The Influence of Inclusion Classes on the Academic Performance in Language Arts Literacy on Suburban Non-disabled Eleventh Grade Students as Measured by the 2013 New Jersey High School Proficiency Assessment

This study examined the influence of an inclusive secondary language arts classroom setting on the academic performance of Grade 11 general education students in two suburban New Jersey high schools on the Language Arts Literacy section of the 2013 New Jersey High School Proficiency Assessment (NJ HSPA). The sample was selected using Propensity Score Matching, a technique utilized to marginalize the influence of selection bias. The final sample was comprised of 214 students in Grade 11 in a New Jersey suburban, upper middle class district during the years 2010-2013. The variables that were included in this study were gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, attendance, length of time in district, past performance as measured by the 2010 New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge 8 (NJ ASK 8), placement in a secondary inclusion language arts classroom, and number of years placed in a secondary inclusion language arts classroom. Analyses were conducted using multiple regression models, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), and factorial ANCOVA. Results of this study indicated that placement in an inclusion classroom did have a statistically significant negative influence on the performance of this sample of eleventh grade non-disabled students on the Language Arts Literacy section of the 2013 NJ HSPA. Non-disabled eleventh grade students who were placed in an inclusion language arts classroom for two or more years did not perform as well on the Language Arts Literacy section of the 2013 NJ HSPA as their peers who spent fewer years in an inclusion classroom. Further research is needed in the area of inclusion to determine additional factors that may have contributed to the findings

HOMELESSNESS IN SPOKANE: AN INQUIRY INTO THE EXPERIENCE OF HOMELESSNESS IN A MID-SIZED CITY

This study focuses on the condition of homelessness in Spokane, Washington, as compared to the same condition in larger and more frequently studied cities, using San Francisco and Seattle as a collective comparison tool for examples of large cities. By examining the neoliberalization of large American cities in a capitalist society, I draw out the similarities and differences of how homelessness is manifest and managed in these two different urban contexts. Examined are the societal factors that impact homelessness, for both those without housing and those (i.e., business owners, service providers) impacted by homelessness. This study also highlights the criminalization of homelessness as a neoliberal technique of managing the spatial distribution and visibility of the homeless, including Spokane’s own Community Court. The study reveals that while there are myriad similarities between cities large and small, there are also differences which directly impact the experience of homelessness for those within Spokane

Goats Die, Butterflies Fly: Portrayals of Dominican Dictator Rafael Trujillo (1891–1961) in Historical Fiction and Non-Fiction

The dictator novel has become a staple of Latin American literature in the 20th century. As the intersection of art, culture, and politics, these novels are interested in painting intimate pictures of their dictator to examine the psychology of power and the lure of authoritarianism. This project focuses on analyzing the the rise and fall of Dominican dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina (1891–1961) through literary lenses. This project compares the ways in which Trujillo and his regime (El Trujillato) are portrayed in both non-fiction and historical fiction. Trujillo was an excellent storyteller, known for his cult of personality and rewriting the Dominican Republic’s history to revolve around him. Therefore, comparing the nuances of how authors approach narratives in literature and history will paint a more comprehensive picture of Trujillo’s character and deconstruct Trujillo’s official historical narrative. This project’s corpus includes the comparative non-fiction source Trujillo: The Death of the Dictator (1978) by Bernard Diederich. It also includes two novels: The Feast of the Goat (2000) by Mario Vargas Llosa, and In the Time of Butterflies (1994) by Julia Alvarez. These authors counter Trujillo’s official narrative with their own narrative choices and highlight his victims’ voices. They portray Trujillo as a weak ruler that was merely replicating the processes of the colonial powers before him. In particular, these texts portray how Trujillo adopted the racial notions of the Spanish Empire and the gendered notions of the United States

More than just shying away from conflict: The relationship between social anxiety and workplace incivility

For individuals who experience social anxiety, the workplace presents unique obstacles as they fear the social interactions. In particular, these individuals may struggle with workplace incivility. This study used questionnaires and vignettes to determine if the severity of social anxiety is related to heightened reports of social anxiety in their own workplace as well as increased negative valance associated with incivility events. In addition, the influence of various forms of self-efficacy and social support at work was measured. It was found that social anxiety increased reports of incivility at work. Self-efficacy had a nonsignificant influence and social support at work had the opposite impact than expected, leading to more increased reporting of incivility when feeling supported. The findings relating to emotional reactions were contrary to expectations, with social anxiety increasing positive reactions to incivility. Social support at work had a nonsignificant impact on this relationship while self-efficacy improved reactions further. Though there were contradictions between this finding and past research, this study supports the idea that social anxiety influences perceptions of incivility at work in some way. It appears that severity of social anxiety leads to increased experiences of incivility from workplace interactions, which could lead to a variety of job-related and personal issues

Coherence between subjective experience and physiology in emotion: Individual differences and implications for well-being.

