9441 research outputs found
Sort by
Examining the Impact of Early Literacy Interventions on Teachers’ and Parents’ Learning and Perceptions of Early Literacy Development
Get PDFParents and teachers play a vital role in fostering early literacy development; however, many require additional training to enhance their understanding of alphabet knowledge and phonological awareness. This study examined the effectiveness of two instructional videos—one on phonological awareness and one on evaluating alphabet books—in increasing teachers’ (n = 35) and parents’ (n = 34) perceptions about these domains and the practical application of information covered in the videos. The 69 participants viewed each video, and results indicated a general decrease in confidence following exposure to these videos, likely reflecting an increased awareness of the complexity of the concepts covered. Both groups were able to distinguish between effective and less effective phonological awareness tasks. However, parents consistently rated the relevant tasks as more effective than teachers did, indicating possible differences in awareness of these practical activities. This also highlighted participants’ ability to apply learned concepts in authentic educational activities. Parents and teachers had few differences when rating alphabet books for their effectiveness both before and after viewing the videos and ratings were relatively stable over time. Both groups aligned relatively well with expert raters suggesting a good understanding of effective design with some challenges rating mid-level and lower books. Both teachers and parents perceived the video content as helpful, though teachers found the videos easier to follow. Findings also suggest that both groups may need further, more intensive instruction. The results indicate that short, targeted instructional videos can improve teacher and parent understanding of early literacy concepts while also highlighting areas for video refinement to enhance clarity
Review of “Hitler’s First War: Adolf Hitler, the Man of the List Regiment, and the First World War” by Thomas Weber
No full textReview of Hitler’s First War: Adolf Hitler, the Man of the List Regiment, and the First World War by Thomas Webe
Review of “Shattered Anzacs: Living with the Scars of War” by Marina Larsson
No full textReview of Shattered Anzacs: Living with the Scars of War by Marina Larsso
Capital Structure Models and Contingent Convertible Securities
Get PDFThe 2007-09 financial crisis showed financial institutions are vulnerable during distressed times. As an alternative resolution to a government bail-out, contingent convertible securities (contingent capital or CoCos) were proposed by various researchers. CoCo is a hybrid capital security that converts from a bond to common equity when a pre-determined event occurs. The loss absorption mechanism of CoCo is essential to the financial health of a bank during a crisis as it provides an instant capital infusion when public capital is difficult to access.
In this thesis, we first implement a methodology to calibrate capital structure models for large Canadian banks. Typical studies involving capital structure model calibration focus on non-financial firms as they have lower leverage. We calibrate unknown parameters to multiple market-observed quantities, where the asset value process allows for discontinuous jumps. From a theoretical perspective, we find that jumps in the asset-value process are necessary to obtain a satisfactory fit to market data.
We then include a stylized CoCo bond in a bank\u27s capital structure and calibrate the conversion threshold using market data. We treat the conversion threshold level as an exogenous parameter to be calibrated. In practice, contingent capital conversion triggers are discretionary, and there is considerable uncertainty around when regulators are likely to enforce conversion. We use the market-implied conversion triggers to infer when the market expects regulators to enforce conversion. We find that the market expects regulators to enforce conversion while the issuing bank is a going concern, as opposed to a gone concern. This fact is presumably of interest to potential dealers, regulators, issuers, and investors.
A lower conversion price benefits CoCo holders as the number of shares they receive is inversely related to the conversion price. In situations where the conversion price is based on the market stock price, CoCo holders could benefit from an artificially lowered market stock price. We investigate whether short selling equity is profitable for CoCo investors. We assume the CoCo investors open a short position on the bank\u27s stocks when they perceive that conversion is imminent. Their return consists of two parts: (1) return from the additional shares received due to pushing the market share price below its fundamental value, and (2) return from price decline. Our results from the weighted average total returns and Sharpe ratios show that CoCo holders will not benefit from short selling equity unless they can time the market perfectly and are able to push the market stock price well below its fundamental value
Exploring the Salinity Tolerance of Zooplankton Communities on the Great Plains
Get PDFPalaeoecological data shows fluctuating salinity levels in lakes across the Great Plains due to alternating wet and dry periods over the last two millennia. Droughts caused by this natural variation may be exacerbated by anthropogenic climate change, as the Great Plains are expected to become drier over the coming decades. As conditions become drier, the evaporation of water will increase the salinity of lakes across the region. Increases in salinity may significantly impact biodiversity, including important members of lake food webs such as zooplankton. Due to the region\u27s history of alternating wet and dry periods, zooplankton may have adapted to withstand changing salinity levels. However, to understand how expected salinity increases may affect zooplankton communities, it is necessary to understand the limits of their salinity tolerance. While several studies have mapped the distribution of zooplankton species in lakes on the Great Plains, none have examined the salinity tolerance of common species. To better understand how salinity changes will affect zooplankton, my study has two objectives: 1) Determine the salinity tolerance of common zooplankton species; and 2) Test for intraspecific differences in salinity tolerance of zooplankton originating from lakes with differing salinity levels. Zooplankton communities were collected from several lakes across the Great Plains and were cultured in environmental chambers and used for acute salinity tolerance tests to examine the limits of their salinity tolerance. Three species were used in experiments, including Ceriodaphnia laticaudata, Daphnia magna and Daphnia schodleri. The half-effective concentration (EC50) results showed that zooplankton from higher salinity lakes tended to have a higher tolerance compared to those originating from lower salinity lakes. This suggests that the osmoregulatory capacity of zooplankton may have evolved in response to higher salinity levels. Our results also showed that the upper salinity tolerance for common species was \u3e8 g/L, ii suggesting that our study species may weather moderate increases in salinity. However, during the Dust Bowl years in the 1930s, salinity in some lakes in the region, such as Moon Lake, North Dakota, reached 25 g/L. Climate change forecasts predict droughts greater than those experienced during the Dust Bowl years by 2060. Therefore, despite the high tolerance observed in this study, some species may not persist in affected lakes. Further studies on a diversity of species should be done to see if other zooplankton might tolerate expected salinity increases
The Diviners: A Play
No full textThiessen, V., Barker, K., Nolan, Y., & Laurence, M. (2024). The diviners : a play. Scirocco Drama. ISBN: 978199073859
Done: How to Flourish After Leaving Religion
No full textVan Tongeren, D. R. (2024). Done : how to flourish after leaving religion. American Psychological Association. ISBN: 978143383623
More Everything Forever: AI Overlords, Space Empires, and Silicon Valley’s Crusade to Control the Fate of Humanity
No full textBecker, A. (2025). More everything forever : AI overlords, space empires, and Silicon Valley’s crusade to control the fate of humanity. Basic Books. ISBN: 978154161959
Spiritual, Philosophical, and Psychotherapeutic Engagements of Meaning and Service
No full textHarper, K., O’Connor, T. S. J., & Maoz, D. (2024). Spiritual, philosophical, and psychotherapeutic engagements of meaning and service. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISBN: 978103640282