Intercultural Contact, Communication Apprehension, and Social Perspective Taking

This research examined the relationship between intergroup contact, intercultural communication apprehension, and social perspective taking. Participants were examined in one of three conditions: a course which facilitates interactions between culturally diverse students around the globe via internet technologies, an introductory psychology course, and upper-level psychology courses. Participants in the intercultural contact condition were expected to show gains in social perspective taking and a decrease in intercultural communication apprehension when compared to the two comparison groups. No significant differences between the three groups were found for either change in intercultural communication apprehension or social perspective taking. Potential explanations for this lack of change are explored, along with a path model to explain the influence of personality factors on intercultural communication apprehension, and social perspective taking

Visible and near infrared observation on the Global Aerosol Backscatter Experiment (GLOBE)

The Global Aerosol Backscatter Experiment (GLOBE) was intended to provide data on prevailing values of atmospheric backscatter cross-section. The primary intent was predicting the performance of spaceborne lidar systems, most notably the Laser Atmospheric Wind Sounder (LAWS) for the Earth Observing System (EOS). The second and related goal was to understand the source and characteristics of atmospheric aerosol particles. From the GLOBE flights, extensive data was obtained on the structure of clouds and the marine planetary boundary layer. A notable result for all observations is the consistency of the large increases in the aerosol scattering ratio for the marine boundary layer. Other results are noted

\u3cem\u3eTimmy Tumble v. Cascade Bicycle Co.\u3c/em\u3e: A Hypothetical Case Under the \u3cem\u3eRestatement (Third)\u3c/em\u3e Standard for Design Defect

These briefs were written for a hypothetical design defect case. Bowbeer and Cavanaugh argue for, and Stewart argues against, the adoption of the Restatement (Third)\u27s reasonable alternative design standard and the rejection of the Restatement (Second)\u27s consumer expectations test in the hypothetical State of Hutchins. The authors discuss the relative merits of the two tests, as well as the status to be accorded to Restatement standards in general. To do so Bowbeer, Cavanaugh, and Stewart rely upon precedent from other jurisdictions, one hypothetical Hutchins case, and various policy arguments advanced in the deliberations about adopting the new Restatement. In addition to discussing these matters in the abstract, the briefs offer a concrete and specific illustration of how arguments for and against the application of the reasonable alternative design standard should proceed in practice. The case is now before the Hutchins Court of Appeals on Defendant\u27s interlocutory appeal (permitted under the State of Hutchins Rules of Civil Appellate Procedure) from the district court\u27s denial of Defendant\u27s motion for partial summary judgment

Research and Practice in K-12 Online Learning: A Review of Open Access Literature

The literature related to online learning programs for K-12 students dates to the mid-1990s and builds upon a century of research and practice from K-12 distance education. While K-12 online learning programs have evolved and grown over the past decade, the amount of published research on virtual schooling practice and policy is limited. The current literature includes practitioner reports and experimental and quasi-experimental studies, both published and unpublished. This paper reviews open access literature in K-12 online learning and reports on a structured content analysis of the documents. Themes in the literature include steady growth and a focus on the benefits, challenges, and broad effectiveness of K-12 online learning. In addition, newly developed standards for K-12 online learning are emerging in descriptions of effective practices

Gender-specific profiles of adverse childhood experiences, past year mental and substance use disorders, and their associations among a national sample of adults in the United States

Purpose: This study examined profiles of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and mental and substance use disorders (MSUDs), and associations between distinct profiles of ACEs and MSUDs. Methods: Participants were adults (N = 34, 652) involved in the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Latent class analysis was used to examine both profiles of ten ACEs and ten past year MSUDs. Dual latent class analysis regression was used to examine associations between profiles of ACEs and MSUDs. Given gender differences in ACEs and MSUDs, analyses were conducted separately for females and males. Results: Four profiles of ACEs and three profiles of MSUDs were selected for both genders. The four profiles of ACEs were characterized by the following probabilities: high multiple ACEs, high parental substance abuse, high childhood physical abuse, and low ACEs. The three profiles of MSUDs were characterized by the following probabilities: high multiple MSUDs for females and low MSUDs except alcohol use disorders for males, moderate-to-high major depressive episode, and low MSUDs. When compared to the low ACEs and MSUDs profiles, members in the higher ACEs profiles had 3.71–89.75 times greater odds of also being members in the higher MSUDs profiles. However, more than one-third of members in the high multiple ACEs profiles were also in the low MSUDs profiles. Conclusions: Study findings suggest four profiles of the ACEs widely studied as part of the Adverse Childhood Experiences study and risk and resilience for recent MSUDs among men and women nationally affected by ACEs

