Lesions impairing regular versus irregular past tense production

We investigated selective impairments in the production of regular and irregular past tense by examining language performance and lesion sites in a sample of twelve stroke patients. A disadvantage in regular past tense production was observed in six patients when phonological complexity was greater for regular than irregular verbs, and in three patients when phonological complexity was closely matched across regularity. These deficits were not consistently related to grammatical difficulties or phonological errors but were consistently related to lesion site. All six patients with a regular past tense disadvantage had damage to the left ventral pars opercularis (in the inferior frontal cortex), an area associated with articulatory sequencing in prior functional imaging studies. In addition, those that maintained a disadvantage for regular verbs when phonological complexity was controlled had damage to the left ventral supramarginal gyrus (in the inferior parietal lobe), an area associated with phonological short-term memory. When these frontal and parietal regions were spared in patients who had damage to subcortical (n = 2) or posterior temporo-parietal regions (n = 3), past tense production was relatively unimpaired for both regular and irregular forms. The remaining (12th) patient was impaired in producing regular past tense but was significantly less accurate when producing irregular past tense. This patient had frontal, parietal, subcortical and posterior temporo-parietal damage, but was distinguished from the other patients by damage to the left anterior temporal cortex, an area associated with semantic processing. We consider how our lesion site and behavioural observations have implications for theoretical accounts of past tense production

Equity In Focus: Public Library Business Services Through the Social Justice Lens

The practice of Social Justice enables equal opportunity for each member of society across issues like wealth, education, and healthcare. Small businesses and nonprofits navigate these issues with their respective missions. As more public libraries adopt dedicated business services, the moment for the public library\u27s role in Social Justice literacy arises. This poster presents Social Justice alongside public library business services to show how entrepreneurship and equal opportunity are connected and how library staff can help business services users understand their roles in Social Justice

An Impact Study of Locally-Designed Head Start Program Models on Children\u27s Assessment Scores

Head Start, a nationwide early childhood program, promotes the development and use of locally-designed program models, such as partnerships with child care centers, to expand enrollment opportunities and improve service delivery to eligible children and families. Partnerships are considered to be an efficient solution with positive benefits accruing to the Head Start grantee, partnering child care center, and participating families. It is not known, however, whether partnerships differ from standard, direct-managed centers in terms of promoting school readiness among children, the goal of Head Start. This study addresses that question, undertaking an assessment of the impact, if any, that program model type (direct-managed or partnership) has on children’s assessment scores, a common indicator of school readiness. This study relies on pre- and post-assessment scores, as well as child and teacher characteristics, from 686 children enrolled in 24 Head Start centers in Lexington-Fayette, Harrison, Nicholas and Scott counties (KY) during the 2007-2008 program year. The data are estimated using a value-added achievement educational production function model. Controlling for the effects of child and teacher characteristics, the data indicate that being enrolled in a partnership center correlates with higher post-assessment scores and greater assessment gain over the program year. This finding suggests that Head Start administrators and grantees may want to consider policy and programmatic decisions that support partnership programs. Further analysis of other determinants of assessment gain is recommended in order to better understand what features of the partnership program produce the best outcomes and, as follows, best promote school readiness among children

Towards a framework for investigating tangible environments for learning

External representations have been shown to play a key role in mediating cognition. Tangible environments offer the opportunity for novel representational formats and combinations, potentially increasing representational power for supporting learning. However, we currently know little about the specific learning benefits of tangible environments, and have no established framework within which to analyse the ways that external representations work in tangible environments to support learning. Taking external representation as the central focus, this paper proposes a framework for investigating the effect of tangible technologies on interaction and cognition. Key artefact-action-representation relationships are identified, and classified to form a structure for investigating the differential cognitive effects of these features. An example scenario from our current research is presented to illustrate how the framework can be used as a method for investigating the effectiveness of differential designs for supporting science learning

