The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine a problem of practice present in an actual school district. The study examined the achievement gap that existed between African American and European American students in eighth grade science. Over the course of one school year, the perceptions of five eighth grade science teachers and an administrative team’s series of strategies were explored in a suburban middle school in Southeast Texas. Since the enactment of the federal No Child Left Behind Act (2001), the achievement gap has been discussed and studied. However, few studies have investigated the strategies used by teachers to close the achievement gap for African American students who attend suburban schools. This study examined the perceptions of five science teachers about the achievement gap at one suburban middle school, and identified and described the teaching methods and practices, aimed at closing the achievement gap as measured by the performance of African American students on the eighth grade Science Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test. Participants were the eighth grade science teachers at the chosen school. The results yielded a reduction in the achievement gap for African American students in eighth grade science on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills; 90% of the African American students passed the Science TAKS test in comparison to the 77% pass rate the previous school year. Member checking and peer debriefing were used to establish trustworthiness. Recommendations for future study include a comparison of culturally responsive teaching and Quantum Learning (2008) strategies, as well as areplication of the identified strategies in the study to other suburban and urban schools, and districts.

The aim of this study is to investigate the place of the students&amp / #8223 / native culture in the English language classrooms in the context of the English 101 course at Middle East Technical University. In accordance with this aim, the study is concerned with revealing the opinions and beliefs of language teachers regarding the importance of integrating the students&amp / #8223 / native cultures into their classes and their attitudes about practicing culturally responsive teaching in multi-cultural classrooms. During the process of data collection, various methods were utilized: Five teachers working in the Department of Modern Languages were interviewed to learn their ideas about the topic from different aspects of language instruction, and two teachers were observed while teaching to better understand the classroom application of their ideas and the principles of culturally responsive teaching. Further post-observation interviews and stimulated recalls were also carried out to make an in-depth analysis. The results of the study show that although the teachers believe in the importance of making use of the students&amp / #8223 / native cultures in their classrooms through different means, they usually neglect to do so. The study also shows that what the teachers associate with the term &ldquo / culture&rdquo / in the context of language teaching is the target culture rather than the native cultures. It is also found that while the individual cultures of the foreign students are made use of to a greater degree (but still in a very limited fashion), the native cultures of the Turkish students are ignored during the instruction.

Drug delivery systems are designed to achieve low, local doses at the target site. Delivery systems can provide the drug in a continuous manner or in response to environmental stimuli such as temperature, pH or UV. This study aimed to develop photosensitive liposomes that achieve UV-responsive release of their content. The main mechanism was to incorporate a light sensitive molecule into the liposomal bilayer then achieve destabilization of the membrane by exposure to UV. This would result in an on demand release of the bioactive content. Suprofen, a nonstereoidal anti-inflammatory drug, also a light sensitive molecule, was selected to achieve the destabilization in this study. Lipid vesicles were prepared with different ratios of phosphatidyl choline, cholesterol and Suprofen (PC:CHOL:SPF) and characterized in terms of encapsulation efficiency, release rate and responsiveness to UV. Preliminary studies were carried out with calcein (CAL), a fluorescent dye, due to the ease of detection and the in vitro studies were carried out with the cancer drug Cisplatin.

Advances in communication and information technologies, as well as recent developments in computer technology, material research and sensor networks instigate the studies on active and dynamic environments, which call for the participation of the human and the machine in the definition of responsiveness in architecture. The thesis aims to provide for an ontological inquiry on responsiveness and responsive environments by undertaking an overview of the extensive interest in the responsive experience in architecture. It scrutinizes the field of responsive environments with a particular focus on the machinic approaches that (re)problematize the human-machine interaction. For this purpose, the thesis relates the concept of responsiveness with the machinism debate and considers the associations between the body, the human-machine interaction and the condition of embodiment in responsive environments. The machinism debate is discussed in reference to responsiveness and assesses the issue of embodiment and human-machine interaction in responsive environments. By reflecting on the human-machine interaction, the re-conceptualization of the issue of embodiment is rendered in reference to the body, the definition of which arises from the relations between the body, the environment and the machine, continuously updated during their interaction. The thesis identifies this altered concept of the body as a significant stimulation for new modes of human-machine interaction as it enables the embodiment of relations in relation to the body and initiates the re-conceptualization of both embodiment and human-machine interaction. In this respect, the thesis presents an assessment of the nature of human-machine interaction and its re-problematization in responsive environments, where the challenged conditions of body and embodiment are discussed in reference to debates in the philosophy of mind on different interpretations of the mind-body relationship. Referring to particular examples from different periods and contexts, the consequences of embracing machinic approaches in the definition of responsive environments are considered, where the dissolution of dichotomies between human and machine, subject and object, human and non-human, and mind and body are questioned in line with these transformations.

