Recent Articles
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March numbers signal manufacturing slump
Michelle R. Matisons ManufacturingEver since President Donald Trump made an increase in manufacturing jobs one of his key campaign promises, many Americans waited to see if this promise would come to fruition or if it was just another empty political slogan to be dusted off and then returned to the post-industrial, outsourced, and downsized U.S. production heap. New numbers from February and March 2019 report manufacturing declines, reflecting the first quarterly drop in production since 2016. A quarterly drop is no small potatoes, and hard manufacturing data continues to challenge rhetoric from the White House and Capitol Hill about a robust manufacturing economy.
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Researchers present new implications for treating sickle cell disease
Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied HealthcareIn sickle cell disease (SCD), hemoglobin molecules form into fibers that act like stiff rods within the red blood cells. Although the causes of SCD have been known at the molecular level for decades, the disease has never been studied at the level of detail it recently was by biomedical engineers in the University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering. According to David Wood, an associate professor of biomedical engineering at the university, the researchers were surprised at what they discovered at the nanoscale — that the disease self-assembly process is less efficient. This means that developing new medicines that are effective at lower doses and cause fewer side effects might be easier than originally thought.
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How to protect against cybersecurity threats in schools
Brian Stack EducationI’ll never forget the first cybersecurity attack I endured as a high school principal. It happened years ago, after I had to assign consequences to a tech-savvy student who regularly would hack into our school Wi-Fi network to access websites and social media platforms that, at the time, were blocked from student access during the school day. I remember the student being upset because he was trying to meet a critical deadline for his international business, and his two other partners needed his help to finish a project for their company. The three ran a company that rented and sold server space to gamers around the world. Mind you, my student had just recently celebrated his 15th birthday.
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Maintaining your facility’s carpet
Scott E. Rupp Facilities & GroundsCommercial and municipal properties experience more than their fair share of foot traffic, which means dirt, soiled stains and the possibility of an environment that’s not attractive nor appealing to visitors, customers and employees. Carpet, unfortunately, is often, overlooked as much as it’s walked over. Facility managers are in a unique role in which to take control over the cleanliness of accoutrements of the office environment, carpet included. And while doing so is not overly complicated or burdensome, carpet maintenance may require a little professional guidance.
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Is Twitter still popular, relevant, or worth it for businesses?
Emma Fitzpatrick MarketingMost marketers rely on the big three social platforms to connect, engage and inform their followers. For B2C marketers, 97% used Facebook, 65% used Twitter, and 60% used Instagram, according to 2018 Statista data. For B2B, 89% used Facebook, 81% used LinkedIn, and 75% used Twitter. For years, Twitter has consistently ranked among brands’ go-to destinations for social media platforms. But did you know Twitter has 32% fewer daily active users (126 million) than Snapchat (186 million)?
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Finding the right walking tour for your trip
Dave G. Houser Travel, Hospitality & Event ManagementImagine yourself trekking through the geothermal wonders of Yellowstone National Park or hiking into the cliff-rimmed depths of the Grand Canyon. For adventure-seeking vacationers, there isn’t a more inspiring or exhilarating way to experience a destination than to simply walk around it. It’s the best way to connect with a place — observing details and enjoying spontaneous encounters that typical tourists miss. Walking/hiking vacations have become so popular that an entire industry has developed to organize guided tours in parks and recreation areas and other off-grid locations across the country. We've selected five of the most experienced and reputable tour companies offering walking and hiking programs in the U.S.
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Establishing a positive school climate meets the needs of English learners…
Erick Herrmann EducationIt is clear that a positive work environment benefits everyone and allows for a healthy, happy, and collaborative environment where everyone can work to accomplish goals in a meaningful, engaging way. When it comes to schools, a positive environment not only benefits the staff but the students, too. This is especially important when we are discussing potentially marginalized populations in schools. We can best meet the needs of English learners, students with special needs, and other student groups when we consider their needs along with each of the populations of students in the school.
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Staying young with RVing
Cindy Belt Recreation & LeisureWhen I go camping, I see many older people that are still active. We're hiking the trails, paddling rivers, and generally getting outside. I've realized that RVing helps people stay active and feeling young. Research has shown there are several methods to extend your life and keep your brain and body in the best condition. RVing provides the opportunity to experience these ways every day.
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Podcast: Concierge PT and podcasting to attract patients with Dr. Karen…
Jarod Carter Sports & FitnessBetween running her cash-based practice in New York City, recording her thriving Healthy Wealthy and Smart podcast, and co-founding the Women in PT Summit, Dr. Karen Litzy is one busy person. In this short interview, I get Karen’s thoughts on hiring new employees for her concierge practice, how podcasting has changed her life, and how my listeners might start their own patient-generating podcasts.
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Are Lexile reading-level scores flawed?
Howard Margolis EducationThe progress of many struggling readers is undermined by slavish adherence to Lexile reading-level scores. Though I haven't observed that a majority of teachers, learning consultants, and school psychologists are subservient to these scores, I’ve observed it far too often to think it’s rare. In contrast, it’s obvious that Lexile scores, flexibly used as tentative guides, can advance decision-making but cannot take the place of a highly knowledgeable and insightful teacher’s observations. Essentially, Lexile scores are produced by readability formulas that analyze the difficulty of texts, such as passages, articles, and books. To do this, they analyze the length of sentences and the frequency with which words occur.