"Natural Enemies" or Intentional Allies? Teachers' & Parents' Perspectives on Middle School Boys of Color

This study examined the perspectives and “shared knowledge” of parents and teachers of boys of color. The following overarching research question guided this study: “What do parents and teachers want each other to know about their middle school son or student of color regarding academics, engagement, and behavior?” Additionally, it explored the challenges and opportunities for shared knowledge and understanding of their (respective) son’s’ or students’ academics and engagement. The methodology was qualitative in nature and the intent in conducting this case study was to describe, interpret, and explain the “shared knowledge” between these stakeholders at a predominantly minority middle school. A sample of seven parents and seven teachers from one school in a mid-Atlantic state participated in interviews and focus groups. Results indicated that parents and teachers of boys of color viewed each other as “intentional allies.” Results further showed that parents and teachers were aware of the challenges faced by boys of color in and out of school. That awareness was reflected in strategies that both groups employed to support, prepare, and protect their son/students. Lastly, the study found that teachers received no formal training in building parent-teacher partnerships, but gathered experimental knowledge on how to build those relationships. These findings have implications for teacher education programs, schools, parents, and teachers.

Diseño de un jardín interior como un espacio saludable, de deleite y de conservación en una vivienda del centro histórico de Cuenca

Este proyecto propone el diseño de un jardín interior en una vivienda del Centro Histórico de la Ciudad de Cuenca partiendo de una consideración histórica, conceptual y referencial, es decir, trataremos acerca de los jardines a lo largo de la historia sus características y funcionalidad; un análisis tipológico de acuerdo con el uso del jardín en nuestra ciudad y a través de un muestreo, observación y análisis de viviendas conseguiremos un registro claro del estado de conservación actual de estos espacios. Luego, en un segundo momento, y a partir de conceptos y directrices para la generación de formas en el diseño del jardín interior generaremos una fuente de apoyo para finalmente realizar una propuesta útil y armónica que mantenga características y vegetación adecuada a nuestras condiciones y medios ambientales, además se intentara representar los criterios aprendidos a lo largo del proyecto para que puedan servir como guía en el diseño de cualquier jardín

La expansión urbanizadora en el interior alicantino. Indicadores e incertidumbres

El fin del último periodo de expansión urbanizadora en 2006, coincide con el inicio de una crisis productiva que ha provocado que multitud de planes urbanísticos, iniciados o no, sean paralizados o descartados. Se trata de un urbanismo latente que genera grandes incertidumbres sobre municipios que habían apostado fuertemente por el crecimiento urbano. Esta situación se observa en la provincia de Alicante, especialmente en zonas de interior que experimentan un auge inmobiliario desde el año 2000. La comunicación analiza la expansión urbanizadora provincial en el periodo 2000-2006 y plantea las incertidumbres generadas por los más de 30 proyectos urbanísticos latentes en las comarcas interiores del Alto y Medio Vinalopó.

Síndrome Irlen, uso de transparencias de color y mejoras de la lectura en escolares urbanos de Cuenca.

Objetivo: Determinar si el uso de transparencias de color ayuda a mejorar la lectura, eliminando distorsiones visuales perceptuales, malestares físicos al leer, sintomatología del síndrome Irlen. Materiales y Métodos: Estudio cuasi-experimental sobre efectos del Método Irlen® - uso del color - en sesenta y un estudiantes del cuarto grado de las escuelas urbanas de Cuenca, identificados como severos en el rango de Irlen, en un estudio anterior de prevalencia. Los participantes fueron evaluados a través de nuevas observaciones, entrevistas y cuatro pruebas de la Escala Perceptual de Lectura Irlen. Medidas de tendencia central y porcentajes fueron utilizadas para el análisis de datos. Resultados: Las mejoras atribuidas al uso del color en rango considerable fueron: 1) 59% comodidad; 2) 37.7% menos borroso; 3) 41% menos tensión y fatiga; 4) 45.9% más seguridad y fluidez al leer; 5) 34.4% menos movimientos en la página; 6) 31.2% eliminación de distorsiones; 7) 13.1% menos errores al leer; 8) 9.8% mejora del espacio limitado; 9) 8.2% en atención limitada; y 10) 1.6% mejora en comprensión lectora. Conclusión: El uso de las transparencias de color ayuda parcialmente a eliminar algunas distorsiones visuales perceptuales y malestares físicos al leer lo que facilita la lectura

