Smells like school spirit: The organizational factors affecting targeted student and teacher outcomes

Teacher burnout and stress have been studied at length in the education literature, but industrial-organizational psychologists may have a fresh perspective to offer in regard to understanding and solving the problems that negatively impact the public education system. This study aims to identify the root causes underlying the constructs of stress and burnout through the examination of working conditions that impact teacher absenteeism, turnover, and health outcomes. Additionally, this study will analyze the various predictors of student outcomes, including yearly test scores, absenteeism, and disciplinary referral rates. We will begin by conducting focus groups of teachers from laboratory schools and comparable public schools to gather qualitative data to inform our hypotheses. In the next phase, we will create a tailored survey that thoroughly assesses the working conditions that we hypothesize to be connected to our outcome variables. This survey will be dispersed to teachers state-wide, and from the results, we hope to create a comprehensive model that connects various environmental conditions to student and teacher outcomes and propose interventions

Relating jet structure to photometric variability: the Herbig Ae star HD 163296

Herbig Ae/Be stars are intermediate-mass pre-main sequence stars surrounded by circumstellar dust disks. Some are observed to produce jets, whose appearance as a sequence of shock fronts (knots) suggests a past episodic outflow variability. This "jet fossil record" can be used to reconstruct the outflow history. We present the first optical to near-infrared (NIR) VLT/X-shooter spectra of the jet from the Herbig Ae star HD 163296. We determine physical conditions in the knots, as well as their kinematic "launch epochs". Knots are formed simultaneously on either side of the disk, with a regular interval of ~16 yr. The velocity dispersion versus jet velocity and the energy input are comparable in both lobes. However, the mass loss rate, velocity, and shock conditions are asymmetric. We find Mjet/Macc ~ 0.01-0.1, consistent with magneto-centrifugal jet launching models. No evidence for dust is found in the high-velocity jet, suggesting it is launched within the sublimation radius (<0.5 au). The jet inclination measured from proper motions and radial velocities confirms it is perpendicular to the disk. A tentative relation is found between the structure of the jet and the photometric variability of the source. Episodes of NIR brightening were previously detected and attributed to a dusty disk wind. We report for the first time significant optical fadings lasting from a few days up to a year, coinciding with the NIR brightenings. These are likely caused by dust lifted high above the disk plane; this supports the disk wind scenario. The disk wind is launched at a larger radius than the high-velocity atomic jet, although their outflow variability may have a common origin. No significant relation between outflow and accretion variability could be established. Our findings confirm that this source undergoes periodic ejection events, which may be coupled with dust ejections above the disk plane.Comment: 20 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

Low‐temperature growth of high resistivity GaAs by photoassisted metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

We report the photoassisted low‐temperature (LT) metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) of high resistivity GaAs. The undoped as‐grown GaAs exhibits a resistivity of ∼106 Ω cm, which is the highest reported for undoped material grown in the MOCVD environment. Photoassisted growth of doped and undoped device quality GaAs has been achieved at a substrate temperature of 400 °C in a modified atmospheric pressure MOCVD reactor. By using silane as a dopant gas, the LT photoassisted doped films have high levels of doping and electron mobilities comparable to those achieved by MOCVD for growth temperatures, Tg≳600 °C

Superior Inhibitory Control and Resistance to Mental Fatigue in Professional Road Cyclists

Purpose: Given the important role of the brain in regulating endurance performance, this comparative study sought to determine whether professional road cyclists have superior inhibitory control and resistance to mental fatigue compared to recreational road cyclists. Methods: After preliminary testing and familiarization, eleven professional and nine recreational road cyclists visited the lab on two occasions to complete a modified incongruent colour-word Stroop task (a cognitive task requiring inhibitory control) for 30 min (mental exertion condition), or an easy cognitive task for 10 min (control condition) in a randomized, counterbalanced cross-over order. After each cognitive task, participants completed a 20-min time trial on a cycle ergometer. During the time trial, heart rate, blood lactate concentration, and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were recorded. Results: The professional cyclists completed more correct responses during the Stroop task than the recreational cyclists (705±68 vs 576±74, p = 0.001). During the time trial, the recreational cyclists produced a lower mean power output in the mental exertion condition compared to the control condition (216±33 vs 226±25 W, p = 0.014). There was no difference between conditions for the professional cyclists (323±42 vs 326±35 W, p = 0.502). Heart rate, blood lactate concentration, and RPE were not significantly different between the mental exertion and control conditions in both groups. Conclusion: The professional cyclists exhibited superior performance during the Stroop task which is indicative of stronger inhibitory control than the recreational cyclists. The professional cyclists also displayed a greater resistance to the negative effects of mental fatigue as demonstrated by no significant differences in perception of effort and time trial performance between the mental exertion and control conditions. These findings suggest that inhibitory control and resistance to mental fatigue may contribute to successful road cycling performance. These psychobiological characteristics may be either genetic and/or developed through the training and lifestyle of professional road cyclists

Interventions for Child and Adolescent Depression: Do Professional Therapists Produce Better Results?

We reviewed and analyzed child and adolescent depression treatment studies (1980–2001) through a comprehensive literature search. The outcome data from 19 studies (31 treatments) were extracted and weighted standard mean effect sizes were computed. Outcomes were compared across two levels of therapist training: professional and graduate student. Moreover, age was examined to test for differential effects on treatment outcome. Overall, professionals and graduate student therapists produced impressive yet commensurate outcomes when treating depressed youth. There were no significant differences found when treating children versus adolescents. The implications and limitations are reviewed, as are the suggestions for future research