The status of advanced placement English in North Carolina

The purpose of this study was to determine the status of Advanced Placement English in North Carolina. A questionnaire was prepared and distributed to the Advanced Placement English teachers in the 146 high schools in North Carolina in which the examination was given in May, 1986. Chapter I explained the major concepts, limitations, and definitions dealt with by the study. The literature related to the Advanced Placement Program was examined in Chapter II. Special emphasis was given to the content of the Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition Examination and the Advanced Placement English Language and Composition Examination. The focus of Chapter III was the dissemination and use of the questionnaire. The 18 concerns of the questionnaire dealt with personnel matters, curricular concerns, the relationship of the Advanced Placement Program to academically gifted programs, the selection of students, and general needs of Advanced Placement English teachers

Modified Quadratic Hill-Climbing with SAS /IML

This article describes EZClimb, a set of SAS/IML steps useful in solving numerical optimization problems. The program uses the method of modified quadratic hill-climbing with either analytical or numerical derivatives to maximize a user-defined criterion function. Modified quadratic hill-climbing is one of the more powerful algorithms known for function optimization but is not widely available outside of the software package GQOPT. The efficacy of the SAS steps is illustrated using Rosenbrock's function, Savin and White's Box-Cox extended autoregressive model, and Klein's Model

Non-preconception

Of the pieces exhibited, the canvas structures are the only originals. The remaining works are cast from stretched canvas constructions--some directly and some from molds taken from the constructions. A wooden frame was first constructed. These frames emphasize geometric shapes and simple curves. Limiting the frames to basic shapes enabled a controlled and simplified form. The canvas is then stretched as taut as possible by hand and boiling water is applied to remove all the wrinkles through shrinkage and to create the desired tension. The form of the canvas is basically dependent on the design of the frame but can be easily altered by the pulling of the cloth, as there are many variations in relation to the pull on horizontals, verticals and diagonals. Although the stretched canvas is in its purest state, a skin over a structure, I found it necessary to reproduce it into a material that would not be as vulnerable to dents, punctures, and the quick aging the canvas forms seem to go through. The larger ones, especially, can be compared to the slow collapse of a balloon. Coating the canvases with paint, gesso or polyester resin offers some resistance to this "quick aging," but at the same time causes the dents to become more permanent. This fragility of the canvas forms makes the additional step of reproduction in plaster, fiber-glass and bronze a necessity for me

Treatment validity of the dexamethasone suppression test

This dissertation examined the value of the dexamethasone suppression test in selecting subjects who are responsive to different types of treatment for depression, thereby testing the "treatment validity" of the dexamethasone suppression test. In addition, the effects of a biologically-oriented treatment and a psychologically-oriented treatment on the dexamethasone suppression test and on subjects' dysfuntional thoughts was examined. Forty-three outpatient subjects diagnosed with Major Depression along with a high level of dysfunctional thoughts participated in this project. Subjects were identified as either abnormal or normal dexamethasone suppression test responders according to Cortisol blood levels, and then randomly assigned to receive either a biologically-oriented treatment (tricyclic antidepressant medication) or a psychologically-oriented treatment (cognitive therapy). Self-report depression measures, diagnoses, the questionnaire measuring dysfunctional thoughts, and the dexamethasone suppression test were administered at pre-intervention and post-intervention and were subjected to statistical analyses

Meteorology and Myth: The Thunderstorm and Tornado Deities of Japan

Folklore and mythology are not to be interpreted as proper history or science fact. There may be scientific reasons why the narrative themes in Japanese folklore persist. Raijin is the god of thunder and lightning, and Fujin is a god of windstorms and tornadoes. Syncretic representation of these sky deities are ubiquitous in Japanese art and cultural landscapes. This presentation will attempt to explain the science link between Japan’s weather and its folklore. Stories such as Raijin’s penchant for eating the navels of children, or why Fujin’s skin is green, have a plausible meteorological explanation. The purpose of this qualitative research is for teaching by stimulating interest and discussion. Learning outcomes including the reinforcement of basic weather science and an appreciation of Japan’s unique culture