Mutants showing developmental hyper-responsiveness to limited light were screened and designated as seedlings hyper-responsive to light (shl). These mutants showed an etiolated phenotype similar to wild type in the dark, yet had shorter hypocotyls, larger cotyledons, and more advanced development of true leaves than wild type in low light. The SHL genes act (genetically) as light-dependent negative regulators of photomorphogenesis, possibly in a downstream signaling or developmental pathway that is shared by the major photoreceptor genes (CRY1, PHYA, and PHYB) and other photoreceptors (CRY2, PHYC, PHYD, and PHYE). shl1 and shl2 were shown to be partially dependent on HY5 activity for their light-hyperresponsive phenotypes. shl1-1 showed a defect in responding to auxin in its root development in both white and yellow light conditions, and showed a defect in responding to auxin in hypocotyl elongation in yellow light. Compared to wild type, both shl1-1 and shl2-2 showed increased hypocotyl length in response to cytokinin in white light. Gibberellin (GA) partially recovered shl1-1 mutant phenotype in yellow light, whereas showed no effect on hypocotyl elongation of shl2-2 in this light condition. These altered responses of shl1-1 and shl2-2 to multiple phytohormones in different light regimes suggests that cross-talks among light and hormones regulate SHL1 and SHL2. One of the SHL genes, SHL2 was cloned by map-based positional cloning and shown to be allelic to the previously identified locus designated murus3(mur3) and katamari1(kam1). MUR3/KAM1 encodes a XyG galactosyltransferase. Sequence analysis demonstrated that our original EMS generated reference allele shl2-2 is probably not a null mutant, therefore the phenotypes of T-DNA insertion null mutant in SHL2, SALK_074435 were studied in different light conditions. Unlike shl2-2, SALK_074435 had a slightly short hypocotyl phenotype in the dark (though not to the extent of the det/cop/fus mutants). A consideration of the phenotypes and molecular lesions of shl2-2 and mur3 alleles, along with the phenotypes of null alleles kam1 and SALK_74435, suggests that SHL2/MUR3/KAM1 may be involved in hypocotyl elongation in low light through the modification of xyloglucan in the plant cell wall, and may play a role in hypocotyl elongation in the dark through proper organization of the endomembrane.

Multimedia performances, uniting music and interactive images, are a unique form of entertainment that has been explored by artists for centuries. This audio-visual combination has evolved from rudimentary devices generating visuals for single instruments to cutting-edge video image productions for musical groups of all sizes. Throughout this evolution, a common goal has been to create real-time, audio-responsive visuals that accentuate the sound and enhance the performance. This paper explains the creation of a project that produces real-time, audioresponsive and artist interactive visuals to accompany a live musical performance by a symphony orchestra. On April 23, 2006, this project was performed live with the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra. The artist, onstage during the performance, controlled the visual presentation through a user interactive, custom computer program. Using the power of current visualization technology, this digital program was written to manipulate and synchronize images to a musical work. This program uses pre-processed video footage chosen to reflect the energy of the music. The integration of the video imagery into the program became a reiterative testing process that allowed for important adjustments throughout the visual creation process. Other artists are encouraged to use this as a guideline for creating their own audio-visual projects exploring the union of visuals and music.

Strain engineering is used as a means of manufacturing micro- and nano- scale particles with the ability to reversibly alter their geometry from three dimensional tubes to two dimensional flat layers. These particles are formed from a bi-layer of two dissimilar materials, one of which is the elastomeric material polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), deposited under stress on a sacrificial substrate. Upon the release of the bi-layer structure from the substrate, interfacial residual stress is released resulting in the formation of tubes or coils. These particles possess the ability to dramatically alter their geometry and, consequently, change some properties that are reversible and can be triggered by a stimulus. This work focuses on the material selection and manufacturing of the bi-layer structures used to create the responsive particles and methods for characterizing and controlling the responsive nature of the particles. Furthermore, the potential of using these particles for a capture/release application is explored, and a systematic approach to scale up the manufacturing process for such particles is provided. This includes addressing many of the problems associated with fabricating ultra-thin layers, tuning the size of the particles, understanding how the stress accumulated at the interface of a bi-layer structure can be used as a tool for triggering a response as well as developing methods (i.e. experiments and applications) that allow the demonstration of this response.

