Adult Literacy in Tennessee: An Analysis by Gender, Age, and Race

The purpose of this study was to investigate the state of adult literacy in Tennessee. The field of adult education underwent a transition as the testing procedure and the test changed to correlate with the induction of the Common Core standards in public schools. Adult students face many barriers to overcome to be successful. The research questions posed guided the analysis of demographic data on student who completed the GED prior to the changes. Data were provided from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development database. The demographics and scores included those of adults who had passed the GED test from 2008 through 2013. A series of 2-way chi square analysis were used to examine pass rates using the characteristics of race and ethnicity, gender, and age. A sample of 2,000 was randomly selected from a population of 60,000. The data showed that in the state of Tennessee there are significantly more males than females who pass the test each year. Although all ethnicities are permissible to take the GED, more Caucasians and African Americans take and pass the test in this state. Takers of the GED in the state of Tennessee are to identify their age while completing the exam. The majority of adults taking the GED from 2008 through 2013 were in the age group of 19 to 24. Many test takers only need to attempt to pass the test the first time. Out of 2,000 randomly sampled males and females, the data showed that a higher proportion of males than females pass the test in the first attempt. There was no significant difference between the randomly sampled age groups on number of attempts. The data did indicate that Caucasian testing candidates pass the GED significantly more often on the first try than African American candidates

The Music of Nicola Ferro: A Description and Performance Guide to Tetralogy of the Sun Suite and Annotated Guide to Published Works

The subject of this research document is the music of Italian trombonist and composer Nicola Ferro (b. 1974). The main purpose of this document is an attempt to initiate scholarly research of Ferro and his compositions. While much of his music has been performed and recorded by some of the world’s greatest musicians (most notably Joseph Alessi, New York Philharmonic Principal Trombonist), there is very little written research on the subject of Ferro or his music. Part of this document will serve as a performance guide to one of his most important compositions, the Tetralogy of the Sun Suite for trombone and piano. A greater in-depth look at this particular composition should help to show the general style and compositional attributes of his music. This guide will provide insight and performance suggestions for musicians at any level, from student to amateur to professional. This can also be a resource for teachers and accompanists in aiding the preparation of this music for performance. This document will also contain an annotated guide to the works currently published through 2016. This list includes music in a variety of styles and genres that have been composed for solo trombone (with and without accompaniment), brass chamber ensembles, wind band, and more. The annotations will include pertinent information regarding the compositions such as date of publication, approximate length, commission information, and a brief description of each piece

RCS propulsion functional path analysis for performance monitoring fault detection and annunciation

The operational flight instrumentation required for performance monitoring and fault detection are presented. Measurements by the burn through monitors are presented along with manifold and helium source pressures

Exploring the knowledge base of trauma and trauma informed care of staff working in community residential accommodation for adults with an intellectual disability

BACKGROUND: Taking a trauma informed care approach has demonstrated positive outcomes for services for people in the general population. Given the increased vulnerability to psychological trauma for adults with an intellectual disability, this study explores what residential staff know about trauma and trauma informed care. METHODS: Thirty‐two staffs representing three staff groups: direct care staff; managers; and specialist practitioners, were interviewed using semi‐structured interviews, which were analysed following a structured framework. FINDINGS: Each staff group held different perspectives in their knowledge of trauma and trauma informed care. Limitations were noted in staffs' knowledge of trauma, implementation of evidence‐based supports, and access to specialist services for adults with an intellectual disability. All participants highlighted their training needs regarding trauma. CONCLUSION: Increased training on recognising and responding to trauma is needed among community staff supporting those with a trauma history if organisations are to move towards trauma informed care

Beyond Parasitism: Hepatic Lesions in Stranded Harbor Porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) Without Trematode (Campula oblonga) Infections

The liver can be an indicator of the health of an individual or of a group, which can be especially important to identify agents that can cause disease in multiple species. To better characterize hepatic lesions in stranded harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena), we analyzed the livers from 39 porpoises that stranded along the Dutch coast between December 2008 and December 2012. The animals were selected because they had either gross or histologic liver lesions with minimal autolysis and no evidence of trematode (Campula oblonga) infection. The most common finding was a chronic hepatitis (22/39, 56.4%) that was often associated with significant disease reported in another organ system (18/22, 81.8%), of which 14 had chronic systemic disease. One case of chronic hepatitis was so severe as to mimic lymphoma, which could only be differentiated with immunohistochemistry. The other common lesions were lipidosis (11/39, 28.2%) and acute hepatitis (6/39, 15.4%), often in combination with mild chronic changes. Overall, although there were no consistent trends in etiology for the hepatic lesions, lipidosis was associated with starvation (8/11, 72.7%) and acute disease, and acute hepatitis was associated with bacterial infections and sepsis (6/6, 100%)

Capital juries and objective mitigation: is disagreement with factually asserted mitigating evidence related to ultimate sentence recommendation?

