The Relationship of Reading and Spelling Ability At Various School Levels

Current emphasis in spelling and reading appears to be on the unitary nature of the child\u27s development especially in relation to the language arts. While the writer is interested in the analysis of reading abilities and spelling ability in order to determine the fundamental language abilities common to both skills, the specific problem of this investigation is to, discover the consistency of the relationship of spelling and reading abilities of pupils from the fifth grade through the ninth grade inclusive . This relationship refers to the linear correlation relationship derived from the use of standardized tests. The particular phases of the general problem to which special attention is directed are: (1) Is the development in reading ability and spelling ability parallel throughout these various grade levels? ( 2) How does this relationship on one level compare with the relationship on the next higher level? (3) Does the relationship change with children of different mental ages? (4) Is this relationship a constant or a variable as between different school systems

Excited state baryon spectroscopy from lattice QCD

We present a calculation of the Nucleon and Delta excited state spectrum on dynamical anisotropic clover lattices. A method for operator construction is introduced that allows for the reliable identification of the continuum spins of baryon states, overcoming the reduced symmetry of the cubic lattice. Using this method, we are able to determine a spectrum of single-particle states for spins up to and including J = 7/2, of both parities, the first time this has been achieved in a lattice calculation. We find a spectrum of states identifiable as admixtures of SU(6) x O(3) representations and a counting of levels that is consistent with the non-relativistic $qqq$ constituent quark model. This dense spectrum is incompatible with quark-diquark model solutions to the "missing resonance problem" and shows no signs of parity doubling of states.Comment: 29 pages, 18 figure

Prison as Seen by Convict Criminologists

Most criminologists tend to base their view of prison on ideological assumptions gathered from secondary sources, with at best limited entry to the prison world. They nearly always get it wrong, as they systematically exclude the perspectives and real life experiences of their human subjects. These academic researchers have contributed to poor public policy that promotes the violent repression of prisoners in the USA and other countries. In response, Convict Criminologists are ex‐convicts working as criminology and criminal justice professors, along with “non‐con” associates, that insist that as a means for societies to develop humane, effective, and cost efficient prisons, we must develop ways to incorporate the voice of prisoners in our theorizing about, policy recommendations for, and management of the prison

Empowering Citizen Deliberation in Direct Democratic Elections: A Field Study of the 2012 Oregon Citizens’ Initiative Review

Initiatives and referenda permit citizens to vote directly on legislation, but voters often lack essential policy information when deciding whether to support the measures on their ballots. Since citizens often do not trust policy experts and political elites to provide trustworthy information, the State of Oregon (USA) created an institution to address that problem. After an initial test in 2010, Oregon’s governor signed into law the Citizens’ Initiative Review Commission, which convened two stratified random samples of twenty-four Oregon voters. The first panel spent a week examining a tax reform measure, and the second reviewed a measure that would establish private casinos. At the end of their deliberations, each panel produced a one-page Citizens’ Statement that was included in a Voters’ Pamphlet, which the Secretary of State mailed to every registered Oregon voter. Using direct observation, panelist interviews, and large-sample, statewide surveys, researchers studied the deliberative quality and statewide impact of this unique process. They discovered that the panels met a high standard for deliberation, both from the researchers’ perspective as observers and from the point of view of the participants themselves. A majority of Oregon voters became aware of the process, which produced relevant and factually accurate statements. Roughly two-thirds of those who read the statements found them to be helpful when deciding how to vote. Finally, an online survey experiment shows that reading the statements increased voter knowledge substantially. Thus, the Citizens’ Initiative Review appears to provide a viable model for using citizen-centered deliberation to inform the judgments of the voting public.Différentes initiatives participatives et les référendums permettent aux citoyens de voter directement les lois, mais les électeurs disposent rarement des informations politiques essentielles pour pouvoir faire leur choix. Face au manque de confiance des citoyens envers la fiabilité des informations fournies par les spécialistes et les élites politiques, l'Etat de l'Oregon (Etats-Unis) a créé une institution pour remédier à ce problème. Après un test initial en 2010, le gouverneur de l'Oregon a promulgué la création d’une Commission d’examen d’initiative citoyenne (Citizens’ Initiative Review Commission), réunissant deux échantillons aléatoires stratifiés de vingt-quatre électeurs de l'Oregon, qui ont passé une semaine entière à examiner une mesure de réforme fiscale et une mesure visant à la création de casinos privés. Au terme de leurs délibérations, chaque panel a rédigé une Déclaration des citoyens (Citizens’ Statement) d'une page qui a été intégrée dans un document intitulé la« Brochure des Electeurs » ( Voters’ Pamphlet). Celle-ci a été envoyée par le Secrétaire d'Etat à chaque électeur inscrit de l'Oregon. Sur la base d’observations directes, d'interviews des membres de la Commission et d'enquêtes à grande échelle au niveau de l'Etat, les chercheurs de cette étude ont étudié la qualité délibérative et l'impact de ce processus unique au niveau de l’Etat de l’Oregon. Ils ont conclu que les panels répondaient à un haut niveau en matière de délibération, à la fois du point de vue des chercheurs en tant qu'observateurs et du point de vue des participants eux-mêmes. Une majorité des électeurs de l'Oregon ont eu conscience de ce processus, ce qui a généré des déclarations pertinentes et conformes à la réalité. Environ deux-tiers des personnes qui ont lu les Déclarations les ont trouvées utiles au moment de leur décision de vote. Enfin, une expérience de sondage en ligne montre que le fait de lire les Déclarations a considérablement amélioré les connaissances des électeurs. Ainsi, l’Examen d’initiative citoyenne semble constituer un modèle viable d'utilisation de la délibération citoyenne pour permettre aux électeurs d'avoir un jugement éclairé.Varias iniciativas de democracia participativa y los referéndums permiten a los ciudadanos votar directamente sobre la legislación, pero los votantes a menudo carecen de información política esencial cuando tienen que decidir si apoyan las medidas que figuran en sus papeletas de voto. Dado que los ciudadanos normalmente no confían en los expertos políticos ni en la élite política para que les proporcionen información de confianza, el Estado de Oregón (EE. UU.) creó una institución para abordar este problema. Tras un periodo inicial de prueba en 2010, el gobernador de Oregón promulgó la Comisión de Revisión de Iniciativa Ciudadana, que fue constituida por dos muestras aleatorias estratificadas de veinticuatro votantes de Oregón. Estos  grupos especiales de ciudadanos dedicaron toda una semana a examinar una medida de reforma fiscal y otra sobre el establecimiento de casinos privados. Al término de sus deliberaciones, cada grupo elaboró una Declaración Ciudadana de una página que se incluyó en un panfleto para los votantes que el Secretario de Estado envío por correo a todos los votantes registrados en el Estado de Oregón. Utilizando una combinación de observación directa, entrevistas con los miembros de los grupos especiales y estudios a nivel estatal con una amplia muestra, los investigadores estudiaron la calidad deliberativa y el impacto a nivel estatal de este proceso único y llegaron a la conclusión de que los grupos especiales cumplían estrictas normas para la deliberación, tanto desde la perspectiva de los investigadores como desde el punto de vista de los propios participantes. Una mayoría de los votantes de Oregón fueron conscientes del proceso, que produjo declaraciones relevantes y objetivamente precisas. Aproximadamente dos tercios de las personas que leyeron las declaraciones las encontraron útiles a la hora de decidir en qué sentido votar.  Finalmente, un experimento de una encuesta en línea ha demostrado que leer las declaraciones aumentó sustancialmente los conocimientos de los votantes. Por lo tanto, la Revisión de Iniciativa Ciudadana parece proporcionar un modelo viable para utilizar la deliberación centrada en los ciudadanos para informar los juicios del público votante

