The Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as Amended by the No Child Left Behind Act: A Primer

[Excerpt] The primary source of federal aid to K-12 education is the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), particularly its Title I, Part A program of Education for the Disadvantaged. The ESEA was initially enacted in 1965 (P.L. 89- 10), and was most recently amended and reauthorized by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLBA, P.L. 107-110). Virtually all ESEA programs are authorized through FY2008. During the current 110th Congress, congressional hearings are being conducted in anticipation of subsequent consideration of legislation to amend and extend the ESEA

The pulsation modes of the pre-white dwarf PG 1159-035

Context. PG 1159-035, a pre-white dwarf with T_(eff) ≃ 140 000 K, is the prototype of both two classes: the PG 1159 spectroscopic class and the DOV pulsating class. Previous studies of PG 1159-035 photometric data obtained with the Whole Earth Telescope (WET) showed a rich frequency spectrum allowing the identification of 122 pulsation modes. Analyzing the periods of pulsation, it is possible to measure the stellar mass, the rotational period and the inclination of the rotation axis, to estimate an upper limit for the magnetic field, and even to obtain information about the inner stratification of the star. Aims. We have three principal aims: to increase the number of detected and identified pulsation modes in PG 1159-035, study trapping of the star's pulsation modes, and to improve or constrain the determination of stellar parameters. Methods. We used all available WET photometric data from 1983, 1985, 1989, 1993 and 2002 to identify the pulsation periods. Results. We identified 76 additional pulsation modes, increasing to 198 the number of known pulsation modes in PG 1159-035, the largest number of modes detected in any star besides the Sun. From the period spacing we estimated a mass M/M_⊙ = 0.59 ± 0.02 for PG 1159-035, with the uncertainty dominated by the models, not the observation. Deviations in the regular period spacing suggest that some of the pulsation modes are trapped, even though the star is a pre-white dwarf and the gravitational settling is ongoing. The position of the transition zone that causes the mode trapping was calculated at r_c/R_* = 0.83 ± 0.05. From the multiplet splitting, we calculated the rotational period P_(rot) = 1.3920 ± 0.0008 days and an upper limit for the magnetic field, B < 2000 G. The total power of the pulsation modes at the stellar surface changed less than 30% for ℓ = 1 modes and less than 50% for ℓ = 2 modes. We find no evidence of linear combinations between the 198 pulsation mode frequencies. PG 1159-035 models have not significative convection zones, supporting the hypothesis that nonlinearity arises in the convection zones in cooler pulsating white dwarf stars

A Descriptive Exploration of a Self-Directed Professional Development Approach

Teachers, who are deemed the greatest in-school factor of student success, are often invited or mandated to engage in some form of professional development (PD) to continue in improving their practice. However, an empirical understanding of how teachers learn from PD offerings remains elusive and incomplete. Often teachers report not learning from the models where they have little autonomy. While there is small body of research on teacher-driven models, there is a lack of sufficient evidence on whether these models enhance teacher learning and ultimately their practice. Therefore, this study employed grounded theory methods coupled with a descriptive research approach in order to explore the process of a teacher-driven professional development approach and to describe the teachers’ practices during this process. Teachers were found to self-direct their own PD in an iterative cycle where they would set professional learning goals, decide on learning activities, apply their learning to their practice, reflect on the process, and re-engage in the process if needed. Teachers also reported encountering barriers while engaged in this process. The teachers in this study showed higher mean scores in aspects of their practice from the beginning of the study to the end. The study has implications for using self-directed PD as an alternative approach to teacher professional learning. This study also highlights implications for professional development practice, policy, and future research

Retopologizing MRI and Diffusion Tensor Tractography Datasets for Real-time Interactivity

