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In this article, the authors share a unique and unfolding story about a program in Virginia that allows districts to opt into a series of Inquiry Design Model (IDM) performance assessments in place of the state-developed multiple-choice test. In the Rockingham County School District, this initiative was piloted in ninth-grade World Geography courses during the 2023-2024 school year. In the following sections, the authors share the context and background of this pilot, the lessons learned over the year, and the biggest takeaway about inquiry as a result of this groundbreaking effort to teach to a better test.

Our society is facing an unprecedented mental health crisis, with nearly one in two people being affected by mental health issues over their lifespan. This trend is especially noticeable among college students, who undergo significant shifts in social, familial, and academic responsibilities. Exacerbating the mental health crisis is the fact that students are facing other societal crises (e.g., climate change). And, in a reciprocal fashion, students experiencing poor mental health are less likely to feel resilient enough to tackle these other crises. In response to these colliding societal crises, we need a comprehensive solution that goes beyond the current models of college mental health services. We propose an alternative preventative mental health approach, which aims to prevent the onset of mental health concerns and build resilience in the face of colliding crises. Specifically, we argue that colleges can aid in building mental health resilience by creating for-credit courses that teach students the skills they need to be conscious, responsible, and resilient human beings. Toward this end, we created an experiential, workshop-style, 1 unit, P/NP course, entitled Learning Sustainable well-being (LSW), which guides students to explore, improve, and sustain their mental health. The principles taught in this course combine the wisdoms of several disciplines, including mindfulness, psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, religion, poetry, and cinema. The following community case study reflects on the journey of our LSW initiative, starting from the creation of the course in 2014 to the current mission of scaling up the offering as part of an institution-wide LSW program. To this end, we describe the LSW course modules/content, our pedagogical approach, potential limitations, and then provide data demonstrating its efficacy in improving student well-being. As a final note, we present the challenges we have faced, and the lessons learned, while on this journey. We hope that presenting this community case study will facilitate the growing dialogue across colleges about creating (and perhaps requiring) courses like LSW in order to improve students mental health and resilience in the context of other colliding crises.

This article details how a team of fourth-grade teachers in Rockingham County, Virginia used the Inquiry Design Model (IDM) to deepen student understanding of Barbara Johns and the Moton Student Strike's fight for racial justice in Virginia and to reframe their overall approach to Black history in general. Although Rockingham County Schools are about a two-hour drive from Farmville, the Student Strike at R. R. Moton High School is a pivotal chapter of Virginia and U.S. History that should be taught in classrooms across the county. It not only counters many traditional narratives of the civil rights movement, but it also serves as a powerful illustration of how young people can impact the world in which they live. As young citizens, every student can look to Barbara Johns as a vital lesson in agency, empowerment, and resilience.

In October 2022, the administration of Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin commissioned a secret rewrite of the state's History and Social Science Standards of Learning to replace the draft that the state Department of Education had developed through its own standards revision process. This unprecedented step galvanized supporters of public education and spurred them to action. The story of how Virginia's educators defended the curriculum on behalf of their students can serve as a model for teachers nationwide in the face of increased efforts to politicize history and social studies education.

Background Femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS) can cause hip pain and chondrolabral damage that may be managed non-operatively or surgically. Squatting motions require large degrees of hip flexion and underpin many daily and sporting tasks but may cause hip impingement and provoke pain. Differential effects of physiotherapist-led care and arthroscopy on biomechanics during squatting have not been examined previously. This study explored differences in 12-month changes in kinematics and moments during squatting between patients with FAIS treated with a physiotherapist-led intervention (Personalised Hip Therapy, PHT) and arthroscopy. Methods A subsample (n = 36) of participants with FAIS enrolled in a multi-centre, pragmatic, two-arm superiority randomised controlled trial underwent three-dimensional motion analysis during squatting at baseline and 12-months following random allocation to PHT (n = 17) or arthroscopy (n = 19). Changes in time-series and peak trunk, pelvis, and hip biomechanics, and squat velocity and maximum depth were explored between treatment groups. Results No significant differences in 12-month changes were detected between PHT and arthroscopy groups. Compared to baseline, the arthroscopy group squatted slower at follow-up (descent: mean difference −0.04 m∙s−1 (95%CI [−0.09 to 0.01]); ascent: −0.05 m∙s−1 [−0.11 to 0.01]%). No differences in squat depth were detected between or within groups. After adjusting for speed, trunk flexion was greater in both treatment groups at follow-up compared to baseline (descent: PHT 7.50° [−14.02 to −0.98]%; ascent: PHT 7.29° [−14.69 to 0.12]%, arthroscopy 16.32° [−32.95 to 0.30]%). Compared to baseline, both treatment groups exhibited reduced anterior pelvic tilt (descent: PHT 8.30° [0.21–16.39]%, arthroscopy −10.95° [−5.54 to 16.34]%; ascent: PHT −7.98° [−0.38 to 16.35]%, arthroscopy −10.82° [3.82–17.81]%), hip flexion (descent: PHT −11.86° [1.67–22.05]%, arthroscopy −16.78° [8.55–22.01]%; ascent: PHT −12.86° [1.30–24.42]%, arthroscopy −16.53° [6.72–26.35]%), and knee flexion (descent: PHT −6.62° [0.56– 12.67]%; ascent: PHT −8.24° [2.38–14.10]%, arthroscopy −8.00° [−0.02 to 16.03]%). Compared to baseline, the PHT group exhibited more plantarflexion during squat ascent at follow-up (−3.58° [−0.12 to 7.29]%). Compared to baseline, both groups exhibited lower external hip flexion moments at follow-up (descent: PHT −0.55 N∙m/BW∙HT[%] [0.05–1.05]%, arthroscopy −0.84 N∙m/BW∙HT[%] [0.06–1.61]%; ascent: PHT −0.464 N∙m/BW∙HT[%] [−0.002 to 0.93]%, arthroscopy −0.90 N∙m/BW∙HT[%] [0.13–1.67]%). Conclusion Exploratory data suggest at 12-months follow-up, neither PHT or hip arthroscopy are superior at eliciting changes in trunk, pelvis, or lower-limb biomechanics. Both treatments may induce changes in kinematics and moments, however the implications of these changes are unknown. Trial registration details Australia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry reference: ACTRN12615001177549. Trial registered 2/11/2015.