Stretch Increases Alveolar Epithelial Permeability to Uncharged Micromolecules

We measured stretch-induced changes in transepithelial permeability in vitro to uncharged tracers 1.5–5.5 Å in radius to identify a critical stretch threshold associated with failure of the alveolar epithelial transport barrier. Cultured alveolar epithelial cells were subjected to a uniform cyclic (0.25 Hz) biaxial 12, 25, or 37% change in surface area (ΔSA) for 1 h. Additional cells served as unstretched controls. Only 37% ΔSA (100% total lung capacity) produced a significant increase in transepithelial tracer permeability, with the largest increases for bigger tracers. Using the permeability data, we modeled the epithelial permeability in each group as a population of small pores punctuated by occasional large pores. After 37% ΔSA, increases in paracellular transport were correlated with increases in the radii of both pore populations. Inhibition of protein kinase C and tyrosine kinase activity during stretch did not affect the permeability of stretched cells. In contrast, chelating intracellular calcium and/or stabilizing F-actin during 37% ΔSA stretch reduced but did not eliminate the stretch-induced increase in paracellular permeability. These results provide the first in vitro evidence that large magnitudes of stretch increase paracellular transport of micromolecules across the alveolar epithelium, partially mediated by intracellular signaling pathways. Our monolayer data are supported by whole lung permeability results, which also show an increase in alveolar permeability at high inflation volumes (20 ml/kg) at the same rate for both healthy and septic lungs

Frequentist Analysis of the Parameter Space of Minimal Supergravity

We make a frequentist analysis of the parameter space of minimal supergravity (mSUGRA), in which, as well as the gaugino and scalar soft supersymmetry-breaking parameters being universal, there is a specific relation between the trilinear, bilinear and scalar supersymmetry-breaking parameters, A_0 = B_0 + m_0, and the gravitino mass is fixed by m_{3/2} = m_0. We also consider a more general model, in which the gravitino mass constraint is relaxed (the VCMSSM). We combine in the global likelihood function the experimental constraints from low-energy electroweak precision data, the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon, the lightest Higgs boson mass M_h, B physics and the astrophysical cold dark matter density, assuming that the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP) is a neutralino. In the VCMSSM, we find a preference for values of m_{1/2} and m_0 similar to those found previously in frequentist analyses of the constrained MSSM (CMSSM) and a model with common non-universal Higgs masses (NUHM1). On the other hand, in mSUGRA we find two preferred regions: one with larger values of both m_{1/2} and m_0 than in the VCMSSM, and one with large m_0 but small m_{1/2}. We compare the probabilities of the frequentist fits in mSUGRA, the VCMSSM, the CMSSM and the NUHM1: the probability that mSUGRA is consistent with the present data is significantly less than in the other models. We also discuss the mSUGRA and VCMSSM predictions for sparticle masses and other observables, identifying potential signatures at the LHC and elsewhere.Comment: 18 pages 27 figure

Two-year trajectory of fall risk in people with Parkinson disease: a latent class analysis

