First Steps Toward Change in Teacher Preparation for Elementary Science

Unless introductory undergraduate science classes for prospective elementary teachers actively incorporate the philosophy of inquiry-based learning called for in K-l2 science education refom little will change in elementary science education. Thus, at James Madison University, we have developed a new integrated science core curriculum called Understanding our World [1]. This course sequence was not only designed to fulfill general education science requirements. but also to focus on content areas our students will need to know as teachers. The objectives of these courses are based on the National Science Education Standards and Virginia’s Science Standards of Learning, including earth and space science, chemistry, physics, life sciences, and environmental science [2,3]. As an integrated package, this course sequence addresses basic science content, calculation skills, the philosophy and history of science, the process of how science is done, the role of science in society, and applications of computers and technology in science. Keeping in mind that students tend to teach in the same way they were taught, Understanding our World core classes embrace the concepts associated with reform in elementary math and science

Interrater Reliability in Toxicity Identification: Limitations of Current Standards.

PurposeThe National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) v5.0 is the standard for oncology toxicity encoding and grading, despite limited validation. We assessed interrater reliability (IRR) in multireviewer toxicity identification.Methods and materialsTwo reviewers independently reviewed 100 randomly selected notes for weekly on-treatment visits during radiation therapy from the electronic health record. Discrepancies were adjudicated by a third reviewer for consensus. Term harmonization was performed to account for overlapping symptoms in CTCAE. IRR was assessed based on unweighted and weighted Cohen's kappa coefficients.ResultsBetween reviewers, the unweighted kappa was 0.68 (95% confidence interval, 0.65-0.71) and the weighted kappa was 0.59 (0.22-1.00). IRR was consistent between symptoms noted as present or absent with a kappa of 0.6 (0.66-0.71) and 0.6 (0.65-0.69), respectively.ConclusionsSignificant discordance suggests toxicity identification, particularly retrospectively, is a complex and error-prone task. Strategies to minimize IRR, including training and simplification of the CTCAE criteria, should be considered in trial design and future terminologies

Engineering study to determine feasible methods of simulating planetary albedo and radiation effects upon the thermal balance of spacecraft Final report

Planetary radiation and albedo effects on thermal balance of spacecraft orbiting Mars and Venu

Does Alcohol Hangover Affect Emotion Regulation Capacity? Evidence from a Naturalistic Cross-Over Study Design

AimsThe aim of this study was to investigate the effects of alcohol hangover on emotion regulation.MethodsForty-five non-smoking, healthy participants aged between 18 and 30 years completed a lab-based emotion regulation task assessing cognitive reappraisal and an emotion regulation questionnaire (State-Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale [S-DERS]) when hungover (morning following a night of heavy drinking) and under a no-hangover condition in a naturalistic, within-subjects design study.ResultsParticipants reported poorer emotion regulation overall (P < 0.001, d = 0.75), and for the subscales ‘Non-Acceptance’, ‘Modulation’ and ‘Clarity’ (Ps ≤ 0.001, ds ≥ 0.62), but not ‘Awareness’ on the S-DERS, in the hangover versus the no-hangover condition. Hangover did not impair emotion regulation ability as assessed using the lab-based task (Ps ≥ 0.21, ds ≤ 0.40), but there was a general negative shift in valence ratings (i.e. all images were rated more negatively) in the hangover relative to the no-hangover condition (P < 0.001, d = 1.16).ConclusionThese results suggest that emotion regulation in everyday life and emotional reactivity may be adversely affected by alcohol hangover, but some emotion regulation strategies (e.g. deliberate cognitive reappraisal) may be unaffected

Innovative Online Curriculum Writing: A Practical Approach for Multiple Authors/Multiple Locations

The technology-based writing method described here enabled collaboration from distant locations. A comprehensive and well-integrated 4-H quilt curriculum was the goal. Seven writers used an electronic activity template based on 4-H Cooperative Curriculum System standards. A hyper-linked spreadsheet was developed. Each writer input their writing from the template to their separate sheet, which was hyper-linked to the master spreadsheet. Using FTP client software, all writers had access to updated materials on the master spreadsheet at all times. The writer/editor could see all work, monitor duplicate efforts, and put writing into one voice. A 284-page coherent and comprehensive curriculum resulted

New genera and species of early Tertiary palynomorphs from Gulf Coast

16 p., 5 pl.http://paleo.ku.edu/contributions.htm