Digital Commons Network^™

Teaching, Learning And Research: Linking High School Teachers To Information Literacy, Stephanie Davis-Kahl

Scholarly Publications

The Compton Teacher Information Literacy Institute (CTILI) is a teacher professional development program funded by the Compton (CA) Unified School District and delivered by the University of California at Irvine Libraries’ Department of Education and Outreach. Teacher professional development, university and library outreach activities and influences are discussed to give background on CTILI curriculum development. Institute goals and objectives are outlined, as is our curriculum remodeling effort after a mid-year assessment. Plans for future institutes are included.

Activation Kinetics Of Skinned Cardiac Muscle By Laser Photolysis Of Nitrophenyl-Egta, Hunter Martin, Marcus G. Bell, Graham C. Ellis-Davis, Robert J. Barsotti

PCOM Scholarly Works

The kinetics of Ca2+-induced contractions of chemically skinned guinea pig trabeculae was studied using laser photolysis of NP-EGTA. The amount of free Ca2+ released was altered by varying the output from a frequency-doubled ruby laser focused on the trabeculae, while maintaining constant total [NP-EGTA] and [Ca2+]. The time courses of the rise in stiffness and tension were biexponential at 23°C, Ph 7.1, and 200 Mm ionic strength. At full activation (pCa < 5.0), the rates of the rapid phase of the stiffness and tension rise were 56 ± 7 s-1 (n = 7) and 48 ± 6 s-1 (n = 11) while the amplitudes were 21 ± 2 and 23 ± 3%, respectively. These rates had similar dependencies on final [Ca2+] achieved by photolysis: 43 and 50 s-1 per Pca unit, respectively, over a range of [Ca2+] producing from 15% to 90% of maximal isometric tension. At all [Ca2+], the rise in stiffness initially was faster than that of tension. The maximal rates for the slower components of the rise in stiffness and tension were 4.1 ± 0.8 and 6.2 ± 1.0 s-1. The rate of this slower phase exhibited significantly less Ca2+ sensitivity, 1 and 4 s-1 per Pca unit for stiffness and tension, respectively. These data, along with previous studies indicating that the force-generating step in the cross-bridge cycle of cardiac muscle is marginally sensitive to [Ca2+], suggest a mechanism of regulation in which Ca2+ controls the attachment step in the cross-bridge cycle via a rapid equilibrium with the thin filament activation state. Myosin kinetics sets the time course for the rise in stiffness and force generation with the biexponential nature of the mechanical responses to steps in [Ca2+] arising from a shift to slower cross-bridge kinetics as the number of strongly bound cross-bridges increases.

The Social Effects Of Psychism: Spiritual Experience And The Construction Of Privatized Religion, Marty Laubach

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Research

What is the relationship between spiritual experiences and privatized religion? This study defines spiritual experiences in terms of “psychism,” or psychic intrusions in the stream of consciousness that are not perceived by the actor as originating within the “self.” Intrusions interpreted as psychism are regarded by the actor as having the same facticity as empirical experience and are regarded as “proof” of an esoteric belief system. Psychism originated beliefs are therefore resistant to refutation or change, and support spiritual autonomy. Psychism theory is tested using 1988 GSS data on religious beliefs, where psychism is measured using GSS questions on “paranormal” …

Child Sexual Abuse In Sub-Saharan Africa: A Literature Review, Kevin Lalor

Articles

Objective. This article reviews the English-language literature on child sexual abuse in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The focus is on the sexual abuse of children in the home/community, as opposed to the commercial sexual exploitation of children. Method. English language, peer-reviewed papers cited in the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) are examined. Reports from international and local NGOs and UN agencies are also examined. Results. Few published studies on the sexual abuse of children have been conducted in the region, with the exception of South Africa. Samples are predominantly clinical or University based. A number of studies report that approximately five …

Henrietta Street Conservation Plan, Tracy Pickerill, John Montague, Shaffrey Associates (Architects), Carrig Conservation Ltd., Lee Mccullough & Partners (Engineers), Boylan Farrelly (Quantity Surveyors)

Reports

The objectives behind the Henrietta Street Conservation Plan are to re-affirm the significance of Henrietta Street; to identify the issues that undermine the importance of the street and to set out policies aimed at protecting the aspects of the street which are of importance into the future.

