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  Glass Hospitals: Transparency and Trustworthy Interpretation in Medical and Healthcare Expertise

  Ben Almassi

  In their recent article in this journal, Giubilini, Gur-Arie, and Jamrozik argue that there is more to expertise than individual healthcare professionals’ knowledge of their fields. To be an expert is to be recognized as a credible authority, they explain, and being a credible authority necessitates trust. Among the core ethical principles they identify for trustworthy experts in medicine and healthcare are honesty, humility, and transparency. Here I aim to affirm these authors’ linkage of expertise and trust by decoupling both from a presumptive norm of transparency. My suggestion is not that medical or healthcare experts should lie or deceive, but that articulating their credible authority in terms of transparency mischaracterizes things. We see this in several ways: through the negative epistemic effects of a general norm of expert transparency, the importance of discretion in healthy trust relations, and the need for relationally responsive interpretation in how medical and health experts communicate with different patients and publics across social-epistemic difference.

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  Soil Aggregation, Aggregate Stability, and Associated Soil Organic Carbon in Huron Mountains Forests, Michigan, USA

  Xiaoyong Chen, Timothy Gsell, John A. Yunger, Lynda Randa, Yuanying Peng, and Mary E. Carrington

  Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays a critical role in regulating the global carbon (C) cycle, with forest soils serving as significant C sinks. Soil aggregate stability and the distribution of SOC in different aggregate fractions would be affected by different forest types. In this study, we investigate the distribution and dynamics of SOC within different soil aggregate fractions across three main forest types in the Huron Mountains, Michigan, USA: white birch–eastern hemlock mixed forest, eastern-hemlock-dominated forest, and sugar maple forest. We hypothesize that variations in species composition and soil depth influence SOC storage and aggregate stability through mechanisms such as root interactions, microbial activity, and soil structure development. Soil samples were collected from three depth intervals (0–20 cm, 20–40 cm, and 40–60 cm) and analyzed for aggregate size distribution and SOC content. The results showed that aggregate size distribution and SOC stocks differ significantly across forest types, with the white birch–eastern hemlock mixed forest exhibiting the highest proportion of large aggregates (>1.0 mm), which contribute to more stable soil structures. This forest type also had the highest total aggregate mass and mean weight diameter, indicating enhanced soil stability. In contrast, sugar maple forest displayed a greater proportion of smaller aggregates and a lower macroaggregate-to-microaggregate ratio, suggesting fewer stable soils. SOC stocks were closely linked to aggregate size, with macroaggregates containing the highest proportion of SOC. These differences in SOC distribution and soil aggregate stability can be attributed to several underlying mechanisms, including variations in plant root interactions, microbial activity, and the physical properties of the soil. Forests with diverse species compositions, such as the white birch–eastern hemlock mixed forest, tend to support more complex root systems and microbial communities, leading to improved soil aggregation and greater SOC storage. Additionally, forest management practices such as selective thinning and mixed-species planting contribute to these processes by enhancing soil structure, increasing root biomass, and promoting soil microbial health. These interactions play a crucial role in enhancing C sequestration and improving soil health. Our findings emphasized the importance of forest composition in influencing SOC dynamics and soil stability, offering insights into the role of forest management in C sequestration and soil health. This study provided a reference to a deeper understanding of SOC storage potential in forest ecosystems and supports the development of sustainable forest management strategies to mitigate climate change.

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  Barriers and Facilitators to Quality Healthcare for African Americans with Incarceration Histories

  Vickii Coffey, Zainab Shah, Esther Jenkins, Shirley Spencer, Mary Muse, Carolyn Rodgers, Joseph Strickland, and DIane Morse

  Background Prior research has shown that African American men and women are more likely to receive lower quality healthcare compared to their white counterparts, which is exacerbated in jail and prison healthcare systems. Objective The purpose of this study is to explore barriers and facilitators to quality healthcare among African American men and women released from Illinois State Prisons or Cook County Jail by examining their opinions and experiences with overall healthcare and cancer screening during and after incarceration.

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  Perceptions Toward Wrongful Convictions and Needed Reforms in the Criminal Justice System: Does Working Experience in Law Enforcement Matter?

  Natalia Ermasova, Erica Ceka, Aubrey Adams, and Lisa Jackson

  This study proposes to investigate how public views on the wrongful conviction issue are connected with the perceived need for criminal justice reform and whether the professional experience in law enforcement influences these perceptions. This study employs a qualitative research design, deriving its conclusions from the comparative analysis of the survey responses concerning the issue of wrongful convictions and the criminal justice system collected from 45 law enforcement professionals and 35 individuals without such experience. The comparative results reveal that for the respondents without working experience in law enforcement, racial/ethnical bias was one of the most substantial issues of wrongful convictions, while for the respondents with working experience in law enforcement, the main issue was connected to the harmful effect of such cases on the victims, their families, and society. The respondents from both groups believe that there is a need for criminal justice reform, particularly in several specific directions, including the justice system itself, legal defense, policing, investigation, diversity in the justice system, DNA technology, jury selection, training for law enforcement, prosecution, and defense attorney. However, there are notable differences between the groups in their ranking of the focus areas. The differences between the groups with different backgrounds and perspectives on the issue suggest that the development and implementation of the reform initiatives may require tailored approaches to address the specific concerns of each group.

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  Intercropping Improves the Yield by Increasing Nutrient Metabolism Capacity and Crucial Microbial Abundance in Root of Camellia oleifera in Purple Soil

  Yuanzheng Gu, Jing Jiao, Haobo Xu, Yazhen Chen, Xinxing He, Xiaohong Wu, Jun Wang, Xiaoyong Chen, Hanjie He, and Wende Yan

  Intercropping system influences the endophytic microbial abundance, hormone balance, nutrient metabolism and yield, but the molecular mechanism of yield advantage in Camellia oleifera intercropping with peanut is not clear. In this study, the C. oleifera monoculture (CK) and C. oleifera-peanut intercropping (CP) treatments in purple soil were conducted, and the physicochemical properties, gene expressions, signal pathways and crucial microbial abundances were investigated to reveal the molecular mechanism of the yield advantage of intercropped C. oleifera. The results showed that the intercropping system increased in contents of pigment, carbohydrate, available nitrogen and phosphorus in leaf and root, as well as the abundances of Burkholderia, Ralstonia, Delftia, Pseudoalteromonas and Caulobacter, enhanced the relative expression levels of CoSPS, CoGBE, CoGlgP, CoGBSS/GlgA genes to promote sugar metabolism, decreased the relative expression levels of CoASA, CoTSB, CoPAI, CoTDC and CoCYP71A13 genes for inhibiting IAA biosynthesis and signal transduction, as well as microbial diversity, Fusarium, Albifimbria and Coniosporium abundances in root, ultimately improved the fruit yield of C. oleifera. These findings indicate that intercropping system improves the fruit yield by enhancing the nutrient metabolism capability and crucial microbial abundances in root of C. oleifera in purple soil.

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  Thinning Intensity Enhances Soil Multifunctionality and Microbial Residue Contributions to Organic Carbon Sequestration in Chinese Fir Plantations

  Ting He, Junjie Lei, Yuanying Peng, Ruihui Wang, Xiaoyong Chen, Zongxin Liu, Xiaoqian Gao, Peng Dang, and Wende Yan

  Soil multifunctionality is essential for the enhancement of soil carbon sequestration, but disturbances such as thinning practices can influence soil microbial activity and carbon cycling. Microbial residues, particularly microbial residue carbon (MRC), are important contributors to soil organic carbon (SOC), but the effects of thinning intensity on MRC accumulation remain poorly understood. This study evaluated the impact of four thinning treatments—control (CK, 0%), light-intensity thinning (LIT, 20%), medium-intensity thinning (MIT, 30%), and high-intensity thinning (HIT, 45%)—on soil multifunctionality in Chinese fir plantations five years after thinning. Soil nutrient provision, microbial biomass, enzyme activity, and microbial residue carbon were assessed. The results showed that thinning intensity significantly affected soil nutrient provision and microbial biomass, with MIT and HIT showing higher nutrient levels than CK and LIT. Specifically, MIT’s and HIT’s total nutrient provision increased by 0.04 and 0.15 compared to that of CK. Enzyme activity was highest in LIT (+0.89), followed by MIT (+0.07), with HIT showing a decline (−0.84). Microbial biomass, including bacterial PLFAs (B-PLFAs), fungal PLFAs (F-PLFAs), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and nitrogen (MBN), was highest in CK and MIT, and lowest in HIT, with MIT showing a 0.13 increase compared to CK. Microbial residue carbon (MRC) accumulation was positively correlated with soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), available nitrogen (AN), and easily oxidized organic carbon (EOC). The highest MRC content in the 0–20 cm soil layer was observed in MIT and CK (10.46 and 11.66 g/kg, respectively), while the MRC in LIT and HIT was significantly lower, reduced by 24% and 12%, respectively. These findings highlight the significant role of thinning intensity in microbial activity and carbon cycling. Medium-intensity thinning (MIT, 30%) was identified as the most effective approach for promoting microbial biomass and enhancing carbon cycling in Chinese fir forest soils, making it an optimal approach for forest management aimed at increasing soil carbon sequestration.

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  Moore: Attribution and Income Realization

  Alice Keane and Brian McKenna

  In the early 2000s, Charles and Kathleen Moore contributed $40,000 to help a friend establish KisanKraft Machine Tools Private Ltd., an Indian corporation. In exchange, they received about 13 percent of KisanKraft’s common shares. The corporation was established to supply farmers in India’s most impoverished regions with basic tools and equipment readily available in the United States but not in India. Under the IRC, the Moores were shareholders in a U.S. controlled foreign corporation. The mandatory repatriation tax (MRT) was enacted as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in 2017. The MRT targeted U.S. persons who own shares of a CFC and imposed a one-time tax based on the CFC’s undistributed accumulated earnings as the United States shifted its approach to taxing foreign earnings from worldwide to territorial. When the MRT was enacted, the Moores became responsible for tax on their proportional share of KisanKraft’s undistributed earnings. They declared an additional $132,512 as taxable 2017 income and paid an additional $14,729 in tax. The Moores filed a claim for refund and later a lawsuit in federal district court. The district court entered judgment for the government in 2020. The Moores appealed to the Ninth Circuit, which affirmed the district court in 2022. The Moores sought a writ of certiorari from the Supreme Court, presenting the question: “Whether the Sixteenth Amendment authorizes Congress to tax unrealized sums without apportionment among the states,” and the Court granted certiorari in 2023. On June 20, 2024, the Supreme Court held that the MRT was constitutional. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote the five-person majority opinion, which did not address whether the 16th Amendment authorizes Congress to tax unrealized sums without apportionment. Rather, the majority held that the 16th Amendment allowed Congress to attribute income realized by the CFC KisanKraft to the Moores, the 13 percent shareholders. The 7-2 decision included two concurring opinions and a dissenting opinion. This article examines the issues addressed by the Supreme Court in Moore.

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  Risk of Suicide Among Patients With Major Physical Disorders Considering Comorbidities of Mental Disorders: An Instrumental Variable Analysis

  Ning Lu, Tzu-Jung Wen, and Kuo-Cherh Huang

  Suicide is an important health concern. Excepting cancer, the association between physical disorders and suicidal risk is comparatively less explored. Instrumental variable analysis has been suggested as a powerful technique to deal with possible bias caused by unmeasured confounders in observational research. This population-based study set out to assess the suicidal risk of patients with major physical disorders by employing the instrumental variable analysis. Data were retrieved from the National Health Insurance Research Database and the Death Certification Registry in Taiwan (years 2010-2018). The Cox proportional hazards model with an instrumental variable estimator was performed, adjusting for comorbidities of mental disorders and other covariates. Analytical results showed that compared to their counterparts, patients with major physical disorders had an elevated risk of death by suicide within one year and three years after diagnosis of physical illness. Only did epilepsy not demonstrate a statistically significant impact on the risk of suicide.

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  Preferences for Intuition and Deliberation in Decision-Making in the Public Sector: Cross-Cultural Comparison of China, Taiwan, the Philippines, and the USA

  Frithiof Svenson, Natalia Ermasova, Fatih Çetin, and Markus A. Launer

  This paper explores hypotheses based on Hofstede’s cultural framework showing that decision-makers’ culture impacts their implicit choice. How people make decisions is tested through the behavioral dimension preference for intuition/preference for deliberation based on data from 1,233 employees in China, Taiwan, the Philippines, and the USA. This study reveals significant variation in individuals’ intuitive and affective decision-making in the public sector across different countries. Individuals’ deliberative decision-making is impacted by long-term orientation and uncertainty avoidance. The study finds that Eastern countries (China, the Philippines, and Taiwan) have higher scores for intuitive/affective decision making than the Western countries (the USA).

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  “Griefworks”: Integrating Emotional Processing and Meaning-Making into Grief Therapy

  Ileana Ungureanu and Cadmona A. Hall

  In recent years, we experienced a global pandemic, which forced us to face grief in myriad ways. To stress the magnitude of our collective experience in the past years, the scientific community decided it is time to introduce another diagnosis for grief (prolonged grief disorder) in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR), specifically to address what is expected to be a common occurrence for years to come as a result of the loss, grief, and trauma we experienced during the COVID-19 years. With this ever-growing need in mind, we want to present a model of working with grief addressing two aspects of processing loss that we found paramount for successful outcomes in therapy: emotional processing and cognitive/meaning-making. To exemplify the two components of grief work, we created a composite case with aspects from different real cases we have worked with over the years.

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  Influence of Miscanthus Floridulus on Heavy Metal Distribution and Phytoremediation in Coal Gangue Dump Soils: Implications for Ecological Risk Mitigation

  Jiaolong Wang, Yan Jiang, Yuanying Peng, Xiaoyong Chen, Wende Yan, Xiaocui Liang, Qian Wu, and Jingjie Fang

  Coal gangue dumps, a byproduct of coal mining, contribute significantly to heavy metal contamination, impacting soil and water quality. In order to assess the levels of heavy metal contamination in soils at different stages of abandonment, this study investigated the role of Miscanthus floridulus (M. floridulus) in the spatial distribution and remediation of six heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, and Pb) in coal gangue dump soils abandoned for 0, 8, and 12 years in Pingxiang City, Jiangxi Province, China. Fieldwork was conducted at three sites operated by the Pingxiang Mining Group: Anyuan (active, barren), Gaokeng (8 years, natural vegetation), and Qingshan (12 years, partially remediated). Anyuan remains largely barren, while Gaokeng supports natural vegetation without formal remediation. In contrast, Qingshan supports diverse plant species, including M. floridulus, due to partial remediation. Using a randomized design, root exudates, heavy metal concentrations, and soil properties were analyzed. The results showed that Cd poses the highest ecological risk, with concentrations of 64.56 mg kg−1 at the active site, 25.57 mg kg−1 at the 8-year site, and 39.13 mg kg−1 at the 12-year site. Cu and Pb showed accumulation, while Cr and Mn decreased over time. Root exudates from M. floridulus enhanced metal bioavailability, influencing Cd, Cr, and Ni concentrations. These findings highlight the importance of rhizosphere processes in metal mobility and inform sustainable remediation strategies for post-mining landscapes.

