Calculator Usage in Secondary Level Classrooms: The Ongoing Debate

With technology becoming more prevalent every day, it is imperative that students gain enough experience with different technological tools in order to be successful in the “real-world”. This thesis will discuss the debate and overall support for an increased usage of calculators as tools in the secondary level classroom. When the idea of calculators in the classroom first came to life, many educators were very apprehensive and quite hesitant of this change. Unfortunately, more than 40 years later, there is still hesitation for their usage; and rightfully so. While there are plenty of advantages of calculator use in the classroom, there are certain concerns that must be met for a successful implementation. The concerns range from teachers being untrained in the use of calculators to teachers simply not believing that calculators (or technology as a whole) is beneficial to students in the classroom. The advantages, however, are more than worth fighting for. Think of a world where students graduate high school and are truly prepared for university level mathematics. Where students actually enjoy going to their math class. This is what calculators can do for the classroom. This, however, must be done through careful planning, collaboration and continued research; but as long as educators are willing to learn, calculators, as well as other technology will continue to thrive and be beneficial in the classroom. One thing is certain, there has to be a compromise at some point; and hopefully in that compromise the students will receive the education that they both need and deserve

Juvenile Correctional Officers\u27 Job Satisfaction, Retention, and Quality of Supervision

Juvenile Correctional officers are important to the function of secure facilities because they maintain constant contact with offenders. This quantitative study sought to determine why turnover rates continue to rise and offered insight into retaining officers. This study utilized Abraham Maslow\u27s Hierarchy of Needs theory as the foundation for explaining relationships between the variables: quality supervision and intent to stay and job satisfaction, job search, and job embeddedness of juvenile correctional officers across the United States. Survey data were collected from 247 juvenile correctional officers using a web-based survey containing 5 scales including Quality of Supervision and Intent to Stay, and Job Embeddedness, Job Satisfaction, and Job Search. The relationship between quality of supervision and intent to stay and job embeddedness, job satisfaction, and job search, were analyzed through correlational and multiple regression analyses. An ordinal regression analysis determined that of the variables examined, job satisfaction was a significant factor in the quality of supervision for juvenile correctional officers supervising female youth in secure facilities. A multiple linear regression analysis determined that of the variables analyzed only job satisfaction and job search had a significant effect on juvenile correctional officers supervising female youth intent to stay employed at secure female facilities. This research enhances the body of knowledge examining the cause of individuals\u27 intent to stay and quality of supervision. Reduction of employee turnover increase of job satisfaction, and quality of supervision can positively benefit juvenile justice organizations by enabling correctional staff to meet the overall mission of keeping youth and communities safe

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HIP RANGE OF MOTION AND PITCHING KINEMATICS IN HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL PITCHERS

The purpose of this study was to examine the association of hip rotational range of motion (ROM) with lower extremity and trunk kinematics in high school baseball pitchers. Twenty-five healthy high school baseball pitchers volunteered (15.9 ± 1.1 years). Passive hip internal rotation (IR) and external rotation (ER) ROM was measured with the pitchers seated using a digital inclinometer. Total hip ROM (IR + ER) was calculated for the stride leg and drive leg. Biomechanical data were collected with a 3-D electromagnetic tracking system while pitchers threw three fastballs. Simple linear regression analysis determined drive and stride leg hip IR, ER, and total ROM did not predict pitching kinematics. Future research should continue identifying parameters associated with altered biomechanics that may place baseball pitchers at increased risk of injury

Last millennium northern hemisphere summer temperatures from tree rings: Part I: The long term context

