Principals' perceived challenges and barriers to recruit and hire Teachers of Color : a case study

America's schools are more diverse than ever, but the teachers are still mostly White. Overwhelmingly, the research says that Teachers of Color in classrooms provide numerous benefits for all students (e.g., Ahmad and Boser, 2014; Archinstein et al., 2010; Cherng and Halpin, 2016; Partelow et al., 2017; Perlman et., 2016; Villegas and Lucas, 2009). The present study focuses on the challenges and barriers that Teachers of Color face when applying and interviewing for teaching positions. The present study seeks to answer the question: What are the principals' perceived challenges and barriers to recruit and hire Teachers of Color? The study focused on the principal's point of view, since they are the ones that are responsible for the hiring of the majority of the teachers for the school district. A series of semi-structed interviews were conducted with principals from the elementary, middle school and high school level. Additionally, an analysis of the interview questions used during the interview process was conducted using the five tenets of Critical Race Theory. The results showed that principals are not even able to interview Teachers of Color since there are such a limited number of applicants. Additionally, many Applicants of Color struggle to meet the requirements to receive a certification through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and normally serve in support staff roles in buildings across the District. The study and findings are relevant and important because if we are to address the issue of the lack of Teachers of Color in our schools we need to address the negative societal view of teachers and the stringent state requirements for certification.Includes bibliographical references

Self-reported summarizing and paraphrasing difficulties in L2 writing contexts: Some pedagogical interventions

The utility of paraphrasing and summarizing is key to effective academic writing. Both require that students have a good grasp of the source material not only in terms of understanding, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating the information found in the sources, but also in terms of selecting information, organizing, drafting, and revising their papers. Although several studies have identified L2 students’ difficulties when utilizing paraphrasing and summarizing, this paper examines the cognitive and metacognitive aspects of these complex activities from the students’ eyes. With essays from 120 freshman undergraduate students from a private university in Manila, this study qualitatively determined their reported difficulties when paraphrasing and summarizing, and the areas of improvements in these skills. Participant students identified four major areas of concern: 1) lack of proficiency in English, 2) poor reading comprehension skills, 3) lack of vocabulary and 4) lack of or poor documentation skills.  Findings of this study provide grounds for presentation of pedagogical interventions/classroom instructions to address these students’ reported difficulties

Social workers\u27 perceptions regarding at risk and delinquent foster care youth

This thesis explores the experiences of social workers within San Bernardino County\u27s Children and Family Services who are working with delinquent and high-risk youth within foster care. Social workers were asked to describe services that are available and the potential protective risk factors that may exist. It is imperative to understand this population and the services that exist in order to address this problem and better meet the needs of youth

Quarantine and COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic which have affected every part of the world have been deemed a public health concern and classified as a pandemic. The government imposing travel bans and quarantine measures have been found to be effective in preventing and reducing the spread of COVID-19. A reduction in physical activity and increase in the consumption of unhealthy foods have been observed to be some of the major implications of quarantine. Adequate physical activity and increased access to healthy foods would help in improving the psychological wellbeing of individuals thereby preventing the development of cardiovascular diseases. Keywords: Quarantine; COVID-19; Physical activity DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/85-11 Publication date: January 31st 202

The Role of Khmer Court Dance and Music in the Construction of a Cambodian-American Identity

Cambodia gained national attention in the mid 1975 due to the mass genocide perpetrated during the communist group known as the Khmer Rouge. For many Cambodians born and raised in the United States, the primary cultural awareness passed down from their parents and elders revolves around experiences surrounding the Khmer Rouge. This paper explores the construction of cultural identity among second generation Cambodian youth and adults participating in Khmer classical dance and music classes at Khmer Arts Academy in Long Beach, California. We found that there is a strong correlation between familial ties and participation in cultural activities, as is evident from interviews as well as family member attendance at Khmer Arts Academy. Our research delved into the struggle Khmer children born and raised in America face when pressured to assimilate into American culture. The societal need to “fit in” is difficult for most minority children, and it is difficult to find ways to affirm heritage identity. The students at the Khmer Arts Academy use Khmer classical dance and music to learn about the beauty and intricacies of their culture, something that they lacked prior to this experience. Using ethnographic techniques and methods, our preliminary findings suggest that participation in the Khmer Arts Academy in Long Beach introduced students to and, in some cases increased, their connections with their cultural heritage. Our techniques include participant observations and interviews over the course of three months (September, 2019-November, 2019)

Targeting a therapeutic LIF transgene to muscle via the immune system ameliorates muscular dystrophy.

