THE PREDICTIVE VALUE OF THE MAZE AND ORAL READING FLUENCY MEASURES FOR STUDENTS WITH AND WITHOUT EBD

The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of curriculum based measures using the oral reading fluency measure (ORF) of the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) and the maze measures of the Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading (FAIR) to predict the success of third and fourth grade students both with and without emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). Knowledge of valid and early predictors of student performance on high stakes assessments is critical in the identification and instructional planning of students who require early intervention in order to support their academic success. Method Archival assessment data across a two year period were collected from a convenience sample of students with EBD (n = 55) and a comparison group of students without EBD (n = 55) matched across ethnicity, socio-economic status, gender and age in order to control for differential selection. All participants (N =110) were enrolled in several suburban public elementary schools in southwest Florida. t-values were used to examine mean differences between both student groups. Additionally, correlational and multiple regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between the ORF and maze measures with the developmental scale score in reading on the FCAT and with specific demographic variables to determine which assessment was a better predictor of FCAT success for students with and without EBD. Major Findings The results of the study indicated that a significant difference in scores existed for all assessments for students with EBD when compared to their peers without EBD (with t values ranging from -3.110, p \u3c .05 to -5.565, p \u3c .001). Correlations of ORF and maze measures with the FCAT were significant for both populations, suggesting a high level of predictability of student performance for both assessments (r values ranging from .447 to .695, p \u3c .001). The results of multiple linear regression analyses demonstrated both ORF and maze measures can be used with some accuracy to predict success on the FCAT for students with and without EBD while the demographic variables of ethnicity, socio-economic status, and gender did not significantly contribute to the model. Overall, the ORF measures appeared to be a stronger and more stable predictor of success for students with EBD

Fully automatic hp-adaptivity for acoustic and electromagnetic scattering in three dimensions

textWe present an algorithm for fully automatic hp-adaptivity for finite element approximations of elliptic and Maxwell boundary value problems in three dimensions. The algorithm automatically generates a sequence of coarse grids, and a corresponding sequence of fine grids, such that the energy norm of error decreases exponentially with respect to the number of degrees of freedom in either sequence. At each step, we employ a discrete optimization algorithm to determine the refinements for the current coarse grid such that the projection-based interpolation error for the current fine grid solution decreases with an optimal rate with respect to the number of degrees of freedom added by the refinement. The refinements are restricted only by the requirement that the resulting mesh is at most 1-irregular, but they may be anisotropic in both element size h and order of approximation p. While we cannot prove that our method converges at all, we present numerical evidence of exponential convergence for a diverse suite of model problems from acoustic and electromagnetic scattering. In particular we show that our method is well suited to the automatic resolution of exterior problems truncated by the introduction of a perfectly matched layer. To enable and accelerate the solution of these problems on commodity hardware, we include a detailed account of three critical aspects of our implementations, namely an efficient implementations of sum factorization, several interfaces to the direct multi-frontal solver MUMPS, and some fast direct solvers for the computation of a sequence of nested projections.Computational Science, Engineering, and MathematicsComputational and Applied Mathematic

Improving Surface Mass Balance Over Ice Sheets and Snow Depth on Sea Ice

Surface mass balance (SMB) over ice sheets and snow on sea ice (SOSI) are important components of the cryosphere. Large knowledge gaps remain in scientists' abilities to monitor SMB and SOSI, including insufficient measurements and difficulties with satellite retrievals. On ice sheets, snow accumulation is the sole mass gain to SMB, and meltwater runoff can be the dominant single loss factor in extremely warm years such as 2012. SOSI affects the growth and melt cycle of the Earth's polar sea ice cover. The summer of 2012 saw the largest satellite-recorded melt area over the Greenland ice sheet and the smallest satellite-recorded Arctic sea ice extent, making this meeting both timely and relevant

Cálculo de Dosimetría Mediante Elementos Finitos con Adaptabilidad Automática hp en Tres Dimensiones

