Bioindication of ozone using milkweed plants in Southern Ontario

Ambient (03) ozone concentrations were compared to ozone damage on milkweed plants to determine if there was a correlation. Eight survey sites of at least 100 plants each were located within 5 kilometers of Air Quality Index (AQI) stations in southern Ontario. Sites were visited nine times from June-September (2007) and milkweed leaves from 75 plants were assessed using methods pioneered in the United States. Ambient 0 3 results were calculated into SUM65, seasonal cumulative 0 3, and total 03. The 0 3 exposure indices SUM65 and cumulative 0 3 were tested statistically to determine which index is biologically relevant to milkweed as an 0 3 damage indicator species. The milkweed damage indices were incidence of leaves damaged per plant, incidence of plants damaged per site, and total 0 3• The incidence of plants injured per site was the best damage parameter with an F(1,28)=17.37, p=0.0003 for SUM65 and F(1,28)=7.5, p=O.0106 for cumulative 03 .. Milkweed plants showed quantifiable ozone damage with minimal spatial differences in damage and thus have potential use as a biomonitor species in southern Ontario.

New oligomer-bound antioxidants for improved flex crack resistance and ozone resistance

New oligomer-bound antioxidants have been prepared by condensation reaction. The efficiency and permanence of these oligomer- bound paraphenylene diamines as antioxidants has been compared with conventional amine type antioxidants in NR, SBR, IIR and NBR and in elastomer blends like NR/BR and NR/SBR. The oligomer-bound antioxidants are found to impart improved ozone, flex resistance and mechanical properties to the vulcanizates of NR, SBR, IIR and NBR and to blends of NR/BR and NR/ SBR in comparison with those containing conventional antioxidants.

Precursor nanoscale modulations in ferromagnets: Modeling and thermodynamic characterization

Using a Ginzburg-Landau model for the magnetic degrees of freedom with coupling to disorder, we demonstrate through simulations the existence of stripelike magnetic precursors recently observed in Co-Ni-Al alloys above the Curie temperature. We characterize these magnetic modulations by means of the temperature dependence of local magnetization distribution, magnetized volume fraction, and magnetic susceptibility. We also obtain a temperature-disorder strength phase diagram in which a magnetic tweed phase exists in a small region between the paramagnetic and dipolar phases.

Spatio-temporal Variability of Atmospheric Ozone over Indian Subcontinent and its Relation to Meteorological Parameters

Ozone present in the atmosphere not only absorbs the biologically harmful ultraviolet radiation but also is an important ingredient of the climate system. The radiative absorption properties of ozone make it a determining factor in the structure of the atmosphere. Ozone in the troposphere has many negative impacts on humans and other living beings. Another significant aspect is the absorption of outgoing infrared radiation by ozone thus acting as a greenhouse gas. The variability of ozone in the atmosphere involves many interconnections with the incoming and outgoing radiation, temperature circulation etc. Hence ozone forms an important part of chemistry-climate as well as radiative transfer models. This aspect also makes the quantification of ozone more important. The discovery of Antarctic ozone hole and the role of anthropogenic activities in causing it made it possible to plan and implement necessary preventive measures. Continuous monitoring of ozone is also necessary to identify the effect of these preventive steps. The reactions involving the formation and destruction of ozone are influenced significantly by the temperature fluctuations of the atmosphere. On the other hand the variations in ozone can change the temperature structure of the atmosphere. Indian subcontinent is a region having large weather and climate variability which is evident from the large interannual variability of monsoon system over the region. Nearly half of Indian region comprises the tropical region. Most of ozone is formed in the tropical region and transported to higher latitudes. The formation and transport of ozone can be influenced by changes in solar radiation and various atmospheric circulation features. Besides industrial activities and vehicular traffic is more due to its large population. This may give rise to an increase in the production of tropospheric ozone which is greenhouse gas. Hence it becomes necessary to monitor the atmospheric ozone over this region. This study probes into the spatial distribution and temporal evolution of ozone over Indian subcontinent and discusses the contributing atmospheric parameters.

