The Impact of Research-Based Professional Development on Teacher Self-Efficacy and Collective Efficacy Beliefs with Respect to Applying Techniques from \u3cem\u3eTeach Like a Champion 2.0\u3c/em\u3e

This mixed methods research examined the impact of professional development on teacher self-efficacy and collective efficacy beliefs with respect to applying techniques from Teach Like A Champion 2.0. Increasing research shows there is a positive correlation between student achievement and high levels of teacher self-efficacy. Studies on teacher preparation acknowledge the role professional development plays on both teacher self-efficacy and collective efficacy beliefs. Additionally, research-based best practices like the techniques found in Teach Like A Champion 2.0 have been established as behaviors of highly efficacious teachers. The study assessed teacher self-efficacy and collective efficacy beliefs, provided research-based professional development, reassessed self-efficacy and collective efficacy beliefs, and measured the impact. It was hypothesized that by providing research-based professional development exposing teachers to research-based best practices, teacher self-efficacy and collective efficacy would be positively impacted. Although small in scope, this study provided insight into the role research-based professional development has on teacher self-efficacy and collective efficacy beliefs. Overall, teacher self-efficacy beliefs showed a significant increase, while collective efficacy beliefs showed a marginal difference

The Influence of Magnetic Domain Walls on Longitudinal and Transverse Magnetoresistance in Tensile Strained (Ga,Mn)As Epilayers

We present a theoretical analysis of recent experimental measurements of magnetoresistance in (Ga,Mn)As epilayers with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. The model reproduces the field-antisymmetric anomalies observed in the longitudinal magnetoresistance in the planar geometry (magnetic field in the epilayer plane and parallel to the current density), as well as the unusual shape of the accompanying transverse magnetoresistance. The magnetoresistance characteristics are attributed to circulating currents created by the presence of magnetic domain walls

Structural determinants of allosteric regulation in alternatively spliced AMPA receptors

AbstractThe flip and flop splice variants of AMPA receptors show strikingly different sensitivity to allosteric regulation by cyclothiazide; heteromers assembled from GluR-A and GIuR-B also exhibit splice variant-dependent differences in efficacy for activation by glutamate and kainate. The sensitivity for attenuation of desensitization by cyclothiazide for homomeric GIuR-A was solely dependent upon exchange of Ser-750 (flip) and Asn-750 (flop), and was unaffected by mutagenesis of other divergent residues. In contrast, substantial alteration of the relative efficacy of glutamate versus kainate required mutation of multiple residues in the flip/flop region. Modulation by cyclothiazide was abolished by mutation of Ser-750 to Gin, the residue found at the homologous site in kainate-preferring subunits, whereas introduction of Ser at this site in GIuR6 imparted sensitivity to cyclothiazide

Evolution of structural and electronic properties of highly mismatched InSb films

We have investigated the evolution of structural and electronic properties of highly mismatched InSb films, with thicknesses ranging from 0.1 to 1.5 μm. Atomic force microscopy, cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy, and high-resolution x-ray diffraction show that the 0.1 μm films are nearly fully relaxed and consist of partially coalesced islands, which apparently contain threading dislocations at their boundaries. As the film thickness increases beyond 0.2 μm, the island coalescence is complete and the residual strain is reduced. Although the epilayers have relaxed equally in the 〈110〉 in-plane directions, the epilayer rotation about an in-plane axis (epilayer tilt) is not equal in both 〈110〉 in-plane directions. Interestingly, the island-like surface features tend to be preferentially elongated along the axis of epilayer tilt. Furthermore, epilayer tilt which increases the substrate offcut (reverse tilt) is evident in the [110] direction. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy indicates that both pure-edge and 60° misfit dislocations contribute to the relaxation of strain. In addition, as the film thickness increases, the threading dislocation density decreases, while the corresponding room-temperature electron mobility increases. The other structural features, including the residual strain, and the surface and interface roughness, do not appear to impact the electron mobility in these InSb films. Together, these results suggest that free-carrier scattering from the threading dislocations is the primary room-temperature mobility-limiting mechanism in highly mismatched InSb films. Finally, we show quantitatively that free-carrier scattering from the lattice dilation associated with threading dislocations, rather than scattering from a depletion potential surrounding the dislocations, is the dominant factor limiting the electron mobility. © 2000 American Institute of Physics.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/70332/2/JAPIAU-88-11-6276-1.pd

