Alternatives in Secondary Education: A Review of the Movement, A Review of Selected Secondary Alternative Programs in Illinois, and a Proposed Plan for Alternatives at Hillcrest High School in Country Club Hills, Illinois

During the past few years, the phrase “public alternative education” has been sounded in various educational circles throughout the United States, and has been the focal point of numerous professional seminars and conferences. Many schools have initiated alternative education models and many others are considering adopting the idea. Alternative schools, by definition, come in many different shapes and sizes and with varying objectives and philosophies. That students and/or parents have a choice in selecting an educational program is basic to all. Alternative schools recognize that different students may perform better in different types of educational settings and therefore, they stress variety rather than uniformity. They are organized in many different ways with various types of student bodies, but all involve the total educational program. Tile purpose of this field study is three-fold. First of all, the writer will provide the reader with a general knowledge of educational alternatives - its history, philosophies, objectives, and designs. Secondly, the writer will give the reader an idea of the broad array of choices that have been developed in the State of Illinois within recent years with respect to the secondary alternative education movement. And thirdly, the writer will define and construct an alternative education model which the writer believes can be adopted at Hillcrest High School in Country Club Hills, Illinois. The major activities involved in the development of this field study report include: Data collected from: library research; correspondence with selected alternative schools; interviews; attendance at the Sixth Annual Quincy Conference Establishment of identified critical needs. Development of the writer\u27s alternative education plan

Commentary on the detection of bubble activity generated in ex-vivo tissue by high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) with respect to the generation of therapeutic lesions in tissue for the treatment of cancer

Cancer treatment by extracorporeal high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is constrained by the time needed to ablate relevant tumour volumes clinically. Controlled cavitation might be used to optimise HIFU treatments, but such control requires a greater understanding of its role in lesion formation, and the provision of appropriate techniques to monitor cavitation in tissue. During HIFU exposure various forms of cavitation can occur: acoustic cavitation (both non-inertial and inertial), and bubble formation due to two thermally-driven effects (the vaporisation of liquid into vapour, and the exsolution of formerly dissolved permanent gas out of the liquid and into gas spaces). Different forms of cavitation gives rise to characteristic signals that can be monitored during HIFU. Furthermore, the character of the signal can change depending on the stage of the cavitation in question (nucleation, established cavitation, population effects etc.). Prior to undertaking experiments using tissue, studies were performed by exposing degassed water. The aim of these experiments was to test a detection system in a minimally attenuating medium known to cavitate, in order to provide data for comparison with ex-vivo tissue results.This report is written in support of the journal paper “A Study of Bubble Activity Generated in Ex-Vivo Tissue by High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU)” by the same authors (McLaughlan et al. 2010). It outlines supporting material for the discussion and conclusions contained in that paper, a study involving monitoring clinically relevant HIFU exposures in degassed water and ex-vivo bovine liver. Monitoring is accomplished using a suite of cavitation detection techniques (exploiting passive and active acoustics, audible and ultrasonic emissions and electrical drive power fluctuations). The aim of the paper is to allow informed progress towards a monitoring system specifically tailored for use during clinical HIFU treatment

On-chip production of nanometer sized 'Ultra fine' bubble populations

Microbubble (MB) contrast agents have been used for many years as image enhancers for medical Ultrasound (US). Ultra-Fine bubble (UFB) populations of bubbles <1 µm in diameter are a relatively new technology that has found use as highly effective ‘eco’ cleaning agents. High-resolution US imaging is another potentially exciting area for UFB. This paper reports the on-chip production of UFB populations with a diameter of ~ 500 – 700 nm at a concentration of 10¹⁰ bub / mL. These UFB showed US scattering at higher frequency fields and enhanced contrast when imaging in in vivo mouse models

The occurrence of cardiac abnormalities in canine steroid‐responsive meningitis arteritis

Objectives: To document the prevalence of cardiac abnormalities in dogs with steroid‐responsive meningitis arteritis and to assess resolution of these abnormalities following corticosteroid therapy. Materials and Methods: Steroid‐responsive meningitis arteritis was diagnosed based on signalment, physical examination findings, complete blood count, biochemistry and CSF analysis. Echocardiography, C‐reactive protein and cardiac troponin I were measured in all cases before and 10 to 14 days after commencing corticosteroid therapy. Fibrinogen was also measured in a proportion of dogs. Results: Fourteen dogs were prospectively enrolled. Increased cardiac troponin I was identified in five of 14 dogs and echocardiographic abnormalities were detected in 12 of 14 dogs, including spontaneous echo contrast (12 of 14), mild pericardial effusion (five of 14) and mildly decreased fractional shortening (five of 14). All dogs had increased C‐reactive protein and fibrinogen was increased in 11 of 12. Corticosteroid treatment was associated with clinical improvement and normalisation of C‐reactive protein in all dogs. The cardiac troponin I levels normalised in four of five and fibrinogen had normalised in all five dogs which were retested. Spontaneous echo contrast improved or completely resolved in 12 of 12 and pericardial effusion resolved in five of five dogs. Fractional shortening normalised in two of five dogs. Clinical Significance: Cardiac changes are common in dogs with steroid‐responsive meningitis arteritis and most resolve with therapy. Further investigation into the cause and significance of these changes is necessary in determining whether antithrombotic therapy or positive inotropic therapy is indicated

Developing scholarship through collaboration in an online roleplay-simulation: Mekong eSim, a case study

