Educator Perceptions: The Impact of Male Elementary School Teachers

Male teachers at the elementary school seem to have stagnated over the years, hovering between 18-20 percent levels. Much commentary and popular press articles attribute this phenomenon to the notion that elementary school is a female occupation. As a male elementary school teacher, I wanted to explore the reasons why this might occur and to find out if what was true for my male colleagues was also true for me. This phenomenological study examined the potential impact male elementary school teachers have within their professional environment. Data collection included in depth interviews with male teachers as well as meaningful conversations to discern perceptions regarding role and function. Results from the data indicated that male teachers view themselves as an important and viable entity within a predominantly female elementary school environment. The investigation also corroborated current research regarding gender differences and how those differences impact instruction, decision-making, and interaction at the elementary school level. Perceptions discerned from the interviews provided an enhanced understanding of the complexities of the role as well as the importance of gender balance and equity in order to provide male students with not only role models, but with differing points of views, attitudes, and most notably, teaching styles. It also provided an opportunity to reflect on my practice as male teacher and the impact I can make now and in the future

Michel decay spectrum for a muon bound to a nucleus

The spectrum of electrons from muons decaying in an atomic bound state is significantly modified by their interaction with the nucleus. Somewhat unexpectedly, its first measurement, at the Canadian laboratory TRIUMF, differed from basic theory. We show, using a combination of techniques developed in atomic, nuclear, and high-energy physics, that radiative corrections eliminate the discrepancy. In addition to solving that outstanding problem, our more precise predictions are potentially useful for interpreting future high-statistics muon experiments that aim to search for exotic interactions at $10^{-16}$ sensitivity.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, Alberta Thy 7-14 v2: Expanded discussion. Journal versio

Positive regulation of meiotic DNA double-strand break formation by activation of the DNA damage checkpoint kinase Mec1(ATR)

During meiosis, formation and repair of programmed DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) create genetic exchange between homologous chromosomes-a process that is critical for reductional meiotic chromosome segregation and the production of genetically diverse sexually reproducing populations. Meiotic DSB formation is a complex process, requiring numerous proteins, of which Spo11 is the evolutionarily conserved catalytic subunit. Precisely how Spo11 and its accessory proteins function or are regulated is unclear. Here, we use Saccharomyces cerevisiae to reveal that meiotic DSB formation is modulated by the Mec1(ATR) branch of the DNA damage signalling cascade, promoting DSB formation when Spo11-mediated catalysis is compromised. Activation of the positive feedback pathway correlates with the formation of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) recombination intermediates and activation of the downstream kinase, Mek1. We show that the requirement for checkpoint activation can be rescued by prolonging meiotic prophase by deleting the NDT80 transcription factor, and that even transient prophase arrest caused by Ndt80 depletion is sufficient to restore meiotic spore viability in checkpoint mutants. Our observations are unexpected given recent reports that the complementary kinase pathway Tel1(ATM) acts to inhibit DSB formation. We propose that such antagonistic regulation of DSB formation by Mec1 and Tel1 creates a regulatory mechanism, where the absolute frequency of DSBs is maintained at a level optimal for genetic exchange and efficient chromosome segregation