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Under våren 2005 gick uppsatsförfattaren med i en mentorsgrupp som fanns på Komvux Kronborg i Malmö. Syftet var dels att genomföra sitt examensarbete och dels att bidra till skolans, men framförallt till elevernas utveckling och intressen för studierna. Under sommaren arbetades det samman ett förslag till ett mentorsprogram. Förslaget gick ut på att man, i stället för att arbeta med traditionella samtal mellan mentor och elev, skulle arbeta med värderingsövningar och en form av coaching eleverna mellan. Syftet med denna metod var dels att spara tid och dels att stimulera elevernas kontakt med varandra. Mentorerna, från början fem stycken, testade under hösten förslaget i varsin klass. Resultatet har sett olika ut i de olika klasserna men överlag har det varit positivt. Under vårterminen 2006 har mentorsförsöket fortgått löpande. Det ursprungliga förslaget på mentorsmodell är reducerat utifrån de lärdomar gruppen fått efter höstens försök. Detta innebär att grunden och tanken från förslaget är densamma, men att vissa ändringar är gjorda utifrån gruppens önskemål, bl.a. har antalet gånger för arrangerad verksamhet blivit två istället för tre. Resultatet har varit positivt vad gäller mottagandet hos eleverna, dock har problemen som en kursanpassad skola medfört, lagt hinder i vägen för en fortsättning av projektet i den form som testats under de gångna två terminerna. I stället kommer detta projekt att fortgå i en annan form och bland annat kommer en bank med övningar liknande de vi testat under dessa två terminer att läggas ut på intranätet.

The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of urban elementary school principals in relation to co-teaching and their co-teacher selection process. Three elementary school principals who exemplify characteristics of shared, ethical, and transformational leadership from a large urban school district in the southern United States were interviewed. The findings from the interviews were utilized to create a Likert-type survey to be administered to select co-teachers and select teachers not co-teaching at each of the three schools. The interview data were examined using Hycner's guidelines for phenomenological analysis. The Likert-type surveys administered to co-teachers and teachers not co-teaching served as sources of information for triangulation. The findings of the study led to the emergence of 13 themes addressing the three research questions. The resulting themes were (a) open communication with staff, (b) team approach to decision-making, (c) teacher leadership, (d) parental involvement encouraged, (e) positive relationship with staff, (f) professional growth encouraged, (g) volunteers selected for co-teaching, (h) co-teachers select partners, (i) co-teaching option presented to entire teaching staff, (j) personal involvement in co-teaching selection process, (k) multifaceted selection criteria, (l) principals involved teachers in the pairing procedure, and (m) recruitment procedures were aligned with best practices. This study has contributed additional evidence supportive of best practices in co-teaching and leadership and suggests a link between effective leadership practices and the facilitation of co-teaching teams and co-teacher selection processes. Recommendations for future research address the areas of (a) principal experience, (b) length of co-teaching model, (c) principal personal involvement, (d) study participant size, (e) study subjects, and (f) link between leadership practices and co-teaching selection procedures.

The recent revisions to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (2004) and the passing of the No Child Left Behind Act (2001) promoted a movement toward meaningful inclusion, which has led to an increase in interest in co-teaching (Friend, Cook, Hurley-Chamberlain, & Shamberger, 2010; Nichols, Dowdy, & Nichols, 2010). When co-teaching is effectively executed both students with and without disabilities benefit academically and socially (Friend & Cook, 2007). Researchers indicate that a key factor in effective co-teaching is administrative support (Friend et al.; Dieker & Murawski, 2003; Murawski & Dieker, 2008; Murawski & Dieker, 2004; Scruggs et al., 2007). The purpose of this study was to identify the policies and practices used by effective principals who have led the implementation of co-teaching in their schools. The researcher interviewed three middle school principals in a large urban school district to ascertain the essence of their experiences. The principals were identified as highly effective by their most recent principal evaluation system. The interview data were examined using Hycner's guidelines for phenomenological analysis. Triangulation occurred through a survey and review of documents. The co-teaching teams from the participating principals' schools completed a Likert-type survey. The researcher reviewed the schools' master schedules, School Improvement Plan, and Action Plan. Analysis of the participating principals' interview data has identified themes. These themes included: (a) preparing the setting, (b) preparing co-teaching teams, (c) necessary co-teacher skill sets, (d) utilizing the leadership team, (e) purposeful selection of co-teaching staff, (f) addressing barriers, (g) culture supporting knowledgeable co-teachers, (h) traits of effective co-teachers, (i) expectations of co-teachers, (j) motivating co-teachers, and (k) attaining buy-in through support and culture.

