The Never Ending Story of Language Policy in Puerto Rico

This literature review addresses some of the issues discussed in the literature written about the controversial topic of English teaching in Puerto Rico. A deeper look into the language policies established in Puerto Rico since the island became a U.S. colony (1898) could lead us to understand why after more than a century of U.S. occupation, the majority of Puerto Ricans are still not bilingual in English and Spanish

Application of Multiobjective Evolutionary Techniques for Robust Portfolio Optimization

On December 20 of 2012 Sandra García Rodríguez defended his PhD at Carlos III of Madrid (Spain), called: “Application of Multiobjective Techniques for Robust Portfolio Optimization”. This thesis was supervised by Dr. David Quintana Montero and Dr. Inés M. Galván León. The defense was done in a publicly open presentation held at Carlos III University of Madrid. The PhD was approved, with the highest rating Cum Laude, by the examining committee: Dr. José Manuel Molina López, Dr. Antonio Gaspar Lopes da Cunha and Dr. David Camacho Fernández

The effects of labeling Hispanic English language learners as learning disabled

English language learners (ELLs) are often placed in special education due to lack of knowledge on the part of educators of the language acquisition process and because of the pressures educators face to meet state and federal accountability standards. Once in special education, many students’ experiences lead to negative outcomes for those students including stigmatization, inadequate academic preparation, and few opportunities for a successful professional career potential. The purpose of this cross case study was to investigate the effects of labeling English language learners as learning disabled (LD). Three ELLs with normal intelligence who were labeled as LD and placed in special education were identified for this study. The students’ permanent record files and special education records throughout their schooling were first reviewed and analyzed. Then, the case study students and their parents completed surveys and participated in interviews conducted over a two year period. The conclusions from the data analysis revealed that the students felt that their placement in special education was due to their lack of English language proficiency. Conclusions showed that there were problems with school personnel including a lack of knowledge of second language acquisition, non-compliance with special education requirements in the referral and evaluation processes, and failure to include the students’ culture or other factors when identifying these students. These conclusions can be described by the Contextual Interaction Model which includes factors at the national and state levels, the community and family levels, and at the school level that influence schooling. The implications and recommendations for the teachers, administrators and parents are discussed including the need for training in issues related to second language acquisition and cultural and environmental factors influencing the schooling of ELLs

Triage and Ongoing Care for Critically Ill Patients in the Emergency Department: Results from a National Survey of Emergency Physicians

Introduction: We conducted a cross-sectional study at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai to elicit emergency physician (EP) perceptions regarding intensive care unit (ICU) triage decisions and ongoing management for boarding of ICU patients in the emergency department (ED). We assessed factors influencing the disposition decision for critically ill patients in the ED to characterize EPs’ perceptions about ongoing critical care delivery in the ED while awaiting ICU admission.Methods: Through content expert review and pilot testing, we iteratively developed a 25-item written survey targeted to EPs, eliciting current ICU triage structure, opinions on factors influencing ICU admission decisions, and views on caring for critically ill patients “boarding” in the ED for >4-6 hours.Results: We approached 732 EPs at a large, national emergency medicine conference, achieving 93.6% response and completion rate, with 54% academic and 46% community participants. One-fifth reported having formal ICU admission criteria, although only 36.6% reported adherence. Common factors influencing EPs’ ICU triage decisions were illness severity (91.1%), ICU interventions needed (87.6%), and diagnosis (68.2%), while ICU bed availability (13.5%) and presence of other critically ill patients in ED (10.2%) were less or not important. While 72.1% reported frequently caring for ICU boarders, respondents identified high patient volume (61.3%) and inadequate support staffing (48.6%) as the most common challenges in caring for boarding ICU patients.Conclusion: Patient factors (eg, diagnosis, illness severity) were seen as more important than system factors (eg, bed availability) in triaging ED patients to the ICU. Boarding ICU patients is a common challenge for more than two-thirds of EPs, exacerbated by ED volume and staffing constraints

Community college students\u27 plant biodiversity learning experience in an introductory biology course: exploring the value added by using a CD-ROM to develop inquiry lessons