Emotion theorists have characterized emotions as involving coherent responding across various emotion response systems (e.g., covariation of subjective experience and physiology). Greater response system coherence has been theorized to promote well-being, yet very little research has tested this assumption. The current study examined whether individuals with greater coherence between physiology and subjective experience of emotion report greater well-being. We also examined factors that may predict the magnitude of coherence, such as emotion intensity, cognitive reappraisal, and expressive suppression. Participants (N = 63) completed self-report measures of well-being, expressive suppression, and cognitive reappraisal. They then watched a series of emotionally evocative film clips designed to elicit positive and negative emotion. During the films, participants continuously rated their emotional experience using a rating dial, and their autonomic physiological responses were recorded. Time-lagged cross-correlations were used to calculate within-participant coherence between intensity of emotional experience (ranging from neutral to very negative or very positive) and physiology (composite of cardiac interbeat interval, skin conductance, ear pulse transit time, finger pulse transit time and amplitude, systolic and diastolic blood pressure). Results indicated that individuals with greater coherence reported greater well-being. Coherence was highest during the most emotionally intense film and among individuals who reported lower expressive suppression. However, coherence was not associated with reappraisal. These findings provide support for the idea that greater emotion coherence promotes well-being and also shed light on factors that are associated with the magnitude of coherence. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)

Design Thinking for Social Innovation

DESIGNERS HAVE TRADIIONALLY FOCUSED ON ENHANCING THE LOOK AND FUNCTIONALITY OF PRODUCTS. RECENTLY, THEY HAVE BEGUN USING DESIGN TOOLS TO TACKLE MORE COMPLEX PROBLEMS, SUCH AS FINDING WAYS TO PROVIDE LOW-COST HEALTH CARE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. BUSINESSES WERE FIRST TO EMBRACE THIS NEW APPROACH—CALLED DESIGN THINKING—NOW NONPROFITS ARE BEGINNING TO ADOPT IT TOO

Spatial Variation in Sea Urchins, Fish Predators, and Bioerosion Rates on Coral Reefs of Belize

Although sea urchins are critical for controlling macroalgae on heavily fished coral reefs, high densities threaten reefs, as urchins are also prodigous bioeroders. This study examined urchin population characteristics, bioerosion rates, their fish predators (Labridae), and potential competitors (Scaridae) on unprotected reefs and a reef within a marine protected area (MPA) in the lagoonal regions off Belize. Urchin density (\u3c1 \u3em-2) and bioerosion rates (∼0.2 kg CaCO3m-2year-1) were lowest and members of the Labridae were the highest (∼20 fish 200 m-3) within the MPA, while several unprotected reefs had higher (∼18-40 m-2) urchin densities, lower Labridae abundances (1-3 fish 200 m-3), and bioerosion rates ranging from ∼0.3-2.6 kg CaCO3m-2 year-1. Urchin abundances were inversely related to Labridae (wrasses and hogfish) densities; however, on reef ridges, low algal cover (∼15%), small urchin size (∼14 mm), and low proportion of organic material in urchin guts suggested food limitation. Both top-down (predation) and bottom-up factors (food limitation) likely contribute to the control of urchins, predominantly Echinometra viridis, off Belize, thereby potentially diminishing the negative impacts of bioerosion activities by urchins

An Efficient Source of Single Photons: A Single Quantum Dot in a Micropost Microcavity

We have demonstrated efficient production of triggered single photons by coupling a single semiconductor quantum dot to a three-dimensionally confined optical mode in a micropost microcavity. The efficiency of emitting single photons into a single-mode travelling wave is approximately 38%, which is nearly two orders of magnitude higher than for a quantum dot in bulk semiconductor material. At the same time, the probability of having more than one photon in a given pulse is reduced by a factor of seven as compared to light with Poissonian photon statistics

Nest site selection and nest survival of Greater Prairie-Chickens near a wind energy facility

