Experiences with and Conceptions of School Discipline and PBIS Implementation: A Phenomenography of Fifteen Students with Disabilities in One Title I Middle School

In this phenomenographical study, fifteen students with disabilities from one middle-grades setting were recruited to explore the qualitative different ways they experience and conceive of exclusionary discipline (i.e., in-school suspension (ISS), out-school suspension (OSS), and detention) and Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS). The participants engaged in interviews and produced two (2) visual representations to investigate the following research questions: (1) How do students with disabilities experience and conceive of school discipline?; (2) How do students with disabilities experience and conceive the implementation of Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS); and (3) In what ways can voices of students with disabilities help transform school discipline and PBIS implementation to meet their desired learning environments? An outcome space with seven categories of descriptions emerged. Findings suggest that students collectively held negative perceptions of exclusionary practices, and their responses revealed low efficacy of punitive discipline. In theory, cycles of frustration-aggression appeared to be associated with student experiences of exclusionary discipline and punitive threats (i.e., “you have silent lunch!”), which seems to result in student apathy and undesirable teacher-student relationships. Negative teacher behaviors were also observed such as yelling and belittling comments, including low fidelity of PBIS implementation. Lastly, many student participants expressed that they desired calm learning environments that offer freedom, play, and opportunities to engage in dialogue for reconciliation. Recommendations for future research, including student suggestions for school improvement, and implications to educational practice are provided

3D echocardiography allows rapid and accurate surgical planning in complex aortic root abscess cases

Despite 3D echocardiography (3DE) acquiring significantly greater data than standard 2D echocardiography (2DE), it is underutilised in assessing cardiac anatomy and physiology. A key advantage is the ability of a single 3DE acquisition to be post-processed to generate volume-rendered 3D models and an unlimited number of multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) images. We describe the case of a highly anxious patient with life-threatening complex aortic valve endocarditis and aortic root abscess, refusing transesophageal echocardiography (TOE) under general anaesthesia with tachycardia, breathlessness and acute kidney injury precluding accurate or safe gated (computed tomography) CT, who was comprehensively assessed with a rapid 3D-TOE under sedation. This led to timely surgery and an excellent outcome for the patient

Design and characterization of LexA dimer interface mutants

Two key proteins, LexA and RecA, are involved in regulation of the SOS expression system in bacteria. LexA and RecA act as the transcriptional repressor and inducer of the SOS operon, respectively. LexA downregulates the expression of at least 43 unlinked genes and activated RecA interacts with the repressor LexA and therefore, LexA undergoes self-cleavage. The ability of the LexA protein to dimerize is critical for its ability to repress SOS-regulated genes in vivo, as the N-terminal domain (NTD) alone has a lower DNA-binding affinity without the C-terminal domain (CTD) and the components for the dimerization of LexA are located in the CTD. Two antiparallel β-strands (termed β-11) in the CTD at the dimer interface of LexA are involved in the dimerization. LexA interacts with the active form of RecA in vivo during the SOS response. It was determined experimentally that monomeric and non-cleavable LexA binds more tightly to RecA and is resistant to self-cleavage. Therefore, we reasoned that if we can produce such LexA mutants we would be able to stabilize the LexA and active RecA complex for crystallization. Therefore, in this experiment, we attempted to make a non-cleavable and predominantly monomeric LexA that interacts intimately with RecA. We produced four single mutations at the dimer interface of the non-cleavable and NTD-truncated mutant of LexA (∆68LexAK156A) in order to weaken the interactions at the interface. The predominant forms of LexA mutants and the affinities of interaction between the mutant LexA proteins and RecA were examined. ∆68LexAK156AR197P mutant was found as predominantly monomeric at a concentration of 33.3 μM both by gel filtration chromatography and dynamic light scattering (DLS) experiments. It also bound RecA more tightly than wild-type LexA. Another mutant, ∆68LexAK156AI196Y, was also found as predominantly monomeric at a concentration of 33.3 μM by DLS. Both these proteins were subjected to crystallization with wild-type RecA protein. We were able to produce some predominantly monomeric LexA with good binding affinity for RecA; however, we were unsuccessful in co-crystallization

Are Risk-takers Dividend Payers? CEO Compensation and its Impact on Dividend Decision

Both dividend policy and CEO risk aversion have been subjects of tremendous research over the past 30 years. The current gap is how both topics are sporadically considered in tandem. We provide a solution to this by analyzing dividend changes in the context of CEO risk-taking incentives. Our findings suggest that risk-taking propensity, often overlooked in comparison to pay-performance incentives, negatively explains dividend increases. When we account for a firm’s cash flow volatility, we see that risk-taking sensitivities carry a positive relationship with payout. These findings themselves speak to the belief that much of our current understanding regarding dividends must be refocused to encapsulate the effects that CEO characteristics have on payout policy

A novel in vivo model to study bacterial pathogenesis and screen potential therapeutic targets.