The Role of Teleost Grazers in a Relatively Pristine Seagrass Ecosystem

Trophic downgrading of ecosystems necessitates a functional understanding of trophic cascades. Identifying the presence of cascades, and the mechanisms through which they occur, is particularly important for seagrass meadows, which are among the most threatened ecosystems on Earth. Shark Bay, Western Australia provides a model system to investigate the potential importance of top-down effects in a relatively pristine seagrass ecosystem. The role of megagrazers in the Shark Bay system has been previously investigated, but the role of macrograzers (i.e., teleosts), and their importance relative to megagrazers, remains unknown. The objective of my dissertation was to elucidate the importance of teleost macrograzers in transmitting top-down effects in seagrass ecosystems. Seagrasses and macroalgae were the main food of the abundant teleost Pelates octolineatus, but stable isotopic values suggested that algae may contribute a larger portion of assimilated food than suggested by gut contents. Pelates octolineatus is at risk from numerous predators, with pied cormorants (Phalacrocorax varius) taking the majority of tethered P. octolineatus. Using a combination of fish trapping and unbaited underwater video surveillance, I found that the relative abundance of P. octolineatus was greater in interior areas of seagrass banks during the cold season, and that the mean length of P. octolineatus was greater in these areas compared to along edges of banks. Finally, I used seagrass transplants and exclosure experiments to determine the relative effect of megagrazers and macrograzers on the establishment and persistence of three species of seagrasses in interior microhabitats. Teleost grazing had the largest impact on seagrass species with the highest nutrient content, and these impacts were primarily observed during the warm season. My findings are consistent with predictions of a behaviorally-mediated trophic cascade initiated by tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) and transmitted through herbivorous fishes and their predators.

Transforming pedagogy: Building the new ‘old school’

Global shifts in design practice, design education and in higher education in general have radically changed teaching practices over the past decade. In a time of tightening budgets and other factors, various paradigm shifts and challenges are continually evolving and rapidly changing the higher education landscape. Rising to these challenges and responding to them is a complex task, requiring creative approaches applied to traditional methods and tools in interior architecture and interior design courses. The focus of this paper is a discussion of the adaptation of an ‘old school’ traditional tutorial approach within the context of online interior design education, which was applied in an endeavour to increase student engagement with current relevant literature pertinent to interior design theory and practice. The adaptation and application of this tutorial approach, the O-tutorial, creates a necessary link to critical thinking and meta-cognition connecting theoretical concepts to interior design process and practice. Initial data reveals that the O-tutorial allows students to engage and critically analyse issues surrounding theory and practice, thus equipping them with the skills as future design professionals. The paper concludes with reflections and recommendations for interior design education and future potential use and application of the O-tutorial.

Moderneja ryijyjä, metritavaraa ja käsityötä : Tekstiilitaide ja nykyaikaistuva taideteollisuus Suomessa maailmansotien välisenä aikana

