Increasing Reading Comprehension and Accuracy by Enhancing Reading Mechanics in Preadolescence: The Role of Occupational Therapy in Academia

Reading comprehension and accuracy are critical components of academic success in preadolescence. Research suggests that traditional school systems utilize a unisensory approach to learning, however, recent studies have emphasized the successful impact a multisensory approach can have on academic performance. This doctoral capstone project aimed to develop a multisensory, occupation-based reading program for the Huntsville Learning Center (HLC) Christian Summer Camp under the guidance of Mariana D’Amico, EdD, OTR/L, FAOTA, and Susan Callaway, HLC Family Development Coordinator. This required conducting pretest and post-test measurements, implementing occupation-based reading activities, and administering a post-program evaluation survey to determine the effectiveness of a structured, occupation-based reading program. The results from the paired samples t-test and average change graphs demonstrated that the new teaching method significantly improved student performance, as evidenced by the higher post-test scores compared to pretest scores. Future research should continue to explore the specific mechanisms through which occupational therapy (OT) influences reading development and seek to optimize these interventions for broader application in academic settings

Paper Session II-C - Space Settlement Design: A Unifying Theme for Skill Development Through Scientific Inquiry

Last July we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the first landing on the moon. Comparable scientific and technological advances will drive the 21st Century. Are our children ready? Recent studies by the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) report that U.S. students’ performance is unacceptable. International ranking across 17 nations shows eighth grade students in the United Sates perform poorly in both science and mathematics. In a comparison of achievement in scientific inquiry, the U.S. ranks thirteenth among the 38 nations participating in the study. This decline is a serious national problem. Steps must be taken to correct these inadequacies if we are to prepare our nation’s youth for the new millennium. In 1969 space sciences provided the needed boost for science and mathematics education. Space sciences can again provide a focus for the enrichment of education in the 21st Century. Space Settlement Design: A Unifying Theme for Skill Development Through Scientific Inquiry is offered as a model for the enhancement of science and mathematics education in the 21st Century. The proposed model, initiated as a pilot middle school to high school transition program in 1997, is a three-week, half-day Summer Institute utilizing “hands-on” scientific inquiry as the springboard for skills development. Two Institutes are offered each summer. Modeled after the Jet Propulsion Lab’s (JPL) Spaceset and NASA’s International Space Settlement Design competitions, Institute participants are divided into groups, or “corporations,” and engage in a “real-world” problem-solving scenario of space settlement design. Participants receive ½ high school science credit. Completion of the Institute is encouraged by allowing students to change from a graded to a pass/fail status on the final day of the Institute. Over the last four years Institute enrollment has increased dramatically, due in large part to the popularity of its space settlement design theme. The 2000 Summer Institute had 135 participants. The 2001 Institute is expected to enroll over 160 incoming ninth graders. Tracking of Institute “graduates” has shown a significant increase in student success in both science and other academic subjects when compared to the control group of non-Institute students. The Institute enriches the traditional high school science and math curricula by its unique cross-disciplinary format and by addressing Earth/Space Sciences. Earth/Space Sciences are not offered by most high schools, an omission that leaves tomorrow’s citizens deficient in their knowledge of space and space exploration

A bipolar, semi-gaussian pulse shaping amplifier based on transconductance-C continuous time filters for use in a high resolution, small animal x-ray CT system

A new bipolar, semi-gaussian pulse shaping amplifier using transconductance-C (Gm-C) filters has been developed for use with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) MicroCAT small animal x-ray CT imaging system. The MicroCAT system employs Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT), a relatively new semiconductor detector material. The pulse shaping amplifier is based on a Gm-C filter topology and has adjustable gain, tunable filter time constants and quality factors as well as a differential signal path. The transconductor circuit design is also presented with emphasis placed upon the noise and linearity of the circuit. The architecture and experimental results for the prototype pulse shaping amplifier are also presented. The prototype was fabricated in the 1.2μ AMI NWELL CMOS process through the MOSIS program

Design for the ASCE steel bridge competition

On April 20, 2013, the Santa Clara University Steel Bridge Team entered in the American Society of Civil Engineers\u27 (ASCE) National Student Steel Bridge Competition. As part of their senior design, the four member team designed and constructed a steel bridge to compete in the annual competition. Engineering senior design projects require thoughtful planning, execution, and documentation throughout the process. The 2013 team approach was to be proactive and aggressive in all aspects of the project. The 2013 Steel Bridge spanned 16.5 ft and had a 3.5 ft cantilever end. The overall dimensions of the bridge for its height and width was 3 ft and 3 ft respectively. The 2013 Steel Bridge Team set design and performance goals for the steel bridge competition. The target build time was 20 minutes, the target weight was 200 lb, the design deflection was 1 inch, and the target placement for display was top 5. The bridge\u27s performance for the competition exceeded all design goals with a build time of 14.75 minutes, bridge weight of 164.8 lb, aggregate deflection of 0.698 inches, and 3 all the design requirements, but also having exceeded goals, the team was very satisfied with the performance of the bridge. The team has moved Santa Clara University dramatically forward in the ASCE Steel Bridge Competition and hopes following teams can continue the legacy

Paper Session II-C - Collaborative Ukrainian Experiment - Science and Technology Exchange Program for Students (Cue-Steps)

