The Development of Instruments for Assessment of Instructional Practices in Standards-Based Teaching

We provide a description and rationale for the development of two instruments: 1) a classroom observation protocol; and, 2) a teacher interview protocol—designed to document the impact of reform-based professional development with undergraduate mathematics and science faculty, and its impact on the resultant preparation of teachers. Constructed upon review of the research on teaching and standards documents in mathematics and science, these instruments form the basis for data collection in a three-year longitudinal study of teaching practice among early career teachers as well as undergraduate college faculty. In addition, we suggest further applications of the observation protocol beyond the original purpose of our research study

A software development environment utilizing PAMELA

Hardware capability and efficiency has increased dramatically since the invention of the computer, while software programmer productivity and efficiency has remained at a relatively low level. A user-friendly, adaptable, integrated software development environment is needed to alleviate this problem. The environment should be designed around the Ada language and a design methodology which takes advantage of the features of the Ada language as the Process Abstraction Method for Embedded Large Applications (PAMELA)

The fibrin-derived gamma377-395 peptide inhibits microglia activation and suppresses relapsing paralysis in central nervous system autoimmune disease.

Perivascular microglia activation is a hallmark of inflammatory demyelination in multiple sclerosis (MS), but the mechanisms underlying microglia activation and specific strategies to attenuate their activation remain elusive. Here, we identify fibrinogen as a novel regulator of microglia activation and show that targeting of the interaction of fibrinogen with the microglia integrin receptor Mac-1 (alpha(M)beta(2), CD11b/CD18) is sufficient to suppress experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in mice that retain full coagulation function. We show that fibrinogen, which is deposited perivascularly in MS plaques, signals through Mac-1 and induces the differentiation of microglia to phagocytes via activation of Akt and Rho. Genetic disruption of fibrinogen-Mac-1 interaction in fibrinogen-gamma(390-396A) knock-in mice or pharmacologically impeding fibrinogen-Mac-1 interaction through intranasal delivery of a fibrinogen-derived inhibitory peptide (gamma(377-395)) attenuates microglia activation and suppresses relapsing paralysis. Because blocking fibrinogen-Mac-1 interactions affects the proinflammatory but not the procoagulant properties of fibrinogen, targeting the gamma(377-395) fibrinogen epitope could represent a potential therapeutic strategy for MS and other neuroinflammatory diseases associated with blood-brain barrier disruption and microglia activation

Exploring simulated game worlds: Ethics in the No Man’s Sky Archaeological Survey

No Man’s Sky is an open world space procedural exploration game which allows players to traverse space in space ships, land on and explore planets. A group of archaeogamers (archaeologists interested in video games for varying reasons) decided to treat the game as an archaeological site, and within the No Man’s Sky Archaeological Survey explore, catalogue findings, and analyze objects and constructs within the game from an archaeological perspective. One of the aspects of this activity was to create a Code of Ethics – this paper describes the creation of the Code, the difficulties in implementation of the Code, and offers some recommendations to game developers who wish to encourage similar archaeological exploration within their own games

Indium oxide diffusion barriers for Al/Si metallizations

Indium oxide (In2O3) films were prepared by reactive rf sputtering of an In target in O2/Ar plasma. We have investigated the application of these films as diffusion barriers in Si/In2O3/Al and Si/TiSi2.3/In2O3/Al metallizations. Scanning transmission electron microscopy together with energy dispersive analysis of x ray of cross-sectional Si/In2O3/Al specimens, and electrical measurements on shallow n + -p junction diodes were used to evaluate the diffusion barrier capability of In2O3 films. We find that 100-nm-thick In2O3 layers prevent the intermixing between Al and Si in Si/In2O3/Al contacts up to 650°C for 30 min, which makes this material one of the best thin-film diffusion barriers on record between Al and Si. (The Si-Al eutectic temperature is 577°C, Al melts at 660°C.) When a contacting layer of titanium silicide is incorporated to form a Si/TiSi2.3/In2O3/Al metallization structure, the thermal stability of the contact drops to 600°C for 30 min heat treatment

Attracting students and professionals into math, science, and technology education at the elementary and middle grades: Annual report, September 1, 1992--August 31, 1993

This report describes the progress of a project to encourage students and professionals to participate in math, science, and technology education at the elementary and middle grades. The topics of the report include developing a model laboratory/classroom for teacher education, providing financial incentives for students with technical majors to complete the program, and emphasizing issues of equity and minority participation in mathematics, science and technology education through recruitment procedures and in course content

Spectral Characteristics of the 1960 Tsunami at Crescent City, CA

Spectral characteristics of sea level fluctuations during the May 1960 Chilean Earthquake tsunami are investigated using digitized strip chart recordings from two docks within Crescent City Harbor. Peaks in sea level spectra at the two docks near 10-3 Hz and near 2.1 x10-3 Hz correspond to the two lowest frequency harbor modes, occurring above the frequency band most strongly excited by the tsunami. Tidal modulation of harbor spectral structure at very short periods is observed. Theoretical estimates of shelf edge wave resonant modes fall within the frequency band strongly excited by the tsunami, in contrast to modeled edge waves from a seismic event near Cape Mendocino that show no evidence of the reflection necessary for a strong shelf resonance. This suggests that heightened susceptibility of sea level (but not necessarily currents) at Crescent City to tsunami is not due primarily to either harbor or shelf resonances