Research, Analysis and Insight into National Standards (RAINS) Project Final Report: National Standards and the Damage Done

This is the final report of the Research Analysis and Insight into National Standards (RAINS) project, a three-year study of the enactment of the National Standards policy in six diverse primary and intermediate schools. This report provides an overview discussion of the pros and cons of the National Standards policy as experienced by staff, children and parents in the RAINS schools. It summarises the policy and methodological background to the research and the findings of the two previous RAINS reports. The report is also being accompanied by online case studies and other data files

Effects of Anti-Inflammatory Foods on Hyperglycemia in Type-1 Diabetics

Based on a case study administered by Dr. Charlotte Gerson, an IDDM patient referred to as R.H. reversed hyperglycemic symptoms within ten weeks while adhering to a diet of mainly vegetables and some low-glycemic index fruits. R.H. also ingested mineral supplements and underwent multiple coffee enemas each day (Gerson & Bishop, 2007, p. 56). This self-study hypothesizes that diet alone has a positive correlation coefficient with hyperglycemic blood glucose levels in type-1 diabetics (IDDM). Conducting this self-study contributes information to the limited research and database of alternative methods for managing IDDM hyperglycemia, and provides candid documentation of the effects that food has on type-1 diabetics

Quantifying the abundance of four large epiphytic fern species in remnant complex notophyll vine forest on the Atherton Tableland, north Queensland, Australia

Epiphytes are generally considered rare in complex forests on the western edge of the Atherton Tablelands, north Queensland. This assertion is based on comparisons with wetter forests in the Wet Tropics bioregion, but is of limited use in restoration projects where targets need to be quantified. We quantified ‘rarity’ for a subset of the epiphyte community in one of the largest remaining patches of Type 5b rainforest at Wongabel State Forest(17°18' S, 145°28' E). The bundance of large individuals of the epiphytic fern species Asplenium australasicum, Drynaria rigidula, Platycerium bifurcatum, and Platycerium superbum were recorded from 100 identified midstorey or canopy trees. Epiphytes were less rare than the canopy trees sampled, averaging 1.7 individuals per tree. A clumped distribution was suggested with large epiphytes only occurring on 57 of the 100 trees. As tree size increased so did the number of individuals and species of large epiphytes recorded; only trees taller than 20 m yielded more than one epiphyte. Trees from the Meliaceae and Rutaceae hosted the most epiphytes, but host tree specificity patterns were not conclusive. Techniques for including epiphytes in restoration planning and projects are considered, and a quantified restoration target for epiphyte communities in Type 5b plantings is outlined

Graduating to Success in Employment: How Social Media Can Aid College Students in the Job Search

This issue brief, the second in a series on social media in workforce development, explores how college career service centers can assist college students and recent college graduates in using social media as part of their job search

Excitable neurons, firing threshold manifolds and canards

We investigate firing threshold manifolds in a mathematical model of an excitable neuron. The model analyzed investigates the phenomenon of post-inhibitory rebound spiking due to propofol anesthesia and is adapted from McCarthy et al. (SIAM J. Appl. Dyn. Syst. 11(4):1674-1697, 2012). Propofol modulates the decay time-scale of an inhibitory GABAa synaptic current. Interestingly, this system gives rise to rebound spiking within a specific range of propofol doses. Using techniques from geometric singular perturbation theory, we identify geometric structures, known as canards of folded saddle-type, which form the firing threshold manifolds. We find that the position and orientation of the canard separatrix is propofol dependent. Thus, the speeds of relevant slow synaptic processes are encoded within this geometric structure. We show that this behavior cannot be understood using a static, inhibitory current step protocol, which can provide a single threshold for rebound spiking but cannot explain the observed cessation of spiking for higher propofol doses. We then compare the analyses of dynamic and static synaptic inhibition, showing how the firing threshold manifolds of each relate, and why a current step approach is unable to fully capture the behavior of this model

Writing Assignments with a Metacognitive Component Enhance Learning in a Large Introductory Biology Course

Writing assignments, including note taking and written recall, should enhance retention of knowledge, whereas analytical writing tasks with metacognitive aspects should enhance higher-order thinking. In this study, we assessed how certain writing-intensive “interventions,” such as written exam corrections and peer-reviewed writing assignments using Calibrated Peer Review and including a metacognitive component, improve student learning. We designed and tested the possible benefits of these approaches using control and experimental variables across and between our three-section introductory biology course. Based on assessment, students who corrected exam questions showed significant improvement on postexam assessment compared with their nonparticipating peers. Differences were also observed between students participating in written and discussion-based exercises. Students with low ACT scores benefited equally from written and discussion-based exam corrections, whereas students with midrange to high ACT scores benefited more from written than discussion-based exam corrections. Students scored higher on topics learned via peer-reviewed writing assignments relative to learning in an active classroom discussion or traditional lecture. However, students with low ACT scores (17–23) did not show the same benefit from peer-reviewed written essays as the other students. These changes offer significant student learning benefits with minimal additional effort by the instructors

Assessing grassland restoration success: relative roles of seed additions and native ungulate grazing

