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The Human Resources Research Organization (HumRRO) peer instruction model is presented, providing information for teachers on how to design and implement such a teaching system within Adult Basic Education (ABE) programs. The model presented requires that students meet specific performance criteria before they teach others, and that formats or modules be developed to enable students to understand what they must learn. Chapters include: an Introduction; What Is Peer Instruction?, discussing teaching methods; Why Use Peer Instruction?, discussing its special advantages for educationally disadvantaged students; When to Use Peer Instruction, discussing five minimum conditions which must exist before peer instruction is attempted; Designing a Peer Instruction System, presenting four steps, which include conditions, finding curriculum sources, writing modules, testing and revising modules; Evaluating the Peer Instruction Model, presenting an evaluation form; Putting the Model Into Operation, examining the setting, preparation of the students, priming the teacher/learning chain; Managing the Peer Instruction System, discussing the teacher's role; and, Checklist, presenting an outlined review of key points. An example of teaching experience involving ABE students, peer instruction, and learning how to write checks supplements the text. (LH)

Promoting ACademic Excellence in Mathematics and Science for Workers of the 21st Century (PACE) was a consortium project made up of Indiana University Northwest, the Gary Community Schools, and the Merrillville Community Schools. The focus of this project was to prepare teachers and curricula for Tech Prep mathematics and science courses for the two school districts. The courses and course units prepared by the project are intended to promote the Core 40 Competencies of the Indiana Department of Education for High School courses. This document contains units for biology designed to provide students with an overview of assorted biological fields such as genetics, classification, ecology, conservation, microbiology, and detailed plant and animal studies. The course advocates practical application, inquiry, exploration, and collaborative participation. Units are as follows: (1) Scientific Potpourri; (2) Microorganisms; (3) Cell Growth and Reproduction; (4) Plant Growth and Reproduction; (5) Genetics; (6) Nutrition; (7) Human Environmental Awareness; (8) Ecology; (9) Natural Resources; and (10) Water. (JRH)

Reports on the findings of a research project involving decimals and students' misconceptions about them. Offers some practical activities that may help children understand decimals better. (ASK)

Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of eight terminal objectives for a high school intermediate machine shop course. The materials were developed for a 36-week course (3 hours daily) designed to enable students to become familiar with the operation of machine shop equipment, to become familiar with those basic skills and trade technology required by the machinist in doing machinists work, and to diagnose and solve technical problems as expected of a competent journeyman machinist. Titles of the eight performance objectives sections are Shaper, Horizontal Milling Machine, Vertical Milling Machine, Maintenance, Forge, Heat Treating, Welding (oxy-acet., arc), and Shop Management. (This manual and 54 others were developed for various secondary level vocational courses using the System Approach for Education (SAFE) guidelines.) (HD)

In light of the compliance requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, this article explains adaptive computing technology and its use in the design of a new implementation of ORION, the online information system at the University of California Los Angeles. Addresses, both postal and electronic when possible, are provided for several sources of accessibility guidelines. (BEW)

This CD-ROM contains 10 lesson plans for typing classes appropriate for use with young students as well as in adult education. The lessons are organized in three sections: (1) "Stickybear Keypress," appropriate for young players, beginners, and anyone seeking to review the keyboard, home key position, and each of the keys in turn; the lessons are structured toward enabling mastery of the entire keyboard in 30 levels; (2) "Stickybear Thump" builds typing speed in a fast-action game; letter groups become progressively harder (through the 30 levels) until the entire keyboard is mastered; and (3) "Stickybear Stories," which allows typing practice with real text in a choice of categories, using the entire keyboard; hundreds of facts, jokes, stories, riddles, and complex paragraphs are available for timed and accuracy exercises. Each lesson plan includes information on target grade, age, subject, class size, curriculum links, activities, focus, method (for three levels), goals and objectives, materials, emphasis, variation, assessment, and discussion. (KC)

Characteristics and attendance patterns of persisters and dropouts from college and vocational/technical schools were studied, and a model of the persistence process was tested using data from the National Longitudinal Study (NLS), which surveyed high school seniors in 1972, with followup surveys in 1973 and 1974. Student persistence was defined as the relationships of educational status and educational aspirations over time. Study variables included scores from a cognitive test battery, high school and college grades, student and family characteristics, the influence of parents and friends, course of study, hours spent studying and in work outside school, and educational aspirations. In addition to confirmatory factor analysis, the basis analytical approach was path analysis, which provided models for socioeconomic status, academic ability measures, educational aspiration, and educational status, as well as a schemata representative of student development. During the first 3 years after high school, 26 percent of the high school seniors continued their education without interruption. Extensive appendices include: questionnaire items; a list of variables and path coefficients; attendance data by level, race, and sex; and percentage comparisons of attendance patterns. (SW)

