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The Convergent Validity of the PEAK-E-PA and Two Common Assessments of Language Development: The ABLLS-R and the TOLD 1:4
No full textThe study evaluated the convergent validity of the PEAK-E-PA and two common assessments of language development used in educational and clinical settings: the ABLLS-R and the TOLD-I:4. The PEAK-E-PA provides a measure of a participant’s ability to derive arbitrary stimulus relations, and may therefore provide a more complex analysis of language functioning than traditional behavior analytic language assessments. The results of the present study support a strong, significant relationship between the PEAK-E-PA and the ABLLS-R (r = 0.73, p \u3c 0.01), but the obtained coefficient falls within the lower range of prior psychometric evaluations of behavioral language assessments. The results suggest a stronger relationship between the PEAK-E-PA the TOLD-I:4 (r = 0.94, p \u3c 0.01), supporting the use of the PEAK-E-PA with individuals with autism who have progressed beyond the elementary verbal operant skills assessed for in traditional behavioral assessments
The Tennis Common Content Knowledge Measure Validation
No full textThe purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable common content knowledge (CCK) instrument for pre-service teachers who teach fundamental tennis in secondary schools. The instrument, called the tennis CCK test for pre-service teachers (CCK-Tennis), was administered to 117 undergraduate students who were enrolled in physical education (PE) teacher education programmes at three universities in the United States. Two tennis content experts developed the CCK-Tennis and five in-service teachers reviewed the test to establish content validity. A total of 10 pre-service teachers took the test for pilot testing. The data were analysed using Rasch statistics (Linacre, 2011; Rasch, 1980). The authors judged the unidimensionality of the CCK-Tennis using the unexplained variance in the first contrast (2.59) and the standardized residual contrast one plot (-0.4 to 0.4). These data provided evidence that the test is unidimensional and measures tennis CCK. The results of infit (0.8 to 1.2) and outfit (0.5 to 1.5) mean square residuals showed that the difficulty of the questions matches respondents’ knowledge levels. The item (5.32, Cronbach’s α = 0.97) and person (1.71, Cronbach’s α = 0.72) separation index and the Wright map showed that there are low to high knowledge levels of the respondents who took the test. The results illustrate that the CCK-Tennis is a robust, valid, and reliable tool that people can use in teacher education. Having valid and reliable measures for CCK is an essential step to improve teachers’ instructional effectiveness from the area of content knowledge
Importation biological control of invasive fire ants with parasitoid phorid flies - progress and prospects
No full textTwenty-two known species of Pseudacteon flies (Diptera: Phoridae) are parasitoids of South American fire ants in the Solenopsis saevissima (Smith) complex. Phorid flies of different sizes and with differing activity patterns have been released in the United States to control two imported fire ant species—Solenopsis richteri and Solenopsis invicta—and their hybrid. Six highly host-specific Pseudacteon species have been successfully established at dozens of release sites and most are now widely distributed across areas infested by imported fire ants. This complex of released fly species is expected to weaken the competitive vigor of fire ant colonies through both direct and indirect effects, and eventually reduce the abundance of imported fire ants. To date, however, few studies have attempted to document the effect of these parasitoids on host ants in the field, and future research should focus on the overall magnitude of reduction in host ant populations. Knowledge gained from the successful importation and establishment of South American phorid flies in the US can provide guidance for utilization of these parasitoid flies for biological control of S. invicta in other introduced ranges, and aid the search for additional importation biological control agents of pest ants in general
Examining Health Inequity in Ancient Egypt
No full textThis thesis explores the history of medicine in ancient Egypt between the Middle and New Kingdoms, and offers a case study highlighting the use of religion and magic in healing and analyzing health inequity. I am interested in medical practices, treatments, diagnosis methods, and access to healthcare in the ancient world. I seek to bridge the gaps and help unify the knowledge surrounding ancient Egyptian medical practices and contribute to the studies in the history of medicine. I explore types of diseases that commonly affected the ancient Egyptians and how they integrated religion and magic into their understanding and treatment of diseases. My main area of research focus is how hierarchical society influences health inequities in the ancient world and specifically focuses on women’s health in ancient Egypt. This thesis will demonstrate that there was differential access to healthcare in ancient Egypt based on gender and class. This thesis contextualizes medical texts within their broader roles in healthcare and utilizes an interdisciplinary approach to re-examine assumptions about medicine in the ancient world
