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Dissertation work is traditionally a solo, perhaps isolating, endeavor. In qualitative content analysis in the social sciences, the student applies a codebook, whether of their own creation or an adaptation of an existing theory or framework, which is appropriate to their research context and method without collaborating with others. The theory of information worlds provides an analytical framework to analyze information behavior and use in social contexts without ascribing to or prescribing a particular methodology or approach. This article describes and discusses a novel collaborative effort to operationalize and develop codebooks for the theory of information worlds which was used across three methodologically diverse dissertations. Implications for methodology, pedagogy, and dissertation work are also discussed, with an emphasis on the ways in which a project such as this might inform the future teaching practices of doctoral students.

Even though Candida spp. are staying commonly on human skin, it is also an opportunistic pathogenic fungus that can cause candidiasis. The emergence of resistant Candida strains and the toxicity of antifungal agents have encouraged the development of new classes of potent antifungal agents. Novel naphthalen-2-acyl imidazolium salts (NAIMSs), especially 1,4-dialkoxy-NAIMS from 1,4-dihydroxynaphthalene, were prepared and evaluated for antifungal activity. Those derivatives showed prominent anti-Candida activity with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 3.125 to 6.26 μg/mL in 24 h based on microdilution antifungal susceptibility test. Among the tested compounds, NAIMS 7c showed strongest antifungal activity with 3.125 μg/mL MIC value compared with miconazole which showed 12.5 μg/mL MIC value against Candida spp., and more importantly &gt, 100 μg/mL MIC value against C. auris. The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was increased and JC-1 staining showed the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential in C. albicans by treatment with NAIMS 7c. The increased release of ultraviolet (UV) absorbing materials suggested that NAIMS 7c could cause cell busting. The expression of apoptosis-related genes was induced in C. albicans by NAIMS 7c treatment. Taken together, the synthetic NAIMSs are of high interest as novel antifungal agents given further in vivo examination.

Purpose In response to recent calls for research relating to employers’ perceptions of the workplace readiness of new graduates in a variety of fields, the purpose of this paper is to report North Florida employers’ perceptions of information technology (IT) program graduates’ workplace readiness. These findings are relevant to stakeholders in growing technology regions. Design/methodology/approach Researchers conducted 18 semi-structured interviews with IT employers in North Florida. Data were deductively coded with codes derived from national standards. Interviewee verbatim was also inductively coded by theme. Findings While employers valued a blend of technical and general skills and hands-on experience, they also sought new professionals who possessed fundamental understandings of business and computer programming to tailor their problem-solving skills to the specific company environment. Research limitations/implications This research represents a limited number of employer viewpoints in one representative community. Practical implications Ongoing industry input into curricula and expanded experiential opportunities may ensure that graduates are prepared to address current and future IT developments. Because the region under study was typical of many regions with growing technology sectors, these findings may inform partnerships, curriculum, and program design. Originality/value Given the rapid growth and constant advances of the IT sector, institutions with IT degree programs are challenged to ensure that their curricula are current and meeting the needs of employers. This study’s findings may offer timely insight into elements of workforce preparedness.

InDrosophila, high-frequency electrical stimulation across the brain triggers a highly stereotypic repertoire of spasms known as electroconvulsive seizures (ECS). The distinctive ECS spiking discharges manifest across the nervous system and can be stably assessed throughout the seizure repertoire in the large indirect flight muscles (DLMs). ECS discharges in DLMs have been extensively used to monitor seizure activities, notably in stress (‘bang’)-sensitive mutants. However, the relationships between ECS-spike patterns and native motor programs, including flight and grooming, are not known and their similarities and distinctions remain to be characterized. We employed quantitative spike pattern analyses including: 1) overall firing frequency, 2) spike timing between contralateral fibers, and 3) short-term variability in spike interval regularity (CV2) and instantaneous firing frequency (ISI−1) to reveal distinctions amongst ECS discharges, flight and grooming motor patterns. We then examined DLM firing phenotypes in well-established mutants in excitatory cholinergic (Cha), inhibitory GABAergic (Rdl) and electrical (ShakB) synaptic transmission. The results provide an initial glimpse on the vulnerability of individual motor patterns to perturbations of respective synaptic transmission systems. We found marked alterations of ECS discharge spike patterns in terms of either seizure threshold, spike frequency or spiking regularity. In contrast, no gross alterations during grooming and only a minor reduction of firing frequency during Rdl mutant flight were observed, suggesting a role for GABAergic modulation of flight motor programs. Picrotoxin (PTX), a known pro-convulsant that inhibits GABAAreceptors, induced DLM seizure patterns that displayed some features, e.g. left-right coordination and ISI−1range, that could be found in flight or grooming, but distinct from ECS discharges. Our results indicate that these quantitative techniques may be employed to reveal overlooked relationships among aberrant motor patterns and native DLM motor programs in genetic and pharmacological analyses of underlying cellular and neural circuit function.

