Using Twitter as a Pedagogical Resource to Teach First-Year Composition

This study examines the incorporation of Twitter in a first-year composition classroom, and addresses the following question: “How can using Twitter as a pedagogical resource to teach writing benefit both students and professors?” The study employs mixed-methods, including surveys, textual analysis of student tweets, and an interview with the professor to assess the application and outcomes of using Twitter. The research finds that although students use social media for a significant amount of time daily, bringing it into the classroom does not automatically lead to better engagement or improved writing. However, students in this study did demonstrate a differentiated used of rhetorical conventions, based on their audience. And, Twitter was instrumental in furnishing real-world writing topics that students chose for themselves, appealing to their interests. This thesis concludes with suggestions for incorporating social media, in general, and Twitter, in particular, into the writing classroom

School reform: the impact on teaching practices

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of school reform on teaching practices at the Middle School of Pleasantville. The district, a special needs (Abbott district), receives 85% of its funding from the state, therefore must provide all children with a Thorough and Efficient education. The overall approach of this study was to use a survey to investigate the effects of school reform on teaching practices. Thirty teachers of grades 5-8, representing a variety of subject areas, completed a survey. The survey was used to determine if professional development provided teachers with effective support throughout the change process. It was evident in the data that teachers were motivated to make changes in their practices. The results also indicate that a professional development program that provides on-going support, feedback, and opportunities to collaborate with colleagues is essential as a school develops a staff that can assist students in meeting the challenges of the Core Curriculum Content Standards

Occult Breast Carcinoma Presenting as Gastrointestinal Metastases

Occult breast cancer has frequently been described as presenting as axillary lymph node metastases but rarely as gastrointestinal metastases, Varadarajan et al. (2007). In extremely rare situations, cancerous lesions identified in the gastrointestinal tract have been determined to be metastatic lesions from primary breast cancers, Taal et al. (2000). We report a case of an occult lobular adenocarcinoma presenting as gastrointestinal metastases. It is essential that the possibility of lesions found in the gastrointestinal tract originating from distant or occult cancers be considered in order that appropriate therapeutic options may be discussed and considered early after diagnosis

Evaluation of Biomedical Informatics Component of NIGMS Funded IDeA-CTR programs

We believe the NIGMS IDeA-CTR programs would benefit from adopting many of the CTSA innovations. We sought to determine current informatics practices of IDeA-CTR programs through a qualitative study of BMI activity and organization. We recommend possible convergence of NIGMS IDeA-CTR BMI activity towards NCATS CTSA BMI functionality.https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/com_emerg_pres/1002/thumbnail.jp

Man robbery : a gender signifier in convict Australia 1827-1836

This paper investigates the use of the anomalous term ‘man robbery’ in historical records relating to convict women in New South Wales. We question its accuracy as a criminal offence and conclude that its use in the 1830s was an administrative code that summarized an assessment not only of the women’s criminality but also of their morality. Its use in the historical records has been accepted uncritically by modern historians. The anomaly was identified through a large-scale study of these records. Often used to trace the histories of individual women for genealogical research, recurring patterns in the records are more noticeable when considering the crimes of some 5000 women transported to New South Wales, especially when their court records held in Britain are compared with those held in Australia. Evidence has emerged that the criminality of the women has been reduced by this gendered criminal offence. Inconsistency in the application of the term ‘man robbery’ led us to question it accuracy. Violence and participation in gangs were airbrushed from the records by the use of a term that implied that the women’s crimes related to their sexuality rather than their skills as criminals

Attitudes of Nursing Faculty Toward Patients With AIDS and Patients With a Homosexual Lifestyle

The purposes of this study were (1) to determine whether patients with AIDS are stigmatized by nursing faculty, (2) to determine whether practicing homosexuals are stigmatized by nursing faculty, (3) to determine whether faculty attitudes toward AIDS patients are influenced by the patients' sexual preference, and (4) to determine whether faculty attitudes toward practicing homosexual patients are influenced by the patients' disease. This study is a modified replication of studies by Kelly et al