Many potentially therapeutic molecules have been identified for treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy. However, targeting those molecules only to sites of active pathology is an obstacle to their clinical use. Because dystrophic muscles become extensively inflamed, we tested whether expressing a therapeutic transgene in leukocyte progenitors that invade muscle would provide selective, timely delivery to diseased muscle. We designed a transgene in which leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) is under control of a leukocyte-specific promoter and transplanted transgenic cells into dystrophic mice. Transplantation diminishes pathology, reduces Th2 cytokines in muscle and biases macrophages away from a CD163+/CD206+ phenotype that promotes fibrosis. Transgenic cells also abrogate TGFβ signaling, reduce fibro/adipogenic progenitor cells and reduce fibrogenesis of muscle cells. These findings indicate that leukocytes expressing a LIF transgene reduce fibrosis by suppressing type 2 immunity and highlight a novel application by which immune cells can be genetically modified as potential therapeutics to treat muscle disease

Adjustable Medical Assistance Bed

The objective of this project is to design and manufacture a bed that provides increased safety and convenience to patients needing physical assistance and their caregivers, specifically catering to special needs patients. The bed is designed to have variable height between 0” and 30” from the bottom of the mattress to the ground, allowing the patient to get into bed with minimal physical assistance from the caregiver. The design process for this product was organized in three subsystems: lifting mechanism, escape prevention, and frame. The lifting mechanism is designed to accommodate the bed’s variable height, as well as support the weight of the mattress and patient up to 800 lb. The escape prevention system prevents the patient from escaping or accidentally falling out of bed. Finally, the frame provides structural support for the entire system, and is the framework for the other subsystems. This report discusses the planning, design, analysis, and manufacturing of the bed

Progression of age-related periodontitis: Literature review

Antecedentes: La periodontitis actualmente es definida como una enfermedad inflamatoria crónica multifactorial asociada a la desregulación de la biopelícula con el huésped susceptible, lo que puede llegar a generar daños en el tejido periodontal debido a una respuesta inmunitaria inapropiada, caracterizadas por una inflamación neutrofílica con la posterior destrucción proteolítica del tejido conectivo. Objetivo: realizar una revisión de la literatura que vincule la progresión de periodontitis asociada a la edad y determinar si a mayor edad existe mayor prevalencia de periodontitis. Materiales y Métodos : Se realizó una búsqueda bibliográfica sistemática en 5 bases de datos científicas: PubMed, Cochrane, Scielo, Science Direct, EBSCO de 45 artículos publicados en inglés y español en los últimos 5 años (2018-2022). Resultados: La evidencia sugiere que pacientes de edad avanzada (60 años en adelante) son más propensos a desarrollar periodontitis debido a una respuesta inmunitaria deficiente que le impide tener una respuesta inflamatoria correcta ante diversos factores, además se postula la exposición prolongada al factor etiológico. Conclusiones: La evidencia reporta que los pacientes a mayor edad presentan mayor prevalencia de periodontitis debido a que en el envejecimiento disminuye la respuesta inmunológica, la cual es la encargada de proteger al cuerpo ante diferentes factores. Finalmente, a medida que los pacientes envejecen, el estado nutricional se ve alterado por ende el proceso digestivo y la absorción de nutrientes de los alimentos, las cuales interactúan con otros factores de riesgo bien definidos para aumentar la susceptibilidad a la enfermedad periodontal.Background: Periodontitis is currently defined as a multifactorial chronic inflammatory disease associated with deregulation of the biofilm with the susceptible host, which can lead to damage the periodontal tissue due to an inappropriate immune response, characterized by a neutrophilic inflammation with subsequent destruction of proteolytic connective tissue. Objective: To carry out a literature review that links the progression of periodontitis associated with age, in addition to determining if at an older age there is higher prevalence of periodontitis. Methodology: A systematic bibliographic search was carried out in 5 scientific databases: PubMed, Cochrane, Scielo, Science Direct, EBSCO of 45 articles published in English and Spanish in the last 5 years (2018-2022). Results: Evidence suggests that elderly patients (60 years and older) are more likely to develop periodontitis due to a deficient immune response that keep them off from having a correct inflammatory response to various factors, there is also postulated a prolonged exposure to the etiological factor. Conclusions: Evidence reports that older patients have a higher prevalence of periodontitis because aging decreases immune response, which is responsible for protecting the body against different factors. Finally, as patient’s age, nutritional status is altered thereby the digestive process and nutrient absorption from food, which interact with other well-defined risk factors to increase susceptibility to periodontal disease.0000-0002-7843-967