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  Book Review: Failures of Forgiveness by Myisha Cherry

  Ben Almassi

  Book Review: Failures of Forgiveness by Myisha Cherry

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  Book Review: Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò - Reconsidering Reparations

  Ben Almassi

  Book Review: Reconsidering Reparations by Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò

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  “I Feel Disconnected … but Do I?”: University Students’ Sense of Belonging in Time of Adversity

  Anna Bernadska, Giesela Grumbach, Linda Campos-Moreira, Maristela Zell, and Lisa Hollis-Sawyer

  Research about students’ sense of belonging during major adverse events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic is limited. Using data from two public universities, we ask: How do students experience belonging in times of adversity? What factors affect their experience? “Feeling Disconnected” emerged as the major theme describing negative changes in belonging. The theme “Seeing Value in the Pandemic” emerged for students reporting positive changes. Several sub-themes illuminated factors that diminished or strengthened students’ belonging.

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  What’s Holding You Back? Development of the Multi-Facet Organizational Constraints Scale (MOCS)

  Nathan A. Bowling, Jesse S. Michel, Md Rasheduel Islam, Michael A. Rotch, Stephen H. Wagner, and Lucian Zelazny

  Organizational constraints—which include any workplace condition that undermines a worker’s ability to perform his or her job tasks—are an important type of work stressor. Previous research has typically assessed organizational constraints as a global (i.e., unidimensional) construct. In the current paper, we argue that a facet (i.e., multidimensional) approach to assessing organizational constraints would complement the global approach in important ways. A facet approach, for instance, would provide researchers with new insights into the fundamental nature of the organizational constraints construct, and it would provide practitioners with specific, actionable information that they could use to inform organizational policies and interventions. With these potential benefits of the facet approach in mind, we developed the Multi-Facet Organizational Constraints Scale (MOCS)—a self-report measure that yields 16 separate facet-level scores. Across seven samples (total N = 1,600), we found that the MOCS had desirable psychometric properties: It yielded high levels of internal-consistency and test–retest reliability, it produced an interpretable factor structure, and we observed evidence supporting the MOCS’s construct validity. By providing a means of assessing organizational constraints facets, the current research has both theoretical and practical implications for various research areas within applied psychology, including occupational stress, organizational culture, employee training, and leadership.

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  Book Review: Stakeholder Engagement by Aimee L. Franklin

  Erica Ceka

  Book Review:
  Stakeholder Engagement by Aimee L. Franklin
  Springer Cham

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  River City Cuts Back: A Balancing Act Simulation

  Erica Ceka, Frankline Muthomi, and Kurt Thurmaier

  This case presents the typical scenario in a medium-sized municipality when it appears the economy is headed into a recession. The organization must make spending choices while also considering city council priorities. In this case, Karl Meier, the chief financial officer of River City, has just received some updated economic forecasts at a recent professional development conference. He calls upon his principles of cutback budgeting and citizen engagement to position the organization for the next fiscal year. The expected budget deficit is about $7.5 million. River City will need to consider both revenues and expenditures to achieve a projected budget balance, mindful of the council’s strategic goals and priorities. Students assume a budgeting actor role and use the Balancing Act simulation to propose a balanced budget to the city council reflective of the budgeting actor’s community perspective.

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  Related Technological Density and Regional Industrial Upgrading from Perspective of Product Space Theory: Evidence from China

  Haoyan Cheng, Mingyong Song, and Yunchuan Liu

  When the product space theory is applied to study regional technology and industry evolution, both the theory exploitation and practical application are not comprehensive and detailed enough. This article traces the connotation of ‘density’ in the product space theory, explains the micro-foundation of regional industrial upgrading from a firm’s perspective, and abstracts industrial upgrading into four processes at two stages. Empirical research shows that an increase in related technological density (i.e. the average proximity of related technologies in a certain region) is beneficial for all processes of industrial upgrading. Marketization has a positive moderating effect on the static stage but a certain ‘counterproductive’ effect on the dynamic stage. Regional heterogeneity analysis shows that, on the whole, the industrial upgrading effect of the related technological density increase is relatively stronger on static processes but relatively weaker on dynamic processes in eastern China, and such results may be attributed to differences in regional resource dependence.

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  Promoting Growth Mindset in the Mathematics Classroom

  Gabriela Dellamorte and J. Christopher Tweddle

  Teachers often encounter students with a fixed mindset who believe they cannot learn mathematics. Part of the reason many students believe they cannot learn mathematics is that many students do not experience mathematics as uncertainty, explorations, conjectures, interpretations, and patterns. As educators in the mathematics classroom, our practices can foster a growth mindset and change our students’ conceptions of mathematics. We can help them to respect and value their mistakes by creating a culture where “Mistakes are expected, respected, inspected, and corrected” (Boaler 2016, para. 6). For students to make mistakes, we must provide them with challenging work where they can experience productive struggle, which will inherently provide teachers with the opportunity to praise students’ effort and not their ability. Additionally, it will lessen their discomfort with failure. We must not use tricks to guide our lessons and focus on conceptual understanding. When we use productive struggle in our classrooms, we provide the students with an opportunity to build on or amend their prior knowledge and thus, create new knowledge that they can use in future mathematics classes.

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  Establishing an Agenda for Public Budgeting and Finance Research

  Natalia Ermasova and et. al

  Public budgeting and finance is a discipline that encompasses communities of research and practice. Too often, however, these communities fail to engage each other, instead choosing to operate independently. The result is that the research being conducted fails to address the questions of the day and our governments’ challenges. In this article, we come together as a community of academics and practitioners to establish an agenda for where future research should be conducted. This agenda aims to align the research being undertaken within the academic community with the needs of those working in the community of practice. After establishing ten areas where research is needed, we followed a ranked-choice voting process to establish a prioritization for them. Based on the outcome of this process, the two primary areas where research is currently needed most are the fiscal health of our governments and the implementation of social equity budgeting.

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  Approaches to Solutions of Municipal Fiscal Distress: a Descriptive Case of Matteson, Illinois

  Natalia Ermasova and Tatyana Guzman

  The aim of this case study is to provide a detailed picture of causes and consequences of fiscal emergencies and to examine different approaches the Village of Matteson, Illinois, used to improve its financial position between 2009 and 2024. Specifically, we focus on the following research questions: (1) What are the main causes of fiscal stress? (2) How did Matteson address its fiscal challenges? and, (3) What recommendation for improvement of fiscal health conditions in Matteson could extrapolate to other local governments? This case study analysis supports a Theory of Municipal Fiscal Emergency and Bankruptcy by Guzman and Ermasova (2023). We found that Matteson went through three stages of exit from its fiscal stress situation suggested by Guzman and Ermasova (2023): Haphazard, Emergency, and Innovative Responses. Matteson tackled its fiscal problems by “stretching the budget,” creating a business district tax and municipal hotel tax, establishing new fines, installing traffic-light cameras on heavy traffic roads, collecting higher service charges and permit fees, improving budgeting practices, achieving Home Rule status, and providing financial incentives to businesses to support economic development.

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  Assessments of Municipalities’ Fiscal Health: Comparative Analysis of State Online Dashboard Systems

  Natalia Ermasova and Tatyana Guzman

  This research provides a comparative analysis of eight state online dashboard systems that track and assess fiscal health of local governments in California, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Washington, and Utah. The eight chosen states represent a population of states that both monitor local government fiscal health and run an online dashboard system The goal of this article is to offer practical guidance for practitioners on states’ online dashboard systems used to assess municipal fiscal health and provide a list of top best practices. Specifically, we address such questions as (1) who should administer the online dashboard systems, (2) what financial indicators should be present, (3) what environmental factors should be incorporated, (4) how many years of prior financial data should be included, (5) what financial stress risks should be accounted for, (6) what supplementary resources for use of systems should be present, and (7) which entities should collaborate in establishing and managing online dashboard systems.

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  Inclusive Early Childhood Teacher Education: A Paradigm for Envisioning and Enacting

  Leanne Evans, Tatiana Joseph, Maggie Bartlett, and Sara Jozwik

  This article describes the processes and timeline of developing our Inclusive Early Childhood Teacher Education Program (IECTE). In doing so, we describe collaborations that have a dynamic unfolding that took place over 10 years and united early childhood education (ECE), early intervention/early childhood special education (EI/ECSE), and bilingual/English as a second language (ESL) programming. Foundational to our collaborative work is the transformation that occurred within these individual areas of teacher education that eventually led us to the evolving paradigm of inclusivity in early childhood education. In our IECTE work we detail our paradigm of critical inclusivity that includes three tenets: (1) a dialogic approach, (2) curriculum revision, (3) student guidance, and (4) mentoring support. We conclude by offering implications for continuous growth through descriptions of radical collaboration and advocacy in inclusive early childhood settings, such as intervention agencies, Head Start programs, childcare centers, community programs, and public schools.

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  Preparing Inclusive Early Childhood Educators (PIECE): A Conceptualization of Multilingualism, English Learning, and Inclusivity

  Leanne M. Evans, Tatiana Joseph, and Sara Jozwik

  The purpose of this article is to share the examination of inclusivity as a paradigm for fostering authenticity and agency (Moore, 2017) among teacher candidates. This framing challenges the notion of inclusion as a tool of meritocracy used to manage learners through expectations that uphold monolingualism, decenter racial histories, and rely on rigid behavior plans. In this work, the authors interrogate the impact inclusion as assimilation has on English learners' authentic ways of knowing and being. Thus, they present a conceptualization of spaces of difference (Agbenyaga & Klibthong, 2012) within the context of an Inclusive Early Childhood Teacher Education (IECTE) program and the objectives of the Preparing Inclusive Early Childhood Educators (PIECE) project. With its rigorous coursework, clinical experiences, multi-tiered mentorship, and practice-based professional development, the PIECE project aims to develop inclusive early childhood educators at the preservice and in-service levels. Infused throughout the PIECE project is an emphasis on cultivating the knowledge and skills needed to provide high-quality instruction that improves educational outcomes for English learners (ELs). Frameworks of transformative theory and intersectionality perspectives provided the authors with a grounding for the work within the PIECE project community of learners (i.e., teacher candidates, teacher educators, and school district partners). This article summarizes critical concepts of inclusivity centered in the PIECE project work. These concepts include (1) understanding oneself to look beyond; (2) disrupting notions of normalcy and naturalized language; and (3) reconceptualizing inclusivity as a social justice act.

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  Variation Patterns of Fine Root Biomass, Production, and Turnover Rates in Four Subtropical Forests of China

  Jingjie Fang, Xiaoxin Feng, Yuanying Peng, Jun Wang, Xiaohong Wu, Wende Yan, and Xiaoyong Chen

  Fine roots (diameter ≤ 2 mm) play a critical role in regulating soil organic carbon storage and nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems. However, the variability in fine root biomass, production, and turnover rates across different forest types remains poorly understood. This study investigates fine root dynamics, including biomass, distribution, and turnover, across four major monoculture plantation forests in subtropical China: Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook), Masson pine (Pinus massoniana Lamb.), Chinese sweet gum (Liquidambar formosana Hance), and camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora (L.) J. Presl). Using a sequential coring method, soil samples were collected monthly to monitor live and dead fine root biomass across different soil depths (0–15 cm, 15–30 cm, 30–45 cm, and 45–60 cm). Fine root production and turnover rates were estimated using three methods: Max–Min, Integral and Decision Matrix. The results showed that fine root biomass was highest in the camphor tree forest (1.96 t ha−1), followed by Masson pine (1.12 t ha−1), Chinese fir (0.89 t ha−1), and Chinese sweet gum (0.83 t ha−1). Approximately 90% of the total fine root biomass was composed of live roots across all forest types, highlighting their significant role in nutrient uptake. Both live and dead fine roots were predominantly concentrated in the upper 0–30 cm soil layer, with a notable decline in biomass in deeper layers. Fine root biomass production was highest in the camphor tree forest (2.66–2.90 t ha−1 a−1), followed by Masson pine (1.16–1.83 t ha−1 a−1), Chinese fir (0.87–0.97 t ha−1 a−1), and Chinese sweet gum (0.87–0.93 t ha−1 a−1). Turnover rates were highest in the camphor tree forest (1.25–1.36 a−1), followed by Masson pine (0.96–1.51 a−1), and both Chinese fir and Chinese sweet gum (0.94–1.05 a−1 and 0.97–1.04 a−1, respectively). This study identifies significant differences in fine root dynamics among subtropical forest types, providing baseline data critical for optimizing forest management, particularly in urban and peri-urban areas. These insights can enhance reforestation efforts, ecosystem resilience, and sustainable forest productivity.

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  Effects of Fertilization and Planting Modes on Soil Organic Carbon and Microbial Community Formation of Tree Seedlings

  Sutong Fan, Yao Tang, Hongzhi Yang, Yuda Hu, Yelin Zeng, Yonghong Wang, Yunlin Zhao, Xiaoyong Chen, Yaohui Wu, and Guangjun Wang

  Biochar and organic fertilizer can significantly increase soil organic carbon (SOC) and promote agricultural production, but it is still unclear how they affect forest SOC after. Here, low-quality plantation soil was subjected to four distinct fertilization treatments: (CK, without fertilization; BC, tea seed shell biochar alone; OF, tea meal organic fertilizer alone; BCF, tea seed shell biochar plus tea meal organic fertilizer). Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook and Cyclobalanopsis glauca (Thunb.) Oersted seedlings were then planted in pots at the ratios of 2:0, 1:1, and 0:2 (SS, SQ, QQ) and grown for one year. The results showed that the BCF treatment had the best effect on promoting seedling growth and increasing SOC content. BCF changed soil pH and available nutrient content, resulting in the downregulation of certain oligotrophic groups (Acidobacteria and Basidiomycetes) and the upregulation of eutrophic groups (Ascomycota and Proteobacteria). Key bacterial groups, which were identified by Line Discriminant Analysis Effect Size analysis, were closely associated with microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and SOC. Pearson correlation analysis showed that bacterial community composition exhibited a positive correlation with SOC, MBC, available phosphorus, seedling biomass, and plant height, whereas fungal community composition was predominantly positively correlated with seedling underground biomass. It suggested that environmental differences arising from fertilization and planting patterns selectively promote microbial communities that contribute to organic carbon formation. In summary, the combination of biochar and organic fertilizers would enhance the improvement and adaptation of soil microbial communities, playing a crucial role in increasing forest soil organic carbon and promoting tree growth.

