Response to Intervention vs. Severe Discrepancy Model: Identification of Students with Specific Learning Disabilities

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of educators on the acceptance of either the Response to Intervention (RTI) model or the Severe Discrepancy (SD) model in the identification of students with a SLD. The study consisted of 160 general education (GE) teachers and 119 special education (SPED) teachers. The study used a survey method to determine participants’ acceptance of the RTI model over the SD model. The study results revealed significant findings for SPED teachers versus GE teachers in their acceptability of RTI as an effective method of evaluation for SLD. Overall educators endorsed the use of the RTI model over the SD model. However, GE teachers significantly preferred the RTI model as the more appropriate method to identify student learning problems than SPED teachers. This difference may be due to SPED teacher’s ability to interpret data gathered from both RTI model data and SD model data. Both GE and SPED teachers believed that the RTI model was beneficial for a child. The use of the RTI model appears to be the more accepted model for the determination of an SLD. There were no significant differences found among educators with regards to the use of the SD model. However, mean scores did indicate that SPED teachers were more likely to endorse the SD model than GE teachers. Lack of significant findings among educators in their endorsement of the SD model may have been the result of an affinity towards the RTI model in general. Future, use of the RTI model will require specific professional development training in the area of the use of progress monitoring data to guide instruction

Array Convolutional Low-Density Parity-Check Codes

This paper presents a design technique for obtaining regular time-invariant low-density parity-check convolutional (RTI-LDPCC) codes with low complexity and good performance. We start from previous approaches which unwrap a low-density parity-check (LDPC) block code into an RTI-LDPCC code, and we obtain a new method to design RTI-LDPCC codes with better performance and shorter constraint length. Differently from previous techniques, we start the design from an array LDPC block code. We show that, for codes with high rate, a performance gain and a reduction in the constraint length are achieved with respect to previous proposals. Additionally, an increase in the minimum distance is observed.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in IEEE Communications Letter

Performance of diagnostic tests to detect respiratory viruses in older adults.

The performance of 4 laboratory methods for diagnosis of viral respiratory tract infections (RTI) in older adults was evaluated. Seventy-four nasopharyngeal (NP) swab specimens were obtained from 60 patients with RTI at a long-term care facility over 2 respiratory seasons. Sixteen specimens were positive for a respiratory virus by at least 1 method. Multiplex reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) by the Luminex xTAG Respiratory Viral Panel (RVP) detected 16 (100%) of the positive specimens, RVP of 24-h culture supernatant detected 8 (50%), direct fluorescent antibody testing detected 4 (25%), rapid culture detected 2 (12.5%), and rapid antigen testing detected none. For a comparison group, RVP was performed on NP swabs from 20 outpatient children with RTI. The mean fluorescence intensity by RVP was significantly lower for positive adult patients than pediatric patients (P = 0.0373). Our data suggest that older adult patients shed lower titers of viruses, necessitating a highly sensitive assay such as RT-PCR to reliably detect respiratory viral pathogens

A Literature Review of Implementing Response to Intervention for English Language Learners

Response to intervention (RTI) has actively been used for identifying reading difficulties and providing supplemental instructions for students with disabilities. Recent developments of RTI show that the method expands its applicability to other areas and populations. In particular, it is difficult to distinguish learning disability (LD) from English as a second language acquisition. RTI could successfully be implemented for English language learners (ELLs). A systematic literature review has been conducted to delineate various components, strategies, and implications of RTI for ELL students. Twenty six articles that meet the criteria are analyzed for themes and important findings. The result of the literature review along with the implications of the identified studies is reported. It is identified that direct instruction used in tier 2 is an effective technique when infusing linguistic and cultural aspects of ELL with diverse needs

Response to Intervention: Implications for use when Identifying Students with Special Needs

Upon being registered in August of 2006, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) began requiring schools to think about the way in which they identify students with learning disabilities (SLD) and in many cases, then make changes to their systems of classification. Response to Intervention, or RTI, has emerged as a popular method for meeting the federal mandates. Combining high quality instruction, progress monitoring, and more specific supports based on students’ response to research-based teaching practices, RTI is becoming a common way to provide both instructional and behavioral interventions for students at risk, and determine if a child has a learning disability. This study reports on a survey done in a rural school that has begun to implement RTI. The study supports literature that discusses the need for training for all those involved in the RTI process. It also speaks of the need for education and support for teachers when providing interventions for students that struggle behaviorally

Pathogen-host reorganization during Chlamydia invasion revealed by cryo-electron tomography

Invasion of host cells is a key early event during bacterial infection, but the underlying pathogen-host interactions are yet to be fully visualised in three-dimensional detail. We have captured snapshots of the early stages of bacterial-mediated endocytosis in situ by exploiting the small size of chlamydial elementary bodies (EBs) for whole cell cryo-electron tomography. Chlamydiae are obligate intracellular bacteria that infect eukaryotic cells and cause sexually transmitted infections and trachoma, the leading cause of preventable blindness. We demonstrate that Chlamydia trachomatis LGV2 EBs are intrinsically polarised. One pole is characterised by a tubular inner membrane invagination, while the other exhibits asymmetric periplasmic expansion to accommodate an array of type III secretion systems (T3SSs). Strikingly, EBs orient with their T3SS-containing pole facing target cells, enabling the T3SSs to directly contact the cellular plasma membrane. This contact induces enveloping macropinosomes, actin-rich filopodia and phagocytic cups to zipper tightly around the internalising bacteria. Once encapsulated into tight early vacuoles, EB polarity and the T3SSs are lost. Our findings reveal previously undescribed structural transitions in both pathogen and host during the initial steps of chlamydial invasion

Modelling very large complex systems using distributed simulation: A pilot study in a healthcare setting

Modern manufacturing supply chains are hugely complex and like all stochastic systems, can benefit from simulation. Unfortunately supply chain systems often result in massively large and complicated models, which even today’s powerful computers cannot run efficiently. This paper presents one possible solution - distributed simulation. This pilot study is implemented in a healthcare setting, the supply chain of blood from donor to recipient