Trajectories of Self-Perceived Math Ability, Utility Value and Interest across Middle School as Predictors of High School Math Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petersen, Jennifer Lee; Hyde, Janet Shibley

2017-01-01

Although many studies have documented developmental change in mathematics motivation, little is known about how these trends predict math performance. A sample of 288 participants from the United States reported their perceived math ability, math utility value and math interest in 5th, 7th and 9th grades. Latent growth curve models estimated…

Minimum-complexity helicopter simulation math model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heffley, Robert K.; Mnich, Marc A.

1988-01-01

An example of a minimal complexity simulation helicopter math model is presented. Motivating factors are the computational delays, cost, and inflexibility of the very sophisticated math models now in common use. A helicopter model form is given which addresses each of these factors and provides better engineering understanding of the specific handling qualities features which are apparent to the simulator pilot. The technical approach begins with specification of features which are to be modeled, followed by a build up of individual vehicle components and definition of equations. Model matching and estimation procedures are given which enable the modeling of specific helicopters from basic data sources such as flight manuals. Checkout procedures are given which provide for total model validation. A number of possible model extensions and refinement are discussed. Math model computer programs are defined and listed.

Preparing Prekindergartners with Math Readiness Skills: The Effect of Children's Talk, Focus, and Engagement on Math Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cummings, Tracy; Hofer, Kerry G.; Farran, Dale C.; Lipsey, Mark W.; Bilbrey, Carol; Vorhaus, Elizabeth

2009-01-01

The "Building Blocks PreK Math Curriculum" (Clements & Sarama, 2007) was designed to facilitate children's engagement in math and talk about math. Much research investigates the effect of curriculum on classrooms or teacher practices. This study used a mediational model to look at a curriculum's effect on children's achievement gain, operating…

Landscape approaches for determining the ensemble of folding transition states: Success and failure hinge on the degree of frustration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nymeyer, Hugh; Socci, Nicholas D.; Onuchic, José Nelson

2000-01-01

* Department of Physics, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0319; and § Center for Studies in Physics and Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10021 Edited by R. Stephen Berry, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, and approved November 5, 1999 (received for review July 2, 1999) We present a method for determining structural properties of the ensemble of folding transition states from protein simulations. This method relies on thermodynamic quantities (free energies as a function of global reaction coordinates, such as the percentage of native contacts) and not on "kinetic" measurements (rates, transmission coefficients, complete trajectories); consequently, it requires fewer computational resources compared with otherapproaches, making it more suited to large and complex models. We explain the theoretical framework that underlies this method and use it to clarify the connection between the experimentally determined value, a quantity determined by the ratio of rate and stability changes due to point mutations, and the average structure of the transition state ensemble. To determine the accuracy of this thermodynamic approach, we apply it to minimalist protein models and compare these results with the ones obtained by using the standard experimental procedure for determining values. We show that the accuracy of both methods depends sensitively on the amount of frustration. In particular, the results are similar when applied to models with minimal amounts of frustration, characteristic of rapid-folding, single-domain globular proteins.

The role of social support in students' perceived abilities and attitudes toward math and science.

PubMed

Rice, Lindsay; Barth, Joan M; Guadagno, Rosanna E; Smith, Gabrielle P A; McCallum, Debra M

2013-07-01

Social cognitive models examining academic and career outcomes emphasize constructs such as attitude, interest, and self-efficacy as key factors affecting students' pursuit of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) courses and careers. The current research examines another under-researched component of social cognitive models: social support, and the relationship between this component and attitude and self-efficacy in math and science. A large cross-sectional design was used gathering data from 1,552 participants in four adolescent school settings from 5th grade to early college (41 % female, 80 % white). Students completed measures of perceived social support from parents, teachers and friends as well as their perceived ability and attitudes toward math and science. Fifth grade and college students reported higher levels of support from teachers and friends when compared to students at other grade levels. In addition, students who perceived greater social support for math and science from parents, teachers, and friends reported better attitudes and had higher perceptions of their abilities in math and science. Lastly, structural equation modeling revealed that social support had both a direct effect on math and science perceived abilities and an indirect effect mediated through math and science attitudes. Findings suggest that students who perceive greater social support for math and science from parents, teachers, and friends have more positive attitudes toward math and science and a higher sense of their own competence in these subjects.

Mathematical learning instruction and teacher motivation factors affecting science technology engineering and math (STEM) major choices in 4-year colleges and universities: Multilevel structural equation modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Ahlam

2011-12-01

Using the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002/06, this study examined the effects of the selected mathematical learning and teacher motivation factors on graduates' science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) related major choices in 4-year colleges and universities, as mediated by math performance and math self-efficacy. Using multilevel structural equation modeling, I analyzed: (1) the association between mathematical learning instruction factors (i.e., computer, individual, and lecture-based learning activities in mathematics) and students' STEM major choices in 4-year colleges and universities as mediated by math performance and math self-efficacy and (2) the association between school factor, teacher motivation and students' STEM major choices in 4-year colleges and universities via mediators of math performance and math self-efficacy. The results revealed that among the selected learning experience factors, computer-based learning activities in math classrooms yielded the most positive effects on math self-efficacy, which significantly predicted the increase in the proportion of students' STEM major choice as mediated by math self-efficacy. Further, when controlling for base-year math Item Response Theory (IRT) scores, a positive relationship between individual-based learning activities in math classrooms and the first follow-up math IRT scores emerged, which related to the high proportion of students' STEM major choices. The results also indicated that individual and lecture-based learning activities in math yielded positive effects on math self-efficacy, which related to STEM major choice. Concerning between-school levels, teacher motivation yielded positive effects on the first follow up math IRT score, when controlling for base year IRT score. The results from this study inform educators, parents, and policy makers on how mathematics instruction can improve student math performance and encourage more students to prepare for STEM careers. Students should receive all possible opportunities to use computers to enhance their math self-efficacy, be encouraged to review math materials, and concentrate on listening to math teachers' lectures. While all selected math-learning activities should be embraced in math instruction, computer and individual-based learning activities, which reflect student-driven learning, should be emphasized in the high school instruction. Likewise, students should be encouraged to frequently engage in individual-based learning activities to improve their math performance.

A Comparison of Two Balance Calibration Model Building Methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DeLoach, Richard; Ulbrich, Norbert

2007-01-01

Simulated strain-gage balance calibration data is used to compare the accuracy of two balance calibration model building methods for different noise environments and calibration experiment designs. The first building method obtains a math model for the analysis of balance calibration data after applying a candidate math model search algorithm to the calibration data set. The second building method uses stepwise regression analysis in order to construct a model for the analysis. Four balance calibration data sets were simulated in order to compare the accuracy of the two math model building methods. The simulated data sets were prepared using the traditional One Factor At a Time (OFAT) technique and the Modern Design of Experiments (MDOE) approach. Random and systematic errors were introduced in the simulated calibration data sets in order to study their influence on the math model building methods. Residuals of the fitted calibration responses and other statistical metrics were compared in order to evaluate the calibration models developed with different combinations of noise environment, experiment design, and model building method. Overall, predicted math models and residuals of both math model building methods show very good agreement. Significant differences in model quality were attributable to noise environment, experiment design, and their interaction. Generally, the addition of systematic error significantly degraded the quality of calibration models developed from OFAT data by either method, but MDOE experiment designs were more robust with respect to the introduction of a systematic component of the unexplained variance.

Completing the Remedial Sequence and College-Level Credit-Bearing Math: Comparing Binary, Cumulative, and Continuation Ratio Logistic Regression Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davidson, J. Cody

2016-01-01

Mathematics is the most common subject area of remedial need and the majority of remedial math students never pass a college-level credit-bearing math class. The majorities of studies that investigate this phenomenon are conducted at community colleges and use some type of regression model; however, none have used a continuation ratio model. The…

STS-2: SAIL non-avionics subsystems math model requirements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bennett, W. P.; Herold, R. W.

1980-01-01

Simulation of the STS-2 Shuttle nonavionics subsystems in the shuttle avionics integration laboratory (SAIL) is necessary for verification of the integrated shuttle avionics system. The math model (simulation) requirements for each of the nonavionics subsystems that interfaces with the Shuttle avionics system is documented and a single source document for controlling approved changes (by the SAIL change control panel) to the math models is provided.

The Menu for Every Young Mathematician's Appetite

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Legnard, Danielle S.; Austin, Susan L.

2012-01-01

Math Workshop offers differentiated instruction to foster a deep understanding of rich, rigorous mathematics that is attainable by all learners. The inquiry-based model provides a menu of multilevel math tasks, within the daily math block, that focus on similar mathematical content. Math Workshop promotes a culture of engagement and…

Molecular and functional characterization of pigeon (Columba livia) tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 3.

PubMed

Zhou, Yingying; Kang, Xilong; Xiong, Dan; Zhu, Shanshan; Zheng, Huijuan; Xu, Ying; Guo, Yaxin; Pan, Zhiming; Jiao, Xinan

2017-04-01

Tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 3 (TRAF3) plays a key antiviral role by promoting type I interferon production. We cloned the pigeon TRAF3 gene (PiTRAF3) according to its predicted mRNA sequence to investigate its function. The 1704-bp full-length open reading frame encodes a 567-amino acid protein. One Ring finger, two TRAF-type Zinc fingers, one Coiled coil, and one MATH domain were inferred. RT-PCR showed that PiTRAF3 was expressed in all tissues, with relatively weak expression in the heart and liver. In HEK293T cells, over-expression of wild-type, △Ring, △Zinc finger, and △Coiled coil PiTRAF3, but not a △MATH form, significantly increased IFN-β promoter activity. Zinc finger and Coiled coil domains were essential for NF-κB activation. In chicken HD11 cells, PiTRAF3 increased IFN-β promoter activity and four domains were all contributing. R848 stimulation of pigeon peripheral blood mononuclear cells and splenocytes significantly increased expression of PiTRAF3 and the inflammatory cytokine genes CCL5, IL-8, and IL-10. These data demonstrate TRAF3's innate immune function and improve understanding of its involvement in poultry antiviral defense. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Neonatal systemic inflammation and the risk of low scores on measures of reading and mathematics achievement at age 10 years among children born extremely preterm.

PubMed

Leviton, Alan; Dammann, Olaf; Allred, Elizabeth N; Joseph, Robert M; Fichorova, Raina N; O'Shea, T Michael; Kuban, Karl C K

2018-05-01

Difficulties with reading and math occur more commonly among children born extremely preterm than among children born at term. Reasons for this are unclear. We measured the concentrations of 27 inflammatory-related and neurotrophic/angiogenic proteins (angio-neurotrophic proteins) in multiple blood specimens collected a week apart during the first postnatal month from 660 children born before the 28th week of gestation who at age 10 years had an IQ ≥ 70 and a Wechsler Individual Achievement Test 3rd edition (WIAT-III) assessment. We identified four groups of children, those who had a Z-score ≤ -1 on the Word Reading assessment only, on the Numerical Operations assessment only, on both of these assessments, and on neither, which served as the referent group. We then modeled the risk of each learning limitation associated with a top quartile concentration of each protein, and with high and lower concentrations of multiple proteins. The protein profile of low reading scores was confined to the third and fourth postnatal weeks when increased risks were associated with high concentrations of IL-8 and ICAM-1 in the presence of low concentrations of angio-neurotrophic proteins. The profile of low math scores was very similar, except it did not include ICAM-1. In contrast, the profile of low scores on both assessments was present in each of the first four postnatal weeks. The increased risks associated with high concentrations of TNF-α in the first two weeks and of IL-8 and ICAM-1 in the next two weeks were modulated down by high concentrations of angio-neurotrophic proteins. High concentrations of angio-neurotrophic proteins appear to reduce/moderate the risk of each learning limitation associated with systemic inflammation. The three categories of limitations have protein profiles with some similarities, and yet some differences, too. Copyright © 2018 ISDN. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

How preschool executive functioning predicts several aspects of math achievement in Grades 1 and 3: A longitudinal study.

PubMed

Viterbori, Paola; Usai, M Carmen; Traverso, Laura; De Franchis, Valentina

2015-12-01

This longitudinal study analyzes whether selected components of executive function (EF) measured during the preschool period predict several indices of math achievement in primary school. Six EF measures were assessed in a sample of 5-year-old children (N = 175). The math achievement of the same children was then tested in Grades 1 and 3 using both a composite math score and three single indices of written calculation, arithmetical facts, and problem solving. Using previous results obtained from the same sample of children, a confirmatory factor analysis examining the latent EF structure in kindergarten indicated that a two-factor model provided the best fit for the data. In this model, inhibition and working memory (WM)-flexibility were separate dimensions. A full structural equation model was then used to test the hypothesis that math achievement (the composite math score and single math scores) in Grades 1 and 3 could be explained by the two EF components comprising the kindergarten model. The results indicate that the WM-flexibility component measured during the preschool period substantially predicts mathematical achievement, especially in Grade 3. The math composite scores were predicted by the WM-flexibility factor at both grade levels. In Grade 3, both problem solving and arithmetical facts were predicted by the WM-flexibility component. The results empirically support interventions that target EF as an important component of early childhood mathematics education. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Early Math Interest and the Development of Math Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fisher, Paige H.; Dobbs-Oates, Jennifer; Doctoroff, Greta L.; Arnold, David H.

2012-01-01

Prior models suggest that math attitudes and ability might strengthen each other over time in a reciprocal fashion (Ma, 1997). The current study investigated the relationship between math interest and skill both concurrently and over time in a preschool sample. Analyses of concurrent relationships indicated that high levels of interest were…

When approximate number acuity predicts math performance: The moderating role of math anxiety

PubMed Central

Libertus, Melissa E.

2018-01-01

Separate lines of research suggest that people who are better at estimating numerical quantities using the approximate number system (ANS) have better math performance, and that people with high levels of math anxiety have worse math performance. Only a handful of studies have examined both ANS acuity and math anxiety in the same participants and those studies report contradictory results. To address these inconsistencies, in the current study 87 undergraduate students completed assessments of ANS acuity, math anxiety, and three different measures of math. We considered moderation models to examine the interplay of ANS acuity and math anxiety on different aspects of math performance. Math anxiety and ANS acuity were both unique significant predictors of the ability to automatically recall basic number facts. ANS acuity was also a unique significant predictor of the ability to solve applied math problems, and this relation was further qualified by a significant interaction with math anxiety: the positive association between ANS acuity and applied problem solving was only present in students with high math anxiety. Our findings suggest that ANS acuity and math anxiety are differentially related to various aspects of math and should be considered together when examining their respective influences on math ability. Our findings also raise the possibility that good ANS acuity serves as a protective factor for highly math-anxious students on certain types of math assessments. PMID:29718939

When approximate number acuity predicts math performance: The moderating role of math anxiety.

PubMed

Braham, Emily J; Libertus, Melissa E

2018-01-01

Separate lines of research suggest that people who are better at estimating numerical quantities using the approximate number system (ANS) have better math performance, and that people with high levels of math anxiety have worse math performance. Only a handful of studies have examined both ANS acuity and math anxiety in the same participants and those studies report contradictory results. To address these inconsistencies, in the current study 87 undergraduate students completed assessments of ANS acuity, math anxiety, and three different measures of math. We considered moderation models to examine the interplay of ANS acuity and math anxiety on different aspects of math performance. Math anxiety and ANS acuity were both unique significant predictors of the ability to automatically recall basic number facts. ANS acuity was also a unique significant predictor of the ability to solve applied math problems, and this relation was further qualified by a significant interaction with math anxiety: the positive association between ANS acuity and applied problem solving was only present in students with high math anxiety. Our findings suggest that ANS acuity and math anxiety are differentially related to various aspects of math and should be considered together when examining their respective influences on math ability. Our findings also raise the possibility that good ANS acuity serves as a protective factor for highly math-anxious students on certain types of math assessments.

Math Anxiety and Math Ability in Early Primary School Years.

PubMed

Krinzinger, Helga; Kaufmann, Liane; Willmes, Klaus

2009-06-01

Mathematical learning disabilities (MLDs) are often associated with math anxiety, yet until now, very little is known about the causal relations between calculation ability and math anxiety during early primary school years. The main aim of this study was to longitudinally investigate the relationship between calculation ability, self-reported evaluation of mathematics, and math anxiety in 140 primary school children between the end of first grade and the middle of third grade. Structural equation modeling revealed a strong influence of calculation ability and math anxiety on the evaluation of mathematics but no effect of math anxiety on calculation ability or vice versa-contrasting with the frequent clinical reports of math anxiety even in very young MLD children. To summarize, our study is a first step toward a better understanding of the link between math anxiety and math performance in early primary school years performance during typical and atypical courses of development.

Promotive and Corrosive Factors in African American Students' Math Beliefs and Achievement.

PubMed

Diemer, Matthew A; Marchand, Aixa D; McKellar, Sarah E; Malanchuk, Oksana

2016-06-01

Framed by expectancy-value theory (which posits that beliefs about and the subjective valuation of a domain predict achievement and decision-making in that domain), this study examined the relationships among teacher differential treatment and relevant math instruction on African American students' self-concept of math ability, math task value, and math achievement. These questions were examined by applying structural equation modeling to 618 African American youth (45.6 % female) followed from 7th to 11th grade in the Maryland Adolescent Development in Context Study. While controlling for gender and prior math achievement, relevant math instruction promoted and teacher differential treatment corroded students' math beliefs and achievement over time. Further, teacher discrimination undermined students' perceptions of their teachers, a mediating process under-examined in previous inquiry. These findings suggest policy and practice levers to narrow opportunity gaps, as well as foster math achievement and science, technology, engineering and math success.

Math Anxiety and Math Ability in Early Primary School Years

PubMed Central

Krinzinger, Helga; Kaufmann, Liane; Willmes, Klaus

2010-01-01

Mathematical learning disabilities (MLDs) are often associated with math anxiety, yet until now, very little is known about the causal relations between calculation ability and math anxiety during early primary school years. The main aim of this study was to longitudinally investigate the relationship between calculation ability, self-reported evaluation of mathematics, and math anxiety in 140 primary school children between the end of first grade and the middle of third grade. Structural equation modeling revealed a strong influence of calculation ability and math anxiety on the evaluation of mathematics but no effect of math anxiety on calculation ability or vice versa—contrasting with the frequent clinical reports of math anxiety even in very young MLD children. To summarize, our study is a first step toward a better understanding of the link between math anxiety and math performance in early primary school years performance during typical and atypical courses of development. PMID:20401159

ASTP ranging system mathematical model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ellis, M. R.; Robinson, L. H.

1973-01-01

A mathematical model is presented of the VHF ranging system to analyze the performance of the Apollo-Soyuz test project (ASTP). The system was adapted for use in the ASTP. The ranging system mathematical model is presented in block diagram form, and a brief description of the overall model is also included. A procedure for implementing the math model is presented along with a discussion of the validation of the math model and the overall summary and conclusions of the study effort. Detailed appendices of the five study tasks are presented: early late gate model development, unlock probability development, system error model development, probability of acquisition and model development, and math model validation testing.

Social Cognitive Predictors of Mexican American High School Students' Math/Science Career Goals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garriott, Patton O.; Raque-Bogdan, Trisha L.; Zoma, Lorrine; Mackie-Hernandez, Dylan; Lavin, Kelly

2017-01-01

This study tested a social cognitive model of math/science career goals in a sample (N = 258) of Mexican American high school students. Familism and proximal family supports for math/science careers were examined as predictors of math/science: performance accomplishments, self-efficacy, interests, and goals. Results showed that the hypothesized…

Beginning School Math Competence: Minority and Majority Comparisons. Report No. 34.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Entwisle, Doris R.; Alexander, Karl L.

This paper uses a structural model with a large random sample of urban children to explain children's competence in math concepts and computation at the time they begin first grade. These two aspects of math ability respond differently to environmental resources, with math concepts much more responsive to family factors before formal schooling…

Modifying high-order aeroelastic math model of a jet transport using maximum likelihood estimation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anissipour, Amir A.; Benson, Russell A.

1989-01-01

The design of control laws to damp flexible structural modes requires accurate math models. Unlike the design of control laws for rigid body motion (e.g., where robust control is used to compensate for modeling inaccuracies), structural mode damping usually employs narrow band notch filters. In order to obtain the required accuracy in the math model, maximum likelihood estimation technique is employed to improve the accuracy of the math model using flight data. Presented here are all phases of this methodology: (1) pre-flight analysis (i.e., optimal input signal design for flight test, sensor location determination, model reduction technique, etc.), (2) data collection and preprocessing, and (3) post-flight analysis (i.e., estimation technique and model verification). In addition, a discussion is presented of the software tools used and the need for future study in this field.

Boys' and girls' weight status and math performance from kindergarten entry through fifth grade: a mediated analysis.

PubMed

Gable, Sara; Krull, Jennifer L; Chang, Yiting

2012-01-01

This study tests a mediated model of boys' and girls' weight status and math performance with 6,250 children from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study. Five data points spanning kindergarten entry (mean age=68.46 months) through fifth grade (mean age=134.60 months) were analyzed. Three weight status groups were identified: persistent obesity, later onset obesity, and never obese. Multilevel models tested relations between weight status and math performance, weight status and interpersonal skills and internalizing behaviors, and interpersonal skills and internalizing behaviors and math performance. Interpersonal skills mediated the association between weight status and math performance for girls, and internalizing behaviors mediated the association between weight status and math performance for both sexes, with effects varying by group and time. © 2012 The Authors. Child Development © 2012 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Early Math Trajectories: Low-Income Children's Mathematics Knowledge From Ages 4 to 11.

PubMed

Rittle-Johnson, Bethany; Fyfe, Emily R; Hofer, Kerry G; Farran, Dale C

2017-09-01

Early mathematics knowledge is a strong predictor of later academic achievement, but children from low-income families enter school with weak mathematics knowledge. An early math trajectories model is proposed and evaluated within a longitudinal study of 517 low-income American children from ages 4 to 11. This model includes a broad range of math topics, as well as potential pathways from preschool to middle grades mathematics achievement. In preschool, nonsymbolic quantity, counting, and patterning knowledge predicted fifth-grade mathematics achievement. By the end of first grade, symbolic mapping, calculation, and patterning knowledge were the important predictors. Furthermore, the first-grade predictors mediated the relation between preschool math knowledge and fifth-grade mathematics achievement. Findings support the early math trajectories model among low-income children. © 2016 The Authors. Child Development © 2016 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Neurocognitive Predictors of Mathematical Processing in School-Aged Children with Spina Bifida and Their Typically Developing Peers: Attention, Working Memory, and Fine Motor Skills

PubMed Central

Raghubar, Kimberly P.; Barnes, Marcia A.; Dennis, Maureen; Cirino, Paul T.; Taylor, Heather; Landry, Susan

2015-01-01

Objective Math and attention are related in neurobiological and behavioral models of mathematical cognition. This study employed model-driven assessments of attention and math in children with spina bifida myelomeningocele (SBM), who have known math difficulties and specific attentional deficits, to more directly examine putative relations between attention and mathematical processing. The relation of other domain general abilities and math was also investigated. Method Participants were 9.5-year-old children with SBM (N = 44) and typically developing children (N = 50). Participants were administered experimental exact and approximate arithmetic tasks, and standardized measures of math fluency and calculation. Cognitive measures included the Attention Network Test (ANT), and standardized measures of fine motor skills, verbal working memory (WM), and visual-spatial WM. Results Children with SBM performed similarly to peers on exact arithmetic but more poorly on approximate and standardized arithmetic measures. On the ANT, children with SBM differed from controls on orienting attention but not alerting and executive attention. Multiple mediation models showed that: fine motor skills and verbal WM mediated the relation of group to approximate arithmetic; fine motor skills and visual-spatial WM mediated the relation of group to math fluency; and verbal and visual-spatial WM mediated the relation of group to math calculation. Attention was not a significant mediator of the effects of group for any aspect of math in this study. Conclusions Results are discussed with reference to models of attention, WM, and mathematical cognition. PMID:26011113

Neurocognitive predictors of mathematical processing in school-aged children with spina bifida and their typically developing peers: Attention, working memory, and fine motor skills.

PubMed

Raghubar, Kimberly P; Barnes, Marcia A; Dennis, Maureen; Cirino, Paul T; Taylor, Heather; Landry, Susan

2015-11-01

Math and attention are related in neurobiological and behavioral models of mathematical cognition. This study employed model-driven assessments of attention and math in children with spina bifida myelomeningocele (SBM), who have known math difficulties and specific attentional deficits, to more directly examine putative relations between attention and mathematical processing. The relation of other domain general abilities and math was also investigated. Participants were 9.5-year-old children with SBM (n = 44) and typically developing children (n = 50). Participants were administered experimental exact and approximate arithmetic tasks, and standardized measures of math fluency and calculation. Cognitive measures included the Attention Network Test (ANT), and standardized measures of fine motor skills, verbal working memory (WM), and visual-spatial WM. Children with SBM performed similarly to peers on exact arithmetic, but more poorly on approximate and standardized arithmetic measures. On the ANT, children with SBM differed from controls on orienting attention, but not on alerting and executive attention. Multiple mediation models showed that fine motor skills and verbal WM mediated the relation of group to approximate arithmetic; fine motor skills and visual-spatial WM mediated the relation of group to math fluency; and verbal and visual-spatial WM mediated the relation of group to math calculation. Attention was not a significant mediator of the effects of group for any aspect of math in this study. Results are discussed with reference to models of attention, WM, and mathematical cognition. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

High Fidelity Modeling of Field-Reversed Configuration (FRC) Thrusters (Briefing Charts)

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-05-24

Converged Math → Irrelevant Solutions? Validation: Fluids Example Stoke’s Flow MARTIN, SOUSA, TRAN (AFRL/RQRS) DISTRIBUTION A - APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE...Convergence Tests Converged Math → Irrelevant Solutions? Must be Aware of Valid Assumption Regions Validation: Fluids Example Stoke’s Flow Potential...AND VALIDATION Verification: Asymptotic Models → Analytical Solutions Yields Exact Convergence Tests Converged Math → Irrelevant Solutions? Must be

Atlas Career Path Guidebook: Patterns and Common Practices in Systems Engineers’ Development

DTIC Science & Technology

2018-01-16

Overview of Atlas Proficiency Model .............................................................................. 68 5.1.2. Math /Science/General... Math /Science/General Engineering ................................ 72 Figure 42. Distribution for individuals with highest proficiency self...assessment in Math /Science/General Engineering ..................................................................................... 73 Figure 43

The Relative Value of Growth in Math Fact Skills across Late Elementary and Middle School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Peter M.; Parker, David C.; Zaslofsky, Anne F.

2016-01-01

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the importance of growth in math fact skills within the context of overall math proficiency. Data for 1,493 elementary and middle school students were included for analysis. Regression models were fit to examine the relative value of math fact fluency growth, prior state test performance, and a fall…

The Internal/External Frame of Reference of Academic Self-Concept: Extension to a Foreign Language and the Role of Language of Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xu, Man K.; Marsh, Herbert W.; Hau, Kit-Tai; Ho, Irene T.; Morin, Alexandre J. S.; Abduljabbar, Adel S.

2013-01-01

The internal/external frame of reference (I/E) model (Marsh, 1986) posits that the effects of contrasting math and verbal domains of achievement are positive for matching academic self-concepts (ASCs) but negative for nonmatching ASCs (i.e., math achievement on verbal ASC; verbal achievement on math ASC). We extend the classic I/E model by…

Regularity Results for a Class of Functionals with Non-Standard Growth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Acerbi, Emilio; Mingione, Giuseppe

We consider the integral functional under non-standard growth assumptions that we call p(x) type: namely, we assume that a relevant model case being the functional Under sharp assumptions on the continuous function p(x)>1 we prove regularity of minimizers. Energies exhibiting this growth appear in several models from mathematical physics.

Aloha Teachers: Teacher Autonomy Support Promotes Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Students' Motivation, School Belonging, Course-Taking and Math Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Froiland, John Mark; Davison, Mark L.; Worrell, Frank C.

2016-01-01

Among 110 Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, teacher autonomy support in 9th grade significantly predicted intrinsic motivation for math in 9th grade as well as math course-taking over the next 2 years, both of which in turn significantly predicted math achievement by 11th grade. In a second model, teacher autonomy support was positively…

The Effect of Cognitively Guided Instruction on Primary Students' Math Achievement, Problem-Solving Abilities and Teacher Questioning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Medrano, Juan

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study is to impact the teaching and learning of math of 2nd through 4th grade math students at Porfirio H. Gonzales Elementary School. The Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) model serves as the independent variable for this study. Its intent is to promote math instruction that emphasizes problem-solving to a greater degree…

Cognitive Prediction of Reading, Math, and Attention: Shared and Unique Influences.

PubMed

Peterson, Robin L; Boada, Richard; McGrath, Lauren M; Willcutt, Erik G; Olson, Richard K; Pennington, Bruce F

The current study tested a multiple-cognitive predictor model of word reading, math ability, and attention in a community-based sample of twins ages 8 to 16 years ( N = 636). The objective was to identify cognitive predictors unique to each skill domain as well as cognitive predictors shared among skills that could help explain their overlap and thus help illuminate the basis for comorbidity of related disorders (reading disability, math disability, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). Results indicated that processing speed contributes to the overlap between reading and attention as well as math and attention, whereas verbal comprehension contributes to the overlap between reading and math. There was no evidence that executive functioning skills help account for covariation among these skill domains. Instead, specific executive functions differentially related to certain outcomes (i.e., working memory to math and inhibition to attention). We explored whether the model varied in younger versus older children and found only minor differences. Results are interpreted within the context of the multiple deficit framework for neurodevelopmental disorders.

Fluid reasoning predicts future mathematics among children and adolescents

PubMed Central

Green, Chloe T.; Bunge, Silvia A.; Chiongbian, Victoria Briones; Barrow, Maia; Ferrer, Emilio

2017-01-01

The aim of this longitudinal study was to determine whether fluid reasoning (FR) plays a significant role in the acquisition of mathematics skills, above and beyond the effects of other cognitive and numerical abilities. Using a longitudinal cohort sequential design, we examined how FR measured at three assessment occasions, spaced approximately 1.5 years apart, predicted math outcomes for a group of 69 participants between ages 6 and 21 across all three assessment occasions. We used structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the direct and indirect relations between children's prior cognitive abilities and their future math achievement. A model including age, FR, vocabulary, and spatial skills accounted for 90% of the variance in future math achievement. In this model, FR was the only significant predictor of future math achievement; neither age, vocabulary, nor spatial skills were significant predictors. Thus, FR was the only predictor of future math achievement across a wide age range that spanned primary and secondary school. These findings build on Cattell's conceptualization of FR (Cattell, 1987) as a scaffold for learning, showing that this domain-general ability supports the acquisition of rudimentary math skills as well as the ability to solve more complex mathematical problems. PMID:28152390

A Model for Math Modeling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Tony; Erfan, Sasan

2016-01-01

Mathematical modeling is an open-ended research subject where no definite answers exist for any problem. Math modeling enables thinking outside the box to connect different fields of studies together including statistics, algebra, calculus, matrices, programming and scientific writing. As an integral part of society, it is the foundation for many…

No doubt about it: when doubtful role models undermine men's and women's math performance under threat.

PubMed

Marx, David M; Monroe, Allyce H; Cole, Chris E; Gilbert, Patricia N

2013-01-01

Past work has shown that female role models are effective buffers against stereotype threat. The present research examines the boundary conditions of this role model effect. Specifically, we argue that female role models should avoid expressing doubt about their math abilities; otherwise they may cease to buffer women from stereotype threat. For men, a non-doubtful male role model should be seen as threatening, thus harming performance. A doubtful male role model, however, should be seen as non-threatening, thus allowing men to perform up to their ability in math. To test this reasoning, men and women were exposed to either an outgroup or ingroup role model who either expressed doubt or did not. Participants then took a math exam under stereotype threat conditions. As expected, doubtful ingroup role models hurt women, but helped men's performance. Outgroup role models' expressed doubt had no differential effect on performance. We also show that expressions of doubt take on a different meaning when expressed by a female rather than a male role model.

Math anxiety and its relationship with basic arithmetic skills among primary school children.

PubMed

Sorvo, Riikka; Koponen, Tuire; Viholainen, Helena; Aro, Tuija; Räikkönen, Eija; Peura, Pilvi; Dowker, Ann; Aro, Mikko

2017-09-01

Children have been found to report and demonstrate math anxiety as early as the first grade. However, previous results concerning the relationship between math anxiety and performance are contradictory, with some studies establishing a correlation between them while others do not. These contradictory results might be related to varying operationalizations of math anxiety. In this study, we aimed to examine the prevalence of math anxiety and its relationship with basic arithmetic skills in primary school children, with explicit focus on two aspects of math anxiety: anxiety about failure in mathematics and anxiety in math-related situations. The participants comprised 1,327 children at grades 2-5. Math anxiety was assessed using six items, and basic arithmetic skills were assessed using three assessment tasks. Around one-third of the participants reported anxiety about being unable to do math, one-fifth about having to answer teachers' questions, and one tenth about having to do math. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that anxiety about math-related situations and anxiety about failure in mathematics are separable aspects of math anxiety. Structural equation modelling suggested that anxiety about math-related situations was more strongly associated with arithmetic fluency than anxiety about failure. Anxiety about math-related situations was most common among second graders and least common among fifth graders. As math anxiety, particularly about math-related situations, was related to arithmetic fluency even as early as the second grade, children's negative feelings and math anxiety should be identified and addressed from the early primary school years. © 2017 The British Psychological Society.

Searching for the Golden Model of Education: Cross-National Analysis of Math Achievement

PubMed Central

Bodovski, Katerina; Byun, Soo-yong; Chykina, Volha; Chung, Hee Jin

2017-01-01

We utilized four waves of TIMSS data in addition to the information we have collected on countries’ educational systems to examine whether different degrees of standardization, differentiation, proportion of students in private schools and governmental spending on education influence students’ math achievement, its variation and socioeconomic status (SES) gaps in math achievement. Findings: A higher level of standardization of educational systems was associated with higher average math achievement. Greater expenditure on education (as % of total government expenditure) was associated with a lower level of dispersion of math achievement and smaller SES gaps in math achievement. Wealthier countries exhibited higher average math achievement and a narrower variation. Higher income inequality (measured by Gini index) was associated with a lower average math achievement and larger SES gaps. Further, we found that higher level of standardization alleviates the negative effects of differentiation in the systems with more rigid tracking. PMID:29151667

Number-specific and general cognitive markers of preschoolers' math ability profiles.

PubMed

Gray, Sarah A; Reeve, Robert A

2016-07-01

Different number-specific and general cognitive markers have been claimed to underlie preschoolers' math ability. It is unclear, however, whether similar/different cognitive markers, or combinations of them, are associated with different patterns of emerging math abilities (i.e., different patterns of strength and weakness). To examine this question, 103 preschoolers (40-60 months of age) completed six math tasks (count sequence, object counting, give a number, naming numbers, ordinal relations, and arithmetic), three number-specific markers of math ability (dot enumeration, magnitude comparison, and spontaneous focusing on numerosity), and four general markers (working memory, response inhibition, attention, and vocabulary). A three-step latent profile modeling procedure identified five math ability profiles that differed in their patterns of math strengths and weaknesses; specifically, the profiles were characterized by (a) excellent math ability on all math tasks, (b) good arithmetic ability, (c) good math ability but relatively poor count sequence recitation ability, (d) average ability on all math tasks, and (e) poor ability on all math tasks. After controlling for age, only dot enumeration and spontaneous focusing on numerosity were associated with the math ability profiles, whereas vocabulary was also marginally significant, and these markers were differentially associated with different profiles; that is, different cognitive markers were associated with different patterns of strengths and weaknesses in math abilities. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the development of math cognition. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Increasing Success Rates in Developmental Math: The Complementary Role of Individual and Institutional Characteristics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fong, Kristen E.; Melguizo, Tatiana; Prather, George

2015-01-01

This study tracks students' progression through developmental math sequences and defines progression as both attempting and passing each level of the sequence. A model of successful progression in developmental education was built utilizing individual-, institutional-, and developmental math-level factors. Employing step-wise logistic regression…

Atlas 1.1: An Update to the Theory of Effective Systems Engineers

DTIC Science & Technology

2018-01-16

Proficiency Model ........................................................................................................... 21 5.1.1 Area 1: Math ... Math /Science/General Engineering: Foundational concepts from mathematics, physical sciences, and general engineering; 2. System’s Domain...Table 5. Atlas Proficiency Areas, Categories, and Topics Area Category Topic 1. Math / Science / General Engineering 1.1. Natural Science

Behavioral Engagement in Learning and Math Achievement over Kindergarten: A Contextual Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robinson, Keith; Mueller, Anna S.

2014-01-01

Using nationally representative data on 12,462 kindergarten children, this report examines the link between behavioral engagement and math achievement growth during kindergarten. Multilevel models show that students with higher individual engagement tend to experience larger math achievement growth over kindergarten, that classroom engagement…

enVisionMATH. What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2013

2013-01-01

"enVisionMATH," published by Pearson Education, Inc., is a core curriculum for students in kindergarten through grade 6. The program seeks to help students develop an understanding of math concepts through problem-based instruction, small-group interaction, and visual learning with a focus on reasoning and modeling. Differentiated…

Etudes Asymptotiques en Filtrage Non Lineaire Avec Petit Bruit D’Observation (Asymptotic Studies in Nonlinear Time Filtering with Small Observation Noise)

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-09-26

Tentugal Valente, pour la maniire enthousiaste avtc laquelle il a soutenu ce projet . Je ne dois pas oublier de remercier If, Groupe de Math 6matiques...oial sur un travectie csimue d~veloppement au sein du projet MEFISTO, i. lINRIA - centre de Sophia - Antipolis. 56 Dans cette 6tude asymptotique de...Control and Information Sciences, 83, Springer 1986. 58 [Picard] Picard, J. : Nonlinear filtering and smoothing with high sig - nal-to-noise ratio

Designing Tasks for Math Modeling in College Algebra: A Critical Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Staats, Susan; Robertson, Douglas

2014-01-01

Over the last decade, the pedagogical approach known as mathematical modeling has received increased interest in college algebra classes in the United States. Math modeling assignments ask students to develop their own problem-solving tools to address non-routine, realistic scenarios. The open-ended quality of modeling activities creates dilemmas…

Payload test philosophy. [to provide confidence in Shuttle structural math models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mayhew, D.

1979-01-01

Shuttle payload test philosophy is discussed with reference to testing to provide confidence in Shuttle structural math models. Particular attention is given the Shuttle quarter-scale program and the Mated Vertical Ground Vibration Test Program.

Young-age gender differences in mathematics mediated by independent control or uncontrollability.

PubMed

Zirk-Sadowski, Jan; Lamptey, Charlotte; Devine, Amy; Haggard, Mark; Szűcs, Dénes

2014-05-01

We studied whether the origins of math anxiety can be related to a biologically supported framework of stress induction: (un)controllability perception, here indicated by self-reported independent efforts in mathematics. Math anxiety was tested in 182 children (8- to 11-year-olds). Latent factor modeling was used to test hypotheses on plausible causal processes and mediations within competing models in quasi-experimental contrasts. Uncontrollability perception in mathematics, or (in)dependence of efforts, best fit the data as an antecedent of math anxiety. In addition, the relationship of math anxiety with gender was fully mediated by adaptive perception of control (i.e. controllability). That is, young boys differ from girls in terms of their experience of control in mathematics learning. These differences influence math anxiety. Our findings are consistent with recent suggestions in clinical literature according to which uncontrollability makes women more susceptible to fear and anxiety disorders. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Mathematical Modeling: Are Prior Experiences Important?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Czocher, Jennifer A.; Moss, Diana L.

2017-01-01

Why are math modeling problems the source of such frustration for students and teachers? The conceptual understanding that students have when engaging with a math modeling problem varies greatly. They need opportunities to make their own assumptions and design the mathematics to fit these assumptions (CCSSI 2010). Making these assumptions is part…

Designing Networks that are Capable of Self-Healing and Adapting

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-04-01

Undergrad. Res. Fellowship, visiting from Caltech. Undergraduate Eugene Park Math Duke Models of self-healing networks (undergrad. senior thesis...Graduate student Anastasia Deckard Math Duke 3rd/4th year PhD. Wrote software for simulation. Undergraduate Nick Day Math LIMS Summer project at...Harer gave a talk on this DTRA grant to undergraduate math majors at Duke. 11 Q UA D C HA R T Uploaded to the DTRA Basic and Fundamental Research

The Mediating Relation between Symbolic and Nonsymbolic Foundations of Math Competence

PubMed Central

Price, Gavin R.; Fuchs, Lynn S.

2016-01-01

This study investigated the relation between symbolic and nonsymbolic magnitude processing abilities with 2 standardized measures of math competence (WRAT Arithmetic and KeyMath Numeration) in 150 3rd- grade children (mean age 9.01 years). Participants compared sets of dots and pairs of Arabic digits with numerosities 1–9 for relative numerical magnitude. In line with previous studies, performance on both symbolic and nonsymbolic magnitude processing was related to math ability. Performance metrics combining reaction and accuracy, as well as weber fractions, were entered into mediation models with standardized math test scores. Results showed that symbolic magnitude processing ability fully mediates the relation between nonsymbolic magnitude processing and math ability, regardless of the performance metric or standardized test. PMID:26859564

The Mediating Relation between Symbolic and Nonsymbolic Foundations of Math Competence.

PubMed

Price, Gavin R; Fuchs, Lynn S

2016-01-01

This study investigated the relation between symbolic and nonsymbolic magnitude processing abilities with 2 standardized measures of math competence (WRAT Arithmetic and KeyMath Numeration) in 150 3rd-grade children (mean age 9.01 years). Participants compared sets of dots and pairs of Arabic digits with numerosities 1-9 for relative numerical magnitude. In line with previous studies, performance on both symbolic and nonsymbolic magnitude processing was related to math ability. Performance metrics combining reaction and accuracy, as well as weber fractions, were entered into mediation models with standardized math test scores. Results showed that symbolic magnitude processing ability fully mediates the relation between nonsymbolic magnitude processing and math ability, regardless of the performance metric or standardized test.

Multivariate Latent Change Modeling of Developmental Decline in Academic Intrinsic Math Motivation and Achievement: Childhood through Adolescence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gottfried, Adele Eskeles; Marcoulides, George A.; Gottfried, Allen W.; Oliver, Pamella H.; Guerin, Diana Wright

2007-01-01

Research has established that academic intrinsic motivation, enjoyment of school learning without receipt of external rewards, significantly declines across childhood through adolescence. Math intrinsic motivation evidences the most severe decline compared with other subject areas. This study addresses this developmental decline in math intrinsic…

Assessing Impacts of "Math in Focus," a "Singapore Math" Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jaciw, Andrew P.; Hegseth, Whitney Michelle; Lin, Li; Toby, Megan; Newman, Denis; Ma, Boya; Zacamy, Jenna

2016-01-01

This study investigates, through a cluster randomized trial, the impact of "Math in Focus," a core mathematics program modeled after instructional approaches used in Singapore, on third- through fifth-grade students' achievement in mathematics. The program is currently being used in more than 400 school districts in the United States.…

Applied Math. Course Materials: Math 111, 112, 113. Seattle Tech Prep Applied Academics Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

South Seattle Community Coll., Washington.

This publication contains materials for three courses in Applied Math in the Applied Academics program at South Seattle Community College. It begins with the article, "Community College Applied Academics: The State of the Art?" (George B. Neff), which describes the characteristics, model, courses, and coordination activity that make up…

Predicting first-grade mathematics achievement: the contributions of domain-general cognitive abilities, nonverbal number sense, and early number competence.

PubMed

Hornung, Caroline; Schiltz, Christine; Brunner, Martin; Martin, Romain

2014-01-01

Early number competence, grounded in number-specific and domain-general cognitive abilities, is theorized to lay the foundation for later math achievement. Few longitudinal studies have tested a comprehensive model for early math development. Using structural equation modeling and mediation analyses, the present work examined the influence of kindergarteners' nonverbal number sense and domain-general abilities (i.e., working memory, fluid intelligence, and receptive vocabulary) and their early number competence (i.e., symbolic number skills) on first grade math achievement (i.e., arithmetic, shape and space skills, and number line estimation) assessed 1 year later. Latent regression models revealed that nonverbal number sense and working memory are central building blocks for developing early number competence in kindergarten and that early number competence is key for first grade math achievement. After controlling for early number competence, fluid intelligence significantly predicted arithmetic and number line estimation while receptive vocabulary significantly predicted shape and space skills. In sum we suggest that early math achievement draws on different constellations of number-specific and domain-general mechanisms.

Predicting first-grade mathematics achievement: the contributions of domain-general cognitive abilities, nonverbal number sense, and early number competence

PubMed Central

Hornung, Caroline; Schiltz, Christine; Brunner, Martin; Martin, Romain

2014-01-01

Early number competence, grounded in number-specific and domain-general cognitive abilities, is theorized to lay the foundation for later math achievement. Few longitudinal studies have tested a comprehensive model for early math development. Using structural equation modeling and mediation analyses, the present work examined the influence of kindergarteners' nonverbal number sense and domain-general abilities (i.e., working memory, fluid intelligence, and receptive vocabulary) and their early number competence (i.e., symbolic number skills) on first grade math achievement (i.e., arithmetic, shape and space skills, and number line estimation) assessed 1 year later. Latent regression models revealed that nonverbal number sense and working memory are central building blocks for developing early number competence in kindergarten and that early number competence is key for first grade math achievement. After controlling for early number competence, fluid intelligence significantly predicted arithmetic and number line estimation while receptive vocabulary significantly predicted shape and space skills. In sum we suggest that early math achievement draws on different constellations of number-specific and domain-general mechanisms. PMID:24772098

Motivated Forgetting in Early Mathematics: A Proof-of-Concept Study

PubMed Central

Ramirez, Gerardo

2017-01-01

Educators assume that students are motivated to retain what they are taught. Yet, students commonly report that they forget most of what they learn, especially in mathematics. In the current study I ask whether students may be motivated to forget mathematics because of academic experiences threaten the self-perceptions they are committed to maintaining. Using a large dataset of 1st and 2nd grade children (N = 812), I hypothesize that math anxiety creates negative experiences in the classroom that threaten children’s positive math self-perceptions, which in turn spurs a motivation to forget mathematics. I argue that this motivation to forget is activated during the winter break, which in turn reduces the extent to which children grow in achievement across the school year. Children were assessed for math self-perceptions, math anxiety and math achievement in the fall before going into winter break. During the spring, children’s math achievement was measured once again. A math achievement growth score was devised from a regression model of fall math achievement predicting spring achievement. Results show that children with higher math self-perceptions showed reduced growth in math achievement across the school year as a function of math anxiety. Children with lower math interest self-perceptions did not show this relationship. Results serve as a proof-of-concept for a scientific account of motivated forgetting within the context of education. PMID:29255439

Motivated Forgetting in Early Mathematics: A Proof-of-Concept Study.