Published in final edited form as: Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2016 March ; 97(3): 372–379.e1. doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2015.10.105.OBJECTIVE: To examine fall risk trajectories occurring naturally in a sample of individuals with early to middle stage Parkinson disease (PD). DESIGN: Latent class analysis, specifically growth mixture modeling (GMM), of longitudinal fall risk trajectories. SETTING: Assessments were conducted at 1 of 4 universities. PARTICIPANTS: Community-dwelling participants with PD of a longitudinal cohort study who attended at least 2 of 5 assessments over a 2-year follow-up period (N=230). INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Fall risk trajectory (low, medium, or high risk) and stability of fall risk trajectory (stable or fluctuating). Fall risk was determined at 6 monthly intervals using a simple clinical tool based on fall history, freezing of gait, and gait speed. RESULTS: The GMM optimally grouped participants into 3 fall risk trajectories that closely mirrored baseline fall risk status (P=.001). The high fall risk trajectory was most common (42.6%) and included participants with longer and more severe disease and with higher postural instability and gait disability (PIGD) scores than the low and medium fall risk trajectories (P<.001). Fluctuating fall risk (posterior probability <0.8 of belonging to any trajectory) was found in only 22.6% of the sample, most commonly among individuals who were transitioning to PIGD predominance. CONCLUSIONS: Regardless of their baseline characteristics, most participants had clear and stable fall risk trajectories over 2 years. Further investigation is required to determine whether interventions to improve gait and balance may improve fall risk trajectories in people with PD.Supported by the Davis Phinney Foundation, the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, National Institutes of Health (NIH) (grant nos. NIH R01 NS077959 and NIH UL1 TR000448), the Massachusetts and Utah Chapters of the American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA), the Greater St Louis Chapter of the APDA, and the APDA Center for Advanced Research at Washington University. (Davis Phinney Foundation; Parkinson's Disease Foundation; NIH R01 NS077959 - National Institutes of Health (NIH); NIH UL1 TR000448 - National Institutes of Health (NIH); Utah Chapter of the American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA); Greater St Louis Chapter of the APDA; APDA Center for Advanced Research at Washington University; Massachusetts Chapter of the American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA)

The Story of Restructuring the Instructional Support Team

THE STORY OF RESTRUCTURING THE INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT TEAMTammy S. Cavanaugh, Ed.D.University of Pittsburgh, 2006Dr. Charles J. Gorman, Advisor ___This study provides the story of one school district's experiences with a mandated program, the Instructional Support Team (IST), which was initiated with external funds. The program was implemented and validated to meet regulatory requirements and designed to provide support services to students in need. Eventually, the funding was removed and the mandate lifted; however, the concept remained. Local Education Agencies were provided the option to sustain the support services as validated or restructure the program. The district in this study restructured the program and sustained many of the support services. The purpose of the study was to provide an in-depth analysis of the accomplishments, obstacles, and future implications of the current screening team that were lifted from the IST concept when funds were removed and what were the implications of the change for student support services.A major accomplishment was sustaining many of the support services for children even with the elimination of funding and the position of the IST instructor. Other accomplishments included ongoing collaboration with parents, teachers, and outside agencies. This was done in an attempt to meet student needs in the least restrictive environment (LRE). As long as the needs of the student were met, the student was maintained in the general education setting. The continued use of technology and curriculum integration in every elementary classroom provided classroom provided opportunity for students to work at their own instructional level. A Study Buddy Program was developed in one elementary building to assist in providing individualized student assistance. The obstacles included expediently fulfilling many of the activities of the IST instructor, time management, and not as much individual student or instructor assistance.This study illustrates that change is ongoing and redefines many concepts in a system. Successful implementation does not predict the continuation of a program initiated with external funds. However, this district was able to sustain many of the student support services by restructuring the IST

Intercultural Contact, Communication Apprehension, and Social Perspective Taking

This research examined the relationship between intergroup contact, intercultural communication apprehension, and social perspective taking. Participants were students taking a course which facilitates interactions between culturally diverse students around the globe via internet technologies, students taking an introductory psychology course, and students taking upper-level psychology courses. Participants in the intercultural contact condition were expected to show gains in social perspective taking and a decrease in intercultural communication apprehension when compared to the two comparison groups. No significant differences between the three groups were found for either change in intercultural communication apprehension or social perspective taking. Potential explanations for this lack of change are explored, along with a path model to explain the influence of extraversion, neuroticism, agreeableness and openness on the dependent variables.  M.A