An evaluation of instructional coaching at selected high schools in North Louisiana and its effect on student achievement, organizational climate, and teacher efficacy

The purpose of this study was to compare high schools in north Louisiana to determine if the presence or absence of instructional coaches influenced student achievement, organizational climate, and/or teacher efficacy in any significant manner. The 11 high schools in north Louisiana utilizing instructional coaches were matched to 11 high schools in the region that were not using instructional coaches and comparisons were made between the group performances in the areas of student achievement, organizational climate, and teacher efficacy. Student achievement data were determined based upon the percent proficient on the subtests of the 2009 administration of the Louisiana Graduate Exit Exam, (GEE). Organizational climate and teacher efficacy were measured using the Organizational Climate Description for Secondary Schools (OCDQ-RS) and the Teachers\u27 Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) where the mean scores were analyzed using the t-Test for Paired Samples. Mean differences in student achievement reflected positively toward the schools using instructional coaches though no significant differences were determined. Mean differences for the directive behaviors and general openness components of the OCDQ-RS and for the classroom management and overall efficacy components of the TSES were determined to be statistically significant (p\u3c.05)

Her majesty the student: marketised higher education and the narcissistic (dis)satisfactions of the student-consumer

Intensifying marketisation across higher education (HE) in England continues to generate critical commentary on the potentially devastating consequences of market logic for learning. In this paper, we consider the student-consumer prominent in these debates as a contested yet under-analysed entity. In contrast to the dominance of homo economicus discursively constructed in policy, we offer a psychoanalytically-informed interpretation of undergraduate student narratives, in an educational culture in which the student is positioned as sovereign consumer. We report findings drawn from in-depth interviews that sought to investigate students’ experiences of choice within their university experience. Our critical interpretation shows how market ideology in an HE context amplifies the expression of deeper narcissistic desires and aggressive instincts that appear to underpin some of the student ‘satisfaction’ and ‘dissatisfaction’ so crucial to the contemporary marketised HE institution. Our analysis suggests that narcissistic gratifications and frustrations may lie at the root of the damage to pedagogy inflicted by unreflective neoliberal agendas. We finish with a discussion about the managerial implications of our work

Riparian bird densities along four tributaries of the Rio Paraná in North-East Argentina

Densidades lineales de aves (y mamíferos) fueron registradas a lo largo de cuatro tributarios del Paraná en la provincia de Misiones, Argentina. En una reciente expedición, se hicieron conteos a fin de determinar el status del Pato Serrucho (Mergus octosetaceus) en Argentina. Se examinó un total de 340 kilómetros de ríos, incluyendo secciones del Arroyo Uruzú, Urugua-í, Piray Miní y Piray Guazú, usando un bote inflable. Datos concernientes a la densidad de aves de río, rapaces y mamíferos acuáticos se presentan y discuten. Durante la expedición sólo un Pato Serrucho fue registrado y la conclusión inevitable es que la especie está en vias de extinción en Argentina

Doing memory work with older men: the practicalities, the process, the potential

This article describes the process of setting up and participating in a collective memory work group of older men, with a focus on the making and unmaking of older men and masculinities through age, ageing, gender, gendering, and other intersections. Memory work is located in relation to related but different forms of writing and group work, emphasizing how in this method everyone becomes a writer, an author, a listener, a reader, a discussant, and a commentator. The potential of memory work, both for working with older men, and more generally is outlined. Key issues are: genuine and collective commitment to substantive change, not just at a personal level, but also at wider social/political/cultural levels; willingness to trust in the other members of the group, an issue that may be difficult for some men; and commitment for caring for one another especially in their moments of greatest vulnerability

Magnificent Distance: Five Site-Specific Installations Washington DC 2012

5x5, Washington DC’s inaugural public art festival, was conceived as a flagship biennial in which five curators would each be invited to curate new site-specific artworks by five artists – leading to the simultaneous installation of twenty-five artworks across Washington DC. The primary research question explored in the curation of the five Magnificent Distance artworks was the slippage between the symbolic DC of the worldwide public imagination and the ‘domestic’, human DC with its complex histories and communities. Many of the exhibition sites, selected as part of my curatorial role, were at the interstices of these two DC realities – at the meeting point between federal and community environments, in locations undergoing transformation from one use to another, and at points where differing scales of architecture meet

The impact of tensioning device mal-positioning on strand tension during Anterior Cruciate Ligament reconstruction

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In order to confer optimal strength and stiffness to the graft in Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) reconstruction, the maintenance of equal strand tension prior to fixation, is desired; positioning of the tensioning device can significantly affect strand tension This study aimed to determine the effect of tensioning device mal-positioning on individual strand tension in simulated cadaveric ACL reconstructions.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Twenty cadaveric specimens, comprising bovine tibia and tendon harvested from sheep, were used to simulate ACL reconstruction with a looped four-strand tendon graft. A proprietary tensioning device was used to tension the graft during tibial component fixation with graft tension recorded using load cells. The effects of the tensioning device at extreme angles, and in various locking states, was evaluated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Strand tension varied significantly when the tensioning device was held at extreme angles (p < 0.001) or in 'locked' configurations of the tensioning device (p < 0.046). Tendon position also produced significant effects (p < 0.016) on the resultant strand tension.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>An even distribution of tension among individual graft strands is obtained by maintaining the tensioning device in an unlocked state, aligned with the longitudinal axis of the tibial tunnel. If the maintenance of equal strand tension during tibial fixation of grafts is important, close attention must be paid to positioning of the tensioning device in order to optimize the resultant graft tension and, by implication, the strength and stiffness of the graft and ultimately, surgical outcome.</p

