Instrumental Music and ACT Scores

Allocation of dwindling resources force public administrators to make choices and instrumental music program budgets can be cut or even eliminated by state agencies or school districts. Whether or not this is good policy will be examined by the collection and analysis of school level data. Public school instrumental music programs are expensive to operate and maintain, involve specialized, highly-qualified instructors and require an inventory of instruments to ensure that students with low incomes will be able to participate. Families in high income situations may be able to afford private instrumental music lessons for their students and may be indifferent to public funding of instrumental music programs. In many instances insufficient funding is allocated for music programs and alternative sources of revenue must be found to support the programs and fundraising activities may provide a solution (Young 1981). Program funding may also be influenced by external pressures. Abril and Gault (2006) studied school music programs in California over a five year period from 1999- 2000 through 2003-2004 and reported a 50% decline in student involvement in music programs and a 26.7% decline in music educators. Abril and Gault speculated that the decline in music participation could be attributed to the current California budget crisis and the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act. Concern about these cuts presupposes that music programs have value, which like other education programs, must be demonstrated. Music education can be an important developmental tool that could be utilized in student academic achievement and holistic education. Participation in instrumental music programs may have an effect on academic development and standardized test scores. Using school-level data provided by the Kentucky Department of Education, this capstone paper examines evidence about the relationship between student participation in instrumental music programs and ACT score. The school-level data and estimations presented here, even controlling for other factors, cannot provide causal evidence for or against direct effects of music education on ACT scores. However, given a positive statistical relationship between instrumental music participation and higher scores, school districts may want to weigh this factor when considering the allocation of scarce public funds

Community and campus culture: out-of-class involvement at a midwest liberal arts college

The time students spend outside the classroom profoundly shapes the form and quality (Boyer, 1987, pp. 292-293) of their undergraduate experiences. Out-of-class opportunities can challenge students to broaden their educational interests, engage themselves in their own education, and learn to take responsibility for their own actions. Out-of-class opportunities also can enhance growth in students\u27 self-confidence, leadership, empathy, social responsibility, and understanding and appreciation of cultural and intellectual differences. This study examined and described students\u27 out-of-class involvement opportunities at a midwest liberal arts college, as well as the factors and conditions that influence involvement;The methods of inquiry for this study were qualitative. Data were collected through interviews, observations, and document analysis, with data collection and analysis conducted concurrently;The findings of this study included: (a) the campus culture is the primary influence on student involvement outside the classroom; (b) this campus culture is manifested through a very strong sense of campus community; (c) the campus environment is familiar to most students--that is, it is similar to their home environments; (d) the campus environment is homogeneous--that is, the vast majority of students are Caucasian Christians from Iowa; (e) the familiar environment and homogeneous environment have a significant influence on both the institutional culture and student culture, thus have a great influence on student involvement; (f) the student culture can perpetuate a sense of passivity in its students; (g) the institutional culture does not sufficiently challenge students

Interrelationships Among Landscapes, NDVI, and Stream Water Quality in the US Central Plains

During late spring through summer of 1994 and 1995, 290 randomly selected stream sites in Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri were sampled once for several parameters including conductivity, turbidity, total phosphorus, nitrate-nitrite nitrogen, the index of biotic integrity, and a habitat index. Based on landscape data from watersheds that were delineated for each sampling location, interrelationships were examined between these water quality parameters and land use/land cover, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and vegetation phenological metrics derived from the NDVI. Statistically significant relationships were found between NDVI values and the derived metrics with the stream condition parameters (r values to 0.8, alpha = 0.05). The NDVI or vegetation phenological metrics (VPMs) were more highly correlated to the selected stream condition parameters than were the land use/land cover proportions. Knowledge of the general land use/land cover setting within the watersheds, however, was important for interpreting these relationships. The most common variables associated with the stream data were early spring NDVI values or VPMs associated with the date of onset of greenness. These results demonstrate the utility of NDVI and VPMs as broad-scale environmental indicators of watershed conditions

Plate Efficiencies of a Koch Kaskade Fractionator Using the System Methanol-water

Chemical Engineerin

NONLINEAR ESTIMATION OF GROWTH CURVE MODELS FOR GERMINATION DATA ANALYSIS

Logistic, Gompertz, Richards and Weibull growth curves were evaluated for their suitability as mathematical and empirical models to represent cumulative germination. By avoiding the limitations associated with the method of moments and single-value germination indices, the fitted models provided superior description of the time course of germination. The four-parameter Weibull model gave the best fit across a relatively wide range of seed species and germination conditions, and the resulting parameter estimates reflected identifiable aspects of the germination process. The nonlinear estimation of the germination response included a parameter summary, together with their asymptotic standard errors and correlation matrix, along with an approximate band for the expectation function, pairwise plots of the parameter inference region, and profile t plots. Evaluation of the fitted models also included information on lack of fit and residual structure. Empirical results and hypothesis testing were demonstrated with reference to a replicated experiment designed to determine the effects of reduced water potential on germination of onion seeds

