Students Explore Fossil Creatures of the Cambrian Period Burgess Shale through Model-Making

This practical article features an arts-integrated science unit on fossils of the Burgess Shale for fourteen elementary/ middle school students at a weeklong summer day camp. The day camp had a theme of recycling, reduction and reuse; all of the fossil models had substantial recycled components to support this theme. Next Generation Science Standards were supported by the course activities in which students examined fossil specimens, images, and comparative modern relatives to determine the anatomy and lifestyles of Burgess Shale Cambrian Period fossil animals (e.g., Olenoides trilobites, Anomalocaris, Canadaspis, Opabinia, Wiwaxia, Hallucigenia) through making scientific drawings and craft models (3-LS4-1), interpreting the environments in which they thrived by creating a diorama (3-LS4-3), considering how populations change as the environment changes (3-LS4-4), and creating a model of a fossil animal using only recycled plastic bottles, lids, pipe cleaners, beads, and sheet foam (3-5 ETS1-1). Students greeted the activities with great enthusiasm, demonstrating their learning of science content by eventually excelling at a fossil hunter game in which people related to paleontology were connected with their fossil finds or products and through responses to oral questions. Plans, results, and example student products document this effective arts-integrated science and engineering unit. Students expressed pride and excitement regarding their creations. Students engaged socially as they excitedly showed one another their creations and discussed their design choices

Creative Product Problem-solving Game

Creativity is a talent that undergirds invention and innovation, making it an important skill in today’s society. Although students are often told to “be creative,” they many times do not know how and have little practice in this skill. This document presents an analysis of 33 creative products made by adult participants at a state conference for educators working with preK-12 gifted students or their teachers as a model for what teachers can do in their classrooms to allow students to practice creative thinking. During the conference presentation, Torrance’s creative strengths were reviewed with photographic examples, definitions, and suggestions printed on handouts. For the problem-solving game, each participant was given an identical set of recycled/craft materials, and about 30 minutes to create an object or scene fitting with a given theme. This presentation was delivered each of the two days of the conference with a different theme each day: “under water” was the theme the first day and “cool space” was the theme for the products on the second day. Participants each created an object that exhibited creative strengths and followed game-rules using the additional tools of scissors, glue, markers, and thread. Photographs of the final products are shown with their creative strengths identified. Most participants were successful in developing products that showed five creative strengths as required by the game rules. The most common approach to making a creative product that exhibited creative strengths was to tell an original story involving some motion that was detailed, artistically appealing, or humorous, and contained characters with emotional expressions. Because of the success and enthusiasm of participants for the game, the authors recommend it for students, clubs, and recreational activities. [7 Tables, 33 Figures, 6 References

TECHNOLOGICAL FEATURES OF FIRING CERAMIC PRODUCTS EMACIATED WITH TPP ASH

The paper considers the assessment of the ongoing physical and chemical processes during the firing of ceramic products using technogenic raw materials at the heating stage. The graphical dependences of the thermal analysis of the alumina material are presented.В работе рассмотрена оценка протекающих физико-химических процессов при обжиге керамических изделий с использованием техногенного сырья на стадии нагрева. Приведены графические зависимости термического анализа глинозольного материала

Lifetime editions of Hans Sachs’s works deposited in the Department of Old Printed Books and Rare Editions of V. Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine

The article deals with the lifetime editions of a famous German poet Hans Sachs, exemplars of which are deposited in the fond of the Department of Old Printed Books and Rare Editions of V. Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine. Historical and bibliological analysis of H. Sachs’s editions, their representation in the library fonds and the copies preservation specifics are rendered through the available old printed books. The differences between the books published by different publishing houses of Nuremberg in 1552-1554, particularly by typographers Georg Merkel and Herman Hamsing are considered. The old printed editions composition and decoration are explored. The proprietary peculiarities of the copies are identified. The lifetime editions of H. Sachs, considered in the article, are quite typical for that time. It enablesus to describe the features of all burgher editions published during the Reformation and understand the trends of book industry of the 16th century. The gathered and processed material, relevant to the topic, contributes to the systematization of information on the publications of burgher literature in Germany in the 16th centur

Current approaches to development of real-time qPCR test-kits

Currently fluorescent quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, which is a cutting-edge technology in genetic diagnosis, is used in different areas of molecularbiology. Practicaladvantageofsimplicityaswellascombination of high speed, sensitivityandspecificitymadeitpossibletousethisanalysisfor nucleic acidquantitation. Thepaperpresentsgeneral information andrecommendedrules for thedevelopmentof real-timeqPCR. Thepublication isaimedtoacquaint theresearchersandreviewerswith necessaryrequirementstobefollowedin order toensure high accuracy, reliabilityandtransparencyof theexperiments, correct interpretation andrepeatabilityof thetest results. Currentapproachesaredescribedthatallow obtainingreliableandconsistent resultsbydifferentoperators, at differenttimesandin differentlaboratories. Basicrequirementsforreagentsused, nucleotidesequencesandvalidationmethodsaregiven. In general, thepublication givestheinformation neededtoachievethreeultimategoals: toprovidetheauthorswith abroadrangeoftoolsandrequirementsforthedevelopmentof real-time qPCR based-techniques; togivethepossibilitytothereviewersandeditorsofassessingthequalityofarticlesandguidelines/instructions in accordance with the requiredcriteria; toobtain consistentandreliableresultsof testsperformedusingthis method