Supporting sleep in early care and education: An assessment of observed sleep-times using a sleep practices optimality index

Aim: The aim was to investigate whether the sleep practices in early childhood education (ECE) settings align with current evidence on optimal practice to support sleep. Background: Internationally, scheduled sleep times are a common feature of daily schedules in ECE settings, yet little is known about the degree to which care practices in these settings align with the evidence regarding appropriate support of sleep. Methods: Observations were conducted in 130 Australian ECE rooms attended by preschool children (Mean = 4.9 years). Of these rooms, 118 had daily scheduled sleep times. Observed practices were scored against an optimality index, the Sleep Environment and Practices Optimality Score, developed with reference to current evidence regarding sleep scheduling, routines, environmental stimuli, and emotional climate. Cluster analysis was applied to identify patterns and prevalence of care practices in the sleep time. Results: Three sleep practices types were identified. Supportive rooms (36%) engaged in practices that maintained regular schedules, promoted routine, reduced environmental stimulation, and maintained positive emotional climate. The majority of ECE rooms (64%), although offering opportunity for sleep, did not engage in supportive practices: Ambivalent rooms (45%) were emotionally positive but did not support sleep; Unsupportive rooms (19%) were both emotionally negative and unsupportive in their practices. Conclusions: Although ECE rooms schedule sleep time, many do not adopt practices that are supportive of sleep. Our results underscore the need for education about sleep supporting practice and research to ascertain the impact of sleep practices in ECE settings on children’s sleep health and broader well-being.

'I wonder what you know...': Teachers designing requests for factual information

Optimizing the quality of early childhood education (ECE) is an international policy priority. Teacher-child interactions have been identified as the strongest indicator of quality and most potent predictor of child outcomes. This paper presents ethnomethodological and conversation analysis of an interaction between an early childhood educator with two children as they engage with each other, while performing a Web search. Analyses shows that question design can elicit qualitatively different responses with regard to sustained interactions. Understanding the design of teacher questions has pedagogic implications for the work of the teacher and for the broader quality agenda in early childhood education.

Whiteness scholarship in early childhood education

This paper explores how whiteness scholarship can support deep engagement with both historical and contemporary forms of whiteness and racism in early childhood education. To this point, the uptake of whiteness scholarship in the field of early childhood has focused predominantly on autobiographical narratives. These narratives recount white educators’ stories of ‘becoming aware’ or ‘unmasking’ their whiteness. In colonising contexts including Australia, New Zealand and Canada, understanding how whiteness operates in different ways and what this means for educational research and practice, can support researchers and educators to identify and describe more fully the impacts of subtle forms of racism in their everyday practices. In this paper, whiteness is explored in a broader sense as: a form of property; an organising principle for institutional behaviours and practices; and as a fluid identity or subject position. These three intersecting elements of whiteness are drawn on to analyse data from a doctoral study about embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives in early childhood education curricula in two Australian urban childcare settings. Analysis is focused on how whiteness operated within the research site and research processes, along with the actions, inaction and talk of two educators engaged in embedding work. Findings show that both the researcher and educators reinforced, rather than reduced the impacts of whiteness and racism, despite the best of intentions.

The construction of a taxonomy of early childhood educators’ work

Despite considerable research on the impact of early childhood education (ECE), there is little empirical evidence about what the everyday work of educators entails. This paper reports on the development of a tool to capture generalisable data on the everyday work of educators so as to inform effective workforce policy. This tool—a taxonomy of early childhood educators’ work—was developed by drawing on the expertise of six early years’ experts from Australia and the United States of America (USA) and includes time-use diaries, focus groups and interviews with 21 early childhood educators working in long day care and preschool services. The taxonomy, which we present here, consists of 10 domains, each with a number of sub-classes. We propose that this taxonomy is a useful codification system for ascertaining the everyday work tasks, activities and actions of early childhood educators in diverse early years’ settings. It is anticipated that the taxonomy will prove a valuable tool for subsequent research investigating the early childhood workforce.

