The Effects of a Varied Method of Instruction on Student Achievement, Transfer, Situational Interest, and Course Retention Rates in Community College Developmental Mathematics

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to compare the effects of a varied method of instruction on student achievement, knowledge transfer, situational interest, and course retention rates, relative to a non-varied method of instruction, in community college developmental mathematics. The varied method of instruction consisted of active learning teaching practices with foundations in social constructivism, whereas the non-varied method of instruction was founded in Cognitive Load Theory and consisted primarily of explicit instruction and individual practice. An initial sample of 139 students who enrolled in six sections of Beginning Algebra at an urban community college in Northern California participated in the study. Given the quasi-experimental nature of the study, considerable effort was taken to control for school, teacher, student, and curriculum implementation variables. As such, the six sections were divided equally among three instructors, with each instructor teaching one varied class and one non-varied class. Additionally, students were assessed on the following entry characteristics: preferences for working in groups, personal interest in mathematics, reasoning ability, verbal ability, and prior mathematics knowledge. The dependent variables were conceptual understanding, procedural application near transfer, far transfer, situational interest, and course retention rates. Conceptual understanding and procedural application were assessed three times throughout the study, whereas the remaining variables were measured after eight weeks of instruction. No statistically significant differences in conceptual understanding, procedural application, near transfer, far transfer, or course retention rates were obtained between the varied and non-varied classes while controlling for individual differences. There was a statistically significant difference of medium effect in situational interest; the students in the varied classes enjoyed their classes to a lesser extent than students in the non-varied classes. Overall, both methods of instruction were equally ineffective in teaching basic algebraic concepts and procedures. Therefore, it appears that manipulating methods of instruction is not an adequate solution to the high failure rates in developmental mathematics. Instead, developmental mathematics education may better benefit from other reforms, such as learning communities, contextualized curricula, and mandatory support services. Future studies may be conducted to investigate the effects of these reforms, both in isolation and in combination

β-nitro-5,10,15-tritolylcorroles

Functionalization of the β-pyrrolic positions of the corrole macrocycle with -NO 2 groups is limited at present to metallocorrolates due to the instability exhibited by corrole free bases under oxidizing conditions. A careful choice of the oxidant can limit the transformation of corroles into decomposition products or isocorrole species, preserving the corrole aromaticity, and thus allowing the insertion of nitro groups onto the corrole framework. Here we report results obtained by reacting 5,10,15-tritolylcorrole (TTCorrH 3) with the AgNO 2/ NaNO 2 system, to give mono- and dinitrocorrole derivatives when stoichiometry is carefully controlled. Reactions were found to be regioselective, affording the 3-NO 2TTCorrH 3 and 3,17-(NO 2) 2TTCorrH 3 isomers as the main products in the case of mono- and disubstitution, in 53 and 20% yields, respectively. In both cases, traces of other mono- and disubstituted isomers were detected, which were structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography. The influence of the β-nitro substituents on the corrole properties is studied in detail by UV-visible, electrochemical, and spectroelectrochemical characterization of these functionalized corroles. Density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TDDFT) calculations of the ground and excited state properties of these β-nitrocorrole derivatives also afforded significant information, closely matching the experimental observations. It is found that the β-NO 2 substituents conjugate with the π-aromatic system of the macrocycle, which initiates significant changes in both the spectroscopic and redox properties of the so functionalized corroles. This effect is more pronounced when the nitro group is introduced at the 2-position, because in this case the conjugation is, for steric reasons, more efficient than in the 3-nitro isomer. © 2012 American Chemical Society

Prospectus, October 12, 1973

AGNEW RESIGNS VICE-PRESIDENCY; Small Turnout For Election; Prospectus Editors Announced; Walk Attracts Over 600; All Amendments Pass; Prospectus In Perspective: Excellent Bike Path Choice, Letters From Our Readers, New Magazine Coming, At this point in time.....; The Short Circuit; Drama Department Introduces New Lounge Theatre; United Way Campaign Begins; Announces $19,290 Bog Award; Ieardi Headlines Talent Program; Road Rally Club; New Breed of Businessman: Young College Graduate; Student Appointed As Board Member; New Concept For P/C Typing Classes; New Name, Faces For Magazine; Parkland Team To Debate At Bradley Oct. 20; Parkland Instructor Hospitalized at Mercy; PCA Appoints Student Affairs Committee Members; C-U Politics To Be Discussed At Forum; Walk For Mankind; Parkland Announces Bike Rules; Student Senate Reviews Charters, Future Plans; Gayle Wright Chosen To Advise Capstone; Vet\u27s Outreach Aids Readjustment; Prospectus Gains Two Campus Cartoonists; Seminar Planned On \u27Volunteering\u27; P/C Biologists At IACCB Convention; \u27Siege\u27 Shocking, Relevant Film; Faculty Members To Hold Offices; Winter Registration Information; Parkland Student Wins Santa Fe Scholarship; Birthday Wishes; Pre-Registration Benefits All; Target Program To Sponsor Open House; Women Voters Begin Sale Of ERA Bracelet; Ferlinghetti Sues San Francisco Police; Applications Must Be Filed; A Column By And For Women: Born To Be A Woman, The Way It Used To Be, The Lib, I Am Woman; Mutt and Mortie; Fast Freddy\u27s Football Forecast; Fall Intramural; Bowling Bulletin Board; Football Results; Dennis Bailen Wins Fast Freddy; Monday\u27s Coach; Rugby Play Not Football; Harriers Slump To Third, Fourth; Hiser Receives Babe Ruth Award; Graduation; TARGET Sets Sights On Juveniles; Classified Ads; Johnson Calls For Truth, Integrity; Gammon: \u27Everyone Born With Ability\u27; Student President\u27s Report; Lives Changed By Jesus Christ; Cruisin\u27 \u2773; Candidates Learn Voting Procedure; Speleunkers Travel Virgin Paths; Krannert Art Center Schedule; Illini Student Union Movies; Lab Develops Self-Study Habits; Callboard; Race To Fund Town With Doctor; Council Member Proposes Later Bar Hourshttps://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_1973/1004/thumbnail.jp

