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The role of secondary education is critical to preparing graduates for adulthood. This study explored the transition experiences of high school graduates and factors that impacted their preparation for adulthood. This descriptive study focused on the experiences of degree and non-degree-seeking graduates. Surveys were distributed to students enrolled in a general education course at a state university and marketing research participants not enrolled in post-secondary programs. The survey sought to identify overall preparedness, responsibilities deemed necessary to teach in high school, and influence factors that prepared them for adulthood. The overall findings displayed that graduates seeking degrees felt more prepared for adulthood. While both groups agreed that many adulthood-responsibility topics should be taught, degree-seekers found less value in teaching parenting skills in a high school class despite identifying that parents have a more significant impact on preparing them for adulthood. Researchers recommend that in addition to college and career-ready curricula, instruction should include preparation topics that align with 21st-century markers that better support non-degree-seeking graduates toward successful transitions into adulthood.

As the disruptive effects of COVID-19 on education have prompted conversations about remedial learning and learning recovery, the expectation is increasingly that schools are more productive in less time. This raises concerns regarding potential increase in the use of prescriptive curricula. While critiques regarding the usage of such curricula abound, the lack of clarity about what it is that these curricula do and how they impact instructional processes render critiques too coarse-grained to be of value in both normative evaluations and remedial efforts. To resolve this problem, the authors provide a framework that analyzes what prescriptive curricula entail and how they impact teaching and learning. The framework postulates that prescriptiveness occurs along five dimensions and is a matter of degree along each of these. Subtle differences between how these dimensions and degrees of prescription materialize in individual curricula matter for formulating both targeted critiques about what makes such curricula objectionable and for developing adequate and feasible remedies to undo the harmful effects of prescriptive curricula.

This work considers group discussion data, as recorded in video conferencing settings, and demonstrates the ability to use readily available computational tools to glean important information characterizing the dynamics of the group discussion. In particular, our toolbox reveals a number of important characteristics of a discussion, including who is speaking when and each participant's relative sentiment throughout the discussion. We also identify the moments of the discussion where specific events occur, such as reading or quoting from source material or when questions are being asked, etc. Finally, we conduct a topic analysis to characterize the amount of time spent on various themes in the discussion. We then demonstrate that these tools are reasonably accurate at locating the desired content and can, in fact, provide a unique window to into the dynamics of group discussions.

The idea that children need to be exposed to stories of patriotic heroes has again surfaced in recent legislative activity surrounding education. Often, this impulse aligns with a conservative, moralizing vision of teaching history: the flaws of past historical figures should be minimized for the purposes of national pride and traditional virtues. When nations have experienced moral catastrophe, however, this impulse runs counter to the need to teach for historical truth. In this paper, Bryan Warnick examines the link between heroes, historical truth, and patriotic education. For initial inspiration, he turns to a vision of patriotic heroism suggested by writer and historian Anne Applebaum in her analysis of Soviet oppression. After examining both the value of patriotism and the contested role of national heroes in constructing patriotism, he concludes that certain forms of patriotism can make a positive contribution to civic identity and that identification with national heroes will be an unavoidable feature of such an identity.

We examine the soundness of the idea and practice of engineering accreditation and look critically at the process as implemented in regions around the world. Based on our analysis of the effectiveness of current approaches, we suggest areas and methods for improvement and propose guidelines for a revised accreditation framework that addresses some of the challenges of the current system. In addition to providing standardization of course topics and methods for assessing outcomes and curriculum improvement, accreditation requirements could be adjusted to reduce the reporting burden and recognize the need for faculty empowerment and freedom to innovate in motivating and encouraging high quality educational programs.

