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Notable Finding (notable + finding)
Selected AbstractsAcademic Achievement Through FLES: A Case for Promoting Greater Access to Foreign Language Study Among Young LearnersMODERN LANGUAGE JOURNAL, Issue 1 2010CAROLYN TAYLOR The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 established foreign languages as a core curricular content area; however, instructional emphasis continues to be placed on curricular areas that factor into state educational accountability programs. The present study explored whether foreign language study of first-year Grade 3 foreign language students who continued their foreign language study through Grade 5 in Louisiana public schools contributed to their academic achievement in curricular areas tested on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) and the Louisiana Educational Assessment Program for the 21st Century (LEAP 21) test. Notable findings emerged. First, foreign language (FL) students significantly outperformed their non-FL peers on every test (English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies) of the Grade 4 LEAP 21. Second, the present research suggested that regardless of the test, whether the Grade 4 criterion-referenced LEAP 21 or the Grade 5 norm-referenced ITBS, at each grade level FL students significantly outperformed their non-FL counterparts on language achievement tests. [source] Online Argument Between Israeli Jews and PalestiniansHUMAN COMMUNICATION RESEARCH, Issue 3 2007Donald G. Ellis Previous research with face-to-face groups found that majority,minority theory was a better predictor of argument patterns between Israelis and Palestinians than cultural codes theory (D. G. Ellis & I. Maoz, 2002; I. Maoz & D. G. Ellis, 2001). But, because of the difficulties of organizing face-to-face contacts between Israelis and Palestinians (e.g., security, transportation, check points), computer-mediated communication has taken on increased significance. This paper builds on previous research pertaining to argument between Israeli Jews and Palestinians and extends that work by investigating the effects of communication technologies on argument interactions between these two groups. The most notable finding was the absence of complex argumentative structures that are typically associated with conflict resolution. [source] Correlates of smoking among adolescents with asthmaJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 5-6 2010Su-Er Guo Aims and objective., This study examined the correlates of smoking among asthmatic adolescents to gain a better understanding of who is at particular risk. Background., Smoking is especially harmful to individuals with asthma. However, smoking is surprisingly prevalent among asthmatic individuals, with prevalence rates similar to or higher than those of the general adult or adolescent populations. Despite this notable finding, there has been little research about factors (i.e. biophysical, psychosocial and behavioural) influencing asthmatic adolescents' tobacco use patterns. Design., A Canadian provincial cross-sectional survey. Method., The study about adolescents' tobacco use and health status was conducted in secondary schools in 2004, 608 asthmatic adolescents participated. Demographic factors, biophysical (body mass index and physical health), psychosocial factors (parents' and peers' smoking, environmental tobacco smoke exposure and depression) and behavioural factors (marijuana use, alcohol use and exercise frequency) were explored. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify risk factors associated with tobacco use. Results and conclusions., Of the 608 asthmatic adolescents, 17·4% currently smoked and 12·0% formerly smoked. Girls, compared with boys, were more likely to smoke (OR: 3·34, 95% CI: 1·62,6·96) after adjusting for differences in the other demographic, biophysical, psychosocial and behavioural factors. Asthmatic girls who had relatively higher body mass index, were in the higher school grades, used marijuana or alcohol, had minor to severe depressive symptoms, had environmental tobacco smoke exposure in their homes and had friends who smoked or were currently more likely to smoke. The former smokers had similar risk factors including higher body mass index, environmental tobacco smoke exposure at home, friends who smoked and marijuana use. Relevance to clinical practice., Despite their health condition, asthmatic adolescents continue currently or formerly to smoke. Gender appropriate prevention and cessation interventions for asthmatic adolescents may need to address important psychosocial and environmental factors that increase the risk of these adolescents initiating and maintaining tobacco use. [source] The Placement of the Human Eyeball and Canthi in Craniofacial IdentificationJOURNAL OF FORENSIC SCIENCES, Issue 3 2008Carl N. Stephan Ph.D. Abstract:, An accurate understanding of the spatial relationships between the deep and superficial structures of the head is essential for anthropological methods concerned with the comparison of faces to skulls (superimposition) or the prediction of faces from them (facial approximation). However, differences of opinion exist concerning: (i) the position of the eyeball in planes other than the anteroposterior plane and (ii) the canthi positions relative to the bony orbital margins. This study attempts to clarify the above relationships by dissection of a small sample of adult human cadavers (N = 4, mean age = 83 years, s = 12 years). The most notable finding was that the eyeballs were not centrally positioned within the orbits as the more recent craniofacial identification literature expounds. Rather, the eyeballs were consistently positioned closer to the orbital roof and lateral orbital wall (by 1,2 mm on average); a finding consistent with the earlier anatomical literature. While these estimation errors are small ipsilaterally, several factors make them meaningful: (i) the orbital region is heavily used for facial recognition; (ii) the width error is doubled because the eyes are bilateral structures; (iii) the eyes are sometimes used to predict/assess other soft tissue facial structures; and (iv) the net error in facial approximation rapidly accumulates with the subsequent prediction of each independent facial feature. While the small sample size of this study limits conclusive generalizations, the new data presented here nonetheless have immediate application to craniofacial identification practice because the results are evidence based. In contrast, metric data have never been published to support the use of the central positioning guideline. Clearly, this study warrants further quantification of the eyeball position in larger samples and preferably of younger individuals. [source] Controllable Synthesis of Nickel Hydroxide and Porous Nickel Oxide Nanostructures with Different MorphologiesCHEMISTRY - A EUROPEAN JOURNAL, Issue 16 2008Lihong Dong Dr. Abstract ,-Ni(OH)2 nanobelts, nanowires, short nanowires, and ,-Ni(OH)2 nanoplates have been successfully prepared in high yields and purities by a convenient hydrothermal method under mild conditions from very simple systems composed only of NaOH, NiSO4, and water. It has been found that the ratio of NaOH to NiSO4 not only affects the morphology of the Ni(OH)2 nanostructures, but also determines whether the product is of the ,- or ,-crystal phase. A notable finding is that porous NiO nanobelts were produced after exposure of the Ni(OH)2 products to an electron beam for several minutes during transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations. Another unusual feature is that rectangular nanoplates with many gaps were obtained. Furthermore, porous NiO nanobelts, nanowires, and nanoplates could also be obtained by annealing the as-prepared Ni(OH)2 products. A sequence of dissolution, recrystallization, and oriented attachment-assisted self-assembly of nanowires into nanobelts is proposed as a plausible mechanistic interpretation for the formation of the observed structures. The method presented here possesses several advantages, including high yields, high purities, low cost, and environmental benignity. It might feasibly be scaled-up for industrial mass production. [source] Financing Choice and Liability Structure of Real Estate Investment TrustsREAL ESTATE ECONOMICS, Issue 3 2003David T. Brown We conduct an analysis of public financial offerings of equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), with a focus on liability structure effects and whether or not firms target longer-run debt ratios. Our major findings are that (1) proceeds from equity offers are more likely to fund investment, whereas public debt offer proceeds are typically used to reconfigure the liability structure of the firm; (2) public debt issuers are often capital constrained and target total leverage ratios to retain an investment grade credit rating; and (3) the preoffer liability structure affects the issuance choice decision, in that firms with higher preoffer levels of secured (unsecured) debt tend to issue equity (public debt). Other notable findings are that the market for public REIT debt is integrated with the broader debt markets and that higher credit quality firms issue longer-maturing bonds. [source] | |||||||||||||