Modern ryijys, fabric by the yard and handicrafts. Finnish textile art and modernizing applied art during the inter-war years Textile art was in the 1920s and 1930s in the front rank of Finnish applied art and design. Modern ryijys, tapestries and fabrics by the yard by contemporary textile artists were on show in Finland and abroad. Textile art had also become interesting commercially, especially in interior textiles of modern homes. The research uses sources of the Ornamo Association of Decorative Artists, for example the Ornamo year books published from 1927, the Finnish Society of Crafts and Design and the country s only school of applied arts, the Central School of Arts and Crafts and the Museum of Applied Arts maintained by the society and also the national specialist organisation the Friends of Finnish Handicraft. It also refers to the magazines Käsiteollisuus and Kotiliesi. The art historical dissertation studies the renaissance of weaving art of the inter-war years in Finland. It problematizes the relation of the succesfull and appreciated textile art to the concept of breakthrough of Modernism (Functionalism). With the material from textile artists activities it questions the prevailing idea of slow modernization of Finnish applied art and design and challenges the polarization of craft and industry in the discourses of Modernisms of design. The public discussions about modernization of design and applied art where textile art and especially the ryijy got sometimes into difficult positions are interpreted as power struggles. After taking independence in 1917 the Finnish tradition of ryijy rugs was set as a symbol of the original culture of the young nation. The research studies the development of the so called art ryijy and the notions and meanings of hand weaving in the national context and also in relation to contemporary events in international applied art and design. It highlights the continuity of hand crafted production of textiles and the strong position of textile artists working in this field. The research opens new perspectives to Finnish textile artists by showing their activities as entrepreneurs in their own weaving studios or design studios and referring to their many relations and functions as pattern designers and educators in the growing handicraft industries.

A reverse Stroop task with mouse tracking

In a reverse Stroop task, observers respond to the meaning of a color word irrespective of the color in which the word is printed—for example, the word red may be printed in the congruent color (red), an incongruent color (e.g., blue), or a neutral color (e.g., white). Although reading of color words in this task is often thought to be neither facilitated by congruent print colors nor interfered with incongruent print colors, this interference has been detected by using a response method that does not give any bias in favor of processing of word meanings or processing of print colors. On the other hand, evidence for the presence of facilitation in this task has been scarce, even though this facilitation is theoretically possible. By modifying the task such that participants respond to a stimulus color word by pointing to a corresponding response word on a computer screen with a mouse, the present study investigated the possibility that not only interference but also facilitation would take place in a reverse Stroop task. Importantly, in this study, participants’ responses were dynamically tracked by recording the entire trajectories of the mouse. Arguably, this method provided richer information about participants’ performance than traditional measures such as reaction time and accuracy, allowing for more detailed (and thus potentially more sensitive) investigation of facilitation and interference in the reverse Stroop task. These trajectories showed that the mouse’s approach toward correct response words was significantly delayed by incongruent print colors but not affected by congruent print colors, demonstrating that only interference, not facilitation, was present in the current task. Implications of these findings are discussed within a theoretical framework in which the strength of association between a task and its response method plays a critical role in determining how word meanings and print colors interact in reverse Stroop tasks.

Uncertainty visualization using HDR volume rendering

In this paper, we explore a novel idea of using high dynamic range (HDR) technology for uncertainty visualization. We focus on scalar volumetric data sets where every data point is associated with scalar uncertainty. We design a transfer function that maps each data point to a color in HDR space. The luminance component of the color is exploited to capture uncertainty. We modify existing tone mapping techniques and suitably integrate them with volume ray casting to obtain a low dynamic range (LDR) image. The resulting image is displayed on a conventional 8-bits-per-channel display device. The usage of HDR mapping reveals fine details in uncertainty distribution and enables the users to interactively study the data in the context of corresponding uncertainty information. We demonstrate the utility of our method and evaluate the results using data sets from ocean modeling.

Cyclopentac]thiophene oligomers based solution processable D-A copolymers and their application as FET materials

Two new solution processable, low band gap donor-acceptor (D-A) copolymers (P1 and P2) comprising a cyclopentac] thiophene (CPT) based oligomers as donors and benzoc]1,2,5] selenadiazole (BDS) and 2-dodecyl1,2,3]-benzotriazole (BTAz) as acceptors were synthesized and characterized and their field effect transistor properties were studied. The internal charge transfer interaction between the electron-donating CPT based oligothiophene and the electron-accepting BDS or BTAz unit effectively reduces the band gap in polymers to 1.3 and 1.66 eV with low lying highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO). The absorption spectrum of P1 was found to be more red shifted than that of P2 because of incorporation of the more electron-withdrawing BDS unit. The color of neutral P1 was found to be green in both solution and film states with two major bands in the absorption spectra; however, neutral P2 revealed one dominant absorption exhibiting red color in both solution and film state which could be attributed to the less electron-withdrawing effect of the BTAz unit. The polymers were further characterized by GPC, TGA, DSC and cyclic voltammetry. P1 and P2 exhibited charge carrier mobilities as high as 9 x 10(-3) cm(2) V-1 s(-1) and 2.56 x 10(-3) cm 2 V-1 s(-1), respectively with the current on/off ratio (I-on/I-off) in the order of 10(2).