Changes in the sex ratio of the Common Pochard Aythya ferina in Europe and North Africa

Assessments of the sex ratio among Common Pochard Aythya ferina flocks were undertaken in countries across Europe and into North Africa in January 2016, for comparison with results from surveys carried out over the same area in January 1989 and January 1990. The mean (± 95% CI) proportions of males in the population were estimated as 0.617 (0.614–0.620) in 1989–1990 and 0.707 (0.705–0.710) in 2016; this difference between surveys was found to be highly significant. Whilst male bias increased with latitude in both surveys, this relationship was weaker in 2016 as the increases in male bias between 1989–1990 and 2016 were greater in countries further south. Given that the sex ratio of Pochard broods is approximately 1:1 at hatching, the strong male bias observed among adult birds is indicative of lower survival of females compared with males. The results of this study suggest that factors adversely affecting female survival rate (relative to that of males) may partly explain the decline in overall Common Pochard abundance. Given the widespread and ongoing decline of this species throughout most of Europe and North Africa, further information on possible demographic drivers of change is urgently required

Subcutaneous daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj in newly diagnosed or relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.

Daratumumab, a human immunoglobulin G1 kappa monoclonal antibody that targets CD38, is currently approved as monotherapy and in varying combinations with approved anti-myeloma regimens in both newly diagnosed multiple myeloma and relapsed refractory multiple myeloma. Originally developed for intravenous administration, the subcutaneous formulation of daratumumab (daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj) was recently approved by the US Federal Drug Administration and European Commission in 2020. In clinical trials, compared with the intravenous formulation, subcutaneous daratumumab (Dara-SC) has significantly shorter administration time (median first dose 7 h versus 3-5 min, respectively), lower rates of infusion-related reactions (median first dose 50% versus less than 10%, respectively), and lower volume of infusion (median 500-1000 ml versus 15 ml, respectively). Otherwise, the pharmacokinetics, safety profile, and efficacy are comparable. This review summarizes the pivotal trials that led to the approval of Dara-SC, highlights important clinical considerations for the use of Dara-SC, and provides practical guidelines for the administration of Dara-SC in the clinic

Bispecific Antibodies in Multiple Myeloma: Present and Future.

UNLABELLED: Despite many recent advances in therapy, there is still no plateau in overall survival curves in multiple myeloma. Bispecific antibodies are a novel immunotherapeutic approach designed to bind antigens on malignant plasma cells and cytotoxic immune effector cells. Early-phase clinical trials targeting B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA), GPRC5D, and FcRH5 have demonstrated a favorable safety profile, with mainly low-grade cytokine release syndrome, cytopenias, and infections. Although dose escalation is ongoing in several studies, early efficacy data show response rates in the most active dose cohorts between 61% and 83% with many deep responses; however, durability remains to be established. Further clinical trial data are eagerly anticipated. SIGNIFICANCE: Overall survival of triple-class refractory multiple myeloma remains poor. Bispecific antibodies are a novel immunotherapeutic modality with a favorable safety profile and impressive preliminary efficacy in heavily treated patients. Although more data are needed, bispecifics will likely become an integral part of the multiple myeloma treatment paradigm in the near future. Studies in earlier lines of therapy and in combination with other active anti-multiple myeloma agents will help further define the role of bispecifics in multiple myeloma

The Safety and Efficacy of Radiation Therapy with Concurrent Dexamethasone, Cyclophosphamide, Etoposide, and Cisplatin-Based Systemic Therapy for Multiple Myeloma.

INTRODUCTION: The concurrent delivery of radiation therapy (RT) with salvage chemotherapies in the management of relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma (MM) is an area of ongoing investigation. This study examined the safety and efficacy of palliative RT given in the setting of concurrent dexamethasone, cyclophosphamide, etoposide, and cisplatin (DCEP). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty-five patients with MM received RT to 64 different sites within three weeks of receiving DCEP from 2010 to 2020. A median dose of 20 Gray (range 8-32.5 Gy) was delivered in a median of 5 fractions (range 1-15). Patients received a median of 1 cycle (range 1-5) of DCEP. Rates of hematologic and RT toxicity were recorded along with pain, radiographic, and laboratory responses to treatment. RESULTS: RT was completed in 98% of patients. 21% of patients experienced RTOG grade 3+ hematologic toxicity before RT, which increased to 35% one-month post-RT (P&nbsp;=&nbsp;.13) before decreasing to 12% at 3 to 6 months (P&nbsp;=&nbsp;.02). The most common toxicity experienced was thrombocytopenia. Grade 1 to 2 non-hematologic RT-related toxicity was reported in 15% of patients while on treatment and fell to 6% one-month after completing RT. Pain resolved in 94% of patients with symptomatic lesions at baseline. Stable disease or better was observed in 34/39 (87%) of the targeted lesions on surveillance imaging. CONCLUSION: RT administered concurrently with DCEP was well-tolerated by most of the patients in this series, with low rates of hematologic and RT-related toxicity. RT was also very effective, with the vast majority of patients demonstrating resolution of their pain and a significant response on follow-up imaging