Dynamic functional connectivity investigates how the interactions among brain regions vary over the course of an fMRI experiment. Such transitions between different individual connectivity states can be modulated by changes in underlying physiological mechanisms that drive functional network dynamics, e.g., changes in attention or cognitive effort. In this paper, we develop a multi-subject Bayesian framework where the estimation of dynamic functional networks is informed by time-varying exogenous physiological covariates that are simultaneously recorded in each subject during the fMRI experiment. More specifically, we consider a dynamic Gaussian graphical model approach where a non-homogeneous hidden Markov model is employed to classify the fMRI time series into latent neurological states. We assume the state-transition probabilities to vary over time and across subjects as a function of the underlying covariates, allowing for the estimation of recurrent connectivity patterns and the sharing of networks among the subjects. We further assume sparsity in the network structures via shrinkage priors, and achieve edge selection in the estimated graph structures by introducing a multi-comparison procedure for shrinkage-based inferences with Bayesian false discovery rate control. We evaluate the performances of our method vs alternative approaches on synthetic data. We apply our modeling framework on a resting-state experiment where fMRI data have been collected concurrently with pupillometry measurements, as a proxy of cognitive processing, and assess the heterogeneity of the effects of changes in pupil dilation on the subjects propensity to change connectivity states. The heterogeneity of state occupancy across subjects provides an understanding of the relationship between increased pupil dilation and transitions toward different cognitive states.

Increasingly, national standards require K-12 students to develop digital literacy practices. In literacy, teachers' use of digital media platforms has unrecognized potential to impact students' literacy engagement. Moreover, students gain English Language Arts skills and knowledge of the writing process when completing digital literacy storytelling projects. This study records the preparedness and willingness of participants in a graduate-level teaching English Language Arts to implement digital literacy storytelling projects in K-12 settings. Results indicate that some participants unlocked the possibilities of using the Digital Literacy. Storytelling Project as a learning tool for English Language Arts, while others remained blocked to the potential for the Digital Literacy Storytelling Project due to their challenges with technology. The study highlights the implications of supporting the digital development of K-12 teachers.

We consider how the quasinormal spectrum for the conformal wave operator on the static patch of de Sitter changes in response to the addition of a small potential. Since the quasinormal modes and co-modes are explicitly known, we are able to give explicit formulae for the instantaneous rate of change of each frequency in terms of the perturbing potential. We verify these exact computations numerically using a novel technique extending the spectral hyperboloidal approach of Jaramillo et al. (2021). We propose a definition for a family of pseudospectra that we show capture the instability properties of the quasinormal frequencies.

Background: Donor organ shortage is a barrier to lung transplantation. Donation after circulatory death (DCD) may offer a solution, although it is underutilized. The objective of this study was to compare survival and other postoperative outcomes between DCD and donation after brain death (DBD). Methods: We performed a multicenter analysis of Multi-Institutional Extracorporeal Life Support (ECLS) Registry data from 11 lung transplant centers in the United States and Europe. Demographics and clinical parameters were compared using chi-square test and Fisher's exact test. Survival was assessed by Kaplan-Meier curves and compared by log-rank test with propensity score matching. Results: Of 1,585 patients included in the study, 135 (8.5%) received DCD lungs and 1,450 (91.5%) received DBD lungs. DCD recipients had higher rates of obstructive lung disease (p = 0.042), longer total ischemic time (p

The National Agricultural Literacy Outcomes (NALOs) are knowledge benchmarks for school-aged youth and are used to improve agricultural literacy (NAITC, 2014; NCAL, 2017). Despite educational efforts, prior research indicated that high school populations remained at low or deficient literacy levels. Additionally, no agricultural literacy assessment instruments using the NALOs as a standardization tool have been developed for the 9-12th grades. The purpose of the study was to validate a summative NALO-centered assessment that could provide baseline data on agricultural literacy following the completion of secondary education (12th grade). The study followed the framework established by Longhurst et al. (2020) for similar assessments in elementary grades. A Delphi team produced 45 items for validation that were reviewed using a convenience sample of [University] undergraduate students. Those items were evaluated using factor, item, and discriminant analysis. Results finalized two 15-item assessments and determined both had acceptable reliability, were adequate for model fit, and were valid for the NALOs and the three proficiency levels. The instruments are critical tools for providing a standardized approach to evaluation efforts. Researchers and educators should use these instruments to provide comparable agricultural literacy data across populations to better identify trends, program needs, and meaningful inferences.

