Inquiry-Based Learning in the Elementary and Middle School Setting

There are many instructional strategies available to educators for use in the classroom. With this variety of strategies, there is a responsibility for educators to ensure the strategies selected for use have a positive impact on student learning. One such instructional strategy used in classrooms around the world is inquiry-based learning. This strategy allows students to create their own understanding of content while teachers act as facilitators. Research about inquiry-based learning in the elementary and middle school setting indicates it has a positive impact on student learning. These positive influences on learning include greater academic achievement in multiple content areas and increased learning behaviors, such as engagement, motivation, and flow. The strategy has also been shown to help students develop necessary thinking skills, including science processing skills and critical thinking. Administrators and classroom teachers can benefit from the addition of inquiry-based learning into school practices as it is suited for a range of grade levels and content areas

Decoupling the Effects of the Amyloid Precursor Protein From Amyloid-β Plaques on Axonal Transport Dynamics in the Living Brain

Amyloid precursor protein (APP) is the precursor to Aβ plaques. The cytoplasmic domain of APP mediates attachment of vesicles to molecular motors for axonal transport. In APP-KO mice, transport of Mn²⁺ is decreased. In old transgenic mice expressing mutated human (APP^(SwInd)) linked to Familial Alzheimer’s Disease, with both expression of APP^(SwInd) and plaques, the rate and destination of Mn²⁺ axonal transport is altered, as detected by time-lapse manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI) of the brain in living mice. To determine the relative contribution of expression of APP^(SwInd) versus plaque on transport dynamics, we developed a Tet-off system to decouple expression of APP^(SwInd) from plaque, and then studied hippocampal to forebrain transport by MEMRI. Three groups of mice were compared to wild-type (WT): Mice with plaque and APP^(SwInd) expression; mice with plaque but suppression of APP^(SwInd) expression; and mice with APP^(SwInd) suppressed from mating until 2 weeks before imaging with no plaque. MR images were captured before at successive time points after stereotactic injection of Mn²⁺ (3–5 nL) into CA3 of the hippocampus. Mice were returned to their home cage between imaging sessions so that transport would occur in the awake freely moving animal. Images of multiple mice from the three groups (suppressed or expressed) together with C57/B6J WT were aligned and processed with our automated computational pipeline, and voxel-wise statistical parametric mapping (SPM) performed. At the conclusion of MR imaging, brains were harvested for biochemistry or histopathology. Paired T-tests within-group between time points (p = 0.01 FDR corrected) support the impression that both plaque alone and APP^(SwInd) expression alone alter transport rates and destination of Mn²⁺ accumulation. Expression of APP^(SwInd) in the absence of plaque or detectable Aβ also resulted in transport defects as well as pathology of hippocampus and medial septum, suggesting two sources of pathology occur in familial Alzheimer’s disease, from toxic mutant protein as well as plaque. Alternatively mice with plaque without APP^(SwInd) expression resemble the human condition of sporadic Alzheimer’s, and had better transport. Thus, these mice with APP^(SwInd) expression suppressed after plaque formation will be most useful in preclinical trials

Supporting Principals as Instructional Leaders: Exploring a Supervisory Model That Empowers and Removes Barriers

In recent years, an increasing amount of pressure has been placed on K-12 school principals to engage as instructional leaders to increase student achievement. Historically, however, principals were expected to operate as school managers instead of instructional leaders, and therefore, often felt unprepared as instructional leaders. Many principals also faced barriers, such as time constraints, that impeded their ability to be effective instructional leaders. To remedy this problem of practice, school districts repurposed the principal supervisor role to provide both supervision and coaching for principals. Existing research on this principal supervisor-coach model identified practices that supervisor-coaches used to support principals but did not explore how principals perceived those practices to effectively help them overcome barriers to instructional leadership. In this qualitative case study, I interviewed nine K-12 school principals in an urban Midwest school district that used the principal supervisor-coach model to examine their perceptions of the model\u27s benefits. I aimed to reveal supervisor-coach practices that supported the principals’ instructional leadership and overcoming the barriers to this work. The findings from the study show that principals perceived the principal supervisor-coach model supported them in overcoming the instructional leadership barriers they experienced. Data analysis also provided a list of coaching activities and other supports that principals believed their supervisor-coach can use to strengthen their instructional leadership. Based on these findings, recommendations are provided for practice, policy, and scholarship. Considerations are offered to state and district leaders seeking to improve student achievement and principal supervisors seeking to support principals as instructional leaders. Additionally, recommendations are offered for future research to further explore the principal supervisor-coach model

Combining Theories of Action and Moral Philosophy

One of the underlying principles in modern society is that we should all get what we deserve, but what do we deserve? Any useful answer to this question must allow us to understand three things; (1) what events we are responsible for, (2) how to decide if we should be morally reprimanded or praised for those things, and (3) a way to combine (1) and (2) into a coherent theory. In this paper we will build an account of action from the work done by Aristotle and Donald Davidson in order to answer (1), we will then look at works by both Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill to help answer (2), and then we will combine the two and investigate the ideas of Dr. Yuval Noah Harari in an attempt to find a solution to (3). We will conclude with a brief discussion of what we have learned and what work still needs to be done