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  The Performativity of Comedic Apologies

  Dustin Goltz and Jason Zingsheim

  This essay examines the comedic apology ritual as a complex site of struggle over competing cultural values. First tracing the multilayered process of the categorical apology, we detail performative dimensions of apology specific to the dealing of comedy and the interpretive ambiguities of irony. Turning next to the context of the “apology epidemic,” we examine how the call for, and possible delivery of, an apology marks a performative struggle over competing norms and values. Finally, the essay traces a series of performative effects emerging from the repetition of this cultural comic apology ritual, both in its compliance and refusal.

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  Book Review: Lessons of the Pandemic: Disruption, Innovation, and What Schools Need to Move Forward by David T. Marshall and Tim Pressley

  Giesela Grumbach and Cheri Gibbs

  Book Review: Lessons of the Pandemic: Disruption, Innovation, and What Schools Need to Move Forward by David T. Marshall and Tim Pressley

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  Speech-language Pathologists’ Experience with Nursing Initiated Texture Modified Diets in Health Care Settings

  Naomi Gurevich and Danielle Osmelak

  Texture modified diets (TMDs) are among the most widely used compensatory measures for managing dysphagia. TMDs are associated with significant risks involving nutrition, hydration, and quality of life. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are trained to evaluate and treat people with dysphagia and to assess client-specific appropriateness of TMDs. However, patients are regularly placed on TMDs by nursing staff without formal training in dysphagia and without SLP consult (Gurevich et al., 2021).

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  Wearing Many Hats: The Lived Experience of Professional School Counselors

  Yenitza Z. Guzman, Ahmet Can, Leonis Wright, and Eman Tadros

  This study examines the lived experiences of urban school counselors. This qualitative phenomenological research attempts to examine roles and responsibilities of each school counselor. The focus is to identify roles assigned to the school counselor, how they are assigned, what sort of say school counselors have in those assignments, and suggestions they have to improve their assigned roles and responsibilities. The findings are analyzed and discussed, including themes of COVID-19, Challenges, Satisfaction, Professional Identity, and Advocacy. Clinical recommendations and future directions have been provided.

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  A Call for Social Work Educators to Confront and Dismantle Systemic Racism Within Social Work Programs

  Shonda Lawrence and Tiffany D. Baffour

  The second volume of a two-part Special Issue of a Trilogy on race and racism amplifies the narratives, experiences, and truths of social work faculty and students who are working to confront and dismantle systemic racism in social work programs and departments globally. Counter-storytelling, using teaching and learning as its central theme, is used to first name racist and colonizing practices and then offer strategies to improve institutional change efforts. Sustainable anti-racist efforts in social work education can be improved by incorporating knowledge, skills, strategies, and lessons learned throughout this Special Issue.

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  Drought-Induced Alterations in Carbon and Water Dynamics of Chinese Fir Plantations at the Trunk Wood Stage

  Yijun Liu, Li Zhang, Wende Yan, Yuanying Peng, Hua Sun, and Xiaoyong Chen

  Over the past three decades, China has implemented extensive reforestation programs, primarily utilizing Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook) in southern China, to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and counter extreme climate events. However, the effects of drought on the carbon sequestration capacity of these forests, particularly during the trunk wood stage, remain unclear. This study, conducted in Huitong, Hunan, China, from 2008 to 2013, employed the eddy covariance method to measure carbon dioxide (CO2) and water fluxes in Chinese fir forests, covering a severe drought year in 2011. The purpose was to elucidate the dynamics of carbon and water fluxes during a drought year and across multi-normal year averages. The results showed that changes in soil water content (−8.00%), precipitation (−18.45%), and relative humidity (−5.10%), decreases in air temperature (−0.09 °C) and soil temperature (−0.79 °C), and increases in vapor pressure deficit (19.18%) and net radiation (8.39%) were found in the drought year compared to the normal years. These changes in environmental factors led to considerable decreases in net ecosystem exchange (−40.00%), ecosystem respiration (−13.09%), and gross ecosystem productivity (−18.52%), evapotranspiration (−12.50%), and water use efficiency (−5.83%) in the studied forests in the drought year. In this study, the occurrence of seasonal drought due to uneven precipitation distribution led to a decrease in gross ecosystem productivity (GEP) and evapotranspiration (ET). However, the impact of drought on GEP was greater than its effect on ET, resulting in a reduced water use efficiency (WUE). This study emphasized the crucial role of water availability in determining forest productivity and suggested the need for adjusting vegetation management strategies under severe drought conditions. Our results contributed to improving management practices for Chinese fir plantations in response to changing climate conditions.

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  Temporal Variations in Aboveground Biomass, Nutrient Content, and Ecological Stoichiometry in Young and Middle-Aged Stands of Chinese Fir Forests

  Zhiqiang Li, Can Mao, Qinxiang Wu, Yuanying Peng, Jun Wang, Bin Zhang, Sheng Zhang, Ziaocui Liang, Wende Yan, and Xiaoyong Chen

  Understanding the ecological dynamics of forest ecosystems, particularly the influence of forest age structure on soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) content, is crucial for effective forest management and conservation. This study aimed to investigate the nutrient storage and ecological stoichiometry across different-aged stands of Chinese fir forests. Soil samples were collected from various depths (0–15 cm, 15–30 cm, and 30–45 cm) across four age groups of Chinese fir forests (8-year-old, 12-year-old, 20-year-old, and 25-year-old) in the Forest Farm, Pingjiang County, China. Soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) were measured, and their stoichiometries were calculated. The results showed that both individual tree biomass and stand biomass, along with SOC, TN, and TP content, increased with stand age, highlighting the significant importance of stand age on biomass production and nutrient accumulation in forests. Specifically, soil C and P contents significantly increased as the forest aged, while variation in N content was relatively minor. Soil C/N and C/P ratios exhibited variation corresponding to forest age, suggesting alterations in the ecological stoichiometry characteristics of the forests over time. These findings are crucial for understanding the dynamics of ecosystem functioning and nutrient cycling within Chinese fir forests and provide a solid scientific basis for the effective management and conservation of these vital forest ecosystems.

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  Diurnal, Seasonal, and Vertical Changes in Photosynthetic Rates in Cinamomum camphora Forests in Subtropical China

  Zhiqiant Li, Qinxiang Wu, Yuanying Peng, Junjie Lei, Shuguang Liu, Can Mao, Xin Liu, Jun Wang, Wende Yan, and Xiaoyong Chen

  The increase in the global atmospheric CO2 concentration is expected to increase the productivity of forests, but the dynamic processes of such increased productivity in the forest canopy remain unclear. In this study, diurnal and seasonal variations and vertical changes in photosynthetic rates were investigated in Camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora) forests in subtropical China. The effect of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and CO2 concentrations on photosynthetic rates were also examined in the studied forests. Results showed the diurnal patterns of photosynthesis exhibited two peaks on sunny days, but only one peak on cloudy days. The daily average photosynthetic rate on cloudy days was approximately 74% of that on sunny days. The photosynthetic rate decreased along the vertical forest canopy profile. If the photosynthetic rate in the upper canopy layer was 100%, the corresponding rates were 83% and 25% in the middle and lower canopy layers, respectively. The rates of dark respiration derived from the PAR response curve were 1.73, 1.25, and 1.0 µmol m−2 s−1 for the upper, middle, and lower canopy layers, respectively. The apparent quantum yield of photosynthesis was 0.0183, 0.0186, and 0.0327 µmol CO2 µmol−1 PAR for the upper, middle, and lower canopy, respectively. The initial slope of the photosynthetic response curve to CO2 was highest in the upper canopy and lowest in the lower canopy. The seasonal variation in photosynthetic rates exhibited a two-peaked pattern at all canopy positions, with the two peaks occurring in June and September. The stand biomass and biomass carbon storage were 144.7 t ha−1 and 71.6 t C ha−1 in the examined forests, respectively. The study provides a scientific reference for future research on accessing carbon sequestration and designing forest management practices, specifically in regulating canopy structure in subtropical regions.

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  Health Education: The Power of the Podcast

  Nancy J. MacMullen, Shirley Comer, Linda F. Samson, Tareylon Chairse, and Tonya S. Roberson

  Various strategies have been utilized by nurses to bring health education to community members. Role play, radio, and television (public service announcements), face to face meetings, printed literature and focus group are some of the strategies that have been used with varying degrees of success. Advances in technology have increased the types of tools available to offer health education. Social media has been used to bring information to a variety of types of community members. Zoom, GoToMeeting, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok are some of the newest technological and social media platforms employed to communicate health education and information. The Podcast in various formats is one of the newest techniques to bring accessible education to communities of interest.

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  Gauging Student Progress: The Need for Daily Formative Assessment

  Shannon Manley

  Assessment drives instruction. Teachers need an effective procedure for determining students' learning and mastery of a concept of skill daily. Formative assessment meets this demand. It is designed to take place during instruction while learning is occurring. Formative assessments supply teachers with needed methods to monitor students' learning through a deliberate and intentional process. During the assessment process, teachers provide affirming and corrective feedback to clarify of correct any misunderstandings. The authors argue that formative assessment should be implemented as a daily practice in classrooms given its value in collective data and effectiveness in driving instruction.

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  Redefining Learning Paradigms: Integrating Artificial Intelligence into Modern Classrooms

  Rich P. Manprisio, Mohammed Abdul Salam, Salman Rabrez Mohmad, and Sai Vikith Medasani

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  What Drives Renewable Energy Consumption in Asia

  Evelina Mengova

  In more recent years Asia has had the highest level of investment in renewables and the highest level of electricity generation from renewable sources. This paper analyzes the determinants of renewable energy consumption in Asia and the Pacific from 1996 to 2018. It explores the major challenges this region has faced in moving towards a more environmentally friendly generation and use of energy. We find that the renewable electricity output, GDP per capita, merchandise trade, the value added of the manufacturing sector and the income share held by the poorest population boost renewable electricity consumption. On the other hand, energy use per capita, access to electricity, energy imports, broad FDI, population growth and the income share held by the richest population lower consumption of electricity from renewable sources. Trade openness and being an island do not seem to have a statistically significant impact in our sample over the observed period.

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  The Professional Habit of Self-Reflection for School Social Workers

  Tiffany Nelson, Giesela Grumbach, and Annette Johnson

  Throughout the course of a school day, school social workers collaborate as team members but also work in isolation to assess, intervene, and engage students and their families in addressing the social-emotional, behavioral, and mental health needs that affect student academic outcomes. In performing their roles and responsibilities, school social workers engage in navigating complex situations and must rely on their professional identity. Engaging in self-reflection allows them to recognize their strengths; acknowledge the influence of their personal and professional values on their thoughts, feelings, and actions; and address gaps in their knowledge and skills. This article will provide school social work interns, practitioners, field instructors, and educators with two self-reflective tools to include in their practice that can be implemented weekly or as situations occur. It will also illustrate how these tools may be used throughout the education, training, and practice of a school social worker.

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  A Problem-Solving Approach Aimed at Helping Calculus I Students Solve Related Rates Problems

  Valentina Postelnicu and George Tintera

  After analyzing our Calculus I students’ performance on a related rates problem from a final exam, we designed a teaching experiment aimed at improving our students’ performance at problem solving. For our analysis, we used two frameworks – one specific to related rates problems and Polya’s general framework for problem solving. The analysis of student work on a final exam problem (N = 57) and interviews with 10 students revealed difficulties understanding the problem and making connections between data and unknowns. The results informed a teaching experiment the following semester when a different group of students (N = 13) used Polya’s approach to problem solving. The students solved and discussed related rates problems in geometric contexts, wrote their algorithms, and were assessed by a related rates problem on the final exam. All 13 students understood the problem, used diagrams, and all but one, established a meaningful relation with quantities from the problem. Having students create their algorithms seems to be a promising strategy in the teaching and learning of related rates problems.

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  ASHA Minority Student Leadership Program: A Student’s Perspective

  Angela M. Riccelli and Danielle Osmelak

  Xochitl Regalado, a graduate student at Governors State University (GSU), was selected to participate in ASHA’s Minority Student Leadership Program (MSLP), class of 2023. Xochitl was one of forty undergraduate seniors, graduate, and clinical doctoral students who was selected out of a competitive national selection process to participate in the MSLP. Per ASHA, the MSLP is a leadership development program for communication sciences and disorders (CSD) program students in order to recruit and retain racial/ethnic minorities that have been historically underrepresented in the field of CSD and to provide educational programming to build and enhance leaderships skills, while learning about how ASHA works. Now in her second year of graduate school, Xochitl, holds several titles, including President of the National Student Speech Language & Hearing Association (NSSLHA), Changemaker Fellow of the Great Lakes FAST Fund Consortium, and Library Assistant at GSU. She strives to make a lasting impact across campus and is highly motivated to support and encourage individuals to find their voice. Recently, Xochitl sat down for an interview with her professors, Dr. Danielle Osmelak and Dr. Angela Riccelli, to talk about the opportunity that took her to Boston, Massachusetts, and reflect on her once-in-lifetime experience.

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  IoT Based Antenna Positioning System

  Mohammed A. Salam, Mohammad Arshad Ali, Suresh Palarimath, and Mohammed Maqsood

  Antennas are fundamental to every form of wireless communication system. Antenna placement is crucial for successful wireless communication, according to satellites and transmitters. So, to enable the use of IoT for remote antenna deployment, this paper provides an IoT-based antenna placement solution. In this case, this paper examines the transmitted orientation of each antenna over the Internet of Things using a sensor-based system that includes a motor on each antenna. When a satellite's or transmitting station's orientation changes, it is necessary to reposition the antenna. The receiving antennas might be located in different parts of the world, at great distances from each other. So, extremely long-distance antenna placement is within the realm of possibility because of modern technology. Online visibility of antenna sites is available to the operator in charge of the IoT. The antenna monitoring GUI system is utilized by the IoT. With IoT-based antenna placement solution technology, the antenna's orientation can be monitored and updated coordinates provided to the motor, allowing it to position the antenna correctly.

