Borrowing Trouble: Predatory Lending in Native American Communities

Based on surveys and financial data, examines the prevalence of predatory practices in Native American communities. Includes maps of predatory lenders, case studies of financial education and alternative services and products, and recommendations

Use of recombinant virus replicon particles for vaccination against Mycobacterium ulcerans disease

Buruli ulcer, caused by infection with Mycobacterium ulcerans, is a necrotizing disease of the skin and subcutaneous tissue, which is most prevalent in rural regions of West African countries. The majority of clinical presentations seen in patients are ulcers on limbs that can be treated by eight weeks of antibiotic therapy. Nevertheless, scarring and permanent disabilities occur frequently and Buruli ulcer still causes high morbidity. A vaccine against the disease is so far not available but would be of great benefit if used for prophylaxis as well as therapy. In the present study, vesicular stomatitis virus-based RNA replicon particles encoding the M. ulcerans proteins MUL2232 and MUL3720 were generated and the expression of the recombinant antigens characterized in vitro. Immunisation of mice with the recombinant replicon particles elicited antibodies that reacted with the endogenous antigens of M. ulcerans cells. A prime-boost immunization regimen with MUL2232-recombinant replicon particles and recombinant MUL2232 protein induced a strong immune response but only slightly reduced bacterial multiplication in a mouse model of M. ulcerans infection. We conclude that a monovalent vaccine based on the MUL2232 antigen will probably not sufficiently control M. ulcerans infection in humans

An investigation of two models of professional development to support effective teaching through play practices in the primary classroom : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand

The use of play as a pedagogical tool in schools and early learning settings is experiencing a rise in popularity. In recent years, primary teachers have shown an increased interest in how play can be implemented in junior primary school classrooms but have also expressed a need for further support to understand how to use play and intentional teaching to meet expected learning outcomes of the curriculum. While teachers have expressed support for, and knowledge of, the benefits of learning through play, the way in which they teach through play is less well understood. The aim of this study was to identify teachers’ beliefs, knowledge and practices when implementing teaching through play in the primary school setting and investigate the impact of a professional learning and development (PLD) intervention on teachers’ subsequent implementation of play pedagogies. The study utilised a mixed methods intervention research design. Participants were assigned to one of two PLD conditions: 1) professional learning workshops only; or 2) professional learning workshops in combination with practice-based coaching. The study utilised both quantitative and qualitative data collection strategies, including questionnaires, classroom observations, and individual interviews. The creation of a Play-Based Learning Observation Tool (P-BLOT) enabled the researcher to observe and quantify the frequency and implementation fidelity of evidence-based teaching practices, desirable in an effective play-based junior school classroom. Pre-intervention findings suggested a tension between what teachers know and believe about play as a pedagogical tool, and how they implemented teaching through play practices with fidelity in their classrooms. Post-intervention findings suggest that while participating in workshop-style PLD successfully increased teachers’ knowledge about play pedagogies, it was participating in PLD that included practice-based coaching that positively influenced teacher behaviour and practices. These findings contribute to the growing international PLD literature identifying the value of more intensive PLD support over an extended period to ensure implementation fidelity of the complex teaching practices required of play pedagogy. PLD that combines workshop and coaching interventions can potentially support teachers to effectively implement play pedagogies and ensure the implementation of intentional teaching methods through both child and adult-guided play experiences

CHIP Expansions to Higher-Income Children in Three States: Profiles of Eligibility and Insurance Coverage

Summarizes findings on how changes in eligibility rules for children's public health insurance programs affected 2002-09 coverage rates and the number of uninsured children in Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Washington. Compares results by scope of reform

PEMBELAJARAN BERBASIS LEARNER AUTONOMY UNTUK MELATIHKAN KETERAMPILAN PROSES SAINS

This study tried to give an alternative to teachers or educators a kind of instruction that gives their students the learning autonomy gradually, and also to improve the students’ Science Process Skill (SPS). The subject of this study is the second (2nd) semester students of Physics Education Study Program of FKIP ULM at the academic year of 2015/2016. This study was conducted in pretest and postest group design. The study result showed that the developed teaching materials were declared: (1) valid according to the expert judgment with good category, (2) practical based on the application of the lesson plan in classroom which beeing of very good category, and (3) effective based on the students’ Science Process Skill (SPS) giving the gain score of 0.77 which being of high category. Based on the finding of the research, it can be concluded that the developed teaching materials based on the learner autonomy levels were declared feasible to be used to improve Students’ Science Process Skill (SPS).Keyword: science process skill, learner autonomy, learningPenelitian ini mencoba memberikan alternatif pilihan kepada guru/dosen agar secara bertahap memberi otonomi kepada peserta didiknya dalam proses belajar mengajar, sekaligus untuk meningkatkan keterampilan proses sains siswa/mahasiswa. Subjek penelitian ini adalah mahasiswa semester dua (2) program studi Pendidikan Fisika FKIP ULM tahun akademik 2015/2016. Penelitian ini dilaksanakan menggunakan  pretest and postest group design. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa perangkat pembelajaran yang dikembangkan dinyatakan: (1) valid berdasarkan penilaian pakar yang kesemuanya berkategori baik, (2) praktis berdasarkan keterlaksanaan rencana pelaksanaan pembelajaran yang berkategori sangat baik, (3) efektif berdasarkan perolehan gain score sebesar 0,77 yang berkategori tinggi. Berdasarkan temuan penelitian, dapat disimpulkan bahwa perangkat pembelajaran berbasis learner autonomy yang dikembangkan dinyatakan layak untuk meningkatkan keterampilan proses sains.Kata Kunci:  keterampilan proses sains, learner autonomy, pembelajara

