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Exploring the Sense of Community and Perceived Professional Learning of Multigrade Teachers in Cohort-Based Online Community of Practice Sessions: An Action Research
No full textThe purpose of this action research was to explore the influence of cohort-based, online Community of Practice sessions on the sense of community and perceived professional learning of multigrade teachers in a faith-based, private school system in North America. Approximately 25% of teachers in the Seventh-day Adventist school system are multigrade elementary teachers and teach three or more grade levels in the same classroom. Multigrade teachers often have limited access to traditional professional development (PD) options because of distance, cost, and staffing limitations, but furthermore, traditional PD programs do not address the needs and realities of small, multigrade schools. Additionally, they are often the only teacher in their grade level or area of expertise, and because of geographical location, have few opportunities to network with colleagues, mentors, and other professionals. The following research questions were explored in this study: (1) How and to what extent does participation in cohort-based, online Community of Practice sessions influence the sense of community among multigrade teachers in a faith-based, private school system in North America? (2) How and to what extent does participation in cohort-based, online Community of Practice sessions influence perceived professional learning in multigrade teachers in a faith-based, private school system in North America?
A mixed methods design was used in this study, following a purposeful sampling method to select participants. Participants included 16 multigrade elementary teachers employed in the Seventh-day Adventist school system. The intervention was to implement cohort-based, online Community of Practice sessions for elementary multigrade teachers that took place over 12 weeks on the Adventist Learning Community platform, an online platform for professional development for the Adventist system. A combination of four data sources was used to address the research questions: (a) surveys, (b) focus group interviews, (c) observations, and (d) an electronic communication record
LGBTQIA+ Materials in the Elementary School Library – Examining Purchase and Use: A Mixed Methods Approach
No full textThe need for and importance of diversity in children\u27s literature is well documented, and this study adds to that body of research by addressing LGBTQIA+ materials in elementary school libraries. This mixed-methods study investigates the attitudes, selection, purchasing, and use of LGBTQIA+ materials written for an elementary school age audience by elementary school librarians in U.S. public schools.
Using a national survey distributed electronically to elementary school librarians, quantitative data from 325 participants were collected to examine the extent to which librarians purchase and use LGBTQIA+ materials. Additionally, qualitative insights were obtained through semi-structured interviews with 15 survey respondents, offering deeper exploration into librarians’ decision-making processes, attitudes, and perceived barriers regarding LGBTQIA+ resources.
This study is beneficial in a number of ways—this information can be used to create professional development and curriculum for pre-service educators/librarians to increase awareness and efficacy engaging with (or affirming) LGBTQIA+ materials. In addition, it can provide practicing school librarians with the knowledge they need to bolster their confidence and model their practice after other school librarians who successfully use LGBTQIA+ materials in their elementary school libraries
Organizational Resilience Beyond Recovery: A Study of Transformative Resilience in Small Hospitality and Tourism Businesses
No full textHospitality and tourism organizations face persistent challenges that inhibit their smooth operations and threaten their long-term sustainability. Organizational resilience has emerged as a key strategy for ensuring continuity in the face of such disruptions. Resilience in this context has been conceptualized as a bounce-back ability or a return to normalcy after a shock. However, recent scholarship has advanced the concept of transformative resilience, which shifts the focus from mere recovery to transformation in response to disruptions. Transformative resilience emphasizes an organization’s ability to take advantage of disruptions, reconfigure its operations, and emerge stronger and more adaptive to future uncertainties. Despite growing interest in this concept, limited empirical research exists on how small hospitality and tourism businesses develop transformative resilience, particularly under uncertain environments.
This study bridges the research gap by investigating how small hospitality and tourism businesses in South Carolina develop transformative resilience in response to environmental uncertainty. Drawing on dynamic capability theory, contingency theory, resilience theory, and the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) framework, the study conceptualizes transformative resilience as an outcome composed of adaptability, agility, and opportunity-driven growth. It examines the direct and indirect effects of environmental uncertainty on transformative resilience and assesses the mediating role of dynamic capabilities (sensing, seizing, and transforming) in this relationship.
A quantitative research design was employed, utilizing Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze data collected from 466 small hospitality and tourism business owners and managers through a combination of online and face-to-face surveys. The results revealed that environmental uncertainty does not have a direct effect on transformative resilience. However, it significantly influences the development of dynamic capabilities, which in turn have positive effects on transformative resilience. Mediation analysis reveals that dynamic capability serves as a mediator in the relationship between environmental uncertainty and transformative resilience.