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  Fortifying the Digital Frontier: Exploring Innovations and Challenges in Cybersecurity

  Mohammed A. Salam, Rich P. Manprisio, and Sri Charan Bonigala

  Cybersecurity has become a paramount concern in today's digital globe, demanding robust and innovative measures. This paper explores the newest advancements and persistent challenges in cybersecurity, focused on advanced encryption methods, artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain technology, and quantum computing. These technologies build up to threat detection, secure transactions, and expand future-proof cryptographic methods. Additionally, the paper examines the evolving danger panorama, the human factor, regulatory issues, and resource constraints, imparting insights into future cybersecurity studies and practices. Addressing these demanding situations calls for continuous innovation, proactive defense techniques, and cross-zone collaboration to support the virtual frontier and ensure a secure digital environment.

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  Showing Up and Opening Up: Conducting Research With and About Refugee Resettlement Organizations

  Fatima Sattar and Christopher Strunk

  This article uses research conducted with and about refugee resettlement agencies in traditional and nontraditional destinations to critically assess the opportunities and constraints that social scientists encounter when conducting research on refugee incorporation experiences. Drawing on ethnographic field notes and reflections from two qualitative research projects in the U.S. Northeast and Midwest examining refugee incorporation postresettlement, we analyze how the geographic and institutional contexts in the case studies impacted research outcomes and differences in refugee participants’ showing up and opening up during data collection. We describe how the priorities of refugee resettlement agencies, along with the social locations and positionality of researchers, shaped our relationships and negotiations with institutional gatekeepers, as well as how refugee participants responded to the research. We show how conducting community-based research can introduce overlapping and conflicting reciprocal moral obligations between researchers, refugee participants, and refugee-serving organizations that ultimately shape the research process, decisions, and outcomes.

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  Assessing the Safety and Efficacy of DIY-homemade Sunscreens with Natural, Aromatic and Herbal Ingredients

  Onur Kenan Ulutas, Figen Karadogan, Senum Akgul, and Zeynup Gizem Yildiz

  Sunscreen products are widely used during the summer months to protect against increased sunlight exposure. While there have been advancements in the effectiveness and safety of commercial sunscreens, there is a growing interest in "completely natural" and homemade skincare products, including sunscreens. These homemade alternatives often incorporating aromatic and medicinal herbal preparations, are being touted as safe alternatives on online social media platforms and alternative health websites. It is essential to recognize that scientific research has primarily focused on evaluating the effectiveness and safety of commercially available sunscreen products. Concerns have arisen regarding the potential risks associated with non-commercial sunscreens, particularly those labeled as "homemade" or "completely natural." Therefore, it is crucial to investigate whether these DIY sunscreen products, advertised as natural and additive-free, pose any health threats due to their inadequate sun protection properties. This study aims to examine the formulations of these proposed homemade sunscreen products, specifically evaluating their durability, protection against ultraviolet A and B (UVA and UVB) radiation, and average sun protection factor (SPF) values from a toxicological perspective. Emphasizing the importance of safety in sunscreen products is paramount, as the use of unsafe sunscreens can lead to serious health risks, including skin cancer, premature aging, and other skin disorders.

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  Couples Counseling in the Loss of a Child: A Choice Theory and Emotionally Focused Therapy Approach

  Ileana Ungureanu and Patricia A. Robey

  The death of a child is one of the most painful events a parent can experience. In addition to its impact on the individual, it takes a heavy toll on the couple’s or parents’ relationship. Research shows that grieving can impact the couple on multiple levels, including emotional and meaning-making levels. Because the death of a child activates attachment needs in both partners, it is very difficult to reach out across the pain to meet a partner’s needs when both are faced with grieving at the same time. The authors will describe a model to work with bereft parents where the emotional part of grief will be addressed through an Emotionally Focused therapy approach (Johnson, 2020) and the meaning-making part will be addressed through a Choice Theory perspective (Glasser 1998, 2000). A composite case will be used to exemplify the proposed model.

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  Effects of Litter Removal and Biochar Application on Soil Properties in Urban Forests of Southern China

  Tianyi Yan, Xin Liu, Wende Yan, Junjie Lei, Yuanying Peng, Xiang Zhang, and Xiaoyong Chen

  Urban forests are crucial components of cities, serving as vital ‘green lungs’ that embody urban civilization and sustainability. Despite their significance in maintaining the urban environment and ecological functions, management practices for urban forests can be unreasonable at times. This study investigated the impact of two common practices, litter removal and biochar application, on soil properties in an urban forest in Changsha city, China. The aim was to understand how these practices affect soil carbon, nutrients, and microbial activity in urban settings. The results showed that soil water content (SWC), pH, available phosphorus (AP), and soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) were significantly reduced in areas where litter was removed compared to areas where litter was retained. Conversely, biochar application led to a significant increase in SWC, pH, AP, and SMBC. The treatment alone had no significant effects on total nitrogen (TN), soil organic carbon (SOC), and soluble soil organic carbon (SSOC) in the examined urban forests. However, the SOC and SSOC contents significantly increased over time with biochar application. Our results demonstrated that the influences of litter removal and biochar application on soil property were attributed to the regulation of AP and SMBC in the studied urban forests. This study provides a scientific basis and reference for understanding the sustainable management of urban environments and guiding future conservation efforts in urban greening spaces.

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  Impact of Intercropping on Nitrogen and Phosphorus Nutrient Loss in Camellia oleifera Forests on Entisol Soil

  Yi Zhang, Junjie Lei, Yuanying Peng, Xiaoyong Chen, Bowen Li, Yazhen Chen, Yichen Xu, Taimoor Hassan Farooq, Jun Wang, and Wende Yan

  Soil and water loss represent a significant environmental challenge in purple soil cropland in China. However, the quantity and mechanism of nutrient loss from purple soil remain unclear. To understand water and soil conservation and address nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) mitigation in Camellia oleifera forest stands on purple soil slope farmland, this study aimed to explore the resistance control effect of forest stands on N and P loss in such agricultural landscapes. In the study, a runoff plot experiment was conducted in purple soil slope farmland. The experiment included three distinct treatments: intercropping of oil tea (Camellia oleifera) and ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), Camellia oleifera monoculture, and barren land served as the control treatment (CK). Water samples were collected and analyzed from the soil surface runoff and the middle soil layer at a depth of 20 cm (interflow) in three treatment plots under natural rainfall conditions in 2023. Various nutrient components, including total nitrogen (TN), dissolved nitrogen (DN), nitrate nitrogen (NO3−-N), ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N), particulate nitrogen (PN), total phosphorus (TP), dissolved phosphorus (DP), phosphate (PO4+-P), and particulate phosphorus (PP), were measured in the water samples. The results indicated that intercropping effectively mitigated the loss of various forms of N and P in both surface runoff and interflow within purple soil slope farmland. Compared to the CK, the ryegrass intercropping reduced TN and TP loss by 29.3%–37.3% and 25.7%–38.9%, respectively. The ryegrass intercropping led to a decrease in the average total loss of TN, DN, NO3—N, and NH4+-N by 63.0, 24.3, 4.5, and 6.8 g/ha, corresponding to reductions of 33.3%, 47.6%, 58.3%, and 49.1%, respectively, compared to the CK. The average total loss of TP, DP, and PP decreased by 4.4, 1.8, and 1.4 g/hm2 in the intercropping, reflecting reductions of 32.3%, 31.3%, and 31.1%, respectively. The most significant proportion was observed in PN and PP within the runoff water solution, accounting for 53.3%–74.8% and 56.9%–61.0% of the TN and TP, respectively. These findings establish a foundation for purple soil and water conservation. The research provides valuable insights for land management and policymakers in developing erosion prevention and control programs for sloping cultivated land with Camellia oleifera forests in purple soils. Additionally, it offers guidance for soil and water conservation and prevention of surface source pollution in purple soil regions.

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  What We Owe Owls. Nonideal Relationality among Fellow Creatures in the Old Growth Forest

  Ben Almassi

  Though many of us have constructed our lives (or have had them constructed for us) such that it is easy to ignore or forget, human lives are entangled with other animals in many ways. Some interspecies relations would arguably exist in some form or another even under an ideal model of animal ethics. Others have an inescapably non-ideal character – these relationships exist as they do because things have gone wrong. In such circumstances we have reparative duties to animals we have wronged because we have wronged them. Here I draw upon Christine Korsgaard’s “Fellow Creatures” (2018) and other nonideal approaches to animal ethics to critically assess the United States Fish & Wildlife Service practice of killing barred owls to protect endangered spotted owls in the old growth forest of the Pacific Northwest. This is a difficult case to be sure, but one that can benefit from non-ideal moral assessment in terms of interspecies relational repair. I argue for increased spotted owl habitat preservation and forest restoration as an alternative to barred owl removal that better aligns with both nonideal relational animal ethics and stated US Fish & Wildlife Service values.

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  Revisiting Gender and Marriage: Runaway Wives, Native Law and Custom, and the Native Courts in Colonial Abeokuta, Southwestern Nigeria

  Morenikenji Asaaju

  This study focuses on women and colonial courts in Abeokuta, southwestern Nigeria, in the early decades of the twentieth century. It examines the effects of colonial intervention on women and marriage. Examining case volumes of the Ake, Abeokuta, Native Court from 1905 to 1957, the study demonstrates that unique circumstances of the twentieth century—colonial intervention and the establishment of the native courts—led to the increase of divorce rate accelerated by the phenomenon of wives leaving matrimonial homes, establishing new unions of their choice, and approaching the court to end earlier unions and legalize the new ones. The study argues that, despite the negative connotations that might be associated with wives leaving matrimonial homes and requesting divorce in colonial courts, these women made use of the new circumstances to redefine marriage, inserting modifications reflective of women’s choices and preferences, as evidenced through their claims collected from the court records.

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  “The Native Court Way”: Disputes over Marriage, Divorce, and “Adultery” in Colonial Courts in Abeokuta (Southwestern Nigeria), 1905–1945

  Morenikenji Asaaju

  This article examines surviving native court records from 1905–1957 in Abeokuta, Southwest Nigeria, to argue that what constituted marriage, marital rights, and sexual access to wives was changing readily in this period of socioeconomic and political change. In this period, Britain established the native court system, stressing African and British judges, to apply rigid ideas of native law and customs concerning marriage. Men and women—husbands, wives, lovers, fathers, uncles, aunties, brothers, sisters, and in-laws—approached the native courts to negotiate conflict over marriage, divorce, seduction, adultery, and child custody. Rather than administering rigid legal judgements of what constituted legitimate marriage, judgements rendered by these courts provided maneuverability, specifically for women to negotiate and contest marital status and relations.

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  Sentences Are Key: Helping School-Age Children and Adolescents Build Sentence Skills Needed for Real Language

  Catherine H. Balthazar and Cheryl M. Scott

  In this article, we present key concepts pointing to the importance of targeting complex sentences for school-age children and adolescents with developmental language disorders (DLD). Drawing on current treatment research, we argue that the sentence is a crucial but often neglected piece of the puzzle when it comes to understanding relationships between DLD and academic outcomes. We provide detailed suggestions for how clinicians can focus on complex sentence structures in natural academic contexts to bridge this gap. Method: Background information on sentence complexity is presented, along with a rationale for targeting complex sentences with school-age children and adolescents with DLD. Intervention methods from a variety of studies targeting multiclausal sentences are discussed in relation to current accounts of language learning and language processing models. We provide a robust catalog of suggested strategies for targeting sentence complexity in a manner that is aligned with research findings to date and integrated into real academic contexts.

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  Ecological Stoichiometry of N and P across a Chronosequence of Chinese Fir Plantation Forests

  Juan Cao, Wende Yan, Taimoor Hassan Farooq, Xiaoyong Chen, Jun Wang Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Chenglin Yuan, Yaqin Qi, and Khalid Ali Khan

  Ecological stoichiometry is crucial in understanding nutrient dynamics and its impact on plant growth and development at various ecological scales. Among the different nutrients, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) have been widely recognized as key elements regulating substance transport, energy utilization, and ecosystem conversion. The N:P ratio in plants serves as a sensitive indicator of ecological processes, reflecting the availability and balance of these nutrients. Therefore, studying the ecological stoichiometry of N and P is essential for accurately assessing soil fertility and site productivity, particularly in forest ecosystems with low-fertility soils. In this study conducted in Huitong, Hunan province, southern China, the contents of N and P, as well as the N:P ratios, were investigated in plant-soil systems across four different aged stands of Chinese fir forests (3-, 8-, 18-, and 26-year-old stands). The results revealed varying concentrations of N and P in soils and foliage across the different plantations. Soil N concentrations increased by approximately 4%, 30%, and 22% in 8-, 18-, and 26-year-old plantations compared to the 3-year-old plantation. Soil P concentration was significantly higher in 8-, 18-, and 26-year-old plantations compared to the 3-year-old plantation. The average soil N:P ratio followed the order of 3-year-old plantation > 18-year-old plantation > 26-year-old plantation > 8-year-old plantation. Regarding foliage, both N and P contents exhibited a similar pattern across the different aged leaves, with current-year-old leaves having higher concentrations than 1-year-old, 2-year-old, and 3-year-old leaves in all four Chinese fir plantations. The study further established relationships between soil and foliage nutrient ratios. Soil N:P ratio was positively correlated with soil N content but negatively associated with soil P content. The foliage N:P ratio also showed a significant negative correlation between leaf N and foliage P content. These findings suggest that soil nutrient conditions improved with the aging of Chinese fir plantations, mainly due to increased inputs of above- and below-ground litter. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the ecological stoichiometry of N and P in Chinese fir plantations, offering a scientific basis for sustainable forest management practices in southern China.

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  Unraveling Perceptions on Wrongful Convictions: Do Gender and Ethnicity Explain Disparities in Views?

  Erica Ceka, Natalia Ermasova, and Lisa Jackson

  This research employs a convenience sample survey design to explore the complex interaction between race, gender, and public perceptions of wrongful convictions. Examining 324 responses from diverse groups, the study finds that these views are not uniform across different demographics. African Americans and women exhibit significantly heightened perceptions of wrongful convictions and more robust support for justice reform. The regression results also highlight that age, education, and professional background in law enforcement significantly influence these perspectives. Notwithstanding its limitations, the study forms foundation for further inquiry into the role of socio-demographic factors in shaping public attitudes toward criminal justice system.