<p> The characteristics of small-signal gain in a TE CO₂ laser amplifier are investigated using a new technique based on gain measurements of the sequence, hot and regular CO₂ laser bands. This new technique enables us, for the first time, to determine accurately the rotational and vibrational temperatures characterizing the CO₂ laser system. The gain ratio of the sequence band to the regular band provides a simple and accurate determination of the ν₃ mode vibrational temperature. The variation of this ν₃ mode vibrational temperature with discharge energy enables us to determine the net pumping efficiency to the ν₃ mode levels as a function of input energy. It is found that the ν₃ mode vibrational temperature saturates at high input energy. This saturation sets an upper limit to the gain attainable in TE CO₂ laser amplifiers. Once this saturation occurs, increasing background gas temperature causes a reduction in gain at high input energy. </p> <p> As we can measure all the characteristic temperatures relevant to the gain medium, a comparison between the calculated and experimental gain can be carried out with no adjustable parameters. The result of such a direct comparison confirms both the validity of the conventional "mode temperature" model for CO₂ laser dynamics and the validity of our measurement technique for vibrational temperatures. </p> <p> The results of the present study have shown the existence of a de-excitation mechanism occurring in the discharge, which reduces drastically the pumping efficiency to the ν₃ mode at high discharge energy. It is therefore essential to incorporate such a de-excitation mechanism in the accurate modeling of CO₂ laser dynamics. The present study contributes to a better understanding of CO₂ laser dynamics at high discharge energies. </p> / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Background: Hemophilia A is X-linked recessive congenital bleeding disorder. Exogenous infusion of FVIII is the treatment of choice in hemophilia A patients. However, inhibitor development remains the major problem in management of Hemophilia A. It has been showed that IVIG has immunomodulatory effects and it has been being used in the treatment of several autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. Here, we investigated the effect of co-administration of FVIII with IVIG on the development of inhibitor in naive and previously immunized hemophilia A mice. Methods: Initially, hemophiliac mice were immunized by weekly intraperitoneal injection of human recombinant FVIII (rFVIII). The mice then were treated, either by rFVIII/IVIG co-injection or rFVIII alone. In the other experimental group, naive hemophiliac mice were treated with rFVIII/IVIG co-injection for four weeks followed by injection of either rFVIII or rFVIII/IVIG. Plasma's anti-FVIII Ab titer was measured using ELISA. Results: Weekly injection of rFVIII led to the development of anti-FVIII Ab in all previously untreated mice. Treatment of those immunized mice with rFVIII/IVIG co-injection did not reduce the level of pre-existing Ab. On the other hand, naive mice treated with rFVIII/IVIG co-injection showed significantly less Ab titer compared to the mice received rFVIII alone after 4 weeks (mean Ab titre of 1 compared to 39, in rFVIII/IVIG co-injection and rFVIII groups respectively). Although the rFVIII/IVIG-treated mice developed immune response following the injection of rFVIII alone, Ab titer in those that kept receiving rFVIII/IVIG co-injection remained lower compared to other groups during the whole twelve weeks of the experiment. Conclusions: Co-injection of rFVIII with IVIG decreased the anti-FVIII immune response in previously untreated hemophilia A mice. These findings suggest that IVIG co-administration can be effective in management of hemophilia A patients at risk of inhibitor development. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

