SpC MS 0649 sc, James Alden Letter

Autograph letter signed. Letter between friends and officers. Update on military requests by Walker through Alden and local updates. The downloadable file includes a scan of the handwritten letter, a note that provides more information about the document, and a typed transcript.https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/manuscripts_19th_century/1000/thumbnail.jp

Course integration: What impact on student grades? Working paper series--02-11

Universities are implementing a number of strategies designed to help students develop an integrated view of a business. Faculty and students are each interested in the impact these integration strategies have on student grades. This paper describes one school's experiment in curriculum integration and the impact it has had on student grades comparing a set of courses taken individually versus the same courses taken as an integrated block. The results indicate that grading rigor did not suffer in the block format and that students' grades were more highly correlated between courses in the block format. It is hypothesized that the higher correlation of grades is due to the content integration present in the block courses. That is, if content is more integrated we would expect a student doing well in one of the courses to be more likely to do well in the other courses in the same block. Partial correlation analysis lends support to this hypothesis

Is It Evolution Yet? A Critique of Evolutionary Archaeology

The application of Darwinian evolutionary theory to archaeology has taken two divergent and rather distinct paths over the past two decades. According to one program, often referred to as evolutionary archaeology, cultural change as seen in the archaeological record can best be explained in terms of the direct action of natural selection and other Darwinian processes on heritable variation in artifacts and behavior. The other approach, referred to as evolutionary or behavioral ecology, explains cultural and behavioral change as forms of phenotypic adaptation to varying social and ecological conditions, using the assumption that natural selection has designed organisms to respond to local conditions in; fitness-enhancing ways. We argue that the primary conflict between the two approaches centers on fundamental differences in the way they view the explanatory role of phenotypic variation and more specifically a disagreement over whether behavioral innovation is random with respect to adaptive value (including related issues of current versus future selective advantage and the- explanatory role of intentions). These differences lead to contrasts in explanatory scope, empirical application, and theoretical conclusions, which in turn provide the basis for our evaluation of the relative utility of each approach for explaining archaeological phenomena

Dominance of grain size impacts on seasonal snow albedo at deforested sites in New Hampshire

Snow cover serves as a major control on the surface energy budget in temperate regions due to its high reflectivity compared to underlying surfaces. Winter in the northeastern United States has changed over the last several decades, resulting in shallower snowpacks, fewer days of snow cover, and increasing precipitation falling as rain in the winter. As these climatic changes occur, it is imperative that we understand current controls on the evolution of seasonal snow albedo in the region. Over three winter seasons between 2013 and 2015, snow characterization measurements were made at three open sites across New Hampshire. These near-daily measurements include spectral albedo, snow optical grain size determined through contact spectroscopy, snow depth, snow density, black carbon content, local meteorological parameters, and analysis of storm trajectories using the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory model. Using analysis of variance, we determine that land-based winter storms result in marginally higher albedo than coastal storms or storms from the Atlantic Ocean. Through multiple regression analysis, we determine that snow grain size is significantly more important in albedo reduction than black carbon content or snow density. And finally, we present a parameterization of albedo based on days since snowfall and temperature that accounts for 52% of variance in albedo over all three sites and years. Our improved understanding of current controls on snow albedo in the region will allow for better assessment of potential response of seasonal snow albedo and snow cover to changing climate

Relational Trust, Social Connections, and Improving Principal Practice: One District’s Implementation of the Massachusetts Model System for Educator Evaluation to Support the Growth and Development of Principals

Thesis advisor: Joseph O'KeefeThesis advisor: James MariniUsing social capital theory as a conceptual framework, this qualitative study of one Massachusetts district analyzed how principals’ relational trust and interconnectedness with central office administrators (COAs) correlated with their perceptions of district efforts to support their growth and development. Data included interviews with principals and COAs and document analyses. Findings revealed a decided split among principals, with some reporting high trust levels and close connections with COAs and others reporting distrust and isolation. Of the district’s five major initiatives designed to support principals, two were perceived positively by most principals, two received mixed reactions with connected principals more favorable than isolated principals, and one received widespread negative perceptions. District initiatives widely perceived to be effective mirrored principal goals, provided opportunities for COA direct assistance, and were structured to facilitate the development of professional assistance relationships. Conversely, the initiatives with mixed or negative perceptions lacked such relationship-building opportunities.Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2016.Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education.Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education

Abundance, seasonality and community structure of fishes on the Mid-Atlantic Bight continental shelf

