How Do Teacher Qualifications Impact Student Achievement in Relation to the Achievement Model Established by the Mississippi Department of Education?

The following study was conducted in a six-county geographical region and involved teachers from various high schools that taught classes which were involved in the subject area testing program. Each participant taught one of the four state-mandated subject area classes that are tested to determine achievement levels and accreditation ratings for each high school. The focus of the study was to collect information from each teacher regarding the qualifications they held during the 2009-2010 school year and to compare those qualifications with the mean scale score for each teacher’s subject area classes. The researcher focused on five separate teacher qualifications that were National Board Certification, years of experience, alternate route certification, level of degree and hours in content area. Twenty tests were conducted to test each qualification against the mean scale score from each subject area. Two of the test conducted produced statistically significant results. Teachers who held a National Board Certificate proved to have a statistically significant impact on test scores in English II with t(48) = 3.319, p = .002. Teachers who completed more that eighteen hours in mathematics also produced statistically significant results in Algebra I classes with t(47) = -2.349, p = .023. These two outcomes provide a solid foundation and support basis that school administrators can use to implement practices in teacher induction and teacher recruitment programs. A statistically significant impact on student achievement occurred in only 10% of the test during this project. Although a small percentage, the results provide educational leaders with a support basis that can be applied to current policy and practice. These results also leave the door open for future researchers to expand on the ideas explored during this project. Research topics and ideas that can easily be applied to classroom practices, foster educational growth and maximize the opportunity for student achievement

Disability History: Humanity Worth Defending

The authors consider the potential impact of teaching disability history and awareness in social studies classrooms. Social studies educators are encouraged to use disability history to move the concept of disability beyond Individualized Education Program (IEP) labels and medical pathology, allowing students to study and better understand the evolving social and cultural context of disability. An examination of disability “models” and the historical evolution of disability language is followed by strategies and resources for incorporating disability history and awareness in the social studies classroom. Ohio social studies educators are encouraged to support a Disability History and Awareness week or month in their state

Risk-Actuated Public Interest Disclosure Practices of Nurses Working in Mental Health, Pertaining to Confidential Information of Patients

For nurses working in mental health, the inappropriate handling of confidential information may cause issues for stakeholders. However, there is a paucity of research literature to guide nurses. Therefore, this study aimed to add to the extant literature on risk-actuated public-interest disclosure practices of nurses. The study found participants understood exceptions to confidentiality, but not the concept of public interest. Furthermore, disclosure for risk management in perceived risk laden scenarios, was described by participants as a collaborative endeavour, albeit one where peer advice was not necessarily followed. Finally, participants’ risk-actuated disclosure-related decision-making focussed on protecting a patient or others from harm

Overview of 10 inch Diameter HTPB Hybrid Motor Testing with Liquid Oxygen at Stennis Space Center

To further explore the operation of hybrid rocket motors and to demonstrate the performance characteristics of the motor design Lockheed Martin funded research on a series of 10 inch diameter hybrid motors that produce less than 10 klbf sea level thrust. This test series was given the name "Hybrid Technology Test Program." These motors were fired in the existing test stand at the SSC E-3 complex Cell 1. The fuel and oxidizer for these 10 inch diameter motors are HTPB and LO2, respectively. The original goal of the testing was to verify that the predicted performance matched the actual performance of these 10 inch motors (ref. figure 1) and then confirm that the motors performed acceptably. For this element of testing horizontally fired hybrid motors will be tested using LO2 supplied from the existing facility 100 gallon LO2 tank that is pressurized with facility GN2. The thrust produced by the motor will be measured by a Lockheed Martin supplied load cell

The Struggle of the Rubiniumite Wars

The Struggle of the Rubiniumite Warsis a browser-based, one- to two-player, simultaneous turn-based strategy game set amongst the stars. It uses WebGL and Three.js for 3D graphics in the browser, Node.js for game engine and artificial intelligence design on the backend, and Socket.io for networking using websockets. The development group’s inspiration, motivation, and reflections are discussed. Additionally, details on the development of the game engine, database integration with Parse, user registration with Nodemailer, graphics with Three.js and HTML/CSS, and audio with HTML5

Digestive state influences the heart rate hysteresis and rates of heat exchange in the varanid lizard Varanus rosenbergi

