116 research outputs found
Gender Inequity in the Representation of Women as Superintendents in Mississippi Public Schools: The No Problem Problem
This qualitative study investigated the phenomenon of continuing underrepresentation of female superintendents in Mississippi K-12 public schools. The study was conducted during the 2014-2015 school year. At the time of the study, women represented 23% of the overall population of superintendents in Mississippi public schools. Fourteen women who were serving as superintendents in Mississippi during the 2014-2015 school year participated. Interviews were conducted, and the qualitative data were analyzed using the constant comparative method. The data were analyzed using constructs associated with feminist theory, feminist postsructural and feminist standpoint theoretical frameworks. Two primary themes emerged as a result of this research study. First, gender discrimination represented the primary factor impacting every area of the female superintendentsâ lives â both professionally and personally; and second, the women often denied the existence of or failed to recognize any existence of challenges associated with gender. The findings resulted in specific implications which guided the development of recommendations for policy, practice, and future research. Recommendations for policy and practice included initiating dialogue associated with gender bias between women and men, specifically in the field of education, and the inclusion of gender consciousness as required components in undergraduate education and graduate educational leadership programs. Finally, a number of recommendations for future research were provided including replicating the current study utilizing a case study methodology, exploring the intersection of gender and race relative to the superintendency, and analyzing current education and educational leadership graduate and undergraduate degree programs of study in colleges throughout Mississippi for inclusion (or exclusion) of gender consciousness
The pandemic is making it harder for researchers but women are hit the hardest. 4 findings from 80 countries
Coronavirus has had a global impact and has affected every aspect of academic and university life. Chris Smith and Deirdre Watchorn have surveyed 3,200 scholarly authors across 80 countries. They found that the impacts of changes to working conditions might not be experienced equally â and this inequality was divided along gender lines
Supporting Teachers to Work with Children with Exceptionalities
The current study had two purposes: to explore further revisions to the Three-Part Schedule D Additional Qualification (AQ) courses in special education and to determine if a virtual knowledge network would be a viable and welcome tool in building teacher capacity for classroom inclusion of students with exceptionalities. Educational stakeholders convened at the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) for a two-day consultation meeting. A consensus-building workshop was used on the first day to discuss further revisions to the revised AQ course guidelines and to specifically identify gaps in teacher knowledge and skills. An open space consultation (Owen, 1997) was used on the second day to discuss the possibility of a provincial virtual knowledge network that would support revised Special Education AQ course guidelines and build capacity for teachers working with children with exceptionalities. Keywords: Ontario, teacher education, inclusive education, special education, additional qualifications
The stellar velocity dispersion in the inner 1.3 disk scale-lengths of the irregular galaxy NGC 4449
We present measurements of the stellar velocity dispersion in the inner 1
arcmin radius (1.3 disk scale-lengths) of the irregular galaxy NGC 4449
determined from long-slit absorption-line spectra. The average observed
dispersion is 29 +/-2 km/s, the same as predicted from NGC 4449's luminosity.
No significant rotation in the stars is detected. If we assume a maximum
rotation speed of the stars from the model determined from the gas kinematics
of Hunter et al. (2002), the ratio V_max/sigma_z measured globally is 3. This
ratio is comparable to values measured in spiral galaxies, and implies that the
stellar disk in NGC 4449 is kinematically relatively cold. The intrinsic
minor-to-major axis ratio (b/a)_0 is predicted to be in the range 0.3-0.6,
similar to values derived from the distribution of observed b/a of Im galaxies.
However, V/sigma_z measured locally is 0.5-1.1, and so the circular velocity of
NGC 4449 is comparable or less than the velocity of the stars within the
central 1.3 disk scale-lengths of the galaxy.Comment: To be published in ApJ, Nov 200
Star Formation Histories of the LEGUS dwarf galaxies. II. Spatially resolved star formation history of the Magellanic irregular NGC 4449
We present a detailed study of the Magellanic irregular galaxy NGC 4449 based
on both archival and new photometric data from the Legacy Extragalactic UV
Survey, obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys
and Wide Field Camera 3. Thanks to its proximity ( Mpc) we
reach stars 3 magnitudes fainter than the tip of the red giant branch in the
F814W filter. The recovered star formation history spans the whole Hubble time,
but due to the age-metallicity degeneracy of the red giant branch stars, it is
robust only over the lookback time reached by our photometry, i.e.
