Comparison of students eligible for special education services who are involved in extra-curricular activities and those not involved

The difference in academic achievement of students eligible for special education services who are involved in extra-curricular activities and those not involved was studied. Academic achievement referred to the report card grades and semester grade point averages of the students. Extra-curricular activities included those associated with the high school. The purpose of the study was to identify the differences in academic achievement between these two groups of students. There were 193 subjects from a suburban high school in Southern New Jersey. The sample was from varying ethnic and economic backgrounds. They were eligible for special services under 8 different classifications, and their program type ranged from fully mainstreamed to self-contained classes. A Pearson Correlation was used to analyze the data. Semester grade point averages were compared for students eligible for special education services who were involved in extra-curricular activities and those not involved. The analysis showed that the correlation between involvement and grade point averages was significant. In this study, students who are involved in extra-curricular activities had higher academic achievement than those not involved

Unlocking biopsychosocial hand therapy

Physical injuries to the upper extremity can have a drastic impact on an individual’s daily functioning affecting their psychological well-being, social participation, and ability to perform valued activities such as self-care, work, and leisure tasks. Due to the wide range of factors affecting a person who is recovering from an upper extremity injury, therapists treating these individuals must understand, help identify, and address the areas impacting function to support and maximize participation in and performance of valued occupations. However, often psychosocial aspects of care go unaddressed when biomechanical interventions are prioritized, which is primarily attributed to therapists’ lack of knowledge, confidence, or skills in this area. Unlocking Biopsychosocial Hand Therapy is a continuing education unit (CEU) course aimed at filling therapist gaps in knowledge and service provision, specifically regarding psychosocial factors, when treating clients with upper extremity injuries or conditions. The long-term goals of this innovative program are to improve client outcomes and to increase therapist prioritization of psychosocial factors on par with biological factors

Observed Properties of Giant Cells

The existence of Giant Cells has been suggested by both theory and observation for over 45 years. We have tracked the motions of supergranules in SDO/HMI Doppler velocity data and find larger (Giant Cell) flows that persist for months. The flows in these cells are clockwise around centers of divergence in the north and counter-clockwise in the south. Equatorward flows are correlated with prograde flows - giving the transport of angular momentum toward the equator that is needed to maintain the Sun's rapid equatorial rotation. The cells are most pronounced at mid- and high-latitudes where they exhibit the rotation rates representative of those latitudes. These are clearly large, long-lived, cellular features, with the dynamical characteristics expected from the effects of the Sun's rotation, but the shapes of the cells are not well represented in numerical models. While the Giant Cell flow velocities are small (<10 m/s), their long lifetimes should nonetheless substantially impact the transport of magnetic flux in the Sun's near surface layers

Reading the Score: Music Novels and the Alternative World of Words

The aim of this thesis is to write a ‘music novel’ for children and by doing so examine some of the many ways words and music play a role in storytelling. A music novel can be studied critically and to write one is ultimately a creative act. Academic scholarship on literary representations of music has so far been primarily focused on attending to the presence and representation of Western classical music in adult literary texts. Eminent leaders in the field include Delia da Sousa Correa, Emily Petermann, and Werner Wolf. Research into music in children’s fiction has not been undertaken to such an extent. This thesis takes a first step towards readdressing this gap in knowledge, taking as examples children’s novels by Aimee Lucido (In the Key of Code, 2019), Philip Reeve (Railhead, 2015), and Lewis Carroll (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, 1865); and a more recent, contemporary adult novel by Matthew Herbert (The Music – A novel through sound, 2018). My detailed analysis centres on how music contributes to the construction and development of these works, as well as music that has made use of fiction as a compositional device in György Ligeti’s Nonsense Madrigals (1988-93). The theoretical framing of my study draws on work by Roland Barthes, John Cage, Jean-Jacques Nattiez, and Patricia Waugh. Underdog, my music novel aimed at readers aged eight years and over, is my creative response to the questions this thesis raises. The two soundscapes that accompany the novel are musical paratexts born from Underdog that help unite the words with the music beyond the printed page. I provide a critical reflection on the inspirations behind Underdog which serves as a bridge into critical case studies that investigate what happens when one art form (music) has infiltrated the other (fiction) as part of what Jean-Jacques Nattiez calls the poietic process. My study demonstrates that the literary techniques used in fiction to imitate music, regardless of genre, are shared. These traits include references to pop and classical music embedded in the text, imitation of motifs and numerical musical patterns associated with a particular piece of music, and individual pieces of music that underpin the construction of a literary work

Objective assessment of stiffness in Achilles tendinopathy: a novel approach using the MyotonPRO

Objectives The aim of this study was to establish quantitative values for asymptomatic and symptomatic Achilles tendons. Design Cohort study with a single (cross-sectional) time point of patients diagnosed with unilateral Achilles tendinopathy and an asymptomatic group with comparative homogeneity. Methods A sample of 50 participants: 25 diagnosed with symptomatic unilateral Achilles tendinopathy (AT group) and 25 with asymptomatic Achilles tendons (control group 2). The asymptomatic side of the AT group was used as a control (control group 1). Measurements at 2 cm intervals on the tendon from its insertion at the calcaneum up to the musculotendinous junction were taken non-weight bearing (NWB) and weight bearing (WB) using the MyotonPRO. Results There was a significant (p<0.005) decrease in natural oscillation frequency (F) at points 2, 3 and 4 of the AT group (NWB condition) and points 2 and 3 for the WB condition. There was a significant (p<0.005) increase in logarithmic decrement (D) at points 2 and 3 signifying a decrease in elasticity. Dynamic stiffness (S) was significantly (p<0.005) reduced in the AT group at points 2 and 3 WB and point 3 WB. There was no significant difference in creep (C) observed between the symptomatic and asymptomatic tendons. There was a significant (p<0.005) increase in mechanical stress relaxation time (R) at point 2 NWB. There was a correlation between body weight and gender on tendon mechanics, with the symptomatic tendons. No significant differences were observed between the control group 1 and control group 2. Conclusions The MyotonPRO measured decreased stiffness over a section of the tendon corresponding clinically with Achilles tendinopathy. This may have potential in identifying risk of injury and informing rehabilitation, however further extensive research is required to generate baseline data for specific population groups monitoring variables over time. Age, gender and body mass index appear to have some bearing on the mechanical properties of the tendon but mainly in the tendinopathy group

The benefit of a tough skin: Bullet holes, weathering and the preservation of heritage

© 2017 The Authors. Projectile damage to building stone is a widespread phenomenon. Sites damaged 100 years ago during the First World War still see daily use, while in a more contemporary setting numerous reports show the damage to buildings in Babylon, Mosul and Palmyra. While research has been carried out on the long-term effects of conflict such as fire damage, little is known about the protracted damage sustained through the impact of bullets, shrapnel and other metal projectiles outside of the field of engineering focused on ceramics and metals. To investigate alterations to mineral structure caused by projectile damage, impacts were created in medium-grained, well-compacted, mesoporous sandstone samples using 0.22 calibre lead bullets shot at a distance of 20 m. Half these samples were treated with a surface consolidant (Wacker OH 100), to mimic natural cementation of the rock surface. These samples were then tested for changes to surface hardness and moisture movement during temperature cycles of 15–65°C. Petrographic thin section analysis was carried out to investigate the micro-scale deformation associated with high-speed impact. The results surprisingly show that stress build-up behind pre-existing cementation of the surface, as found in heritage sites that have been exposed to moisture and temperature fluctuations for longer periods of time, can be alleviated with a bullet impact