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The Teacher Effectiveness and Accountability for the Children of New Jersey (TEACHNJ) Act was adopted by the New Jersey legislature in August 2012 with the intent to raise student achievement by improving the overall quality of instruction. As a result of this act, new teacher evaluation systems, known as ACHIEVE NJ, have been introduced in school districts across the state in an effort to more accurately assess teacher performance and to customize professional development opportunities for teachers based on observed areas of need. The overarching question that informs our research is what impact will ACHIEVE NJ have on the overall value of teacher evaluations and the quality of professional development opportunities offered to teachers. Data collected through survey research presents the pre-implementation practices (2012-2013 school year) as well as one year post-implementation practices (2013-2014) provides a snapshot of what is taking place in school districts throughout New Jersey. The findings reflect teachers' perceptions of the value of teacher evaluation practices, the quality of the professional development opportunities and the value the school administration places on teacher evaluations.

This study aimed to determine the prevalence and determinants of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) and its subgroups in HIV-positive patients in Tehran, Iran. Ninety-three HIV-positive individuals were assessed; the majority were male (60%) and the mean age of patients was 36.5 years (SD = 9), with 8 years as the median duration of HIV infection. The relationship between demographic and clinical variables was examined using logistic regression analysis. The overall prevalences of HAND and cognitive complaints were 50.5% and 73%, respectively. Lower nadir CD4 counts (≤ 200), lower educational levels (≤ 12 years), longer disease duration (≥ 5years), and higher depression rates were positively associated with the presence of HAND. This study shows that the prevalence of HANDs in Iran is high, but similar to the prevalence levels found in Western societies. Further studies are needed to longitudinally evaluate the presence of HAND, in particularly to recognize new biomarkers and specific neurocognitive domains in HIV.

Introduction: Iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe2O3-NPs) are small magnetic particles that are widely used in different aspects of biology and medicine in modern life. Fe2O3-NP accumulated in the living cells due to the absence of an active system to excrete the iron ions and damages cellular organelles by high reactivity. Methods: Herein cytotoxic effects of Fe2O3-NP with a size of 50 nm on the primary culture of neonatal rat hippocampus were investigated using 2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Pathophysiological signs of Alzheimer's disease such as amyloid precursor protein (APP) expression, Aß aggregation, soluble APPa, and APPß secretion were also investigated in hippocampal cells treated with various concentrations of nanoparticle (NP) for different exposure times. Results: Our results revealed that Fe2O3-NP treatment causes oxidative stress in cells which is accompanied by upregulation of the APP and Aß in a concentration-dependent manner. NP exposure also leads to more secretion of sAPPß rather than sAPPa, leading to increased activation of ß-secretase in NP-received cells. All the harmful effects accumulate in neurons that cannot be renovated, leading to neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease. Conclusion: This study approved iron-based NPs could help to develop Alzheimer's and related neurological disorders and explained why some of the iron chelators have therapeutic potential in Alzheimer's disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 2:1:1 MAX phase, V2AlC, composited with Al2O3 is prepared using spark plasma sintering (SPS). To obtain a sample with suitable physical and mechanical properties, an especial current rate regime is carried out for SPS. Different final temperatures of the synthesis (1000, 1200, 1400, and 1500°C) are considered (named S1000, S1200, S1400, and S1500, respectively). Phase analysis, physical and mechanical properties characterizations, and morphology of the samples are performed to determine the quality of the samples. The best characterizations belong to the samples of S1400 and S1500. Bending strengths about 325 and 316 MPa are obtained for the samples of S1400 and S1500, respectively. Regarding the total MAX phases formation and strength, the optimum sample is S1400. However, regarding bulk density, wear resistance, and hardness, S1500 has an advantage over the S1400. The advantages of S1500, as well as its larger grain size, are attributed to the better sintering of Al2O3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluctuations in asset prices and the resulting uncertainty are one of the most important macroeconomic variables that affect different sectors of the economy in various ways. Therefore, this study is conducted to identify and rank financial market risks in Iran. This study was performed in two parts: qualitative and quantitative. The statistical population in the qualitative section includes the University of Professors in the field of economics in Iran, where 10 people were selected as a statistical sample by available sampling. The statistical population in the quantitative section were professors and doctoral students in the field of economics. By random sampling method, 30 people were selected. Data collection tools are the Delphi questionnaire and pairwise comparison questionnaire. Data analysis was performed by fuzzy Delphi and AHP methods. In the results of the qualitative section, 7 components including 4 components for bad economic uncertainty and 3 components for good economic uncertainty were identified. In the results of the quantitative section, stock index uncertainty with a weight of 0.391 and inflation uncertainty with a weight of 0.276 rank first and second in bad economic uncertainty. Also, economic growth uncertainty with a weight of 0.493 and liberalization of financial markets with a weight of 0.311 rank first and second in good economic uncertainty, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]