Exploring the hidden interior of the Earth with directional neutrino measurements

Roughly 40% of the Earth's total heat flow is powered by radioactive decays in the crust and mantle. Geo-neutrinos produced by these decays provide important clues about the origin, formation and thermal evolution of our planet, as well as the composition of its interior. Previous measurements of geo-neutrinos have all relied on the detection of inverse beta decay reactions, which are insensitive to the contribution from potassium and do not provide model-independent information about the spatial distribution of geo-neutrino sources within the Earth. Here we present a method for measuring previously unresolved components of Earth's radiogenic heating using neutrino-electron elastic scattering and low-background, direction-sensitive tracking detectors. We calculate the exposures needed to probe various contributions to the total geo-neutrino flux, specifically those associated to potassium, the mantle and the core. The measurements proposed here chart a course for pioneering exploration of the veiled inner workings of the Earth.Comment: 18 pages, 11 figures, 8 table

Reasonable Measures : Giving Due Deference to School Boards\u27 Decisions in Cases Involving the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

Currently, the federal appeals courts use different tests when examining state compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a Spending Clause statute meant to give students with disabilities meaningful educational instruction. The IDEA requires states receiving federal funds for special education to provide a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE) to each eligible student with a disability. Though there are varying tests used by the appeals courts, they can be lumped into two main categories: a reasonableness test and a factor test. The Seventh Circuit in Board of Education v. Ross adopted a reasonableness test, which finds that a school district is LRE-compliant when it takes reasonable measures to provide a student with a disability a satisfactory education in a conventional school. In contrast, the Third Circuit in Oberti v. Board of Education adopted a factor test that, by application, requires courts to intrude into the province of school officials. This Note argues that the Seventh Circuit\u27s test implements congressional intent better than the Third Circuit\u27s test by examining the language of the IDEA, pertinent Supreme Court precedent, and empirical studies. In addition, it compares the outcome of a district court case applying the Third Circuit\u27s test with the outcome that court would have reached if it applied the Seventh Circuit\u27s test, to show that the Seventh Circuit\u27s outcome is more appropriate

Reasonable Measures : Giving Due Deference to School Boards\u27 Decisions in Cases Involving the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

Currently, the federal appeals courts use different tests when examining state compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a Spending Clause statute meant to give students with disabilities meaningful educational instruction. The IDEA requires states receiving federal funds for special education to provide a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE) to each eligible student with a disability. Though there are varying tests used by the appeals courts, they can be lumped into two main categories: a reasonableness test and a factor test. The Seventh Circuit in Board of Education v. Ross adopted a reasonableness test, which finds that a school district is LRE-compliant when it takes reasonable measures to provide a student with a disability a satisfactory education in a conventional school. In contrast, the Third Circuit in Oberti v. Board of Education adopted a factor test that, by application, requires courts to intrude into the province of school officials. This Note argues that the Seventh Circuit\u27s test implements congressional intent better than the Third Circuit\u27s test by examining the language of the IDEA, pertinent Supreme Court precedent, and empirical studies. In addition, it compares the outcome of a district court case applying the Third Circuit\u27s test with the outcome that court would have reached if it applied the Seventh Circuit\u27s test, to show that the Seventh Circuit\u27s outcome is more appropriate

Perceptions of Instructional Coaches and Teachers on the Barriers of Multi-Level Instructional Coaching in Higher Performing vs. Lower Performing Elementary Schools in Tennessee

Teacher effectiveness is one of the most influential factors on student achievement. Therefore, it is vitally important to appropriately coach teachers toward increased effectiveness. This qualitative research study explored and compared the types of multi-level instructional coaching utilized within higher performing and lower performing elementary schools throughout Tennessee, as identified by both instructional coaches and classroom teachers. Additionally, participants shared their perceptions of the most beneficial aspects of multi-level instructional coaching and the barriers that hinder its productivity. Lastly, participants shared where they could use additional support in relation to instructional coaching. Data were collected through a researcher-created digital questionnaire, consisting of both open-ended and closed-fixed questions. Data were analyzed through qualitative methods, including coding and thematic development. Responses revealed similarities and differences in the responses of instructional coaches and classroom teachers in higher performing and lower performing schools. Among the findings, participants in higher performance schools emphasized that instructional coaching should be targeted to those specific teachers needing help in a particular area; whereas, the participants from lower performing schools overwhelmingly expressed a desire for coaching to assist toward more clearly understanding the best practices associated with instruction. Results from this study may provide stakeholders with data that could encourage modifications to current instructional coaching methods to improve teacher effectiveness

