Benefits of Montessori Pedagogy for Special Needs Students

This senior capstone explores the benefits of Montessori pedagogy for special needs students. This research collects the experiences of Montessori and special needs teachers from the San Benito area. Along with the field research, my findings have indicated the benefits of the materials and environment of a Montessori classroom for special needs students. This study shows that the integration of Montessori pedagogy for special needs students proves beneficial in their academic and emotional development and a need to recognize alternative educational styles and their benefits for special needs students. To conclude by bringing light to Montessori pedagogy as a teaching style there are many benefits for a student’s development academically and socio-emotionally

An Analysis of Early Globalization: The Introduction of the Utilization of Incense and Scents in Japan and the Influence from the Eastern World

The precursors toward the establishment of the Japanese ceremony of incense appreciation called Kōdō have been documented since Japan’s book of creation, the Nihon Shoki. Similar to Sadō, the Japanese ceremony of tea drinking, Kōdō has been an integral part of Japanese culture, being used by figureheads that shaped Japan into the amalgamation of the country it is now, such as Prince Shotoku during the sixth and seventh centuries. Even today, Kōdō is still being practiced, and the fundamentals behind it are still used in ceremonies and practices that are integral parts of Japanese culture and society. Despite this, Kōdō is far less recognized throughout Japan and the United States as Sadō. While this is a well-known fact, the reason why is not as commonly understood. Information from many first and second-hand sources has been gathered and laid out in order to concretely figure out why that is, in addition to explaining the cultural and societal significance of the art, and why the understanding of it should be more disseminated throughout Japan and the United States. Through this, the impact other countries’ cultures had on the foundation and usage of incense in Japan will also be further explained. Ultimately, the conclusion of this thesis will prove why the dissemination of Kōdō has been such an integral part to the development of many modern customs and cultural practices throughout Japan. It will additionally show why the further dissemination of Kōdō throughout the rest of the world will further the understanding of Japanese cultural by non-Japanese citizens

The Social Interaction of Mainstreamed High School Students: An Ethnographic Inquiry

This ethnographic study examined the social interaction of mainstreamed and nondisabled learners at McArthur High School. The researcher studied the relationship between social interaction and context and the meanings held by McArthur students and teachers. Participant observation, structured and unstructured interviews, and artifact collection were the methods used to obtain these descriptions. The study was divided into three phases, each focused on a specific component of social interaction: peer interaction, reported standards which shape interaction, and standards negotiated in action, standards in action. For each of the phases, descriptions were provided and comparisons were made between mainstreamed and nondisabled learners. In Phase One (Peer Interaction), various types of peer interaction were identified. Mainstreamed and nondisabled learners were found to be similarly engaged in noninteraction, entertainment, ridicule, criticism, and praise. Some differences were noted. More mainstreamed learners were involved in helping with schoolwork and sharing possessions. A comparison was made of the peer interaction of target mainstreamed learners in regular and resource class settings. Target students tended to be more outgoing and talkative in resource settings. Since peer interaction was embedded in context, salient contextual variables were explicated. In Phase Two, the standards students reported they used in judging social interaction were examined. Findings demonstrated that both groups of learners were similar in their reported standards. Standards were categorized as Idealized Do\u27s, Negotiable Do\u27s and Don\u27t\u27s, and Unconditional Don\u27t\u27s. Most of the reported standards belonged in the negotiable category. In Phase Three, Standards in Action, the reported standards were verified with observations. Elements essential to the negotiation of standards were identified. Comparisons of standards in action between mainstreamed and nondisabled learners yielded more similarities than differences. Similarities consisted of aggressive acts and threats, getting on someone\u27s case, acting goofy, bragging, mixing with people from other groups, acting twofaced, and acting snobby. Differences involved a higher percentage of mainstreamed learners who joked about social taboos and offensive topics; more mainstreamed students were also criticized for acting goody-goody. In conclusion, few differences were found between the interaction and standards of mainstreamed and nondisabled learners. The findings contradict the notion that mainstreamed students are socially deficient

Casa de la Solidaridad: A Pedagogy of Solidarity

Casa de la Solidaridad has been recognized as an innovative and effective educational model within Jesuit higher education yet, until now, there have only been verbal presentations of the unique attributes of the Casa de la Solidaridad model. In addition, there has been a lack of information regarding the influence of the Casa experience on the lives of alumni. The purpose of this study was twofold: 1) to thoroughly describe and document the unique attributes of the Casa de la Solidaridad model, and 2) to provide some insight into how the Casa program has influenced the lives of Casa alumni. This mixed method study gathered both qualitative and quantitative data in order to answer the research questions. A qualitative case study was conducted in order to document and describe the unique attributes of the Casa de la Solidaridad educational model. Survey research investigated qualitatively and quantitatively how the Casa experience has influenced the lives of Casa alumni. This research demonstrated that the Casa de la Solidaridad educational model fosters well-educated solidarity. This was evidenced not only by the students\u27 written responses but also by how they are living their lives. In addition, the findings demonstrated that the Casa model successfully supported students\u27 exploration of their spirituality, something that is vital to Jesuit higher education, and influenced their vocational decisions in ways that kept students connected to people suffering from the effects of poverty. It is recommended, therefore, that leaders in Jesuit higher education explore ways they can leverage the large and robust international network of Jesuit colleges and universities and create a sustainable network of Casa programs