PubMed

Ramirez, Gerardo

2017-01-01

Educators assume that students are motivated to retain what they are taught. Yet, students commonly report that they forget most of what they learn, especially in mathematics. In the current study I ask whether students may be motivated to forget mathematics because of academic experiences threaten the self-perceptions they are committed to maintaining. Using a large dataset of 1st and 2nd grade children ( N = 812), I hypothesize that math anxiety creates negative experiences in the classroom that threaten children's positive math self-perceptions, which in turn spurs a motivation to forget mathematics. I argue that this motivation to forget is activated during the winter break, which in turn reduces the extent to which children grow in achievement across the school year. Children were assessed for math self-perceptions, math anxiety and math achievement in the fall before going into winter break. During the spring, children's math achievement was measured once again. A math achievement growth score was devised from a regression model of fall math achievement predicting spring achievement. Results show that children with higher math self-perceptions showed reduced growth in math achievement across the school year as a function of math anxiety. Children with lower math interest self-perceptions did not show this relationship. Results serve as a proof-of-concept for a scientific account of motivated forgetting within the context of education.

Locomotor Stability in a Model Swimmer: Coupling Fluid Dynamics, Neurophysiology and Muscle Mechanics

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-07-05

springs which resist deformation. (C) Inset that shows the position of the muscle segments. Cohen, Holmes, Rand, J. Math Biol. 1982 A representative...numbers are the segment number, labeled from head to tail. Cohen, Holmes, Rand, J. Math Biol. 1982 The signals are periodic. Cohen, Holmes, Rand, J... Math Biol. 1982 From head to tail there is a phase lag on each side. Cohen, Holmes, Rand, J. Math Biol. 1982 On a given segment, the signals are in

Math Model for Naval Ship Handling Trainer.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Golovcsenko, Igor V.

The report describes the math model for an experimental ship handling trainer. The training task is that of a replenishment operation at sea. The model includes equations for ship dynamics of a destroyer, propeller-engine response times, ship separation, interaction effects between supply ship and destroyer, and outputs to a visual display system.…

Space shuttle plume simulation application. Results and math model. [Ames unitary plan wind tunnel test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boyle, W.; Conine, B.

1978-01-01

Pressure and gauge wind tunnel data from a transonic test of a 0.02 scale model of the space shuttle launch vehicle was analyzed to define the aerodynamic influence of the main propulsion system and solid rocket booster plumes during the transonic portion of ascent flight. Air was used as a simulant gas to develop the model exhaust plumes. A math model of the plume induced aerodynamic characteristics was developed for a range of Mach numbers to match the forebody aerodynamic math model. The base aerodynamic characteristics are presented in terms of forces and moments versus attitude. Total vehicle base and forebody aerodynamic characteristics are presented in terms of aerodynamic coefficients for Mach number from 0.6 to 1.4 Element and component base and forebody aerodynamic characteristics are presented for Mach numbers of 0.6, 1.05, 1.1, 1.25 and 1.4. The forebody data is available at Mach 1.55. Tolerances for all plume induced aerodynamic characteristics are developed in terms of a math model.

Optimal Transport, Convection, Magnetic Relaxation and Generalized Boussinesq Equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brenier, Yann

2009-10-01

We establish a connection between optimal transport theory (see Villani in Topics in optimal transportation. Graduate studies in mathematics, vol. 58, AMS, Providence, 2003, for instance) and classical convection theory for geophysical flows (Pedlosky, in Geophysical fluid dynamics, Springer, New York, 1979). Our starting point is the model designed few years ago by Angenent, Haker, and Tannenbaum (SIAM J. Math. Anal. 35:61-97, 2003) to solve some optimal transport problems. This model can be seen as a generalization of the Darcy-Boussinesq equations, which is a degenerate version of the Navier-Stokes-Boussinesq (NSB) equations. In a unified framework, we relate different variants of the NSB equations (in particular what we call the generalized hydrostatic-Boussinesq equations) to various models involving optimal transport (and the related Monge-Ampère equation, Brenier in Commun. Pure Appl. Math. 64:375-417, 1991; Caffarelli in Commun. Pure Appl. Math. 45:1141-1151, 1992). This includes the 2D semi-geostrophic equations (Hoskins in Annual review of fluid mechanics, vol. 14, pp. 131-151, Palo Alto, 1982; Cullen et al. in SIAM J. Appl. Math. 51:20-31, 1991, Arch. Ration. Mech. Anal. 185:341-363, 2007; Benamou and Brenier in SIAM J. Appl. Math. 58:1450-1461, 1998; Loeper in SIAM J. Math. Anal. 38:795-823, 2006) and some fully nonlinear versions of the so-called high-field limit of the Vlasov-Poisson system (Nieto et al. in Arch. Ration. Mech. Anal. 158:29-59, 2001) and of the Keller-Segel for Chemotaxis (Keller and Segel in J. Theor. Biol. 30:225-234, 1971; Jäger and Luckhaus in Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 329:819-824, 1992; Chalub et al. in Mon. Math. 142:123-141, 2004). Mathematically speaking, we establish some existence theorems for local smooth, global smooth or global weak solutions of the different models. We also justify that the inertia terms can be rigorously neglected under appropriate scaling assumptions in the generalized Navier-Stokes-Boussinesq equations. Finally, we show how a “stringy” generalization of the AHT model can be related to the magnetic relaxation model studied by Arnold and Moffatt to obtain stationary solutions of the Euler equations with prescribed topology (see Arnold and Khesin in Topological methods in hydrodynamics. Applied mathematical sciences, vol. 125, Springer, Berlin, 1998; Moffatt in J. Fluid Mech. 159:359-378, 1985, Topological aspects of the dynamics of fluids and plasmas. NATO adv. sci. inst. ser. E, appl. sci., vol. 218, Kluwer, Dordrecht, 1992; Schonbek in Theory of the Navier-Stokes equations, Ser. adv. math. appl. sci., vol. 47, pp. 179-184, World Sci., Singapore, 1998; Vladimirov et al. in J. Fluid Mech. 390:127-150, 1999; Nishiyama in Bull. Inst. Math. Acad. Sin. (N.S.) 2:139-154, 2007).

The influence of math anxiety on symbolic and non-symbolic magnitude processing.

PubMed

Dietrich, Julia F; Huber, Stefan; Moeller, Korbinian; Klein, Elise

2015-01-01

Deficits in basic numerical abilities have been investigated repeatedly as potential risk factors of math anxiety. Previous research suggested that also a deficient approximate number system (ANS), which is discussed as being the foundation for later math abilities, underlies math anxiety. However, these studies examined this hypothesis by investigating ANS acuity using a symbolic number comparison task. Recent evidence questions the view that ANS acuity can be assessed using a symbolic number comparison task. To investigate whether there is an association between math anxiety and ANS acuity, we employed both a symbolic number comparison task and a non-symbolic dot comparison task, which is currently the standard task to assess ANS acuity. We replicated previous findings regarding the association between math anxiety and the symbolic distance effect for response times. High math anxious individuals showed a larger distance effect than less math anxious individuals. However, our results revealed no association between math anxiety and ANS acuity assessed using a non-symbolic dot comparison task. Thus, our results did not provide evidence for the hypothesis that a deficient ANS underlies math anxiety. Therefore, we propose that a deficient ANS does not constitute a risk factor for the development of math anxiety. Moreover, our results suggest that previous interpretations regarding the interaction of math anxiety and the symbolic distance effect have to be updated. We suggest that impaired number comparison processes in high math anxious individuals might account for the results rather than deficient ANS representations. Finally, impaired number comparison processes might constitute a risk factor for the development of math anxiety. Implications for current models regarding the origins of math anxiety are discussed.

The influence of math anxiety on symbolic and non-symbolic magnitude processing

PubMed Central

Dietrich, Julia F.; Huber, Stefan; Moeller, Korbinian; Klein, Elise

2015-01-01

Deficits in basic numerical abilities have been investigated repeatedly as potential risk factors of math anxiety. Previous research suggested that also a deficient approximate number system (ANS), which is discussed as being the foundation for later math abilities, underlies math anxiety. However, these studies examined this hypothesis by investigating ANS acuity using a symbolic number comparison task. Recent evidence questions the view that ANS acuity can be assessed using a symbolic number comparison task. To investigate whether there is an association between math anxiety and ANS acuity, we employed both a symbolic number comparison task and a non-symbolic dot comparison task, which is currently the standard task to assess ANS acuity. We replicated previous findings regarding the association between math anxiety and the symbolic distance effect for response times. High math anxious individuals showed a larger distance effect than less math anxious individuals. However, our results revealed no association between math anxiety and ANS acuity assessed using a non-symbolic dot comparison task. Thus, our results did not provide evidence for the hypothesis that a deficient ANS underlies math anxiety. Therefore, we propose that a deficient ANS does not constitute a risk factor for the development of math anxiety. Moreover, our results suggest that previous interpretations regarding the interaction of math anxiety and the symbolic distance effect have to be updated. We suggest that impaired number comparison processes in high math anxious individuals might account for the results rather than deficient ANS representations. Finally, impaired number comparison processes might constitute a risk factor for the development of math anxiety. Implications for current models regarding the origins of math anxiety are discussed. PMID:26579012

Mission Engineering Competencies Technical Report

DTIC Science & Technology

2018-04-30

generate a mission capability. Note that foundational skills – e.g. math , natural or social sciences, general engineering skills - are not listed in...basic understanding of math , sciences, and the fundamentals of engineering are assumed, the foundational building block for mission...April 30, 2018 69 The Helix model focuses on 6 proficiency areas (Hutchison et al. 2018): 1. Math /Science/General

Increasing Latino/a Representation in Math and Science: An Insider's Look

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aguirre, Jarrad

2009-01-01

Recent Yale alumnus Jarrad Aguirre relates his experience creating MAS Familias, a campus organization that supports Latino/a undergraduates studying math and science. Alarmed by Latino/a students' academic struggles and the lack of Latino/a role models in the fields of math and science--and increasingly aware of the social benefits of a diverse…

Using a Regression Discontinuity Design to Estimate the Impact of Placement Decisions in Developmental Math

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Melguizo, Tatiana; Bos, Johannes M.; Ngo, Federick; Mills, Nicholas; Prather, George

2016-01-01

This study evaluates the effectiveness of math placement policies for entering community college students on these students' academic success in math. We estimate the impact of placement decisions by using a discrete-time survival model within a regression discontinuity framework. The primary conclusion that emerges is that initial placement in a…

Effectiveness of the Touch Math Technique in Teaching Basic Addition to Children with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yikmis, Ahmet

2016-01-01

This study aims to reveal whether the touch math technique is effective in teaching basic addition to children with autism. The dependent variable of this study is the children's skills to solve addition problems correctly, whereas teaching with the touch math technique is the independent variable. Among the single-subject research models, a…

The National Teacher Training Institute for Math, Science and Technology: Exemplary Practice in a Climate of Higher Standards.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donlevy, James G., Ed.; Donlevy, Tia Rice, Ed.

1999-01-01

Reviews the NTTI (National Teacher Training Institute) for Math, Science and Technology model that trains teachers to use video and Internet resources to enhance math and science instruction. Discusses multimedia methodology; standards-based training; program impact in schools; and lesson plans available on the NTTI Web site. (Author/LRW)

Metformin Improves Ileal Epithelial Barrier Function in Interleukin-10 Deficient Mice

PubMed Central

Xue, Yansong; Zhang, Hanying; Sun, Xiaofei; Zhu, Mei-Jun

2016-01-01

Background and aims The impairment of intestinal epithelial barrier is the main etiologic factor of inflammatory bowel disease. The proper intestinal epithelial proliferation and differentiation is crucial for maintaining intestinal integrity. Metformin is a common anti-diabetic drug. The objective is to evaluate the protective effects of metformin on ileal epithelial barrier integrity using interleukin-10 deficient (IL10KO) mice. Methods Wild-type and IL10KO mice were fed with/without metformin for 6 weeks and then ileum was collected for analyses. The mediatory role of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) was further examined by gain and loss of function study in vitro. Results Compared to wild-type mice, IL10KO mice had increased proliferation, reduced goblet cell and Paneth cell lineage differentiation in the ileum tissue, which was accompanied with increased crypt expansion. Metformin supplementation mitigated intestinal cell proliferation, restored villus/crypt ratio, increased goblet cell and Paneth cell differentiation and improved barrier function. In addition, metformin supplementation in IL10KO mice suppressed macrophage pro-inflammatory activity as indicated by reduced M1 macrophage abundance and decreased pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1β, TNF-α and IFN-γ expressions. As a target of metformin, AMPK phosphorylation was enhanced in mice treated with metformin, regardless of mouse genotypes. In correlation, the mRNA level of differentiation regulator including bmp4, bmpr2 and math1 were also increased in IL10KO mice supplemented with metformin, which likely explains the enhanced epithelial differentiation in IL10KO mice with metformin. Consistently, in Caco-2 cells, metformin promoted claudin-3 and E-cadherin assembly and mitigated TNF-α-induced fragmentation of tight junction proteins. Gain and loss of function assay also demonstrated AMPK was correlated with epithelial differentiation and proliferation. Conclusions Metformin supplementation promotes secretory cell lineage differentiation, suppresses inflammation and improves epithelial barrier function in IL10KO mice likely through activation of AMPK, showing its beneficial effects on gut epithelial. PMID:28002460

Integrating Quantitative Reasoning into STEM Courses Using an Energy and Environment Context

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Myers, J. D.; Lyford, M. E.; Mayes, R. L.

2010-12-01

Many secondary and post-secondary science classes do not integrate math into their curriculum, while math classes commonly teach concepts without meaningful context. Consequently, students lack basic quantitative skills and the ability to apply them in real-world contexts. For the past three years, a Wyoming Department of Education funded Math Science Partnership at the University of Wyoming (UW) has brought together middle and high school science and math teachers to model how math and science can be taught together in a meaningful way. The UW QR-STEM project emphasizes the importance of Quantitative Reasoning (QR) to student success in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). To provide a social context, QR-STEM has focused on energy and the environment. In particular, the project has examined how QR and STEM concepts play critical roles in many of the current global challenges of energy and environment. During four 3-day workshops each summer and over several virtual and short face-to-face meetings during the academic year, UW and community college science and math faculty work with math and science teachers from middle and high schools across the state to improve QR instruction in math and science classes. During the summer workshops, faculty from chemistry, physics, earth sciences, biology and math lead sessions to: 1) improve the basic science content knowledge of teachers; 2) improve teacher understanding of math and statistical concepts, 3) model how QR can be taught by engaging teachers in sessions that integrate math and science in an energy and environment context; and 4) focus curricula using Understanding by Design to identify enduring understandings on which to center instructional strategies and assessment. In addition to presenting content, faculty work with teachers as they develop classroom lessons and larger units to be implemented during the school year. Teachers form interdisciplinary groups which often consist of math and science teachers from the same school or district. By jointly developing units focused on energy and environment, math and science curricula can be coordinated during the school year. During development, teams present their curricular ideas for peer-review. Throughout the school year, teachers implement their units and collect pre-post data on student learning. Ultimately, science teachers integrate math into their science courses, and math teachers integrate science content in their math courses. Following implementation, participants share their experiences with their peers and faculty. Of central interest during these presentations are: 1) How did the QR-STEM experience change teacher practices in the classroom?; and 2) How did the modification of their teaching practices impact student learning and their ability to successfully master QR? The UW QR-STEM has worked with Wyoming science and math teachers from across the state over the three year grant period.

Measuring Math Anxiety (in Spanish) with the Rasch Rating Scale Model.

PubMed

Prieto, Gerardo; Delgado, Ana R

2007-01-01

Two successive studies probed the psychometric properties of a Math Anxiety questionnaire (in Spanish) by means of the Rasch Rating Scale Model. Participants were 411 and 216 Spanish adolescents. Convergent validity was examined by correlating the scale with both the Fennema and Sherman Attitude Scale and a math achievement test. The results show that the scores are psychometrically appropriate, and replicate those reported in meta-analyses: medium-sized negative correlations with achievement and with attitudes toward mathematics, as well as moderate sex-related differences (with girls presenting higher anxiety levels than boys).

A structural equation modeling of executive functions, IQ and mathematical skills in primary students: Differential effects on number production, mental calculus and arithmetical problems.

PubMed

Arán Filippetti, Vanessa; Richaud, María Cristina

2017-10-01

Though the relationship between executive functions (EFs) and mathematical skills has been well documented, little is known about how both EFs and IQ differentially support diverse math domains in primary students. Inconsistency of results may be due to the statistical techniques employed, specifically, if the analysis is conducted with observed variables, i.e., regression analysis, or at the latent level, i.e., structural equation modeling (SEM). The current study explores the contribution of both EFs and IQ in mathematics through an SEM approach. A total of 118 8- to 12-year-olds were administered measures of EFs, crystallized (Gc) and fluid (Gf) intelligence, and math abilities (i.e., number production, mental calculus and arithmetical problem-solving). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) offered support for the three-factor solution of EFs: (1) working memory (WM), (2) shifting, and (3) inhibition. Regarding the relationship among EFs, IQ and math abilities, the results of the SEM analysis showed that (i) WM and age predict number production and mental calculus, and (ii) shifting and sex predict arithmetical problem-solving. In all of the SEM models, EFs partially or totally mediated the relationship between IQ, age and math achievement. These results suggest that EFs differentially supports math abilities in primary-school children and is a more significant predictor of math achievement than IQ level.

Avoidance temperament and social-evaluative threat in college students' math performance: a mediation model of math and test anxiety.

PubMed

Liew, Jeffrey; Lench, Heather C; Kao, Grace; Yeh, Yu-Chen; Kwok, Oi-man

2014-01-01

Standardized testing has become a common form of student evaluation with high stakes, and limited research exists on understanding the roles of students' personality traits and social-evaluative threat on their academic performance. This study examined the roles of avoidance temperament (i.e., fear and behavioral inhibition) and evaluative threat (i.e., fear of failure and being viewed as unintelligent) in standardized math test and course grades in college students. Undergraduate students (N=184) from a large public university were assessed on temperamental fear and behavioral inhibition. They were then given 15 minutes to complete a standardized math test. After the test, students provided data on evaluative threat and their math performance (scores on standardized college entrance exam and average grades in college math courses). Results indicate that avoidance temperament was linked to social-evaluative threat and low standardized math test scores. Furthermore, evaluative threat mediated the influence of avoidance temperament on both types of math performance. Results have educational and clinical implications, particularly for students at risk for test anxiety and underperformance. Interventions targeting emotion regulation and stress management skills may help individuals reduce their math and test anxieties.

An explanatory model of maths achievement:Perceived parental involvement and academic motivation.

PubMed

Rodríguez, Susana; Piñeiro, Isabel; Gómez-Taibo, Mª L; Regueiro, Bibiana; Estévez, Iris; Valle, Antonio

2017-05-01

Although numerous studies have tried to explain performance in maths very few have deeply explored the relationship between different variables and how they jointly explain mathematical performance. With a sample of 897 students in 5th and 6th grade in Primary Education and using structural equation modeling (SEM), this study analyzes how the perception of parents’ beliefs is related to children´s beliefs, their involvement in mathematical tasks and their performance. Perceived parental involvement contributes to the motivation of their children in mathematics. Direct supervision of students’ academic work by parents may increase students’ concerns about the image and rating of their children, but not their academic performance. In fact, maths achievement depends directly and positively on the parents’ expectations and children’s maths self-efficacy and negatively on the parents’ help in tasks and performance goal orientation. Perceived parental involvement contributes to children’s motivation in maths essentially conveying confidence in their abilities and showing interest in their progress and schoolwork.

Family Factors Associated with Sixth-Grade Adolescents' Math and Science Career Interests

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turner, Sherri L.; Steward, Jason C.; Lapan, Richard T.

2004-01-01

This study tested a causal model, based on social cognitive career theory (SCCT; R. W. Lent, S. D. Brown, & G. Hackett, 1994, 2000), of math and science career interests among 6th-grade adolescents (N = 318). Consistent with SCCT, it was found that career gender-typing, mother's and father's support for pursuing math and science careers, as well…

Trajectories of Change in Students' Self-Concepts of Ability and Values in Math and College Major Choice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Musu-Gillette, Lauren E.; Wigfield, Allan; Harring, Jeffrey R.; Eccles, Jacquelynne S.

2015-01-01

This study extends previous research on the long-term connections between motivation constructs in expectancy-value theory and achievement outcomes. Using growth mixture modelling, we examined trajectories of change for 421 students from 4th grade through college in their self-concept of ability (SCA) in math, interest in math, and perceived…

Improving Learning for All Students through Equity-Based Inclusive Reform Practices: Effectiveness of a Fully Integrated Schoolwide Model on Student Reading and Math Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Choi, Jeong Hoon; Meisenheimer, Jessica M.; McCart, Amy B.; Sailor, Wayne

2017-01-01

The present investigation examines the schoolwide applications model (SAM) as a potentially effective school reform model for increasing equity-based inclusive education practices while enhancing student reading and math achievement for all students. A 3-year quasi-experimental comparison group analysis using latent growth modeling (LGM) was used…

Growth Texture and Mechanism of Zinc Nanowires Produced by Mechanical Elongation of Nanocontacts.

PubMed

Yamabe, Kammu; Kizuka, Tokushi

2018-01-01

Two zinc nanotips were brought into contact and elongated inside a transmission electron microscope, thereby growing single-crystal nanowires. The growth dynamics was observed in situ via a lattice imaging method. The preferential crystal growth directions were identified as [101-0], [112-0], [101-2-], and [0001]. Of these, the nanowires grown along the [101-0] and [112-0] directions accounted for 75% of the total and were surrounded by low-energy side surfaces, i.e., {0001}, {101-1}, and {101-0}. On the basis of these features, models of the nanowire morphology were proposed. In either growth direction, the tensile force aligned parallel to the direction along which slip events corresponding to the predominant slip system were unlikely to occur. This led to a high tensile stress for extracting atoms from the growth region, i.e., the promotion of nanowire growth.

An integrated model of academic self-concept development: Academic self-concept, grades, test scores, and tracking over 6 years.

PubMed

Marsh, Herbert W; Pekrun, Reinhard; Murayama, Kou; Arens, A Katrin; Parker, Philip D; Guo, Jiesi; Dicke, Theresa

2018-02-01

Our newly proposed integrated academic self-concept model integrates 3 major theories of academic self-concept formation and developmental perspectives into a unified conceptual and methodological framework. Relations among math self-concept (MSC), school grades, test scores, and school-level contextual effects over 6 years, from the end of primary school through the first 5 years of secondary school (a representative sample of 3,370 German students, 42 secondary schools, 50% male, M age at grade 5 = 11.75) support the (1) internal/external frame of reference model: Math school grades had positive effects on MSC, but the effects of German grades were negative; (2) reciprocal effects (longitudinal panel) model: MSC was predictive of and predicted by math test scores and school grades; (3) big-fish-little-pond effect: The effects on MSC were negative for school-average achievement based on 4 indicators (primary school grades in math and German, school-track prior to the start of secondary school, math test scores in the first year of secondary school). Results for all 3 theoretical models were consistent across the 5 secondary school years: This supports the prediction of developmental equilibrium. This integration highlights the robustness of support over the potentially volatile early to middle adolescent period; the interconnectedness and complementarity of 3 ASC models; their counterbalancing strengths and weaknesses; and new theoretical, developmental, and substantive implications at their intersections. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Developing an Automated Technique for Translating a Relational Database into an Equivalent Network One.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-12-01

OF ENGI- E V ALY UNCLASSIFIED DEC 84 AFIT/CS/MATH/84D-4 F /G 9/2 N somhhmmhlm EohhmhohhohhEE mhhhhhhmhhmhln LI .~ I 28 111251.0 111IL25 1111-4 11...nontransitively dependent on the primary key, then the relation * - R is in the third normal form (3NF). •~ 8 A relation R is in the Boyce/ Codd Normal Form...with attributes AIA2 ... An and functional dependencies F , and if X is a subset of the attributes, then X is a key of R if: 1. X --> AIA A is in the

NREL Model Car Competitions | NREL

Science.gov Websites

skills in both math and science. The goals of the competition include: Generating enthusiasm for science , technology, engineering, and math (STEM) Improving students' understanding of scientific concepts and

The Critical Z-Invariant Ising Model via Dimers: Locality Property

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boutillier, Cédric; de Tilière, Béatrice

2011-01-01

We study a large class of critical two-dimensional Ising models, namely critical Z-invariant Ising models. Fisher (J Math Phys 7:1776-1781, 1966) introduced a correspondence between the Ising model and the dimer model on a decorated graph, thus setting dimer techniques as a powerful tool for understanding the Ising model. In this paper, we give a full description of the dimer model corresponding to the critical Z-invariant Ising model, consisting of explicit expressions which only depend on the local geometry of the underlying isoradial graph. Our main result is an explicit local formula for the inverse Kasteleyn matrix, in the spirit of Kenyon (Invent Math 150(2):409-439, 2002), as a contour integral of the discrete exponential function of Mercat (Discrete period matrices and related topics, 2002) and Kenyon (Invent Math 150(2):409-439, 2002) multiplied by a local function. Using results of Boutillier and de Tilière (Prob Theor Rel Fields 147(3-4):379-413, 2010) and techniques of de Tilière (Prob Th Rel Fields 137(3-4):487-518, 2007) and Kenyon (Invent Math 150(2):409-439, 2002), this yields an explicit local formula for a natural Gibbs measure, and a local formula for the free energy. As a corollary, we recover Baxter's formula for the free energy of the critical Z-invariant Ising model (Baxter, in Exactly solved models in statistical mechanics, Academic Press, London, 1982), and thus a new proof of it. The latter is equal, up to a constant, to the logarithm of the normalized determinant of the Laplacian obtained in Kenyon (Invent Math 150(2):409-439, 2002).

Collaborative Workshops and Student Academic Performance in Introductory College Mathematics Courses: A Study of a Treisman Model Math Excel Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duncan, Hollis; Dick, Thomas

2000-01-01

Describes the Treisman model which involves supplemental workshops in which college students solve problems in collaborative learning groups. Reports on the effectiveness of Math Excel, an implementation of the Treisman model for introductory mathematics courses at Oregon State University over five academic terms. Reveals a significant effect on…

A Panel Analysis of Student Mathematics Achievement in the US in the 1990s: Does Increasing the Amount of Time in Learning Activities Affect Math Achievement?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aksoy, Tevfik; Link, Charles R.

2000-01-01

Uses panel estimation techniques to estimate econometric models of mathematics achievement determinants for a nationally representative sample of high-school students. Extra time spent on math homework increases test scores; an extra hour of TV viewing negatively affects scores. Longer math periods also help. (Contains 56 references.) (MLH)

Mapping Changes in Students' English and Math Self-Concepts: A Latent Growth Model Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

King, Ronnel B.; McInerney, Dennis M.

2014-01-01

The aims of this study were to examine changes in students' English and math self-concepts and to investigate the effects of gender and school ability level on these changes. Self-concept in English and math were measured thrice across three years among a sample of 2618 secondary school students from Hong Kong. Gender and school ability level were…

Training in Influencing Skills from Neuro-Linguistic Programming (Modelled from Hypnosis and Family Therapy), in Combination with Innovative Maths Pedagogy, Raises Maths Attainment in Adult Numeracy Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allan, F.; Bourne, J.; Bouch, D.; Churches, R.; Dennison, J.; Evans, J.; Fowler, J.; Jeffers, A.; Prior, E.; Rhodes, L.

2012-01-01

Case study research suggests that NLP [neuro-linguistic programming] influencing strategies benefit teacher effectiveness. Maths pedagogy involving higher-order questioning, challenge, problem solving and collaborative working may be a way of improving attainment in adult numeracy learning, however, such strategies may be less effective if the…

Enhanced learning of proportional math through music training and spatial-temporal training.

PubMed

Graziano, A B; Peterson, M; Shaw, G L

1999-03-01

It was predicted, based on a mathematical model of the cortex, that early music training would enhance spatial-temporal reasoning. We have demonstrated that preschool children given six months of piano keyboard lessons improved dramatically on spatial-temporal reasoning while children in appropriate control groups did not improve. It was then predicted that the enhanced spatial-temporal reasoning from piano keyboard training could lead to enhanced learning of specific math concepts, in particular proportional math, which is notoriously difficult to teach using the usual language-analytic methods. We report here the development of Spatial-Temporal Math Video Game software designed to teach fractions and proportional math, and its strikingly successful use in a study involving 237 second-grade children (age range six years eight months-eight years five months). Furthermore, as predicted, children given piano keyboard training along with the Math Video Game training scored significantly higher on proportional math and fractions than children given a control training along with the Math Video Game. These results were readily measured using the companion Math Video Game Evaluation Program. The training time necessary for children on the Math Video Game is very short, and they rapidly reach a high level of performance. This suggests that, as predicted, we are tapping into fundamental cortical processes of spatial-temporal reasoning. This spatial-temporal approach is easily generalized to teach other math and science concepts in a complementary manner to traditional language-analytic methods, and at a younger age. The neural mechanisms involved in thinking through fractions and proportional math during training with the Math Video Game might be investigated in EEG coherence studies along with priming by specific music.

Math Anxiety Assessment with the Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale: Applicability and Usefulness: Insights from the Polish Adaptation

PubMed Central

Cipora, Krzysztof; Szczygieł, Monika; Willmes, Klaus; Nuerk, Hans-Christoph

2015-01-01

Math anxiety has an important impact on mathematical development and performance. However, although math anxiety is supposed to be a transcultural trait, assessment instruments are scarce and are validated mainly for Western cultures so far. Therefore, we aimed at examining the transcultural generality of math anxiety by a thorough investigation of the validity of math anxiety assessment in Eastern Europe. We investigated the validity and reliability of a Polish adaptation of the Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale (AMAS), known to have very good psychometric characteristics in its original, American-English version as well as in its Italian and Iranian adaptations. We also observed high reliability, both for internal consistency and test-retest stability of the AMAS in the Polish sample. The results also show very good construct, convergent and discriminant validity: The factorial structure in Polish adult participants (n = 857) was very similar to the one previously found in other samples; AMAS scores correlated moderately in expected directions with state and trait anxiety, self-assessed math achievement and skill as well temperamental traits of emotional reactivity, briskness, endurance, and perseverance. Average scores obtained by participants as well as gender differences and correlations with external measures were also similar across cultures. Beyond the cultural comparison, we used path model analyses to show that math anxiety relates to math grades and self-competence when controlling for trait anxiety. The current study shows transcultural validity of math anxiety assessment with the AMAS. PMID:26648893

Math Anxiety Assessment with the Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale: Applicability and Usefulness: Insights from the Polish Adaptation.

PubMed

Cipora, Krzysztof; Szczygieł, Monika; Willmes, Klaus; Nuerk, Hans-Christoph

2015-01-01

Math anxiety has an important impact on mathematical development and performance. However, although math anxiety is supposed to be a transcultural trait, assessment instruments are scarce and are validated mainly for Western cultures so far. Therefore, we aimed at examining the transcultural generality of math anxiety by a thorough investigation of the validity of math anxiety assessment in Eastern Europe. We investigated the validity and reliability of a Polish adaptation of the Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale (AMAS), known to have very good psychometric characteristics in its original, American-English version as well as in its Italian and Iranian adaptations. We also observed high reliability, both for internal consistency and test-retest stability of the AMAS in the Polish sample. The results also show very good construct, convergent and discriminant validity: The factorial structure in Polish adult participants (n = 857) was very similar to the one previously found in other samples; AMAS scores correlated moderately in expected directions with state and trait anxiety, self-assessed math achievement and skill as well temperamental traits of emotional reactivity, briskness, endurance, and perseverance. Average scores obtained by participants as well as gender differences and correlations with external measures were also similar across cultures. Beyond the cultural comparison, we used path model analyses to show that math anxiety relates to math grades and self-competence when controlling for trait anxiety. The current study shows transcultural validity of math anxiety assessment with the AMAS.

Space shuttle plume/simulation application: Results and math model supersonic data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boyle, W.; Conine, B.; Bell, G.

1979-01-01

The analysis of pressure and gage wind tunnel data from space shuttle wind tunnel test IA138 was performed to define the aerodynamic influence of the main propulsion system and solid rocket booster plumes on the total vehicles, elements, and components of the space shuttle vehicle during the supersonic portion of ascent flight. A math model of the plume induced aerodynamic characteristics was developed for a range of Mach numbers to match the forebody aerodynamic math model. The base aerodynamic characteristics are presented in terms of forces and moments versus attitude. Total vehicle base and forebody aerodynamic characteristics are presented in terms of aerodynamic coefficients for Mach numbers from 1.55 to 2.5.

Stereotype threat and executive functions: which functions mediate different threat-related outcomes?

PubMed

Rydell, Robert J; Van Loo, Katie J; Boucher, Kathryn L

2014-03-01

Stereotype threat research shows that women's math performance can be reduced by activating gender-based math stereotypes. Models of stereotype threat assert that threat reduces cognitive functioning, thereby accounting for its negative effects. This work provides a more detailed understanding of the cognitive processes through which stereotype threat leads women to underperform at math and to take risks, by examining which basic executive functions (inhibition, shifting, and updating) account for these outcomes. In Experiments 1 and 2, women under threat showed reduced inhibition, reduced updating, and reduced math performance compared with women in a control condition (or men); however, only updating accounted for women's poor math performance under threat. In Experiment 3, only updating accounted for stereotype threat's effect on women's math performance, whereas only inhibition accounted for the effect of threat on risk-taking, suggesting that distinct executive functions can account for different stereotype threat-related outcomes.

Detecting Math Anxiety with a Mixture Partial Credit Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ölmez, Ibrahim Burak; Cohen, Allan S.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate a new methodology for detection of differences in middle grades students' math anxiety. A mixture partial credit model analysis revealed two distinct latent classes based on homogeneities in response patterns within each latent class. Students in Class 1 had less anxiety about apprehension of math…

Reciprocal Relationships between Math Self-Concept and Math Anxiety

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahmed, Wondimu; Minnaert, Alexander; Kuyper, Hans; van der Werf, Greetje

2012-01-01

The present study examined the reciprocal relationships between self-concept and anxiety in mathematics. A sample of 495 grade 7 students (51% girls) completed self-report measures assessing self-concept and anxiety three times in a school year. Structural equation modeling was used to test a cross-lagged panel model of reciprocal effects between…

The Role of Social Support in Students' Perceived Abilities and Attitudes toward Math and Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rice, Lindsay; Barth, Joan M.; Guadagno, Rosanna E.; Smith, Gabrielle P. A.; McCallum, Debra M.

2013-01-01

Social cognitive models examining academic and career outcomes emphasize constructs such as attitude, interest, and self-efficacy as key factors affecting students' pursuit of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) courses and careers. The current research examines another under-researched component of social cognitive models: social…

A descriptive study of high school Latino and Caucasian students' values about math, perceived math achievement and STEM career choice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodriguez Flecha, Samuel

The purpose of this study was to examine high school students' math values, perceived math achievement, and STEM career choice. Participants (N=515) were rural high school students from the U.S. Northwest. Data was collected by administering the "To Do or Not to Do:" STEM pilot survey. Most participants (n=294) were Latinos, followed by Caucasians (n=142). Fifty-three percent of the students rated their math achievement as C or below. Of high math students, 57% were male. Females were 53% of low math students. Caucasians (61%) rated themselves as high in math in a greater proportion than Latinos (39%). Latinos (58%) rated themselves as low in math in a greater proportion than Caucasians (39%). Math Values play a significant role in students' perceived math achievement. Internal math values (r =.68, R2 =.46, p =.001) influenced perceived math achievement regardless of gender (males: r =.70, R2 =.49, p =.001; females: r =.65, R2 =.43, p =.001), for Latinos (r =.66, R2 =.44, p =.001), and Caucasians (r =.72, R2 =.51, p =.001). External math values (r =.53, R2 =.28, p =.001) influenced perceived math achievement regardless of gender (males: r =.54, R2 =.30, p =.001; females: r =.49, R2 =.24, p =.001), for Latinos (r =.47, R2 =.22, p =.001), and Caucasians (r =.58, R2 =.33, p =.001). Most high-math students indicated an awareness of being good at math at around 11 years old. Low-math students said that they realized that math was difficult for them at approximately 13 years of age. The influence of parents, teachers, and peers may vary at different academic stages. Approximately half of the participants said there was not a person who had significantly impacted their career choice; only a minority said their parents and teachers were influencing them to a STEM career. Parents and teachers are the most influential relationships in students' career choice. More exposure to STEM role models and in a variety of professions is needed. Possible strategies to impact students' career choice, future directions and recommendations are provided. In sum, positive experiences in STEM can favorably contribute to students' sense of competence and satisfaction.

Verbal and Math Self-Concepts: An Extension of the Internal/External Frame of Reference Model.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marsh, Herbert W.; Byrne, Barbara M.

The internal/external (I/E) frame of reference model describes relations among Verbal self-concept (VSC), Math self-concept (MSC), and corresponding achievement scores (VACH, MACH). In support of the model Marsh (1986) found that: (1) VSC and MSC were nearly uncorrelated; (2) the effect of VACH on VSC, and of MACH on MSC, were positive; but (3)…

The belief in a negative interdependence of math and verbal abilities as determinant of academic self-concepts.

PubMed

Möller, Jens; Streblow, Lilian; Pohlmann, Britta

2006-03-01

The internal/external frame of reference (I/E) model by Marsh (1986) assumes intra-individual dimensional comparisons in which students compare their own achievements in one subject with their achievements in other subjects. These comparison processes should lead to negative paths from achievement in one subject (e.g. maths) on self-concept in another subject (e.g. verbal domains). Within this study, we investigated the impact of students' belief in a negative interdependence of maths and verbal abilities, that is, whether students think of maths and verbal abilities as negatively correlated or not, on the impact of dimensional comparisons. Maths and German grades, academic self-concepts in maths and German, and a new scale on the beliefs in a negative interdependence of maths and verbal abilities students were assessed (N = 1,443). The importance of the negative interdependence beliefs could be shown: stronger beliefs in a negative interdependence of maths and verbal ability are accompanied by more negative path coefficients from grades in one subject to academic self-concepts in the other subject. Dimensional comparisons seem to be of particular importance for students with negative interdependence beliefs.

Apollo oxygen tank stratification analysis, volume 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barton, J. E.; Patterson, H. W.

1972-01-01

An analysis of flight performance of the Apollo 15 cryogenic oxygen tanks was conducted with the variable grid stratification math model developed earlier in the program. Flight conditions investigated were the CMP-EVA and one passive thermal control period which exhibited heater temperature characteristics not previously observed. Heater temperatures for these periods were simulated with the math model using flight acceleration data. Simulation results (heater temperature and tank pressure) compared favorably with the Apollo 15 flight data, and it was concluded that tank performance was nominal. Math model modifications were also made to improve the simulation accuracy. The modifications included the addition of the effects of the tank wall thermal mass and an improved system flow distribution model. The modifications improved the accuracy of simulated pressure response based on comparisons with flight data.

Remediation of Childhood Math Anxiety and Associated Neural Circuits through Cognitive Tutoring

PubMed Central

Iuculano, Teresa; Chen, Lang

2015-01-01

Math anxiety is a negative emotional reaction that is characterized by feelings of stress and anxiety in situations involving mathematical problem solving. High math-anxious individuals tend to avoid situations involving mathematics and are less likely to pursue science, technology, engineering, and math-related careers than those with low math anxiety. Math anxiety during childhood, in particular, has adverse long-term consequences for academic and professional success. Identifying cognitive interventions and brain mechanisms by which math anxiety can be ameliorated in children is therefore critical. Here we investigate whether an intensive 8 week one-to-one cognitive tutoring program designed to improve mathematical skills reduces childhood math anxiety, and we identify the neurobiological mechanisms by which math anxiety can be reduced in affected children. Forty-six children in grade 3, a critical early-onset period for math anxiety, participated in the cognitive tutoring program. High math-anxious children showed a significant reduction in math anxiety after tutoring. Remarkably, tutoring remediated aberrant functional responses and connectivity in emotion-related circuits anchored in the basolateral amygdala. Crucially, children with greater tutoring-induced decreases in amygdala reactivity had larger reductions in math anxiety. Our study demonstrates that sustained exposure to mathematical stimuli can reduce math anxiety and highlights the key role of the amygdala in this process. Our findings are consistent with models of exposure-based therapy for anxiety disorders and have the potential to inform the early treatment of a disability that, if left untreated in childhood, can lead to significant lifelong educational and socioeconomic consequences in affected individuals. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Math anxiety during early childhood has adverse long-term consequences for academic and professional success. It is therefore important to identify ways to alleviate math anxiety in young children. Surprisingly, there have been no studies of cognitive interventions and the underlying neurobiological mechanisms by which math anxiety can be ameliorated in young children. Here, we demonstrate that intensive 8 week one-to-one cognitive tutoring not only reduces math anxiety but also remarkably remediates aberrant functional responses and connectivity in emotion-related circuits anchored in the amygdala. Our findings are likely to propel new ways of thinking about early treatment of a disability that has significant implications for improving each individual's academic and professional chances of success in today's technological society that increasingly demands strong quantitative skills. PMID:26354922

Prediction of lymph node involvement in patients with breast tumors measuring 3-5 cm in a middle-income setting: the role of CancerMath.

PubMed

Pijnappel, E N; Bhoo-Pathy, N; Suniza, J; See, M H; Tan, G H; Yip, C H; Hartman, M; Taib, N A; Verkooijen, H M

2014-12-01

In settings with limited resources, sentinel lymph node biopsy (SNB) is only offered to breast cancer patients with small tumors and a low a priori risk of axillary metastases. We investigated whether CancerMath, a free online prediction tool for axillary lymph node involvement, is able to identify women at low risk of axillary lymph node metastases in Malaysian women with 3-5 cm tumors, with the aim to offer SNB in a targeted, cost-effective way. Women with non-metastatic breast cancers, measuring 3-5 cm were identified within the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) breast cancer registry. We compared CancerMath-predicted probabilities of lymph node involvement between women with versus without lymph node metastases. The discriminative performance of CancerMath was tested using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Out of 1,017 patients, 520 (51 %) had axillary involvement. Tumors of women with axillary involvement were more often estrogen-receptor positive, progesterone-receptor positive, and human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER)-2 positive. The mean CancerMath score was higher in women with axillary involvement than in those without (53.5 vs. 51.3, p = 0.001). In terms of discrimination, CancerMath performed poorly, with an area under the ROC curve of 0.553 (95 % confidence interval CI 0.518-0.588). Attempts to optimize the CancerMath model by adding ethnicity and HER2 to the model did not improve discriminatory performance. For Malaysian women with tumors measuring 3-5 cm, CancerMath is unable to accurately predict lymph node involvement and is therefore not helpful in the identification of women at low risk of node-positive disease who could benefit from SNB.

Do student self-efficacy and teacher-student interaction quality contribute to emotional and social engagement in fifth grade math?

PubMed

Martin, Daniel P; Rimm-Kaufman, Sara E

2015-10-01

This study examined (a) the contribution of math self-efficacy to students' perception of their emotional and social engagement in fifth grade math classes, and (b) the extent to which high quality teacher-student interactions compensated for students' low math self-efficacy in contributing to engagement. Teachers (n = 73) were observed three times during the year during math to measure the quality of teacher-student interactions (emotional, organizational, and instructional support). Fifth graders (n = 387) reported on their math self-efficacy at the beginning of the school year and then were surveyed about their feelings of engagement in math class three times during the year immediately after the lessons during which teachers were observed. Results of multi-level models indicated that students initially lower in math self-efficacy reported lower emotional and social engagement during math class than students with higher self-efficacy. However, in classrooms with high levels of teacher emotional support, students reported similar levels of both emotional and social engagement, regardless of their self-efficacy. No comparable findings emerged for organizational and instructional support. The discussion considers the significance of students' own feelings about math in relation to their engagement, as well as the ways in which teacher and classroom supports can compensate for students lack of agency. The work has implications for school psychologists and teachers eager to boost students' engagement in math class. Copyright © 2015 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Threats and Supports to Female Students' Math Beliefs and Achievement.

PubMed

McKellar, Sarah E; Marchand, Aixa D; Diemer, Matthew A; Malanchuk, Oksana; Eccles, Jacquelynne S

2018-03-23

This study examines how student perceptions of teacher practices contribute to female high school students' math beliefs and achievement. Guided by the expectancy-value framework, we hypothesized that students' motivation beliefs and achievement outcomes in mathematics are fostered by teachers' emphasis on the relevance of mathematics and constrained by gender-based differential treatment. To examine these questions, structural equation modeling was applied to a longitudinal panel of 518 female students from the Maryland Adolescent Development in Context Study. While controlling for prior achievement and race, gendered differential treatment was negatively associated with math beliefs and achievement, whereas relevant math instruction was positively associated with these outcomes. These findings suggest inroads that may foster positive math motivational beliefs and achievement among young women. © 2018 Society for Research on Adolescence.

Earth Observing System (EOS)/Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A (AMSU-A) Structural Math Model - A1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ely, W.

1996-01-01

This report presents the description for the NASTRAN finite element for the AMSU-A1 module. The purpose of this report is to document the NASTRAN bulk data deck, transmitted under separate cover. The structural Math Model is to be used by the spacecraft contractor for dynamic loads analysis.

Educational Investment, Family Context, and Children's Math and Reading Growth from Kindergarten through the Third Grade

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheadle, Jacob E.

2008-01-01

Drawing on longitudinal data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999, this study used IRT modeling to operationalize a measure of parental educational investments based on Lareau's notion of concerted cultivation. It used multilevel piece-wise growth models regressing children's math and reading achievement…

Examining the Relations between Executive Function, Math, and Literacy during the Transition to Kindergarten: A Multi-Analytic Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmitt, Sara A.; Geldhof, G. John; Purpura, David J.; Duncan, Robert; McClelland, Megan M.

