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The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine doctoral student perceptions about an experiential learning summer study away program involving one Texas educational leadership doctoral (Ed.D.) program. Students shared their perceptions about how the four-day study away trip advanced their professional and educational development in becoming more effective scholarpractitioner leaders. Data were collected and analyzed from a completed end-of-course reflective assignment involving students who participated in the study away program. After coding the data and identifying the common themes that emerged from the reflective writing narratives, there were four overarching themes that were derived from the students' responses: (1) encouraging collaborative campus-level decision making; (2) understanding the various contexts and environments of various public school campuses; (3) recognizing the importance of stakeholder trust within the educational setting; and (4) examining the experiential observations within the context of leadership theory and research. The researchers conclude that the experiential learning experience positively impacted the development of scholar-practitioner leaders. The authors further discuss the potential benefits that study away programs can have for other Ed.D. programs considering this option and offer recommendations about how faculty and site-based administrators can work together incorporating similar study away programs for their respective doctoral students.

Parents, particularly mothers, of autistic children may be especially vulnerable to the negative effects of COVID-19. The current longitudinal study examined changes in psychological distress (anxiety, depression, stress) and marital functioning of mothers and fathers of autistic children across three time points between April and October 2020, and the extent to which pre-COVID factors predicted changes in these outcomes. Participants were 94 mothers and 58 fathers of autistic children drawn from a larger longitudinal study about family relationships and autistic children's mental health that began prior to the pandemic. Results indicated that mothers reported higher levels of psychological distress compared to fathers in July and October 2020. Although, on average, levels of psychological distress and marital functioning did not significantly change for mothers and fathers, pre-pandemic child functioning and marital satisfaction predicted individual differences in change in marital satisfaction during the pandemic for mothers. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Pre-service teachers (PSTs) often lack the self-efficacy necessary to effectively implement STEM education into their classrooms. Undergraduate research experiences (URE) can help fill this void by providing opportunities for PSTs to engage with STEM content and K-12 students in a field-based research context. This case study details the impact a URE had on PSTs' STEM self-efficacy and views on research. The URE consisted of STEM curriculum development, teaching the curriculum at a local middle school, gathering research data, and presenting results at academic conferences. Participation in the URE positively influenced the PSTs' self-efficacy in STEM and changed their perceptions regarding research. This research provides practical value to educator preparation programs (EPPs) as an option to enhance STEM education for PSTs.

Six questions that instructional supervisors have been faced with and had to respond to during the COVID-19 crisis include: (a) How do we support teachers in the transition from face-to-face to virtual classes and meetings; (b) How do we focus on addressing the needs of teachers while engaged in remote or online learning; (c) How do we maintain communication, contact, and relationships with teachers; (d) How do we celebrate successes as teachers work with students in the virtual world; (e) How do we assess the quality of the teaching-learning process; and (f) How do we plan for the next steps? Within the scholar-practitioner theoretical model, this study narrates how two principals in Texas addressed each of these six questions. The case studies presented could be used as historical accounts, meaning that leaders could learn from their successes and their mistakes as they move to the next phase of reopening schools.

As members of the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED), universities across the United States are restructuring EdD programs to better prepare professional practitioners with the practical skills and theoretical knowledge needed to improve the educational environments that they serve. The hallmark of these programs is often the dissertation in practice, a scholarly investigation within which students define a problem of practice and then systematically test solutions to that problem. In this study, we investigate the experiences of university faculty participating in the redesign of an Educational Leadership EdD program who approach the redesign as a problem of practice. Root causes of identified program issues are presented in addition to the changes implemented in the redesigned program to improve upon the problem of practice.

Student retention has not changed in almost 40 years despite the plethora of attention. Maybe it is time to look at it differently. The study examines the relationships of parental education level, educational aspirations, and engagement. The National Survey of Student Engagement data were used in the analyses, but it raised questions about the nature of engagement. Results showed a shift from traditional thinking. Parental education levels, student aspirations, and engagement are not necessarily linked. Implications suggest that with each new generation, there are a different set engagement values. Future research should examine how engagement is conceptualized and its relationship to retention.

