How to Recruit and Retain Bilingual/ESL Teacher Candidates?

The student population in the United States is rapidly changing; in 2004-2005, approximately 5.1 million or 10.5 percent of the U.S. student population were English-language learners (Pearson, 2006). The National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES, 2003) revealed that 47 states provide English language services to English language learners (ELLs) enrolled in public schools. California alone educates 1.6 million ELLs, one-third of all the nation’s ELLs, while in Texas more than half a million students received ELL services, one in seven students (NCES). The problem is that a great number of these students are being served by teachers new to the field or that lack training in teaching linguistically diverse students. According to Zeichner (2003), “only about one fourth of teachers who work with English language learners nationally have received any substantive preparation with regard to ESL teaching strategies and language acquisition theory” (p. 494). Indeed, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES, 2002) declared that the professional development area in which teachers were least expected to participate was that of addressing the needs of linguistically minority students; of the 41% of teachers nationwide with language minority students in their classrooms, only 12.5% participated in eight or more hours of professional development related to ELLs in the past 3 years. In fact, the National Education Association (NEA, 2002) has expressed concern that districts across the United States are facing difficulties stemming from the small percentages of bilingual/ESL teachers relative to the growing number of culturally linguistically diverse students. Yet certification of bilingual/ESL teacher candidates continues to be a challenge for teacher preparation programs

An in vitro system to study drug sensitivity of Mycobacterium leprae using infected human tissue

A reliable screening technique for assessing the sensitivity of Mycobacterium leprae to drugs has been developed. The method is based on the susceptibility or otherwise of M. leprae- infected tissues from lepromatous leprosy patients to the action of diaminodiphenyl sulphone (dapsone) or rifampicin on the incorporation of [14C]-acetate into lipids. The extent of inhibition or lack of inhibition correlated very well with the drug sensitivity or resistance of the bacteria isolated from the patients to the above drugs. A similar trend was observed when the incorporation into individual fractions of neutral lipids was measured. There was no incorporation by heat-killed tissues. This method correlates well with the 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine uptake studies

Improving Disability Awareness Among Extension Agents

Increasing prevalence rates and legislative mandates imply that educators, parents, and Extension agents will need better tools and resources to meet the needs of special populations. The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service addresses this issue by using e-learning tools. Extension agents can take advantage of these courses to gain critical special populations-related knowledge as well as garner professional development credit

Predictors of Academic Procrastination in Asian International College Students

This study examined the relationships among acculturative stress, coping styles, self-efficacy, English language proficiency, and various demographic characteristics as predictors of procrastination behavior in Asian International students (N = 255) studying in the United States. Results of multiple logistic regression indicated that a collective coping style, avoidant coping style, academic self-efficacy, and English language proficiency were the significant predictors of academic procrastination in non-Indian Asian international students. Implications for college student affairs professionals and researchers are addressed

Ethyl 3-oxo-3H-benzo[f]chromene-2-carboxyl­ate

In the title compound, C16H12O4, the chromene ring system is almost planar [maximum deviation = 0.026 (1) Å] and makes dihedral angles of 1.24 (9) and 26.5 (2)° with the fused benzene ring and the plane of the ethyl carboxyl­ate group, respectively

Whole Genome Sequencing and Comparative Genomic Analysis Reveal Allelic Variations Unique to a Purple Colored Rice Landrace (Oryza sativa ssp. indica cv. Purpleputtu)

Purpleputtu (Oryza sativa ssp. indica cv. Purpleputtu) is a unique rice landrace from southern India that exhibits predominantly purple color. This study reports the underlying genetic complexity of the trait, associated domestication and de-domestication processes during its coevolution with present day cultivars. Along-with genome level allelic variations in the entire gene repertoire associated with the purple, red coloration of grain and other plant parts. Comparative genomic analysis using ‘a panel of 108 rice lines’ revealed a total of 3,200,951 variants including 67,774 unique variations in Purpleputtu (PP) genome. Multiple sequence alignment uncovered a 14 bp deletion in Rc (Red colored, a transcription factor of bHLH class) locus of PP, a key regulatory gene of anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway. Interestingly, this deletion in Rc gene is a characteristic feature of the present-day white pericarped rice cultivars. Phylogenetic analysis of Rc locus revealed a distinct clade showing proximity to the progenitor species Oryza rufipogon and O. nivara. In addition, PP genome exhibits a well conserved 4.5 Mbp region on chromosome 5 that harbors several loci associated with domestication of rice. Further, PP showed 1,387 unique when SNPs compared to 3,023 lines of rice (SNP-Seek database). The results indicate that PP genome is rich in allelic diversity and can serve as an excellent resource for rice breeding for a variety of agronomically important traits such as disease resistance, enhanced nutritional values, stress tolerance, and protection from harmful UV-B rays

