A Meta-Analysis of Growth Trends from Vertically Scaled Assessments

A vertical scale, in principle, provides a common metric across tests with differing difficulties (e.g., spanning multiple grades) so that statements of absolute growth can be made. This paper compares 16 states’ 2007-2008 effect size growth trends on vertically scaled reading and math assessments across grades 3 to 8. Two patterns common in past research on vertical scales, score deceleration (grade-to-grade growth that decreases over time) and scale shrinkage (variability in scale scores that decreases from lower to higher grades), are investigated. Pervasive, but modest, patterns of score deceleration are found for both math and reading. Limited evidence of scale shrinkage was found for reading, and virtually no evidence was found for math. In addition, linear regression was used to show that little of the considerable variability in the growth effect sizes across states could be explained by readily identifiable characteristics of the vertical scales. However, many scale characteristics were not well documented in available technical reports. The most important of these characteristics, along with their implications for interpretations of growth, are discussed. The results serve both as a normative baseline against which other scaling efforts can be compared. Accessed 5,304 times on https://pareonline.net from November 01, 2012 to December 31, 2019. For downloads from January 1, 2020 forward, please click on the PlumX Metrics link to the right

MEMS 411: Rock-Collecting Rover

This project was a MEMS 411 Senior Design project completed for a potential future WashU Rocketry Team rover contest. The rover was required to be battery operated, controlled by an RC transmitter/receiver, and utilize micro-servo motors for actuation. The rover was required to be navigated via 1st person camera. The rover needed to weigh less than 3.5 lbs, and able to fit into a 5.36 diameter and 8.5 long cylinder. The rocks needed to be stored inside the rover and to be collected without using adhesive

ARM MKE1xF MCU Replatform

After Cal Poly Racing’s electrical team began to hit the technical limits of the ADC and other I/O features of the current 8-bit Atmel AT90 microcontroller unit, it became clear that an upgrade was due. This replatforming project takes the functionalities of the old, 8-bit architecture, and aims to provide a 32-bit version using the ARM MKE1xF MCU. With the idea of having a working PCB as a stretch goal, the scope of the library development was limited to enable base functionality. Thus, the only libraries developed were for the Timer, ADC, SPI, UART, and CAN. Additionally, this document discusses the software and hardware development processes, as well as details on how to use specific components of the newly developed MCU platform. With this upgrade, the platform should be capable of supporting a diverse feature set to meet the needs of many future projects to come

Computer discrimination between diseases of the brain based on MR image features

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LAST GLACIAL MAXIMUM EQUILIBRIUM-LINE ALTITUDE RECONSTRUCTIONS, PALEO-TEMPERATURE ESTIMATES AND DEGLACIAL CHRONOLOGY OF THE MÉRIDA ANDES, VENEZUELA

The magnitude and underlying cause of glacial variability in the Venezuelan Andes during the late Quaternary are investigated in order to better understand tropical climate and its forcing mechanisms. Paleo-glaciers were mapped using field observations, aerial photographs, satellite imagery and high-resolution digital topographic data. Paleo-glacier equilibrium-line altitudes (ELAs) were reconstructed using the accumulation-area ratio (AAR) and the accumulation-area balance ratio (AABR) methods. During the local Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in Venezuela (~20,600 to 17,800 cal yr BP), ELAs were ~870 to 1420 m lower. Paleo-temperature estimates were calculated for the northern Sierra de Santo Domingo region which had a ÄELA of -980 m. Using a combined energy and mass-balance equation (Kuhn, 1989) it appears that temperatures were at least 8.8 ± 2°C cooler than today. This is greater than that estimated by an atmospheric lapse rate calculation, which yields a value of 6.4 ± 1°C cooler. The paleo-ELAs presented here are consistent with other northern tropical sites and the maximum estimates from southern tropical/sub-tropical Andean records. Our paleo-temperature results, based on estimates that take into account the total energy budget across a glacier's surface, are greater than Porter's (2001) overall tropical average of 5.4 ± 0.8°C cooler temperatures during the LGM using an atmospheric lapse rate calculaion. The pattern of the LGM gradient in ELA values of Venezuela is consistent with the modern precipitation and cloud cover patterns suggesting similar moisture sources and circulation patterns at both times. The regional deglacial history is characterized using lake sediments and bog deposits. Analyses include AMS radiocarbon dating, sedimentology studies and magnetic susceptibility on a series of cores from 7 lakes and 2 bogs in the Venezuelan Andes. Results show that by 15,950 cal yr BP, glaciers began to retreat. This retreat was interrupted by at least one readvance between 14,000 and 10,000 cal yr BP. Glaciers rapidly retreated after 10,000 cal yr BP in arid areas, whereas ice remained in north facing humid areas until after 6,200 cal yr BP. The deglacial history of the Venezuelan Andes cannot be attributed to insolation forcing alone and must be combined with changes in temperature and moisture availability