© The Company of Biologists LtdTo maximize the period where body temperature (Tb) exceeds ambient temperature (Ta), many reptiles have been reported to regulate heart rate (fH) and peripheral blood flow so that the rate of heat gain in a warming environment occurs more rapidly than the rate of heat loss in a cooling environment. It may be hypothesized that the rate of cooling, particularly at relatively cool Tbs, would be further reduced during postprandial periods when specific dynamic action (SDA) increases endogenous heat production (i.e. the heat increment of feeding). Furthermore, it may also be hypothesized that the increased perfusion of the gastrointestinal organs that occurs during digestion may limit peripheral blood flow and thus compromise the rate of heating. Finally, if the changes in fH are solely for the purpose of thermoregulation, there should be no associated changes in energy demand and, consequently, no hysteresis in the rate of oxygen consumption (O2). To test these hypotheses, seven individual Varanus rosenbergi were heated and cooled between 19°C and 35°C following at least 8 days fasting and then approximately 25 h after consumption of a meal (mean 10% of fasted body mass). For a given Tb between the range of 19-35°C, fH of fasting lizards was higher during heating than during cooling. Postprandial lizards also displayed a hysteresis in fH, although the magnitude was reduced in comparison with that of fasting lizards as a result of a higher fH during cooling in postprandial animals. Both for fasting and postprandial lizards, there was no hysteresis in O2 at any Tb throughout the range although, as a result of SDA, postprandial animals displayed a significantly higher O2 than fasting animals both during heating and during cooling at Tbs above 24°C. The values of fH during heating at a given Tb were the same for fasting and postprandial animals, which, in combination with a slower rate of heating in postprandial animals, suggests that a prioritization of blood flow to the gastrointestinal organs during digestion is occurring at the expense of higher rates of heating. Additionally, postprandial lizards took longer to cool at Tbs below 23°C, suggesting that the endogenous heat produced during digestion temporarily enhances thermoregulatory ability at lower temperatures, which would presumably assist V. rosenbergi during cooler periods in the natural environment by augmenting temperature-dependent physiological processes

Cobalt-catalyzed multi-substituted alkene synthesis from 1,3-dithiolanes and Grignard reagents

The cobalt-catalyzed reaction between 1,3-dithiolanes and Grignard reagents, for the efficient synthesis of multi-substituted alkene products, is described. The method was applicable to a variety of benzylic dithiolane substrates, affording di-, tri-, and tetra-substituted 1,1-diaryl alkene products in good to excellent yields. The use of benzylic Grignard reagents with aryl aldehyde-derived 1,3-dithiolanes enabled access to natural product-derived stilbene architectures with exquisite E selectivity. The operational simplicity, low catalyst loadings, and scalability demonstrate the general utility of the method

An Innovative Hangboard Design to Improve Finger Strength in Rock Climbers

AbstractIn elite rock climbing, finger strength is critical, and is directly related to performance. A hangboard, composed of sets of artificial climbing grips to hang from, is often used by climbers to improve their finger strength. While some research has studied training protocols for climbing, virtually no published research exists addressing the specific enhancement of training equipment to improve training effectiveness. Here we seek to show that hangboard design, especially novel features included in the Rock Prodigy Forge hangboard increases the effectiveness of hangboard training. Recently, this hangboard was developed through an iterative process leveraging modern CAD/CAM techniques. This enabled design engineers to optimize the hangboard for improved training benefit and reduced injuries. As a result, several innovative features were added to the design including: (a) equation-driven grip edge profiles, (b) drafted pockets, (c) novel grip designs, (d) improved grip geometry, and (e) improved texture, among other features. The Forge was tested by experienced climbers, and 92% assessed it as more effective than other training tools, with 91% of users able to train harder without fear of injury relative to other training methods, and 86% reporting improved climbing performance. This is a significant and unique result for the sport of climbing

Cylindrical illumination with angular coupling for whole-prostate photoacoustic tomography

Current diagnosis of prostate cancer relies on histological analysis of tissue samples acquired by biopsy, which could benefit from real-time identification of suspicious lesions. Photoacoustic tomography has the potential to provide real-time targets for prostate biopsy guidance with chemical selectivity, but light delivered from the rectal cavity has been unable to penetrate to the anterior prostate. To overcome this barrier, a urethral device with cylindrical illumination is developed for whole-prostate imaging, and its performance as a function of angular light coupling is evaluated with a prostate-mimicking phantom

Physiological Response to Feeding in Little Penguins

© 2006 by The University of Chicago.Specific dynamic action (SDA), the increase in metabolic rate above resting levels that accompanies the processes of digestion and assimilation of food, can form a substantial part of the daily energy budget of free-ranging animals. We measured heart rate (fH) and rate of oxygen consumption ( ) in 12 little penguins while they digested a meal of sardines in order to determine whether they show specific dynamic action. In contrast to some studies of other penguin species, little penguins showed a substantial SDA, the magnitude of which was proportional to the size of the meal. The energy utilized in SDA was equivalent to 13.4% of the available energy content of the fish. Furthermore, animals such as penguins that forage in a cold environment will probably expend further energy in heating their food to body temperature to facilitate efficient digestion. It is estimated that this additional energy expenditure was equivalent to 1.6%-2.3% of the available energy content of the fish, depending on the time of year and therefore the temperature of the water. Changes in fH during digestion were qualitatively similar to those in , implying that there were no substantial circulatory adjustments during digestion and that the relationship between fH and in penguins is unaffected by digestive state