Education quite often sends the message that life involves choosing a "thesis" and defending it against objections. Educators frequently require students to "pick a side," justifying their positions with the best reasons available. What should educators teach students about the value of holding opinions and beliefs? Should they believe in belief? Are there costs to living an "opinionated" life? In this paper, the author focuses on one particular version of ancient skepticism, the Pyrrhonian version. Other versions, such as the so-called Academic Skepticism of Carneades, had a more Socratic feel and lacked the emphasis on the alleged emotional benefits of skepticism. Based on what can be gleaned from other early Pyrrhonists, it seems that Pyrrho's version of ancient skepticism held that the mind has no access to things apart from sense perception, that sense perception does not guarantee that we perceive things as they really are, and therefore, that there is no way to know the true nature of things. The author posits that education should be, at least in part, about promoting human happiness. In this article, Warnick conceptualizes happiness largely in terms of "subjective wellbeing." This is a bit more expansive than the Pyrrhonian view of "ataraxia." Subjective wellbeing posits happiness as a combination of overall life satisfaction and a regular experience of positive emotions. Factors influencing subjective wellbeing include: family, friends, community, financial stability, health, freedom, rewarding work, and values. In this analysis, Warnick focuses on whether being opinionated contributes to these sorts of things.

Abstract National estimates suggest that more than 35% of American children, ages 2–19 years, are overweight or obese, which increases their risk for weight‐related comorbidities including diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease risk factors, depression, and anxiety. While obesity prevention is most cost‐effective, for youth with existing obesity, the United States Preventive Services Task Force recommends ≥26 h of comprehensive lifestyle intervention over 6–12 months. This include standard behavioral therapy, dietary counseling, and an emphasis on physical activity. Although such programs are effective in reducing weight status, there are many barriers to completing these programs. A novel consideration for both the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity is the recognition that the timing of intervention, both duration and time of the year, can impact family engagement and intervention effectiveness. This paper discusses the potential of targeting high‐risk periods for weight gain and offering brief behavioral intervention, in hopes of inspiring research on novel approaches to the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity.

Background/Context: In the 1973 "Rodriguez" decision, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the Constitution does not guarantee a substantive federal right to education. So far, this holding has not been adequately contextualized with many other statements the Court has made concerning the nature of education in the constitutional order. For example, since the 1969 "Tinker" decision, the Court has repeatedly justified curtailing student free speech by appealing to important educational goods, but the necessity of providing these educational goods has not been harmonized with the Court's denial of a federal right to education. Purpose/Objective/Research Question or Focus of Study: Is the Court's denial of a constitutional right to education consistent with how education is formulated in the Court's other decisions related to education, particularly as found in the student speech cases? Research Design: A "holistic analysis" is employed to examine the Supreme Court decisions related to education. This approach interprets the different strands of the Court's decisions related to education in light of one another (a "dialogic task") and places the Court's decisions into a larger context of educational thought (a "contextual task"). Specifically, with respect to the dialogic task, the focus is on reading the Court's decisions related to a federal right to education in light of its jurisprudence related to student speech; with respect to the contextual task, the focus is on clarifying the Court's statements related to educational goods by putting them into context with educational philosophy and theory. Conclusions/Recommendations: The holistic analysis leads to three observations. First, the authors find that the Supreme Court has endorsed a range of goods associated with education, including both public and private goods. Second, the Court has framed these educational goods as being closely associated with constitutional norms and the democratic order. Third, in the student speech cases, the Court has argued that these public and private educational goods are so critical that they justify the curtailment of student speech rights under the First Amendment. Bringing these observations together, it is concluded that, because education is being linked to constitutionally relevant private individual goods, and because the attainment of those goods is critical enough to overcome student speech rights, then the attainment of those goods should itself be considered a substantive, individual, constitutional right.

It is likely that the process of global climate change will continue to accelerate. There is a lack of political will to confront the problem and the consequences for humanity -- including widespread suffering and institutional destabilization -- will be disastrous. How should educators respond to a catastrophic future? Here, Bryan Warnick argues that two criteria should guide the educational response. The response should not (1) undermine efforts to find an "unprecedented solution" to climate change, or (2) leave students unprepared to adapt to a global catastrophe. Using these criteria, he analyzes several possible ways to help students adapt to disaster, including teaching survivalism, encouraging forms of emotional resilience (like the Stoic "apatheia"), and helping students to appreciate the current moment. These adaptive responses seem to violate the first criterion. At the same time, an educational response focused entirely on climate activism seems to violate the second criterion. Warnick ends by exploring ways to accommodate the need for both adaptation and social engagement, finding promise in the idea of a tragic activism.

