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Cultivating Climate and Culture: New Jersey Principals\u27 Use of SEL in PK-12 Schools
No full textThe purpose of this qualitative, intrinsic case study is to explore how PK-12 principals in New Jersey perceive their approaches to leadership through their own social and emotional learning (SEL). With growing demands placed on school leaders, the study examines how principals integrate the five SEL competencies (self-awareness, self- management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making) into their leadership practices to positively impact school climate and culture. Through semi- structured interviews and document analysis, ten principals revealed that SEL is not only essential for student and staff well-being but also central to their own leadership development. Findings indicate that principals value empathy, communication, shared vision, and modeling as tools to promote supportive learning environments. Principals expressed the importance of self-reflection and restorative approaches in navigating the complexities of the role. This study contributes to the growing conversation on the role of SEL in school leadership and offers recommendations for practice, policy, and future research
ANALYZING THE ROLE OF A DUAL-FUNCTION DIGUANYLATE CYCLASE / PHOSPHODIESTERASE FOR ATTACHMENT AND MOTILITY IN AGROBACTERIUM TUMEFACIENS
No full textCyclic diguanylate monophosphate (c-di-GMP) is a second messenger that is responsible for attachment and motility in many prokaryotic systems and controls the signaling pathway for the motile to sessile transition in many bacteria. Many c-di-GMP-metabolizing proteins are diguanylate cyclases (DGCs), responsible for the synthesis of c-di-GMP and characterized by a c-di-GMP synthesizing domain, e.g., GGDEF domain. Other c-di-GMP-metabolizing proteins contain c-di-GMP degradative domains, e.g., EAL, characterized by phosphodiesterase activity (PDE). In Agrobacterium tumefaciens, out of 31 predicted proteins regulating the c-di-GMP level, this project focuses on the predicted dual-function DGC/PDE, DcpB. We hypothesized that DcpB plays a role in the overall metabolism of c-di-GMP and affects biofilm formation and motility. Overall, our results suggest that DcpB is a c-di-GMP metabolizing protein, resulting in cell cycle-dependent control of motility and biofilm formation in A. tumefaciens, most likely functioning as a cell cycle-dependent PDE under our experimental conditions
Adding Libraries to the Equation: Mathematical Sciences’ Underutilization of Academic Librarians
No full textAcademic librarians do not engage with all disciplinary departments equally. Despite equal or even greater efforts, some departments are less responsive to librarian outreach. One such department is mathematics. To understand mathematics departments’ relationships with their academic librarians, three mathematics librarians created a 20-question survey that was disseminated to mathematics faculty, instructors, and instructional staff in the United States and Canada. Of the 188 survey participants, more than a third reported that they never engage with their librarians, approximately half only do so occasionally, and a mere eight percent of participants collaborated with librarians to provide information literacy instruction (IL) to their students. Participant responses revealed that mathematics faculty and instructors find librarian support unnecessary, often do not understand what librarians do or what services they offer and have limited time to include IL in course curricula. Participants also provided information about the resources they use for instruction, the university services and centers they use for their research, and the resources they would like to have in their library
Addressing Graduation Disparities: Double-Dose Algebra as a Catalyst for Success Among Economically Disadvantaged Learners
No full textThis study investigated the impact of a double-dose algebra intervention (DDAI) on the academic achievement of economically disadvantaged learners (EDLs) in a suburban New Jersey high school. Algebra, recognized as a gatekeeper course for graduation and postsecondary opportunities, was the focal point for targeted instructional reform. Using a quasi-experimental design, outcomes for EDLs enrolled in the DDAI were compared with peers in traditional algebra classes across three cohorts. Findings showed that EDLs in the treatment group achieved higher passing rates in Algebra I and demonstrated stronger attendance patterns than the control groups, though standardized test score improvements were modest. Survey data revealed increased student confidence and engagement, alongside greater teacher awareness of EDL needs. The study underscores the potential of extended instructional time and differentiated support to narrow opportunity gaps. Implications for policy and practice highlight the importance of aligning academic and social supports to improve graduation outcomes for EDLs
Sexual dysfunction as a predictor of sexual violence perpetration among Finnish men and women
