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In recent research, female adolescents have been found to prefer history, language, and writing courses, while male adolescents have been found to prefer mathematics and science courses. These gender differences in course selection occurred despite the fact that female and male adolescents performed equally well in these courses. This study examines the motivational factors contributing to course selection in a sample of highly talented adolescents enrolled in the Duke University Talent Identification Program (TIP) Summer Residential Program, an intensive 3-week academic experience for exceptionally talented adolescents. Girls and boys selected different types of classes, with course participation falling along traditional gender stereotyped lines. Boys and girls both performed exceptionally well, and said they took the course they did because the subject was interesting. However, females more often than males enrolled in classes because they perceived them as challenging, different than usual, not offered at school, and as making them more well rounded. Males more often than females selected classes because they thought they would do well and because they viewed these classes as being useful for further schooling or career. The possible role of parenting in contributing to these gender differences, and the implications of the study findings for overall educational goals are discussed. (The TIP end-of-course questionnaire is attached.) (Author)

Teacher evaluations tend to be like clothes. Whatever is in vogue at the time is utilized extensively by those who are attempting to remain modern and current. If you stay around long enough, the "hot" methods of today will probably recycle to be the new discovery of the future. In the end, each school district develops an evaluation process that is going to be most agreeable to the teachers, the administrative staff, the parents, the students, and the board of education. There is no perfect system. But whichever system is utilized, the purpose for which it is to be used should be clearly delineated and understood by all the participants. The two major purposes of evaluation are the improvement of instruction and the documentation of inefficiency. We must continue to document those staff members who are ineffective, inefficient, and detrimental to our school districts. But we also must spend more energy diagnosing the needs of our staff and utilizing the information for the improvement of the instructional program. (Author/DW)

Implications of some specific educational trends and their possible impact on the institutional structure of public schools are discussed. These trends are grouped under the categories of public criticism, finance and governance, and labor management friction in the schools. Central in this discussion are the future ramifications of Proposition 13 and similar legislation. A warning is given that not only will education programs be cut back but that the governance of public education will progressively go to administrators who are adept at fiscal management rather than to education experts. Increased flight of middle-class families to suburban schools as friction between teachers and management increases is predicted. (JD)

The purpose of this study is to identify the causes of first year teacher attrition and compile a profile of first year teacher drop-outs. Of 138 beginning teachers who returned a questionnaire concerning their reasons for not returning to their first-year teaching positions in Alabama's public elementary and secondary schools, 47.2 percent left the profession entirely (43.1 percent for personal reasons and 56.9 percent for job-related reasons) and the remaining 52.8 percent changed school systems (38.5 percent for personal reasons and 61.5 percent for job-related reasons). Among both groups, those reporting personal reasons for leaving their positions reported having better relationships with their colleagues and supervisors than did those reporting job-related reasons for leaving. Relocation due to marriage was the major personal reason given for changing systems, having children the major personal reason for leaving education, and being dismissed the major job-related reason for both changing systems and leaving education. Colleagues were identified as those most understanding of first-year teachers' problems. Satisfactory orientation experiences were reported by 52 percent of the first-year teachers who changed systems, but by only 40 percent of those who left education. (PGD)

