The Evaluation of Schools to College and Career (S2C) Readiness Program for Middle School Student

There is a lack of research on what it means to be college and career ready at the middle school level, and this creates confusion for students when they enter high school and must select courses that are aligned with their college and career goals. This study sought to understand how the Schools to College and Career (S2C) Readiness Program impacts middle school students at the charter school. In order to understand this impact, the study looked at how the S2C Readiness Program relates to students’ understanding and awareness of CCR at the school. Using a quantitative approach this study will sought to answer: What factors influence middle school students\u27 awareness of college and career options after completing the S2C Readiness Program? To answer the guiding question middle school students completed two surveys. Archival data was also collected and analyzed. The results from the student survey responses showed an increase in interest in different careers as student performance level (measured from MAP score) increased. Furthermore, as students completed the S2C Readiness Program, their understanding of basic skills and content knowledge also increased. The results did show an increase in engagement and interest in their S2C elective courses. Also, students responded with an understanding of what it means to be college and career ready as they completed the S2C Readiness Program. There was also an increase in students seeking to understand what it means to be college and career ready as students get older. The research did not support a positive link between S2C elective class choice and college and career awareness. Many students responded that they did not explore college and career interests in their S2C class or on their own and did not engage in projects related to college and careers in their S2C elective class. This study sought to understand this impact, the study looked at how the S2C Readiness Program impacted students’ understanding and awareness of CCR at the charter school. Knowing that many students do not have the skills and tools necessary to be college and career ready this study hoped to provide insight for improving the S2C Readiness Program at the charter school. This research provided recommendations for improving the S2C Readiness Program at the charter school as well as college and career education opportunities in middle schools in general. This dissertation concluded with recommendations for future research to support such initiatives from elementary to the high school level

Effect of voicing and articulation manner on aerosol particle emission during human speech.

Previously, we demonstrated a strong correlation between the amplitude of human speech and the emission rate of micron-scale expiratory aerosol particles, which are believed to play a role in respiratory disease transmission. To further those findings, here we systematically investigate the effect of different 'phones' (the basic sound units of speech) on the emission of particles from the human respiratory tract during speech. We measured the respiratory particle emission rates of 56 healthy human volunteers voicing specific phones, both in isolation and in the context of a standard spoken text. We found that certain phones are associated with significantly higher particle production; for example, the vowel /i/ ("need," "sea") produces more particles than /ɑ/ ("saw," "hot") or /u/ ("blue," "mood"), while disyllabic words including voiced plosive consonants (e.g., /d/, /b/, /g/) yield more particles than words with voiceless fricatives (e.g., /s/, /h/, /f/). These trends for discrete phones and words were corroborated by the time-resolved particle emission rates as volunteers read aloud from a standard text passage that incorporates a broad range of the phones present in spoken English. Our measurements showed that particle emission rates were positively correlated with the vowel content of a phrase; conversely, particle emission decreased during phrases with a high fraction of voiceless fricatives. Our particle emission data is broadly consistent with prior measurements of the egressive airflow rate associated with the vocalization of various phones that differ in voicing and articulation. These results suggest that airborne transmission of respiratory pathogens via speech aerosol particles could be modulated by specific phonetic characteristics of the language spoken by a given human population, along with other, more frequently considered epidemiological variables

Occupational Disruption and Natural Disaster: Finding a ‘New Normal’ in a Changed Context

Individuals affected by natural disasters can undergo critical life changes throughout the recovery process. With a forecast increase in frequency and impact of natural disasters, it is important to consider the occupational recovery process that individuals experience post-disaster. This qualitative descriptive study explored the experience of occupational disruption and occupational recovery of individuals after Cyclone Yasi struck a small, regional town in Northern Queensland, Australia. Nine semi-structured interviews from long-term residents of the town affected by Cyclone Yasi were conducted 2 years after the event. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and independently coded using thematic analysis by three researchers. Five interrelated themes were identified: Recovery occupations; Interruption to leisure and productive occupations; Reconstruction: A second disaster; Occupational liminality and A new normal. These themes point to a phased process of occupational recovery through which disaster survivors encounter numerous personal and contextual barriers, encumbering their return to re-engagement in meaningful occupational routines. The findings from this research offer insights into the support needs of both individuals and communities as they endeavour to overcome challenges associated with the recovery process

High-grade cervical dysplasia in pregnancy – psychological and medical challenges

Despite being rare, the incidence of pregnancy-related cancer is expected to rise as women continue to delay childbearing and give birth later in their reproductive years. In this broad category, tumors like breast cancer, dermatological neoplasia and cervical cancer are most common and tend to arise in women of childbearing age. All pregnant women with clinical and cytologic suspicion of cervical cancer, except for squamous atypia or low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions, should undergo colposcopy, with or without biopsy, the latter being avoided if possible due to possible complications which, although rare, may involve preterm labor initiation. Some studies have attempted to assimilate comparable results of USG with MRI during the gestational period by determining the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of trans-rectal ultrasound (TRUS) in comparison to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In order to identify the proper way to diagnose and treat the disease, because of the complexity due to pregnancy, a multidisciplinary team consisting of a gynecologist, medical and surgical oncologist, and radiologist should be assembled. Both maternal and fetal wellbeing should be taken into consideration when the medical team must choose among termination of pregnancy, delay of maternal treatment, and iatrogenic preterm delivery. Psychological counseling also plays an important role and due to the sensitivity of the issue, should continue through gestation and the postpartum. In order to develop optimal guidelines for diagnosis, treatment, and outcome issues, large scale prospective studies are needed, but feasibility may be limited due to the scarcity of cervical cancer cases associated with pregnancy

