Neural Networks for Modeling and Control of Particle Accelerators

We describe some of the challenges of particle accelerator control, highlight recent advances in neural network techniques, discuss some promising avenues for incorporating neural networks into particle accelerator control systems, and describe a neural network-based control system that is being developed for resonance control of an RF electron gun at the Fermilab Accelerator Science and Technology (FAST) facility, including initial experimental results from a benchmark controller.Comment: 21 p

School Bullying: A Crisis or an Opportunity?

In 1999, a U.S. Supreme Court justice asked lawyers for a young woman who had endured years of peer sexual harassment, “Is this just kids being kids?” (Stein, 2003). In doing so, the justice posed a question that is often applied to bullying. Many adults view ostracism, demeaning behavior, even physical assaults among young people to be normal or “growth experiences” for the victims. Yet considerable evidence indicates that bullying can deny young people basic educational opportunities, as they attempt to escape daily harassment through truancy or dropping out (Slee, 1994), or develop maladaptive ways of coping with emotional trauma (e.g., Graham & Juvonen, 1998). Effects are not restricted to those actively bullied. Bystanders learn that aggression pays. They may experience a disturbing mix of feelings such as fear, pleasure, guilt, and moral confusion (O’Connell, Pepler, & Craig, 1999; Jeffrey, Miller, & Linn, 2001)

Changing Adolescents\u27 Attitudes About Relational and Physical Aggression: An Early Evaluation of a School-Based Intervention

A pilot study evaluating the Second Step, Middle School/Junior High®program was conducted to determine its effect on students’ attitudes regarding aggression and perceived difficulty of performing social skills. Sixth-through eighth-grade students (N = 714) were surveyed before and after the pro-gram was implemented by teachers in intervention classrooms. Second Step students were taught curricular modules corresponding to their year in middle/junior high school. Program effects were tested using a repeated measures design. Relative to nonparticipants, Second Step students in their second year of school de-creased in their overall endorsement of aggression and perceived difficulty of per-forming social skills. Program effects were less consistent for those in their first year of middle/junior high school. Additional research is needed to investigate program effects under varying conditions (e.g., lesson quality, pacing of lessons) and with long-term exposure

Evidence for RNA transport in rat optic nerve

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66066/1/j.1471-4159.1969.tb08995.x.pd

Observed Reductions in School Bullying, Nonbullying Aggression, and Destructive Bystander Behavior: A Longitudinal Evaluation

This study was a longitudinal extension of a random control trial of the Steps to Respect antibullying program. Students in Grades 3–5 were surveyed (n = 624) and observed on the playground (n = 360). Growth curve models of intervention students showed 2-year declines in playground bullying, victimization, nonbullying aggression, destructive bystander, and argumentative behavior. Grade-equivalent contrasts indicated group differences in all problem behaviors. Problem behaviors in the control group increased or remained stable across grade. Intervention group students reported less difficulty responding assertively to bullying compared with control students. Within both groups, older students perceived themselves to be more aggressive and less frequently victimized than younger students. Methodological issues posed by inconsistencies between self-reported and observed behavior are discussed

Effects of a School-Based Social-Emotional Competence Program: Linking Children\u27s Goals, Attributions, and Behaviors

This study examined the effects of the Second Step social–emotional learning program and addressed the relations between social cognitions and prosocial and antisocial behavior. Children (N = 1,253) in intervention and control groups were assessed by teacher ratings, self report, and observation in two conflict situations. Intervention children were more likely to prefer prosocial goals and give egalitarian reasons for satisfaction than control children. Intervention children also required less adult intervention, and behaved less aggressively and (among girls) more cooperatively. Teacher ratings of social behavior showed improvement over time. Individual and dyadic behavior varied as a function of goals, hostile attributions, and attitude concordance within dyads. Findings are discussed with respect to social-cognitive models of aggression and prosocial behavior

Walking the Talk in Bullying Prevention: Teacher Implementation Variables Related to Initial Impact of the \u27Steps to Respect\u27 Program

This study examined relationships between teacher implementation of a comprehensive bullying prevention program and student outcomes. Implementation in third- through sixth-grade classrooms (N = 36) was measured by observation and teacher report. Student outcomes were measured by student surveys and teacher ratings of peer social skills (N = 549) and observations of playground behaviors (n = 298). Multilevel modeling showed that teacher coaching of students involved in bullying was associated with less observed victimization and destructive bystander behavior among students engaged in these problems at pretest, and less observed aggression among fifth- and sixth-grade students. Support for skill generalization related to reductions in observed aggression and victimization among older students. Adherence to lessons was associated with higher ratings of peer social skills. Quality of lesson instruction corresponded to greater self-reported victimization, as well as more perceived difficulty responding assertively to bullying. Implications for school-based practice and future research directions are discussed

Reducing Playground Bullying and Supporting Beliefs: An Experimental Trial of the \u27Steps to Respect\u27 Program

Six schools were randomly assigned to a multilevel bullying intervention or a control condition. Children in Grades 3–6 (N = 1,023) completed pre- and posttest surveys of behaviors and beliefs and were rated by teachers. Observers coded playground behavior of a random subsample (n = 544). Hierarchical analyses of changes in playground behavior revealed declines in bullying and argumentative behavior among intervention-group children relative to control-group children, increases in agreeable interactions, and a trend toward reduced destructive bystander behavior. Those in the intervention group reported enhanced bystander responsibility, greater perceived adult responsiveness, and less acceptance of bullying/aggression than those in the control group. Self-reported aggression did not differ between the groups. Implications for future research on the development and prevention of bullying are discussed