Rates of social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties are rising and significantly impact K-12 students' learning. Unfortunately, many teachers report being underprepared to identify, refer, or ...manage these symptoms. This study utilized a graduate course to address the mental health literacy needs of in-service teachers. Significant improvements in mental health literacy were achieved at course completion. Several participants also reported examples of how they demonstrated mental health literacy in their subsequent educational practices. These findings support the impact of in-service teacher education that focuses on mental health literacy.
Context. R Aqr is a symbiotic binary system consisting of a mira variable, a hot companion with a spectacular jet outflow, and an extended emission line nebula. Because of its proximity to the Sun, ...this object has been studied in much detail with many types of high resolution imaging and interferometric techniques. We have used R Aqr as test target for the visual camera subsystem ZIMPOL, which is part of the new extreme adaptive optics (AO) instrument SPHERE at the Very Large Telescope (VLT). Aims. We describe SPHERE/ZIMPOL test observations of the R Aqr system taken in Hα and other filters in order to demonstrate the exceptional performance of this high resolution instrument. We compare our observations with data from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and illustrate the complementarity of the two instruments. We use our data for a detailed characterization of the inner jet region of R Aqr. Methods. We analyze the high resolution ≈ 25 mas images from SPHERE/ZIMPOL and determine from the Hα emission the position, size, geometric structure, and line fluxes of the jet source and the clouds in the innermost region <2′′ (<400 AU) of R Aqr. The data are compared to simultaneous HST line filter observations. The Hα fluxes and the measured sizes of the clouds yield Hα emissivities for many clouds from which one can derive the mean density, mass, recombination time scale, and other cloud parameters. Results. Our Hα data resolve for the first time the R Aqr binary and we measure for the jet source a relative position 45 mas West (position angle −89.5°) of the mira. The central jet source is the strongest Hα component with a flux of about 2.5 × 10-12 erg cm-2 s-1. North east and south west from the central source there are many clouds with very diverse structures. Within 0.5′′ (100 AU) we see in the SW a string of bright clouds arranged in a zig-zag pattern and, further out, at 1′′−2′′, fainter and more extended bubbles. In the N and NE we see a bright, very elongated filamentary structure between 0.2′′−0.7′′ and faint perpendicular “wisps” further out. Some jet clouds are also detected in the ZIMPOL O I and He I filters, as well as in the HST-WFC3 line filters for Hα, O III, N II, and O I. We determine jet cloud parameters and find a very well defined correlation Ne ∝ r-1.3 between cloud density and distance to the central binary. Densities are very high with typical values of Ne ≈ 3 × 105 cm-3 for the “outer” clouds around 300 AU, Ne ≈ 3 × 106 cm-3 for the “inner” clouds around 50 AU, and even higher for the central jet source. The high Ne of the clouds implies short recombination or variability timescales of a year or shorter. Conclusions. Hα high resolution data provide a lot of diagnostic information for the ionized jet gas in R Aqr. Future Hα observations will provide the orientation of the orbital plane of the binary and allow detailed hydrodynamical investigations of this jet outflow and its interaction with the wind of the red giant companion.
Context.
Debris discs are valuable systems to study dust properties. Because they are optically thin at all wavelengths, we have direct access to the absorption and scattering properties of the dust ...grains. One very promising technique to study them is to measure their phase function, that is, the scattering efficiency as a function of the scattering angle. Discs that are highly inclined are promising targets as a wider range of scattering angles can be probed.
Aims.
The phase function (polarised or total intensity) is usually either inferred by comparing the observations to synthetic disc models, assuming a parametrised phase function or estimating it from the surface brightness of the disc. Here, we argue that the latter approach can be biased due to projection effects leading to an increase in column density along the major axis of a non-flat disc.
Methods.
We present a novel approach to account for those column density effects. The method remains model dependent, as a disc model is still required to estimate the density variations as a function of the scattering angle. This method allows us, however, to estimate the shape of the phase function without having to invoke any parametrised form.
Results.