Based on a federally funded project involving 80 children (1-4 years old) with a variety of intellectual, social, emotional, and/or physical handicaps, the manual contains 12 units for home instruction of young handicapped and non handicapped children. Included are listings of overall objectives and suggested activities to promote language, gross and fine motor, cognitive, self-help and social skills in the following units: myself, body parts, homemaking, food, animals, transportation, science, the seasons, Halloween, and Christmas. Also provided are the scores of 16 simple songs for the autoharp and a directory of publishers for educational materials. (CL)

Developed as part of a federally funded project for young handicapped and non handicapped children, the handbook contains suggestions for parents and teachers about creative use of materials found in the home. Provided are illustrations, lists of materials needed, explanations of purpose, and procedures for construction and use of 18 materials (using such items as cardboard boxes and paper plates), 21 toys (including shoe box pull toys, beanbags and sock puppets), 26 games (such as ring toss, lotto match-ups, and numeral concept puzzles), 15 fingerplays, seven seasonal ideas, and 16 art recipes (including home-made dough, flour paste, and wheat flour finger paint). (CL)

Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of 13 terminal objectives for a high school basic machine shop course. The materials were developed for a 36-week course (2 hours daily) designed to enable students to become familiar with the operation of machine shop equipment, to become familiar with those basic skills and trade technology required by the machinist in doing machinist work, and to diagnose and solve technical problems as expected of a competent journeyman machinist. Titles of the 13 performance objectives are the following: Safety (housekeeping, equipment, clothing, handtools); measurement (micrometer, calipers, scale, vernier); layout (centering); lubrication (machines, handtools); benchwork (chipping, filing, scraping); cutting tools; surface grinder; grinder (hand); drill press; power hacksaw; band saw; blueprint reading; and lathe. Also included for some of the intermediate performance objectives are notes on teaching methods and media selection. (This manual and 54 others were developed for various secondary level vocational courses using the System Approach for Education (SAFE) guidelines). (JT)

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: There is evidence that in nonsurgical populations, pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) and lifestyle advice improves symptoms and stage of pelvic organ prolapse (POP). Some women, however, require surgery, after which de novo symptoms can develop or additional surgery is required due to recurrence. Robust evidence is required as to the benefit of perioperative PFMT in the postsurgery reduction of symptoms and POP recurrence. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of and collect pilot data to inform sample size (SS) calculation for a multicentre randomised controlled trial (RCT) of perioperative PFMT following surgical intervention for POP. METHODS: Fifty-seven participants were recruited and randomised to a treatment group (one pre and six postoperative PFMT sessions) or a control group (usual care). The primary outcome measure was the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Symptom Score (POP-SS) at 12 months; secondary outcome measures included measurement of prolapse, the pelvic floor and questionnaires relating to urinary and bowel incontinence. All outcomes were measured at 0, 6 and 12 months. RESULTS: Information on recruitment, retention and appropriateness of outcome measures for a definitive trial was gathered, and data enabled us to undertake an SS calculation. When compared with the control group (n = 29), benefits to the intervention group (n = 28) were observed in terms of fewer prolapse symptoms at 12 months [mean difference 3.94; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.35-6.75; t = 3.24, p = 0.006]; however, these results must be viewed with caution due to possible selection bias. CONCLUSION: With modifications to design identified in this pilot study, a multicentre RCT is feasible.

There is a consensus that modern humans arrived in the Americas 15,000-20,000 y ago during the Late Pleistocene, most probably from northeast Asia through Beringia. However, there is still debate about the time of entry and number of migratory waves, including apparent inconsistencies between genetic and morphological data on Paleoa-mericans. Here we report the identification of mitochondrial sequences belonging to haplogroups characteristic of Polynesians in DNA extracted from ancient skulls of the now extinct Botocudo Indians from Brazil. The identification of these two Polynesian haplogroups was confirmed in independent replications in Brazil and Denmark, ensuring reliability of the data. Parallel analysis of 12 other Botocudo individuals yielded only the well-known Amerindian mtDNA hap-logroup C1. Potential scenarios to try to help understand these results are presented and discussed. The findings of this study may be relevant for the understanding of the pre-Columbian and/or post-Columbian peopling of the Americas.