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  Tracing the Effect of the Paycheck Protection Program on Nonprofit Capacity to Sustain Payroll and Services During COVID‐19

  Erica Ceka and Lora Warner

  This study explores the effect of government fiscal stimulus on nonprofit performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. More specifically, it investigates whether access to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) increased the ability of nonprofit organizations operating in the crisis context conditions to continue supplying funds for payroll and maintain effective delivery of services and programs after the initial revenue shock. The study findings are derived from the analysis of survey data collected from 160 Wisconsin nonprofit organizations in July and August 2020 linked to publicly available Internal Revenue Service tax filings. Regression analysis reveals a strong positive connection between the PPP loans and the nonprofit capacity to continue funding payroll and providing services within the next months of the pandemic. The empirical results suggest that the government stimulus policies offering direct economic assistance can indeed contribute to the continuity of nonprofit services and payroll in times of fiscal uncertainty, albeit the policy may not yield equally significant results across all types of organizations. This study increases the understanding of nonprofit performance during an extended revenue crisis, offering answers to policymakers, researchers, and practitioners interested in learning more about the efficacy of federal stimulus funding in enabling private organizations to mitigate the financial consequences of the COVID-19 crisis.

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  Corporate Philanthropy and Firm Performance: The Role of Corporate Strategies

  Wonsuk Cha, Dongjun Rew, and Joo Jung

  The purpose of this study is to empirically explore the interaction between corporate philanthropy and firm performance through the mechanism of corporate strategies, such as unrelated diversification and global strategic posture (GSP).

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  The Impact of COVID-19 on Teachers' Transition Practices for Students with Disabilities in Illinois, USA

  Rasha Elhage

  Transition services are central in preparing youth with disabilities for opportunities in postsecondary education, employment and independent living. The life skills education acquired in school may be the only resources they receive to help them with this transition. With COVID-19, educational systems were interrupted, including the access of students with disabilities to service provision and transition services. This study aimed to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on teachers' transition practices for students with disabilities in the State of Illinois, United States and to identify factors associated with the differences in teachers' practices across eight domains of transition. Results indicated statistical significant differences in transition practices before and during COVID-19 in all eight domains. Gender, Race, School Closings & Type of School did not show significant associations with any of the eight domains. Emotional Disability was found to have a significant association with all eight domains, whereas Intellectual Disability did not show significant association with any of the eight domains. Grade level and teachers' educational level showed significant associations with certain domains. Future investigations into how COVID-19 changed teachers' transition practices for students with disabilities and the long-term impact that these changes will have on students' post-secondary outcomes are needed.

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  Strengthened Voice Through Pedagogical Partnerships: A Story of Transformational Learning

  Rasha Elhage and Lisset Rosales

  Participating in the Pedagogical Partnership Project through BranchED (Branch Alliance for Education Diversity) deepened our understanding of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) students’ and faculty members’ experiences in the higher education setting. This concept of a partnership between a faculty member and the student was tempting for its novelty (at least to us) and for its purpose, which focuses on supporting students’ success (Cook-Sather, 2018; Healey et al., 2016). In fact, a research study conducted by Cook-Sather (2018) suggests that participating in pedagogical partnerships “(1) fosters important affective experiences in relation to all faculty and to fellow students, (2) informs students’ academic engagement in their own classes, and (3) contributes to students’ sense of their evolution as active agents in their own and others’ development” (p. 4).

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  Capital Budgeting During Municipal Bankruptcy: Cases of Jefferson County, AL; Central Falls, RI; and Vallejo, CA.

  Natalia Ermasova and Tatyana Guzman

  This comparative case study explores the capital budgeting before, during, and after municipal bankruptcy in three U.S. local governments: Jefferson County, AL; Central Falls, RI; and Vallejo, CA. This in-depth examination of capital budgeting challenges reveals a pattern across all cases—a significant decrease in capital spending on infrastructure and maintenance before and during municipal bankruptcy. In fact, the mismanagement and underinvestment in capital infrastructure were some of the causes of municipal bankruptcy in all three local governments. The comparison of the reforms adopted after the bankruptcy shows that all three local government went through a similar two-stage process of recovery and restructuring, employing the emergent strategy to exit the bankruptcy and the problem-oriented innovative strategy to recover. These results show that even though all three local government significantly decreased spending on capital investments and maintenance as part of the emergent strategy, investment in public infrastructure during the recovery, and reconstructing became a priority across all selected cases.

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  Synthesis and Scope of the Role of Postmating Prezygotic Isolation in Speciation

  Martin D. Garlovsky, Emma Whittington, Tomas Albrecht, Henry Areans-Castro, Dean M. Castillo, Graeme L. Keais, Erica L. Larson, Leonie C. Moyle, Melissa Plakke, Radka Reifová, Rhonda R. Snook, Murielle Ålund, and Alexandra A-T. Weber

  How barriers to gene flow arise and are maintained are key questions in evolutionary biology. Speciation research has mainly focused on barriers that occur either before mating or after zygote formation. In comparison, postmating prezygotic (PMPZ) isolation—a barrier that acts after gamete release but before zygote formation—is less frequently investigated but may hold a unique role in generating biodiversity. Here we discuss the distinctive features of PMPZ isolation, including the primary drivers and molecular mechanisms underpinning PMPZ isolation. We then present the first comprehensive survey of PMPZ isolation research, revealing that it is a widespread form of prezygotic isolation across eukaryotes. The survey also exposes obstacles in studying PMPZ isolation, in part attributable to the challenges involved in directly measuring PMPZ isolation and uncovering its causal mechanisms. Finally, we identify outstanding knowledge gaps and provide recommendations for improving future research on PMPZ isolation. This will allow us to better understand the nature of this often-neglected reproductive barrier and its contribution to speciation.

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  The Response of Nutrient Cycle, Microbial Community Abundance and Metabolic Function to Nitrogen Fertilizer in Rhizosphere Soil of Phellodendron Chinese Schneid Seedlings

  Yuanzheng Gu, Xianglin Chen, Yan Shen, Xiaoyong Chen, Gongxiu He, Xinxing He, Guangjun Wang, Hanjie He, and Zhencheng Lv

  Nitrogen (N) as an essential macronutrient affects the soil nutrient cycle, microbial community abundance, and metabolic function. However, the specific responses of microorganisms and metabolic functions in rhizosphere soil of Phellodendron chinense Schneid seedlings to N addition remain unclear. In this study, four treatments (CK, N5, N10 and N15) were conducted, and the soil physicochemical properties, enzyme activities, microbial community abundances and diversities, metabolism, and gene expressions were investigated in rhizosphere soil of P. chinense Schneid. The results showed that N addition significantly decreased rhizosphere soil pH, among which the effect of N10 treatment was better. N10 treatment significantly increased the contents of available phosphorus (AP), available potassium (AK), ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N), nitrate nitrogen (NO3−-N) and sucrase (SU) activity, as well as fungal diversity and the relative expression abundances of amoA and phoD genes in rhizosphere soil, but observably decreased the total phosphorus (TP) content, urease (UR) activity and bacterial diversity, among which the pH, soil organic matter (SOM), AP, NH4+-N and NO3−-N were the main environmental factors for affecting rhizosphere soil microbial community structure based on RDA and correlation analyses. Meanwhile, N10 treatment notably enhanced the absolute abundances of the uracil, guanine, indole, prostaglandin F2α and γ-glutamylalanine, while reduced the contents of D-phenylalanine and phenylacetylglycine in rhizosphere soil of P. chinense Schneid seedlings. Furthermore, the soil available nutrients represented a significant correlation with soil metabolites and dominant microorganisms, suggesting that N10 addition effectively regulated microbial community abundance and metabolic functions by enhancing nutrient cycle in the rhizosphere soil of P. chinense Schneid seedlings.

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  Utilization of Choice Theory and Reality Therapy to Promote Career Development with Adolescents in School Settings

  Yenitza Z. Guzman, Ahmet Can, and Patricia A. Robey

  The role of a Professional School Counselor encompasses supporting students in a variety of areas, including post-secondary and career considerations. Reality Therapy/Choice Theory is an extremely helpful lens from which school counselors can help students in making career decisions. This article focuses on the intersection of how the ASCA National Model and Reality Therapy/Choice Theory can be applied in school settings. This is modeled by providing a role play demonstration and discussion explaining how a professional school counselor can assist a student through career options and choices.

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  Seasonal Dynamics of Soil Respiration and Its Autotrophic and Heterotrophic Components in Subtropical Camphor Forests

  Ping He, Wende Yan, Yuanying Peng, Junjie Lei, Wei Zheng, Yi Zhang, Yaqin Qi, and Xiaoyong Chen

  On a global scale, soil respiration (Rs), representing the CO2 flux between the soil surface and the atmosphere, ranks as the second-largest terrestrial carbon (C) flux. Understanding the dynamics between Rs and its autotrophic (Ra) and heterotrophic (Rh) components is necessary for accurately evaluating and predicting global C balance and net ecosystem production under environmental change. In this study, we conducted a two-year root exclusion experiment in subtropical China’s Camphor (Cinnamomum camphora (L.) Presl.) forests to assess seasonal changes in Ra and Rh and their relative contributions to Rs. Additionally, we examined the influence of environmental factors on the dynamics of Ra, Rh, and Rs. Our results showed that seasonal mean Rs values were 2.88 µmol m−2 s−1, with mean Ra and Rh of 1.21 and 1.67 µmol m−2 s−1, respectively, in the studied forests. On an annual basis, the annual values of mean Rs in the studied forests were 405 ± 219 g C m−2 year−1, with Rh and Ra accounting for 240 ± 120 and 164 ± 102 g C m−2 year−1, respectively. The seasonal mean ratio of Rh to Rs (Rh/Rs) was 58%, varying from 45 to 81%. Seasonal changes in Rs and Rh were strongly correlated with soil temperature but not soil water content. Both Rh and Rs increased exponentially with the average soil temperature measured in the topsoil layer (about 5 cm), with Q10 values of 2.02 and 1.73 for Rh and Rs, respectively. Our results suggest that the composition and activity of soil microbes and fauna play a primary role in releasing carbon flux from soil to the atmosphere in the studied forest ecosystems.

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  Novel PbMoO4 Loaded N-biochar Composites with Enhanced Adsorption-photocatalytic Removal of Tetracycline

  Mengzhu Jiang, Zhifen Chen, Yaohui Wu, Jinhua Luo, Aihua Zhang, Xiaoyong Chen, Yelin Zeng, Guangjun Wang, Yonghong Wang, and Yunlin Zhao

  Modifying energy band structure and increasing absorption are two efficient strategies to improve the photocatalytic performance of semiconductor photocatalysts. In this study, a novel biochar (BC) based photocatalyst, nitrogen-doped (N-doped) BC based PbMoO4 (NPBC) was developed by combining both strategies. After loading PbMoO4 on poplar sawdust via in situ method, the composites were pyrolyzed in the presence of a certain amount of urea. Nitrogen doping successfully increased the specific surface area and narrowed the bandgap of the composite of PbMoO4@BC (PBC) to improve its adsorption-photocatalytic performance. NPBC-2, in which the ratio of PbMoO4: poplar sawdust was 3:1.6, exhibited excellent adsorption-photocatalytic removal for 40 mg L−1 tetracycline (TC) under visible light and the total removal rate was 88.25%, which was 1.60 and 3.46 folds of that for PBC and PbMoO4, respectively. The adsorption kinetic of TC removal by NPBC-2 fitted well with pseudo fist order models, and the adsorption was dominated by the physical process. Vacancies (h+) and superoxide radicals (•O2−) were the main active species for TC photodegradation. In addition, after 5 cycles, the composite still exhibited high ability for TC removal. Therefore, N-doped BC based photocatalysts provided a feasible and effective way for the remediation of organism-contaminated water.

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  The Safe Passages Program as Approach to Combat the Heroin Epidemic: Case of Will County, IL

  Karl Jurgens, Mary Bruce, Natalia Ermasova, and Andre Ashmore

  This research analyzes the police departments’ unconventional approach to fighting heroin by offering treatment instead. Police departments implement a program, the Safe Passages, that allows an individual addicted to heroin to enter the police department without fear of arrest or questioning.

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  Book Review: The Global Novel and Capitalism in Crisis by Treasa De Loughry

  Liam Lanigan

  Book Review: Treasa De Loughry, The Global Novel and Capitalism in Crisis”

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  Soil Nutrients, Enzyme Activities, and Microbial Communities along a Chronosequence of Chinese Fir Plantations in Subtropical China

  Junjie Lei, Yixuan Cao, Jun Wang, Yazhen Chen, Yuanying Peng, Qiwen Shao, Qing Dan, Yichen Xu, Xiaoyong Chen, and Peng Dan

  Forests undergo a long-term development process from young to mature stages, yet the variations in soil nutrients, enzyme activities, microbial diversity, and community composition related to forest ages are still unclear. In this study, the characteristics of soil bacterial and fungal communities with their corresponding soil environmental factors in the young, middle, and mature stages (7, 15, and 25-year-old) of Chinese fir plantations (CFP) in the subtropical region of China were investigated in 2021. Results showed that the alpha diversity indices (Chao1 and Shannon) of soil bacteria and fungi were higher in 15 and 25-year-old stands than in 7-year-old stand of CFP, while the soil pH, soil water content, soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, sucrase, urease, acid phosphatase, catalase, and microbial biomass carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus showed higher in 7-year-old stand than other two stands of CFP. The nonmetric multidimensional scaling analysis revealed that the soil microbial species composition was significantly different in three stand ages of CFP. The redundancy and canonical correspondence analysis indicated that the soil urease and microbial biomass nitrogen were the main factors affecting soil bacterial and fungal species composition. Our findings suggested that soil microbial diversity and community structure were inconsistent with changes in soil nutrients and enzyme activities during CFP development, and enhancing stand nurturing and soil nutrient accumulation in the mid-development stage were beneficial to the sustainable management of CFP.

