Influence of Retrospective Miscue Analysis on a Student\u27s Perception of Himself as a Reader

This research study explores the influence Retrospective Miscue Analysis (RMA) has on a student’s perception of himself as a reader. RMA allows students to revalue themselves as readers and reflect on reading by viewing it as a meaning making process. The results of this study indicated that RMA had a positive influence on the student’s perception of himself as a reader. In the future, this study can be used as a guide to help others understand how RMA can be used as a tool to aid struggling readers develop positive views of themselves and their abilities. Data was collected through observations, field notes, running records, audio-recordings, and interviews with the student

Coilin Expression During Nucleolar Stress in the Drosophila Brain

Impairment of ribosome biogenesis disrupts cellular homeostasis and, in the process, causes a state of nucleolar stress in a cell. This triggers human syndromes collectively known as ribosomopathies. One such ribosomopathy is the Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS) which causes congenital craniofacial birth defects and hearing loss in patients. In TCS migration of neural crest cells during development is hindered by the loss of the ribosome assembly factor, treacle, and consequent apoptosis of these progenitor cells. Modeling this disorder in Drosophila was previously accomplished by disruption of Nopp140, treacle’s closest equivalent in Drosophila. During nucleolar stress, the Mushroom Body neuroblast population demonstrates resilience to the loss of Nopp140 with continued proliferation. These fruit flies also show an increase in total protein quantity of coilin, an integral component of the nuclear ribonucleoprotein assembly site, the Cajal body. We examined the variation of affected cell populations in TCS and other ribosomopathies by looking coilin expression at the neuroblasts with and without Nopp140. Neuroblasts in wild type brains already showed higher coilin levels relative to neurons. Coilin also showed a substantial distribution across the nucleoplasm of neuroblasts instead of appearing in bright Cajal body foci. In the absence of Nopp140, the Mushroom Body neuroblasts had increased coilin levels compared to other neuroblasts and neurons. We suspect that coilin plays a role not only in the selective resilience of Mushroom Body neuroblasts but also in cellular nucleolar response pathways

DEMOCRATIZING PUBLIC HEALTH: CITIZEN EMPOWERMENT THROUGH THE BIOTHRILLER GENRE

Preparedness—the process of readying for emerging threats—is central to contemporary public health, which strives to anticipate potential problems instead of reacting to medical disasters. However, this concept resonates little outside of elite policymaker circles. Instead, many Americans assume policymaking is an inherently reactive process that rewards politicians for “fixing” existing problems. For example, while the prospect of a pandemic influenza outbreak represents one of American’s most pressing concerns, surveys report pervasive public ignorance about many aspects of preparedness and public health, including disease transmission, prevention practices, and the relationship between zoological and human diseases. For many Americans, it seems, exposure to such issues comes not through first-hand experience or even governmental education efforts, but through the fictional world of “biothrillers.” Biothrillers are a distinct genre of movies, novels, and television shows that depict humankind’s efforts to survive novel and extraordinarily dangerous diseases. Because an informed citizenry is vital to a healthy functioning democracy, this paper considers the capacity of biothrillers to democratize public health by educating citizens about preparedness as well as the risks associated with the emerging diseases. To what extent do biothrillers empower citizens to draw informed conclusions and make informed decisions about contemporary public health practices and health risks? Can biothrillers compensate for scant government education efforts, thereby helping to close the knowledge gap between medical and political elites and the public writ large? This paper examines three prominent biothrillers, Wolfgang Peterson’s 1995 film Outbreak, Richard Pierce’s 2006 film Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America, and Steven Soderbergh’s 2011 film Contagion. It finds that although biothrillers vary in the extent to which they present accurate depictions of the risks associated with emerging diseases as well as the general practice of public health, most of these films fail to empower citizens to become active participants in the procurement of public health. This shortcoming is largely a testament to the films’ portrayal of citizens as helpless and passive victims. The one exception to this rule is Fatal Contact, which depicts the efforts of neighborhood groups to form ad-hoc influenza monitoring and response programs

BIOTHRILLER FILMS AND CITIZEN EMPOWERMENT: A VIEWER’S GUIDE TO OUTBREAK, CONTAGION, AND FATAL CONTACT

According to University of Hannover Professor Ruth Mayer (2007), biothrillers have long been an important pathway into the American “political unconscious,” as the diseases they depict often serve as “metaphors” for some of the nation’s greatest fears—terrorism, social disintegration, immigration. Beyond their metaphorical qualities, biothrillers, which are often based on real diseases, also expose Americans to the political, scientific, and social dynamics of public health preparedness and response efforts. Wolfgang Peterson’s 1995 film Outbreak, Richard Pierce’s 2006 film Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America, and Steven Soderbergh’s 2011 film Contagion are all struck from this creative mold, providing largely realistic portrayals of disease transmission, the preparedness cycle, government institutions, and, in some cases, the role of citizen participation in the procurement of public health services. The following viewer’s guide can be used in conjunction with these three films. Questions highlight themes associated with each film while encouraging viewers to compare and contrast Outbreak, Fatal Contact, and Contagion

Transitioning Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder from School to Society

High school administrators in a rural school district were providing transition planning to students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in order to meet postschool transition goals. Despite these efforts, few students with ASD were employed or enrolled in postsecondary training, and parents reported that they were dissatisfied with the postschool transition process. The purpose of this collective case study was to explore parental and staff perceptions of the postschool transition processes of students with ASD to increase the understanding of the practice related to postschool transitions. Guided by Tinto and Pusser\u27s institutional framework, research questions were focused on the experiences of parents and staff, including teachers and support personnel, with the postschool transition process of students with ASD. A purposeful sample of 25 participants, including the first 10 parents of students with ASD who applied and the staff who supported them, were interviewed. Teachers were also observed during the postschool transition process. Archival postschool transition survey data were also analyzed. Themes were identified through application of open coding and thematic analysis to interviews, observations, and survey data and included: parents and teachers need support [reference guide and professional development (PD)] and stakeholder collaboration is crucial to success even though time is a constraint and skills prioritization is evident in Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). Teachers used IEPs to guide the postschool transition process, but parental concerns remained. Therefore, a PD for teachers and reference guide for parents were created for the local site to improve parental trust of the postschool transition process for students with ASD