A comparative study of early childhood curriculum documents focused on education for sustainability in South Korea and Australia

This thesis is about a comparative study of early childhood education (ECE) curriculum documents focused on education for sustainability (EfS) in South Korea and Australia. It examined how the national ECE curriculum documents in two culturally different contexts align with contemporary concepts of sustainability and activist early childhood education for sustainability (ECEfS) principles. Drawing on systems theory, Korean and Australian ECE curriculum documents were used as the primary sources for this study within the framework of critical document analysis (CDA). This study offers a step forward in developing culturally inclusive/holistic understandings of sustainability and more contextualised/localised approaches to ECEfS.

Bridging East and West : The Establishment of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in the United States Foreign Policy of Bridge Building, 1964-1972.

The dissertation examines the foreign policies of the United States through the prism of science and technology. In the focal point of scrutiny is the policy establishing the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and the development of the multilateral part of bridge building in American foreign policy during the 1960s and early 1970s. After a long and arduous negotiation process, the institute was finally established by twelve national member organizations from the following countries: Bulgaria, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), France, German Democratic Republic (GDR), Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Poland, Soviet Union and United States; a few years later Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands also joined. It is said that the goal of the institute was to bring together researchers from East and West to solve pertinent problems caused by the modernization process experienced in industrialized world. It originates from President Lyndon B. Johnson s bridge building policies that were launched in 1964, and was set in a well-contested and crowded domain of other international organizations of environmental and social planning. Since the distinct need for yet another organization was not evident, the process of negotiations in this multinational environment enlightens the foreign policy ambitions of the United States on the road to the Cold War détente. The study places this project within its political era, and juxtaposes it with other international organizations, especially that of the OECD, ECE and NATO. Conventionally, Lyndon Johnson s bridge building policies have been seen as a means to normalize its international relations bilaterally with different East European countries, and the multilateral dimension of the policy has been ignored. This is why IIASA s establishment process in this multilateral environment brings forth new information on US foreign policy goals, the means to achieve these goals, as well as its relations to other advanced industrialized societies before the time of détente, during the 1960s and early 1970s. Furthermore, the substance of the institute applied systems analysis illuminates the differences between European and American methodological thinking in social planning. Systems analysis is closely associated with (American) science and technology policies of the 1960s, especially in its military administrative applications, thus analysis within the foreign policy environment of the United States proved particularly fruitful. In the 1960s the institutional structures of European continent with faltering, and the growing tendencies of integration were in flux. One example of this was the long, drawn-out process of British membership in the EEC, another is de Gaulle s withdrawal from NATO s military-political cooperation. On the other hand, however, economic cooperation in Europe between East and West, and especially with the Soviet Union was expanding rapidly. This American initiative to form a new institutional actor has to be seen in that structural context, showing that bridge building was needed not only to the East, but also to the West. The narrative amounts to an analysis of how the United States managed both cooperation and conflict in its hegemonic aspirations in the emerging modern world, and how it used its special relationship with the United Kingdom to achieve its goals. The research is based on the archives of the United States, Great Britain, Sweden, Finland, and IIASA. The primary sources have been complemented with both contemporary and present day research literature, periodicals, and interviews.

Electrocaloric Effect in 0.85PMN-0.15PT Thin Films Deposited by Pulsed Laser Deposition

The electrocaloric effect (ECE) of 0.85PbMg(1/3)Nb(2/3)O(3-)0.15PbTiO(3) (0.85PMN-0.15PT) thin films deposited on (111) Pt/TiO2/SiO2/Si substrate by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) has been calculated. The reversible adiabatic temperature was calculated indirectly using the Maxwell's relation Delta T = -T/C rho integral(E2)(E1) (partial derivative P/partial derivative T)(sigma,E)dE. Permittivity and P-E measurements show an anomaly at 11 degrees C on heating only. This anomaly previously reported are claimed to arise due to the PNR depolarization upon heating. The absence of this anomaly during cooling suggests that no structural phase transition takes place. A negative electrocaloric effect is observed which is explained by the increase in the entropy term.

Pricing and Power allocation in Femtocells using Stackelberg Game Theory

We consider a system with multiple Femtocells operating in a Macrocell. The transmissions in one Femtocell interfere with its neighboring Femtocells as well as with the Macrocell Base Station. We model Femtocells as selfish nodes and the Macrocell Base Station protects itself by pricing subchannels for each usage. We use Stackelberg game model to study this scenario and obtain equilibrium policies that satisfy certain quality of service.