Beyond Safe Harbor: Risk of Exposing Location in De-Identified Clinical Data

The use of de-identified EHR data for clinical and translational research has increased significantly since the HIPAA Privacy Rule De-Identification standards went into effect -Inclusion of SDOH measures in de-identified research is increasing as well, which presents an inherent risk of re-identifying PHI (primarily location units smaller than the state) -Data warehouse architecture and institutional policies need to recognize the risk associated with providing multiple location-based indices -Research interests are secondary to privacy concerns throughout biomedical research, but particularly in de-identified research, which is intended to promote more secure access to EHR data while allowing for expedient access (fewer institutional barriers to entry)https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/com_neuro_pres/1000/thumbnail.jp

WOMEN AND SECONDARY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL ROTATION/SUCCESSION: A STUDY OF THE BELIEFS OF DECISION MAKERS IN FOUR PROVINCES

Our study investigated patterns of female participation as secondary principals that have varied across contexts and changed slowly. Researchers interviewed decision makers from a purposive sample of 10 urban and rural school districts in Ontario, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia, gathering data from structured telephone interviews, policy documents, and statistical information. The needs of a system took precedence over those of individuals. Many participants denied that gender influenced their rotation/succession practices; however, they identified differences by gender in leadership style and aspirations. Complex rules of control affected the participation of women as secondary principals. Gender clearly affects the participation of women as secondary school principals.Key words: gender, leadership, schools Les auteurs analysent les modes de participation de directrices d’école secondaire, lesquels varient d’un contexte à l’autre et changent lentement. Ils ont interviewé des décideuses provenant d’un échantillon choisi à dessein de dix arrondissements scolaires urbains et ruraux en Ontario, en Nouvelle‐Écosse, en Saskatchewan et en Colombie‐Britannique. Les données furent colligées au moyen d’entrevues téléphoniques structurées, le tout complété par l’analyse de documents de politiques et de renseignements statistiques. Leurs conclusions semblent indiquer que les besoins du système l’emportent sur les besoins de la personne. Un grand nombre des répondantes contestaient l’idée que le fait d’être un homme ou une femme exerce une influence sur les méthodes de rotation/succession ; elles notaient par contre des différences selon les sexes pour ce qui est du style de leadership, des orientations et des aspirations. Des règles complexes de contrôle affectent la participation des femmes à titre de directrices d’école secondaire. Le sexe affecte clairement la participation des femmes en tant que directrices d’école secondaire. Mots clés : genre, leadership, écoles

Bats of Skydusky Hollow, Bland County, Virginia

During the period 22 November 1999 – 11 October 2001, winter hibernacula surveys, spring staging/autumn swarming surveys, and summer surveys for bats were completed in caves of Skydusky Hollow, Bland County, Virginia. During winter, 12 caves were entered and 16,185 bats counted: 235 Myotis sodalis (Indiana bat), 14,475 Myotis lucifugus (little brown myotis), 12 Myotis septentrionalis (northern myotis), 7 Myotis leibii (eastern small-footed myotis), 1,441 Pipistrellus subflavus (eastern pipistrelle), and 15 Eptesicus fuscus (big brown bat). Myotis sodalis hibernated in thermally stable areas of 7 -9 ̊C. The largest concentration of M. lucifugus (n = 4,280) hibernated in an area that was cooler (6.5 ̊C) than areas used by M. sodalis. The remaining 6,300 M. lucifugus hibernated at temperatures similar to, or slightly cooler than, temperatures used by M. sodalis. Intra-cave (and possibly inter-cave) movements of M. lucifugus and M. sodalis during the season of hibernation concentrated bats in cooler areas of the caves. An unusually large concentration of P. subflavus (n = 920) hibernated in Coon Cave in a warm (8.6 – 9.7 ̊C, stable environment. Proportions of species of bats captured during spring staging and autumn swarming varied from proportions found during winter hibernation. Mating and perhaps other social functions affect patterns of autumn use. No concentration of bats used the caves during summer