62970 research outputs found
Sort by
Enhancing Teachers’ Sense of Professional Self-Efficacy Regarding Their Abilities to Structure and Manage Effective School-to-Home Communication
No full textEffective school-to-home communication plays a crucial role in fostering productive partnerships between teachers, parents, and students. However, teachers often face challenges in structuring and managing these communication channels, which can hinder their ability to effectively engage with parents and promote student success. This study explores the importance of professional self-efficacy in facilitating successful school-to-home communication. This study presents a review of the literature on school-to-home communication, drawing upon Vygotsky’s social-cultural theory, it explores evidence-based practices and interventions, discussions of potential challenges and barriers, and includes a professional development program that can support teachers in enhancing their self-efficacy and promoting effective communication with parents. This research paper employed an action research methodological design to explore the complex dynamics of school to home communication within an educational setting. By identifying change drivers, applying these drivers to real-life settings, applying solutions, and piloting activities, this study examined teacher self-efficacy in implementing school to home communications practices and ultimately foster stronger partnerships between educators and families to support student success
Musical analysis and performance edition of Paul Hindemith’s Sonata for Solo Cello, Opus 25, No. 3
No full textThe document is a musical analysis and a performance edition of the Sonata for solo cello, Opus 25, No. 3 by Paul Hindemith, a 20th century German composer. The purpose of this musical analysis and performance edition is to show the style, character, thematic/motific treatment, and structure of the piece and each movement, as well as a performance guide for the cellist.
The performance edition is inspired by the research of successful performers and pedagogues, such as Emanuel Feuermann, Janos Starker and Natalia Gutman.
This document will also provide a short biography of Paul Hindemith, history of solo cello works, the background story behind the composition of this sonata and how it influenced other cello solo works
Isolation and Utilization of Fungal Chitin
No full textChitin is a biopolymer found in nature. It has attracted much interest due to its many uses in various sectors, including biotechnology, agriculture, food, and medicine. Traditionally sourced from crustacean exoskeletons, chitin extraction poses some challenges due to its contamination with allergenic protein and its reliance on harsh chemical treatment during extraction. Compared to chitin obtained from crustaceans, fungal chitin has recently become a viable substitute, providing several benefits, such as being plant-based and free of allergens. It does not vary with the seasons or regions.
However, the purification of chitin from fungal biomass is often challenging, as it is often contaminated with other cellular components such as glucans, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. Because glucans and chitin have similar structures, removing glucans is more challenging than removing other components. Consequently, when chitin is extracted from mushrooms, the presence of branched 1,3/1,6-β-D-glucans leads to Chitin Glucan Complex (CGC) isolation rather than isolation of purified chitin polymer. Some studies indeed demonstrated methods for fungal chitin extraction, but the purity and characteristics of the extracted chitin remain unclear due to insufficient characterization.
The goal of the reported work is to investigate the chitin extraction from three different mushrooms- (white (Agaricus bisporus), Shiitake (Lentinus edodes), and oyster (Pleurotus ostreatus) using four different methods: 1. traditional pulping (using NaOH), 2. extraction with 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([C2mim][OAc] ionic liquid (IL), 3. pulping with 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate IL ([C4mim][HSO4], and 4. pulping using deep eutectic solvent system (DES) made of choline chloride and lactic acid, ([Cho]Cl : Lactic acid = 1:2 mol/mol). A further focus will be on the characterization of this polymer to identify different properties by several characterization techniques including Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), powder X-ray diffraction (pXRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), degree of acetylation (%DA) measurements, carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (13C NMR) spectroscopy, and purity assessment. Finally, fibers and hydrogels were prepared from the isolated materials to determine whether complete separating the chitin and glucans is required or whether the chitin somewhat contaminated with glucans can be used directly for material preparation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and tensile testing were used to characterize the prepared materials.
