Computational Thinking: In-Service Elementary Teachers Developing Knowledge, Understanding, And Confidence

Computers infiltrate almost every aspect of our lives, including our homes and cars. For work, education, or personal fulfillment, computing has increased dramatically. The need for an educated workforce is expanding as technology devices become smaller, faster, and more powerful. We can teach students how to use math, logic, and computational thinking, a problem-solving process that allows the functionality of computing devices as part of innovative solutions. Teachers who receive professional development and resources to incorporate computational thinking can enhance problem-solving activities in all curriculum areas. Different instructional methods support the knowledge for problem-solving processes using computational thinking. Strategies to implement computational thinking in all subject areas are critical to pedagogical success. Providing teachers professional development for ongoing in-service is an area for future research

Lessons from Leaders: Mainstreaming corporate valuations of impacts and dependencies on nature

Historically, business practices have negatively affected the natural environment. Many environmental problems originated from businesses’ view of nature as a source of cheap inputs. Moreover, businesses haven’t accounted for negative environmental impacts on “natural capital” (e.g. water, forests, pollination, etc.) from manufacturing, pollution, toxic waste, shipping, and transportation. Given that “you can’t manage what you don’t measure,” various organizations are developing models and metrics to quantify business impacts on natural capital, and leading businesses are forging ahead with financial valuations. For example, the Kering Group displays their natural capital valuations through an interactive “Environmental Profit and Loss” calculator, displaying global environmental impacts in Euros. Despite the compelling logic of accounting for impacts on nature, few businesses do so. Our research conducted through in-depth interviews with businesses, NGOs, consultants, and others highlights the array of motives behind these companies’ efforts, as well as the challenges they have overcome. In addition, our research demonstrates that valuations of natural capital affect decision making in powerful and unexpected ways

Modular Open-Source Software for Item Factor Analysis

This article introduces an item factor analysis (IFA) module for OpenMx, a free, open-source, and modular statistical modeling package that runs within the R programming environment on GNU/Linux, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows. The IFA module offers a novel model specification language that is well suited to programmatic generation and manipulation of models. Modular organization of the source code facilitates the easy addition of item models, item parameter estimation algorithms, optimizers, test scoring algorithms, and fit diagnostics all within an integrated framework. Three short example scripts are presented for fitting item parameters, latent distribution parameters, and a multiple group model. The availability of both IFA and structural equation modeling in the same software is a step toward the unification of these two methodologies.Yeshttps://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/manuscript-submission-guideline

A Late Cretaceous true polar wander oscillation

True polar wander (TPW), or planetary reorientation, is well documented for other planets and moons and for Earth at present day with satellites, but testing its prevalence in Earth’s past is complicated by simultaneous motions due to plate tectonics. Debate has surrounded the existence of Late Cretaceous TPW ca. 84 million years ago (Ma). Classic palaeomagnetic data from the Scaglia Rossa limestone of Italy are the primary argument against the existence of ca. 84 Ma TPW. Here we present a new high-resolution palaeomagnetic record from two overlapping stratigraphic sections in Italy that provides evidence for a ~12° TPW oscillation from 86 to 78 Ma. This observation represents the most recent large-scale TPW documented and challenges the notion that the spin axis has been largely stable over the past 100 million years

The relationship between the insulin-like growth factor-1 axis, weight loss, an inflammation-based score and survival in patients with inoperable non-small cell lung cancer

<b>Background & aims:</b> The involvement of a systemic inflammatory response, as evidenced by the Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS), is associated with weight loss and poor outcome in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. There is good evidence that nutritional and functional decline in patients with advanced malignant disease is associated with catabolic changes in metabolism. However, defects in anabolism may also contribute towards nutritional decline in patients with cancer. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between IGF-1 and IGFBP-3, performance status, mGPS and survival in patients with inoperable NSCLC. <b>Methods:</b> 56 patients with inoperable NSCLC were studied. The plasma concentrations of IGF-1, IGFBP-3 and leptin were measured using ELISA and RIA. <b>Results:</b> The patients were predominantly male (61%), over 60 years old (80%), with advanced (stage III or IV) disease (98%), with a BMI≥20 (84%), an ECOG-ps of 0 or 1 (79%), a haemoglobin (59%) and white cell count (79%) in the reference range. On follow-up 43 patients died of their cancer. On univariate analysis, BMI (p<0.05), Stage (p<0.05), ECOG-ps (p<0.05), haemoglobin (p<0.05), white cell count (p<0.05) and mGPS (p<0.05) were associated with cancer specific survival. There was no association between age, sex, treatment, IGF-1, IGFBP-3, IGF-1:IGFBP-3 ratio, or leptin and cancer specific survival. With an increasing mGPS concentrations of haemoglobin (p<0.005) and IGFBP-3 (p<0.05) decreased. mGPS was not associated with either IGF-1(p>0.20), or leptin (p>0.20). <b>Conclusions:</b> In summary, the results of this study suggest that anabolism (IGF-1 axis) does not play a significant role in the relationship between nutritional and functional decline, systemic inflammation and poor survival in patients with inoperable NSCLC