Down At The Huskin\u27 Bee

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/4183/thumbnail.jp

Less Deterministic Method of Random Number Generation

As the number of uses for random numbers increases, the need for better methods of producing them increases. However, the most widely used method today was introduced over thirty years ago. These linear congruential generators are fast and compact, but the sequences they produce have been under fire for years. Attempts have been made to improve congruential sequences by shuffling them, but while this solves some of the problems, it does not solve all of the problems inherent in such a highly detenninistic method. The need was thus seen for a less detenninistic approach. The following study introduces such an approach, and compares it to accepted generators.Industrial Engineering and Managemen

Student Perceptions of the Effectiveness of Adaptive Courseware for Learning

Despite the increasing research on the effectiveness of adaptive learning courseware by vendors and academic institutions, there are few published, peer-reviewed studies on adaptive courseware that address the student experience and student perception of this teaching and learning tool. Over the course of two academic years, 2017/2018 and 2018/2019, researchers at the University of Mississippi conducted 16 course-based student focus groups and gathered data from 4 end-of-semester surveys to understand how students are experiencing adaptive courseware and whether or not they find it adds value to their education. Our study found that, although students generally find courseware to be helpful in their learning, they do not agree the courseware is adaptive, and they find the benefits of the courseware to be undermined by poor implementation and frequent overpricing

Interethnic differences in pancreatic cancer incidence and risk factors: The Multiethnic Cohort.

While disparity in pancreatic cancer incidence between blacks and whites has been observed, few studies have examined disparity in other ethnic minorities. We evaluated variations in pancreatic cancer incidence and assessed the extent to which known risk factors account for differences in pancreatic cancer risk among African Americans, Native Hawaiians, Japanese Americans, Latino Americans, and European Americans in the Multiethnic Cohort Study. Risk factor data were obtained from the baseline questionnaire. Cox regression was used to estimate the relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for pancreatic cancer associated with risk factors and ethnicity. During an average 16.9-year follow-up, 1,532 incident pancreatic cancer cases were identified among 184,559 at-risk participants. Family history of pancreatic cancer (RR 1.97, 95% CI 1.50-2.58), diabetes (RR 1.32, 95% CI 1.14-1.54), body mass index ≥30 kg/m2 (RR 1.25, 95% CI 1.08-1.46), current smoking (<20 pack-years RR 1.43, 95% CI 1.19-1.73; ≥20 pack-years RR 1.76, 95% CI 1.46-2.12), and red meat intake (RR 1.17, 95% CI 1.00-1.36) were associated with pancreatic cancer. After adjustment for these risk factors, Native Hawaiians (RR 1.60, 95% CI 1.30-1.98), Japanese Americans (RR 1.33, 95% CI 1.15-1.54), and African Americans (RR 1.20, 95% CI 1.01-1.42), but not Latino Americans (RR 0.90, 95% CI 0.76-1.07), had a higher risk of pancreatic cancer compared to European Americans. Interethnic differences in pancreatic cancer risk are not fully explained by differences in the distribution of known risk factors. The greater risks in Native Hawaiians and Japanese Americans are new findings and elucidating the causes of these high rates may improve our understanding and prevention of pancreatic cancer

An analysis of experts' ratings of ergonomic stress

Experts in the field of industrial ergonomics are frequently called upon to visit workplaces in order to evaluate and rate ergonomic stressors which may cause fatigue, discomfort, or injury. The objective of this study was to evaluate the extent of agreement among experts' perceptions of four categories of ergonomic stress: materials handling (e.g., lifting), upper extremity activities, posture, and energy expenditure.A panel of five experts observed ten jobs in manufacturing and warehouse facilities. A three-point scale (1 = insignificant stress, 2 = moderate stress, 3 = high stress) was used to rate the jobs in each of the four stress categories. In addition, lifting stresses on each job were analyzed using methods described in the NIOSH Work Practices Guide for Manual Lifting. The resulting data were analyzed to determine the level of expert consensus and the level of agreement with the NIOSH results.In general, there was a high level of consensus among the experts. Perfect agreement (identical ratings by all five experts) was obtained for 30 percent of the experts' scores; while consensus agreement (identical ratings by three or more experts) was obtained for 87.5 percent of the scores. In general, the experts' perceptions agreed with the NIOSH ratings of lifting stress. On a few jobs, however, the expert panel considered lifting stresses to be greater than predicted by the NIOSH ratings.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/27200/1/0000203.pd