CRT And Educational Equity: Professional Development At The High School Level

The research question addressed in this project was, how can I create professional development designed to help teachers implement culturally responsive pedagogy in the classroom? It documents one teacher’s creation of a 20 week, 10 module, professional development surrounding the topic of culturally responsive teaching. The project and paper integrate combined knowledge of culturally responsive teaching, best practices for teaching adults, best practices for enacting effective professional development, as well as instructions for deep and thoughtful reflection. The author documents the details of the creation of the professional development sessions as well as the literature and research methods involved. She discusses both the successes and the struggles of implementing professional development focused on CRT and concludes that all teachers are capable of moving forward on the continuum of cultural responsiveness through dedication and honest reflection

The Reality of Role-Playing Games: How Players Construct Reality through Language

Role-playing games have a unique structure and exist in multiple mediums. Although some research is available on communication in computer mediated role-playing games, little exists on communication practices in tabletop role-playing games. In my research, I reviewed existing scholarly literature on tabletop role-playing games, as well as theory on the role language plays in constructing reality. I conducted passive participant observation on a group of people playing Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. By applying theory to my ethnographic research, I demonstrated how players constructed a collective reality through communication. Players did this by demonstrating their own enthrallment with the game and by sharing a language code

The Firm-Perceived Contingencies to Political Strategy

Because assumptions that firm decisions to manage external politics revolve around traditional resources and capabilities (e.g., capital, technology) impede environmental management theories, this research explores additional antecedents, i.e., perceived uncertainty, firm political infrastructure. Study One qualitative data support ideas related to management as a matter of a firm’s perceptually constructed environment among deterministic firms. Study Two quantitative data find a strategic choice firm orientation is developed through management structures (e.g., specialized staff, routines), despite post-hoc analyses confirming both firm types operate in similar environments. Combined, these studies disconfirm traditional resources as a driver of firm political activity. Moreover, Study Two confirms a sequence so that firm political action is driven (hindered) by infrastructure (uncertainty), not vice versa. These results also imply that public policy drafters can segment the market by firm political infrastructure to efficiently account for various levels of firm political response to such policy

Enkätstudie om kvalitetsbedömning för svenska varmblodiga hästar

A survey about Riding Horse Quality Test for Swedish Warmblood horses. In Sweden, there is a field performance test for four-year-old Swedish Warmblood horses (SWB) called Riding Horse Quality Test (RHQT). Five-year-old broodmares are also allowed to participate. The records from the test are used for estimating breeding values and to select good horses for breeding. In 2016, the participation in RHQT reached the lowest level since the start in 1973, when only 169 horses participated. A reduced number of tested horses in RHQT could slow down the genetic progress of SWB since less information will be available about young horses to make accurate estimations of breeding values and select good mares and stallions for breeding. The aim of this study was to investigate why the participation in the RHQT has been reduced and if, and how, horse owners want to test their young horses in the future. The study was performed as an open web-based survey and everyone that was interested could participate. In total, there were 30 questions about the respondents’ thoughts and experiences of RHQT. The respondents were also asked to evaluate different suggestions for possible changes of the test. There was a large interest and the survey got 836 responses. The results from the study can help the Swedish warmblood association to make changes to increase the interest and participation in the test. The results of this study showed that the respondents have been content with the RHQT the past eleven years. With this said, there was an interest in attending in RHQT but not in the same way as the test is designed today. According to the respondents, the most wanted changes were that the test should welcome both three-, four- and five-year-old horses, that horse owners get to choose discipline to show their horse in and that the test should be spread out throughout the year so horse owners get more than one chance to get an evaluation of their four- or five-year-old horse. In 2017, SWB has introduced some changes that were desired by the participations of this study and more suggestions are under discussion based on the results of this study

Exploring the Potential for Achieving Self-determined Community Economic Development in Nunavut: An Examination of the Government of Nunavut’s Economic Development Strategies