CuInS2/In2S3 Cells using a Cost-effective Technique: Significance of Precursor Ratios on Cell Parameters

Thin film solar cells having structure CuInS2/In2S3 were fabricated using chemical spray pyrolysis (CSP) technique over ITO coated glass. Top electrode was silver film (area 0.05 cm2). Cu/In ratio and S/Cu in the precursor solution for CuInS2 were fixed as 1.2 and 5 respectively. In/S ratio in the precursor solution for In2S3 was fixed as 1.2/8. An efficiency of 0.6% (fill factor -37.6%) was obtained. Cu diffusion to the In2S3 layer, which deteriorates junction properties, is inevitable in CuInS2/In2S3 cell. So to decrease this effect and to ensure a Cu-free In2S3 layer at the top of the cell, Cu/In ratio was reduced to 1. Then a remarkable increase in short circuit current density was occurred from 3 mA/cm2 to 14.8 mA/cm2 and an efficiency of 2.13% was achieved. Also when In/S ratio was altered to 1.2/12, the short circuit current density increased to 17.8 mA/cm2 with an improved fill factor of 32% and efficiency remaining as 2%. Thus Cu/In and In/S ratios in the precursor solutions play a crucial role in determining the cell parameters

"Thematically Analysing Social Network Content During Disasters Through the Lens of the Disaster Management Lifecycle" & "Investigating Similarity Between Privacy Policies of Social Networking Sites as a Precursor for Standardization"

Abstract 1: Social Networks such as Twitter are often used for disseminating and collecting information during natural disasters. The potential for its use in Disaster Management has been acknowledged. However, more nuanced understanding of the communications that take place on social networks are required to more effectively integrate this information into the processes within disaster management. The type and value of information shared should be assessed, determining the benefits and issues, with credibility and reliability as known concerns. Mapping the tweets in relation to the modelled stages of a disaster can be a useful evaluation for determining the benefits/drawbacks of using data from social networks, such as Twitter, in disaster management.A thematic analysis of tweets’ content, language and tone during the UK Storms and Floods 2013/14 was conducted. Manual scripting was used to determine the official sequence of events, and classify the stages of the disaster into the phases of the Disaster Management Lifecycle, to produce a timeline. Twenty- five topics discussed on Twitter emerged, and three key types of tweets, based on the language and tone, were identified. The timeline represents the events of the disaster, according to the Met Office reports, classed into B. Faulkner’s Disaster Management Lifecycle framework. Context is provided when observing the analysed tweets against the timeline. This illustrates a potential basis and benefit for mapping tweets into the Disaster Management Lifecycle phases. Comparing the number of tweets submitted in each month with the timeline, suggests users tweet more as an event heightens and persists. Furthermore, users generally express greater emotion and urgency in their tweets.This paper concludes that the thematic analysis of content on social networks, such as Twitter, can be useful in gaining additional perspectives for disaster management. It demonstrates that mapping tweets into the phases of a Disaster Management Lifecycle model can have benefits in the recovery phase, not just in the response phase, to potentially improve future policies and activities. Abstract2: The current execution of privacy policies, as a mode of communicating information to users, is unsatisfactory. Social networking sites (SNS) exemplify this issue, attracting growing concerns regarding their use of personal data and its effect on user privacy. This demonstrates the need for more informative policies. However, SNS lack the incentives required to improve policies, which is exacerbated by the difficulties of creating a policy that is both concise and compliant. Standardization addresses many of these issues, providing benefits for users and SNS, although it is only possible if policies share attributes which can be standardized. This investigation used thematic analysis and cross- document structure theory, to assess the similarity of attributes between the privacy policies (as available in August 2014), of the six most frequently visited SNS globally. Using the Jaccard similarity coefficient, two types of attribute were measured; the clauses used by SNS and the coverage of forty recommendations made by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office. Analysis showed that whilst similarity in the clauses used was low, similarity in the recommendations covered was high, indicating that SNS use different clauses, but to convey similar information. The analysis also showed that low similarity in the clauses was largely due to differences in semantics, elaboration and functionality between SNS. Therefore, this paper proposes that the policies of SNS already share attributes, indicating the feasibility of standardization and five recommendations are made to begin facilitating this, based on the findings of the investigation.

Evangelista Torricelli : un precursor del cálculo.

Breve recorrido por la historia de Evangelista Torricelli, científico renacentista y pionero en el cálculo matemático. Destacan el cálculo integral y el diferencial, dos de los aspectos en los que más énfasis hizo Torricelli, y que se destacan a lo largo del artículo.

Un precursor en la renovación de métodos de enseñanza de la lectura y escritura a finales del Antiguo Régimen.

Resumen en inglés. Texto completo facilitado por la Secretaría de la revista

Tagore, un precursor de la nueva educación.

Se analiza la época de Tagore, el contexto sociocultural y su biografía, su pensamiento antropológico, su modelo educativo y la primera escuela que creó en oriente, la de 'Shantiniketan'. Finalmente se resumen los principios educativo-didácticos y los principios activos y organizativos que configuran esta nueva escuela.