Large-scale millennial length Northern Hemisphere (NH) temperature reconstructions have been progressively improved over the last 20 years as new datasets have been developed. This paper, and its companion (Part II, Anchukaitis et al. in prep), details the latest tree-ring (TR) based NH land air temperature reconstruction from a temporal and spatial perspective. This work is the first product of a consortium called N-TREND (Northern Hemisphere Tree-Ring Network Development) which brings together dendroclimatologists to identify a collective strategy for improving large-scale summer temperature reconstructions. The new reconstruction, N-TREND2015, utilises 54 records, a significant expansion compared with previous TR studies, and yields an improved reconstruction with stronger statistical calibration metrics. N-TREND2015 is relatively insensitive to the compositing method and spatial weighting used and validation metrics indicate that the new record portrays reasonable coherence with large scale summer temperatures and is robust at all time-scales from 918 to 2004 where at least 3 TR records exist from each major continental mass. N-TREND2015 indicates a longer and warmer medieval period (∼900–1170) than portrayed by previous TR NH reconstructions and by the CMIP5 model ensemble, but with better overall agreement between records for the last 600 years. Future dendroclimatic projects should focus on developing new long records from data-sparse regions such as North America and eastern Eurasia as well as ensuring the measurement of parameters related to latewood density to complement ring-width records which can improve local based calibration substantially

Exploring gender and fear retrospectively:stories of women’s fear during the ‘Yorkshire Ripper’ murders

The murder of 13 women in the North of England between 1975 and 1979 by Peter Sutcliffe who became known as the Yorkshire Ripper can be viewed as a significant criminal event due to the level of fear generated and the impact on local communities more generally. Drawing upon oral history interviews carried out with individuals living in Leeds at the time of the murders, this article explores women’s accounts of their fears from the time. This offers the opportunity to explore the gender/fear nexus from the unique perspective of a clearly defined object of fear situated within a specific spatial and historical setting. Findings revealed a range of anticipated fear-related emotions and practices which confirm popular ‘high-fear’ motifs; however, narrative analysis of interviews also highlighted more nuanced articulations of resistance and fearlessness based upon class, place and biographies of violence, as well as the way in which women drew upon fear/fearlessness in their overall construction of self. It is argued that using narrative approaches is a valuable means of uncovering the complexity of fear of crime and more specifically provides renewed insight onto women’s fear

Maternal morbidity in the first year after childbirth in Mombasa Kenya; a needs assessment

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In sub-Saharan Africa, few services specifically address the needs of women in the first year after childbirth. By assessing the health status of women in this period, key interventions to improve maternal health could be identified. There is an underutilised opportunity to include these interventions within the package of services provided for woman-child pairs attending child-health clinics.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This needs assessment entailed a cross-sectional survey with 500 women attending a child-health clinic at the provincial hospital in Mombasa, Kenya. A structured questionnaire, clinical examination, and collection of blood, urine, cervical swabs and Pap smear were done. Women's health care needs were compared between the early (four weeks to two months after childbirth), middle (two to six months) and late periods (six to twelve months) since childbirth.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>More than one third of women had an unmet need for contraception (39%, 187/475). Compared with other time intervals, women in the late period had more general health symptoms such as abdominal pain, fever and depression, but fewer urinary or breast problems. Over 50% of women in each period had anaemia (Hb <11 g/l; 265/489), with even higher levels of anaemia in those who had a caesarean section or had not received iron supplementation during pregnancy. Bacterial vaginosis was present in 32% (141/447) of women, while 1% (5/495) had syphilis, 8% (35/454) <it>Trichomonas vaginalis </it>and 11% (54/496) HIV infection.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Throughout the first year after childbirth, women had high levels of morbidity. Interface with health workers at child health clinics should be used for treatment of anaemia, screening and treatment of reproductive tract infections, and provision of family planning counselling and contraception. Providing these services during visits to child health clinics, which have high coverage both early and late in the year after childbirth, could make an important contribution towards improving women's health.</p