A system analysis of a suboptimal surgical experience

© 2009 Lee et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

Clustering Analyses of 300,000 Photometrically Classified Quasars--II. The Excess on Very Small Scales

We study quasar clustering on small scales, modeling clustering amplitudes using halo-driven dark matter descriptions. From 91 pairs on scales <35 kpc/h, we detect only a slight excess in quasar clustering over our best-fit large-scale model. Integrated across all redshifts, the implied quasar bias is b_Q = 4.21+/-0.98 (b_Q = 3.93+/-0.71) at ~18 kpc/h (~28 kpc/h). Our best-fit (real-space) power index is ~-2 (i.e., $\xi(r) \propto r^{-2}$), implying steeper halo profiles than currently found in simulations. Alternatively, quasar binaries with separation <35 kpc/h may trace merging galaxies, with typical dynamical merger times t_d~(610+/-260)m^{-1/2} Myr/h, for quasars of host halo mass m x 10^{12} Msolar/h. We find UVX quasars at ~28 kpc/h cluster >5 times higher at z > 2, than at z < 2, at the $2.0\sigma$ level. However, as the space density of quasars declines as z increases, an excess of quasar binaries (over expectation) at z > 2 could be consistent with reduced merger rates at z > 2 for the galaxies forming UVX quasars. Comparing our clustering at ~28 kpc/h to a \xi(r)=(r/4.8\Mpch)^{-1.53} power-law, we find an upper limit on any excess of a factor of 4.3+/-1.3, which, noting some caveats, differs from large excesses recently measured for binary quasars, at $2.2\sigma$. We speculate that binary quasar surveys that are biased to z > 2 may find inflated clustering excesses when compared to models fit at z < 2. We provide details of 111 photometrically classified quasar pairs with separations <0.1'. Spectroscopy of these pairs could significantly constrain quasar dynamics in merging galaxies.Comment: 12pages, 3 figures, 2 tables; uses amulateapj; accepted to Ap

Deliberative Mini-publics as a Partial Antidote to Authoritarian Information Strategies

Authoritarian or illiberal regimes control a growing number of states throughout the world. Among the information strategies that these regimes use to gain and maintain support are the dissemination of false or misleading policy information and the use of manipulative policy frames. Deliberative mini-publics can partially counter those strategies by distributing accurate policy information and employing non-exploitative policy frames that affirm the dignity of members of the polity as free and equal citizens