Local norms for deaf and hard-of-hearing students

Deafness is a low incident disability and therefore deaf children are frequently not included in the norm group of norm-referenced tests (Braden, 1994). The necessity of local norms is an ongoing debate among professionals who assess deaf children (Braden, 2005). This study evaluated the utility of local norms for three different intelligence tests. One sample t-tests were run to determine significance differences between means for a deaf and hard-of-hearing sample compared to the norm group, for the Differential Ability Scales (DAS), Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test (UNIT), and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III). Verbal cluster and Word Definition scores on the DAS were significantly different from the published means, as well as the Vocabulary scaled score on the WISC-III. Local norms were created for these variables

A Design-Based Research Study Examining The Impact Of Collaboration Technology Tools In Mediating Collaboration

ABSTRACT A DESIGN-BASED RESEARCH STUDY EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF COLLABORATION TECHNOLOGY TOOLS IN MEDIATING COLLABORATION by KECIA J. WADDELL December 2015 Advisor: Dr. Monica W. Tracey Major: Instructional Technology Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Interactive collaboration technologies have expanded users\u27 capabilities to collaborate and have driven pedagogical paradigm shifts toward more learner-centered and interactive teaching and learning. Online learners may be not sufficiently prepared for the level of collaboration fluency expected by a globally competitive digital distributed knowledge economy. This is largely due in part by how collaboration technologies is used towards impacting learning goals and outcomes in practice by online learners themselves or by deliberate instructional design of the online environment. The purpose of this design-based research study was three-fold: (1) examine collaboration by exploring the perceptions of adult online learners regarding collaboration technology use and of a series instructional intervention videos that supported tool use; (2) track the iterative design, development, implementation, and evaluation of instructional screencasts designed to demonstrate and support the use of dynamic text editor functions and multimedia features for authentic collaboration learning tasks and learner-driven discussion board communication in two online discussion forum platforms: Blackboard Learn (BB) and Google Groups (GG); and (3) determine the impact of the instructional intervention on our educational problem identified as a behavior: organic learner-driven online discussion board collaboration. Participants were purposive sample of online learners enrolled in five graduate-level instructional technology online courses. Quantitative survey and qualitative reflective journal data was gathered in a three phased feedback loop. Findings indicated that collaboration is first a mindset supported not only by collaboration technology tools or learner technological self-efficacy, but by deliberate instructional design mediated by the cultural environment and the social context of the activity system

PRELIMINARY GENETIC CHARACTERIZATION OF RIBOSOMAL PROTEIN L10 IN SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE

While recent research has focused on the exciting concept of the ribosome as a ribozyme, ribosomal proteins have been largely overlooked. This study focuses on four previously identified mutants of the ribosomal large subunit protein L10, in an effort to better understand how the protein's structure corresponds to its function. All of the mutants studied displayed how the embedded nature of L10 caused only slight conformational changes to impact function of the ribosome as a whole; in these cases primarily altering the interaction between the ribosomal A-site and aminoacyl-tRNAs

Tuberculosis in Pregnancy

Tuberculosis (TB) during pregnancy and in the perinatal period was once considered to be an infrequent event in the United States. After a decade of steady decline, however, the disease has begun a resurgence. According to the CDC, a 20% increase in the number of reported cases occurred between 1985 and 1992. The factors associated with this increase are the emergence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, the development of drug-resistant organisms, substance abuse, homelessness, and immigration. Environmental factors promoting transmission can be found in overcrowded areas such as correctional facilities, nursing homes, hospitals, and migrant-worker camps. For a large number of medically underserved women, the obstetrician is the only interface with medical care, as most of these patients do not have primary-care providers. It is important, therefore, that health-care providers recognize the clinical symptoms of TB and follow the recognized guidelines for antenatal screening for TB because the omission of these steps can lead to potentially disastrous sequelae in the fetus and neonate

How a focus on asset performance might help ‘Breaking New Ground’ contribute towards poverty reduction and overcome the two-economies divide

In 2007 the Presidency called for a review of second economy strategies1 contained within the national housing programme with particular reference to how it has fared in relation to the so-called ‘second economy’. This article draws from that review. The article reflects on the emphasis that policy places on the notion of the housing asset, and argues that while this is useful, it falls short in understanding the nuance of how housing assets perform for different stakeholders – individuals and the public. Within this, the persistence of informal settlements becomes a special challenge that might benefit from an understanding of asset performance. The article considers how state programmes and the intentions of Breaking New Ground have and have not facilitated absorption of the poor into the urban space economy, and what this means for the two-economies debate.&nbsp

Rural/Urban Differences in Inmate Perceptions of the Punitiveness of Prison: Does Having Children Make Prison More Punitive

Many researchers have argued that an inmate’s relationship with their family is an important determinant of their behavior while incarcerated and their success in the community upon release from prison. Nevertheless, no research of which we are aware examines the impact of an inmate’s parental involvement on their perception of the punitiveness of prison while incarcerated or whether this impact varies between prisoners raised in rural or urban areas. The current study used exchange rates from more than 1200 incarcerated prisoners to examine this relationship. Our findings suggest that whether an inmate has a child has almost no impact on their perception of the punitiveness of prison, no matter whether the inmate was raised in a rural or urban area. The findings further suggest that the well-documented impact of age on perceived punitiveness of prison might be largely important among prisoners from rural areas. Implications for future research are also discussed

In Utero Diagnosis of Agenesis of the Ductus Arteriosus in a Twin Pregnancy: An Unusual Case Presentation

Agenesis of the ductus arteriosus is a rare congenital cardiac anomaly which should be considered within the differntial prenatal diagnosis of hydrops fetalis

Half of faith: American Muslim marriage and divorce in the twenty-first century

This work gathers previously published and newly written material on American Muslim weddings, marriage, and divorce.Half of Faith gathers a selection of resources on, and reflections and analyses of, Muslim marriage and divorce in twenty-first century America. In the United States as elsewhere, marriage is central to ongoing Muslim conversations about belonging, identity, and the good life. The articles collected here, written over the course of two decades, provide a window onto moments in American Muslim life and thought. Though far from comprehensive, topics covered include diversity in Islamic legal thought, marriage contracts, wedding customs, dower norms, divorce practices, and experiences of polygyny. Contributors engage—and disagree—with each other, and sometimes with their past selves. By bringing together and making more widely available existing publications alongside a few purpose-written essays, this reader aims to enrich current conversations and to help document scholarly debates and community activism