The Facts and Fiction About the Use of Sign Language with Young Children

In this study we sought to determine how parents and caregivers perceived the use of sign language with young children. We asked participants Likert scale questions concerning their agreement with various statements about sign language. The participants were asked questions about using sign language for communication, expressing emotion, advancing intelligence, and promoting pro-social behavior. We also asked participants open ended questions about what they had previously heard about sign language use, their thoughts about using sign language, and if they had every purchased or used materials to teach a child sign language. The responses show that on average most participants use sign language occasionally with young children. Almost all participants knew someone who used it with children and only a few participants had purchased materials while others used online materials. The data also reflect that many participants believe that sign language helps children and caregivers communicate however in expressing emotion, advancing intelligence, and promoting pro-social behavior participants are unsure if sign language is helpful

Franklin finds a home : an original mathematical story for children seven to nine years of age

This original story is written for children seven to nine years of age. In the story, the reader accompanies Franklin, a fish in a fantastical underwater world, on a journey to find a new apartment. Using mathematical thinking, Franklin is able to find the perfect apartment. The mathematical concepts embedded in the story are measurement, length, width, perimeter, and area

The effect of tax structure in economic growth

The main goal of this paper is to analyse the effect of the tax structure in the economic growth of Kosovo in the period 2007-2015. The study intends to evaluate the impact of specific types of taxes on economic growth. The methodology is based on comparative analysis of data using primary and secondary sources. Through the econometric model and linear regression analysis, the research hypotheses have been tested with STATA application/software to calculate the impact of tax structure in economic growth. The econometric model includes several independent variables (types of taxes), and the dependent variable GDP. Based on data obtained through the log-log model, the results show the impact of special taxes such as Pt, It, VAT, Wt, Ibt, Tdr.., Ct on GDP. The results show that most of the taxes have a positive impact on GDP growth; it is also shown that not all taxes have the same impact on economic growth. In the econometric analysis the coefficient of R2=0,999 reflects the high degree of determination with 99.9% forecasting accuracy.peer-reviewe

Tomato: a crop species amenable to improvement by cellular and molecular methods

Tomato is a crop plant with a relatively small DNA content per haploid genome and a well developed genetics. Plant regeneration from explants and protoplasts is feasable which led to the development of efficient transformation procedures. In view of the current data, the isolation of useful mutants at the cellular level probably will be of limited value in the genetic improvement of tomato. Protoplast fusion may lead to novel combinations of organelle and nuclear DNA (cybrids), whereas this technique also provides a means of introducing genetic information from alien species into tomato. Important developments have come from molecular approaches. Following the construction of an RFLP map, these RFLP markers can be used in tomato to tag quantitative traits bred in from related species. Both RFLP's and transposons are in the process of being used to clone desired genes for which no gene products are known. Cloned genes can be introduced and potentially improve specific properties of tomato especially those controlled by single genes. Recent results suggest that, in principle, phenotypic mutants can be created for cloned and characterized genes and will prove their value in further improving the cultivated tomato.

Some Uses and Potentials of Qualitative Methods in Planning

Planners use methods borrowed from many disciplines. These are usually modified and adapted to meet planner's needs to acquire and sift through many diverse information sources helpful in dealing with complex problems. The quantitative methods which planners use are well known, well established in practice, and acknowledged by most as tools of the planners' trade. In contrast to this, most planners also use qualitative methods but these are rarely explicitly acknowledged.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68912/2/10.1177_0739456X8600600110.pd

Using a game to engage stakeholders in extreme event attribution science

The impacts of weather and climate-related disasters are increasing, and climate change can exacerbate many disasters. Effectively communicating climate risk and integrating science into policy requires scientists and stakeholders to work together. But dialogue between scientists and policymakers can be challenging given the inherently multidimensional nature of the issues at stake when managing climate risks. Building on the growing use of serious games to create dialogue between stakeholders, we present a new game for policymakers called Climate Attribution Under Loss and Damage: Risking, Observing,co-Negotiating (CAULDRON). CAULDRON aims to communicate understanding of the science attributing extreme events to climate change in a memorable and compelling way, and create space for dialogue around policy decisions addressing changing risks and loss and damage from climate change. We describe the process of developing CAULDRON, and draw on observations of players and their feedback to demonstrate its potential to facilitate the interpretation of probabilistic climate information and the understanding of its relevance to informing policy. Scientists looking to engage with stakeholders can learn valuable lessons in adopting similar innovative approaches. The suitability of games depends on the policy context but, if used appropriately, experiential learning can drive co-produced understanding and meaningful dialogue

Authentic interprofessional health education scenarios using mobile VR

This paper explores the use of mobile virtual reality (mVR) to create authentic learning environments for health education, initially in three contexts, followed by the development of collaborative health team scenarios that mirror professional practice. The use of mVR mitigates the dispersion of the university’s seven health departments across three geographical campuses. We argue that the use of mVR provides an immersive and authentic student experience of real-world medical team scenarios. Building upon our experiences we critique the development of design principles for the integration of mVR within the curriculum and the establishment of a socio-cultural ethos of collaboration across the seven health disciplines at the institution. The unique contribution of our methodology is the focus upon a low-cost rapid user-generated development model explicitly founded upon design-based research, supported by a transdisciplinary team, modelling interprofessional practice