CLASSROOM DISCOURSE OF ELEMENTARY ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS’ WRITING INSTRUCTION IN A MIDWESTERN SCHOOL

The purpose of this study was to investigate the discourse of English Language Learners’ writing instruction in a third and fifth grade classroom. Indiana has experienced great growth in the population of English Language Learners (ELLs) in the past ten years, with this school district sharing a similar trend with an increase of the number of ELLs in this schools’ population. This research took place in two classrooms with a high percentage of ELLs, utilizing a case study approach with teachers’ classroom discourse being analyzed through both a qualitative analysis and a Systemic Functional Linguistics discourse analysis. The findings of this research suggest that there are a number of factors that influence the discourse of writing for ELLs, including teacher ideologies, outside assessments and that these directly affect how instruction is implemented. The discourse analysis points out problematic patterns of discourse, and potential difficulties in understanding for ELLs. Several implications are suggested, including alternate approaches to writing that implement elements of language highlighted in the discourse analysis, and implications for future teacher preparation

The impact of supply chain structure on the use of supplier socially responsible practices

Purpose – This paper seeks to explore the integration of social issues in the management of supply chains from an operations management perspective. Further, this research aims to develop a set of scales to measure multiple dimensions of supplier socially responsible practices. Finally, the paper examines the importance of three dimensions of supply chain structure, namely transparency, dependency and distance, for the adoption of these socially responsible practices. Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on literature from several theoretical streams, current best‐practice in leading firms and emerging international standards, four dimensions of supplier socially responsible practices were identified. Also, a multi‐dimensional conceptualization of supply chain structure, including transparency, dependency and distance, was synthesized from earlier research. Using this conceptual development, a large‐scale survey of plant managers in three industries in Canada provided an empirical basis for validating these constructs, and then assessing the relationships between structure and practices. Findings – Multi‐item scales for each of the four dimensions of supplier socially responsible practices were validated empirically: supplier human rights; supplier labour practices; supplier codes of conduct; and supplier social audits. Increased transparency, as reflected in greater product visibility by the end‐consumer was related to increased use of supplier human rights, which in turn can help to protect a firm's brands. Organizational distance, as measured by the total length of the supply chain (number of tiers in the supply chain), was related to increased use of multiple supplier socially responsible practices. Finally, as the plant was positioned further upstream in the supply chain, managers reported increased use of supplier codes of conduct. Practical implications – As senior managers extend, redesign or restructure their supply chains, the extent to which social issues must be monitored and managed changes. The four categories of supplier socially responsible practices identified help managers characterize their firm's approach to managing social issues. Furthermore, managers must more actively manage the development of supplier socially responsible practices in their firms when the supply chain has more firms; and when brands have stronger recognition in the marketplace. Originality/value – The paper makes three contributions to the extant literature. First, the construct of social issues is defined and framed within the broader debate on sustainable development and stakeholder management. Second, social practices are delineated for supply chain management, and a set of scales is empirically validated for assessing the degree of development of supplier socially responsible practices. Finally, the link between supply chain structure and the adoption of supplier socially responsible practices is examined. This last contribution provides a basis for understanding, so that managers can extend and reshape current views about how social issues must be managed

Interacting Bose and Fermi gases in low dimensions and the Riemann hypothesis

We apply the S-matrix based finite temperature formalism to non-relativistic Bose and Fermi gases in 1+1 and 2+1 dimensions. In the 2+1 dimensional case, the free energy is given in terms of Roger's dilogarithm in a way analagous to the relativistic 1+1 dimensional case. The 1d fermionic case with a quasi-periodic 2-body potential provides a physical framework for understanding the Riemann hypothesis.Comment: version 3: additional appendix explains how the $\nu$ to $1-\nu$ duality of Riemann's $\zeta (\nu)$ follows from a special modular transformation in a massless relativistic theor

Exact s-Matrices for the Nonsimply-Laced Affine Toda Theories a2n−1(2)a_{2n-1}^{(2)}

We derive the exact, factorized, purely elastic scattering matrices for the $a_{2n-1}^{(2)}$ family of nonsimply-laced affine Toda theories. The derivation takes into account the distortion of the classical mass spectrum by radiative correction, as well as modifications of the usual bootstrap assumptions since for these theories anomalous threshold singularities lead to a displacement of some single particle poles.Comment: 11 page