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  Changes in Soil Phosphorus Fractions Following the Conversion of Chinese Fir Plantations to Evergreen Broad-leaved Forests in Subtropical China

  Junjie Lei, Yuanying Peng, Juan Cao, Rujie Li, Qiang Jia, Xiao Shi, Ting Zhou, Wende Yan, and Xiaoyong Chen

  Forest conversion is a common management practice in forestry, yet the effects of forest conversion on the transformation of phosphorus (P) fractions remain unclear. This work aims at assessing the changes in soil P fractions, including total P (TP), available P (AP), inorganic P (Pi), organic P (Po) and microbial biomass P (MBP) after natural conversion of Chinese fir plantations (CFP) to evergreen broad-leaved forests (EBLF) in subtropical China. Results showed the contents of soil TP and Po were not affected by the forest conversion, but soil AP and MBP concentrations and their proportion significantly increased with forest conversion from CFP to EBLF. The contents of soil P fractions were significantly accumulated in the topsoil (0–20 cm) in the studied forests. Additionally, soil P contents were higher in the winter–spring seasons than in the summer–fall seasons during the period of study. Soil AP content was positively correlated with TP, Po, Pi, labile organophosphorus (LOP), moderate labile organophosphorus (MLOP), moderate resistant organophosphorus (MROP), aluminum–bound P (Al–P), iron–bound P (Fe–P) and MBP contents in EBLF, while the content of soil AP was positively related to Po, LOP, MLOP, Al–P, Fe–P and MBP contents in CFP. Path analysis showed that the most important factor in affecting soil P availability was Po (LOP and HROP) in EBLF stands and was Al–P in CFP stands. Our study suggested that management practices in conserving soil Pi (especially in Al–P) in the CFP and in increasing Po inputs in the EBLF would improve soil P availability in subtropical forests.

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  Drifting Streaming Peaks-Over-Threshold-Enhanced Self-Evolving Neural Networks for Short-Term Wind Farm Generation Forecast

  Yunchuan Liu

  This paper investigates the short-term wind farm generation forecast. It is observed from the real wind farm generation measurements that wind farm generation exhibits distinct features, such as the non-stationarity and the heterogeneous dynamics of ramp and non-ramp events across different classes of wind turbines. To account for the distinct features of wind farm generation, we propose a Drifting Streaming Peaks-over-Threshold (DSPOT)-enhanced self-evolving neural networks-based short-term wind farm generation forecast. Using DSPOT, the proposed method first classifies the wind farm generation data into ramp and non-ramp datasets, where time-varying dynamics are taken into account by utilizing dynamic ramp thresholds to separate the ramp and non-ramp events. We then train different neural networks based on each dataset to learn the different dynamics of wind farm generation by the NeuroEvolution of Augmenting Topologies (NEAT), which can obtain the best network topology and weighting parameters. As the efficacy of the neural networks relies on the quality of the training datasets (i.e., the classification accuracy of the ramp and non-ramp events), a Bayesian optimization-based approach is developed to optimize the parameters of DSPOT to enhance the quality of the training datasets and the corresponding performance of the neural networks. Based on the developed self-evolving neural networks, both distributional and point forecasts are developed. The experimental results show that compared with other forecast approaches, the proposed forecast approach can substantially improve the forecast accuracy, especially for ramp events. The experiment results indicate that the accuracy improvement in a 60 min horizon forecast in terms of the mean absolute error (MAE) is at least 33.6% for the whole year data and at least 37% for the ramp events. Moreover, the distributional forecast in terms of the continuous rank probability score (CRPS) is improved by at least 35.8 for the whole year data and at least 35.2 for the ramp events.

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  Particle Size Determines the Phytotoxicity of ZnO Nanoparticles in Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Revealed by Spatial Imaging Techniques

  Ziqian Li, Wende Yan, Yong Li, Yang Shi, Xuyuan Zhang, Junjie Lei, Ke Min, Yuliang Pan, Xiaoyong Chen, Qian Liu, and Guibin Jiang

  To understand the nanotoxicity effects on plants, it is necessary to systematically study the distribution of NPs in vivo. Herein, elemental and particle-imaging techniques were used to unravel the size effects of ZnO NPs on phytotoxicity. Small-sized ZnO NPs (5, 20, and 50 nm) showed an inhibitory effect on the length and biomass of rice (Oryza sativa L.) used as a model plant. ZnO NP nanotoxicity caused rice root cell membrane damage, increased the malondialdehyde content, and activated antioxidant enzymes. As a control, the same dose of Zn2+ salt did not affect the physiological and biochemical indices of rice, suggesting that the toxicity is caused by the entry of the ZnO NPs and not the dissolved Zn2+. Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy analysis revealed that ZnO NPs accumulated in the rice root vascular tissues of the rhizodermis and procambium. Furthermore, transmission electron microscopy confirmed that the NPs were internalized to the root tissues. These results suggest that ZnO NPs may exist in the rice root system and that their particle size could be a crucial factor in determining toxicity. This study provides evidence of the size-dependent phytotoxicity of ZnO NPs.

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  Novel ZnFe2O4/BC/ZnO Photocatalyst for High-efficiency Degradation of Tetracycline Under Visible Light Irradiation

  Jinhua Luo, Yaohui Wu, Mengzhu Jiang, Aihua Zhang, Xiaoyong Chen, Yelin Zeng, Yonghong Wang, Yunlin Zhao, and Guangjun Wang

  Developing broad-spectrum light reactions, effective charge separation, and easily recoverable photocatalysts were considered cost-effective pollution remediation methods. The ZnFe2O4/BC/ZnO composite was prepared to achieve these objectives, where biochar (BC) was used as a conductive channel and ZnFe2O4 as a magnetic substance. Among them, the 0.6-ZBO composite performed the best, with photocatalytic removal of tetracycline (TC) reaching 85.6%. The photocatalytic degradation rated constant of 0.6-ZBO composite was 23.36 × 10−3 min−1, which was 7.6, 4.1, and 2.5 times higher than that of ZnFe2O4/BC, ZnO, and ZnFe2O4/ZnO samples, respectively. According to several characterization data, it was demonstrated that successful Z-scheme heterojunctions were constructed between ZnFe2O4 and ZnO. The 0.6-ZBO complex increased the range of light absorption and strengthened the separation of electron-hole pairs, thus improving the redox ability of the complex. In the different water matrices, the stability of 0.6-ZBO was excellent and its ability to remove TC decreased slightly to about 11% after 5 cycles. This work provided a valuable approach to design a novel and efficient system for degrading organic pollutants in wastewater using magnetic biochar.

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  Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: Non-pharmacologic Interventions for the Maternal-Infant Dyad

  Nancy J. MacMullen and Laura A. Dulski

  Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) remains a concern for health care providers. The incidence of NAS has increased globally, and it has emerged as a worldwide health concern. In our previous article, we explored the efficacy of current pharmacologic treatment for NAS symptoms. Our purpose now is to focus on non-pharmacologic interventions for NAS symptoms and the involvement of caregivers, specifically the mother. We will discuss breastfeeding, rooming in, babywearing, the eat, sleep, console approach, and laser acupuncture.
  We intend to describe the involvement of the interdisciplinary team and all who care for these infants, including parents.

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  The Role of Innovation and Technology in Renewable Energy

  Evelina Mengova and David Green

  Renewable energy is an investment in our future. This article explores the role of innovation and technology in electricity production from renewable sources in Europe, the Former Soviet Union, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, and North America. It analyzes the major challenges—in terms of technology and population skills needed to use it—that impact each of these regions in moving toward a more environmentally friendly generation and use of energy. We find that specific regional characteristics, together with the number of patent applications and the level of skills enabling work with advanced technologies of a country, have a substantial effect on its renewable electricity output. We find no evidence that broad Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) fosters renewables.

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  Almudena Grandes and the "Problem of Spain"

  Novia Pagone

  From 2008 until her untimely death in 2021, Almudena Grandes wrote a weekly column in El País where she often addressed, and lamented, the state of Spanish democracy and the need to reconcile Spain's history for a chance at a better future, a topic familiar to readers of her novels. Although her fiction writing on these themes is well studied, her nonfiction has garnered less attention. The 2019 publication of a selection of these columns, La herida perpetua, spanning the decade marked by the 2008 economic crisis through the 2018 resurgence of the far right, provides us an opportunity to look more closely at the impact and importance of Grandes's nonfiction. Informed by recent scholarship on the state of Spanish democracy and criticism of traditional narratives of the transition to democracy (1975–1982), I argue that these columns represent a public call to action with the goal of (re)building a society that values open debate and fosters an active citizenry, one with the resilience to exercise their rights daily to hold accountable corrupt politicians. Collecting a selection of Grandes's weekly writing into one volume allows readers to contemplate the political events of an important period in Spain's democracy and to engage the legacies of the past while suggesting possibilities for the future, a dialogical exchange that defines democracy and is necessary for its survival.

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  The Effects of Commitment and Trust on the Relationship Between Service Quality and University Brand Loyalty in Time of Crisis

  Dongjun Rew, Wonsuk Cha, Jin-Woo Kim, and Joo Y. Jung

  Existing literature on university brand loyalty (UBL) has less focused on a marketing-oriented perspective, or relationship marketing, and its impact on testing UBL. The aim of this study is to identity the roles and impacts of trust and commitment, which are main factors that create a relationship, in the relationship between university service quality, student satisfaction (SAT), and UBL and discuss its implications for university approaches of the marketing-oriented perspective. A self-report study was conducted with a total sample of 301 undergraduate students from four universities in the USA. PLS-SEM and path analysis were employed to test each hypothetical relationship. This study identified that trust and commitment play important roles as mediators in the relationship between SAT and UBL. Therefore, the findings support contributions of this study by offering implications that universities need to focus on building and maintaining the quality of relationship with students.

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  Impact of School Characteristics on PARCC Results

  Lina Smulkaitis and J. Christopher Tweddle

  The purpose of this article is to take an in-depth look at how certain non-academic factors affect standardized test results in the middle school setting. As standardized testing and student growth impact school and teacher evaluation, it is important to consider the influence of factors both inside and outside of the classroom. This study analyzed the impact on student performance on the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) exam of the following variables: property taxes received by schools; instructional spending per pupil; percentage of low-income students; percentage of student mobility; percentage of English Language Learners (ELL); teacher salary, retention rates, and education; and class size. This analysis was based on data gathered from the Illinois State Report Card published by the Illinois State Board of Education on 374 of the 376 grade 6–8 middle schools located in Illinois. The three strongest predictors of the success rate for middle school age students on the PARCC exam were the student mobility rate, the amount of property tax received by the school, and the percentage of low-income students. Instructional spending per pupil, percentage of English Language Learners, teacher retention rate, salary and education, and class size had a less significant impact on students meeting or exceeding standards on the PARCC exam. This suggests that the socioeconomic demographics of the surrounding community are a contributing factor to student success.

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  Book Review: Combat Death in Contemporary American Culture: Popular Cultural Conceptions of War Since World War II by Agnieszka Soltysik Monnet

  Josh Sopiarz

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  “Oh, That Pesky DNA”: Using Murder-mystery Narratives to Identify, Evaluate, and Organize Arguments

  Lara Stache

  Utilizing popular murder-mystery texts that transcend boundaries of race, class, age, and sex, students apply Toulmin’s 1958 concept of claim, data, warrant (Toulmin, S. E. 2003. The uses of argument. Cambridge University Press). Ultimately, students engage in an activity that demonstrates how argumentation plays a role outside of the college classroom writing assignment. Courses: Introduction to Communication, Argumentation and Debate, Rhetorical Theory, Critical Analysis, and Communication writing courses. It is also applicable to secondary K-12 courses. Objective: The aim of this activity is to introduce concepts of argumentation, including organization of information within written work, evaluation of argumentative data/evidence, and articulation of a well-supported claim. It is designed to help students recognize (1) how they analyze argumentative messages in their daily lives, specifically by focusing on a popular culture text, and (2) how organization of an argument is structured, with the goal of clearly communicating a message to the audience.

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  Genomes of Endangered Great Hammerhead and Shortfin Mako Sharks Reveal Historic Population Declines and High Levels of Inbreeding in Great Hammerhead

  Michael J. Stanhope, Kristina M. Ceres, Qi Sun, Minghui Wang, Jordan D. Zehr, Nicholas Marra, Aryn P. Wilder, Cheng Zou, Andrea M. Bermard, Paulina Pavinski-Bitar, Mitchell G. Lokey, and Mahmood S. Shivji

  Despite increasing threats of extinction to Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays), whole genome-based conservation insights are lacking. Here, we present chromosome-level genome assemblies for the Critically Endangered great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran) and the Endangered shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) sharks, with genetic diversity and historical demographic comparisons to other shark species. The great hammerhead exhibited low genetic variation, with 8.7% of the 2.77 Gbp genome in runs of homozygosity (ROH) > 1 Mbp and 74.4% in ROH >100 kbp. The 4.98 Gbp shortfin mako genome had considerably greater diversity and <1% in ROH > 1 Mbp. Both these sharks experienced precipitous declines in effective population size (Ne) over the last 250 thousand years. While shortfin mako exhibited a large historical Ne that may have enabled the retention of higher genetic variation, the genomic data suggest a possibly more concerning picture for the great hammerhead, and a need for evaluation with additional individuals.

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  Legume Biological Nitrogen Fixation Improves but Chemical Nitrogen Fertilizer Suppresses Soil Nematode Communities in a Camellia Oleifera Plantation

  Jia-chen Wang, Hai-lun Wang, Qin-qin Lin, Yuan-qun Wu, Xin-xin He, Xiaoyong Chen, Wende Yan, and Jie Zhao

  Legume intercropping by biological nitrogen (N) fixation is supposed as a more sustainable way than chemical N addition to enhance soil N availability in agronomy, however, the effects of the two types of N input on soil food web are scarcely determined. To fill the knowledge gap, we conducted a field experiment with randomized block design in an oil-tea (Camellia oleifera) plantation, which included five N manipulation treatment: legume intercropping (Arachis hypogaea and Cassia tora), chemical N fertilizer application (84 and 168 kg N ha-1 yr-1), and the control (no N addition). The soil nematode communities and physicochemical properties were monitored in the seedling, heading, and mature stages of the legumes respectively. The results showed that the legume intercropping significantly increased the abundances of bacterivores and omnivore-predators compared with the N fertilizations. Weighted nematode fauna analysis showed that N fertilization treatments were mainly located in the degraded plot (quadrat IV), and legume treatments were located in the structure plot (quadrat III). Structural equation model revealed that the legume intercropping positively correlated with the abundance of bacterivores and omnivore-predators while N fertilization rate negatively correlated with the abundance of bacterivores and fungivores. Our results suggest that the legume biological N fixation was more conducive to providing N sources to soil organisms than the chemical N fertilizer, which resulted in an enhanced and a degraded soil food web respectively. Thus, legume intercropping is a more sustainable N management practice for the cultivation of C. oleifera plantations.

