Online Reading Comprehension Among Seventh Grade Students with High Incidence Disabilities in Inclusive Settings: A Mixed Methods Study

Because research exploring how students with disabilities read and comprehend on the Internet is scarce, a mixed methods study was implemented to determine if Internet Reciprocal Teaching (IRT) is an effective intervention for improving online reading comprehension among seventh grade students with high-incidence disabilities in inclusive settings. Differences between students with disabilities and their non-disabled peers were also explored. The intervention included a twenty week (40 lessons) instructional program delivered in three phases in seventh grade English/Language Arts classes from three middle schools in eastern region of the United States. Pre and post intervention data was collected on the Online Reading Comprehension Assessment (ORCA-Iditarod) and the Survey of Online Reading. Further, and a sample of students was randomly selected for further post-intervention qualitative analysis. Qualitative and quantitative data were then triangulated to examine convergent and divergent findings of online reading comprehension. Results indicate that online reading comprehension, as measured by the ORCA-Iditarod increased for students in the treatment group, but no apparent differences appeared between general education students and students with disabilities. Students in the treatment group demonstrated increased self-efficacy of reading online and locating answers. Qualitative findings further supported improvements in online reading comprehension noting more frequent use of effective search strategies among students in the treatment group, more effective strategy use for determining the reliability of Web sites, and improved communicating strategies using email. While the ORCA did not reveal significant differences between students with disabilities and their nondisabled peers, Survey data indicated that students with disabilities are using and receiving more instruction on the Internet at school, and some qualitative results revealed more attention to written mechanics and spell check tools than general education students. Implications for practice and recommendations for future research are provided

Establishment of a phenotypical model of adverse outcomes associated with assisted reproductive technologies

Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on May 24, 2012).The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file.Thesis advisor: Dr. Rocío Melissa RiveraVita.Includes bibliographical references.Dissertations, Academic -- University of Missouri--Columbia -- Animal science."July 2011"Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) is a loss-of-imprinting pediatric overgrowth syndrome. BWS is speculated to occur primarily as the result of the misregulation of imprinted genes associated with two clusters on chromosome 11p15.5, namely the KvDMR1 and H19/IGF2. There is a similar overgrowth phenotype that is observed in ruminants as a result of embryo culture. This syndrome is known as large offspring syndrome (LOS). The genomic region/s associated with LOS have not yet been determined. We hypothesized that BWS and LOS are epigenetically similar. The aim of this research was to ascertain baseline allelic expression and DNA methylation in bovine of imprinted loci known to be misregulated in BWS. We conclude that the imprinted gene expression of KCNQ1OT1, CDKN1C, H19, and PLAGL1 are conserved between the bovine and human. In addition, the KvDMR1 and H19/IGF2 imprinting control regions also have conserved DNA methylation patterns between humans and bovine

Governing Bodies: How the Organization of Social Groups Shapes Political Ambition.

Nascent ambition is an essential element of democracy that has implications for representation and equality yet we know surprisingly little about who is ambitious and why. I propose a unique framework for understanding nascent ambition, arguing that gender roles and gendered obstacles and opportunities affect its presence in men and women—and that they often do so differently for different social groups. I test this framework using data from the Citizen Participation Study, employing an innovative research design that identifies potential candidates for office and exploits variation across three different social groups—race, class, and religion—in their understandings of women’s roles as mothers and leaders. I then go beyond an examination of roles to analyze the importance of gendered experiences in shaping nascent ambition, focusing on recruitment, participation in single-gendered organizations, and experiencing discrimination. Finally, I look across these social groups to examine how differences between these groups on the dimensions of privilege, narrative, and mutability influence both levels of and ingredients for nascent ambition for the men and women in these groups. I find that both the levels of and the ingredients for nascent ambition vary across groups. My results largely support the roles and experiences framework I propose, revealing that gendered social roles matter more for women’s nascent ambition than men’s. I also find that variations across groups on the dimensions of privilege, narrative, and mutability affect nascent ambition, demonstrating that privilege in particular plays a key role in determining levels of ambition.PHDPolitical ScienceUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/113566/1/kfgall_1.pd

Verification of the ASTM G-124 Purge Equation

ASTM G-124 seeks to evaluate combustion characteristics of metals in high-purity (greater than 99%) oxygen atmospheres. ASTM G-124 provides the following equation to determine the minimum number of purges required to reach this level of purity in a test chamber: n = -4/log10(Pa/Ph), where "n" is the total number of purge cycles required, Ph is the absolute pressure used for the purge on each cycle and Pa is the atmospheric pressure or the vent pressure. The origin of this equation is not known and has been the source of frequent questions as to its accuracy and reliability. This paper shows the derivation of the G-124 purge equation, and experimentally explores the equation to determine if it accurately predicts the number of cycles required

