Why the New York State System for Obtaining a License to Carry a Concealed Weapon is Unconstitutional

The New York State administrative system for obtaining a license to carry a concealed weapon violates the state constitution and the tenets of administrative law vital to a democratic society. This article discusses the failures of the New York State administrative procedures for issuing carry licenses. In addition, this article asserts that by avoiding policy determinations, the legislature has created a system that disadvantages both individual applicants and the public at large. This article concludes that both the New York Legislature and courts must act to rectify the state\u27s unconstitutional and undemocratic scheme for issuing carry licenses

Scientific Approaches and Methodology to Determine the Value of Data as an Asset and Use Case in the Automotive Industry

From a theoretical perspective data does not constitute a traditional business asset. Existing valuation approaches are either sector specific or still unexplored. In modern businesses the value-adding use and monetization of existing “big data” represents one of the greatest potentials in the context of digital transformation. This paper aims at reviewing methods and developing an integrated methodology for the value determination of data in general and for use in the manufacturing industry in particular. Therefore, the general state of research in data value assessment is investigated by a broad literature analysis. Based on the identified general principles, methodological requirements for data value determination are compiled. A new methodology for data evaluation is developed and applied to four use cases coming from the automotive industry. The results show that the methodology can be used in different contexts and thus enables managers to explore the most promising use cases for data-driven business

The performance of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder on Griffiths Mental Development Scales - extended revised

Research has shown that Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the commonest neurodevelopmental disorders which has a negative impact on a child. However, to date limited research has been conducted on learners, and specifically those learners with ADHD, within a National Education stream. Furthermore, running concurrently with this are new developments in education in South Africa. An inclusive educational policy favours the incorporation of all children into a mainstream scholastic setting, regardless of their diverse needs. In addition to educational changes for children with ADHD, many parents are presently unable to afford the medication commonly used to treat the disorder, resulting in both parents and teachers having to manage these children with limited professional support. It is widely accepted that early assessment and intervention are necessary in order to maximise a child’s potential. For this reason, the primary aim of this study was to explore and describe the developmental profile of children with ADHD on the Griffiths Mental Development Scales-Extended Revised (GMDS-ER). Further aims were to compare the performance of the clinical sample to a normal South African sample. In order to achieve these aims, a quantitative, exploratory-descriptive research design was employed. The sample (N = 38) of ADHD were selected by means of a non-probability, purposive sampling procedure, from various pre-school and primary schools in the Nelson Mandela Metropole. The normal sample (N = 38) was drawn from an existing database created during the revision of the Scales. Information was collated using the Conners 39 Item Teacher Rating Scale, biographical data, as well as the results of an assessment from the GMDS-ER. In this study the general performance of the ADHD sample on the GMDS-ER was found to be above average. Furthermore the performance of these children on the six Subscales of the GMDS-ER ranged from average to superior, with the poorest performance being on the Eye and Hand Co-ordination Subscale, and the best performance being on the Performance Subscale. Significant differences between the ADHD and normal sample were found on the General Quotient (GQ) as well as three of the six Subscales, namely, the Hearing and Speech, Eye and Hand Co-ordination and Performance Subscales. Generally, the results of the study suggest that a specific developmental profile for children with ADHD exists. Additionally, the study highlighted the success with which the GMDS-ER can be utilised on a specific clinical population

Instructed Interlanguage Development

Several theorists have claimed that interlanguage (IL) development in instructed (classroom) learners does not differ significantly from that in learners acquiring a second language (SL) naturalistically. The processses and/or sequences in SL development are held to be the same in both acquisitional contexts. Accordingly, some writers on language teaching have advocated provision of "natural" language learning experiences for classroom learners, and the elimination of structural grading, a focus on form and error correction, even for adults. This paper examines the evidence offered in support of the claims concerning instructed IL development. Some recent studies are summarized which illustrate the potential of formal instruction in four areas: (1) acquisition processes, (2) acquisition sequences, (3) rate of acquisition, and (4) level of ultimate SLA attainment. The conclusion is that the claimed similarities between instructed and naturalistic SL acquisition are based on insufficient and weak evidence, that instruction affects learning positively in three of the above four areas, and that the prescriptions for language teaching, therefore, are certainly premature and probably wrong

A Case for Delirium Risk Prediction Models to Aid in Triaging Resources to those Most at Risk an Integrative Literature Review

Abstract Delirium is a complex syndrome resulting from compounding effects of acute illness, comorbidities, and the environment. It results in adverse outcomes: elevated mortality rates, length of stay, readmissions, institutionalization, long-term cognitive changes, and diminished quality of life. The rate of iatrogenic delirium is astounding, ranging from 10%-89%. There are no curative treatments; thus, primary prevention is the key. The purpose of this literature review is to identify and critique the research for the accuracy of risk stratification and feasibility in practice. Support for interventions that prevent delirium is mounting; however, interventions are resource-intensive and often not implemented. Researchers have responded to this problem by developing risk stratification tools to triage interventions toward those of the highest risk. There is evidence that some of the models\u27 implementation is successful; however, they are not yet widely operationalized. A compilation of seven published models of risk prediction was critiqued and compared using the Stetler Model of Evidence-Based Practice as a guiding model. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and the Critical Appraisal and the Data Extraction for Systematic Reviews of Prediction Modelling Studies (CHARMS checklist) are employed to aid in the critical appraisal, evaluation of the study\u27s quality, and aid in data abstraction. The models show the ability to stratify risk. Still, their effectiveness in practice cannot be studied without directed interventions because they risk prediction models are created to aid healthcare staff in making clinical decisions. Therefore, a complete clinical pathway with evidence-based interventions should be employed with a delirium risk prediction model to triage the interventions to patients at the highest risk. Recommendations are to implement an automated electronic model (automatic calculation using the EMR or a machine learning model) into clinical practice along with a delirium prevention care pathway. Electronic versions of risk scores allow for an opportunity to achieve clinical efficiency and show statistical superiority to the other models. Published evidence on the impact of the models is diminutive. Their ability to triage patients and aid in clinical decision-making should be published in an impact study. Keywords: Delirium, risk assessment, risk prediction, risk model, risk score, patient safety, patient-centered outcomes researc

