Educating English learners (ELs) in inclusive classrooms requires a team of educators with diverse expertise and knowledge in culturally and linguistically responsive assessment and instruction. To address the unique needs of ELs, we offered three graduate-level courses to the educators over a 9-month period. Teams of three to five educators from various schools were encouraged to apply. This group included administrators, general, and special education teachers, among others. The purpose of this study was threefold: (1) to expand research on professional development for in-service elementary educators working with ELs in elementary schools; (2) to investigate whether the 9-month team approach to professional development increases educators' knowledge and skills in effective methods for assessing and educating ELs with and without disabilities; and (3) to explore whether a team approach is an efficient way to enhance educators' collaboration while increasing their engagement in the community. In this article, we report on the collaboration among participants (post-survey means range from 2.32 to 3.47), student engagement (p < 0.05) and family involvement (p < 0.05). The results indicate that a team approach in professional development effectively increases collaboration among educators, encourages family participation and improves ELs' academic engagement.
Aluminum alloysAluminum alloys are of growing interest in fields requiring lightweight structural materials and are common in additive manufacturingAdditive manufacturing applications. AluminumAluminum wire-arc additive manufacturingAdditive manufacturing (WAAMWAAM) as a method of production is also increasing in development and use, predominantly using available weldingWelding filler alloys (i.e. 5356, 5183, etc.) as feedstock. As a manufacturing method, there is an interest in pursuing new aluminum alloyAluminum alloys development to produce superior strengths to currently available materials. Alloys of aluminumAluminum and scandiumScandium offer increased strength as well as post-processingProcessing heat treatability that makes them well suited as a feedstock for WAAM applications, however, the complex thermo-mechanical history of wire production, as well as the thermal input during WAAM processingProcessing, has a significant impact on the precipitationPrecipitation, dissolutionDissolution, structure, and morphology of Al3ScAlSc dispersoidsDispersoids. In this work, aluminum alloyAluminum alloys 5025 is used to produce WAAM structures, and the resulting material properties and characteristics are analyzed. TransmissionTransmission electron microscopy is used to study Sc dissolutionDissolution, Al3X dispersoidDispersoids morphology, and dispersoidDispersoids chemistry in WAAM samples in both the feedstock and as-printed conditions. Suggestions are made for optimizing Al-Sc alloys in WAAMWAAM applications.
The US Environmental Protection Agency's short‐term freshwater effluent test methods include a fish (Pimephales promelas), a cladoceran (Ceriodaphnia dubia), and a green alga (Raphidocelis subcapitata). There is a recognized need for additional taxa to accompany the three standard species for effluent testing. An appropriate additional taxon is unionid mussels because mussels are widely distributed, live burrowed in sediment and filter particles from the water column for food, and exhibit high sensitivity to a variety of contaminants. Multiple studies were conducted to develop a relevant and robust short‐term test method for mussels. We first evaluated the comparative sensitivity of two mussel species (Villosa constricta and Lampsilis siliquoidea) and two standard species (P. promelas and C. dubia) using two mock effluents prepared by mixing ammonia and five metals (cadmium, copper, nickel, lead, and zinc) or a field‐collected effluent in 7‐day exposures. Both mussel species were equally or more sensitive (more than two‐fold) to effluents compared with the standard species. Next, we refined the mussel test method by first determining the best feeding rate of a commercial algal mixture for three age groups (1, 2, and 3 weeks old) of L. siliquoidea in a 7‐day feeding experiment, and then used the derived optimal feeding rates to assess the sensitivity of the three ages of juveniles in a 7‐day reference toxicant (sodium chloride [NaCl]) test. Juvenile mussels grew substantially (30%–52% length increase) when the 1‐ or 2‐week‐old mussels were fed 2 ml twice daily and the 3‐week‐old mussels were fed 3 ml twice daily. The 25% inhibition concentrations (IC25s) for NaCl were similar (314–520 mg Cl/L) among the three age groups, indicating that an age range of 1‐ to 3‐week‐old mussels can be used for a 7‐day test. Finally, using the refined test method, we conducted an interlaboratory study among 13 laboratories to evaluate the performance of a 7‐day NaCl test with L. siliquoidea. Eleven laboratories successfully completed the test, with more than 80% control survival and reliable growth data. The IC25s ranged from 296 to 1076 mg Cl/L, with a low (34%) coefficient of variation, indicating that the proposed method for L. siliquoidea has acceptable precision. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:3392–3409. © 2021 SETAC
The primary goal of the present study is to provide a broad view of best practices for evaluating bioavailability models for metals for use in the protection of aquatic life. We describe the state of the science regarding 1) the evaluation and selection of ecotoxicity data, 2) the selection of bioavailability models for use in normalization, and 3) subsequent application of bioavailability models. Although many examples of normalization steps exist worldwide, a scheme is proposed to evaluate and select a model that takes account of its representativeness (water chemistry and taxonomic coverage of the ecotoxicity data set) and validation performance. Important considerations for a suitable model are the quantity of inputs needed, accuracy, and ease of use, all of which are needed to set protective values for aquatic life and to use these values to evaluate potential risks to organisms in receiving waters. Although the end results of different model application approaches may be broadly similar, the differences in these application frameworks ultimately come down to a series of trade-offs between who needs to collect the data and use the bioavailability model, the different requirements of spatial scales involved (e.g., regional vs site-specific values), and model predictiveness and protectiveness. Ultimately, understanding the limits and consequences of these trade-offs allows for selection of the most appropriate model and application framework to best provide the intended levels of aquatic life protection. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;39:118-130. © 2019 SETAC.
Background: Our private practice Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) clinic proposed a pilot team-based program where patients would be seen between physician visits by an interdisciplinary team comprised of our CDE, Clinical Pharmacist, and Care Manager with the goal of helping to improve glycemic goals. Methods: Patients age 18 or older with an A1c greater than 8.0 were identified through registry review and invited to participate. Team providers were under the supervision of the project lead physician. Number of visits was individualized for each patient. Visits centered on diabetes education, goal setting, and motivational interviewing. The project was pre-defined to have been successful if 15% of patients achieved improved control. Results: A recruitment goal of 100 was targeted and initial 107 patients were identified and enrolled. One hundred and six patients completed year one, and 90 patients completed the second year. Nine patients were no longer followed through our clinic, and seven patients had died. Forty four (41%) patients achieved an A1c less than 8.0% at the end of the first year. At the end of year two, forty nine (54%) of the active patients achieved an A1c less than 8.0%. Starting in year 2, a second cohort of 46 patients with initial A1c greater than 8.0% were enrolled. The average A1c for this cohort was 9.39%. Thirty-nine patients continued to be actively followed at the end of year 2. The average A1c had dropped to 7.2% and 27 (69%) of this group had achieved an A1c less than 8.0%. Conclusion: Most participants achieved diabetic control during Year 1 and maintained A1c at goal in Year 2 of the program. A greater percent of the second cohort was able to achieve A1c goal. This project demonstrates our interdisciplinary approach to help patients achieve and maintain glycemic control over a two-year period. Disclosure S.M. Lamie: Speaker’s Bureau; Self; Novo Nordisk Inc., Sanofi US. S.D. Rockafellow: None. D. Schepperly: None.