We apply our method to SPHERE/ZIMPOL observations of HR 4796 A and highlight the differences with previous measurements only using the surface brightness; the main differences being at scattering angles smaller than ~100°. Our modelling results suggest that the disc is not vertically flat at optical wavelengths; this result is supported by comparing the width along the major and minor axis of synthetic images. We discuss some of the caveats of the approach, mostly that our method remains blind to real local increases in the dust density and that it cannot be readily applied to angular differential imaging observations yet.
Conclusions.
We show that the vertical thickness of inclined (≥60°) debris discs can affect the determination of their phase functions. Similarly to previous studies on HR 4796 A, we still cannot reconcile the full picture using a given scattering theory to explain the shape of the phase function, the blow-out size due to radiation pressure, and the shape of the spectral energy distribution, which is a long-lasting problem for debris discs. Nonetheless, we argue that similar effects, such as the ones highlighted in this study, can also bias the determination of the phase function in total intensity.
Open Educational Resources (OER) remove barriers to access instructional material. In light of their increased availability and use, a body of research has emerged to examine the impact of OER on ...college student success. While many of these studies have broadly examined efficacy across a variety of disciplines, the current study specifically examined the impact of the type of textbook (commercial vs. OER) on course content mastery within an undergraduate sample of introductory psychology students (N = 63) while controlling for instructor and student differences. Results indicated that there were no significant differences in content mastery between those students in introductory psychology courses who were assigned a traditional commercial textbook and those who were assigned an OER textbook. These results support that OER can be equally effective as traditional, commercial textbooks and have implications for course material selections that help ensure access for all students.
Context. Debris disks or belts are important signposts for the presence of colliding planetesimals and, therefore, for ongoing planet formation and evolution processes in young planetary systems. ...Imaging of debris material at small separations from the star is very challenging but provides valuable insights into the spatial distribution of the so-called hot dust produced by solid bodies located in or near the habitable zone. We report the first detection of scattered light from the hot dust around the nearby (d = 28.33 pc) A star HD 172555. Aims. We want to constrain the geometric structure of the detected debris disk using polarimetric differential imaging (PDI) with a spatial resolution of 25 mas and an inner working angle of about 0.1″. Methods. We measured the polarized light of HD 172555, with SPHERE/ZIMPOL, in the very broadband (VBB) or RI filter (λc = 735 nm, Δλ = 290 nm) for the projected separations between 0.08″ (2.3 au) and 0.77″ (22 au). We constrained the disk parameters by fitting models for scattering of an optically thin dust disk taking the limited spatial resolution and coronagraphic attenuation of our data into account. Results. The geometric structure of the disk in polarized light shows roughly the same orientation and outer extent as obtained from thermal emission at 18 μm. Our image indicates the presence of a strongly inclined (i ≈ 103.5°), roughly axisymmetric dust belt with an outer radius in the range between 0.3″ (8.5 au) and 0.4″ (11.3 au). An inner disk edge is not detected in the data. We derive a lower limit for the polarized flux contrast ratio for the disk of (Fpol)disk/F∗ > (6.2 ± 0.6) × 10−5 $(F_{\rm{pol}})_{\rm{disk}}/F_{\ast}> (6.2 \pm 0.6)\times 10^{-5}$(Fpol)disk/F∗>(6.2±0.6)×10−5 in the VBB filter. This ratio is small, only ~9%, when compared to the fractional infrared flux excess (≈ 7.2 × 10−4). The model simulations show that more polarized light could be produced by the dust located inside ≈2 au, which cannot be detected with the instrument configuration used. Conclusions. Our data confirm previous infrared imaging and provide a higher resolution map of the system, which could be further improved with future observations.
