Reliability and Criterion Validity for Three Potential Algebra Measures

This technical report summarizes the results of a study in which we examined the technical adequacy of three potential algebra measures for progress monitoring. One hundred thirteen students (18 of whom were receiving special education services) completed two forms of a Basic Skills probe, an Algebra Concepts probe, and a Content Analysis probe. In addition, we gathered data on criterion variables including grades, classroom assessment records, teacher ratings, and standardized test scores. We used multiple timing periods for the Basic Skills and Algebra Concepts probes to examine the efficacy of differing durations. We examined both test-retest and alternate form reliability for individual probes of all three types and for aggregated scores from two of the probe types. Criterion validity was examined using correlations between students’ probe scores and their scores from other indicators of algebra proficiency. The results of the study indicate that the Algebra Concepts probe is the most promising of the three measures investigated. It has adequate reliability and demonstrated the strongest correlations with the criterion measures. The Basic Skills probe had lower levels of reliability and more limited relations to the criterion measures (with the exception of the computation subtests of the standardized achievement tests). The Content Analysis probe had the highest levels of reliability among the three probes and moderate to moderately high correlations with several of the criterion measures. Concerns were identified about the difficulty of this probe because a large proportion of the students had scores of 10 or fewer points on the probe. Further research is needed to investigate more appropriate timing duration for the Basic Skills and Algebra Concepts probes. In the current study, the duration of the former was too short, while the duration of the latter was too long. The study should be replicated with additional, and more diverse student populations to determine the generalizability of the findings. Finally, subsequent research should examine the effects of routine progress monitoring on the measures’ stability and sensitivity to growth

Classroom Observation Data for District A: Anecdotal Observation Results

This report documents the results of anecdotal observations conducted in District A during the spring of 2004. It describes the algebra topics addressed during our observations, the expected tasks (class activities), teacher actions, and student actions in six different beginning algebra courses this district. We looked at the similarities and differences in the algebra curriculum for students with and without disabilities in the different algebra courses, the ways that class periods were structured in these classes, the kinds of instructional approaches that were used in general education and special education algebra courses, and students’ responses to these instructional approaches

Classroom Observation Data for District A: Momentary Time Sampling

This report documents the results of momentary time sampling observations conducted in District A during the spring of 2004. It identifies typical student and teacher behaviors, as well as typical instructional organization patterns and task formats in a variety of beginning algebra classes in this district. We describe some of the similarities and differences in algebra instruction for students with and without disabilities who were enrolled in 8th grade Algebra, Algebra I, Algebra IA or IB, Special Education Algebra, and Special Education Pre-Algebra. In addition, we report our findings about patterns of student behavior in each of these classes

Alignment of Algebra Curriculum, Assessment, and Instructional Practices in District A: A Case Study of Spring 2004

Project AAIMS (Algebra Assessment and Instruction: Meeting Standards) is a federally funded project that has two objectives. The first is to examine the alignment of algebra 1 curriculum, instruction, and assessment in general and special education. The second is to develop and validate algebra assessments tools for use in general and special education classes. This case study focuses on the first objective – it examines the alignment of algebra curriculum, instruction, and assessment for students with and without disabilities in one of the three districts participating in Project AAIMS

Auditory-visual speech perception: The effect of visual acuity in older people

"Article Copyright 2004 The Authors." "Published edition Copyright 2004 Australian Academic Press. Published version of the paper reproduced here with permission from the publisher."This study aimed to investigate the benefit gained by older people in auditory-visual speech perception compared to auditory-only perception and to investigate the correlation between visual acuity and benefit gained. A total of 77 community-based older people participated in the study. Pure-tone audiometry showed that 36% had normal hearing, 40% had a mild hearing loss and the remainder (23%) had a moderate or greater loss. Objective easurements of corrected distance and near visual acuities were obtained using the Bailey-Lovie logMAR distance and near visual acuity tests. According to the criteria used in the present study, 34% had some distance vision impairment and 9% had some near vision impairment. The benefit gained in auditory-visual speech perception was determined by comparing auditory-only and auditory-visual performance on the Bamford-Kowal-Bench Australian Version Speech reading Test. An average visual benefit of 28.8% was achieved by the participants, and, for the vast majority of participants (86%), the benefit gained was statistically significant. A significant correlation was not found between either distance or near visual acuity and benefit gained in auditory-visual speech perception. The implications of these findings are that it is important for audiologists to recommend the use of lipreading to older clients, irrespective of their visual impairment, as the majority will gain significant benefit from the use of visual cues