Design of a Pebble Bed Separate Effects Test for Molten Salt Reactors

The licensing of novel nuclear reactor power plant designs requires extensive research and testing. A significant portion of this work is dedicated to the design and operation of scaled-down testing facilities that emulate various plant conditions. The data gathered from these test facilities is used to compare to predictive models. As Kairos Power progresses with its fluoride salt-cooled high temperature reactor (KP-FHR) design, a need for such a testing facility arose. The purpose of this work is to report on the design of a separate effects test facility that investigates the heat transfer characteristics within the pebble bed of a molten salt reactor. Limited work has been done in this field, as pebble bed reactors are novel designs and still in the prototype phase. It is the intent of the author to guide future work in pebble bed test facilities through the work in this thesis, with a focus on the alternative heating system used to emulate TRISO fuel particles. An overview of the instrumentation and material selection is also discussed, based on the applied scaling analysis

Decoupling the Effects of the Amyloid Precursor Protein From Amyloid-β Plaques on Axonal Transport Dynamics in the Living Brain

Amyloid precursor protein (APP) is the precursor to Aβ plaques. The cytoplasmic domain of APP mediates attachment of vesicles to molecular motors for axonal transport. In APP-KO mice, transport of Mn²⁺ is decreased. In old transgenic mice expressing mutated human (APP^(SwInd)) linked to Familial Alzheimer’s Disease, with both expression of APP^(SwInd) and plaques, the rate and destination of Mn²⁺ axonal transport is altered, as detected by time-lapse manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI) of the brain in living mice. To determine the relative contribution of expression of APP^(SwInd) versus plaque on transport dynamics, we developed a Tet-off system to decouple expression of APP^(SwInd) from plaque, and then studied hippocampal to forebrain transport by MEMRI. Three groups of mice were compared to wild-type (WT): Mice with plaque and APP^(SwInd) expression; mice with plaque but suppression of APP^(SwInd) expression; and mice with APP^(SwInd) suppressed from mating until 2 weeks before imaging with no plaque. MR images were captured before at successive time points after stereotactic injection of Mn²⁺ (3–5 nL) into CA3 of the hippocampus. Mice were returned to their home cage between imaging sessions so that transport would occur in the awake freely moving animal. Images of multiple mice from the three groups (suppressed or expressed) together with C57/B6J WT were aligned and processed with our automated computational pipeline, and voxel-wise statistical parametric mapping (SPM) performed. At the conclusion of MR imaging, brains were harvested for biochemistry or histopathology. Paired T-tests within-group between time points (p = 0.01 FDR corrected) support the impression that both plaque alone and APP^(SwInd) expression alone alter transport rates and destination of Mn²⁺ accumulation. Expression of APP^(SwInd) in the absence of plaque or detectable Aβ also resulted in transport defects as well as pathology of hippocampus and medial septum, suggesting two sources of pathology occur in familial Alzheimer’s disease, from toxic mutant protein as well as plaque. Alternatively mice with plaque without APP^(SwInd) expression resemble the human condition of sporadic Alzheimer’s, and had better transport. Thus, these mice with APP^(SwInd) expression suppressed after plaque formation will be most useful in preclinical trials

Long-term nutrient enrichment of an oligotroph-dominated wetland increases bacterial diversity in bulk soils and plant rhizospheres.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.In nutrient-limited conditions, plants rely on rhizosphere microbial members to facilitate nutrient acquisition, and in return, plants provide carbon resources to these root-associated microorganisms. However, atmospheric nutrient deposition can affect plant-microbe relationships by changing soil bacterial composition and by reducing cooperation between microbial taxa and plants. To examine how long-term nutrient addition shapes rhizosphere community composition, we compared traits associated with bacterial (fast-growing copiotrophs, slow-growing oligotrophs) and plant (C3 forb, C4 grass) communities residing in a nutrient-poor wetland ecosystem. Results revealed that oligotrophic taxa dominated soil bacterial communities and that fertilization increased the presence of oligotrophs in bulk and rhizosphere communities. Additionally, bacterial species diversity was greatest in fertilized soils, particularly in bulk soils. Nutrient enrichment (fertilized versus unfertilized) and plant association (bulk versus rhizosphere) determined bacterial community composition; bacterial community structure associated with plant functional group (grass versus forb) was similar within treatments but differed between fertilization treatments. The core forb microbiome consisted of 602 unique taxa, and the core grass microbiome consisted of 372 unique taxa. Forb rhizospheres were enriched in potentially disease-suppressive bacterial taxa, and grass rhizospheres were enriched in bacterial taxa associated with complex carbon decomposition. Results from this study demonstrate that fertilization serves as a strong environmental filter on the soil microbiome, which leads to distinct rhizosphere communities and can shift plant effects on the rhizosphere microbiome. These taxonomic shifts within plant rhizospheres could have implications for plant health and ecosystem functions associated with carbon and nitrogen cycling.ECU Open Access Publishing Support Fun

