Mentors Increasing Special Education Retention

Lack of effective professional mentoring and minimal ongoing support programs have been suggested as two primary contributors to the chronic shortages of special education teachers. Few programs have been designed to address these specific causes. In this article we describe TATERS, a partnership between a university special educator preparation program, a state Department of Education, and district level administrations designed to (a) develop effective mentoring systems, and (b) strengthen training and recruitment of preservice and new special education teachers, especially in rural areas

User Feedback on Celebratory Technology Model for Reducing Stigma

Social stigma is a complex manifestation that affects humanity, particularly individuals with disabilities and other marginalized groups, including those with physical, cognitive, and emotional conditions. Society often judges these individuals\u27 interactions with the world, and many technologies designed to assist those with disabilities attempt to change their daily interactions and behaviors. Nonetheless, when the emphasis is placed on validating disabled identities, there is a potential for it to be seen as inspiration porn. This approach might inadvertently reduce inclusivity and do little to challenge negative stereotypes; it can also lead to the objectification of individuals with disabilities. Therefore, this project presents the notion of Celebratory Technologies for Neurodiversity, which aims to promote inclusivity and empower stigmatized individuals. This concept strives to level the playing field, rather than serving as a solitary source of inspiration for nondisabled observers. In this context, a Figma diagram and a user survey were created using Maze to gather feedback from students at Chapman University on the concept of Celebratory Technology. This valuable input will help refine and develop Celebratory Technologies for Neurodiversity, drawing upon social change frameworks, principles of the Neurodiversity movement, and insights from marginalized groups on how to reduce stigma. The Figma prototype introduces Celebratory Technology in the form of a colorful visual representation of the participants’ answers to a personality survey, with the goal of showcasing users from different backgrounds and identities in an abstract way. This in turn has a goal of celebrating uniqueness and individuality without implementing labels or alienation. This project serves as a preliminary step in introducing Celebratory Technology and aims to expand the conversation of ways to mitigate social stigma. Initial suggestions for creating supportive Celebratory Technologies for Neurodiversity are provided in this project

UPTAKE OF COMMUNITY HEALTH STRATEGY ON SERVICE DELIVERY AND UTILIZATION IN KENYA

Great Lakes University of Kisumu developed and tested a Comprehensive Primary Health Care (CPHC) model to facilitate the uptake of essential health services towards Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The model focused specifically on the principles of intersectoral collaboration, community participation and empowerment to enhance access to health care. A study was undertaken in partnership with the Ministry of Health (MOH) to assess the implementation of the components of the model in different socio-demographic contexts in Kenya, and their relationship with health outcomes. This was a comparative, descriptive study which engaged the end users, policymakers, managers and communities in the design and implementation of research to enhance the utilisation of results. The CPHC intervention elements included: establishment of Community Health Units, governance and linkage structures, training of the health workforce, establishment of Community Based Information system and using it for regular dialogue at community and health facility levels leading to decisions and health actions.Findings showed improvements in governance and management of the health system; service delivery and health outcomes such as immunization coverage, Antenatal Clinic attendance and health facility delivery

Decreased microbial co-occurrence network stability and SCFA receptor level correlates with obesity in African-origin women.

We compared the gut microbial populations in 100 women, from rural Ghana and urban US [50% lean (BMI < 25 kg/m2) and 50% obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2)] to examine the ecological co-occurrence network topology of the gut microbiota as well as the relationship of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) with obesity. Ghanaians consumed significantly more dietary fiber, had greater microbial alpha-diversity, different beta-diversity, and had a greater concentration of total fecal SCFAs (p-value < 0.002). Lean Ghanaians had significantly greater network density, connectivity and stability than either obese Ghanaians, or lean and obese US participants (false discovery rate (FDR) corrected p-value ≤ 0.01). Bacteroides uniformis was significantly more abundant in lean women, irrespective of country (FDR corrected p < 0.001), while lean Ghanaians had a significantly greater proportion of Ruminococcus callidus, Prevotella copri, and Escherichia coli, and smaller proportions of Lachnospiraceae, Bacteroides and Parabacteroides. Lean Ghanaians had a significantly greater abundance of predicted microbial genes that catalyzed the production of butyric acid via the fermentation of pyruvate or branched amino-acids, while obese Ghanaians and US women (irrespective of BMI) had a significantly greater abundance of predicted microbial genes that encoded for enzymes associated with the fermentation of amino-acids such as alanine, aspartate, lysine and glutamate. Similar to lean Ghanaian women, mice humanized with stool from the lean Ghanaian participant had a significantly lower abundance of family Lachnospiraceae and genus Bacteroides and Parabacteroides, and were resistant to obesity following 6-weeks of high fat feeding (p-value < 0.01). Obesity-resistant mice also showed increased intestinal transcriptional expression of the free fatty acid (Ffa) receptor Ffa2, in spite of similar fecal SCFAs concentrations. We demonstrate that the association between obesity resistance and increased predicted ecological connectivity and stability of the lean Ghanaian microbiota, as well as increased local SCFA receptor level, provides evidence of the importance of robust gut ecologic network in obesity

