Checkerboard Julia Sets for Rational Maps

In this paper, we consider the family of rational maps \F(z) = z^n + \frac{\la}{z^d}, where $n \geq 2$, $d\geq 1$, and\la \in \bbC. We consider the case where \la lies in the main cardioid of one of the $n-1$ principal Mandelbrot sets in these families. We show that the Julia sets of these maps are always homeomorphic. However, two such maps \F and $F_\mu$ are conjugate on these Julia sets only if the parameters at the centers of the given cardioids satisfy \mu = \nu^{j(d+1)}\la or \mu = \nu^{j(d+1)}\bar{\la} where j \in \bbZ and $\nu$ is an $n-1^{\rm st}$ root of unity. We define a dynamical invariant, which we call the minimal rotation number. It determines which of these maps are are conjugate on their Julia sets, and we obtain an exact count of the number of distinct conjugacy classes of maps drawn from these main cardioids.Comment: 25 pages, 14 figures; Changes since March 19 version: added nine figures, fixed one proof, added a section on a group actio

Verruciform xanthoma of the buccal gingiva: two cases with different clinical presentations

Introduction: Verruciform xanthoma is an uncommon, benign, asymptomatic lesion commonly affecting the attached tissues in the oral cavity, especially the gingiva. Clinical presentation can be variable and requires biopsy to confirm the diagnosis. Case Series: Two cases of verruciform xanthoma in a 21‐year old male and a 46‐year old female are reported, emphasizing the need for thorough comprehensive analysis of all oral lesions. The clinical features, differential diagnoses, typical and atypical histological features and potential etiology are presented. Conclusions: Verruciform xanthoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of solitary lesions in the oral cavity with a papillary, granular or verrucous surface texture, and confirmed with histopathological examination. Continued monitoring for recurrence at routine examination is necessary especially in sites where the lesion may not have been completely excised

Problems in using social work records in assessing change

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston Universit

Rôle de l’autodétermination et des aptitudes scolaires dans la prédiction des absences scolaires et l’intention de décrocher

Le but de l’étude était d’examiner l’importance relative de la motivation autodéterminée et des aptitudes scolaires dans la prédiction des absences scolaires et de l’intention d’abandonner les études. Un examen de rendement mesurant diverses aptitudes scolaires ainsi que l’échelle de motivation en éducation ont été administrés à 914 élèves de huitième année. Les résultats obtenus appuient les hypothèses de départ. Ainsi, les deux variables indépendantes présentent des liens avec les mesures d’absentéisme et d’intention de décrocher. Les analyses révèlent que des niveaux élevés de motivation autodéterminée et une bonne performance aux sous-tests d’aptitudes scolaires seraient négativement associés aux mesures d’absences scolaires et d’intention d’abandonner l’école.The purpose of the study was to examine the relative importance of self-determined motivation and scholarly abilities in the prediction of absenteeism and the intention to drop out of school. A performance examination measuring various scholarly abilities as well as the scale of motivation in education were administered to 914 eight graders. The results obtained support the initial assumptions. The two independent variables are related with the measurements of absenteeism and of the intention of dropping out. The analyses reveal that high levels of self-determined motivation and a good performance on the scholarly abilities sub-tests are negatively related to absenteeism and intention of dropping outmeasurements.El objetivo del estudio era de analizar la importancia relativa de la motivación autodeterminada y de las aptitudes escolares en la predicción de las ausencias escolares y el deseo de abandonar los estudios. Un examen de rendimiento que mide varias aptitudes escolares así como la escala de motivación en educación han sido aplicados a 914 alumnos de octavo grado. Los resultados conseguidos confirman esas hipótesis iniciales. Es decir que las dos variables independientes presentan vínculos con las medidas de ausentismo y de deseo de abandonar. Los análisis indican que altos niveles de motivación autodeterminada y buenos resultados a las subpruebas de aptitudes escolares estarían ligados de forma negativa a las medidas de ausencias escolares y de deseo de abandonar la escuela.Das Ziel der Studie bestand darin, die relative Bedeutung der selbstbestimmten Motivation zu untersuchen und die der Schuleignung bei vorausgesagten Schulabwesenheiten und der Absicht, die Schule aufzugeben. Eine Leistungsprüfung, die dieunterschiedlichen Schuleignung sowie die Stufender Motivation in der Erziehung messen sollte, wurde an 914 Schülern der achten Klasse durchgefuehrt. Die erzielten Ergebnisse bestätigen die Anfangshypothesen. Somit stellen die zwei unabhängige Variablen Zusammenhänge zwischen dem Mass der Abwesenheit undder Absicht, die Schule aufzugeben, dar. Die Analysen zeigen, dass ein hohes Niveau an selbstbestimmter Motivation und eine gute Leistung an den schulischen Unter-Eignungstests mit den Maßnahmen wegen schulischer Abwesenheit und der Absicht, die Schule aufzugeben, negativ verbunden werden könnten