This study examined the value added to standard textbook-based instruction of plant biodiversity by the use of the exemplary interactive CD-ROM, Conserving Earth’s Biodiversity. This CD-ROM features renowned conservation figure E.O. Wilson. The setting of the research was an introductory biology course in a rural public community college in the Deep South. Six participants were purposively selected to represent three levels of achievement and two groups, the CD-ROM group (exposed to CD-ROM in addition to the textbook) and the textbook group (only course textbook). Students experienced lecture-based, textual, virtual, and real experiences, and examined their ability to understand biodiversity-related concepts and to pursue guided-inquiry questions about local plant biodiversity. Their performance was assessed through activities, quizzes, concept maps, interviews, surveys, and students’ presentations. This study led to three main findings. First, use of the CD-ROM, in addition to the textbook, allowed students to form a well-rounded grasp of plant biodiversity. Second, use of the CD-ROM enhanced the development of inquiries on local plant biodiversity and the metacognitive phase of assigning roles for local plant diversity. Third, the Plant Biodiversity Literacy Rubric [PBLR] was developed, based upon the history of the concept of biodiversity and was used to evaluate students’ progress by assigning them to various levels of understanding during the study. The students in the CD-ROM group gained a broader perspective of plant biodiversity-related concepts, such as levels of biodiversity, hot spots, genetic diversity, food plant diversity, and threats to biodiversity. The CD-ROM was never detrimental to the learning process. They were more self-directed in their development of inquiries, felt more confident about their presentations, and were more metacognitive during their inquiries. Performance on specific activities such as the essay and The Golden List of Species suggested an enhanced cognitive-behavioral/affective experience for students in the CD-ROM group. The PBLR is an exportable instrument, which may allow ecology educators at all levels to assess student’s levels of understanding in a sensitive way. At this time, it is critical to gauge effective understanding of plant biodiversity and ecology education, as it is vital to the survival and well-being of life on Earth

Learning from the History of Language Oppression: Educators as Agents of Language Justice

There is a long history in this country of language oppression that has led to policies currently in place that affect the way educators are asked to teach. Therefore, educators must understand national and local language policy to know how it affects their students and how they can perform their duties as educators. Even though the U.S. does not have an official language, states have enacted language policies through court decisions and legislation. These policies have led to students being denied access to English as a Second Language (ESL) and bilingual education programs, resources, and accommodations, all of which lead to the silencing of entire communities from languages and backgrounds that are not “the norm.” However, with the help of policy makers and scholars, educators have reversed some of these decisions. Their examples show us that when communities work together, they can enact changes. In this paper, we explore the history of language oppression in the United States and how it affects educators, their students, and their communities. We also propose ways that educators can reverse the harmful effects of language oppression in their students’ lives in order to achieve “language justice.

Non-conventional Patternmaking and Draping Methods: An Added Value for Apparel Design

Pattern making is a crucial stage in apparel development. Using non-conventional methods of pattern making besides the traditional flat pattern and draping mechanisms is a potential approach to add value to fashion products through originality and creativity. This study explains the process of experimentation using an unconventional technique, in this case the “draping technique†that belongs to the transformational recreation system (TR) created by Japanese designer and educator Shingo Sato, this method was combined with draping methods in order to take it further to add value to two original designs using a woven and a knit fabric

Teacher Educators’ Professional Development in the 21st Century: Practicing What We Preach

As teacher educators encourage teacher education candidates to incorporate new technologies (SmartBoard, hardware, software, web tools) into teaching, there is a need for them to serve as role models for their students. To move beyond a paper and pencil approach, teacher educators should advance their own technological knowledge and apply it in their teaching. The focus of this brief paper is on the steps taken to encourage teacher educators at a Midwest institution to incorporate new technologies into their teaching. This professional development is still a work in progress, as teacher education faculty work in collaboration with an instructional technology professional for training and practical applications in their courses

CRISPR-Cas9: A Revolutionary Tool for Cancer Modelling

The cancer-modelling field is now experiencing a conversion with the recent emergence of the RNA-programmable CRISPR-Cas9 system, a flexible methodology to produce essentially any desired modification in the genome. Cancer is a multistep process that involves many genetic mutations and other genome rearrangements. Despite their importance, it is difficult to recapitulate the degree of genetic complexity found in patient tumors. The CRISPR-Cas9 system for genome editing has been proven as a robust technology that makes it possible to generate cellular and animal models that recapitulate those cooperative alterations rapidly and at low cost. In this review, we will discuss the innovative applications of the CRISPR-Cas9 system to generate new models, providing a new way to interrogate the development and progression of cancers.This work was supported by FIS project no PI14/01884 to Sandra Rodriguez-Perales from the Spanish plan nacional I+d+, Instituto de Salud Carlos III FEDER. The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish nor preparation of the manuscript.S