Oh, Ya Got Trouble! Right Here In New York City! Or Gotta Find A Way To Keep The Young Ones Moral After School: The Boycott Of Hollywood, March-July 1934, Jenna Simpson

Constructing the Past

This article discusses the movie boycotts of 1934. These were started because religious groups, especially the Catholic Church, were concerned about the sexual and violent content of movies and how it was affecting children. The article states that it is unsure whether or not these boycotts and protests were agreed upon by the majority of Americans at the time, or if there was an amount of bias in reports from the time.

Ethnics, Violence, And Truth: Soccer's American Past, Lindsay Hawley

Constructing the Past

This article discusses research done on the reports of soccer matches in the American media and whether or not those reports are biased according to ethnic stereotypes. It concludes that there may be some truth to the image of the soccer match as a violent event, despite the author's first thoughts on the issue.

The Photographs Of Jacob Riis: History In Relation To Truth, Lauren Jensen

Constructing the Past

This article discusses the photographs and writing of Jacob Riis, who was instrumental in informing middle and upperclass people in the 1870's about the poverty and conditions in the slums. It suggests that Riis may have staged some of his photographs, and that he was not without bias in his reporting, but that his pictures and writing did help in charging the social reform movements.

Conservative Christianity, The Military, And American War Culture, Anna Deters

Constructing the Past

This article describes the fundamentalist Christian movement in America and how it is closely linked to a strong support of military action and power.

Perspectives On Epidemic: The Yellow Fever In 1793 Philadelphia, Katherine Polak

Constructing the Past

This article discusses the Yellow Fever epidemic of 1793, and how there are several different accounts of what happened then. It also notes that the official descriptions given by the doctors of the time are not the entire story and that they leave some important things out.

A Generic Oo Architecture Language For Semantics Analysis Of Oo Specification, Xiaoqing Frank Liu

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Formal specification enables a rigorous analysis and model checking for ensuring the correctness of specification. Formal OO specification methods are of mathematical nature and the semantics of specification is purposely defined such that it is not related to the semantics of code. We propose a new language, which will lay a common semantics ground for both specification and code.

Beschweigen Und Bekennen: Die Deutsche Nachkriegsgesellschaft Und Der Holocaust (Book Review), Kathrin M. Bower

Languages, Literatures, and Cultures Faculty Publications

Beschweigen und Bekennen is based on the proceedings of a symposium held in Dachau in April 2000. As the title suggests, the aim of the volume is to examine German responses to the Holocaust since the end of World War II. Following a brief introduction by Norbert Frei, the six essays by symposium contributors are organized in roughly chronological order beginning with treatments of the immediate post-war period and ending with the 1990s. The volume concludes with a transcript of the closing podium discussion. The central questions driving both the essays and the discussion are: how does increasing temporal distance …

Modeling The Wave Propagation Properties Of Power Cables Using Numerical Simulations, R. Papazyan, David Pommerenke, R. Eriksson

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The high frequency properties of coaxial power cables are modeled using time- and frequency-domain numerical simulations. This is required due to the complex helical structure of the outer metallic screen. It is established that this screen design causes a dependence of the cable characteristics on the surrounding medium

An Engineering Primer For Outreach To K-4 Education, Theresa M. Swift, Steve Eugene Watkins

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Student motivation for and proficiency in science and mathematics begin in the early grades. Level-appropriate resources and professional outreach activities are as beneficial for teachers and students at elementary levels as for higher levels. Engineering applications can be effective vehicles for giving students hands-on exposure to technical concepts and for showing students how these concepts relate to everyday life. To improve the technical literacy of society and to promote STEM-related careers, engineers should be engaged in active outreach. However, engineers who seek these types of projects have some learning to do themselves. They must understand the unique elementary education environment …

Characterization Of Human Metal Esd Reference Discharge Event And Correlation Of Generator Parameters To Failure Levels-Part I: Reference Event, Ramachandran Chundru, David Pommerenke, Kai Wang, Thomas Van Doren, Jiu Sheng Huang, Federico Centola

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) generators are used for testing the robustness of electronics toward ESD. Most generators are built in accordance with the IEC 61000-4-2 specifications. Using only a few parameters, this standard specifies the peak current, the rise time and the falling edge. Lacking a transient field specification, test results vary depending on which generator is used, even if the currents are quite similar. Such a specification is needed to improve the test repeatability. As for the current, the specification should be based on a reference human metal ESD event. While keeping the presently set peak current and rise time …