Updates from Opt-Out Counseling for Indiana University Pediatric Residents

Presented as a Poster Presentation at 2020 IUSM Education Da

A Pilot Study on the Effects of Exercise on Depression Symptoms Using Levels of Neurotransmitters and EEG as Markers

Context: The prescribing of exercise by physicians has become a popular practice, yet the effectiveness of exercise on symptoms of depression is difficult to determine due to a lack of randomized controlled trials with clinical populations. Reports also indicate that only a small percentage of physicians advise their patients regarding exercise and confusion still exists as to how much and what types are best. Aims: To understand the mechanisms that make exercise a viable treatment in depression. Settings and Design: This study employed a six‑week, two group, single‑level trial, pre‑ and posttest design using self‑report of symptoms, blood levels of serotonin, dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine, and frontal slow wave EEG activity as markers. This study was registered with clinicaltrials.gov. ID# NCT02023281. Subjects and Methods: Eleven participants with a diagnosis of depression between the ages of 18 and 65 were enrolled from March 2013 through May 2013. Baseline and post‑intervention measures consisted of the Beck Depression Inventory‑II, blood serum levels of serotonin, catecholamines (epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine), and mean alpha frequency. Statistical Analysis Used: A series of independent t‑tests for each dependent variable was conducted. Results: Independent t‑tests reveal significant between‑group differences in depression scores (P = 0.005, d = 2.23); F7 activity (P = 0.012, d = 1.92); and F8 activity (P = 0.04, d = 1.52). Conclusions: The results of this pilot study show that even mild to very moderate levels of exercise 2‑3 times per week consisting of alternating days of aerobic and strength resistance training can be effective in reducing symptoms of depression giving physicians concrete information for their patients on the prescription of exercise

Literacity: A multimedia adult literacy package combining NASA technology, recursive ID theory, and authentic instruction theory

An important part of NASA's mission involves the secondary application of its technologies in the public and private sectors. One current application under development is LiteraCity, a simulation-based instructional package for adults who do not have functional reading skills. Using fuzzy logic routines and other technologies developed by NASA's Information Systems Directorate and hypermedia sound, graphics, and animation technologies the project attempts to overcome the limited impact of adult literacy assessment and instruction by involving the adult in an interactive simulation of real-life literacy activities. The project uses a recursive instructional development model and authentic instruction theory. This paper describes one component of a project to design, develop, and produce a series of computer-based, multimedia instructional packages. The packages are being developed for use in adult literacy programs, particularly in correctional education centers. They use the concepts of authentic instruction and authentic assessment to guide development. All the packages to be developed are instructional simulations. The first is a simulation of 'finding a friend a job.

Cost-effectiveness of structured education in children with type-1 diabetes mellitus

Objectives: Kids in Control OF Food (KICk-OFF) is a 5-day structured education program for 11- to 16-year-olds with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) who are using multiple daily insulin injections. This study evaluates the cost-effectiveness of the KICk-OFF education program compared with the usual care using data from the KICk-OFF trial. Methods: The short-term within-trial analysis covers the 2-year postintervention period. Data on glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), severe hypoglycemia, and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) were collected over a 2-year follow-up period. Sub-group analyses have been defined on the basis of baseline HbA1c being below 7.5 percent (58.5 mmol/mol) (low group), between 7.5 percent and 9.5 percent (80.3 mmol/mol) (medium group), and over 9.5 percent (high group). The long-term cost-effectiveness evaluation has been conducted by using The Sheffield Type 1 Diabetes Policy Model, which is a patient-level simulation model on T1DM. It includes long-term microvascular (retinopathy, neuropathy, and nephropathy) and macrovascular (myocardial infarction, stroke, revascularization, and angina) diabetes-related complications and acute adverse events (severe hypoglycemia and DKA). Results: The most favorable within-trial scenario for the KICk-OFF arm led to an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of £23,688 (base year 2009) with a cost-effectiveness probability of 41.3 percent. Simulating the long-term complications using the full cohort data, the mean ICER for the base case was £28,813 (base year 2011) and the probability of the KICk-OFF intervention being cost-effective at £20,000/QALY threshold was 42.6 percent, with considerable variation due to treatment effect duration. For the high HbA1c sub-group, the KICk-OFF arm was “dominant” (meaning it provided better health gains at lower costs than usual care) over the usual care arm in each scenario considered. Conclusions: For the whole study population, the cost-effectiveness of KICk-OFF depends on the assumption for treatment effect duration. For the high baseline HbA1c sub-group, KICk-OFF arm was estimated to be dominant over the usual care arm regardless of the assumption on the treatment effect duration