Avaliação clínico visual de três técnicas de clareamento dental

O objetivo deste estudo in vivo foi avaliar comparativamente três técnicas de clareamento de dentes polpados quanto ao grau de cor final alcançado, sensibilidade dental e satisfação pessoal de operadores e pacientes. Indivíduos jovens de mesma faixa etária e padrão de higiene bucal foram selecionados e divididos aleatoriamente entre os grupos (G1; n=7) caseiro, com regime de uso de 8 h/dia/4 semanas; (G2; n=7) consultório, com regime de clareamento de 4 sessões semanais de 2 aplicações de 15 min cada e; (G3; n=6) associado, com caseiro e consultório combinados. Para as técnicas caseira e de consultório foram utilizados peróxido de carbamida a 16% (WhitegoldHome/Dentsply) e peróxido de hidrogênio a 35% (Whitegold Office/Dentsply), respectivamente. Os registros de cor foram obtidos por um único operador antes e após o emprego da cada técnica utilizando escala de cores Vita Bleachedguide 3D-Master e máquina fotográfica digital profissional (EOS Rebel XT Canon), com ajustes de iluminação, flash e distância focal padronizados. O nível de clareamento foi avaliado por unidades de mudança de cor (luminosidade) na escala de cores, além do número de tons alcançados nas imagens digitais e mudança de cor no sistema CIE L*a*b* por meio do software ScanWhite. Os dados foram tratados estatisticamente pelos testes não paramétricos de Kruskal Wallis e dos sinais (p≤0,05). Os registros de sensibilidade dental trans e pós operatória e da satisfação pessoal dos operadores e pacientes foram preenchidos individualmente em questionário unidimensional ao final de cada sessão. Foram atribuídos escores para a avaliação final da sensibilidade dental, conforme: 0=ausente; 1=leve; 2=moderada e; 3=severa. Os dados foram tratados estatisticamente pelo teste Kruskal Wallis. As médias das variações de unidades de mudança de cor da escala Vita e do software foram, respectivamente: G1) 4,57 (IC1,34), 27,14 (IC12,03); G2) 2,86 (IC0,99), 21,29 (IC14,27); G3) 4 (IC1,82), 25,33 (IC10,70). Na comparação entre os métodos de avaliação de cor, os p-valores do teste dos sinais foram 0,453, 0,453 e 0,687 para os grupos 1, 2 e 3, respectivamente. As médias da variação total de cor (∆E) foram, respectivamente: G1) 8,79(IC4,18), G2) 7,10(IC3,53) e G3) 9,74 (IC4,07). Não foi determinada diferença estatisticamente significante entre os grupos. Os postos médios do nível de sensibilidade foram: G1 = 9,64; G2 = 11,58; e G3 = 10,43, e o p-valor = 0,807. Não houve diferença estatisticamente significante entre grupos. Conclui-se que as técnicas caseiro, consultório e associada foram igualmente eficazes quanto ao nível de cor final, de acordo com os métodos objetivos e subjetivos utilizados. O nível de sensibilidade dental foi o mesmo independentemente da técnica utilizada. Todos os indivíduos registraram satisfação ao final do clareamento.

Série histórica da duração do aleitamento materno e fatores associados entre as décadas de 1960 a 2000: Estudo Pró-Saúde.