Context. Debris discs are valuable systems to study dust properties. Because they are optically thin at all wavelengths, we have direct access to the absorption and scattering properties of the dust ...grains. One very promising technique to study them is to measure their phase function, that is, the scattering efficiency as a function of the scattering angle. Discs that are highly inclined are promising targets as a wider range of scattering angles can be probed. Aims. The phase function (polarised or total intensity) is usually either inferred by comparing the observations to synthetic disc models, assuming a parametrised phase function or estimating it from the surface brightness of the disc. Here, we argue that the latter approach can be biased due to projection effects leading to an increase in column density along the major axis of a non-flat disc. Methods. We present a novel approach to account for those column density effects. The method remains model dependent, as a disc model is still required to estimate the density variations as a function of the scattering angle. This method allows us, however, to estimate the shape of the phase function without having to invoke any parametrised form. Results. We apply our method to SPHERE/ZIMPOL observations of HR 4796 A and highlight the differences with previous measurements only using the surface brightness; the main differences being at scattering angles smaller than ~100°. Our modelling results suggest that the disc is not vertically flat at optical wavelengths; this result is supported by comparing the width along the major and minor axis of synthetic images. We discuss some of the caveats of the approach, mostly that our method remains blind to real local increases in the dust density and that it cannot be readily applied to angular differential imaging observations yet. Conclusions. We show that the vertical thickness of inclined (≥60°) debris discs can affect the determination of their phase functions. Similarly to previous studies on HR 4796 A, we still cannot reconcile the full picture using a given scattering theory to explain the shape of the phase function, the blow-out size due to radiation pressure, and the shape of the spectral energy distribution, which is a long-lasting problem for debris discs. Nonetheless, we argue that similar effects, such as the ones highlighted in this study, can also bias the determination of the phase function in total intensity.
Psychologists have a responsibility to be advocates for the individuals they serve within public service settings, and there is a need to identify or develop training strategies to support these ...efforts. Low-income families are a subset of consumers who frequently require services within these settings yet also may face providers who are not optimally supportive. One factor that interferes with providers' ability to engage in empathic, well-informed, and effective advocacy is their underlying attributions about causes of poverty that overemphasize personal responsibility. The current studies examined whether a poverty simulation training would be sufficient to modify participants' poverty attributions. Undergraduate participants in Study 1 (N = 126, Mean age = 21.6, SD = 5.6) were significantly more likely to emphasize external causes of poverty following the simulation. In Study 2, social service providers (N = 98, Mean age = 38.58, SD = 11.56) reported lower internal beliefs following participation in a poverty simulation but did not shift to a predominantly external belief index. The results of these studies demonstrate that causal attributions of poverty within both student and professional samples can be modified by participation in a poverty simulation. Because these attributions have important implications for advocacy work with consumers and efforts to address poverty, the poverty simulation experience has the potential to be an effective training tool that could yield real-world impact.
The SpHere INfrared Exoplanet (SHINE) project is a 500-star survey performed with SPHERE on the Very Large Telescope for the purpose of directly detecting new substellar companions and understanding ...their formation and early evolution. Here we present an initial statistical analysis for a subsample of 150 stars spanning spectral types from B to M that are representative of the full SHINE sample. Our goal is to constrain the frequency of substellar companions with masses between 1 and 75
M
Jup
and semimajor axes between 5 and 300 au. For this purpose, we adopt detection limits as a function of angular separation from the survey data for all stars converted into mass and projected orbital separation using the BEX-COND-hot evolutionary tracks and known distance to each system. Based on the results obtained for each star and on the 13 detections in the sample, we use a Markov chain Monte Carlo tool to compare our observations to two different types of models. The first is a parametric model based on observational constraints, and the second type are numerical models that combine advanced core accretion and gravitational instability planet population synthesis. Using the parametric model, we show that the frequencies of systems with at least one substellar companion are 23.0
−9.7
+13.5
, 5.8
−2.8
+4.7
, and 12.6
−7.1
+12.9
% for BA, FGK, and M stars, respectively. We also demonstrate that a planet-like formation pathway probably dominates the mass range from 1–75
M
Jup
for companions around BA stars, while for M dwarfs, brown dwarf binaries dominate detections. In contrast, a combination of binary star-like and planet-like formation is required to best fit the observations for FGK stars. Using our population model and restricting our sample to FGK stars, we derive a frequency of 5.7
−2.8
+3.8
%, consistent with predictions from the parametric model. More generally, the frequency values that we derive are in excellent agreement with values obtained in previous studies.
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