Purpose: Sacral ulcers are a serious mortality risk for older adults; thus, we aimed to determine sacral ulcer risk factors among older adults who were recently admitted to rehabilitation hospitals. Method: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the Texas Inpatient Discharge database (2021). The study included 1,290 rehabilitation hospital patients aged ≥60 years diagnosed with sacral ulcers. The control group comprised 37,626 rehabilitation hospital patients aged ≥60 years without sacral ulcers. Binary logistic regression was used to identify risks for sacral ulcer development adjusting for patient demographics, insurance type, and lifestyle. Results: Comorbidities of dementia, Parkinson's disease, type 2 diabetes, and cardiac dysrhythmias were significantly associated with increased risk of sacral ulcers. Longer length of stay, Medicare, and Medicare HMO were also associated with sacral ulcers. Demographically, older age, male sex, identifying as African American, and having malnutrition all had a 50% increased prevalence of sacral ulcers. Conclusion: Findings indicate a need to proactively treat chronic comorbidities in vulnerable populations to reduce their possible risk for hospital-acquired infections and excess mortality from sacral ulcers. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 50(2), 32–41.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teachers' ratings of conflict and closeness as well as observed emotional support are known predictors of children's social functioning. Consistency in emotional support represents an emerging line of research. The goal of the present study is to understand whether the relation between the consistency of teachers' emotional support and children's behavior is mediated by teacher-child relationships. The role of gender is also considered. Using MPlus, the present study examines the indirect effect of emotional support consistency in prekindergarten on children's social competence and problem behaviors. Outcomes are extended to kindergarten to test the lasting association between the prekindergarten social environment and child behavior in the kindergarten year. Multigroup models examine gender differences. Research Findings: Observations of 694 prekindergarten classrooms revealed that teachers' emotional support consistency had an indirect effect on social competence and problem behavior through conflict in the teacher-child relationship in prekindergarten and kindergarten. The indirect effect on prekindergarten problem behaviors through conflict was stronger for boys. For closeness, all outcomes were significant with the exception of the indirect effect on problem behaviors in the kindergarten year. Practice or Policy: Consistency in prekindergarten teachers' emotional support has an indirect effect on children's behavior in prekindergarten and the following year in kindergarten through teacher-child relationships. Improving teachers' emotional support consistency may be one avenue for strengthening teacher-child relationships.

Research Findings: It is widely acknowledged that consistent, high-quality teacher-student interactions promote optimal developmental outcomes for children. Previous research on the quality of teacher-student interactions provides empirical support for this premise. Little research has been conducted on the consistency of teacher-student interactions. This study examines whether consistency in teachers' emotional support is related to better academic and social outcomes for children. Multiple observations were conducted in 694 prekindergarten classrooms. Mean levels of emotional support and consistency of emotional support were used as predictors in multilevel models. Results indicated that when mean levels of emotional support were controlled, within-day consistency of emotional support predicted several academic outcomes in prekindergarten as well as social competence in kindergarten. Practice or Policy: Results indicate that teachers' consistency of emotional support is a salient aspect of children's classroom environment. Findings suggest that consistency should be considered when evaluating teachers' emotionally supportive interactions. (Contains 3 tables.)

Almost half of students who enter college require some sort of remedial coursework. Further, states are increasingly moving the responsibility of postsecondary remediation away from four-year campuses to two-year institutions. Scholars and policymakers have grappled with best practice for successfully filling in academic gaps and moving students forward, and there is variation both within and between states as to the ways in which remediation is defined, determined, and administered (Perin, 2006). Using a regression discontinuity design, this study seeks to answer the following question on one community college campus: How does placement into remedial services affect student outcomes, in particular, successful completion of an introductory college-level English course? Although this study focuses on a single community college system, the findings have bearing on a wider sector as the developmental placement practices of Harper Community College District are not unlike those implemented by two- and four-year campuses across the country. (Contains 1 figure and 4 tables.)