Rapid development of wind energy facilities in the Great Plains of North America has raised concerns regarding their potential negative impact on the nesting ecology of Greater Prairie-Chickens (Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus). We investigated the effects of a pre-existing, 36-turbine wind energy facility on nest site selection and nest survival of Greater Prairie-Chickens in the unfragmented grasslands of the Nebraska Sandhills, USA. In 2013 and 2014, we monitored 91 nests along a 24-km disturbance gradient leading away from the wind energy facility. We found little evidence of an effect of the wind energy facility on Greater Prairie-Chicken nest site selection and nest survival. Instead, we found that the primary drivers of nest site selection and nest survival were related to landscape and habitat factors. Greater Prairie-Chickens avoided nesting near roads, with 74% of Greater Prairie-Chickens selecting nest sites .700 m from roads. Greater Prairie-Chickens selected nest sites with more than twice the visual obstruction and residual standing dead vegetation of random points. Our results suggest that small wind energy facilities, such as the facility in our study, may have little effect on Greater Prairie-Chicken nest site selection and nest survival. We suggest that livestock grazing and other grassland management practices still have the most important regional effects on Great Prairie-Chickens, but we caution future planners of wind energy facilities to account for the potential negative effect of roads on nest site selection. El ra´pido desarrollo de los parque de energ´ıa e´ olica en las Grandes Llanuras de Am´ erica del Norte ha generado preocupaci ´on sobre su potencial impacto negativo en la ecolog´ıa de anidaci ´on de Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus. Investigamos el efecto de un parque de energ´ıa preexistente de 36 turbinas e´ olicas sobre la selecci ´on del sitio de anidaci ´on y la supervivencia del nido de T. c. pinnatus en los pastizales no fragmentados de las Sandhills de Nebraska. En 2013 y 2014, monitoreamos 91 nidos a lo largo de un gradiente de disturbio de 24 km que se alejaba del parque de energ´ıa e´ olica. Encontramos poca evidencia de un efecto del parque de energ´ıa e´ olica sobre la selecci ´on del sitio de anidaci ´on y la supervivencia del nido en T. c. pinnatus. En cambio, encontramos que las causas principales de la selecci ´on del sitio de anidaci ´on y la supervivencia del nido se relacionaron con el paisaje y los factores del ha´bitat. La especie T. c. pinnatus evit ´o anidar cerca de las rutas, con un 74% de los individuos seleccionando sitios de anidaci ´on .700 m desde las rutas. Los individuos seleccionaron sitios de anidaci ´on con ma´s del doble de obstrucci ´on visual y vegetaci ´on residual muerta en pie con relaci ´on a puntos elegidos al azar. Nuestros resultados sugieren que peque˜ nos parques e ´ olicos, como el de nuestro estudio, tendr´ıan un efecto menor en la selecci ´on del sitio de anidaci ´on y en la supervivencia del nido en T. c. pinnatus. Sugerimos que el pastoreo del ganado y otras pra´cticas de manejo de los pastizales se mantienen como los impactos regionales ma´s importantes para T. c. pinnatus, pero alertamos a los futuros gestores de los parques de energ´ıa e´ olica para que contemplen los potenciales efectos negativos de las rutas en la selecci ´on del sitio de anidaci ´ on

Population Recovery and Differential Heat Shock Protein Expression for the Corals \u3ci\u3eAgaricia agaricites\u3c/i\u3e and \u3ci\u3eA. tenuifolia\u3c/i\u3e in Belize

Over recent decades, coral reefs worldwide have experienced severe sea-surface temperature (SST) anomalies. Associated with an El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event of 1997-1998, nearly 100% mortality of the space-dominated coral Agaricia tenuifolia was reported at several shelf lagoonal sites of the Belize barrier reef system; a less abundant congener, A. agaricites, had lower mortality rates. We assessed A. agaricites and A. tenuifolia populations at coral reef ridges in the south-central sector of the Belize shelf lagoon and forereef sites to document recovery following the 1998 ENSO event and subsequent passage of Hurricane Mitch. To investigate the difference in heat stress tolerance between the 2 species, heat shock protein (HSP) expression was examined in the laboratory under ambient (28˚C) and elevated (+6˚C) temperatures. Populations of A. agaricites and A. tenuifolia surveyed at forereefs sites in 1999 showed after effects from the 2 disturbances (partial colony mortality was ~23 and 30% for A.agaricites and A. tenuifolia, respectively), but partial mortality declined by 2001. At reef ridge sites, A. tenuifolia exhibited 75 to 95% partial colony mortality in 1999 compared to 18% in the less abundant A. agaricites. We measured a significant increase in percentage live cover at ridge sites for both Agaricia species from 1999 to 2001, except at Tunicate Ridge; at this site, which has restricted water flow, live A. tenuifolia cover remained low (~10%) 3.5.yr after the 1998 warming event, due in part to high sponge cover (\u3e75%). Immunoblotting results indicate that A. agaricites had twice as much HSC 70 (16.9 µg cm-2) as A. tenuifolia (8.7 µg cm-2) at ambient temperatures and 6x as much under the +6˚C treatment. In addition to the inducible response by A. agaricites, this species expressed HSP 90, whereas A. tenuifolia did not. The distinctive patterns of population recovery and HSP expression suggest that A. tenuifolia has a lesser ability to produce HSPs for protection against environmental stress than A. agaricites. Such differences in resilience to large-scale environmental disturbances such as intermittent ENSO episodes may drive a dramatic change in coral species abundance patterns