RAPID CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE TROPICAL AMERICAS DURING THE LATE-GLACIAL INTERVAL AND THE HOLOCENE

Till deposits, related to advances of mountain glaciers, and lake sediments record periods of abrupt warming and cooling during the Late Glacial interval (LG) (17,500 to 11,650 cal yr BP) in the northern tropical Andes. The synchronicity of temperature shifts in the tropical mountains and high northern latitudes during this period indicates that the low latitude atmosphere played a major role in LG abrupt climate change. Generally, the northern tropics are cold and dry when temperatures are lower in the North Atlantic region, and the opposite occurs during warm periods. The pattern of abrupt seesaw-like hemispheric temperature shifts, and the apparent link to tropical atmospheric dynamics, demonstrates the importance of low latitude circulation and water vapor feedbacks in rapid climate change. Geologic evidence from the precipitation-sensitive southern tropical Andes were used to reconstruct periods of ice advances and retreats during the Late Holocene. Neoglaciation in the Cordillera Raura of Peru began at ~3100 cal yr BP, marking a transition to a prolonged period of increased moisture transport to the Andes. The most extensive neoglacial advance took place locally during the Little Ice Age when conditions were both wetter and colder. The long-term, Holocene pattern of renewed ice cover in this region of the Andes was probably enhanced by astronomical forcing and convection-driven changes in moisture availability. Short-term glacial variability during the neoglacial was likely driven mostly by a combination of solar, atmospheric and oceanic processes. Lake sediments from the Pacific region of Nicaragua were used to record changes in the regional moisture balance during the late Holocene (~1600 cal yr BP to the present). Oxygen isotope values of calcium carbonate down-core identify periods of lake level fluctuations that resulted from changes in precipitation and evaporation rates. The driest regional conditions recorded in the isotope data are coincident with the onset of Little Ice Age cooling. This abrupt transition to more arid atmospheric conditions at 700 cal yr BP is consistent with other records from the northern tropics and subtropics that suggest hydrologic changes in the tropics were connected to high latitude climate variability during the late Holocene

Can Social Media Help Us Understand The Impact of Climate Change on Forests in The US?

While social media data are increasingly being used in the study of pressing environmental problems, their ability to monitor environmental changes has scarcely been assessed. Understanding this viability is highly important as climate change increasingly impacts public health, and behavior. We examine social media photographs associated with wildfires in Yellowstone National Park to assess if images and content can adequately capture environmental change associated with large-scale landscape impacts - wildfires - using computer vision, natural language processing and spatiotemporal analysis. We find that social media posts associated with wildfire events rarely capture the fires themselves, while landscape impacts including burnt trees and early succession are more frequently the topic of photography. Furthermore, we find that computer vision has challenges with capturing these phenomena. While capturing wildfires proved difficult, developing multimodal analysis including natural language processing, spatial, trend and computer vision analysis at scale may open opportunities for more general understanding of social media’s efficacy for monitoring environmental change

Relating Baseball Seam Height to Carry Distance

AbstractPast work has shown large variation in the drag of baseballs. Little is known concerning the causes of variation in ball drag. Ball diameter, weight, seam height, surface roughness, and shape influence lift and drag, and therefore carry distance. The aim of this work was to quantify the effect of seam height and roundness on ball lift and drag, which, to our understanding, has never been done outside of a wind tunnel. A bespoke, non-contact, ball surface profiler, was used to measure ball radius, including seam height. The profiles were analyzed to describe ball roundness and seam height separately. Balls with three different seam heights were projected in an enclosed stadium 102-122 m (describing a typical fly ball). Redundant radar devices were used to measure launch angle, speed, and flight paths. High speed video was used to confirm launch angle and ball spin rate. Hit distance was verified with a physical tape measure. The ball's roundness influenced the effective height of a seam. Measurements of the non-seam area of a ball were necessary to characterize the seams of a ball. A strong correlation was observed between seam height and a ball's drag coefficient. Lift, however, was not sensitive to seam height or ball shape