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  Leguminous Crop Restores the Carbon Flow Attenuation from Nitrogen Loading Within Woil Nematode Food Web in a Camellia oleifera Plantation

  Jiachen Wang, Xuyuan Zhang, Hailun Wang, Ting Liu, Amna Fayyaz, Norela C.T. Gonzalez, Jun Wang, Xiaoyong Chen, Jie Zhao, and Wende Yan

  Excessive nitrogen (N) loading poses a substantial risk to soil biodiversity and disrupts carbon (C) flows within the soil food web. Intercropping with legumes is often considered a sustainable way to maintain soil N availability and mitigate the associated detrimental effects. However, it remains unclear whether and how legume crops restore energetic attenuation caused by N loading within the soil food web. Here, we conducted a two-year field experiment using randomized block design in a subtropic Camellia oleifera plantation with high wet N deposition. We examined the effects of applying N fertilizers at normal or half levels (168 or 84 kg N ha−1yr−1) and intercropping legumes (Arachis hypogaea or Cassia tora) on the soil nematode food web. We observed that N fertilization suppressed the majority of nematode trophic groups, weakened the stability of food web structure, and diminished the C flows across the bacterial and fungal energy channels. Conversely, intercropping with legumes (particularly with C. tora) bolstered the densities of bacterivore and fungivore nematodes. This enhancement facilitated interactions within the soil micro-food web, and subsequently augmented the C flows within their respective channels. Model predictions suggested that the detrimental effects of N fertilizers on the nematode food web are primarily linked to decreased soil pH resulting from soil N accumulation. Notably, higher soil organic C was found to mitigate these effects. Furthermore, N-enriched legume substrates played a beneficial role in stimulating soil microbial activities and facilitating C flows through bottom-up control. Our findings emphasize the positive impacts of legume crops on mitigating soil biodiversity loss and restoring energetic attenuation within soil food web under N-saturated soil conditions. These findings provide valuable insights for agroforestry management practices aimed at sustaining soil health and ecosystem resilience.

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  Interplanting Leguminous Shrubs Boosts the Trophic Interactions of Soil Micro-food Web in a Karst Grassland

  Jiachen Wang, Jie Zhao, Rong Yang, Xin Liu, Xuyuan Zhang, Wei Zhang, Xiaoyong Chen, Wende Yan, and Delin Wang

  Nitrogen (N) is an essential nutrient for ecosystem productivity, restoration and succession processes. Biological N fixation and chemical N addition are both important strategies for accessing N nutrients in soil ecosystem. However, it is unclear which N supplement strategies is more effective in restoring ecosystem stability, particularly in soil micro-food web component, which plays a crucial role in nutrient cycling. Here, an in-situ study was conducted in a natural grassland to investigate the effects of N supply on soil microbial and nematode communities by three legume species: Amorpha fruticose (AF), Derris fordii (DF), and Indigofera atropurpurea (IA) at two interplanting densities (1: low density, 1.5 × 2 m; and 2: high density, 1 × 1 m), and by two N fertilization rates (N5: 5 g N m−2 y−1 and N10: 10 g N m−2 y−1). Results showed the microbial biomass of total-PLFA, bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes and chlorophyta increased by DF1 and IA2, and the biomasses of total nematodes, herbivores and omnivores were promoted by AF1, AF2 and DF1, but the biomass of most components was inhibited by N fertilizers. The interactions of soil micro-food web were complicated by DF1 and DF2, but simplified by N5 and N10. Furthermore, different N supplement strategies showed distinct energy flow patterns, such as the bacterial channel was promoted exclusively in AF2, the plant channel was enhanced in AF1 and AF2, and the fungal channel was boosted in DF1 and DF2 but declined in N5 and N10. These results demonstrated that the structure and energy flow of the soil micro-food web might be benefited by legume interplanting but impaired by N fertilizers. In particular, interplanting with D. fordii granted a more sustainable way of N supplementation for promoting the complexity and stability of the soil micro-food web, compared to interplanting with other legume species. Our findings provide better understanding of the interactions between legumes and soil biota and have important implications for sustainable restoration of degraded karst grasslands.

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  Ecological Stoichiometry and Stock Distribution of C, N, and P in Three Forest Types in a Karst Region of China

  Wancai Wang

  Ecological stoichiometry plays important roles in understanding the nutrient constraints on tree growth and development, as well in maintaining ecosystem services in forests, yet the characteristics of carbon:nitrogen:phosphorous (C:N:P) stoichiometry in forests under karst environment have not been sufficiently evaluated. In this study, concentration, distribution, stocks of Nitrogen (N) and Phosphorous (P), and ecological stoichiometry were studied in three common forest types: Masson pine natural forests (MPNF), Masson pine plantation forests (MPPF), and Slash pine plantation forests (SPPF) in a karst region of southwestern China. Results showed that N concentrations were higher in overstory than in understory and litter in the studied forests. However, P concentration was relatively low in overstory component of the forested ecosystems. Meanwhile, the N and P concentrations were higher in SPPF in the stem and litter, while these contents were higher in MPPF and MPNP in the overstory and understory. The N and P stocks ranged from 5.7–6.2 t ha−1, and 0.5–0.6 t ha−1 in the examined forests. The ecological stoichiometry of C:N:P in the three forest types was similar in litter (46–49:2:1), and relatively steady in soil (250–320:13–16:1) and tree leaf (100–200:14–20:1). Soil P status was the primary limiting factor in affecting tree growth in MPPF and SPPF (N:P ratio > 16), while both N and P conditions were the main restrictive factors in MPNP (N:P ratio = 15) in the study area. Our study provides scientific references and useful datasets of C:N:P stoichiometry for sustainable management of forest ecosystems in karst regions.

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  Biomass Production and Carbon Stocks in Poplar-Crop Agroforestry Chronosequence in Subtropical Central China

  Zhong Wang, Wende Yan, Yuanying Peng, Meng Wan, Taimoor Hassan Farooq, Wei Fan, Junjie Lei, Chenglin Yuan, Wancai Wang, Yaqin Qi, and Xiaoyong Chen

  Agroforest systems have been widely recognized as an integrated approach to sustainable land use for addressing the climate change problem because of their greater potential to sequester atmospheric CO2 with multiple economic and ecological benefits. However, the nature and extent of the effects of an age-sequence of agroforestry systems on carbon (C) storage remain largely unknown. To reveal the influence of different aged poplar-crop systems on C stocks, we investigated the variation in biomass and C storage under four aged poplar-crop agroforest systems (3-, 9-, 13-, and 17-year-old) in the Henan province of China. The results showed that stand biomass increased with forest age, ranging from 26.9 to 121.6 t/ha in the corresponding four aged poplar-crop systems. The poplar tree biomass accounted for >80% of the total stand biomass in these poplar-crop agroforestry systems, except in the 3-year-old agroforestry system. The average stand productivity peaked in a 9-year-old poplar-crop system (11.8 t/ha/yr), the next was in 13- and 17-year-old agroforestry systems, and the minimum was found in 3-year-old poplar-crop stands (4.8 t/ha/yr). The total C stocks increased, with aging poplar-crop systems ranging from 99.7 to 189.2 t/ha in the studied agroforestry systems. The proportion of C stocks accounted for about 6, 25, and 69% of the total C stocks in the crop, poplar tree, and soil components in all studied agroforestry ecosystems, respectively. Our results suggested that the poplar-crop system, especially in productive and mature stages, is quite an effective agroforestry model to increase the study site’s biomass production and C stocks. This study highlighted the importance of agroforestry systems in C storage. It recommended the poplar-crop agroforest ecosystems as a viable option for sustainable production and C mitigation in the central region of China.

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  Contributing to Speech-Language Pathology Assistant Students’ Choice of Career Path

  Nicole Wells, Danielle Osmelak, Angela M. Riccelli, and Ravi Nigam

  Speech Language Pathology Assistants (SLPAs) are important support personnel who play a key role in the field of communication sciences and disorders. As the client base for communication disorders grows and diversifies, there is a continuous need for service providers, including SLPAs. Given the notable shortage of skilled communication sciences and disorders professionals and the advantages that assistants can provide, exploring SLPA career decision making is especially timely and important. The current study surveyed 75 students enrolled in SLPA programs across the United States via an online 12 question survey tool, regarding their demographics, reasons for choosing to become an SLPA, and anticipated work setting(s). Results of the study indicated that SLPA students were often identified as non-traditional students who, in addition to having diverse educational backgrounds, were working either full-time or part-time jobs while completing their education. Results of the current study revealed that the primary motivating factor that contributed to the students’ decision to pursue a career as an SLPA was the desire to work in a helping profession. The school setting was the most anticipated work setting of SLPA students upon graduating from their program; however, the majority (60%) of current SLPA students planned to pursue a master’s degree to become a speech-language pathologist in the future. Understanding the demographics of SLPA students and identifying the motivating factors specific to their career choices may be advantageous in the warranted recruitment process within the field of communication sciences and disorders.

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  Allelopathic Mechanisms in Camellia oleifera- Arachis hypogaea L. Intercropping

  Hao Wen, Peipei Dan, Ting Liu, Ziqian Li, Xiaoyong Chen, Yini Cao, Yong Li, and Wende Yan

  Tree-crop intercropping is of great significance in food security, land protection, and sustainable agriculture. However, the mechanisms of allelopathy between plant species during intercropping are still limited. This study focuses on the allelopathic effects in the intercropping between Camellia oleifera and Arachis hypogaea L. in southern China. We use different parts of the C. oleifera extract to evaluate their impact on peanut seed germination. The results showed that it has inhibitory effects on peanut germination and growth, with the fruit shell having the strongest inhibitory effect. Three main allelopathic substances affecting A. hypogaea germination and growth were identified using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis, namely, 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol, hexanal, and benzaldehyde. Transcriptomics and metabolomics analyses revealed their effects on glutathione metabolism pathways and specific gene expression. In summary, this study reveals the allelopathic interaction mechanism between C. oleifera and A. hypogaea, which helps to better understand the role of allelopathy in intercropping practices between trees and crops.

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  Integrated Physiological and Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Mechanism of Leaf in Phellodendron Chinense Schneid Seedlings Response to Drought Stress

  Xuejing Zhang, Wenkai Sun, Xiaoyong Chen, Lili Chen, Zhencheng Chen, Hanjie He, and Wende Yan

  Phellodendron chinense Schneid (P. chinense Schneid) is a traditional Chinese woody medicinal plant which contains berberine, phellodendrine and other bioactive compounds, and has an important function on anti-tumor, anti-inflammation, bacteriostasis, reducing blood sugar and fat. The growth and alkaloid biosynthesis of P. chinense Schneid are affected by drought stress, while influence the yield and quality. However, the molecular mechanism of P. chinense Schneid seedlings response to drought stress at transcriptional and physiological levels are not clear. In this study, physiological and transcriptomic responses of P. chinense Schneid seedling leaf to drought stress were investigated. The P. chinense Schneid seedlings were irrigated to field capacity (NC), 40% field capacity (moderate drought, MD) and 20% field capacity (severe drought, SD). The results showed that MD and SD treatments promoted ROS generation, reduced Chl contents and photosynthetic efficiencies, inhibited shoot growth, but increased phellodendrine contents in leaves compared to the NC treatments. A total of 54325 unigenes were identified in MD and SD treatment samples, and the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were primarily involved in several pathways of photosynthesis, phytohormone biosynthesis and signal transduction and isoquiholine alkaloid biosynthesis, with the ethylene (ET) signaling pathway especially. Moreover, some transcription factors from DEGs were revealed, which chiefly related to ET signal transduction, leaf development and alkaloid biosynthesis. Our study suggested that the P. chinense Schneid seedlings responded to drought stress mainly through ET signaling pathway.

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  Time-dependent Effects of Microplastics on Soil Bacteriome

  Xuyuan Zhang, Yong Li, Junjie Lei, Ziqian Li, Qianlong Tan, Longli Xie, Yunmu Xiao, Ting Liu, Xiaoyong Chen, Yafeng Wen, Wenhua Xiang, Yakov Kuzakov, and Wende Yan

  Microplastic threats to biodiversity, health and ecological safety are adding to concern worldwide, but the real impacts on the functioning of organisms and ecosystems are obscure owing to their inert characteristics. Here we investigated the long-lasting ecological effects of six prevalent microplastic types: polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyamide (PA), polystyrene (PS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) on soil bacteria at a 2 % (w/w) level. Due to the inertia and lack of available nitrogen of these microplastics, their effects on bacteriome tended to converge after one year and were strongly different from their short-term effects. The soil volumes around microplastics were very specific, in which the microplastic-adapted bacteria (e.g., some genera in Actinobacteria) were enriched but the phyla Bacteroidetes and Gemmatimonadetes declined, resulting in higher microbial nitrogen requirements and reduced organic carbon mineralization. The reshaped bacteriome was specialized in the genetic potential of xenobiotic and lipid metabolism as well as related oxidation, esterification, and hydrolysis processes, but excessive oxidative damage resulted in severe weakness in community genetic information processing. According to model predictions, microplastic effects are indirectly derived from nutrients and oxidative stress, and the effects on bacterial functions are stronger than on structure, posing a heavy risk to soil ecosystems.

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  Effects of Perfluorinated Compounds Homologues on Chemical Property, Microbial Composition, Richness and Diversity of Urban Forest Soil

  Wei Zheng, Lei Hu, Zekai Chen, Jun Tang, Yuliang Pan, Wende Yan, Xiaoyong Chen, yuanying Peng, and Lijun Chen

  Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), as an important class of new persistent organic pollutants, are widely distributed in the environment. Yet the effects of different types and concentrations of PFCs on soil microbial community in urban forest ecosystems are remain uncertain. Here, two typical PFCs, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), were selected to carry out a pot experiment in greenhouse with singly and joint treatment at different concentrations, to examine their effects on composition and diversity of soil microorganisms and availability of soil macronutrients by using high-throughput Illumina sequencing approach. The results showed both PFOA and PFOS application significantly increased soil NO3--N and NH4+-N content, but did not alter total phosphorus content, compared to the control check (CK) treatments. Total potassium content was reduced in PFOA treatments but increased in PFOS and PFOA×PFOS treatments. The most dominant bacterial phylum was Chloroflexi in low and medium PFCs concentrations and the CK treatments, but it was switched to Acidobacteria in high concentrations. No obvious change was detected for the composition of the dominant fungi community in PFCs treatments compared to the CK treatments. With the increase of PFCs concentrations, soil bacterial richness decreased but its diversity increased, whereas the richness and diversity of fungal community usually decreased. Redundancy analyses revealed that soil fungal community was more sensitive to PFCs pollutants than soil bacterial communities. Further data analysis revealed by structural equation model (SEM) that the PFCs exposed for 60 days indirectly affects the diversity and richness of soil bacteria and fungi by directly affecting NO3--N and NH4+-N content. The results suggested the concentration of PFCs pollutants played a primary role in determining the composition, richness and diversity of forest soil microbial communities.