No Brasil, informações sobre a prática e duração do aleitamento materno anteriores ao ano de 1986 é pouco conhecida pela falta de estudos realizados nesta época. O objetivo desta Dissertação foi descrever uma série histórica de duração mediana do aleitamento materno entre as décadas de 1960 e 2000, identificando os fatores associados ao risco de interrupção do aleitamento materno em cada década. Foram utilizados os dados do Estudo Pró-Saúde (EPS), investigação epidemiológica longitudinal iniciada em 1999 com uma população de trabalhadores técnico-administrativos de uma universidade localizada no Estado do Rio de Janeiro. As informações de duração do aleitamento materno relativas ao primeiro filho foram coletadas em duas fases do EPS: fase 1 (1999, n = 4030), e fase 4 (2011-2012, n = 2933). As mulheres que participaram da fase 4 e que já haviam participado da fase 1 foram consideradas somente uma vez. Assim, o total de participantes deste estudo foi de 2160 mulheres, das quais 1747 tiveram pelo menos um filho, sendo que 1727 relataram ter amamentado e destas, 1539 informaram a duração do aleitamento materno do primeiro filho. A análise da duração da amamentação foi realizada utilizando procedimentos de análise de sobrevivência e o efeito das co-variáveis sobre o tempo de aleitamento foi avaliado por meio do modelo de regressão de Cox. O nível de significância testado foi de 5% e para a análise estatística o software utilizado foi o programa Stata 12.0. Os resultados da dissertação são apresentados no artigo intitulado Série histórica da duração do aleitamento materno entre as décadas de 1960 a 2000, Estudo Pró-Saúde. Foi constatado que a duração mediana do aleitamento materno foi menor na década de 1970 e maior na década de 1980 em diante (6, 5, 6, 8 e 12 meses no decorrer das décadas de 1960 a 2000 respectivamente). Na década de 1970 os fatores estatisticamente associados a menor duração do aleitamento materno foram a idade materna (risco mais elevado entre mães mais velhas), e renda familiar (risco mais elevado entre famílias com maior renda). Já, na década de 2000, as mulheres com renda familiar intermediária amamentaram por mais tempo. As mulheres que se declararam da cor preta amamentaram por mais tempo quando comparadas às de cor branca nas décadas de 1960 e 1970, e quando comparadas às de cor branca e parda na década de 1980. Concluiu-se que a duração mediana do aleitamento materno diminuiu na década de 1970, aumentando nas décadas seguintes, o que coincide com a adoção de políticas, normas e práticas em favor da promoção, proteção e apoio ao aleitamento materno a partir da década de 1980.

Gas-phase production of gold-decorated silica nanoparticles.

Gold-decorated silica nanoparticles were synthesized in a two-step process in which silica nanoparticles were produced by chemical vapor synthesis using tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) and subsequently decorated using two different gas-phase evaporative techniques. Both evaporative processes resulted in gold decoration of the silica particles. This study compares the mechanisms of particle decoration for a production method in which the gas and particles remain cool to a method in which the entire aerosol is heated. Results of transmission electron microscopy and visible spectroscopy studies indicate that both methods produce particles with similar morphologies and nearly identical absorption spectra, with peak absorption at 500-550 nm. A study of the thermal stability of the particles using heated-TEM indicates that the gold decoration on the particle surface remains stable at temperatures below 900 °C, above which the gold decoration begins to both evaporate and coalesce.

A remarkable new species of Psednos (Teleostei: Liparidae) from the western North Atlantic Ocean

Psednos rossi new species (Teleostei: Liparidae) is described from two specimens collected in the North Atlantic Ocean off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, at depths of 500–674 m. Psednos rossi belongs to the P. christinae group, which includes six other species and is characterized by 46–47 vertebrae and the absence of a coronal pore. Psednos rossi differs from those six species by having characters unique within the genus: straight spine, body not humpbacked at the occiput, and a very large mouth with a vertical oral cleft. Other distinguishing characters include a notched pectoral fin with 15–16 rays, eye 17–19% SL, and color in life orange-rose. With P. rossi, the genus Psednos as currently known includes 26 described and five undescribed species of small meso- or bathypelagic liparids from the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.

