Measuring The Effect Of Vocabulary Instruction On Reading Comprehension: Comparing Students Of Lower And Higher Socioeconomic Status

This study examined the effect of a lexicon enhancement program on students categorized as lower SES, determined by whether or not they qualified for the federal free or reduced lunch program. Specifically, the performance of lower SES students on measures of vocabulary learning and reading ability were compared to classmates who did not qualify for the federal program (higher SES). Forty-six 4th grade students from the Grand Forks Public School district participated in the study. Students from the lower SES and higher SES group were randomly assigned by classroom to be either in the intervention or the control group, with the intervention group receiving vocabulary instruction of either academic or tier II words through a lexicon enhancement program. Student’s vocabulary knowledge was assessed using the Zero-One-Two (Robinson, 2013). Reading knowledge and vocabulary knowledge were compared using the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP), a standardized, computerized test. Results revealed that there were no significant differences between the two SES groups on the Vocabulary and Reading RIT of the MAP test. Significant differences did exist on the Zero-One-Two between the intervention and control group, {F (1,4) = 8.08, p = .01, power = .55}, Vocabulary RIT of the MAP {F (1,4) = 4.135, p = .05, power = .51}, and the Reading RIT of the MAP {F (1,4) = 8.42, p = .01, power = .81}

The Use of Mediation to Settle Prisoner Grievances in Federal Court

This article discusses the importance of mediation and mediation-like alternative dispute resolution (ADR) methods used by the U.S. federal district courts to settle prisoner litigation claims. Topics discussed include laws made for the prisoners for filing their claims in the Federal District Courts under Section 1983, the role of ADR in resolving prisoner grievances and the role of ADR in settling the disputes related to prisoner civil rights

PCR Amplification and DNA Sequence Analysis of the 45S Ribosomal DNA Cassette of Chrysaora quinquecirrha

The recent overpopulation of jellyfish occurring in the Barnegat Bay of New Jersey has been of growing concern. One prolific species, Chrysaora quinquecirrha, has been the subject of genetic research to determine the relatedness amongst populations and therefore determine its spread. In this study, a partial nucleotide sequence of the 45S ribosomal DNA cassette from C. quinquecirrha genomic DNA of Barnegat Bay was identified and compared to other cnidarian species. Approximately 44.8% of the cassette was identified, 3465 bp total. A partial 18S rDNA sequence was generated of 1772 bp (96% total). Complete ITS1, 5.8S rDNA, and ITS2 sequences were generated of 284 bp, 158 bp, and 205 bp, respectively. A partial 28S rDNA sequence was identified of 1046 bp long (29% total). It was found that the sequence of the 18S and 28S rDNA in C. quinquecirrha is closest to other Chrysaora species. The ITS regions of C. quinquecirrha of Barnegat Bay proved to be 99% identical to C. quinquecirrha of Navesink River, providing supporting evidence of how related these two populations of species are. A complete cassette can potentially add another element when classifying and identifying organisms. Further studies to complete the 45S rDNA cassette will design specific primer sets to amplify the entire IGS region, the first 42 nucleotides at the 5’ end of 18S rDNA, and the remaining 2560 bp of 28S rDNA. This data can then be utilized to determine the relatedness of other cnidarian populations and determine their spread

Memória coletiva e trauma cultural em textos autobiográficos de mulheres afro-americanas

This study examines the relationship between collective memory and slavery as a cultural trauma in female-authored African American life narratives in the earlier decades of the development of this tradition in African American literature. The literary corpus focuses on Harriet Jacobs’ slave narrative, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (1861) and Susie King Taylor’s Civil War account, Reminiscences of My Life in Camp with the 33d United States Colored Troops Late 1st S. C. (1902). Both texts reveal African American women’s underground memories (POLLAK, 1989) of antebellum period and the period of the American Civil War that challenge the national memory and American history-writing.Este estudo examina a relação entre memória coletiva e escravidão como um trauma cultural em textos autobiográficos afro-americanos de autoria feminina no início do desenvolvimento dessa tradição na literatura afro-americana. O corpus literário enfoca, respectivamente, a narrativa de Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (1861), e o livro de memórias da Guerra Civil de Susie King Taylor, Reminiscences of My Life in Camp with the 33d United States Colored Troops Late 1st S. C. (1902). Ambos textos trazem memórias subterrâneas (POLLAK, 1989) de mulheres afro-americanas do período antebellum e do período da Guerra Civil Americana que desafiam as memórias nacionais e a história americana

Bridging the digital divide: young people's perspectives on taking action

Marginalised young people really do care about political and social issues, but that their day-to-day experiences often make it difficult for them to take action to create change in their communities, according to the findings of this report. "Taking action" means something quite different to marginalised young people, compared with traditional definitions of social and political participation. The research found that some of the barriers to participating in social and political action included not knowing how to take action, the attitudes of others and their own personal circumstances and characteristics. For those most marginalised, issues such as safety, personal security and health were paramount. The research involved focus groups with young people, as well as in-depth interviews with service providers, across Victoria. It explored how young people from a diverse range of backgrounds feel about participating in political and social action. This report is the second in a series of four that explores the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and its role in improving the mental health of young people who experience or who are at risk of experiencing social, cultural or economic marginalisation

Microfabrication with Femtosecond Laser Processing

Our research investigates the special characteristics of femtosecond laser processing for microfabrication. The ultrashort pulse significantly reduces the thermal diffusion length. As a result, material is removed more efficiently with little damage to the surrounding feature volume. Currently, we are exploring the basic mechanisms that control femtosecond laser processing, to determine the process parameter space for laser processing of metals to address manufacturing requirements for feature definition, precision and reproducibility. One of the unique aspects to femtosecond radiation is the creation of localized structural changes. By scanning the focal point within a transparent material, we can create three-dimensional waveguides. This paper will describe our results to explore femtosecond laser ablation for laser processing of metals and glasses. We will discuss the effect of laser parameters on removal rate, feature size/definition, aspect ratio, material structure, and performance. Examples of component fabrication in metals and glasses will be shown.This work supported by the U. S. Department of Energy under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.Mechanical Engineerin

Effects of Supplementation with Zinc and Chromium on Plasma Glucose and Serum Insulin in Adults Age 50 and Older

Nutritional Science