Metamorfoses do humano: experimentações etnográficas em um laboratório de neurociência

Este trabalho tem como foco central a análise dos dilemas presentes na produção de conhecimento acerca das emoções e do comportamento humano nas neurociências. Para isso, realizou-se uma etnografia em um laboratório atuante na seara da psicofisiologia ou neurobiologia das emoções. Mais especificamente, trata-se de um centro de pesquisas que atualmente realiza experimentos com universitários, militares e pacientes psiquiátricos no intuito de investigar questões relativas ao chamado transtorno do estresse pós-traumático, o neuromarketing, entre outras questões relacionadas à violência urbana e situações aversivas de um modo geral. Para compreender a centralidade adquirida pelo corpo e em especial o cérebro na definição da Pessoa, buscou-se acompanhar o cotidiano de transformação e atualizações neurocientíficas de problemáticas já postas desde o delineamento histórico do fisicalismo moderno. Buscou-se atentar ainda para as trajetórias dos programas de pesquisas desenvolvidos e da vida acadêmica das/os pesquisadoras/os, assim como para as controvérsias intrínsecas a uma atividade científica que se propõe a discutir uma ontologia para o humano.

Phylogenomics of several deer species revealed by comparative chromosome painting with Chinese muntjac paints

A set of Chinese muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi) chromosome-specific paints has been hybridized onto the metaphases of sika deer (Cervus nippon, CNI, 2n = 66), red deer (Cervus elaphus, CEL, 2n = 62) and tufted deer (Elaphodus cephalophus, ECE, 2n = 47). Thir

长光程薄层光谱电化学法研究溶液反应及电极表面行为

本论文用光谱电化学法进行了有机分子的电极过程动力学和电极/溶液界面状态两个方面的研究。采用长光程光透薄层光谱电化学池，不仅测定了有关的热力学参数，研究和阐明了电极反应历程和机理，进一步提出和发展了用薄层光谱电化学研究快速反应的动力学方法；而且开展了电非活性分子在电极表面上吸附、定向、及其定向转化的热力学研究，另外发现和研究了电致二色性效应。首次研究了阳离子表面活性剂—溴化十六烷基吡啶（CPB）在玻碳电极表面上吸附行为，由光谱电化学实验结果和分子结构提出CPB在玻碳表面上吸附有四种较稳定的定向，经历了三次较大的吸附定向的转化过程，给出了分子在电极表面吸附的分子水平的微观信息。并表明微分吸附等温曲线法是研究有机物吸附定向及其转化的更为敏锐的方法。吸附等温曲线的理论处理，证明了CPB的每一定向吸附过程服从两个Frumkin等温吸附方程前者主要由化学亲合力控制，后者由晶格吸引力控制。揭示了长链烷烃的吸附特性，解释了CPB及某些中性有机化合物在高覆盖度下偏离Frumkin等温吸附方程的现象。提出了临界覆盖度概念，从而首次进行了吸附定向及其转化的热力学处理。获得各种吸附定向的吸附自由能及吸附定向转化的自由能变化和热力学平衡常数。从热力学方面预测了各种吸附定向的稳定性，吸附定向转化的推动力和可能性。从而深化了吸附的理论研究，使得较复杂有机化合物的复杂吸附过程的理论处理成为可能。CPB在玻碳电极表面上吸附的交流阻抗研究表明，在高频区出现了与电解池结构有关的阻抗，具有半园旋转特性。通过假设存在着频率相关的电容和电阻与池结构电容、溶液电阻构成等效电路。理论处理的予计结果完全与我们的实验吻合，而且对于文献中交流阻抗图高频端出现的变形现象提出了定性地解释。通过假定CPB在玻碳电极表面上形成单分子吸附膜的模型，推导出的结果（与吸附有关的阻抗图及warburg阻抗图）与实验数据完全一致。由warburg阻抗中求出的CPB扩散系数为7.07 * 10~(-8)cm~2/s，流体动力学半径为3.52A°，证明了CPB分子在LOPTLC中，由于流体场的作用形成有序排列，其扩散过程为CPB分子的群体行为，为CPB电致二色性研究提供依据。微分电容曲线的研究证明，在较低覆盖度下，CPB上的BF与电极表面接触，在电场作用下，CPB分子发生定向转化，由低密度定向向高密度定向转化，出现了多个峰电容。在较高覆盖度下，CPB中的BF离子离开电极表面，吸附行为与中性有机物的吸附行为相似，仅出现两个峰电容，没有BF的吸附—解吸峰。从而为由吸附等温曲线中推测的吸附定向提供依据。首次发现并研究了CPB的电致二色性效应，结果表明，CPB的电致二色性疚主要是由于偶极分子在电场作用下进行重新定向引起的。进一步研究了CPB浓度及有效电场强度的影响，电致二色性效应在低电位下与CPB的浓度成反比，较高电位下，与ECOSO呈正比。在高电位下，由于电化学反应引起有效电场强度降低，使电致二色性效应下降。这一研究为液晶体系中电致二色性的研究提供了有力的工具，扩展了研究的因素，也为光谱电化学方法研究液晶体系的电化学提供了基础性研究体系。茜素红S（ARS）在玻碳电极上电极行为的研究证明了，在1.0—0.0伏电位范围内，ARS的氧化过程不是一步不可逆过程，而是2个电子的氧化过程与一个后行化学反应构成了ECE循环机理。氧化和还原过程中还包括了一个质子的两电子氧化还原步骤和一个质子传递步骤构成的EC和CE机理。后行化学反应为ARS氧化产物与ARS形成氢键的反应，化学反应的产物经历一个不可逆氧化还原过程，还原产物为ARS。光谱电化学方法求得表观式电位为，E' = 0.34 5伏（VS·SCE），αn = 0.625。首次提出了单电位跃计时吸收法（用LOPTLC）测定快速后行化学反应速率的方法，测得ARS的后行化学反应平衡常数为7.94 * 10~5 l/mol，反应自由能为，8.05 kcal/mol (25 ℃)，与其它方法估计的结果吻合。测出的动力学速率常数为426.6 l/mol·s。扩展了LOPTLC法在快速反应动力学方面的应用。以上研究结果表明，本论文发展了光透式薄层光谱电化学的研究和应用范围，克服了以往多用于研究溶液反应的局限性，使此方法在研究电极/溶液界面现象方面能够与反射式光谱电化学法相比，而且具有方法简单，反映直观、测定灵敏、定量的特点，将有力地推动今后这方面的研究发展。