Describes a simple halogenation experiment that can be performed quickly in an open vessel at room temperature with visible light that is appropriate for the beginning weeks of an introductory organic chemistry course. (WRM)

Converting to word processors, microcomputers, or other automated systems requires that office needs be analyzed, equipment and software packages examined, and personnel eased through the transition. Guidelines are provided. (MLF)

The residual stress fields generated within a laser deposition metal component or added feature have the potential to significantly affect its properties and performance. Stresses play a major role in determining the initial levels of distortion, in both the added part and the initial substrate material, and affect both short-time properties, such as ductility, and long-time properties, such as creep and corrosion resistance. Their control is therefore essential for the production quality demanded in high performance aerospace components. In this work, a series of geometrically simple components was additively manufactured from Inconel 718 powder using a coaxial diode laser deposition system under a range of process parameters. The residual surface stresses arising were measured using x-ray diffraction techniques and the variations in them with surface position and process parameters are shown. The formation of these stresses and their relationship to Direct Laser Deposition process parameters are discussed.

After starting the chapter with a brief survey of studies showing the links between counterfactual thinking and responsibility attribution in the judicial context, we focus our attention on studies investigating the so-called exceptionality effect; namely, how counterfactual mutability may be constrained by abnormality in the sense of violation of intrapersonal norms. We then devote the major part of the chapter to the two categories of psychosocial constraints envisaged by our Social Context Model of Counterfactual Constraints. First, we present recent research results supporting the existence and the strength of a nonconformity effect, according to which, under given circumstances, people would be especially inclined to focus counterfactuals on actors’ behaviors that do not conform to social norms. Then, our attention shifts from the context of the event to the context in which the event is reconstructed. We offer empirical evidence of how role-related expectations and aims of people reconstructing the event may affect counterfactual mutability. In the final discussion, we suggest that the Social Context Model of Counterfactual Constraints might be usefully extended from the judicial context to other real-life contexts in which counterfactual thinking is widely employed.

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The human genome sequence defines our inherent biological potential; the realization of the biology encoded therein requires knowledge of the function of each gene. Currently, our knowledge in this area is still limited. Several lines of investigation have been used to elucidate the structure and function of the genes in the human genome. Even so, gene prediction remains a difficult task, as the varieties of transcripts of a gene may vary to a great extent. We thus performed an exhaustive integrative characterization of 41,118 full-length cDNAs that capture the gene transcripts as complete functional cassettes, providing an unequivocal report of structural and functional diversity at the gene level. Our international collaboration has validated 21,037 human gene candidates by analysis of high-quality full-length cDNA clones through curation using unified criteria. This led to the identification of 5,155 new gene candidates. It also manifested the most reliable way to control the quality of the cDNA clones. We have developed a human gene database, called the H-Invitational Database (H-InvDB; http://www.h-invitational.jp/). It provides the following: integrative annotation of human genes, description of gene structures, details of novel alternative splicing isoforms, non-protein-coding RNAs, functional domains, subcellular localizations, metabolic pathways, predictions of protein three-dimensional structure, mapping of known single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), identification of polymorphic microsatellite repeats within human genes, and comparative results with mouse full-length cDNAs. The H-InvDB analysis has shown that up to 4% of the human genome sequence (National Center for Biotechnology Information build 34 assembly) may contain misassembled or missing regions. We found that 6.5% of the human gene candidates (1,377 loci) did not have a good protein-coding open reading frame, of which 296 loci are strong candidates for non-protein-coding RNA genes. In addition, QC 20141211

Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science

Contents: Computed Neutron Tomography and Coded Aperture Holography from Real Time Neutron Images; Spatial Sgrength Variation and Statistical Size of Laminated Orthotropic Composite Materials; A Direct Method to Obtain Constitutive Model Constants from cylinder Impact Test Results; Plastic Strain Localization Between Voids in Shear Deformation Fields; A Study of the Crack Tip Parameters that Govern Environmentally Assisted Cracking by Use of the Rising desplacement T est; Explicit and Implicit Soil Modelling for Dynamic Soil- Structure Interaction Problems; Composite Materials Applications Program; Effective Treatment of Membrane and Shear Locking Phenomena in Curved Shear- Deformable Axisymmetric Shell Element; Plane Strain Finite Element Analysis of Rubber Track Pads; Analysis and Testing of Predamaged Shell Structures; Corrosion Control by Composite Material Substitution with Application to the M- 939 5 Ton Truck; Durability of Powdered Aluminum Structures; and Some Mechanics Considerations in Ceramic Gun Barrel Liners.

This report describes the results of a theoretical study of the problem of a through crack in a tensile plate specimen. Experimental observations indicate that the crack front grows stably in the specimen interior forming a 'thumb nail' shape prior to unstable fracture. The amount of interior growth before fracture is found to depend on both geometry (relative specimen thickness), the material properties, and the amount of yielding which tends to delay the onset of rapid fracture. The goal of this work is to study the interaction of material nonlinearity with geometry and their combined effect on the fracture process. To this end, two-dimensional elastic-plastic and three- dimensional elastic calculations have been performed. The finite element method, specialized to crack problems, is the tool used to obtain numercial results. Predictions on the increments of growth along the crack front are made on the basis of the strain energy density theory that assumed crack trajectory to coincide with path of minimum strain energy density function. Related three-dimensional elastic-plastic calculations are currently being developed to complete the modeling of the ductile fracture process in plate specimens.

