San Diego City College

Abstract Background Hawai‘i’s exceptional trees are currently identified based on 7 selection criteria established in 1975. These criteria and their corresponding program components have remained stagnant with minimal improvements since the program’s inception. This study builds upon previous exceptional (aka “heritage,” “significant,” “champion,” “monumental,” “notable,” etc.) tree research conducted in other geographic locations in an attempt to discover if consensus exists regarding how these trees of importance should be identified, managed, and protected. Methods A panel of 13 experts from around the state were presented 45 exceptional tree selection criteria and several program components using a 3-iteration Delphi method to determine if consensus exists on which selection criteria and program components should be used by Hawai‘i’s Exceptional Tree Program. Results The results identified 33 exceptional tree selection criteria and 5 program components (i.e., protection mechanisms, private property exceptional tree maintenance costs, funding, public education and outreach, and program management best practices) recommended by the expert panel, as well as examples of how each should be implemented to improve the efficacy of this conservation program. Conclusions These findings add to a growing body of exceptional tree research designed to identify, recognize, and protect a region’s most valued trees, while also having applicability to urban forestry programs more broadly.

Misinformation has become a pervasive issue in society. In relation to human behavior and cognitive processes, psychological myths can have detrimental effects by distorting our perceptions. This study employed correlational and regression analyses with 86 community college students in Southern California to examine the relationships between sociodemographic factors, belief in psychological myths, as well as the relationship between belief strength on reflective and critical thinking measures. Correlational analyses revealed significant associations between belief in psychological myths and identification with various sociodemographic factors. Findings suggest that certain demographic characteristics may be associated with stronger inclination to believe in psychological misconceptions. There was no relationship between our measure of critical thinking and endorsement of psychological myths. Results from this study suggest a number of implications for higher education. For example, educators can design curriculum to specifically address misconceptions, foster critical thinking, and promote accurate understanding of psychological phenomena. Providing opportunities for critical thinking in higher education may be beneficial in mitigating misinformation and cultivating accurate perceptions of human behavior. Findings from the current study highlight the importance of promoting critical thinking in educational contexts to combat the spread and perpetuation of myths and misinformation, ultimately leading to a more informed and discerning society.

We provide a simple algorithm for recognizing and performing Reidemeister moves in a Gauss diagram.

Miaolingian rocks of the Delitzsch–Torgau–Doberlug Syncline yield Helcionelloida and Hyolitha that are otherwise poorly known from this stratigraphical interval in Central Europe. The two faunal intervals from the lower part of the Wuliuan and the lower part of the Drumian Stage include the helcionelloid genera Helcionella, Marocella and Leptostega, and at least nine different species of hyoliths, mostly preserved in a manner that does not permit precise determination, but they distinctly broaden the paragon of the West Gondwana molluscan faunas and revise earlier reports on the faunal spectrum. A new species of Aladraco is introduced as A. kirchhainensis sp. nov.

The purpose of this study is to review the literature for Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) to ensure the National Standards for DSMES (Standards) align with current evidence-based practices and utilization trends. The 10 Standards were divided among 20 interdisciplinary workgroup members. Members searched the current research for diabetes education and support, behavioral health, clinical, health care environment, technical, reimbursement, and business practice for the strongest evidence that guided the Standards revision. Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support facilitates the knowledge, skills, and ability necessary for diabetes self-care as well as activities that assist a person in implementing and sustaining the behaviors needed to manage their condition on an ongoing basis. The evidence indicates that health care providers and people affected by diabetes are embracing technology, and this is having a positive impact of DSMES access, utilization, and outcomes. Quality DSMES continues to be a critical element of care for all people with diabetes. The DSMES services must be individualized and guided by the concerns, preferences, and needs of the person affected by diabetes. Even with the abundance of evidence supporting the benefits of DSMES, it continues to be underutilized, but as with other health care services, technology is changing the way DSMES is delivered and utilized with positive outcomes.

Little is known regarding the first people to enter the Americas and their genetic legacy. Genomic analysis of the oldest human remains from the Americas showed a direct relationship between a Clovis-related ancestral population and all modern Central and South Americans as well as a deep split separating them from North Americans in Canada. We present 91 ancient human genomes from California and Southwestern Ontario and demonstrate the existence of two distinct ancestries in North America, which possibly split south of the ice sheets. A contribution from both of these ancestral populations is found in all modern Central and South Americans. The proportions of these two ancestries in ancient and modern populations are consistent with a coastal dispersal and multiple admixture events.

Focusing on an educational paradigm rooted in critical pedagogy, the socratic method, futures studies, and peace education, this essay takes the position that classrooms of the future should be transformed into safe harbors where students are afforded the opportunity to explore, deconstruct and share knowledge of themselves, their experiences, and the world in which they live. Drawing upon experience as a professor of futures studies, peace studies, and international relations, the author argues that, regardless of the subject being taught, students should be active participants in a classroom environment where the professor guides understanding primarily as an individual contributor. The essay embodies Einstein’s assertion that “we can not solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them”, by arguing that in such ‘incubatorial’ classrooms, students and teachers strive, together, to evolve their mutual understanding of the world, which, as knowledge, forms a basis for their collective reality.