According to Bryan Warwick, policy can cause tragedy. A famous example is the tragedy described in Sophocles' play "Antigone." In this play, Creon, the political leader of ancient Thebes, causes tragedy in his quest to educate his people about civic loyalty. The conflict engendered by his educational policy eventually brings death and suffering. While educational policy seldom results in such personal and bloody outcomes, it can clearly cause, or contribute to, heartbreaking results. Since tragedy is something to avoid in formulating policy, it may be useful to look at Sophocles' work. Thinking of "Antigone" as a cautionary tale about policy gives people several things to look out for in education. For example, just as Creon failed to consider the impact of his decree on specific people like Antigone, educational policy is often formed and justified on the basis of abstractions. These abstractions sometimes appear as vast piles of aggregate statistics, which do not tells educators anything about any specific student or any existing school. Abstractions also appear in vast generalizations about public education. In fact, the rhetoric of the dismal failure of "America's schools" has put in motion policy dynamics that have upended public education and continue to do so. The language of educational crisis, mixed with generalized abstractions of American schools, is a potent concoction, animating extreme educational reforms.

Research has shown 21st century skills are essential to a student's success outside of the high school classroom. The 21st century skills prepare students to enter the workforce or higher education with the ability to think critically and creatively, collaborate with others, take the initiative when approached with a task, and use technology to its fullest potential. This study examined school-based agricultural education teachers' perceived knowledge, ability, and importance of implementing 21st century skills into the classroom. Upon identifying teachers perceived level of importance, knowledge, and ability, results were analyzed to determine the professional development needs of school-based agricultural education teachers in particular 21st century skills. Results concluded professional development is needed to further educate and equip agriculture teachers with specific and applicable strategies to implement Critical Thinking, Communicating, and Technology Literacy skills into their classrooms.

Robust testing capacity was necessary for public health agencies to respond to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) during the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic. As the nation faced the need for robust testing capacity, it became necessary to use all possible resources. In many cases, veterinary diagnostic laboratories rose to meet this demand because these facilities routinely perform high throughput diagnostic testing of large animal populations and are typically familiar with pathogens of high pandemic concern. In this study, we evaluated the impact of veterinary diagnostic laboratories in the United States on SARS-CoV-2 testing. Results of surveys, semi-structured interviews, and analysis of publicly available information showed that veterinary diagnostic laboratories had a substantial impact on human health through population-level testing in the COVID-19 response, supporting timely and informed public health interventions. This success was not without significant hurdles, as many participating veterinary diagnostic laboratories experienced restriction in their response due to difficulties obtaining the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) certification required to conduct human diagnostic testing. Our results point out the importance of reducing hurdles before the next major public health emergency to enhance access to testing resources overall and to ultimately improve population health.

Dynamic functional connectivity investigates how the interactions among brain regions vary over the course of an fMRI experiment. Such transitions between different individual connectivity states can be modulated by changes in underlying physiological mechanisms that drive functional network dynamics, e.g., changes in attention or cognitive effort. In this paper, we develop a multi-subject Bayesian framework where the estimation of dynamic functional networks is informed by time-varying exogenous physiological covariates that are simultaneously recorded in each subject during the fMRI experiment. More specifically, we consider a dynamic Gaussian graphical model approach where a non-homogeneous hidden Markov model is employed to classify the fMRI time series into latent neurological states. We assume the state-transition probabilities to vary over time and across subjects as a function of the underlying covariates, allowing for the estimation of recurrent connectivity patterns and the sharing of networks among the subjects. We further assume sparsity in the network structures via shrinkage priors, and achieve edge selection in the estimated graph structures by introducing a multi-comparison procedure for shrinkage-based inferences with Bayesian false discovery rate control. We evaluate the performances of our method vs alternative approaches on synthetic data. We apply our modeling framework on a resting-state experiment where fMRI data have been collected concurrently with pupillometry measurements, as a proxy of cognitive processing, and assess the heterogeneity of the effects of changes in pupil dilation on the subjects' propensity to change connectivity states. The heterogeneity of state occupancy across subjects provides an understanding of the relationship between increased pupil dilation and transitions toward different cognitive states.