Structural, item, and test generalizability of the psychopathology checklist - revised to offenders with intellectual disabilities

The Psychopathy Checklist–Revised (PCL-R) is the most widely used measure of psychopathy in forensic clinical practice, but the generalizability of the measure to offenders with intellectual disabilities (ID) has not been clearly established. This study examined the structural equivalence and scalar equivalence of the PCL-R in a sample of 185 male offenders with ID in forensic mental health settings, as compared with a sample of 1,212 male prisoners without ID. Three models of the PCL-R’s factor structure were evaluated with confirmatory factor analysis. The 3-factor hierarchical model of psychopathy was found to be a good fit to the ID PCL-R data, whereas neither the 4-factor model nor the traditional 2-factor model fitted. There were no cross-group differences in the factor structure, providing evidence of structural equivalence. However, item response theory analyses indicated metric differences in the ratings of psychopathy symptoms between the ID group and the comparison prisoner group. This finding has potential implications for the interpretation of PCL-R scores obtained with people with ID in forensic psychiatric settings

Association between cognitive performance and cortical glucose metabolism in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease

Background: Neuronal and synaptic function in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is measured in vivo by glucose metabolism using positron emission tomography (PET). Objective: We hypothesized that neuronal activation as measured by PET is a more sensitive index of neuronal dysfunction than activity during rest. We investigated if the correlations between dementia severity as measured with the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and glucose metabolism are an artifact of brain atrophy. Method: Glucose metabolism was measured using {[}F-18]fluorodeoxyglucose PET during rest and activation due to audiovisual stimulation in 13 mild to moderate AD patients (MMSE score >= 17). PET data were corrected for brain atrophy. Results: In the rest condition, glucose metabolism was correlated with the MMSE score primarily within the posterior cingulate and parietal lobes. For the activation condition, additional correlations were within the primary and association audiovisual areas. Most local maxima remained significant after correcting for brain atrophy. Conclusion: PET activity measured during audiovisual stimulation was more sensitive to functional alterations in glucose metabolism in AD patients compared to the resting PET. The association between glucose metabolism and MMSE score was not dependent on brain atrophy. Copyright (C) 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel

Adaptation of a microbial detection array as a monitoring tool revealed the presence 2 of mosquito-borne viruses and insect-specific viruses in field-collected mosquitoes

Several mosquito-borne diseases affecting humans are emerging or re-emerging in the United States. The early detection of pathogens in mosquito populations is essential to prevent and control the spread of these diseases. In this study, we tested the potential applicability of the Lawrence Livermore Microbial Detection Array (LLMDA) to enhance bio-surveillance by detecting microbes present in Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus and Culex mosquitoes that are major vector species globally, including in Texas. The sensitivity and reproducibility of the LLMDA was tested in mosquito samples spiked with different concentrations of dengue virus (DENV) revealing a detection limit of \u3e100 but \u3c1000 pfu/mL. Additionally, field-collected mosquitoes from Chicago, Illinois and College Station, Texas of known infection status (West Nile virus (WNV) and Culex flavivirus (CxFLAV) positive) were tested on the LLMDA to confirm its efficiency. Mosquito field samples of unknown infection status, collected in San Antonio, TX and the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV), TX were run on the LLMDA and further confirmed by PCR or qPCR. The analysis of the field samples with the LLMDA revealed the presence of cell fusing agent virus (CFAV) in Ae. aegypti populations. Wolbachia was also detected in several of the field samples (Ae. albopictus and Culex spp.) by the LLMDA. Our findings demonstrated that the LLMDA can be used to detect multiple arboviruses of public health importance including viruses that belong to the Flavivirus, Alphavirus and Orthobunyavirus genera. Additionally, insect-specific viruses and bacteria were also detected from field-collected mosquitoes. Another strength of this array is its ability to detect multiple viruses in the same mosquito pool allowing for the detection of co-circulating pathogens in an area, and the identification of potential ecological associations between different viruses. This array can aid in the bio-surveillance of mosquito borne viruses circulating in specific geographical areas

Measuring and Predicting Individual Differences in Executive Functions at 14 Months: A Longitudinal Study.

This study of 195 (108 boys) children seen twice during infancy (Time 1: 4.12 months; Time 2: 14.42 months) aimed to investigate the associations between and infant predictors of executive function (EF) at 14 months. Infants showed high levels of compliance with the EF tasks at 14 months. There was little evidence of cohesion among EF tasks but simple response inhibition was related to performance on two other EF tasks. Infant attention (but not parent-rated temperament) at 4 months predicted performance on two of the four EF tasks at 14 months. Results suggest that EF skills build on simpler component skills such as attention and response inhibition.ESR