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Includes bibliographical references.The practical component of this research takes the form of a sculptural interpretation of comprises a body of creative work supported by a theoretical discussion. This research is an observation and manifestation of my interest in industrial animal farming practices. I have examined conditions and practices on factory farms, marketing and the consumer, my own traumatic experiences at various factory farms and processing plants, and the ways in which the production of was a means of dealing with this trauma, my experience of the manufacture of animal products. The document selectively identifies aspects of trauma relevant to this project, examples of art in a historical context with particular reference to Minimalism, and the capacity for minimal form to express trauma in the broader social context. This is followed by an analysis of my own work

Exploring the Relationship Between Behaviour and Neurochemistry in the Polyphenic Spider, Anelosimus studiosus (Araneae: Theridiidae)

The importance of social behaviour is evident in human society, but there are both costs and benefits associated with cooperation and sociality throughout the animal kingdom. At what point do the benefits outweigh the costs, and when do selective pressures favour sociality and colonization over solitude and independence? To investigate these questions, we have focused on an anomalous species of spider, Anelosimus studiosus, also known now as the northern social spider. Throughout its broad range, A. studiosus is solitary and aggressive, but recently, colonies of cooperative and social individuals have been observed at northern latitudes. This leads to two research questions: 1) what characteristics differentiate the two variants behaviourally, and, 2) how are they different physiologically? Colonies and individuals were collected from multiple populations throughout the Tennessee River watershed area and maintained in a laboratory environment for quantitative and qualitative assessment of behavioural traits as well as specific neurochemical analysis by high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. After classifying individuals as social or aggressive, I looked at the influence of factors such as age, reproductive state, nutritional state, and time of day on behaviour and neurophysiology. I found correlations between social behaviours and serotonin, aggressive behaviours and octopamine (invertebrate counterpart of norepinephrine), and several other compounds associated with an increase or decrease in aggression. These studies combine techniques from multiple disciplines to contribute to the greater understanding of the proximate control of social and aggressive behaviours as well as factors influencing the evolution of sociality

Administrator Perceptions of How Developmental Education Impacts Student Attrition

Nationally and locally, developmental education students attending community colleges are not persisting at a high rate. This growing attrition problem affects many aspects of a local community college including enrollment, completion rates, and tuition revenue. The purpose of this study was to analyze community college administrators\u27 perceptions of developmental education and how developmental education affects student attrition. The conceptual framework of this study, social constructivism, provided a foundation to better understand the role each administrator plays in this social group. A qualitative study through structured interviews was conducted, targeting 10 college administrators from 1 local community college, from each of the following college units: student affairs, academic affairs, and finance. Once data were collected through the interview process and transcribed, major themes and categories were developed by examining majority common responses to the interview questions. The findings found administrator perceptions of developmental education and how it impacts student attrition heavily focused on students\u27 personal problems, need for improved student engagement, teaching methods, and curriculum delivery modalities that would promote student success. Success of these students is significant to the financial and enrollment sustainability of the local community college. This sustainability in terms of increased enrollment, tuition revenue, and completion rates contributes to social change within the local community college and the community by developing community members through education

Neurochemical Levels Correlate with Population Level Differences in Social Structure and Individual Behavior in the Polyphenic Spider, \u3cem\u3eAnelosimus studiosus\u3c/em\u3e.

Anelosimus studiosus is a socially polyphenic spider. Individuals can be classified as social/tolerant or solitary/aggressive. These behavioral differences are associated with considerable variation in social structure. Here, we begin to examine the physiological differences that may underlie the behavioral dimorphism in this species and possible implications for the evolution of sociality. Octopamine is a neurotransmitter that has been found to elevate aggression in invertebrates. Serotonin has been shown, in some cases, to interact antagonistically with octopamine. We used High Pressure Liquid Chromatography with Electrochemical Detection to quantify levels of these neurochemicals among adult females from social (multi-female) and solitary (single-female) webs in east Tennessee. A subset of spiders was scored for individual social tendency. We found that higher octopamine levels are associated with a greater degree of aggression and intolerance, both at the individual level and the population level, while higher levels of serotonin are found in multi-female colonies and social individuals