Birdmania: A Remarkable Passion for Birds by Bernd Brunner, Mozart\u27s Starling by Lyanda Lynn Haupt, and Birds Art Life by Kyo Maclear

Review of Bernd Brunner\u27s Birdmania: A Remarkable Passion for Birds, Lyanda Lynn Haupt\u27s Mozart\u27s Starling, and Ky Maclear\u27s Birds Art Life

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): The Definition of Disability

[From Summary] The threshold issue in any Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) case is whether the individual alleging discrimination is an individual with a disability. The ADA definition is a functional one and does not list specific disabilities. It defines the term disability with respect to an individual as (A) a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of such individual; (B) a record of such an impairment; or (C) being regarded as having such an impairment. The Supreme Court in the landmark decision of Sutton v. United Air Lines examined the definition of disability used in the ADA and found that the determination of whether an individual is disabled should be made with reference to measures that mitigate the individual\u27s impairment. This holding and related ones in other Supreme Court decisions have spawned new issues regarding the definition of disability in recent lower court cases. This report will briefly discuss the Supreme Court\u27s opinions and analyze how the lower courts are interpreting the Supreme Court\u27s holdings. It will be updated as appropriate

Reasons for leaving bedside nursing

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University, 1963

The Journey Continues: Ensuring a Cross-Culturally Competent Evaluation

Follows up the 2007 report The Importance of Culture in Evaluation with scenarios of how cross-cultural issues emerge and expert commentary on how to address them. Highlights evaluators' roles in promoting social equity and other considerations

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: Part B Regulations

[Excerpt] The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provides federal funding for the education of children with disabilities and requires, as a condition for the receipt of such funds, the provision of a free appropriate public education (FAPE). The statute also contains detailed due process provisions to ensure the provision of FAPE. On December 1, 2008, the Department of Education (ED) issued a final regulation to “clarify and strengthen current regulations” promulgated under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The areas covered by the regulation include (1) parental revocation of consent after consenting to the initial provision of services; (2) a state’s or local educational agency’s (LEA’s) obligation to make positive efforts to employ qualified individuals with disabilities; (3) representation of parents by non-attorneys in due process hearings; (4) state monitoring, technical assistance, and enforcement of the Part B program; and (5) the allocation of funds, under Sections 611 and 619 of the act, to LEAs that are not serving any children with disabilities. The regulations take effect on December 31, 2008. This report will briefly discuss the issues raised by these changes

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): Comparison and Analysis of Selected Provisions in H.R. 1350 as Passed by the House and by the Senate, 108th Congress

CRS ReportCRSIDEACompare.pdf: 489 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

The construction and administration of a questionnaire on children's reaction to educational television

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston University N.B.: Missing pages 93-111. Possibly misnumbered

Ancient DNA from coral-hosted Symbiodinium reveal a static mutualism over the last 172 years.

Ancient DNA (aDNA) provides powerful evidence for detecting the genetic basis for adaptation to environmental change in many taxa. Among the greatest of changes in our biosphere within the last century is rapid anthropogenic ocean warming. This phenomenon threatens corals with extinction, evidenced by the increasing observation of widespread mortality following mass bleaching events. There is some evidence and conjecture that coral-dinoflagellate symbioses change partnerships in response to changing external conditions over ecological and evolutionary timescales. Until now, we have been unable to ascertain the genetic identity of Symbiodinium hosted by corals prior to the rapid global change of the last century. Here, we show that Symbiodinium cells recovered from dry, century old specimens of 6 host species of octocorals contain sufficient DNA for amplification of the ITS2 subregion of the nuclear ribosomal DNA, commonly used for genotyping within this genus. Through comparisons with modern specimens sampled from similar locales we show that symbiotic associations among several species have been static over the last century, thereby suggesting that adaptive shifts to novel symbiont types is not common among these gorgonians, and perhaps, symbiotic corals in general

Celebrity chefs: class mobility, media, masculinity

There is an unprecedented construction of contemporary celebrity unique to the figure of the chef. This thesis considers the position of chefs in celebrity culture, and the construction of a particular kind of authoritative celebrity identity, with an emphasis on empirical research. I examine the effects of celebrity culture on the work of chefs and in terms of gender, taste, and class. I argue that the commercial kitchen is a space that institutionalises masculinity, and that popular media and celebrity culture augment the process of institutionalisation. This thesis also considers the production of economies of cultural capital across different platforms and in different forms. I position social media as a key site that produces global economies of cultural capital, and that facilitates diverse modes of consumption and production of cultural capital. Celebrity culture has altered the way chefs are perceived by consumers and the media. In response to celebrity culture, chefs’ work has moved outside the kitchen and is becoming increasingly abstract. Intellectual labours enable class and social mobility and articulate taste, positioning celebrity chefs as middle class rather than working class. Celebrity chef culture has created what I call the ‘chef economy’, within which restaurants trade on the brand and celebrity status of their chefs. This thesis provides a close examination of celebrity chef culture, drawing on principles of ethnographic research and one-on-one interviews with chefs who have extensive experience working with popular media and have negotiated celebrity culture in their work. My ethnographic approach and empirical research responds to suggestions for more empirical data in celebrity studies (Ferris 2010; Turner 2010b, 2013). Through developing a multimedia, multi-sited ethnography, in addition to in-depth interviews with chefs, I offer a discussion on the changing nature of celebrity culture and the changing labours of the chef

Psychometric evaluation of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) with Dupuytren's contracture: validity evidence using Rasch modeling

Background Dupuytren’s contracture is a progressive, fibroproliferative disorder that causes fixed finger contractures and can lead to disability. With the advances of new therapeutic interventions, the necessity to assess the functional repercussions of this condition using valid, reliable and sensitive outcome measures is of growing interest. The Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) is one frequently used patient-reported outcome measure but its reliability and validity have never been demonstrated specifically for a population affected with Dupuytren’s contracture. The objective of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the DASH, with focus on validity evidence using the Rasch measurement model. Methods Secondary analysis was performed on data collected as part of a randomised clinical trial. One hundred fifty-three participants diagnosed with Dupuytren’s contracture completed the DASH at four time points (pre-op, 3, 6 and 12 months post-op). Baseline data were analysed using traditional analysis and to test whether they adhered to the expectations of the Rasch model. Post-intervention data were subsequently included and analyzed to determine the effect of the intervention on the items. Results DASH scores demonstrated large ceiling effects at all time points. Initial fit to the Rasch model revealed that the DASH did not adhere to the expectations of the Rasch partial credit model (χ2 = 119.92; p < 0.05). Multiple items displayed inadequate response categories and two items displayed differential item functioning by gender. Items were transformed and one item deleted leading to an adequate fit. Remaining items fit the Rasch model but still do not target well the population under study. Conclusions The original version of the 30-item DASH did not display adequate validity evidence for use in a population with Dupuytren’s contracture. Further development is required to improve the DASH for this population