Sidewalk rubbings : a study in flatness

Important in the consideration of my work 1s the concept of flatness—"Havlng an even and horizontal surface, or nearly so, without marked prominence or depressions; level and smooth, lying at full length, or spread out upon the ground; level with the around or earth," is the way Webster defines "flat." The interest in flatness is derived from the personal moral conclusion that three dimensional space existing on a two dimensional area is illusionistic. After an extended study of "flatness" in painting ranging in size from 3' x 4', I increased the painting sizes to 10' x 25' to eliminate the spatial consideration of the wall by creating the wall. The increase in size and scale appeared to make me more aware of the wall. The conclusion made was that the wall itself was a spatial statement, existing quite arbitrarily in the traditional panoramic space. Sky space represents the same unending, boundless void, that exists in the panoramic space. It was then concluded that ground space is different from the other two types of space. The ground space is physically occupied and concrete

A biblical doctrine of physical education

In this study, the author constructed a Biblical doctrine of physical education using the literal hermeneutical method of interpretation, also known as the grammatical/historical method. All Bible passages relating to the nature of man and physical activity were listed and analyzed for their meaning. Both deductive and inductive analyses were used. From these meanings, principles and concepts were derived which relate to the nature of man and to physical education. These principles and concepts were then structured into several models describing the nature of man and one model describing Biblical physical education. Lastly, the physical education model was evaluated and implications for curriculum theorizing in physical education were discussed. The following conclusions were reached. Unregenerate man is basically dualistic in nature while regenerate man is tripartite. Biblical physical education is the use of physical activity for the purpose of developing Christ-like characteristics in the life of the believer. Biblical physical education seeks to develop a healthy body in the participant which must last for a lifetime on earth while attempting to transform the inner man of the person which lasts for all eternity. Several athletic metaphors are used in the Bible primarily to illustrate spiritual truth

Intergovernmental grants and successful tax limitation referenda

Analyses of fiscal limitation referenda have typically ignored the role of institutional structure in referenda outcomes. This article demonstrates the importance of such structure through the investigation of intergovernmental grants in a model of federal tax rate determination. Tax limitation referenda are shown to depend upon both the use of tax rates as a grant disbursement criterion as well as the size of the proposed tax cut

From paradigm to K Mart : an alternative approach to teaching students with severe mental retardation

This dissertation documents a public school special education teacher's efforts to create an alternative method to teach language and functional skills to teenagers with severe mental retardation. Over a 3 year period, the students were taught to sequence photographs of school and community experiences into simple photo-based personal stories which were "told" to their families and friends. In addition to the acquisition of language, the work stresses the importance of personal narratives and the short story form for the formation of interpersonal relationships, the creation of meaning, the establishment of limits and boundaries, the development of affect and empathy, and personal empowerment. The paper concludes with examples of the students' stories and interpretations of their developmental effects. Influences that directly contributed to the development of this method of teaching include new educational and service delivery models for handicapped people, and readings on the new scientific paradigm (best represented by the work of Albert Einstein), liberation theology, Piaget's cognitive developmental theory, characteristics of human oppression, and the nature of the creative process. The author contrasts his method to common public school special education practices which are significantly influenced by behaviorism (Skinner) and beliefs and values stemming from classical Newtonian science and the Industrial Revolution

Basic skeletal and interior forms

I am using skeletal forms with an emphasis on the ball and socket in relationship to space and floor. The large size of these skeletal forms offers me a subject that allows the development of sculptural themes that relate to the floor. Some of the pieces are well grounded in one area. The extensions of the pieces lift off the floor and produce another situation. These extended forms offer a means to collect space and offer a type of space modulation in addition to the tactile values which are fully developed. All of the objects in the exhibit were made of at least two kinds of materials. Among these combinations, forged steel is related to glazed and unglazed clay; clay in its natural color is held against areas flocked with nylon fibers. I do not feel a need to allow the material to exist in its natural state. If I feel polychroming to be necessary, then I will use this method to achieve an end. My type of forms relates back to prehistoric times--a type of digging out of the ground and discovering the idea of knowing these forms and of making them. I feel a certain sensation of ceremony or religious feeling towards these forms. Though my sculpture is placed upon the floor in various parts, I hope the mind of the viewer will regroup the parts into a whole. The viewer can recreate the parts into a totally different structure. The viewer can then recreate the parts into a life theme. Forms that had once lived together and are now separate are each typed with an individual life. The way in which some of the extensions move off the floor allows space to escape, thus producing a dead weight situation