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Annually, 13% of special educators leave teaching, twice that of general educators (Wong et al., 2017). In June 2017, the U.S. Department of Education and Office of Postsecondary Education announced that 46 states were drastically short of special education teachers (Robinson et al., 2019). This study explores how university special education (SPED) teacher preparation program descriptions entice students to enroll in university SPED program. Results indicate disconnects between university SPED descriptions and the realities of SPED teachers will face in special education classrooms.

On April 20, 1999, two Columbine High School students started a shooting rampage, ultimately killing 12 students and one teacher, wounding 21 victims, then completing suicide. Using media frame analysis (MFA), we examined 265 transcribed major network television news stories aired during the 48 hours following the shooting. In these stories, we investigated the frequency of warning signs of youth violence. Though later disputed, stories included warning signs that fortified the myth of the juvenile superpredator. Television news coverage of school shootings often spotlights perpetrators, fuels false narratives, creates an inflated sense of risk and vulnerability, and fails to place such events in the larger context of youth violence. We urge professionals to contextualize news stories within a broader framework of youth violence; to support fact-based communication between the media, school administrators, and law enforcement; to eliminate the spotlight on perpetrators; and to carefully consider reactionary responses that are not evidence-based nor proven effective.

Special education (SPED) teacher preparation programs are intended to help preservice teachers (PSTs) learn and adopt effective teaching practices to serve students with special needs. To help SPED-PSTs learn needed skills, SPED mentor teachers (MTs) must employ high-leverage practices (HLPs) such as performance feedback, conferencing, and modeling. Although most teacher preparation programs utilize modeling in preparing PSTs, little is known about how SPED-MTs use this mentoring tool. An interpretative phenomenological analysis was conducted to explore how SPED-MTs engaged PSTs in modeling practices during a practicum experience. Data from semi-structured interviews were analyzed to describe SPED-PST and SPED-MT attitudes, experiences, and use of modeling over the course of a special education practicum, focusing on MTs' modeling strategies and PSTs' subsequent behaviors. The relative impacts of simple and cognitive modeling on the PST-MT relationship were compared. SPED-MTs' modeling foci were compared to recommended HLPs. This preliminary study provides recommendations for SPED-MTs' use of modeling with SPED-PSTs.

Burnout among our P-12 teachers has been well documented throughout the years. Yet, little research has been conducted into the burnout of higher education professionals in general. Lackritz (2004) found that emotional exhaustion is significantly and positively related to teaching load, grading, office hours, grant money, service time, and number of service activities. This research looks further into the variables that may impact burnout for higher education faculty, specifically in teacher education, seeking to answer the questions: Are teacher educators in New York experiencing stress/burnout? If so, what internal and/or external factors/conditions are contributing to their burnout? And are specific groups of teacher educators more at-risk for developing burnout more so than others. Survey results reveal that teacher educators have a very low to moderate chance of burnout, but experience many of the stressors that can lead to burnout. The findings build on and extend beyond Maslach, Schaufeli and Leiter's (2001) framework which includes factors of workload, control, reward, community, fairness, and values.

