Enhancing Stakeholder Engagement to Achieve the Sustainable Management of Free-roaming Equids

Wild horse (Equus caballus) and burro (E. asinus; WHB) stakeholders in the American West are divergent in their views of free-roaming equids on public lands. Management authority for free-roaming equids on designated public lands was given to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) in 1971 by U.S. Congress with the passing of the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act (WFRHBA). In 1976, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) mandated the BLM to manage public lands for multiple-uses, which included livestock grazing, energy development, recreation, and timber harvest. Since the passage of WFRHBA and FLPMA, almost every WHB management option has been met with frustration and contention by some faction of stakeholders. Currently, WHB populations on designated public lands exceed numbers the BLM and USFS determined were in balance with other multiple-uses. Historically, true collaboration around the issue has been lacking apart from the banding together of like-minded organizations. As climate change exacerbates resource impacts on Western public landscapes, leaving already arid lands drier and forage amounts and diversity lessened, the need for true collaboration among divergent stakeholders is abundantly clear. However, how to collaborate sustainably and healthily is unclear. In this paper, we outline a framework, specifically with the BLM in mind, for achieving collaboration with diverse stakeholders and decision-makers

Predicting Second and Third Graders' Reading Comprehension Gains: Observing Students' and Classmates Talk during Literacy Instruction using COLT.

This paper introduces a new observation system that is designed to investigate students' and teachers' talk during literacy instruction, Creating Opportunities to Learn from Text (COLT). Using video-recorded observations of 2nd-3rd grade literacy instruction (N=51 classrooms, 337 students, 151 observations), we found that nine types of student talk ranged from using non-verbal gestures to generating new ideas. The more a student talked, the greater were his/her reading comprehension (RC) gains. Classmate talk also predicted RC outcomes (total effect size=0.27). We found that 11 types of teacher talk ranged from asking simple questions to encouraging students' thinking and reasoning. Teacher talk predicted student talk but did not predict students' RC gains directly. Findings highlight the importance of each student's discourse during literacy instruction, how classmates' talk contributes to the learning environments that each student experiences, and how this affects RC gains, with implications for improving the effectiveness of literacy instruction

Exploring the role of morphemes in word reading

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/88078/1/RRQ.40.4.3.pd

Eperio: Mitigating Technical Complexity in Cryptographic Election Verification

Cryptographic (or end-to-end) election verification is a promising approach to providing transparent elections in an age of electronic voting technology. In terms of execution time and software complexity however, the technical requirements for conducting a cryptographic election audit can be prohibitive. In an effort to reduce these requirements we present Eperio: a new, provably secure construction for providing a tally that can be efficiently verified using only a small set of primitives. We show how common-place utilities, like the use of file encryption, can further simplify the verification process for election auditors. Using Python, verification code can be expressed in 50 lines of code. Compared to other proposed proof-verification methods for end-to-end election audits, Eperio lowers the technical requirements in terms of execution time, data download times, and code size. As an interesting alternative, we explain how verification can be implemented using TrueCrypt and the built-in functions of a spreadsheet, making Eperio the first end-to-end system to not require special-purpose verification software

Effects of Instruction in Morphological Awareness on Literacy Achievement: An Integrative Review