The yield and characterization following the extraction procedure confirmed purer chitin when treated with NaOH for 24 h. At the same time, DES was deemed unsuitable for the intended use, and the ionic liquids were shown to be moderately effective. The purest isolated chitin was used for materials preparation. The molecular weight (Mw) of the isolated polymer allowed it to be fabricated into hydrogels and fibers
Neurocognitive disparities: investigating ethnicity and mental health in rural aging adults
Full text linkObjectives: We explored whether depression and anxiety moderated the association of ethnicity and neurocognitive functioning among a sample of Hispanic and non-Hispanic White rural aging adults. Method: 1,462 rural dwelling adults (Mage = 59.4 years, SDage = 12.12) were included in the analysis for this study. Results: MANCOVAs revealed a significant (ps <.001) multivariate effect of ethnicity on all five indices of neurocognitive functioning when controlling for anxiety and sociodemographic variables (V =.20, F(5,1,310) = 64.69) and depression and sociodemographic variables in the second model (V =.20, F(5,1310) = 65.80, p <.001). There was also a multivariate effect of anxiety (V =.02, F(5,1310) = 4.57, p <.001) and depression (V =.04, F(5, 1310) = 11.38, p <.001) on neurocognitive functioning when controlling for sociodemographic variables and ethnicity. Conclusion: Findings revealed that Hispanic rural aging adults scored lower on neurocognitive functioning compared to non-Hispanic White rural aging adults, irrespective of depression or anxiety. Depression and anxiety contributed to lower scores on neurocognitive functioning—yet this finding was not as robust. Culturally tailored interventions targeting risk factors for neurocognitive impairment in Hispanic rural aging adults are imperative to mitigate neurocognitive disparities. One possible reason for differences in neurocognitive functioning between Hispanic individuals and non-Hispanic individuals is stress as ethnic health disparities have been found to be shaped by a diverse range of lifetime stressors that are disproportionally exacerbated for ethnic minorities
Characterizing food web structure of a southern prairie river with conservation implications for four native stream fishes
No full textEnvironmental variation is known to influence the quality, quantity, and availability of instream and terrestrial food resources for riverine consumers. We assessed the effects of spatiotemporal variation on aquatic food web structure and resource use among an understudied group of southern prairie river fishes of conservation need using stable isotope and fish gut content analysis. Because stable isotope analysis often requires lethal take, we also examined the use of fish fin as an alternative to muscle tissue for future nonlethal δ15N and δ13C analysis of plains minnow (Hybognathus placitus), prairie chub (Macrhybopsis australis), Red River shiner (Notropis bairdi), and Red River pupfish (Cyprinodon rubrofluviatilis). Food web structure, basal resource use, and fish diet composition varied across seasons and longitudinal gradients. Although δ13C values of basal instream and riparian producers frequently overlapped, the δ13C values of consumers were most similar to δ13C values of instream detritus or algae across seasons. While δ15N values varied according to species across longitudinal river gradients, δ13C values of fishes were generally negatively related to river kilometer, mimicking trends of longitudinal δ13C depletion in instream detritus. Enriched δ15N values and constricted isotopic and diet niche areas from spring to summer suggested more specialized feeding habits among prairie chub and Red River shiner, likely due to increased resource availability and prey selectivity. Fewer distinct food items in diets, downward shifts in δ15N values, and expanded diet niches during fall may suggest a shift to generalist feeding behavior for prairie chub and Red River shiner as invertebrate abundance decreased. By contrast, food resource use by plains minnow and Red River pupfish differed little between seasons. Although isotopic composition differed between tissues, fin and muscle isotope values were positively related for δ15N (ANCOVA: F1, 451 = 5312.09, P 70 mm, prairie chub and Red River shiner > 62 mm, and Red River pupfish > 48 mm. Our assessment of spatiotemporal changes in food web structure and fish feeding habits may provide a reference from which to compare how Red River consumers may be affected by habitat alteration and homogenization. Additionally, subsequent resource assessments may use fin tissue as a nonlethal alternative to muscle tissue to prevent future lethal take and limit impact on declining populations