Background: Studies on haemosporidian diversity, including origin of human malaria parasites, malaria's zoonotic dynamic, and regional biodiversity patterns, have used target gene approaches. However, current methods have a trade-off between scalability and data quality. Here, a long-read Next-Generation Sequencing protocol using PacBio HiFi is presented. The data processing is supported by a pipeline that uses machine-learning for analysing the reads. Methods: A set of primers was designed to target approximately 6 kb, almost the entire length of the haemosporidian mitochondrial genome. Amplicons from different samples were multiplexed in an SMRTbell® library preparation. A pipeline (HmtG-PacBio Pipeline) to process the reads is also provided; it integrates multiple sequence alignments, a machine-learning algorithm that uses modified variational autoencoders, and a clustering method to identify the mitochondrial haplotypes/species in a sample. Although 192 specimens could be studied simultaneously, a pilot experiment with 15 specimens is presented, including in silico experiments where multiple data combinations were tested. Results: The primers amplified various haemosporidian parasite genomes and yielded high-quality mt genome sequences. This new protocol allowed the detection and characterization of mixed infections and co-infections in the samples. The machine-learning approach converged into reproducible haplotypes with a low error rate, averaging 0.2% per read (minimum of 0.03% and maximum of 0.46%). The minimum recommended coverage per haplotype is 30X based on the detected error rates. The pipeline facilitates inspecting the data, including a local blast against a file of provided mitochondrial sequences that the researcher can customize. Conclusions: This is not a diagnostic approach but a high-throughput method to study haemosporidian sequence assemblages and perform genotyping by targeting the mitochondrial genome. Accordingly, the methodology allowed for examining specimens with multiple infections and co-infections of different haemosporidian parasites. The pipeline enables data quality assessment and comparison of the haplotypes obtained to those from previous studies. Although a single locus approach, whole mitochondrial data provide high-quality information to characterize species pools of haemosporidian parasites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human influences on natural environments are now ubiquitous but manifest in multiple and unique ways depending on local environments and communities. Attempts to control, or mediate, local pests to residences or to agriculture can impart important negative consequences on systems. Secondary exposure to anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) can cause numerous adverse effects on wild carnivores including death. Few studies have quantified AR prevalence, investigated their pathway of exposure, or associations with specific location types in the northeastern U.S. We hypothesized that ARs would be found in the mesocarnivore community throughout Pennsylvania and have the greatest detection rate in highly urbanized or agricultural landscapes. From 2019 through early 2022, we collected carcasses to obtain liver samples (n = 265) from three species of carnivores: bobcats (Lynx rufus (Schreber, 1777)), fishers (Pekania pennanti (Erxleben, 1777)), and river otters (Lontra canadensis (Schreber, 1777)). We used generalized linear models to test for differences in AR detection rates among species and spatial scales including the six Pennsylvania Game Commission regions and 23 wildlife management units. We detected ARs in all species (44.2% collectively), but detection rates differed among species. Our study is the first to document ARs within North American river otters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Mass mortality events in wildlife can be indications of an emerging infectious disease. During the spring and summer of 2021, hundreds of dead passerines were reported across the eastern US. Birds exhibited a range of clinical signs including swollen conjunctiva, ocular discharge, ataxia, and nystagmus. As part of the diagnostic investigation, high-throughput metagenomic next-generation sequencing was performed across three molecular laboratories on samples from affected birds. Many potentially pathogenic microbes were detected, with bacteria forming the largest proportion; however, no singular agent was consistently identified, with many of the detected microbes also found in unaffected (control) birds and thus considered to be subclinical infections. Congruent results across laboratories have helped drive further investigation into alternative causes, including environmental contaminants and nutritional deficiencies. This work highlights the utility of metagenomic approaches in investigations of emerging diseases and provides a framework for future wildlife mortality events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The long‐term outcomes of adults with Fanconi anaemia (FA) have improved with advances in haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and more detailed follow‐up and screening guidelines. The phenotype of those who survive to adulthood may differ from the typical presentation of FA. We collected retrospective clinical data on adults with FA who received their care at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. In our final cohort of 52 patients, there were 29 females and 23 males, with median (range) age of 21 (18–37) years. Overall, 42 patients (81%) were alive at last follow‐up. In all, 36 adults (69%) had undergone HSCT, including eight who had developed myelodysplasia or acute myeloid leukaemia. Eight (15%) developed squamous cell carcinoma. Endocrine complications were common, including hypothyroidism (42%), diabetes (10%), low body mass index (31%) and low bone mineral density (51%). The majority of adults with FA were employed (52%) or full‐time students (13%). A significant subset of patients with FA are surviving into adulthood without requiring HSCT. Endocrine abnormalities and the development of solid tumours complicate adulthood. With improved survival outcomes following HSCT and more aggressive malignancy screening protocols, ongoing longitudinal analysis will be important to further characterise this cohort and the phenotype of untransplanted adults with FA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teachers have a central role in developing new learning models in schools. This paper describes a study that explored teachers' confidence and competence in using Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) as they participated in an ICT development project conducted by an Australian education system in 12 primary schools. The project aimed to develop ICT integrated teaching practices by providing in-class equipment and teacher professional development in ICT use, curriculum development and teaching strategies. The study used qualitative data from teacher records of Professional Development and Action Learning to identify three of four stages proposed to describe teachers' ICT learning. Teachers moved from gaining basic ICT skills, to conducting ICT-focused lessons and eventually appropriate ICT integration. Teachers who progressed to the third stage were able to exploit additional learning opportunities and begin to make fundamental changes to their pedagogy, but needed more time to reach the final stage of challenging existing pedagogical structures. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)

The Le@rning Federation, an agency funded by Australian and New Zealand governments, initiated a Field Review project as the start of a long-term research study to evaluate the impact, application and effectiveness of the online digital content developed according to the learning object model. In terms of content, the pilot Field Review found that many learning objects provided stimulating and diverse learning experiences for students. It is one of the potential strengths of learning objects that they are able to provide new geographical experiences and simulate dangerous or expensive learning activities at low relative cost.

This article is a response to a number of articles that use a culturally relevant prevention (CRP) approach for ethnic and racial minorities. The reaction is from a research practitioner's viewpoint. The authors argue in favor of determining an operational definition of cultural relevance by implementing prevention services with fidelity in the field and understanding what structural components of CRPs are minimally necessary for the effective operation of the prevention programs. Field personnel also need to identify reliable ways to involve in planning those individuals who represent service recipient characteristics. The article closes with a recommendation that research practitioners pursue an active evaluation agenda aimed at further standardizing and quantifying the effectiveness of CRP strategies for underserved racial and ethnic groups.

Surveyed personal ad writers to examine the actual preferences of those seeking thin partners, those seeking physically fit partners, or those with no preference. Respondents indicated ideal and acceptable partner body sizes. Males in the three categories differed significantly in choice of an ideal figure, though actual figure size differences were negligible. Females chose the same figure as ideal despite different weight requests. (SM)