Surveys of academic staff (faculty members) in the United States, Finland, and Australia from 2004-2007 reveal reading patterns of e-articles by academics and can be used to measure the purpose and value of e-reading and to demonstrate the value of library-provided electronic journal collections. Results can also be used to compare differences across subject discipline, age, national boundaries, and how the decisions that libraries make influence reading patterns. The surveys used a variation of the critical incident technique to focus on the last e-article read, whether from the library collection or from elsewhere. Readings from ejournals and articles provided by libraries are more often for the purpose of research than readings from other sources; are rated as highly valuable to that purpose; and have many reported values, including stimulating new ideas. Academic staff members who publish more also read more. Although there are some minor variations in e-reading patterns among the countries, most differences in reading patterns result instead from differences in subject discipline. Personal characteristics of the reader, including age and status have much less influence on e-reading habits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulsation of an acoustically driven spherical bubble between rigid parallel plates is modeled using an augmented Rayleigh-Plesset equation that satisfies the boundary conditions. To emphasize the influence of flow constraints imposed by the plates, the only loss mechanism considered here is radiation damping. It is demonstrated that accounting for compressibility of the liquid is essential to the analysis. Expansion of the dynamical equation to quadratic order in the perturbation of the bubble radius yields an equation that is solved by successive approximations to obtain solutions at the drive frequency and its second harmonic. Amplitude responses presented as functions of drive frequency and plate separation reveal decrease in resonance frequency and increase in radiation damping as plate separation is reduced below approximately 15 bubble diameters. © 2006 American Institute of Physics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the findings of an exploratory study of 395 library job advertisements in Australia and the USA from August to October 2004. To investigate similarities and differences between the two countries' data we conducted a content analysis and co-word analysis of professional job ads from academic, public and special libraries. Interpersonal Skills, Behavioural Characteristics, and responsiveness to a changeable Environment1 were identified as critical requirements in both countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the study "Optimizing Conditions for Creating Graphene Coatings to Create Unique Textile Materials," by Ian R. Hardin, Ming Zhang, and Susan S. Wilson is presented.

An abstract on the article that describes the activities designed by mathematics teacher educators for preservice teachers in meeting common core state standards for mathematics education is presented.

The article introduces a new process which overcomes problems that severely limit the viability of producing spun yarns from producer color fibers. Producer color staple fibers currently occupy on a small market niche due to the tremendous cost and logistical complications involved with current staple system. There are several problems cited with the current system, such as expensive color changes due to equipment cleaning and large minimum lot size of final yarns. Using producer color fibers have two major advantages: elimination of costly and environmentally harmful dyeing and color fastness. For these reasons the use of producer colored fibers is growing among textured filament yarns. The new process shifts the spun yarn feed source from staple fiber to filament yarn, especially partially oriented yarn. Key features of the new process are: (1) access to a wider process range of producer color fibers at smaller lot sizes and reasonable prices; (2) Very small finished yarn lot sizes possible; (3) no extensive cleaning or downtime with color changes; (4) ability to create custom color blends without the use of mixed polymer types; (5) yarn count flexibility; and (6) a vast color palette from a relatively small number of feed yarn colors in inventory.

An abstract of the article "Application of Microwave Radiation to Enhance Accessibility and Activity of Enzyme Treatments of Cotton Seed Coat Fragments," by Ian R. Hardin and Renuka Dhandapani is presented.

The article examines the effect of alkaline scouring on the breakdown of seed coat fragments. The study analyzes the supernatant liquid after treatment of artificially produced fragments. In addition, supernatant fluids are analyzed by derivatizing the sugars and by analyzing by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.

The article presents an analysis on the various environmental-friendly claims made by several apparel companies about the bamboo fibers. It examines and analysis the fiber content in fibers, fabrics, and garments. Furthermore, it suggests on the evaluation of the plant products before making any claims.

This article presents an abstract of the study, Analysis of Biodegradation of Cotton Seed Coat Fragments, by Ian R. Hardin, Susan S. Wilson, Wang Lu and Yiping Lu. Conventional preparation of cotton fabric for dyeing and finishing typically involves three processes--desizing, scouring and bleaching. The purposes of these processes, respectively, are to remove starch, remove the waxy coating from the cotton fibers along with pectins and proteins in the primary wall of the cotton fiber, and decolorization of the cotton fibers.

The article presents an abstract of the study "Managing Large Pitted Morningglory (Ipomoea Lacunosa) in Roundup Ready Cotton (Gossypium Hirsutum) With Lay-By Herbicides," by S. Gibbs Wilson Jr. and colleagues that was presented at the 2003 Beltwide Cotton Conferences held in Nashville, Tennessee on January 6-10. The study was conducted to compare fourteen herbicide treatments for the control of two to three foot long pitted morningglory in South Georgia.