Post-secondary career technical education instructional practices

Although the current public education system\u27s vision of college and career readiness is creating a substantial space for career technical education (CTE) in schools, little has been done regarding researching the current state of career educational education and adult learners. As colleges become further impacted by fiscal constraints, adding additional years for the completion of any post-secondary degree, a need exists to reassess the state\u27s adult school CTE programs as an essential partner in post-secondary education. This study aimed to elucidate instructional best practices of CTE instructors within a public school setting as a foundation for further research in this area. Limited extant research is available on instructional practices of post-secondary CTE instructors. Therefore, a variety of data was collected by the principal and assistant researcher. Using two observational tools, fifteen post-secondary CTE instructors were observed twice during instruction. Following the observations, participants were interviewed to obtain an accurate narrative of the observations and their instructional practices. All potential instructors agreed to participate, sharing a collective enthusiasm for the acknowledgment of their contribution of post-secondary education. Because the research was exploratory in its design, research questions were developed to create a baseline for future research in instructional practices of post-secondary CTE instructors. Coding and statistical analysis were performed for all data sources, with a triangulation of data conducted for one of the observational tools with strong trends reported. The principal theme comprises the classroom\u27s orientation for learning. The most frequently observed instructional behavior from the observational checklist was from the classroom environment category. Observational notes aligned to Malcolm Knolwles\u27s Adult Learning Theory showed the strongest principle of Orientation to Learn during observations. Finally, all participants shared in their interviews their best instructional practices, which involved hands-on modeling and learning in an environment modeled after current industry standards/ Recommendations derived from the study\u27s findings include maintaining collaboration with local educational agencies for funding of equipment and facilities, further research into Adult Learning Theory regarding post-secondary CTE and providing continuous professional development for instructors in both andragogy and their professional industry to maintain relevance

Seasonality and stable isotopes in planktonic foraminifera off Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2005. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Paleoceanography 20 (2005): PA4011, doi:10.1029/2005PA001150.Monthly samples of stratified plankton tows taken from the slope waters off Cape Cod nearly 25 years ago are used to describe the seasonal succession of planktonic foraminifera and their oxygen isotope ratios. The 15°C seasonal cycle of sea surface temperature (SST) accounts for a diverse mixture of tropical to subpolar species. Summer samples include various Globigerinoides and Neogloboquadrina dutertrei, whereas winter and early spring species include Globigerina bulloides and Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (dextral). Globorotalia inflata lives all year but at varying water depths. Compared with the fauna in 1960–1961 (described by R. Cifelli), our samples seem warmer. Because sea surface salinity varies little during the year, δ18O is mostly a function of SST. Throughout the year, there are always species present with δ18O close to the calculated isotopic equilibrium of carbonate with surface seawater. This raises the possibility that seasonality can be estimated directly from the range of δ18O in a sediment sample provided that the δ18O-salinity relationship is the same as today.Funding was provided by NSF grant OCE-0117149

Visual, Optical and Replica Inspections: Surface Preparation of 650 MHz NB Cavity for PIP-II Linac

Surface preparation of niobium superconducting RF cavities is a critical step for achieving good RF performance under the superconducting state. Surface defect, roughness, and contamination affect the accelerating gradient and quality factor of the cavities. We report surface inspection methods used to control the surface processing of 650 MHz cavities designated for the pre-production and prototype cryomodules for PIP-II linac. The cavity surface was routinely inspected visually, with an optical camera, and by microscopic scanning of surface replicas. This article covers details on the surface inspection methods and surface polishing process used to repair the surface

Application of secondary ion mass spectrometry to the determination of Mg/Ca in rare, delicate, or altered planktonic foraminifera : examples from the Holocene, Paleogene, and Cretaceous

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2005. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems 6 (2005): Q12P07, doi:10.1029/2005GC000974.Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) is useful for measuring Mg/Ca in both primary calcite and diagenetic minerals in planktonic foraminifera. The excellent spatial resolution (<10 μm) and small amount of material removed (<2 ng) makes it easy to avoid targets that include obvious embedding material and encrusting or infilling minerals such as secondary calcite and authigenic clays in diagenetically altered samples. Because analyses can be performed on individuals, SIMS is also a viable technique for generating Mg/Ca values from sediment samples in which foraminifera are rare or have low mass. For clean primary calcite samples, Mg/Ca ratios from SIMS compare well to those obtained using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), while maintaining information regarding the true variability of elemental ratios within individual tests. For samples with secondary calcite or stubbornly adhering clays, SIMS enables us to accurately measure primary calcite compositions and to assess and reconcile contamination problems in bulk samples analyzed by solution-based ICP-MS. We have observed that SIMS is an invaluable and reliable tool for the identification and avoidance of problems of diagenesis and the analysis of rare or delicate planktonic foraminifera. However, because of operator time required to properly target delicate (thin-walled) or contaminated planktonic foraminifera, SIMS may not be feasible for Mg/Ca studies where large numbers (hundreds) of samples must be processed and bulk measurements on multiple individuals will suffice.Funding for this research was provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Endowed Fund for Innovative Research and by the U.S. Science Support Program of the Joint Oceanographic Institutions. This material is also based on work supported by the National Science Foundation under grant OCE-0334598. Partial support for the Northeast National Ion Microprobe Facility was provided by NSF (EAR-0115433). This research used samples and data provided by the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP). ODP is sponsored by the U.S. National Science Foundation and participating countries under management of Joint Oceanographic Institutions, Inc

Seeing through the skin: dermal light sensitivity provides cryptism in moorish gecko

Concealment by means of colour change is a pre-eminent deceptive mechanism used by both predators and prey. The moorish gecko Tarentola mauritanica is able to blend into the background by either darkening or paling according to the substrate darkness. Here we examined the functioning of background perception in moorish gecko. We experimentally excluded the involvement of melanophore-stimulating hormone in camouflage. Blindfolded individuals change their colour consistently with the background. Surprisingly, individuals with covered flanks were not able to change colour, no matter whether they were allowed to see the substrate or not. Accordingly, we found high levels of opsin transcript and protein in the flank region of the gecko. These observations suggest that T.mauritanica skin melanophores are able to activate a process of colour change autonomously. This study yields the first evidence of crypsis mediated by dermal light sensitivity in amniote

Simulation of modern and middle Cretaceous marine δ 18 O with an ocean‐atmosphere general circulation model

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/95522/1/palo1494.pd