Collaborative teaching may provide classroom support, professional development, and mentoring for teachers (Gallo-Fox & Scantlebury, 2016; Guise et al., 2017; Friend et al., 2015; Rytivaara et al., 2019). Recent scholarship in music education has indicated that collaborative teaching may also provide a more holistic approach to student teacher preparation (Kim, 2020; Palmer, 2018; Vanderwerff, 2019). Yet, research has shown that strong teacher-to-teacher relationships are essential for collaborative teaching to benefit teachers (Pratt, 2014; Guise et al., 2017), and that a purposeful study and enactment of care may aid in the development of these positive relationships (Rabin, 2020). Nevertheless, collaborative teaching in music education has generally focused on collaborative teaching in higher education, or as an exploratory, temporary practice (Bartleet & Hultgren, 2008; Clauhs & Newell, 2013; Freer & Barker, 2008), making it difficult to determine how teachers may develop and maintain strong, caring relationships that foster collaboration. The aim of this research was to examine long-term collaborative teaching to understand what attributes contribute to successful collaborative teaching partnerships among secondary instrumental music educators. In this ethnographic study, I examined the collaborative teaching experiences and social practices of four secondary instrumental music educators over an eight-month period through the lens of Noddings’s (2005, 2012, 2013) educational care theory. I used multiple methods of data collection such as interviews, observations, surveys, and artifacts to understand the context, attitudes, and approach these teachers used in working together. I utilized Gee’s (2014) approach to discourse analysis to deeply explore the data and understand care across teachers’ relationships. Collaborative teaching provided these four secondary instrumental educators with consistent support and professional learning. The teachers’ collaboration thrived as they developed strong, caring relationships. Despite heavy teaching burdens, teachers felt less overwhelmed and isolated than in their previous teaching positions. Instead, the teachers expressed a sense of belonging and fulfillment from working collaboratively. Teachers’ attitudes rather than their skills, experience, or specialty played a primary role in the development of their caring teacher-to-teacher relationships. These teachers were committed to working together, to helping one another in the classroom, and to maintaining and developing caring relationships.

Finding materials with high stability, high yield, and excellent catalytic performance has been an outstanding research challenge. Thiol-stabilized atomically precise metal nanoclusters (NCs) have attracted a lot of interest in recent years due to their unique properties and industrial applications, including catalysis, toxic metal-ion sensing, and magnetism. Unlike classical nanoparticles (NPs) which have larger sizes ranging between 10-100 nm, the size of nanoclusters typically ranges from 1 to 3 nm. Thus, nanoclusters represent good candidates to gain fundamental insights into optical and catalytic properties from the atomic to the molecular level. The majority of nanoclusters are based on Ag, Au, and more recently Cu. The major goal of this dissertation is the synthesis and structure determination of silver and copper nanoclusters. The first part of this dissertation addresses a shape-controlled synthesis strategy based on an isomeric dithiol ligand to yield the smallest crystallized silver nanocluster to date, formulated as Ag9. The second part discusses the preparation of different sizes of copper nanoclusters using a one-pot synthesis method and attempted to understand the structure-dependent catalytic pathways at the atomic level. Moreover, three novel Cu nanoclusters were developed: Cu29, Cu45, and Cu67. In terms of size, Cu67 represents a milestone towards high-nuclearity nanoclusters with interesting optical and structural properties. In terms of catalytic properties, Cu45 was found to be promising catalyst in hydroboration reactions of alkynes/alkenes and B2pin2, which affords hydroborated products with good to excellent yield. Mechanistic studies showed single-electron oxidation of an in-situ formed ate complex ([B2pin2]OH-) by the Cu45 catalyst, enabling hydroboration of unsaturated double bonds via a boryl-centred radical. These findings motivate us to extend the library of ligand-protected nanoclusters and focus deeply on exploiting metal nanoclusters based on Cu for catalysis.