Predicting Severity of Traumatic Brain Injury: A Residual Learning Model from Magnetic Resonance Images
No full textOne of the most significant frontiers for computational scientists is the engineering of human healthcare delivery based on intelligent analysis of health data. In a variety of neurological disorders such as Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), neuro-imaging information plays a crucial role in the decision-making regarding patient care and as a potential prognostic marker for outcome. TBI is a heterogeneous neurological disorder. Due to the economic burdens of the disorder, sorting out this heterogeneity could provide more insights and better understanding of TBI recovery trajectories, thus improving overall diagnosis and treatment options. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a non-invasive technique that for examining the anatomy and pathology of the brain. This work examines a residual convolutional neural network to build a predictive model for TBI severity using varied MR images and three different combinations of TBI assessment scores obtained from Federal Interagency Traumatic Brain Injury Research. To address the challenges of insufficient data and increase efficiency. The framework consists of five components which include data curation, data augmentation, residual learning model, model validation and clinical relevance assessment. The data curation phase pre-processes the images into a format reliable for use by the model. To address the problem of insufficient, unbalanced and highly skewed data, the data augmentation generates different forms of the images to improve the generalization capability of the model. The residual learning model integrates transfer learning by utilizing a network that has been pre-trained on general data and then fine-tuned for MR images to improve the model performance and reduce training time. Model validation consists of both quantitative and qualitative means. The clinical relevance assessment phase includes the identification of meaningful subgroups to better understand the how the results correlate with the MRI data. A mixed effects Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) model is performed using varied TBI outcome measures to assess the clinical significance of the results. The experimental results showed that our model achieve a high precision on the test sample
Modulation of Glucose Homeostasis by Nucleotide P2Y2 Receptor and Biological Sex
No full textRecent insights into the pathological role of Nucleotide P2Y2 receptor suggest P2Y2R involvement in high fat diet-induced obesity and potentiates insulin resistance. However, these recent insights do not demonstrate how P2Y2R modulates glucose homeostasis under physiological conditions. Further, it remains unknown how sex biological factors influence P2Y2R receptor signaling in the regulation of glucose homeostasis. The research objective for the present study is to elucidate the novel roles of P2Y2 in fasting blood glucose and glucose tolerance (basal insulin sensitivity) under resting conditions in males and females. We expected that under physiological conditions P2Y2R signaling does not contribute to maintaining glucose homeostasis; we did not expect differences in fasting blood glucose and glucose tolerance between the wild type and the P2Y2R-/- mice. We further hypothesized that sex differences in fasting blood glucose and glucose tolerance would be present in wild type and P2Y2R-/- mice. We assessed fasting blood glucose (FBG) and glucose tolerance test in C57BL/6 (wild type) and P2Y2R-/- mice. Mice fasted for 5 hours, and blood was obtained from the tail to assess glucose levels using a glucometer. Mice received 2 g/kg body weight intraperitoneal (IP) injection of 20% dextrose. Glucose levels were measured at time 0 (fasting), then over 90 minutes after IP injection. In the current study, no significant difference was observed in FBG between wild type and P2Y2R-/- in males and females. However, it was observed that P2Y2R-/- males had impaired glucose tolerance relative to wild type, while females exhibited no differences. Sex differences in wild type, but not P2Y2R-/- mice in FBG were observed. However, sex differences in glucose tolerance were observed in WT and P2Y2R-/- mice, demonstrating females had improved glucose tolerance relative to males. The findings demonstrate P2Y2R in males contributes to physiological control of glucose homeostasis during a glucose tolerance test. Further, only WT mice demonstrated sex-specific differences in FBG, suggesting a sex-specific role for P2Y2R under fasting conditions
Learning to Relax: The Impact of Brief Biofeedback Training and Gentle Yoga on Salivary Cortisol Reduction