Shedding light on plant litter decomposition: Advances, implications and new directions in understanding the role of photodegradation

Litter decomposition contributes to one of the largest fluxes of carbon (C) in the terrestrial biosphere and is a primary control on nutrient cycling. The inability of models using climate and litter chemistry to predict decomposition in dry environments has stimulated investigation of non-traditional drivers of decomposition, including photodegradation, the abiotic decomposition of organic matter via exposure to solar radiation. Recent work in this developing field shows that photodegradation may substantially influence terrestrial C fluxes, including abiotic production of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and methane, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. Research has also produced contradictory results regarding controls on photodegradation. Here we summarize the state of knowledge about the role of photodegradation in litter decomposition and C cycling and investigate drivers of photodegradation across experiments using a meta-analysis. Overall, increasing litter exposure to solar radiation increased mass loss by 23% with large variation in photodegradation rates among and within ecosystems. This variation was tied to both litter and environmental characteristics. Photodegradation increased with litter C to nitrogen (N) ratio, but not with lignin content, suggesting that we do not yet fully understand the underlying mechanisms. Photodegradation also increased with factors that increased solar radiation exposure (latitude and litter area to mass ratio) and decreased with mean annual precipitation. The impact of photodegradation on C (and potentially N) cycling fundamentally reshapes our thinking of decomposition as a solely biological process and requires that we define the mechanisms driving photodegradation before we can accurately represent photodegradation in global C and N models. © 2012 US Government

Solar ultraviolet radiation and ozone depletion-driven climate change: Effects on terrestrial ecosystems

In this assessment we summarise advances in our knowledge of how UV-B radiation (280-315 nm), together with other climate change factors, influence terrestrial organisms and ecosystems. We identify key uncertainties and knowledge gaps that limit our ability to fully evaluate the interactive effects of ozone depletion and climate change on these systems. We also evaluate the biological consequences of the way in which stratospheric ozone depletion has contributed to climate change in the Southern Hemisphere. Since the last assessment, several new findings or insights have emerged or been strengthened. These include: (1) the increasing recognition that UV-B radiation has specific regulatory roles in plant growth and development that in turn can have beneficial consequences for plant productivity via effects on plant hardiness, enhanced plant resistance to herbivores and pathogens, and improved quality of agricultural products with subsequent implications for food security; (2) UV-B radiation together with UV-A (315-400 nm) and visible (400-700 nm) radiation are significant drivers of decomposition of plant litter in globally important arid and semi-arid ecosystems, such as grasslands and deserts. This occurs through the process of photodegradation, which has implications for nutrient cycling and carbon storage, although considerable uncertainty exists in quantifying its regional and global biogeochemical significance; (3) UV radiation can contribute to climate change via its stimulation of volatile organic compounds from plants, plant litter and soils, although the magnitude, rates and spatial patterns of these emissions remain highly uncertain at present. UV-induced release of carbon from plant litter and soils may also contribute to global warming; and (4) depletion of ozone in the Southern Hemisphere modifies climate directly via effects on seasonal weather patterns (precipitation and wind) and these in turn have been linked to changes in the growth of plants across the Southern Hemisphere. Such research has broadened our understanding of the linkages that exist between the effects of ozone depletion, UV-B radiation and climate change on terrestrial ecosystems

Dissolved and colloidal phosphorus fluxes in forest ecosystems-an almost blind spot in ecosystem research

Understanding and quantification of phosphorus (P) fluxes are key requirements for predictions of future forest ecosystems changes as well as for transferring lessons learned from natural ecosystems to croplands and plantations. This review summarizes and evaluates the recent knowledge on mechanisms, magnitude, and relevance by which dissolved and colloidal inorganic and organic P forms can be translocated within or exported from forest ecosystems. Attention is paid to hydrological pathways of P losses at the soil profile and landscape scales, and the subsequent influence of P on aquatic ecosystems. New (unpublished) data from the German Priority Program 1685 “Ecosystem Nutrition: Forest Strategies for limited Phosphorus Resources” were added to provide up-to-date flux-based information.Nitrogen (N) additions increase the release of water-transportable P forms. Most P found in percolates and pore waters belongs to the so-called dissolved organic P (DOP) fractions, rich in orthophosphate-monoesters and also containing some orthophosphate-diesters. Total solution P concentrations range from ca. 1 to 400 µg P L−1, with large variations among forest stands. Recent sophisticated analyses revealed that large portions of the DOP in forest stream water can comprise natural nanoparticles and fine colloids which under extreme conditions may account for 40–100% of the P losses. Their translocation within preferential flow passes may be rapid, mediated by storm events. The potential total P loss through leaching into subsoils and with streams was found to be less than 50 mg P m−2 a−1, suggesting effects on ecosystems at centennial to millennium scale. All current data are based on selected snapshots only. Quantitative measurements of P fluxes in temperate forest systems are nearly absent in the literature, probably due to main research focus on the C and N cycles. Therefore, we lack complete ecosystem-based assessments of dissolved and colloidal P fluxes within and from temperate forest systems