Gifted Assessments and Underrepresented Students: What is the Best Means of Assessment?

Evaluating Assessments for Elementary Level Gifted Students In the elementary level, the issue of underrepresentation of gifted students is commonly overlooked. Although we recognize that this issue is multi-determined, we focus on assessments that are currently used and might be considered ideal for detecting giftedness in elementary school students. Through detailed evaluation of six quantitative and qualitative assessments, we examine factors that may limit each assessment’s accuracy at identifying gifted students. Our analysis highlights how each measure gauges giftedness by addressing the purpose of each measure, its uses, and psychometric features. We suggest that multiple means of assessment may be the best way to accurately identify gifted students from culturally and economically diverse backgrounds. Incorporating a mix of both quantitative and qualitative assessments in the identification process is needed to reflect the multi-potentiality of students’ giftedness. Our findings have implications for practice as well as for the development and use of these assessments for research purposes

Concert recording 2022-11-28

[Track 1]. Fantasiestüke, fantasy pieces for a clarinet & piano. I. Zart und mit Ausdruck ; II. Lebhaft, leicht ; III. Rasch und mit Feuer / Robert Schumann -- [Track 2]. Five bagetelles. 1. Prelude ; 2. Forlan ; 3. Fughetta / Gerald Finzi -- [Track 3]. 3 miniatures for clarinet and piano. Allegro ; Andante cantabile ; Allegro ma non troppo / Krysztof Penderecki -- [Track 4]. Sonatina. 1. Allegro con brio ; 2. Andantino ; 3. Furioso / Malcolm Arnold

Concert recording 2022-11-28

[Track 1]. Fantasiestüke, fantasy pieces for a clarinet & piano. I. Zart und mit Ausdruck ; II. Lebhaft, leicht ; III. Rasch und mit Feuer / Robert Schumann -- [Track 2]. Five bagetelles. 1. Prelude ; 2. Forlan ; 3. Fughetta / Gerald Finzi -- [Track 3]. 3 miniatures for clarinet and piano. Allegro ; Andante cantabile ; Allegro ma non troppo / Krysztof Penderecki -- [Track 4]. Sonatina. 1. Allegro con brio ; 2. Andantino ; 3. Furioso / Malcolm Arnold

Mosaic Analysis of Precursors of Nerve, Bone and Vasculature in Caudal Body and Fin of Zebrafish

This project focuses on the specific developmental origin and formation of pre-osteoblasts, vascular cells and sensory neurons in the caudal region and tail of zebrafish. Our objective is to generate genetically marked clones using transposon microinjections and to analyze fluorescent protein markers in deep body and tail cell populations. If clones are shared between the fin and deep body it is suggestive that these cells share a common progenitor cell. Zebrafish fins can serve as a model for human organogenesis because conserved genes and cell types are found in human limbs

The impact of COVID-19 on trends in alcohol use disorder treatment in Veterans Health Administration

Background and Aims: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted health-care provision in the United States and prompted increases in telehealth-delivery of care. This study measured alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment trends across visit modalities before and during COVID-19. // Design, Setting, Participants and Measurements: We conducted a national, retrospective cohort study with interrupted time-series models to estimate the impact of COVID-19 on AUD treatment in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) in the United States during pre-COVID-19 (March 2019 to February 2020) and COVID-19 (March 2020 to February 2021) periods. We analyzed monthly trends in telephone, video and in-person visits for AUD treatment and compared patient and treatment characteristics of patients receiving AUD treatment between the pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 periods. AUD was defined using International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10) codes for alcohol abuse (F10.1) and alcohol dependence (F10.2), which have previously been used to study AUD in VHA. // Findings: The predicted percentage of VHA patients with an AUD diagnosis receiving any AUD treatment at the beginning of the pre-COVID period was 13.8% (n = 49 494). The predicted percentage decreased by 4.3% (P = 0.001) immediately at the start of the COVID-19 period due to a decline in AUD psychotherapy. Despite an increase of 0.3% per month (P = 0.026) following the start of COVID-19, the predicted percentage of VHA patients with an AUD diagnosis receiving any AUD treatment at the end of the study period remained below the pre-COVID-19 period. In February 2021, AUD psychotherapy visits were primarily delivered by video (50%, 58 748), followed by in-person (36.6%, 43 251) and telephone (13.8%, 16 299), while AUD pharmacotherapy visits were delivered by telephone (38.9%, 3623) followed by in-person (34.3%, 3193) and video (26.8%, 2498) modalities. Characteristics of VHA patients receiving AUD treatment were largely similar between pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 periods. // Conclusions: Despite increased telehealth use, the percentage of United States Veterans Health Administration patients with an alcohol use disorder (AUD) diagnosis receiving AUD treatment declined during COVID-19 (March 2020 to February 2021) mainly due to a decrease in psychotherapy

