Digital Commons Network^™

Volume 16, Number 4: November/December 2010, Jean C. Nelson

UConn Libraries Newsletter

Page 2 The Vice Provost for University Libraries reflects on the changes we have seen as an institution and how the financial support of our friends has enabled us to invest in learning.

Page 3 Research in the Archives & Special Collections uncovers the story of political activist Vivien Kellems.

Page 4 Fall Library Forum takes on the classroom versus online learning debate.

Page 5 In a guest column, the department head for UConn’s Journalism Department highlights the risks journalists are taking in Mexico.

Page 6 A visual look at a full fall semester of activities.

Page 7 The Dodd …

In Translation V.1:No.2 (2010:Fall), Matthew J. Cook

UCHC Articles - Research

Momentum Continues: Newly Formed CICATS IRB The newly established CICATS Institutional ReviewBoard (IRB), chaired by Julian Ford, PhD, is officially operational. Applications are currently being accepted for review of CICATS research studies and trials. The first convened meeting was held on November 18, 2010.

Research Navigation There are two new members of CICATS available to you in your research investigator corner — the Regulatory Analyst and the Investigator Advocate.

The Gateway Stacey Anderson, Operations Manager The Gateway serves as the primary point of contact for researchers seeking assistance, referral, services and resources. This “nerve center” promotes collaborative clinical and translational …

The River Discontinuum: Applying Beaver Modifications To Baseline Conditions For Restoration Of Forested Headwaters, Denise Burchsted, Melinda Daniels, Robert Thorson, Jason Vokoun

Center for Integrative Geosciences

Billions of dollars are being spent in the United States to restore rivers to a desired, yet often unknown, reference condition. In lieu of a known reference, practitioners typically assume the paradigm of a connected watercourse. Geological and ecological processes, however, create patchy and discontinuous fluvial systems. One of these processes, dam building by North American beavers (Castor canadensis), generated discontinuities throughout precolonial river systems of northern North America. Under modern conditions, beaver dams create dynamic sequences of ponds and wet meadows among free-flowing segments. One beaver impoundment alone can exceed 1000 meters along the river, flood the valley laterally, …

Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion Model In Rodents: Methods And Potential Pitfalls, Fudong Liu, Louise D. Mccullough

UCHC Articles - Research

A variety of animal models have been developed for modeling ischemic stroke. The middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model has been utilized extensively, especially in rodents. While the MCAO model provides stroke researchers with an excellent platform to investigate the disease, controversial or even paradoxical results are occasionally seen in the literature utilizing this model. Various factors exert important effects on the outcome in this stroke model, including the age and sex of the animal examined. This paper discusses emerging information on the effects of age and sex on ischemic outcomes after MCAO, with an emphasis on mouse models of …

Learning Commons @ Uconn Assessment Report: Use And Satisfaction Of The Learning Commons, Kate Fuller

Published Works

Learning commons are borne from user need and created from user input. The rapidly changing needs of students require constant refinement of the services; refinement based on the feedback of primary users is integral to the success of a service such as a learning commons. This study measures the use of, and satisfaction with, the Learning Commons @ UConn one year after it was opened to the public. The findings from the survey discuss how library patrons perceive the services and spaces available in the Learning Commons; recommendations are given for potential improvements to the Learning Commons in the future.

Advertising In Online Social Networks: A Comprehensive Overview, Silvia Stockman

Honors Scholar Theses

This paper examines characteristics of online social networking sites and their implications on advertising. The application of well known interpersonal and mass communication theories to the field allows for an in-depth look at behavioral cues and responses. The interactivity inherent in sites like Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, and in other forums encourages advertisers to tap into engaging their consumers. Types of targeting and the success of word of mouth referrals are examined, as are many of the common stumbling blocks. To better understand the potential versus the problems, we conclude with an analysis of return on investment.

Changes In The Proliferation Of The Subventricular Zone Neural Stem Cell Pool Throughout Aging In The Murine Brain, Olayinka Edwards

Honors Scholar Theses

Previous studies regarding subventricular zone (SVZ) neural stem cells (NSCs) have either observed global changes in the SVZ niche containing NSCs or an impure NSC population. By imaging wholemount preparations of mouse brains and staining with molecular markers specific for proliferating NSC nuclei, the study was able to give a more accurate depiction of the SVZ NSC population than its predecessors. This study will quantify the percentage of proliferating NSCs at various ages of adult murine brain development in order to elucidate a possible correlation between NSC division kinetics and the declining neurogenic output witnessed with aging.

Minutes, November 9, 2010

Agendas and Minutes

No abstract provided.

2010 November 8

Minutes

No abstract provided.

