A comparison study of the stress levels between English language learner students and native English language speaking students

The purpose of this study was to find whether students who are English Language Learners showed significantly higher stress levels than students who spoke English as their native language. A survey was administered to both groups to determine which group showed higher levels of stress. The total sample size was 24 students, with 12 students belonging in each respective group. An independent sample t-test was used to analyze the data. After analysis the study found that there was a significantly higher level of stress found in English Language Learners than there was in Native English Language Speaking students

[Tris(3,5-diphenyl­pyrazol­yl)hydro­borato]nickel(II) bromide

In the title tris­(pyrazol­yl)borate (TpPh2) complex, [NiBr(C45H34BN6)], the Ni, Br and B atoms lie on a crystallographic threefold axis and a distorted NiN3Br tetra­hedral geometry arises for the metal ion. In the crystal, C—H⋯(C=C) and C—H⋯π inter­actions help to establish the polar crystal packing

A Cenozoic-style scenario for the end-Ordovician glaciation

The end-Ordovician was an enigmatic interval in the Phanerozoic, known for massive glaciation potentially at elevated CO2 levels, biogeochemical cycle disruptions recorded as large isotope anomalies and a devastating extinction event. Ice-sheet volumes claimed to be twice those of the Last Glacial Maximum paradoxically coincided with oceans as warm as today. Here we argue that some of these remarkable claims arise from undersampling of incomplete geological sections that led to apparent temporal correlations within the relatively coarse resolution capability of Palaeozoic biochronostratigraphy. We examine exceptionally complete sedimentary records from two, low and high, palaeolatitude settings. Their correlation framework reveals a Cenozoic-style scenario including three main glacial cycles and higher-order phenomena. This necessitates revision of mechanisms for the end-Ordovician events, as the first extinction is tied to an early phase of melting, not to initial cooling, and the largest δ13C excursion occurs during final deglaciation, not at the glacial apex

Case Difficulty of Simulation Software

Preliminary results concerning difficulty levels of client cases in Simulations in Developmental Disabilities: SIDD are presented. Participants conducted assessments to identify causes of problem behavior and propose treatments for 10 clients. Although SIDD may teach clinical decision-making skills, providing numerous cases did not guarantee learning for all participants. Exposure to a difficult case early in instruction was associated with better overall performance by participants. Additionally, treatment performance best indicated perceived difficulty level. Further experimental research comparing order of difficulty is recommended

Body Size, Growth, and Feather Mass of the Endangered Hawaiian Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus sandvicensis).

v. ill. 23 cm.QuarterlyBody and feather mass data are important in avian studies and are required for determining things such as body condition and energetic carrying capacity. There are 12 subspecies of Common Moorhens (Gallinula chloropus), six continental and six island subspecies, of which two are endangered. Body mass data for multiple individuals are available for only three subspecies, and feather mass data have been reported for only one individual. Body mass (n ¼ 82) and feather mass (n ¼ 2) for adults and body mass for three subadult age classes (n ¼ 27) are provided for the Hawaiian subspecies of Common Moorhen (G. c. sandvicensis). Other body size measurements, including tarsus length, shield-bill length, shield width, and wing cord length also are presented. Adult Hawaiian Moorhen body mass averaged 350.7 g (G50.0 SD; range, 232–522; 95% CI, 339.8–361.6), and young birds appear to develop like young of G. c. chloropus and other Rallidae. Based on published data, G. c. sandvicensis is heavier than G. c. guami, female G. c. chloropus, and G. c. meridionalis; lighter than G. c. garmani and males of G. c. cachinnans; and similar in mass to G. c. cachinnans females, males of G. c. chloropus, and G. c. orientalis. There do not appear to be systematic differences in body mass between mainland (data for four subspecies) and island subspecies (data for three subspecies). Total mass of all feathers for two males was 16.2 and 12.1 g, which made up 3.1% and 3.8%, respectively, of their total body mass

Mapping historical forest biomass for stock-change assessments at parcel to landscape scales

