The NCAR Airborne Infrared Lidar System (NAILS)

A planned airborne lidar system is presented which is intended to provide a remote sensing facility for a variety of applications. The eventual goal of the system development is a Doppler wind measurement capability for boundary layer dynamics and cloud physics applications. The first stage of development is focused initially on a direct detection lidar to measure aerosol profiles and depolarization from cloud backscatter. Because of the Doppler goal, interest in larger particles to define the top of the mixed layer, and eye safety, the first stage of the system is based on a pulsed CO2 laser. A compact, relatively simple and inexpensive system that achieves flexibility to meet the data requirements of a variety of investigators by being easily modified rather than having many different capabilities built in is the goal. Although the direct detection sensitivity is less than that for heterodyne detection, the simpler system allows the achievement of useful scientific results and operating experience towards more complex lidars while staying within budget and time constraints

Courtroom Factors and Jurors\u27 Decision-Making in Cases Involving Child Witnesses

This study examined the influence of expert witness testimony and jury instructions on mock jurors\u27 final verdicts of guilt in a case where the sole eyewitness to a murder/abduction was a five-year-old-child. One hundred and ninety-two college students heard an audio-taped trial proceeding in which the testimony of an expert witness and the jury instructions were varied (both supporting or discrediting of a child witness\u27 testimony or mixed testimonies). Individual judgments of guilt and judgments after group deliberation were recorded. It was hypothesized that expert witness testimony and jury instructions would significantly influence verdicts. Contrary to predictions, neither expert witness testimony nor judge\u27s jury instructions influenced individual ratings of guilt, group directions, or time spent in deliberation. It was found that when a supporting expert witness was paired with a supporting judge the individual guilty rates were higher than when a supporting expert witness was paired with a discrediting judge. Only 37% of the groups reached a mutual decision, with groups who heard congruent supportive messages significantly less likely to reach a mutual decision than those groups who heard congruent discrediting messages. These letter groups were significantly more likely to reach a mutual decision. Implications for future research are discussed

Reading Rate and Reading Comprehension: A Comparison of Identified and Non-Identified Readers

Previous studies have supported the fact that reading rate is strongly correlated with reading comprehension for normal readers . However, few have studied this relationship for students experiencing difficulties in reading. If informal measures of reading ability such as CBM (Curriculum-Based Measurement) are to be used in determining eligibility for special education services or monitoring progress in a curriculum then the relationship reading rate and reading comprehension should be determined. The cross-validation of applied measures such as standardized tests of reading (i.e. Gates-McGinnitie) and informal measures such as CBM with theoretical models of reading development (such as those proposed by LaBerge and Samuels and Chall) may be useful in determining why reading rate and reading comprehension are correlated. This study examined the relationship between Curriculum-based Measurement (CBM) reading rates and Gates-McGinnitie Reading Comprehension scores in both identified (students receiving Chapter I services) and non-identified readers. Students from the age of seven to 12 years old were given the Gates-McGinnitie and CBM reading rate. Comparisons were made across age and identification groups. Results indicated that both CBM and Gates-McGinnitie scores differentiated between identification groups with identified students obtaining lower reading rate and reading comprehension scores. It was also shown that age was a significant factor in reading rate with younger students reading slower than older students. The correlation between reading rate and reading comprehension was stronger for non-identified students than for identified students (with the exception of the nine-year-old group who demonstrated higher reading comprehension scores than reading rate). Implications for cross-validation of the proposed reading models is discussed along with the advisability of using CBM reading rate as a reflection of reading comprehension for all students

PUSHZOOMPANTILT, A LETTER TO GRANDMOTHER

pushzoompantilt is an ongoing body of work that considers the relationship of handmade art objects with found and altered objects of utility and leisure. Addressed herein is an explanation of this relationship between clay form and altered objects seen through the lens of open and closed systems and fixedness