The Identification and Participation of Latino Students in Advanced Mathematics Courses

Using a phenomenological approach, this qualitative study examined the perspectives of Latino parents and their involvement in the decision of their child to enroll in an advanced mathematics course in sixth grade. Since enrollment in Algebra I in high school is said to be a strong predictor of college attainment and with the growing number of Latino students across the nation, this study has the potential to help district and campus leaders establish whole-school systems for communicating with Latino parents to encourage their children to enroll in advanced mathematics courses at earlier grades. Participants in this study included four sixth-grade students enrolled in an advanced mathematics course, four enrolled in regular mathematics, their mother or father, two mathematics teachers, a school counselor, and two district administrators. Data analyzed included audio recordings of semi-structured interviews of each of the participants. The findings suggested that the district has proactively developed a systematic process of creating that includes six data points to create a student profile of students that will do well in advanced mathematics. This process is helping the district close the gap between total Latino school enrollment and the enrollment of Latino students in advanced mathematics. The findings also suggested that specific communication with parents about the importance of enrollment trajectories might influence the enrollment of students into advanced mathematics courses at earlier grades

Transportation for Seniors in a Rural Community: Can the Nursing Home Play a Role?

In New Brunswick, a large percentage of the population is made up of older adults living in rural communities. This situation presents a number of challenges, particularly in terms of transportation. This paper describes a pilot project in a small rural community in New Brunswick in which a shuttle bus belonging to a long-term care facility was used to provide transportation for older adults living in the community. Both interviews and standardized quantitative measures of life satisfaction and depressive symptoms were used to measure quality of life with older adults who used the bus (n = 8) and older adults who did not use the bus (n = 17). Interviews with the bus drivers and program coordinators, as well as observations of a bus trip were also carried out. Bus takers were found to have lower scores on many quality-of-life indicators than non-bus takers, and were very satisfied with the bus service. Recommendations for increasing the long-term viability of the initiative are addressed in the Discussion.Au Nouveau Brunswick, une grande proportion de la population se compose d’adultes plus âgés qui vivent dans des collectivités rurales. Une telle situation pose un certain nombre de défis, notamment quant au transport. Le présent article expose un projet pilote d’une petite collectivité rurale du Nouveau Brunswick dans laquelle un bus-navette appartenant à un établissement de soins de longue durée a été utilisé pour transporter les adultes plus âgés qui vivent dans la collectivité. À la fois les entretiens, les mesures quantitatives normalisées de satisfaction à l’égard de la vie et les symptômes dépressifs ont été utilisés afin de mesurer la qualité de la vie des adultes plus âgés qui utilisaient le bus-navette (n = 8) et de ceux qui ne l’utilisaient pas (n = 17). Des entretiens avec les chauffeurs et les coordonnateurs du programme ont été effectués et des observations ont été recueillies au cours d’un trajet en bus-navette. Les personnes qui adoptaient ce moyen de transport présentaient des résultats plus faibles quant à de nombreux indicateurs de la qualité de vie que les personnes qui ne prenaient pas le bus et elles étaient très satisfaites du service de bus-navette. Des recommandations en vue d’accroître la viabilité à long terme de l’initiative sont abordées dans la discussion