2017-01-01

The present study explored the bidirectional and longitudinal associations between executive function (EF) and early academic skills (math and literacy) across 4 waves of measurement during the transition from preschool to kindergarten using 2 complementary analytical approaches: cross-lagged panel modeling and latent growth curve modeling (LCGM).…

Programs for Students and Teachers | NREL

Science.gov Websites

competition that tests the brainpower of middle and high school teams on science and math topics. Model Car 8th grade students. Student teams apply math, science, and creativity to construct solar and battery

It's a Kid's Job: Playing Helps Kids Learn and Grow

MedlinePlus

... and their colleagues found a link between preschoolers’ math skills and their ability to copy models of ... the later study of science, technology, engineering or math. “In a way, a child is becoming a ...

Physics career intentions: The effect of physics identity, math identity, and gender

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lock, Robynne M.; Hazari, Zahra; Potvin, Geoff

2013-01-01

Although nearly half of high school physics students are female, only 21% of physics bachelor's degrees are earned by women. Using data from a national survey of college students in introductory English courses (on science-related experiences, particularly in high school), we examine the influence of students' physics and math identities on their choice to pursue a physics career. Males have higher math and physics identities than females in all three dimensions of our identity framework. These dimensions include: performance/competence (perceptions of ability to perform/understand), recognition (perception of recognition by others), and interest (desire to learn more). A regression model predicting students' intentions to pursue physics careers shows, as expected, that males are significantly more likely to choose physics than females. Surprisingly, however, when physics and math identity are included in the model, females are shown to be equally likely to choose physics careers as compared to males.

Dynamics of two-strain influenza model with cross-immunity and no quarantine class.

PubMed

Chung, K W; Lui, Roger

2016-12-01

The question about whether a periodic solution can exists for a given epidemiological model is a complicated one and has a long history (Hethcote and Levin, Applied math. ecology, biomathematics, vol 18. Springer, Berlin, pp 193-211, 1989). For influenza models, it is well known that a periodic solution can exists for a single-strain model with periodic contact rate (Aron and Schwartz, J Math Biol 110:665-679, 1984; Kuznetsov and Piccardi, J Math Biol 32:109-121, 1994), or a multiple-strain model with cross-immunity and quarantine class or age-structure (Nuño et al., Mathematical epidemiology. Lecture notes in mathematics, vol 1945. Springer, Berlin, 2008, chapter 13). In this paper, we prove the local asymptotic stability of the interior steady-state of a two-strain influenza model with sufficiently close cross-immunity and no quarantine class or age-structure. We also show that if the cross-immunity between two strains are far apart; then it is possible for the interior steady-state to lose its stability and bifurcation of periodic solutions can occur. Our results extend those obtained by Nuño et.al. (SIAM J Appl Math 65:964-982, 2005). This problem is important because understanding the reasons behind periodic outbreaks of seasonal flu is an important issue in public health.

Multilevel Structural Equation Models for Investigating the Effects of Computer-Based Learning in Math Classrooms on Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) Major Selection in 4-Year Postsecondary Institutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Ahlam

2017-01-01

Background/Context: Because of the growing concern over the decline of bachelor degree recipients in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in the U.S., several studies have been devoted to identifying the factors that affect students' STEM major choices. A majority of these studies have focused on factors relevant to…

Residential energy demand models: Current status and future improvements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peabody, G.

1980-12-01

Two models currently used to analyze energy use by the residential sector are described. The ORNL model is used to forecast energy use by fuel type for various end uses on a yearly basis. The MATH/CHRDS model analyzes variations in energy expenditures by households of various socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. The essential features of the ORNL and MATH/CHRDS models are retained in a proposed model and integrated into a framework that is more flexible than either model. The important determinants of energy use by households are reviewed.

Contact dynamics math model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glaese, John R.; Tobbe, Patrick A.

1986-01-01

The Space Station Mechanism Test Bed consists of a hydraulically driven, computer controlled six degree of freedom (DOF) motion system with which docking, berthing, and other mechanisms can be evaluated. Measured contact forces and moments are provided to the simulation host computer to enable representation of orbital contact dynamics. This report describes the development of a generalized math model which represents the relative motion between two rigid orbiting vehicles. The model allows motion in six DOF for each body, with no vehicle size limitation. The rotational and translational equations of motion are derived. The method used to transform the forces and moments from the sensor location to the vehicles' centers of mass is also explained. Two math models of docking mechanisms, a simple translational spring and the Remote Manipulator System end effector, are presented along with simulation results. The translational spring model is used in an attempt to verify the simulation with compensated hardware in the loop results.

Mathematical outcomes and working memory in children with TBI and orthopedic injury.

PubMed

Raghubar, Kimberly P; Barnes, Marcia A; Prasad, Mary; Johnson, Chad P; Ewing-Cobbs, Linda

2013-03-01

This study compared mathematical outcomes in children with predominantly moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI; n550) or orthopedic injury (OI; n547) at 2 and 24 months post-injury. Working memory and its contribution to math outcomes at 24 months post-injury was also examined. Participants were administered an experimental cognitive addition task and standardized measures of calculation, math fluency, and applied problems; as well as experimental measures of verbal and visual-spatial working memory. Although children with TBI did not have deficits in foundational math fact retrieval, they performed more poorly than OIs on standardized measures of math. In the TBI group, performance on standardized measures was predicted by age at injury, socioeconomic status, and the duration of impaired consciousness. Children with TBI showed impairments on verbal, but not visual working memory relative to children with OI. Verbal working memory mediated group differences on math calculations and applied problems at 24 months post-injury. Children with TBI have difficulties in mathematics, but do not have deficits in math fact retrieval, a signature deficit of math disabilities. Results are discussed with reference to models of mathematical cognition and disability and the role of working memory in math learning and performance for children with TBI.

Mathematical Outcomes and Working Memory in Children With TBI and Orthopedic Injury

PubMed Central

Raghubar, Kimberly P.; Barnes, Marcia A.; Prasad, Mary; Johnson, Chad P.; Ewing-Cobbs, Linda

2013-01-01

This study compared mathematical outcomes in children with predominantly moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI; n =50) or orthopedic injury (OI; n=47) at 2 and 24 months post-injury. Working memory and its contribution to math outcomes at 24 months post-injury was also examined. Participants were administered an experimental cognitive addition task and standardized measures of calculation, math fluency, and applied problems; as well as experimental measures of verbal and visual-spatial working memory. Although children with TBI did not have deficits in foundational math fact retrieval, they performed more poorly than OIs on standardized measures of math. In the TBI group, performance on standardized measures was predicted by age at injury, socioeconomic status, and the duration of impaired consciousness. Children with TBI showed impairments on verbal, but not visual working memory relative to children with OI. Verbal working memory mediated group differences on math calculations and applied problems at 24 months post-injury. Children with TBI have difficulties in mathematics, but do not have deficits in math fact retrieval, a signature deficit of math disabilities. Results are discussed with reference to models of mathematical cognition and disability and the role of working memory in math learning and performance for children with TBI. PMID:23164058

New Information Processing Techniques for Military Systems (les Nouvelles techniques de traitement de l’information pour les systemes militaires)

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-04-01

divisée en un certain nombre de sessions. SESSION I – SYSTEMES ET TECHNIQUES DE TRAITEMENT DE L’INFORMATION (I) Les deux premières sessions étaient...établissant des paramètres et en jetant les bases théoriques/mathématiques de futurs systèmes d’information. Il s’agit d’un domaine pour lequel la...transfert de données et de renseignements se fait de plus en plus sentir. Ce symposium couvrira un grand domaine opérationnel qui est d’une grande

Markovian Anderson Model: Bounds for the Rate of Propagation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tcheremchantsev, Serguei

We consider the Anderson model in with potentials whose values at any site of the lattice are Markovian independent random functions of time. For solutions to the time-dependent Schrödinger equation we show under some conditions that with probability 1 where for d=1,2 and for .

Early Math Trajectories: Low-Income Children's Mathematics Knowledge from Ages 4 to 11

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rittle-Johnson, Bethany; Fyfe, Emily R.; Hofer, Kerry G.; Farran, Dale C.

2017-01-01

Early mathematics knowledge is a strong predictor of later academic achievement, but children from low-income families enter school with weak mathematics knowledge. An early math trajectories model is proposed and evaluated within a longitudinal study of 517 low-income American children from ages 4 to 11. This model includes a broad range of math…

Early Math Trajectories: Low-Income Children's Mathematics Knowledge from Age 4 to 11

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rittle-Johnson, Bethany; Fyfe, Emily R.; Hofer, Kerry G.; Farran, Dale C.

2016-01-01

Early mathematics knowledge is a strong predictor of later academic achievement, but children from low-income families enter school with weak mathematics knowledge. An Early Math Trajectories model is proposed and evaluated within a longitudinal study of 517 low-income American children from age 4 to 11. This model includes a broad range of math…

Math anxiety: Brain cortical network changes in anticipation of doing mathematics.

PubMed

Klados, Manousos A; Pandria, Niki; Micheloyannis, Sifis; Margulies, Daniel; Bamidis, Panagiotis D

2017-12-01

Following our previous work regarding the involvement of math anxiety (MA) in math-oriented tasks, this study tries to explore the differences in the cerebral networks' topology between self-reported low math-anxious (LMA) and high math-anxious (HMA) individuals, during the anticipation phase prior to a mathematical related experiment. For this reason, multichannel EEG recordings were adopted, while the solution of the inverse problem was applied in a generic head model, in order to obtain the cortical signals. The cortical networks have been computed for each band separately, using the magnitude square coherence metric. The main graph theoretical parameters, showed differences in segregation and integration in almost all EEG bands of the HMAs in comparison to LMAs, indicative of a great influence of the anticipatory anxiety prior to mathematical performance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Distinct influences of affective and cognitive factors on children's non-verbal and verbal mathematical abilities.

PubMed

Wu, Sarah S; Chen, Lang; Battista, Christian; Smith Watts, Ashley K; Willcutt, Erik G; Menon, Vinod

2017-09-01

Individual differences in children's math performance have been associated with math anxiety, attention problems, working memory (WM), and reading skills, but the mechanisms by which these factors jointly contribute to children's math achievement are unknown. Here, we use structural equation modeling to characterize the relation between these factors and their influence on non-verbal Numerical Operations (NO) and verbal Math Reasoning (MR) in 330 children (M=8.34years). Our findings indicate that WM plays a central role in both non-verbal NO and verbal MR, whereas math anxiety and reading comprehension have unique and more pronounced influences on MR, compared to NO. Our study elucidates how affective and cognitive factors distinctly influence non-verbal and verbal mathematical problem solving. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The influence of female social models in corporate STEM initiatives on girls' math and science attitudes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Medeiros, Donald J.

The United States' Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) workforce is growing slower than in the past, in comparison to demand, and in comparison to other countries. Competitive talent conditions require the United States to develop a strong pipeline of STEM talent within its own citizens. Given the number of female college graduates and their underrepresentation in the STEM workforce, women provide the greatest opportunity for fulfilling this need. The term social model represents the individuals and media that shape children's self-perceptions. Social models have been shown to positively influence girl's perceptions of the value of math and science as well as their expectations of success. This study examined differences in attitudes towards math and science among student participants in corporate STEM programs. Differences were measured based on participant gender and ethnicity, their mentor's gender and ethnicity, and program design differences. The research purpose was to inform the design of corporate STEM programs to improve female participants' attitudes towards math and science and eventually increase the number of women in the STEM workforce. Over three hundred students in differing corporate STEM programs completed math and science attitudinal scales at the start and end of their programs. Study results revealed, prior to program start, female participants had a better attitude towards math and science than male participants. Analysis of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study data showed similar results. Overall program results demonstrated higher post program math and science attitudes with no differences based on gender, age, or ethnicity of the participant or mentor. Participants with high program or mentor satisfaction were found to have higher attitudes towards math and science. These results may suggest improving female academic choice requires more focus on their expectations of success than perceived task value. Male attitudes towards women's role in STEM fields may also require attention. Increasing attitudes seems best achieved through ensuring a highly satisfying experience with the program and their mentor. Study results suggest this requires more considerations than simply matching mentor and mentee race or gender. Reliability results of attitudinal scales provided guidance on assessment strategies.

Eulerian Dynamics with a Commutator Forcing

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-01-09

SIAM Review 56(4) (2014) 577–621. [Pes2015] J. Peszek. Discrete Cucker-Smale flocking model with a weakly singular weight. SIAM J. Math . Anal., to...viscosities in bounded domains. J. Math . Pures Appl. (9), 87(2):227– 235, 2007. [CV2010] L. Caffarelli, A. Vasseur, Drift diffusion equations with...Further time regularity for fully non-linear parabolic equations. Math . Res. Lett., 22(6):1749–1766, 2015. [CCTT2016] José A. Carrillo, Young-Pil

Remediation of Childhood Math Anxiety and Associated Neural Circuits through Cognitive Tutoring.

PubMed

Supekar, Kaustubh; Iuculano, Teresa; Chen, Lang; Menon, Vinod

2015-09-09

Math anxiety is a negative emotional reaction that is characterized by feelings of stress and anxiety in situations involving mathematical problem solving. High math-anxious individuals tend to avoid situations involving mathematics and are less likely to pursue science, technology, engineering, and math-related careers than those with low math anxiety. Math anxiety during childhood, in particular, has adverse long-term consequences for academic and professional success. Identifying cognitive interventions and brain mechanisms by which math anxiety can be ameliorated in children is therefore critical. Here we investigate whether an intensive 8 week one-to-one cognitive tutoring program designed to improve mathematical skills reduces childhood math anxiety, and we identify the neurobiological mechanisms by which math anxiety can be reduced in affected children. Forty-six children in grade 3, a critical early-onset period for math anxiety, participated in the cognitive tutoring program. High math-anxious children showed a significant reduction in math anxiety after tutoring. Remarkably, tutoring remediated aberrant functional responses and connectivity in emotion-related circuits anchored in the basolateral amygdala. Crucially, children with greater tutoring-induced decreases in amygdala reactivity had larger reductions in math anxiety. Our study demonstrates that sustained exposure to mathematical stimuli can reduce math anxiety and highlights the key role of the amygdala in this process. Our findings are consistent with models of exposure-based therapy for anxiety disorders and have the potential to inform the early treatment of a disability that, if left untreated in childhood, can lead to significant lifelong educational and socioeconomic consequences in affected individuals. Significance statement: Math anxiety during early childhood has adverse long-term consequences for academic and professional success. It is therefore important to identify ways to alleviate math anxiety in young children. Surprisingly, there have been no studies of cognitive interventions and the underlying neurobiological mechanisms by which math anxiety can be ameliorated in young children. Here, we demonstrate that intensive 8 week one-to-one cognitive tutoring not only reduces math anxiety but also remarkably remediates aberrant functional responses and connectivity in emotion-related circuits anchored in the amygdala. Our findings are likely to propel new ways of thinking about early treatment of a disability that has significant implications for improving each individual's academic and professional chances of success in today's technological society that increasingly demands strong quantitative skills. Copyright © 2015 the authors 0270-6474/15/3512574-10$15.00/0.

Predictive model for early math skills based on structural equations.

PubMed

Aragón, Estíbaliz; Navarro, José I; Aguilar, Manuel; Cerda, Gamal; García-Sedeño, Manuel

2016-12-01

Early math skills are determined by higher cognitive processes that are particularly important for acquiring and developing skills during a child's early education. Such processes could be a critical target for identifying students at risk for math learning difficulties. Few studies have considered the use of a structural equation method to rationalize these relations. Participating in this study were 207 preschool students ages 59 to 72 months, 108 boys and 99 girls. Performance with respect to early math skills, early literacy, general intelligence, working memory, and short-term memory was assessed. A structural equation model explaining 64.3% of the variance in early math skills was applied. Early literacy exhibited the highest statistical significance (β = 0.443, p < 0.05), followed by intelligence (β = 0.286, p < 0.05), working memory (β = 0.220, p < 0.05), and short-term memory (β = 0.213, p < 0.05). Correlations between the independent variables were also significant (p < 0.05). According to the results, cognitive variables should be included in remedial intervention programs. © 2016 Scandinavian Psychological Associations and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Effects of Small-Group Tutoring with and without Validated Classroom Instruction on At-Risk Students' Math Problem Solving: Are Two Tiers of Prevention Better Than One?

PubMed

Fuchs, Lynn S; Fuchs, Douglas; Craddock, Caitlin; Hollenbeck, Kurstin N; Hamlett, Carol L; Schatschneider, Christopher

2008-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of small-group tutoring with and without validated classroom instruction on at-risk (AR) students' math problem solving. Stratifying within schools, 119 3(rd)-grade classes were randomly assigned to conventional or validated problem-solving instruction (Hot Math [schema-broadening instruction]). Students identified as AR (n = 243) were randomly assigned, within classroom conditions, to receive Hot Math tutoring or not. Students were tested on problem-solving and math applications measures before and after 16 weeks of intervention. Analyses of variance, which accounted for the nested structure of the data, revealed the tutored students who received validated classroom instruction achieved better than tutored students who received conventional classroom instruction (ES = 1.34). However, the advantage for tutoring over no tutoring was similar whether or not students received validated or conventional classroom instruction (ESs = 1.18 and 1.13). Tutoring, not validated classroom instruction reduced the prevalence of math difficulty. Implications for responsiveness-to-intervention prevention models and for enhancing math problem-solving instruction are discussed.

Effects of Small-Group Tutoring with and without Validated Classroom Instruction on At-Risk Students' Math Problem Solving: Are Two Tiers of Prevention Better Than One?

PubMed Central

Fuchs, Lynn S.; Fuchs, Douglas; Craddock, Caitlin; Hollenbeck, Kurstin N.; Hamlett, Carol L.; Schatschneider, Christopher

2008-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of small-group tutoring with and without validated classroom instruction on at-risk (AR) students' math problem solving. Stratifying within schools, 119 3rd-grade classes were randomly assigned to conventional or validated problem-solving instruction (Hot Math [schema-broadening instruction]). Students identified as AR (n = 243) were randomly assigned, within classroom conditions, to receive Hot Math tutoring or not. Students were tested on problem-solving and math applications measures before and after 16 weeks of intervention. Analyses of variance, which accounted for the nested structure of the data, revealed the tutored students who received validated classroom instruction achieved better than tutored students who received conventional classroom instruction (ES = 1.34). However, the advantage for tutoring over no tutoring was similar whether or not students received validated or conventional classroom instruction (ESs = 1.18 and 1.13). Tutoring, not validated classroom instruction reduced the prevalence of math difficulty. Implications for responsiveness-to-intervention prevention models and for enhancing math problem-solving instruction are discussed. PMID:19122881

A Temperature-Dependent Phase-Field Model for Phase Separation and Damage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heinemann, Christian; Kraus, Christiane; Rocca, Elisabetta; Rossi, Riccarda

2017-07-01

In this paper we study a model for phase separation and damage in thermoviscoelastic materials. The main novelty of the paper consists in the fact that, in contrast with previous works in the literature concerning phase separation and damage processes in elastic media, in our model we encompass thermal processes, nonlinearly coupled with the damage, concentration and displacement evolutions. More particularly, we prove the existence of "entropic weak solutions", resorting to a solvability concept first introduced in Feireisl (Comput Math Appl 53:461-490, 2007) in the framework of Fourier-Navier-Stokes systems and then recently employed in Feireisl et al. (Math Methods Appl Sci 32:1345-1369, 2009) and Rocca and Rossi (Math Models Methods Appl Sci 24:1265-1341, 2014) for the study of PDE systems for phase transition and damage. Our global-in-time existence result is obtained by passing to the limit in a carefully devised time-discretization scheme.

Integrating Security into the Curriculum

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-12-01

predicate calculus, discrete math , and finite-state machine the- ory. In addition to applying standard mathematical foundations to constructing hardware and...models, specifi- cations, and the use of formal methods for verification and covert channel analysis. The means for analysis is based on discrete math , information

Application of nonlinear adaptive motion washout to transport ground-handling simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parrish, R. V.; Martin, D. J., Jr.

1983-01-01

The application of a nonlinear coordinated adaptive motion washout to the transport ground-handling environment is documented. Additions to both the aircraft math model and the motion washout system are discussed. The additions to the simulated-aircraft math model provided improved modeling fidelity for braking and reverse-thrust application, and the additions to the motion-base washout system allowed transition from the desired flight parameters to the less restrictive ground parameters of the washout.

ERRATUM: Papers published in incorrect sections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2004-04-01

A number of J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. articles have mistakenly been placed in the wrong subject section in recent issues of the journal. We would like to apologize to the authors of these articles for publishing their papers in the Fluid and Plasma Theory section. The correct section for each article is given below. Statistical Physics Issue 4: Microcanonical entropy for small magnetizations Behringer H 2004 J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 37 1443 Mathematical Physics Issue 9: On the solution of fractional evolution equations Kilbas A A, Pierantozzi T, Trujillo J J and Vázquez L 2004 J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 37 3271 Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Information Theory Issue 6: New exactly solvable isospectral partners for PT-symmetric potentials Sinha A and Roy P 2004 J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 37 2509 Issue 9: Symplectically entangled states and their applications to coding Vourdas A 2004 J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 37 3305 Classical and Quantum Field Theory Issue 6: Pairing of parafermions of order 2: seniority model Nelson C A 2004 J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 37 2497 Issue 7: Jordan-Schwinger map, 3D harmonic oscillator constants of motion, and classical and quantum parameters characterizing electromagnetic wave polarization Mota R D, Xicoténcatl M A and Granados V D 2004 J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 37 2835 Issue 9: Could only fermions be elementary? Lev F M 2004 J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 37 3285

Mathematical and Computational Aspects Related to Soil Modeling and Simulation

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-09-26

and simulation challenges at the interface of applied math (homogenization, handling of discontinuous behavior, discrete vs. continuum representations...applied math tools need to be established and used to figure out how to impose compatible boundary conditions, how to better approximate the gradient

Studying Gender and Ethnic Differences in Participation in Math, Physical Science, and Information Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eccles, Jacquelynne S.

2005-01-01

This chapter describes the history of the Eccles et al. Expectancy Value Model and research on the influence of social and psychological factors on gender and ethnic differences in math, science, and information technology choices. (Contains 1 figure.)

Performing Big Math Ideas across the Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gadanidis, George; Hughes, Janette M.

2011-01-01

A storied math context helps students engage both emotionally and cognitively with mathematics and helps show that mathematics develops out of human experience. Children's literature also models mathematical storytelling for students, and creates opportunities for them to retell and extend stories. This article describes mathematics investigations…

Special health care needs explains the effect of extremely low birth weight on math but not language achievement.

PubMed

Litt, Jonathan S; Minich, Nori; Taylor, H Gerry; Hack, Maureen

2017-12-01

Extremely low birth weight (ELBW; <1kg) adolescents are at risk for special health care needs (SHCN) and poor math achievement compared to normal birth weight (NBW) peers. SHCN are associated with poor academic achievement among NBW children. We hypothesize that SHCN explain the effect of ELBW on math achievement. We compared age 14 Woodcock-Johnson Calculation standard scores between 181 ELBW infants and 115 NBW controls. Persistent SHCN included: 1) prescription medication or equipment use, 2) subspecialty or therapeutic service use, or 3) hospitalization. We used nonlinear marginal effects models to decompose the total effect of ELBW on math into the following 4 components: the effect of ELBW controlling for SHCN, the effect of SHCN controlling for ELBW, effect modification by SHCN, and mediated interaction where SHCN is both causal mediator and effect modifier. Models were adjusted for sociodemographic factors. ELBW adolescents had lower mean math scores than NBW peers (81.3 vs. 96.4). SHCN were more common among ELBW adolescents (54.1% vs. 27%). The total effect of ELBW on math scores was -15.7 points (95% CI -21.0, -10.5). The effect of birth weight alone was -7.6 points (95% CI -13.7, -1.4); the effect of SHCN alone was negligible. SHCN interaction and mediated interaction effects each accounted for 25% of the total effect. Birth weight alone explains only half of the effect of ELBW on math achievement. We found evidence of effect modification and mediation by SHCN. Understanding these explanatory pathways may lead to targeted interventions for improved outcomes. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Correlation of AH-1G airframe test data with a NASTRAN mathematical model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cronkhite, J. D.; Berry, V. L.

1976-01-01

Test data was provided for evaluating a mathematical vibration model of the Bell AH-1G helicopter airframe. The math model was developed and analyzed using the NASTRAN structural analysis computer program. Data from static and dynamic tests were used for comparison with the math model. Static tests of the fuselage and tailboom were conducted to verify the stiffness representation of the NASTRAN model. Dynamic test data were obtained from shake tests of the airframe and were used to evaluate the NASTRAN model for representing the low frequency (below 30 Hz) vibration response of the airframe.

Generalized Poisson-Kac Processes: Basic Properties and Implications in Extended Thermodynamics and Transport

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giona, Massimiliano; Brasiello, Antonio; Crescitelli, Silvestro

2016-04-01

We introduce a new class of stochastic processes in Rn,{{{mathbb R}}^n}, referred to as generalized Poisson-Kac (GPK) processes, that generalizes the Poisson-Kac telegrapher's random motion in higher dimensions. These stochastic processes possess finite propagation velocity, almost everywhere smooth trajectories, and converge in the Kac limit to Brownian motion. GPK processes are defined by coupling the selection of a bounded velocity vector from a family of N distinct ones with a Markovian dynamics controlling probabilistically this selection. This model can be used as a probabilistic tool for a stochastically consistent formulation of extended thermodynamic theories far from equilibrium.

Expanding Girls' Horizons: Strengthening Persistence in the Early Math and Science Education Pipeline

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Virnoche, Mary E.

Little longitudinal or follow-up data is available on the impact of Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) conferences. The purpose of the conferences is to encourage girls to take more math and science in high school by exposing them to hands-on activities and role models in math and science professions. This paper is based on 2005 and 2006 one-to-one and small-group interview data from 22 high school girls who attended an EYH conference during their middle school years. The data suggests that EYH strengthens girls' persistence in math and science pathways. Most girls came to the conferences already interested in math and science and at the urging of parents or teachers. Most felt empowered through the shared experience with hundreds of other girls and women, and relayed detailed and enthusiastic descriptions of hands-on activities. Many of the girls also drew connections between EYH and their course-taking actions and career goals. This paper highlights examples of these experiences and makes recommendations for future math and science early pipeline diversity work.

Designing Studies to Test Causal Questions About Early Math: The Development of Making Pre-K Count.

PubMed

Mattera, Shira K; Morris, Pamela A; Jacob, Robin; Maier, Michelle; Rojas, Natalia

2017-01-01

A growing literature has demonstrated that early math skills are associated with later outcomes for children. This research has generated interest in improving children's early math competencies as a pathway to improved outcomes for children in elementary school. The Making Pre-K Count study was designed to test the effects of an early math intervention for preschoolers. Its design was unique in that, in addition to causally testing the effects of early math skills, it also allowed for the examination of a number of additional questions about scale-up, the influence of contextual factors and the counterfactual environment, the mechanism of long-term fade-out, and the role of measurement in early childhood intervention findings. This chapter outlines some of the design considerations and decisions put in place to create a rigorous test of the causal effects of early math skills that is also able to answer these questions in early childhood mathematics and intervention. The study serves as a potential model for how to advance science in the fields of preschool intervention and early mathematics. © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The moderating effect of self-efficacy on normal-weight, overweight, and obese children's math achievement: a longitudinal analysis.

PubMed

Kranjac, Ashley Wendell

2015-03-01

Increased body weight is associated with decreased cognitive function in school-aged children. The role of self-efficacy in shaping the connection between children's educational achievement and obesity-related comorbidities has not been examined to date. Evidence of the predictive ability of self-efficacy in children is demonstrated in cognitive tasks, including math achievement scores. This study examined the relationship between self-efficacy and math achievement in normal weight, overweight, and obese children. I hypothesized that overweight and obese children with higher self-efficacy will be less affected in math achievement than otherwise comparable children with lower self-efficacy. I tested this prediction with multilevel growth modeling techniques using the ECLS-K 1998-1999 survey data, a nationally representative sample of children. Increased self-efficacy moderates the link between body weight and children's math achievement by buffering the risks that increased weight status poses to children's cognitive function. My findings indicate that self-efficacy moderates math outcomes in overweight, but not obese, children. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An IBM PC-based math model for space station solar array simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Emanuel, E. M.

1986-01-01

This report discusses and documents the design, development, and verification of a microcomputer-based solar cell math model for simulating the Space Station's solar array Initial Operational Capability (IOC) reference configuration. The array model is developed utilizing a linear solar cell dc math model requiring only five input parameters: short circuit current, open circuit voltage, maximum power voltage, maximum power current, and orbit inclination. The accuracy of this model is investigated using actual solar array on orbit electrical data derived from the Solar Array Flight Experiment/Dynamic Augmentation Experiment (SAFE/DAE), conducted during the STS-41D mission. This simulator provides real-time simulated performance data during the steady state portion of the Space Station orbit (i.e., array fully exposed to sunlight). Eclipse to sunlight transients and shadowing effects are not included in the analysis, but are discussed briefly. Integrating the Solar Array Simulator (SAS) into the Power Management and Distribution (PMAD) subsystem is also discussed.

Electrochemical carbon dioxide concentrator subsystem math model. [for manned space station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marshall, R. D.; Carlson, J. N.; Schubert, F. H.

1974-01-01

A steady state computer simulation model has been developed to describe the performance of a total six man, self-contained electrochemical carbon dioxide concentrator subsystem built for the space station prototype. The math model combines expressions describing the performance of the electrochemical depolarized carbon dioxide concentrator cells and modules previously developed with expressions describing the performance of the other major CS-6 components. The model is capable of accurately predicting CS-6 performance over EDC operating ranges and the computer simulation results agree with experimental data obtained over the prediction range.

Peer group contexts of girls' and boys' academic experiences.

PubMed

Crosnoe, Robert; Riegle-Crumb, Catherine; Field, Sam; Frank, Kenneth; Muller, Chandra

2008-01-01

Girls have caught up with boys in math course taking in high school but reasons for taking math still differ by gender. This study, therefore, investigated gender differences in the linkage between peer relations and math course taking by applying multilevel modeling to a nationally representative data set that includes peer networks and school transcripts (N= 6,457 American 9th to 11th graders, aged 13-19). For all adolescents, math course taking was associated with the achievement of their close friends and, to a lesser extent, their coursemates. These associations tended to be stronger toward the end of high school and weaker among adolescents with a prior record of failure in school. Each of these patterns was somewhat more consistent among girls.

Undergraduate nursing students' perceptions regarding factors that affect math abilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pyo, Katrina A.

2011-07-01

A review of the nursing literature reveals many undergraduate nursing students lack proficiency with basic mathematical skills, those necessary for safe medication preparation and administration. Few studies exploring the phenomenon from the undergraduate nursing student perspective are reported in the nursing literature. The purpose of this study was to explore undergraduate nursing students’ perceptions of math abilities, factors that affect math abilities, the use of math in nursing, and the extent to which specific math skills were addressed throughout a nursing curriculum. Polya’s Model for Problem Solving and the Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Affective Domain served as the theoretical background for the study. Qualitative and quantitative methods were utilized to obtain data from a purposive sample of undergraduate nursing students from a private university in western Pennsylvania. Participants were selected based on the proficiency level with math skills, as determined by a score on the Elsevier’s HESI™ Admission Assessment (A2) Exam, Math Portion. Ten students from the “Excellent” benchmark group and eleven students from the “Needing Additional Assistance or Improvement” benchmark group participated in one-on-one, semi-structured interviews, and completed a 25-item, 4-point Likert scale survey that rated confidence levels with specific math skills and the extent to which these skills were perceived to be addressed in the nursing curriculum. Responses from the two benchmark groups were compared and contrasted. Eight themes emerged from the qualitative data. Findings related to mathematical approach and confidence levels with specific math skills were determined to be statistically significant.

Beyond adoption status: Post-adoptive parental involvement and children's reading and math performance from kindergarten to first grade.

PubMed

Tan, Tony Xing; Kim, Eun Sook; Baggerly, Jennifer; Mahoney, E Emily; Rice, Jessica

2017-01-01

In this study, we went beyond adoption status to examine the associations between postadoption parental involvement and children's reading and math performance from kindergarten to first grade. Secondary data on a sample of adopted children and nonadopted children were drawn from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Class of 1998 to 1999 (ECLS-K). Weighted data on the children's reading performance were available for 13,900 children (181 were adopted); weighted data on the children's math performance were available for 14,128 children (184 were adopted). Descriptive data showed no group difference in reading scores at all 3 Waves but adopted children scored lower than nonadopted children in math at Wave 2 (Spring of kindergarten) and Wave 3 (Spring of first grade). However, controlling for 6 covariates, latent growth modeling showed that adoption status was unrelated to Wave 1 reading and math scores or subsequent growth rate. Rather, parents' beliefs on skills needed to succeed in kindergarten were a significant predictor of reading and math performance at Wave 1 and subsequent growth rates, and parents' educational expectation was a significant predictor of growth rate in reading and math. Our findings highlight the importance of parental involvement in adopted children's learning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Searching for the Golden Model of Education: Cross-National Analysis of Math Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bodovski, Katerina; Byun, Soo-yong; Chykina, Volha; Chung, Hee Jin

2017-01-01

We utilised four waves of TIMSS data in addition to the information we have collected on countries' educational systems to examine whether different degrees of standardisation, differentiation, proportion of students in private schools and governmental spending on education influence students' math achievement, its variation and socioeconomic…

Exploring Adolescent Motivations for Pursuing Maths-Related Careers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watt, Helen M. G.

2005-01-01

Adolescents from grade 9 in Sydney Australia (N = 60) were interviewed regarding why they would or would not consider pursuing maths-related careers. Open-ended interview data explored the comprehensiveness of explanations within the Expectancy-Value framework. The Expectancy-Value model is the major motivational framework for explaining students'…

Preparing Elementary Mathematics-Science Teaching Specialists.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, L. Diane

1992-01-01

Describes a professional development program to train math/science specialists for the upper elementary school grades. Using results from an interest survey, 30 teachers were chosen to participate in a 3-year program to become math/science specialists. Presents the teaching model used and the advantages for teachers and students in having subject…

Tactical Communications Network Modelling and Reliability Analysis: An Overview

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-11-01

Transactions on Reliability. Vol 31 (1982), pp 359-361. [62] B. N. Clark and C. L. Colbourn. "Unit Disk Graphs", Discrete Math ., Vol 86 (1990), pp 165-177. [63...C. L. Colbourn, "Network Resiliance". SIAM Journal of Algebra and Discrete Math . Vol 8. (1987), pp 404-409. [64] W. H. Debany, P. K. Varshney, and C...34Bibliography on Dominatinn in Graphs and Some Basic Definitions of Domination Parameters". Discrete Math .. Vol 86 (1990). pp 257-277. [76] C. L. Hwang. F. A

dendextend: an R package for visualizing, adjusting and comparing trees of hierarchical clustering

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Summary: dendextend is an R package for creating and comparing visually appealing tree diagrams. dendextend provides utility functions for manipulating dendrogram objects (their color, shape and content) as well as several advanced methods for comparing trees to one another (both statistically and visually). As such, dendextend offers a flexible framework for enhancing R's rich ecosystem of packages for performing hierarchical clustering of items. Availability and implementation: The dendextend R package (including detailed introductory vignettes) is available under the GPL-2 Open Source license and is freely available to download from CRAN at: (http://cran.r-project.org/package=dendextend) Contact: Tal.Galili@math.tau.ac.il PMID:26209431

Longitudinal Relations among Parents' Reactions to Children's Negative Emotions, Effortful Control, and Math Achievement in Early Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swanson, Jodi; Valiente, Carlos; Lemery-Chalfant, Kathryn; Bradley, Robert H.; Eggum-Wilkens, Natalie D.

2014-01-01

Panel mediation models and fixed-effects models were used to explore longitudinal relations among parents' reactions to children's displays of negative emotions, children's effortful control (EC), and children's math achievement (N = 291; M age in fall of kindergarten = 5.66 years, SD = 0.39 year) across kindergarten through…

Association between genetic polymorphisms of interleukins and cerebral infarction risk: a meta-analysis

PubMed Central

Wang, Jiantao; Fan, Niannian; Deng, Yili; Zhu, Jie; Mei, Jing; Chen, Yao; Yang, Heng

2016-01-01

Interleukins (ILs) are the most typical inflammatory and immunoregulatory cytokines. Evidences have shown that polymorphisms in ILs are associated with cerebral infarction risk. However, the results remain inconclusive. The present study was to evaluate the role of ILs polymorphisms in cerebral infarction susceptibility. Relevant case-control studies published between January 2000 and December 2015 were searched and retrieved from the electronic databases of Web of Science, PubMed, Embase and the Chinese Biomedical Database. The odds ratio (OR) with its 95% confidence interval (CI) were employed to calculate the strength of association. A total of 55 articles including 12619 cerebral infarction patients and 14436 controls were screened out. Four ILs (IL-1, IL-6, IL-10 and IL-18) contained nine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; IL-1α −899C/T, IL-1β −511C/T and IL-1β +3953C/T; IL-6 −174G/C and −572C/G; IL-10 −819C/T and −1082A/G; IL-18 −607C/A and −137G/C). Our result showed that IL-1α −899C/T and IL-18 −607C/A (under all the genetic models), and IL-6 −572C/G (under the allelic model, heterogeneity model and dominant model) were associated with increased the risk of cerebral infarction (P<0.05). Subgroup analysis by ethnicity showed that IL-6 −174G/C polymorphism (under all the five models) and IL-10 −1082A/G polymorphism (under the allelic model and heterologous model) were significantly associated with increased the cerebral infarction risk in Asians. Other genetic polymorphisms were not related with cerebral infarction susceptibility under any genetic models. In conclusion, IL-1α −899C/T, IL-6 −572C/G and IL-18 −607C/A might be risk factors for cerebral infarction development. Further studies with well-designed and large sample size are still required. PMID:27679860

Girls Entering Technology, Science, Math and Research Training (get Smart): a Model for Preparing Girls in Science and Engineering Disciplines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mawasha, P. Ruby; Lam, Paul C.; Vesalo, John; Leitch, Ronda; Rice, Stacey

In this article, it is postulated that the development of a successful training program for women in science, math, engineering, and technology (SMET) disciplines is dependent upon a combination of several factors, including (a) career orientation: commitment to SMET as a career, reasons for pursuing SMET as a career, and opportunity to pursue a SMET career; (b) knowledge of SMET: SMET courses completed, SMET achievement, and hands-on SMET activities; (c) academic and social support: diversity initiatives, role models, cooperative learning, and peer counseling; and (d) self-concept: program emphasis on competence and peer competition. The proposed model is based on the GET SMART (Girls Entering Technology, Science, Math and Research Training) workshop program to prepare and develop female high school students as competitive future SMET professionals. The proposed model is not intended to serve as an elaborate theory, but as a general guide in training females entering SMET disciplines.

Math and science community college faculty: A culture apart

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bradley, Jane

This is a quantitative, survey-based study of Iowa community college faculty members. The survey was administered in the spring of 2011 to all faculty members identified by their colleges as being employed full time. This study compares the demographics of math and science faculty members to faculty within the arts and sciences who do not teach math or science. Comparisons of how the two groups interact with students and what they identify as barriers to student success are included, as well as their attitudes about mentoring, encouraging students, and their roles in student recruitment and student retention. Highly correlated variables are grouped as factors and used in the construction of prediction models for faculty engagement in student recruitment and student retention efforts. A contrast in the cultures of the math/science faculty members as compared to the non-math/science faculty is considered for its impact on faculty engagement with students and those variables believed to support undergraduate student success.

Peer Group Contexts of Girls’ and Boys’ Academic Experiences

PubMed Central

Crosnoe, Robert; Riegle-Crumb, Catherine; Frank, Kenneth; Field, Sam; Muller, Chandra

2010-01-01

Girls have caught up with boys in math course taking in high school but reasons for taking math still differ by gender. This study, therefore, investigated gender differences in the linkage between peer relations and math course taking by applying multilevel modeling to a nationally representative data set that includes peer networks and school transcripts (N = 6,457 American 9th to 11th graders, aged 13 – 19). For all adolescents, math course taking was associated with the achievement of their close friends and, to a lesser extent, their coursemates. These associations tended to be stronger toward the end of high school and weaker among adolescents with a prior record of failure in school. Each of these patterns was somewhat more consistent among girls. PMID:18269514

A Short Note on the Scaling Function Constant Problem in the Two-Dimensional Ising Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bothner, Thomas

2018-02-01

We provide a simple derivation of the constant factor in the short-distance asymptotics of the tau-function associated with the 2-point function of the two-dimensional Ising model. This factor was first computed by Tracy (Commun Math Phys 142:297-311, 1991) via an exponential series expansion of the correlation function. Further simplifications in the analysis are due to Tracy and Widom (Commun Math Phys 190:697-721, 1998) using Fredholm determinant representations of the correlation function and Wiener-Hopf approximation results for the underlying resolvent operator. Our method relies on an action integral representation of the tau-function and asymptotic results for the underlying Painlevé-III transcendent from McCoy et al. (J Math Phys 18:1058-1092, 1977).

Fueling Interest in Science: An After-School Program Model that Works

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koenig, Kathleen; Hanson, Margaret

2008-01-01

As our society becomes more technologically advanced and jobs require additional related skills, it is important that all girls, not just those interested in science, technology, engineering, and math (commonly referred to as the STEM disciplines), take advanced levels of science and math in high school. Evidence suggests that intervention…

An Inquiry into Flipped Learning in Fourth Grade Math Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

D'addato, Teresa; Miller, Libbi R.

2016-01-01

The objective of this action research project was to better understand the impact of flipped learning on fourth grade math students in a socioeconomically disadvantaged setting. A flipped instructional model was implemented with the group of students enrolled in the researcher's class. Data was collected in the form of classroom observations,…

Racism, Parent Support, and Math-Based Career Interests, Efficacy, and Outcome Expectations among African American Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alliman-Brissett, Annette E.; Turner, Sherri L.

2010-01-01

Using an extended model of social cognitive career theory, this study investigated ways in which African American middle school adolescents perceive racism and the associations among various aspects of perceptions of racism, other background factors, and math-based career interests, efficacy, and outcome expectations. Results indicated that…

ICT for Children of Immigrants: Indirect and Total Effects via Self-Efficacy on Math Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Sunha

2018-01-01

This study compared the direct, indirect, and total effects of information, communication, and technology (ICT) variables on math achievement for second-generation immigrant, first-generation immigrant, and nonimmigrant students. A path model was used to analyze U.S. nationally representative data from the Program for International Student…

Neuropsychological Predictors of Math Calculation and Reasoning in School-Aged Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schneider, Dana Lynn

2012-01-01

After multiple reviews of the literature, which documented that multiple cognitive processes may be involved in mathematics ability and disability, Geary (1993) proposed a model that included three subtypes of math disability: Semantic, Procedural, and Visuospatial. A review of the extant literature produced three studies that examined Geary's…

Locus of Control and Academic Achievement: Integrating Social Learning Theory and Expectancy-Value Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Youse, Keith Edward

2012-01-01

The current study examines predictors of math achievement and college graduation by integrating social learning theory and expectancy-value theory. Data came from a nationally-representative longitudinal database tracking 12,144 students over twelve years from 8th grade forward. Models for math achievement and college graduation were tested…

Teaching Math to My Scholars: Inner City Middle School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iyer, Ranjani; Pitts, Joseph

2017-01-01

Teaching in an inner city school requires classroom management, resilience, and most importantly strategies to promote learning and growth. There is a constant need for acceleration in student growth in core subjects, especially Math. A blended learning model can be an effective option for schools to personalize learning experiences for students…

Building Links between Early Socioeconomic Status, Cognitive Ability, and Math and Science Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blums, Angela; Belsky, Jay; Grimm, Kevin; Chen, Zhe

2017-01-01

The present study examined whether and how socioeconomic status (SES) predicts school achievement in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) using structural equation modeling and data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Child Care and Youth Development. The present inquiry addresses gaps in…

Boundary layer transition: A review of theory, experiment and related phenomena

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kistler, E. L.

1971-01-01

The overall problem of boundary layer flow transition is reviewed. Evidence indicates a need for new, basic physical hypotheses in classical fluid mechanics math models based on the Navier-Stokes equations. The Navier-Stokes equations are challenged as inadequate for the investigation of fluid transition, since they are based on several assumptions which should be expected to alter significantly the stability characteristics of the resulting math model. Strong prima facie evidence is presented to this effect.

The role of self-math overlap in understanding math anxiety and the relation between math anxiety and performance

PubMed Central

Necka, Elizabeth A.; Sokolowski, H. Moriah; Lyons, Ian M.

2015-01-01

Recent work has demonstrated that math anxiety is more than just the product of poor math skills. Psychosocial factors may play a key role in understanding what it means to be math anxious, and hence may aid in attempts to sever the link between math anxiety and poor math performance. One such factor may be the extent to which individuals integrate math into their sense of self. We adapted a well-established measure of this degree of integration (i.e., self-other overlap) to assess individuals’ self-math overlap. This non-verbal single-item measure showed that identifying oneself with math (having higher self-math overlap) was strongly associated with lower math anxiety (r = -0.610). We also expected that having higher self-math overlap would leave one especially susceptible to the threat of poor math performance to the self. We identified two competing hypotheses regarding how this plays out in terms of math anxiety. Those higher in self-math overlap might be more likely to worry about poor math performance, exacerbating the negative relation between math anxiety and math ability. Alternatively, those higher in self-math overlap might exhibit self-serving biases regarding their math ability, which would instead predict a decoupling of the relation between their perceived and actual math ability, and in turn the relation between their math ability and math anxiety. Results clearly favored the latter hypothesis: those higher in self-math overlap exhibited almost no relation between math anxiety and math ability, whereas those lower in self-math overlap showed a strong negative relation between math anxiety and math ability. This was partially explained by greater self-serving biases among those higher in self-math overlap. In sum, these results reveal that the degree to which one integrates math into one’s self – self-math overlap – may provide insight into how the pernicious negative relation between math anxiety and math ability may be ameliorated. PMID:26528210

The role of self-math overlap in understanding math anxiety and the relation between math anxiety and performance.