An educational program was initiated during the Collaborative Ukrainian Experiment (CUE) in 1997. The CUE project was a series of plant experiments performed by Ukrainian cosmonaut, Leonid Kadenyuk, on Mission STS-87. A collaborative educational program was developed which was called CUE-Teachers and Students Investigating Plants in Space (TSIPS) in which students from both the U.S. and Ukraine conducted ground controls for the space experiments. The educational collaboration established during this project has continued with the development of other programs. These programs included the NASA SEEDS II project, the NASA Farming in Space Project, the International Water Institute and most recently, the Daphnia project. The purpose of the recent trip was to participate in a teacher symposium and to initiate a student-exchange program. Eight students from Lake Brantley High School with a teacher and a parent chaperone accompanied the KSC representatives. In addition, a reporter and cameraman from a local television station went along to cover the student experiences. Colleagues from the Junior Academy of Sciences in Kiev hosted the group with meetings, tours, and field trips. Lake Brantley has formed a follow-up program, which they call CUE-STEPS (CUE-Science, and Technology Exchange Program for Students). The students hope to collaborate on research in space life sciences and ecology. A visit to central Florida by a Ukraine student and teacher delegation is planned for spring of 2001

Strategies to Rescue Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) and Dental Pulp Stem Cells (DPSCs) from NK Cell Mediated Cytotoxicity

BACKGROUND: The aim of this paper is to study the function of allogeneic and autologous NK cells against Dental Pulp Stem Cells (DPSCs) and Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) and to determine the function of NK cells in a three way interaction with monocytes and stem cells. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We demonstrate here that freshly isolated untreated or IL-2 treated NK cells are potent inducers of cell death in DPSCs and MSCs, and that anti-CD16 antibody which induces functional split anergy and apoptosis in NK cells inhibits NK cell mediated lysis of DPSCs and MSCs. Monocytes co-cultured with either DPSCs or MSCs decrease lysis of stem cells by untreated or IL-2 treated NK cells. Monocytes also prevent NK cell apoptosis thereby raising the overall survival and function of NK cells, DPSCs or MSCs. Both total population of monocytes and those depleted of CD16(+) subsets were able to prevent NK cell mediated lysis of MSCs and DPSCs, and to trigger an increased secretion of IFN-gamma by IL-2 treated NK cells. Protection of stem cells from NK cell mediated lysis was also seen when monocytes were sorted out from stem cells before they were added to NK cells. However, this effect was not specific to monocytes since the addition of T and B cells to stem cells also protected stem cells from NK cell mediated lysis. NK cells were found to lyse monocytes, as well as T and B cells. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: By increasing the release of IFN-gamma and decreasing the cytotoxic function of NK cells monocytes are able to shield stem cells from killing by the NK cells, resulting in an increased protection and differentiation of stem cells. More importantly studies reported in this paper indicate that anti-CD16 antibody can be used to prevent NK cell induced rejection of stem cells

Chemical Fixation of CO2 in Coal Combustion Products and Recycling through Biosystems

This Annual Technical Progress Report presents the principle results in enhanced growth of algae using coal combustion products as a catalyst to increase bicarbonate levels in solution. A co-current reactor is present that increases the gas phase to bicarbonate transfer rate by a factor of five to nine. The bicarbonate concentration at a given pH is approximately double that obtained using a control column of similar construction. Algae growth experiments were performed under laboratory conditions to obtain baseline production rates and to perfect experimental methods. The final product of this initial phase in algae production is presented

CHEMICAL FIXATION OF CO2 IN COAL COMBUSTION PRODUCTS AND RECYCLING THROUGH BIOSYSTEMS

This Annual Technical Progress Report presents the principle results in enhanced growth of algae using coal combustion products as a catalyst to increase bicarbonate levels in solution. A co-current reactor is present that increases the gas phase to bicarbonate transfer rate by a factor of five to nine. The bicarbonate concentration at a given pH is approximately double that obtained using a control column of similar construction. Algae growth experiments were performed under laboratory conditions to obtain baseline production rates and to perfect experimental methods. The final product of this initial phase in algae production is presented. Algal growth can be limited by several factors, including the level of bicarbonate available for photosynthesis, the pH of the growth solution, nutrient levels, and the size of the cell population, which determines the available space for additional growth. In order to supply additional CO2 to increase photosynthesis and algal biomass production, fly ash reactor has been demonstrated to increase the available CO2 in solution above the limits that are achievable with dissolved gas alone. The amount of dissolved CO2 can be used to control pH for optimum growth. Periodic harvesting of algae can be used to maintain algae in the exponential, rapid growth phase. An 800 liter scale up demonstrated that larger scale production is possible. The larger experiment demonstrated that indirect addition of CO2 is feasible and produces significantly less stress on the algal system. With better harvesting methods, nutrient management, and carbon dioxide management, an annual biomass harvest of about 9,000 metric tons per square kilometer (36 MT per acre) appears to be feasible. To sequester carbon, the algal biomass needs to be placed in a permanent location. If drying is undesirable, the biomass will eventually begin to aerobically decompose. It was demonstrated that algal biomass is a suitable feed to an anaerobic digester to produce methane. The remaining carbonaceous material is essentially bio-inactive and is permanently sequestered. The feasibility of using algae to convert carbon dioxide to a biomass has been demonstrated. This biomass provides a sustainable means to produce methane, ethanol, and/or bio diesel. The first application of concept demonstrated by the project could be to use algal biomass production to capture carbon dioxide associated with ethanol production