Summary: Background: Pancreatic Duct Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) screening can enable early-stage disease detection and long-term survival. Current guidelines use inherited predisposition, with about 10% of PDAC cases eligible for screening. Using Electronic Health Record (EHR) data from a multi-institutional federated network, we developed and validated a PDAC RISk Model (Prism) for the general US population to extend early PDAC detection. Methods: Neural Network (PrismNN) and Logistic Regression (PrismLR) were developed using EHR data from 55 US Health Care Organisations (HCOs) to predict PDAC risk 6–18 months before diagnosis for patients 40 years or older. Model performance was assessed using Area Under the Curve (AUC) and calibration plots. Models were internal-externally validated by geographic location, race, and time. Simulated model deployment evaluated Standardised Incidence Ratio (SIR) and other metrics. Findings: With 35,387 PDAC cases, 1,500,081 controls, and 87 features per patient, PrismNN obtained a test AUC of 0.826 (95% CI: 0.824–0.828) (PrismLR: 0.800 (95% CI: 0.798–0.802)). PrismNN's average internal-external validation AUCs were 0.740 for locations, 0.828 for races, and 0.789 (95% CI: 0.762–0.816) for time. At SIR = 5.10 (exceeding the current screening inclusion threshold) in simulated model deployment, PrismNN sensitivity was 35.9% (specificity 95.3%). Interpretation: Prism models demonstrated good accuracy and generalizability across diverse populations. PrismNN could find 3.5 times more cases at comparable risk than current screening guidelines. The small number of features provided a basis for model interpretation. Integration with the federated network provided data from a large, heterogeneous patient population and a pathway to future clinical deployment. Funding: Prevent Cancer Foundation, TriNetX, Boeing, DARPA, NSF, and Aarno Labs.

At least one third of all U.S. college students don't get a degree, even six years after they enroll. Earlier research focusing on trends through 1990 found broad declines in college graduation rates, especially among men attending less-selective four-year schools. Since then, however, the picture of college enrollment has changed dramatically, with increases in both high-school graduation and college matriculation rates. Have completion rates changed as well? To find out, the authors analyzed federal education and Census data and found that rates of college completion have gone up since 1990, at a broad mix of institution types and among both men and women. This trend is confirmed in federal data, the Census, and registrar data from 10 public universities. What's driving this growth? The authors looked at student background and academic preparation, as well as institutional practices like support-service spending, and find that none of these potential factors explain the changes. But one trend is clear across all the datasets: compared to decades past, college students have been earning better grades in recent years, and better college grades are strongly associated with higher rates of graduation. The authors explore a range of factors that could influence student performance, such as high-school preparation and rates of labor-force participation in college and find that these would predict students to be less likely to graduate, not more. While earning a degree is something to be lauded, evidence of grade inflation raises important questions about the meaning of some college degrees. And with growing uncertainty about the relative return on investment in terms of both time and tuition, both students and institutions should take a hard look at the ultimate value of their efforts.

Planning theories suggest a stepwise structure for organizing programs; evaluate current status with a needs assessment, identify strengths, weaknesses or gaps, use tools such as a logic model to plan, then implement and evaluate programming (Kettner et al., 2017). The National Agriculture in the Classroom organization and its state affiliates have the responsibility of providing agricultural education content to school-aged children and teachers to increase agricultural literacy (NAITC, n.d.). The Longhurst Murray Agricultural Literacy Instrument (LMALI) is a modern, valid tool to assess proficiency level of students participating in such programming (Longhurst, et al., 2020). Tri-Center Elementary in Iowa administered the LMALI to kindergarten through fifth grade students in March 2021. The findings from this case study suggest recommendations to state and national program planners to improve effectiveness of agricultural literacy outreach programs.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the longitudinal effect of enrofloxacin or tulathromycin use in calves at high risk of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) on antimicrobial resistance genes and mutation in quinolone resistance-determining regions (QRDR) in fecal E. coli. Calves at high risk of developing BRD were randomly enrolled in one of three groups receiving: (1) enrofloxacin (ENR; n = 22); (2) tulathromycin (TUL; n = 24); or (3) no treatment (CTL; n = 21). Fecal samples were collected at enrollment and at 7, 28, and 56 days after beginning treatment, cultured for Escherichia coli (EC) and DNA extracted. Isolates were screened for cephalosporin, quinolone and tetracycline resistance genes using PCR. QRDR screening was conducted using Sanger sequencing. The only resistance genes detected were aac(6')Ib-cr (n = 13), bla-CTX-M (n = 51), bla-TEM (n = 117), tetA (n = 142) and tetB (n = 101). A significantly higher detection of gyrA mutated at position 248 at time points 7 (OR = 11.5; P value = 0.03) and 28 (OR = 9.0; P value = 0.05) was observed in the ENR group when compared to calves in the control group. Our findings support a better understanding of the potential impacts from the use of enrofloxacin in calves on the selection and persistence of resistance.