Determining precisely what type of mitigating evidence will spare a capital defendant from the death penalty is the hallmark of capital litigation defense. That understanding has driven decades of research since the reemergence of the American death penalty in 1976, and it guides the actions of mitigation specialists. Despite the procedural rule that juries must consider mitigating evidence presented and then decide whether to assign it any weight, anecdotal evidence suggests that this may not be uniformly practiced. Rather, it is reportedly not uncommon for juries to disagree with mitigating factors that are essentially settled fact. The proposed study sought to empirically explore (1) how common or uncommon that practice is; (2) whether that practice is related to the ultimate sentence recommendation of life or death; and (3) whether the effect on sentence recommendation increases linearly with the increasing number of disagreed-to facts. Results indicated that (1) the practice may be more common than hypothesized; (2) when observed, disagreement with mitigators such as lack of significant criminal history or youth are significantly related to sentence recommendation; and (3) the effect may compound when multiple mitigators are considered together.M.S., Clinical Psychology -- Drexel University, 201

Empathy, Acceptance of Responsibility, and Compelled Testimony in Juvenile Transfer Hearings: Legal Context and Empirical Evidence

There are a number of legal decisions in which the court must decide whether juveniles can be rehabilitated. Such decisions include juvenile adjudication/placement, waiver, and reverse waiver.1 The criterion used by courts to consider rehabilitation amenability is typically phrased in a way similar to that described under Pennsylvania state law.2 In deciding whether a child may be decertified (reverse waived from criminal to juvenile court), the court can consider. whether the child is amenable to treatment, supervision, or rehabilitation as a juvenile. The court may consider the following in determining treatment, supervision, or rehabilitation amenability: (a) age, (b) mental capacity, (c) maturity, (d) degree of criminal sophistication, (e) previous records, (f) nature and extent of any prior delinquent history, including the success or failure of any previous attempts by the juvenile court to rehabilitate, (g) whether the child can be rehabilitated prior to the expiration of the juvenile court jurisdiction, (h) probation or institutional reports, (i) any other relevant factors, and (j) whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that the child is not committable to an institution for the mentally retarded or mentally ill.3 Empathy for the victims of the defendant’s offenses, and acceptance of responsibility for such offenses, may be considered by mental health and justice professionals working with post-adjudicated youth. But rendering an expert opinion that describes the youth’s capacity for empathy or acceptance of responsibility, when that opinion is based in part on questions concerning the alleged offense, places the evaluating expert in an awkward position. To what extent can denial of culpability be used to infer limited empathy and acceptance of responsibility? How does the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination factor into this consideration

Competencies needed in off-farm agriculture based on a survey of agricultural industry in the Vale area

Agricultural education is emphasizing all phases of agriculture in an attempt to help provide sufficient numbers of trained employees for agricultural industry. This is reflected by areas of instruction encompassing production and off-farm agriculture. Students receive supervision in production and occupational experience at home and with local off-farm agricultural business firms. The purpose of this study was to determine a core of competencies and related information about which group instruction may be given. The purpose of such instruction is preparing a student for selecting and advancing in an agricultural occupation of his choice. Businesses were consulted in the geographical area of Vale, Nyssa, and Ontario, Oregon to determine the need for employees with an agricultural background. One-third of the firms were interviewed personally to determine general competencies looked for in agricultural employees. The study revealed that students with an agricultural background are in demand. Most off-farm agricultural occuptaions (now and future) are located with farm machinery, feed, seed, fertilizer and chemical and ornamental horticultural firms. This study revealed that 61.12 percent of all employees in the Vale area need an agricultural background. Training in vocational agriculture provides desirable background experience for employment in most firms, Farm work experience was rated as essential by a majority of the firms interviewed. Production agriculture should be the core program to provide basis for experiences needed to successfully enter and advance in an off-farm agricultural occupation. Close cooperation should be established with farm machinery, fertilizer and chemical firms as they provide the largest number of employment opportunities now and anticipated in the future. These firms also provide opportunity for cooperative work training experience during seasonal rush periods as do service stations and food stores. The competencies of most concern to employers interviewed, and around which instruction should be developed, were those involving human relations and salesmanship