The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine doctoral student perceptions about an experiential learning summer study away program involving one Texas educational leadership doctoral (Ed.D.) program. Students shared their perceptions about how the four-day study away trip advanced their professional and educational development in becoming more effective scholar-practitioner leaders. Data were collected and analyzed from a completed end-of-course reflective assignment involving students who participated in the study away program. After coding the data and identifying the common themes that emerged from the reflective writing narratives, there were four overarching themes that were derived from the students’ responses: (1) encouraging collaborative campus-level decision making; (2) understanding the various contexts and environments of various public school campuses; (3) recognizing the importance of stakeholder trust within the educational setting; and (4) examining the experiential observations within the context of leadership theory and research. The researchers conclude that the experiential learning experience positively impacted the development of scholar-practitioner leaders. The authors further discuss the potential benefits that study away programs can have for other Ed.D. programs considering this option and offer recommendations about how faculty and site-based administrators can work together incorporating similar study away programs for their respective doctoral students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the discussion on providing information to help families understand being integral to the involvement in shared decision-making and patient care. Topics include inpatient Library Order is called a consult, and the outpatient Library Order being called a referral; and providing information to families and responding to Library Orders are the Family Librarian's highest priority.

Neofusicoccum species are endophytes and pathogens of woody hosts and members of the Botryosphaeriaceae. Leaf dieback is a new disease resulting in death of compound leaves and extensive defoliation of pecan trees (Carya illinoinensis) throughout the southeastern United States. Currently, the disease is consistently most severe on trees that are not managed with fungicides for pecan scab. Preliminary observations of the fungus isolated from symptomatic leaves indicated that it was a member of the genus Neofusicoccum. Our objectives were to confirm that this is the causal organism of leaf dieback disease of pecan and to determine whether this disease is caused by a new or previously described species of Neofusicoccum. Morphological observations of pure cultures, conidiomata, conidiogenous cells, and conidia were consistent with members of the genus Neofusicoccum. Using Koch's postulates, we established that Neofusicoccum sp. isolated from symptomatic leaves caused the disease. We sequenced the internal transcribed spacer of the rDNA (ITS), elongation factor 1-α (EF1-α), the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RPB2), and β-tubulin (TUB2) of 11 isolates collected from Georgia and Texas. Phylogenetic and network analyses of these sequences combined with publicly available sequences of 40 members of the N. parvum–N. ribis species complex and the outgroup N. australe revealed that this fungus is a member of the species complex but is genetically distinct from previously described species. We determined that leaf dieback of pecan is caused by a novel species, named herein N. caryigenum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six questions that instructional supervisors have been faced with and had to respond to during the COVID-19 crisis include: (a) How do we support teachers in the transition from face-to-face to virtual classes and meetings; (b) How do we focus on addressing the needs of teachers while engaged in remote or online learning; (c) How do we maintain communication, contact, and relationships with teachers; (d) How do we celebrate successes as teachers work with students in the virtual world; (e) How do we assess the quality of the teaching-learning process; and (f) How do we plan for the next steps? Within the scholar-practitioner theoretical model, this study narrates how two principals in Texas addressed each of these six questions. The case studies presented could be used as historical accounts, meaning that leaders could learn from their successes and their mistakes as they move to the next phase of reopening schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Although trauma is the leading cause of death for the pediatric population, few studies have addressed the preventable/potentially preventable death rate (PPPDR) attributable to trauma.Methods: This is a retrospective study of trauma-related death records occurring in Harris County, Texas in 2014. Descriptive and Chi-squared tests were conducted for two groups, pediatric and adult trauma deaths in relation to demographic characteristics, mechanism of injury, death location and survival time.Results: There were 105 pediatric (age < 18 years) and 1738 adult patients. The PPPDR for the pediatric group was 21.0%, whereas the PPPDR for the adult group was 37.2% (p = 0.001). Analysis showed fewer preventable/potentially