An Investigation of the Perceptions of Students\u27 Proficiency in Reading and Writing as Indicated by Twelfth Grade English Teachers and College English Instructors

The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in perceptions regarding students\u27 proficiency in reading and writing skills between 12th grade English teachers and college English Composition instructors. A purposive, nonrandom sample of 12th grade English teachers and college English Composition instructors from West Tennessee were surveyed using an instrument whose indicators were based on the Common Core Reading and Writing Standards. The high school teachers rated how proficient students are in these reading and writing skills at the end of two semesters of instruction. The college instructors identified what percent of students were proficient in these same skills at the start of the semester. An analysis of the frequency and percentages of the responses was conducted. In addition, a mixed analysis of variance with repeated measures analysis of variance was used to explore the within group results. The results of this study indicated that significant differences in perception of student proficiency in reading and writing exist between high school and collegeEnglish instructors. Overall, the high school teachers deemed more students proficient on every reading and writing standard than the college instructors. A significant difference was found across the means of the reading standards for the high school and college instructors combined. A significant difference was also found when the groups were contrasted. Student proficiency in understanding a text\u27s craft and structure was rated highest by both high school and college respondents. There was no significant within group difference for either the high school or college respondents on the writing standards. There was a significant difference between the high school and college respondents. A multivariate and univariate analyses of variance indicated a significant difference between experienced and inexperienced teachers for how students understand key ideas and details within a text. In addition, a significant difference was found between the ways suburban and non-suburban high school teachers rated students\u27 ability to create different types of texts

Characterization of Min-K TE-1400 Thermal Insulation (Two-Year Gradient Stress Relaxation Testing Update)

Min-K 1400TE insulation material was characterized at Oak Ridge National Laboratory for use in structural applications under gradient temperature conditions. A previous report (ORNL/TM-2008/089) discusses the testing and results from the original three year duration of the project. This testing included compression testing to determine the effect of sample size and test specimen geometry on the compressive strength of Min-K, subsequent compression testing on cylindrical specimens to determine loading rates for stress relaxation testing, isothermal stress relaxation testing, and gradient stress relaxation testing. This report presents the results from the continuation of the gradient temperature stress relaxation testing and the resulting updated modeling

Characterization of Min-K TE-1400 Thermal Insulation

Min-K 1400TE insulation material was characterized at Oak Ridge National Laboratory for use in structural applications under gradient temperature conditions. Initial compression testing was performed at room temperature at various loading rates ranging between 5 and 500 psi/hour (≈35 and 3500 kPa/hour) to determine the effect of sample size and test specimen geometry on the compressive strength of Min-K. To determine the loading rates that would be used for stress relaxation testing, compression tests were next carried out at various levels followed by stress relaxation under constant strain at temperatures of 650, 850, and 900oC. Additional high temperature compression testing was performed with samples loaded at a rate of 53 psi/hour (365 kPa/hour) in three load steps of 50, 100 and 200 psi (345, 690, and 1380 kPa) with quick unload/load cycles between steps and followed by a hold period in load control (3 to 100 hours) to allow for sample creep. Testing was carried out at 190, 382, 813, and 850oC. Isothermal stress relaxation testing was performed at temperatures of 190, 382, 813, and 850oC and initial loads of 100 and 200 psi (690 and 1380 kPa). Gradient stress relaxation testing was intended to be performed at temperatures of 850/450oC and 450/190oC with initial loads of 100 or 200 psi (690 and 1380 kPa) performed under constant strain utilizing a twelve-step loading scheme with loading every half hour at a rate of 5.56% strain/hour

Analysis of Oxygen-Conserving Delivery Methods

•Oxygen therapy is needed to help treat patients with a variety of medical conditions. •Oxygen conservation methods can be used to deliver oxygen only during beginning of inspiration. •This can provide the same medical benefits as constant oxygen delivery while using less oxygen and reducing costs. •These conserving methods include intermittent flow devices and reservoir cannulas. •Our goal was to optimize a pulse flow and reservoir cannula device for use in children age 5 years and under