Dynamics Of Hiv Risk Behavior In Hiv-Infected Injection Drug Users

CHIP Documents

Forty-six individuals with a history of injection drug use participated in a questionnaire and an interview study assessing their HIV risk behaviors, and their HIV risk and prevention information, motivation, and behavioral skills related to injection drug use and sexual behavior. High levels of past and current risky injection drug use and sexual behavior were reported. HIV risk reduction information was generally high, and many participants reported proprevention attitudes and supportive perceived norms toward HIV risk reduction behaviors. However, many did not intend to engage in these preventive behaviors, and some reported deficits in prevention behavioral skills. Interview data revealed …

Egf Receptor Kinase Activity Is Required For Gap Junction Closure And For Part Of The Decrease In Ovarian Follicle Cgmp In Response To Luteinizing Hormone, Rachael P. Norris, Marina Freudzon, Viacheslav O. Nikolaev, Laurinda A. Jaffe

UCHC Articles - Research

The meiotic cell cycle in mouse oocytes is arrested in prophase, and then restarted when luteinizing hormone (LH) acts on the surrounding granulosa cells. The granulosa cells keep meiosis arrested by providing a source of cGMP that diffuses into the oocyte through gap junctions, and LH restarts the cell cycle by closing the junctions and by decreasing granulosa cell cGMP, thus lowering oocyte cGMP. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) activation is an essential step in triggering LH-induced meiotic resumption, but its relationship to the cGMP decrease in the follicle is incompletely understood, and its possible function in causing gap junction …

Mhc Class I And Tcr Avidity Control The Cd8 T Cell Response To Il-15/Il-15rα Complex, Thomas A. Stoklasek, Sara L. Colpitts, Henry M. Smilowitz, Leo Lefrançois

UCHC Articles - Research

IL-15 operates via a unique mechanism termed transpresentation. In this system, IL-15 produced by one cell type is bound to IL-15Rα expressed by the same cell and is presented to apposing cells expressing the IL-15Rβ/γC complex. We have shown that administering soluble IL-15Rα complexed with IL-15 can greatly enhance IL-15 activity. We now show that the naive CD8 T cell response to exogenous IL-15/IL-15Rα complex is MHC class I dependent. In the absence of β2 microglobulin, naive CD8 T cells scarcely proliferated in response to IL-15/IL-15Rα complex, whereas memory cells proliferated, although to a lesser extent, compared with levels in …

Erlotinib Added To Carboplatin And Paclitaxel As First-Line Treatment Of Ovarian Cancer: A Phase Ii Study Based On Surgical Reassessment, Carolyn D. Runowicz

UCHC Articles - Research

Background

The purpose of this study was to determine whether adding the anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor erlotinib to carboplatin/paclitaxel improved pathologic complete response (pCR) at reassessment surgery in epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancers (OFPC).

Methods

Patients with stage III-IV OFPC initiated treatment within 12 weeks of initial cytoreductive surgery or, after histologic confirmation of diagnosis, neoadjuvantly. Treatment included paclitaxel (175 mg/m²) and carboplatin (AUC 6) every 3 weeks for up to 6 cycles, plus oral erlotinib 150 mg daily. The primary objective was to determine whether the pCR rate at reassessment …

The Decade Of The Dendritic Nmda Spike, Srdjan D. Antic, Wen-Liang Zho, Anna R. Moore, Shaina M. Shor, Katerina D. Ikonomu

UCHC Articles - Research

In the field of cortical cellular physiology, much effort has been invested in understanding thick apical drites of pyramidal neurons and the regenerative sodium and calcium spikes that take place in the apical trunk. Here we focus on thin dendrites of pyramidal cells (basal, oblique, and tuft dendrites), and we discuss one relatively novel form of an electrical signal (“NMDA spike”) that is specific for these branches. Basal, oblique, and apical tuft dendrites receive a high density of glutamatergic synaptic contacts. Synchronous activation of 10–50 neighboring glutamatergic synapses triggers a local dendritic regenerative potential, NMDA spike/plateau, which is characterized by …

Determining Optimal Storage Arrangements For Open Access Data Sets, As For Nsf Data Management Plan Requirements, David B. Lowe

Published Works

Document is a proposed draft of a decision tree to be used in determining what approach to take for making data available in order to comply with open access requirements for data management, as per National Science Foundation requirements.