ELECTROCHEMICAL REDUCTION PROCESS OF BILIRUBIN IN DIMETHYLFORMAMIDE

The electrochemical reduction behavior of bilirubin (BR) at platinum electrode in DMF was investigated by cyclic voltammetry, in situ electron spin resonance spectroscopy and in situ rapid scanning thin layer spectroelectrochemistry. Experimental results revealed that the reduction of BR firstly undergoes an ECE process: GRAPHICS The generated (BR)(2)(3-). can be re-oxidized to BR and then to purpurin (Pu) by a series of oxidation processes: GRAPHICS However, the re-reduction reactions of Pu are not the reverse processes. The different reduction mechanisms are discussed in detail.

Sequential anomaly detection in the presence of noise and limited feedback

This paper describes a methodology for detecting anomalies from sequentially observed and potentially noisy data. The proposed approach consists of two main elements: 1) filtering, or assigning a belief or likelihood to each successive measurement based upon our ability to predict it from previous noisy observations and 2) hedging, or flagging potential anomalies by comparing the current belief against a time-varying and data-adaptive threshold. The threshold is adjusted based on the available feedback from an end user. Our algorithms, which combine universal prediction with recent work on online convex programming, do not require computing posterior distributions given all current observations and involve simple primal-dual parameter updates. At the heart of the proposed approach lie exponential-family models which can be used in a wide variety of contexts and applications, and which yield methods that achieve sublinear per-round regret against both static and slowly varying product distributions with marginals drawn from the same exponential family. Moreover, the regret against static distributions coincides with the minimax value of the corresponding online strongly convex game. We also prove bounds on the number of mistakes made during the hedging step relative to the best offline choice of the threshold with access to all estimated beliefs and feedback signals. We validate the theory on synthetic data drawn from a time-varying distribution over binary vectors of high dimensionality, as well as on the Enron email dataset. © 1963-2012 IEEE.