preventable (P/PP) deaths resulting from any blunt trauma mechanism in the pediatric population than in the adult population (19.6% vs. 48.4%, p < 0.001). Amongst the pediatric population, P/PP traumatic brain injury (TBI) were more common in the youngest age range (age 0-5) vs. the older (6-12 years) pediatric and adolescent (13-17 years) patients.Conclusion: Our results identify areas of opportunities for improving pediatric trauma care. Although the overall P/PP death rate is lower in the pediatric population than the adult, opportunities for improving initial acute care, particularly TBI, exist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The northern Gulf of Mexico coast of the United States has been identified as highly vulnerable to sea-level rise, based on a combination of physical and societal factors. Vulnerability of human populations and infrastructure to projected increases in sea level is a critical area of uncertainty for communities in the extremely low-lying and flat northern gulf coastal zone. A rapidly growing population along some parts of the northern Gulf of Mexico coastline is further increasing the potential societal and economic impacts of projected sea-level rise in the region, where observed relative rise rates range from 0.75 to 9.95 mm per year on the Gulf coasts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. A 1-m elevation threshold was chosen as an inclusive designation of the coastal zone vulnerable to relative sea-level rise, because of uncertainty associated with sea-level rise projections. This study applies a Coastal Economic Vulnerability Index (CEVI) to the northern Gulf of Mexico region, which includes both physical and economic factors that contribute to societal risk of impacts from rising sea level. The economic variables incorporated in the CEVI include human population, urban land cover, economic value of key types of infrastructure, and residential and commercial building values. The variables are standardized and combined to produce a quantitative index value for each 1-km coastal segment, highlighting areas where human populations and the built environment are most at risk. This information can be used by coastal managers as they allocate limited resources for ecosystem restoration, beach nourishment, and coastal-protection infrastructure. The study indicates a large amount of variability in index values along the northern Gulf of Mexico coastline, and highlights areas where long-term planning to enhance resiliency is particularly needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To measure interferon (IFN)-inducible chemokines in the plasma of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and investigate whether the chemokine levels are correlated with disease severity. Methods Plasma levels of the IFN-inducible chemokines IFNγ-inducible protein 10 (IP-10/CXCL10), IFN-inducible T cell α chemoattractant (I-TAC/CXCL11), and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (CCL2) were measured in SSc patients and examined for correlation with the IFN gene expression signature. A composite IFN-inducible chemokine score was generated for chemokines showing a correlation with the IFN gene signature (IP-10 and I-TAC), and this score was compared between 266 patients with SSc enrolled in the Genetics versus Environment in Scleroderma Outcome Study (GENISOS) cohort and 97 matched control subjects. Subsequently, the correlation between the IFN-inducible chemokine score at baseline and markers of disease severity was assessed. In addition, the course of the IFN-inducible chemokine score over time was examined. Results The plasma IFN-inducible chemokine score correlated with the IFN gene expression signature, and this score was higher in SSc patients compared to controls. The IFN-inducible chemokine score was also associated with the absence of anti-RNA polymerase III antibodies and presence of anti-U1 RNP antibodies, but not with disease duration, disease type, or other autoantibodies. The chemokine score correlated with concomitantly obtained scores on the Medsger Severity Index for muscle, skin, and lung involvement in SSc, as well as the forced vital capacity, diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide, and creatine kinase levels. The association of the chemokine score with disease severity was independent of the presence of anti-U1 RNP or other potential confounders (age, sex, ethnicity, disease duration, and treatment with immunosuppressive agents). Finally, there was not a significant change in the IFN-inducible chemokine score over time. Conclusion The IFN-inducible chemokine score is a stable serologic marker of a more severe form of SSc and may be useful for risk stratification of patients, regardless of disease type (limited or diffuse) or duration of disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a research study which examined the potential factors affecting nest initiation date, clutch size and nest success in the plumage dimorphic Reddish Egret in the Laguna Madre region of Texas. Results revealed the insignificance of color morphism to nest initiation date, and variations in clutch size between colony sites. Estimates also indicated similarity of Mayfield total nesting success with nesting success in other heron species.