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  Characterization and Application of Fe-modified Biochar Alleviating Cr(VI) Stress in Pak Choi Seedling Cultivated in Cr-polluted Hydroponics

  Dongjun Zou, Yaohui Wu, Yuanying Peng, Junjie Lei, Guangjun Wang, Jun Wang, Yuliang Pan, Wende Yan, and Xiaoyong Chen

  Chromium (Cr) is one of the common environmental pollutants, which causes severe health hazards on human health and environmental security. In this study, we characterized two biochars, a raw biochar (RBC) and a Fe-modified biochar (MBC) made from poplar wood chips and determined the effect of the two biochars on remediation of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) in hydroponic system by monitoring Pak choi growth. Results showed the surface area, pore number and pore volume were significantly higher in MBC than in PBC, but the pore size was larger in PBC than in MBC. When compared to the control, low concentrations of Cr(VI) (≤2 mg L−1) promoted the growth and biomass production of Pak choi by 10–78%. In contrast, the high concentrations of Cr(VI) (≥4 mg L−1) showed a significantly reduction of the growth and biomass production of Pak choi by 10–28%. Fe-modified biochar (MBC) had a more significant impact than RBC on the remediation of Cr in the Cr(VI) pollution and improved growth and biomass production of Pak choi to a greater extent. Our study indicated that MBC has a better effect on degrading Cr(VI) pollution. The findings provide scientific basis and reference for the remediation of heavy metals in aquatic ecosystems by using biochar.

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  Relationally Responsive Expert Trustworthiness

  Ben Almassi

  Social epistemologists often operationalize the task of indirectly assessing experts’ trustworthiness to identifying whose beliefs are more reliably true on matters in an area of expertise. Not only does this neglect the philosophically rich space between belief formation and testimonial utterances, it also reduces trustworthiness to reliability. In ethics of trust, by contrast, explicitly relational views of trust include things like good will and responsiveness. One might think that relational aspects can be safely set aside for social epistemology of trust in experts, that such considerations may be relevant for personal relationships but not for expert trustworthiness. Against these claims I argue for the social-epistemic relevance of relational aspects of trust in experts, and to that end I discuss three sorts of considerations – responsively positive, neutral, and negative factors – that can make a difference for expert trustworthiness.

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  ‘They Gave Me Nothing’: Marriage, Slavery and Divorce in Twentieth-Century Abeokuta

  Morenikenji Asaaju

  During the early twentieth century, several hundred women in colonial Abeokuta initiated divorce proceedings against their husbands, who were also frequently their masters. The legal records associated with their cases offer important clues about how women – both freeborn and slave – contested the terms of their marriages using the colonial courts. This article examines how and why these women used new interpretations of marriage, which were introduced by European Christian missionaries and the British colonial administrators in order to challenge established traditions. It reveals how colonial native courts approached indigenous norms surrounding marriage and slavery: colonial interventions gave freeborn women a measure of agency within marriage which was also somewhat unexpectedly extended to slave wives. Through an exploration of court judgements, this article demonstrates the effects of colonial intervention on marriage and slavery and the role of the colonial courts in local matrimonial disputes and practices and investigates how they empowered enslaved wives.

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  Implications of Illinois Teacher Evaluation Reforms: Insights from Principals

  David Conrad and Donald G. Hackmann

  This study investigated principals’ perceptions of Illinois teacher evaluation reforms, applying education policy implementation theory and micropolitics of personnel evaluation as conceptual frameworks. Interviews were conducted with 20 Illinois public school principals. Findings revealed micropolitics influenced the development and implementation of local evaluation procedures that were favorable to educators. Principals perceived student growth scores unduly inflated summative ratings, hindering them from rating educators as underperforming and subsequently assigning improvement plans. Despite challenges, participants believed improvement plans were important levers to hold educators accountable for improving their performance.

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  Alumni Perceptions of the Educational Benefits of Their Graduate Degrees from a PBI

  Rasha Elhage, Olanipekun Laoesebikan, and Kimberly Black-Parker

  Much of the research on the benefits of graduate education for minority students has focused on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Little has been done on Predominantly Black Institutions. This case study attempts to shed light on alumni perceptions of the benefits of their graduate education at a Predominantly Black Institution (PBI), Chicago State University. The researchers surveyed the accessible population of Chicago State University alumni who completed requirements for their master’s and doctoral degrees between the academic years 2008 and 2018. Results indicate that perceived benefits fell into two categories: 1) personal benefits that accrued to the graduate and 2) enabling benefits that encouraged the completion of graduate study. Personal benefits included personal fulfillment, an enhanced knowledge of a profession or discipline, and advancement in a career including promotions and salary raises, while some enabling benefits included perceived program quality, the financial accessibility of graduate study at a PBI, and a supportive learning environment. Findings from this study of alumni can lend insights to effective approaches to teaching graduate students from diverse backgrounds.

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  COVID-19 Stress, Health Issues, and Correlations with Different Genders and Age Groups

  Natalia Ermasova and Natalia Rekhter

  This cross-sectional study was conducted during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and aimed to investigate how perceived vulnerability to COVID-19 at the early stages of the pandemic is associated with perceptions of stress and accompanying health issues among different population groups. This study found the top five stressors for the sample population: difficulties/problems with work; social media news, emotional problems; non-social media news; and financial issues. The ANOVA test reveals that female respondents were impacted by the stressors at a higher degree than male respondents. This study found that female respondents were impacted by interpersonal stressors (relationships with friends and emotional problems) to a higher degree than male respondents. The ANOVA analysis shows that young adults had higher mean values in the perception of the following stressors during the COVID-19 crisis: emotional problems, family problems, difficulties/problems with work, and unemployment. Learning about how people perceive COVID-19 related stress and its impact on their health, particularly in the pandemic early and the most uncertain stages, can allow business and health professionals to develop targeted interventions for different population groups, including strategies that can influence pandemic preventative behavioural patterns.

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  Unraveling the Importance of Forest Structure and Composition Driving Soil Microbial and Enzymatic Responses in the Subtropical Forest Soils

  Taimoor Hassan Farooq, Xiaoyong Chen, Awais Shakoor, Muhammad Haroon U. Rashid, Uttam Kumar, Majid Alhomrani, Abdulhakeem S. Alamri, Balasubramani Ravindran, and Wende Yan

  As the responsive soil properties, soil microbial fractions and enzymatic activities are often recommended for assessing soil environment. Different flora, silvicultural practices, and anthropogenic activities regulate essential ecosystem processes. They could substantially affect biological properties, nutrient budgets, and biogeochemical cycles at local and regional scales. This study examined how different forest compositions influenced by various anthropogenic activities (land use change, over-exploitation, species translocation) affect soil microbial properties and enzymatic activities, as well as the effects of soil chemical properties on these patterns in important sub-tropical forest ecosystems in Southern China. The research was conducted at Lutou forest research station, located in Yueyang, Hunan Province, China. Soil samples were collected at 0–10, 10–20, and 20–40 cm depths from natural broadleaved forest (NBF), coniferous monoculture plantations (CPF), and mixed forest stand. CPF stands are directly affected by human interference and frequent harvesting practices, whereas mixed forest and NBF stands are naturally grown forests with minimal human interference. Enzymes continually play a positive role in preserving soil health. The results showed that the interaction effect of forest type and soil depth significantly influenced urease, sucrase, and protease activity (all p < 0.001); however, no clear patterns were observed. Soil microbial carbon (MBC) and soil microbial nitrogen (MBN) were remarkably higher in 0–10 cm in mixed forest and NBF stand compared to CPF stand. For the upper soil layer, soil organic carbon (SOC) was higher in mixed forest, whereas, for the remaining two layers, it was observed to be highest in NBF. Moreover, the microbial quotient (MBC/SOC) was considerably higher in NBF forest in all soil layers than in mixed forest and CPF stand. Soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil total nitrogen (TN) had a strong positive relationship with MBC compared to MBN. Our study contributes toward an enhanced understanding of soil enzymatic responses and microbial soil dynamics’ biological patterns, controls, and activities in different rural forest ecosystems.

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  Variations in Litterfall Dynamics, C:N:P Stoichiometry and Associated Nutrient Return in Pure and Mixed Stands of Camphor Tree and Masson Pine Forests

  Taimoor Hassan Farooq, Zongwen Li, Wende Yan, Awais Shakoor, Uttam Kumar, Rabab Shabbir, Yuanying Peng, Ekambaram Gayathiri, Saber S. Alotaibi, Jacek Wrobel, Hazem M. Kalaji, and Xiaoyong Chen

  Litterfall, directly and indirectly, affects the soil physicochemical properties, microbial activity, and diversity of soil fauna and flora by adding organic matter and nutrients to the soil. This study explores litterfall dynamics such as litterfall production, litter decomposition rate, and associated nutrient return in three forest types, that is, camphor tree forest (CTF), Masson pine forest (MPF), and camphor tree and Masson pine mixed forest (CMF), in subtropical China. Results showed that CMF had the highest mean annual litterfall production (4.30 ± 0.22 t ha−1), which was significantly higher than that of MPF (3.41 ± 0.25 t ha−1) and CTF (3.26 ± 0.17 t ha−1). Leaf represented the major fraction of litterfall, constituting over 71% of the total litterfall mass in the three forest types. The contribution of branch litter was 16.3, 8.9, and 16.9%, and miscellaneous litter was 12.6, 18.9, and 11.1% in CTF, MPF, and CMF, respectively. The concentration of macronutrients ranked as N > Ca > K > Mg > P in all litter fractions. The total annual macronutrient return to the soil from the litterfall was in order as CTF (74.2 kg ha−1‧yr−1) > CMF (70.7 kg ha−1‧yr−1) > MPF (33.6 kg ha−1‧yr−1). The decomposition rate was higher in leaf litter than in branch litter throughout the three forests. Among the forest types, the leaf and branch decomposition rates were in a pattern: CTF > CMF > MPF. The ratio of C/N in both leaf and branch litters was significantly higher in MPF than in CTF and CMF, while no significant differences in N/P ratio were found in these litters among the three forests. The high N:P ratios in leaf litter (23/30) and the branch (24/32) litter indicated the high N returning and low nutrient returning to the soil. Our results suggested that the broadleaved forests have faster litter decomposition and higher macronutrient returns than conifer forests. Moreover, the litter decomposition rate was mainly associated with litterfall quality and chemical composition. The introduction of broadleaved trees into monoculture coniferous stands could increase litter production nutrients return, and thus, it had advantages in soil nutrients restoration and sustainable forest management.

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  Disinvestment in Higher Education and its Impact on Society: Case of Illinois Public Universities

  Richard J. Greenfield and Natalia Ermasova

  This research analyzed the disinvestment in higher education in Illinois. This study is an exploratory case study based on interviews with eleven Presidents, Vice Presidents, and Associate Vice Presidents of Enrollment Management from nine Illinois public universities, qualitative analysis, and secondary data. This study revealed four main themes: the challenges in public universities due to disinvestment in higher education, students migrating outside Illinois, the importance of AIM HIGH Grants, and increased creativity in recruiting students by admissions departments. Disinvestment in higher education had the following impacts: increased tuition, diminished enrollment of students, students migrating outside Illinois, deferred maintenance, loss of talented faculty, and reduction of capital projects.

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  Evaluation of Risk Adjustment Performance of Diagnosis-based and Medication-based Comorbidity Indices in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

  Huei Guo Il, Chao-Hsiun Tang, Mei-Ling Sheu, Hung-Yi Liu, Ning Lu, Yuan-Ya Tsai, Bi-Li Chen, and Kuo-Cherh Huang

  Objectives This study assessed risk adjustment performance of six comorbidity indices in two categories of comorbidity measures: diagnosis-based comorbidity indices and medication-based ones in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods This was a population–based retrospective cohort study. Data used in this study were sourced from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. The study population comprised all patients who were hospitalized due to COPD for the first time in the target year of 2012. Each qualified patient was individually followed for one year starting from the index date to assess two outcomes of interest, medical expenditures within one year after discharge and in-hospital mortality of patients. To assess how well the added comorbidity measures would improve the fitted model, we calculated the log-likelihood ratio statistic G2. Subsequently, we compared risk adjustment performance of the comorbidity indices by using the Harrell c-statistic measure derived from multiple logistic regression models. Results Analytical results demonstrated that that comorbidity measures were significant predictors of medical expenditures and mortality of COPD patients. Specifically, in the category of diagnosis-based comorbidity indices the Elixhauser index was superior to other indices, while the RxRisk-V index was a stronger predictor in the framework of medication-based codes, for gauging both medical expenditures and in-hospital mortality by utilizing information from the index hospitalization only as well as the index and prior hospitalizations. Conclusions In conclusion, this work has ascertained that comorbidity indices are significant predictors of medical expenditures and mortality of COPD patients. Based on the study findings, we propose that when designing the payment schemes for patients with chronic diseases, the health authority should make adjustments in accordance with the burden of health care caused by comorbid conditions.

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  School Counselors and Administrators Agree: Time and Testing are Barriers

  TeShaunda Hannor-Walker, Robert Pincus, Leonis Wright, Wendy Rock, Jennifer Money-Brady, and Lynn Bohecker

  School leaders continuously state their concerns about rising mental health issues in schools. This study looks at the perceptions of the roles of school counselors as mental health professionals in schools from the perspectives of school counselors and principals. The purpose of this study is to explore how administrators and school counselors describe the role of school counselors, and the perceived barriers to school counselors spending the recommended 80 percent of their time in the delivery of services to students. This study uses deductive qualitative content analysis to review written responses from the 518 participants who identified as either a licensed or certified school counselor or a school administrator. The results show that school administrators and school counselors have very different perceptions of school counselors as mental health professionals; however, they agree that time and testing are barriers to providing direct services to students.