Cluster analyses of seasonal (spring and fall) National Marine Fisheries Service Groundfish Survey bottom trawl catches on the Middle Atlantic Bight continental shelf revealed consistent species associations and faunal zones over a nine year period during. Boundaries between faunal zones tended to follow isotherms on the inner portions of the shelf and isobaths along the outer shelf. During the late winter/early spring, four faunal zones were identified: a northern inner and middle shelf zone extending from Cape Cod southward to about Delaware Bay, a northern middle and outer shelf zone offshore of the first zone, a southern middle and outer shelf zone, and a fourth zone on the shelf break and upper slope. The southern inner shelf was a transition zone between the first and third zones. Five species groups were identified: a small cryophilic group restricted to the first zone, a cold-water boreal group found in the first two zones, a ubiquitous boreal/resident group containing the major dominants, a warm-temperate group confined to the warmer southern and outer shelf waters, and a group of slope residents confined to the deepest zone. During the fall, five faunal zones were identified: a southern inner and middle shelf zone, a northern inner shelf zone, a northern mid-shelf zone, an outer shelf zone and a shelf break/upper slope zone. The five species associations recognized were largely analogous to those in the spring, with the following exceptions: the cryophilic group was absent, the ubiquitous group contained mixed boreal and warm-temperate elements, and a second outer shelf group was recognized. The most notable change in the distribution of groups from the spring was a general northward shift in the distributions of the boreal species and a sharply defined inshore movement of the warm temperate group. Analyses of a single summer cruise showed patterns of distribution intermediate to those seen during the spring and fall. Absolute abundances, both of individual species and the total fish community, were highly variable between areas, seasons and years. Species diversity and its components appear to be of little utility in describing the fish communities of the open continental shelves

Comparing the Efficiency of Reprimands and Noncontingent Reinforcement in Reducing Disruptive Behavior in the Classroom

The present study evaluated the effects of reprimands and noncontingent reinforcement as reducing disruptive behavior but increasing time on-task in the general education classroom. Three, second grade, student-teacher dyads were selected based on administration referral, functional assessment, and direct observation. Dyads were observed during regular classroom instruction. In baseline each teacher was asked to deliver instruction normally while during the intervention phase each teacher provided noncontingent reinforcement in the form of a brief praise statement at set intervals. Data indicates that although teachers spent more intervals providing noncontingent reinforcement, on-task behavior increased considerably across sessions for each student during the intervention condition. Further, intervals on-task increased by an average of 4.5, 7.95, and 8.2 intervals for each noncontingent praise statement for the respective students. Evaluation of intervals of each student indicates that each student was on-task for more intervals after a praise statement than after that of a reprimand. Further, the average number of intervals that each student was on-task before the occurrence of a disruptive behavior was greater when provided noncontingent praise. Finally, the delivery of noncontingent reinforcing was substantially more likely to result in behavioral change (95%) than reprimands (27%) in the interval following each respective statement. The data from this study suggests that the delivery of praise statements more efficient use of instructional time to increase on-task behavior

A Rooftop Revolution? A Multidisciplinary Analysis of State-Level Residential Solar Programs in New Jersey and Massachusetts

The success of alternative energy policies is usually measured in terms of energy capacity. By this metric, state-level policies to promote solar installations in New Jersey and Massachusetts have been a success. To fully evaluate these policies, however, it is necessary to consider how these policy programs are structured and funded, who participates in these programs, and the complete life-cycle consequences of \u27clean\u27 energy technologies. This paper focuses specifically on residential solar installations, which represent more than half of the total U.S. rooftop solar capacity potential. It takes a multidisciplinary approach that draws on policy analysis, spatial and demographic analyses, and life-cycle assessment. The analyses reveal three key conclusions: First, state-level policies have shifted from subsidies for solar installations to incentive-based support based on system performance, which have reduced the payback period for residential solar to less than ten years and have contributed to the growth of third-party leasing companies. Second, communities with low median income and/or a high percentage of non-white residents generally remain at lower than expected levels of participation. Third, while residential solar installations significantly offset greenhouse gas emissions and compounds that harm human respiratory health after 18 months, switching to photovoltaic panels generates a net increase in the production of ecotoxic chemicals. Drawing on these observations we recommend policy changes to encourage broader geographic and demographic participation, to recognize the importance of solar leasing companies and landlords, and to promote the use of solar panels with lower environmental impacts across the lifecycle