The author compares and contrasts the effect of isolation and culture diffusion of the Hispano Homeland in the Rio Grande Corridor with the small, upper Pecos River valleys below the Sangre de Christo Mountains in New Mexico using the research by Richard Nostrand, and other published sources and diffusion theory. He contends that settlement in the Pecos Enclave occurred before any significant intrusion of Anglo culture in the Hispano Homeland and has remained largely unchanged.

The article discusses the establishment of the Texas-New Mexico boundary along the 103rd meridian. A mistake was committed in 1859 when United States Boundary Commissioner John H. Clark incorrectly surveyed the boundary between the state of Texas and the New Mexico along the 103rd meridian. In 2003 and 2005, the New Mexico State Senate voted unanimously to sue the State of Texas for the return of the strip of land.

Objective: Previous studies have reported modest associations between measures of obesity and the Trp64-Arg variant of the beta3-adrenergic receptor (ADRbeta3) and the Pro12Ala variant of the peronisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-gamma2. We hypothesized that these single gene variants may mark mutations that act through convergent pathways to produce synergistic effects on obesity.Research Design and Methods: The sample included 453 subjects from 10 large Mexican-American families participating in the population-based San Antonio Family Heart Study. The effects of each gene variant singly and jointly were estimated as fixed effects using the measured genotype approach framework. Analyses were conditioned on the pedigree structures to account for the correlations among family members. Statistical significance was evaluated by the likelihood ratio test with adjustment for age, sex and diabetes status.Results: The allele frequencies for the ADRbeta3 Trp64Arg and PPARgamma2 Pro12Ala variants were 18 and 12%, respectively. The ADRbeta3 variant was not significantly associated with any of the obesity-related traits, but subjects with the PPAR-gamma2 variant (n = 98) had significantly higher levels of lasting insulin (P = 0.03), leptin (P = 0.009), and waist circumference (P = 0.03) than those without. Subjects with the gene variants (n = 32) had significantly higher BMI, insulin, and leprtin levels than those with only the PPARgamma2 variant (n = 66) (P for interaction: 0.04, 0.02, and 0.01 for BMI, fasting insulin, and leptin, respectively).Conclusions: Our results suggest that epistatic models with genes that have modest individual effects may be useful in understanding the genetic underpinnings of typical obesity in humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study which determined the low-flow characteristics of stream sites in Texas. Background on low-flow statistics; Streamflow data collection; Results and discussion.

Discusses the impact of legislative reform on the sentencing of capital murderers in Texas. United States Supreme Court's ruling on capital punishment; Concerns over the lack of jury instruction on mitigating circumstances during the penalty phase of capital trials; Policy implications suggested by the findings.

Reveals racial disparities in capital punishment in Texas after the United States Supreme Court ruled in 'Penry v. Lynaugh.' Instruction to jurors to consider mitigating circumstances; Fate of blacks who killed whites; Difficulty in assuring individual fairness while maintaining consistency.

In this article, the author discusses about foreign-loan guarantees and intertemporal substitution of investment in Texas and Chile. The investment booms were made possible by government guarantees on foreign loans extended to the economies. Government foreign-loan guarantees potentially are useful instruments for the fiscal management of financial losses suffered by banks and firms. If financial claims against domestic assets increase in riskiness as a result of an external shock, a problem of under-investment in an economy may occur. Although foreign-loan guarantees in the aftermath of an external shock encourage foreigners to lend to financially distressed banks and firms, this paper will explore the possibility that these loan guarantees may also distort an economy's macroeconomic adjustment by permitting a postponement of the liquidation process. Examples of financial collapse in Chile and Texas involved loan guarantees to external lenders of the domestic banking systems. Examples suggest that the stronger is the lender of last resort to a banking system, the greater will be the ability of the system to attract external funds in the aftermath of an external shock.

Modern shell accumulations on Padre Island, Texas Gulf Coast, are composed of pristine aragonite whereas laterally adjacent Pleistocene beachrock on the mainland shores of Laguna Madre are made up of the same taxa but display a range of mixtures of aragonite and diagenetic low-Mg calcite. Cements and pedogenic crusts associated with the beachrock are 100% low-Mg calcite. Stable isotopic values for shells composed of 0, 15, 20, 45, 75 and 90% calcite display high correlations between the δ18O values and mineralogy (R2 = 0.95) and δ13C values and mineralogy (R2 = 0.87). The highly correlated changes in the stable isotopic compositions and mineralogy of the skeletal material are also evident in the data from the analyses of the pure calcite cements and pedogenic crusts. Changes in stable isotopic composition of the shells are the result of the early diagenetic alteration of the original aragonitic composition to low Mg-calcite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this brief program spot, the author describes how a collaboration of thirteen churches in Houston, representing six denominations, joined force to sponsor The Senor Place Memory Care Day Center, a nondenominational, faith-based program in innovative, professional dementia care and support. The center provides a safe, spiritual, and nurturing program with therapeutic activities for elders who have mild to moderate memory loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on journalism education associations in various states of the U.S. Fifty state press associations were contacted by the Ohio Journalism Educators Association (OJEA), in an effort to find out where OJEA fits into the national picture of journalism educator associations. There were only three formal organizations in the country, including Texas, Washington and Ohio. States having formal organizations appeared to offer benefits while sidestepping such conflicts as those involving internships.