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This study extends existing research on content-specific leadership for mathematics and science and educational leadership preparation. Interview data from mathematics and science education faculty reveal that principals should know what questions to ask teachers about instruction, be able to identify high-quality mathematics and science teaching in classrooms, recognize specific considerations related to mathematics and science, and attend to equity in science and mathematics classrooms. Interview data suggest principals support mathematics and science by fostering a culture that values mathematics and science, providing resources, prioritizing depth in instruction, dedicating time for inquiry and exploration, and trusting and empowering teachers with expertise.

The purpose of this study was to examine the presence of continuous improvement and improvement science in the Consolidated State Plans required by ESSA. Through an exploratory qualitative content analysis, we examined 52 state plans to determine the extent education policies encourage professional educators to use a continuous improvement and improvement science approach to meet educational goals. Our analysis yielded four themes: (a) state plans included continuous improvement, (b) improvement was framed as an outcome to be achieved or a process, (c) plans prioritized the what not the how, and (d) measurement was used for accountability more than improving processes.

Background: The World Health Organization recommends a whole-of-school approach to promoting youth physical activity (PA) and there are several examples of this approach internationally. In the United States, the comprehensive school PA program (CSPAP) model serves as the national framework for school-based physical education (PE) and PA. Part of the implementation support structure for a CSPAP is staff involvement. Although there is a growing body of research that examines the CSPAP-related involvement of school staff, few studies have focused on school principals. Principal involvement is critical to the success of school-based PA programming. Investigating principals' CSPAP involvement is a necessary step toward maximizing efforts to leverage CSPAP implementation. This study drew upon social-ecological and biographical perspectives and used a person-centered analytic approach to investigate principals' CSPAP involvement. Purpose: Building on recent research using a variable-centered approach to examine school principals' CSPAP involvement in the U.S., the purpose of this study was to examine distinct profiles among these same principals in terms of their CSPAP involvement, social-ecological based perceptions of CSPAPs, and satisfaction with personal experiences in K-12 PE. Methods: Stratified random sampling was used to recruit a national sample of 2941 public school principals in the U.S. for participation in an electronic survey that measured CSPAP involvement, social-ecological perceptions (intrapersonal, interpersonal, and environmental), PE satisfaction, and several demographic, background, and school context variables. A total of 291 principals completed the survey. Only data from respondents who indicated their school has a CSPAP (N = 198) were used for this study. Data analysis involved principal component analysis and latent profile analysis. Results: All PE satisfaction items were found to be good measures with factor loadings ranging from 0.879 to 0.962 and a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.932 (previous research provided validity and reliability evidence for the CSPAP involvement and social-ecological measures contained in the survey.) The optimal latent profile model included four profiles, which were labeled Average (average scores for all three social-ecological factors), Above Average (above average scores for all three social-ecological factors), Below Average (below average scores for all three social-ecological factors), and Low-Interpersonal (high scores for the intrapersonal and environmental factors and low scores on the interpersonal factor). Latent profiles did not vary significantly on any measured demographic, background, or school context variables. The Kruskal-Wallis test yielded significant differences across the four latent profiles on both PE satisfaction (H[subscript (3)] = 24.527, p < 0.001) and CSPAP involvement (H[subscript (3)] = 34.469, p < 0.001). Conclusion: This study supports the idea that there are distinct groups of principals, based on intrapersonal, interpersonal, and environmental perceptions regarding CSPAP implementation. Additionally, PE satisfaction was an important predictor of latent class membership, which in turn predicted principals' CSPAP involvement. Future interventions to increase principals' CSPAP involvement can incorporate the results of this study to design tailored professional trainings that target appropriate levels of social-ecological influence. Further, even though previous experiences with PE cannot be changed, helping principals understand the value of quality PE programs to whole-child learning and development may be worth exploring as a strategy to bolster CSPAP implementation efforts.