This panel showcases analyses of emerging trends of e-participation---use of information communication technologies (ICTs) and social media for political participation. E-participation has gained popularity in many countries, and some cases have shown that e-participation has actually brought significant changes in societies. In this panel, we address two issues: (1) the impacts of e-participation on society, and (2) the role of information science in understanding this phenomenon. We will focus on introducing emerging trends in e-participation and their impact on individuals and societies in South Korea, the United States, and Honduras. Further, we introduce methods for efficiently analyzing e-participation data, and discuss challenges involved in implementing these methodologies. Because this is intended to be an interactive panel, the audience will be encouraged to engage in discussions and contributing their own experiences and ideas related to current trends in e-participation in various countries.

The value of information within and across communities varies; however, even slight variations in this value may define boundaries between different worlds. The Theory of Information Worlds offers a framework for understanding social information behaviors in these settings. This poster reports on the operationalization of the concept of Information Value and its implications for an ongoing project focusing on the development of codebooks intended to be effective across diverse research contexts and methodologies. Specifically, the concept of Information Value is operationalized and discussed through the lenses of three different dissertation projects focusing on South Korean political discourse on Twitter, Ernestine Rose and the Harlem Library, and the digital literacy practices of role-players in a new Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game. Implications of Information Value on research on communities and cultures are also briefly discussed before describing the project's next steps.

A seizure-paralysis repertoire characteristic of Drosophila “bang-sensitive” mutants can be evoked electroconvulsively in tethered flies, in which behavioral episodes are associated with synchronized spike discharges in different body parts. Flight muscle DLMs (dorsal longitudinal muscles) display a stereotypic sequence of initial and delayed bouts of discharges (ID and DD), interposed with giant fiber (GF) pathway failure and followed by a refractory period. We examined how seizure susceptibility and discharge patterns are modified in various K+and Na+channel mutants. Decreased numbers of Na+channels in naptsflies drastically reduced susceptibility to seizure induction, eliminated ID, and depressed DD spike generation. Mutations of different K+channels led to differential modifications of the various components in the repertoire. Altered transient K+currents in Sh133and Hk mutants promoted ID induction. However, only Sh133but not Hk mutations increased DD seizure and GF pathway failure durations. Surprisingly, modifications in sustained K+currents in eag and Shab mutants increased thresholds for DD induction and GF pathway failure. Nevertheless, both eag and Shab, like Sh133, increased DD spike generation and recovery time from GF pathway failure. Interactions between channel mutations with the bang-sensitive mutation bss demonstrated the role of membrane excitability in stress-induced seizure-paralysis behavior. Seizure induction and discharges were suppressed by naptsin bss nap double mutants, whereas Sh heightened seizure susceptibility in bss Sh133and bss ShMdouble mutants. Our results suggest that individual seizure repertoire components reflect different neural network activities that could be differentially altered by mutations of specific ion channel subunits.

Drosophila bang-sensitive mutants display a remarkable stereotyped behavioral sequence during mechanical disturbances. This seizure repertoire consists of initial and delayed bouts of spasm interposed with paralysis and followed by recovery of activity and a period of refractoriness to further stimulation. Electroconvulsive stimuli across the brain induced a similar seizure behavior in tethered flies, in which corresponding electrophysiological events could be readily recorded in indirect flight muscles [dorsal longitudinal muscles (DLMs)] of the giant fiber (GF) pathway. The DLM physiological repertoire consisted of initial and delayed discharges (IDs and DDs), a response failure and recovery, followed by a refractory period. Interestingly, wild-type flies also displayed the same electroconvulsive repertoire, albeit inducible only at higher stimulus intensities and with briefer expression. The DLM repertoire presumably originated from activities of distinct neural circuits subserving normal function and reflected the general sequence of excitation and depression of the nervous system as a whole, as shown by simultaneous recordings along the different body axes. The well characterized GF pathway facilitated localization of circuits responsible for response failure and ID and DD motor patterns by surgical manipulations, recording-stimulating site analysis, and genetic mosaic studies. A flight pattern generator is most likely the major contributor to shaping the DD pattern, with modifications by active integration of individual motor neurons and associated interneurons. The robust electroconvulsive repertoire of DLMs provides a convenient window for further genetic analysis of the interacting neural mechanisms underlying a stereotyped action pattern in Drosophila, which shows striking parallels with aspects of seizure in mammalian species.

