Startups working with venture capital firms perform the best

VCS are better advisers, argue Emily Cox Pahnke, Riitta Katila and Kathleen Eisenhard

Textile Properties of Men’s Chino Pants: Does Price Matter?

Samantha Castro is an undergraduate student in the School of Human Ecology at Louisiana Tech University. Emily Granger is an undergraduate student in the School of Human Ecology at Louisiana Tech University. Ashley Cox is an undergraduate student in Marketing at Louisiana Tech University. Kathleen Heiden is an Associate Professor in the School of Human Ecology at Louisiana Tech University

Characterisation of two dimensional nanomaterials produced via spontaneous liquid exfoliation

Developing scalable nanomaterial production methods is necessary for realising nanomaterial commercialisation. In principle, production via Liquid Phase Exfoliation satisfies this need. However, techniques reliant on energy input damage the material via mechanical stress, yielding suspensions of multi-layer stacks, stable only for days, and necessitating centrifugation for manipulation. An alternative, emerging technique relies upon the charging of material to allow spontaneous dissolution of pristine 2d nanomaterials. Here this is explored for pnictogen chalcogenide layered materials, focusing on unanswered questions relating to the practicality of the method. In this thesis, ion intercalated Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 were dissolved within the aprotic solvents: N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) and dimethylformamide (DMF). Successful exfoliation of undamaged, hexagonal 2d nanomaterials was confirmed. A range of complementary experimental techniques were used including TEM, AFM, and SAXS. From the analysis of thousands of nanosheets it was found that gradual diffusion of nanosheets, as a result of their spontaneous exfoliation, lead to fractionation of nanosheets of differing lateral width throughout the liquid volume without need for centrifugation. Nanosheet lateral dimension was also controlled by stoichiometry of the intercalant metal, with an optimum intercalant stoichiometry of 0.1 < x < 1.5 for Kx. Bi2Te3 for production of pristine nanomaterial. The chemical stability of the solution was investigated in relation to exposure to air, water, and heating, with a focus on tellurium impurities. Using SEM and TEM it was shown that tellurium impurities resulted from the presence of alkali metal polytellurides, which could be minimised by optimising the Kx. Bi2Te3 stoichiometry. However, the existence of nanosheets in a 16 month old solution demonstrates stability of these liquids when handled under inert conditions. Together these results demonstrate that this scalable method allows material manipulation and tailoring of nanosheet dimensions, whilst also giving weight to the argument that the liquids can be described as true thermodynamic solutions

Reading achievement of English language learners in 50/50 and 90/10 two-way dual language programs

My study investigated the effects of two 50/50 and two 90/10 two-way dual language programs on the reading achievement of 76 English Language Learners (ELLs) from the end of third grade to the end of fourth grade. My study used both quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative instruments included the Spanish Reading Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) and the Reading Proficiency Test in English (RPTE) scores. Qualitative instruments included structured interviews with the two-way dual language program coordinators/administrators. The quantitative results of my study showed there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups on the Spanish Reading TAKS by the end of fourth grade. The 50/50 students did make statistically significant gain scores on the Spanish TAKS from the end of third grade to the end of fourth grade, but the 90/10 students did not make statistically significant gains. Both groups were performing above the State averages on scale score and passing rate on the Spanish Reading TAKS. On the RPTE, the results of my study showed there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups by the end of fourth grade. Both the 50/50 and the 90/10 students made significant gain scores on the RPTE from third grade to fourth grade. The 50/50 students made a greater gain on the RPTE than then 90/10 students did. Both groups of dual language ELLs had higher percentages of students in the advanced high rating than the State on the RPTE. The qualitative results showed that several elements were necessary to implement and maintain these two-way dual language programs. These elements included: planning, resources, parental support, qualified teachers, and supportive administrators

The Associations of Autonomy Support and Conceptual Press with Engaged Reading and Conceptual Learning from Text

This study examined the associations of autonomy support and conceptual press, with reading engagement and conceptual learning from text. When students perceive their teacher to be supporting autonomy, it means that student choice, ownership, and personal goals are emphasized. When students perceive their teacher to be supporting conceptual press, it means that the teacher (a) promotes understanding of the substantial principles of a domain; (b) helps students use information integration strategies during reading, such as concept mapping, and (c) promotes persistence on moderately challenging tasks. Based on the self-process model of motivation (Connell &amp; Wellborn, 1990) and an engagement perspective of reading (Baker, Dreher &amp; Guthrie, 2000), it was hypothesized that as students perceived their instruction to be motivating, their reading engagement would increase. In turn, as engaged reading increases, conceptual learning from text would increase. For this investigation, 244 fourth- and fifth-grade students reported their perceptions of their teachers' use of conceptual press and autonomy support in reading instruction. Multifaceted components of reading engagement were measured. Reading engagement was defined as the manifestations of affective, behavioral, and cognitive processes during reading. In addition, participants completed a reading performance assessment in the domain of science designed to measure prior knowledge, strategic reading, and conceptual learning from text. Structural equation modeling was used to compare alternative theoretical models depicting the relations among motivated reading instruction, engaged reading, and conceptual learning from text. The direct effects model had a direct path connecting motivating reading instruction with conceptual learning from text whereas the hypothesized indirect effects model contained an indirect path from motivating reading instruction to conceptual learning from text via engaged reading. Results confirmed the hypothesis that the model including an indirect effect of motivating reading instruction on conceptual learning from text through engaged reading explained the data more fully than a direct effect model. This is consistent with the self-process model of motivation (Connell &amp; Wellborn, 1990). These results have implications for theories of the role of social contexts in engagement and achievement, particularly in the domain of reading, and also suggest ways by which teachers might foster reading engagement among students

Metacognitive Reading Strategy and Emerging Reading Comprehension in Students With Intellectual Disabilities

This article ventures to address the gap in special education practices by providing a metacognitive reading strategy to support the emerging reading comprehension skills of kindergarten students with intellectual disabilities. Historically, students with intellectual disabilities have low reading comprehension skills that can impede their overall academic success. There is a gap in practice regarding the identification and effective use of evidence-based reading comprehension instructional strategies for students with intellectual disabilities. Guided by Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s constructivist theories, the purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of a metacognitive reading strategy on the emerging reading comprehension (ERC) skills of kindergarten students with intellectual disabilities. A single-participant, multiple baseline design with graphical visual analysis was used across four kindergarten students with intellectual disabilities to illustrate the influence of the reading intervention. All four kindergarten students showed increases in their ERC skills after the completion of the intervention. An effect-size statistic was calculated to measure the improvement in percentage rate of correct responses between each participant’s baseline and intervention phase. The effect-size results indicated a 60% to 80% improvement rate difference. Therefore, for these kindergartners, the metacognitive reading strategy significantly increased the ERC skills of the participants. The implications for social change include providing teachers with effective metacognitive instructional strategies for ERC skills and for improving ERC skills among students with intellectual disabilities, thus allowing intellectual disability students greater opportunity to benefit from curriculum and instruction over time