The Grizzly, November 17, 1978

Tuition, Room And Board Fees Raised • GreaseBand Slated For January • Snow Precautions Outlined • Forum Highlights • Mail Theft In New Men\u27s • Hockey Violence Must Stop • Should Ursinus Teach Moral Values? • Acapulco: Gold • Rock\u27s Lesser-Knowns Provide Fresh Sound • Audio Corner: Purchasing audio equipment • Forum Committee • GM: Looking Good For \u2779 • A History Of Accomplishment • Bear Pack Bombs At Districts • Equestrians Riding High • Letters to the Editor: Public Apology; Grading Disputedhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1007/thumbnail.jp

Climate variability, oceanography, bowhead whale distribution, and Iñupiat subsistence whaling near Barrow, Alaska

Author Posting. © Arctic Institute of North America, 2010. This article is posted here by permission of Arctic Institute of North America for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Arctic 63 (2010): 179-194.The annual migration of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) past Barrow, Alaska, has provided subsistence hunting to Iñupiat for centuries. Bowheads recurrently feed on aggregations of zooplankton prey near Barrow in autumn. The mechanisms that form these aggregations, and the associations between whales and oceanography, were investigated using field sampling, retrospective analysis, and traditional knowledge interviews. Oceanographic and aerial surveys were conducted near Barrow during August and September in 2005 and 2006. Multiple water masses were observed, and close coupling between water mass type and biological characteristics was noted. Short-term variability in hydrography was associated with changes in wind speed and direction that profoundly affected plankton taxonomic composition. Aggregations of ca. 50–100 bowhead whales were observed in early September of both years at locations consistent with traditional knowledge. Retrospective analyses of records for 1984–2004 also showed that annual aggregations of whales near Barrow were associated with wind speed and direction. Euphausiids and copepods appear to be upwelled onto the Beaufort Sea shelf during Eor SEwinds. A favorable feeding environment is produced when these plankton are retained and concentrated on the shelf by the prevailing westward Beaufort Sea shelf currents that converge with the Alaska Coastal Current flowing to the northeast along the eastern edge of Barrow Canyon.This work was supported by NSF Grants OPPPP-0436131 to C. Ashjian (S. Braund Subcontract), OPPPP-0436110 to R. Campbell, OPPPP-0436127 to W. Maslowski, OPPPP-0436009 to C. Nicolson and J. Kruse, OPPPP-043166 to S. Okkonen, and OPPPP-0435956 to Y. Spitz, E. Sherr, and B. Sherr

The Lantern Vol. 5, No. 1, December 1936

• All of Us • Public Dance • In Tibet, of All Places • Thoughts • Subterranean Conflict on the Campus • Out, Out Into Fragrance and Sweetness • My Soul Steals Out to Meet You In the Night • Bored Young Lady • Guay Shin\u27s Prayer • On Playing Ping-Pong • The Love-Life of One Cat and the Death of Another • My Lady • Danger! Germs Working! • The Wolves • Letters from India • With Apologies to Hamlet • The Dreamhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/lantern/1015/thumbnail.jp

Preliminary Cruise Report, W0111B, R/V WECOMA, 27-29 November 2001, GLOBEC NEP Long-Term Observations off Oregon

PURPOSE: To determine physical, plankton and nutrient/chemical conditions over the continental margin for climate change studies in the NE Pacific. In particular, to make CTD/rosette and net tow stations along the Newport Hydro line, to make continuous bio-acoustic observations between the 50-500m. isobath, and to make continuous observations of currents using ADCP and of surface-layer temperature, salinity and fluorescence by means of the ship’s thru-flo system