Current technology allows MRI and other patient data to be translated into voxel-based 3D models for the purpose of visualization. However, these voxel models are extremely complex and are not suitable for rapid real-time manipulation. For true “on-the-fly” interactivity, polygon-based models must be hand-built using other methods and imported into a game engine.This project develops an algorithm to translate complex datasets into optimized models for real-time interactivity without sacrificing accuracy of the original imaging modality. A working prototype, ready for integration into game engines, has been built with brain tumor data exported from OSIRIX1 and 3D Slicer2 via Mudbox3, retopologized in 3D Coat4 and re-imported to Maya5. White matter tracts detected by Diffusion Tensor Tractography are exported as volume models using 3D Slicer.The model has been integrated into the Unreal Development Kit (UDK)6 game engine to facilitate real-time interactivity across multiple platforms, including Mac, PC, Apple iOS, Google Android, Xbox 360, and SONY PlayStation. New techniques are being explored to automate and accelerate the process of retopologizing models. 1.Osirix – Advanced Open-Source PACS Workstation DICOM Viewer http://www.osirix-viewer.com/ 2. 3D Slicer- A multi-platform, free and open source software package for visualization and medical image computing http://www.3dslicer.org 3.MudBox – Autodesk¨ Mudbox™ 3D digital sculpting and digital painting software http://usa.autodesk. com 4.3D Coat – Retopologizing and 3D sculpting software http://3d-coat.com 5.MAYA - Autodesk¨Maya¨ 3D animation software delivers an end-to-end creative workflow with compression tools for animation, modeling, simulation, visual effects, rendering, matchmoving, and compositing on a highly extensible production platform http://usa.autodesk.com 6.Unreal Engine 3 – a complete development framework for PCs, iOS, Xbox 360¨, and PlayStation¨ 3, providing a vast array of core technologies, content creation tools and support infrastructure http://www. unrealengine.com

Whole Earth Telescope observations of the subdwarf B star KPD1930+2752: a rich, short-period pulsator in a close binary

KPD 1930+2752 is a short-period pulsating subdwarf B (sdB) star. It is also an ellipsoidal variable with a known binary period of 2.3 h. The companion is most likely a white dwarf and the total mass of the system is close to the Chandresekhar limit. In this paper, we report the results of Whole Earth Telescope (WET) photometric observations during 2003 and a smaller multisite campaign of 2002. From 355 h of WET data, we detect 68 pulsation frequencies and suggest an additional 13 frequencies within a crowded and complex temporal spectrum between 3065 and 6343 μHz (periods between 326 and 157 s). We examine pulsation properties including phase and amplitude stability in an attempt to understand the nature of the pulsation mechanism. We examine a stochastic mechanism by comparing amplitude variations with simulated stochastic data. We also use the binary nature of KPD 1930+2752 for identifying pulsation modes via multiplet structure and a tidally induced pulsation geometry. Our results indicate a complicated pulsation structure that includes short-period (≈16 h) amplitude variability, rotationally split modes, tidally induced modes and some pulsations which are geometrically limited on the sdB star

Immunocytochemical identification of primary olfactory afferents in rainbow trout

We have used a combination of techniques to analyze the primary olfactory projection in trout: anterograde tract tracing with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and immunocytochemistry with antisera to olfactory marker protein (OMP) and to keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH). HRP labeling and the OMP antiserum revealed a subset of ciliated receptor neurons with a wide dendrite that lacked the protruding knob found on other receptor neurons. The organization of the primary olfactory axons was clearly revealed by antisera to KLH, which reacted with no other neurons. When visualized with anti-KLH, fascicles of olfactory axons penetrated the basal lamina of the olfactory rosette at scattered sites and converged to form the olfactory nerve. Fascicles within the olfactory nerve traveled parallel to the long axis of the nerve until resorted by extensive intermixing as they entered the olfactory bulb. Within the olfactory bulb, most axons terminated in nine discrete terminal fields in the glomerular layer; however, a few olfactory nerve axons projected into the ventral medial telencephalon. Fascicles supplying each terminal field in the glomerular layer followed distinctive trajectories within the olfactory nerve layer. Axons ending in two terminal fields made brush-like terminations rather than the glomerular terminations characteristic of the remaining seven fields. After unilateral olfactory nerve transection, returning olfactory axons reestablished the normal pattern of terminal fields within 14 weeks. It is likely that the organization of afferents in the trout olfactory bulb is similarly well regulated during normal receptor cell replacement.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/50053/1/903240410_ftp.pd

A multi-basin seasonal streamflow model for the Sierra Nevada

Linear regression models are constructed to predict seasonal runoff by fitting streamflow to temperature, precipitation, and snow water content across a range of elevations. The models are quite successful in capturing the differences in discharge between different elevation watersheds and their interannual variations. This exercise thus provides insight into seasonal changes in streamflow at different elevation watersheds that might occur under a changed climate

Turbulence and wind speed profiles for simulating the TMT AO performances

The site testing campaign of the Thirty Meter Telescope gathered an extensive amount of turbulence profiles. This data is modeled to describe the statistical characteristics of each site and act as "standard atmospheres" for use in AO simulations