Gyr. The most recent peak of star formation is around 10 Myr ago. The average
surface density star formation rate over the whole galaxy lifetime is
M yr kpc. From our study it emerges that NGC 4449 has
experienced a fairly continuous star formation regime in the last 1 Gyr with
peaks and dips whose star formation rates differ only by a factor of a few. The
very complex and disturbed morphology of NGC 4449 makes it an interesting
galaxy for studies of the relationship between interactions and starbursts, and
our detailed and spatially resolved analysis of its star formation history does
indeed provide some hints on the connection between these two phenomena in this
peculiar dwarf galaxy.Comment: 16 pages, 25 figures. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical
Journa
Hierarchical Star Formation in Nearby LEGUS Galaxies
Hierarchical structure in ultraviolet images of 12 late-type LEGUS galaxies
is studied by determining the numbers and fluxes of nested regions as a
function of size from ~1 to ~200 pc, and the number as a function of flux. Two
starburst dwarfs, NGC 1705 and NGC 5253, have steeper number-size and flux-size
distributions than the others, indicating high fractions of the projected areas
filled with star formation. Nine subregions in 7 galaxies have similarly steep
number-size slopes, even when the whole galaxies have shallower slopes. The
results suggest that hierarchically structured star-forming regions several
hundred parsecs or larger represent common unit structures. Small galaxies
dominated by only a few of these units tend to be starbursts. The
self-similarity of young stellar structures down to parsec scales suggests that
star clusters form in the densest parts of a turbulent medium that also forms
loose stellar groupings on larger scales. The presence of super star clusters
in two of our starburst dwarfs would follow from the observed structure if
cloud and stellar subregions more readily coalesce when self-gravity in the
unit cell contributes more to the total gravitational potential.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, accepted for ApJ
Design and rationale of a 16-week adjunctive randomized placebo-controlled trial of mitochondrial agents for the treatment of bipolar depression
Objective: Bipolar disorder places a significant burden on individuals, caregivers and family, and the broader community. Current treatments are believed to be more effective against manic symptoms, leaving a shortfall in recovery during the depressive phase of the illness. The current study draws on recent evidence suggesting that, in addition to increased oxidative load, alterations in mitochondrial function occur in bipolar disorder. Methods: This 16-week study aims to explore the potential benefits of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) alone or in combination (CT) with selected nutraceuticals believed to enhance mitochondrial function. The study includes adults diagnosed with bipolar disorder currently experiencing an episode of depression. Participants are asked to take NAC, CT, or placebo in addition to any usual treatments. A post-discontinuation visit is conducted 4 weeks following the treatment phase. Results: The primary outcome of the study will be mean change on the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale. Secondary outcomes include functioning, substance use, mania ratings, and quality of life. Blood samples will be collected at baseline and week 16 to explore biochemical alterations following treatment. Conclusion: This study may provide a novel adjunctive treatment for bipolar depression. Analysis of biological samples may assist in understanding the therapeutic benefits and the underlying etiology of bipolar depression
An Open System for Social Computation
Part of the power of social computation comes from using the collective intelligence of humans to tame the aggregate uncertainty of (otherwise) low veracity data obtained from human and automated sources. We have witnessed a surge in development of social computing systems but, ironically, there have been few attempts to generalise across this activity so that creation of the underlying mechanisms themselves can be made more social. We describe a method for achieving this by standardising patterns of social computation via lightweight formal specifications (we call these social artifacts) that can be connected to existing internet architectures via a single model of computation. Upon this framework we build a mechanism for extracting provenance meta-data across social computations
The Stellar and Gas Kinematics of the LITTLE THINGS Dwarf Irregular Galaxy NGC 1569
In order to understand the formation and evolution of dIm galaxies, one needs
to understand their three-dimensional structure. We present measurements of the
stellar velocity dispersion in NGC 1569, a nearby post-starburst dIm galaxy.
The stellar vertical velocity dispersion, , coupled with the
maximum rotational velocity derived from \ion{H}{1} observations, , gives a measure of how kinematically hot the galaxy is, and, therefore,
indicates its structure. We conclude that the stars in NGC 1569 are in a thick
disk with a = 2.4 0.7. In addition to the
structure, we analyze the ionized gas kinematics from \ion{O}{3} observations
along the morphological major axis. These data show evidence for outflow from
the inner starburst region and a potential expanding shell near supermassive
star cluster (SSC) A. When compared to the stellar kinematics, the velocity
dispersion of the stars increase in the region of SSC A supporting the
hypothesis of an expanding shell. The stellar kinematics closely follow the
motion of the gas. Analysis of high resolution \ion{H}{1} data clearly reveals
the presence of an \ion{H}{1} cloud that appears to be impacting the eastern
edge of NGC 1569. Also, an ultra-dense \ion{H}{1} cloud can be seen extending
to the west of the impacting \ion{H}{1} cloud. This dense cloud is likely the
remains of a dense \ion{H}{1} bridge that extended through what is now the
central starburst area. The impacting \ion{H}{1} cloud was the catalyst for the
starburst, thus turning the dense gas into stars over a short timescale,
1 Gyr. We performed a careful study of the spectral energy distribution using
infrared, optical, and ultraviolet photometry producing a state-of-the-art mass
model for the stellar disk. This mass modeling shows that stars dominate the
gravitational potential in the inner 1 kpc.Comment: 49 pages, 25 figures, accepted in A
A Pressure Anomaly for HII Regions in Irregular Galaxies
The pressures of giant HII regions in 6 dwarf Irregular galaxies are a factor
of ~10 larger than the average pressures of the corresponding galaxy disks,
obtained from the stellar and gaseous column densities. Either the visible HII
regions in these dwarfs are all so young that they are still expanding, or
there is an unexpected source of disk self-gravity that increases the
background pressure. We consider the possibility that the additional
self-gravity comes from disk dark matter, but suggest this is unlikely because
the vertical scale heights inferred for Irregular galaxies are consistent with
the luminous matter alone. Some of the HII region overpressure is probably the
result of local peaks in the gravitational field that come from large gas
concentrations, many of which are observed directly. These peaks also explain
the anomalously low average column density thresholds for star formation that
were found earlier for Irregular galaxies, and they permit the existence of a
cool HI phase as the first step toward dense molecular cores. Many of the HII
regions could also be so strongly over-pressured that they will expand for a
long time. In this case, the observed population would be only 7% of the total,
and the aging HII regions, now too faint to see, should occupy nearly the
entire dwarf galaxy volume. Such prolonged HII region expansion would explain
the origin of the giant HI shells that are seen in these galaxies, and account
for the lack of bright central clusters inside these shells.Comment: 27 pages, 4 figures, Astrophysical Journal, 540, Sep 10, 2000, in
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