Cannabis use, schizotypy and personality : associations with cannabis-related problems and emotion recognition

Individuals with schizotypy often report more cannabis-related problems, which include cognitive, interpersonal, and social responsibility difficulties. Past studies have observed correlations between the factors of schizotypy (i.e., positive, disorganized, and negative) and the five-factor model of personality. Certain personality traits are also associated with cannabis use. Further, both schizophrenia-spectrum symptoms and cannabis use have been implicated in reduced ability to identify emotional facial expressions, which can lead to greater difficulties in social functioning. Therefore, the purpose of the current study is to better understand the associations between cannabis use, schizotypy, and personality. Additionally, this research aims to identify which of the aforementioned variables are most salient in individuals who experience cannabis-related problems and emotional identification deficits. The sample was comprised of 242 undergraduates attending Western Carolina University, and data were collected through self-report measures and an eye tracker. Results from bivariate correlations and non-parametric statistics indicated that cannabis use was associated with higher disorganized schizotypy and total schizotypy, while the number of cannabis-related problems was significantly correlated to all factors of schizotypy. Cannabis use, cannabis-related problems, and schizotypy were associated with lower Agreeableness and Conscientiousness, as well as higher levels of Immoderation and Excitement-Seeking. Individuals who met criteria for cannabis dependence were significantly higher in Excitement-Seeking, but lower in Cooperation, Dutifulness, Achievement-Striving, and Cautiousness compared to those who do not experience cannabis-related problems. Similar to the deficits seen on the schizophreniaspectrum, cannabis use frequency was associated with decreased attention to the left visual field; moreover, cannabis-related problems were negatively correlated to attention to the eyes of most emotional faces. Personality traits such as Conscientiousness were associated with fixation on particular emotional features, as well as accuracy for identifying neutral faces. Taken together, the results of the current study suggest that there are significant associations between cannabis use, schizotypy, and personality, and these variables play a role in cannabis-related problems and facial affect recognition processing. Therefore, prevention of these potential problems should target identification of schizotypal traits, abstinence from cannabis, and social skills building in adolescence and emerging adulthood

Assessing the applicability of public health intervention evaluations from one setting to another: a methodological study of the usability and usefulness of assessment tools and frameworks.

BACKGROUND: Public health interventions can be complicated, complex and context dependent, making the assessment of applicability challenging. Nevertheless, for them to be of use beyond the original study setting, they need to be generalisable to other settings and, crucially, research users need to be able to identify to which contexts it may be applicable. There are many tools with set criteria for assessing generalisability/applicability, yet few seem to be widely used and there is no consensus on which should be used, or when. This methodological study aimed to test these tools to assess how easy they were to use and how useful they appeared to be. METHODS: We identified tools from an existing review and an update of its search. References were screened on pre-specified criteria. Included tools were tested by using them to assess the applicability of a Swedish weight management intervention to the English context. Researcher assessments and reflections on the usability and utility of the tools were gathered using a standard pro-forma. RESULTS: Eleven tools were included. Their length, content, style and time required to complete varied. No tool was considered ideal for assessing applicability. Their limitations included unrealistic criteria (requiring unavailable information), a focus on implementation to the neglect of transferability (i.e. little focus on potential effectiveness in the new setting), overly broad criteria (associated with low reliability), and a lack of an explicit focus on how interventions worked (i.e. their mechanisms of action). CONCLUSION: Tools presenting criteria ready to be used may not be the best method for applicability assessments. They are likely to be either too long or incomplete, too focused on differences and fail to address elements that matter for the specific topic of interest. It is time to progress from developing lists of set criteria that are not widely used in the literature, to creating a new approach to applicability assessment. Focusing on mechanisms of action, rather than solely on characteristics, could be a useful approach, and one that remains underutilised in current tools. New approaches to assessing generalisability that evolve away from checklist style assessments need to be developed, tested, reported and discussed