Public Schools and Islam: Accommodating the Needs of Muslim Students in the Public Schools

This project provides an overview of Islam in America, in particular the issues confronting educators in public schools with Muslim students. The primary emphasis is an examination of issues faced by Muslim and non-Muslim students and staff in the public schools. Examples of successful methods of addressing these issues are provided. Organizations, speakers, and publications that can help educators are also described. Additional background information is provided on the following topics: basic tenets of Islam, the current situation concerning Islam in the United States, problems faced by Muslims in American society at large, issues in the workplace, and examples of successful resolutions to some of these issues

Next Generation Metallic Iron Nodule Technology in Electric Arc Steelmaking - Phase II

The current trend in the steel industry is a gradual decline in conventional steelmaking from taconite pellets in blast furnaces, and an increasing number of alternative processes using metallic scrap iron, pig iron and metallized iron ore products. Currently, iron ores from Minnesota and Michigan are pelletized and shipped to the lower Great Lakes ports as blast furnace feed. The existing transportation system and infrastructure is geared to handling these bulk materials. In order to expand the opportunities for the existing iron ore mines beyond their blast furnace customer base, a new material is needed to satisfy the needs of the emerging steel industry while utilizing the existing infrastructure and materials handling. A recent commercial installation employing Kobe Steel’s ITmk3 process, was installed in Northeastern Minnesota. The basic process uses a moving hearth furnace to directly reduce iron oxides to metallic iron from a mixture of iron ore, coals and additives. The resulting products can be shipped using the existing infrastructure for use in various steelmaking processes. The technology reportedly saves energy by 30% over the current integrated steelmaking process and reduces emissions by more than 40%. A similar large-scale pilot plant campaign is also currently in progress using JFE Steel’s Hi-QIP process in Japan. The objective of this proposal is to build upon and improve the technology demonstrated by Kobe Steel and JFE, by further reducing cost, improving quality and creating added incentive for commercial development. This project expands previous research conducted at the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Natural Resources Research Institute and that reported by Kobe and JFE Steel. Three major issues have been identified and are addressed in this project for producing high-quality nodular reduced iron (NRI) at low cost: (1) reduce the processing temperature, (2) control the furnace gas atmosphere over the NRI, and (3) effectively use sub-bituminous coal as a reductant. From over 4000 laboratory tube and box furnace tests, it was established that the correct combination of additives, fluxes, and reductant while controlling the concentration of CO and CO2 in the furnace atmosphere (a) lowers the operating temperature, (b) decreases the use of reductant coal (c) generates less micro nodules of iron, and (d) promotes desulphurization. The laboratory scale work was subsequently verified on 12.2 m (40 ft) long pilot scale furnace. High quality NRI could be produced on a routine basis using the pilot furnace facility with energy provided from oxy-gas or oxy-coal burner technologies. Specific strategies were developed to allow the use of sub-bituminous coals both as a hearth material and as part of the reaction mixture. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling was used to study the overall carbothermic reduction and smelting process. The movement of the furnace gas on a pilot hearth furnace and larger simulated furnaces and various means of controlling the gas atmosphere were evaluated. Various atmosphere control methods were identified and tested during the course of the investigation. Based on the results, the appropriate modifications to the furnace were made and tested at the pilot scale. A series of reduction and smelting tests were conducted to verify the utility of the processing conditions. During this phase, the overall energy use characteristics, raw materials, alternative fuels, and the overall economics predicted for full scale implementation were analyzed. The results indicate that it should be possible to lower reaction temperatures while simultaneously producing low sulfur, high carbon NRI if the right mix chemistry and atmosphere are employed. Recommendations for moving the technology to the next stage of commercialization are presented

Sleep spindles and intelligence:evidence for a sexual dimorphism

Contains fulltext : 136083.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)Sleep spindles are thalamocortical oscillations in nonrapid eye movement sleep, which play an important role in sleep-related neuroplasticity and offline information processing. Sleep spindle features are stable within and vary between individuals, with, for example, females having a higher number of spindles and higher spindle density than males. Sleep spindles have been associated with learning potential and intelligence; however, the details of this relationship have not been fully clarified yet. In a sample of 160 adult human subjects with a broad IQ range, we investigated the relationship between sleep spindle parameters and intelligence. In females, we found a positive age-corrected association between intelligence and fast sleep spindle amplitude in central and frontal derivations and a positive association between intelligence and slow sleep spindle duration in all except one derivation. In males, a negative association between intelligence and fast spindle density in posterior regions was found. Effects were continuous over the entire IQ range. Our results demonstrate that, although there is an association between sleep spindle parameters and intellectual performance, these effects are more modest than previously reported and mainly present in females. This supports the view that intelligence does not rely on a single neural framework, and stronger neural connectivity manifesting in increased thalamocortical oscillations in sleep is one particular mechanism typical for females but not males.11 p

Natural Resources Research Institute Technical Report

Plant Demonstration Test at Minntac Using Pebble Lime, Coleraine Minerals Research Laboratory, Natural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota DuluthThere were two main goals to the second test; to determine the long tenn operability of balling circuits using quicklime and to produce green balls equal in quality to those produced using bentonite without allowing the mixed material to sit before balling. Modifications were made to the 03-4 circuit after the May test in order to achieve both of the above and this test was run from November 8 through November 12, 1994. A summary of the results is given below: The test was a success for two reasons. The 03-4 circuit ran smoothly for 4 days using quicklime instead ofbentonite. -.And, because the circuit ran smoothly, a lot of useful and meaningful data was collected and evaluated. The test was completed safely. There were no incidents or accidents reported during the preparation for or during the test. Levels of ammonia and fugitive dust were monitored during the test and found to be lower than during the May test. The levels detected in both tests were well below MSHA requirements. The green ball quality achieved during this test was higher than that achieved during the May test but below desired levels. However, this test, the May test and pilot plant tests all indicate that acceptable quality green balls can be produced using quicklime under the right conditions. Good quality green balls were produced during the May test when the mixed materials were allowed to sit after being mixed, during pilot plant tests when the materials were mixed for 1 minute and during this test when the mixing time exceeded 110 seconds. There were no unloading or handling problems during the test despite the fact that the pulverized quicklime was contaminated with pebble sized chunks. The supplier, Marblehead Lime Company, indicated that the chunks represented contamination from loading bins at their plant. The fired pellet quality on the entire line dropped during both tests despite the fact that quicklime was being used on only one of the four circuits on the line. This appears to be indirectly related to the use of quicklime. It appeared that, during the tests, quicklime reacted with the water in the bentonite and negatively affected the water absorbing properties of the bentonite. The circuits using the contaminated bentonite then produced poorer quality green balls than the circuit using quicklime. The slightly lower quality green balls produced using quicklime combined with the significantly lower quality green balls made with contaminated bentonite and resulted in lower quality fired pellets. This was suspected in the May test and verified during this test