Supporting Teachers Through Standardized Testing: Elementary Teachers\u27 Perceptions of Administrator Support

In recent years, standardized assessment has played a major role in the American school system. Standardized testing, sometimes referred to as high-stakes testing, is a measure to ensure accountability and equity. One standardized test, the NWEA MAP assessment, is used to measure growth and proficiency. When students complete the assessment, they receive a Rasch UnIT (RIT) score and a prediction of growth for the next time they take the assessment, as well as a projection of whether or not they are on track for that expected growth (NWEA, 2021). The purpose of this study was to explore teacher perceptions of the supportive practices of building leaders related to standardized testing, specifically the NWEA MAP assessment. For this study, 11 elementary teachers were interviewed via Zoom. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed following Creswell and Poth’s suggestions for analysis specific to phenomenological research. Five themes were discovered: preparing for the NWEA MAP assessment is twofold; analyzing the data post-test; testing pressure affecting self-efficacy; feeling a sense of support from colleagues; desiring a focus on holistic assessment. These results may be useful for building leaders as they work to support teachers with standardized testing and using the data and to prepare for professional development based on teacher and student needs

The Negotiation of Trauma in Postcolonial Culture

This thesis seeks to bring Trauma Studies and Postcolonial Studies into closer conjunction. In recent years, each of these fields has attracted much interest. Recent studies of trauma show that, despite a considerable preoccupation with the Holocaust, other subjects, for example AIDS and sexual trauma (including rape and incest), are worthy of serious focus. The study of postcolonial culture has now become a widely recognized discipline within many academic institutions. This growing discipline continues to emphasize the legacy of historical oppression, cultural imperialism, and economic and political deprivation as an important factor in international relations and global society. Yet watching daily news reports, which survey escalating violence in the Middle East, Sudan, and other regions, suggests that further insight is much needed into the psychological traumas which continue to affect large parts of the globe following colonialism. This thesis will argue that trauma and postcolonial studies need urgently to be brought together in order for, on the one hand, trauma studies to extend its remit and, on the other hand, the ongoing traumatic nature and legacy of a significant number of experiences of postcolonialism to gain greater recognition. Using a comparative study of four different genres of narration, this thesis considers the extent to which different modes of cultural representation may assist in redressing this imbalance. It argues that, in the highly pressurized contexts of postcolonial trauma, strain is placed upon creative processes from which culture is formed. In particular, those who seek to represent experiences of postcolonial trauma through narrative find themselves facing a series of ethical dilemmas. Overcoming these dilemmas proves fruitful for the narrative process, as it forces a meaningful engagement with the past and stimulates creative innovation

Thrombin Flux and Wall Shear Rate Regulate Fibrin Fiber Deposition State during Polymerization under Flow

AbstractThrombin is released as a soluble enzyme from the surface of platelets and tissue-factor-bearing cells to trigger fibrin polymerization during thrombosis under flow conditions. Although isotropic fibrin polymerization under static conditions involves protofibril extension and lateral aggregation leading to a gel, factors regulating fiber growth are poorly quantified under hemodynamic flow due to the difficulty of setting thrombin fluxes. A membrane microfluidic device allowed combined control of both thrombin wall flux (10−13 to 10−11 nmol/μm2 s) and the wall shear rate (10–100 s−1) of a flowing fibrinogen solution. At a thrombin flux of 10−12 nmol/μm2 s, both fibrin deposition and fiber thickness decreased as the wall shear rate increased from 10 to 100 s−1. Direct measurement and transport-reaction simulations at 12 different thrombin flux-wall shear rate conditions demonstrated that two dimensionless numbers, the Peclet number (Pe) and the Damkohler number (Da), defined a state diagram to predict fibrin morphology. For Da < 10, we only observed thin films at all Pe. For 10 < Da < 900, we observed either mat fibers or gels, depending on the Pe. For Da > 900 and Pe < 100, we observed three-dimensional gels. These results indicate that increases in wall shear rate quench first lateral aggregation and then protofibril extension

A membrane-based microfluidic device for controlling the flux of platelet agonists into flowing blood

The flux of platelet agonists into flowing blood is a critical event in thrombosis and hemostasis. However, few in vitro methods exist for examining and controlling the role of platelet agonists on clot formation and stability under hemodynamic conditions. In this paper, we describe a membrane-based method for introducing a solute into flowing blood at a defined flux. The device consisted of a track-etched polycarbonate membrane reversibly sealed between two microfluidic channels; one channel contained blood flowing at a physiologically relevant shear rate, and the other channel contained the agonist(s). An analytical model described the solute flux as a function of the membrane permeability and transmembrane pressure. The model was validated using luciferase as a model solute for transmembrane pressures of 50–400 Pa. As a proof-of-concept, the weak platelet agonist ADP was introduced into whole blood flowing at 250 s-1 at three fluxes (1.5, 2.4, and 4.4 × 10-18 mol µm-2 s-1). Platelet aggregation was monitored by fluorescence microscopy during the experiment and the morphology of aggregates was determined by post hoc confocal and electron microscopy. At the lowest flux (1.5 × 10-18 mol µm-2 s-1), we observed little to no aggregation. At the higher fluxes, we observed monolayer (2.4 × 10-18 mol µm-2 s-1) and multilayer (4.4 × 10-18 mol µm-2 s-1) aggregates of platelets and found that the platelet density within an aggregate increased with increasing ADP flux. We expect this device to be a useful tool in unraveling the role of platelet agonists on clot formation and stability

Second-harmonic generation in graded metallic films

We study the effective second-harmonic generation (SHG) susceptibility in graded metallic films by invoking the local field effects exactly, and further numerically demonstrate that the graded metallic films can serve as a novel optical material for producing a broad structure in both the linear and SHG response and an enhancement in the SHG signal.Comment: 10 pages, 2 EPS figures. Minor revision

Performance Implications of Fortune 500 Companies\u27 Self-Interest in Corporate Social Responsibility Activities

Numerous prior studies examining the relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and corporate financial performance have produced mixed results. Consumers expect alignment between corporation\u27s CSR and business activities, yet a paucity of research examines the nature of CSR activities as related to corporate financial performance. Corporate leaders lack direction as to what CSR activities are most impactful. CSR is grounded in stakeholder theory, ethical work climate, and servant leadership theories. The relationship between self-interest in CSR activities, an index of alignment between business activities and CSR activities, and financial performance as measured by return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE), and change in market value added (MVA) as a percentage of assets has been underresearched. This study examined the financial performance of 77 companies from the 2014 Fortune 500. Information for the construct of self-interest in CSR activities was obtained from the websites of the sample companies. Correlational analysis was used to examine the relationship between self-interest in CSR activities and financial performance metrics. Multiple regression was used to control for firm size, industry, and CSR perception. Self-interest in CSR activities was found to be a significant predictor of both ROA and ROE, and was not found to be a significant predictor of change in MVA as a percentage of assets. This study contributes to positive social change by helping to illustrate a business case for CSR, providing leaders with incentive to invest in socially responsible activities in line with their business activities. Increased CSR activity directly benefits the most marginalized in a society, including those populations who lack voice

Finite Elements Coupled to Electrical Circuit Equations in the Simulation of Switched Reluctance Drives: Attention to Mechanical Behaviour

A method to model the switched reluctance motor is presented in this paper. The methodology is based on the simultaneous solution of the magnetic field, represented by the two dimensional Finite Element Method, with electrical circuit equations. With this model the currents in the windings are calculated and the force distribution on the stator teeth is obtained. The mechanical response to magnetic forces is calculated by a Finite Element cod