Playbuilding: Devised Theatre in the Classroom

In a typical play, there is one playwright, one director and many actors. Devised theatre takes a different, more collaborative approach. In this unit, students work alongside the teacher/director to create an entirely original theatrical production based on the personal interests, passions or questions. Students are held individually accountable for their contribution while also working as a team to create a meaningful, transformative work that slowly takes shape over nine weeks and culminates in a performance for a live audience

Playapalooza: Ten-Minute Play Festival [10th-12th grade]

This unit is designed to foster a community of collaborative theatre artists who ask the question: “How do we create stories and bring them to life?” Students analyze plays and characters in the context of Aristotle’s Six Elements of Theatre, the Elements of Plot, and Robert Cohen’s GOTE (Goal, Other, Tactic, Expectation) acting approach. Through using these elements to analyze published plays, they apply the same analytical skills while writing their own individual ten-minute plays. Students learn how to effectively and respectfully give and receive constructive feedback as they conduct peer-critiques of the scripts. The finished plays are read out loud as a class, and a few are selected to be produced. The unit culminates with a ten-minute play festival where students participate on a collaborative team as actors, directors and/or crew members

Improvisation: Skills for Theatre and Life

The improviser\u27s number one job is to live an interesting life, then share it. As students study and practice the steps and principles to improvisation in the theatre, they will discover that these concepts also lead to living a positive, meaningful and effective life. As the students grow in self-confidence, they will also learn to fully listen, to gladly accept and learn from mistakes, and to pay attention and be in the moment. By rehearsing, creating and performing together, the class will create bonds and build trust in themselves and each other so that they may conduct unscripted dramas without fear--the most important unscripted drama being their very own lives

Cosmological Acceleration Through Transition to Constant Scalar Curvature

As shown by Parker and Raval, quantum field theory in curved spacetime gives a possible mechanism for explaining the observed recent acceleration of the universe. This mechanism, which differs in its dynamics from quintessence models, causes the universe to make a transition to an accelerating expansion in which the scalar curvature, R, of spacetime remains constant. This transition occurs despite the fact that we set the renormalized cosmological constant to zero. We show that this model agrees very well with the current observed type-Ia supernova (SNe-Ia) data. There are no free parameters in this fit, as the relevant observables are determined independently by means of the current cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) data. We also give the predicted curves for number count tests and for the ratio, w(z), of the dark energy pressure to its density, as well as for dw(z)/dz versus w(z). These curves differ significantly from those obtained from a cosmological constant, and will be tested by planned future observations.Comment: 31 pages, 7 figures; to appear in ApJ. Corrected numerical results; described quantum basis of theory; 18 references added; 2 figures adde

Ion laser plasmas

The typical noble gas ion laser plasma consists of a high-current-density glow discharge in a noble gas, in the presence of a magnetic field. Typical CW plasma conditions are current densities of 100 to 2000 A/cm^2, tube diameters of 1 to 10 mm, filling pressures of 0.1 to 1.0 torr, and an axial magnetic field of the order of 1000 G. Under these conditions the typical fractional ionization is about 2 percent and the electron temperature between 2 and 4 eV. Pulsed ion lasers typically use higher current densities and lower operating pressures. This paper discusses the properties of ion laser plasmas, in terms of both their external discharge parameters and their internal ion and excited state densities. The effect these properties have on laser operation is explained. Many interesting plasma effects, which are important in ion lasers, are given attention. Among these are discharge nonuniformity near tube constrictions, extremely high ion radial drift velocities, wall losses intermediate between ambipolar diffusion and free fall, gas pumping effects, and radiation trapping. The current status of ion laser technology is briefly reviewed

Maximizing Teacher Time: The Collaborative Leadership Role of the Principal

Using data from the 2014 North Carolina Teacher Working Conditions (NCTWC) biennial survey researchers identified a sample from over 2,500 principals. The researchers surveyed 68 principals; 24 principals participated in a 19-item survey containing 5 demographic questions, 7 Likert-scale questions, and 7 open-ended questions. The descriptive analyses revealed that the principals in the study had the highest agreement with time constructs related to “reasonable class size” and “protecting teachers from duties that interfere” and lowest levels of agreement with “efforts made to minimize routine paperwork.” The qualitative analyses shared further principal perspective regarding specific strategies with the seven time constructs. The findings are discussed in relation to the extant literature and implications for fostering a strong learning community and in designing principal preparation programs. Overall, the results from this exploratory study offer insights regarding how principals lead with time, and how they support a community of teaching and learning

Studies on the Clinical Pharmacology of Sodium Salicylate

To complete this thesis, the following brief summary is presented of the conclusions reached in the preceding investigations: CHAPTER I. Although maximum plasma concentrations occur two hours after oral administration of sodium salicylate, four hourly dosage maintains plasma concentrations satisfactorily. The dose can be related to body weight but increases in dosage above 14 grs. per stone body weight give marked increases in plasma concentrations. Sodium bicarbonate administered concurrently reduces plasma levels while Ammonium chloride raises them. Long continued administration of sodium salicylate leads to gradually decreasing plasma concentration of salicylate. The concurrent administration of para-aminobenzoic acid has much the same effect as ammonium chloride in that it raises the plasma salicylate concentration. A low fluid intake will give a marked rise in plasma concentration of salicylate on continued dosage, a factor of considerable interest in children where diminished fluid intake is an early feature of salicylate poisoning, but exercise on the other hand has no effect on the plasma levels of salicylate. Inadequate shaking of bottles containing sodium salicylate - sodium bicarbonate mixtures or long standing of these mixtures, leads to inaccurate dosage with consequent effect on plasma concentrations. In adults the administration of 150 grs. or more of sodium salicylate per day leads to a fall in the alkali reserve which can be readily counteracted by the administration of sodium bicarbonate. At the end of chapter I. the method of estimation of plasma salicylate was briefly described, together with a modification found necessary for the estimation of very small amounts of salicylate in the plasma. CHAPTER II. Rectal absorption of sodium salicylate is slower than with oral administration but adequate plasma levels may be maintained by eight hourly rectal enemata of sodium salicylate alone. The technique of administration is simple and this form of administration is well tolerated with little upset in bowel rhythm. The addition of sodium bicarbonate rectally decreases the absorption of sodium salicylate markedly while if given concurrently by the mouth facilitates elimination of the salicylate. Rheumatic fever cases can be treated throughout by rectal enemata of sodium salicylate as effectively as by oral administration of the drug. CHAPTER III. The plasma concentrations obtained by daily intravenous administration compare unfavourably with those obtained by the administration of the same amount of the drug daily by the mouth. The reduction in alkali reserve is more marked with intravenous injection of the drug and toxic effects more severe. These observations led to the abandonment of the intravenous route as a method of administration of sodium salicylate. CHAPTER IV. The concentration of salicylate in the body fluids is governed by the free salicylate fraction in the plasma which increases relatively but to a greater extent as the total salicylate in the plasma rises. Thus as the total salicylate in the plasma increases there is a proportionately greater increase in the concentration in the body fluids. The concentration in the C. S. F. , however, lags behind the free salicylate of the plasma and requires many days to reach an equilibrium with it, but concentration of salicylate in other fluids is more comparable to the free salicylate in the plasma. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.)

Gravity-induced vacuum dominance

It has been widely believed that, except in very extreme situations, the influence of gravity on quantum fields should amount to just small, sub-dominant contributions. This view seemed to be endorsed by the seminal results obtained over the last decades in the context of renormalization of quantum fields in curved spacetimes. Here, however, we argue that this belief is false by showing that there exist well-behaved spacetime evolutions where the vacuum energy density of free quantum fields is forced, by the very same background spacetime, to become dominant over any classical energy-density component. This semiclassical gravity effect finds its roots in the infrared behavior of fields on curved spacetimes. By estimating the time scale for the vacuum energy density to become dominant, and therefore for backreaction on the background spacetime to become important, we argue that this vacuum dominance may bear unexpected astrophysical and cosmological implications.Comment: To appear in Phys. Rev. Lett

Toll-like receptors and NOD-like receptors in rheumatic diseases

The past 10 years have seen the description of families of receptors that drive proinflammatory cytokine production in infection and tissue injury. Two major classes have been examined in the context of inflammatory joint disease - the Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and NOD-like receptors (NLRs). TLRs such as TLR2 and TLR4 are being implicated in the pathology of rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, lyme arthritis and osteoarthritis. Nalp3 has been identified as a key NLR for IL-1β production and has been shown to have a particular role in gout. These findings present new therapeutic opportunities, possibly allowing for the replacement of biologics with small molecule inhibitors

Awaking the vacuum in relativistic stars

Void of any inherent structure in classical physics, the vacuum has revealed to be incredibly crowded with all sorts of processes in relativistic quantum physics. Yet, its direct effects are usually so subtle that its structure remains almost as evasive as in classical physics. Here, in contrast, we report on the discovery of a novel effect according to which the vacuum is compelled to play an unexpected central role in an astrophysical context. We show that the formation of relativistic stars may lead the vacuum energy density of a quantum field to an exponential growth. The vacuum-driven evolution which would then follow may lead to unexpected implications for astrophysics, while the observation of stable neutron-star configurations may teach us much on the field content of our Universe.Comment: To appear in Phys. Rev. Let