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This paper presents the results of a nationwide survey of educators for grades 6-12 who specialize in family and consumer sciences education (N=380). The paper examines teacher reports about their self-efficacy in online learning during the switch to off-campus instruction. Data revealed that district communication to teachers indicating that they were doing a good job and teachers having had prior online interactions with students were significantly related to the teachers' positive perceptions of self-efficacy.

This study of West Nile virus (WNV) examined the possibility of avian transmission to explain synchronicity in the year‐to‐year variability of WNV case numbers from Texas northward to the Dakotas, and reasons for the large case numbers on the northern Great Plains. We determined correlation coefficients between annual disease incidence per 100,000 people among states within the Great Plains Region, as well as the Central Flyway. There was spatial and temporal synchronicity, as evidenced by Pearson "r," with values along the core of the Central Flyway (Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota) varying between 0.69 and 0.79. Correlations for North Dakota (r = 0.6), however, were affected by local conditions. The concept of relative amplification is helpful in explaining why northerly states along the Central Flyway have larger annual case numbers per 100,000 than Texas but preserve the temporal signal. States differed in their capacity for amplifying the temporal signal in case numbers. For example, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota case numbers were commonly amplified relative to Texas, with Oklahoma and Kansas deamplified. Relative amplification factors for all states increased as a function of increasing case numbers in Texas. Thus, increased numbers of initially infected birds in Texas likely led to the rapid intensification of the zoonotic cycle as compared to more typical years. The study also confirmed the importance of winter weather in locally modulating disease cases. North Dakota appeared most impacted by these factors to the extent of reducing WNV case numbers in colder years and years with deep snow. Plain Language Summary: This study examined factors controlling broad patterns of transmission of West Nile virus (WNV) on the Great Plains of the United States. We found that yearly human case numbers are correlated both temporally and spatially from Texas northward. These findings support the idea that each year migratory birds were important in retransmitting WNV along the Central Flyway with Texas as the source of WNV and North Dakota and South Dakota as sinks. However, states differed in their capacity to enhance the temporal signal. In Oklahoma and Kansas, deamplification in case numbers relative to Texas was common except for the worst WNV years in Texas. For Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota case numbers were commonly amplified relative to Texas. Relative amplification factors for all states increased as a function of increasing case numbers per 100,000 in Texas. These patterns are likely controlled by virulence of the dominant Culex species and local habitat. In North Dakota, the winter climate may also affect human case numbers. Cold conditions reduce populations of over‐wintering mosquitoes and large snow accumulations modulate the springtime return of migratory birds. Such correlations between the local WNV disease cases and these factors may provide a robust, early screening tool for WNV. Key Points: Spatial and temporal synchronicity in human West Nile virus cases was observed along the Central FlywayA consistent pattern of amplification and deamplifications in human case numbers is evident along the Central Flyway as compared to TexasKey factors controlling trends include avian spread, vector competence, and local winter conditions, especially in North Dakota [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local adaptation is the process by which natural selection drives adaptive phenotypic divergence across environmental gradients. Theory suggests that local adaptation results from genetic tradeoffs at individual genetic loci, where adaptation to one set of environmental conditions results in a cost to fitness in alternative environments. However, the degree to which there are costs associated with local adaptation is poorly understood because most of these experiments rely on two-site reciprocal transplant experiments. Here, we quantify the benefits and costs of locally adaptive loci across 17° of latitude in a four-grandparent outbred mapping population in outcrossing switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), an emerging biofuel crop and dominant tallgrass species. We conducted quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping across 10 sites, ranging from Texas to South Dakota. This analysis revealed that beneficial biomass (fitness) QTL generally incur minimal costs when transplanted to other field sites distributed over a large climatic gradient over the 2 y of our study. Therefore, locally advantageous alleles could potentially be combined across multiple loci through breeding to create high-yielding regionally adapted cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teachers' problem-based learning knowledge, abilities, and attitudes are important factors in successful K--12 PBL implementations. This article describes the development and use of a free, online module entitled "Design a Problem-Based Learning Experience." The module production, aligned with theories of andragogy, was a partnership between the recipients of a grant using PBL to enhance English language learner education and the Sanford Inspire Program. A multistage evaluation design was used in the iterative process of module creation. Starting with an initial white paper, the module's conceptualization, development, pilot testing, and refinement are described, along with the current use statistics. The URL for the new, easier to access location for the module is provided, along with suggestions for its use in teacher education.

Colleges and universities commonly review the criminal history of students who apply to live in campus housing, but this practice may be inherently discriminatory. New guidance from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development warns that the Fair Housing act, which applies to higher education institutions, prohibits the use of any practice that unnecessarily results in discriminatory effects for people from protected classes. Because the U.S. criminal justice system disproportionately affects people of color, the use of criminal background checks in housing could violate the Fair Housing act. This paper presents an analysis of the new guidance in the higher education context and offers a critical perspective on the use of criminal background checks in campus housing. In addition, a review of state laws and university system policies found that a small number prohibits certain offenders from living on campus, which complicates implementation of the federal Fair Housing Act. For campus housing officers, recommendations for defending against housing discrimination lawsuits and for reconsidering the use of criminal history in campus housing are presented. [Discussion questions developed by Amelia King-Kostelac.]

Purpose — Sets out to explore what effects institutional size and the selections of JSTOR collections have on the overall (total) usage statistics. Design/methodology/approach — This is a preliminary report of JSTOR use made by five academic libraries of similar size and scale; a sixth smaller campus is used to contrast/support findings. A comparison study of the five institutions' usage was conducted using JSTOR data logs, journal title and subject analysis. Findings — The authors discovered that use of JSTOR is impacted by a complex blend of additional JSTOR collections. Research limitations/implications — The authors suspect that faculty and their familiarity with the resource, plus information literacy programming, have a greater influence on JSTOR use. This study has identified a need for additional review of bibliographic instruction, integrated information literacy practices and the role of library marketing programs. A study of journal holdings (current and previous) compared with JSTOR usage may prove fruitful for collection management. Originality/value — The authors expanded the knowledge base by investigating JSTOR usage data from six rural state-funded institutions in South Dakota and Texas. This preliminary review identified trends in institutional and regional usage within JSTOR collections. Areas of further research are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compares and describes the obligate cave faunas of nine regions of the United States--Florida Lime Sinks, Appalachians, Interior Low Plateaus, Ozarks, Driftless Area, Edwards Aquifer/Balcones Escarpment, Guadalupe Mountains, Black Hills, and Mother Lode. The number of aquatic (stygobitic) species ranged from zero (Black Hills) to 82 (Appalachians), and the number of terrestrial (troglobitic) species ranged from zero (Florida Lime Sinks) to 256 (Interior Low Plateau). Even at the level of genus, overlap between regions is low. Several predictor variables (karst area, number of caves, number of long caves, number of deep caves, distance from the Pleistocene ice margin, distance from the late Cretaceous Sea, and vegetation type ? a surrogate for productivity) were assessed using rank order statistics, especially rank order multiple regression with a backward elimination procedure. For both stygobites and troglobites, only number of caves was a significant predictor. The absence of a karst area effect suggested that the degree of karst development is better described by the number of caves rather than area of karst. There was no evidence that distance to Pleistocene glacial boundaries was important, but there was some support for the importance of distance from late Cretaceous sea margins, a potential source of aquatic subterranean colonists. Finally, there was no indication that surface productivity had an effect on species richness. Analysis was complicated by correlations among predictor variables.