The Effect Of College Student Demographic Variables On Teacher Enmeshment, Mark S. Walzer, Katharyn E.K. Nottis

NERA Conference Proceedings 2009

Interactions between students and faculty outside of class appear to be linked to greater achievement during and after college (Anaya & Cole, 2001; Hathaway, Nagda, & Gregerman, 2002). However, sometimes there can be blurred personal boundaries and a lack of autonomy in relationships or what has been labeled enmeshment. The purpose of the current pilot study was to investigate the effect of race/ethnicity, gender, year in college, and college major on faculty-student relationships and teacher enmeshment. Teacher enmeshment was measured with the Teacher Enmeshment subscale of the Separation-Individuation Test of Adolescence (SITA; Levine & Saintonge, 1993). A sample of 165 …

Scaling Down: How Small To Medium-Sized Cultural Heritage Institutions Can Make Sizeable Contributions To Larger Digital Projects, Michael J. Bennett

UConn Library Presentations

Presentation made for the Connecticut State Library-hosted "Decision Points in Digitization" panel discussion, Hartford, CT October 21, 2010.

Ethical Inquiry: In And Out Of The Curriculum, Lisa Novemsky

NERA Conference Proceedings 2010

In its pure form, "doing philosophy" which includes "doing ethics, inquiry and critical or rigorous thinking." The late Matthew Lipman recognized that doing philosophy entailed the cultivation of excellent thinking. His ideas have been explored and expanded within the context of Philosophy for Children, a movement that makes reasoning and judgment available to children through the discipline of philosophy. It is rare to see philosophy and/or other methods of teaching reasonable, ethical and caring thinking in institutions of learning in this country.

Teacher Quality, Content Knowledge, And Self-Efficacy In One Mathematics Teach For America Cohort, Brian R. Evans

NERA Conference Proceedings 2010

The purpose of this study was to understand the relationships between mathematical content knowledge and perceptions of teaching self-efficacy in one cohort of Teach for America teachers. It was found that teachers had high levels of self-efficacy. It was also found that mathematics related majors had higher mathematical content knowledge than did business majors, but similar levels of self-efficacy. Liberal arts majors had similar content knowledge and levels of self-efficacy as did mathematics related majors.

Querying The Place And Shape Of Ethics In Education: Models And Methods, Victoria Nunez

NERA Conference Proceedings 2010

The idea of integrating an exploration of ethics and other forms of philosophical thinking into the P-12 curriculum has been defined and explored both locally and globally over the last four decades. Yet the local movements to incorporate ethics into education have stalled and need to be reinvigorated. My perspective as the discussant is shaped by my study and teaching of feminist care ethics (Noddings, 2005) and the way the notion of caring has been applied by critical Latino/a studies researchers in the study of Latino/a urban education (Valenzuela,1999; De Jesus, 2003; De Jesus & Antrop-Gonzalez , 2006; Antrop-Gonzalez & …

Teacher Retention In American Schools In The East Asia Region: Salary And Leadership Are Key, Laura Roberts, Steven V. Mancuso, Ron Yoshida

NERA Conference Proceedings 2010

The purpose of this study was (a) to track teacher turnover in the East Asian Region Consortium of Schools (EARCOS) and (b) to create a model to explain teacher turnover. We received responses from 32 school heads and 744 teachers in EARCOS schools. The average turnover rate was 32% from 2009 to 2010. The most important correlates of turnover were satisfaction with salary and the perception of a supportive principal. Teachers’ age was also a significant predictor of turnover. Characteristics that defined teachers’ perceptions of supportive leadership were consistent with definitions of transformational and distributed leadership.

An Investigation Of Student Study Behaviors In Post-Secondary Classes, Jess L. Gregory, Cicely Horsham-Brathwaite, Margaret Lally Queenan, Beth Pamela Skott

NERA Conference Proceedings 2010

The current study explored study skills utilized by students across post-secondary academic levels. One hundred and forty eight students from a private university in the Northeast completed a survey that assessed participants’ self-reported frequency of use of textbook skills, note taking, memory, test preparation, concentration, and time management. Textbook skills, p<.01 and time management skills, p<.05 were found to be positively correlated with class level. The results indicated that advanced students more frequently utilized time management and textbook skills; however students at all levels might benefit from direct instruction on other effective study skills. Implications for the study are discussed.

The Purpose Of A College Education: Getting A Job: Narrations Of First-Generation College Students, Angela C. Thering

NERA Conference Proceedings 2010

This research examines the educational experiences of a group of 18 white, working-class, first-generation college students and how these experiences prepared them to be successful in college. Most participants had always intended to attend college, despite their parent’s level of education. The data set for this study is derived from quasi-life history, qualitative interviews concerning participants’ educational experiences from all levels of schooling. This research seeks to address gaps in the literature concerning the educational backgrounds and understandings of white, working-class, first-generation college students as a means to assist colleges and universities in the recruitment and retention of this particular …

The Relationship Of Personality Traits To Satisfaction With The Team: A Study Of Interdisciplinary Teacher Teams In Rhode Island Middle Schools, Michele D. Humbyrd, Robert K. Gable