Texas Dual Language Program Cost Analysis

A report developed for the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Senate Education Committee, January 200

Raman spectroscopy can differentiate malignant tumors from normal breast tissue and detect early neoplastic changes in a mouse model

Raman spectroscopy shows potential in differentiating tumors from normal tissue. We used Raman spectroscopy with near-infrared light excitation to study normal breast tissue and tumors from 11 mice injected with a cancer cell line. Spectra were collected from 17 tumors, 18 samples of adjacent breast tissue and lymph nodes, and 17 tissue samples from the contralateral breast and its adjacent lymph nodes. Discriminant function analysis was used for classification with principal component analysis scores as input data. Tissues were examined by light microscopy following formalin fixation and hematoxylin and eosin staining. Discriminant function analysis and histology agreed on the diagnosis of all contralateral normal, tumor, and mastitis samples, except one tumor which was found to be more similar to normal tissue. Normal tissue adjacent to each tumor was examined as a separate data group called tumor bed. Scattered morphologically suspicious atypical cells not definite for tumor were present in the tumor bed samples. Classification of tumor bed tissue showed that some tumor bed tissues are diagnostically different from normal, tumor, and mastitis tissue. This may reflect malignant molecular alterations prior to morphologic changes, as expected in preneoplastic processes. Raman spectroscopy not only distinguishes tumor from normal breast tissue, but also detects early neoplastic changes prior to definite morphologic alteration. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 89: 235–241, 2008. This article was originally published online as an accepted preprint. The “Published Online”date corresponds to the preprint version. You can request a copy of the preprint by emailing the Biopolymers editorial office at [email protected] Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/57899/1/20899_ftp.pd

In vivo biomolecular imaging of zebrafish embryos using confocal Raman spectroscopy

Zebrafish embryos provide a unique opportunity to visualize complex biological processes, yet conventional imaging modalities are unable to access intricate biomolecular information without compromising the integrity of the embryos. Here, we report the use of confocal Raman spectroscopic imaging for the visualization and multivariate analysis of biomolecular information extracted from unlabeled zebrafish embryos. We outline broad applications of this method in: (i) visualizing the biomolecular distribution of whole embryos in three dimensions, (ii) resolving anatomical features at subcellular spatial resolution, (iii) biomolecular profiling and discrimination of wild type and ΔRD1 mutant Mycobacterium marinum strains in a zebrafish embryo model of tuberculosis and (iv) in vivo temporal monitoring of the wound response in living zebrafish embryos. Overall, this study demonstrates the application of confocal Raman spectroscopic imaging for the comparative bimolecular analysis of fully intact and living zebrafish embryos

Raman spectroscopy: techniques and applications in the life sciences

Raman spectroscopy is an increasingly popular technique in many areas including biology and medicine. It is based on Raman scattering, a phenomenon in which incident photons lose or gain energy via interactions with vibrating molecules in a sample. These energy shifts can be used to obtain information regarding molecular composition of the sample with very high accuracy. Applications of Raman spectroscopy in the life sciences have included quantification of biomolecules, hyperspectral molecular imaging of cells and tissue, medical diagnosis, and others. This review briefly presents the physical origin of Raman scattering explaining the key classical and quantum mechanical concepts. Variations of the Raman effect will also be considered, including resonance, coherent, and enhanced Raman scattering. We discuss the molecular origins of prominent bands often found in the Raman spectra of biological samples. Finally, we examine several variations of Raman spectroscopy techniques in practice, looking at their applications, strengths, and challenges. This review is intended to be a starting resource for scientists new to Raman spectroscopy, providing theoretical background and practical examples as the foundation for further study and exploration