Mechanisms of Alcohol Addiction: Bridging Human and Animal Studies

Aim: The purpose of this brief narrative review is to address the complexities and benefits of extending animal alcohol addiction research to the human domain, emphasizing Allostasis and Incentive Sensitization, two models that inform many pre-clinical and clinical studies. Methods: The work reviewed includes a range of approaches, including: a) animal and human studies that target the biology of craving and compulsive consumption; b) human investigations that utilize alcohol self-administration and alcohol challenge paradigms, in some cases across 10 years; c) questionnaires that document changes in the positive and negative reinforcing effects of alcohol with increasing severity of addiction; and d) genomic structural equation modeling based on data from animal and human studies. Results: Several general themes emerge from specific study findings. First, positive reinforcement is characteristic of early stage addiction and sometimes diminishes with increasing severity, consistent with both Allostasis and Incentive Sensitization. Second, evidence is less consistent for the predominance of negative reinforcement in later stages of addiction, a key tenant of Allostasis. Finally, there are important individual differences in motivation to drink at a given point in time as well as person-specific change patterns across time. Conclusions: Key constructs of addiction, like stage and reinforcement, are by necessity operationalized differently in animal and human studies. Similarly, testing the validity of addiction models requires different strategies by the two research domains. Although such differences are challenging, they are not insurmountable, and there is much to be gained in understanding and treating addiction by combining pre-clinical and clinical approaches.Fil: Kramer, John. University of Iowa; Estados UnidosFil: Dick, Danielle M.. University of Virginia; Estados UnidosFil: King, Andrea. University of Chicago; Estados UnidosFil: Ray, Lara A.. University of California at Los Angeles; Estados UnidosFil: Sher, Kenneth J.. University of Missouri; Estados UnidosFil: Vena, Ashley. University of Chicago; Estados UnidosFil: Vendruscolo, Leandro F.. National Institutes of Health; Estados UnidosFil: Acion, Laura. University of Iowa; Estados Unidos. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Calculo. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Calculo; Argentin

Academic performance of children with sickle cell disease in the United States: A meta-analysis

Background: Students with sickle cell disease are at risk for poor academic performance due to the combined and/or interactive effects of environmental, psychosocial, and disease-specific factors. Poor academic performance has significant social and health consequences. Objective: To study academic achievement and attainment in children with sickle cell disease in the United States. Design: Medline, Embase, SCOPUS, CINAHL, ERIC, and PsycINFO were searched for peer-reviewed articles. Studies of children (ages 5–18) diagnosed with sickle cell disease of any genotype reporting academic achievement (standardized tests of reading, math, and spelling) or attainment (grade retention or special education) outcomes were included. Outcomes were analyzed using a random effects model. Achievement scores were compared to within study controls or normative expectations. Prevalence of grade retention and special education services were compared to national (United States) estimates for Black students. Age at assessment and overall IQ were evaluated separately for association with reading and mathematics scores. Subgroup analyses of reading and math scores were analyzed by cerebral infarct status (no cerebrovascular accident, silent infarct, stroke). Results: There were 44 eligible studies. Students with sickle cell disease scored 0.70, 0.87, and 0.80 (p < 0.001) SD below normative expectations on measures of reading, mathematics, and spelling, respectively. Compared to unaffected sibling and/or healthy controls (k = 8, n = 508), reading and math scores were 0.40 (p = 0.017) and 0.36 (p = 0.033) SD below expectations. Grade retention was approximately 10 times higher in students with sickle cell disease than Black students nationally. Intellectual functioning explained 97.3 and 85.8% of the variance in reading and mathematics performance, respectively (p < 0.001). Subgroup analyses revealed significant differences in reading (p = 0.034) and mathematics (p < 0.001) based on infarct status, with lower performance associated with presence of a silent infarct or stroke. Conclusion: Students with sickle cell disease demonstrate notable academic difficulties and are at high risk for grade retainment. Development of academic interventions and increased access to school support services are needed for this vulnerable population. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42020179062

The Integrity of ACSR Full Tension Single-Stage Splice Connector at Higher Operation Temperature

Due to increases in power demand and limited investment in new infrastructure, existing overhead power transmission lines often need to operate at temperatures higher than those used for the original design criteria. This has led to the accelerated aging and degradation of splice connectors. It is manifested by the formation of hot-spots that have been revealed by infrared imaging during inspection. The implications of connector aging is two-fold: (1) significant increases in resistivity of the splice connector (i.e., less efficient transmission of electricity) and (2) significant reductions in the connector clamping strength, which could ultimately result in separation of the power transmission line at the joint. Therefore, the splice connector appears to be the weakest link in electric power transmission lines. This report presents a protocol for integrating analytical and experimental approaches to evaluate the integrity of full tension single-stage splice connector assemblies and the associated effective lifetime at high operating temperature