Persistent Decadal-Scale Rainfall Variability in the Tropical South Pacific Convergence Zone Through the Past Six Centuries

Modern Pacific decadal variability (PDV) has global impacts; hence records of PDV from the pre-instrumental period are needed to better inform models that are used to project future climate variability. We focus here on reconstructing rainfall in the western tropical Pacific (Solomon Islands; similar to 9.5 degrees S, similar to 160 degrees E), a region directly influenced by PDV, using cave deposits (stalagmite). A relationship is developed between delta O-18 variations in the stalagmite and local rainfall amount to produce a 600 yr record of rainfall variability from the South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ). We present evidence for large (similar to 1.5 m), abrupt, and periodic changes in total annual rainfall amount on decadal to multidecadal timescales since 1423 +/- 5 CE (Common Era) in the Solomon Islands. The timing of the decadal changes in rainfall inferred from the 20th-century portion of the stalagmite delta O-18 record coincides with previously identified decadal shifts in PDV-related Pacific ocean-atmosphere behavior (Clement et al., 2011; Deser et al., 2004). The Solomons record of PDV is not associated with variations in external forcings, but rather results from internal climate variability. The 600 yr Solomon Islands stalagmite delta O-18 record indicates that decadal oscillations in rainfall are a persistent characteristic of SPCZ-related climate variability.Taiwan ROC NSCNTU 101-2116-M-002-009, 102-2116-M-002-016, 101R7625Geological Science

Are Alternative School Leader Preparation Programs Really Needed to Prepare Next-Generation School Leaders?

The essays in this chapter focus on the issue of how best to recruit the very best administrative talent to leadership positions in schools. For years, the accepted practice has been for school leaders to be prepared through traditional school administration programs with higher education institutions. These programs, almost exclusively housed within colleges and schools of education, consisted of a range of courses from school law to school finance, often with associated and embedded field and clinical components. The focus on school leader preparation has emerged in partial response to the No Child Left Behind legislation. Clearly, there are expanded expectations regarding what principals can and should be able to do in order to be effective as school leaders. Critics of traditional preparation programs, such as Frederick Hess of the American Enterprise Institute, argue that far too little of the principal preparation curriculum focuses on accountability while far too much deals with issues that simply do not create opportunities for principals to understand how to use data and how to effectively evaluate the personnel who report to them. Critics such as Hess and others expect principals to be able to use data in ways that will help them manage school programs so that all students are able to achieve to their full potential and so that every teacher can be productive in terms of fostering essential and necessary student academic growth. The critics challenge whether traditional programs have been able to keep pace with the educational demands that are a part of a competitive, globalized economy. Whether such critics have it right is debatable, but what both critics and advocates of traditional programs agree on is the fact that the principal is absolutely critical to the success of any school program. Teachers need a school leader who understands how to manage a complex educational environment. The question remains about how best to prepare such school leaders, which serves as the focus for this chapter. This is not the first time that there have been serious and ongoing efforts to upgrade the quality of administrator preparation, but even with current and previous efforts, serious concerns have surfaced as to whether traditional programs can really deliver to PreK-12 schools the intellectual talent needed to foster educational excellence. Some critics believe that the real solution to the problem is to bring persons with business degrees into schools who understand how to operate, manage, and market businesses. Indeed, some universities around the country are now working through their business schools to prepare individuals who have interests in taking their business degrees into educational environments for the purpose of serving as principals or school leaders. Emmy L. Partin and Jamie Davies O\u27Leary, from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, make the case that more nontraditional, nonuniversity-based options are needed. They argue that programs run by charter management organizations or selected non profits, such as New Leaders for New Schools, create new vehicles for attracting talent to school leadership positions that simply are not being evidenced through traditional, university-based programs. In addition, Partin and O\u27Leary assert that many of the nontraditional options place emphasis on preparing administrators for some of the nation\u27s most poorly performing schools, where the need for quality school leaders is most pronounced. Theodore J. Kowalski from the University of Dayton takes a different view. Kowalski is one of the nation\u27s thought leaders in terms of school leader preparation practices. He has concerns that the alternatives will deprofessionalize school leadership at precisely the time when more professional skills and understandings are required by those assuming the difficult responsibilities associated with school administration. Kowalski perceives that, in general, no shortage of administrative talent exists in the United States and that traditional programs are much better suited to address the preparation demands that are currently found in the educational marketplace. These two essays capture in a significant way much of the active and substantive debate currently found in the professional literature about how to ensure that the nation secures the school leaders it needs. Everyone agrees that school principals and district superintendents are critical ingredients to educational excellence. What these two essays highlight is the very different approaches that policymakers and practitioners have taken relative to how best to recruit and train the next generation of school leaders. In reading these two essays, consider the following questions. First, will emerging alternatives really deprofessionalize what it means to be a school leader? Second, if it is really essential to have the right people in a leadership position, how should schools best recruit the talent they need? Finally, is the key to recruiting more professional principals paying them more so that you attract better quality or training them differently so that they are assured of possessing skills they need for success? — Thomas J. Lasley II, University of Dayto

