Tax and Policy Implications of Changes to Reporting Requirements for Construction Services

[Excerpt] New York and other states could increase revenue and improve their tax systems by requiring information reporting for all payments by businesses for construction services, utilizing a form similar to the Federal form 1099. The state could also advance other important policy goals including an increase in the fairness of the tax system and a reduction of the misclassification of workers as independent contractors

The implementation of a new teacher evaluation model: a qualitative case study of how teachers make sense of the Marzano Evaluation Model

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how teachers understood and changed their instructional practice in response to imposed teacher evaluation requirements. The strategy of inquiry was a single case study, representative of a large suburban high school adapting to the changes required under the provisions of Achieve NJ, the policy mandating new teacher evaluation (Yin, 2009). The theoretical framework of sensemaking and sensegiving guided the analysis of how teachers processed the changes to their evaluation system and the role the context played in the implementation of the MTEM (Weick, 1995, Gioia & Chittipeddi, 1991). Data was collected in the form of archival documents, participant interviews and field notes from observations which produced clear and coherent themes around the implementation of the MTEM. The findings of this study indicate that teachers perceive only incremental shifts in their instructional practice, that they perceive significant barriers to implementation, that a compliance orientation exists towards the MTEM, also that contextual messages influence teacher’s perceptions of the MTEM, and that school leadership acts as capacity builders. In this setting change is framed by a teacher’s experience, and providing support that is context specific, especially for veteran teachers, is critical to the implementation process. Teacher’s resistance to change is also influenced by the context, and supportive leadership designed to mitigate resistance must take into account the contextual factors impacting change

Exploring notions of genre in 'academic literacies' and 'writing across the curriculum': approaches across countries and contexts

The SIGET IV panel on genre in Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) and “academic literacies” (ACLITS) has set rolling a discussion of the similarities and differences in the two traditions, the former originating in the US in the early 1970s, the latter originating in England in the early 1990s. This paper maps out some elements of each in relation to the other and to genre, which we hope will set in motion further discussions and cross-fertilization

The mass-L_x relation for moderate luminosity X-ray clusters

We present measurements of the masses of a sample of 25 moderate X-ray luminosity clusters of galaxies from the 160 square degree ROSAT survey. The masses were obtained from a weak lensing analysis of deep F814W images obtained using the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). We present an accurate empirical correction for the effect of charge transfer (in)efficiency on the shapes of faint galaxies. A significant lensing signal is detected around most of the clusters. The lensing mass correlates tightly with the cluster richness. We measured the intrinsic scatter in the scaling relation between M_2500 and L_X and find the best fit power law slope and normalisation to be alpha=0.68+-0.07 and M_X=(1.2+-0.12)10^14M_sun (for L_X=2x10^44 erg/s). These results agree well with a number of recent studies, but the normalisation is lower compared to the study of Rykoff et al. (2008b). One explanation for this difference may be the fact that (sub)structures projected along the line-of-sight boost both the galaxy counts and the lensing mass. Such superpositions lead to an increased mass at a given L_X when clusters are binned by richness.Comment: accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal; 15 pages, 11 figure

From Common Lands to Second Nature: The Scholarship of Richard W. Judd and the Future of Eastern Environmental History

Renowned environmental historian, Richard Judd, retired from teaching at the University of Maine, May 2018. Professor Judd was one of the UMaine History Department’s most prolific scholars and helped build numerous connections between the sciences and the humanities at UMaine in addition to being a significant force within the interdisciplinary field of environmental history itself for the past three decades. Professor Judd authored dozens of books and articles related to conservation; environmental thought; and the traditional farming, hunting, fishing, and logging cultures of Maine and northern New England. He also served as an editor for a number of projects—most notably among them, the Historical Atlas of Maine—as well as the Journal of Forest History and Maine History. To celebrate and discuss the significance of Professor Judd’s career, some of his current and former students organized a panel discussion featuring five forward-thinking scholars within eastern environmental history. Brian Payne, a former student of Judd’s and a professor of history at Bridgewater State discusses how Judd influenced him as a mentor and introduced him to the field of environmental history. Kate Viens, director of research at the Massachusetts Historical Society, expands on Payne’s comments about Judd’s influence as an educator, discussing the implications of his work to the field of public history in addition to her own graduate research. Matthew McKenzie, professor of history at University of Connecticut and New England Fisheries Management Council appointee, discusses the way in which Judd’s environmental history work intersects with both the sciences and social history and brings new insights to the environmental recovery within many areas of New England over the last several decades. John Cumbler, professor emeritus of history at the University of Louisville and current history faculty at Suffolk University explores, in greater depth, Judd’s contributions to a social-environmental history hybrid field and his work as indicative of environmental history’s emergence from labor and social history. Brian Donahue, chair of the environmental studies program at Brandeis University and director of the Working Landscapes program at Harvard Forest, discusses the ways in which Judd broke new ground within the field of environmental history by highlighting through his research the conservation efforts of ordinary rural people

Adolescent stealing treated with motivational interviewing and imaginal desensitization — Case report

Background: Adolescent shoplifting occurs in an estimated 15% of the United States population. Although adolescent stealing is associated with significant psychosocial consequences there is limited research concerning efficacious treatments. Case study: A 17-year-old male with a history of compulsive stealing was treated using a six-session, individualized cognitive-behavioral therapy protocol which included motivational interviewing, psycho-education, behavioral modification, and an exposure script using imaginal desensitization. After the six-session therapy, the patient continued for eight further sessions of therapy to maintain treatment gains. His Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale scores dropped from a 22 pre-treatment to a 3 at the end of the 14 sessions of therapy and he remained abstinent from stealing. Discussion: This case reports on the successful use of an individualized, cognitive behavioral therapy on an adolescent with compulsive shoplifting and other antisocial behaviors. This treatment provides a promising step towards the treatment of a relatively common adolescent behavior