PubMed

Necka, Elizabeth A; Sokolowski, H Moriah; Lyons, Ian M

2015-01-01

Recent work has demonstrated that math anxiety is more than just the product of poor math skills. Psychosocial factors may play a key role in understanding what it means to be math anxious, and hence may aid in attempts to sever the link between math anxiety and poor math performance. One such factor may be the extent to which individuals integrate math into their sense of self. We adapted a well-established measure of this degree of integration (i.e., self-other overlap) to assess individuals' self-math overlap. This non-verbal single-item measure showed that identifying oneself with math (having higher self-math overlap) was strongly associated with lower math anxiety (r = -0.610). We also expected that having higher self-math overlap would leave one especially susceptible to the threat of poor math performance to the self. We identified two competing hypotheses regarding how this plays out in terms of math anxiety. Those higher in self-math overlap might be more likely to worry about poor math performance, exacerbating the negative relation between math anxiety and math ability. Alternatively, those higher in self-math overlap might exhibit self-serving biases regarding their math ability, which would instead predict a decoupling of the relation between their perceived and actual math ability, and in turn the relation between their math ability and math anxiety. Results clearly favored the latter hypothesis: those higher in self-math overlap exhibited almost no relation between math anxiety and math ability, whereas those lower in self-math overlap showed a strong negative relation between math anxiety and math ability. This was partially explained by greater self-serving biases among those higher in self-math overlap. In sum, these results reveal that the degree to which one integrates math into one's self - self-math overlap - may provide insight into how the pernicious negative relation between math anxiety and math ability may be ameliorated.

GaAs Substrates for High-Power Diode Lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mueller, Georg; Berwian, Patrick; Buhrig, Eberhard; Weinert, Berndt

GaAs substrate crystals with low dislocation density (Etch-Pit Density (EPD) < 500,^-2) and Si-doping ( ~10^18,^-3) are required for the epitaxial production of high-power diode-lasers. Large-size wafers (= 3 mathrm{in} -> >=3,) are needed for reducing the manufacturing costs. These requirements can be fulfilled by the Vertical Bridgman (VB) and Vertical Gradient Freeze (VGF) techniques. For that purpose we have developed proper VB/VGF furnaces and optimized the thermal as well as the physico-chemical process conditions. This was strongly supported by extensive numerical process simulation. The modeling of the VGF furnaces and processes was made by using a new computer code called CrysVUN++, which was recently developed in the Crystal Growth Laboratory in Erlangen.GaAs crystals with diameters of 2 and 3in were grown in pyrolytic Boron Nitride (pBN) crucibles having a small-diameter seed section and a conical part. Boric oxide was used to fully encapsulate the crystal and the melt. An initial silicon content in the GaAs melt of c (melt) = 3 x10^19,^-3 has to be used in order to achieve a carrier concentration of n = (0.8- 2) x10^18,^-3, which is the substrate specification of the device manufacturer of the diode-laser. The EPD could be reduced to values between 500,^-2 and 50,^-2 with a Si-doping level of 8 x10^17 to 1 x10^18,^-3. Even the 3in wafers have rather large dislocation-free areas. The lowest EPDs ( <100,^-2) are achieved for long seed wells of the crucible.

Quasi-additive estimates on the Hamiltonian for the one-dimensional long range Ising model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Littin, Jorge; Picco, Pierre

2017-07-01

In this work, we study the problem of getting quasi-additive bounds for the Hamiltonian of the long range Ising model, when the two-body interaction term decays proportionally to 1/d2 -α , α ∈(0,1 ) . We revisit the paper by Cassandro et al. [J. Math. Phys. 46, 053305 (2005)] where they extend to the case α ∈[0 ,ln3/ln2 -1 ) the result of the existence of a phase transition by using a Peierls argument given by Fröhlich and Spencer [Commun. Math. Phys. 84, 87-101 (1982)] for α =0 . The main arguments of Cassandro et al. [J. Math. Phys. 46, 053305 (2005)] are based in a quasi-additive decomposition of the Hamiltonian in terms of hierarchical structures called triangles and contours, which are related to the original definition of contours introduced by Fröhlich and Spencer [Commun. Math. Phys. 84, 87-101 (1982)]. In this work, we study the existence of a quasi-additive decomposition of the Hamiltonian in terms of the contours defined in the work of Cassandro et al. [J. Math. Phys. 46, 053305 (2005)]. The most relevant result obtained is Theorem 4.3 where we show that there is a quasi-additive decomposition for the Hamiltonian in terms of contours when α ∈[0,1 ) but not in terms of triangles. The fact that it cannot be a quasi-additive bound in terms of triangles lead to a very interesting maximization problem whose maximizer is related to a discrete Cantor set. As a consequence of the quasi-additive bounds, we prove that we can generalise the [Cassandro et al., J. Math. Phys. 46, 053305 (2005)] result, that is, a Peierls argument, to the whole interval α ∈[0,1 ) . We also state here the result of Cassandro et al. [Commun. Math. Phys. 327, 951-991 (2014)] about cluster expansions which implies that Theorem 2.4 that concerns interfaces and Theorem 2.5 that concerns n point truncated correlation functions in Cassandro et al. [Commun. Math. Phys. 327, 951-991 (2014)] are valid for all α ∈[0,1 ) instead of only α ∈[0 ,ln3/ln2 -1 ) .

Dynamics of human T-cell lymphotropic virus I (HTLV-I) infection of CD4+ T-cells.

PubMed

Katri, Patricia; Ruan, Shigui

2004-11-01

Stilianakis and Seydel (Bull. Math. Biol., 1999) proposed an ODE model that describes the T-cell dynamics of human T-cell lymphotropic virus I (HTLV-I) infection and the development of adult T-cell leukemia (ATL). Their model consists of four components: uninfected healthy CD4+ T-cells, latently infected CD4+ T-cells, actively infected CD4+ T-cells, and ATL cells. Mathematical analysis that completely determines the global dynamics of this model has been done by Wang et al. (Math. Biosci., 2002). In this note, we first modify the parameters of the model to distinguish between contact and infectivity rates. Then we introduce a discrete time delay to the model to describe the time between emission of contagious particles by active CD4+ T-cells and infection of pure cells. Using the results in Culshaw and Ruan (Math. Biosci., 2000) in the analysis of time delay with respect to cell-free viral spread of HIV, we study the effect of time delay on the stability of the endemically infected equilibrium. Numerical simulations are presented to illustrate the results.

Specific learning disability in mathematics: a comprehensive review.

PubMed

Soares, Neelkamal; Evans, Teresa; Patel, Dilip R

2018-01-01

Math skills are necessary for success in the childhood educational and future adult work environment. This article reviews the changing terminology for specific learning disabilities (SLD) in math and describes the emerging genetics and neuroimaging studies that relate to individuals with math disability (MD). It is important to maintain a developmental perspective on MD, as presentation changes with age, instruction, and the different models (educational and medical) of identification. Intervention requires a systematic approach to screening and remediation that has evolved with more evidence-based literature. Newer directions in behavioral, educational and novel interventions are described.

Specific learning disability in mathematics: a comprehensive review

PubMed Central

Evans, Teresa; Patel, Dilip R.

2018-01-01

Math skills are necessary for success in the childhood educational and future adult work environment. This article reviews the changing terminology for specific learning disabilities (SLD) in math and describes the emerging genetics and neuroimaging studies that relate to individuals with math disability (MD). It is important to maintain a developmental perspective on MD, as presentation changes with age, instruction, and the different models (educational and medical) of identification. Intervention requires a systematic approach to screening and remediation that has evolved with more evidence-based literature. Newer directions in behavioral, educational and novel interventions are described. PMID:29441282

The effects of gender composition on women's experience in math work groups.

PubMed

Grover, Sarah S; Ito, Tiffany A; Park, Bernadette

2017-06-01

The present studies tested a model outlining the effects of group gender composition on self- and others' perceptions of women's math ability in a truly interactive setting with groups composed entirely of naïve participants (N = 158 4-person groups across 3 studies). One woman in each group was designated to be the "expert" by having her complete a tutorial that gave her task-relevant knowledge for a subsequent group task. Group gender composition was hypothesized to influence perceptions of women's math ability through intrapersonal processes (stereotype threat effects on performance) and interpersonal processes (social cohesion between the expert and other group members). Group composition affected the experts' performance in the group math task, but importantly, it also affected their social cohesion with group members. Moreover, both of these effects-lowered performance and poorer social cohesion in male-dominated groups-made independent contributions in accounting for group gender composition effects on perceptions of women's math ability (Studies 1 and 2). Boundary conditions were examined in a 3rd study. Women who had a history of excelling in math and had chosen a math-intensive STEM major were selected to be the designated experts. We predicted and found this would be sufficient to eliminate the effect of group gender composition on interpersonal processes, and correspondingly the effect on women's perceived math ability. Interestingly (and consistent with past work on stereotype threat effects among highly domain-identified individuals), there were continued performance differences indicative of effects on intrapersonal processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Intergenerational Effects of Parents' Math Anxiety on Children's Math Achievement and Anxiety.

PubMed

Maloney, Erin A; Ramirez, Gerardo; Gunderson, Elizabeth A; Levine, Susan C; Beilock, Sian L

2015-09-01

A large field study of children in first and second grade explored how parents' anxiety about math relates to their children's math achievement. The goal of the study was to better understand why some students perform worse in math than others. We tested whether parents' math anxiety predicts their children's math achievement across the school year. We found that when parents are more math anxious, their children learn significantly less math over the school year and have more math anxiety by the school year's end-but only if math-anxious parents report providing frequent help with math homework. Notably, when parents reported helping with math homework less often, children's math achievement and attitudes were not related to parents' math anxiety. Parents' math anxiety did not predict children's reading achievement, which suggests that the effects of parents' math anxiety are specific to children's math achievement. These findings provide evidence of a mechanism for intergenerational transmission of low math achievement and high math anxiety. © The Author(s) 2015.

Rural Math Excel Partnership (RMEP) Project Final Performance Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harmon, Hobart; Tate, Veronica; Stevens, Jennifer; Wilborn, Sandy; Adams, Sue

2018-01-01

The goal of the Rural Math Excel Partnership (RMEP) project, a development project funded by the U.S. Department of Education Investing in Innovation (i3) grant program, was to develop a model of shared responsibility among families, teachers, and communities in rural areas as collective support for student success in and preparation for advanced…

The Role of PS Ability and RC Skill in Predicting Growth Trajectories of Mathematics Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vista, Alvin

2016-01-01

There are relatively few studies in Australia and South-East Asian region that combine investigating models of math growth trajectories with predictors such as reasoning ability and reading comprehension skills. Math achievement is one of the major components of overall academic achievement and it is important to determine what factors (especially…

The Relation between Parental Involvement and Math Anxiety: Implications for Mathematics Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, Steven O.; Vukovic, Rose K.

2011-01-01

Previous research served as the platform for this study's research question: Does math anxiety mediate the relation between parental involvement and mathematics achievement? The primary purpose of this study was to examine this mediation model in a sample of at-risk second graders. Due to previous research, the investigators hypothesized that math…

DSMC Modeling of Flows with Recombination Reactions

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-06-23

Rogasinsky, “Analysis of the numerical techniques of the direct simulation Monte Carlo method in the rarefied gas dynamics,” Russ. J. Numer. Anal. Math ...reflection in steady flows,” Comput. Math . Appl. 35(1-2), 113–126 (1998). 45K. L. Wray, “Shock-tube study of the recombination of O atoms by Ar catalysts at

Young-Age Gender Differences in Mathematics Mediated by Independent Control or Uncontrollability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zirk-Sadowski, Jan; Lamptey, Charlotte; Devine, Amy; Haggard, Mark; Szucs, Dénes

2014-01-01

We studied whether the origins of math anxiety can be related to a biologically supported framework of stress induction: (un)controllability perception, here indicated by self-reported independent efforts in mathematics. Math anxiety was tested in 182 children (8- to 11-year-olds). "Latent factor modeling" was used to test hypotheses on…

Southmoreland Middle School: A Model of True Collaboration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Principal Leadership, 2013

2013-01-01

In 2003, Southmoreland was a seventh- and eighth-grade junior high school in the warning category under NCLB for failing to make adequate yearly progress. Scores on state tests were grim--only 39% of the students were proficient or advanced in math and 55% in reading. Two years later, the combined improvement in reading and math scores resulted in…

Summary of Research on the Effectiveness of Math Professional Development Approaches. REL 2014-010

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gersten, Russell; Taylor, Mary Jo; Keys, Tran D.; Rolfhus, Eric; Newman-Gonchar, Rebecca

2014-01-01

This study used a systematic process modeled after the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) study review process to answer the question: What does the causal research say are effective math professional development interventions for K-12 teachers aimed at improving student achievement? The study identified and screened 910 research studies in a…

A Joint Probabilistic Classification Model of Relevant and Irrelevant Sentences in Mathematical Word Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cetintas, Suleyman; Si, Luo; Xin, Yan Ping; Zhang, Dake; Park, Joo Young; Tzur, Ron

2010-01-01

Estimating the difficulty level of math word problems is an important task for many educational applications. Identification of relevant and irrelevant sentences in math word problems is an important step for calculating the difficulty levels of such problems. This paper addresses a novel application of text categorization to identify two types of…

Preparing Graduate Students to Teach Math: Engaging with Activities and Viewing Teaching Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mongillo, Maria Boeke

2016-01-01

Teacher self-efficacy is the belief a teacher holds that he or she can make a difference in student achievement, even when the student is difficult or unmotivated (Guskey & Passaro, 1994). It has been linked to positive teacher practices and student outcomes. This mixed methods study of preservice elementary and early childhood math teachers…

Rigor "and" Relevance: Enhancing High School Students' Math Skills through Career and Technical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stone, James R., III; Alfeld, Corinne; Pearson, Donna

2008-01-01

Numerous high school students, including many who are enrolled in career and technical education (CTE) courses, do not have the math skills necessary for today's high-skill workplace or college entrance requirements. This study tests a model for enhancing mathematics instruction in five high school CTE programs (agriculture, auto technology,…

Common Core Standards for High School Mathematics: A Quick-Start Guide

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dempsey, Kathleen; Schwols, Armitra

2012-01-01

Shifting your high school's math program to new Common Core standards is much easier when teachers and leaders have this handy guide. Getting a copy for every staff member involved in the process ensures everyone knows: (1) How the six conceptual categories throughout the math standards are connected and reinforced; (2) How the modeling standards…

A Latent Curve Model of Parental Motivational Practices and Developmental Decline in Math and Science Academic Intrinsic Motivation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gottfried, Adele Eskeles; Marcoulides, George A.; Gottfried, Allen W.; Oliver, Pamella H.

2009-01-01

A longitudinal approach was used to examine the effects of parental task-intrinsic and task-extrinsic motivational practices on academic intrinsic motivation in the subject areas of math and science. Parental task-intrinsic practices comprise encouragement of children's pleasure and engagement in the learning process, whereas task-extrinsic…

Parent-child math anxiety and math-gender stereotypes predict adolescents' math education outcomes

PubMed Central

Casad, Bettina J.; Hale, Patricia; Wachs, Faye L.

2015-01-01

Two studies examined social determinants of adolescents' math anxiety including parents' own math anxiety and children's endorsement of math-gender stereotypes. In Study 1, parent-child dyads were surveyed and the interaction between parent and child math anxiety was examined, with an eye to same- and other-gender dyads. Results indicate that parent's math anxiety interacts with daughters' and sons' anxiety to predict math self-efficacy, GPA, behavioral intentions, math attitudes, and math devaluing. Parents with lower math anxiety showed a positive relationship to children's math outcomes when children also had lower anxiety. The strongest relationships were found with same-gender dyads, particularly Mother-Daughter dyads. Study 2 showed that endorsement of math-gender stereotypes predicts math anxiety (and not vice versa) for performance beliefs and outcomes (self-efficacy and GPA). Further, math anxiety fully mediated the relationship between gender stereotypes and math self-efficacy for girls and boys, and for boys with GPA. These findings address gaps in the literature on the role of parents' math anxiety in the effects of children's math anxiety and math anxiety as a mechanism affecting performance. Results have implications for interventions on parents' math anxiety and dispelling gender stereotypes in math classrooms. PMID:26579000

Parent-child math anxiety and math-gender stereotypes predict adolescents' math education outcomes.

PubMed

Casad, Bettina J; Hale, Patricia; Wachs, Faye L

2015-01-01

Two studies examined social determinants of adolescents' math anxiety including parents' own math anxiety and children's endorsement of math-gender stereotypes. In Study 1, parent-child dyads were surveyed and the interaction between parent and child math anxiety was examined, with an eye to same- and other-gender dyads. Results indicate that parent's math anxiety interacts with daughters' and sons' anxiety to predict math self-efficacy, GPA, behavioral intentions, math attitudes, and math devaluing. Parents with lower math anxiety showed a positive relationship to children's math outcomes when children also had lower anxiety. The strongest relationships were found with same-gender dyads, particularly Mother-Daughter dyads. Study 2 showed that endorsement of math-gender stereotypes predicts math anxiety (and not vice versa) for performance beliefs and outcomes (self-efficacy and GPA). Further, math anxiety fully mediated the relationship between gender stereotypes and math self-efficacy for girls and boys, and for boys with GPA. These findings address gaps in the literature on the role of parents' math anxiety in the effects of children's math anxiety and math anxiety as a mechanism affecting performance. Results have implications for interventions on parents' math anxiety and dispelling gender stereotypes in math classrooms.

Solubility of sugars and sugar alcohols in ionic liquids: measurement and PC-SAFT modeling.

PubMed

Carneiro, Aristides P; Held, Christoph; Rodríguez, Oscar; Sadowski, Gabriele; Macedo, Eugénia A

2013-08-29

Biorefining processes using ionic liquids (ILs) require proper solubility data of biomass-based compounds in ILs, as well as an appropriate thermodynamic approach for the modeling of such data. Carbohydrates and their derivatives such as sugar alcohols represent a class of compounds that could play an important role in biorefining. Thus, in this work, the pure IL density and solubility of xylitol and sorbitol in five different ILs were measured between 288 and 339 K. The ILs under consideration were 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide ([bmim][DCA]), Aliquat dicyanamide, trihexyltetradecylphosphonium dicyanamide, and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoroacetate. Comparison with the literature data was performed, showing good agreement. With the exception of [bmim][DCA], the solubility of these sugar alcohols in the other ILs is presented for the first time. The measured data as well as previously published solubility data of glucose and fructose in these ILs were modeled by means of PC-SAFT using a molecular-based associative approach for ILs. PC-SAFT was used in this work as it has shown to be applicable to model the solubility of xylitol and sorbitol in ILs (Paduszyński; et al. J. Phys. Chem. B 2013, 117, 7034-7046). For this purpose, three pure IL parameters were fitted to pure IL densities, activity coefficients of 1-propanol at infinite dilution in ILs, and/or xylitol solubility in ILs. This approach allows accurate modeling of the pure IL data and the mixture data with only one binary interaction parameter k(ij) between sugar and the IL or sugar alcohol and the IL. In cases where only the pure IL density and activity coefficients of 1-propanol at infinite dilution in ILs were used for the IL parameter estimation, the solubility of the sugars and sugar alcohols in the ILs could be predicted (k(ij) = 0 between sugar and the IL or sugar alcohol and the IL) with reasonable accuracy.

Helicopter simulation validation using flight data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Key, D. L.; Hansen, R. S.; Cleveland, W. B.; Abbott, W. Y.

1982-01-01

A joint NASA/Army effort to perform a systematic ground-based piloted simulation validation assessment is described. The best available mathematical model for the subject helicopter (UH-60A Black Hawk) was programmed for real-time operation. Flight data were obtained to validate the math model, and to develop models for the pilot control strategy while performing mission-type tasks. The validated math model is to be combined with motion and visual systems to perform ground based simulation. Comparisons of the control strategy obtained in flight with that obtained on the simulator are to be used as the basis for assessing the fidelity of the results obtained in the simulator.

Mathematical modeling of high and low temperature heat pipes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chi, S. W.

1971-01-01

Following a review of heat and mass transfer theory relevant to heat pipe performance, math models are developed for calculating heat-transfer limitations of high-temperature heat pipes and heat-transfer limitations and temperature gradient of low temperature heat pipes. Calculated results are compared with the available experimental data from various sources to increase confidence in the present math models. Complete listings of two computer programs for high- and low-temperature heat pipes respectively are included. These programs enable the performance to be predicted of heat pipes with wrapped-screen, rectangular-groove, or screen-covered rectangular-groove wick.

Inspection of the Math Model Tools for On-Orbit Assessment of Impact Damage Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harris, Charles E.; Raju, Ivatury S.; Piascik, Robert S> ; KramerWhite, Julie A.; KramerWhite, Julie A.; Labbe, Steve G.; Rotter, Hank A.

2007-01-01

In Spring of 2005, the NASA Engineering Safety Center (NESC) was engaged by the Space Shuttle Program (SSP) to peer review the suite of analytical tools being developed to support the determination of impact and damage tolerance of the Orbiter Thermal Protection Systems (TPS). The NESC formed an independent review team with the core disciplines of materials, flight sciences, structures, mechanical analysis and thermal analysis. The Math Model Tools reviewed included damage prediction and stress analysis, aeroheating analysis, and thermal analysis tools. Some tools are physics-based and other tools are empirically-derived. Each tool was created for a specific use and timeframe, including certification, real-time pre-launch assessments. In addition, the tools are used together in an integrated strategy for assessing the ramifications of impact damage to tile and RCC. The NESC teams conducted a peer review of the engineering data package for each Math Model Tool. This report contains the summary of the team observations and recommendations from these reviews.

Seven-panel solar wing deployment and on-orbit maneuvering analyses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hwang, Earl

2005-05-01

BSS developed a new generation high power (~20kW) solar array to meet the customer demands. The high power solar array had the north and south solar wings of which designs were identical. Each side of the solar wing consists of three main conventional solar panels and the four-side panel swing-out new design. The fully deployed solar array surface area is 966 ft2. It was a quite challenging task to define the solar array's optimum design parameters and deployment scheme for such a huge solar array's successful deployment and on-orbit maneuvering. Hence, a deployable seven-flex-panel solar wing nonlinear math model and a fully deployed solar array/bus-payload math model were developed with the Dynamic Analysis and Design System (DADS) program codes utilizing the inherited and empirical data. Performing extensive parametric analyses with the math model, the optimum design parameters and the orbit maneuvering /deployment schemes were determined to meet all the design requirements, and for the successful solar wing deployment on-orbit.

The Deubiquitylase MATH-33 Controls DAF-16 Stability and Function in Metabolism and Longevity

PubMed Central

Heimbucher, Thomas; Liu, Zheng; Bossard, Carine; McCloskey, Richard; Carrano, Andrea C.; Riedel, Christian G.; Tanasa, Bogdan; Klammt, Christian; Fonslow, Bryan R.; Riera, Celine E.; Lillemeier, Bjorn F.; Kemphues, Kenneth; Yates, John R.; O'Shea, Clodagh; Hunter, Tony; Dillin, Andrew

2015-01-01

SUMMARY One of the major determinants of aging in organisms ranging from worms to man are FOXO family transcription factors, which are downstream effectors of Insulin/IGF-1 signaling (IIS). The molecular mechanisms that actively promote DAF16/FOXO stability and function are unknown. Here we identify the deubiquitylating enzyme MATH-33 as an essential DAF-16 regulator in IIS, which stabilizes active DAF-16 protein levels and, as a consequence, influences DAF-16 functions, such as metabolism, stress response and longevity in C. elegans. MATH-33 associates with DAF-16 in cellulo and in vitro. MATH-33 functions as a deubiquitylase by actively removing ubiquitin moieties from DAF-16, thus counteracting the action of the RLE-1 E3-ubiquitin ligase. Our findings support a model in which MATH-33 promotes DAF-16 stability in response to decreased IIS by directly modulating its ubiquitylation state, suggesting that regulated oscillations in the stability of DAF-16 protein play an integral role in controlling processes such as metabolism and longevity. PMID:26154057

Clinical and Cognitive Characteristics Associated with Mathematics Problem Solving in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

PubMed

Oswald, Tasha M; Beck, Jonathan S; Iosif, Ana-Maria; McCauley, James B; Gilhooly, Leslie J; Matter, John C; Solomon, Marjorie

2016-04-01

Mathematics achievement in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been understudied. However, the ability to solve applied math problems is associated with academic achievement, everyday problem-solving abilities, and vocational outcomes. The paucity of research on math achievement in ASD may be partly explained by the widely-held belief that most individuals with ASD are mathematically gifted, despite emerging evidence to the contrary. The purpose of the study was twofold: to assess the relative proportions of youth with ASD who demonstrate giftedness versus disability on applied math problems, and to examine which cognitive (i.e., perceptual reasoning, verbal ability, working memory) and clinical (i.e., test anxiety) characteristics best predict achievement on applied math problems in ASD relative to typically developing peers. Twenty-seven high-functioning adolescents with ASD and 27 age- and Full Scale IQ-matched typically developing controls were assessed on standardized measures of math problem solving, perceptual reasoning, verbal ability, and test anxiety. Results indicated that 22% of the ASD sample evidenced a mathematics learning disability, while only 4% exhibited mathematical giftedness. The parsimonious linear regression model revealed that the strongest predictor of math problem solving was perceptual reasoning, followed by verbal ability and test anxiety, then diagnosis of ASD. These results inform our theories of math ability in ASD and highlight possible targets of intervention for students with ASD struggling with mathematics. © 2015 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Smith college secondary math and science outreach program

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Powell, J.A.; Clark, C.

1994-12-31

The Smith College Secondary Math and Science Outreach Program works collaboratively with front-line educators to encourage young women students of all abilities, especially underrepresented and underserved minorities, to continue studying math and science throughout high school. The program includes three main components: (1) Twenty-five to thirty teams of math/science teachers and guidance counselors participate in a year-long program which begins with a three-day Current Students/Future Scientists and Engineering Workshop. This event includes a keynote address, presentations and workshops by successful women in science and engineering, and hands-on laboratory sessions. Each participant receives a stipend and free room and board. Returningmore » to their schools, the teacher-counselor teams implement ongoing plans designed to counteract gender bias in the sciences and to alert female students to the broad range of math, science, and engineering career choices open to them. A follow-up session in the spring allows the teams to present and discuss their year-long activities. (2) TRI-ON, a day of science for 120 ninth- and tenth- grade girls from schools with a large underserved and underrepresented population, is held in early spring. Girls discover the excitement of laboratory investigation and interact with female college science and math majors. (3) Teaching Internships, initiated in 1991, involve ten to fifteen Smith College math and science majors in teaching in public schools. The teaching interns experience the rewards and challenges of classroom teaching, and they also serve as role models for younger students.« less

Conditional induction of Math1 specifies embryonic stem cells to cerebellar granule neuron lineage and promotes differentiation into mature granule neurons.

PubMed

Srivastava, Rupali; Kumar, Manoj; Peineau, Stéphane; Csaba, Zsolt; Mani, Shyamala; Gressens, Pierre; El Ghouzzi, Vincent

2013-04-01

Directing differentiation of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) to specific neuronal subtype is critical for modeling disease pathology in vitro. An attractive means of action would be to combine regulatory differentiation factors and extrinsic inductive signals added to the culture medium. In this study, we have generated mature cerebellar granule neurons by combining a temporally controlled transient expression of Math1, a master gene in granule neuron differentiation, with inductive extrinsic factors involved in cerebellar development. Using a Tetracyclin-On transactivation system, we overexpressed Math1 at various stages of ESCs differentiation and found that the yield of progenitors was considerably increased when Math1 was induced during embryonic body stage. Math1 triggered expression of Mbh1 and Mbh2, two target genes directly involved in granule neuron precursor formation and strong expression of early cerebellar territory markers En1 and NeuroD1. Three weeks after induction, we observed a decrease in the number of glial cells and an increase in that of neurons albeit still immature. Combining Math1 induction with extrinsic factors specifically increased the number of neurons that expressed Pde1c, Zic1, and GABAα6R characteristic of mature granule neurons, formed "T-shaped" axons typical of granule neurons, and generated synaptic contacts and action potentials in vitro. Finally, in vivo implantation of Math1-induced progenitors into young adult mice resulted in cell migration and settling of newly generated neurons in the cerebellum. These results show that conditional induction of Math1 drives ESCs toward the cerebellar fate and indicate that acting on both intrinsic and extrinsic factors is a powerful means to modulate ESCs differentiation and maturation into a specific neuronal lineage. Copyright © 2012 AlphaMed Press.

Breadth-Based Models of Women’s Underrepresentation in STEM Fields: An Integrative Commentary on Schmidt (2011) and Nye et al. (2012)

PubMed Central

Valla, Jeffrey M.; Ceci, Stephen J.

2014-01-01

Relative strength of math and verbal abilities and interests drive science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) career choices more than absolute math ability alone. Having one dominant aptitude (e.g., for mathematics) increases the likelihood of a strong self-concept in that domain and decreases the likelihood of equivocation about career choices in comparison with individuals with equivalent mathematical aptitude who have comparable strength in non-math areas. Males are more likely than females to have an asymmetrical cognitive profile of higher aptitude in math relative to verbal domains. Together, these two points suggest that the academic and career pursuits of high math ability males may be attributable to their narrower options among STEM fields, whereas females’ more symmetrical cognitive profile means their math and verbal interests compete in the formation of their ability self-concept and, hence, in their broader career choices. Such equivocation about STEM careers is in fact already evident in girls with high math aptitude as early as junior high school. Thus, we argue that asymmetry in interests and aptitudes is an underappreciated factor in sex differences in career choice. To the extent this is true, focusing on strengthening young women’s STEM-related abilities and ability self-concepts to increase female STEM representation may be an unproductive approach; to increase representation, it may be more effective to focus on harvesting the potential of those girls and women whose breadth of interest and high ability spans social/verbal and spatial/numerical domains. The use of interventions that play to this greater breadth by socially contextualizing STEM is one potential solution. PMID:25076979

Therapeutic Targeting of the IL-6 Trans-Signaling/Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1 Axis in Pulmonary Emphysema.

PubMed

Ruwanpura, Saleela M; McLeod, Louise; Dousha, Lovisa F; Seow, Huei J; Alhayyani, Sultan; Tate, Michelle D; Deswaerte, Virginie; Brooks, Gavin D; Bozinovski, Steven; MacDonald, Martin; Garbers, Christoph; King, Paul T; Bardin, Philip G; Vlahos, Ross; Rose-John, Stefan; Anderson, Gary P; Jenkins, Brendan J

2016-12-15

The potent immunomodulatory cytokine IL-6 is consistently up-regulated in human lungs with emphysema and in mouse emphysema models; however, the mechanisms by which IL-6 promotes emphysema remain obscure. IL-6 signals using two distinct modes: classical signaling via its membrane-bound IL-6 receptor (IL-6R), and trans-signaling via a naturally occurring soluble IL-6R. To identify whether IL-6 trans-signaling and/or classical signaling contribute to the pathogenesis of emphysema. We used the gp130 F/F genetic mouse model for spontaneous emphysema and cigarette smoke-induced emphysema models. Emphysema in mice was quantified by various methods including in vivo lung function and stereology, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling assay was used to assess alveolar cell apoptosis. In mouse and human lung tissues, the expression level and location of IL-6 signaling-related genes and proteins were measured, and the levels of IL-6 and related proteins in sera from emphysematous mice and patients were also assessed. Lung tissues from patients with emphysema, and from spontaneous and cigarette smoke-induced emphysema mouse models, were characterized by excessive production of soluble IL-6R. Genetic blockade of IL-6 trans-signaling in emphysema mouse models and therapy with the IL-6 trans-signaling antagonist sgp130Fc ameliorated emphysema by suppressing augmented alveolar type II cell apoptosis. Furthermore, IL-6 trans-signaling-driven emphysematous changes in the lung correlated with mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 hyperactivation, and treatment of emphysema mouse models with the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 inhibitor rapamycin attenuated emphysematous changes. Collectively, our data reveal that specific targeting of IL-6 trans-signaling may represent a novel treatment strategy for emphysema.

Affective and Motivational Factors Mediate the Relation between Math Skills and Use of Math in Everyday Life

PubMed Central

Jansen, Brenda R. J.; Schmitz, Eva A.; van der Maas, Han L. J.

2016-01-01

This study focused on the use of math in everyday life (the propensity to recognize and solve quantitative issues in real life situations). Data from a Dutch nation-wide research on math among adults (N = 521) were used to investigate the question whether math anxiety and perceived math competence mediated the relationship between math skills and use of math in everyday life, taken gender differences into account. Results showed that women reported higher math anxiety, lower perceived math competence, and lower use of math in everyday life, compared to men. Women's skills were estimated at a lower level than men's. For both women and men, higher skills were associated with higher perceived math competence, which in turn was associated with more use of math in everyday life. Only for women, math anxiety also mediated the relation between math skills and use of math in everyday life. PMID:27148122

Revisiting the Impact of NCLB High-Stakes School Accountability, Capacity, and Resources: State NAEP 1990-2009 Reading and Math Achievement Gaps and Trends

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Jaekyung; Reeves, Todd

2012-01-01

This study examines the impact of high-stakes school accountability, capacity, and resources under NCLB on reading and math achievement outcomes through comparative interrupted time-series analyses of 1990-2009 NAEP state assessment data. Through hierarchical linear modeling latent variable regression with inverse probability of treatment…

Examining Big-Fish-Little-Pond-Effects across 49 Countries: A Multilevel Latent Variable Modelling Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Ze

2015-01-01

Using data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2007, this study examined the big-fish-little-pond-effects (BFLPEs) in 49 countries. In this study, the effect of math ability on math self-concept was decomposed into a within- and a between-level components using implicit mean centring and the complex data…

Unfulfilled Potential: High-Achieving Minority Students and the High School Achievement Gap in Math

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kotok, Stephen

2017-01-01

This study uses multilevel modeling to examine a subset of the highest performing 9th graders and explores the extent that achievement gaps in math widen for high performing African American and Latino students and their high performing White and Asian peers during high school. Using nationally representative data from the High School Longitudinal…

Fluid Intelligence as a Predictor of Learning: A Longitudinal Multilevel Approach Applied to Math

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Primi, Ricardo; Ferrao, Maria Eugenia; Almeida, Leandro S.

2010-01-01

The association between fluid intelligence and inter-individual differences was investigated using multilevel growth curve modeling applied to data measuring intra-individual improvement on math achievement tests. A sample of 166 students (88 boys and 78 girls), ranging in age from 11 to 14 (M = 12.3, SD = 0.64), was tested. These individuals took…

Educational and Career Interests in Math: A Longitudinal Examination of the Links between Classroom Environment, Motivational Beliefs, and Interests

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Ming-Te

2012-01-01

Drawing on the expectancy-value model, stage-environment fit theory, and self-determination theory, this study examined the longitudinal associations between classroom characteristics, expectancies-values, high school course enrollment, and career aspirations in the domain of math. Data were collected on 3,048 youth who reported on their classroom…

The Measurement Structure, Stability and Mediating Effects of Achievement Goals in Math with Middle-School Student Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chiang, Yu-Tzu; Lin, Sunny S. J.

2014-01-01

This study examined the measurement structure, cross-year stability of achievement goals, and mediating effects of achievement goals between self-efficacy and math grades in a national sample of Taiwan middle school students. The measurement model with factorial structure showed good fit to the data. In the panel data (N?=?343), four achievement…

Cognitive Prediction of Reading, Math, and Attention: Shared and Unique Influences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peterson, Robin L.; Boada, Richard; McGrath, Lauren M.; Willcutt, Erik G.; Olson, Richard K.; Pennington, Bruce F.

2017-01-01

The current study tested a multiple-cognitive predictor model of word reading, math ability, and attention in a community-based sample of twins ages 8 to 16 years (N = 636). The objective was to identify cognitive predictors unique to each skill domain as well as cognitive predictors shared among skills that could help explain their overlap and…

The Alignment of easyCBM[R] Math Measures to Curriculum Standards. Technical Report #1002

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nese, Joseph F. T.; Lai, Cheng-Fei; Anderson, Daniel; Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Tindal, Gerald; Alonzo, Julie

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the alignment of the easyCBM[R] mathematics benchmark and progress monitoring measures to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics "Curriculum Focal Points" (NCTM, 2006). Based on Webb's alignment model (1997, 2002), we collected expert judgments on individual math items across a sampling of forms…

Boys' and Girls' Weight Status and Math Performance from Kindergarten Entry through Fifth Grade: A Mediated Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gable, Sara; Krull, Jennifer L.; Chang, Yiting

2012-01-01

This study tests a mediated model of boys' and girls' weight status and math performance with 6,250 children from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study. Five data points spanning kindergarten entry (mean age = 68.46 months) through fifth grade (mean age = 134.60 months) were analyzed. Three weight status groups were identified: persistent…

Building Academic Skills in Context: Testing the Value of Enhanced Math Learning in CTE. Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stone, James R., III; Alfeld, Corinne; Pearson, Donna; Lewis, Morgan V.; Jensen, Susan

2005-01-01

This report describes the conduct and outcomes of an experimental pilot study conducted in Spring 2004 to develop and test a model that aimed to enhance career and technical education (CTE) instruction with the mathematics already embedded in the curricula of six occupational areas. Although present in the CTE curriculum, math is largely implicit…

Working memory, math performance, and math anxiety.

PubMed

Ashcraft, Mark H; Krause, Jeremy A

2007-04-01

The cognitive literature now shows how critically math performance depends on working memory, for any form of arithmetic and math that involves processes beyond simple memory retrieval. The psychometric literature is also very clear on the global consequences of mathematics anxiety. People who are highly math anxious avoid math: They avoid elective coursework in math, both in high school and college, they avoid college majors that emphasize math, and they avoid career paths that involve math. We go beyond these psychometric relationships to examine the cognitive consequences of math anxiety. We show how performance on a standardized math achievement test varies as a function of math anxiety, and that math anxiety compromises the functioning of working memory. High math anxiety works much like a dual task setting: Preoccupation with one's math fears and anxieties functions like a resource-demanding secondary task. We comment on developmental and educational factors related to math and working memory, and on factors that may contribute to the development of math anxiety.

Global, broad, or specific cognitive differences? Using a MIMIC model to examine differences in CHC abilities in children with learning disabilities.

PubMed

Niileksela, Christopher R; Reynolds, Matthew R

2014-01-01

This study was designed to better understand the relations between learning disabilities and different levels of latent cognitive abilities, including general intelligence (g), broad cognitive abilities, and specific abilities based on the Cattell-Horn-Carroll theory of intelligence (CHC theory). Data from the Differential Ability Scales-Second Edition (DAS-II) were used to create a multiple-indicator multiple cause model to examine the latent mean differences in cognitive abilities between children with and without learning disabilities in reading (LD reading), math (LD math), and reading and writing(LD reading and writing). Statistically significant differences were found in the g factor between the norm group and the LD groups. After controlling for differences in g, the LD reading and LD reading and writing groups showed relatively lower latent processing speed, and the LD math group showed relatively higher latent comprehension-knowledge. There were also some differences in some specific cognitive abilities, including lower scores in spatial relations and numerical facility for the LD math group, and lower scores in visual memory for the LD reading and writing group. These specific mean differences were above and beyond any differences in the latent cognitive factor means.

English Proficiency and Peer Interethnic Relations as Predictors of Math Achievement among Latino and Asian Immigrant Students

PubMed Central

Barrett, Alice N.; Barile, John P.; Malm, Esther K.; Weaver, Scott R.

2013-01-01

Studies show math achievement to be the best predictor of entering post-secondary education. However, less is known about the predictors of math achievement, particularly among immigrant youth. This study examined English proficiency and peer interethnic relations as predictors of mathematics achievement among Latino and Asian high school students, postulating an interaction between the predictors and mediation by academic motivation. A multilevel moderated-mediation model was used to analyze data from a national sample of 2,113 non-native English speaking Latino and Asian students attending high school in the U.S. We found that higher academic motivation mediated the relationship between English proficiency during their sophomore year and gains in senior math achievement scores for both Asian and Latino students. For Latino students however, this indirect path was only significant for students whose perceptions of positive peer interethnic relations at school were average or above average. PMID:22959129

The existence of almost periodic solutions of certain perturbation systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, Yonghui; Lin, Muren; Cao, Jinde

2005-10-01

Certain almost periodic perturbation systems are considered in this paper. By using the roughness theory of exponential dichotomies and the contraction mapping principle, some sufficient conditions are obtained for the existence and uniqueness of almost periodic solution of the above systems. Our results generalize those in [J.K. Hale, Ordinary Differential Equations, Krieger, Huntington, 1980; C. He, Existence of almost periodic solutions of perturbation systems, Ann. Differential Equations 9 (1992) 173-181; M. Lin, The existence of almost periodic solution and bounded solution of perturbation systems, Acta Math. Sinica 22A (2002) 61-70 (in Chinese); W.A. Coppel, Almost periodic properties of ordinary differential equations, Ann. Math. Pura Appl. 76 (1967) 27-50; A.M. Fink, Almost Periodic Differential Equations, Lecture Notes in Math., vol. 377, Springer-Verlag, New York, 1974; Y. Xia, F. Chen, A. Chen, J. Cao, Existence and global attractivity of an almost periodic ecological model, Appl. Math. Comput. 157 (2004) 449-475].

Changes in the Relation Between Competence Beliefs and Achievement in Math Across Elementary School Years.

PubMed

Weidinger, Anne F; Steinmayr, Ricarda; Spinath, Birgit

2018-03-01

Math competence beliefs and achievement are important outcomes of school-based learning. Previous studies yielded inconsistent results on whether skill development, self-enhancement, or reciprocal effects account for the interplay among them. A development-related change in the direction of their relation in the early school years might explain the inconsistency. To test this, 542 German elementary school students (M = 7.95 years, SD = 0.58) were repeatedly investigated over 24 months from Grade 2 to Grade 4. Math competence beliefs declined and had a growing influence on subsequent math grades. This suggests changes in the dominant direction of the relation from a skill development to a reciprocal effects model during elementary school. Findings are discussed with regard to their theoretical and practical implications. © 2017 The Authors. Child Development © 2017 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Mathematics anxiety: separating the math from the anxiety.

PubMed

Lyons, Ian M; Beilock, Sian L

2012-09-01

Anxiety about math is tied to low math grades and standardized test scores, yet not all math-anxious individuals perform equally poorly in math. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to separate neural activity during the anticipation of doing math from activity during math performance itself. For higher (but not lower) math-anxious individuals, increased activity in frontoparietal regions when simply anticipating doing math mitigated math-specific performance deficits. This network included bilateral inferior frontal junction, a region involved in cognitive control and reappraisal of negative emotional responses. Furthermore, the relation between frontoparietal anticipatory activity and highly math-anxious individuals' math deficits was fully mediated (or accounted for) by activity in caudate, nucleus accumbens, and hippocampus during math performance. These subcortical regions are important for coordinating task demands and motivational factors during skill execution. Individual differences in how math-anxious individuals recruit cognitive control resources prior to doing math and motivational resources during math performance predict the extent of their math deficits. This work suggests that educational interventions emphasizing control of negative emotional responses to math stimuli (rather than merely additional math training) will be most effective in revealing a population of mathematically competent individuals, who might otherwise go undiscovered.

Female teachers' math anxiety affects girls' math achievement.

PubMed

Beilock, Sian L; Gunderson, Elizabeth A; Ramirez, Gerardo; Levine, Susan C

2010-02-02

People's fear and anxiety about doing math--over and above actual math ability--can be an impediment to their math achievement. We show that when the math-anxious individuals are female elementary school teachers, their math anxiety carries negative consequences for the math achievement of their female students. Early elementary school teachers in the United States are almost exclusively female (>90%), and we provide evidence that these female teachers' anxieties relate to girls' math achievement via girls' beliefs about who is good at math. First- and second-grade female teachers completed measures of math anxiety. The math achievement of the students in these teachers' classrooms was also assessed. There was no relation between a teacher's math anxiety and her students' math achievement at the beginning of the school year. By the school year's end, however, the more anxious teachers were about math, the more likely girls (but not boys) were to endorse the commonly held stereotype that "boys are good at math, and girls are good at reading" and the lower these girls' math achievement. Indeed, by the end of the school year, girls who endorsed this stereotype had significantly worse math achievement than girls who did not and than boys overall. In early elementary school, where the teachers are almost all female, teachers' math anxiety carries consequences for girls' math achievement by influencing girls' beliefs about who is good at math.

ILS Scattering Problem and Signal Detection Model

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1972-02-01

The construction of a mathematical model of The Instrument Landing System (ILS) multipath problem was undertaken. This report presents the theoretical basis for any such model, a critique of previous models and newly achieve developments in ILS model...

Testing Math or Testing Language? The Construct Validity of the KeyMath-Revised for Children With Intellectual Disability and Language Difficulties.

PubMed

Rhodes, Katherine T; Branum-Martin, Lee; Morris, Robin D; Romski, MaryAnn; Sevcik, Rose A

2015-11-01

Although it is often assumed that mathematics ability alone predicts mathematics test performance, linguistic demands may also predict achievement. This study examined the role of language in mathematics assessment performance for children with intellectual disability (ID) at less severe levels, on the KeyMath-Revised Inventory (KM-R) with a sample of 264 children, in grades 2-5. Using confirmatory factor analysis, the hypothesis that the KM-R would demonstrate discriminant validity with measures of language abilities in a two-factor model was compared to two plausible alternative models. Results indicated that KM-R did not have discriminant validity with measures of children's language abilities and was a multidimensional test of both mathematics and language abilities for this population of test users. Implications are considered for test development, interpretation, and intervention.

Learning-related skills and academic achievement in academically at-risk first graders

PubMed Central

Cerda, Carissa A.; Im, Myung Hee; Hughes, Jan N.

