Comparison of the flash card method of teaching spelling with the spelling today method in grades two and three

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

LIM proteins in actin cytoskeleton mechanoresponse

pre-printThe actin cytoskeleton assembles into branched networks or bundles to generate mechanical force for critical cellular processes such as establishment of polarity, adhesion, and migration. Stress fibers are contractile, actomyosin structures that physically couple to the extracellular matrix through integrin-based focal adhesions, thereby transmitting force into and across the cell. Recently, LIM domain proteins have been implicated in mediating this cytoskeletal mechanotransduction. Among the more well studied LIM domain adapter proteins is zyxin, a dynamic component of both focal adhesions and stress fibers. Here, we discuss recent research detailing the mechanisms by which stress fibers adjust their structure and composition to balance mechanical forces, and suggest ways zyxin and other LIM domain proteins mediate mechanoresponse

Occupational Therapy\u27s Role in Providing Gender-Affirming Care for Transgender and Gender Diverse Individuals

There is limited information, education, and training available on providing care for the transgender and gender-diverse population, and many healthcare providers lack the specific knowledge needed to provide adequate, culturally competent care. A needs assessment was conducted to better understand what healthcare practitioners wanted to know regarding this topic, as well as what trans and gender-diverse individuals wanted their healthcare practitioners to know about their care. This needs assessment was anonymous and answers were not published. The responses were analyzed by the author to identify themes and develop learning objectives for the creation of educational materials. Five educational modules were created on various topics to promote competency in providing gender-affirming services for the transgender and gender-diverse community. The availability of this resource promotes increased access to competent and culturally sensitive care for trans and gender-diverse populations in healthcare contexts.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonessummer2023/1017/thumbnail.jp

The structure of degradable quantum channels

Degradable quantum channels are among the only channels whose quantum and private classical capacities are known. As such, determining the structure of these channels is a pressing open question in quantum information theory. We give a comprehensive review of what is currently known about the structure of degradable quantum channels, including a number of new results as well as alternate proofs of some known results. In the case of qubits, we provide a complete characterization of all degradable channels with two dimensional output, give a new proof that a qubit channel with two Kraus operators is either degradable or anti-degradable and present a complete description of anti-degradable unital qubit channels with a new proof. For higher output dimensions we explore the relationship between the output and environment dimensions ($d_B$ and $d_E$ respectively) of degradable channels. For several broad classes of channels we show that they can be modeled with a environment that is "small" in the sense $d_E \leq d_B$. Perhaps surprisingly, we also present examples of degradable channels with ``large'' environments, in the sense that the minimal dimension $d_E > d_B$. Indeed, one can have $d_E > \tfrac{1}{4} d_B^2$. In the case of channels with diagonal Kraus operators, we describe the subclass which are complements of entanglement breaking channels. We also obtain a number of results for channels in the convex hull of conjugations with generalized Pauli matrices. However, a number of open questions remain about these channels and the more general case of random unitary channels.Comment: 42 pages, 3 figures, Web and paper abstract differ; (v2 contains only minor typo corrections

Synoptic/planetary-scale interactions and blocking over the North Atlantic Ocean

One segment of work in the past year focused on the diagnosis of a major blocking anticyclone and its interacting synoptic scale circulations that occurred during January 1979 over the North Atlantic Ocean. Another segment focused on the diagnosis of a second explosive cyclone development that occurred over the southeastern United States during the time of block formation. The diagnoses were accomplished using the diagnostic relationship known as the Zwack-Okossi (Z-O) development equation. Results indicate that in both cyclone cases the development occurred as a result of the favorable influence of positive vorticity advection, warm air advection, and latent heat release and ceased when one or more of these influences diminished. The advantages of the Z-O equation are described

DIRECT ESTIMATION OF ABOVEGROUND FOREST PRODUCTIVITY THROUGH HYPERSPECTRAL REMOTE SENSING OF CANOPY NITROGEN

The concentration of nitrogen in foliage has been related to rates of net photosynthesis across a wide range of plant species and functional groups and thus represents a simple and biologically meaningful link between terrestrial cycles of carbon and nitrogen. Although foliar N is used by ecosystem models to predict rates of leaf‐level photosynthesis, it has rarely been examined as a direct scalar to stand‐level carbon gain. Establishment of such relationships would greatly simplify the nature of forest C and N linkages, enhancing our ability to derive estimates of forest productivity at landscape to regional scales. Here, we report on a highly predictive relationship between whole‐canopy nitrogen concentration and aboveground forest productivity in diverse forested stands of varying age and species composition across the 360 000‐ha White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire, USA. We also demonstrate that hyperspectral remote sensing can be used to estimate foliar N concentration, and hence forest production across a large number of contiguous images. Together these data suggest that canopy‐level N concentration is an important correlate of productivity in these forested systems, and that imaging spectrometry of canopy N can provide direct estimates of forest productivity across large landscapes

Weed Management Strategies for Organic Flax, 2005–2006

Demand for certified organic flax has increased due to a rise in human consumption of food products rich in omega-3 oil and due to the recent construction of a certified organic oilseed expelling facility in Cherokee, IA. Challenges exist to raising organic flax in the upper Midwest due to competition from weeds and limited information about weed management strategies for organic farmers. Weeds can reduce flax yield and re-populate the soil seed bank, increasing weed pressure in the future. In 2005 and 2006, research was conducted to assess: 1) which weed management strategies can best control weeds in flax, and 2) how do weeds affect flax grain yield