Pastoralism and Development: Fifty Years of Dynamic Change

This archive IDS Bulletin reflects on 50 years of research on pastoralism at IDS. Thirteen articles are introduced around six themes that have characterised IDS-linked research over this period. These are: pastoral livelihoods; institutions and common property resource management; climate change and ecological dynamics; food security, early warning, and livelihood vulnerability; pastoral marketing; and conflict and governance. Across these themes, IDS research has challenged mainstream development thinking and practice, highlighting the importance of mobility and living with uncertainty. This introductory article concludes with some reflections on research gaps and new challenges, including: the effects of climate change; new forms of pastoral mobility and livelihood; increasing patterns of commoditisation and social differentiation; and changing conflict dynamics. Although massively changed over 50 years, and despite repeated proclamations of crisis and collapse, pastoralism remains, we argue, an important, resilient source of livelihood in marginal rangeland areas across the world, from which others can learn.European Research Council (ERC

Absolute quantification of perfusion by dynamic susceptibility contrast MRI using Bookend and VASO steady-state CBV calibration: a comparison with pseudo-continuous ASL.

Dynamic susceptibility contrast MRI (DSC-MRI) tends to return elevated estimates of cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebral blood volume (CBV). In this study, subject-specific calibration factors (CFs), based on steady-state CBV measurements, were applied to rescale the absolute level of DSC-MRI CBF

Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether (PBDE) Levels in an Expanded Market Basket Survey of U.S. Food and Estimated PBDE Dietary Intake by Age and Sex

OBJECTIVES: Our objectives in this study were to expand a previously reported U.S. market basket survey using a larger sample size and to estimate levels of PBDE intake from food for the U.S. general population by sex and age. METHODS: We measured concentrations of 13 polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners in food in 62 food samples. In addition, we estimated levels of PBDE intake from food for the U.S. general population by age (birth through ≥60 years of age) and sex. RESULTS: In food samples, concentrations of total PBDEs varied from 7.9 pg/g (parts per trillion) in milk to 3,726 pg/g in canned sardines. Fish were highest in PBDEs (mean, 1,120 pg/g; median, 616 pg/g; range, 11.14–3,726 pg/g). This was followed by meat (mean, 383 pg/g; median, 190 pg/g; range, 39–1,426 pg/g) and dairy products (mean, 116 pg/g; median, 32.2 pg/g; range, 7.9–683 pg/g). However, using estimates for food consumption (excluding nursing infants), meat accounted for the highest U.S. dietary PBDE intake, followed by dairy and fish, with almost equal contributions. Adult females had lower dietary intake of PBDEs than did adult males, based on body weight. We estimated PBDE intake from food to be 307 ng/kg/day for nursing infants and from 2 ng/kg/day at 2–5 years of age for both males and females to 0.9 ng/kg/day in adult females. CONCLUSION: Dietary exposure alone does not appear to account for the very high body burdens measured. The indoor environment (dust, air) may play an important role in PBDE body burdens in addition to food

Mutation of a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor β subunit is associated with resistance to neonicotinoid insecticides in the aphid Myzus persicae

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly citedBackground: Myzus persicae is a globally important aphid pest with a history of developing resistance to insecticides. Unusually, neonicotinoids have remained highly effective as control agents despite nearly two decades of steadily increasing use. In this study, a clone of M. persicae collected from southern France was found, for the first time, to exhibit sufficiently strong resistance to result in loss of the field effectiveness of neonicotinoids. Results: Bioassays, metabolism and gene expression studies implied the presence of two resistance mechanisms in the resistant clone, one based on enhanced detoxification by cytochrome P450 monooxygenases, and another unaffected by a synergist that inhibits detoxifying enzymes. Binding of radiolabeled imidacloprid (a neonicotinoid) to whole body membrane preparations showed that the high affinity [3H]-imidacloprid binding site present in susceptible M. persicae is lost in the resistant clone and the remaining lower affinity site is altered compared to susceptible clones. This confers a significant overall reduction in binding affinity to the neonicotinoid target: the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR). Comparison of the nucleotide sequence of six nAChR subunit (Mp alpha 1-5 and Mp beta 1) genes from resistant and susceptible aphid clones revealed a single point mutation in the loop D region of the nAChR beta 1 subunit of the resistant clone, causing an arginine to threonine substitution (R81T). Conclusion: Previous studies have shown that the amino acid at this position within loop D is a key determinant of neonicotinoid binding to nAChRs and this amino acid change confers a vertebrate-like character to the insect nAChR receptor and results in reduced sensitivity to neonicotinoids. The discovery of the mutation at this position and its association with the reduced affinity of the nAChR for imidacloprid is the first example of field-evolved target-site resistance to neonicotinoid insecticides and also provides further validation of exisiting models of neonicotinoid binding and selectivity for insect nAChRs.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio