University at Albany, State University of New York
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How and Why Teachers Taught About the 2020 U.S. Election: An Analysis of Survey Responses From Twelve States
Get PDFThis study explores social studies teachers’ self-reported instruction about teaching the 2020 election in U.S. secondary schools. We analyzed survey responses from 1,723 secondary social studies teachers from 12 states (3 left-leaning, 3 rightleaning, 6 battleground) collected in the weeks after the election, examining self-reported pedagogies, topics taught, and overall frequency of teaching about the election. Respondents reported teaching about the election more frequently if they taught courses in civics or government and/or if they had greater control over their curricula. Analyses indicated that teachers’ demographic characteristics, teaching contexts, and ideologies about civic education were related to the election-related topics they taught and the instructional practices they employed. Our findings have important implications for educators, administrators, policymakers, and others interested in strengthening civic learning
Characterization and Measurement Limitations Using Non-destructive Mueller Matrix Scatterometry (MMSE) and X-ray Diffraction (xXRD) Techniques for Gate All Around (GAA) Transistor Test Structures: Limitations and Superlattice Effects in Advanced Si/Si(1-x)Ge(x) Superlattice Nanowire Test Structures and Measurability of Simulated Horizontal GAA Test Structures
Get PDFAdvanced semiconductor devices are moving toward 3D geometries due to scaling demands and performance requirements. Nondestructive metrology necessary for process control of 3D structures must be advanced to facilitate their transition from technology development to high volume manufacturing. Thin film metrology using Mueller Matrix Spectroscopic Ellipsometry (MMSE) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) film metrology, as well as patterned structure metrology using Optical Critical Dimension (OCD) and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) techniques have proved capable of measuring the Si/ Si(1-x)Ge(x) superlattices and gate-all-around (GAA) transistor test structures. Because these techniques are indirect, their limitations associated with superlattice device structures need to be further understood. To understand these limitations, a four superlattice layer Si/ Si(1-x)Ge(x)structure was measured at four process steps: as an un-patterned film stack, after anisotropic column etch, and at low and high levels of cavity etch. Cavity etch is the selective etching of exposed parts of the Si(1-x)Ge(x)layers. Thin film samples were analyzed with XRD and MMSE and patterned samples were analyzed using OCD, as well as XRF. An OCD model was developed describing primary and secondary process effects on the structure. This was evaluated for consistency on datasets collected at different measurement azimuth angles. Square error-based methods were evaluated to quantify OCD model detectability of fit variable step deviations, as well as sensitivity relative to the model to measurement error. OCD and XRF results were compared to reference scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) images of Nanowire Test Structures (NWTS) lamellae. Dual azimuth OCD results were achieved showing low spectral mean square error (MSE) and mean matching within 0.3 nm of the STEM cavity etch reference. Results indicate that accurate non-destructive metrology of buried dimensions 3D nanowire test structures can be achieved, making MMSE based OCD metrology a potential candidate for in-line cavity etch process control.
The results of the four-layer superlattice point to the need for hybrid metrology in stacks composed of higher number of superlattice layers. An eight layer superlattice NWTS sample set was analyzed, and a hybrid approach was evaluated where XRD film thickness results were used to define the superlattice structure for OCD measurements. OCD dimensions were then used to model the cavity etch structure for XRF determination of cavity etch . Preliminary results for combined metrology are also presented for eight-layer superlattice structures on intact 300 mm wafers using cleanroom compatible measurement systems
Limb Stiffness Increases with Hopping Frequency and Sprinting Speed in Elite Sprinters
Get PDFDuring sprinting and hopping, the lower limbs act as a mechanical spring as it compresses and recoils to store and release elastic potential energy during each step. This is important because for individuals such as high performing sprinters, the stiffer the spring acting limb is, the more efficient it will be for the sprinter to maintain maximal velocity and optimal performance. The basis of this experiment lies in the fact that the mechanics of the lower limbs are modeled using to the mechanics of a spring, therefore, to calculate an approximate limb stiffness, Hooke’s Law can be used. Hooke’s Law (k=F/L), where k is the spring constant, F is maximum ground force that is produce when the limb makes contact with the ground and L is the change in hip height between the middle of stance phase and initial contact. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the knee or ankle contributes more to limb stiffness and the limb length change. The subjects of this study were 10 high performing track athletes that attended the University of Illinois. All subjects are asked to jump in place, on a force plate at 2,3, and 4 Hz. Sprinting data were collected from a single ground contact near the end of a 60m sprint. All kinematic data such as the knee angle, ankle angle, and hip height was all captured using an optical motion capture system (Motion Analysis Corp.) and the reaction forces was recorded on an AMTI force plate. Data was analyzed using MATLAB and Microsoft Excel. Our results suggested that limb stiffness was dependent on the hopping frequencies, stiffness increases with the increasing in frequencies. With the addition of sprints, we also found that limb stiffness increases with increasing 1/Contact Time. At the same time, ankle and knee angles decrease with the increase in hopping frequencies, which is how stiffness is attained. However, for sprinting, knee and ankle angles increase. These results also suggest that dominant compliancy lies with the ankle