Using self- and peer-assessment to enhance students' future learning in higher education

In higher education settings, assessment tasks get the attention of students, but once students submit their work they typically become disengaged with the assessment process. Hence, opportunities for learning are lost as they become passive recipients of assessment outcomes. Future-learning oriented assessment engages students in the assessment process to improve both short- and long-term outcomes by requiring students to make sophisticated judgments about their own learning, and that of their peers. In this paper, we describe and critique three initiatives that experimented with future-learning oriented assessment within a faculty of education. These initiatives involved self- and peer-assessment in a mathematics education subject for first year pre-service teachers; peer assessment of individual contributions in a group project using a Wiki; and self- and peer-assessment to help students learn about leadership. Based on our experiences, we conclude with suggestions of how others might also use self- and peer-assessment to work towards better short- and long-term learning outcomes in higher education

A study of outcomes based educational interventions and moral development of undergraduate college students

Discussions regarding moral development and subsequent behavior are common in political and philosophical arenas. The consensus is that resolutions of moral dilemmas are best accomplished through careful deliberation and the use of principled moral reasoning. The purpose of this study was to examine changes in moral development in undergraduate college students who participated in an outcomes based education program. The study also investigated the influence of certain demographic and attribute variables on moral development within the same population. This study examined extant data from 295 University of Charleston (UC) students who took the Defining Issues Test as freshmen and then again during their senior capstone. Paired samples t-tests produced statistically significant evidence of movement toward post-conventional methods and away from the use of lower level conventional modalities when resolving moral dilemmas. The result of paired sample t-tests and ANOVA comparing demographic and attribute variables to changes in DIT-2 sub-scores showed mixed results. Overall, students’ capacity to resolve moral dilemmas using higher order thinking was demonstrably strengthened. However, there were insufficient data to suggest that any one group within the overall cohort encountered educational interventions that significantly affected that ability more so than the entire population

On the Problem of Breathing, Eating, & Drinking Poison: An introduction to problem solving, nobility of purpose under adverse circumstances, and the search for truth with Sir Karl Popper on Prince Edward Island

This paper introduces Karl Popper's approach to problem solving in the social sciences. These methods fundamentally represent the scientific method of the natural sciences. Popper's problem solving technique is outlined in six steps, including an introductory treatment of his solution to Hume's Problem of Induction. These six steps are then applied in the form of a test and logical deduction of our illustrative theory: Cancer rates on Prince Edward Island have dramatically increased as a result of an extraordinary increase (900% in the past decade) in potato production, and a corollary increase of secondary agricultural inputs, namely an increase of chlorothalonil (trade name: Bravo) applications in less than ten years. We conclude our theory is true and, in order to complete our demonstration of Popper's methods, open this theory to criticism and refutations. APPENDIX A offers a brief review of relevant literature on the philosophy of science, and APPENDIX B offers readers a brief introduction to the fundamentals of relevant island-based methods.scientific method; karl popper; truth; falsity; probability theory; the problem of induction; industrial agriculture; prince edward island; insularity; manufacture of consent; the tragedy of the commons

Evaluation activity in the conceptual phase of the engineering design process

Chapter 4 describes the synthesis and development of a Conceptual Design Evaluation Method (CDEM) that is an amalgam of a number of methods and approaches taken principally from the probability, reliability, and quality domains. Decomposition of design is employed to enable evaluation at design characteristic level with the total design evaluation being achieved via recomposition by means of Conceptual Design Factor Ratings (CDFR) and Conceptual Design Solution Ratings (CDSR). This methodology is next tested, within a controlled design environment, in order that its validity can be assessed. The experimental approach used is described in Chapter 5. The results of this experiment, which uses students along with technical and academic staff from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Glasgow as subjects, indicate that the developed Conceptual Design Evaluation Methodology does exhibit validity within the limits of the experimental environment. It is shown that the CDEM can match expert selection of preferred concept options thus offering the potential of enhancing novice capability and of providing advisory support to experienced designers. The experiment also exposes the problem of objectivity in design evaluation however it is also shown that the CDEM approach acts to mitigate against this tendency by effectively reminding the designer of the benefits of a range of conceptual options. In parallel, the experiment also exposes the limits of human objective evaluation in terms of the complexity of criteria addressed as well as the number of conceptual options considered. Once again CDEM is shown to enable evaluative objectivity to be maintained with increasing complexity. It is also suggested that the CDEM approach is appropriate for a concurrent engineering environment since it displays a capacity to enhance traceability of design decision making. Finally, conclusions are provided regarding the specific outcomes of the described research along with implications for the wider issues of coherent design research strategy and professional engineering design practice