Enhancement-mode Ga2O3 wrap-gate fin field-effect transistors on native (100) β-Ga2O3 substrate with high breakdown voltage

Sn-doped gallium oxide (Ga2O3) wrap-gate fin-array field-effect transistors (finFETs) were formed by top-down BCl3 plasma etching on a native semi-insulating Mg-doped (100) β-Ga2O3 substrate. The fin channels have a triangular cross-section and are approximately 300 nm wide and 200 nm tall. FinFETs, with 20 nm Al2O3 gate dielectric and ∼2 μm wrap-gate, demonstrate normally-off operation with a threshold voltage between 0 and +1 V during high-voltage operation. The ION/IOFF ratio is greater than 105 and is mainly limited by high on-resistance that can be significantly improved. At VG = 0, a finFET with 21 μm gate-drain spacing achieved a three-terminal breakdown voltage exceeding 600 V without a field-plate

Charge order induced Dirac pockets in the nonsymmorphic crystal TaTe4

The interplay between charge order (CO) and nontrivial band topology has spurred tremendous interest in understanding topological excitations beyond the single-particle description. In a quasi-one-dimensional nonsymmorphic crystal TaTe4, the (2a×2b×3c) charge ordered ground state drives the system into a space group where the symmetry indicators feature the emergence of Dirac fermions and unconventional double Dirac fermions. Using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and first-principles calculations, we provide evidence of the CO induced Dirac fermion-related bands near the Fermi level. Furthermore, the band folding at the Fermi level is compatible with the new periodicity dictated by the CO, indicating that the electrons near the Fermi level follow the crystalline symmetries needed to host double Dirac fermions in this system

Microfluidic devices fabricated in poly(methyl methacrylate) using hot-embossing with integrated sampling capillary and fiber optics for fluorescence detection

High-aspect-ratio microstructures have been prepared using hot-embossing techniques in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) from Ni-based molding dies prepared using LIGA (Lithographie, Galvanoformung, Abformung). Due to the small amount of mask undercutting associated with X-ray lithography and the high energy X-ray beam used during photoresist patterning, deep structures with sharp and smooth sidewalls have been prepared. The Ni-electroforms produced devices with minimal replication errors using hot-embossing at a turn around time of approximately 5 min per device. In addition, several different polymers (with different glass transition temperatures) could be effectively molded with these Ni-electroforms and many devices (\u3e300) molded with the same master without any noticeable degradation. The PMMA devices consisted of deep and narrow channels for insertion of a capillary for the automated electrokinetic loading of sample into the microfluidic device and also, a pair of optical fibers for shuttling laser light to the detection zone and collecting the resulting emission for fluorescence analysis. Electrophoretic separations of double-stranded DNA ladders Phi X174 digested with Hae III) were performed with fluorescence detection accomplished using near-IR excitation. It was found that the narrow width of the channels did not contribute significantly to electrophoretic zone broadening and the plate numbers generated in the extended length separation channel allowed sorting of the 271/281 base pair fragments associated with this sizing ladder when electrophoresed in methylcellulose entangled polymer solutions. The dual fiber detector produced sub-attomole detection limits with the entire detector, including laser source, electronics and photon transducer, situated in a single box measuring 3\u27\u27 x 10 x 14

Association between functional psychosis and expanded CAG/CTG repeats is not explained by health stratification [comparative study]

A number of studies have reported an association between large CAG/CTG repeats and both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Recently, we reported an inverse correlation between CAG/CTG repeat size and age in a health-selected population, raising the possibility that selection of control groups for physical health was a confounding factor in our previous association studies. We investigated this by health-selection of patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The maximum CAG/CTG repeat size remained significantly larger in probands with functional psychosis compared with control individuals, and in probands with a diagnosis of schizophrenia compared with control individuals. The number of probands in the healthy bipolar group was small, and although on average this group also had longer CAG/CTG repeats than control individuals, this failed to reach statistical significance. Our findings do not support the notion that the original results with psychosis as a whole, and schizophrenia specifically, are attributable to a stratification effect consequent on health selection. Nevertheless, we are unable formally to reject the hypothesis that the previously observed difference between bipolar probands and control individuals is the result of this phenomenon