Which aspects of community structure and ecosystem processes are restorable for most ecosystems, and how can seedling emergence in restorations be increased? I quantified success for 8 - 10 year old large tallgrass prairie restoration sites managed with native ungulates and fire by comparing it to three nearby remnants. I used the additive partitioning model of diversity, where [Alpha] is neighborhood (quadrat) scale diversity, [Beta] is accumulation of species diversity across neighborhoods, and [Gamma] is total diversity, and I decomposed [Alpha] into richness and evenness. Proportion of exotic biomass was similar between restorations and remnants, but proportion of exotic species and ANPP was two to four times higher in restorations. Alpha diversity and richness in restorations were half that of remnants, and alpha evenness was similar between restorations and remnants. Distance between quadrats per se was not related to diversity after accumulated quadrat area was taken into account. Proportion of [Beta] diversity was twice as high in restorations than remnants, possibly because patches of individual species were larger in restorations. Grassland restorations often lack rare forb and grass species found in intact grasslands potentially due to many reasons. I hypothesized that it could be due to seed limitation, dominance of C4 grasses (which can decrease number of microsites), or a combination of both. Realistic disturbances such as native ungulate activities may create microsites in vegetation. I experimentally tested these hypotheses in tallgrass prairie restoration by adding rare forb and grass seeds in two trials inside and outside native ungulate exclosures and measured seedling emergence. I measured light, water, and standing crop biomass to test whether they were related to emergence. Grazing increased light availability and increased ANPP in June-August 2004. Seedling emergence was consistently greater with seed additions and was conditionally greater with a combination of seeds and grazing. Grazing alone did not increase emergence. This suggests that low diversity in grassland restorations may be caused by combinations of seed and microsite availability. Grassland restoration may be improved if species coexistence can be increased. Restorations may be seed limited, and grazing alone may not increase emergence without seed additions

Buried Treasure? Excavating Active, Meaningful, and Worthwhile Learning from an Elementary Time Capsule

This study explores active, meaningful, and worthwhile learning that was discovered through a time capsule that was buried by six elementary gifted students at Springdale Elementary School in Macon, Georgia in 1980. Dan, Trevette, Bryan, Lee Ann, Stephen and Rhonda are six adults who, in seventh grade, filled a trash can with time treasured relics and promised to return and unearth their treasure in 2000, but when they grew up and moved away, they lost touch with one another and their buried treasure. In 2009, Springdale\u27s elementary gifted students located their treasure, studied its contents, compared popular culture then and now, located and celebrated the ones who were responsible for its existence. This inquiry draws upon a wide array of research on schooling and learning such as learning about learning (e.g. Schultz, 2010, Schwab 1978), de-schooling society (e.g. Illich, 1970) and mis-educative schooling, (e.g.Ayers, 2001, Illich, 1970, Freire, 1970, Giroux, 2003, Kohn, 1999, Pinar, 2004, Rose, 2009, Taubman, 2009, Weis & Fine, 2003) how popular culture impacts learning (e.g. Brown, 1987, Daspit, 2000, Giroux, 2003, Grossberg, 1989, Kincheloe, 2008, Pinar, 2006, Reynolds, 2006, Weaver & Daspit, 2000) joy of learning, (e.g. Csikszentmihalyi, 1997, Dewey, 1938, Liston, 2001, Luke, 2010, Goodlad, 1984, Rea, Millican, & Watson, 2000, Warner, 2006) how student apathy affects learning, (e.g. Coffield, 1981, Thompson, 2008, Walsh, 1981) liberative learning (e.g. Ayers, 2004, Ayers & Dohrn, 2009, 2 Schultz, 2008, Taubman, 2009) and the significance of place (e.g. Casemore, 2008, Pinar, 2004, Sack, 2001, Whitlock, 2007) as it relates to learning. I use Maxine Greene\u27s (1978) concept of Landscape of Learning to conceptualize that learning is an aesthetic experience produced by a wide-awakeness when engaged with new ideas. Using a combination of oral history (e.g. Borland, 1998, Davis, 1991, Janesick, 2010, Perks & Thomson, 2006, Ritchie, 2003) and personal~passionate~participatory inquiry (He & Philion, 2008), I particularly ask the following questions: What kind of learning experiences can inspire learners to engage in active, meaningful, and worthwhile learning? What kind of learning experiences can inspire learners to work with teachers, parents, and the learning community in order to create inspiring learning milieus to cultivate a better human condition for all? This inquiry substantiates that engaging learning experience counters lessons that purpose to teach skills measured on standardized tests and performance standards imposed upon diverse learners. My inquiry illuminates that lived experiences contribute to meaningful learning and purposeful living. Popular culture nurtures joy of learning that promotes liberative and active learning. Emotional connections between teachers, students, and the learning content facilitate liberative learning. Nostalgia masks privileges, inequalities, and prejudices that continue to plague public schools. Standardization quantifies aesthetic and liberative aspects of learning and imprisons the mind. My study engenders a need for cultivating a landscape of learning that promotes engagement and empowerment where learners, teachers, educators, parents, community stakeholders, administrators, and policy makers work together to inspire all learners to reach their highest potential (Siddle-Walker, 1996)