As many studies have now demonstrated that morphological awareness contributes to students' literacy development, there is growing interest in the educational value of instruction in morphological awareness. This review was undertaken to integrate findings of studies that sought to determine whether such instruction contributed to improvement in literacy. Analysis of the 16 studies that met selection criteria is organized around researchers' purpose(s) in studying the relation of morphological awareness instruction to key components of literacy development (i.e., phonology, orthography, word meaning). Results indicate that morphological awareness has the potential to contribute to students' literacy development in all three areas—most notably when it deepens students' understanding of the morphemic structure, spelling, and meaning of written words. However, examination of the design and quality of the studies of instruction in morphological awareness suggests that this is an emerging area of research. Much needs to be done to provide a clearer understanding of how, when, and why morphological awareness instruction contributes to students' literacy development. تزايد الاهتمام بالقيمة التعليمية للتدريس في مجال المعرفة الصرفية لأن العديد من الدراسات قد أثبتت الآن أن المعرفة الصرفية تسهم في تطوير القراءة والكتابة بالنسبة للطلاب. لقد تم العمل على هذه المراجعة النقدية لدمج النتاتج التي توصلت إليها الدراسات التي سعت إلى تحديد إن كان هذا التدريس قد أسهم في تحسين القراءة والكتابة. يتمحور تحليل الدراسات الستة عشرة التي تخضع لمعايير الانتقاء حول غرض/ أغراض الباحثين في دراسة العلاقة بين تعليم المعرفة الصرفية والمكونات الرئيسية لتطوير القراءة والكتابة ( أي علم الأصوات الكلامية والإملاء ومعنى الكلمة ). تشير النتائج أن للمعرفة الصرفية قدرة على الاسهام في تطوير القراءة والكتابة بالنسبة للطلاب في المجالات الثلاثة – لاسيما عندما تعمق فهم الطلاب للبنية الصرفية والاملاء وكذلك معنى الكلمات المكتوبة. ومع ذلك فإن دراسة التصميم وجودة دراسات تعليم المعرفة الصرفية توحي بأنها مجال ناشئ للبحث. نحتاج إلى القيام بالكثير من الأبحاث من أجل توفير فهم أوضح عن كيف ومتى ولماذا تسهم المعرفة الصرفية في تطوير القراءة والكتابة لدى الطلاب. 现今许多研究已证明词法意识有助学生的读写能力发展，而人们对词法意识在读写教学方面的教育价值之兴趣也日益俱增。本文献综述旨在结合有关确定词法意识教学对改善读写教学成效之研究结果。本文献综述分析16个符合挑选标准的相关研究进行。分析内容围绕着研究者在考查词法意识教学与读写能力发展的关键组成部分(即语音、拼字法，词义）之关系时所持之研究目的。分析结果显示，词法意识教学有促进学生在这三方面的读写能力发展的潜力，而最显著的是在加深学生对书面字词的语素结构、拼写及单词意义之认识方面的潜力。然而，考查词法意识教学研究之设计与素质结果显示这是一个新兴的研究领域。对于词法意识教学如何、何时及为何有助于学生读写能力发展，仍需要进一步研究， 寻求更清晰的认识。 Du fait que beaucoup d'études ont maintenant fait la preuve que la conscience morphologique contribue au développement de la littératie des élèves, il existe un intérêt croissant à l'égard de l'intérêt pédagogique que présente l'enseignement de la morphologie. Cette revue a été entreprise afin d'intégrer les résultats des études conçues pour déterminer si un tel enseignement contribue au développement de la littératie. L'analyse des seize études répondant aux critères de sélection a été effectuée sur les recherches ayant pour but d'étudier la relation entre l'enseignement de la conscience morphologique et des composants‐clé du développement de la littératie (c'est‐à‐dire la phonologie, l'orthographe, la signification des mots). Les résultats montrent que la conscience morphologique peut contribuer au développement de la littératie des élèves dans les trois domaines — elle permet en particulier d'approfondir la compréhension de la structure morphémique, l'orthographe, et la signification des mots écrits. Cependant, l'examen des plans expérimentaux et la qualité des recherches sur la conscience morphologique suggère qu'il s'agit là d'un secteur émergent de recherche. Il reste beaucoup à faire pour comprendre plus clairement comment, quand, et pourquoi la conscience morphologique contribue au développement de la littératie des élèves. Множество исследований свидетельствуют о том, что для развития грамотности учащихся важно понимание морфологического состава слова, поэтому растет интерес к соответствующим обучающим программам. Данный обзор охватывает результаты шестнадцати исследований, которые помогают определить, какой вклад вносят подобные программы в развитие грамотности. Исследования были проанализированы с точки зрения цели или целей, которые ставили перед собой ученые при изучении морфологического сознания учащихся в контексте общего развития грамотности по ключевым компонентам (фонология, орфография, семантика). Результаты подтверждают, что знание морфологии способно продвинуть учащихся во всех трех компонентах грамотности, поскольку углубляется понимание структуры слов, особенностей их написания и смысла. Однако, экспертиза уже предпринятых исследований показывает, что их качество оставляет желать лучшего и эта работа только начинается. Ученым еще предстоит понять как, когда и почему надо заниматься с учениками морфологией и какое значение имеет морфология для развития грамотности. Ya que muchos estudios han mostrado que la conciencia morfológica contribuye al desarrollo de la alfabetización de los estudiantes, está creciendo el interés en el valor docente de la enseñanza de la conciencia morfológica. Este repaso se ha hecho para integrar las conclusiones de estudios que trataron de determinar si dicha instrucción contribuyó al mejoramiento en la alfabetización. El análisis de los 16 estudios que cumplían los criterios de selección fue organizado de acuerdo a los objetivos de los investigadores para estudiar la relación que la instrucción sobre la conciencia morfológica tiene con los componentes claves del desarrollo de la alfabetización (o sea, la fonología, la ortografía, el significado de palabras). Los resultados indican que la conciencia morfológica tiene el potencial de contribuir al desarrollo de la alfabetización de los estudiantes en las tres áreas—particularmente cuando dicha conciencia profundiza el entendimiento de la estructura del morfema, la ortografía, y el significado de las palabras escritas. Sin embargo, la revisión del diseño y la calidad de los estudios de instrucción sobre la conciencia morfológica sugieren que esta área de investigación está comenzando. Falta mucho por hacer para tener un entendimiento claro de cómo, cuándo y por qué la instrucción sobre la conciencia morfológica contribuye al desarrollo de la alfabetización del estudiante.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/88040/1/RRQ.45.4.5.pd

Pair-wise Cryptographic Models for Secure Data Exchange in P2P Database Management Systems