On The Reputation Of The California, Michigan And New Jersey Supreme Courts

This thesis examines Horizontal Federalism and Policy Dissemination in a federal system by analyzing the state supreme courts of California, Michigan and New Jersey during various terms in their history, using a unique form of citation analysis that builds upon prior efforts. I want to see what, if anything, a raw citation count says about prestige or reputation. For example, what types of cases are cited? Are they followed, not followed, or part of a dissent or concurrence? Are cases expanding the rights of the criminally accused cited frequently by sister courts? The normative literature associates prestige with expanding the rights of criminal suspects using state constitutions. (The New Judicial Federalism) Similarly, reputation and prestige are also associated with high citation counts by sister courts. My first objective is to determine what is actually being cited and why and my second purpose is to ascertain whether decisions expanding the rights of criminal suspects are more frequently cited than other types of cases. If prestige and the New Judicial Federalism are closely associated, and high citation counts denote prestige, then it follows that a large percentage of citations by sister courts would be to such decisions. I conclude that, contrary to expectations, decisions involving the New Judicial Federalism only constitute a small percentage of positive citations by sister courts and in many cases are negative. The most likely explanation appears to be the method of judicial selection and the level of a given state Supreme Court\u27s accountability to the public

MEASURING HISTORICAL RISK IN QUARTERLY MILK PRICES

Various methods have been used to estimate risk indices with historical data. An industry perception of increasing milk price risk over time provides a standard for evaluating several techniques used to measure historical risk. Risk measures from a regression model and an ARIMA model were consistent with the perception of increasing risk.Risk and Uncertainty,

Molecular components underlying nongenomic thyroid hormone signaling in embryonic zebrafish neurons

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Neurodevelopment requires thyroid hormone, yet the mechanisms and targets of thyroid hormone action during embryonic stages remain ill-defined. We previously showed that the thyroid hormone thyroxine (T4) rapidly increases voltage-gated sodium current in zebrafish Rohon-Beard cells (RBs), a primary sensory neuron subtype present during embryonic development. Here, we determined essential components of the rapid T4 signaling pathway by identifying the involved intracellular messengers, the targeted sodium channel isotype, and the spatial and temporal expression pattern of the nongenomic αVβ3 integrin T4 receptor.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We first tested which signaling pathways mediate T4's rapid modulation of sodium current (I_Na) by perturbing specific pathways associated with nongenomic thyroid hormone signaling. We found that pharmacological blockade of protein phosphatase 1 and the mitogen-activated protein kinase p38 isoform decreased and increased tonic sodium current amplitudes, respectively, and blockade of either occluded rapid responses to acute T4 application. We next tested for the ion channel target of rapid T4 signaling via morpholino knock-down of specific sodium channel isotypes. We found that selective knock-down of the sodium channel α-subunit Na_v1.6a, but not Na_v1.1la, occluded T4's acute effects. We also determined the spatial and temporal distribution of a nongenomic T4 receptor, integrin αVβ3. At 24 hours post fertilization (hpf), immunofluorescent assays showed no specific integrin αVβ3 immunoreactivity in wild-type zebrafish embryos. However, by 48 hpf, embryos expressed integrin αVβ3 in RBs and primary motoneurons. Consistent with this temporal expression, T4 modulated RB I_Naat 48 but not 24 hpf. We next tested whether T4 rapidly modulated I_Naof caudal primary motoneurons, which express the receptor (αVβ3) and target (Na_v1.6a) of rapid T4 signaling. In response to T4, caudal primary motoneurons rapidly increased sodium current peak amplitude 1.3-fold.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>T4's nongenomic regulation of sodium current occurs in different neuronal subtypes, requires the activity of specific phosphorylation pathways, and requires both integrin αVβ3 and Na_v1.6a. Our <it>in vivo </it>analyses identify molecules required for T4's rapid regulation of voltage-gated sodium current.</p

Secrets Along the Niagara; The Underground Railroad in Western New York; 1999

https://digitalcommons.buffalostate.edu/ur-research/1028/thumbnail.jp

Gas Pulsation Control by a Shunt Pulsation Trap with Perforated Tubes and an Optional Absorptive Silencer

This paper is a continuing work from the same authors on the same topic of gas pulsation control using a shunt pulsation trap method by Huang (2012a, 2014). Traditionally, a serial pulsation dampener/muffler, often a reactive type, is connected AFTER the discharge of a positive displacement compressor or engine. It is capable of reducing pressure pulsation level up to 10-20 folds or 20-40 dB but is bulky and suffers sizable back pressure losses. It has been demonstrated in the previous theoretical and experimental investigations by Huang (2012a, 2014) that gas pulsations can be as effectively controlled by an alternative method, shunt pulsation trap (SPT) of a parallel configuration, which is more compact and tackles the gas pulsations BEFORE the compressor or engine discharge, hence not suffering any back pressure losses. However, it is observed that the dampening element inside SPT by a perforated plate (p-plate) induces a severe “drum effect†with enhanced vibration and noise. This paper investigates experimentally the effect of a new dampening element inside the SPT by using circular perforated tubes (p-tubes) with minimum trap volume. It is found that p-tubes can effectively resolve the adverse “drum effect†of p-plate with improved pulsation/vibration/noise reduction. Furthermore, the use of an absorption type silencer is beneficial to further reduce noise level by 10-15 dB in addition to the p-tubes under Exhauster and Blower modes. However, this type of silencer will not have the sizable back pressure drop associated with reaction type silencers and therefore will not affect system efficiency. The integration of absorptive silencer into a p-tube based SPT would provide an optimal design choice for size/weight and pulsation/noise reduction, energy saving and for improving equipment fatigue life. The potentials for applying the SPT to screw and scroll compressors are enormous in the future since a significant portion of their operation is under off-design conditions of either an under-compression (UC) or over-compression (OC)