This paper presents a framework for implementing improvement science in a district or educational organization. Findings from interviews with 17 experienced educational improvers indicate critical elements for a school district to effectively support and build the capacity of individuals and teams situated at multiple levels in the district in organizing, implementing, and sustaining improvement science methods. Utilizing a systems-thinking approach, this study conceptualizes how to institutionalize improvement science across an educational organization. To institutionalize the use of improvement science, district leaders must center schools and integrate the work in existing structures, offer support, and create coaching, growth management, and knowledge management plans.

BackgroundDiversiPrEP is a culturally-tailored PrEP program for LMSM offered in South Florida. DiversiPrEP navigates LMSM through their PrEP journey, including education, deciding if PrEP is relevant for them, payment, and accessing/maintaining PrEP use. DiversiPrEP includes five ERIC strategies (Increase Demand, Promote Adaptability, Alter Client Fees, Intervene with Clients to Enhance Uptake and Adherence, and Tailor Strategies).DescriptionPhotovoice was used to conduct five two-part focus groups with LMSM (n = 12) and Non-LMSM (n = 12). In the first session, trainers provided guidance on selecting and contextualizing photos to generate CFIR themes. Then, participants captured photos that embodied their lived experiences accessing PrEP. In the second session, using SHOWeD, participants discussed photos, identifiedhow photos relate to culturally relevant issues. Triangulation approaches compared/contrasted themes between LMSM and Non-LMSM.ResultsFive central themes emerged around barriers and facilitators to PrEP services: 1) the need for normalizing PrEP messages within the MSM community, 2) the need for normalizing PrEP messages outside the MSM community, 3) the need for expanding PrEP knowledge, 4) different motivations for using PrEP, and 5) the presence of structural barriers that limit PrEP access. This study compared similarities and differences of barriers and facilitators to PrEP use between Latino/a and non-Latino/a MSM. Similarities included the built environment (outer setting) as a barrier, the need for normalizing PrEP messaging within and outside of the MSM community, and the need to expand PrEP knowledge. Differences between Latino/a and non-Latino/a MSM were found in assessing the motivation and personal drivers (inner setting) for initiating PrEP associated with how participants viewed their responsibilities to self or others.ConclusionsPhotovoice with focus groups identified CFIR constructs that can guide the large-scale implementation of a client-centered PrEP service model with telehealth for both Latino/a and non-Latino/a MSM. Implementing client-centered accessible PrEP programs is an essential step to promoting sexual-health equity.

Absent glacial erosion, mountain range height is limited by the rate of bedrock river incision and is thought to asymptote to a steady-state elevation as erosion and rock uplift rates converge. For glaciated mountains, there is evidence that range height is limited by glacial erosion rates, which vary cyclically with glaciations. The strongest evidence for glacial limitation is at midlatitudes, where range-scale hypsometric maxima (modal elevations) lie within the bounds of Late Pleistocene snow line variation. In the tropics, where mountain glaciation is sparse, range elevation is generally considered to be fluvially limited and glacial limitation is discounted. Here we present topographic evidence to the contrary. By applying both old and new methods of hypsometric analysis to high mountains in the tropics, we show that (a) the majority are subject to glacial erosion linked to a perched base level set by the snow line or equilibrium line altitude (ELA) and (b) many truncate through glacial erosion towards the cold-phase ELA. Evaluation of the hypsometric analyses at two field sites where glacial limitation is seemingly marginal reveals how glaciofluvial processes act in tandem to accelerate erosion near the cold-phase ELA during warm phases and to reduce their preservation potential. We conclude that glacial erosion truncates high tropical mountains on a cyclic basis: zones of glacial erosion expand during cold periods and contract during warm periods as fluvially driven escarpments encroach and destroy evidence of glacial action. The inherent disequilibrium of this glaciofluvial limitation complicates the concept of time-averaged erosional steady state, making it meaningful only on long timescales far exceeding the interval between major glaciations.

Currently, the administration of surfactant to preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) mainly relies on intratracheal instillation; however, there is increasing evidence of aerosolized surfactant being an effective non-invasive strategy. We present a historical narrative spanning sixty years of development of aerosolization systems. We also offer an overview of the pertinent mechanisms needed to create and manage the ideal aerosolization system, with a focus on delivery, distribution, deposition, and dispersion in the context of the human lung. More studies are needed to optimize treatment with aerosolized surfactants, including determination of ideal dosages, nebulizer types, non-invasive interfaces, and breath synchronization. However, the field is rapidly evolving, and widespread clinical use may be achieved in the near future.