Tri-colored Bat Roost Tree Use and Movement Patterns Following White-nose Syndrome in Western Kentucky

The tri-colored bat Perimyotis subflavus is undergoing severe declines across its range due to white nose syndrome. Our objective was to determine distinguishing characteristics of roost trees used by tri-colored bats so that their roost needs can be considered in management plans. We attached a radio transmitter to adult bats. We tracked six bats to their day roosts for 1-12 days. Habitat data were collected at 19 roost trees and at randomly selected trees within the distance traveled by a bat to its roosts for comparison. Our initial data showed that tri-colored bats use roost trees within a relatively small area. The greatest distance moved between successive roosts was 207.8 m, with an average distance between roosts of 68.9 m. Bats remained within 2.5 km of their original capture site. All roosting bats were located in the foliage of live trees. Tri-colored bats appeared to not select roost trees at random. There was a correlation between tree use and increasing canopy depth. Bats were observed roosting in 10 different species of tree, with the most commonly selected species being mockernut hickory (Carya tomentosa) and sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua; 37% and 16% of roost trees, respectively). In contrast, the most abundant species among the randomly-selected trees were the white oak (Quercus alba) and the sugar maple (Acer saccharum; 20% and 13% of randomly selected trees, respectively; n=365). Management needs of tri-colored bats likely differ from those of other declining bat species (e.g., Myotis sps.) which have preference for trees in mid-decay stages

Powerful Partnerships: A Community Program for Low Income, High School Dropouts and a University

The proposed presentation describes the outcomes of a partnership between a youth and community development program and a teacher education program at a regional university in the Midwest. Once a federally funded program for low-income, youth ages 16-24, this agency provides General Equivalency Diploma (GED) preparation, job skills training, and community service opportunities for high school dropouts (Cohen & Piquero, 2008; Kapp, 2009), and faculty and pre-service teachers from a university supported the GED preparation and transition components of the program. Therefore, the proposal for this session most closely aligns with the "HEAD": Academic Achievement & Leadership strand of the conference, as results of the partnership indicate improved academic outcomes for program participants (increases in scores on standardized tests, GED pass rates, community colleges and technical institute enrollment, and full-time employment). In addition, the partnership simultaneously provided pre-service teachers a chance to apply teaching strategies in authentic and diverse learning environments that improved both teaching strategies and cultural responsiveness

A Pilot Study Investigating the Reasons for Playing Through Pain and Injury: Emerging Themes in Men’s and Women’s Collegiate Rugby

Collegiate rugby is a competitive, collision sport, yet insufficient empirical evidence exists regarding participants’ perspectives on pain and injury. This study addressed male and female rugby players’ experiences with injury, and their views about playing through pain and injury. Eleven rugby players (five male; six female) competing in USA Rugby’s National College 7’s tournament participated in semi structured interviews, which were recorded, transcribed, and content-analyzed. Two major themes emerged: passion for sport and sport ethic. Passion for sport was composed of (a) love of the sport, (b) meaning of the sport, and (c) desire to be on the field. Sport ethic included: (a) helping the team, (b) game time sacrifice, (c) personality, (d) minimize, and (e) accepted behavior. The researchers explain these findings and propose strategies for increasing future athletes’ understanding of the dangers associated with playing through pain, and confronting the currently accepted culture of risk

Powerful Partnerships: A Community Program for Low Income, High School Dropouts and a University

This session provides community and university staff results of a study examining the partnership between a community development program targeting low income, high school dropouts and a teacher preparation program. Presenters will describe methods for maintaining partnerships and discuss outcomes of the program in the areas of GED preparation, job skills training, health and wellness programming, and community service opportunities

On a Generalization of the Frobenius Number

We consider a generalization of the Frobenius Problem where the object of interest is the greatest integer which has exactly $j$ representations by a collection of positive relatively prime integers. We prove an analogue of a theorem of Brauer and Shockley and show how it can be used for computation.Comment: 5 page

Underpaid and Overloaded: Women in Low-Wage Jobs

This report provides a comprehensive look at the women and men in the low-wage workforce, holding down jobs that typically pay $10.10 per hour or less, such as home health aides, child care workers, fast food workers, restaurant servers, maids and cashiers. The report reveals that, although women's educational credentials are better than ever, women are two-thirds of the 20 million workers in low-wage jobs. And, regardless of their education level, age, marital or parental status, race, ethnicity, or national origin, women's shares of the low-wage workforce are larger than those of their male counterparts. Especially striking is the finding that women need a bachelor's degree to avoid being overrepresented in low-wage jobs -- while men only need to finish high school