Understanding historical forest dynamics, specifically changes in forest biomass and carbon stocks, has become critical for assessing current forest climate benefits and projecting future benefits under various policy, regulatory, and stewardship scenarios. Carbon accounting frameworks based exclusively on national forest inventories are limited to broad-scale estimates, but model-based approaches that combine these inventories with remotely sensed data can yield contiguous fine-resolution maps of forest biomass and carbon stocks across landscapes over time. Here we describe a fundamental step in building a map-based stock-change framework: mapping historical forest biomass at fine temporal and spatial resolution (annual, 30m) across all of New York State (USA) from 1990 to 2019, using freely available data and open-source tools. Using Landsat imagery, US Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data, and off-the-shelf LiDAR collections we developed three modeling approaches for mapping historical forest aboveground biomass (AGB): training on FIA plot-level AGB estimates (direct), training on LiDAR-derived AGB maps (indirect), and an ensemble averaging predictions from the direct and indirect models. Model prediction surfaces (maps) were tested against FIA estimates at multiple scales. All three approaches produced viable outputs, yet tradeoffs were evident in terms of model complexity, map accuracy, saturation, and fine-scale pattern representation. The resulting map products can help identify where, when, and how forest carbon stocks are changing as a result of both anthropogenic and natural drivers alike. These products can thus serve as inputs to a wide range of applications including stock-change assessments, monitoring reporting and verification frameworks, and prioritizing parcels for protection or enrollment in improved management programs.Comment: Manuscript: 24 pages, 7 figures; Supplements: 12 pages, 5 figures; Submitted to Forest Ecology and Managemen

Elevated corticosterone in feathers correlates with corticosterone-induced decreased feather quality: A validation study

The newly described technique of extracting corticosterone (CORT) from bird feathers may serve as a less invasive, more integrated measure of a bird\u27s stress response. Previous work indicated that elevated plasma CORT resulted in poorer quality feathers during molt. We tested the hypothesis that a direct link exists between plasma and feather CORT concentrations. We experimentally increased plasma CORT concentrations using implants and found that the corresponding rise in CORT could be detected in feathers grown during implantation. Furthermore, CORT levels in two feathers grown at the same time from the same bird were very consistent. These results provide evidence that elevated CORT is a causative factor in decreasing feather quality during molt. However, there remain technical details that suggest caution when interpreting data from CORT extracted from feathers. Different portions of a growing feather did not necessarily reflect changes in plasma CORT at the time different parts of the feather were forming, a standard pool of homogenized feathers indicated that sample mass affects measured feather CORT concentration, and different antibodies produced different measured CORT concentrations, leaving in doubt the exact steroid being assayed. © 2011 The Authors

Acute gallbladder torsion - a continued pre-operative diagnostic dilemma

Acute gallbladder volvulus continues to remain a relatively uncommon process, manifesting itself usually during exploration for an acute surgical abdomen with a presumptive diagnosis of acute cholecystitis. The pathophysiology is that of mechanical organo-axial torsion along the gallbladder's longitudinal axis involving the cystic duct and cystic artery, and with a pre-requisite of local mesenteric redundancy. The demographic tendency is septua- and octo-genarians of the female sex, and its overall incidence is increasing, this being attributed to increasing life expectancy. We discuss two cases of elderly, fragile women presenting to the emergency department complaining of sudden onset right upper quadrant abdominal pain. Their subsequent evaluation suggested acute cholecystitis. Ultimately both were taken to the operating room where the correct diagnosis of gallbladder torsion was made. Pre-operative diagnosis continues to be a major challenge with only 4 cases reported in the literature diagnosed with pre-operative imaging; the remainder were found intra-operatively. Consequently, a delay in diagnosis can have devastating patient outcomes. Herein we propose a necessary high index of suspicion for gallbladder volvulus in the outlined patient demographic with symptoms and signs mimicking acute cholecystitis

Canadian federal public administration and the COVID-19 crisis: lessons to be learned for the upcoming digital transformation

As it is the case with all public administrations, the Canadian Federal Public Administration swiftly mobilized to provide assistance to the Government of Canada amidst the COVID-19 crisis that has been shaking the entire world for the past few weeks (Fillion, 2020; The Canadian Press, 2020). Beyond daily decisions made by the Executive since the beginning of the crisis and which will continue to be made in the future whether or not there is a pandemic, two distinct elements have caught our attention from the administrative perspective of governance and information management: namely connectivity and computability. These fundamental factors, which will be analyzed more extensively throughout the various post-mortem assessments, are certainly less pressing and less apparent in the current context given the emergency to take actions. Nevertheless, they remain paramount to the capacity of our public administrations to meet citizens’ expectations nowadays and in the future