2015-01-01

Using an academically at-risk, ethnically diverse sample of 744 first-grade children, this study tested a multi-method (i.e., child performance measures, teacher ratings, and peer ratings) measurement model of learning-related skills (i.e., effortful control [EC], behavioral self-regulation [BSR], and social competence [SC]), and their shared and unique contributions to children's reading and math achievement, above the effect of demographic variables. The hypothesized correlated factor measurement model demonstrated relatively good fit, with BSR and SC correlated highly with one another and moderately with EC. When entered in separate regression equations, EC and BSR each predicted children's reading and math achievement; SC only predicted reading achievement. When considered simultaneously, neither EC, BSR, nor SC contributed independently to reading achievement; however, EC had a direct effect on math achievement and an indirect effect on reading achievement via both BSR and SC. Implications for research and early intervention efforts are discussed. PMID:25908886

Mathematical models for space shuttle ground systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tory, E. G.

1985-01-01

Math models are a series of algorithms, comprised of algebraic equations and Boolean Logic. At Kennedy Space Center, math models for the Space Shuttle Systems are performed utilizing the Honeywell 66/80 digital computers, Modcomp II/45 Minicomputers and special purpose hardware simulators (MicroComputers). The Shuttle Ground Operations Simulator operating system provides the language formats, subroutines, queueing schemes, execution modes and support software to write, maintain and execute the models. The ground systems presented consist primarily of the Liquid Oxygen and Liquid Hydrogen Cryogenic Propellant Systems, as well as liquid oxygen External Tank Gaseous Oxygen Vent Hood/Arm and the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) High Bay Cells. The purpose of math modeling is to simulate the ground hardware systems and to provide an environment for testing in a benign mode. This capability allows the engineers to check out application software for loading and launching the vehicle, and to verify the Checkout, Control, & Monitor Subsystem within the Launch Processing System. It is also used to train operators and to predict system response and status in various configurations (normal operations, emergency and contingent operations), including untried configurations or those too dangerous to try under real conditions, i.e., failure modes.

Universals and Specifics of Math Self-Concept, Math Self-Efficacy, and Math Anxiety across 41 PISA 2003 Participating Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Jihyun

2009-01-01

The overarching goal of the present study is to investigate the factorial structure of three closely related constructs: math self-concept, math self-efficacy, and math anxiety. The factorial structure consisting of three factors, each representing math self-concept, math self-efficacy, and math anxiety, is supported in all 41 countries employed…

Fluid-line math model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kandelman, A.; Nelson, D. J.

1977-01-01

Simplified mathematical model simulates large hydraulic systems on either analog or digital computers. Models of pumps, servoactuators, reservoirs, accumulators, and valves are connected generating systems containing six hundred elements.

On the relationship between math anxiety and math achievement in early elementary school: The role of problem solving strategies.

PubMed

Ramirez, Gerardo; Chang, Hyesang; Maloney, Erin A; Levine, Susan C; Beilock, Sian L

2016-01-01

Even at young ages, children self-report experiencing math anxiety, which negatively relates to their math achievement. Leveraging a large dataset of first and second grade students' math achievement scores, math problem solving strategies, and math attitudes, we explored the possibility that children's math anxiety (i.e., a fear or apprehension about math) negatively relates to their use of more advanced problem solving strategies, which in turn relates to their math achievement. Our results confirm our hypothesis and, moreover, demonstrate that the relation between math anxiety and math problem solving strategies is strongest in children with the highest working memory capacity. Ironically, children who have the highest cognitive capacity avoid using advanced problem solving strategies when they are high in math anxiety and, as a result, underperform in math compared with their lower working memory peers. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Identifying the Correlation between Professional Learning Communities and Collective Teacher Efficacy for Math Data Teams in Kaua'i Complex Area Secondary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellwood, Cheryl Kathryn

2013-01-01

Professional learning communities and teacher efficacy are at the core of many of the current educational reform models. The intention of this dissertation was to identify the correlation between professional learning communities and collective teacher efficacy for math data teams in the six Kaua'i Complex Area secondary schools, as measured by…

The Effect of Using Flipped Classroom in Teaching Calculus on Students' Achievements at University of Tabuk

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albalawi, Abdullah S.

2018-01-01

This study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of using flipped classrooms in teaching the Math2 course for the preparatory year's students at the University of Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The Math2 course was organized via an (ADDE) design model, with recorded videos of the topics included in the study; it was implemented by a Moodle platform and…

Trajectories of Career Aspirations through Adolescence and Young Adulthood: Early Math Achievement as a Critical Filter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shapka, Jennifer D.; Domene, Jose F.; Keating, Daniel P.

2006-01-01

Growth curve modelling was used to trace the trajectory of the prestige dimension of career aspirations from Grade 9 through to 3 years after high school, as a function of gender and early high school math achievement. The sample consisted of 218 university-bound adolescents (129 female, 89 male). Initial aspiration levels, the slope, and the…

Broadway High School: Moving Ahead in Math. Onward to Excellence II: Committing to CHANGE with OTE II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Northwest Regional Educational Lab., Portland, OR. School Improvement Program.

This document describes the school reform movement at Broadway High School in rural Virginia which has led to great success in mathematics achievement as proven by the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) tests. The Onward to Excellence II model provided a way for the faculty to focus on math, especially Algebra I, and to involve the entire school…

Teaching-as-Research Internships: A Model for the Development of Future Chemistry Faculty and the Improvement of Teaching in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gillian-Daniel, Donald L.; Walz, Kenneth A.

2016-01-01

Over the past decade, the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) and Madison Area Technical College (Madison College) partnered to create an internship pathway for graduate students pursuing careers as future science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) faculty members. Since 2003, 10 doctoral students from the university completed…

A Kit to Develop and Present a Math/Science Conference for Females in Middle School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ongley, Betty Lee

A workshop on mathematics and science careers for girls was part of an effort to remediate the effects of past sex bias on females' career and vocational choices. A model for organizing and conducting a conference with emphasis on careers for women in math and science is offered for educators in this publication. The guide includes: (1) planning…

The Returns to Educational Training in Math and Science for American Women.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hills, Stephen M.; De Souza, Gita

The economic returns of taking math and science courses in high school are estimated for women who do not go on to college and for women entrepreneurs. A human capital model is used to estimate returns for respondents drawn from the National Longitudinal Survey's New Youth Cohort. Wage rates in 1990 of women who were ages 14-21 in 1979 were…

Is Math Anxiety Always Bad for Math Learning? The Role of Math Motivation.

PubMed

Wang, Zhe; Lukowski, Sarah L; Hart, Sara A; Lyons, Ian M; Thompson, Lee A; Kovas, Yulia; Mazzocco, Michèle M M; Plomin, Robert; Petrill, Stephen A

2015-12-01

The linear relations between math anxiety and math cognition have been frequently studied. However, the relations between anxiety and performance on complex cognitive tasks have been repeatedly demonstrated to follow a curvilinear fashion. In the current studies, we aimed to address the lack of attention given to the possibility of such complex interplay between emotion and cognition in the math-learning literature by exploring the relations among math anxiety, math motivation, and math cognition. In two samples-young adolescent twins and adult college students-results showed inverted-U relations between math anxiety and math performance in participants with high intrinsic math motivation and modest negative associations between math anxiety and math performance in participants with low intrinsic math motivation. However, this pattern was not observed in tasks assessing participants' nonsymbolic and symbolic number-estimation ability. These findings may help advance the understanding of mathematics-learning processes and provide important insights for treatment programs that target improving mathematics-learning experiences and mathematical skills. © The Author(s) 2015.

Interleukin 37 limits monosodium urate crystal-induced innate immune responses in human and murine models of gout.

PubMed

Liu, Lei; Xue, Yu; Zhu, Yingfeng; Xuan, Dandan; Yang, Xue; Liang, Minrui; Wang, Juan; Zhu, Xiaoxia; Zhang, Jiong; Zou, Hejian

2016-11-18

Interleukin (IL)-37 has emerged as a fundamental inhibitor of innate immunity. Acute gout is a self-limiting inflammatory response to monosodium urate (MSU) crystals. In the current study, we assessed the preventive and therapeutic effect of recombinant human IL-37 (rhIL-37) in human and murine gout models. We investigated the expression of IL-37 in patients with active and inactive gouty arthritis and assessed the effect of rhIL-37 in human and murine gout models: a human monocyte cell line (THP-1) and human synovial cells (containing macrophage-like and fibroblast-like synoviocytes) exposed to MSU crystals, a peritoneal murine model of gout and a murine gouty arthritis model. After inhibition of Mer receptor tyrosine kinase (Mertk), levels of IL-1β, IL-8 and chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL-2) were detected by ELISA and expression of mammalian homologs of the drosophila Mad gene 3 (Smad), suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3), NACHT-LRR-PYD-containing protein 3 (NLRP3), and IL-8R of THP-1 were assessed by qPCR and western blot to explore the molecular mechanisms. Our studies strongly indicated that rhIL-37 played a potent immunosuppressive role in the pathogenesis of experimental gout models both in vitro and in vivo, by downregulating proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, markedly reducing neutrophil and monocyte recruitment, and mitigating pathological joint inflammation. In our studies, rhIL-37 suppressed MSU-induced innate immune responses by enhancing expression of Smad3 and IL-1R8 to trigger multiple intracellular switches to block inflammation, including inhibition of NLRP3 and activation of SOCS3. Mertk signaling participated in rhIL-37 inhibitory pathways in gout models. By inhibition of Mertk, the anti-inflammatory effect of rhIL-37 was partly abrogated, and IL-1R8, Smad3 and S​OCS3 expression were suppressed, whereas NLRP3 expression was reactivated. Our studies reveal that IL-37 limits runaway inflammation initiated by MSU crystal-induced immune responses, partly in a Mertk-dependent fashion. Thus, rhIL-37 has both preventive and therapeutic effects in gouty arthritis.

Principals in Partnership with Math Coaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grant, Catherine Miles; Davenport, Linda Ruiz

2009-01-01

One of the most promising developments in math education is the fact that many districts are hiring math coaches--also called math resource teachers, math facilitators, math lead teachers, or math specialists--to assist elementary-level teachers with math instruction. What must not be lost, however, is that principals play an essential role in…

When math hurts: math anxiety predicts pain network activation in anticipation of doing math.

PubMed

Lyons, Ian M; Beilock, Sian L

2012-01-01

Math can be difficult, and for those with high levels of mathematics-anxiety (HMAs), math is associated with tension, apprehension, and fear. But what underlies the feelings of dread effected by math anxiety? Are HMAs' feelings about math merely psychological epiphenomena, or is their anxiety grounded in simulation of a concrete, visceral sensation - such as pain - about which they have every right to feel anxious? We show that, when anticipating an upcoming math-task, the higher one's math anxiety, the more one increases activity in regions associated with visceral threat detection, and often the experience of pain itself (bilateral dorso-posterior insula). Interestingly, this relation was not seen during math performance, suggesting that it is not that math itself hurts; rather, the anticipation of math is painful. Our data suggest that pain network activation underlies the intuition that simply anticipating a dreaded event can feel painful. These results may also provide a potential neural mechanism to explain why HMAs tend to avoid math and math-related situations, which in turn can bias HMAs away from taking math classes or even entire math-related career paths.

Gender, Math Confidence, and Grit: Relationships with Quantitative Skills and Performance in an Undergraduate Biology Course

PubMed Central

Flanagan, K. M.; Einarson, J.

2017-01-01

In a world filled with big data, mathematical models, and statistics, the development of strong quantitative skills is becoming increasingly critical for modern biologists. Teachers in this field must understand how students acquire quantitative skills and explore barriers experienced by students when developing these skills. In this study, we examine the interrelationships among gender, grit, and math confidence for student performance on a pre–post quantitative skills assessment and overall performance in an undergraduate biology course. Here, we show that females significantly underperformed relative to males on a quantitative skills assessment at the start of term. However, females showed significantly higher gains over the semester, such that the gender gap in performance was nearly eliminated by the end of the semester. Math confidence plays an important role in the performance on both the pre and post quantitative skills assessments and overall performance in the course. The effect of grit on student performance, however, is mediated by a student’s math confidence; as math confidence increases, the positive effect of grit decreases. Consequently, the positive impact of a student’s grittiness is observed most strongly for those students with low math confidence. We also found grit to be positively associated with the midterm score and the final grade in the course. Given the relationships established in this study among gender, grit, and math confidence, we provide “instructor actions” from the literature that can be applied in the classroom to promote the development of quantitative skills in light of our findings. PMID:28798209

Does school mobility place elementary school children at risk for lower math achievement? The mediating role of cognitive dysregulation.

PubMed

Friedman-Krauss, Allison H; Raver, C Cybele

2015-12-01

Children growing up in poverty have a higher likelihood of exposure to multiple forms of adversity that jeopardize their chances of academic success. The current paper identifies school mobility, or changing schools, as 1 such poverty-related risk. Using a sample of low-income, predominantly ethnic-minority children (n = 381) in Chicago, this study tests the hypothesis that repeatedly changing schools during the 5-year period between Head Start (preschool) and third grade is a potent predictor of children's math achievement in fourth grade and that children's cognitive dysregulation serves as a mechanism through which school mobility may negatively affect children's math achievement. Hierarchical linear models controlling for baseline child and family characteristics (including children's early math and dysregulation measured during Head Start) revealed an inverse relation between the number of times low-income children changed schools between preschool and third grade and children's math achievement on state standardized tests in fourth grade. Furthermore, frequently changing schools (3 or 4 school changes over the same time period) was positively associated with teacher-reported cognitive dysregulation in third grade and negatively associated with children's math achievement in fourth grade. Evidence for the role of children's cognitive dysregulation as a partial statistical mediator was found for the relation between frequently changing schools and math achievement, even after accounting for baseline risk. Results are discussed in terms of school policies, practices, and intervention strategies to prevent the disruptive and potentially stressful experiences of school mobility for young, low-income children. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Does School Mobility Place Elementary School Children at Risk for Lower Math Achievement? The Mediating Role of Cognitive Dysregulation

PubMed Central

Friedman-Krauss, Allison H.; Raver, C. Cybele

2015-01-01

Children growing up in poverty have a higher likelihood of exposure to multiple forms of adversity that jeopardize their chances of academic success. The current paper identifies school mobility, or changing schools, as 1 such poverty-related risk. Using a sample of low-income, predominantly ethnic-minority children (n = 381) in Chicago, this study tests the hypothesis that repeatedly changing schools during the 5-year period between Head Start (preschool) and third grade is a potent predictor of children’s math achievement in fourth grade and that children’s cognitive dysregulation serves as a mechanism through which school mobility may negatively affect children’s math achievement. Hierarchical linear models controlling for baseline child and family characteristics (including children’s early math and dysregulation measured during Head Start) revealed an inverse relation between the number of times low-income children changed schools between preschool and third grade and children’s math achievement on state standardized tests in fourth grade. Furthermore, frequently changing schools (3 or 4 school changes over the same time period) was positively associated with teacher-reported cognitive dysregulation in third grade and negatively associated with children’s math achievement in fourth grade. Evidence for the role of children’s cognitive dysregulation as a partial statistical mediator was found for the relation between frequently changing schools and math achievement, even after accounting for baseline risk. Results are discussed in terms of school policies, practices, and intervention strategies to prevent the disruptive and potentially stressful experiences of school mobility for young, low-income children. PMID:26436870

Is Mathematical Anxiety Always Bad for Math Learning: The Role of Math Motivation

PubMed Central

Wang, Zhe; Lukowski, Sarah L.; Hart, Sara Ann; Lyons, Ian M.; Thompson, Lee A.; Kovas, Yulia; Mazzocco, Michèle M.; Plomin, Robert; Petrill, Stephen A.

2015-01-01

The linear relations between math anxiety and math cognition have been frequently studied. However, the relations between anxiety and performance on complex cognitive tasks have been repeatedly demonstrated to follow a curvilinear fashion. Given the lack of attention to the possibility of such complex interplay between emotion and cognition in the math learning literature, the current study aimed to address this gap via exploring the relations between math anxiety, math motivation, and math cognition. The current study consisted of two samples. One sample included 262 pairs of young adolescent twins and the other included 237 adult college students. Participants self-reported their math anxiety and math motivation. Math cognition was assessed using a comprehensive battery of mathematics tasks. In both samples, results showed inverted-U relations between math anxiety and math performance in students with high intrinsic math motivation, and modest negative associations between math anxiety and math performance in students with low intrinsic math motivation. However, this pattern was not observed in tasks assessing student’s nonsymbolic and symbolic number estimation. These findings may help advance our understanding of mathematics learning processes and may provide important insights for treatment programs that target improving mathematics learning experiences and mathematical skills. PMID:26518438

Math anxiety and math performance in children: The mediating roles of working memory and math self-concept.

PubMed

Justicia-Galiano, M José; Martín-Puga, M Eva; Linares, Rocío; Pelegrina, Santiago

2017-12-01

Numerous studies, most of them involving adolescents and adults, have evidenced a moderate negative relationship between math anxiety and math performance. There are, however, a limited number of studies that have addressed the mechanisms underlying this relation. This study aimed to investigate the role of two possible mediational mechanisms between math anxiety and math performance. Specifically, we sought to test the simultaneous mediating role of working memory and math self-concept. A total of 167 children aged 8-12 years participated in this study. Children completed a set of questionnaires used to assess math and trait anxiety, math self-concept as well as measures of math fluency and math problem-solving. Teachers were asked to rate each student's math achievement. As measures of working memory, two backward span tasks were administered to the children. A series of multiple mediation analyses were conducted. Results indicated that both mediators (working memory and math self-concept) contributed to explaining the relationship between math anxiety and math achievement. Results suggest that working memory and self-concept could be worth considering when designing interventions aimed at helping students with math anxiety. Longitudinal designs could also be used to better understand the mediational mechanisms that may explain the relationship between math anxiety and math performance. © 2017 The British Psychological Society.

Wind energy system time-domain (WEST) analyzers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dreier, M. E.; Hoffman, J. A.

1981-01-01

A portable analyzer which simulates in real time the complex nonlinear dynamics of horizontal axis wind energy systems was constructed. Math models for an aeroelastic rotor featuring nonlinear aerodynamic and inertial terms were implemented with high speed digital controllers and analog calculation. This model was combined with other math models of elastic supports, control systems, a power train and gimballed rotor kinematics. A stroboscopic display system graphically depicting distributed blade loads, motion, and other aerodynamic functions on a cathode ray tube is included. Limited correlation efforts showed good comparison between the results of this analyzer and other sophisticated digital simulations. The digital simulation results were successfully correlated with test data.

A micro-computer-based system to compute magnetic variation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaul, Rajan

1987-01-01

A mathematical model of magnetic variation in the continental United States was implemented in the Ohio University Loran-C receiver. The model is based on a least squares fit of a polynomial function. The implementation on the microprocessor based Loran-C receiver is possible with the help of a math chip which performs 32 bit floating point mathematical operations. A Peripheral Interface Adapter is used to communicate between the 6502 based microcomputer and the 9511 math chip. The implementation provides magnetic variation data to the pilot as a function of latitude and longitude. The model and the real time implementation in the receiver are described.

Who Chooses STEM Careers? Using A Relative Cognitive Strength and Interest Model to Predict Careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

PubMed

Wang, Ming-Te; Ye, Feifei; Degol, Jessica Lauren

2017-08-01

Career aspirations in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are formulated in adolescence, making the high school years a critical time period for identifying the cognitive and motivational factors that increase the likelihood of future STEM employment. While past research has mainly focused on absolute cognitive ability levels in math and verbal domains, the current study tested whether relative cognitive strengths and interests in math, science, and verbal domains in high school were more accurate predictors of STEM career decisions. Data were drawn from a national longitudinal study in the United States (N = 1762; 48 % female; the first wave during ninth grade and the last wave at age 33). Results revealed that in the high-verbal/high-math/high-science ability group, individuals with higher science task values and lower orientation toward altruism were more likely to select STEM occupations. In the low-verbal/moderate-math/moderate-science ability group, individuals with higher math ability and higher math task values were more likely to select STEM occupations. The findings suggest that youth with asymmetrical cognitive ability profiles are more likely to select careers that utilize their cognitive strengths rather than their weaknesses, while symmetrical cognitive ability profiles may grant youth more flexibility in their options, allowing their interests and values to guide their career decisions.

Beauty and the beast: Aligning national curriculum standards with state (high school) graduation requirements

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Linder-Scholer, B.

1994-12-31

An overview of SCI/MATH/MN - Minnesota`s standards-based, systemic approach to the reform and improvement of the K-12 science and mathematics education delivery system - is offered as an illustration of the challenges of aligning state educational practices with the national curriculum standards, and as a model for business involvement in state educational policy issues that will enable fundamental, across-the-system reform. SCI/MATH/MN illustrates the major challenges involved in developing a statewide vision for math and science education reform, articulating frameworks aligned with the national standards, building capacity for system-oriented change at the local level, and involving business in systemic reform.

Optimisation de fonctionnements de pompe à chaleur chimique : synchronisation et commande du procédé

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cassou, T.; Amouroux, M.; Labat, P.

1995-04-01

We present the mathematical modelling of a chemical heat pump and the associated simulator. This simulator is able to determine the influence of different parameters (which would be associated to the heat exchanges or to the chemical kinetics), but also to simulate the main operating modes. An optimal management of process represents the objective to reach; we materialize it by a continuous and steady production of the power delivered by the machine. Nous présentons le modèle mathématique d'un pilote de pompe à chaleur chimique et le simulateur numérique correspondant. Ce simulateur est capable de déterminer l'influence de divers paramètres (qu'ils soient liés aux échanges de chaleur ou à la cinétique chimique), mais aussi de simuler les principaux modes de fonctionnement. Une gestion optimale du procédé représente le but à atteindre: une conduite optimisée du système permet, par une gestion des différentes phases, une production continue et stable de la puissance délivrée par la machine.

When Math Hurts: Math Anxiety Predicts Pain Network Activation in Anticipation of Doing Math

PubMed Central

Lyons, Ian M.; Beilock, Sian L.

2012-01-01

Math can be difficult, and for those with high levels of mathematics-anxiety (HMAs), math is associated with tension, apprehension, and fear. But what underlies the feelings of dread effected by math anxiety? Are HMAs’ feelings about math merely psychological epiphenomena, or is their anxiety grounded in simulation of a concrete, visceral sensation – such as pain – about which they have every right to feel anxious? We show that, when anticipating an upcoming math-task, the higher one’s math anxiety, the more one increases activity in regions associated with visceral threat detection, and often the experience of pain itself (bilateral dorso-posterior insula). Interestingly, this relation was not seen during math performance, suggesting that it is not that math itself hurts; rather, the anticipation of math is painful. Our data suggest that pain network activation underlies the intuition that simply anticipating a dreaded event can feel painful. These results may also provide a potential neural mechanism to explain why HMAs tend to avoid math and math-related situations, which in turn can bias HMAs away from taking math classes or even entire math-related career paths. PMID:23118929

A latent profile analysis of math achievement, numerosity, and math anxiety in twins

PubMed Central

Hart, Sara A.; Logan, Jessica A.R.; Thompson, Lee; Kovas, Yulia; McLoughlin, Gráinne; Petrill, Stephen A.

2015-01-01

Underperformance in math is a problem with increasing prevalence, complex etiology, and severe repercussions. This study examined the etiological heterogeneity of math performance in a sample of 264 pairs of 12-year-old twins assessed on measures of math achievement, numerosity and math anxiety. Latent profile analysis indicated five groupings of individuals representing different patterns of math achievement, numerosity and math anxiety, coupled with differing degrees of familial transmission. These results suggest that there may be distinct profiles of math achievement, numerosity and anxiety; particularly for students who struggle in math. PMID:26957650

A latent profile analysis of math achievement, numerosity, and math anxiety in twins.

PubMed

Hart, Sara A; Logan, Jessica A R; Thompson, Lee; Kovas, Yulia; McLoughlin, Gráinne; Petrill, Stephen A

2016-02-01

Underperformance in math is a problem with increasing prevalence, complex etiology, and severe repercussions. This study examined the etiological heterogeneity of math performance in a sample of 264 pairs of 12-year-old twins assessed on measures of math achievement, numerosity and math anxiety. Latent profile analysis indicated five groupings of individuals representing different patterns of math achievement, numerosity and math anxiety, coupled with differing degrees of familial transmission. These results suggest that there may be distinct profiles of math achievement, numerosity and anxiety; particularly for students who struggle in math.

Inspection of the Math Model Tools for On-Orbit Assessment of Impact Damage Report. Version 1.0

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harris, Charles E.; Raju, Ivatury S.; Piascik, Robert S.; Kramer White, Julie; Labbe, Steve G.; Rotter, Hank A.

2005-01-01

In Spring of 2005, the NASA Engineering Safety Center (NESC) was engaged by the Space Shuttle Program (SSP) to peer review the suite of analytical tools being developed to support the determination of impact and damage tolerance of the Orbiter Thermal Protection Systems (TPS). The NESC formed an independent review team with the core disciplines of materials, flight sciences, structures, mechanical analysis and thermal analysis. The Math Model Tools reviewed included damage prediction and stress analysis, aeroheating analysis, and thermal analysis tools. Some tools are physics-based and other tools are empirically-derived. Each tool was created for a specific use and timeframe, including certification, real-time pre-launch assessments, and real-time on-orbit assessments. The tools are used together in an integrated strategy for assessing the ramifications of impact damage to tile and RCC. The NESC teams conducted a peer review of the engineering data package for each Math Model Tool. This report contains the summary of the team observations and recommendations from these reviews.

The Effects of the Elevate Math Summer Program on Math Achievement and Algebra Readiness. REL 2015-096

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Snipes, Jason; Huang, Chun-Wei; Jaquet, Karina; Finkelstein, Neal

2015-01-01

The Effects of the Elevate Math summer program on math achievement and algebra readiness: This randomized trial examined the effects of the Elevate Math summer program on math achievement and algebra readiness, as well as math interest and self-efficacy, among rising 8th grade students in California's Silicon Valley. The Elevate Math summer math…

The effectiveness of problem-based learning on students’ problem solving ability in vector analysis course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mushlihuddin, R.; Nurafifah; Irvan

2018-01-01

The student’s low ability in mathematics problem solving proved to the less effective of a learning process in the classroom. Effective learning was a learning that affects student’s math skills, one of which is problem-solving abilities. Problem-solving capability consisted of several stages: understanding the problem, planning the settlement, solving the problem as planned, re-examining the procedure and the outcome. The purpose of this research was to know: (1) was there any influence of PBL model in improving ability Problem solving of student math in a subject of vector analysis?; (2) was the PBL model effective in improving students’ mathematical problem-solving skills in vector analysis courses? This research was a quasi-experiment research. The data analysis techniques performed from the test stages of data description, a prerequisite test is the normality test, and hypothesis test using the ANCOVA test and Gain test. The results showed that: (1) there was an influence of PBL model in improving students’ math problem-solving abilities in vector analysis courses; (2) the PBL model was effective in improving students’ problem-solving skills in vector analysis courses with a medium category.

The Effect of Using Mind Maps on the Development of Maths and Science Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Polat, Ozgul; Yavuz, Ezgi Aksin; Tunc, Ayse Betul Ozkarabak

2017-01-01

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of mind mapping activities on the maths and science skills of children 48 to 60 months of age. The study was designed using an experimental model with a pre-test post-test and a control group. Accordingly, the hypotheses of the study was that there would be meaningful differences in the values…

An Investigation of the Linkage between Technology-Based Activities and STEM Major Selection in 4-Year Postsecondary Institutions in the United States: Multilevel Structural Equation Modelling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Ahlam

2015-01-01

Among the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), much attention has been paid to the influences of math- and science-related learning contexts on students' STEM major selection. However, the technology and engineering learning contexts that are linked to STEM major selection have been overlooked. In response, a…

Use of a Survival Analysis Technique in Understanding Game Performance in Instructional Games. CRESST Report 812

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Jinok; Chung, Gregory K. W. K.

2012-01-01

In this study we compared the effects of two math game designs on math and game performance, using discrete-time survival analysis (DTSA) to model players' risk of not advancing to the next level in the game. 137 students were randomly assigned to two game conditions. The game covered the concept of a unit and the addition of like-sized fractional…

Teacher Beliefs, Teacher Concerns, and School Leadership Support as Influences on School Readiness for Implementing a Research-Based Reform Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carhart, Elizabeth Hoag

2013-01-01

Federal policy makers and school leaders increasingly recognize middle school math as a turning point in students' academic success. An i3 scale-up grant allowed grant partners to conduct a large-scale implementation of PowerTeaching (PT), a research-based reform to increase student math achievement. In a mixed-methods study during the pilot phase…

Modeling Student Choice of STEM Fields of Study: Testing a Conceptual Framework of Motivation, High School Learning, and Postsecondary Context of Support. WISCAPE Working Paper

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Xueli

2012-01-01

This study draws upon social cognitive career theory and higher education literature to propose and test a conceptual framework for understanding the selection of postsecondary STEM fields of study by recent high school graduates who attend four-year institutions. Results suggest that high school math achievement, exposure to math and science…

Verbal and visual-spatial working memory and mathematical ability in different domains throughout primary school.

PubMed

Van de Weijer-Bergsma, Eva; Kroesbergen, Evelyn H; Van Luit, Johannes E H

2015-04-01

The relative importance of visual-spatial and verbal working memory for mathematics performance and learning seems to vary with age, the novelty of the material, and the specific math domain that is investigated. In this study, the relations between verbal and visual-spatial working memory and performance in four math domains (i.e., addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) at different ages during primary school are investigated. Children (N = 4337) from grades 2 through 6 participated. Visual-spatial and verbal working memory were assessed using online computerized tasks. Math performance was assessed at the start, middle, and end of the school year using a speeded arithmetic test. Multilevel Multigroup Latent Growth Modeling was used to model individual differences in level and growth in math performance, and examine the predictive value of working memory per grade, while controlling for effects of classroom membership. The results showed that as grade level progressed, the predictive value of visual-spatial working memory for individual differences in level of mathematics performance waned, while the predictive value of verbal working memory increased. Working memory did not predict individual differences between children in their rate of performance growth throughout the school year. These findings are discussed in relation to three, not mutually exclusive, explanations for such age-related findings.

heatmaply: an R package for creating interactive cluster heatmaps for online publishing.

PubMed

Galili, Tal; O'Callaghan, Alan; Sidi, Jonathan; Sievert, Carson

2018-05-01

heatmaply is an R package for easily creating interactive cluster heatmaps that can be shared online as a stand-alone HTML file. Interactivity includes a tooltip display of values when hovering over cells, as well as the ability to zoom in to specific sections of the figure from the data matrix, the side dendrograms, or annotated labels. Thanks to the synergistic relationship between heatmaply and other R packages, the user is empowered by a refined control over the statistical and visual aspects of the heatmap layout. The heatmaply package is available under the GPL-2 Open Source license. It comes with a detailed vignette, and is freely available from: http://cran.r-project.org/package=heatmaply. tal.galili@math.tau.ac.il. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

The Roles of IL-6, IL-10, and IL-1RA in Obesity and Insulin Resistance in African-Americans

PubMed Central

Doumatey, Ayo; Huang, Hanxia; Zhou, Jie; Chen, Guanjie; Shriner, Daniel; Adeyemo, Adebowale

2011-01-01

Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the associations between IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA), IL-6, IL-10, measures of obesity, and insulin resistance in African-Americans. Research Design and Methods: Nondiabetic participants (n = 1025) of the Howard University Family Study were investigated for associations between serum IL (IL-1RA, IL-6, IL-10), measures of obesity, and insulin resistance, with adjustment for age and sex. Measures of obesity included body mass index, waist circumference, hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and percent fat mass. Insulin resistance was assessed using the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Data were analyzed with R statistical software using linear regression and likelihood ratio tests. Results: IL-1RA and IL-6 were associated with measures of obesity and insulin resistance, explaining 4–12.7% of the variance observed (P values < 0.001). IL-1RA was bimodally distributed and therefore was analyzed based on grouping those with low vs. high IL-1RA levels. High IL-1RA explained up to 20 and 12% of the variance in measures of obesity and HOMA-IR, respectively. Among the IL, only high IL-1RA improved the fit of models regressing HOMA-IR on measures of obesity. In contrast, all measures of obesity improved the fit of models regressing HOMA-IR on IL. IL-10 was not associated with obesity measures or HOMA-IR. Conclusions: High IL-1RA levels and obesity measures are associated with HOMA-IR in this population-based sample of African-Americans. The results suggest that obesity and increased levels of IL-1RA both contribute to the development of insulin resistance. PMID:21956416

Automated 3D Damaged Cavity Model Builder for Lower Surface Acreage Tile on Orbiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Belknap, Shannon; Zhang, Michael

2013-01-01

The 3D Automated Thermal Tool for Damaged Acreage Tile Math Model builder was developed to perform quickly and accurately 3D thermal analyses on damaged lower surface acreage tiles and structures beneath the damaged locations on a Space Shuttle Orbiter. The 3D model builder created both TRASYS geometric math models (GMMs) and SINDA thermal math models (TMMs) to simulate an idealized damaged cavity in the damaged tile(s). The GMMs are processed in TRASYS to generate radiation conductors between the surfaces in the cavity. The radiation conductors are inserted into the TMMs, which are processed in SINDA to generate temperature histories for all of the nodes on each layer of the TMM. The invention allows a thermal analyst to create quickly and accurately a 3D model of a damaged lower surface tile on the orbiter. The 3D model builder can generate a GMM and the correspond ing TMM in one or two minutes, with the damaged cavity included in the tile material. A separate program creates a configuration file, which would take a couple of minutes to edit. This configuration file is read by the model builder program to determine the location of the damage, the correct tile type, tile thickness, structure thickness, and SIP thickness of the damage, so that the model builder program can build an accurate model at the specified location. Once the models are built, they are processed by the TRASYS and SINDA.

Pleiotropic effects of interleukin-6 in a "two-hit" murine model of acute respiratory distress syndrome.

PubMed

Goldman, Julia L; Sammani, Saad; Kempf, Carrie; Saadat, Laleh; Letsiou, Eleftheria; Wang, Ting; Moreno-Vinasco, Liliana; Rizzo, Alicia N; Fortman, Jeffrey D; Garcia, Joe G N

2014-06-01

Patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) exhibit elevated levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), which correlate with increased morbidity and mortality. The exact role of IL-6 in ARDS has proven difficult to study because it exhibits either pro- or anti-inflammatory actions in mouse models of lung injury, depending on the model utilized. In order to improve understanding of the role of this complex cytokine in ARDS, we evaluated IL-6 using the clinically relevant combination of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) in IL-6(-/-) mice. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL), whole-lung tissue, and histology were evaluated for inflammatory markers of injury. Transendothelial electrical resistance was used to evaluate the action of IL-6 on endothelial cells in vitro. In wild-type mice, the combination model showed a significant increase in lung injury compared to either LPS or VILI alone. IL-6(-/-) mice exhibited a statistically significant decrease in BAL cellular inflammation as well as lower histologic scores for lung injury, changes observed only in the combination model. A paradoxical increase in BAL total protein was observed in IL-6(-/-) mice exposed to LPS, suggesting that IL-6 provides protection from vascular leakage. However, in vitro data showed that IL-6, when combined with its soluble receptor, actually caused a significant increase in endothelial cell permeability, suggesting that the protection seen in vivo was likely due to complex interactions of IL-6 and other inflammatory mediators rather than to direct effects of IL-6. These studies suggest that a dual-injury model exhibits utility in evaluating the pleiotropic effects of IL-6 in ARDS on inflammatory cells and lung endothelium.

Identifying Maths Anxiety in Student Nurses and Focusing Remedial Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bull, Heather

2009-01-01

Maths anxiety interferes with maths cognition and thereby increases the risk of maths errors. To initiate strategies for preventing anxiety-related errors progressing into nursing practice, this study explored the hypothesis that student nurses experience high maths anxiety in association with poor maths performance, and that high maths anxiety is…

Achievement, motivation, and educational choices: A longitudinal study of expectancy and value using a multiplicative perspective.

PubMed

Guo, Jiesi; Parker, Philip D; Marsh, Herbert W; Morin, Alexandre J S

2015-08-01

Drawing on the expectancy-value model, the present study explored individual and gender differences in university entry and selection of educational pathway (e.g., science, technology, engineering, and mathematics [STEM] course selection). In particular, we examined the multiplicative effects of expectancy and task values on educational outcomes during the transition into early adulthood. Participants were from a nationally representative longitudinal sample of 15-year-old Australian youths (N = 10,370). The results suggest that (a) both math self-concept and intrinsic value interact in predicting advanced math course selection, matriculation results, entrance into university, and STEM fields of study; (b) prior reading achievement has negative effects on advanced math course selection and STEM fields through math motivational beliefs; and (c) gender differences in educational outcomes are mediated by gender differences in motivational beliefs and prior academic achievement, while the processes underlying choice of educational pathway were similar for males and females. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Positive Attitude Toward Math Supports Early Academic Success: Behavioral Evidence and Neurocognitive Mechanisms.

PubMed

Chen, Lang; Bae, Se Ri; Battista, Christian; Qin, Shaozheng; Chen, Tianwen; Evans, Tanya M; Menon, Vinod

2018-03-01

Positive attitude is thought to impact academic achievement and learning in children, but little is known about its underlying neurocognitive mechanisms. Using a large behavioral sample of 240 children, we found that positive attitude toward math uniquely predicted math achievement, even after we accounted for multiple other cognitive-affective factors. We then investigated the neural mechanisms underlying the link between positive attitude and academic achievement in two independent cohorts of children (discovery cohort: n = 47; replication cohort: n = 28) and tested competing hypotheses regarding the differential roles of affective-motivational and learning-memory systems. In both cohorts, we found that positive attitude was associated with increased engagement of the hippocampal learning-memory system. Structural equation modeling further revealed that, in both cohorts, increased hippocampal activity and more frequent use of efficient memory-based strategies mediated the relation between positive attitude and higher math achievement. Our study is the first to elucidate the neurocognitive mechanisms by which positive attitude influences learning and academic achievement.

Mathematical Ability of 10-Year-Old Boys and Girls: Genetic and Environmental Etiology of Typical and Low Performance

PubMed Central

Kovas, Yulia; Haworth, Claire M. A.; Petrill, Stephen A.; Plomin, Robert

2009-01-01

The genetic and environmental etiologies of 3 aspects of low mathematical performance (math disability) and the full range of variability (math ability) were compared for boys and girls in a sample of 5,348 children age 10 years (members of 2,674 pairs of same-sex and opposite-sex twins) from the United Kingdom (UK). The measures, which we developed for Web-based testing, included problems from 3 domains of mathematics taught as part of the UK National Curriculum. Using quantitative genetic model-fitting analyses, similar results were found for math disabilities and abilities for all 3 measures: Moderate genetic influence and environmental influence were mainly due to nonshared environmental factors that were unique to the individual, with little influence from shared environment. No sex differences were found in the etiologies of math abilities and disabilities. We conclude that low mathematical performance is the quantitative extreme of the same genetic and environmental factors responsible for variation throughout the distribution. PMID:18064980

Math Anxiety in Second and Third Graders and Its Relation to Mathematics Achievement

PubMed Central

Wu, Sarah S.; Barth, Maria; Amin, Hitha; Malcarne, Vanessa; Menon, Vinod

2012-01-01

Although the detrimental effects of math anxiety in adults are well understood, few studies have examined how it affects younger children who are beginning to learn math in a formal academic setting. Here, we examine the relationship between math anxiety and math achievement in second and third graders. In response to the need for a grade-appropriate measure of assessing math anxiety in this group we first describe the development of Scale for Early Mathematics Anxiety (SEMA), a new measure for assessing math anxiety in second and third graders that is based on the Math Anxiety Rating Scale. We demonstrate the construct validity and reliability of the SEMA and use it to characterize the effect of math anxiety on standardized measures of math abilities, as assessed using the Mathematical Reasoning and Numerical Operations subtests of the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT-II). Math achievement, as measured by the WIAT-II Math Composite score, was significantly and negatively correlated with SEMA but not with trait anxiety scores. Additional analyses showed that SEMA scores were strongly correlated with Mathematical Reasoning scores, which involves more complex verbal problem solving. SEMA scores were weakly correlated with Numerical Operations which assesses basic computation skills, suggesting that math anxiety has a pronounced effect on more demanding calculations. We also found that math anxiety has an equally detrimental impact on math achievement regardless of whether children have an anxiety related to numbers or to the situational and social experience of doing math. Critically, these effects were unrelated to trait anxiety, providing the first evidence that the specific effects of math anxiety can be detected in the earliest stages of formal math learning in school. Our findings provide new insights into the developmental origins of math anxiety, and further underscore the need to remediate math anxiety and its deleterious effects on math achievement in young children. PMID:22701105

Math anxiety in second and third graders and its relation to mathematics achievement.

PubMed

Wu, Sarah S; Barth, Maria; Amin, Hitha; Malcarne, Vanessa; Menon, Vinod

2012-01-01

Although the detrimental effects of math anxiety in adults are well understood, few studies have examined how it affects younger children who are beginning to learn math in a formal academic setting. Here, we examine the relationship between math anxiety and math achievement in second and third graders. In response to the need for a grade-appropriate measure of assessing math anxiety in this group we first describe the development of Scale for Early Mathematics Anxiety (SEMA), a new measure for assessing math anxiety in second and third graders that is based on the Math Anxiety Rating Scale. We demonstrate the construct validity and reliability of the SEMA and use it to characterize the effect of math anxiety on standardized measures of math abilities, as assessed using the Mathematical Reasoning and Numerical Operations subtests of the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT-II). Math achievement, as measured by the WIAT-II Math Composite score, was significantly and negatively correlated with SEMA but not with trait anxiety scores. Additional analyses showed that SEMA scores were strongly correlated with Mathematical Reasoning scores, which involves more complex verbal problem solving. SEMA scores were weakly correlated with Numerical Operations which assesses basic computation skills, suggesting that math anxiety has a pronounced effect on more demanding calculations. We also found that math anxiety has an equally detrimental impact on math achievement regardless of whether children have an anxiety related to numbers or to the situational and social experience of doing math. Critically, these effects were unrelated to trait anxiety, providing the first evidence that the specific effects of math anxiety can be detected in the earliest stages of formal math learning in school. Our findings provide new insights into the developmental origins of math anxiety, and further underscore the need to remediate math anxiety and its deleterious effects on math achievement in young children.

Math anxiety differentially affects WAIS-IV arithmetic performance in undergraduates.

PubMed

Buelow, Melissa T; Frakey, Laura L

2013-06-01

Previous research has shown that math anxiety can influence the math performance level; however, to date, it is unknown whether math anxiety influences performance on working memory tasks during neuropsychological evaluation. In the present study, 172 undergraduate students completed measures of math achievement (the Math Computation subtest from the Wide Range Achievement Test-IV), math anxiety (the Math Anxiety Rating Scale-Revised), general test anxiety (from the Adult Manifest Anxiety Scale-College version), and the three Working Memory Index tasks from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV Edition (WAIS-IV; Digit Span [DS], Arithmetic, Letter-Number Sequencing [LNS]). Results indicated that math anxiety predicted performance on Arithmetic, but not DS or LNS, above and beyond the effects of gender, general test anxiety, and math performance level. Our findings suggest that math anxiety can negatively influence WAIS-IV working memory subtest scores. Implications for clinical practice include the utilization of LNS in individuals expressing high math anxiety.

RFI Math Model programs for predicting intermodulation interference

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stafford, J. M.

1974-01-01

Receivers operating on a space vehicle or an aircraft having many on-board transmitters are subject to intermodulation interference from mixing in the transmitting antenna systems, the external environment, or the receiver front-ends. This paper presents the techniques utilized in RFI Math Model computer programs that were developed to aid in the prevention of interference by predicting problem areas prior to occurrence. Frequencies and amplitudes of possible intermodulation products generated in the external environment are calculated and compared to receiver sensitivities. Intermodulation products generated in receivers are evaluated to determine the adequacy of preselector ejection.

Boundary Layer Measurements on Slender Blunt Cones at Free-Stream Mach Number 8

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-12-01

34 Angle of a t t a c k , deg Model c o n f i g u r a t i o n d e s i g n a t i o n Center of rotation~ tunnel centerline axial station about...ft/sec X Axial location located from virtual apex of 7-deg cone model, in. ZA ZP ZT ~ . . = ° Anemometer-probe height, distance to probe...300 psla at Math number 6, and 50 to 900 psia at Math number 8, with air supplied by the VKF main compressor plant. Stagnation temperatures sufficient

Short-term retention of a single word relies on retrieval from long-term memory when both rehearsal and refreshing are disrupted.

PubMed

Rose, Nathan S; Buchsbaum, Bradley R; Craik, Fergus I M

2014-07-01

Many working memory (WM) models propose that the focus of attention (or primary memory) has a capacity limit of one to four items, and therefore, that performance on WM tasks involves retrieving some items from long-term (or secondary) memory (LTM). In the present study, we present evidence suggesting that recall of even one item on a WM task can involve retrieving it from LTM. The WM task required participants to make a deep (living/nonliving) or shallow ("e"/no "e") level-of-processing (LOP) judgment on one word and to recall the word after a 10-s delay on each trial. During the delay, participants either rehearsed the word or performed an easy or a hard math task. When the to-be-remembered item could be rehearsed, recall was fast and accurate. When it was followed by a math task, recall was slower, error-prone, and benefited from a deeper LOP at encoding, especially for the hard math condition. The authors suggest that a covert-retrieval mechanism may have refreshed the item during easy math, and that the hard math condition shows that even a single item cannot be reliably held in WM during a sufficiently distracting task--therefore, recalling the item involved retrieving it from LTM. Additionally, performance on a final free recall (LTM) test was better for items recalled following math than following rehearsal, suggesting that initial recall following math involved elaborative retrieval from LTM, whereas rehearsal did not. The authors suggest that the extent to which performance on WM tasks involves retrieval from LTM depends on the amounts of disruption to both rehearsal and covert-retrieval/refreshing maintenance mechanisms.

Efficient development and processing of thermal math models of very large space truss structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Warren, Andrew H.; Arelt, Joseph E.; Lalicata, Anthony L.

1993-01-01

As the spacecraft moves along the orbit, the truss members are subjected to direct and reflected solar, albedo and planetary infra-red (IR) heating rates, as well as IR heating and shadowing from other spacecraft components. This is a transient process with continuously changing heating loads and the shadowing effects. The resulting nonuniform temperature distribution may cause nonuniform thermal expansion, deflection and stress in the truss elements, truss warping and thermal distortions. There are three challenges in the thermal-structural analysis of the large truss structures. The first is the development of the thermal and structural math models, the second - model processing, and the third - the data transfer between the models. All three tasks require considerable time and computer resources to be done because of a very large number of components involved. To address these challenges a series of techniques of automated thermal math modeling and efficient processing of very large space truss structures were developed. In the process the finite element and finite difference methods are interfaced. A very substantial reduction of the quantity of computations was achieved while assuring a desired accuracy of the results. The techniques are illustrated on the thermal analysis of a segment of the Space Station main truss.

