To keep pace with the tremendous bandwidth growth in cloud networking, web-scale providers, such as Microsoft, have been quick to adopt elastic features of modern optical networks. In particular, ...colorless flexible-grid reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexers, bandwidth-variable transceivers, and the ability to choose a variety of optical source types are integral for cloud network operators to improve network efficiency while supporting a variety of service types. We take an in-depth look at Microsoft's deployed network infrastructure and discuss the impact of elasticity on network capacity and flexibility. As a proof-of-concept, a new elastic open line system (OLS), in which the line system components and the signal sources are disaggregated, was assembled in a laboratory environment, and 4000 km of propagation over primarily nonzero dispersion-shifted fiber using multiple source types is demonstrated. Finally, the long-term goal of unifying the control plane of the OLS, DWDM signal sources, routers, and Ethernet switches under a single software-defined network controller is briefly addressed.
Working through the COVID-19 pandemic, many community colleges were driven to continue operations in a time of extreme uncertainty, all while dealing with enrollment declines, helping those already ...marginalized through wrap around services, and transforming educational service delivery in an online environment. Throughout rapidly changing circumstances of the pandemic and post-pandemic environments, equity-minded leaders are prompted to ask, "Are we doing enough?" The current article describes the COVID-19 responses of two community colleges in North Carolina, Forsyth Technical Community College, an urban institution serving the areas in and around Winston-Salem, and Wilkes Community College, serving a three-county service area in a more rural area of the North Carolina mountains. The approaches of the two colleges from different geographic areas shows both common and unique challenges, as we describe how they took action to (1) maintain continuity, (2) address enrollment declines and engage the disengaged, and (3) lead for the future through academic, workforce, and equity initiatives. The colleges benefited from a strong commitment among their faculty and staff to convert to virtual service delivery, engaged in bold actions that will pay dividends for years to come, and experienced their share of challenges implementing safety protocols. Some of the post-pandemic recommendations based on the experiences of the two colleges include: expecting greater demand for virtual learning, considering the needs of colleges from diverse geographies, committing to varied forms of communication in crisis, staying innovative even in uncertain times, and considering the needs of the whole student.
This article examined the extent to which residents living in the Midland-Saginaw-Bay City area in Eastern Michigan felt stigmatized due to industrial contamination. Seventy in-depth interviews were ...conducted with local residents, focusing on the extent to which they experienced three aspects of stigma--affective, cognitive, and behavioral. Results indicated that although some participants were not concerned with living in a contaminated community, local residents largely perceived dioxin as a risk to individual health and the local environment. Concern, shock, and irritation were typical affective responses at the time participants learned of the contamination. Several participants indicated a feeling of embarrassment and fear of being rejected by others because of the stigma associated with industrial contamination. Instead of actively seeking information about dioxin contamination and remediation, participants often relied on information provided to them by government officials. Behaviorally, participants avoided eating locally caught fish and prepared fish more carefully in order to avoid exposure to contaminants. As a whole, this study provided insight to understand affective, cognitive, and behavioral responses to environmental stigma.
In a previous book entitled "Zapp! The Lightening of Empowerment", a new system for motivating employees and improving productivity in a corporate setting was presented. This book adapts that ...empowerment guide to the classroom with workable, hands-on suggestions to help educators motivate their students and themselves. Empowerment in education means getting students to take responsibility for their own progress by involving them in decision making; encouraging them to think for themselves; and fostering trust, creativity, and a hunger for new challenges. However, teachers first must empower themselves if they are to empower students. Written as a fable, this book offers a step-by-step description of the empowerment process at a fictional middle school and equips educators with skills needed for various situations, such as administration, class projects, and teacher-student meetings. The final part describes how empowerment can occur in a school district. (LMI)
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