Fabrication of Carbon Nanotube-Based Nanodevices Using a Combination Technique of Focused Ion Beam and Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition

This study focuses on the fabrication of two nanodevice prototypes which utilized vertical and horizontal carbon nanotubes used the focused ion beam to localize the catalysts, followed by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. First, metal-gated carbon nanotube field emitter arrays were fabricated on multilayer substrates containing an imbedded catalyst layer. Second, horizontally aligned single-walled carbon nanotubes were grown on a transmission electron microscopy grid. This allows the carbon nanotubes to be directly analyzed in a transmission electron microscope. It is expected that the methodology introduced here will open up opportunities for the direct fabrication of carbon nanotube based nanodevices

Description and Impact of Encounters With Deceased Partners or Spouses

This study investigates perceived interactions with the deceased, a phenomenon reported across societies, with 30-34% of individuals likely experiencing at least one ADC in their lifetime. Despite this prevalence, studies examining the impact of ADCs’ on those who have lost partners are limited. We present data from 70 individuals reporting partner ADCs via an online survey. Forty percent reported accelerated recovery and 42.9% confirm the ADCs’ significant influence in their grieving, with 61% expressing a desire for continued contact. ADCs, interestingly, didn’t worsen their pain. The influence on grief-related sadness varied: 41% noted no change, while 40% reported reduced sadness. Forty-seven percent ac- knowledged ADCs eased their loss acceptance. The data highlight ADCs’ substantial, po-tentially therapeutic role in grief and healing, despite varying effects on sadness and recovery.This study underscores the ADCs’ possible positive influence on bereaved partners, ad-vocating for a deeper understanding of this phenomenon in the grieving process

No panacea attractant for wild pigs (Sus scrofa), but season and location matter

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are a prolific invasive species throughout many regions of the world that cause extensive economic and environmental damage. Trapping is a common strategy for reducing their populations with baits (i.e., food) and attractants (e.g., scents) used to lure wild pigs into traps. However, there is little information on which scent attractants may attract wild pigs more readily and rapidly across regions and seasons. We examined 60 scent attractants for wild pigs that could be used to increase trapping success across three seasons (winter, spring, and fall) and in two geographic regions, including a warm and semi-arid rangeland (South Texas, USA) and a warm and moist mixture of upland and bottomland forests (South Carolina, USA). We found little evidence that most scents attracted wild pigs. Only strawberry extract and creosote bush oil increased the probabilities of visitation, and only in Texas during the fall season. No other scents attractants performed better than the control (i.e., no scent) in both study locations. More wild pigs visited sites during the fall season regardless of scent attractant used. The location of a site mattered more than which attractant was used, and a post hoc analysis revealed that distances to roads and water flowlines (i.e., permanent or ephemeral drainages, streams, and rivers) increased the probabilities of visitation during some seasons. We conclude there was no panacea scent that was more effective than controls in attracting wild pigs across regions and seasons. Placement of sites and seasonality were more important for attracting wild pigs, suggesting the location of traps or bait sites may be more important than the specific attractants used for management activities. Future research should include monitoring movements of wild pigs relative to scent attractants and evaluation of baits (e.g., food-rewards) for drawing wild pigs to sites