Successful Homework Activities for Kindergarten Students

The purpose of this project was to provide a collection of homework activities for kindergarten teachers that are designed to encourage parent involvement and provide additional practice learning kindergarten skills at home. All of the activities align with the Washington State Academic Learning Requirements and Performance Expectations. To complete this collection a review of current and relevant resources was conducted on topics that included the history of homework, the role of homework in kindergarten and the benefits of parent involvement

Patient perspectives on dissatisfaction: a qualitative analysis of expectations for hospital care

The measurement of patient satisfaction has taken a prominent role in the assessment of healthcare quality. Patient dissatisfaction, however, is not well understood. While the concept of satisfaction often proves vague and difficult to accurately measure, experiences with dissatisfaction are more tangible. In order to more fully understand dissatisfaction and its relationship to patients expectations, we conducted a qualitative analysis of patient suggestions for improvements in hospital care. Data were obtained from telephone interview surveys of adult patients discharged from Yale-New Haven Hospital between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008. Patients were asked: If there was one thing we could have done to improve your experience in the hospital what would it have been? We randomly selected 10% of survey respondents and analyzed answers to this question using standard qualitative analytic techniques. A total of 976 of 9764 surveys were randomly selected; 439 (45.0%) included at least one suggestion in response to the study question. We identified six major domains of dissatisfaction. These domains corresponded to six implicit expectations for quality hospital care: 1) safety, 2) treatment with respect and dignity, 3) minimized wait times, 4) effective communication, 5) control over the physical environment and 6) high quality amenities, and each expectation was associated with unique emotional responses. Respectively, patients felt: 1) unsafe (7.7%), 2) disrespected (6.0%), 3) anxious and/or abandoned (15.8%), 4) confused and mistrustful (7.4%), 5) confined and imposed upon (15.6%) and 6) disappointed (6.9%) when expectations were not met. Dissatisfaction with hospital care was found to largely result from discrete episodes when expectations for care were not met. The expectations which emerged from our qualitative analysis represent patient-generated priorities for quality improvement in hospital care, which have previously not been adequately measured. Certain aspects of patient expectations were found to be in accordance with current quality improvement initiatives, while other aspects were found to be inadequately addressed

Essays on the Challenges to Labor Market Entry for Iraqi Refugees and Immigrants in the United States

This dissertation consists of three essays that explore the relationship between the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program and the economic integration process of Iraqi refugees and immigrants in the United States. I utilize a mixed-method approach to explore the labor force activity and resettlement experiences of Iraqi refugees and immigrants. In the first paper, I explore the relationship between refugees and resettlement service providers using data obtained from interviews with service providers and multi-site participant observation at two resettlement agencies. The results indicate that ethnicity and gender have a critical influence in shaping the provision and utilization of resettlement services. In the second paper, I analyze the responses from face-to-face interviews I conducted with recently-arrived Iraqi refugees to identify the primary obstacles to socio-economic mobility they encountered during their initial resettlement in the United States. My findings suggest that the intersections of ethnicity, class, and gender interact to influence the labor force experiences of Iraqi refugees by informing job preferences and employability in the local labor market. The roles of ethnic-based social networks and institutional policies, as key components of the mode of reception, shape the refugees\u27 decision-making processes related to housing, education, and employment. In the third paper, I use data from a pooled sample of the 2005-2012 American Community Surveys to examine the determinants of socio-economic status of Iraqis by gender and ethnicity, and to explore their variation in labor market activity by U.S. metropolitan level Iraqi immigrant population composition. The implications from the results are that the type of employment and earnings of Iraqi immigrants and refugees are significantly affected according to the degree of Iraqi residential composition. The empirical results indicate that this effect of Iraqis on socio-economic status varies by ethnicity and gender. These essays contribute to the field of sociology by adding to our understanding of how the involvement of the government and intermediary agents in the refugee resettlement process shapes the refugee\u27s socio-economic trajectory, by contributing to the knowledge base of Iraqi socio-economic status in the U.S. within the field of migration studies, and by identifying the dynamic interactions between nationality, ethnicity, class, and gender in the labor market

Smoking and Drug Policy for the Appalachian School of Law

The goals identified to guide this study were: 1. To identify the guidelines for grant funding from the Appalachian Regional commission and the standards for the accreditation from the American Bar Association; 2. to review State and Federal Regulations governing the use of tobacco and drugs in the workplace; 3. To identify smoking and drug policies available at the accredited law schools in Virginia; 4. To prepare a smoking and drug policy for the Appalachian School of La

Guest Artist Recital Series: Alicia Lee, Clarinet; Dai Uk Lee, Piano; February 22, 2023

Kemp Recital HallFebruary 22, 2023Wednesday Evening7:30 p.m

Predictors of Readiness to Quit Among a Diverse Sample of Sexual Minority Male Smokers