A peer-to-peer database management system(P2PDBMS) is a collection of autonomous data sources, called peers. In this system each peer augments a conventional database management system with an inter-operability layer (i.e. mappings/policies) for sharing data and services. Peers exchange data in a pair-wise fashion on-the-fly in response to a query without any centralized control. Generally, the communication link between two peers is insecure and peers create a temporary session while exchanging data. When peers exchange highly confidential data between them over an insecure communication network, such as the Internet, the data might be trapped and disclosed by the intruders. In a P2PDBMS there is no centralized control for data exchange, hence we cannot assume any central third party security infrastructure (e.g. PKI) to protect confidential data. So far, there is currently no available/existing security protocol for secured data exchange in P2PDBMS. In this paper we propose three models for secure data exchange in P2PDBMSs and the corresponding security protocols. The proposed protocol allows the peers to compute their secret session keys dynamically during data exchange based on the policies between them. Our proposed protocol is robust against the man-in-the middle attack, the masquerade attack, and the reply attack

Trends in Percutaneous Coronary Interventions in New South Wales, Australia

This is the first detailed study on percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Hospital data for PCIs carried out between 1 July 1990 and 30 June 2002 are analysed. The study explores trends in PCI rates by selected socio-demographic factors, the utilisation of angioplasties vis-a-vis stents, emergency admissions, and selected coexisting conditions which determine the disease status of PCI patients. Logistic regression models are used to study the medical conditions that require both PCI and coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). The PCI rate has grown rapidly at 12.1% per annum, with a particularly rapid increase for persons aged 75+. The rate of multiple stent utilisation increased at 4.6% per annum. Pacific-born and Middle-Eastern-born patients are more than twice as likely as the Australian-born to have diabetes. Factors affecting failure of PCI requiring CABG include perforation and multi-vessel disease. PCI services in public hospitals need to be increased to facilitate the availability of these procedures to all segments of the population, as do targeted community-level programmes to educate high-risk groups in the control of heart diseases

Influence of oxygen levels on chondrogenesis of porcine mesenchymal stem cells cultured in polycaprolactone scaffolds

[EN] Chondrogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is known to be regulated by a number of environmental factors, including local oxygen levels. The hypothesis of this study is that the response of MSCs to hypoxia is dependent on the physical and chemical characteristics of the substrate used. The objective of this study was to explore how different modifications to polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds influenced the response of MSCs to hypoxia. PCL, PCL-hyaluronic acid (HA), and PCL-Bioglass (R) (BG) scaffolds were seeded with MSCs derived from bone marrow and cultured for 35 days under normoxic or low oxygen conditions, and the resulting biochemical properties of the MSC laden construct were assessed. Low oxygen tension has a positive effect over cell proliferation and macromolecules biosynthesis. Furthermore, hypoxia enhanced the distribution of collagen and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) deposition through the scaffold. On the other hand, MSCs displayed certain material dependent responses to hypoxia. Low oxygen tension had a positive effect on cell proliferation in BG and HA scaffolds, but only a positive effect on GAGs synthesis in PCL and HA scaffolds. In conclusion, hypoxia increased cell viability and expression of chondrogenic markers but the cell response was modulated by the type of scaffold used.Contract grant sponsors: VI National R&D&i Plan 2008-2011, Iniciativa Ingenio 2010, Consolider Program, CIBER Actions, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, and European Regional Development FundRódenas Rochina, J.; Kelly, DJ.; Gómez Ribelles, JL.; Lebourg, MM. (2017). Influence of oxygen levels on chondrogenesis of porcine mesenchymal stem cells cultured in polycaprolactone scaffolds. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A. 105(6):1684-1691. https://doi.org/10.1002/jbm.a.36043S16841691105

How portuguese and american teachers plan for literacy instruction

This study explored American and Portuguese elementary teachers' preferences in planning for literacy instruction using the Language Arts Activity Grid (LAAG; Cunningham, Zibulsky, Stanovich, & Stanovich, 2009), on which teachers described their preferred instructional activities for a hypothetical 2-h language arts block. Portuguese teachers (N = 186) completed Portuguese versions of a background questionnaire and LAAG electronically, in Survey Monkey; American teachers (N = 102) completed identical English measures using paper and pencil. Results showed that teachers in both groups usually addressed comprehension and reading fluency on their LAAGs and that they also allocated the most time to these two areas. However, American teachers were more likely to include teacher-directed fluency activities, whereas Portuguese teachers were more likely to include fluency activities that were not teacher directed. Significantly more American than Portuguese teachers addressed phonics in their planning, whereas significantly more Portuguese than American teachers addressed writing processes such as revision. Both groups of educators demonstrated large variability in planning, with many teachers omitting important components of literacy identified by researchers, for writing as well as reading. The study highlights the importance of providing teachers with comprehensive, research-based core literacy curricula as well as professional development on key components of literacy. Study findings also suggest significant relationships between orthographic transparency and teachers' instructional planning.This research was supported by a 2-year grant from the Foundation Francisco Manuel dos Santos in Portugal as well as by a Connecticut State University research grant in the U.S.A. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to these funding agencies as well as to the teachers and school districts who participated in the study and sent messages of interest about our research. In addition, warm thanks to our research assistants for their help with data collection, coding, and analysis, and to Anne Cunningham for providing us with inspiration as well as guidance in this work.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio