Reform of Preservice Science Education: An Example from a State-Supported University

The ongoing movement to reform the teaching and learning of mathematics and science began as an effort targeting grades K-12. This movement, however, also has significant implications for institutions of higher education, especially in the area of teacher preparation. Northeast Louisiana University has utilized an extensive system of support, including vital National Science Foundation funding, to redesign its science curriculum for elementary education majors. Four courses featuring the content areas of biology, chemistry, geosciences, and physics and integrated with respect to content and methodology were collaboratively developed by education and science faculty. and were approved as requirements for all preservice majors. Preliminary evaluation results with respect to students’ content knowledge and attitude are favorable. Ongoing efforts include the development of activities designed to further integrate the courses with respect to content and the execution of focused evaluative studies to reflect the degree of implementation of the reform practices that have been modeled by the university faculty

Home-school relationships: a school management perspective

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) is in the process of initiating major education reform designed to improve schools. Parental involvement in support of student learning ranks high on the reform agenda. This study explores managerial aspects of implementing home-school relationships in seven primary Public Private Partnership (PPP) schools in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Participants involved in this study were principals, social workers, teachers, parents and students. Managerial aspects discussed in this paper relate to: a) benefits of home-school relationships; b) roles and responsibilities of stakeholders; c) home-school communication; and d) constraints and challenges faced in the management of home-school relationships. The findings elicit recommendations for improvement which may inform the work of policy makers, principals, social workers, teachers and parents in their continued efforts to build home-school relationships

Molecularly imprinted polymer labeled with quantum dots for detection of nitroaromatic explosives

Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on December 7, 2010).The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file.Dissertation advisor: Dr. Sheila A. Grant and Dr. Shubhra Gangopadhyay.Vita.Ph. D. University of Missouri--Columbia 2010.A sensing device for explosive compounds is a fundamental step towards the capability to detect the presence of landmines, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and other unexploded ordinance. To detect high explosive compounds such as 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), an optical sensor utilizing molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) technology was developed. This sensor consists of MIP microparticles prepared using methacrylic acid as the functional monomer in a precipitation polymerization reaction. The MIP particles are combined with fluorescent semiconductor nanocrystals, or quantum dots, via a simple crosslinking procedure. The MIP is then capable of rebinding the explosive compound, which quenches the fluorescence of the covalently linked quantum dots. After preliminary studies of the basic sensing mechanism, a precipitation polymerization reaction was used to create MIP particles with a uniform spherical shape and sub-micron size, as well as MIP particles with a porous mesh-like morphology. A comparison study of these two types of particles indicated that the MIP microspheres were more effective at binding the nitroaromatic explosive TNT and its breakdown product 2,4-dinitrotoluene (DNT). The MIP microsphere-based fluorescence sensing scheme was then entrapped into a sol-gel matrix and applied to a solid substrate sensor platform for detection of vapor-phase explosives. However, the detection method showed poor performance and was unsuitable for sensing of airborne nitroaromatic explosive compounds.Includes bibliographical reference

Constraints and subsequent limitations to parental involvement in primary schools in Abu Dhabi: stakeholders' perspective

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is developing its public schools by initiating reform agendas for school improvement. High on the list of reforms is the call to increase parental involvement in schools. For this reform to work successfully, it is important to identify and examine the constraints and subsequent limitations that exist. Seven primary Public, Private Partnership schools (PPP) in Abu Dhabi were the focus of this qualitative case study. Participants were school stakeholders: school administrators, social workers, teachers and parents. The findings will assist in developing continuing policies and practices which take these limitations into account and work to mitigate them. Recommendations are made based within the context of the findings

Resting state connectivity and cognitive performance in adults with cerebral autosomal-dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy

Cognitive impairment is an inevitable feature of cerebral autosomal-dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL), affecting executive function, attention and processing speed from an early stage. Impairment is associated with structural markers such as lacunes, but associations with functional connectivity have not yet been reported. Twenty-two adults with genetically-confirmed CADASIL (11 male; aged 49.8 ± 11.2 years) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging at rest. Intrinsic attentional/executive networks were identified using group independent components analysis. A linear regression model tested voxel-wise associations between cognitive measures and component spatial maps, and Pearson correlations were performed with mean intra-component connectivity z-scores. Two frontoparietal components were associated with cognitive performance. Voxel-wise analyses showed an association between one component cluster and processing speed (left middle temporal gyrus; peak −48, −18, −14; ZE = 5.65, pFWEcorr = 0.001). Mean connectivity in both components correlated with processing speed (r = 0.45, p = 0.043; r = 0.56, p = 0.008). Mean connectivity in one component correlated with faster Trailmaking B minus A time (r = −0.77, p < 0.001) and better executive performance (r = 0.56, p = 0.011). This preliminary study provides evidence for associations between cognitive performance and attentional network connectivity in CADASIL. Functional connectivity may be a useful biomarker of cognitive performance in this population

Development of a fluorescence resonance energy transfer optical nanoscale biosensor based on a liquid-core waveguide platform

The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file.Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on September 30, 2008)Includes bibliographical references.Thesis (M.S.) University of Missouri-Columbia 2007.Dissertations, Academic -- University of Missouri--Columbia -- Biological engineering.In order to produce a more versatile, adaptable, and effective method for detection of biological analytes, a self-contained and robust fluorescent optical biosensor architecture utilizing fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) is proposed. This biosensor architecture is then applied to a highly adept liquid-core waveguide platform. FRET is a distance-dependent signal transduction method that occurs between two fluorescent molecules, termed the donor and acceptor. When the donor and acceptor are brought within close proximity, a quantifiable nonradiative energy exchange takes place. In order to launch FRET, a donor-labeled Protein A molecule is bound to an acceptor-labeled capture antibody. When exposed to antigen, the antibody-antigen binding event initiates a conformational change within the structure of the antibody, and thereby induces a measurable change in energy transfer from the donor to the acceptor by altering the distance between the FRET pair. Additionally, effects of quantum dots and gold nanoparticles utilized within the FRET system are studied. The resulting system is then optimized and tested in a liquid-core waveguide platform that is able to retrieve sensitive and accurate measurements. In the current study, the biosensor was used to detect Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome virus and human cardiac Troponin I, showing ample sensitivity and a high degree of specificity, as well as rapid response

Beef carcass grading and evaluation (1993)

Evaluation of beef quality and composition is important to cattle producers, meat packers and retailers, and consumers. Consumers desire cuts of beef that are lean, nutritious, and possess desirable eating characteristics. Meat researchers have developed reliable methods for measuring the factors that influence eating characteristics and factors affecting yield of lean cuts. Using these evaluation techniques, producers and packers can produce and sell carcasses that meet consumer demand.Reviewed October 1993 -- Extension website

Wâhkôhtowin: the governance of good community-academic research relationships to improve the health and well-being of children in Alexander First Nation

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is a promising decolonizing approach to health and social sciences research with First Nation Peoples. In CBPR, the use of a community advisory committee can act as an anchoring site for trusting reciprocal relationships, collaborative decision-making, and co-learning and co-creation. Through a qualitative case study, this article illustrates the collective experiences of a well-established, multidisciplinary, and intersectoral committee that reviews, monitors, and guides multiple research projects in a First Nation community in Canada. Participants of the Alexander Research Committee (ARC) share examples of the value of fostering a high level of commitment to building both positive working relationships and learning spaces that ultimately result in research and policy impacts for their community

Pharmacotherapy Challenges of Fontan‐Associated Plastic Bronchitis: A Rare Pediatric Disease

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/99662/1/phar1290.pd

Shock tunnel studies of scramjet phenomena

Commissioning of the new T4 shock tunnel at the University of Queensland implied that it was no longer necessary to focus the work of the research group about an annual test series conducted in the T3 shock tunnel in Canberra. Therefore, it has been possible to organize a group for work to proceed along lines such that particular personnel are associated with particular project areas. The format of this report consists of a series of reports on specific project areas, with a brief general introduction commenting on each report. The introduction is structured by project areas, with the title of the relevant report stated under the project area heading. The reports themselves follow in the order of the project area headings