Self-Regulation and Math Attitudes: Effects on Academic Performance in Developmental Math Courses at a Community College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Otts, Cynthia D.

2010-01-01

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship among math attitudes, self-regulated learning, and course outcomes in developmental math. Math attitudes involved perceived usefulness of math and math anxiety. Self-regulated learning represented the ability of students to control cognitive, metacognitive, and behavioral aspects of…

College Math Assessment: SAT Scores vs. College Math Placement Scores

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foley-Peres, Kathleen; Poirier, Dawn

2008-01-01

Many colleges and university's use SAT math scores or math placement tests to place students in the appropriate math course. This study compares the use of math placement scores and SAT scores for 188 freshman students. The student's grades and faculty observations were analyzed to determine if the SAT scores and/or college math assessment scores…

A Rigorous Sharp Interface Limit of a Diffuse Interface Model Related to Tumor Growth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rocca, Elisabetta; Scala, Riccardo

2017-06-01

In this paper, we study the rigorous sharp interface limit of a diffuse interface model related to the dynamics of tumor growth, when a parameter ɛ, representing the interface thickness between the tumorous and non-tumorous cells, tends to zero. More in particular, we analyze here a gradient-flow-type model arising from a modification of the recently introduced model for tumor growth dynamics in Hawkins-Daruud et al. (Int J Numer Math Biomed Eng 28:3-24, 2011) (cf. also Hilhorst et al. Math Models Methods Appl Sci 25:1011-1043, 2015). Exploiting the techniques related to both gradient flows and gamma convergence, we recover a condition on the interface Γ relating the chemical and double-well potentials, the mean curvature, and the normal velocity.

Is math anxiety in the secondary classroom limiting physics mastery? A study of math anxiety and physics performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mercer, Gary J.

This quantitative study examined the relationship between secondary students with math anxiety and physics performance in an inquiry-based constructivist classroom. The Revised Math Anxiety Rating Scale was used to evaluate math anxiety levels. The results were then compared to the performance on a physics standardized final examination. A simple correlation was performed, followed by a multivariate regression analysis to examine effects based on gender and prior math background. The correlation showed statistical significance between math anxiety and physics performance. The regression analysis showed statistical significance for math anxiety, physics performance, and prior math background, but did not show statistical significance for math anxiety, physics performance, and gender.

Development and Translational Application of a Minimal Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Model for a Monoclonal Antibody against Interleukin 23 (IL-23) in IL-23-Induced Psoriasis-Like Mice.

PubMed

Chen, Xi; Jiang, Xiling; Doddareddy, Rajitha; Geist, Brian; McIntosh, Thomas; Jusko, William J; Zhou, Honghui; Wang, Weirong

2018-04-01

The interleukin (IL)-23/T h 17/IL-17 immune pathway has been identified to play an important role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Many therapeutic proteins targeting IL-23 or IL-17 are currently under development for the treatment of psoriasis. In the present study, a mechanistic pharmacokinetics (PK)/pharmacodynamics (PD) study was conducted to assess the target-binding and disposition kinetics of a monoclonal antibody (mAb), CNTO 3723, and its soluble target, mouse IL-23, in an IL-23-induced psoriasis-like mouse model. A minimal physiologically based pharmacokinetic model with target-mediated drug disposition features was developed to quantitatively assess the kinetics and interrelationship between CNTO 3723 and exogenously administered, recombinant mouse IL-23 in both serum and lesional skin site. Furthermore, translational applications of the developed model were evaluated with incorporation of human PK for ustekinumab, an anti-human IL-23/IL-12 mAb developed for treatment of psoriasis, and human disease pathophysiology information in psoriatic patients. The results agreed well with the observed clinical data for ustekinumab. Our work provides an example on how mechanism-based PK/PD modeling can be applied during early drug discovery and how preclinical data can be used for human efficacious dose projection and guide decision making during early clinical development of therapeutic proteins. Copyright © 2018 by The Author(s).

Endogenous concentrations of IL-1. alpha. , IL-1. beta. , and IL-6 male Sprague-Dawley rats after surgery, subcutaneous (SC) injections of turpentine, and intraperitoneal (IP) injections of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nadeau, R.; Ni-Wu, G.; Valle, C.D.

1991-03-11

The purpose of this study was to measure serum concentrations of cytokines implicated in the acute phase response with the long term goal of investigating how endogenous concentrations of cytokines impact on drug disposition. Nonfasted rats were anesthetized with pentobarbital after which a cannula was implanted in the jugular vein. In the surgery model of inflammation, blood samples were drawn from 0-48 hrs post surgery. In the turpentine model, rats were injected with 3 ml/kg turpentine sc immediately after completions of surgery. In the final model, 1 ml/kg of LPS was injected ip 24 hrs after recovery from surgery. Serialmore » blood samples were drawn after turpentine or LPS had been given. Concentrations if IL-1{alpha} were measured by a two stage immunobioassay based on the principle that IL-2 dependent CTLL-2 cells respond in a dose dependent manner to IL-2 secreted by the mouse thymoma EL-4 NOB-1 clone in response to IL-1. IL-1{beta} was measured by omitting the specific mAb capture step and serially diluting samples shown to be negative for IL-1{alpha}. IL-6 activity was assayed by the B9 subclone hybridoma assay. After incubation, cell proliferation was measured by thymidine incorporation. In none of the three models was IL-1{alpha} detectable in serum at any time. IL-1{beta} was present at low concentrations shortly after surgery and turpentine injection. IL-1{beta} serum concentrations were increased by LPS injection. IL-6 concentrations, however, were significantly elevated in all the models leading the authors and others to conclude that IL-6 may be the cytokine which most often induces the full spectrum of the acute phase response.« less

A micro-computer based system to compute magnetic variation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaul, R.

1984-01-01

A mathematical model of magnetic variation in the continental United States (COT48) was implemented in the Ohio University LORAN C receiver. The model is based on a least squares fit of a polynomial function. The implementation on the microprocessor based LORAN C receiver is possible with the help of a math chip, Am9511 which performs 32 bit floating point mathematical operations. A Peripheral Interface Adapter (M6520) is used to communicate between the 6502 based micro-computer and the 9511 math chip. The implementation provides magnetic variation data to the pilot as a function of latitude and longitude. The model and the real time implementation in the receiver are described.

A Study of Airline Passenger Susceptibility to Atmospheric Turbulence Hazard

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stewart, Eric C.

2000-01-01

A simple, generic, simulation math model of a commercial airliner has been developed to study the susceptibility of unrestrained passengers to large, discrete gust encounters. The math model simulates the longitudinal motion to vertical gusts and includes (1) motion of an unrestrained passenger in the rear cabin, (2) fuselage flexibility, (3) the lag in the downwash from the wing to the tail, and (4) unsteady lift effects. Airplane and passenger response contours are calculated for a matrix of gust amplitudes and gust lengths of a simulated mountain rotor. A comparison of the model-predicted responses to data from three accidents indicates that the accelerations in actual accidents are sometimes much larger than the simulated gust encounters.

Mid-pregnancy circulating immune biomarkers in women with preeclampsia and normotensive controls.

PubMed

Taylor, Brandie D; Tang, Gong; Ness, Roberta B; Olsen, Jørn; Hougaard, David M; Skogstrand, Kristin; Roberts, James M; Haggerty, Catherine L

2016-01-01

To determine if mid-pregnancy circulating immune biomarkers are associated with preeclampsia. Nested case-control study of 410 preeclamptic women and 297 normotensive controls with primiparous singleton pregnancies enrolled in the Danish National Birth Cohort. The mean gestational age in our cohort is 16 weeks (range 9-26). Preeclampsia was defined by blood pressure ⩾140/90 mmHg and proteinuria ⩾3 g/24 h. Serum immune biomarkers included interleukin (IL)-6, IL-6 receptor, IL-4, IL-4 receptor, IL-5, IL-12, IL-2, TNF-α, TNF-β, TNF-receptor, IL-1β, IL-1α, IL-8, IL-10, IFN-γ, IL-18, macrophage migration inhibitory factor, macrophage inflammatory protein, transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β), and RANTES. Associations with preeclampsia, term preeclampsia and preterm preeclampsia were determined using two logistic regression models; (1) biomarkers were dichotomized by the limit of detection (LOD); (2) on the continuous scale, non-detectable values were imputed by LOD/2 and transformed (base 2). All models were adjusted for body mass index and smoking. IL1β was significantly associated with a decrease in the log odds of preeclampsia (p=0.0065), term preeclampsia (p=0.0230) and preterm preeclampsia (p=0.0068). Results were similar for IL4r and preeclampsia (p=0.0383). In the dichotomized models, detectable TNF-β was significantly associated with preeclampsia (ORadj 1.6, 95% CI 1.1-2.3) and term preeclampsia (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1-2.5) but not preterm preeclampsia. Detectable IL6 was significantly with term preeclampsia only (OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.1-2.2). Mid-pregnancy circulating IL1β, IL4r, IL6, and TNFβ were associated with preeclampsia. However, results were not consistent across statistical models. As the relationship is complex, future studies should explore cytokine clusters in preeclampsia risk. Copyright © 2015 International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Math practice and its influence on math skills and executive functions in adolescents with mild to borderline intellectual disability.

PubMed

Jansen, Brenda R J; De Lange, Eva; Van der Molen, Mariët J

2013-05-01

Adolescents with mild to borderline intellectual disability (MBID) often complete schooling without mastering basic math skills, even though basic math is essential for math-related challenges in everyday life. Limited attention to cognitive skills and low executive functioning (EF) may cause this delay. We aimed to improve math skills in an MBID-sample using computerized math training. Also, it was investigated whether EF and math performance were related and whether computerized math training had beneficial effects on EF. The sample consisted of a total of 58 adolescents (12-15 years) from special education. Participants were randomly assigned to either the experimental group or a treatment as usual (TAU) group. In the experimental condition, participants received 5 weeks of training. Math performance and EF were assessed before and after the training period. Math performance improved equally in both groups. However, frequently practicing participants improved more than participants in the control group. Visuo-spatial memory skills were positively related to addition and subtraction skills. Transfer effects from math training to EF were absent. It is concluded that math skills may increase if a reasonable effort in practicing math skills is made. The relation between visuo-spatial memory skills provides opportunities for improving math performance. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Does Math Self-Efficacy Mediate the Effect of the Perceived Classroom Environment on Standardized Math Test Performance?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fast, Lisa A.; Lewis, James L.; Bryant, Michael J.; Bocian, Kathleen A.; Cardullo, Richard A.; Rettig, Michael; Hammond, Kimberly A.

2010-01-01

We examined the effect of the perceived classroom environment on math self-efficacy and the effect of math self-efficacy on standardized math test performance. Upper elementary school students (N = 1,163) provided self-reports of their perceived math self-efficacy and the degree to which their math classroom environment was mastery oriented,…

The role of expressive writing in math anxiety.

PubMed

Park, Daeun; Ramirez, Gerardo; Beilock, Sian L

2014-06-01

Math anxiety is a negative affective reaction to situations involving math. Previous work demonstrates that math anxiety can negatively impact math problem solving by creating performance-related worries that disrupt the working memory needed for the task at hand. By leveraging knowledge about the mechanism underlying the math anxiety-performance relationship, we tested the effectiveness of a short expressive writing intervention that has been shown to reduce intrusive thoughts and improve working memory availability. Students (N = 80) varying in math anxiety were asked to sit quietly (control group) prior to completing difficulty-matched math and word problems or to write about their thoughts and feelings regarding the exam they were about to take (expressive writing group). For the control group, high math-anxious individuals (HMAs) performed significantly worse on the math problems than low math-anxious students (LMAs). In the expressive writing group, however, this difference in math performance across HMAs and LMAs was significantly reduced. Among HMAs, the use of words related to anxiety, cause, and insight in their writing was positively related to math performance. Expressive writing boosts the performance of anxious students in math-testing situations. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

IL-25 promotes the function of CD4+CD25+ T regulatory cells and prolongs skin-graft survival in murine models.

PubMed

Tang, Jiayou; Zhou, Xiaohui; Liu, Jie; Meng, Qingshu; Han, Yang; Wang, Zhulin; Fan, Huimin; Liu, Zhongmin

2015-10-01

Interleukin (IL)-25, also known as IL-17E, belongs to the IL-17 family of cytokines. Unlike other IL-17 family members, IL-25 promotes Th2-type immune responses, stimulating IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 production. Here, we employed murine models of skin graft to explore the role of IL-25 in suppression of graft rejection. We found that IL-25 expression is increased during allograft rejection, and allograft rejection was enhanced in IL-25 KO mice. IL-25 KO was associated with down-regulation of Foxp3 expression in CD4+ T cells. Further, while adoptive transfer of WT regulatory T cells (Tregs) protected against allograft rejection, adoptive transfer of IL-25 deficient Tregs failed to protect against allograft rejection. Exogenous IL-25 restored Foxp3 expression and Treg function in vitro. Moreover, IL-25 promoted phosphorylation of NFAT2. Thus, IL-25 may enhance Treg function by up-regulating NFAT2 phosphorylation. Our findings suggest that IL-25 can sustain Foxp3 expression, enhance the suppressive function of Tregs, and prolong skin-graft survival. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

IL-22R Ligands IL-20, IL-22, and IL-24 Promote Wound Healing in Diabetic db/db Mice.

PubMed

Kolumam, Ganesh; Wu, Xiumin; Lee, Wyne P; Hackney, Jason A; Zavala-Solorio, Jose; Gandham, Vineela; Danilenko, Dimitry M; Arora, Puneet; Wang, Xiaoting; Ouyang, Wenjun

2017-01-01

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) are one of the major complications in type II diabetes patients and can result in amputation and morbidity. Although multiple approaches are used clinically to help wound closure, many patients still lack adequate treatment. Here we show that IL-20 subfamily cytokines are upregulated during normal wound healing. While there is a redundant role for each individual cytokine in this subfamily in wound healing, mice deficient in IL-22R, the common receptor chain for IL-20, IL-22, and IL-24, display a significant delay in wound healing. Furthermore, IL-20, IL-22 and IL-24 are all able to promote wound healing in type II diabetic db/db mice. Mechanistically, when compared to other growth factors such as VEGF and PDGF that accelerate wound healing in this model, IL-22 uniquely induced genes involved in reepithelialization, tissue remodeling and innate host defense mechanisms from wounded skin. Interestingly, IL-22 treatment showed superior efficacy compared to PDGF or VEGF in an infectious diabetic wound model. Taken together, our data suggest that IL-20 subfamily cytokines, particularly IL-20, IL-22, and IL-24, might provide therapeutic benefit for patients with DFU.

Nonlinear Wave Propagation

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-09-01

Asymptotic Results for a Model Equation for Low Reynolds Number Flow, SIAM J. Appi. Math., 35, July 1978. 3. A. S. Yokes : Group Theoretical Aspects of...Quadratic and Cubic Invariants in’ Classical Mechanics, J. Math. Anal. Appl.,’ 74, 342, (1980). 5. A. S. Pokas , P. A. Lagerstrom: On the Use of Lie...Mathematical Methods in Hydrodynamics and %Integrability in Dynamical System, pp. 237-241. 24. 14. J. Ablovitz and A. S. Pokas : A Direct Linearization

A Descriptive Analysis of the Impact of Co-Teaching on the Reading/Language Arts and Math Achievement of Selected Middle School Students in a Middle Tennessee School District

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maultsby-Springer, Barbara Michelle

2009-01-01

This research examined the impact of collaborative teaching (co-teaching) on the Reading/Language Arts and Math achievement of Middle Tennessee students in grades 5-8, as measured by the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) Achievement test. Within the context of this study, the co-teaching model of instruction is defined as the…

Structural basis for the enhanced stability of protein model compounds and peptide backbone unit in ammonium ionic liquids.

PubMed

Vasantha, T; Attri, Pankaj; Venkatesu, Pannuru; Devi, R S Rama

2012-10-04

Protein folding/unfolding is a fascinating study in the presence of cosolvents, which protect/disrupt the native structure of protein, respectively. The structure and stability of proteins and their functional groups may be modulated by the addition of cosolvents. Ionic liquids (ILs) are finding a vast array of applications as novel cosolvents for a wide variety of biochemical processes that include protein folding. Here, the systematic and quantitative apparent transfer free energies (ΔG'(tr)) of protein model compounds from water to ILs through solubility measurements as a function of IL concentration at 25 °C have been exploited to quantify and interpret biomolecular interactions between model compounds of glycine peptides (GPs) with ammonium based ILs. The investigated aqueous systems consist of zwitterionic glycine peptides: glycine (Gly), diglycine (Gly(2)), triglycine (Gly(3)), tetraglycine (Gly(4)), and cyclic glycylglycine (c(GG)) in the presence of six ILs such as diethylammonium acetate (DEAA), diethylammonium hydrogen sulfate (DEAS), triethylammonium acetate (TEAA), triethylammonium hydrogen sulfate (TEAS), triethylammonium dihydrogen phosphate (TEAP), and trimethylammonium acetate (TMAA). We have observed positive values of ΔG'(tr) for GPs from water to ILs, indicating that interactions between ILs and GPs are unfavorable, which leads to stabilization of the structure of model protein compounds. Moreover, our experimental data ΔG'(tr) is used to obtain transfer free energies (Δg'(tr)) of the peptide backbone unit (or glycyl unit) (-CH(2)C═ONH-), which is the most numerous group in globular proteins, from water to IL solutions. To obtain the mechanism events of the ILs' role in enhancing the stability of the model compounds, we have further obtained m-values for GPs from solubility limits. These results explicitly elucidate that all alkyl ammonium ILs act as stabilizers for model compounds through the exclusion of ILs from model compounds of proteins and also reflect the effect of alkyl chain on the stability of protein model compounds.

Neural correlates of math anxiety - an overview and implications.

PubMed

Artemenko, Christina; Daroczy, Gabriella; Nuerk, Hans-Christoph

2015-01-01

Math anxiety is a common phenomenon which can have a negative impact on numerical and arithmetic performance. However, so far little is known about the underlying neurocognitive mechanisms. This mini review provides an overview of studies investigating the neural correlates of math anxiety which provide several hints regarding its influence on math performance: while behavioral studies mostly observe an influence of math anxiety on difficult math tasks, neurophysiological studies show that processing efficiency is already affected in basic number processing. Overall, the neurocognitive literature suggests that (i) math anxiety elicits emotion- and pain-related activation during and before math activities, (ii) that the negative emotional response to math anxiety impairs processing efficiency, and (iii) that math deficits triggered by math anxiety may be compensated for by modulating the cognitive control or emotional regulation network. However, activation differs strongly between studies, depending on tasks, paradigms, and samples. We conclude that neural correlates can help to understand and explore the processes underlying math anxiety, but the data are not very consistent yet.

Neural correlates of math anxiety – an overview and implications

PubMed Central

Artemenko, Christina; Daroczy, Gabriella; Nuerk, Hans-Christoph

2015-01-01

Math anxiety is a common phenomenon which can have a negative impact on numerical and arithmetic performance. However, so far little is known about the underlying neurocognitive mechanisms. This mini review provides an overview of studies investigating the neural correlates of math anxiety which provide several hints regarding its influence on math performance: while behavioral studies mostly observe an influence of math anxiety on difficult math tasks, neurophysiological studies show that processing efficiency is already affected in basic number processing. Overall, the neurocognitive literature suggests that (i) math anxiety elicits emotion- and pain-related activation during and before math activities, (ii) that the negative emotional response to math anxiety impairs processing efficiency, and (iii) that math deficits triggered by math anxiety may be compensated for by modulating the cognitive control or emotional regulation network. However, activation differs strongly between studies, depending on tasks, paradigms, and samples. We conclude that neural correlates can help to understand and explore the processes underlying math anxiety, but the data are not very consistent yet. PMID:26388824

The Sum of All Fears: The Effects of Math Anxiety on Math Achievement in Fifth Grade Students and the Implications for School Counselors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruff, Sarah E.; Boes, Susan R.

2014-01-01

Low math achievement is a recurring weakness in many students. Math anxiety is a persistent and significant theme to math avoidance and low achievement. Causes for math anxiety include social, cognitive, and academic factors. Interventions to reduce math anxiety are limited as they exclude the expert skills of professional school counselors to…

A Study of Perceptions of Math Mindset, Math Anxiety, and View of Math by Young Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hocker, Tami

2017-01-01

This study's purpose was to determine whether instruction in growth math mindset led to change in perceptions of 18-22-year-old at-risk students in math mindset, math anxiety, and view of math. The experimental curriculum was created by the researcher with the guidance of experts in mathematics and education and focused on the impact of brain…

Errors in Multi-Digit Arithmetic and Behavioral Inattention in Children With Math Difficulties

PubMed Central

Raghubar, Kimberly; Cirino, Paul; Barnes, Marcia; Ewing-Cobbs, Linda; Fletcher, Jack; Fuchs, Lynn

2009-01-01

Errors in written multi-digit computation were investigated in children with math difficulties. Third-and fourth-grade children (n = 291) with coexisting math and reading difficulties, math difficulties, reading difficulties, or no learning difficulties were compared. A second analysis compared those with severe math learning difficulties, low average achievement in math, and no learning difficulties. Math fact errors were related to the severity of the math difficulties, not to reading status. Contrary to predictions, children with poorer reading, regardless of math achievement, committed more visually based errors. Operation switch errors were not systematically related to group membership. Teacher ratings of behavioral inattention were related to accuracy, math fact errors, and procedural bugs. The findings are discussed with respect to hypotheses about the cognitive origins of arithmetic errors and in relation to current discussions about how to conceptualize math disabilities. PMID:19380494

QSAR models for describing the toxicological effects of ILs against Staphylococcus aureus based on norm indexes.

PubMed

He, Wensi; Yan, Fangyou; Jia, Qingzhu; Xia, Shuqian; Wang, Qiang

2018-03-01

The hazardous potential of ionic liquids (ILs) is becoming an issue of great concern due to their important role in many industrial fields as green agents. The mathematical model for the toxicological effects of ILs is useful for the risk assessment and design of environmentally benign ILs. The objective of this work is to develop QSAR models to describe the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) of ILs against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). A total of 169 and 101 ILs with MICs and MBCs, respectively, are used to obtain multiple linear regression models based on matrix norm indexes. The norm indexes used in this work are proposed by our research group and they are first applied to estimate the antibacterial toxicity of these ILs against S. aureus. These two models precisely and reliably calculated the IL toxicities with a square of correlation coefficient (R 2 ) of 0.919 and a standard error of estimate (SE) of 0.341 (in log unit of mM) for pMIC, and an R 2 of 0.913 and SE of 0.282 for pMBC. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Antigen-Specific Gut Inflammation and Systemic Immune Responses Induced by Prolonging Wheat Gluten Sensitization in BALB/c Murine Model.

PubMed

Vijaykrishnaraj, M; Mohan Kumar, B V; Muthukumar, S P; Kurrey, Nawneet K; Prabhasankar, P

2017-10-06

Gluten-related diseases such as wheat allergy, celiac disease, and gluten intolerance are widespread around the globe to genetically predisposed individuals. The present study aims to develop a wheat-gluten induced BALB/c murine model for addressing wheat-gluten related disorders by sensitizing the wheat gluten through the route of intraperitoneal and oral challenge in prolonged days. During the sensitization, the sera were collected for specific antigliadin antibodies response and proinflammatory markers quantification. Ex vivo primary cells and organs were collected for subsequent analysis of inflammatory profile. Prolonging sensitization of gluten can moderate the antigen-specific inflammatory markers such as IL-1β, IL-4, IL-15, IL-6, IFN-γ and TNF-α levels in mice sera. However, ex vivo primary cells of splenocytes (SPLs) and intestinal epithelial lymphocytes (IELs) significantly increased the IL-6, IL-15, IL-1β, and IL-4 levels in G+ (gliadin and gluten) treated cells. Histopathology staining of jejunum sections indicates enterocyte degeneration in the apical part of villi and damage of tight junctions in G+ (gliadin and gluten) sensitized murine model. Immunohistochemistry of embedded jejunum sections showed significant expression of positive cells of IL-15, tTG and IL-4 in G+ sensitized murine model. In contrast, all markers of gluten-related disorders are expressed exclusively such as tTG, ZO-1, IL-15, IL-6, IL-4, and intestinal inflammation was mediated by iNOS, COX-2, TLR-4 and NF- k Bp50 signaling mechanism in G+ sensitized mice.

Estimation of heat loss from a cylindrical cavity receiver based on simultaneous energy and exergy analyses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madadi, Vahid; Tavakoli, Touraj; Rahimi, Amir

2015-03-01

This study undertakes the experimental and theoretical investigation of heat losses from a cylindrical cavity receiver employed in a solar parabolic dish collector. Simultaneous energy and exergy equations are used for a thermal performance analysis of the system. The effects of wind speed and its direction on convection loss has also been investigated. The effects of operational parameters, such as heat transfer fluid mass flow rate and wind speed, and structural parameters, such as receiver geometry and inclination, are investigated. The portion of radiative heat loss is less than 10%. An empirical and simplified correlation for estimating the dimensionless convective heat transfer coefficient in terms of the Re mathrm {Re} number and the average receiver wall temperature is proposed. This correlation is applicable for a wind speed range of 0.10.1 to 10 m/s. Moreover, the proposed correlation for Nu mathrm {Nu} number is validated using experimental data obtained through the experiments carried out with a conical receiver with two aperture diameters. The coefficient of determination R2 and the normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) parameters were calculated, and the results show that there is a good agreement between predicted results and experimental data. R2 is greater than 0.950.95 and the NRMSE parameters is less than 0.060.06 in this analysis.

Middle Ear Fluid Cytokine and Inflammatory Cell Kinetics in the Chinchilla Otitis Media Model

PubMed Central

Sato, Katsuro; Liebeler, Carol L.; Quartey, Moses K.; Le, Chap T.; Giebink, G. Scott

1999-01-01

Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most frequent microbe causing middle ear infection. The pathophysiology of pneumococcal otitis media has been characterized by measurement of local inflammatory mediators such as inflammatory cells, lysozyme, oxidative metabolic products, and inflammatory cytokines. The role of cytokines in bacterial infection has been elucidated with animal models, and interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and IL-8 and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) are recognized as being important local mediators in acute inflammation. We characterized middle ear inflammatory responses in the chinchilla otitis media model after injecting a very small number of viable pneumococci into the middle ear, similar to the natural course of infection. Middle ear fluid (MEF) concentrations of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α were measured by using anti-human cytokine enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay reagents. IL-1β showed the earliest peak, at 6 h after inoculation, whereas IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α concentrations were increasing 72 h after pneumococcal inoculation. IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α but not IL-1β concentrations correlated significantly with total inflammatory cell numbers in MEF, and all four cytokines correlated significantly with MEF neutrophil concentration. Several intercytokine correlations were significant. Cytokines, therefore, participate in the early middle ear inflammatory response to S. pneumoniae. PMID:10085040

Effects of methylphenidate on acute math performance in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

PubMed

Grizenko, Natalie; Cai, Emmy; Jolicoeur, Claude; Ter-Stepanian, Mariam; Joober, Ridha

2013-11-01

Examine the short-term (acute) effects of methylphenidate (MPH) on math performance in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and what factors predict improvement in math performance. One hundred ninety-eight children with ADHD participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized crossover MPH trial. Math response to MPH was determined through administration of math problems adjusted to their academic level during the Restricted Academic Situation Scale (RASS). Student t tests were conducted to assess change in math performance with psychostimulants. Correlation between change on the RASS and change on the math performance was also examined. Linear regression was performed to determine predictor variables. Children with ADHD improved significantly in their math with MPH (P < 0.001). The degree of improvement on the RASS (which evaluates motor activity and orientation to task) and on math performance on MPH was highly correlated. A child's age at baseline and Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT)-Numerical Operations standard scores at baseline accounted for 15% of variances for acute math improvement. MPH improves acute math performance in children with ADHD. Younger children with lower math scores (as assessed by the WIAT) improved most on math scores when given psychostimulants. NCT00483106.

Math anxiety and exposure to statistics in messages about genetically modified foods: effects of numeracy, math self-efficacy, and form of presentation.

PubMed

Silk, Kami J; Parrott, Roxanne L

2014-01-01

Health risks are often communicated to the lay public in statistical formats even though low math skills, or innumeracy, have been found to be prevalent among lay individuals. Although numeracy has been a topic of much research investigation, the role of math self-efficacy and math anxiety on health and risk communication processing has received scant attention from health communication researchers. To advance theoretical and applied understanding regarding health message processing, the authors consider the role of math anxiety, including the effects of math self-efficacy, numeracy, and form of presenting statistics on math anxiety, and the potential effects for comprehension, yielding, and behavioral intentions. The authors also examine math anxiety in a health risk context through an evaluation of the effects of exposure to a message about genetically modified foods on levels of math anxiety. Participants (N = 323) were randomly assigned to read a message that varied the presentation of statistical evidence about potential risks associated with genetically modified foods. Findings reveal that exposure increased levels of math anxiety, with increases in math anxiety limiting yielding. Moreover, math anxiety impaired comprehension but was mediated by perceivers' math confidence and skills. Last, math anxiety facilitated behavioral intentions. Participants who received a text-based message with percentages were more likely to yield than participants who received either a bar graph with percentages or a combined form. Implications are discussed as they relate to math competence and its role in processing health and risk messages.

Lie integrable cases of the simplified multistrain/two-stream model for tuberculosis and dengue fever

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nucci, M. C.; Leach, P. G. L.

2007-09-01

We apply the techniques of Lie's symmetry analysis to a caricature of the simplified multistrain model of Castillo-Chavez and Feng [C. Castillo-Chavez, Z. Feng, To treat or not to treat: The case of tuberculosis, J. Math. Biol. 35 (1997) 629-656] for the transmission of tuberculosis and the coupled two-stream vector-based model of Feng and Velasco-Hernandez [Z. Feng, J.X. Velasco-Hernandez, Competitive exclusion in a vector-host model for the dengue fever, J. Math. Biol. 35 (1997) 523-544] to identify the combinations of parameters which lead to the existence of nontrivial symmetries. In particular we identify those combinations which lead to the possibility of the linearization of the system and provide the corresponding solutions. Many instances of additional symmetry are analyzed.

Motivation and Math Anxiety for Ability Grouped College Math Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Helming, Luralyn

2013-01-01

The author studied how math anxiety, motivation, and ability group interact to affect performance in college math courses. This clarified the effects of math anxiety and ability grouping on performance. It clarified the interrelationships between math anxiety, motivation, and ability grouping by considering them in a single analysis. It introduces…

All Students Need Advanced Mathematics. Math Works

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Achieve, Inc., 2013

2013-01-01

This fact sheet explains that to thrive in today's world, all students will need to graduate with very strong math skills. That can only mean one thing: advanced math courses are now essential math courses. Highlights of this paper include: (1) Advanced math equals college success; (2) Advanced math equals career opportunity; and (3) Advanced math…

Math Anxiety, Working Memory, and Math Achievement in Early Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramirez, Gerardo; Gunderson, Elizabeth A.; Levine, Susan C.; Beilock, Sian L.

2013-01-01

Although math anxiety is associated with poor mathematical knowledge and low course grades (Ashcraft & Krause, 2007), research establishing a connection between math anxiety and math achievement has generally been conducted with young adults, ignoring the emergence of math anxiety in young children. In the current study, we explored whether…

A Real Fear

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruffins, Paul

2007-01-01

For years, mainstream thinking about math anxiety assumed that people fear math because they are bad at it. However, a growing body of research shows a much more complicated relationship between math ability and anxiety. It is true that people who fear math have a tendency to avoid math-related classes, which decreases their math competence.…

Math Anxiety Is Related to Some, but Not All, Experiences with Math

PubMed Central

O'Leary, Krystle; Fitzpatrick, Cheryll L.; Hallett, Darcy

2017-01-01

Math anxiety has been defined as unpleasant feelings of tension and anxiety that hinder the ability to deal with numbers and math in a variety of situations. Although many studies have looked at situational and demographic factors associated with math anxiety, little research has looked at the self-reported experiences with math that are associated with math anxiety. The present study used a mixed-methods design and surveyed 131 undergraduate students about their experiences with math through elementary school, junior high, and high school, while also assessing math anxiety, general anxiety, and test anxiety. Some reported experiences (e.g., support in high school, giving students plenty of examples) were significantly related to the level of math anxiety, even after controlling for general and test anxiety, but many other factors originally thought to be related to math anxiety did not demonstrate a relation in this study. Overall, this study addresses a gap in the literature and provides some suggestive specifics of the kinds of past experiences that are related to math anxiety and those that are not. PMID:29375410

Mothers, Intrinsic Math Motivation, Arithmetic Skills, and Math Anxiety in Elementary School

PubMed Central

Daches Cohen, Lital; Rubinsten, Orly

2017-01-01

Math anxiety is influenced by environmental, cognitive, and personal factors. Yet, the concurrent relationships between these factors have not been examined. To this end, the current study investigated how the math anxiety of 30 sixth graders is affected by: (a) mother’s math anxiety and maternal behaviors (environmental factors); (b) children’s arithmetic skills (cognitive factors); and (c) intrinsic math motivation (personal factor). A rigorous assessment of children’s math anxiety was made by using both explicit and implicit measures. The results indicated that accessible self-representations of math anxiety, as reflected by the explicit self-report questionnaire, were strongly affected by arithmetic skills. However, unconscious cognitive constructs of math anxiety, as reflected by the numerical dot-probe task, were strongly affected by environmental factors, such as maternal behaviors and mothers’ attitudes toward math. Furthermore, the present study provided preliminary evidence of intergenerational transmission of math anxiety. The conclusions are that in order to better understand the etiology of math anxiety, multiple facets of parenting and children’s skills should be taken into consideration. Implications for researchers, parents, and educators are discussed. PMID:29180973

Math Anxiety Is Related to Some, but Not All, Experiences with Math.

PubMed

O'Leary, Krystle; Fitzpatrick, Cheryll L; Hallett, Darcy

2017-01-01

Math anxiety has been defined as unpleasant feelings of tension and anxiety that hinder the ability to deal with numbers and math in a variety of situations. Although many studies have looked at situational and demographic factors associated with math anxiety, little research has looked at the self-reported experiences with math that are associated with math anxiety. The present study used a mixed-methods design and surveyed 131 undergraduate students about their experiences with math through elementary school, junior high, and high school, while also assessing math anxiety, general anxiety, and test anxiety. Some reported experiences (e.g., support in high school, giving students plenty of examples) were significantly related to the level of math anxiety, even after controlling for general and test anxiety, but many other factors originally thought to be related to math anxiety did not demonstrate a relation in this study. Overall, this study addresses a gap in the literature and provides some suggestive specifics of the kinds of past experiences that are related to math anxiety and those that are not.

Mothers, Intrinsic Math Motivation, Arithmetic Skills, and Math Anxiety in Elementary School.

PubMed

Daches Cohen, Lital; Rubinsten, Orly

2017-01-01

Math anxiety is influenced by environmental, cognitive, and personal factors. Yet, the concurrent relationships between these factors have not been examined. To this end, the current study investigated how the math anxiety of 30 sixth graders is affected by: (a) mother's math anxiety and maternal behaviors (environmental factors); (b) children's arithmetic skills (cognitive factors); and (c) intrinsic math motivation (personal factor). A rigorous assessment of children's math anxiety was made by using both explicit and implicit measures. The results indicated that accessible self-representations of math anxiety, as reflected by the explicit self-report questionnaire, were strongly affected by arithmetic skills. However, unconscious cognitive constructs of math anxiety, as reflected by the numerical dot-probe task, were strongly affected by environmental factors, such as maternal behaviors and mothers' attitudes toward math. Furthermore, the present study provided preliminary evidence of intergenerational transmission of math anxiety. The conclusions are that in order to better understand the etiology of math anxiety, multiple facets of parenting and children's skills should be taken into consideration. Implications for researchers, parents, and educators are discussed.

IL-22R Ligands IL-20, IL-22, and IL-24 Promote Wound Healing in Diabetic db/db Mice

PubMed Central

Kolumam, Ganesh; Wu, Xiumin; Lee, Wyne P.; Hackney, Jason A.; Zavala-Solorio, Jose; Gandham, Vineela; Danilenko, Dimitry M.; Arora, Puneet; Wang, Xiaoting; Ouyang, Wenjun

2017-01-01

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) are one of the major complications in type II diabetes patients and can result in amputation and morbidity. Although multiple approaches are used clinically to help wound closure, many patients still lack adequate treatment. Here we show that IL-20 subfamily cytokines are upregulated during normal wound healing. While there is a redundant role for each individual cytokine in this subfamily in wound healing, mice deficient in IL-22R, the common receptor chain for IL-20, IL-22, and IL-24, display a significant delay in wound healing. Furthermore, IL-20, IL-22 and IL-24 are all able to promote wound healing in type II diabetic db/db mice. Mechanistically, when compared to other growth factors such as VEGF and PDGF that accelerate wound healing in this model, IL-22 uniquely induced genes involved in reepithelialization, tissue remodeling and innate host defense mechanisms from wounded skin. Interestingly, IL-22 treatment showed superior efficacy compared to PDGF or VEGF in an infectious diabetic wound model. Taken together, our data suggest that IL-20 subfamily cytokines, particularly IL-20, IL-22, and IL-24, might provide therapeutic benefit for patients with DFU. PMID:28125663

Neurocognitive and Behavioral Predictors of Math Performance in Children with and without ADHD

PubMed Central

Antonini, Tanya N.; O’Brien, Kathleen M.; Narad, Megan E.; Langberg, Joshua M.; Tamm, Leanne; Epstein, Jeff N.

2014-01-01

Objective: This study examined neurocognitive and behavioral predictors of math performance in children with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Method: Neurocognitive and behavioral variables were examined as predictors of 1) standardized mathematics achievement scores,2) productivity on an analog math task, and 3) accuracy on an analog math task. Results: Children with ADHD had lower achievement scores but did not significantly differ from controls on math productivity or accuracy. N-back accuracy and parent-rated attention predicted math achievement. N-back accuracy and observed attention predicted math productivity. Alerting scores on the Attentional Network Task predicted math accuracy. Mediation analyses indicated that n-back accuracy significantly mediated the relationship between diagnostic group and math achievement. Conclusion: Neurocognition, rather than behavior, may account for the deficits in math achievement exhibited by many children with ADHD. PMID:24071774

Neurocognitive and Behavioral Predictors of Math Performance in Children With and Without ADHD.

PubMed

Antonini, Tanya N; Kingery, Kathleen M; Narad, Megan E; Langberg, Joshua M; Tamm, Leanne; Epstein, Jeffery N

2016-02-01

This study examined neurocognitive and behavioral predictors of math performance in children with and without ADHD. Neurocognitive and behavioral variables were examined as predictors of (a) standardized mathematics achievement scores, (b) productivity on an analog math task, and (c) accuracy on an analog math task. Children with ADHD had lower achievement scores but did not significantly differ from controls on math productivity or accuracy. N-back accuracy and parent-rated attention predicted math achievement. N-back accuracy and observed attention predicted math productivity. Alerting scores on the attentional network task predicted math accuracy. Mediation analyses indicated that n-back accuracy significantly mediated the relationship between diagnostic group and math achievement. Neurocognition, rather than behavior, may account for the deficits in math achievement exhibited by many children with ADHD. © The Author(s) 2013.

Math-gender stereotypes in elementary school children.

PubMed

Cvencek, Dario; Meltzoff, Andrew N; Greenwald, Anthony G

2011-01-01

A total of 247 American children between 6 and 10 years of age (126 girls and 121 boys) completed Implicit Association Tests and explicit self-report measures assessing the association of (a) me with male (gender identity), (b) male with math (math-gender stereotype), and (c) me with math (math self-concept). Two findings emerged. First, as early as second grade, the children demonstrated the American cultural stereotype that math is for boys on both implicit and explicit measures. Second, elementary school boys identified with math more strongly than did girls on both implicit and self-report measures. The findings suggest that the math-gender stereotype is acquired early and influences emerging math self-concepts prior to ages at which there are actual differences in math achievement. © 2011 The Authors. Child Development © 2011 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

A Finite Difference Approximation for a Coupled System of Nonlinear Size-Structured Populations

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-01-01

are available. For a classical Lotka - Volterra competition model which is represented by a system of N di erential equations, conditions on the growth...Methods Appl. Sci., 9 (1999), 1379-1391. [5] S. Ahmed, Extinction of Species in Nonautonomous Lotka - Volterra Systems, Proc. Amer. Math. Soc., 127 (1999...Walter DeGruyter, Berlin, 1995. [7] S. Ahmed and F. Montes de Oca, Extinction in Nonautonomous T -periodic Lotka - Volterra System, Appl. Math. Comput

Thermodynamics of feldspathoid solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sack, Richard O.; Ghiorso, Mark S.

We have developed models for the thermody-namic properties of nephelines, kalsilites, and leucites in the simple system NaAlSiO4-KAlSiO4-Ca0.5AlSiO4-SiO2-H2O that are consistent with all known constraints on subsolidus equilibria and thermodynamic properties, and have integrated them into the existing MELTS software package. The model for nepheline is formulated for the simplifying assumptions that (1) a molecular mixing-type approximation describes changes in the configurational entropy associated with the coupled exchange substitutions □Si?NaAl and □Ca? Na2 and that (2) Na+ and K+ display long-range non-convergent ordering between a large cation and the three small cation sites in the Na4Al4Si4O16 formula unit. Notable features of the model include the prediction that the mineral tetrakalsilite (``panunzite'', sensu stricto) results from anti-ordering of Na and K between the large cation and the three small cation sites in the nepheline structure at high temperatures, an average dT/dP slope of about 55°/kbar for the reaction over the temperature and pressure ranges 800-1050 °C and 500-5000 bars, roughly symmetric (i.e. quadratic) solution behavior of the K-Na substitution along joins between fully ordered components in nepheline, and large positive Gibbs energies for the nepheline reciprocal reactions and and for the leucite reciprocal reaction

Evaluation of the Watertown Arsenal Building #311 as an ILS Model Range

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1973-12-01

The Watertown Arsenal Building No. 311 was evaluated for use as an indoor Instrument Landing System (ILS) model range using upward frequency scaling of 100 to 1. To model the effects of small buildings and aircraft in the vicinity of an airport ILS, ...

FASTSAT-HSV01 Thermal Math Model Correlation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McKelvey, Callie

2011-01-01

This paper summarizes the thermal math model correlation effort for the Fast Affordable Science and Technology SATellite (FASTSAT-HSV01), which was designed, built and tested by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and multiple partners. The satellite launched in November 2010 on a Minotaur IV rocket from the Kodiak Launch Complex in Kodiak, Alaska. It carried three Earth science experiments and two technology demonstrations into a low Earth circular orbit with an inclination of 72deg and an altitude of 650 kilometers. The mission has been successful to date with science experiment activities still taking place daily. The thermal control system on this spacecraft was a passive design relying on thermo-optical properties and six heaters placed on specific components. Flight temperature data is being recorded every minute from the 48 Resistance Temperature Devices (RTDs) onboard the satellite structure and many of its avionics boxes. An effort has been made to correlate the thermal math model to the flight temperature data using Cullimore and Ring's Thermal Desktop and by obtaining Earth and Sun vector data from the Attitude Control System (ACS) team to create an "as-flown" orbit. Several model parameters were studied during this task to understand the spacecraft's sensitivity to these changes. Many "lessons learned" have been noted from this activity that will be directly applicable to future small satellite programs.

Critical thinking in higher education: The influence of teaching styles and peer collaboration on science and math learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quitadamo, Ian Joseph

Many higher education faculty perceive a deficiency in students' ability to reason, evaluate, and make informed judgments, skills that are deemed necessary for academic and job success in science and math. These skills, often collected within a domain called critical thinking (CT), have been studied and are thought to be influenced by teaching styles (the combination of beliefs, behavior, and attitudes used when teaching) and small group collaborative learning (SGCL). However, no existing studies show teaching styles and SGCL cause changes in student CT performance. This study determined how combinations of teaching styles called clusters and peer-facilitated SGCL (a specific form of SGCL) affect changes in undergraduate student CT performance using a quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test research design and valid and reliable CT performance indicators. Quantitative analyses of three teaching style cluster models (Grasha's cluster model, a weighted cluster model, and a student-centered/teacher-centered cluster model) and peer-facilitated SGCL were performed to evaluate their ability to cause measurable changes in student CT skills. Based on results that indicated weighted teaching style clusters and peer-facilitated SGCL are associated with significant changes in student CT, we conclude that teaching styles and peer-facilitated SGCL influence the development of undergraduate CT in higher education science and math.

Worrying Thoughts Limit Working Memory Capacity in Math Anxiety

PubMed Central

Shi, Zhan; Liu, Peiru

2016-01-01

Sixty-one high-math-anxious persons and sixty-one low-math-anxious persons completed a modified working memory capacity task, designed to measure working memory capacity under a dysfunctional math-related context and working memory capacity under a valence-neutral context. Participants were required to perform simple tasks with emotionally benign material (i.e., lists of letters) over short intervals while simultaneously reading and making judgments about sentences describing dysfunctional math-related thoughts or sentences describing emotionally-neutral facts about the world. Working memory capacity for letters under the dysfunctional math-related context, relative to working memory capacity performance under the valence-neutral context, was poorer overall in the high-math-anxious group compared with the low-math-anxious group. The findings show a particular difficulty employing working memory in math-related contexts in high-math-anxious participants. Theories that can provide reasonable interpretations for these findings and interventions that can reduce anxiety-induced worrying intrusive thoughts or improve working memory capacity for math anxiety are discussed. PMID:27788235

The role of early language abilities on math skills among Chinese children.