Holocaust Avengers: From "The Master Race" To Magneto, Kathrin M. Bower

Languages, Literatures, and Cultures Faculty Publications

In the classic genealogy of the superhero, trauma is often the explanation or motivation for the hero 's pursuit of justice or revenge. Origin stories for superheroes and supervillains frequently appear in the plots of comic books long after the characters were created and with the shift in the stable of artists involved, different and sometimes competing events in the characters' biographies are revealed. This is particularly true of series that have enjoyed long periods of popularity or those that were phased out and then later revived. The stimulus for this m1icle was the origin story conceived for the X-Men …

Dastar Corp. V. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp., Carrie Jones

Computer Law Review and Technology Journal

The Trademark Act of 19461 codified select portions of the common law on trademark and unfair competition. Section 43(a) of the Lanham Act, as it is more commonly known, protects consumers and competitors from the "reverse passing off' of one's work as another's. In Dastar v. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp., the United States Supreme Court recently considered whether section 43(a) prohibits the unattributed copying of works available in the public domain. The Ninth Circuit had found that Fox could bring a claim against Dastar (which had copied and repackaged without attribution a Fox video series) under the Lanham …

Improving The Patent System For The 21st Century: Optimizing The Requirements To Be A Member Of The Patent Bar, Nathan Lewis

Computer Law Review and Technology Journal

As the importance of protecting technology has increased in the past several years, there has been an increase in the demand for patent attorneys and agents. The patent bar operates to limit the number of people that are available to satisfy this demand. Although the patent office has recently updated their procedural requirements for taking the patent bar, the substantive requirements have received little attention to date. This paper analyZes the current requirements in light of their purpose and effect, as well as the international requirements to join the patent bar of other countries. It concludes that the current patent …

Copyright Under Siege: The First Amendment Front, Lackland H. Bloom Jr.

Computer Law Review and Technology Journal

For the past twenty-five years, I have taught courses in both Copyright and Freedom of Speech. Until quite recently, these two tangentially-related subjects have co-existed in peaceful harmony. Over the years, I have traditionally devoted about ten minutes of Copyright class time to the free speech issue and no time at all in Freedom of Speech class to issues of copyright. That was then; the old world has changed. Now, we have collectively become embroiled in what some are calling the "copyright wars", with the First Amendment (specifically, freedom of speech) as one of the central battlegrounds. In 1970, two …

Can A Copyright Holder Prevent Reverse Engineering? The Federal Circuit Court Holds That The Federal Copyright Act Does Not Preempt "No Reverse Engineering" Clauses: Bowers V. Baystate Tech. Inc. , Jonathan Wilson

Computer Law Review and Technology Journal

Intellectual property rights exist to protect the fruit of one's intellectual labor. But when an idea is made public, there develops a risk that another might be able to rework the process of creation and diminish the value of the original intellectual labor. This is exactly what happened to Harold L. Bowers. By utilizing the technique of reverse engineering, Baystate Technologies used Bowers' computer program to develop their own CAD software design to compete with Bowers's program. Bowers, however, had placed a "no reverse engineering" clause on his shrink-wrap license. This conflict presented the Federal Circuit Court with the difficult …

Recent Trademark Challenges In Cyberspace And The Growth Of The Initial Interest Confusion And Nominative Fair Use Doctrines, Jeffrey M. Becker, Purvi J. Patel

Computer Law Review and Technology Journal

The relatively recent legal doctrines of "initial interest confusion" and "nominative fair use" have become the dominant buzz words for defining the scope of permissible trademark use on the Internet, especially in the on-line advertising context. The prevalence of recent trademark cases applying these doctrines stems from the difficulty involved in assessing trademark liability in cyberspace, particularly when the trademark is not used as visible expression, but is instead used as an invisible tool, such as a metatag or keyword. For example, in its well-publicized opinion of Brookfield Communications, Inc. v. W. Coast Entm 't Corp., the Ninth Circuit adopted …

Trademark Challenges, John M. Cone

Computer Law Review and Technology Journal

The proponent of a product design trade dress must show that the trade dress is non-functional. In 2001, the Supreme Court considered functionality in the context of a patented, dual-spring mechanism for temporary road signs, which were designed to withstand strong gusts of wind. In reversing the lower court's summary judgment, the Sixth Circuit held that the availability of spring mechanisms, functionally equivalent but with a different appearance, rendered the dual-spring mechanism non-functional.The Supreme Court reversed, finding instead that the TrafFix dual-spring design was functional as a matter of law. The Court thus held that the availability of functionally equivalent, …

An Evaluation Of The Online Learning Program At Middle Georgia Technical College, Ivan Allen

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to evaluate the Online Learning Program at Middle Georgia Technical College, a public technical college in Georgia. Despite the continued proliferation of Internet-based distance education courses at Middle Georgia Technical College, many questions continued to arise about the quality of the program. The Middle Georgia Technical College Online Learning Program had never been evaluated to determine its quality, and the purpose of this study was to accomplish an evaluation of the program.