NERA Conference Proceedings 2010

Shared practice in schools has emerged; teachers are moving from isolation to team collaboration where personality traits could be related to quality interactions. Team personality traits and team satisfaction were examined. A survey and interview approach was used for N = 244 full-time teachers from N = 49 interdisciplinary teams at N = 7 middle schools. Descriptive, correlational, multiple regression analyses and coded themes about team members’ personalities and interactions were employed. No significant relationships were found between the BFI traits and Satisfaction with the Team. Team-level analysis indicated a significant negative correlation between Satisfaction with theTeam and Extraversion and …

Are Household Income, Gender, And Race Important In Shaping Parental Involvement In Children’S Education?, Nicholas D. Hartlep, Antonio L. Ellis

NERA Conference Proceedings 2010

The authors used data from the National Household Education Surveys (NHES) Program 2007 Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey (National Center for Education Statistics, 2007) (N=10,681) to examine household income, gender, and race of parents, and their importance in shaping parental involvement in children’s education. The study finds that when accounting for tutoring that: (1) Pacific Islander mothers have the highest odds of being involved in their child's homework; (2) Black fathers have the highest odds of being involved in their child's homework; and (3) Low household incomes (compared to high household incomes) have the highest odds of being …

Students As The Definitive Source Of Formative Assessment: Academic Self-Assessment And The Self-Regulation Of Learning, Heidi L. Andrade

NERA Conference Proceedings 2010

This paper presents a synthesis of scholarship on formative assessment, self-assessment, and self-regulated learning. It has two objectives: (1) to bridge the gap between two related but distinct areas of inquiry, (2) to illustrate how research on self-regulation can inform the study of formative assessment in general and self-assessment in particular. The paper begins by briefly reviewing and integrating the relevant literatures. It then presents a simple model, proposes general principles for supporting self-assessment and self-regulation in the classroom, and presents examples from classroom practice.

Middle And High School Mathematics Teacher Differences In Mathematics Alternative Certification, Brian R. Evans

NERA Conference Proceedings 2010

his study examined the differences in content knowledge, attitudes toward mathematics, and concepts of teacher self-efficacy among several different types of teachers in the New York City Teaching Fellows program, and informs teacher education in mathematics alternative certification. Findings revealed that high school teachers had significantly higher content knowledge than middle school teachers. Mathematics Teaching Fellows had significantly higher content knowledge than Mathematics Immersion Teaching Fellows. Mathematics and science majors had significantly higher content knowledge than other majors. Teachers had the same high positive attitudes toward mathematics and same high concepts of self-efficacy regardless of content ability.

Higher Level Peer Editing: An Investigation Of The Use And Quality Of Peer Editing In An Mba Program, Joanne Crossman, Stacey L. Kite

NERA Conference Proceedings 2010

This mixed methods study investigated the use of peer editing to improve writing among graduate students with a high percentage of non-native speakers of English. Following a modified version of the Van den Berg et al. (2006) Optimal Model of peer critique of university coursework, statistically significant gains were realized between the initial draft and final proposal for each of the measured items: support, audience focus, writing conventions, and organization. During the qualitative phase, students were observed to identify how peer editors engaged in discovery mode (Lockhart & Ng, 1995) interactions. The modified model and pedagogical practice proved effective for …

Levels Of Urgency And Attitudes Toward Group Experiences, Christine Perakslis, Stacey L. Kite, Felice D. Billups

NERA Conference Proceedings 2010

The freshman experience typically requires a profusion of challenging adjustments relating to a new and demanding college environment. One significant force of attrition is transition or adjustment difficulties for freshman. Successfully influencing freshman includes efforts that focus on helping students make an academic, personal , and social adjustment to college. Group work provides opportunities for patterns of interaction (Evans, Forney, & uido-DiBrito, 1998; Tinto, 2005; Upcraft, Gardner, & Associates, 1989). The purpose of this study was to investigate differences between and among personality factors relative to levels of urgency and student attitudes toward group work. The study provided an institution …

An Ihe/Lea Research Partnership: Closing The Achievement Gap Through Differentiated Professional Development For Preschool Educators, Maureen Mcsparran Ruby, Ann Anderberg

NERA Conference Proceedings 2010

This paper describes results from an Early Reading First project that is closing the gap between English and Spanish speaking preschoolers and supporting teachers through professional development and coaching. A university and school district research partnership is transforming 15 preschool classrooms serving low-income families into sites of educational excellence. After intensive classroom language and literacy interventions and professional development of teachers and support staff, improvements in both outcomes on English assessments of early literacy for both English and Spanish speaking children and on a Teacher Knowledge Test for teachers and paraprofessionals were seen.