondary STI and HIV prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Further elucidate the potential drug interaction between tacrolimus and carbapenems in order to appropriately maintain the balance between infection treatment and therapeutic immunosuppression. Methods: This study was a retrospective evaluation of solid organ transplant recipients on a stable dose of tacrolimus who received either ertapenem or meropenem. Patients were excluded if they had acute kidney injury, acute liver failure, concomitant initiation of medications that interact with tacrolimus, or were pregnant. The primary endpoint was the change in the median daily tacrolimus dose after meropenem or ertapenem administration. The secondary endpoint was the change in serum tacrolimus levels after meropenem or ertapenem administration. Results: A total of 28 patients on tacrolimus were included in the study, 12 received ertapenem and 16 received meropenem. The median daily tacrolimus dose was 4.5 mg [IQR 3.0 mg – 8.8 mg] prior to and 3.4 mg [IQR 2.3 mg – 8.8 mg] after ertapenem administration. The median daily tacrolimus dose was 3.0 mg [IQR 1.6 mg – 5.5 mg] before and 3.0 mg [IQR 1.6 mg – 5.5 mg] after meropenem administration. No statistically significant difference in regard to the change in the median daily tacrolimus dose after ertapenem (P =.173) or meropenem administration (P =.755) was observed. There was no statistically significant difference found after ertapenem (P =.583) or meropenem (P =.317) administration when comparing pre- and post-administration median serum tacrolimus levels. Conclusion: The administration of ertapenem or meropenem did not affect serum tacrolimus levels or daily tacrolimus dose suggesting against empiric dose adjustments with co-administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The prevention and control of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae in commercial production settings is based on serological monitoring. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) have been developed to detect specific antibodies against a variety of A. pleuropneumoniae antigens, including long-chain lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and the ApxIV toxin, a repeats-in-toxin (RTX) exotoxin unique to A. pleuropneumoniae and produced by all serovars. The objective of this study was to describe ApxIV antibody responses in serum and oral fluid of pigs.

The daily demands of teaching leave little time for English teachers to contemplate the history of the profession. However, as they celebrate the centennial anniversaries of both the founding of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) in 1911 and the first publication of "English Journal" in 1912, they are presented with a prime opportunity to reflect on their pedagogical heritage. Leaders of NCTE are increasingly exploring the histories of teaching writing and reading to understand the precedents of literacy instruction. The author believes that a critical examination of the past allows teachers to identify the roots of current trends in how they teach English today and affects how they might envision English teaching in the future. Interestingly, debates in the pages of "English Journal" in 1912 have many similarities to the debates they continue to have in "English Journal" a century later. The author's intention in the historical, archival research she presents in this article is to narrate a story about the history of English that honors and celebrates the field's early discussions about pedagogy and reflective praxis. The author discusses the implications of themes taken up in "English Journal"'s first three issues--the science of teaching writing, cultural versus practical training, and student-valued pedagogies--for contemporary English teachers.