This paper presents a novel adaptation of the conventional approximate Bayesian computation sequential Monte Carlo (ABC-SMC) sampling algorithm for parameter estimation in the presence of uncertainties, coined combinatorial ABC-SMC. Inference of this type is used in situations where there does not exist a closed form of the associated likelihood function, which is replaced by a simulating model capable of producing artificial data. In the literature, conventional ABC-SMC is utilised to perform inference on continuous parameters. The novel scheme presented here has been developed to perform inference on parameters that are high-dimensional binary, rather than continuous. By altering the form of the proposal distribution from which to sample candidates in subsequent iterations (referred to as waves), high-dimensional binary variables may be targeted and inferred by the scheme. The efficacy of the proposed scheme is demonstrated through application to vibration data obtained in a structural dynamics experiment on a fibre-optic sensor simulated as a finite plate with uncertain boundary conditions at its edges. Results indicate that the method provides sound inference on the plate boundary conditions, which is validated through subsequent application of the method to multiple vibration datasets. Comparisons between appropriate forms of the metric function used in the scheme are also developed to highlight the effect of this element in the schemes convergence.

The fate of public spaces has loomed large in discussions of what happened to Roman cities in the Near East in Late Antiquity. Much has been made of the way that temples, fora, bathhouses and other amenities went out of use and shops, workshops and domestic premises encroached into squares and streets. Scholars who have seen this as evidence of vitality have made their case in largely economic terms with less attention to culture, thereby implicitly accepting the idea of a privatization of the city and a decline in public space. Ironically, for earlier periods, those same public spaces have often been seen as largely existing for the benefit of the local elite, a veneer of urban splendour that meant little to most inhabitants. This article challenges the simplistic way in which this approach has used ‘publicness’ as a label to be applied, drawing anthropological theory to see ‘publicness’ as a quality to be explored. Taking Scythopolis and Jerash as case studies, it makes the case that public space provided a cushion for absorbing the stresses of economic and political change in Late Antiquity and was, therefore, a key contributor to the resilience of the culture of urban life.

The Net Promoter Score (NPS) is used by many service organizations as a key customer loyalty metric and driver of growth. Yet, despite its widespread adoption and consequent benchmarking benefits, the methodological soundness and usefulness of NPS has been questioned. Compounding these problems, few guidelines on NPS enhancement strategies exist, since research on antecedents to NPS remains elusive. The combination of (a) questionable research underpinning the original proposal for NPS, and (b) an under-researched nomological net, creates an unfortunate paradox, whereby service organizations strive to raise a score that may or may not lead to organizational success, with little evidence-based knowledge on how to raise this score strategically. To address this, we utilize a guiding framework to interrogate NPS though a services marketing lens. We use this framework to underpin a critical review of NPS as it applies to service organizations, and through the review, identify and discuss ten NPS interrogations. We then propose recommendations that address each of these to enhance further knowledge development and improve ongoing practice of NPS by service organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Infections due to carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae have recently emerged as one of the most urgent threats to hospitalized patients within the United States and Europe. By far the most common etiological agent of these infections is Klebsiella pneumoniae, frequently manifesting in hospital-acquired pneumonia with a mortality rate of ~50% even with antimicrobial intervention. We performed transcriptomic analysis of data collected previously from in vitro characterization of both laboratory and clinical isolates which revealed shifts in expression of multiple master metabolic regulators across isolate types. Metabolism has been previously shown to be an effective target for antibacterial therapy, and genome-scale metabolic network reconstructions (GENREs) have provided a powerful means to accelerate identification of potential targets in silico. Combining these techniques with the transcriptome meta-analysis, we generated context-specific models of metabolism utilizing a well-curated GENRE of K. pneumoniae (iYL1228) to identify novel therapeutic targets. Functional metabolic analyses revealed that both composition and metabolic activity of clinical isolate-associated context-specific models significantly differs from laboratory isolate-associated models of the bacterium. Additionally, we identified increased catabolism of L-valine in clinical isolate-specific growth simulations. These findings warrant future studies for potential efficacy of valine transaminase inhibition as a target against K. pneumoniae infection.

