The Literacy of America's College Students

Measures the literacy of 1,827 graduating college and university students from eighty institutions. Looks at the ability to perform prose tasks such as read and use texts; search and comprehend forms; and conduct quantitative, computational tasks

A Description of the Factors Contributing to Parents Choosing Christian Elementary School for Children with Special Needs: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study

Education professionals have expressed concern that parents’ decisions to enroll students with special needs in Christian schools are ill-informed due to lack of data surrounding student outcomes in such environments and lack of teacher qualifications (Cheng et al., 2016; Lane, 2017). There has been very little research on why parents choose Christian elementary school for their students with special needs. The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the factors contributing to parents choosing a Christian elementary school for children with special needs. Lev Vygotsky’s social constructivism theory framed this study, as it states that one’s knowledge is informed by perspective and shaped by values (Gordon, 2009; Slavin, 2006). The central research question to be answered was: What factors contribute to parents choosing Christian elementary school for their children with special needs? Criterion sampling was used to select ten participants who chose a Christian elementary school in various states for students with special needs. Data was collected through interviews, focus groups, and journal prompts. Data was analyzed using Moustakas’ (1994) transcendental phenomenological approach through epoché, phenomenological reduction, and imaginative variation. The results revealed that parents find the most value in the following emergent themes: (a) Christian worldview, (b) community, (c) services, resources, and accommodations, and (d) collaboration and partnership. Future research recommendations include quantitative methods, expanding the sample geographically, expanding the sample to include middle school and high school Christian schools

Epileptic Seizures and the EEG

A study of epilepsy from an engineering perspective, this volume begins by summarizing the physiology and the fundamental ideas behind the measurement, analysis and modeling of the epileptic brain. It introduces the EEG and provides an explanation of the type of brain activity likely to register in EEG measurements, offering an overview of how these EEG records are and have been analyzed in the past. The book focuses on the problem of seizure detection and surveys the physiologically based dynamic models of brain activity. Finally, it addresses the fundamental question: can seizures be predicted? Based on the authors' extensive research, the book concludes by exploring a range of future possibilities in seizure prediction

On the Path to Home Ownership: Low-Income Owners and Renters in Rural Communities

The purpose of the current article was to examine the tenure status of rural, lowincome mothers to understand particularly what family, housing, and health characteristics are associated with tenure status in rural areas of the United States. 7he benefits as well as the risks of becoming a homeowner for low-income families are discussed. 7he study used data from the multi-state research project Rural Families Speak, an investigation conducted by 17 states to assess the circumstances of rural low-income families--403 mothers with at least one child 12 years of age or younger. Two logistical binomial regression analyses were conducted to identify significant predictors of housing tenure among rural, low-income families. In total, 13 variables were included in the regression analysis for the whole sample and 14 variables were used for a subsample of those mothers who reported having a partner. 7he results of the study indicated that determinants of tenure status for this sample were age, education level, partner status, ethnicity, total monthly income, housing costs, housing wage, and food security status. 7he research contributes to an understanding of variables that contribute to attaining homeownership and provides additional information to shape future research, policy, and social programs that benefit rural, low-income families who aspire to become or sustain homeownership

Step size of the rotary proton motor in single FoF1-ATP synthase from a thermoalkaliphilic bacterium by DCO-ALEX FRET

Thermophilic enzymes can operate at higher temperatures but show reduced activities at room temperature. They are in general more stable during preparation and, accordingly, are considered to be more rigid in structure. Crystallization is often easier compared to proteins from bacteria growing at ambient temperatures, especially for membrane proteins. The ATP-producing enzyme FoF1-ATP synthase from thermoalkaliphilic Caldalkalibacillus thermarum strain TA2.A1 is driven by a Fo motor consisting of a ring of 13 c-subunits. We applied a single-molecule F\"orster resonance energy transfer (FRET) approach using duty cycle-optimized alternating laser excitation (DCO-ALEX) to monitor the expected 13-stepped rotary Fo motor at work. New FRET transition histograms were developed to identify the smaller step sizes compared to the 10-stepped Fo motor of the Escherichia coli enzyme. Dwell time analysis revealed the temperature and the LDAO dependence of the Fo motor activity on the single molecule level. Back-and-forth stepping of the Fo motor occurs fast indicating a high flexibility in the membrane part of this thermophilic enzyme.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figure