Crop Updates 2006 - Cereals

This session covers twenty nine papers from different authors: PLENARY 1. The 2005 wheat streak mosaic virus epidemic in New South Wales and the threat posed to the Western Australian wheat industry, Roger Jones and Nichole Burges, Department of Agriculture SOUTH COAST AGRONOMY 2. South coast wheat variety trial results and best options for 2006, Mohammad Amjad, Ben Curtis and Wal Anderson, Department of Agriculture 3. Dual purpose winter wheats to improve productivity, Mohammad Amjad and Ben Curtis, Department of Agriculture 4. South coast large-scale premium wheat variety trials, Mohammad Amjad and Ben Curtis, Department of Agriculture 5. Optimal input packages for noodle wheat in Dalwallinu – Liebe practice for profit trial, Darren Chitty, Agritech Crop Research and Brianna Peake, Liebe Group 6. In-crop risk management using yield prophet®, Harm van Rees1, Cherie Reilly1, James Hunt1, Dean Holzworth2, Zvi Hochman2; 1Birchip Cropping Group, Victoria; 2CSIRO, Toowoomba, Qld 7. Yield Prophet® 2005 – On-line yield forecasting, James Hunt1, Harm van Rees1, Zvi Hochman2,Allan Peake2, Neal Dalgliesh2, Dean Holzworth2, Stephen van Rees1, Trudy McCann1 and Peter Carberry2; 1Birchip Cropping Group, Victoria; 2CSIRO, Toowoomba, Qld 8. Performance of oaten hay varieties in Western Australian environments, Raj Malik and Kellie Winfield, Department of Agriculture 9. Performance of dwarf potential milling varieties in Western Australian environments, Kellie Winfield and Raj Malik, Department of Agriculture 10. Agronomic responses of new wheat varieties in the Southern agricultural region of WA, Brenda Shackley and Judith Devenish, Department of Agriculture 11. Responses of new wheat varieties to management factors in the central agricultural region of Western Australia, Darshan Sharma, Steve Penny and Wal Anderson,Department of Agriculture 12. Sowing time on wheat yield, quality and $ - Northern agricultural region, Christine Zaicou-Kunesch, Department of Agriculture NUTRITION 13.The most effective method of applying phosphorus, copper and zinc to no-till crops, Mike Bolland and Ross Brennan, Department of Agriculture 14. Uptake of K from the soil profile by wheat, Paul Damon and Zed Rengel, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of Western Australia 15. Reducing nitrogen fertiliser risks, Jeremy Lemon, Department of Agriculture 16. Yield Prophet® and canopy management, Harm van Rees1, Zvi Hochman2, Perry Poulton2, Nick Poole3, Brooke Thompson4, James Hunt1; 1Birchip Cropping Group, Victoria; 2CSIRO, Toowoomba, Qld; 3Foundation for Arable Research, New Zealand; 4Cropfacts, Victoria 17. Producing profits with phosphorus, Stephen Loss, CSBP Ltd, WA 18. Potassium response in cereal cropping within the medium rainfall central wheatbelt, Jeff Russell1, Angie Roe2 and James Eyres2, Department of Agriculture1, Farm Focus Consultants, Northam2 19. Matching nitrogen supply to wheat demand in the high rainfall cropping zone, Narelle Simpson, Ron McTaggart, Wal Anderson, Lionel Martin and Dave Allen, Department of Agriculture DISEASES 20. Comparative study of commercial wheat cultivars and differential lines (with known Pm resistance genes) to powdery mildew response, Hossein Golzar, Manisha Shankar and Robert Loughman, Department of Agriculture 21. On farm research to investigate fungicide applications to minimise leaf disease impacts in wheat – part II, Jeff Russell1, Angie Roe2and James Eyres2, Department of Agriculture1, and Farm Focus Consultants, Northam2 22. Disease resistance update for wheat varieties in WA, Manisha Shankar, John Majewski, Donna Foster, Hossein Golzar, Jamie Piotrowski, Nicole Harry and Rob Loughman, Department of Agriculture 23. Effect of time of stripe rust inoculum arrival on variety response in wheat, Manisha Shankar, John Majewski and Rob Loughman, Department of Agriculture 24. Fungicide seed dressing management of loose smut in Baudin barley, Geoff Thomas and Kith Jayasena, Department of Agriculture PESTS 25. How to avoid insect contamination in cereal grain at harvest, Svetlana Micic, Paul Matson and Tony Dore, Department of Agriculture ABIOTIC 26. Environment – is it as important as variety in sprouting tolerance? Thomas (Ben) Biddulph1, Dr Daryl Mares1, Dr Julie Plummer1 and Dr Tim Setter2, School of Plant Biology, University of Western Australia1 and Department of Agriculture2 27. Frost or fiction, Garren Knell, Steve Curtin and Wade Longmuir, ConsultAg Pty Ltd, WA 28. High moisture wheat harvesting in Esperance 2005, Nigel Metz, South East Premium Wheat Growers Association (SEPWA) Projects Coordinator, Esperance, WA SOILS 28. Hardpan penetration ability of wheat roots, Tina Botwright Acuña and Len Wade, School of Plant Biology, University of Western Australia MARKETS 29. Crop shaping to meet predicted market demands for wheat in the 21st Century, Cindy Mills and Peter Stone,Australian Wheat Board, Melbourn