PubMed

Zhang, Juan; Fan, Xitao; Cheung, Sum Kwing; Meng, Yaxuan; Cai, Zhihui; Hu, Bi Ying

2017-01-01

The present study investigated the role of early language abilities in the development of math skills among Chinese K-3 students. About 2000 children in China, who were on average aged 6 years, were assessed for both informal math (e.g., basic number concepts such as counting objects) and formal math (calculations including addition and subtraction) skills, language abilities and nonverbal intelligence. Correlation analysis showed that language abilities were more strongly associated with informal than formal math skills, and regression analyses revealed that children's language abilities could uniquely predict both informal and formal math skills with age, gender, and nonverbal intelligence controlled. Mediation analyses demonstrated that the relationship between children's language abilities and formal math skills was partially mediated by informal math skills. The current findings indicate 1) Children's language abilities are of strong predictive values for both informal and formal math skills; 2) Language abilities impacts formal math skills partially through the mediation of informal math skills.

The role of early language abilities on math skills among Chinese children

PubMed Central

Fan, Xitao; Cheung, Sum Kwing; Cai, Zhihui; Hu, Bi Ying

2017-01-01

Background The present study investigated the role of early language abilities in the development of math skills among Chinese K-3 students. About 2000 children in China, who were on average aged 6 years, were assessed for both informal math (e.g., basic number concepts such as counting objects) and formal math (calculations including addition and subtraction) skills, language abilities and nonverbal intelligence. Methodology Correlation analysis showed that language abilities were more strongly associated with informal than formal math skills, and regression analyses revealed that children’s language abilities could uniquely predict both informal and formal math skills with age, gender, and nonverbal intelligence controlled. Mediation analyses demonstrated that the relationship between children’s language abilities and formal math skills was partially mediated by informal math skills. Results The current findings indicate 1) Children’s language abilities are of strong predictive values for both informal and formal math skills; 2) Language abilities impacts formal math skills partially through the mediation of informal math skills. PMID:28749950

Worrying Thoughts Limit Working Memory Capacity in Math Anxiety.

PubMed

Shi, Zhan; Liu, Peiru

2016-01-01

Sixty-one high-math-anxious persons and sixty-one low-math-anxious persons completed a modified working memory capacity task, designed to measure working memory capacity under a dysfunctional math-related context and working memory capacity under a valence-neutral context. Participants were required to perform simple tasks with emotionally benign material (i.e., lists of letters) over short intervals while simultaneously reading and making judgments about sentences describing dysfunctional math-related thoughts or sentences describing emotionally-neutral facts about the world. Working memory capacity for letters under the dysfunctional math-related context, relative to working memory capacity performance under the valence-neutral context, was poorer overall in the high-math-anxious group compared with the low-math-anxious group. The findings show a particular difficulty employing working memory in math-related contexts in high-math-anxious participants. Theories that can provide reasonable interpretations for these findings and interventions that can reduce anxiety-induced worrying intrusive thoughts or improve working memory capacity for math anxiety are discussed.

Nurses' maths: researching a practical approach.

PubMed

Wilson, Ann

To compare a new practical maths test with a written maths test. The tests were undertaken by qualified nurses training for intravenous drug administration, a skill dependent on maths accuracy. The literature showed that the higher education institutes (HEIs) that provide nurse training use traditional maths tests, a practical way of testing maths had not been described. Fifty five nurses undertook two maths tests based on intravenous drug calculations. One was a traditional written test. The second was a new type of test using a simulated clinical environment. All participants were also interviewed one week later to ascertain their thoughts and feelings about the tests. There was a significant improvement in maths test scores for those nurses who took the practical maths test first. It is suggested that this is because it improved their conceptualisation skills and thus helped them to achieve accuracy in their calculations. Written maths tests are not the best way to help and support nurses in acquiring and improving their maths skills and should be replaced by a more practical approach.

Comparison of Orbiter STS-2 development flight instrumentation data with thermal math model predictions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Norman, I.; Rochelle, W. C.; Kimbrough, B. S.; Ritrivi, C. A.; Ting, P. C.; Dotts, R. L.

1982-01-01

Thermal performance verification of Reusable Surface Insulation (RSI) has been accomplished by comparisons of STS-2 Orbiter Flight Test (OFT) data with Thermal Math Model (TMM) predictions. The OFT data was obtained from Development Flight Instrumentation RSI plug and gap thermocouples. Quartertile RSI TMMs were developed using measured flight data for surface temperature and pressure environments. Reference surface heating rates, derived from surface temperature data, were multiplied by gap heating ratios to obtain tile sidewall heating rates. This TMM analysis resulted in good agreement of predicted temperatures with flight data for thermocouples located in the RSI, Strain Isolation Pad, filler bar and structure.

Modified n-level, n - 1-mode Tavis-Cummings model and algebraic Bethe ansatz

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skrypnyk, T.

2018-01-01

Using the quantum group technique we construct a one-parametric family of integrable modifications of the n-level, n-1 mode Tavis-Cummings Hamiltonian possessing an additional Stark-type term. We show that in the ‘quasiclassical’ limit the constructed Hamiltonian transforms into the integrable Hamiltonian of the quantum n-level, n-1 mode Tavis-Cummings model with the equal interaction strengths considered in Skrypnyk (2008 J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 41 475202, 2009 J. Math. Phys. 50 103523). We diagonalize the constructed ‘modified’ Tavis-Cummings Hamiltonian and its second order integrals of motion using the nested Bethe ansatz.

Large Modal Survey Testing Using the Ibrahim Time Domain Identification Technique

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ibrahim, S. R.; Pappa, R. S.

1985-01-01

The ability of the ITD identification algorithm in identifying a complete set of structural modal parameters using a large number of free-response time histories simultaneously in one analysis, assuming a math model with a high number of degrees-of-freedom, has been studied. Identification results using simulated free responses of a uniform rectangular plate, with 225 measurement stations, and experimental responses from a ground vibration test of the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) Space Shuttle payload, with 142 measurement stations, are presented. As many as 300 degrees-of-freedom were allowed in analyzing these data. In general, the use of a significantly oversized math model in the identification process was found to maintain or increase identification accuracy and to identify modes of low response level that are not identified with smaller math model sizes. The concept of a Mode Shape Correlation Constant is introduced for use when more than one identification analysis of the same structure are conducted. This constant quantifies the degree of correlation between any two sets of complex mode shapes identified using different excitation conditions, different user-selectable algorithm constants, or overlapping sets of measurements.

Large modal survey testing using the Ibrahim time domain /ITD/ identification technique

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ibrahim, S. R.; Pappa, R. S.

1981-01-01

The ability of the ITD identification algorithm in identifying a complete set of structural modal parameters using a large number of free-response time histories simultaneously in one analysis, assuming a math model with a high number of degrees-of-freedom, has been studied. Identification results using simulated free responses of a uniform rectangular plate, with 225 measurement stations, and experimental responses from a ground vibration test of the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) Space Shuttle payload, with 142 measurement stations, are presented. As many as 300 degrees-of-freedom were allowed in analyzing these data. In general, the use of a significantly oversized math model in the identification process was found to maintain or increase identification accuracy and to identify modes of low response level that are not identified with smaller math model sizes. The concept of a Mode Shape Correlation Constant is introduced for use when more than one identification analysis of the same structure are conducted. This constant quantifies the degree of correlation between any two sets of complex mode shapes identified using different excitation conditions, different user-selectable algorithm constants, or overlapping sets of measurements.

Reciprocal Relations among Motivational Frameworks, Math Anxiety, and Math Achievement in Early Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gunderson, Elizabeth A.; Park, Daeun; Maloney, Erin A.; Beilock, Sian L.; Levine, Susan C.

2018-01-01

School-entry math achievement is a strong predictor of math achievement through high school. We asked whether reciprocal relations among math achievement, math anxiety, and entity motivational frameworks (believing that ability is fixed and a focus on performance) can help explain these persistent individual differences. We assessed 1st and 2nd…

A Latent Profile Analysis of Math Achievement, Numerosity, and Math Anxiety in Twins

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hart, Sara A.; Logan, Jessica A. R.; Thompson, Lee; Kovas, Yulia; McLoughlin, Gráinne; Petrill, Stephen A.

2016-01-01

Underperformance in math is a problem with increasing prevalence, complex etiology, and severe repercussions. This study examined the etiological heterogeneity of math performance in a sample of 264 pairs of 12-year-old twins assessed on measures of math achievement, numerosity, and math anxiety. Latent profile analysis indicated 5 groupings of…

A Longitudinal Analysis of Sex Differences in Math and Spatial Skills in Primary School Age Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lachance, Jennifer A.; Mazzocco, Michele M. M.

2006-01-01

We report on a longitudinal study designed to assess possible sex differences in math achievement, math ability, and math-related tasks during the primary school age years. Participants included over 200 children from one public school district. Annual assessments included measures of math ability, math calculation achievement scores, rapid naming…

Math at home adds up to achievement in school.

PubMed

Berkowitz, Talia; Schaeffer, Marjorie W; Maloney, Erin A; Peterson, Lori; Gregor, Courtney; Levine, Susan C; Beilock, Sian L

2015-10-09

With a randomized field experiment of 587 first-graders, we tested an educational intervention designed to promote interactions between children and parents relating to math. We predicted that increasing math activities at home would increase children's math achievement at school. We tested this prediction by having children engage in math story time with their parents. The intervention, short numerical story problems delivered through an iPad app, significantly increased children's math achievement across the school year compared to a reading (control) group, especially for children whose parents are habitually anxious about math. Brief, high-quality parent-child interactions about math at home help break the intergenerational cycle of low math achievement. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Technical Evaluation Report of the Aerospace Medical Panel Working Group WG-08 on Evaluation of Methods to Assess Workload.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-11-01

Occlusion 3.1 Single Measures 3. Primary Task 3.2 Multiple Measures 3.3 Math Modeling 4.1.1 PFF 4.1.2 CSR 4.1.3 M,0 4.1.4 MW 4.1.5 UG3 4.1.6 ZCP 4.1 Single... modeling methodology; and (4) validation of the analytic/predictive methodology In a system design, development, and test effort." Chapter 9: "A central...2.3 Occlusion P S P S S P -P 3.1 Single Measure-Primary S S S S S S S 3.2 Multiple Measure-Primary S S IS S S S S K 3.3 Math Modeling ~ 4.1.7 Eye and

Suppression of innate inflammation and immunity by interleukin-37.

PubMed

Dinarello, Charles A; Nold-Petry, Claudia; Nold, Marcel; Fujita, Mayumi; Li, Suzhao; Kim, Soohyun; Bufler, Philip

2016-05-01

IL-37 is unique in the IL-1 family in that unlike other members of the family, IL-37 broadly suppresses innate immunity. IL-37 can be elevated in humans with inflammatory and autoimmune diseases where it likely functions to limit inflammation. Transgenic mice expressing human IL-37 (IL37-tg) exhibit less severe inflammation in models of endotoxin shock, colitis, myocardial infarction, lung, and spinal cord injury. IL37-tg mice have reduced antigen-specific responses and dendritic cells (DCs) from these mice exhibit characteristics of tolerogenic DCs. Compared to aging wild-type (WT) mice, aging IL37-tg mice are protected against B-cell leukemogenesis and heart failure. Treatment of WT mice with recombinant human IL-37 has been shown to be protective in several models of inflammation and injury. IL-37 binds to the IL-18 receptor but then recruits the orphan IL-1R8 (formerly TIR8 or SIGIRR) in order to function as an inhibitor. Here, we review the discovery of IL-37, its production, release, and mechanisms by which IL-37 reduces inflammation and suppresses immune responses. The data reviewed here suggest a therapeutic potential for IL-37. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Mechanism of Film Cooling with One Inlet and Double Outlet Hole Injection at Various Turbulence Intensities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Guangchao; Chen, Yukai; Kou, Zhihai; Zhang, Wei; Zhang, Guochen

2018-03-01

The trunk-branch hole was designed as a novel film cooling concept, which aims for improving film cooling performance by producing anti-vortex. The trunk-branch hole is easily manufactured in comparison with the expanded hole since it consists of two cylindrical holes. The effect of turbulence on the film cooling effectiveness with a trunk-branch hole injection was investigated at the blowing ratios of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 by numerical simulation. The turbulence intensities from 0.4 % to 20 % were considered. The realizable k-ɛ k - ɛ turbulence model and the enhanced wall function were used. The more effective anti-vortex occurs at the low blowing ratio of 0.5 %. The high turbulence intensity causes the effectiveness evenly distributed in the spanwise direction. The increase of turbulence intensity leads to a slight decrease of the spanwise averaged effectiveness at the low blowing ratio of 0.5, but a significant increase at the high blowing ratios of 1.5 and 2.0. The optimal blowing ratio of the averaged surface effectiveness is improved from 1.0 to 1.5 when the turbulence intensity increases from 0.4 % to 20 %.

Etiological Subgroups of Small-for-Gestational-Age: Differential Neurodevelopmental Outcomes

PubMed Central

Li, Xiuhong; Eiden, Rina D.; Epstein, Leonard H.; Shenassa, Edmond D.; Xie, Chuanbo; Wen, Xiaozhong

2016-01-01

Objectives It remains unclear why substantial variations in neurodevelopmental outcomes exist within small-for-gestational-age (SGA) children. We prospectively compared 5-y neurodevelopmental outcomes across SGA etiological subgroups. Methods Children born SGA (N = 1050) from U.S. Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (2001–2007) was divided into etiological subgroups by each of 7 well-established prenatal risk factors. We fit linear regression models to compare 5-y reading, math, gross motor and fine motor scores across SGA subgroups, adjusting for socio-demographic confounders. Results Compared to singleton SGA subgroup, multiple-birth SGA subgroup had lower mean reading (adjusted mean difference, -4.08 [95% confidence interval, -6.10, -2.06]) and math (-2.22 [-3.61, -0.84]) scores. These disadvantages in reading and math existed only among multiple-birth SGA subgroup without ovulation stimulation (reading, -4.50 [-6.64, -2.36]; math, -2.91 [-4.37, -1.44]), but not among those with ovulation stimulation (reading, -2.33 [-6.24, 1.57]; math 0.63 [-1.86, 3.12]). Compared to singleton SGA subgroup without maternal smoking and inadequate gestational weight gain, singleton SGA subgroup with co-occurrence of maternal smoking and inadequate gestational weight gain (GWG) had lower mean reading (-4.81 [-8.50, -1.12]) and math (-2.95 [-5.51, -0.38]) scores. These differences were not mediated by Apgar score. Conclusions Multiple-birth SGA subgroups (vs. singleton SGA) or singleton SGA subgroup with co-occurrence of smoking and inadequate GWG (vs. singleton SGA subgroup without maternal smoking and inadequate gestational weight gain) have poorer cognitive development up to 5 y. PMID:27501456

Calculation and word problem-solving skills in primary grades - Impact of cognitive abilities and longitudinal interrelations with task-persistent behaviour.

PubMed

Jõgi, Anna-Liisa; Kikas, Eve

2016-06-01

Primary school math skills form a basis for academic success down the road. Different math skills have different antecedents and there is a reason to believe that more complex math tasks require better self-regulation. The study aimed to investigate longitudinal interrelations of calculation and problem-solving skills, and task-persistent behaviour in Grade 1 and Grade 3, and the effect of non-verbal intelligence, linguistic abilities, and executive functioning on math skills and task persistence. Participants were 864 students (52.3% boys) from 33 different schools in Estonia. Students were tested twice - at the end of Grade1 and at the end of Grade 3. Calculation and problem-solving skills, and teacher-rated task-persistent behaviour were measured at both time points. Non-verbal intelligence, linguistic abilities, and executive functioning were measured in Grade 1. Cross-lagged structural equation modelling indicated that calculation skills depend on previous math skills and linguistic abilities, while problem-solving skills require also non-verbal intelligence, executive functioning, and task persistence. Task-persistent behaviour in Grade 3 was predicted by previous problem-solving skills, linguistic abilities, and executive functioning. Gender and mother's educational level were added as covariates. The findings indicate that math skills and self-regulation are strongly related in primary grades and that solving complex tasks requires executive functioning and task persistence from children. Findings support the idea that instructional practices might benefit from supporting self-regulation in order to gain domain-specific, complex skill achievement. © 2015 The British Psychological Society.

An investigation of the impact of science course sequencing on student performance in high school science and math

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mary, Michael Todd

High school students in the United States for the past century have typically taken science courses in a sequence of biology followed by chemistry and concluding with physics. An alternative sequence, typically referred to as "physics first" inverts the traditional sequence by having students begin with physics and end with biology. Proponents of physics first cite advances in biological sciences that have dramatically changed the nature of high school biology and the potential benefit to student learning in math that would accompany taking an algebra-based physics course in the early years of high school to support changing the sequence. Using a quasi-experimental, quantitative research design, the purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of science course sequencing on student achievement in math and science at a school district that offered both course sequences. The Texas state end-of-course exams in biology, chemistry, physics, algebra I and geometry were used as the instruments measuring student achievement in math and science at the end of each academic year. Various statistical models were used to analyze these achievement data. The conclusion was, for students in this study, the sequence in which students took biology, chemistry, and physics had little or no impact on performance on the end-of-course assessments in each of these courses. Additionally there was only a minimal effect found with respect to math performance, leading to the conclusion that neither the traditional or "physics first" science course sequence presented an advantage for student achievement in math or science.

Choke or thrive? The relation between salivary cortisol and math performance depends on individual differences in working memory and math-anxiety.

PubMed

Mattarella-Micke, Andrew; Mateo, Jill; Kozak, Megan N; Foster, Katherine; Beilock, Sian L

2011-08-01

In the current study, we explored how a person's physiological arousal relates to their performance in a challenging math situation as a function of individual differences in working memory (WM) capacity and math-anxiety. Participants completed demanding math problems before and after which salivary cortisol, an index of arousal, was measured. The performance of lower WM individuals did not depend on cortisol concentration or math-anxiety. For higher WM individuals high in math-anxiety, the higher their concentration of salivary cortisol following the math task, the worse their performance. In contrast, for higher WM individuals lower in math-anxiety, the higher their salivary cortisol concentrations, the better their performance. For individuals who have the capacity to perform at a high-level (higher WMs), whether physiological arousal will lead an individual to choke or thrive depends on math-anxiety. 2011 APA, all rights reserved

A system model of the effects of exercise on plasma Interleukin-6 dynamics in healthy individuals: Role of skeletal muscle and adipose tissue.

PubMed

Morettini, Micaela; Palumbo, Maria Concetta; Sacchetti, Massimo; Castiglione, Filippo; Mazzà, Claudia

2017-01-01

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) has been recently shown to play a central role in glucose homeostasis, since it stimulates the production and secretion of Glucagon-like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) from intestinal L-cells and pancreas, leading to an enhanced insulin response. In resting conditions, IL-6 is mainly produced by the adipose tissue whereas, during exercise, skeletal muscle contractions stimulate a marked IL-6 secretion as well. Available mathematical models describing the effects of exercise on glucose homeostasis, however, do not account for this IL-6 contribution. This study aimed at developing and validating a system model of exercise's effects on plasma IL-6 dynamics in healthy humans, combining the contributions of both adipose tissue and skeletal muscle. A two-compartment description was adopted to model plasma IL-6 changes in response to oxygen uptake's variation during an exercise bout. The free parameters of the model were estimated by means of a cross-validation procedure performed on four different datasets. A low coefficient of variation (<10%) was found for each parameter and the physiologically meaningful parameters were all consistent with literature data. Moreover, plasma IL-6 dynamics during exercise and post-exercise were consistent with literature data from exercise protocols differing in intensity, duration and modality. The model successfully emulated the physiological effects of exercise on plasma IL-6 levels and provided a reliable description of the role of skeletal muscle and adipose tissue on the dynamics of plasma IL-6. The system model here proposed is suitable to simulate IL-6 response to different exercise modalities. Its future integration with existing models of GLP-1-induced insulin secretion might provide a more reliable description of exercise's effects on glucose homeostasis and hence support the definition of more tailored interventions for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Suppression of IL-12p70 formation by IL-2 or following macrophage depletion causes T-cell autoreactivity leading to CNS demyelination in HSV-1-infected mice.

PubMed

Lee, Dhong Hyun; Zandian, Mandana; Kuo, Jane; Mott, Kevin R; Chen, Shuang; Arditi, Moshe; Ghiasi, Homayon

2017-05-01

We have established two mouse models of central nervous system (CNS) demyelination that differ from most other available models of multiple sclerosis (MS) in that they represent a mixture of viral and immune triggers. In the first model, ocular infection of different strains of mice with a recombinant HSV-1 that expresses murine IL-2 constitutively (HSV-IL-2) causes CNS demyelination. In the second model, depletion of macrophages causes CNS demyelination in mice that are ocularly infected with wild-type (WT) HSV-1. In the present study, we found that the demyelination in macrophage-intact mice infected with HSV-IL-2 was blocked by depletion of FoxP3-expressing cells, while concurrent depletion of macrophages restored demyelination. In contrast, demyelination was blocked in the macrophage-depleted mice infected with wild-type HSV-1 following depletion of FoxP3-expressing cells. In macrophage-depleted HSV-IL-2-infected mice, demyelination was associated with the activity of both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, whereas in macrophage-depleted mice infected with WT HSV-1, demyelination was associated with CD4+ T cells. Macrophage depletion or infection with HSV-IL-2 caused an imbalance of T cells and TH1 responses as well as alterations in IL-12p35 and IL-12p40 but not other members of the IL-12 family or their receptors. Demyelination was blocked by adoptive transfer of macrophages that were infected with HSV-IL-12p70 or HSV-IL-12p40 but not by HSV-IL-12p35. These results indicate that suppression of IL-12p70 formation by IL-2 or following macrophage depletion causes T-cell autoreactivity leading to CNS demyelination in HSV-1-infected mice.

Suppression of IL-12p70 formation by IL-2 or following macrophage depletion causes T-cell autoreactivity leading to CNS demyelination in HSV-1-infected mice

PubMed Central

Lee, Dhong Hyun; Zandian, Mandana; Mott, Kevin R.; Chen, Shuang

2017-01-01

We have established two mouse models of central nervous system (CNS) demyelination that differ from most other available models of multiple sclerosis (MS) in that they represent a mixture of viral and immune triggers. In the first model, ocular infection of different strains of mice with a recombinant HSV-1 that expresses murine IL-2 constitutively (HSV-IL-2) causes CNS demyelination. In the second model, depletion of macrophages causes CNS demyelination in mice that are ocularly infected with wild-type (WT) HSV-1. In the present study, we found that the demyelination in macrophage-intact mice infected with HSV-IL-2 was blocked by depletion of FoxP3-expressing cells, while concurrent depletion of macrophages restored demyelination. In contrast, demyelination was blocked in the macrophage-depleted mice infected with wild-type HSV-1 following depletion of FoxP3-expressing cells. In macrophage-depleted HSV-IL-2-infected mice, demyelination was associated with the activity of both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, whereas in macrophage-depleted mice infected with WT HSV-1, demyelination was associated with CD4+ T cells. Macrophage depletion or infection with HSV-IL-2 caused an imbalance of T cells and TH1 responses as well as alterations in IL-12p35 and IL-12p40 but not other members of the IL-12 family or their receptors. Demyelination was blocked by adoptive transfer of macrophages that were infected with HSV-IL-12p70 or HSV-IL-12p40 but not by HSV-IL-12p35. These results indicate that suppression of IL-12p70 formation by IL-2 or following macrophage depletion causes T-cell autoreactivity leading to CNS demyelination in HSV-1-infected mice. PMID:28542613

Sinc-interpolants in the energy plane for regular solution, Jost function, and its zeros of quantum scattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Annaby, M. H.; Asharabi, R. M.

2018-01-01

In a remarkable note of Chadan [Il Nuovo Cimento 39, 697-703 (1965)], the author expanded both the regular wave function and the Jost function of the quantum scattering problem using an interpolation theorem of Valiron [Bull. Sci. Math. 49, 181-192 (1925)]. These expansions have a very slow rate of convergence, and applying them to compute the zeros of the Jost function, which lead to the important bound states, gives poor convergence rates. It is our objective in this paper to introduce several efficient interpolation techniques to compute the regular wave solution as well as the Jost function and its zeros approximately. This work continues and improves the results of Chadan and other related studies remarkably. Several worked examples are given with illustrations and comparisons with existing methods.

A Correlation of Community College Math Readiness and Student Success

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, Jayna Nicole

Although traditional college students are more prepared for college-level math based on college admissions tests, little data have been collected on nontraditional adult learners. The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between math placement tests and community college students' success in math courses and persistence to degree or certificate completion. Guided by Tinto's theory of departure and student retention, the research questions addressed relationships and predictability of math Computer-adaptive Placement Assessment and Support System (COMPASS) test scores and students' performance in math courses, persistence in college, and degree completion. After conducting correlation and regression analyses, no significant relationships were identified between COMPASS Math test scores and students' performance (n = 234) in math courses, persistence in college, or degree completion. However, independent t test and chi-squared analyses of the achievements of college students who tested into Basic Math (n = 138) vs. Introduction to Algebra (n = 96) yielded statistically significant differences in persistence (p = .039), degree completion (p < .001), performance (p = .008), and progress ( p = .001), indicating students who tested into Introduction to Algebra were more successful and persisted more often to degree completion. In order to improve instructional methods for Basic Math courses, a 3-day professional development workshop was developed for math faculty focusing on current, best practices in remedial math instruction. Implications for social change include providing math faculty with the knowledge and skills to develop new instructional methods for remedial math courses. A change in instructional methods may improve community college students' math competencies and degree achievement.

IL-22 is required for Th17 cell–mediated pathology in a mouse model of psoriasis-like skin inflammation

PubMed Central

Ma, Hak-Ling; Liang, Spencer; Li, Jing; Napierata, Lee; Brown, Tom; Benoit, Stephen; Senices, Mayra; Gill, Davinder; Dunussi-Joannopoulos, Kyriaki; Collins, Mary; Nickerson-Nutter, Cheryl; Fouser, Lynette A.; Young, Deborah A.

2008-01-01

Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease resulting from the dysregulated interplay between keratinocytes and infiltrating immune cells. We report on a psoriasis-like disease model, which is induced by the transfer of CD4+CD45RBhiCD25– cells to pathogen-free scid/scid mice. Psoriasis-like lesions had elevated levels of antimicrobial peptide and proinflammatory cytokine mRNA. Also, similar to psoriasis, disease progression in this model was dependent on the p40 common to IL-12 and IL-23. To investigate the role of IL-22, a Th17 cytokine, in disease progression, mice were treated with IL-22–neutralizing antibodies. Neutralization of IL-22 prevented the development of disease, reducing acanthosis (thickening of the skin), inflammatory infiltrates, and expression of Th17 cytokines. Direct administration of IL-22 into the skin of normal mice induced both antimicrobial peptide and proinflammatory cytokine gene expression. Our data suggest that IL-22, which acts on keratinocytes and other nonhematopoietic cells, is required for development of the autoreactive Th17 cell–dependent disease in this model of skin inflammation. We propose that IL-22 antagonism might be a promising therapy for the treatment of human psoriasis. PMID:18202747

IL-22 is required for Th17 cell-mediated pathology in a mouse model of psoriasis-like skin inflammation.

PubMed

Ma, Hak-Ling; Liang, Spencer; Li, Jing; Napierata, Lee; Brown, Tom; Benoit, Stephen; Senices, Mayra; Gill, Davinder; Dunussi-Joannopoulos, Kyriaki; Collins, Mary; Nickerson-Nutter, Cheryl; Fouser, Lynette A; Young, Deborah A

2008-02-01

Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease resulting from the dysregulated interplay between keratinocytes and infiltrating immune cells. We report on a psoriasis-like disease model, which is induced by the transfer of CD4(+)CD45RB(hi)CD25(-) cells to pathogen-free scid/scid mice. Psoriasis-like lesions had elevated levels of antimicrobial peptide and proinflammatory cytokine mRNA. Also, similar to psoriasis, disease progression in this model was dependent on the p40 common to IL-12 and IL-23. To investigate the role of IL-22, a Th17 cytokine, in disease progression, mice were treated with IL-22-neutralizing antibodies. Neutralization of IL-22 prevented the development of disease, reducing acanthosis (thickening of the skin), inflammatory infiltrates, and expression of Th17 cytokines. Direct administration of IL-22 into the skin of normal mice induced both antimicrobial peptide and proinflammatory cytokine gene expression. Our data suggest that IL-22, which acts on keratinocytes and other nonhematopoietic cells, is required for development of the autoreactive Th17 cell-dependent disease in this model of skin inflammation. We propose that IL-22 antagonism might be a promising therapy for the treatment of human psoriasis.

Methylphenidate-Related Improvements in Math Performance Cannot Be Explained by Better Cognitive Functioning or Higher Academic Motivation: Evidence From a Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Kortekaas-Rijlaarsdam, Anne Fleur; Luman, Marjolein; Sonuga-Barke, Edmund; Bet, Pierre; Oosterlaan, Jaap

2017-06-01

This study investigated whether improvements in working memory, reaction time, lapses of attention, interference control, academic motivation, and perceived competence mediated effects of methylphenidate on math performance. Sixty-three children (ADHD diagnosis; methylphenidate treatment; age 8-13; IQ > 70) were randomly allocated to a 7-day methylphenidate or placebo treatment in this double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study and compared with 67 controls. Data were collected at schools and analyzed using mixed-model analysis. Methylphenidate was hypothesized to improve all measures; all measures were evaluated as potential mediators of methylphenidate-related math improvements. Controls mostly outperformed the ADHD group. Methylphenidate did not affect measures of cognitive functioning ( p = .082-.641) or academic motivation ( p = .199-.865). Methylphenidate improved parent ratings of their child's self-perceived competence ( p < .01), which mediated methylphenidate efficacy on math productivity. These results question the necessity of improvements in specific cognitive and motivational deficits associated with ADHD for medication-related academic improvement. They also stimulate further study of perceived competence as a mediator.

The Influence of Experiencing Success in Math on Math Anxiety, Perceived Math Competence, and Math Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jansen, Brenda R. J.; Louwerse, Jolien; Straatemeier, Marthe; Van der Ven, Sanne H. G.; Klinkenberg, Sharon; Van der Maas, Han L. J.

2013-01-01

It was investigated whether children would experience less math anxiety and feel more competent when they, independent of ability level, experienced high success rates in math. Comparable success rates were achieved by adapting problem difficulty to individuals' ability levels with a computer-adaptive program. A total of 207 children (grades 3-6)…

Math Practice and Its Influence on Math Skills and Executive Functions in Adolescents with Mild to Borderline Intellectual Disability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jansen, Brenda R. J.; De Lange, Eva; Van der Molen, Mariet J.

2013-01-01

Adolescents with mild to borderline intellectual disability (MBID) often complete schooling without mastering basic math skills, even though basic math is essential for math-related challenges in everyday life. Limited attention to cognitive skills and low executive functioning (EF) may cause this delay. We aimed to improve math skills in an…

Students' Mathematics Self-Efficacy, Anxiety, and Course Level at a Community College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spaniol, Scott R.

2017-01-01

Research suggests that student success in mathematics is positively correlated to math self-efficacy and negatively correlated to math anxiety. At a Hispanic serving community college in the Midwest, developmental math students had a lower pass rate than did college-level math students, but the role of math self-efficacy and math anxiety on these…

Turning Negatives into Positives: The Role of an Instructional Math Course on Preservice Teachers' Math Beliefs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Looney, Lisa; Perry, David; Steck, Andy

2017-01-01

Teachers' beliefs about mathematics can play a role in their teaching effectiveness (Bandura, 1993). Negative attitudes toward math (e.g., math anxiety) or low self-efficacy beliefs for teaching math can act as barriers to the teaching process, impacting the achievement and math beliefs of students (Beilock, Gunderson, Ramirez, & Levine, 2010;…

Three brief assessments of math achievement.

PubMed

Steiner, Eric T; Ashcraft, Mark H

2012-12-01

Because of wide disparities in college students' math knowledge-that is, their math achievement-studies of cognitive processing in math tasks also need to assess their individual level of math achievement. For many research settings, however, using existing math achievement tests is either too costly or too time consuming. To solve this dilemma, we present three brief tests of math achievement here, two drawn from the Wide Range Achievement Test and one composed of noncopyrighted items. All three correlated substantially with the full achievement test and with math anxiety, our original focus, and all show acceptable to excellent reliability. When lengthy testing is not feasible, one of these brief tests can be substituted.

Mathematics achievement and anxiety and their relation to internalizing and externalizing behaviors.

PubMed

Wu, Sarah S; Willcutt, Erik G; Escovar, Emily; Menon, Vinod

2014-01-01

Although behavioral difficulties are well documented in reading disabilities, little is known about the relationship between math ability and internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Here, we use standardized measures to investigate the relation among early math ability, math anxiety, and internalizing and externalizing behaviors in a group of 366 second and third graders. Math achievement was significantly correlated with attentional difficulties and social problems but not with internalizing symptoms. The relation between math achievement and externalizing behavioral problems was stronger in girls than in boys. Math achievement was not correlated with trait anxiety but was negatively correlated with math anxiety. Critically, math anxiety differed significantly between children classified as math learning disabled (MLD), low achieving (LA), and typically developing (TD), with math anxiety significantly higher in the MLD and LA groups compared to the TD group. Our findings suggest that, even in nonclinical samples, math difficulties at the earliest stages of formal math learning are associated with attentional difficulties and domain-specific anxiety. These findings underscore the need for further examination of the shared cognitive, neural, and genetic influences underlying problem solving and nonverbal learning difficulties and accompanying internalizing and externalizing behaviors. © Hammill Institute on Disabilities 2013.

Mathematics Achievement and Anxiety and Their Relation to Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviors

PubMed Central

Wu, Sarah S.; Willcutt, Erik G.; Escovar, Emily; Menon, Vinod

2013-01-01

Although behavioral difficulties are well documented in reading disabilities, little is known about the relationship between math ability and internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Here, we use standardized measures to investigate the relation among early math ability, math anxiety, and internalizing and externalizing behaviors in a group of 366 second and third graders. Math achievement was significantly correlated with attentional difficulties and social problems but not with internalizing symptoms. The relation between math achievement and externalizing behavioral problems was stronger in girls than in boys. Math achievement was not correlated with trait anxiety but was negatively correlated with math anxiety. Critically, math anxiety differed significantly between children classified as math learning disabled (MLD), low achieving (LA), and typically developing (TD), with math anxiety significantly higher in the MLD and LA groups compared to the TD group. Our findings suggest that, even in nonclinical samples, math difficulties at the earliest stages of formal math learning are associated with attentional difficulties and domain-specific anxiety. These findings underscore the need for further examination of the shared cognitive, neural, and genetic influences underlying problem solving and nonverbal learning difficulties and accompanying internalizing and externalizing behaviors. PMID:23313869

Cytokine single-nucleotide polymorphisms and risk of non-small-cell lung cancer.

PubMed

Pérez-Ramírez, Cristina; Alnatsha, Ahmed; Cañadas-Garre, Marisa; Villar, Eduardo; Valdivia-Bautista, Javier; Faus-Dáder, María J; Calleja-Hernández, Miguel Á

2017-12-01

Lung cancer, particularly the non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) subtype, is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Several functional polymorphisms in inflammatory cytokine genes, such as IL1B, IL6, IL12A, IL13 and IL16, have been associated with the risk of NSCLC. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between ILs gene polymorphisms and the risk of developing NSCLC. A retrospective case-control study was carried out, including 174 NSCLC cases and 298 controls of Spanish origin. IL1B (rs1143634), IL1B (rs12621220), IL1B (rs1143623), IL1B (rs16944), IL1B (rs1143627), IL12A (rs662959), IL13 (rs1881457), IL6 (rs1800795) and IL16 (rs7170924) gene polymorphisms were analysed by TaqMan. The genotypic logistic regression model adjusted by smoking status showed that the IL1B rs1143634-TT genotype was associated with a lower risk of NSCLC (P=0.04312; odds ratio=0.226; 95% confidence interval=0.044-0.840). No other gene polymorphisms showed an association with NSCLC in any of the models tested. In conclusion, IL1B rs1143634 was significantly associated with a higher risk of NSCLC. No influence of IL1B rs12621220, rs1143623, rs16944, rs1143627, IL12A rs662959, IL13 rs1881457 and IL16 rs7170924 on the risk of developing NSCLC was found in our study.

Therapeutic activity of an interleukin-4/interleukin-13 dual antagonist on oxazolone-induced colitis in mice

PubMed Central

Kasaian, Marion T; Page, Karen M; Fish, Susan; Brennan, Agnes; Cook, Timothy A; Moreira, Karen; Zhang, Melvin; Jesson, Michael; Marquette, Kimberly; Agostinelli, Rita; Lee, Julie; Williams, Cara M M; Tchistiakova, Lioudmila; Thakker, Paresh

2014-01-01

Interleukin-4 (IL-4) and IL-13 are critical drivers of immune activation and inflammation in ulcerative colitis, asthma and other diseases. Because these cytokines may have redundant function, dual targeting holds promise for achieving greater efficacy. We have recently described a bifunctional therapeutic targeting IL-4 and IL-13 developed on a novel protein scaffold, generated by combining specific binding domains in an optimal configuration using appropriate linker regions. In the current study, the bifunctional IL-4/IL-13 antagonist was evaluated in the murine oxazolone-induced colitis model, which produces disease with features of ulcerative colitis. The bifunctional IL-4/IL-13 antagonist reduced body weight loss throughout the 7-day course of the model, and ameliorated the increased colon weight and decreased colon length that accompany disease. Colon tissue gene expression was modulated in accordance with the treatment effect. Concentrations of serum amyloid P were elevated in proportion to disease severity, making it an effective biomarker. Serum concentrations of the bifunctional IL-4/IL-13 antagonist were inversely proportional to disease severity, colon tissue expression of pro-inflammatory genes, and serum amyloid P concentration. Taken together, these results define a panel of biomarkers signifying engagement of the IL-4/IL-13 pathway, confirm the T helper type 2 nature of disease in this model, and demonstrate the effectiveness of dual cytokine blockade. PMID:24831554

Flight Control System Development for the BURRO Autonomous UAV

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Colbourne, Jason D.; Frost, Chad R.; Tischler, Mark B.; Ciolani, Luigi; Sahai, Ranjana; Tomoshofski, Chris; LaMontagne, Troy; Rutkowski, Michael (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

Developing autonomous flying vehicles has been a growing field in aeronautical research within the last decade and will continue into the next century. With concerns about safety, size, and cost of manned aircraft, several autonomous vehicle projects are currently being developed; uninhabited rotorcraft offer solutions to requirements for hover, vertical take-off and landing, as well as slung load transportation capabilities. The newness of the technology requires flight control engineers to question what design approaches, control law architectures, and performance criteria apply to control law development and handling quality evaluation. To help answer these questions, this paper documents the control law design process for Kaman Aerospace BURRO project. This paper will describe the approach taken to design control laws and develop math models which will be used to convert the manned K-MAX into the BURRO autonomous rotorcraft. With the ability of the K-MAX to lift its own weight (6000 lb) the load significantly affects the dynamics of the system; the paper addresses the additional design requirements for slung load autonomous flight. The approach taken in this design was to: 1) generate accurate math models of the K-MAX helicopter with and without slung loads, 2) select design specifications that would deliver good performance as well as satisfy mission criteria, and 3) develop and tune the control system architecture to meet the design specs and mission criteria. An accurate math model was desired for control system development. The Comprehensive Identification from Frequency Responses (CIFER(R)) software package was used to identify a linear math model for unloaded and loaded flight at hover, 50 kts, and 100 kts. The results of an eight degree-of-freedom CIFER(R)-identified linear model for the unloaded hover flight condition are presented herein, and the identification of the two-body slung-load configuration is in progress.

[Total flavones derived from Lagotis brevituba maxim reduce the levels of inflammatory cytokines in cerebral cortex and hippocampus of Alzheimer's disease mice].

PubMed

Yang, Bailing; Hou, Qian; Hu, Feng; Zhang, Fan

2016-07-01

Objective To investigate the mechanism behind the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD) with total flavones derived from Lagotis brevituba maxim (TF-LBM). Methods Fifty SAMP8 mice (aged 8 months) were randomly divided into 5 groups, (150, 300, 600) mg/kg TF-LBM groups, 0.65 g/kg donepezil HCl group and AD model group; 10 SAMR1 mice (aged 8 months) were used as a control group of normal aging. The AD model group and the normal aging control group were given the same volume of distilled water as TF-LBM groups. Eight weeks after intragastric administration, Morris water maze experiment was conducted to calculate the latency of place navigation. After the behavioral experiment, the brain cortical tissue and hippocampus (CA1 region) of the mice from various groups were taken to observe the morphological changes of the cortical tissue and hippocampus and test IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α content. Results Compared with the model group, the escape latency of the normal aging group, the high-dose TF-LBM group and the donepezil HCl group were evidently shortened; compared with the normal aging group, IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-αof the model group increased significantly; compared with the model group, IL-1β content of the low-dose TF-LBM group had no obvious difference, while IL-1β content of the median-dose and high-dose TF-LBM groups and the donepezil HCl group decreased significantly; IL-6 content decreased in all TF-LBM groups and the donepezil HCl group; TNF-α level in the low-dose and median-dose TF-LBM groups had no evident difference, while it was reduced significantly in the high-dose TF-LBM group and the donepezil HCl group. Compared with the normal aging group, IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α content of the model group increased significantly; compared with the model group, IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α content of all TF-LBM groups and the donepezil HCl group decreased. Conclusion TF-LBM can improve the behavior change of SAMP8 mice with AD. TF-LBM can reduce the content of IL-6, IL-1β and TNF-α in cerebral cortex and hippocampus CA1.

The ABCs of Math: A Genetic Analysis of Mathematics and Its Links With Reading Ability and General Cognitive Ability

PubMed Central

Hart, Sara A.; Petrill, Stephen A.; Thompson, Lee A.; Plomin, Robert

2009-01-01

The goal of this first major report from the Western Reserve Reading Project Math component is to explore the etiology of the relationship among tester-administered measures of mathematics ability, reading ability, and general cognitive ability. Data are available on 314 pairs of monozygotic and same-sex dizygotic twins analyzed across 5 waves of assessment. Univariate analyses provide a range of estimates of genetic (h2 = .00 –.63) and shared (c2 = .15–.52) environmental influences across math calculation, fluency, and problem solving measures. Multivariate analyses indicate genetic overlap between math problem solving with general cognitive ability and reading decoding, whereas math fluency shares significant genetic overlap with reading fluency and general cognitive ability. Further, math fluency has unique genetic influences. In general, math ability has shared environmental overlap with general cognitive ability and decoding. These results indicate that aspects of math that include problem solving have different genetic and environmental influences than math calculation. Moreover, math fluency, a timed measure of calculation, is the only measured math ability with unique genetic influences. PMID:20157630

An Investigation of Boys' and Girls' Emotional Experience of Math, Their Math Performance, and the Relation between These Variables

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erturan, Selin; Jansen, Brenda

2015-01-01

Gender differences in children's emotional experience of math, their math performance, and the relation between these variables were investigated in two studies. In Study 1, test anxiety, math anxiety, and math performance (whole-number computation) were measured in 134 children in grades 3-8 (ages 7-15 years). In Study 2, perceived math…

Testing of the McMath-Pierce 0.8-Meter East Auxiliary Telescope's Acquisition and Slewing Accuracy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harshaw, Richard; Ray, Jimmy; Prause, Lori; Douglass, David; Branston, Detrick; Genet, Russell M.

2015-09-01

Following mediocre results with pointing tests of the McMath-Pierce 0.8-meter East Auxiliary Telescope in April 2014, a team of astronomers/engineers met again in May 2014 to test other pointing models and assess the telescope's ability to point with enough accuracy to permit the efficient use of speckle interferometry. Results show that accurate collimation is a pre-requisite for such accuracy. Once attained, the telescope performs extremely well.

A longitudinal analysis of sex differences in math and spatial skills in primary school age children☆

PubMed Central

Lachance, Jennifer A.; Mazzocco, Michèle M.M.

2009-01-01

We report on a longitudinal study designed to assess possible sex differences in math achievement, math ability, and math-related tasks during the primary school age years. Participants included over 200 children from one public school district. Annual assessments included measures of math ability, math calculation achievement scores, rapid naming and decoding tasks, visual perception tests, visual motor tasks, and reading skills. During select years of the study we also administered tests of counting and math facts skills. We examined whether girls or boys were overrepresented among the bottom or top performers on any of these tasks, relative to their peers, and whether growth rates or predictors of math-related skills differed for boys and girls. Our findings support the notion that sex differences in math are minimal or nonexistent on standardized psychometric tests routinely given in assessments of primary school age children. There was no persistent finding suggesting a male or female advantage in math performance overall, during any single year of the study, or in any one area of math or spatial skills. Growth rates for all skills, and early correlates of later math performance, were comparable for boys and girls. The findings fail to support either persistent or emerging sex differences on non-specialized math ability measures during the primary school age years. PMID:20463851

Approximate Arithmetic Training Improves Informal Math Performance in Low Achieving Preschoolers

PubMed Central

Szkudlarek, Emily; Brannon, Elizabeth M.

2018-01-01

Recent studies suggest that practice with approximate and non-symbolic arithmetic problems improves the math performance of adults, school aged children, and preschoolers. However, the relative effectiveness of approximate arithmetic training compared to available educational games, and the type of math skills that approximate arithmetic targets are unknown. The present study was designed to (1) compare the effectiveness of approximate arithmetic training to two commercially available numeral and letter identification tablet applications and (2) to examine the specific type of math skills that benefit from approximate arithmetic training. Preschool children (n = 158) were pseudo-randomly assigned to one of three conditions: approximate arithmetic, letter identification, or numeral identification. All children were trained for 10 short sessions and given pre and post tests of informal and formal math, executive function, short term memory, vocabulary, alphabet knowledge, and number word knowledge. We found a significant interaction between initial math performance and training condition, such that children with low pretest math performance benefited from approximate arithmetic training, and children with high pretest math performance benefited from symbol identification training. This effect was restricted to informal, and not formal, math problems. There were also effects of gender, socio-economic status, and age on post-test informal math score after intervention. A median split on pretest math ability indicated that children in the low half of math scores in the approximate arithmetic training condition performed significantly better than children in the letter identification training condition on post-test informal math problems when controlling for pretest, age, gender, and socio-economic status. Our results support the conclusion that approximate arithmetic training may be especially effective for children with low math skills, and that approximate arithmetic training improves early informal, but not formal, math skills. PMID:29867624

Approximate Arithmetic Training Improves Informal Math Performance in Low Achieving Preschoolers.