Using evaluation research to improve medical education

Evaluation research is a form of applied research that scrutinises how well a particular programme, practice, procedure or policy is operating. Evaluation researchers use both quantitative and qualitative research data to construct a collective picture of the programme under evaluation.Medical educators need to provide information about a particular programme using the methods of evaluation research in order to make a decision on the potential adoption, improvements and refinements of the programme. Improving curricula and pedagogical methods using these methods may enhance health care education.We provide an overview of the methods of evaluation research in the context of medical education. We discuss the application, general methodology, methods of collecting data and analysis for each type of evaluation research.The methods of evaluation research described in this article enable medical educators to gain a comprehensive understanding of evaluation research in the context of medical education. The use of evaluation research findings helps medical educators to make informed decisions regarding a programme and any future actions related to it.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/79207/1/j.1743-498X.2010.00383.x.pd

The psychosocial impact of vaginal delivery and cesarean section in primiparous women

The aim of this study was to identify how the method of delivery and birth experience interfere with maternal psychological status early after puerperium. We conducted a prospective study on 148 women after puerperium from November 2017 to January 2018 in Bucur Maternity Hospital. Women that delivered vaginally mobilized in the first 6 hours in 73.7% of the cases, but for cesarean section after 12- 24 hours in 43.6% of the cases. Women described good support from the obstetrician in 58.1% of the cases. 90.5% of the women reported that the method of delivery did not have an impact on infant care and 73% had no lactation problems. The majority described little trauma, in 32.4% of the cases. 70.3% of the patients reported that they wanted to have more children and 59.5% of them desired the same method of delivery. Negative feelings, lactation, and taking care of the baby were not influenced in this study by the method of delivery, but by prematurity of birth and the complications that women experienced at birth

Analisis Kemampuan Berbicara melalui Metodebernyanyi di Paud Terpadu Pontianak Barat

This study aims to analyze the ability to speak through the method of singing in PAUD Integrated Pontianak West West Kalimantan Province. The method used is qualitative research method. Research subjects are children Play Groups (KB), amounting to 17 children and 2 teachers. Data collection tools are: interview, observation, and documentation. Data analysis in this study using qualitative data analysis which includes: data collection, data reduction, display data, and conclusion drawing / verification. The results showed that the speaking ability of children of PAUD Playing Group of West Pontianak can be developed through the method of singing. The use of this singing method can improve children's speaking skills in terms of repeating the lyrics of the song being heard, pronouncing the lyrics of an already heard song, and answering simple questions about the lyrics of the song being heard. At the end of the study 90% of children were able to repeat the song lyrics, 65% of children were able to pronounce the lyrics of the flag, and 71% of the children could answer simple questions about the lyrics of the flag

Influence of the gas composition on the efficiency of ammonia stripping of biogas digestate

AbstractImpact of strip gas composition on side stream ammonia stripping, a technology aiming at the reduction of high ammonia levels in anaerobic reactors, was investigated. Evaluation of the effect of oxygen contact during air stripping showed a distinct, though lower than perceived, inhibition of anaerobic microflora. To circumvent, the feasibility and possible constraints of biogas and flue gas as alternatives in side stream stripping were studied. Experiments, with ammonia bicarbonate model solution and digestate, were conducted. It was demonstrated that the stripping performance is negatively correlated to the CO2 level in the strip gas with a progressive performance loss towards higher concentrations. In contrast to biogas with its high CO2 content, the efficiency reduction observed for flue gas was significantly less pronounced. The later provides the additional benefit that its high thermal energy can be re-utilized in the stripping unit and it is therefore considered a viable alternative for air

Efficacy of HIV/STI behavioral interventions for heterosexual African American men in the United States: a meta-analysis

This meta-analysis estimates the overall efficacy of HIV prevention interventions to reduce HIV sexual risk behaviors and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among heterosexual African American men. A comprehensive search of the literature published during 1988–2008 yielded 44 relevant studies. Interventions significantly reduced HIV sexual risk behaviors and STIs. The stratified analysis for HIV sexual risk behaviors indicated that interventions were efficacious for studies specifically targeting African American men and men with incarceration history. In addition, interventions that had provision/referral of medical services, male facilitators, shorter follow-up periods, or emphasized the importance of protecting family and significant others were associated with reductions in HIV sexual risk behaviors. Meta-regression analyses indicated that the most robust intervention component is the provision/referral of medical services. Findings indicate that HIV interventions for heterosexual African American men might be more efficacious if they incorporated a range of health care services rather than HIV/STI-related services alone