6,809 research outputs found
Policy Barriers to School Improvement: What's Real and What's Imagined?
Some of the most promising reforms are happening where school leaders are thinking differently about how to get the strongest student outcomes from the limited resources available. But even principals who use their autonomy to aggressively reallocate resources say that persistent district, state, and federal barriers prohibit them from doing more.What are these barriers? What do they block principals from doing? Is there a way around them?CRPE researchers probed these questions with principals in three states (NH, CT, MD). These principals cited numerous district, state, and federal barriers standing in the way of school improvement. The barriers, 128 in all, fell into three categories: 1) barriers to instructional innovations, 2) barriers to allocating resources differently, and 3) barriers to improving teacher quality.Upon investigation, researchers found that principals have far more authority than they think. Only 31% of the barriers cited were "real" -- immovable statutes, policies, or managerial directives that bring the threat of real consequences if broken.The report recommends educating principals on the authority they already possess, to help them find workarounds to onerous rules. The report also outlines a number of specific state and district policy changes to grant schools the autonomy they need to improve student outcomes
Getting Down to Dollars and Cents: What Do School Districts Spend to Deliver Student-Centered Learning?
Student-centered learning (SCL) is an approach to learning that emphasizes authentic instruction, mastery-based assessment, and engaging students in real-life experiences that take their learning beyond the school walls and school day -- all in an effort to connect students' learning to their experiences, strengths, and interests. This report offers the first detailed look into how districts and schools deal with funding issues when they adopt the SCL approach. Researchers examined district spending on SCL by comparing spending at SCL high schools to traditional high schools with similar characteristics. The researchers also performed a statistical analysis using New York City's high schools, which included 79 SCL schools. The report finds that districts don't need to spend more on these schools if they fund all schools fairly, and then allow schools to make choices about how they use their resources. The report's policy recommendations include encouraging SCL school leaders to think about spending tradeoffs to keep budgets in balance and supporting principals' efforts to secure resources from the community
Chemiluminescent Tags for Tracking Insect Movement in Darkness: Application to Moth Photo-Orientation
The flight tracks of Manduca sexta (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) flying toward a 5 watt incandescent light bulb were recorded under low light conditions with the aid of a camera-mounted photomultiplier and a glowing marker technique. Small felt pads bearing a chemiluminescent (glowi maerial, Cyalume®, were affixed to the abdomens of free-flying moths. insects orienting to a dim incandescent bulb were easily visible to the naked eye and were clearly captured on videotape. On their initial approach to the light source, M. sexta were found to orient at a mean angle of -0.220 ± 2.70 (mean ± SEM). The speed of the initial approach flight (OA ± 0.03 m/s) was significantly faster than the speed immediately after passing the light (0.29 ± 0.02 m/s; t =6.4, PM. sexta initially fly approximately at a light source and only after passing it, do they engage in circular flight around the source. M. sexta flight to lights does not entirely match any paths predicted by several light orientation mechanisms, including the commonly invoked light compass theory
A simple nonlinear model of a generic axisymmetric wave energy converter
The aim of this work is to develop a simple nonlinear model of a wave energy converter (WEC) for capturing power from ocean waves and converting it into electrical power. A generic axisymmetric device is considered, which consists of a vertical circular cylinder surrounded by a circular annulus. The nonlinear system of equations of motion of this generic WEC are derived; these include the nonlinear term arising from viscous drag due to boundary layer separation. The expressions for radiation damping and added mass are determined by dimensional analysis. These equations are then solved numerically and the results are displayed graphically in a number of figures. Consideration of these graphs leads to conclusions that should be taken into account by the design engineer
A simple nonlinear model of a generic axisymmetric wave energy converter
The aim of this work is to develop a simple nonlinear model of a wave energy converter (WEC) for capturing power from ocean waves and converting it into electrical power. A generic axisymmetric device is considered, which consists of a vertical circular cylinder surrounded by a circular annulus. The nonlinear system of equations of motion of this generic WEC are derived; these include the nonlinear term arising from viscous drag due to boundary layer separation. The expressions for radiation damping and added mass are determined by dimensional analysis. These equations are then solved numerically and the results are displayed graphically in a number of figures. Consideration of these graphs leads to conclusions that should be taken into account by the design engineer
Optimal 2,3-Trees
The 2,3-trees that are optimal in the sense of having minimal expected number of nodes visited per access are characterized in terms of their “profiles”. The characterization leads directly to a linear-time algorithm for constructing a K-key optimal 2,3-tree for a sorted list of K keys. A number of results are derived that demonstrate how different in structure these optimal 2,3-trees are from their “average” cousins
Wrist Salvage in a Transscaphoid Transcapitate Perilunate Fracture-Dislocation in the Setting of Previous Scaphoid Nonunion and Scaphoid Nonunion Advanced Collapse (SNAC).