Tisotumab vedotin in patients with advanced or metastatic solid tumours (InnovaTV 201): a first-in-human, multicentre, phase 1-2 trial

Background Tisotumab vedotin is a first-in-human antibody–drug conjugate directed against tissue factor, which is expressed across multiple solid tumour types and is associated with poor clinical outcomes. We aimed to establish the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetic profile, and antitumour activity of tisotumab vedotin in a mixed population of patients with locally advanced or metastatic (or both) solid tumours known to express tissue factor. Methods InnovaTV 201 is a phase 1–2, open-label, dose-escalation and dose-expansion study done at 21 centres in the USA and Europe. Patients (aged ≥18 years) had relapsed, advanced, or metastatic cancer of the ovary, cervix, endometrium, bladder, prostate, oesophagus, squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck or non-small-cell lung cancer; an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0–1; and had relapsed after or were not eligible to receive the available standard of care. No specific tissue factor expression level was required for inclusion. In the dose-escalation phase, patients were treated with tisotumab vedotin between 0·3 and 2·2 mg/kg intravenously once every 3 weeks in a traditional 3 + 3 design. In the dose-expansion phase, patients were treated at the recommended phase 2 dose. The primary endpoint was the incidence of adverse events, including serious adverse events, infusion-related, treatment-related and those of grade 3 or worse, and study drug-related adverse events, analysed in all patients who received at least one dose of tisotumab vedotin (full analysis population). This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02001623, and is closed to new participants with follow-up ongoing. Findings Between Dec 9, 2013, and May 18, 2015, 27 eligible patients were enrolled to the dose-escalation phase. Dose-limiting toxicities, including grade 3 type 2 diabetes mellitus, mucositis, and neutropenic fever, were seen at the 2·2 mg/kg dose; therefore, 2·0 mg/kg of tisotumab vedotin intravenously once every 3 weeks was established as the recommended phase 2 dose. Between Oct 8, 2015, and April 26, 2018, 147 eligible patients were enrolled to the dose-expansion phase. The most common (in ≥20% of patients) treatment-emergent adverse events of any grade were epistaxis (102 [69%] of 147 patients), fatigue (82 [56%]), nausea (77 [52%]), alopecia (64 [44%]), conjunctivitis (63 [43%]), decreased appetite (53 [36%]), constipation (52 [35%]), diarrhoea (44 [30%]), vomiting (42 [29%]), peripheral neuropathy (33 [22%]), dry eye (32 [22%]), and abdominal pain (30 [20%]). The most common adverse events of grade 3 or worse were fatigue (14 [10%] of 147 patients), anaemia (eight [5%]), abdominal pain (six [4%]), hypokalaemia (six [4%]), conjunctivitis (five [3%]), hyponatraemia (five [3%]), and vomiting (five [3%]). 67 (46%) of 147 patients had a treatment-emergent serious adverse event. 39 (27%) of 147 patients had a treatment-emergent serious adverse event related to the study drug. Infusion-related reactions occurred in 17 (12%) of 147 patients. Across tumour types, the confirmed proportion of patients who achieved an objective response was 15·6% (95% CI 10·2–22·5; 23 of 147 patients). There were nine deaths across all study phases (three in the dose-escalation phase and six in the dose-expansion phase); only one case of pneumonia in the dose-expansion phase was considered possibly related to study treatment. Interpretations Tisotumab vedotin has a manageable safety profile with encouraging preliminary antitumour activity across multiple tumour types in heavily pretreated patients. Continued evaluation of tisotumab vedotin is warranted in solid tumours

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570