No full textSexual dysfunction is common globally, affecting an individual’s sexual pleasure, self-esteem, and a couple’s sexual and relationship satisfaction (O’Sullivan et al., 2016; Van Lankveld, 2009). Some research suggests a link between male sexual dysfunction and sexual violence perpetration, where threatened masculinity and anger may contribute to sexually aggressive behaviors (Hill et al., 2024; Jones et al., 2010). As sexual violence victimization has profound influences on individuals, the current study aims to investigate whether sexual dysfunction predicts both male and female sexual violence perpetration, and whether trait anger moderates the relationship between them. A total of 9,108 Finnish twins and their siblings self-reported their sexual dysfunction, trait anger, and incidents of sexual violence perpetration, including perpetration tactics. Better female sexual function was associated with lower odds of female sexual violence perpetration after controlling for covariates, and the subscale of arousal and orgasm interacted with trait anger in predicting female perpetration. On the other hand, male sexual function, including the interaction with trait anger, was not associated with sexual violence perpetration. Future studies may explore the potential of treating sexual dysfunction in sexual violence prevention, particularly for women
Fos Expression in the Periaqueductal Gray, But Not the Ventromedial Hypothalamus, Is Correlated With Psychosocial Stress-Induced Cocaine-Seeking Behavior in Rats
Get PDFPsychosocial stressors are known to promote cocaine craving and relapse in humans but are infrequently employed in preclinical relapse models. Consequently, the underlying neural circuitry by which these stressors drive cocaine seeking has not been thoroughly explored. Using Fos expression analyses, we sought to examine whether the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) or periaqueductal gray (PAG), two critical components of the brain\u27s hypothalamic defense system, are activated during psychosocial stress-induced cocaine seeking. Adult male and female rats self-administered cocaine (0.5 mg/kg/inf IV, fixed-ratio 1 schedule, 2 h/session) over 20 sessions. On sessions 11, 14, 17, and 20, a tactile cue was present in the operant chamber that signaled impending social defeat stress (n=16, 8/sex), footshock stress (n=12, 6/sex), or a no-stress control condition (n=12, 6/sex) immediately after the session\u27s conclusion. Responding was subsequently extinguished, and rats were tested for reinstatement of cocaine seeking during re-exposure to the tactile cue that signaled their impending stress/no-stress post-session event. All experimental groups displayed significant reinstatement of cocaine seeking, but Fos analyses indicated that neural activity within the rostrolateral PAG (rPAGl) was selectively correlated with cocaine-seeking magnitude in the socially-defeated rats. rPAGl activation was also associated with active-defense coping behaviors during social defeat encounters and with Fos expression in prelimbic prefrontal cortex and orexin-negative cells of the lateral hypothalamus/perifornical area in males, but not females. These findings suggest a potentially novel role for the rPAGl in psychosocial stress-induced cocaine seeking, perhaps in a sex-dependent manner
When School Goes Back to Campus: Micro to Macro Strategies for Supporting Fully Online Students
Get PDFThe Pandemic of 2020 pushed all educational institutions online. As we continue our post-pandemic recovery, universities are increasingly initiating intentional efforts to bring students back to campus and to reengage with them in meaningful ways. But what happens to those students who were already online? What about the First Generation, nontraditional, and marginalized students who, perhaps for the first time, found a space in higher ed where they felt welcomed and could thrive? As our institutions transition back to an on-campus model, we must remain cognizant of how we are engaging with fully online First Generation, nontraditional, and marginalized students. Highlighting specific examples of strategies implemented by individual faculty, student organizations, colleges, and across our university, this session will provide insight for those seeking inspiration for supporting First Gen students in fully online spaces
RESERVATION CENTURY: THE USE OF RESERVATIONS FROM THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS TO THE GENOCIDE CONVENTION
Get PDFThe purpose of this thesis is to explore the twentieth century practice of using reservations, understandings, and declarations to undermine international treaties, specifically the League of Nations and the Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Senators first attempted to attach reservations to the Treaty of Versailles after World War I in response to the proposed League of Nations. The concerns raised in the 1910s regarding sovereignty, domestic jurisdiction, and the rights of American citizens were repeated when the Genocide Convention was proposed in 1948. The Senate refused to pass the Genocide Convention until the 1980s and did so then only with reservations designed to undermine the intent and purpose of the treaty. The implications of these decisions have potential repercussions in our current political environment