Overall, the findings of this study suggest that although small hospitality and tourism businesses often face resource constraints in responding to disruptions, their unique characteristics enable them to leverage such challenges as opportunities for strategic growth. Conclusions drawn from the findings highlight both the theoretical and practical implications for building transformative resilience in small hospitality and tourism businesses, as well as opportunities for future research
I Belong Here and Am Thriving: Understanding Full-Time Graduate Student Well-Being and Belonging in an MSW Program
No full textGraduate-level social work students face high levels of stress that can impact their academic success and well-being. According to a national college health assessment, fulltime Master of Social Work (MSW) students at a southeastern university report significantly more academic, career-related, and financial stress than peers in other graduate programs. This study addressed the need to better understand full-time MSW student experiences and identify ways the program can mitigate stress, promote wellbeing, and foster a sense of belonging. Using a two-phase qualitative action research design, the study first analyzed responses to 12 open-ended questions from four student feedback surveys. These findings informed the second phase: interviews with 18 MSW students and employees. Data from both phases were coded, analyzed, and triangulated.
Findings revealed a persistent need for the program to listen to students and improve communication. Four key elements of a supportive MSW program learning environment: clear communication, supportive teaching, strong cohort relationships, and a student-centered environment. Six themes also emerged across system levels: time management (individual level), employee guidance and supportive teaching (microsystem level), coordinated curriculum and cohort development (mesosystem), stakeholder input (exosystem), and financial support (macrosystem). These findings informed an action plan aimed at reducing student stress and improving the learning environment through systemic and sustainable changes. The action plan features a series of steps to increase curriculum coordination, support student financial advocacy, and foster participatory program evaluation. While the action research design limits generalizability, the study offers practical insights for MSW programs seeking to support student well-being and academic success. By centering student voices, this research contributes to a growing understanding of how graduate programs can foster environments where students feel supported, connected, and able to thrive
Guide to the Working Papers, Correspondence, Committee Minutes, and Other Notes of the Business Corporation Code Revision Study Committee, Columbia, SC, 1986-1987
No full textCOLABorate: A Mixed-Methods Approach to Enabling Inclusive Dialogue of Emotional Regulation Resources for Young Autistic Children
No full textEmotion regulation (ER) is a critical developmental milestone and is often delayed or more difficult for autistic children. Publicly available resources for birth-5-year-olds with autism could benefit significantly by integrating the values of and information provided by autistic adults. However, existing resources may have poor accessibility, acceptability, and feasibility according to different groups within the autism community, creating a significant gap in effective support. This mixed-methods study investigated ER experiences, resource knowledge, and resource desire among autistic adults (N=4; Stage 1) and caregivers of young autistic children (N=4; Stage 2) to inform the development of acceptable ER supports. In Stage 1, autistic adults participated in a focus group with photo elicitation elements, completed the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), ranked specific ER supports, and drew their “ideal ER resource.” In Stage 2, caregivers of autistic children completed semi-structured interviews with photo elicitation elements, the appropriate Emotion Dysregulation Inventory (EDI/EDI-YC) for their children’s ages, the Newest Vital Score (NVS), two attributes of the Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS), and drew their ideal ER resource. Together, the findings revealed that autistic adults struggle with various aspects of emotion regulation, often having to find support themselves, and reject traditional resources as non-affirming, while caregivers struggle to manage overwhelming care demands leading them to adjust to unsustainable or reactionary behavior management. This study concluded that the failure to support ER across the lifespan of autistic individuals may be a systemic issue requiring co-designed, neurodiversity-affirming resources that prioritize somatic strategies and the acceptability, accessibility, and feasibility of resources for young autistic children
LIS1 Depletion in Adult Mouse Projection Neurons Causes Neurodegeneration and Severe Neurological Phenotypes