泸州老窖古酿酒作坊空气微生物分布特征研究

本文主要研究了泸州老窖古酿酒作坊内外环境空气真菌和空气细菌的群落结构和分布特征。结果如下： 作坊内外环境空气微生物浓度差别显著，并随季节变换而变化，春、夏季微生物浓度较高，秋、冬季较低，空气真菌在夏季达到最高，细菌在春季最高。 古作坊内外环境检测到的真菌均为16 属，但优势菌属不同，作坊外的优势菌属为青霉属(Penicillium)、曲霉属(Aspergillus)、无孢菌(non-sporing)、枝孢霉属(Cladosporium)和链格孢属(Alternaria)；而作坊内优势菌属为曲霉属、青霉属、酵母菌(Yeast)、无孢菌，作坊内还含有较高浓度的根霉属（Rhizopus）、毛霉属（Mucor）、短梗霉属（Aureobasidiu），枝孢霉属和链格孢属等，曲霉属、酵母菌、根霉属、毛霉属为古酿酒作坊重要的酿酒真菌，青霉属、链格孢属为酿酒不利菌群。对古作坊内曲霉属进行了初步鉴定，主要是小冠曲霉（A.cristatellus）、米曲霉（A.oryzae）、黑曲霉（A.niger）和白曲霉（A.cadidus）。 空气细菌10 属21 种，作坊内外环境的优势菌属均为芽孢杆菌属（Bacillus）、微球菌属(Micrococcus)、葡萄球菌属(Staphylococcus)、假单胞菌属(Pseudomonad)，其中芽孢杆菌属在作坊内占有绝对的优势，浓度比在40℅以上，是古酿酒作坊重要的酿酒细菌，另外还检测到较高浓度的乳酸杆菌（lactobucillus），这类菌容易使酒味发涩发苦，为酿酒不利菌。 作坊内外环境空气微生物表现出明显的交流现象。作坊内，青霉属、枝孢霉属、链格孢属、葡萄球菌属等杂菌占有一定比例；而在作坊外,芽孢杆菌属、曲霉属、根霉属(Rhizopus)、酵母菌等处于相对较高水平，绿化环境较好的营沟头作坊内的短梗霉属，枝孢霉属和链格孢属等杂菌含量低于什字头和新街子作坊。 The community structure and distribution characteristic of airborne microbes was investigated in ancient brewage workshops of luzhoulaojiao. The results are as follows: The concentration of airborne microbes was different in interior and exterior environment of ancient workshops, and also varied by seasons. microbial concentration was higher in spring and summer, and lower in fall and winner. The highest levels of airborne bacteria was in spring, but the fungal’s in summer. The identified genus of fungi were 16 in interior and exterior environment of the ancient workshops. But the dominant genus were different , The advantage genus in the interior were Aspergillus, Yeasts, Penicillum and Nonsporing and in the exterior were Penicillum, Nonsporing, Cladosporium, Aspergillus and Aureobasidiu. Rhizopus ,mucor, Aureobasidiu, Cladosporium, Alternaria and all also were at a higher level. Among these, Aspergillus, Yeasts, Rhizopus ,mucor are important vintage flora . Penicillum, Alternaria do harm to vintage. Aspergillus of ancient workshops was identified , the preponderant aspergillus species were A.cristatellus, A.oryzae, A.niger and A.cadidus in ancient brewage workshops. 10 genus 21 species bacteria were identified, the advantage genuses among the interior and exterior of the three workshops were bacillus, microccus, Staphylococcus Pseudomonas. Bacillus, which account for beyond 40℅ of the total bacteria concentration in all sampling pots, was the most dominant genus. Lactobacillus was identified at a high level in ancient workshops, it makes spirit taste bitter and astringent. So it is not a kind of good bacterium for vintage. The fungus in the interior and exterior atmosphere characterized intercommunion phenomenon. Obviously, the concentration of profitless fungus such as Penicillum, Cladosporium, Alternaria appeared in the interior, and the fungus such as Bacillus, Aspergillus, Rhizopus and Yeasts in the exterior were at a relatively high level. the harmfull fungus in yinggoutou workshops such as Aureobasidiu, Cladosporium, Alternaria and all were lower than shenzitou and xinjiezi workshops.