Preterm infants with respiratory distress may require mechanical ventilation which is associated with increased pulmonary morbidities. Prompt and successful extubation to noninvasive support is a pressing goal. In this communication, we show original data that increased recurring intermittent hypoxemia (IH, oxygen saturation

Lake Fryxell, situated in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica, is an intriguing aquatic ecosystem because of its perennial ice cover, highly stratified water column, and extreme physicochemical conditions, which collectively restrict lake biodiversity to solely microbial forms. To expand our current understanding of the cultivable biodiversity of Lake Fryxell, water samples were collected from depths of 10 and 17 m, and pure cultures of eight diverse strains of aerobic, chemoorganotrophic bacteria were obtained. Despite having high 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to mesophilic bacteria inhabiting various temperate environments, all Lake Fryxell isolates were psychrotolerant, with growth occurring at 0°C and optimal growth from 18–24°C for all isolates. Phylogenetic analyses showed the isolates to be members of six taxonomic groups, including the genera Brevundimonas, Arthrobacter, Sphingobium, Leifsonia, and Pseudomonas, as well as the family Microbacteriaceae (one strain could not reliably be assigned to a specific genus based on our analysis). Pseudomonas strain LFY10 stood out as a useful tool for teaching laboratory activities because of its substantial cold adaptation (visible growth is evident in 1–2 days at 4°C), beta-hemolytic activity, and halotolerance to 8.5% (w/v) NaCl. These cold-adapted bacteria likely play a role in carbon mineralization and other nutrient cycling in Lake Fryxell, and their characterization broadens our understanding of microbial biodiversity in aquatic polar ecosystems.

The permanently ice-covered lakes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica are distinctive ecosystems that consist strictly of microbial communities. In this study, water samples were collected from Lake Vanda, a stratified Dry Valley lake whose upper waters (from just below the ice cover to nearly 60 m) are highly oligotrophic, and used to establish enrichment cultures. Six strains of psychrotolerant, heterotrophic bacteria were isolated from lake water samples from a depth of 50 or 55 m. Phylogenetic analyses showed the Lake Vanda strains to be species of Nocardiaceae, Caulobacteraceae, Sphingomonadaceae, and Bradyrhizobiaceae. All Lake Vanda strains grew at temperatures near or below 0 °C, but optimal growth occurred from 18 to 24 °C. Some strains showed significant halotolerance, but no strains required NaCl for growth. The isolates described herein include cold-active species not previously reported from Dry Valley lakes, and their physiological and phylogenetic characterization broadens our understanding of these limnologically unique lakes.

A variety of plants synthesize natural products that either kill or inhibit the growth of various microorganisms. These plant products may serve as useful natural alternatives to synthetic antimicrobial pharmaceuticals and can be especially important in regions where commercial drugs are often not available. Despite this, the role of plants as producers of natural antimicrobial agents is often understated or even ignored in undergraduate biology curricula. In this laboratory exercise, students extract water-soluble constituents from two plants, Moringa oleifera (moringa) and Allium sativum (garlic), and determine their activity against both a gram-positive (Bacillus cereus strain 971) and a gram-negative (Escherichia coli strain K12) bacterium using a disk diffusion assay on Mueller-Hinton agar. Disks infused with commercially available antibiotics (e.g., penicillin and tetracycline) serve as controls. Following an incubation period of 24 hours, students obtain quantitative data by measuring zones of growth inhibition that develop as a result of strain sensitivity. To determine the effectiveness of the learning objectives, an unannounced quiz was administered both before and after the activity, and the students showed significant gains in their understanding of key concepts. Because this activity combines aspects of two major branches of biology—plant biology and microbiology—it is suitable for use as a laboratory exercise in courses related to either discipline, or it may be used as a laboratory component of a general biology course.