Gold nanoshells, a material generally composed of a core of silica surrounded by a thin shell of gold, are of great interest due to their unique and tunable optical properties. By varying the shell thickness and core size, the absorption and scattering properties are greatly enhanced. The nanoshells can be made to absorb or scatter light at various regions across the electromagnetic spectrum, from visible to the near infrared. The ability to tune the optical properties of nanoshells allows for their potential use in many different areas of research such as optical imaging, tumor ablation, drug delivery, and solar energy conversion. The research in this thesis focused on the synthesis and characterization of two novel gold nanoshell materials containing thermally-responsive, organic-inorganic hybrid layers. One type of material was based on a two-layer particle with a thermally responsive hybrid core of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) copolymerized with 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate (MPS) that was then coated with a thin layer of gold. The second material was a three-layer particle with a silica core, a thermally responsive copolymer of NIPAM and MPS middle layer and an outer shell of gold. Various techniques were used to characterize both materials. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to image the particles and dynamic light scattering (DLS) was used to determine particle size and the temperature response. Additionally, UV-Vis spectroscopy was used to characterize the optical properties as a function of temperature.

Urban settings are described in scholarly literature as areas beset with high concentrations of poverty, high incidences of crime and violence, and are typically occupied by high percentages of people of color (McKinney, Flenner, Frazier, & Abrams, 2006; Mitcham, Portman, & Dean, 2009; Vera, 2011). For many children who live in low-income urban school districts, our educational system is failing them (McKinney, Flenner, Frazier, & Abrams, 2006). Swanson-Gehrke (2005) reported that at least two-thirds of these children fail to reach basic levels of achievement in reading. Such dismal achievement results may be attributed to a myriad of issues faced by students living in high poverty that may impede the learning process. Improving the school achievement of these students requires comprehensive knowledge, unshakable convictions, and high-level pedagogical skills (Gay, 2010). The identification of effective instructional practices used to address the academic and social needs of these students has appeared to be an elusive task. The current study focused on this reality by investigating a school that has been able to create systems that result in improved academic and social outcomes of their students. Specifically, the study examined the instructional practices and beliefs of teachers of students of color with disabilities or at-risk of identification of disability at a high-performing high-poverty school.

Although university supervisors have a responsibility to prepare apprentice teachers to become culturally responsive special educators, supervisors themselves may not be qualified or have the requisite experience and training to do so (Jacobs, 2006). Additionally, little is known about how to effectively mentor preservice teachers to engage in critically reflective practice and how to foster culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy (CLRP) to meet the needs of all learners (Athanases et al. 2008; Grant & Zozakiewicz, 1995). Specifically, there is a lack of teacher education research about the specific nature and quality of supervisory conversations that foster critical reflection among special educators who serve exceptional students from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. This study was designed to (a) understand how supervisors engage in supervisory conferences to promote student teachers' critical reflection about CLRP and (b) identify contextual factors that appear to influence the nature and quality of discussions about CLRP in these conversations. Three university supervisors and their five special education student teachers were the participants for this research. Using an interpretivist, qualitative approach, several layers of inductive analysis were applied to multiple data sources: Content analysis was used to examine lesson plans, observation notes, and supervisory conversations for evidence of understanding and application of CLRP. Discourse analysis methods allowed for examination of supervisory conferences: interactional sociolinguistics to understand which participants initiated discussions about CLRP, how these discussions evolved, and tensions around these topics; and pragmatics to understand what types of prompts, statements and questions generated or scaffolded critical thinking in preservice teachers. Instrumental case study methodology was then applied to supervisor-student teacher dyads to identify emergent themes. Findings revealed that discussions about CLRP emerged between each supervisor -- student teacher pair, perhaps due to the presence of a supervisory conference guide. Supervisors used a variety of prompts to engage student teachers in technical, descriptive and dialogic levels; however, critical reflection was not demonstrated in this study. Supervisors seemed underprepared in the skills required to foster a stance of critical reflection in their student teachers. Implications for the preparation of university supervisors and special education teacher education research are presented. / text