Genus-Specific Probes and Advanced Imaging Technologies for Bacterial Detection in Canine Dental Plaque
Get PDFPeriodontal disease is an inflammation of the gums that can progress to bone resorption in the jaw and eventual tooth loss. A contributor to this disease is the buildup of subgingival and supragingival plaque, which consists of hundreds of bacterial species. To study the bacteria involved in periodontal disease, we use extracted canine teeth as our model. Canines were chosen based on their similarities with humans at the bacterial phylum level, as well as having a similar progression of periodontal disease. However, there are significant differences at lower levels of taxonomy of bacterial abundance and prevalence. The abundance and prevalence of bacteria at the genus level in canines were previously studied and used to create genus-specific probes for CLASI-FISH labeling of a canine tooth. These probes were tested for their specificity to their respective genus by using CLASI-FISH to label the on-target and off-target species and to determine if any cross-hybridization occurs. After labeling, the bacteria were imaged using a confocal microscope and analyzed using FIJI to determine each probe’s average intensities in the different bacteria species. So far, we have concluded that 13 out of the 18 probes are sufficient to be used in labelling the intact plaque of a canine tooth. Using probes with high specificity and little to no cross-hybridization effects will help us to better understand the spatial structures and bacteria relationships in canine dental plaque, which could be further used for therapeutic studies to combat periodontal disease
Malaysia in 2023: Reconsolidation Under Pressure
Get PDFPrime minister Anwar Ibrahim steered his cobbled-together government through economic and sociocultural challenges in 2023, emerging stable but spooked. State-level elections in August sustained each party’s roster of states, but with declining margins for Anwar’s coalition. Fiscal pressures—high debt, declining revenues, rising cost of living, and a persistently weak currency—constrained room for maneuver, while state-level and societal cultural contests tested Malaysia’s multiracial, multireligious tolerance
‘Making of a Woman Minister’ Rev. Annis Ford Eastman and Elmira, New York
Get PDFThis paper explores the life and career of one of the United States’ first female ministers, Rev. Annis Ford Eastman (1852-1910). Remembered today as being the author of Mark Twain’s eulogy and as the mother of American writer Max Eastman and co-author of the Equal Rights Amendment Crystal Eastman, the Reverend Eastman had a career that was exceptional in its own right. Reverend Eastman was ordained when it was practically unheard of for a woman to preach. Not only was she ordained but she was invited to speak at national conferences and was frequently published in religious and civic journals. Despite her skills as an orator, author, and theologian, her career was actualized, in part, because of her relationship with her husband, Rev. Samuel Eastman. Another contributing factor to her ordination was its location. The Eastmans moved around New York State’s Burned-Over District before settling in Elmira, just north of the Pennsylvania border. While the Burned-Over District had a rightful reputation for militant progressivism, Elmira was unique in its political situation. Mid-nineteenth-century Elmira was a hotbed for radical religious and political thought under the control of a politically progressive railroad tycoon. Annis Eastman’s career reached its peak in the 1890s, as the United States transitioned between the Gilded Age and the Progressive Era. Her position as a woman minister and the politics that she espoused given her platform are emblematic of that shift
Remedying Educational Opportunity Program Freshmen\u27s Knowledge of Fractions and Views of Mathematics Learning with Serious Video Games
Get PDFWell-designed serious video games have great potential in mathematics education. This study aims to enrich our understanding of Slice Fractions and Slice Fractions 2 as remedy tools for college freshmen in an educational opportunities program. Specifically, drawing on resources-based epistemic cognition theory and scheme theory, the study investigated fourteen participants’ perspectives and experiences of playing these games, the impacts of the gameplay on their fraction schemes/operations and explicit conceptions of fractions, practices in fraction problem-solving, and views of mathematics learning. With a quasi-experimental design, each participant finished a pre-game interview and assessment, played SF1 or SF2, and completed a post-game interview and assessment. The findings reveal the productive game designs suggested by the gameplay and perceived by the players. A preliminary examination of the interaction between prior video game experience and gameplay of SF1 and SF2 shows that the games effectively elicit knowledge of fractions to a similar extent among non-gamers and gamers. The findings also suggest that playing SF1 and SF2 supports the construction of fraction schemes/operations, the development of a better understanding of fractions from multiple perspectives, and improvements in making sense of various operations with fractions. The study contributes to a deepened understanding of how well-designed serious video games support math learning