As insects rely for their protection against infection on an entirely innate immune system, the use of an insect model is particularly relevant in the study of human newborn Escherichia coli K1 meningitis, the control of which has significant dependency on the innate immune system. Using an in vivo model of neuropathogenic E. coli meningitis, it is shown that immunization with E. coli K-12 can protect locusts against subsequent challenge of invasive E. coli K1. Immunization with other microbes such as Staphylococcus aureus and Acanthamoeba spp. had no effect on K1-induced locust mortality, suggesting immune specificity in invertebrates. The locust immune system was capable of memory and mounting protection against subsequent challenge with invasive K1 for up to 5 days. The usefulness of locusts for the assessment in vivo of potential therapeutic agents was tested. Gentamicin protected locusts against E. coli K1- and S. aureus-mediated death. These finding suggest that the simple locust model described in the present study has the scope in exploring the efficacy of novel drugs (testing large chemical libraries) in microbial diseases, allowing inexpensive, rapid, and even high-throughput experimentation and has no legislative restrictions. Future studies will determine bacterial antigenic determinants and how innate memory functions in locusts. A complete understanding of how locusts\u27 innate immune cells (i.e., haemocytes) respond robustly and specifically against bacterial pathogens will be crucial for the control of neonatal E. coli infection by limiting the ability of the bacteria to overwhelm the host immune system in the early stages of infection

The impact of business orientations on customer loyalty. An empirical study using a case study approach.

Customer loyalty is considered to be critically important to growth, profitability and sustainability. It has received much attention by practitioner and managers. However, some important variables about the different types of loyalty have remained unclear. While businesses look towards adopting various strategies to help them grow and succeed in the marketplace, a number of key business orientations have emerged. Each of these orientations has claimed to increase both profitability and customer loyalty for an organization. This research has examined both of these factors, as well as their inter-relationships. The research was conducted in a two part study, based on a sequential triangulation approach. The first study focused on finding out the differences between two of the highest types of loyalties, attitudinal and emotional. The study, based on 40 interviews with customers from three different companies, across two cultural settings (Asian and European), has led to the emergence of key differentiating factors. The second study focused on the relationships between business orientations and customer loyalty. This study was based on six case studies of best practice firms. The study found a positive link between business orientations and loyalty. Moreover, a set of critical success factors were identified that would enable companies to implement effective loyalty management systems. Based on both of these two studies, a loyalty management model has been presented. The model helps to improve our understanding of loyalty, and would be of use to managers who would want to develop and manage customer loyalty in an organisation.University of East Londo

Communicative ecology of sojourners from Pakistan and its implications for public service campaigns

Communicative ecology of Hajj-pilgrims from Pakistan is examined in a probability sampling.Of the eleven communication contacts identified, contacting friends and co-pilgrims tops the list followed by community organizational sources of information counters, tour operators, and Hajj mission officials.Ethnic newspaper and the mainstream Saudi mass media rank third and fourth. Less than 10% of the responses respectively cited digital billboards & Internet. Community organizations, co-pilgrims, the ethnic newspaper, and the digital screens impacted upon satisfaction. Findings highlight implications for public service campaigns to pilgrims

Conducting rapid health needs assessments in the cluster era: experience from the Pakistan flood.

Due to its unprecedented scale, the Pakistan flood disaster tested the limits of disaster management and coordination. Under the leadership of the World Health Organization, the Global Health Cluster system for coordinating activities improved collaboration and efficiency in conducting rapid needs assessments. However, the involvement of non-Cluster members was lacking, and information on existing service provision was not collected adequately. The present rapid health needs assessment process under the Cluster system will be discussed, using the recent floods in Pakistan as an example

Storage stability of fish oil from Langkawi Island, Malaysia

Fish oils extracted from 6 species of marine fin fish caught from Pulau Tuba area, near Langkawi Island, a famous tourism destination in Malaysia, were evaluated for their oxidative stability during storage at both -27 and 4°C. The five fish species were “kerisi” (threadfin breams,sScomberomorus commersoni), “kerapu” (groupers, Cynoglossus lingua), “kembong” (Indian mackerel, Psettodes crumei), “gelama kling” (drum-croaker-jewfish, Pristipomodes typus), and “tinggiri batang” (Spanish mackerels, Scolidon sorrakowah). Results showed that stability of oils stored at -27°C was better than that of oils stored at 4°C. Iodine value (IV) of oils decreased during storage, while other parameters, namely peroxide value (PV), anisidine value (AnV), acid value (AV) and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) value increased. However, the rate of quality deterioration of oil samples was relatively low, as shown by very little changes in fatty acid profiles of the oil, meaning that both storage temperatures might be used for storage purposes of fish oil