This article describes the development and initial validation of scores from a survey designed to measure teachers’ reported use of technology in their classrooms. Based on data obtained from a sample of approximately 2,000 practicing teachers, factor analytic and correlational methods were used to obtain evidence of the validity of scores derived from responses to the instrument. In addition, analyses of Web and paper versions of the survey suggest relatively minor differences in responses, although the response rates for the paper version were substantially higher. The results were interpreted in terms of the utility of the instrument for measuring the confluence of factors that are critical for inquiry related to technology use in classrooms.

Expectancies are assumed to play an essential role in the maintenance and treatment of anxiety disorders. The present review aimed to systematically summarize studies examining the effects of expectancies as suggested by the match-mismatch model of fear (Rachman, 1994). A total of 50 articles were included. The findings largely supported core assumptions of the match-mismatch theory. The majority of studies verified the existence of an overprediction bias in anxiety disorders and a reduction of both expected and actually experienced level of fear with repeated exposures. There was some evidence, that an increasingly accurate prediction of fear was associated with reductions in real fear. New research directions and clinical implications are proposed to further develop treatment strategies for anxiety disorders. Public Health Significance StatementExposure therapy is highly effective as a treatment of anxiety disorders. However, mechanisms of change remain unclear. Cognitive processes, such as expectancies, might be one important factor for treatment success. The manuscript summarizes findings on fear-related expectancies and their violation within the context of exposure therapy. Patients with anxiety disorders tend to overpredict fear in situations, and this overprediction subsides with repeated exposure. There is a possible connection between a more accurate prediction of fear and exposure therapy outcome. This manuscript underlines the importance of incorporating expectancies in the evaluation of the therapy process.

THIS ARTICLE provides an overview of the successful laptop implementation in the College of Education at the University of South Florida (USF). The pilot initiative began with one cohort of preservice teachers in 2003; since then, the program has expanded throughout the college. Through a chronological outline of the issues, formative evaluations, modifications, and expansion of the project as it progressed through the years, this article shares lessons learned related to the process and outcomes. For example, initial implementation decisions included issues such as whether participation should be voluntary or mandatory, which computer platforms would be supported, and how training and support would be provided. As the project expanded, questions related to ongoing maintenance, financial aid, and other issues were addressed.

Summary: The renal clearance of^-aminohippuric acid, due to tubular secretion in addition to glomerular filtration, can only be determined by kinetic experiments. Maximal information can be gained from observed temporal marker concentration profiles by fitting dynamic mathematical models of the processes involved, such as absorption, distribution, and elimination, to the kinetic data. Thereby the values of the system constants, such as fractional elimination or fractional distribution rates, and their accuracy measures are determined by methods which are based firstly on measured time-dependent data elicited in an individual test object by perturbing inputs and secondly, on mathematical formulations of prior knowledge of the underlying physiological system. Such methods of model adaptation are called system identification.

A method of adapting two-compartment models to dynamic marker concentration profiles for the determination of renal clearance and of its acute changes due to protein ingestion in patients with essential hypertension is described. In 9 healthy controls glomerular filtration rates (GFR) and effective renal plasma flows (ERPF) (ml/min/ 1.73 m 2 ; means þ sd) rose significantly tested pairwise from 118.2 þ 13.9 to 139.5 þ 30.9, p = 0.023 and from 503.2 þ 75.6 to 558.3 þ 96.2, p = 0.013, respectively. Four patients with mild hypertension and mean arterial pressure (MAP) of 106 þ 3 mmHg (duration = 13.8 þ 10.3 years) showed rises in GFR (73.9 þ 14.7 to 83.6 þ 17.4, p = 0.034) after stimulation, whereas 6 patients with a MAP of 119 þ 3 mmHg (duration = 17.5 þ 13.7 years) exhibited`paradoxical' decreases in GFR (113.3 þ 18.7 to 103.0 þ 14.3, p = 0.037). The ERPFs showed nonsignificant changes in the first group of patients (277.8 þ 52.6 to 323.9 þ 42.8), whereas the second group revealed increases in ERPF (430.7 þ 134.5 to 502.3 þ 113.1, p = 0.013). All patients had normal serum creatinine levels. The study demonstrates that modern system identification of kinetic experiments, but not traditional techniques relying on steady-state data, allow one to detect such dynamic alterations as measures of renal functional reserve.