Interface states in junctions of two semiconductors with intersecting dispersion curves

A novel type of shallow interface state in junctions of two semiconductors without band inversion is identified within the envelope function approximation, using the two-band model. It occurs in abrupt junctions when the interband velocity matrix elements of the two semiconductors differ and the bulk dispersion curves intersect. The in-plane dispersion of the interface state is found to be confined to a finite range of momenta centered around the point of intersection. These states turn out to exist also in graded junctions, with essentially the same properties as in the abrupt case.Comment: 1 figur

The downward spiral of chronic pain, prescription opioid misuse, and addiction: Cognitive, affective, and neuropsychopharmacologic pathways

Prescription opioid misuse and addiction among chronic pain patients are emerging public health concerns of considerable significance. Estimates suggest that more than 10% of chronic pain patients misuse opioid analgesics, and the number of fatalities related to nonmedical or inappropriate use of prescription opioids is climbing. Because the prevalence and adverse consequences of this threat are increasing, there is a pressing need for research that identifies the biobehavioral risk chain linking chronic pain, opioid analgesia, and addictive behaviors. To that end, the current manuscript draws upon current neuropsychopharmacologic research to provide a conceptual framework of the downward spiral leading to prescription opioid misuse and addiction among chronic pain patients receiving opioid analgesic pharmacotherapy. Addictive use of opioids is described as the outcome of a cycle initiated by chronic pain and negative affect and reinforced by opioidergic-dopamingeric interactions, leading to attentional hypervigilance for pain and drug cues, dysfunctional connectivity between self-referential and cognitive control networks in the brain, and allostatic dysregulation of stress and reward circuitry. Implications for clinical practice are discussed; multimodal, mindfulness-oriented treatment is introduced as a potentially effective approach to disrupting the downward spiral and facilitating recovery from chronic pain and opioid addiction

Tight-binding study of interface states in semiconductor heterojunctions

Localized interface states in abrupt semiconductor heterojunctions are studied within a tight-binding model. The intention is to provide a microscopic foundation for the results of similar studies which were based upon the two-band model within the envelope function approximation. In a two-dimensional description, the tight-binding Hamiltonian is constructed such that the Dirac-like bulk spectrum of the two-band model is recovered in the continuum limit. Localized states in heterojunctions are shown to occur under conditions equivalent to those of the two-band model. In particular, shallow interface states are identified in non-inverted junctions with intersecting bulk dispersion curves. As a specific example, the GaSb-AlSb heterojunction is considered. The matching conditions of the envelope function approximation are analyzed within the tight-binding description.Comment: RevTeX, 11 pages, 3 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.