Recent Development in the Art of Rubber Microsectioning.

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A comparison study of the WISC-III and WISC-R with a special education population

The purpose of this study was to determine the degree of comparability between the WISC-R and the WISC-III over a three year period. The subjects were 207 children, 124 Learning Disabled, 51 Mental Disabled, and 32 Behavior Disabled, enrolled in special education, in a large urban district (Omaha, Nebraska) and several rural districts in southwest Iowa. Results from the comparison study between WISC-III and WISC-R supports the hypothesis that students in the special education population tend to have significantly lower IQs on the WISC-III than the WISC-R. A significant decrease in Full Scale IQ scores was found in the mental disability group, but students in the behavior and learning disability groups had Full Scale IQ drops which were not significantly different from their normal peers. Although for all three disability groups WISC-III Verbal IQs dropped significantly more than their normal peers, there were no significant decreases in performance IQs. Because of the importance of having equivalent tests for diagnostic purposes, regression equations were obtained to predict WISC-III IQs from WISC-R scores for each group

Transfer of learning and the cultural matrix: the interrelationship of culture, beliefs, and learning

This study, conducted in an international college in Thailand, aimed to understand the transfer of learning from an undergraduate academic literacy programme to the disciplines. In so doing, it adopted a cultural matrix to investigate the interrelationship among students’ perceptions of transfer of learning, their personal beliefs about knowledge, knowing and learning, and their secondary school backgrounds. A three-part questionnaire, supplemented by purposive semistructured interviews, was used to collect data from all consenting students from the final course in a four-trimester programme. The first part of the questionnaire employed the Epistemic Beliefs Inventory (EBI) in gauging students’ beliefs about knowing and learning, the second part comprised the Measure of Academic Literacy (MALT) , which measure students’ perceptions of transfer of learning from the academic literacy programme to the disciplines, and the third part of the questionnaire surveyed students’ demographic details, specifically with regard to their secondary school context. Data were then analysed to establish the interrelationship between these data sets. Open-ended questions to the MALT section of the questionnaire were analysed, and, in order to illustrate and further understand the data analysis from the questionnaire, trained interviewers conducted semi-structured interviews. Initial, factorial analysis of the EBI indicated a factor structure that differed from that of the US origins of the instrument, suggesting a relationship between culture and beliefs. While analysis indicated a significant low-moderate relationship between students’ beliefs about knowledge and learning and the transfer of learning, no such association was detected between the beliefs and students’ secondary school background. The students’ multicultural backgrounds, coupled with ambivalent beliefs, may provide an explanation for this. The findings, thus,give partial support for the application of the cultural matrix to transfer of learning. The study makes an original contribution by applying the cultural matrix to learning in a previously unexplored way. In so doing, it aims to generate a general theory of transfer of learning while fostering a culturally pluralistic understanding of learners’ beliefs about knowledge and learning and the implications for such transfer. It also advocates an approach that supplements existing classroom-specific pedagogical methods with school-wide cultural management initiatives in order to better effect transfer of learning

Slavery in the Economy of Brazos County 1821 to 1860

In writing on Slavery in The Economy of Brazos County, Texas, the writer realizes that any one who writes about the oft-repeated story of our country must find a new phase to deal with in order to win the praise of those who already know it so well. The writer of this thesis, whose primary purpose is to instruct, is centering attention toward the individual who is seeking a book of facts, and interpretations, and also a source of literary enjoyment. This study was not a slight undertaking. Much research was necessary to receive enough information to correct old errors, avoid old prejudices, present new views and offer suggestive interpretations. Even if only a little is contributed to that which is not already proven, the task of shifting out that which is both true and significant demands no small measure of critical judgment as well as scholarship. The purpose, of this study is to broaden accepted knowledge of the role of the Negro slave in the plantation economy of Brazos County and to discover how eminent the slave has been in reckoning with human improvement and essential contributions. For the benefit of the writer and others who may be interested in such studies, an attempt will be made to answer the following questions: 1. What was the role of the slave in the organization of Brazos County? 2. What are some of the accepted theories as to the actual value of the slaves in the social and economic status of the Southern planter and how sound are they? 3. What is the legal origin of slavery, what are some of the legal principles that developed as the institution expanded and what were some of the outstanding laws on slavery? 4. What was the relative value of slave property in relation to sex and age? 5. How does the economic value of slaves compare with other property? 6. What was the means of obtaining liquid capital in an emergency

Transcript of Interview With Bob Henry Baber

An interview with Bob Henry Baber by Chris Green discussing the early days of the Southern Appalachian Writers Cooperative

Laboratory Experiment of Checkerboard Pupil Mask Coronagraph

We present the results of the first laboratory experiment of checkerboard shaped pupil binary mask coronagraphs using visible light, in the context of the R&D activities for future mid-infrared space missions such as the 3.5 m SPICA telescope. The primary aim of this work is to demonstrate the coronagraphic performance of checkerboard masks down to a $10^{-6}$ peak-to-peak contrast, which is required to detect self-luminous extra-solar planets in the mid-infrared region. Two masks, consisting of aluminum films on a glass substrates, were manufactured using nano-fabrication techniques with electron beam lithography: one mask was optimized for a pupil with a 30% central obstruction and the other was for a pupil without obstruction. The theoretical contrast for both masks was $10^{-7}$ and no adaptive optics system was employed. For both masks, the observed point spread functions were quite consistent with the theoretical ones. The average contrast measured within the dark regions was $2.7 {\times} 10^{-7}$ and $1.1 {\times} 10^{-7}$. The coronagraphic performance significantly outperformed the $10^{-6}$ requirement and almost reached the theoretical limit determined by the mask designs. We discuss the potential application of checkerboard masks for mid-infrared coronagraphy, and conclude that binary masks are promising for future high-contrast space telescopes.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure