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© 2015 The Author(s) Jurisdictions throughout the world are contemplating greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation strategies that will enable meeting long-term GHG targets. Many jurisdictions are now focusing on the 2020–2050 timeframe. We conduct an inter-model comparison of nine California statewide energy models with GHG mitigation scenarios to 2050 to better understand common insights across models, ranges of intermediate GHG targets (i.e., for 2030), necessary technology deployment rates, and future modeling needs for the state. The models are diverse in their representation of the California economy: across scenarios with deep reductions in GHGs, annual statewide GHG emissions are 8–46 % lower than 1990 levels by 2030 and 59–84 % lower by 2050 (not including the Wind-Water-Solar model); the largest cumulative reductions occur in scenarios that favor early mitigation; non-hydroelectric renewables account for 30–58 % of electricity generated for the state in 2030 and 30–89 % by 2050 (not including the Wind-Water-Solar model) ; the transportation sector is decarbonized using a mix of energy efficiency gains and alternative-fueled vehicles; and bioenergy is directed almost exclusively towards the transportation sector, accounting for a maximum of 40 % of transportation energy by 2050. Models suggest that without new policies, emissions from non-energy sectors and from high-global-warming-potential gases may alone exceed California’s 2050 GHG goal. Finally, future modeling efforts should focus on the: economic impacts and logistical feasibility of given scenarios, interactive effects between two or more climate policies, role of uncertainty in the state’s long-term energy planning, and identification of pathways that achieve the dual goals of criteria pollutant and GHG emission reduction.

Professional learning communities have become a focus of educational reform in New Brunswick. The implementation and sustainability of this reform is dependent on shifting many of the organizational and operational characteristics of the traditional bureaucratic model into those that support a learning community approach in schools. The study examined the process for developing a school-based instrument that identifies systemic barriers that may prevent schools from becoming professional learning communities. The instrument examines culture, leadership, teaching and professional growth & development factors in an attempt to determine the readiness of a school to become a PLC.

Introduction In 2016, the Santa Clara Law Review published an article titled, "Are we nearing the end of impunity for taking Black lives?". (1) In her piece, Margalynne Armstrong considered [...], In 2016, Margalynne J. Armstrong considered the following question in the Santa Clara Law Review: "Are we nearing the end of impunity for taking Black lives?" She framed her response to this question around issues of police brutality, and she related issues of police brutality to the consistent and persistent racial subjugation of Black peoples in the United States. Ultimately, Armstrong concludes with a hopeful analysis of how the changes in the political climate of the United States might contribute to the end of impunity for taking Black lives. Our paper is an extension of Armstrong's work. In expanding Armstrong's analysis, we argue that the taking of Black lives is a more comprehensive undertaking than is suggested in Armstrong's work. We employ a critical race analysis of the dehumanization of Black peoples in the United States to answer Armstrong's research question. In particular, we consider the ways in which Black urban dwellers' lives are taken via urban education policy and the cultural politics of urban education. In conducting this assessment, we reframe Armstrong's question using DuBois' three-part assessment of whether Black Americans have achieved equity: whether 1) Black peoples have equitable access to quality educational opportunities and outcomes, 2) there are laws that make Black peoples second-class citizens, and 3) Black peoples have unrestricted access to the political franchise. The answer to these questions in the urban education context is, "no ". We, therefore, conclude that Armstrong is too hopeful of the impending end of impunity for ending Black lives. Keywords: Political Economy, Education Policy, Education Law, Race, Racism, Education Reform, Critical Race Theory

Background: N‐terminal portion of the B‐type natriuretic propeptide (NT‐proBNP) has potentially been shown to play an important role in the development of periodontitis and cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study evaluated the efficacy of periodontal treatment on NT‐proBNP and related CVD biomarkers and explored whether subjects harboring high NT‐proBNP at baseline showed increased clinical benefits with the non‐surgical periodontal treatment performed with full‐mouth scaling and root planing (FM‐SRP) at 6‐month follow‐up. Methods: Forty‐eight patients with stage III periodontitis were randomized to receive minimal standard oral care (SOC) (n = 24) or FM‐SRP (n = 24) protocol. Clinical periodontal parameters (probing depth, clinical attachment loss, bleeding on probing), serum NT‐proBNP, α1‐antitrypsin, C‐reactive protein (hs‐CRP), endothelial cell‐specific molecule‐1 (ECM‐1), and neutrophil gelatinase‐associated lipocalin (NGAL) concentrations were assessed at baseline and at 1‐, 3‐, and 6‐ month follow‐up. Results: At 6 months, FM‐SRP was more effective than SOC in reducing periodontal parameters and mean proportions of NT‐proBNP (p = 0.004), hs‐CRP (p = 0.003), α1‐antitrypsin (p = 0.012), ECM‐1 (p = 0.014), and NGAL (p = 0.045). At 6‐month follow‐up, the reduced NT‐proBNP, α1‐antitrypsin, hs‐CRP, ECM‐1, and NGAL levels were significantly correlated with the extent of periodontitis (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the analysis of variance analysis evidenced that, at 6‐month follow‐up, FM‐SRP significantly impacted the reduction of NT‐proBNP, hs‐CRP, ECM‐1, and NGAL. Moreover, high levels of NT‐proBNP, hs‐CRP, ECM‐1, and NGAL at baseline significantly influenced the efficacy of periodontal treatment positively. Conclusion: In this study, FM‐SRP was more effective than SOC in reducing clinical variables and NT‐proBNP levels, although subjects who harbored high NT‐proBNP concentrations at baseline showed greater clinical benefits of periodontal treatment at 6‐month follow‐up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Museum-based education for health professionals can lead to a variety of important learning outcomes within the domain of skills development, personal insight, perspective-taking and social advocacy. The Harvard Macy Institute's Art Museum-based Health Professions Education Fellowship was designed to develop faculty expertise in art museum-based practices, encourage scholarship, and cultivate a cohesive and supportive community of educators. The Fellowship was piloted from January to May 2019 with twelve interprofessional Fellows. Two in-person experiential sessions were held at Boston-area museums with intervening virtual learning. Fellows were introduced to a variety of approaches used in art museum-based education and developed a project for implementation at their home institution. A qualitative formative evaluation assessed immediate and 6-month post-Fellowship outcomes. Outcomes are reported in four categories: (1) Fellows' personal and professional development; (2) Institutional projects and curriculum development; (3) Community of practice and scholarly advancement of the field; and (4) Development of Fellowship model. A follow-up survey was performed four years after the conclusion of the pilot year, documenting Fellows' significant accomplishments in museum-based education, reflections on the Fellowship and thoughts on the future of the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many groups of adult museum visitors welcome the invitation to make personal connections to works of art. Time for individual reflection and sharing with others may enable relationships to deepen and new insights to emerge. This article describes an approach to gallery teaching that honors the memories, associations, and emotions that visitors bring to their encounters with works of art. The approach has been particularly effective with groups of health care professionals, and as a reminder to docents of the powerful affective experiences that will naturally occur for some members of the public. In an addendum, the author reports on a recent conference that brought together museum educators and medical educators to discuss emerging collaborations. (Contains 3 photos and 1 note.)