PubMed

Szkudlarek, Emily; Brannon, Elizabeth M

2018-01-01

Recent studies suggest that practice with approximate and non-symbolic arithmetic problems improves the math performance of adults, school aged children, and preschoolers. However, the relative effectiveness of approximate arithmetic training compared to available educational games, and the type of math skills that approximate arithmetic targets are unknown. The present study was designed to (1) compare the effectiveness of approximate arithmetic training to two commercially available numeral and letter identification tablet applications and (2) to examine the specific type of math skills that benefit from approximate arithmetic training. Preschool children ( n = 158) were pseudo-randomly assigned to one of three conditions: approximate arithmetic, letter identification, or numeral identification. All children were trained for 10 short sessions and given pre and post tests of informal and formal math, executive function, short term memory, vocabulary, alphabet knowledge, and number word knowledge. We found a significant interaction between initial math performance and training condition, such that children with low pretest math performance benefited from approximate arithmetic training, and children with high pretest math performance benefited from symbol identification training. This effect was restricted to informal, and not formal, math problems. There were also effects of gender, socio-economic status, and age on post-test informal math score after intervention. A median split on pretest math ability indicated that children in the low half of math scores in the approximate arithmetic training condition performed significantly better than children in the letter identification training condition on post-test informal math problems when controlling for pretest, age, gender, and socio-economic status. Our results support the conclusion that approximate arithmetic training may be especially effective for children with low math skills, and that approximate arithmetic training improves early informal, but not formal, math skills.

Altered expression of IL-18 binding protein and IL-18 receptor in basophils and mast cells of asthma patients.

PubMed

Wang, Zhiyun; Liu, Zhining; Wang, Ling; Wang, Junling; Chen, Liping; Xie, Hua; Zhang, Huiyun; He, Shaoheng

2018-05-01

IL-18 is likely to contribute to asthma. However, little is known regarding the role of IL-18 binding protein (BP) and IL-18 receptor (R) in asthma. Because the action of IL-18 in the body is regulated by IL-18BP and mast cells and basophils are key cell types involved in asthma, we investigated the expression of IL-18, IL-18BP and IL-18R in basophils and mast cells using flow cytometry and a mouse asthma model. We found that among basophils, approximately 53% and 51% were IL-18 + , 85% and 81% were IL-18BP + basophils, and 19.8% and 8.6% were IL-18R + in healthy control (HC) and asthmatic blood, respectively. The allergens tested had little effect on the expression of IL-18 and related factors. Only 3.5%, 14.3% and 2.4% of dispersed mast cells expressed IL-18, IL-18BP and IL-18R, respectively, in asthmatic sputum. In a mouse asthma model, OVA-sensitized mice exhibited decreased IL-18BP + but increased IL-18R + basophils in their blood. IL-18 increased the number of basophils but eliminated IL-18BP + basophils in mouse blood. IL-18 increased the number of mast cells and IL-18R + mast cells in the lung as well as increased the mast cell numbers and IL-18BP + mast cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of OVA-sensitized mice. Thus, basophils and mast cells may be involved in asthma pathogenesis via an IL-18-associated mechanism. © 2018 The Foundation for the Scandinavian Journal of Immunology.

Effects of Math Anxiety and Perfectionism on Timed versus Untimed Math Testing in Mathematically Gifted Sixth Graders

PubMed Central

Tsui, Joanne M.; Mazzocco, Michèle M. M.

2009-01-01

This study was designed to examine the effects of math anxiety and perfectionism on math performance, under timed testing conditions, among mathematically gifted sixth graders. We found that participants had worse math performance during timed versus untimed testing, but this difference was statistically significant only when the timed condition preceded the untimed condition. We also found that children with higher levels of either math anxiety or perfectionism had a smaller performance discrepancy during timed versus untimed testing, relative to children with lower levels of math anxiety or perfectionism. There were no statistically significant gender differences in overall test performance, nor in levels of math anxiety or perfectionism; however, the difference between performance on timed and untimed math testing was statistically significant for girls, but not for boys. Implications for educators are discussed. PMID:20084180

Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Readiness: Ethno-linguistic and gender differences in high-school course selection patterns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adamuti-Trache, Maria; Sweet, Robert

2014-03-01

The study examines science-related course choices of high-school students in the culturally diverse schools of the province of British Columbia, Canada. The analysis employs K-12 provincial data and includes over 44,000 students born in 1990 who graduated from high school by 2009. The research sample reflects the presence of about 27% of students for whom English is not a first language. We construct an empirical model that examines ethno-linguistic and gender differences in Grade 12 course choices while accounting for personal and situational differences among students. The study employs a course selection typology that emphasizes readiness for science, technology, engineering and math fields of study. Findings indicate that math- and science-related course selection patterns are strongly associated with ethnicity, qualified not only by gender and prior math and science achievement but also by the individual's grade level at entry to the system and enrollment in English as a Second Language program. Students who are more likely to engage in math and science courses belong to Asian ethno-linguistic groups and entered the provincial school system during the senior high-school years. We suggest that ethnic diversity and broader academic exposure may play a crucial role in changing the gender composition of science classrooms, university fields of study and science-related occupations.

Gender, Math Confidence, and Grit: Relationships with Quantitative Skills and Performance in an Undergraduate Biology Course.

PubMed

Flanagan, K M; Einarson, J

2017-01-01

In a world filled with big data, mathematical models, and statistics, the development of strong quantitative skills is becoming increasingly critical for modern biologists. Teachers in this field must understand how students acquire quantitative skills and explore barriers experienced by students when developing these skills. In this study, we examine the interrelationships among gender, grit, and math confidence for student performance on a pre-post quantitative skills assessment and overall performance in an undergraduate biology course. Here, we show that females significantly underperformed relative to males on a quantitative skills assessment at the start of term. However, females showed significantly higher gains over the semester, such that the gender gap in performance was nearly eliminated by the end of the semester. Math confidence plays an important role in the performance on both the pre and post quantitative skills assessments and overall performance in the course. The effect of grit on student performance, however, is mediated by a student's math confidence; as math confidence increases, the positive effect of grit decreases. Consequently, the positive impact of a student's grittiness is observed most strongly for those students with low math confidence. We also found grit to be positively associated with the midterm score and the final grade in the course. Given the relationships established in this study among gender, grit, and math confidence, we provide "instructor actions" from the literature that can be applied in the classroom to promote the development of quantitative skills in light of our findings. © 2017 K. M. Flanagan and J. Einarson. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2017 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Cognitive consistency and math-gender stereotypes in Singaporean children.

PubMed

Cvencek, Dario; Meltzoff, Andrew N; Kapur, Manu

2014-01-01

In social psychology, cognitive consistency is a powerful principle for organizing psychological concepts. There have been few tests of cognitive consistency in children and no research about cognitive consistency in children from Asian cultures, who pose an interesting developmental case. A sample of 172 Singaporean elementary school children completed implicit and explicit measures of math-gender stereotype (male=math), gender identity (me=male), and math self-concept (me=math). Results showed strong evidence for cognitive consistency; the strength of children's math-gender stereotypes, together with their gender identity, significantly predicted their math self-concepts. Cognitive consistency may be culturally universal and a key mechanism for developmental change in social cognition. We also discovered that Singaporean children's math-gender stereotypes increased as a function of age and that boys identified with math more strongly than did girls despite Singaporean girls' excelling in math. The results reveal both cultural universals and cultural variation in developing social cognition. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Attentional bias in high math-anxious individuals: evidence from an emotional Stroop task

PubMed Central

Suárez-Pellicioni, Macarena; Núñez-Peña, Maria Isabel; Colomé, Àngels

2015-01-01

Attentional bias toward threatening or emotional information is considered a cognitive marker of anxiety, and it has been described in various clinical and subclinical populations. This study used an emotional Stroop task to investigate whether math anxiety is characterized by an attentional bias toward math-related words. Two previous studies failed to observe such an effect in math-anxious individuals, although the authors acknowledged certain methodological limitations that the present study seeks to avoid. Twenty high math-anxious (HMA) and 20 low math-anxious (LMA) individuals were presented with an emotional Stroop task including math-related and neutral words. Participants in the two groups did not differ in trait anxiety or depression. We found that the HMA group showed slower response times to math-related words than to neutral words, as well as a greater attentional bias (math-related – neutral difference score) than the LMA one, which constitutes the first demonstration of an attentional bias toward math-related words in HMA individuals. PMID:26539137

Can Low-Cost Online Summer Math Programs Improve Student Preparation for College-Level Math? Evidence from Randomized Experiments at Three Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chingos, Matthew M.; Griffiths, Rebecca J.; Mulhern, Christine

2017-01-01

Every year many students enter college without the math preparation needed to succeed in their desired programs of study. Many of these students struggle to catch up, especially those who are required to take remedial math courses before entering college-level math. Increasing the number of students who begin at the appropriate level of math has…

1st Order Modeling of a SAW Delay Line using MathCAD(Registered)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, William C.; Atkinson, Gary M.

2007-01-01

To aid in the development of SAW sensors for Integrated Vehicle Health Monitoring applications, a first order model of a SAW Delay line has been created using MathCadA. The model implements the Impulse Response method to calculate the frequency response, impedance, and insertion loss. This paper presents the model and the results from the model for a SAW delay line design. Integrated Vehicle Health Monitoring (IVHM) of aerospace vehicles requires rugged sensors having reduced volume, mass, and power that can be used to measure a variety of phenomena. Wireless systems are preferred when retro-fitting sensors onto existing vehicles [1]. Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) devices are capable of sensing: temperature, pressure, strain, chemical species, mass loading, acceleration, and shear stress. SAW technology is low cost, rugged, lightweight, and extremely low power. Passive wireless sensors have been developed using SAW technology. For these reasons new SAW sensors are being investigated for aerospace applications.

A model combining age, equivalent uniform dose and IL-8 may predict radiation esophagitis in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

PubMed

Wang, Shulian; Campbell, Jeff; Stenmark, Matthew H; Stanton, Paul; Zhao, Jing; Matuszak, Martha M; Ten Haken, Randall K; Kong, Feng-Ming

2018-03-01

To study whether cytokine markers may improve predictive accuracy of radiation esophagitis (RE) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. A total of 129 patients with stage I-III NSCLC treated with radiotherapy (RT) from prospective studies were included. Thirty inflammatory cytokines were measured in platelet-poor plasma samples. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate the risk factors of RE. Stepwise Akaike information criterion (AIC) and likelihood ratio test were used to assess model predictions. Forty-nine of 129 patients (38.0%) developed grade ≥2 RE. Univariate analysis showed that age, stage, concurrent chemotherapy, and eight dosimetric parameters were significantly associated with grade ≥2 RE (p < 0.05). IL-4, IL-5, IL-8, IL-13, IL-15, IL-1α, TGFα and eotaxin were also associated with grade ≥2 RE (p < 0.1). Age, esophagus generalized equivalent uniform dose (EUD), and baseline IL-8 were independently associated grade ≥2 RE. The combination of these three factors had significantly higher predictive power than any single factor alone. Addition of IL-8 to toxicity model significantly improves RE predictive accuracy (p = 0.019). Combining baseline level of IL-8, age and esophagus EUD may predict RE more accurately. Refinement of this model with larger sample sizes and validation from multicenter database are warranted. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Context-dependent role of IL-18 in cancer biology and counter-regulation by IL-18BP.

PubMed

Fabbi, Marina; Carbotti, Grazia; Ferrini, Silvano

2015-04-01

IL-18 is a proinflammatory and immune regulatory cytokine, member of the IL-1 family. IL-18 was initially identified as an IFN-γ-inducing factor in T and NK cells, involved in Th1 responses. IL-18 is produced as an inactive precursor (pro-IL-18) that is enzymatically processed into a mature form by Casp1. Different cells, such as macrophages, DCs, microglial cells, synovial fibroblasts, and epithelial cells, express pro-IL-18, and the production of bioactive IL-18 is mainly regulated at the processing level. PAMP or DAMP molecules activate inflammasomes, which trigger Casp1 activation and IL-18 conversion. The natural inhibitor IL-18BP , whose production is enhanced by IFN-γ and IL-27, further regulates IL-18 activity in the extracellular environment. Inflammasomes and IL-18 represent double-edged swords in cancer, as their activation may promote tumor development and progression or oppositely, enhance anti-tumor immunity and limit tumor growth. IL-18 has shown anti-tumor activity in different preclinical models of cancer immunotherapy through the activation of NK and/or T cell responses and has been tested in clinical studies in cancer patients. However, the dual role of IL-18 in different experimental tumor models and human cancers raises critical issues on its therapeutic use in cancer. This review will summarize the biology of the IL-18/IL-18R/IL-18BP system and will address the role of IL-18 and its inhibitor, IL-18BP, in cancer biology and immunotherapy. © Society for Leukocyte Biology.

Cutting Edge: A Critical Functional Role for IL-23 in Psoriasis

PubMed Central

Tonel, Giulia; Conrad, Curdin; Laggner, Ute; Di Meglio, Paola; Grys, Katarzyna; McClanahan, Terrill K.; Blumenschein, Wendy M.; Qin, Jian-Zhong; Xin, Hong; Oldham, Elizabeth; Kastelein, Robert; Nickoloff, Brian J.; Nestle, Frank O.

2013-01-01

Interleukin-23 is a key cytokine involved in the generation of Th17 effector cells. Clinical efficacy of an anti-p40 mAb blocking both IL-12 and IL-23 and disease association with single nucleotide polymorphisms in the IL23R gene raise the question of a functional role of IL-23 in psoriasis. In this study, we provide a comprehensive analysis of IL-23 and its receptor in psoriasis and demonstrate its functional importance in a disease-relevant model system. The expression of IL-23 and its receptor was increased in the tissues of patients with psoriasis. Injection of a mAb specifically neutralizing human IL-23 showed IL-23–dependent inhibition of psoriasis development comparable to the use of anti-TNF blockers in a clinically relevant xenotransplant mouse model of psoriasis. Together, our results identify a critical functional role for IL-23 in psoriasis and provide the rationale for new treatment strategies in chronic epithelial inflammatory disorders. PMID:20956338

Cutting edge: A critical functional role for IL-23 in psoriasis.

PubMed

Tonel, Giulia; Conrad, Curdin; Laggner, Ute; Di Meglio, Paola; Grys, Katarzyna; McClanahan, Terrill K; Blumenschein, Wendy M; Qin, Jian-Zhong; Xin, Hong; Oldham, Elizabeth; Kastelein, Robert; Nickoloff, Brian J; Nestle, Frank O

2010-11-15

Interleukin-23 is a key cytokine involved in the generation of Th17 effector cells. Clinical efficacy of an anti-p40 mAb blocking both IL-12 and IL-23 and disease association with single nucleotide polymorphisms in the IL23R gene raise the question of a functional role of IL-23 in psoriasis. In this study, we provide a comprehensive analysis of IL-23 and its receptor in psoriasis and demonstrate its functional importance in a disease-relevant model system. The expression of IL-23 and its receptor was increased in the tissues of patients with psoriasis. Injection of a mAb specifically neutralizing human IL-23 showed IL-23-dependent inhibition of psoriasis development comparable to the use of anti-TNF blockers in a clinically relevant xenotransplant mouse model of psoriasis. Together, our results identify a critical functional role for IL-23 in psoriasis and provide the rationale for new treatment strategies in chronic epithelial inflammatory disorders.

The Role of Teachers' Expectations in the Association between Children's SES and Performance in Kindergarten: A Moderated Mediation Analysis

PubMed Central

Speybroeck, Sara; Kuppens, Sofie; Van Damme, Jan; Van Petegem, Peter; Lamote, Carl; Boonen, Tinneke; de Bilde, Jerissa

2012-01-01

This study examines the role of teachers' expectations in the association between children's socio-economic background and achievement outcomes. Furthermore, the role of children's ethnicity in moderating this mediated relation is investigated. In the present study, 3,948 children from kindergarten are examined. Data are analysed by means of structural equation modeling. First, results show that teachers' expectations mediate the relation between children's SES and their later language and math achievement, after controlling for children's ethnicity, prior achievement and gender. This result indicates that teachers may exacerbate individual differences between children. Second, children's ethnicity moderates the mediation effect of teachers' expectations with respect to math outcomes. The role of teachers' expectations in mediating the relation between SES and math outcomes is stronger for majority children than for minority children. PMID:22506023

Zebrafish tissue injury causes upregulation of interleukin-1 and caspase-dependent amplification of the inflammatory response.

PubMed

Ogryzko, Nikolay V; Hoggett, Emily E; Solaymani-Kohal, Sara; Tazzyman, Simon; Chico, Timothy J A; Renshaw, Stephen A; Wilson, Heather L

2014-02-01

Interleukin-1 (IL-1), the 'gatekeeper' of inflammation, is the apical cytokine in a signalling cascade that drives the early response to injury or infection. Expression, processing and secretion of IL-1 are tightly controlled, and dysregulated IL-1 signalling has been implicated in a number of pathologies ranging from atherosclerosis to complications of infection. Our understanding of these processes comes from in vitro monocytic cell culture models as lines or primary isolates, in which a range and spectra of IL-1 secretion mechanisms have been described. We therefore investigated whether zebrafish embryos provide a suitable in vivo model for studying IL-1-mediated inflammation. Structurally, zebrafish IL-1β shares a β-sheet-rich trefoil structure with its human counterpart. Functionally, leukocyte expression of IL-1β was detectable only following injury, which activated leukocytes throughout zebrafish embryos. Migration of macrophages and neutrophils was attenuated by inhibitors of either caspase-1 or P2X7, which similarly inhibited the activation of NF-κB at the site of injury. Zebrafish offer a new and versatile model to study the IL-1β pathway in inflammatory disease and should offer unique insights into IL-1 biology in vivo.

Addressing Math Anxiety in the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finlayson, Maureen

2014-01-01

In today's educational systems, students of all levels of education experience math anxiety. Furthermore, math anxiety is frequently linked to poor achievement in mathematics. The purpose of this study is to examine the causes of math anxiety and to explore strategies which pre-service teachers have identified to overcome math anxiety. The…

The Effects of Math Anxiety

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andrews, Amanda; Brown, Jennifer

2015-01-01

Math anxiety is a reoccurring problem for many students, and the effects of this anxiety on college students are increasing. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between pre-enrollment math anxiety, standardized test scores, math placement scores, and academic success during freshman math coursework (i.e., pre-algebra, college…

Math Exchanges: Guiding Young Mathematicians in Small-Group Meetings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wedekind, Kassia Omohundro

2011-01-01

Traditionally, small-group math instruction has been used as a format for reaching children who struggle to understand. Math coach Kassia Omohundro Wedekind uses small-group instruction as the centerpiece of her math workshop approach, engaging all students in rigorous "math exchanges." The key characteristics of these mathematical conversations…

Math Intervention Teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Student Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waller, Lisa Ivey

2012-01-01

This research investigated the relationship of math intervention teachers' (MITs) pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and students' math achievement gains in primary math interventions. The Kentucky Center for Mathematics gathered data on the MITs and primary math intervention students included in this study. Longitudinal data were analyzed for a…

Estimation of Cell Proliferation Dynamics Using CFSE Data

PubMed Central

Banks, H.T.; Sutton, Karyn L.; Thompson, W. Clayton; Bocharov, Gennady; Roose, Dirk; Schenkel, Tim; Meyerhans, Andreas

2010-01-01

Advances in fluorescent labeling of cells as measured by flow cytometry have allowed for quantitative studies of proliferating populations of cells. The investigations (Luzyanina et al. in J. Math. Biol. 54:57–89, 2007; J. Math. Biol., 2009; Theor. Biol. Med. Model. 4:1–26, 2007) contain a mathematical model with fluorescence intensity as a structure variable to describe the evolution in time of proliferating cells labeled by carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester (CFSE). Here, this model and several extensions/modifications are discussed. Suggestions for improvements are presented and analyzed with respect to statistical significance for better agreement between model solutions and experimental data. These investigations suggest that the new decay/label loss and time dependent effective proliferation and death rates do indeed provide improved fits of the model to data. Statistical models for the observed variability/noise in the data are discussed with implications for uncertainty quantification. The resulting new cell dynamics model should prove useful in proliferation assay tracking and modeling, with numerous applications in the biomedical sciences. PMID:20195910

Some Recent Results on Graph Matching,

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-06-01

V. CHVATAL, Tough graphs and Hamiltonian circuits, Discrete Math . 5, 1973, 215-228. [El] J. EDMONDS, Paths, trees and flowers, Canad. J. Math. 17...Theory, Ann. Discrete Math . 29, North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1986. [N] D. NADDEF, Rank of maximum matchings in a graph, Math. Programming 22, 52-70. [NP...Optimization, Ann. Discrete Math . 16, North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1982, 241-260. [P1] M.D. PLUMMER, On n-extendable graphs, Discrete Math . 31, 1980, 201-210

Advanced Math Course Taking: Effects on Math Achievement and College Enrollment

PubMed Central

Byun, Soo-yong; Irvin, Matthew J.; Bell, Bethany A.

2014-01-01

Using data from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002–2006 (ELS:02/06), this study investigated the effects of advanced math course taking on math achievement and college enrollment and how such effects varied by socioeconomic status (SES) and race/ethnicity. Results from propensity score matching and sensitivity analyses showed that advanced math course taking had positive effects on math achievement and college enrollment. Results also demonstrated that the effect of advanced math course taking on math achievement was greater for low SES students than for high SES students, but smaller for Black students than for White students. No interaction effects were found for college enrollment. Limitations, policy implications, and future research directions are discussed. PMID:26508803

How is anxiety related to math performance in young students? A longitudinal study of Grade 2 to Grade 3 children.

PubMed

Cargnelutti, Elisa; Tomasetto, Carlo; Passolunghi, Maria Chiara

2017-06-01

Both general and math-specific anxiety are related to proficiency in mathematics. However, it is not clear when math anxiety arises in young children, nor how it relates to early math performance. This study therefore investigated the early association between math anxiety and math performance in Grades 2 and 3, by accounting for general anxiety and by further inspecting the prevalent directionality of the anxiety-performance link. Results revealed that this link was significant in Grade 3, with a prevalent direction from math anxiety to performance, rather than the reverse. Longitudinal analyses also showed an indirect effect of math anxiety in Grade 2 on subsequent math performance in Grade 3. Overall, these findings highlight the importance of monitoring anxiety from the early stages of schooling in order to promote proficient academic performance.

A Systematic Review of Longitudinal Studies of Mathematics Difficulty.

PubMed

Nelson, Gena; Powell, Sarah R

2017-06-01

Some students may be diagnosed with a learning disability in mathematics or dyscalculia, whereas other students may demonstrate below-grade-level mathematics performance without a disability diagnosis. In the literature, researchers often identify students in both groups as experiencing math difficulty. To understand the performance of students with math difficulty, we examined 35 studies that reported longitudinal results of mathematics achievement (i.e., mathematics performance measured across at least a 12-month span). Our primary goal was to conduct a systematic review of these studies and to understand whether the growth of students with math difficulty was comparable or stagnant when compared with that of students without math difficulty. We also analyzed whether identification of math difficulty was predictive of mathematics achievement in later grades and whether a diagnosis of math difficulty was stable across grade levels. Results indicate that students with math difficulty demonstrate growth on mathematics measures, but this growth still leads to lower performance than that of students without math difficulty. Identification of math difficulty is strongly related to math performance in subsequent grades, and this diagnosis is often stable. Collectively, this literature indicates that students with math difficulty continue to struggle with mathematics in later grades.

Simple arithmetic: not so simple for highly math anxious individuals.

PubMed

Chang, Hyesang; Sprute, Lisa; Maloney, Erin A; Beilock, Sian L; Berman, Marc G

2017-12-01

Fluency with simple arithmetic, typically achieved in early elementary school, is thought to be one of the building blocks of mathematical competence. Behavioral studies with adults indicate that math anxiety (feelings of tension or apprehension about math) is associated with poor performance on cognitively demanding math problems. However, it remains unclear whether there are fundamental differences in how high and low math anxious individuals approach overlearned simple arithmetic problems that are less reliant on cognitive control. The current study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine the neural correlates of simple arithmetic performance across high and low math anxious individuals. We implemented a partial least squares analysis, a data-driven, multivariate analysis method to measure distributed patterns of whole-brain activity associated with performance. Despite overall high simple arithmetic performance across high and low math anxious individuals, performance was differentially dependent on the fronto-parietal attentional network as a function of math anxiety. Specifically, low-compared to high-math anxious individuals perform better when they activate this network less-a potential indication of more automatic problem-solving. These findings suggest that low and high math anxious individuals approach even the most fundamental math problems differently. © The Author (2017). Published by Oxford University Press.

Simple arithmetic: not so simple for highly math anxious individuals

PubMed Central

Sprute, Lisa; Maloney, Erin A; Beilock, Sian L; Berman, Marc G

2017-01-01

Abstract Fluency with simple arithmetic, typically achieved in early elementary school, is thought to be one of the building blocks of mathematical competence. Behavioral studies with adults indicate that math anxiety (feelings of tension or apprehension about math) is associated with poor performance on cognitively demanding math problems. However, it remains unclear whether there are fundamental differences in how high and low math anxious individuals approach overlearned simple arithmetic problems that are less reliant on cognitive control. The current study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine the neural correlates of simple arithmetic performance across high and low math anxious individuals. We implemented a partial least squares analysis, a data-driven, multivariate analysis method to measure distributed patterns of whole-brain activity associated with performance. Despite overall high simple arithmetic performance across high and low math anxious individuals, performance was differentially dependent on the fronto-parietal attentional network as a function of math anxiety. Specifically, low—compared to high—math anxious individuals perform better when they activate this network less—a potential indication of more automatic problem-solving. These findings suggest that low and high math anxious individuals approach even the most fundamental math problems differently. PMID:29140499

Thermal math model analysis of FRSI test article subjected to cold soak and entry environments. [Flexible Reuseable Surface Insulation in Space Shuttle Orbiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gallegos, J. J.

1978-01-01

A multi-objective test program was conducted at the NASA/JSC Radiant Heat Test Facility in which an aluminum skin/stringer test panel insulated with FRSI (Flexible Reusable Surface Insulation) was subjected to 24 simulated Space Shuttle Orbiter ascent/entry heating cycles with a cold soak in between in the 10th and 20th cycles. A two-dimensional thermal math model was developed and utilized to predict the thermal performance of the FRSI. Results are presented which indicate that the modeling techniques and property values have been proven adequate in predicting peak structure temperatures and entry thermal responses from both an ambient and cold soak condition of an FRSI covered aluminum structure.

Combined Blockade of Interleukin-1α and -1β Signaling Protects Mice from Cognitive Dysfunction after Traumatic Brain Injury

PubMed Central

Newell, Elizabeth A.; Todd, Brittany P.; Mahoney, Jolonda; Pieper, Andrew A.; Ferguson, Polly J.

2018-01-01

Abstract Diffuse activation of interleukin-1 inflammatory cytokine signaling after traumatic brain injury (TBI) elicits progressive neurodegeneration and neuropsychiatric dysfunction, and thus represents a potential opportunity for therapeutic intervention. Although interleukin (IL)-1α and IL-1β both activate the common type 1 IL-1 receptor (IL-1RI), they manifest distinct injury-specific roles in some models of neurodegeneration. Despite its potential relevance to treating patients with TBI, however, the individual contributions of IL-1α and IL-1β to TBI-pathology have not been previously investigated. To address this need, we applied genetic and pharmacologic approaches in mice to dissect the individual contributions of IL-1α, IL-β, and IL-1RI signaling to the pathophysiology of fluid percussion–mediated TBI, a model of mixed focal and diffuse TBI. IL-1RI ablation conferred a greater protective effect on brain cytokine expression and cognitive function after TBI than did individual IL-1α or IL-1β ablation. This protective effect was recapitulated by treatment with the drug anakinra, a recombinant naturally occurring IL-1RI antagonist. Our data thus suggest that broad targeting of IL-1RI signaling is more likely to reduce neuroinflammation and preserve cognitive function after TBI than are approaches that individually target IL-1α or IL-1β signaling. PMID:29662944

Combined Blockade of Interleukin-1α and -1β Signaling Protects Mice from Cognitive Dysfunction after Traumatic Brain Injury.

PubMed

Newell, Elizabeth A; Todd, Brittany P; Mahoney, Jolonda; Pieper, Andrew A; Ferguson, Polly J; Bassuk, Alexander G

2018-01-01

Diffuse activation of interleukin-1 inflammatory cytokine signaling after traumatic brain injury (TBI) elicits progressive neurodegeneration and neuropsychiatric dysfunction, and thus represents a potential opportunity for therapeutic intervention. Although interleukin (IL)-1α and IL-1β both activate the common type 1 IL-1 receptor (IL-1RI), they manifest distinct injury-specific roles in some models of neurodegeneration. Despite its potential relevance to treating patients with TBI, however, the individual contributions of IL-1α and IL-1β to TBI-pathology have not been previously investigated. To address this need, we applied genetic and pharmacologic approaches in mice to dissect the individual contributions of IL-1α, IL-β, and IL-1RI signaling to the pathophysiology of fluid percussion-mediated TBI, a model of mixed focal and diffuse TBI. IL-1RI ablation conferred a greater protective effect on brain cytokine expression and cognitive function after TBI than did individual IL-1α or IL-1β ablation. This protective effect was recapitulated by treatment with the drug anakinra, a recombinant naturally occurring IL-1RI antagonist. Our data thus suggest that broad targeting of IL-1RI signaling is more likely to reduce neuroinflammation and preserve cognitive function after TBI than are approaches that individually target IL-1α or IL-1β signaling.

IL-15 Deficient Tax Mice Reveal a Role for IL-1α in Tumor Immunity

PubMed Central

Rauch, Daniel A.; Harding, John C.; Ratner, Lee

2014-01-01

IL-15 is recognized as a promising candidate for tumor immunotherapy and has been described as both a promoter of cancer and a promoter of anti-cancer immunity. IL-15 was discovered in cells transformed by HTLV-1, the etiologic agent of adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) and the human retrovirus that carries the Tax oncogene. We have developed the TAX-LUC mouse model of ATL in which Tax expression drives both malignant transformation and luciferase expression, enabling non-invasive imaging of tumorigenesis in real time. To identify the role of IL-15 in spontaneous development of lymphoma in vivo, an IL-15−/− TAX-LUC strain was developed and examined. The absence of IL-15 resulted in aggressive tumor growth and accelerated mortality and demonstrated that IL-15 was not required for Tax-mediated lymphoma but was essential for anti-tumor immunity. Further analysis revealed a unique transcriptional profile in tumor cells that arise in the absence of IL-15 that included a significant increase in the expression of IL-1α and IL-1α-regulated cytokines. Moreover, anti-IL-1α antibodies and an IL-1 receptor antagonist (Anakinra) were used to interrogate the potential of IL-1α targeted therapies in this model. Taken together, these findings identify IL-15 and IL-1α as therapeutic targets in lymphoma. PMID:24416335

Murine and math models for the level of stable mixed chimerism to cure beta-thalassemia by nonmyeloablative bone marrow transplantation.

PubMed

Roberts, Carla; Kean, Leslie; Archer, David; Balkan, Can; Hsu, Lewis L

2005-01-01

Stable mixed chimeric stem cell transplantation in hemoglobinopathies exploits shorter erythroid survival in hemolytic anemias, providing normal donor red blood cells with a competitive survival advantage. This study examined the level of stable mixed chimerism necessary for complete hematological cure of the thalassemic phenotype, using a nonmyeloablative busulfan chemotherapeutic preparation. Thalassemic mice transplanted from congenic wild-type donors developed partial mixed chimerism. Hematologic cure required >80% donor red blood cells and only >13% donor white blood cells. Murine and human transplant results were compared with a math model for survival advantage of donor peripheral blood cells produced by steady-state chimeric marrow.

Augmentation of Antitumor Immunity by Human and Mouse CAR T Cells Secreting IL-18.

PubMed

Hu, Biliang; Ren, Jiangtao; Luo, Yanping; Keith, Brian; Young, Regina M; Scholler, John; Zhao, Yangbing; June, Carl H

2017-09-26

The effects of transgenically encoded human and mouse IL-18 on T cell proliferation and its application in boosting chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells are presented. Robust enhancement of proliferation of IL-18-secreting human T cells occurred in a xenograft model, and this was dependent on TCR and IL-18R signaling. IL-18 augmented IFN-γ secretion and proliferation of T cells activated by the endogenous TCR. TCR-deficient, human IL-18-expressing CD19 CAR T cells exhibited enhanced proliferation and antitumor activity in the xenograft model. Antigen-propelled activation of cytokine helper ensemble (APACHE) CAR T cells displayed inducible expression of IL-18 and enhanced antitumor immunity. In an intact mouse tumor model, CD19-IL-18 CAR T cells induced deeper B cell aplasia, significantly enhanced CAR T cell proliferation, and effectively augmented antitumor effects in mice with B16F10 melanoma. These findings point to a strategy to develop universal CAR T cells for patients with solid tumors. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Role of Interleukin-10 in Acute Brain Injuries

PubMed Central

Garcia, Joshua M.; Stillings, Stephanie A.; Leclerc, Jenna L.; Phillips, Harrison; Edwards, Nancy J.; Robicsek, Steven A.; Hoh, Brian L.; Blackburn, Spiros; Doré, Sylvain

2017-01-01

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is an important anti-inflammatory cytokine expressed in response to brain injury, where it facilitates the resolution of inflammatory cascades, which if prolonged causes secondary brain damage. Here, we comprehensively review the current knowledge regarding the role of IL-10 in modulating outcomes following acute brain injury, including traumatic brain injury (TBI) and the various stroke subtypes. The vascular endothelium is closely tied to the pathophysiology of these neurological disorders and research has demonstrated clear vascular endothelial protective properties for IL-10. In vitro and in vivo models of ischemic stroke have convincingly directly and indirectly shown IL-10-mediated neuroprotection; although clinically, the role of IL-10 in predicting risk and outcomes is less clear. Comparatively, conclusive studies investigating the contribution of IL-10 in subarachnoid hemorrhage are lacking. Weak indirect evidence supporting the protective role of IL-10 in preclinical models of intracerebral hemorrhage exists; however, in the limited number of clinical studies, higher IL-10 levels seen post-ictus have been associated with worse outcomes. Similarly, preclinical TBI models have suggested a neuroprotective role for IL-10; although, controversy exists among the several clinical studies. In summary, while IL-10 is consistently elevated following acute brain injury, the effect of IL-10 appears to be pathology dependent, and preclinical and clinical studies often paradoxically yield opposite results. The pronounced and potent effects of IL-10 in the resolution of inflammation and inconsistency in the literature regarding the contribution of IL-10 in the setting of acute brain injury warrant further rigorously controlled and targeted investigation. PMID:28659854

Interleukin-1 may link helplessness-hopelessness with cancer progression: a proposed model.

PubMed

Argaman, Miriam; Gidron, Yori; Ariad, Shmuel

2005-01-01

A model of the relations between psychological factors and cancer progression should include brain and systemic components and their link with critical cellular stages in cancer progression. We present a psychoneuroimmunological (PNI) model that links helplessness-hopelessness (HH) with cancer progression via interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta). IL-1beta was elevated in the brain following exposure to inescapable shock, and HH was minimized by antagonizing cerebral IL-1beta. Elevated cerebral IL-1beta increased cancer metastasis in animals. Inescapable shock was associated with systemic elevations of IL-1beta and peripheral IL-1beta was associated with escape from apoptosis, angiogenesis, and metastasis. Involvement of the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis are discussed. Future studies need to identify the role of additional factors in this PNI pathway.

Modeling of Instrument Landing System (ILS) localizer signal on runway 25L at Los Angeles International Airport

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hueschen, Richard M.; Knox, Charles E.

1994-01-01

A joint NASA/FAA flight test has been made to record instrument landing system (ILS) localizer receiver signals for use in mathematically modeling the ILS localizer for future simulation studies and airplane flight tracking tasks. The flight test was conducted on a portion of the ILS localizer installed on runway 25L at the Los Angeles International Airport. The tests covered the range from 10 to 32 n.mi. from the localizer antenna. Precision radar tracking information was compared with the recorded localizer deviation data. Data analysis showed that the ILS signal centerline was offset to the left of runway centerline by 0.071 degrees and that no significant bends existed on the localizer beam. Suggested simulation models for the ILS localizer are formed from a statistical analysis.

Model Based Targeting of IL-6-Induced Inflammatory Responses in Cultured Primary Hepatocytes to Improve Application of the JAK Inhibitor Ruxolitinib

PubMed Central

Sobotta, Svantje; Raue, Andreas; Huang, Xiaoyun; Vanlier, Joep; Jünger, Anja; Bohl, Sebastian; Albrecht, Ute; Hahnel, Maximilian J.; Wolf, Stephanie; Mueller, Nikola S.; D'Alessandro, Lorenza A.; Mueller-Bohl, Stephanie; Boehm, Martin E.; Lucarelli, Philippe; Bonefas, Sandra; Damm, Georg; Seehofer, Daniel; Lehmann, Wolf D.; Rose-John, Stefan; van der Hoeven, Frank; Gretz, Norbert; Theis, Fabian J.; Ehlting, Christian; Bode, Johannes G.; Timmer, Jens; Schilling, Marcel; Klingmüller, Ursula

2017-01-01

IL-6 is a central mediator of the immediate induction of hepatic acute phase proteins (APP) in the liver during infection and after injury, but increased IL-6 activity has been associated with multiple pathological conditions. In hepatocytes, IL-6 activates JAK1-STAT3 signaling that induces the negative feedback regulator SOCS3 and expression of APPs. While different inhibitors of IL-6-induced JAK1-STAT3-signaling have been developed, understanding their precise impact on signaling dynamics requires a systems biology approach. Here we present a mathematical model of IL-6-induced JAK1-STAT3 signaling that quantitatively links physiological IL-6 concentrations to the dynamics of IL-6-induced signal transduction and expression of target genes in hepatocytes. The mathematical model consists of coupled ordinary differential equations (ODE) and the model parameters were estimated by a maximum likelihood approach, whereas identifiability of the dynamic model parameters was ensured by the Profile Likelihood. Using model simulations coupled with experimental validation we could optimize the long-term impact of the JAK-inhibitor Ruxolitinib, a therapeutic compound that is quickly metabolized. Model-predicted doses and timing of treatments helps to improve the reduction of inflammatory APP gene expression in primary mouse hepatocytes close to levels observed during regenerative conditions. The concept of improved efficacy of the inhibitor through multiple treatments at optimized time intervals was confirmed in primary human hepatocytes. Thus, combining quantitative data generation with mathematical modeling suggests that repetitive treatment with Ruxolitinib is required to effectively target excessive inflammatory responses without exceeding doses recommended by the clinical guidelines. PMID:29062282

Model Based Targeting of IL-6-Induced Inflammatory Responses in Cultured Primary Hepatocytes to Improve Application of the JAK Inhibitor Ruxolitinib.

PubMed

Sobotta, Svantje; Raue, Andreas; Huang, Xiaoyun; Vanlier, Joep; Jünger, Anja; Bohl, Sebastian; Albrecht, Ute; Hahnel, Maximilian J; Wolf, Stephanie; Mueller, Nikola S; D'Alessandro, Lorenza A; Mueller-Bohl, Stephanie; Boehm, Martin E; Lucarelli, Philippe; Bonefas, Sandra; Damm, Georg; Seehofer, Daniel; Lehmann, Wolf D; Rose-John, Stefan; van der Hoeven, Frank; Gretz, Norbert; Theis, Fabian J; Ehlting, Christian; Bode, Johannes G; Timmer, Jens; Schilling, Marcel; Klingmüller, Ursula

2017-01-01

IL-6 is a central mediator of the immediate induction of hepatic acute phase proteins (APP) in the liver during infection and after injury, but increased IL-6 activity has been associated with multiple pathological conditions. In hepatocytes, IL-6 activates JAK1-STAT3 signaling that induces the negative feedback regulator SOCS3 and expression of APPs. While different inhibitors of IL-6-induced JAK1-STAT3-signaling have been developed, understanding their precise impact on signaling dynamics requires a systems biology approach. Here we present a mathematical model of IL-6-induced JAK1-STAT3 signaling that quantitatively links physiological IL-6 concentrations to the dynamics of IL-6-induced signal transduction and expression of target genes in hepatocytes. The mathematical model consists of coupled ordinary differential equations (ODE) and the model parameters were estimated by a maximum likelihood approach, whereas identifiability of the dynamic model parameters was ensured by the Profile Likelihood. Using model simulations coupled with experimental validation we could optimize the long-term impact of the JAK-inhibitor Ruxolitinib, a therapeutic compound that is quickly metabolized. Model-predicted doses and timing of treatments helps to improve the reduction of inflammatory APP gene expression in primary mouse hepatocytes close to levels observed during regenerative conditions. The concept of improved efficacy of the inhibitor through multiple treatments at optimized time intervals was confirmed in primary human hepatocytes. Thus, combining quantitative data generation with mathematical modeling suggests that repetitive treatment with Ruxolitinib is required to effectively target excessive inflammatory responses without exceeding doses recommended by the clinical guidelines.

Rocking media over ex vivo corneas improves this model and allows the study of the effect of proinflammatory cytokines on wound healing.

PubMed

Deshpande, Pallavi; Ortega, Ílida; Sefat, Farshid; Sangwan, Virender S; Green, Nicola; Claeyssens, Frederik; MacNeil, Sheila

2015-02-05

The aim of this work was to develop an in vitro cornea model to study the effect of proinflammatory cytokines on wound healing. Initial studies investigated how to maintain the ex vivo models for up to 4 weeks without loss of epithelium. To study the effect of cytokines, corneas were cultured with the interleukins IL-17A, IL-22, or a combination of IL-17A and IL-22, or lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The effect of IL-17A on wound healing was then examined. With static culture conditions, organ cultures deteriorated within 2 weeks. With gentle rocking of media over the corneas and carbon dioxide perfusion, the ex vivo models survived for up to 4 weeks without loss of epithelium. The cytokine that caused the most damage to the cornea was IL-17A. Under static conditions, wound healing of the central corneal epithelium occurred within 9 days, but only a single-layered epithelium formed whether the cornea was exposed to IL-17A or not. With rocking of media gently over the corneas, a multilayered epithelium was achieved 9 days after wounding. In the presence of IL-17A, however, there was no wound healing evident. Characterization of the cells showed that wherever epithelium was present, both differentiated cells and highly proliferative cells were present. We propose that introducing rocking to extend the effective working life of this model and the introduction of IL-17A to this model to induce aspects of inflammation extend its usefulness to study the effects of agents that influence corneal regeneration under normal and inflamed conditions. Copyright 2015 The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Inc.

Role of Interleukin-1 Signaling in a Mouse Model of Kawasaki Disease-Associated Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.

PubMed

Wakita, Daiko; Kurashima, Yosuke; Crother, Timothy R; Noval Rivas, Magali; Lee, Youngho; Chen, Shuang; Fury, Wen; Bai, Yu; Wagner, Shawn; Li, Debiao; Lehman, Thomas; Fishbein, Michael C; Hoffman, Hal M; Shah, Prediman K; Shimada, Kenichi; Arditi, Moshe

2016-05-01

Kawasaki disease (KD) is the most common cause of acquired cardiac disease in US children. In addition to coronary artery abnormalities and aneurysms, it can be associated with systemic arterial aneurysms. We evaluated the development of systemic arterial dilatation and aneurysms, including abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in the Lactobacillus casei cell-wall extract (LCWE)-induced KD vasculitis mouse model. We discovered that in addition to aortitis, coronary arteritis and myocarditis, the LCWE-induced KD mouse model is also associated with abdominal aorta dilatation and AAA, as well as renal and iliac artery aneurysms. AAA induced in KD mice was exclusively infrarenal, both fusiform and saccular, with intimal proliferation, myofibroblastic proliferation, break in the elastin layer, vascular smooth muscle cell loss, and inflammatory cell accumulation in the media and adventitia. Il1r(-/-), Il1a(-/-), and Il1b(-/-) mice were protected from KD associated AAA. Infiltrating CD11c(+) macrophages produced active caspase-1, and caspase-1 or NLRP3 deficiency inhibited AAA formation. Treatment with interleukin (IL)-1R antagonist (Anakinra), anti-IL-1α, or anti-IL-1β mAb blocked LCWE-induced AAA formation. Similar to clinical KD, the LCWE-induced KD vasculitis mouse model can also be accompanied by AAA formation. Both IL-1α and IL-1β play a key role, and use of an IL-1R blocking agent that inhibits both pathways may be a promising therapeutic target not only for KD coronary arteritis, but also for the other systemic arterial aneurysms including AAA that maybe seen in severe cases of KD. The LCWE-induced vasculitis model may also represent an alternative model for AAA disease. © 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.

Earth's copper resources estimated from tectonic diffusion of porphyry copper deposits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kesler, Stephen E.; Wilkinson, Bruce H.

2008-03-01

Improved estimates of global mineral endowments are relevantto issues ranging from strategic planning to global geochemicalcycling. We have used a time-space model for the tectonic migrationof porphyry copper deposits vertically through the crust tocalculate Earth's endowment of copper in mineral deposits. Themodel relies only on knowledge of numbers and ages of porphyrycopper deposits, Earth's most widespread and important sourceof copper, in order to estimate numbers of eroded and preserveddeposits in the crust. Model results indicate that 125,895 porphyrycopper deposits were formed during Phanerozoic time, that only47,789 of these remain at various crustal depths, and that thesecontain 1.7 x 1011 tonnes (t) of copper. Assuming that othertypes of copper deposits behave similarly in the crust and haveabundances proportional to their current global production yieldsan estimate of 3 x 1011 t for total global copper resourcesat all levels in Earth's crust. Thus, 0.25% of the copper inthe crust has been concentrated into deposits through Phanerozoictime, and about two-thirds of this has been recycled by upliftand erosion. The amount of copper in deposits above 3.3 km,a likely limit of future mining, could supply current worldmine production for 5500 yr, thus quantifying the highly unusualand nonrenewable nature of mineral deposits.