D. Jerónimo Mariano Usera y Alarcón y su obra : un precursor de la pedagogía social.

Estudiar la vida y obra de Jerónimo Mariano Usera y Alarcón, 1810-1891, su dimensión educadora y social. Antes de analizar la vocación y formación de este monje cisterciense, se revisa el marco político, social y cultural del s. XIX. Se estudia su acción personal como pedagogo en la universidad, en la selva africana y en el seminario de Santiago de Cuba. Se constatan sus intuiciones pedagógicas por su trabajo social y educativo con los niños, las mujeres, y emancipador con los esclavos y campesinos, en el marco institucional de asociaciones religiosas o laicas. Y por último, se analiza su lugar en la generación de educadores del siglo XIX, promotores de la Pedagogía Social y la educación popular para el desarrollo comunitario, y la proyección histórica de su obra. Se buscan escritos del propio Usera en archivos civiles o eclesiásticos, públicos o privados, de España, Cuba, Puerto Rico y Vaticano; y bibliografía sobre él. La investigación es hermenéutica-interpretativa, empírico-analítica de hechos y datos. Con los datos, se realiza un análisis teórico sistemático y comparado entre Usera y sus contemporáneos, sus intuiciones y las corrientes pedagógico-sociales de nuestros días. Usera no deja amplios estudios sobre teoría y métodos pedagógicos, sino la realización práctica de su pensamiento en su trabajo como profesor universitario en España, misionero en Africa y con cargos eclesiásticos en las Antillas. Su talento pedagógico queda patente en la rapidez con que pasa del reconocimiento del problema, al diseño racional, operativo, organizativo y ejecutivo de sus planes de ayuda pedagógico-social. Él mismo experimenta su proyecto y lo transmite a la Casa de Caridad y Oficios de S. Ildefonso, fundada en Puerto Rico en 1858, y a la Congregación de Hermanas del Amor de Dios, cuya primera fundación fue en Zamora en 1864, y posteriormente se extiende por Cuba y Africa. Ensaya métodos de Pedagogía Social individual, de grupo y comunitaria. Con su obra educativa-social, suple y soluciona los problemas educativos y humanos que la familia, la sociedad o el Estado no había resuelto. Debe ser considerado como pionero de la Pedagogía Social porque se adelantó a la pedagogía del siglo XX y superó a notables figuras de su tiempo. El sistema pedagógico de Usera conserva su actualidad porque se basa en principios que no envejecen y abre a su educando la socialización y el desarrollo de las relaciones interculturales.

Un maestro y precursor : don Juli??n Sanz del R??o (1814-1869)

Maestro y precursor de la Instituci??n Libre de Ense??anza fue el introductor del krausismo en Espa??a, a quien Giner, padre de la misma y colaboradores m??s inmediatos deben fidelidad a una conducta ejemplar e insobornable, al principio de libertad de la ciencia y de la educaci??n , que fue el esp??ritu inspirador de los institucionistas. Figura clave del pensamiento espa??ol moderno, al ser el iniciador de una corriente ideol??gica innovadora de muy acusados caracteres pedag??gicos y de honda raiz religiosa, aunque de envoltura laica, que pretend??a formar un hombre hisp??nico, libre de los defectos at??vicos de la raza. El krausismo se enfrenta con el escolasticismo, a nivel filos??fico y con el tradicionalismo a nivel pol??tico. Su car??cter sistem??tico, moralizante y totalizador era muy ??til para la reforma de los individuos y de la sociedad que pretend??an en Espa??a Sanz del R??o y sus disc??pulos. Siempre tuvo una seria y honesta voluntad no siempre afortunada, de incorporara a Espa??a la vanguardia intelectual de Europa y que no pudiera lograrse entonces, como tampoco despu??s, no fue culpa suya. Pero abri?? caminos al pensamiento anquilosado de su tiempo y fue un adelantado que posibilit??, ya en nuestros d??as, las v??as de las nuevas ideas a las generaciones posteriores a ??l. Influy?? sobre los futuros institucionistas ya que trata de conciliar la religi??n con la metaf??sica. Ideas b??sicas: universidad libre y la libre ense??anza; distinci??n krausista entre historia interna e historia externa; principio institucionista de hacer hombres; unidad org??nica del ser humano; emancipaci??n intelectual, la educaci??n cient??fica y austeridad moral; asimilaci??n y comunicaci??n de los pueblos entre si como misi??n esencial de Europa; imperativo moral; comunicaci??n profesor-alumno; amor a la naturaleza. p. 27.

Personal directivo profesional docente : un desarrollo precursor.

Resumen basado en el de la publicación

Frederic God??s i l???educaci?? social : les intu??cions d???un precursor de la normalitzaci??

Resumen basado en el de la publicaci??n

Francisco Ferrer Guardia, postmoderno avanzado y precursor de la educaci??n f??sica cr??tica : an??lisis y reflexi??n para un giro did??ctico

Resumen basado en el de la publicaci??n