Self-determined political and economic structures can nurture local capacity for adaptive response to a rapidly changing climate and economy. What level of potential for creating such structures is contained within Nunavut’s economic development strategies? In order to explore this topic, this investigation aimed to 1) identify the goals of Nunavut’s economic development strategies, 2) determine whether the goals are currently achievable, and 3) describe how the contents of the economic development strategies compare to what the literature says will produce community wellbeing. The five economic development strategy documents produced by the Government of Nunavut’s Department of Economic Development and Transportation were chosen for analysis. This investigation focused on the challenge of attaining sustainable community economic development within the context of a neo-colonial economic and political regime. A directed content analysis was conducted. This analysis utilized the Harvard Project’s nation-building framework as a foundation and then expanded upon it to represent new themes that emerged from the documents. A second level analysis was undertaken to examine the implementation plans in each strategy. This research produces valuable baseline information regarding current territorial level economic goals and plans, which will influence local capacity for adaptation and self-determination

Mobilizing Toxins for Cancer Treatment: Historical Perspectives and Current Strategies.

The level of complexity in a disease like cancer presents a number of challenges for effective treatment development, which require significant innovation to overcome [...]

Physical Activity Levels and Depressive Disorder: A Cross-Sectional Sample of Vermont Adults

Objective: To investigate the association between meeting physical activity (PA) recommendations and having ever been told of having a depressive disorder in a cross-sectional sample of Vermont adults. Methods: Study participants (n = 11,429) were Vermont residents that had answered all required questions from 2015 and 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) telephone surveys. Descriptive and binary logistic analyses were run with PA as the exposure variable and depression as the outcome variable. Results: Study participants were 44.5% males; 93.2% white/non-Hispanic; 67.6% with some college or more; 46% age 60 or over; 45.8% employed for wages and retired. A significant association between PA and depression was observed (0.669, 0.609 – 0.734) when adjusting for sex, age, employment status, education level, alcohol consumption, current diabetes status, and smoking status. However, a significant association was not observed for educational level (1.011, 0.963 – 1.062) or race (0.893, 0.734 – 1.087). Conclusions: Our study found that there is an association between meeting the PA recommendations and having ever been told you have depression

Assessment and Diagnostic Practices Relating to Autism Spectrum Disorder in the United States and Mexico

Purpose: The present study examined and compared professional assessment and diagnostic practices relating to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Mexico and the United States (U.S.). This information is of great importance because there is an extremely limited amount of information pertaining the assessment and diagnostic practices for ASD in Mexico and little is known about how these practices compare to those in the U.S. Methods: Archival data from a survey investigating ASD in the U.S. and Mexico was used for this study. Participants included 29 professionals from the U.S. and 7 professionals from Mexico. Professionals were from a variety of different occupations, but all reported to be involved in the diagnosis of ASD. Results: In both Mexico and the U.S., most professionals reported use of similar ASD related assessment and diagnostic practices, and ASD related assessment and diagnostic practices were frequently in alignment with current best practices recommendations. However, there were professionals from both Mexico and the U.S. that reported use of diagnostic tools and practices that did not adhere to recommendations, such as, use of outdated versions of the DSM, diagnosis of ASD individually, and evaluation of individuals in one setting. Conclusion: An understanding of the assessment and diagnostic practices currently being used in Mexico and in the U.S. provides both researchers and clinicians with a better understanding of what is being implemented by different professionals. Additionally, an understanding of the assessment and diagnostic practices for ASD in Mexico is of particular importance for professionals practicing in the U.S. as most immigrants in the U.S are from Mexico therefore it is likely professionals in the U.S. will encounter patients on their caseloads that received diagnoses of ASD in Mexico

A chronic, non-healing, ulcerative and proliferative lesion revealed to be squamous cell carcinoma in a camel

A 20-year-old, male, neutered camel presented with an 8-month history of a proliferative and ulcerated cush pad lesion refractory to topical wound management. The referring veterinarian performed a punch biopsy to further investigate the tissue; findings were consistent with granulation tissue. The patient was referred to University of Tennessee Farm Animal Medicine and Surgery service for additional diagnostics, surgical debridement and intensive wound care. The camel underwent surgical debridement of the lesion, and histopathology was consistent with a squamous cell carcinoma. Bloodwork revealed a severe non-regenerative anaemia and leukocytosis suspected to be paraneoplastic changes. During hospitalisation, it was identified that the patient suffered from a subluxated fetlock of the left front limb and a fully dropped fetlock of the front right limb due to compensatory over-weightbearing. Due to poor prognosis of the aggressive squamous cell carcinoma associated with a severe anaemia and concomitant musculoskeletal disease, humane euthanasia was elected