No full textShort-term activation of the human stress response system is beneficial as it prepares the body to deal with stressors at hand (McEwen & Stellar, 1993). However, chronic activation of the system can negatively impact health and longevity (Cohen et al., 2007). There is evidence that relaxation techniques that utilize controlled or diaphragmatic breathing can be useful in the reduction of stress and psychological complaints. Short-term interventions like computer-based biofeedback or the implementation of a gentle yoga practice could provide a brief, yet beneficial, way to manage stress and anxiety. The present study aimed to expand on current research involving yoga and biofeedback for stress reduction by exploring whether participating in a gentle yoga intervention or a biofeedback intervention could decrease the stress response more quickly than what naturally occurs after the Trier Social Stress Test: a laboratory stress task shown to elicit changes in cortisol levels found in participants’ saliva samples. Participants were randomly assigned to take part in a gentle yoga sequence, a biofeedback intervention, or watch a neutral video while relaxing on their own. We examined changes in salivary cortisol levels and found a significant difference between the three groups, with both the yoga and biofeedback intervention groups eliciting a larger decrease in cortisol levels, indicating a greater decrease in stress levels
Temperature-Dependent Properties of Molten LiBeF Salt Using Molecular Dynamics
No full textMolten lithium tetrafluoroberyllate (LiBeF) salt, also known as FLiBe, with a 2:1 mixture of LiF and BeF is being proposed as a coolant and solvent in advanced nuclear reactor designs, such as the molten salt reactor or the fluoride salt cooled high-temperature reactor. We present the results on the structure and properties of FLiBe over a wide range of temperatures, 0-2000 K, from high-throughput molecular dynamics simulation using a supercell model of 504 atoms. The variations in the local structures of solid and liquid FLiBe with temperature are discussed in terms of a pair distribution function, coordination number, and bond angle distribution. The temperature-dependent electronic structure and optical and mechanical properties of FLiBe are calculated. The optical and mechanical property results are reported for the first time. The results above and below the melting temperature (∼732 K) are compared with the experimental data and with data for crystalline FLiBe. The electronic structure and interatomic bonding results are discussed in correlation with the mechanical strength. A novel concept of total bond order density (TBOD), an important quantum mechanical parameter, is used to characterize the internal cohesion and strength in the simulated models. The results show a variation in the rate of change in properties in solid and liquid phases with anomalous behavior across the melting region. The observed trend is the decrease in mechanical strength, band gap, and TBOD in a nonlinear fashion as a function of temperature. The refractive index shows a surprising minimum at 850 K, among the tested temperatures, which lies above the melting point. These findings provide a new platform to understand the interplay between the temperature-dependent structures and properties of FLiBe salt
English in the United Arab Emirates
No full textThis paper provides a sociolinguistic profile of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with a focus on the status and functions of English in contemporary UAE society. With less than a 12 per cent local population, the UAE presents a unique linguistic laboratory for the spread of English among an expanding foreign and a shrinking local demographic. Contributing to the current literature on English in Expanding Circle countries, I first present a sociohistorical review of foreign and English language presence in the UAE from the ninth century to the present day. By employing archival research, governmental artifacts, and first-hand observations, I follow this with a description of contemporary users and the four functions of English in the UAE context. The paper then provides a summary of users’ attitudes towards English and Arabic and concludes with an evaluation of key findings and avenues for future research
The Bear Cave: Using gamification to teach organizational communication
No full textOrganizational communication has concepts and processes that can be difficult to absorb. Using gamification as a pedagogical strategy, a semester-long project is developed to help students learn through application. The Bear Cave is a class-wide competition where students create an organization and seek a fictional investment of $1,000,000. In groups of three or four, students go through four checkpoints where they develop an organization from scratch. This allows students to receive instructor feedback, peer evaluation, and the opportunity to pitch their idea in the final part of the semester. Student feedback shows high satisfaction with the use of gamification strategies and an increase in retaining the material. Courses: Organizational Communication; any undergraduate communication course that centers on communication in organizations. Organizational communication courses offered in online formats can also benefit. Objectives: This semester-long project asks students to develop an organization from scratch using organizational communication theory and concepts. In groups of three for four, students are expected to (1) develop an idea and original logo for an organization, (2) explain how their organization operates according to communication concepts and principles, and (3) competitively present written and oral proposals