Mekong e-Sim was designed to create an authentic learning environment in which students from different disciplines work together to learn about the complexities of environmental decision-making. The version of Mekong e-Sim that is reported here involved students of the subjects Asia-Pacific Development (geography), Technology Assessment (technological developments and impacts in engineering) and Environmental Engineering. During the Mekong e-Sim, students collaborated to adopt different stakeholder roles and initiate and respond to major events relating to economic and environmental development in the Mekong region. Key tasks included responding to topical news events, making submissions to public planning inquiries, writing reports and debating development issues in the Mekong region. Through their participation in Mekong e-Sim, students developed understanding of the complexities of decision-making, appreciation of the range of perspectives associated with environmental management and developed subject specific skills and understandings. A description of the design and evaluation of the Mekong e-Sim is provided in McLaughlan et al. (2001). The development of the teaching project was a collaborative, cross-institutional teaching development that brought together staff with a range of skills and expertise. Despite the fact that there has been increasing attention to scholarly values in universities in recent years there has been little consideration of what this might look like. This paper uses the case of the development and teaching of Mekong e-Sim to investigate scholarly teaching, particularly the process and practice of scholarship and teaching in a team situation

Using Online Roleplay/Simulations for Creating Learning Experiences

Over 140 geography and engineering students from across Australia and overseas spent 4 weeks participating in an online roleplay-simulation set in the Mekong region of South East Asia. The online environment provides a setting for the construction of alternative points of view and a lively debate and creates an authentic context for student collaboration. The roleplay-simulation involves decision-making and conflict resolution regarding natural resource development. The Mekong e-Sim (electronic simulation) has been designed to support the learning of students studying subjects in the subjects Technology Assessment, Environmental Engineering or Asia Pacific Development Studies at different universities. The students share the online roleplay simulation experience, which is then utilised differently within each of the geography or engineering subjects at the institution where the students are enrolled. Student and staff response has been very positive. Students report that the e-Sim provides a realistic experience, is engaging, develops their information technology and communication skills and increases their awareness of multiple perspectives on the issues involved

Spin-orbit splitting of image states

We quantify the effect of the spin-orbit interaction on the Rydberg-like series of image state electrons at the (111) and (001) surface of Ir, Pt and Au. Using relativistic multiple-scattering methods we find Rashba-like dispersions with Delta E(K)=gamma K with values of gamma for n=1 states in the range 38-88 meV Angstrom. Extending the phase-accumulation model to include spin-orbit scattering we find that the splittings vary like 1/(n+a)^3 where a is the quantum defect and that they are related to the probability of spin-flip scattering at the surface. The splittings should be observable experimentally being larger in magnitude than some exchange-splittings that have been resolved by inverse photoemission, and are comparable to linewidths from inelastic lifetimes.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure

CD105 is a prognostic marker and valid endothelial target for microbubble platforms in cholangiocarcinoma

Purpose The current treatment outcomes in cholangiocarcinoma are poor with cure afforded only by surgical extirpation. The efficacy of targeting the tumoural endothelial marker CD105 in cholangiocarcinoma, as a basis for potential microbubble-based treatment, is unknown and was explored here. Methods Tissue expression of CD105 was quantified using immunohistochemistry in 54 perihilar cholangiocarcinoma samples from patients who underwent resection in a single centre over a ten-year period, and analysed against clinicopathological data. In vitro flow assays using microbubbles functionalised with CD105 antibody were conducted to ascertain specificity of binding to murine SVR endothelial cells. Finally, CD105-microbubbles were intravenously administered to 10 Balb/c nude mice bearing heterotopic subcutaneous human extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (TFK-1 and EGI-1) xenografts after which in vivo binding was assessed following contrast-enhanced destruction replenishment ultrasound application. Results Though not significantly associated with any examined clinicopathological variable, we found that higher CD105 expression was independently associated with poorer patient survival (median 12 vs 31 months; p = 0.002). In vitro studies revealed significant binding of CD105-microbubbles to SVR endothelial cells in comparison to isotype control (p = 0.01), as well as in vivo to TFK-1 (p = 0.02) and EGI-1 (p = 0.04) mouse xenograft vasculature. Conclusion Our results indicate that CD105 is a biomarker eminently suitable for cholangiocarcinoma targeting using functionalised microbubbles

Single hadron response measurement and calorimeter jet energy scale uncertainty with the ATLAS detector at the LHC

The uncertainty on the calorimeter energy response to jets of particles is derived for the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). First, the calorimeter response to single isolated charged hadrons is measured and compared to the Monte Carlo simulation using proton-proton collisions at centre-of-mass energies of sqrt(s) = 900 GeV and 7 TeV collected during 2009 and 2010. Then, using the decay of K_s and Lambda particles, the calorimeter response to specific types of particles (positively and negatively charged pions, protons, and anti-protons) is measured and compared to the Monte Carlo predictions. Finally, the jet energy scale uncertainty is determined by propagating the response uncertainty for single charged and neutral particles to jets. The response uncertainty is 2-5% for central isolated hadrons and 1-3% for the final calorimeter jet energy scale.Comment: 24 pages plus author list (36 pages total), 23 figures, 1 table, submitted to European Physical Journal

Measurement of χ c1 and χ c2 production with s√ = 7 TeV pp collisions at ATLAS

The prompt and non-prompt production cross-sections for the χ c1 and χ c2 charmonium states are measured in pp collisions at s√ = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC using 4.5 fb−1 of integrated luminosity. The χ c states are reconstructed through the radiative decay χ c → J/ψγ (with J/ψ → μ + μ −) where photons are reconstructed from γ → e + e − conversions. The production rate of the χ c2 state relative to the χ c1 state is measured for prompt and non-prompt χ c as a function of J/ψ transverse momentum. The prompt χ c cross-sections are combined with existing measurements of prompt J/ψ production to derive the fraction of prompt J/ψ produced in feed-down from χ c decays. The fractions of χ c1 and χ c2 produced in b-hadron decays are also measured