Autobiographical illusions

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A Sociological Perspective of the American Education System

The intension of this research project is to provide a critical analysis of the modern American school system, the policies that created and maintain it, the extensive effects of its practices, and the future of education under such a system. I will begin by tracing the evolution of the current order and discuss the impacts of government educational initiatives such as No Child Left Behind (George W. Bush) and A Race to the Top (Barack Obama) among others. To support these examples I will use secondary statistical research data, scholarly journals, government sources, and other forms of evidence. In this way I will attempt to show the successes and failures over the course of history as well as the underlying effects on American education and society. The following portion of my study will be dedicated to analyzing the defunding of enrichment and fine arts programs, the allocation of resources among various schools, and the narrow method of measuring both student and teacher performance under core-curriculum standards. An in depth look at these negative consequences will be juxtaposed with championed goals and successes of these programs and policies. Finally I will compare and contrast the school system in America with that of Finland, and discuss the future of education in the United States under the current system of learning and teaching

A Case Study of the Developing Literacy of African -American Learners Attending a Tutoring Program at an Urban African -American Church.

This study describes the literate abilities of a group of upper level elementary African-American school children who participated in an urban, African-American, church-sponsored, after-school tutorial program. Using an ethnographic research method, I relied on field notes, audio-taped interviews, and writing samples to collect and analyze the data. The participants in the study were six subjects (five females and one male, ages 10 to 12) who were enrolled in the tutorial program. Over the course of seven months (October, 1997 to May, 1998), I observed all activities in which writing literacy took place at the tutorial program. From this observation three themes emerged: (1) the Black church as literacy mentor, (2) the tutors as agents of change, and (3) the subjects, constructed existence as a little community. That is, despite having diverse personalities and character traits, they each shared common goals and interests. Certain factors peculiar to the traditions and customs of the Black church---its ritual and performance helped upper elementary children increase their literate abilities. The findings of this study expand the body of research literature on non-school writing development in African-American children; thus, the study should interest literacy researchers and writing instructors who seek to understand the nature of literacy in African-American school children

Does having siblings affect caretaking responses to infants?

Infant facial cues affect a variety of caretaking-related responses in adults. These effects have primarily been explored as they relate to parental care, however infants receive care from others who are not their parents and it would be important for any caregiver, regardless of parental status, to respond to infant cues effectively. Because siblings often fulfill a caregiver role in the home, this study investigated whether having siblings, younger siblings in particular, influences the way in which adults respond to infant cues. Contrary to my predictions, the findings in this study indicate that having siblings does not influence how rewarding infant cuteness is nor how sensitive participants are to infant cuteness. Additional analyses exploring the potential impact of experience with younger siblings also failed to show that responses to infant cues were sensitive to this type of alloparental care. Future research should consider investigating if the age difference between siblings affects responses to infant cues

Testing of aircraft passenger seat cushion materials. Full scale, test description and results, volume 1

Eight different seat cushion configurations were subjected to full-scale burn tests. Each cushion configuration was tested twice for a total of sixteen tests. Two different fire sources were used. They consisted of one liter of Jet A fuel for eight tests and a radiant energy source with propane flame for eight tests. Both fire sources were ignited by a propane flame. During each test, data were recorded for smoke density, cushion temperatures, radiant heat flux, animal response to combustion products, rate of weight loss of test specimens, cabin temperature, and for the type and content of gas within the cabin atmosphere. When compared to existing passenger aircraft seat cushions, the test specimens incorporating a fire barrier and those fabricated from advanced materials, using improved construction methods, exhibited significantly greater fire resistance

Lie theory for nilpotent L-infinity algebras

The Deligne groupoid is a functor from nilpotent differential graded Lie algebras concentrated in positive degrees to groupoids; in the special case of Lie algebras over a field of characteristic zero, it gives the associated simply connected Lie group. We generalize the Deligne groupoid to a functor gamma from L-infinity algebras concentrated in degree >-n to n-groupoids. (We actually construct the nerve of the n-groupoid, which is an enriched Kan complex.) The construction of gamma is quite explicit (it is based on Dupont's proof of the de Rham theorem) and yields higher dimensional analogues of holonomy and of the Campbell-Hausdorff formula. In the case of abelian L-infinity algebras (i.e. chain complexes), the functor gamma is the Dold-Kan simplicial set.Comment: 24 pages, 2 figures; incorporates details of proof that solution of the fixed-point problem in Lemmas 4.6 and 5.3 solves the Maurer-Cartan equation. Final version, to appear in Ann. Mat

Study to develop improved fire resistant aircraft passenger seat materials

The Phase 3 study of the NASA 'Improved Fire Resistant Aircraft Seat Materials' involved fire tests of improved materials in multilayered combinations representative of cushion configurations. Tests were conducted to determine their thermal, smoke, and fire resistance characteristics. Additionally, a 'Design Guideline' for Fire Resistant Passenger Seats was written outlining general seat design considerations. Finally, a three-abreast 'Tourist Class' passenger seat assembly fabricated from the most advanced fire-resistant materials was delivered

As corporações de petróleo

This essay describes how several performances presence petroleum embodiment through participant bodily activities superimposed with representations of human petroleum relations. After introducing techniques for presencing petroleum, the essay focuses on one aspect of performer and participant reaction to petroleum presence. Audiences and performers alike resist becoming petroleum in these performances. They compulsively insist they are not only reducible to petroleum embodiments. The hyper-presencing of petroleum embodiment triggers a negative capacity of being not petroleum. These performative absences invite change. Possibly even demands changeEl presente ensayo describe la manera como varios actos performativos traen a la presencia las in-corporaciones del petróleo, a través de sendas prácticas participativas, las cuales se superponen a las representaciones usuales de las interacciones humanas con este material. Luego de introducir diferentes técnicas para poder presenciar el ser del petróleo, el ensayo se enfoca en un aspecto en particular de la reacción del artista y del participante frente a la presencia del petróleo. En estos actos performativos, tanto los artistas como los participantes se resisten a devenir-petróleo. De manera insistente, ellos enfatizan que no pueden ser reducidos a las prácticas corporales ligadas a la infraestructura del petróleo. La ‘hiper-presencia’ de las incorporaciones del petróleo desencadena una capacidad negativa de ser ‘no-petróleo’. Estas ausencias performativas invitan al cambio, y, posiblemente, hasta lo reclamanO presente ensaio descreve a maneira pela qual vários atos performativos trazer corporações de petróleo para a presença, através de práticas participativas, que se sobrepõem às representações usuais das interações humanas com este material. Depois de introduzir diferentes técnicas para poder testemunhar o ser do petróleo, o ensaio enfoca um aspecto particular da reação do artista e do participante à presença do petróleo. Nesses atos performativos, tanto artistas como participantes resistem a devenir-petróleo. Insistentemente, eles enfatizam que não podem ser reduzidos a práticas corporais ligadas à infraestrutura de petróleo. A ‘hiper-presença’ das incorporações de petróleo provoca uma capacidade negativa de ser ‘não petróleo’. Essas ausências performativas convidam à mudança e, possivelmente, até a exigem

The optimization of aircraft seat cushion fire-blocking layers. Full Scale: Test description and results

Full-scale burn tests were conducted on thirteen different seat cushion configurations in a cabin fire simulator. The fire source used was a quartz lamp radiant energy panel with a propane pilot flame. During each test, data were recorded for cushion temperatures, radiant heat flux, rate of weight loss of test specimens, and cabin temperatures. When compared to existing passenger aircraft seat cushions, the test specimens incorporating a fire barrier and those fabricated from advance materials, using improved construction methods, exhibited significantly greater fire resistance