No full textProper LIS1 function is crucial for human brain development, as mutations in LIS1 lead to lissencephaly, a severe neurodevelopmental disorder caused by defective proliferation, differentiation and migration of neural precursors. Our understanding of LIS1\u27s functions after brain development is limited. LIS1 regulates cytoplasmic dynein 1 (dynein), an essential microtubule motor protein in cell division and migration, but also a cellular transport motor. We previously showed that tamoxifen (TX)-induced global knockout of LIS1 using a Cre/Lox system (Act-Lis1iKO) in young adult mice results in severe neurological defects and rapid lethality. This strongly supports LIS1\u27s critical post- developmental role, but the underlying cellular defects causing the severe phenotypes remain unknown. For my thesis project I worked on a study in which LIS1 was depleted specifically in mature projection neurons using a thy1 promoter to drive TX-inducible Cre recombinase (Thy1-Lis1iKO). This study demonstrates the LIS1 loss in these cells was the primary underlying cause of the observed Act-Lis1iKO phenotypes. Homozygous iKO mice exhibited clear neurological phenotypes, including severe shivering and leg clasping behaviors, followed by seizures and ultimately death within 10 days after the initial injection. Control littermates or mice with LIS1 depleted from astrocytes instead of neurons did not have severe neurological phenotypes and did not die, reaffirming that LIS1 depletion in projection neurons was the primary cause of the observed Act-Lis1iKO phenotypes. Most studies with the Thy1-Lis1iKO mice involved 5 consecutive daily injections of TX. Reducing this to 3 consecutive TX injections produced a less severe phenotype and longer survival. . Crossing mice with a fluorescent Cre activity reporter indicates this TX dose activates Cre in fewer neurons. At the time severe neurological symptoms were displayed in mice receiving 5 TX injections, axons throughout the PNS and CNS had a beaded appearance and appeared fragmented. Axons were also immunoreactive for an antibody that recognizes a neurofilament epitope normally only seen in degenerating axons (Degenotag). Cultured DRGs from Thy1-Lis1iKO mice receiving 4 injections also displayed a beaded appearance and were immunoreactive for Degenotag. Application of SARM1 inhibitor drug to these cultures reduced axonal swellings observed. Together this work demonstrates that LIS1 is a critically important protein in young adult mouse projection neurons and is required for axonal maintenance
Effects of Commonly Prescribed Antibiotics on the Risk of Early Onset Colorectal Cancer
No full textColorectal cancer (CRC) is the fourth most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, primarily affecting individuals over 55 years of age. While CRC incidence in older adults has declined in recent decades, the incidence in younger individuals under 55, known as early onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC), has risen sharply. Projections indicate a 90 to 124 percent increase in EOCRC among Americans aged 20 to 34, and a 28 to 46 percent increase among those aged 35 to 49. Most EOCRC cases are sporadic, without family history or known genetic predisposition, and the causes behind this trend remain unclear. One hypothesis is that early life exposure to environmental factors, or exposomes, may increase EOCRC risk. Among these, antibiotics are particularly concerning due to their widespread use in early childhood, their alignment with EOCRC birth cohorts, and their known impact on gut microbiota.
We hypothesized that early life antibiotic exposure induces gut dysbiosis and chronic inflammation, increasing susceptibility to colon tumor development. Using the A/J AOM (azoxymethane) mouse model, we tested whether repeated exposure to commonly prescribed antibiotics, including Amoxicillin and Azithromycin, would affect tumor development. Azithromycin treated mice showed significantly higher tumor burden in the distal colon compared to controls. 16S rDNA sequencing confirmed long term gut dysbiosis. ELISA and immunofluorescence revealed elevated inflammatory cytokines (IL1β, IL10) in plasma and increased colonic infiltration of immune cells (CD45 positive, F4/80 positive, and regulatory T cells).
To identify age specific vulnerability, mice were treated with Amoxicillin for seven days during either the perinatal period (5 days old) or early adulthood (4 weeks old). Only mice treated in the perinatal period showed a significant increase in tumor burden. Microbiome analysis identified bacterial families potentially linked to EOCRC risk.
In conclusion, our findings suggest that early life antibiotic exposure may promote EOCRC by inducing persistent gut dysbiosis and inflammation, highlighting a possible modifiable risk factor for this growing public health concern
Pentanary and Hexanary Alkali Lanthanide Germanates Grown from Lanthanide Rich Flux Growth Reactions
No full textSingle crystals of five compounds of a new structure type, the K3Nd52Ge12O100F7 type, were grown from lanthanide rich reactions using a KF/KCl flux: K3Ln52Ge12O100F7 (Ln = Nd, Eu), K3Ln52Ge12O100+δF7-δ (Ln = Pr, Tb), and K3Ca0.872Nd51.128Ge12O99.128F7.872. The five compounds crystallize in the cubic space group I-43d with lattice parameter 22.0350(2) Å for K3Nd52Ge12O100F7. The structure consists of a 3D checkerboard of LnX8, LnX7, LnX6, and GeO4 polyhedra, where X = O/F, and can be conceptually derived from the fluorite structure. K3Eu52Ge12O100F7 exhibits the fluorescence typical of Eu3+
Crystal Growth, Thermal, Optical, Magnetic and Electrochemical Properties of Mo\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3eTa\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3eO\u3csub\u3e11\u3c/sub\u3e
No full textSingle crystals of the transition metal oxide Mo2Ta2O11 were grown for the first time using molten flux synthesis. The compound crystalizes in the trigonal space group R 3‾m (no. 166) with lattice parameters a = b = 5.6267(1) Å and c = 25.1424(6) Å and a unit cell volume of 689.36(3) Å3. The structure of Mo2Ta2O11 is composed of alternating layers of TaO6 octahedra and MoO4 tetrahedra connected via corner-sharing. CaH2 was used to achieve a partial low temperature reduction of Mo2Ta2O11. The electrochemical lithiation of polycrystalline Mo2Ta2O11 was also investigated for the first time. Mo2Ta2O11 underwent a structural rearrangement while maintaining a reversible capacity of ∼150 mAh/g