Our society is facing an unprecedented mental health crisis, with nearly one in two people being affected by mental health issues over their lifespan. This trend is especially noticeable among college students, who undergo significant shifts in social, familial, and academic responsibilities. Exacerbating the mental health crisis is the fact that students are facing other societal crises (e.g., climate change). And, in a reciprocal fashion, students experiencing poor mental health are less likely to feel resilient enough to tackle these other crises. In response to these colliding societal crises, we need a comprehensive solution that goes beyond the current models of college mental health services. We propose an alternative preventative mental health approach, which aims to prevent the onset of mental health concerns and build resilience in the face of colliding crises. Specifically, we argue that colleges can aid in building mental health resilience by creating for-credit courses that teach students the skills they need to be conscious, responsible, and resilient human beings. Toward this end, we created an experiential, workshop-style, 1 unit, P/NP course, entitled “Learning Sustainable well-being” (LSW), which guides students to explore, improve, and sustain their mental health. The principles taught in this course combine the wisdoms of several disciplines, including mindfulness, psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, religion, poetry, and cinema. The following community case study reflects on the journey of our “LSW initiative,” starting from the creation of the course in 2014 to the current mission of scaling up the offering as part of an institution-wide LSW program. To this end, we describe the LSW course modules/content, our pedagogical approach, potential limitations, and then provide data demonstrating its efficacy in improving student well-being. As a final note, we present the challenges we have faced, and the lessons learned, while on this journey. We hope that presenting this community case study will facilitate the growing dialogue across colleges about creating (and perhaps requiring) courses like LSW in order to improve students’ mental health and resilience in the context of other colliding crises.

The Berkeley MET5, funded by EUREKA, is a 0.5-NA EUV projection lithography tool located at the Advanced Light Source at Berkeley National Lab. Wavefront measurements of the MET5 optic have been performed using a custom in-situ lateral shearing interferometer suitable for high-NA interferometry. In this paper, we report on the most recent characterization of the MET5 optic demonstrating an RMS wavefront 0.31 nm, and discuss the specialized mask patterns, gratings, and illumination geometries that were employed to accommodate the many challenges associated with high-NA EUV interferometry.

Effective regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA-axis) has been linked to numerous health outcomes. Within-person variation in diurnal measures of HPA-axis regulation assessed over days, months, and years can range between 50-73% of total variation. In this study of 59 youth (ages 8-13), we quantified the stability of the cortisol awakening response (CAR), the diurnal slope, and tonic cortisol concentrations at waking and bedtime across 8 days (2 sets of 4 consecutive days separated by 3 weeks), 3 weeks, and 3 years. We then compared the stability of these indices across three key developmental factors: age, pubertal status, and sex. Youth provided 4 saliva samples per day (waking, 30 min post-waking, before dinner, and before bedtime) for 4 consecutive days during the 3rd week of an ongoing 8-week daily diary study. Youth repeated this same sampling procedure 3 weeks and 3 years later. Using multi-level modeling, we computed the amount of variance in diurnal HPA-axis regulation that was accounted for by nesting an individual's diurnal cortisol indices within days, weeks, or years. Across days, diurnal slope was the most stable index, whereas waking cortisol and CAR were the least stable. All indices except bedtime cortisol were similarly stable when measured across weeks, and all indices were uniformly stable when measured across 3 years. Boys, younger participants, and youth earlier in their pubertal development at study enrollment exhibited greater HPA-axis stability overall compared with females and older, more physically mature participants. We conclude that important within- and between-subjects questions can be answered about health and human development by studying HPA-axis regulation, and selection of the index of interest should be determined in part by its psychometric characteristics. To this end, we propose a decision tree to guide study design for research in pediatric samples by longitudinal timeframe and sample characteristics.

The Berkeley MET5, funded by EUREKA, is a 0.5-NA EUV projection lithography tool located at the Advanced Light Source at Berkeley National Lab. Wavefront measurements of the MET5 optic have been performed using a custom in-situ lateral shearing interferometer suitable for high-NA interferometry. In this paper, we report on the most recent characterization of the MET5 optic demonstrating an RMS wavefront 0.31 nm, and discuss the specialized mask patterns, gratings, and illumination geometries that were employed to accommodate the many challenges associated with high-NA EUV interferometry.