In this communication the effect of the electromagnetic radiation on in vitro cell cultures is analyzed using a self-adaptive hp-Finite Element Method (hp-FEM) in three dimensions. Computer dosimetry is a challenging problem as it involves complex geometries with high contrast electromagnetic materials. hp-FEM produces exponential convergence rates in terms of the energy-norm error of the solution against the problem size (number of degrees of freedom), even in the presence of singularities. Thus, accurate electromagnetic solutions of complex problems, as computer dosimetry for in vitro experiments, can be obtained. Furthermore, the use of self-adaptive techniques provides solutions, with a user pre-specified degree of accuracy from a initial very coarse mesh without any a priori knowledge of the problem solutio

The Effect of Serostatus on HIV Risk Behaviour Change among Women Sex Workers in Miami, Florida

HIV prevention and risk reduction are especially salient and timely issues for women, particularly among those who are drug-involved or who exchange sex for drugs or money. Studies suggest that HIV-prevention measures can be effective with highly vulnerable women, and have the potential to produce significant reductions in risk behaviours among both HIV-negative and HIV-positive women. Within this context, this paper examines risk behaviours and HIV serostatus among 407 drug-involved women sex workers in Miami, Florida, and investigates the effects of participation in HIV testing, counselling, and a risk-reduction intervention on subsequent behavioural change among this population. Overall, at follow-up, the HIV-positive women were 2.4 times more likely than the HIV-negative women to have entered residential treatment for drug abuse, 2.2 times more likely to have decreased the number of their sex partners, 1.9 times more likely to have decreased the frequency of unprotected sex, 1.9 times more likely to have reduced their levels of alcohol use, and 2.3 times more likely to have decreased their crack use. These data support the importance of HIV testing and risk-reduction programmes for drug-involved women sex workers

The Connections of Mental Health Problems, Violent Life Experiences and the Social Milieu of the \u27Stroll\u27 with the HIV Risk Behaviors of Female Street Sex Workers

This paper examines the connections of mental health, victimization, and sexual risk behaviors among a sample of 278 street-based female sex workers in Miami. Using targeted sampling strategies, drug-using sex workers were recruited into an HIV prevention research program. Data were collected by trained interviewers, and focused on drug use and sexual risk for HIV, childhood abuse, recent victimization, and mental health. More than half of the participants reported histories of physical (51.1%) or sexual (53.1%) abuse as children, 37.4% were classified with moderate or severe anxiety symptoms, and 52.9% had symptoms of moderate or severe depression. Logistic regression analyses demonstrated significant associations between mental health issues and engagement in recent unprotected vaginal and oral sex. The program development and policy implications of these findings are discussed

A Class of Eccentric Binaries with Dynamic Tidal Distortions Discovered with Kepler

We have discovered a class of eccentric binary systems within the Kepler data archive that have dynamic tidal distortions and tidally-induced pulsations. Each has a uniquely shaped light curve that is characterized by periodic brightening or variability at time scales of 4-20 days, frequently accompanied by shorter period oscillations. We can explain the dominant features of the entire class with orbitally-varying tidal forces that occur in close, eccentric binary systems. The large variety of light curve shapes arises from viewing systems at different angles. This hypothesis is supported by spectroscopic radial velocity measurements for five systems, each showing evidence of being in an eccentric binary system. Prior to the discovery of these 17 new systems, only four stars, where KOI-54 is the best example, were known to have evidence of these dynamic tides and tidally-induced oscillations. We perform preliminary fits to the light curves and radial velocity data, present the overall properties of this class and discuss the work required to accurately model these systems.Comment: 13 pages, submitted to Ap

Overall Objectives

Perform an independent assessment of technology in “real-world ” operation conditions, focusing on fuel cell systems and hydrogen infrastructure Leverage data processing and analysis capabilities developed under the Fuel Cell Vehicle Learning Demonstration Support market growth through reporting on technology status to key stakeholders and performing analyses relevant to the markets ’ value proposition Study fuel cell systems operating in material handling equipment (MHE), backup power, portable power, and stationary power applications; the project includes approximately 1,000 deployed fuel cell systems Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 Objectives Conduct quarterly analysis of operation and maintenance data for fuel cell systems and hydrogen infrastructure (x4) Prepare bi-annual technical composite data products (x2) Publish interim draft report of status and performance of fuel cell MHE and backup power systems Complete performance analyses on durability, reliability, and infrastructure utilizatio