The computer program PAPST, standing for Plastic Axisymmetric/Planar Structures has been developed with the Navy with the aim of addressing the elastic-plastic crack problems which arise from material and structural considerations associated with the use of high toughness materials. Both power hardening and multilinear models for uniaxial stress-strain response are available. Enriched elements may be used to model the material crack tip response for the multilinear material model. For crack problems, both path values for the J integral and values based on the amplitude of the singular solution can be computed. The program has been used in support of laboratory programs to develop material property data for J and other pertinent parameters for fracture characterization. More recently, the capabilities of PAPST have been extended to include simulation of quasi-static crack growth. This procedure is of interest in determination of the Tearing Modulus and in assessing the stability of crack growth. Incorporated into PAPST is its predecessor APES, standing for Axisymmetric/Planar Elastic Structures. Also developed with the Navy, APES performs linear elastic fracture mechanics for Mode I and Mode II problems. It has the capability to handle crack face loadings and a limited capability to deal with orthotropic materials. Additional keywords: nonlinear analysis; coordinate specifications.

Finite element procedures are used to solve two- and three-dimensional problems of cracks in elastic bodies. The two-dimensional, plane strain analysis is concerned with the effect of a crack approaching a free edge at right angles. The strain energy density fracture criterion is used to determine the direction of fracture for various distances from the crack tip to thr free edge. These results provide a possible mechanism for the creation of the shear lip region in a plate of finite thickness. The three-dimensional isoparametric finite element procedure is specialized for application to crack problems by the introduction of elements which model the crack edge singularity. The finite element approach is used to study the problem of a through crack in a finite thickness plate subject to symmetric loading. Variations of the stress intensity factor, near field stress components, and strain energy density through the plate thickness are reported.

Analyses for laminar plates are reviewed in this report. It is observed that while approximate global stress analyses have been performed for laminates, little has been accomplished in the area of strength analysis. The work presented here is concentrated in that area, i.e., mathematical models to consider the influence of flaws on failure loads associated with crack propagation and/or delamination. In particular, an approximate three dimensional formulation for laminates based on the variational principle of minimum complementary potential energy is presented and applied to the problem of a three layer composite plate containing a through crack. This model is employed to study the influences of the geometric and material characteristics of the composite on the local stress field in the vicinity of the flaw. Results of an experimental program to determine the influence of plate thickness on critical load for a centrally cracked tensile specimen are reported. Extension of the experimental program to consideration of laminated specimens is currently in progress. A stress analysis has been carried out for another problem of particular interest in the study of failure for composite systems. The effect of voids in adhesive layers on the behavior of multilayer fibrous composites is modeled by the problem of a penny shaped flaw contained in an isotropic layer joining two orthotropic half spaces. Stresses in the vicinity of the crack edge are calculated in terms of the loading and the properties of the components for this composite system.

A combined theoretical and experimental research program for investigating the application of fracture mechanics to composite systems is carried out. Preliminary results are presented which include the development of two fiber reinforced composite crack models, one with a low-fiber volume fraction and the other a high fiber volume fraction, and corresponding experimental data. The qualitative features of the theoretical prediction are in agreement with the experimental data indicating that there exists an optimum fiber volume fraction for which the composite achieves maximum fracture toughness. Tests were performed on uni-directional fiber reinforced composites with the crack running parallel to the fibers. For this arrangement, the current theory of fracture mechanics is shown to apply with good accuracy for FRP/epoxy composites. This is accomplished by performing two independent fracture tests the results of which are checked by an analysis of the crack system. A more elaborate analytical model is required for studying the graphite fiber/epoxy composite. (Author, modified-PL)

The objective of the research program is to provide an improved understanding of the failure of composites from the fracture mechanics point of view. Such an approach assumes that the composite posseses built-in imperfections such as voids or cracks developed during the fabrication process or under operating stresses. Two composite systems are studied: the first is a fiber- reinforced composite and the second a laminated composite. Theoretical analyses made in terms of continuum mechanics for stress distributions are carried out to establish the relationships among the pertinent parameters. Such a study should reveal the necessary insight for developing failure criteria of composites. Some preliminary experimental results on fracture toughness and crack growth rates of uni- directionally fiber reinforced composites are also given. (Author-PL)