The student teaching practicum experience is designed to give preservice teachers practical experience with teaching and is an important step in their development. While literature in agricultural education exists about preservice teacher professional development, little is known about the developmental process of agriculture teachers during the student teaching experience. Utilizing the theory of teacher concerns (Fuller & Brown, 1975) as a theoretical lens, the purpose of this qualitative document analysis was to determine how preservice teachers develop over the first half of the student teaching practicum by examining the way they talk about concerns. Written reflections of five different cohorts from 2010 through 2014 were analyzed at two different points in time (week two and week seven). During the first two weeks of student teaching, three themes emerged, including: 1) teacher/student identity crisis, 2) teaching competence: "I do not know how, what, or who…," and 3) adjusting to change. During week seven, the concerns changed, which indicated the student teachers were developing into the professional role of a teacher. The three themes that emerged from the data for week seven were: 1) building professional relationships, 2) engaging students, and 3) it is about time: work-life balance. Implications exist for teacher educators to place more emphasis on teaching strategies to engage and motivate students in the learning process, rather than just the task itself. Recommendations are suggested for teacher educators to discuss with preservice teachers before student teaching the realities and challenges of balancing work and life roles.

Nationwide, agricultural education has experienced a shortage of qualified school-based agriculture teachers for over four decades. Students who seek careers as agriculture teachers are often those who participated in agricultural education and FFA in high school. The Ag Ed FITChoice® Model (Lawver 2009; Lawver & Torres, 2012) was used as the investigative framework for this phenomenological study, which sought to explore how active participation in school-based agricultural education programs influenced students' choice to major in agricultural education and pursue a career in teaching. Seven agricultural education majors who participated in agricultural education and FFA in high school participated in a focus group interview. Transcripts of the focus group interview were analyzed and coded for thematic content using open, axial, and selective coding protocols. Five themes emerged from the data, which included, 1) socializer influencers, 2) social value 3) passion for agriculture, 4) alignment with personal values, and 5) agricultural education factors. The agricultural education factors theme was broken into four subthemes, which include agriculture teacher encouragement, FFA events, increased self-efficacy through a quality program, and post-high school opportunities. Based on the findings, implications and recommendations for recruitment are discussed.

Being responsive to the experiences, ideas, and stories of others is an essential trait for democratic citizens. Responsiveness promotes the general welfare, shows respect for others, and allows for what Tony Laden (2012) has called the social practice of reasoning. Political theorists have shown how responsiveness is a middle ground between dominance and acquiescence, where citizens show a willingness to be moved by those around them. Responsiveness is tested, though, when citizens interact with those who hold what are thought to be immoral or unjust beliefs. The key question: Is it possible to engage responsively with those who hold morally suspect beliefs, to be legitimately "moved" by those around us, without necessarily acquiescing to the moral problems? We argue that such engagement is both possible and desirable. There are at least five different ways to be moved by others in a productive, civic sense. We describe these modes, explain their moral depth, and give some examples. Civic educators should be aware of these modes and teach students how they can manifest in democratic life.

Phytophthora species are plant pathogens responsible for many notable biological invasions in agricultural, forests, and natural ecosystems. Detection and monitoring for invasive introductions of Phytophthora spp. is time and resource intensive. Development of citizen science detection and monitoring programs can aid in these efforts focused on reducing Phythophthora impacts. There are multiple methods for monitoring and detecting Phytophthora invasions suitable for citizen science approaches such as, leaf sampling, stream baiting or soil collections. Here we summarize five active projects in western North America where citizen scientists are aiding the monitoring and research efforts surrounding Phytophthora species and their impacts. Projects varied in scope, scale, methods, and capacity, but each project increased citizen scientists’ abilities for surveillance and advanced detection or knowledge of Phytophthora species. Some projects were integrated with school programs, others involved hands-on training with small groups, and another approach invited mass participation from interested citizens. Overall, all projects had positive outcomes multiplied across education, monitoring, and research. Together these case studies demonstrate how citizen scientists can amplify surveillance efforts, advance baseline knowledge, and reduce the impacts of biological invasions.