A descriptive analysis of child-relevant systematic reviews in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Systematic reviews (SRs) are considered an important tool for decision-making. There has been no recent comprehensive identification or description of child-relevant SRs. A description of existing child-relevant SRs would help to identify the extent of available child-relevant evidence available in SRs and gaps in the evidence base where SRs are required. The objective of this study was to describe child-relevant SRs from the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR, Issue 2, 2009).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>SRs were assessed for relevance using pre-defined criteria. Data were extracted and entered into an electronic form. Univariate analyses were performed to describe the SRs overall and by topic area.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The search yielded 1666 SRs; 793 met the inclusion criteria. 38% of SRs were last assessed as up-to-date prior to 2007. Corresponding authors were most often from the UK (41%). Most SRs (59%) examined pharmacological interventions. 53% had at least one external source of funding. SRs included a median of 7 studies (IQR 3, 15) and 679 participants (IQR 179, 2833). Of all studies, 48% included only children, and 27% only adults. 94% of studies were published in peer-reviewed journals. Primary outcomes were specified in 72% of SRs. Allocation concealment and the Jadad scale were used in 97% and 25% of SRs, respectively. Adults and children were analyzed separately in 12% of SRs and as a subgroup analysis in 14%. Publication bias was assessed in only 14% of SRs. A meta-analysis was conducted in 68% of SRs with a median of 5 trials (IQR 3, 9) each. Variations in these characteristics were observed across topic areas.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We described the methodological characteristics and rigour of child-relevant reviews in the CDSR. Many SRs are not up-to-date according to Cochrane criteria. Our study describes variation in conduct and reporting across SRs and reveals clinicians' ability to access child-specific data.</p

Socially Responsible Practices: An Exploratory Study on Scale Development using Stakeholder Theory

Socially responsible practices of firms have evolved into an important area of research in operations management; however, it remains challenging to identify specific scales that capture multiple dimensions of such social practices. In this exploratory study, we use stakeholder theory to develop new multi‐item measurement scales linked to multiple groups (i.e., internal, supplier, customer, and community stakeholders). Furthermore, we empirically test a higher order multidimensional construct that collectively assesses the socially responsible practices of a firm. Using these stakeholder‐derived constructs as taxons in a cluster analysis, we identify important patterns in the way that multiple groups of stakeholders are engaged. Finally, we demonstrate that the set of social practices are complementary and concentrating on one group can yield spillover effects to other specific stakeholder groups.Canadian Purchasing Research Foundation (CPRF) Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC

Heavy Quarks on Anisotropic Lattices: The Charmonium Spectrum

We present results for the mass spectrum of $c{\bar c}$ mesons simulated on anisotropic lattices where the temporal spacing $a_t$ is only half of the spatial spacing $a_s$. The lattice QCD action is the Wilson gauge action plus the clover-improved Wilson fermion action. The two clover coefficients on an anisotropic lattice are estimated using mean links in Landau gauge. The bare velocity of light $\nu_t$ has been tuned to keep the anisotropic, heavy-quark Wilson action relativistic. Local meson operators and three box sources are used in obtaining clear statistics for the lowest lying and first excited charmonium states of $^1S_0$, $^3S_1$, $^1P_1$, $^3P_0$ and $^3P_1$. The continuum limit is discussed by extrapolating from quenched simulations at four lattice spacings in the range 0.1 - 0.3 fm. Results are compared with the observed values in nature and other lattice approaches. Finite volume effects and dispersion relations are checked.Comment: 36 pages, 6 figur

The green bullwhip effect: Transferring environmental requirements along a supply chain

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Exploring the implications of supply risk on sustainability performance

Purpose Firms are increasingly being pressured by the public, regulators and customers to ensure that their suppliers behave in a socially and ecologically sound manner. Yet, the complexity and risks embedded in many supply chains makes this challenging, with monitoring practices offering one means to attenuate supply sustainability risk. Drawing on agency theory, the purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between sustainability and operations risk, supplier sustainability monitoring practices, supply improvement initiatives and firm performance. Design/methodology/approach This research uses data from a survey and archival sources from a sample of large US firms to empirically examine the relationship between sustainability and operations risk, supplier sustainability monitoring practices, supply improvement initiatives and firm performance. Findings Findings indicate that higher levels of perceived sustainability risk is related to greater monitoring of supplier sustainability practices by focal firms. Perceptions of higher operations risk are indirectly related to greater social monitoring through investment in supply improvement initiatives. Monitoring of supplier sustainability practices is also found to have a positive effect on focal firm performance. Practical implications Findings suggest that managers process operations risks and sustainability risks independently. Greater sustainability risk leads to increased sustainability monitoring, while greater operations risk leads to increased investment in supply improvement initiatives, which in turn leads to increased social monitoring. The research also indicates that behavior-oriented approaches, such as monitoring of supplier environmental and social practices, are an effective approach to improving firm sustainability performance. However, due to resource constraints, a challenge for supply chain managers is where and when to invest in behavior-oriented approaches for suppliers. Originality/value This research advances supply risk literature by exploring the effects of supply sustainability risk on the use of monitoring practices to manage supplier environmental and social behavior. Using a combination of survey and archival data to independently assess the implications of sustainability monitoring practices on firm sustainability performance, this study provides a methodology for evaluating the impact of sustainability monitoring practices on the triple bottom line in supply chain management