ABSTRACT Introduction: Readiness to quit smoking - a pattern of attitudes, intentions, and behaviors that reflect a likelihood of engaging in cessation activities—is a useful heuristic for understanding smoking disparities based on sexual orientation. This study examined demographic, tobacco-use patterns, psychosocial and cognitive factors associated with readiness to quit among gay and bisexual male smokers. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted as part of a larger Tobacco Elimination and Control Collaboration (Q-TECC) initiative in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. Readiness to quit was measured by a composite score created from four variables (motivation to quit, importance of quitting, plan to quit, and confidence in quitting) (alpha=.87, M=3.42, SD=.96, range 1-5). Results: The sexual minority smokers in the sample (N=208; M=33 years) were racially/ethnically diverse. Latino men had significantly lower levels of readiness to quit compared to African American and White men. Hierarchical linear regression analyses were performed to explore the relative contributions of sociodemographic, tobacco-use patterns, psychosocial and cognitive factors on Readiness to Quit. In the final model, the following variables were associated with readiness to quit scores: Latino ethnicity, fewer quit attempts, positive expectancies for the beneficial effects of smoking, and lower perceived importance of smoking as an important LGBT health issue. None of the psychosocial factors were associated with readiness to quit. Discussion: Readiness to quit scores were largely predicted by modifiable attitudes, behaviors, and expectancies. Study findings have implications for improving outreach and awareness and for the development of effective treatment approaches

Q&A with Unofficial Mythsoc Historian Lee Speth

Q&A with Unofficial Mythsoc Historian Lee Speth Roundtable by Alicia Fox-Lenz and Lee Speth. Tech Mod: Megan Abrahamson

The Arabidopsis Synaptotagmin1 is enriched in endoplasmic reticulum-plasma membrane contact sites and confers cellular resistance to mechanical stresses

Eukaryotic endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-plasma membrane (PM) contact sites are evolutionarily conserved microdomains that have important roles in specialized metabolic functions such as ER-PM communication, lipid homeostasis, and Ca2+ influx. Despite recent advances in knowledge about ER-PM contact site components and functions in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and mammals, relatively little is known about the functional significance of these structures in plants. In this report, we characterize the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) phospholipid binding Synaptotagmin1 (SYT1) as a plant ortholog of the mammal extended synaptotagmins and yeast tricalbins families of ER-PM anchors. We propose that SYT1 functions at ER-PM contact sites because it displays a dual ER-PM localization, it is enriched in microtubule-depleted regions at the cell cortex, and it colocalizes with Vesicle-Associated Protein27-1, a known ER-PM marker. Furthermore, biochemical and physiological analyses indicate that SYT1 might function as an electrostatic phospholipid anchor conferring mechanical stability in plant cells. Together, the subcellular localization and functional characterization of SYT1 highlights a putative role of plant ER-PM contact site components in the cellular adaptation to environmental stresses

The 16p11.2 homologs fam57ba and doc2a generate certain brain and body phenotypes

Deletion of the 16p11.2 CNV affects 25 core genes and is associated with multiple symptoms affecting brain and body, including seizures, hyperactivity,macrocephaly, and obesity. Available data suggest thatmost symptoms are controlled by haploinsufficiency of two or more 16p11.2 genes. To identify interacting 16p11.2 genes, we used a pairwise partial loss of function antisense screen for embryonic brainmorphology, using the accessible zebrafish model. fam57ba, encoding a ceramide synthase, was identified as interacting with the doc2a gene, encoding a calcium-sensitive exocytosis regulator, a genetic interaction not previously described. Using genetic mutants, we demonstrated that doc2a+/-fam57ba+/-double heterozygotes show hyperactivity and increased seizure susceptibility relative to wild-type or single doc2a-/-or fam57ba-/-mutants. Additionally, doc2a+/-fam57ba+/-double heterozygotes demonstrate the increased body length and head size. Single doc2a+/-and fam57ba+/-heterozygotes do not show a body size increase; however, fam57ba-/-homozygous mutants show a strongly increased head size and body length, suggesting a greater contribution from fam57ba to the haploinsufficient interaction between doc2a and fam57ba. The doc2a+/-fam57ba+/-interaction has not been reported before, nor has any 16p11.2 gene previously been linked to increased body size. These findings demonstrate that one pair of 16p11.2 homologs can regulate both brain and body phenotypes that are reflective of those in people with 16p11.2 deletion. Together, these findings suggest that dysregulation of ceramide pathways and calcium sensitive exocytosis underlies seizures and large body size associated with 16p11.2 homologs in zebrafish. The data inform consideration of mechanisms underlying human 16p11.2 deletion symptoms