The Navy is interested in comparing multi-thermocouple probes, tested in the field, with scanned laser absorption thermometry. This comparison aims to understand the effects of excess Carbon Monoxide (CO) and carbon (soot) resulting from rich nitromethane (CH3NO2) combustion events interacting with the outside air, as well as aluminum catalysts, on the temperature of the ensuing fireball. These interactions create mixing zones with varying gas temperature and composition. Currently, research at the UCF shock tube involves taking preliminary CO-scanned thermometry data with the goal of comparing thermocouple insert results in the future. The thermocouple insert is securely positioned within a specially designed end wall and protected by a heat shield. By comparing the temperature measurements obtained by one-dimensional shock relations with those obtained through scanned laser thermometry, based on CO characterization experiments conducted previously on the same shock tube, we aim to analyze temperature measurements and evaluate how the presence of the thermocouple insert affects the incident shockwave geometry, as well as the resulting reflected wave and temperature conditions. The goal is to observe any discrepancies in temperature measurements between the one-dimensional shock relations and the scanned laser method. This will enable researchers to assess the impact of the thermocouple insert in testing environments. Experiments were conducted using a mixture of 3% carbon monoxide (CO), 20% helium (He), and 77% argon (Ar), with an expected temperature range of 950 – 1950K, at pressures of 0.7 – 1 atmosphere (atm).

Infection & Immunity / Currently, there are 38 million people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) worldwide and there were 680,000 HIV-related deaths in 2020 alone. The greatest cause of mortality in people living with HIV (PLHIV) is infection with opportunistic pathogens such as tuberculosis (TB), which accounts for one third of HIV-related deaths. PLHIV are 20 times more susceptible to TB and co-infection leads to significantly worsened outcomes in terms of both diseases. Humanized mouse (hu-mouse) models, which possess human immune cells for HIV to infect, have been useful for HIV research. Our aim is to create hu- mouse models of HIV, TB and co-infection to investigate disease progression, immune responses, therapeutics, prevention and vaccination. NOD-Rag1null-IL2rgnull (NRG) mice are highly immunocompromised mice that are traditionally used to generate hu-mouse models. We are also developing NRG mice that are transgenic for human HLA-DR4 and HLA-A2 (DRAG-A2) and similar mice have been reported to have improved immune responses. NRG and DRAG-A2 mice were humanized with hematopoietic stem cells obtained from human umbilical cord blood. DRAG-A2 mice had significantly higher engraftment success rates (defined as the percentage of mice with >10% hCD45+) as well as higher overall CD45+ leukocyte, CD4+ T cell, CD19+ B cell and CD14+ monocyte reconstitution in the blood compared to huNRGs. huNRG mice were permissive to infection with JR-CSF or NL4.3-Bal-Env HIV-1 intravaginally or systemically. huDRAG-A2 mice were also infected intravaginally with NL4.3-Bal-Env HIV-1. huDRAG-A2 mice, but not huNRGs, produced HIV-specific IgG, indicating improved immune responses. huNRG mice were infected intranasally with mCherry-Erdman, YFP-H37Rv or H37Rv Mtb. huDRAG-A2 mice were also infected with H37Rv. Human immune cell involvement and human-like granuloma formation was observed using flow cytometry and immunohistopathology. These findings show that the DRAG-A2 model may be optimal for investigating HIV, TB and co-infection, which continue to be serious global health concerns. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and tuberculosis (TB) are infectious diseases that affect millions of people worldwide every year. The greatest cause of death in people living with HIV is co-infection with TB and HIV-positive individuals are much more likely to get TB. Humanized mouse (hu-mouse) models possess human immune cells for HIV to infect and are useful for studying HIV. Our goal is to create hu-mouse models of HIV, TB and HIV/TB co-infection that will allow us to study how these diseases interact. We are currently developing a traditional hu-mouse model (known as NRG), as well as an improved next-generation model (known as DRAG-A2) with a more functional immune system. Both models have been successfully infected with HIV or TB. Only DRAG-A2 mice were able to make antibodies against HIV. The improved DRAG-A2 model will enable future studies on HIV, TB and co-infection, which continue to be understudied global problems.