This action-based National Science Foundation-funded research project is prompted by the growth of broadband in industries in rural communities in which over 40% of households lack broadband capability. Through the multi-method pursuit of five rural community-focused need and barrier-focused research questions, the researchers are investigating the role of Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways in meeting the needs of rural employers and new technical professionals in rural communities in Northwest Florida. This research will lend important insight into the challenges to, in accordance with the iConference 2014 theme, “breaking down the walls” to sustainable broadband-supported economic development.

The skills that individuals need to compete in the knowledge economy place the emphasis on improving science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education in general and information technology (IT) education in particular. Understanding the underlying use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in all aspects of life sets the educational agenda that guides IT technician education and the future skill sets of IT workers. Prior research has focused on the value of undergraduate IT degrees but not enough is known about the impacts that IT education may have on student employment success and the labor market. This study examines current IT students’ job competency expectations provided in IT college curricula, identifies the actual job competencies new IT professionals need, and describes the alignment between these competencies and the staffing needs reported by northwest Florida employer job postings. This paper presents preliminary findings of the four-year, National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education (NSF ATE) project, Assessing Information Technology Educational Pathways That Promote Deployment and Use of Rural Broadband in which IT technician education is viewed from the perspective of the student and new professional in an effort to examine how IT workers meet the needs of employers.

For public organizations, the ability to harness web-based Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to make information and services directly available to the public has become an important goal. Simultaneously, the use of volunteers by public organizations has become a crucial component of service delivery within the US. Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) programs rely heavily upon volunteers to advocate for neglected children. While there is no doubt variation exists across specific CASA programs, their generally ubiquitous reliance on volunteers indicates a need for recruitment, training, and coordination to successfully achieve program goals. While the discussion of User-Centered Design (UCD) factors illustrates issues for consideration, the case study of Florida's Guardian ad Litem (GAL) program more concretely illustrates how a state-level CASA can begin to harness online ICT to achieve programmatic goals. This chapter discusses key information design characteristics needed for online systems to effectively deliver required information to both volunteers and staff.

Guardian ad Litem (GAL) programs represent one example of new hybrid models of governmental organizations in which citizen volunteers participate with staff in delivering services. Information and communication technologies (ICT) also increasingly play a role in distributing e-government information to citizens. This study used a web-based survey to examine adoption of and intent to use ICT among citizen volunteers, staff and other stakeholders within Florida's GAL program. Constructs based on Davis' Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) [10] were tested in analyzing survey results, and found to provide a solid foundation for evaluating stakeholder use of online technologies.

This study explored the effect of public library activities on reading achievement of 1st grade students, using the ECLS-K (Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten). The results from Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) indicate that children's reading Item Response Theory (IRT) scores were significantly related to whether their parents had a library card and visited the public library with them. In addition, the reading IRT scores of 1st grade students who had their own library cards were significantly higher than those of non-library card holding students. The location of the public library also played an important role in the number of times parents and their children visited it. Students who visited the public library also had significantly higher reading IRT score than students who did not visit the public library. These findings suggest that accessibility and utilization of public libraries contribute to the growth of reading abilities of 1st grade students.

The role of the conserved Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK) family of protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) in the development and physiological functions of the CNS has long been an area of interest among neuroscientists. In this report, we observe that Drosophila mutants lacking Fak56 exhibit a decreased life span, accompanied by a bang-sensitive phenotype, which is characterised by sensitivity to mechanical and high-frequency electrical stimulation. Fak56 mutant animals display lower thresholds and higher rates of seizures in response to electroconvulsive stimuli, and direct measurements of action potential conduction in larval segmental nerves demonstrate a slowed propagation speed and failure during high-frequency nerve stimulation. In addition, neuromuscular junctions in Fak56 mutant animals display transmission blockade during high-frequency activity as a result of action potential failure. Endogenous Fak56 protein is abundant in glial cells ensheathing the axon bundles, and structural alterations of segmental nerve bundles can be observed in mutants. Manipulation of Fak56 function specifically in glial cells also disrupts action potential conduction and neurotransmission, suggesting a glial component in the Fak56 bang-sensitive phenotype. Furthermore, we show that increased intracellular calcium levels result in the dephosphorylation of endogenous Fak56 protein in Drosophila cell lines, in parallel with our observations of highly variable synaptic potentials at a higher Ca2+ level in Fak56 mutant larvae. Together these findings suggest that modulation of Fak56 function is important for action potential propagation and Ca2+-regulated neuromuscular transmission in vivo.