A multifrequency study of giant radio sources III. Dynamical age vs. spectral age of the lobes of selected sources

The dynamical ages of the opposite lobes of selected giant radio sources are estimated using the DYNAGE algorithm of Machalski et al., and compared with their spectral ages estimated and studied by Jamrozy et al. in Paper II. As expected, the DYNAGE fits give slightly different dynamical ages and other model's parameters for the opposite lobes modelled independently each other, e.g. the age ratios are found between ~1.1 to ~1.4. Demanding similar values of the jet power and the radio core density for the same source, we look for a self-consistent solution for the opposite lobes, which results in different density profiles along them found by the fit. We also show that a departure from the equipartition conditions assumed in the model, justified by X-ray observations of the lobes of some nearby radio galaxies, and a relevant variation of the magnetic-field strengths may provide an equalisation of the lobes' ages. A comparison of the dynamical and spectral ages shows that a ratio of the dynamical age to the spectral age of the lobes of investigated giant radio galaxies is between ~1 and ~5, i.e. is similar to that found for smaller radio galaxies (e.g. Parma et al. 1999). Supplementing possible causes for this effect already discussed in the literature, like uncertainty of assumed parameters of the model, an influence of a possible departure from the energy equipartition assumption, etc. Arguments are given to suggest that DYNAGE can better take account of radiative effects at lower frequencies than the spectral-ageing analysis.The DYNAGE algorithm is especially effective for sources at high redshifts, for which an intrinsic spectral curvature is shifted to low frequencies.Comment: Accepted to MNRAS, 12 pages, 6 figures, 4 table

Evaluating models for lithospheric loss and intraplate volcanism beneath the Central Appalachian Mountains

© The Author(s), 2021. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Long, M. D., Wagner, L. S., King, S. D., Evans, R. L., Mazza, S. E., Byrnes, J. S., Johnson, E. A., Kirby, E., Bezada, M. J., Gazel, E., Miller, S. R., Aragon, J. C., & Liu, S. Evaluating models for lithospheric loss and intraplate volcanism beneath the Central Appalachian Mountains. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 126(10), (2021): e2021JB022571, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JB022571.The eastern margin of North America has been shaped by a series of tectonic events including the Paleozoic Appalachian Orogeny and the breakup of Pangea during the Mesozoic. For the past ∼200 Ma, eastern North America has been a passive continental margin; however, there is evidence in the Central Appalachian Mountains for post-rifting modification of lithospheric structure. This evidence includes two co-located pulses of magmatism that post-date the rifting event (at 152 and 47 Ma) along with low seismic velocities, high seismic attenuation, and high electrical conductivity in the upper mantle. Here, we synthesize and evaluate constraints on the lithospheric evolution of the Central Appalachian Mountains. These include tomographic imaging of seismic velocities, seismic and electrical conductivity imaging along the Mid-Atlantic Geophysical Integrative Collaboration array, gravity and heat flow measurements, geochemical and petrological examination of Jurassic and Eocene magmatic rocks, and estimates of erosion rates from geomorphological data. We discuss and evaluate a set of possible mechanisms for lithospheric loss and intraplate volcanism beneath the region. Taken together, recent observations provide compelling evidence for lithospheric loss beneath the Central Appalachians; while they cannot uniquely identify the processes associated with this loss, they narrow the range of plausible models, with important implications for our understanding of intraplate volcanism and the evolution of continental lithosphere. Our preferred models invoke a combination of (perhaps episodic) lithospheric loss via Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities and subsequent small-scale mantle flow in combination with shear-driven upwelling that maintains the region of thin lithosphere and causes partial melting in the asthenosphere.The authors acknowledge support from the U.S. National Science Foundation EarthScope and GeoPRISMS programs via grants EAR-1460257 (R. L. Evans), EAR-1249412 (E. Gazel), EAR-1249438 (E. A. Johnson), EAR-1250988 (S. D. King), EAR-1251538 (E. Kirby), and EAR-1251515 (M. D. Long). The collection and dissemination of most of the geophysical data and models discussed in this study were facilitated by the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS). The facilities of the IRIS Consortium are supported by the United States National Science Foundation under Cooperative Agreement EAR-1261681