Subjects in this study included faculty, administrators, and students who participated in the Online Learning Program. The author developed two surveys based on …

Evaluation Of The Influence Of Prior Health Care Experience On Physician Assistant Student Academic Performance, Salvatore Barese

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Considerable variability exists in the use of prior health care experience (HCE) as an admission criterion by physician assistant (PA) educational programs. The problem was to justify the current amount and type of HCE required by the New York Institute of Technology PA Program.

The purpose of this project was to determine how PA programs use and define prior HCE and to determine whether the type and/or amount of HCE influence academic performance.

Research questions include how PA programs utilize and define HCE; whether the type and/or amount of HCE predicts academic performance in PA programs, performance on summative and …

Improving Performance On Standardized Tests Through Planned Interventions At Independence Alternative High School, Josephine Bell Jones

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This study was an investigation of the effects of a tutorial intervention on the grades and standardized test scores of low-performing students in an alternative school setting in the Winston-Salem Forsyth County System. Students in this study attended Independence Alternative High School (IAHSP) because of low test scores, declining grades, and behavioral problems. There had been a continuous decline in the end-of-course tests scores for these students for 3 consecutive years.

During the 1998-2000 school years, the academic performance of these students declined by 10.8%. These students were discouraged learners who did not achieve in the standard high school program. …

Colorado Superintendency Attrition And Its Effects On The Fourth-Grade Reading Achievement: A Reflective Practitioner’S Investigation, Rod L. Blunck

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to gather a greater understanding of the impact of superintendent turnover and the effect on student achievement. The data-based accountability systems in place in Colorado place a great deal of pressure on superintendents to produce empirical results indicating increased student achievement.

The author gathered data from the Colorado Department of Education for student achievement results for the 4th grade reading assessment as measured by the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) for academic years 2001, 2002, and 2003 and for superintendent turnover as measured during academic years 2001 and 2002. Randomly selected, 5 superintendents were to …

The Development Of An Instructional Leadership Training Seminar For Elementary Assistant Principals, Lisa R. Buffaloe

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The purpose of this project was to supply first or second year elementary assistant principals with a school-based training seminar that would strengthen their instructional leadership skills and provide a network of professional support to beginning administrators. The product was a human resource development activity. The goal of the seminar, while providing leadership theory and practical strategies, was to advance the understanding of the connection between effective leadership and improved student learning.

A nonexperimental, descriptive research design that incorporated survey methodology to collect the data needed to identify common areas of concern and to develop the curriculum for a seminar …

An Intervention Model To Improve Overall Learning For Rural At-Risk Kindergartners, Vivian S. Burke

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation investigated whether at-risk kindergarten students who were taught with the 5 standards of effective pedagogy over an 8-month period would score higher on achievement measures. The 5 pedagogy standards are (a) joint productive activity, (b) language and literacy development, (c) meaning making, (d) complex thinking, and (e) instructional conversation. These standards emerged from principles of practice that have proven successful with majority and minority at-risk students in a variety of teaching and learning settings over several decades (R. G. Tharpe, 1988).

The researcher developed indicators for each standard, revealing action components of the standards and their functions …

Moving Toward A Strength Perspective: A Case Study Of Counselor Change, Candis Carr

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

According to their mission statement, employees of the Family and Youth Counseling Agency, Inc., (FYCA) operated on the assumption that all individuals possessed the ability to solve their own challenges and live full and healthy lives when support was available. In practice, however, agency counseling reflected a deficit-based, hierarchical framework, wherein counselors expanded on clients’ deficits and failings, defined the goals of counseling, and regarded counselors as more knowing than clients about how best to change. By discrediting the client’s voice, counselors failed to put into action the agency’s guiding principle.

To develop a strength-based practice, counselors met on a …

Increasing The Active Participation Of Caregivers In The Implementation Of The Individualized Family Service Plan In An Early Intervention Program, Jennifer Cave

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to improve the implementation of early intervention therapy services in natural environments. Active caregiver participation during therapy is vital to the success of early intervention. However, the caregivers of infants and toddlers with developmental delays who were receiving early intervention therapy from an agency that served three counties in the southeastern United States were not actively participating in the implementation of the Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs).

In order to increase the level of active caregiver participation during therapy sessions, six solution strategies were implemented. The researcher provided information to the caregivers by creating a …