Does type 1 diabetes mellitus affect Achilles tendon response to a 10 km run? A case control study Epidemiology of musculoskeletal disorders

Background: Achilles tendon structure deteriorates 2-days after maximal loading in elite athletes. The load-response behaviour of tendons may be altered in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) as hyperglycaemia accelerates collagen cross-linking. This study compared Achilles tendon load-response in participants with T1DM and controls. Methods: Achilles tendon structure was quantified at day-0, day-2 and day-4 after a 10 km run. Ultrasound tissue characterisation (UTC) measures tendon structural integrity by classifying pixels as echo-type I, II, III or IV. Echo-type I has the most aligned collagen fibrils and IV has the least. Results: Participants were 7 individuals with T1DM and 10 controls. All regularly ran distances greater than 5 km and VISA-A scores indicated good tendon function (T1DM = 94 +/- 11, control = 94 +/- 10). There were no diabetic complications and HbA1c was 8.7 +/- 2.6 mmol/mol for T1DM and 5.3 +/- 0.4 mmol/mol for control groups. Baseline tendon structure was similar in T1DM and control groups -UTC echo-types (I-IV) and anterior-posterior thickness were all p > 0.05. No response to load was seen in either T1DM or control group over the 4-days post exercise. Conclusion: Active individuals with T1DM do not have a heightened Achilles tendon response to load, which suggests no increased risk of tendon injury. We cannot extrapolate these findings to sedentary individuals with T1DM

Epileptic Seizures and the EEG

A study of epilepsy from an engineering perspective, this volume begins by summarizing the physiology and the fundamental ideas behind the measurement, analysis and modeling of the epileptic brain. It introduces the EEG and provides an explanation of the type of brain activity likely to register in EEG measurements, offering an overview of how these EEG records are and have been analyzed in the past. The book focuses on the problem of seizure detection and surveys the physiologically based dynamic models of brain activity. Finally, it addresses the fundamental question: can seizures be predicted? Based on the authors' extensive research, the book concludes by exploring a range of future possibilities in seizure prediction

Photovoice as a Tool to Explore Immigration for Student Mothers

The following pilot study explored whether PhotoVoice (Wang & Burris, 1997) could serve as an art therapy strategy for exploring acculturation with a group of immigrant student mothers. Additionally, the research investigated the potential of adding a quantitative measure of acculturation to the qualitative design of the PhotoVoice methodology. Data collected through the images and audio recorded sessions supported that PhotoVoice could be a strategy as well as a qualitative research method for identifying issues, strengths and challenges of a community of student mothers that have immigrated. The mothers identified four themes relevant to their immigration journey: 1) Home Away from Home: Openness, Destiny: Coming from Different Backgrounds; 2) Clothing as a Symbol of Dual Identity and Acceptance; 3) Food is an Element of our Life; 4) The Bonjour/Hi: Accessibility to Information

The Extinction Toward the Galactic Bulge from RR Lyrae Stars

We present mean reddenings toward 3525 RR0 Lyrae stars from the Galactic bulge fields of the MACHO Survey. These reddenings are determined using the color at minimum V-band light of the RR0 Lyrae stars themselves and are found to be in general agreement with extinction estimates at the same location obtained from other methods. Using 3256 stars located in the Galactic Bulge, we derive the selective extinction coefficient RV,VR = AV/E(V − R) = 4.3 ± 0.2. This value is what is expected for a standard extinction law with RV,BV = 3.1 ± 0.3