The elimination of Armenians and Greeks as part of Turkish nation building

Like many other instances of nation building, Turkish nation building was a violent process. However, accounts of it usually focus on its constructive side or deal only with aspects of its destructive side. This thesis analyzes secondary texts concerned with anti-minority policies and acts implemented and carried out with a view to nation building in Turkey in the period from the 1890s to the 1960s. It concentrates on how two minority populations, Armenians and Greeks, were affected by the two main goals of Turkish nation building: the homogenization of the population and the 'nationalization' of the economy. It shows that the expropriation, expulsion, killing and assimilation of Armenians and Greeks in Ottoman and Republican times were important factors in making the Turkish nation. It also shows how i) the removal of Armenians and Greeks from Turkish territory and ii) the disappearance of most of the former Armenian-Greek bourgeoisie, the appropriation of its property by the Turkish state and its Muslim citizens and the cooptation of the know-how of the remaining minority businessmen contributed to the formation of the so-called national bourgeoisie. This process can also be related to the accumulation of Muslim-Turkish capital and to the homogenization of the population in Turkey in the early Republican era. Though the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) and Kemalist nation builders largely succeeded in homogenizing the population and in 'Turkifying' the economy, their actions seem to have had unintended consequences that negatively impacted the development of Turkish civil society, class formation, education and academia, living standards, industrialization, and the project of getting on a par with Europe

Capillary Electrophoresis with Multiple Readout Techniques for Protein Analysis

In the era of proteomics, new technologies in separation and identification are required. Separation methods, such as capillary electrophoresis or liquid chromatography, are a crucial part of high throughput proteomic workflows. In this thesis, novel approaches to proteomics using capillary electrophoresis are presented. A platform of technologies based on capillary electrophoresis with continuous deposition of separated proteins onto metallic substrates enables subsequent analyses and identification. Since sample deposition and identification are decoupled, multiple readout techniques can be explored. Readout techniques used include matrix assisted laser desorption/ionisation mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS), electron-vibration-vibration two dimensional infrared spectroscopy (EVV 2DIR) and fluorescence microscopy. This technology was used without the deposition interface, to achieve advances in ribosomal separations or with the deposition interface, to develop new proteomic strategies of separation and readout. The eukaryotic ribosomal proteins were separated using capillary electrophoresis for the first time. Over 26 peaks were resolved in less than 10 minutes. An outstanding RSD migration time of < 0.5% was achieved, demonstrating that the readout could provide a ribosomal ' fingerprint'. Separations of proteins were successfully analysed using a standard MALDIMS instrument. This work was advanced by the offline coupling of CE to MALDI-imaging and applied to the ribosomal proteins to demonstrate a novel workflow from cell culture to protein identification. Quantitative analysis of protein levels is an important part of proteomics, but is difficult to achieve using mainstream technologies with high throughput and accuracy. EVV 2DIR is a non-linear spectroscopy which is able to achieve absolute quantification of proteins.[1] Coupling of EVV 2DIR to CE (CE- 2DIR) was demonstrated through the deposition and analysis of peptide and proteins. CE-2DIR offers great promise as a new proteomic tool

Take-Up of Public Insurance and Crowd-out of Private Insurance Under Recent CHIP Expansions to Higher Income Children

We analyze the effects of states’ expansions of CHIP eligibility to children in higher income families during 2002-2009 on take-up of public coverage, crowd-out of private coverage, and rates of uninsurance. Our results indicate these expansions were associated with limited uptake of public coverage and only a two percentage point reduction in the uninsurance rate among these children. Because not all of the take-up of public insurance among eligible children is accounted for by children who transfer from being uninsured to having public insurance, our results suggest that there may be some crowd-out of private insurance coverage; the upper bound crowd-out rate we calculate is 46 percent.