Associations of self-reported and device-assessed physical activity with fatigue, quality of life, and sleep quality in adults living with and beyond cancer
BACKGROUND: Greater physical activity is associated with improved outcomes in people living with and beyond cancer. However, most studies in exercise oncology use self-reported measures of physical activity. Few have explored agreement between self-reported and device-based measures of physical activity in people living with and beyond cancer. This study aimed to describe physical activity in adults affected by cancer across self-reported and device-assessed activity, to explore levels of agreement between these measures in terms of their utility for categorizing participants as meeting/not meeting physical activity guidelines, and to explore whether meeting guidelines is associated with fatigue, quality of life, and sleep quality. METHODS: A total of 1348 adults living with and beyond cancer from the Advancing Survivorship Cancer Outcomes Trial completed a survey assessing fatigue, quality of life, sleep quality, and physical activity. The Godin-Shephard Leisure-Time Physical Activity Questionnaire was used to calculate a Leisure Score Index (LSI) and an estimate of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Average daily steps and weekly aerobic steps were derived from pedometers worn by participants. RESULTS: The percentage of individuals meeting physical activity guidelines was 44.3% using LSI, 49.5% using MVPA, 10.8% using average daily steps, and 28.5% using weekly aerobic steps. Agreement (Cohen's κ) between self-reported and pedometer measures ranged from 0.13 (LSI vs. average daily steps) to 0.60 (LSI vs. MVPA). After adjusting for sociodemographic and health-related covariates, meeting activity guidelines using all measures was associated with not experiencing severe fatigue (odds ratios (ORs): 1.43-1.97). Meeting guidelines using MVPA was associated with no quality-of-life issues (OR = 1.53). Meeting guidelines using both self-reported measures were associated with good sleep quality (ORs: 1.33-1.40). CONCLUSION: Less than half of all adults affected by cancer are meeting physical activity guidelines, regardless of measure. Meeting guidelines is associated with lower fatigue across all measures. Associations with quality of life and sleep differ depending on measure. Future research should consider the impact of physical activity measure on findings, and where possible, use multiple measures
Modular Biped Robotic Base
This report contains the final developments and research involved with the modular biped robotic base. A need was first identified in 2011 when President Obama announced the National Robotics Initiative, an initiative focused on the funding of robotic development to work alongside or cooperatively with humans. This scope of this project concerns building a robotic base modeled after human legs and hips, capable of interfacing with future modular subsystems depending on what tasks are trying to be accomplished. Firstly, a mathematical torque simulation of the hip, knee, and ankle joints was developed in MATLAB. Using this information, complimentary actuators and driver circuitry were selected. A 3-D model of the leg and hip structure was drawn and simulated in SOLIDWORKS. Communication between the motors and the master controller was developed to provide precise control over each individual motor. After individual motor testing, a leg model was assembled and troubleshooting took place to determine proper alignment and placement of position sensors. The legs and hips were then fully integrated. A successful model was achieved capable of walking with full integration with subsystems of various types
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