Abstract Opioid overdose remains a problem in the United States despite pharmacotherapies, such as buprenorphine, in the treatment of opioid use disorder. This study characterized changes in buprenorphine use. Using the Drug Enforcement Administration's ARCOS, Medicaid, and Medicare claims databases, patterns in buprenorphine usage in the United States from 2018 to 2020 were analyzed by examining percentage changes in total grams distributed and changes in grams per 100 K people in year‐to‐year usage based on ZIP code and state levels. For ARCOS from 2018 to 2019 and 2019 to 2020, total buprenorphine distribution in grams increased by 16.2% and 12.6%, respectively. South Dakota showed the largest statewide percentage increase in both 2018–2019 (66.1%) and 2019–2020 (36.7%). From 2018 to 2019, the ZIP codes ND‐577 (156.4%) and VA‐222 (−82.1%) had the largest and smallest percentage changes, respectively. From 2019 to 2020, CA‐932 (250.2%) and IL‐603 (−36.8%) were the largest and smallest, respectively. In both 2018–2019 and 2019–2020, PA‐191 had the second highest increase in grams per 100K while OH‐452 was the only ZIP code to remain in the top three largest decreases in grams per 100K in both periods. Among Medicaid patients in 2018, there was a nearly 2000‐fold difference in prescriptions per 100k Medicaid enrollees between Kentucky (12 075) and Nebraska (6). Among Medicare enrollees in 2018, family medicine physicians and other primary care providers were the top buprenorphine prescribers. This study not only identified overall increases in buprenorphine availability but also pronounced state‐level differences. Such geographic analysis can be used to discern which public policies and regional factors impact buprenorphine access.

Abstract Loss of bone is a common medical problem and, while it can be treated with available therapies, some of these therapies have critical side effects. We have previously demonstrated that CGS21680, a selective A2A adenosine receptor agonist, prevents bone loss, but its on-target toxicities (hypotension, tachycardia) and frequent dosing requirements make it unusable in the clinic. We therefore generated a novel alendronate-CGS21680 conjugate (MRS7216), to target the agonist to bone where it remains for long periods thereby diminishing the frequency of administration and curtailing side effects. MRS7216 was synthesized from CGS21680 by sequential activation of the carboxylic acid moiety and reacting with an appropriate amino acid (PEG, alendronic acid) under basic conditions. MRS7216 was tested on C57BL/6J (WT) mice with established osteoporosis (OP) and WT or A2A KO mice with wear particle-induced inflammatory osteolysis (OL). Mice were treated weekly with MRS7216 (10mg/kg). Bone formation was studied after in vivo labeling with calcein/Alizarin Red, and μCT and histology analyses were performed. In addition, human primary osteoblasts and osteoclasts were cultured using bone marrow discarded after hip replacement. Receptor binding studies demonstrate that MRS7216 efficiently binds the A2A adenosine receptor. MRS7216-treated OP and OL mice had significant new bone formation and reduced bone loss compared to vehicle or alendronate-treated mice. Histological analysis showed that MRS7216 treatment significantly reduced osteoclast number and increased osteoblast number in murine models. Interestingly, cultured human osteoclast differentiation was inhibited, and osteoblast differentiation was stimulated by the compound indicating that MRS7216 conjugates represent a novel therapeutic approach to treat osteoporosis and osteolysis.

Achievement test scores in mathematics have been a concern among educators for many years. Teaching contextualized mathematics has been found to be effective and includes providing a direct application to real-life scenarios rather than teaching linear equations and algebraic principles in isolation. This study measured the effects of integrating mathematical skills in one instructional unit in an animal science curriculum. Students from eight schools participated in the research study. Students completed a pretest measuring their existing mathematical skills and self-efficacy in math. All students were taught a unit of instruction about animal nutrition and feeding. The control group received a typical nutrition unit, and the treatment group received the same unit of instruction with the addition of mathematical skill integration. Following the unit of instruction, students completed a posttest survey, which included a mathematics attitudinal scale, posttreatment self-efficacy scale, and posttreatment mathematics skills questions. No statistically significant difference was found in mathematics self-efficacy or mathematics skills between the control group and treatment. However, results indicated a strong positive relationship between students' mathematics self-efficacy and their mathematics skills. Further, highest level of mathematics courses completed and overall grade point average were statistically significant factors in predicting mathematics self-efficacy.